Pulling my coat around me I move more quickly down the street, glancing at my shadow as it appears every now and then in the dim light of a lamp post. It had been a complete washout of a night and I was in a hurry to get home and open a bottle of wine and forget the whole thing had happened. 'It will be a laugh' they said, 'a fancy-dress party, a chance to forget about that prick' they said… they lied. It had been nearly six months since I had last seen him, Terry I mean, my ex. We had been a destructive mix from the get go, I should have listened to my friends about that one, I should have done a lot of things but I never could think straight when he was near me. You see when I met Terry it was like the world stopped and then it sped up again and everything was so much brighter and fuller and… it was magical and terrifying all in one and I was addicted to it. I was addicted to him. It wasn't until two years later that I realised what kind of a man he really was, what kind of a woman he had turned me into. Everything was a game to him and soon the highs started dimming and so he had to seek them elsewhere. It started with little things like, more extreme holidays, bigger nights out, seeing how far he could get away with being late to work every day. Then he got the sack and the other things weren't working either that's when the drinking really started and still I stayed because I loved him and who am I kidding I was drinking with him. Life became less technicolour and more of a faded blur and so we chased new highs. We started robbing places, I never really wanted to but he couldn't do it without me, without my little… problem to help us out.
You see, the thing is, I'm not quite normal. For as long as I can remember I've had the ability to freeze time for short periods, it's something that I have fought to keep hidden away from people and I had done it successfully not even my parents finding out until Terry got it out of me. The one plus side of all of this was that I could at least use my 'gift' to stop him hurting anyone, of course that sometimes backfired and I have been on the receiving end of his rage in this instance.
I sigh as I remember the day I left him, the way he had followed me everywhere, the phone calls, the threats, the gifts, it had got so bad I had had to leave. I packed my bags and said goodbye to my old life. I didn't have much left to be honest, he had taken away my friends and my family were long since gone. A car accident when I was fifteen had killed my parents and my younger sister, I had been alone ever since, perhaps that's how Terry had managed to manipulate me so easily. Anyway, I left, I found myself in New York and had managed to find myself a life to settle into. I had made friends, I had found a job as a waitress, the freezing time comes in handy when I drop stuff, which is a lot, and I had begun to heal, a tiny bit at least.
The party tonight had been one of the many celebrations of the recovery of Captain America, alive. Albeit slightly late, he had been found several months ago now and by all accounts could be seen occasionally wandering the city trying to get to grips with how the world had changed but clearly the people of New York, my friends in particular weren't going to let that get in their way of a good party. The whole evening had gone from bad to worse from the start, I felt ridiculous in the wartime outfit they had insisted I wear and it was scratchy as hell too. I was more of a skinny jeans and vest top kind of girl and this skirt was driving me insane. To make matters worse some creepy friend of a friend had latched on straight away and despite my obvious discomfort and knowing of my history, some of it at least, they seemed to think it was a good idea and encouraged him. Needless to say it didn't end well and I froze the whole party before grabbing my coat and running from the room. My head was spinning by the time I reach the corner of the road and I am panting for breath, I had used a lot of energy to freeze that many people for that long and it was almost enough to make my knees buckle as a sudden exhaustion washes over me but I take a steadying breath and pulling my coat around my shaking shoulders I begin my journey home.
It is as I enter the alley way a block or so from my tiny apartment that I realise there was someone following me. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts of the past that I hadn't been paying attention. I pause feeling for my energy and realising that I was almost out. I had about one more 'freeze' in me tonight and I wasn't entirely sure I would be able to run after either. By this point I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck begin to rise and I spin to see a face I had hoped I would never see again leering down at me.
"Hello Baby," he growls as he advances and I back up until my back hits the wall.
"Terry," I squeak, wincing at the fear in my voice, "what are you doing here? How did you...?" I trail off as his lip curls up in a sneer and another growl rumbles deep in his chest.
"You think it would be that easy to get away from me?" his laugh is a harsh bark and I fight the shudder that wants to roll through me as fear begins to make its way into my heart. My back is pressed into the wall and he is still moving closer, his body is by now completely pressed against mine and I feel a sudden wave of sickness as I realise that I was helpless against his hulking size, gift or no gift.
"What do you want Terry?" I ask, proud of how steady my voice is.
"I haven't finished with you," he says simply, a sadistic smile curling his lip ever so slightly which makes a fresh shudder roll through me.
"We're weren't good for each other Terry," I sigh and he laughs.
"Oh but we were baby, don't you remember the highs we got from stealing?"
"I hated it Terry, I was in a bad place, it was wrong…" I can't continue because his palm has made a sudden and jarring connection with the side of my face forcing a yelp of pain and shock from my throat as my cheek stung.
"Lying whore, you loved it as much as I did," he spits and I shake my head, tears pooling in my eyes as I try not to panic, moving my arms before another blow, this time from his fist has me on the ground and suddenly he is lying on top of me, my wrists held in a vice like grip in one of his hands. "Ah, ah, ah, I'm not having you use your little, 'power' on me,"
"Let go of me," I stutter panic beginning to seep into my veins now as he presses into me.
"No, I need your 'power' to help pull off a bank job but first I think a punishment to make sure you realise it's not up to you when you and I part ways," he growls and I scream, no more than a choked sound erupting from my lips before his fists begin to pound at me.
I am screaming and struggling and still the beating continues until I think I might die and then two things happen very suddenly; I decide that I would not give in to him and so raise my hands and concentrate my energy on freezing him and at the same time I hear a male voice calling out. I struggle out from underneath him and stand shakily facing a man dressed in black who is looking at Terry in utter confusion.
"What the…?" he begins but I stagger forwards and interrupt him.
"It won't last long we have to hurry or…" an angry snarl from behind me stops me in my tracks as I hand grabs my hair and yanks me backwards throwing me into the wall where I slump down to the ground a whimper of pain escaping me as my legs are no longer able to hold me up and the two men in the alley way become no more than blurry shapes.
"Hey kid, you okay? Can you hear me?" the voice is gruff and hard and I flinched away from it as I force open my eyes and see the man staring back at me. I gaze around for a few seconds to assess the situation, Terry was gone and this man, the one who had shouted, was crouching in front of me and God, I hurt all over. I groan a little as I try to move and he moves to help me which makes me flinch again. "I'm not going to hurt you," he mutters and I try to speak but everything is going hazy again and so I concentrate on breathing instead.
"Who are you?" I rasp out eventually,
"Clint," he replies and I nod a tiny amount stopping as the action causes pain to pulse through me.
"Thanks for helping me, I'll be okay now," I whisper and he chuckles a little shaking his head.
"Kid you can barely move, no offence, I think I'll stick around and make sure you get to help," I feel fresh panic fill me at this and move back further into the wall.
"No hospitals," I say in a rush and he immediately holds up his hands as if to show that he means no harm and as I stare into his eyes it is the hint of kindness that I see behind the hard façade that makes me relax a little.
"How about I take you to someone to fix you up then?" he suggests and I wheeze another laugh, I think I may have bruised several ribs.
"No offence Clint but I survive by not heading off into the night with strangers," I say and he lets out a low chuckle too.
"It's a government facility," he says now which only makes me frown more, my head beginning to pound more and more painfully.
"Even worse," I mutter and he grunts a little,
"Cos of what you can do?" he asks and I glance up at him feeling my eyes widen slightly in fear and so nod a little when I realise that I could not hide it from him, I was completely at his mercy.
"Yes," I whisper and he smiles a little.
"You're gonna have to trust me kid," he says after a minute and I sigh as I nod again.
"I know," I respond, "Help me up then," I say and he does and I try my best not scream as the pain radiates around me but a small whimper escapes and he hesitates as he supports me.
"Maybe I should carry you?" he suggests and I stiffen instinctively, I hated feeling helpless, especially since escaping Terry.
"No," I say a little too quickly and he shoots me a bemused look and so I try to think of something to try and diffuse the tension that was growing in an already awkward situation. "I mean… I'll be fine, just distract me,"
"How?" he asks and I attempt a shrug, only to hiss again as it pulls on my bruised ribs.
"I don't know, talk to me," I reply and he nods falling silent for a couple of minutes as we make our way slowly through the shadows.
"What's your name?" he asks eventually and I smile a little as I realise that he had just saved my life and was trying to continue to save me without even knowing that.
"Addison," I say,
"What you doing in New York Addison?"
"Trying to escape… apparently not very successfully," I reply and he nods.
"You knew him then?" he asks and I nod now appreciating the fact that he appears not to be pushing the topic.
"Why are you not scared of me?" I ask after we have been walking, well struggling and hobbling along for some time in silence and even I have become fed up of hearing my panting, gasping breaths.
"Why would I be scared of you? No offence kid but you are hardly a threat are you, you can barely bloody walk," he laughs and I frown a little at him.
"But you saw…" I start trailing off as I struggle to talk about my ability with anyone.
"What you did? Yeah I saw but I work for Shield, you're hardly the scariest or strangest I've seen," I freeze as he says this and he stops to, taking the moment to adjust his hold on me as I had been steadily leaning more heavily on him as the shock wore off and the pain set in more intensely.
"Shield? As in the place Captain America works?" I ask and he huffs out a chuckle.
"Might have known I rescue a woman and all she can talk about is bloody Captain America,"
"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant… I'm not sure I should go…" I trail off again, partly because I didn't really know how to finish and could feel myself flushing with embarrassment but also partly because the pain had just increased again and I was fighting to move and stay conscious let alone speak too.
"Hey, kid you alright?" he asks as I feel my legs buckle slightly and lean even more heavily on him my breath coming in short and painful pants.
"Mmm, fine," I slur, cringing as another whimper of pain escapes me.
"Come here kid," he mutters as he pulls me up into his arms and begins to walk more quickly even as I struggle weakly against him.
"I can walk, please," I mumble and he just grunts at me in response.
"We'll take until next week to get there at the pace we were going," he mutters as he picks up his pace.
By the time I hear doors opening and the change in temperature to indicate that we were inside I was very nearly asleep and chose to keep my eyes closed to avoid any difficult questions, very carefully evening out my breathing to feign sleep. I had got very good at that living with Terry, I never slept much when I was with him, the drink, the threats, the stealing, they gave me terrible nightmares and so I learnt how to pretend to sleep, he hated being woken by my screaming.
"Clint what's going on?" the voice is deep and I can hear the concern in it even with my eyes closed and a strange warmth fills me almost making me shudder for entirely different reasons than before.
"Just rescuing a damsel in distress," he replies and I fight not to snort at this and scowl at him, it really is a good thing I am so good at the whole pretending to be asleep thing.
"Right… and why have you brought her here exactly? Couldn't just have dropped her off at the hospital around the corner?" another voice asks and the sarcasm and tone is something I recognise but I can't place who it is.
"She's… different," he says in way of reply and I nearly choke and laugh out loud at the wolf whistles that resonate around us immediately.
"Well I wouldn't have pegged you for the type," a female voice now says and I can feel his fingers flexing as if he is trying to ball his hands into fists even as he holds me.
"Not like that you idiots, she has… power, some sort of gift," he explains and I do tense now shifting as my eyes open and in panic I struggle out of his arms as they loosen and drop me in shock of my sudden movement.
"Please…" I start looking desperately for an escape as I see the group tense in front of me. They are all there, Captain America, Tony Stark, Thor and the Black Widow. I had heard of them all obviously, seen pictures and press releases of them all but never seen them all together, I never knew they worked together and seeing them all here taking up a stance as if ready to attack terrified me and I was desperate to escape.
"Addison, kid, hold up we're not going to hurt you," Clint says approaching me as he would a wounded animal, which I guess I was in a way. I back up as he gets nearer hissing in pain as my back hits the wall, jarring my ribs in a way that made it hard to breathe at all for a second. It's in that second that someone reaches out to touch me and I panic completely as images of Terry flash before my eyes and throwing my hands out I freeze them all. It takes another second for me to stare in shock at their faces and then to spin as I hear clapping behind me a harsh gasp of pain mixed with panic ripped from me as a man with an eyepatch on stands behind me an intimidating smile plastered across his face.
"What the…?" I hear them exclaim from behind me and I spin again to see their shocked faces and my legs buckle sending me to the floor, exhaustion and pain pulsing through me.
"Please…" I whisper again as I see Captain America crouch in front of me, Clint close behind him.
"What is it?" he asks his voice so gentle and soft, so opposite to Terry that it made my heart ache.
"Please, don't hurt me," I say feeling my face flush with embarrassment as tears well in my eyes.
"It's alright kid you're safe here," Clint says and then they all look to the man with the eye patch and I hold my breath as I wait for his verdict, he is clearly the man in charge here.
"Take her to the infirmary," he says and I still feel the tension.
"Just let me go," I say now and he laughs,
"I don't think so Miss Willcox," he says and I flinch and push myself backwards, unconsciously moving into the man crouching beside me.
"What are you going to do to me?" I ask, fear temporarily washing away my tiredness.
"We've been looking for you for some time, ever since that bank in London last year," he says instead of answering my question and I flinch visibly again feeling my limbs begin to shake with the strain of remaining strong and conscious in front of these strangers.
"You're going to put me in prison," I guess and he laughs again shaking his head and I gulp, my shaking getting worse.
"For God's sake Fury put the poor kid out of her misery," Tony Stark comments lazily and I gasp now spinning to face them and scrambling to my feet using the wall to keep me upright as my legs tremble and I sway dangerously.
'Please don't kill me, I didn't mean to do those things, he made me, I tried to stop him hurting anyone, I tried to save them," I gasp out in a panicked rush and for a second he looks almost confused before his smile slips and he becomes more serious.
"I'm not going to kill you Miss Willcox, I'm recruiting you," he explains and my legs give way beneath me again at this point a cry of pain erupting from me as I am caught around the waist by strong arms.
"The infirmary Captain, get her patched up and rested," the voice is becoming fuzzy as are the people around me, things are starting to become blurry shapes and yet the inner me is still trying to push him away as he tries to lift me.
"I can walk," I manage to slur forcing my eyes open again and taking a shuddering breath as I try to step forwards, hardly able to make my legs work at all.
"Just pick her up Cap, she's too stubborn, doesn't like being rescued this one," I hear Clint say and I grunt at him which makes people laugh, at least I think they're laughing, only things are getting muffled now.
"I think she'll fit in fine," I hear someone say and then the world seems to tilt upside down and blackness descends upon me like a curtain.