there goes my hero.

Pietro threw his entire weight forward, slamming his body into the trainer before him. They'd been trying to make him fight without using his powers, and it was starting to get on his nerves. "Focus on how your weight shifts, Pietro," the trainer said, frowning as he hardly moved. Pietro scowled, tilting his head ever so slightly. "You want me to focus?" He asked, speaking slowly. The trainer nodded, giving him an encouraging smile. Pietro waited two seconds before darting forward, faster than anyone could see. He kept low, driving his trainer into the ground. He stood before him, a faint smirk on his face. "Just like that?" He questioned, feeling pretty good about himself. He didn't like many of the people here - maybe three. Maybe. But his trainer annoyed him the most, with his encouraging words and pretending to not be annoyed with him. He'd prefer Barton to train him, but apparently, he was 'busy'.

---

Hayden sat in the chair, stiff as a board. She knew that they were supposed to go through the debriefing, but that didn't mean that she wanted to. Having to relive being betrayed by her partner? Not something that she really felt like going through. Sure, she'd kept up with the Avengers and their exploits, but that didn't mean that she felt like having them go over what had happened. Although, to be fair, it would probably be some lower level field agent that's stuck with her. She took a deep breath in, forcing her shoulders to relax. She recalled her training, making every single muscle relax in her body. The faster she could do this, the faster she could get this over with. After being brought in, half dead from a particularly nasty HYDRA encounter, this wasn't at the top of her list of things she wanted to do that day. At least they let her eat something beforehand.

[ignore]

[ignore]

Amalia had been with SHIELD for a little over a year now. Well, what was left of it anyway. A few agents had infiltrated the Hydra base where Strucker had kept her along with the twins. She'd been separated from them long before that though, so it was no surprise that they'd found her and took her in. She didn't know what Strucker had told Wanda and Pietro though. She didn't know that, as far as they knew, she hadn't survived the experiments. The fact of the matter was, she had. Her abilities were what had really interested the agents. She was sure that they wouldn't have eventually brought her to the training base, after going through this whole screening process, they didn't know if they could trust her at first, but they soon learned that they could. It was only recently that she'd been brought to the training facility. Director Coulson had spoken with her, and made her an offer, one that she saw no reason to refuse. What else did she have anyway? She didn't have any family, the twins had been the closest thing that she had to that, and she hadn't seen either of them since she'd been separated from them.

---

Steve was busier than normal as of late, and that was saying something seeing as, since joining SHIELD, his life hadn't exactly been dull. He had more responsibilities now than ever though, what with having to overlook training at the new Avengers training facility. He had to hand it to Stark, it was an impressive structure, but there were times when he wished, now more than ever, that he could just be that kid from Brooklyn again. He knew that it wasn't possible anymore, not with everything that he'd seen. The man who had emerged from the ice wasn't that kid anymore. He'd changed along with the times, and he wasn't likely to ever go back. Not even if there was a part of him who wanted to. Things had just been simpler back then. He'd had his best friend, who Sam was still looking for, and the biggest thing he had to worry about, other than scrounging enough money for rent, was getting beat up yet again. He could never go back to that time though, and he had so many responsibilities here now. Today was no different. There were new recruits and trainees coming in every day. Today he was in charge of overseeing the screening process. He glanced over the file Hill had sent over from HQ as he walked. Hayden Balir. She showed promise. He knew that Hill wouldn't have forwarded her information to him if she didn't. "Ms. Balir, I presume?" He questioned as he walked into the room, taking note of the blonde seated stiffly in the chair. "I'm Captain Rogers, you don't mind if I ask you a few questions, do you?" He sent a small smile her way.

After that little show, it had been decided that Pietro was done with training for the day. He couldn't help the self-satisfied smile that was forming as he walked out. They should really know better than that. He'd grown up having to fight for everything ever since his parents had passed. He didn't need any training for fighting. He could literally outrun anyone. He didn't need that. He tried not to run out of the room, instead forcing himself to walk. He wasn't paying attention, instead trying to remember where Wanda had been when he walked into someone. "Oh, sorry," he said halfheartedly, his head down. He was just hoping that it wasn't Coulson that he'd run into. Although, the more he thought about it, whoever it was was distinctly not Coulson. He raised his head, his eyes widening when he realized just who it was. But it was impossible. "Amalia?"

---

Hayden let her gaze flicker up as the door opened. The last person she expected to walk through that door was Steve Rogers. She'd figured that she would just get some nobody that was stuck with this. "Did they really ask you to do this?" She questioned, genuinely curious. It didn't really make sense to her. "But no, I don't mind." They'd told her as they lead her into the room that it was just a simple debriefing, that since she'd already worked for SHIELD, they just needed to make sure that nothing had changed. To be fair, though, she didn't think that she needed to go through that. The night before she'd been given a massive bruise on her side from a particularly nasty HYDRA agent. She was pretty sure that that should be enough to prove where her loyalties lie.

Amalia had been at the new training facility for a little while now. She'd met a few of the Avengers, new and old, though she was certain that there were a few that she hadn't met. The ones that she had met seemed like decent people, though some were a bit intimidating, especially Widow, there was just something about the redhead that was intimidating, though everyone was here for a similar reason, and Amalia knew that. She still wasn't entirely used to being a part of SHIELD though, maybe she just hadn't been there long enough, she didn't really know. All she knew right now was that someone walking into her had interrupted her thoughts. She tensed up a bit when she heard an all too familiar voice, light eyes widening slightly as she looked up in shock. "Pietro..." She breathed.

---

Steve let out a soft chuckle at her words, unable to help doing so. It was obvious that she was surprised at first, and then genuinely curious, about his appearance. Clearly she hadn't been told much about the debriefing process. It wasn't a big deal though, going off of what was in her file, she was an extremely promising SHIELD agent, though he supposed that, if she had never met him or one of the other Avengers, it would come as a bit of a shock. "As a matter of fact they did. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" He punctuated his words with a raised eyebrow as he took a seat across from her. "Alright good, this shouldn't take long then at all."

Amalia had been at the new training facility for a little while now. She'd met a few of the Avengers, new and old, though she was certain that there were a few that she hadn't met. The ones that she had met seemed like decent people, though some were a bit intimidating, especially Widow, there was just something about the redhead that was intimidating, though everyone was here for a similar reason, and Amalia knew that. She still wasn't entirely used to being a part of SHIELD though, maybe she just hadn't been there long enough, she didn't really know. All she knew right now was that someone walking into her had interrupted her thoughts. She tensed up a bit when she heard an all too familiar voice, light eyes widening slightly as she looked up in shock. "Pietro..." She breathed.

---

Steve let out a soft chuckle at her words, unable to help doing so. It was obvious that she was surprised at first, and then genuinely curious, about his appearance. Clearly she hadn't been told much about the debriefing process. It wasn't a big deal though, going off of what was in her file, she was an extremely promising SHIELD agent, though he supposed that, if she had never met him or one of the other Avengers, it would come as a bit of a shock. "As a matter of fact they did. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" He punctuated his words with a raised eyebrow as he took a seat across from her. "Alright good, this shouldn't take long then at all."

Pietro felt like every single nerve ending had suddenly gone numb. He wasn't even sure that he could move. Because she was supposed to be dead. His head was swimming. "You're here?" He murmured, stepping forward a little. His gaze raked over her, trying to figure out just what was going on. He could remember the day perfectly. One day she was there, and the next day she wasn't. They'd been told that she had been killed, or died, or something. He hadn't really paid any attention once he understood what they were getting at. "You're... You're... How?" He was pretty sure that there was no possible way he could speak above a whisper at that point. It felt like he couldn't even breathe properly.

---

"As long as you don't mind being relegated to the boring stuff," Hayden replied, giving a shrug of her shoulders. She looked him up and down, taking in the Avenger slowly. He was a little taller than she'd thought he would be. "Have any other agents come back?" She had to know how many were still around. The fact that most of the organization had been HYDRA had practically destroyed her. SHIELD had practically raised her. Some of her closest friends had absolutely betrayed her. She needed to know who was left, who hadn't... Totally destroyed everything that they had worked so hard to achieve. Her own partner had tried to kill her. After that, she wanted every single ally she could get.

No one had told her that he would be here. If he was here, Amalia assumed that Wanda was here as well, and she was certain that SHIELD was aware of there interwoven history. So why was she only just becoming aware of this information? "Of course I am...where else would I be?" She questioned, not understanding why he would be so confused. What had Strucker told he and Wanda after SHIELD had taken her in? Why did he seem so shocked to see her? It was almost like he were seeing a ghost or something, though she didn't realize just how true her thoughts were in that moment for him.

---

"It's nice to handle the boring stuff sometimes." Steve told her, punctuating his words with a shrug of his shoulders as well. That was the truth. Sometimes it was nice to take a step back from all of the action and doing some of the more remedial work, like debriefings or filing mission reports. "A few here and there." He said with a slight nod. "We have quite a few newer recruits as well..." SHIELD's numbers were no where near what they used to be, and he was sure that she would probably be at least aware of that fact. More of them had been working for Hydra than any of them could have possibly expected.

Pietro stared at her blankly. "Dead?" He wasn't sure if he was answering her question, or asking if she was dead. He didn't really care, either. Because in that moment, he didn't really know what to feel. He had never thought that he would see her again. "They - you - They told us you were dead. You were gone," he said, keeping his voice quiet. Briefly, he thought that Wanda had done something to him, but he dismissed it as soon as it came. Wanda would never do that to him. To anyone else, yes. But to him? Never. "How are you here?" His accent was getting thicker the more concerned he was. Or relieved. He wasn't really sure how to identify all of the emotions that were suddenly rushing through him.

---

"Just a few?" Hayden asked, using every ounce of willpower to keep her expression neutral. A few meant that everyone else was either a traitor or dead. She wasn't sure which was better. "So what exactly do you need to know?" She asked abruptly. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about new recruits. She knew that she needed to keep her emotions in check when it came to this job, and she was a pro at it. But the thought of bringing new people into this so soon after everything that had happened... For some reason, she just didn't like thinking about it.

Of course they would tell the twins that she was dead. Strucker wasn't one to admit defeat, so he certainly wouldn't willingly tell anyone that one of his few successful test subjects had been found and taken by a bunch of SHIELD agents. Hydra seemed to be an organization built on lies. "They lied." Amalia told him. She could tell that he was upset, or maybe it was concern...relief? She couldn't tell. His accent seemed to get thicker when he let his emotions get the best of him. She would know, she'd known him and Wanda long enough. "Strucker lied to you, Pietro. I didn't die...SHIELD found me...I've been with them this entire time." She resorted to speaking to him in Sokovian. Maybe that would make things a bit easier for right now.

---

"Not nearly as many as we were hoping." Steve told her simply. They hadn't all been traitors though, and the rest certainly hadn't died. Of course, there were quite a few casualties in both respects, but those weren't the only reasons for lower organization numbers. When SHIELD fell, some decided to go into hiding or look for jobs elsewhere if possible. There were some though who had returned, and, in addition, there seemed to be more and more new recruits coming out of the woodwork with each passing week. "Just basic SHIELD protocol." He said, shrugging her shoulders. "HQ likes to make a bigger deal out of it than it really is if you ask me." He chuckled slightly.

They lied. Pietro continued to stare at her, her words slowly penetrating his confusion. They had lied. Of course they had lied. It was HYDRA. His gaze raked over her slowly, trying to take every single inch in. She was safe. "You've been here the entire time?" He whispered, feeling a bit of comfort in his native language. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her and practically crushing her into him. He couldn't help himself. It was the only reaction that made sense to him. She was there and she wasn't dead and he was beyond overwhelmed. "You're here." he murmured, unable to say anything else to her. To be honest, he was too emotional to really say anything else.

---

Hayden watched him carefully, giving a slow nod of her head. "You should have been here in the days when Fury was totally in charge. For a man who liked secrets, he was a huge fan of debriefing ever single agent. Twice, sometimes," she said, letting out a soft, barely there laugh. She could remember the camaraderie between the agents as they filed in, one after the other to be debriefed on whatever their mission had been, even though they'd already filled out the proper paperwork. "So where are we starting today?" She watched him closely, still finding it a little hard to believe that Captain Steve Rogers was the one to debrief her.

Amalia nodded wordlessly. She could tell that switching to Sokovian was helping a bit, and it had been a good choice on her part. She was kind of outraged that Strucker had lied to the twins. Of course, she didn't expect much of anything else coming from Hydra, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. And then she was being crushed against him, taking her away from her own thoughts temporarily. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Pie." She whispered, a teasing lilt to her voice as she reciprocated, wrapping her arms around his middle, and resting her forehead against his shoulder.

---

"That doesn't surprise me." Steve said, letting out a soft chuckle. He knew how Fury was, he might not have been with SHIELD for very long before the collapse, but he'd been there long enough, and he liked to think that he knew the man fairly well, as much as he could for someone who enjoyed secrets as much as Fury did anyway. "The basics for now. I need you to state your name, age, all that, and then I have a few questions about what happened." He had a feeling that she wouldn't be too happy about that, but this was basic protocol more or less, and he was just doing his job.

Pietro tightened his grip around her. There was this feeling that if he let go, she'd disappear. He knew that it was irrational, but he couldn't help himself. "I wouldn't want to," he mumbled back, finally smiling. A part of him was annoyed that SHIELD hadn't said anything to him, but did he really expect them to? They probably didn't even know that they had been there at the same time. Although, it was SHIELD. They knew everything. Except who was Hydra, obviously. "How long have you been here?" He pulled away a little, moving just enough to look down at her.

---

Hayden sat back in her seat, sighing when he got down to business. "Hayden Balir, twenty-five, field agent based in New York." She watched him, trying to distract herself with what she knew of him. It wasn't much. They'd found him in the ice, thawed him out, and he kind of freaked out a little after. Then again, she couldn't really blame him since it was one of the crazier things that had happened. She'd heard whispers from some of the agents about how attractive he was, but hadn't really thought anything of it. Now, however, she could see it.

Amalia couldn't help smiling at his words. "Good, because you're stuck with me from here on out." She teased, letting out a quiet laugh. She hadn't realized until now just how much she'd missed him. He and Wanda were both practically family, they were all she really had, and, since being taken in by SHIELD, she'd be lying if there weren't times when it just felt wrong. She'd seen the work they'd done with the Avengers, and there had been whispers about what Pietro had done in Sokovia, saving that little boy and Clint Barton's life as well. She didn't realize she'd been in the same training facility as him, and she assumed Wanda as well. "A little over a year. Is Wanda here as well?"

---

As much as Steve would have enjoyed simply talking to her, he knew that he was here to debrief her, and he wasn't about to not do his job or anything like that. While there were times when he didn't agree with what SHIELD was doing, he did understand the reasoning behind the debriefing process. It just made sense. "You're based in New York, but, as your file states, you were in DC when the events at the Triskelion took place, yes?" He asked her.

[I DIDN'T SEE THIS REPLY I AM SO SORRY ]

Pietro just hugged her once more, feeling as though his heart was about to burst. She was here and she was alive. He'd always wondered what it would feel like if someone came back from the dead, and he was positive that he now knew. It was indescribable, but it was an incredible feeling. "A year? What happened?" It took him a second to realize that she'd also asked about his sister. "Yes, yes. She's probably with Barton or someone. They seem to have taken a liking to her." He gave her a smile as he finally pulled away, still feeling as though she was going to disappear right before his very eyes. "Did you want to go find her?"

---

Hayden pressed her lips together, frowning a little as he spoke. "Director Fury had asked me to head to DC to keep an eye on one of Pierce's assistants. He thought that they might be up to something, so my partner and I headed out," she said, already running through everything that had happened. Fury had been close when he suspected Pierce's assistant, but they'd still been too wrong to do anything. Her fingers tapped against her leg, watching him as she waited for the next question.

[Dude, it's fine ]

Amalia hugged him back, honestly just so relieved that she was here. She'd gotten to know some of the other SHIELD agents, but just having another familiar face, having Pietro of all people there, it was such a relief to her. "SHIELD took me...they didn't know if they could trust me straight away though...once they knew, they started training me." She told him. She smiled at his later words. She was glad that the others had taken a liking to Wanda, she could certainly see it happening. "Barton's a good person, so are the rest of the Avengers." She said. "Yeah, I do."

---

Steve could tell that he was crossing into uncharted territory. It was a part of the debriefing process. He could tell that he was bordering on hitting a nerve, and if it weren't for protocol, he would have avoided this series of questions altogether. He knew that he couldn't though. They were questions that needed to be asked, Coulson's orders. "And your partner ended up being one of the agents working for Hydra, correct?"

[You da best. ]

"Stark is still an exception," Pietro murmured, making a face at the thought of the man. He didn't necessarily hate him anymore, but he still wasn't a huge fan of the billionaire. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and started down the hall, already imagining his sister's reaction. The three of them had been incredibly close, and when she was gone, it was like losing a family member. Or a limb. He still wasn't sure which one would be worse. "And they've kept you safe?" He questioned, looking over to her with a concerned look on his face.

---

Hayden gritted her teeth, giving a short nod of her head. She took a couple of seconds to organize her thoughts. She needed to be professional, even if it was the last thing that she wanted to do. "Judging by the way that he tried to kill me, yes. He had been working for Hydra." She could feel the disgust in every single fiber of her body. When he'd pulled the gun on her, it was as though one of her closest friends was just gone. And in his place was this, this thing. He'd flipped a switch, and in the end, he'd had to pay. "I was forced to - to deal with the situation when he pulled a firearm on me."

[Aw, thanks, bae. ]

"He grows on you." Amalia told him, punctuating her words with a shrug of her shoulders. She obviously knew why he wasn't a big fan of the billionaire, and it was completely understandable, though she could also tell that Pietro no longer hated the man. It was all in his demeanor. Things had obviously changed since she'd last seen him, though that was to be expected. A lot could change in a year. "I'm here, aren't I?" She quirked a brow. "I've been fine, Pie. I promise."

---

Yep, Steve had definitely hit a nerve. He felt bad, he didn't want to continue on with the questions, but he kind of had to, and he really did hope that she realized this and didn't think that he was simply being intrusive or something along those lines. "You did the right thing." He told her. "If he had his way, he would have succeeded in killing you, Hayden." If her partner was Hydra, Steve just knew that he wouldn't have stopped until he was successful.