The order for the meeting in DC came the same day I returned. We all flew down except for Bucky, Evynne, the Vision, and Jason. I'm now sitting in the bottom of the building that Steve has his meeting in. I'm nervous, thinking of what Dad told me. I know all the Avengers, the ones who fought Ultron at least, are in that room. The only one who isn't is Pietro. I start wondering whether or not he is okay. We've heard nothing more from Artie yet. Jack is getting a bit uneasy about it same as I. I look up to see Stark and Steve storming out. "Let us at him, Rogers! The man is a killer!" Stark growls.
"He is my best friend, Stark," Steve snaps. "He was brainwashed to do what they wanted." I stand, holding my leather jacket.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"Who the hell are you?" Stark demands. I frown at him.
"Deputy Director Annie Coulson of SHIELD," I hiss. "Also, Dark Veil with the Avengers." Steve rests his hand on my arm.
"Steve get back here, damn it!" I hear Nat shout.
"Natasha, calm down!" Clint urges, the two of them running up to us. "Oh, hey Annie."
"Barton," I nod.
"Come on, we're leaving," Steve mutters, pulling me out of the building. Clint runs after us.
"Hey! I'm on your side, wait up," Clint calls. Steve pauses, looking back.
"Alright, let's go. Wanda will meet us later. Annie, I'll explain in a bit," Steve sighs. His grip is firm on my arm and we head back towards my car which we all took down here. I get in and turn it on.
"Where to?" I ask. I look back to see Wanda running towards us. She slips in.
"Helmsworth. It's closest and maybe safest," Steve suggests. I stiffly nod and head towards the highway.
"Now what the actual fuck is going on here?" I demand.
"Things aren't going well. They want Bucky taken in, tried, and killed," Steve explains roughly. I've never seen him so upset.
"He's not the man who made those kills though. For goodness sake… Did you even explain Evynne? They're victims!" I growl.
"Who's Evynne?" Clint asks.
"Bucky's partner. It's a bit of a long story, but she's Enhanced. She's also pregnant with Bucky's child," Steve explains.
"Okay, this should be interesting," Clint sighs. "So, Annie, how are you?"
"Oh, just dealing with work," I chuckle.
"So it seems," Clint muses, leaning back. "Alright, Cap, what's the plan?"
"We regroup at Helmsworth, driving straight there. From there we get the others over," Steve explains.
"What about Sam?" I ask.
"We call him in. We're going to end up at war here," Steve replies. I tense.
"So it's come to this," I mutter. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Nat will not be helping us."
"You'd be right," Steve confirms. I look at the highway signs.
"We aren't going to Helmsworth. We're going to Jack," I tell him, taking another exit. Steve raises an eyebrow.
"To your ex Jack?" he asks.
"Nat knows where Helmsworth is. She'll guess that as our first choice. So we go elsewhere. Jack lives well under the radar, but I happen to know where that is. I'll take us there," I explain.
"Are we sure he'll help us?" Wanda inquires. I stiffly nod.
"He and I might be having some issues, but we still get along when it comes to the betterment of mankind," I reply. "We make sure the job gets done." Steve reaches over and rests his hand on my knee.
"So the rumors are true about you two," Clint chuckles. I glare at him through the rearview mirror.
"Oh fuck off," I hiss.
"Hey, language," Clint winks.
"Okay, seriously, not now," Steve warns. He looks out the window. I can tell he's distracted. I can't blame him. After everything, of course he'd be distracted and upset. This isn't just anything we're dealing with, it's Bucky and Evynne's lives. I pull out my phone and dial Jack's number. Even after all this time I still have it memorized. More reasons for me to be thankful for this damn gift.
"Hello?" Jack answers.
"Jack, please tell me you're still at the cabin," I sigh.
"Uh, yeah, why?" Jack asks. I take a deep breath.
"I'm in need of refuge. I've got three people with me. I should be there in a few hours. Helmsworth is not an option. I'll explain more in person," I explain.
"Is this work related?" Jack inquires.
"When the hell isn't it?" I argue. He laughs, that sweet laugh I used to love. I look over at Steve quickly. No matter what, Jack isn't Steve. Whatever love I used to have for him, it's gone and given to the sweet soldier sitting next to me.
"I'll be ready," Jack replies. I hang up and set my phone down, making my way as fast as I can down the highway. There is no time to lose. I can guarantee that Nat and Tony will be after us as soon as they are able to. The scenery passes and we're deep in West Virginia by the time we get close.
"Wow, I thought he'd live further from Helmsworth than this," Steve remarks.
"He keeps nearby in case he's needed," I reply.
"Why did Jack quit?" Clint asks.
"Because of what happened between us," I sigh. "He didn't want to risk anything like that happening again. He decided it was time to let Lys take control. That might be his worst mistake yet."
"Can she not be trusted?" Wanda inquires. I blush a bit. Damn it. I shouldn't have said that.
"No, she can't. I'm not even sure what side she'll take. She had some time in Hydra, forced as it were. I think it changed what morals she had," I explain.
"Makes sense, her husband being who he was and all," Clint muses.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Didn't you know?" Clint replies. He sighs. "She was married to Ward."
"Well, isn't that just something," Steve mutters. I can hear the frustration in his voice. Honestly, I'm right there with him.
"That would explain how she got forced into Hydra," I point out. We go deeper into the woods. "Let me handle more of the talking with Jack. He can be bit standoffish."
"Can I trust you?" Steve asks.
"Do I trust you around Agent 13?" I reply. Steve smiles. "Don't worry, Cap, I only have eyes for you."
"Well aren't you two sweet? Hey, will I be able to talk to Laura?" Clint inquires.
"Yeah, signal cuts out from here until we get to Jack's. It's a protected signal area as well," I explain. "I plan on making a few calls myself."
"Let me guess, your dad is one of them," Steve suggests. I stiffly nod.
"Damn straight, Steve," I confirm. "He warned us of what could go down. He can be on look out."
"So the rumors are true about Coulson?" Clint asks.
"Yeah, he's alive and well, Director of SHIELD," I tell him. "I'm wondering if we should try and get in contact with Fury too."
"Yeah, I'm in agreement. I'd be afraid though. I don't know what side he would take," Steve warns. I think for a moment.
"Let's play this out a bit and go from there," I suggest. Steve nods. I finally pull down a few trails. We're getting close, and I feel a bit more relaxed. I'd rather be safe here than anywhere else in the world right now. I know how ugly this can get. My scar from the Fall itches just thinking about it.
"This is more secluded than Helmsworth," Wanda points out as we pull up to the large log cabin. I park the car. Jack is waiting outside, smoking a cigarette, his dark gray eyes locked on us. I'd never thought I'd see those eyes again. Then again, I'd never thought I'd be here either. I turn off my car, taking a deep breath before stepping out.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Jack greets, smiling so that the scar on his cheek moves. Looking at it sends shivers down my spine. I thought it would heal nicer than that. "Clint, it's good to see you. So, who are you two?"
"Jack, meet Wanda Maximoff and my boyfriend, Steve Rogers," I introduce, grabbing Steve's hand. Jack looks at me, his eyes cold and filled with frustration. I shift my weight. Let the war begin.
A/N: Hello all! I'm really sorry I haven't been too great at updating. I have been going through a lot in terms of my anxiety and stuff right now. I'm barely keeping stable and this is the second weekend in a row I've been in complete crash mode. Jumping into plot... We enter Civil War. I can tell you now that I'm really just going to have to improvise compared to what plot we know from the awesome trailers, which I honestly hate doing as I like keeping the integrity of the story I'm building off of. However, we finally get to meet Jack and I think we'll be having a lot of tension. Next chapter we will see everyone settling in with Jack and really just putting pieces in place. I will be making no promises as to when next update will come. I do apologize. Honestly I've never had my issues become this bad before. Check my profile to keep an eye on things, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and as always please leave a review.