Shattering Relations - Book 3 Chapter 1: Dawn of the Forgotten Past, a captain america fanfic

~ IMPORTANT ~
If you have not read Book 1 [Alive but not Awake] and Book 2 [Saviors] you will not fully understand everything if you just start on Book 3. Please read Book 1 and 2 before number 3!

...

Disclaimer – I do not own Marvel movies, only Avery Lola Rogers!

Comments about a love interest for Steve … Don't worry, Sharon will NOT be with him. I felt the relationship was forced and awkward too. I won't be having Nat with him, though, I actually like the idea of her and Bruce getting together (fingers crossed) so, what I have decided is bringing in a new OC (which you'll get a brief glimpse in this chapter) but Avery will still be the main focus of these stories!

Summary: Avery Lola Rogers was getting better, or so she thought. Ultron was gone and the Avengers' were healing, but what happens when Ava goes missing? What happens in Nigeria when a mission goes wrong? This all started in one place and soon, there's going to be a war between friends instead of foes … but what will the outcome become?

Captain America: Civil War | Shattering Relations | Dawn of the Forgotten Past

"I don't get it." Avery Lola Rogers shook her head. She was chewing on the food that was stuffed into her mouth that consisted of randomly ordered Thai food. She was sitting on a couch, leaning against James Buchanan Barnes as they stared at a television set. Her legs were bent underneath her and her chopsticks were pointing towards the TV – a confused frown on her lips, not understanding something in particular. "Are you sure we haven't seen this one before?" They had put on the first thing that came on and it was a film, actually, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. They had binged watched the entire Star Wars collection of movies, well, Bucky made Ava binge watch them with him. She obviously wasn't too much of a fan.

They were close to the end of the movie and from what she saw, and it was basically the same – plot-wise – as the other movies she's seen today. Like, the exact same … just different and more interesting characters that started coming into play.

"Nope." He shook his head with a smile, but paused, "Well, now we have – the credits are about to roll." Whether she wanted to admit it or not, it did look like she had at least enjoyed it a bit. She had been really invested in the movie at one point that she never realized that at one point, he left to go to the toilet, leaving her alone.

For the last month or so, they've been together mostly every minute of every day and slowly but surely, it's almost like time was beginning to slow between them – it was almost like they were living in the past again before everything turned to crap. That wasn't true, of course, but it was a nice change of pace and it was doing the both of them good.

They had a great time on their traveling plans and they visited quite a few states in America after all, but after a while, they did begin to miss New York so after a few weeks of traveling, they made their way back home. And now, they were living in the Avengers' tower and were currently residing in Ava's room. In front of her bed was a comfy couch big enough for three people and in front of that, there was a nicely sized flat screen. Most nights Bucky never even used his own bedroom anymore, but there were some nights where Ava did need her space and he respected that, but on those nights he did lie awake like a fool, hoping she'd come over to his room instead.

The Avengers' building wasn't actually in New York itself, but rather on the far outskirts and away from civilization since it needed a lot of land to go with it. Every one of the Avengers' essentially lived inside this building, except Thor, Tony, and Bruce who were currently MIA. Thor had gone back to Asgard in order to figure out who or what was playing mind games with them and as for Bruce, he was still missing because of the hysteria the Hulk caused a couple of months ago in New York. Tony had simply gone back to his tower and be with Pepper, healing after the aftermath of what happened a couple of months ago.

Nothing much has actually changed since the downfall of Ultron, but there were some significant differences within a few people. Ava, especially. She's been getting better but there had been times where she's nearly gone off the rails. Ever since coming back from the dead, she has felt different … obviously. She died – that would make anyone feel different. But sometimes, it didn't feel like the good kind of different, but the worse kind. It's like there's something hidden inside of her just waiting to come out, and that's the only thing these days that really frighten her.

She could feel it, there was something just waiting to come out. There were gaps in her memory and even though there had been a few new ones coming to her every once in a while, there was still something missing. And she knew it was important. There was always one thing that kept replaying in her head, it was like a memory that wouldn't finish playing.

…

A man in his late forties had his face inches from her own, his breath congealing with the smell of rotten fish that would make anyone want to puke. He wore dark cameo clothing of pants and a jacket while on his head was a bright red army cap – he was clearly someone who worked for Hydra, and this is a uniform that was used decades ago. This memory probably was from decades ago; Ava couldn't be sure. She was now strapped into a chair, a whirling device behind her and she could hear it getting closer.

"Вы глупая маленькая сука!" (You stupid little bitch!) The man sneered into her face, a ruby red mark lining against his right cheek. "Я не знаю, почему вы даже попробовать? Мы имеем контроль над вами, и нет никакой возможности избежать того, что мы ждем Вас." (I don't know why you even try? We have control over you, and there is no escaping what we have waiting for you.)

Winter's teeth ground together, "How about I put a bullet between your eyes."

His lips quirked upwards, "You asked for it."

…

"Hey-" The voice snapped her out of the daze she must have been in and she blinked. Her head had been tilted towards the TV screen within a stare, and not one that stayed watching or reading the credits in front, but one that showed James that she was trapped in her mind. Lately, there had been a lot of this going on and sometimes, he really wished he know what she was thinking. Ava turned to him, a little confused when she heard a distinct concerned tone in his voice. "You okay?" He asked with a soft voice, brushing his fingers over one side of her cheek before pushing back a few strands behind her ear. Last week Natasha helped dye her hair so now it more or less looked a lot like it used to before Zola got his hands on her. It was a light brown and after having it cut for the first time in years, it now rested with straight locks down to the middle of her chest.

"Uh huh." She answered with a nod, maybe a little too quickly but didn't think too much of it. Looking down, she noticed that she had no more noodles left in the box and that's when a knock suddenly sounded at the door, interrupting them. They both frowned but looked over to the door, wondering who was one the other side, however, the answer to their inner question was answered when a head poked through.

Wanda.

The young girl smiled when she saw them sitting together on the couch and secretly hid the smirk when she noticed Bucky wrapping his arm around the woman's waist. All her life, she's never actually been in a relationship – obviously. From childhood to just a few months ago, she was basically an experiment for the wrong side of the war. And seeing Bucky Barnes and the woman she again looked up to together, it was sweet. She knew there were problems that still needed to be worked out but slowly, she could see the repairs being made – and that made her happy for them.

What could she say? She's an ideal hopeless romantic when it comes to watching those two. It felt amazing to know that this man literally waited decades without moving on from Ava, [excluding the fact that he had been stationed in an ice cube for the majority of those years and the issue that no one actually knew that Ava had been alive all this time]. Deep down, she really hoped she'd meet a guy like James Buchanan Barnes, someone who will treat her right and be there for her no matter what. It's all about meeting the right guy … and hopefully, that one guy is out there somewhere, thinking the exact same thing as her.

"Ooh, Star Wars?" Wanda noticed the familiar line of credits flying downwards on the screen with the catchy backing sound to accompanying it. "Did you like it?" She personally didn't find it too interesting … okay, maybe the first one was when Luke discovers he's a Jedi and whatnot but that's it … really!

Ava's nose scrunched up with a small shrug of her shoulders, "It's very repetitive." She answered after a moment, "But it's okay." She leaned forwards and placed the empty box of Thai on the floor, hidden next to the side of the couch so no one accidently kicked it across the room and spill any small remains left over. She looked back over to her, "What is it you needed?" She wondered, feeling James put his arm back around her.

"Natasha's back." The redheaded female stated, leaning herself against the doorframe while the door next to her opened just a touch more. She sent a sheepish shrug combined with a little assertion, "And Pietro and I were kinda hoping you could teach us some more moves – Natasha's with him right now in the training room."

Avery's metal arm twitched with the need of action but she pushed the feeling down with force. It's something she's been having to deal with a lot more since the battle of Ultron had diminished and that's part of the reason why she knew there was something hidden inside of her, she just couldn't seem to fathom out what it was.

She suddenly felt a small nudge beside her, from James. "You should go." He said, getting her attention as she looked over to him instead. "I'll go find Stevie." His lip twitched upwards, "Maybe I'll challenge him to a couple of races."

Ava raised an amused eyebrow, remembering him say those exact words more than a few times now, "He'll beat you." She warned him lightly, "He has for the last seven times you've said that."

Bucky let out a small huff as he leaned back from her, taking back the arm that had originally been around her before placing that hand against his heart, pouting and pretending that statement hurt. "You have so little faith in me, Avery Lola Rogers." He poked her in the side, "Just you wait, I'll have that brother of yours worshiping me by the end of the day." He promised with a puff to his chest.

Ava rolled her eyes, an amused smile playing on her lips. She got herself up from the sofa, "Uh huh." She nodded, looking as though she believed him but those two boys had such similar abilities that she really didn't know who'd win. Although, like she said, Steve had won the last seven times … that she knew of. "Whatever you say, Lieutenant Barnes." She teased while walking backward towards the door where Wanda still stood, who was watching their interactions intently.

Bucky stayed there on the couch while watching as the two women left the room, leaving the door open just a touch for him. He had a content smile on his face before a small laugh left his lips, shaking his head. Yes, it's taken a while, but finally, he can really see a lot more of the Ava that he used to know before the shit hit the fan. She was looking lighter and more carefree (in a sense) since they found her back at those old railway tracks with nothing but limited memories of her past. She's been through a lot, and by a lot, he meant the crazy kind. But even if she had gone crazy, he'd still be madly in love with her and more so no matter what the outcome would have been.

With a small sigh, he brought out something from underneath his shirt that hung from a chain around his neck. An engagement ring, and it's the very one Ava had given back to him before her overload breakdown in Tony's gym. Obviously, he hadn't gotten rid of it and nothing would ever – could ever, get him to do that. It's a piece of history and one he wanted to restore, but he knew time was still needed before that can happen. Yes, he and Ava were at a great stage in the rebuild of their relationship – one that they had officialised again as girlfriend and boyfriend just after they left on their travels.

As for marriage, they weren't there yet and he's okay with it … for now. There were a lot of hurdles to overcome first and most of them were on Ava's side, but he did also have a few too. He was still scared to death that he was going to lose her again like he did at the end of the battle of Ultron's army. Yes, she had woken up and thank whatever god is out there that she did. But what if she hadn't? It never really occurred to him that after she came back, she could have easily been lost again. It came to mind several times, but he forced himself to never revisit that possibility again because in the moments she laid on her bed completely lifeless and cold, his heart and soul had shattered into a million pieces.

But, he was going to make damn sure that never happens again under his watch because last time, her death had been completely his fault and he wasn't going to let that happen again.

…

"You need to keep your guard up." Natasha scolded, letting her grip slip from around Wanda's neck even though it was very light in the first place. She back up slightly while the tired younger girl moved away from her, rubbing her neck uncomfortably. They were currently in one of three training rooms in the Avengers' building and this one was specifically centered for sparing matches rather than weapons training and/or teamwork building.

The room had foam flooring while there was a thin layer of cushioning against the walls … just in case someone gets thrown into it, for instance. But they weren't doing anything like that with Wanda and Pietro because the goal for them included basic self-defence when it came to hand-to-hand combat. The twins had amazing powers and that's what they're mainly going to be relying on, but if for some unknown reason something gets in the middle and powers aren't accessible – then that's when the physical stuff comes in.

So far they've been succeeding with the basic training and slowly but surely, the goal was rising to get them better and physically fighting. But to get where Natasha and Ava were, it would take years of training to get that far and their training had been a lot more intense than what was currently being advertised.

Ava stood to the side, leaning against the single table in the room while Natasha worked with the twins on the mats. Occasionally she would step in and take over for the former spy but she was okay with watching for now, and she didn't want her inner demon thinking that this was an actual fight in progress and go all out. She hasn't been in a good and proper hand-to-hand fight in nearly a month now and it's been making her antsy … she didn't want to hurt the twins or Natalia.

It did feel odd standing off to the side because her mind kept picturing all that while ago where they were in different situations. Natasha was a teenager and being trained by the KGB (and her) and the twins were in the process of becoming weapons for Hydra and in each of them, she had been the one to train and/or assist in any way as the Winter Soldier. Those were the constant memories she couldn't stop from rising to the surface whenever she looked at either of them.

"And your feet are far too together and in line." Ava added, noticing that Wanda kept shuffling her feet closer and close together rather than the supportive stance she should be using. If her legs are far too close together, it makes it easier for the enemy to trip her over and if they're far too in line, then it'll be far too easy to simply topple her over.

Wanda let out a small groan of frustration, "Urgh, I'm never gonna get this." She moaned quietly. They had been over the same sequence over again and again … and again. She just couldn't seem to get the hang of it. She was almost tempted to just say she'll stick with her weird mind powers and wing it if she had to do anything that required hand-to-hand combat. But stopped herself, her rational mind pushing away the irrational ones quickly.

"You will." Pietro encouraged his sister while going over to stand next to Ava, knowing his sister liked to downplay herself a lot. "It'll just take practice." He had actually gotten the sequence down a couple of days ago but he had been practicing a lot away from the mats. He wouldn't say it out loud out of fear that he'll get slapped around the head … hard, but his sister had never been the best in physical sports – she had been the one with the brains while he had been the most active one as they grew up. Before the experiments, she always had her nose in a book while he was kicking a ball around in the park.

Ava tilted her head as she looked at Wanda, a thought suddenly popping into her mind, "Wanda," She started, getting the three occupants in the room to turn to her. Her voice was curious yet it held a certain measure of knowledge to it, "How does it feel when you use your powers?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Wanda frowned, not understanding. "How do you mean?"

"When you use your powers." Avery started, pushing herself off the table before slowly padding towards the younger girl. "Does it feel instinctive? Like something inside of you instantly protects you without your mind actually thinking through it?"

Wanda blinked, thinking through the question thoroughly before an answer came to mind. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." She answered, nodding her head a little while remembering back to the instances where something like that actually happened. "But, what does that have to do with hand-to-hand combat, though?"

"Because fighting with your fists is exactly the same." She stated, stopping in front so they were head-to-head. "Your body has instincts and to be a great fighter, you need to be in tune with them … you need to listen to them without fear that you'll screw up. If you screw up; you get back up and try again no matter how much it hurts. Anticipate the moves your opponent will make and instinctively attack at the perfect time."

"And your brother's right." Natasha continued with a small shrug from the side, remembering the similar advice given to her many years ago by her. "Practice makes perfect, but once you get a good combination of the two, you have a good base to start with."

"You're already influencing your powers with instincts so what you need to work on is combining them with the skills Natasha and I teach you in here, and then it's just like memorizing a monologue..."

…

Steve Rogers leaned back against the bench he sat on in Central Park. After winning several rounds of races against his best friend Bucky, he hopped onto his motorcycle and traveled into the city, passing by Brooklyn as he went. Funnily enough, this was the exact area and seat he brought his sister to just weeks after finding her at the railway tracks. Just weeks after his mind confirmed that she was indeed standing there in front of him and wasn't just a hallucination.

He had been staring out towards the small lake in front of him when he felt something furry attack his leg. His head jerked downwards in surprise, and he frowned when he saw a Golden Retriever pawing at his limb. He/she had a golden coat that shines against the sun and if he was correct in saying, the dog looked very young, maybe even 4-7 months old given the size and hyperactivity that was being shown. The dog was puffing with his/her tongue leaning out that dribbled a bit of drool over his pants. With a grin, he did move forwards and started giving the dog some attention, wondering where the owner was.

"Amber!" He vaguely heard a female exclaim with exasperation. As he looked up, he saw a woman running towards him with a leash in hand. Steve had to blink and take a second look – she looked very … cute. Her strawberry blonde hair just hung below her shoulders and her eyes were like a coral blue - they were stunning. She had to be in her late twenties and was wearing what a typical person would – a pair of denim jeans and a blue long sleeve top that was just a bit darker than her pearly eyes.

"God, I am so sorry about her." The woman profusely apologized in an accent he could only describe as being British. She quickly bent down to put 'Amber' back on her leash before she could run away again. "I've been trying to get her to stop running away but maybe coming to a park with so many distractions isn't the best idea after all."

Steve seemed to snap out of it, letting out a small chuckle to hide his stare, "Oh no, it's fine." He assured her, shaking his head before giving Amber one last stroke, "I love animals and especially dogs." He said with honesty. When he and Ava were younger, they had wanted a dog between them, but obviously, due to certain circumstances, that didn't happen nor would have happened. "How old is she?"

The woman's shoulders heaved downwards in relief, but answered anyway with a returning smile, "The devil is almost 6 months." Giving the dog some attention when she tried to jump at Steve again. She scratched underneath Amber's chin, pacifying her for now. "Mostly she chases after people with food." Silently wondering why her dog chose to run after this guy on the bench instead of the man just standing a few feet away with a hot dog in his hand, mustard spread against the side of his lips. That would look a lot more appetizing from a dog's perspective.

And suddenly, she realized that she had been forgetting something. She held out her hand politely and at this point, she was clearly looking at him properly, "I'm Myra. Myra Johnston" She had a hard time not staring at those fully built muscles under his short sleeved shirt. And, that overall body structure of his made her heart beat faster than normal. She swallowed hard.

Steve could feel a fluttering feeling inside as well, "Steve." He answered back, completely glad that he chose to come to the park today after all. He shook the hand the smaller yet gentle hand, "Steve Rogers."

…

"So, did you win?" Ava was lying in her bed, the covers draped over her while next to her was the man that she loved. Her body was against his own, her ear resting against the continuous beat of his heart. It was probably close to midnight by now, maybe even later by the time they got into bed because over the last couple of hours, everyone had basically stayed up and wasted away the time. And now, they were actually the only two people left in the building for the night and it should feel lonely, but it didn't. Steve had gone out somewhere with Wanda and Pietro while Natasha and Vision decided to spend some time together. Tony was still away at his tower like usual because these days, he wasn't really an active Avengers' member like they were.

James hummed while his eyes stayed closed, he was actually very sleepy but was awake enough to hear her question. He brought her in closer, the palm of his hand cupping her hip.

"The race against Steve."

"Ah … no." James opened his eyes with a small tired chuckle and a shake of his head. He looked down at her, holding her body close to him even more, "He beat me another four times and I seriously don't know how he does it." It was annoying because he hated losing.

"Hmm … so…" Ava traced her human finger against his chest, one that wasn't actually covered by a shirt. His skin tingled from her action. This is how he usually went to sleep most nights, just wearing a pair of joggers and sometimes socks included. She was currently wearing a pair of plaid shorts and a tank top, again, what she'd usually wear at night. "…I'm sharing a bed with a … sore loser." She was looking up at him, wondering if he'll take the playful bait with her innocent words. An old memory of something similar she used to do came back to her and it made her smile, and obviously it was working because a little smirk was starting to cross his lips as well.

Within seconds, Ava suddenly found herself trapped underneath the body that was suspended above her and a face just inches away from her own. Her legs were open while he rested between them. James raised a daring eyebrow, but a frisky one, "A loser, huh?" He challenged with a grin, leaning closer, feeling a blinding heat steadily rising between them. Any sign of tiredness he had originally was wiped away. "Well, maybe I should show you how much of a winner I am." His head lowered towards her neck, starting to pepper small butterfly kisses against her skin, "Game on…" He breathed into her ear before heading lower, and lower …

…

Earlier the next morning, Ava was lying on one side of the bed while a pair of arms were wrapped around her waist from behind, spooning her from that position. They were covered with the duvet with nothing on but a pair of undergarments, the blanket being the only thing shielding them from the world's eye view. In her sleep, Ava began twitching, especially her metal arm. Something in her mind started sparking some old strings within in her head, unraveling them without her permission…

…

Winter's teeth ground together, "How about I put a bullet between your eyes."

His lips quirked upwards, "You asked for it." Suddenly a small little red book appeared in his hands, making Winter begin to fight in the chair she was strapped in with a furiousness gleaming in her eyes. The book had a gold-plated star on it and inside, it held the one thing Winter herself feared. This book was the one thing that held what could truly control her inner demon.

Longing

Winter started to struggle within her bonds, but it was doing no use, she was trapped just like all the other times she can barely remember.

Rusted

Seventeen

Daybreak

She could feel herself slipping away, anything she knew was slowly being drowned by a darkness.

Furnace

Nine

Benign

An emotionless feeling quickly began to spread within her veins and continuously, an emotionless killer rapidly rose to the surface. Her eyes shut tightly as the transformation began to complete its job.

Homecoming

One

Freight Car

Winter's eyes slowly opened and she stared into the distance with nothing but a coldness in her eyes.

Good morning, Soldier.

In reality; Ava's eyes slowly opened with a sudden blink to them, her eyes quickly adjusting to the light. But, something was different, there was no light or fire or even tiredness swishing around in her orbs, there was just simply … nothing. Ava blinked once more and suddenly, she felt absolutely nothing – no emotion nor drive.

All she knew is what to do.

XXX – Note - XXX

AH! I'm back with the third book in 'The Evolving Winter' series! So, I know I said that this would be out soon after the movie comes out on September 13th, however, I was able to find the movie online for free and without any kind of subscription of annoying adds popping up in the middle … ha! I jumped for joy when I suddenly found it and I'm so happy! Eep! LoL. Just a warning, updates will probably about the consistency as it was for Saviours!

Anyway, let me know if you loved it or not because I seriously love REVIEWS … wink-wink … nudge-nudge…

The first chapter to 'Everlasting Bond' will be out within the next few days so keep a good look out! – if you follow/fav me I'm pretty sure you get an email notification for any new stories/updates I post if I'm not mistaken.

And last but not least …

FOLLOW, FAV, and REVIEW!