Summary: He was lost in his own mind. She was lost to the pain of her past. Together, they found themselves again. Co – Written with BlackHawk's Child. Bucky/OC, Steve/Sharon, Clint/Natasha, Wanda/OC, Sam/OC, Scott/Hope and Tony/Pepper. Soulmate AU story. Alpha Bucky/Omega OC. Dominant Bucky and Dominant Winter Soldier. Rated M for graphic violence, language, mentions of attempted suicide, depression sexual assault and eventual sexual scenes.
You Hung The Moon
Chapter 4
"I won't lie to any of you, Romanoff was aware that Ross wanted to arrest Deveraux and put her in the Raft without a trial or a medical assessment. I don't know what else she hid," Fury said honestly to which Steve nodded. "But Romanoff hid information from Ross. So she did play both sides to keep people safe."
"So... We have two new members to the Avengers," Sam commented finally and Fury coughed as a mixed race young woman with dark brown hair entered the room.
"Wilson and Maximoff, I'll let you two get introduced to your soulmates, and Maximoff? Good luck, you'll need it," Fury informed them briskly before he went to speak to T'Challa.
Breakfast the next morning was tense. Tony didn't even glance at Natasha. He lifted his head when he noticed Elise walk over slowly to him before she sat down next to him.
"Sorry about trying to strangle you," Tony told her quietly. Howard wriggled in his arms and Tony loosened his grip slightly on his son before the infant brought his small thumb to his mouth to suck on.
Elise smiled faintly at Tony. "It's fine. I forgive you. We've all done things in a moment of grief or anger that we later on regret, Tony," she replied quietly, stirring her coffee.
"How come you aren't sitting with the others?" Tony asked curiously.
Elise looked upset but quickly smoothed her expression into one of indifference. "I frighten some of them. Mostly Natasha. Wanda suggested that...I leave so I wouldn't cause Natasha anymore stress than she needed at the minute," she confessed.
"What about Bucky?" Tony asked surprised.
Elise bit her lip. "Clint and Steve are talking to him. I guess they all see me as a threat after what my cousin has said. Everyone is afraid of something, always," Elise answered bitterly.
Tony looked at Howard and then at Elise. "You mind holding him? I've gotta talk to someone," he asked smoothly.
Elise looked surprised but nodded. She took Howard in her arms gently and he snuggled into her arms happily. She lifted her head when she noticed Clint enter the room, the archer walking over to his mate and pulling her to him. Natasha put up no protest to Clint moving her into his arms. The red-head curled against Clint's chest, avoiding her food. Elise felt the fear coming off Natasha, slowly fading as Clint rocked her and whispered in her ear.
Suddenly, Tony walked back in with Steve and James behind him. "Why don't you get the traitor and Clint to leave? Instead of Elise?" Tony asked, loud enough for everyone to hear him.
Natasha didn't move, her eyes closing as Steve turned to look at James. "What do you think, Bucky?" the Captain asked.
"We'll leave," Clint interrupted, raising his head to look at the three. "Starks always get their way after all. No matter who they stab in the back to get it." He lifted Natasha and carried her out of the room. But not without one last parting shot. "And for the record, Stark. Natasha did more to protect Pepper and Howard than you could have ever done." With that he was gone.
Elise felt the anger rising in Tony before it hit him that he hadn't even thought about that part. Howard had begun to fall asleep in her arms as Tony turned back to Steve and James. "You were willing to choose the traitor over Elise?"
"No one was being chosen over anyone," Steve replied. "Natasha is pregnant with twins, Tony. She was injected with a chemical which heightens paranoia. Which you were injected with too. Elise would be targeted if we let her and James leave. No one here is safe. Last night, Natasha broke into Ross' personal servers and got every piece of information he had. We have the advantage now. But that doesn't help her or Clint keep their pups safe."
Tony glowered. "The traitor and her pups mean nothing to me," he replied coldly.
"Natasha didn't try to have an abortion," Elise suddenly stated, making everyone present look at her. "She tried to kill herself."
"How did you know that?" Wanda asked, her face falling at Elise's words.
"Because she just told Clint."
"It wouldn't be the first time," James commented, making Elise frown at him. "She's tried it before. Before she met Clint. She lost hope. The Red Room made me her trainer to keep her from killing herself. We ended up sleeping together too." He crossed his arms. "She's fighting between Natasha and Natalia."
Elise pressed her lips to the top of Howard's head as Pepper entered, the red-head glaring at her own mate. "Did it ever occur to you that I want Natasha involved in Howard's life?" the CEO hissed at her mate. "Did it ever occur to you that Natasha actually wanted to tell you but didn't when I asked her not to? Did it ever occur to any of you that Natasha was the only one of all of you that actually tried to keep this family together?" She looked around the room. "Both Tony and Steve were selfish in this whole mess. And that pitted everyone against each other. Natasha was the only one who tried to mediate while dealing with her own problems."
"They were not her secrets to keep," Tony argued.
"They were never her secrets to tell," Pepper shot back. "Unlike you, Natasha knows what battles to fight and which ones to let go. But if you keep blaming her for your mistakes, I don't want you involved in Howard's life."
Tony looked grief stricken at that. "Pep, that's not fair," he tried but she shook her head.
"Did you even think about what I said yesterday?" she asked. "Natasha was there for me through the pregnancy. She was there when Howard was born. She and Happy kept me and Howard safe. And you're making her out to be the bad guys who ordered that your parents be killed."
Elise could feel the pain in Pepper's voice. James moved over to his mate, sitting beside her and wrapping his arm around her. "Someday, we'll have our own pup for you to hold," he promised, making Elise smile at him.
"Our own pup," she promised before turning her attention back to the debate in front of them.
"Whose gonna stop them from leaving?" Remy asked from his spot beside Wanda. "Clint won't let anyone near Natasha when she becomes vulnerable like she was this morning. He will view everyone here as a threat."
"But not me," Wanda replied. "Natasha has a motherly vibe over me. She got really upset when she found out about the Raft putting a collar on me. I can convince them to stay. For me at least. Natasha will also want to stay for Pepper and Howard." Remy let out a low growl when she stood up. She turned to him and glared at him with a look which would have made Natasha proud. "I do not need your permission to see the people who have basically adopted me," she warned him.
Remy simply looked away, a low growl emitting from his chest when she walked out without a further word.
Steve turned to Tony. "You don't have to interact with Natasha. But you will not turn us against her. No one is turning against anyone again. United we stand, divided we fall," he stated. "Pepper gets to choose who Howard interacts with. You're too emotional involved to get to choose."
Tony folded his arms before slowly nodding. He walked over to Elise who quietly gave Howard back to Tony. Tony smiled at her, causing everyone else to stare in surprise; they had repaired their relationship pretty quickly. She headed downstairs to the gymnasium that T'Challa had said was everyone's to use.
Elise felt really bad for Natasha. The witch was hurt by the fact that Natasha saw her as a threat and was frightened by her but it was a feeling she was used to. 'You will never be accepted by anyone, you will always be alone in the world,' the voice of her mother whispered spitefully. Elise sighed and regarded the floor before decided to do some gymnastics while the others decided what to do. It wasn't like she was welcome.
"Anyone seen Elise?" James asked quietly.
Monica, T'Challa's Omega, spoke up, "She's in the gymnasium, and I think she wanted to be left alone."
James looked at the wall. He knew Elise felt like an outsider due to some of the team's fears and suspicions about her, especially Natasha and Wanda.
Brock looked at Remy before speaking in French as Wanda re-entered the room. The brunette raised an eyebrow when Remy growled before turning to face Steve. "They're not leaving. Natasha's asleep. Clint will shoot any Alpha or Beta that goes near their room," she informed the Captain.
"Well, there's a show of companionship," Brock commented dryly.
"Wouldn't you do the same if it was Jemma?" Wanda replied, glaring at him. "This was HYDRA, Red Room, the US and members of the UN who have done this to us and everyone we care for. They tried to have us destroy ourselves. They almost succeeded in more than one way."
Brock shrugged his shoulders. "Romanoff caused me more problems than good at SHIELD. I can't say I really care," he replied.
Wanda let out a low growl before turning to Remy. "I'm going to the training room, Alpha. Whether you like it or not," she informed him, not staying to hear him.
Remy growled before following after her. Everyone shared a look but said nothing, knowing it was not their place to interfere with a tensed soul bond. No one had anything else to say so James went to check on Elise with Sharon and Steve following after him. T'Challa and Monica were talking to a calming down Tony who had Howard sitting in his lap, playing with an Iron Man teddy bear. Time to do damage control and hopefully mend the Avengers
Elise put her IPad on a little table and stood on the gymnastic floor which had tumble corners for little jumps as the song, Russian Sailors, began to play. She sucked in a deep breath and just listened to the soothing music as she began performing. One and a half walk–out followed by a round off flip, a double Arabian and a straightforward somersault for her first tumble of her practise. She added some splits and jumps, before doing a leg-on spin. As the music became more intense, she did a series of cartwheels and a double piked Arabian and an immediate jump for the second tumble. Elise continued with some dance moves before performing a double straight somersault and froze as she realised what she was doing all of a sudden.
"What the hell am I doing? I don't belong here or with the Avengers or my two brothers. They already have a witch on the team and they're all afraid of me," Elise whispered doubtfully. As the doubt sunk in, she quickly left, taking the IPad and CD with her.
After showering, and tying her hair up in a ponytail, she packed her things and dragged her four on wheel suitcase through the door, a light breeze blowing as she started to leave. She had left James, Brock, Sharon and Remy letters explaining why she couldn't stay here, leaving Tony one as well.
Elise sighed as she leaned against the wall, running a hand through her strawberry blonde wavy hair. Suddenly, she froze as she felt the warning signs of a vision. It was of a man who looked eerily similar to Clint, only he was wearing a darker suit than Clint's uniform.
"Who are you?" she asked quietly, confused and intrigued by this mysterious man like she had been when meeting James as a sixteen year old girl.
"My name is Barney Barton," he replied roughly.
Elise looked him over before she noticed his left arm had something written on it. Melinda May.
"Your soulmate?" she asked quietly, inclining her head at his arm.
Barney looked down before nodding. "I'm trapped in hell," he told her before lifting his gaze to her. "You are not hated, Elise," he commented. "You do not, yet, know the truth form of hate."
"You're Clint's brother. He killed you when you became Trick Shot," she replied, realisation hitting her. "You were the bad guy."
Barney tilted his head. "Broken people either fall further or find redemption through their mates," he replied. "Do you know what it's like to be ripped away from your life? Something else poured into you?"
"You mean having hatred poured into you like fire? Yeah, I know what that feels like," she replied, watching him carefully as he shifted slightly. "I can tell that you don't belong in hell any more than my father does if he is dead."
"My soulmate... She needs help. Something is going on in the world and you are involved in it. As is a young man in LA. He'll help you and the others," he informed her. "And you might wanna ask Crossbones who hired him to steal that Ebola virus."
Elise nodded. She couldn't detect any malice or ill intentions from Barney, only sadness, loneliness and regret.
"How do I get you back from hell?" Elise asked finally.
Barney looked at her quietly before speaking with caution. "You have to find my body and use my bones to resurrect me from the dead. I want to make amends with everyone who I've hurt over the years," he explained to her. "Especially my brother, please."
Elise nodded, slowly standing up before exhaling. "I'll help you Barney, I promise," she told him.
Barney nodded before he handed her a vial of his blood so she could perform the locator spell in order to locate his grave.
James had sensed Elise's grief, sadness and loneliness. Now, he was searching for her after he realised that all of her things were removed from the room, making him start to worry. Where had she gone? He sniffed the air and followed her scent, locating her outside on the terrain. She had a book on her lap and her necklace in her hand.
"Elise?" James called out quietly but Elise didn't seem to hear him. She was performing some kind of spell.
"Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras Sequitas Sanguinem," Elise whispered softly and the necklace glowed dark red before the stone dropped in the centre of the map.
Elise stood up and turned to face James. "James, how much do you trust me?" she asked seriously.
James frowned at her. "I trust you with my life, Elise," he promised walking closer to her. "Doll, tell me what's wrong?"
"I had a vision," she told him, letting him stand closer to her. "About Clint's brother. I need to bring him back from the dead."
James frowned but nodded. "Whatever you need," he promised, resting his forehead against hers. "What do you need me to do?"
"I need you to ask Tony to find out where Barney's buried so I can resurrect him. I might need you when Clint finds out what I'm doing. And Steve will need to tell Melinda May to come here," Elise replied with dark humour.
James nodded and hugged her tightly. "I'm with you till the end of the line, doll. I promise," he promised comfortingly.
Elise smiled shakily as she hugged him back. In that moment, she didn't feel so alone.
Locating Tony wasn't hard. The genius was sitting in the sitting room looking a lot better than yesterday; he seemed to be more at ease with Pepper and he didn't growl when James appeared.
"Tony could I borrow you for a second? It won't be long," James asked quietly.
Tony studied him intently before nodding. He stood up from the couch, leaving Pepper with Howard before the two Alphas walked to Tony's room to collect his laptop.
"What do you need, Barnes?" Tony asked wearily.
"I need you to find out where Barney Barton's buried. It's important and his soulmate is in danger," James explained.
Tony didn't even ask if Clint knew. His relationship with the archer was very strained at the minute after his cruel words but he couldn't help but wonder if Clint knew they were planning on bringing Barney back from the dead; probably not.
"He's buried in Ohio, next to Edith Barton," Tony told him quietly after looking it up.
"Thank you, Tony," James replied and made to leave before Tony called out to him.
"Barnes... I'm sorry about trying to kill you," Tony told him.
James nodded before replying, "I forgive you, Tony."
After telling T'Challa that they needed to do something urgent, T'Challa loaned them a quinjet that Bucky flew expertly.
Elise looked at the faded scars on her wrists absently before she glanced at James. "I don't think a lot of your friends like me, James," Elise whispered quietly.
James studied her quietly before speaking, "Sam, Scott, Hope, Cassie, Remy, Daisy, Brock, Jemma, Steve, Sharon, Monica and T'Challa like you." But he knew Natasha was fearful and suspicious of his Omega and to a degree, so was Clint.
Elise smiled softly. "Sharon's one of my few true friends, you know," she whispered.
"You're not alone, Elise," he promised, reaching over and grasping his hand with hers. "You were going to leave?"
"I was," she replied. "I didn't feel like I belonged with you. Any of you. After this morning."
"Wanda has dealt with that," James promised. "You don't need to worry about it."
"Natasha is afraid I will brainwash her," Elise answered. "I'm afraid she'll steal you from me."
James frowned. "Natasha is madly in love with Clint, Elise. She wouldn't be having his child if she didn't," he started. "And you own my heart. I'm not leaving you."
"I know. It's just hard and Natasha is a beautiful young woman who knows how to fight. I'm just a witch who is part demon and has a messed up relationship with my mother," Elise replied dryly.
James gripped her hand reassuringly as they reached their destination and landed easily on the ground. Elise couldn't help but wonder if James had flown a quinjet before. Probably.
They reached the cemetery where Barney was buried and found his grave next to his and Clint's parents who had died in a car crash when Clint was seven.
'Here Rests Charles Bernard Barton.
Born 1971 - Died 2007.
Loving son, loving soulmate and loving brother.'
Elise sucked in a deep breath and exhaled as she started the ritual. The last time she had performed necromancy, it had been on her pet cat, Salem, after he had been run over. She opened up her grimoire and found the spell to resurrect Barney from the dead, beginning the ritual.
James watched Elise drew symbols on the dirt around the grave before she placed Barney and Clint's blood on the ground in a bowl that looked very old but beautiful; it had flowers delicately made on the bowl.
"An Toi Lem, Bridge Bridgette, Thy Resurrect Charles Bernard Barton," Elise chanted firmly.
James watched the sky darken for a moment before the ground groaned. They watched the dirt from Barney's grave start to move. They both waited in silence as two hands pulled themselves from the dirt and the face of Barney Barton appeared soon afterwards.
James and Elise helped him out of the grave.
"Thank you, Elise," Barney whispered hoarsely.
Elise nodded at him before giving him a bottle of water. "You're welcome. Now let's go face the music."
Clint waited impatiently in the living room of James and Elise's bedroom with Melinda May beside him. She was ignoring him as they both waited. Suddenly, the doors opened to reveal someone who Clint had thought had died years ago.
Barney.
"Barney?" Clint asked shocked and his older brother glanced at him silently as James and Elise entered the room behind him.
"Hey there little bro, how are you doing?" Barney asked, managing a weak smirk at him.
Clint's attitude turned sour quickly. "You're dead. I put an arrow through you," he growled. "I killed you after you attacked Natasha. You were working for the Red Room!"
"We need his help, Clint," James replied, although watching Barney carefully after Clint's words; Barney had attacked Natasha? When?
"I was brainwashed, Clint. I didn't have a damn choice," Barney growled back, stepping closer to his brother.
"Bullshit!" Clint roared. "You tried to rape her. You're a monster just like our father!"
Barney swallowed, stepping back as he watched Clint's hands close dangerously.
"I resurrected him, Clint," Elise stated, stepping between the two brothers. "We need your brother's help to stop whatever Ross is planning. He's the only one who can help us."
Clint's eyes turned to Elise. "You really want Natasha gone, don't you?" he growled dangerously, making Elise freeze. "You don't give a damn what happens to her as long as you get what you want. Your mate and being a part of the team."
Elise curled her arms around her stomach, her mind flickering back to the times her mother had shouted at her before attacking her. "Barney will not attack you or harm Natasha because I hold his soul in my possession from now on! I would never wish any harm on you or Natasha or your unborn pups. And you really must believe the lies my cousin said about me because I am not a monster... but seeing as you seem to think the worst," Elise said coldly, causing Clint to stiffen. He had a horrible feeling he may have just caused irreparable damage to Elise's emotional and mental state. "Your brother was brainwashed by the Red Room. They preyed on him when he was most vulnerable and strapped him down into the same Memory Suppressant Machine that hurt my alpha! You've never been through that ordeal. He needed you and you turned your back on him!" Elise said darkly, causing Clint to flinch.
"No but being forced to fight your own mate while a mad, war torn god is just as bad," he replied lowly, his thoughts straying back to the attack on the Hellicarrier, the fear that coursed through him.
Elise continued on. "I know your mate killed some witches who were trying to shut down the Red Room and one of them was my best friend before I met Sharon. You might know her name, it was Anastasia Novikov," she said coldly. Clint frowned, remembering the way Natasha had confessed everything the same day he forgave her. Elise swallowed at that thought. "I have no interest in joining the team. I prefer working solo so I'm going back home and going to find someone," she declared, fighting back tears as she left the room.
"Nice going, Hawk Asshole," Tony growled angrily as James went after Elise along with an upset Sharon. Sabin looked overwhelmed with remorse and guilt.
"Tony, you should keep your mouth shut. Pepper is the only reason I haven't killed you yet," Clint growled at him before he took a deep breath before leaving, knowing he had left his emotions control him too much.
We hope you enjoyed the chapter :)