I am SO SORRY guys! I made you wait so long oh my lord. I hope I didn't lose any of your interest! But here you go another chapter! Tell me what you guys think. I love constructive criticism! REVIEW!
Steve's POV
"Alright guys, this is what we're gonna do..."
Mae's POV
I blinked open my eyes, as much as I possibly could with two black eyes, feeling the crusty stickiness, as if I had pinkeye. I literally hate that feeling. I tried licking my lips, feeling them extremely swollen and chapped. The blood that dripped from them tasted like copper. I saw I was still trapped in the machine when the conversation with the Avengers was a full twenty four hours ago, though he hasn't turned it on yet. I wondered if he just put me in there for show. I heard the door slam shut, seeing that bastard Marcus walk towards me. I flinched as I felt the memories of my father flash through my mind. When I saw him smirk, I forced them back.
"I hope you learned your lesson bitch." He came up and snatched both cheeks in his one hand roughly, forcing me to look at him. "I told him you'd be undamaged, and look what you got yourself into." He tsked. "I had to skip our little rendezvous with him because I didn't keep my promise." I felt relief flood through me as I remembered. There was a trade between Steve and I and now Steve is still safe.
"I wouldn't be undamaged if you didn't release your guards on me." I spat out. He slapped me hard across the face. By this point, I couldn't even feel it because I have so much pain everywhere else.
"If you'd learn to keep your damned mouth shut I wouldn't have had to." I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.
"It's cute though that your little boyfriend thinks I'm going to give you back." I blanched, terror running through me. He chuckled at my expression. "Oh cutie," He stroked my cheek, grinning when I flinched. "You're my first guinea pig." My stomach turned to ice as I process what he said.
"What are you going to do to me?" I asked through clenched teeth, making it come out more as a statement. He smirked.
"Why turn you into a super soldier of course." Shock filled me. "And heres the best part." He walked over to the syringes, placing them in the slots in the machine that held them. "I'm wiping your memory when I release the Vita Rays. And you'll forget all about your darling boyfriend and your precious team. And your twin brother." Jace... I struggled to get out, tears starting to form in my eyes. I couldn't lose Jace. I don't want to know what Marcus would have me do to them. He didn't have to tell me his other part of the plan.
He planned on using me to destroy the Avengers.
"Oh don't struggle dear. It's no use." He placed the last syringe in the slot and walked over to the control panel. I refused to make a noise, but couldn't hold back the tears that slipped down from my face. He pulled the lever down, and I felt a sharp pain flow through every single part of my body. The pain burned, and I opened my eyes only to see an arrow already planted in Marcus' eye socket. The pain dulled slightly, and I focused on his now limp body as it collapsed to the ground. An arrow. That only meant one thing.
Clint!
A body thumped next to me, and I turned my head to see Steve dressed in his uniform. Before he could do anything a guard attacked him. I gasped, and tried to keep my focus on Steve knowing there as nothing I could do. I looked at the other Avengers, seeing them all fighting guards. They stood in a circle around me, keeping the guards from getting me. It wasn't long before each guard was dead. Kind of pathetic really. Steve walked over, ripping open the latches on the machine that held me down and reached his arms towards me. I flinched back slightly out of reflex, and he retracted.
"Mae? It's okay. We're gonna get you outta here." I shook my head, the tears dripping off my nose and chin.
"He injected the serum in me Steve." Steve nodded.
"We saw. We came in as soon as he had his hand on the lever, Clint tried to reach it in time but the arrow didn't go fast enough. It's going to be alright. No Vita Rays, so it'll just be a slow transition. I'll- We'll take care of you. I promise." He slowly slid his arms under me, but since I was already sitting me up he hoisted me in front of him, as I weakly wrapped my arms and legs around him and nestled my head into his neck, carrying me like a toddler. I inhaled deeply, smelling his old spice cologne. It was then, when I smelled his comforting scent filter through my nose that I realized I really was safe, and I really was going home. I let out a quiet sob, feeling my body shake. Steve's grip on me tightened. His hand stroking my hair softly in a soothing motion.
"It's okay sweetheart. You're gonna be okay." He whispered sweet nothings in my ear trying to quell my shaking. "Shh. I've got you now. We're going home."
"Home..." I mumbled in his neck. I wanted to be in the Tower again. That was home.. I felt his cheeks pull back, as if smiling.
"Yeah..home." His voice vibrated through his chest and I felt it through my own.
"That idiot didn't know how to be a real villain." Tony snarked walking over to Steve and I. He rested one of his hands on my back. "Glad to have you back. The dipshit made is easy for us to track you. No wonder he got fired from Hydra. Like seriously? You demand we meet you somewhere and we agree easily. Is he that dim? We're fucking superheroes. We don't take shit from anybody. We don't compromise." He pat my back once.
"Tony. Let her rest." Steve said quietly. Tony rolled his eyes.
"Just saying. Like he should have prepared better. Or at least suspected we could trace him and come here as soon as we got coordinates." He said. "It was too easy. Boring really." He waved a hand through the air dramatically. Even though I couldn't see him, I felt air swish past my bare back. I blushed hard at my realization. I only had undergarments on. Like...bra and underwear and nothing else. The embarrassment passed quickly. I was too tired to make a fuss about it, whats done is done. Besides, Steve and Tony were too focused on the mission to see I had no clothes on. Who am I kidding. Tony is a genius who has a sweet tooth for the ladies and must see this a lot. Either it was the first thing he noticed or he is so used to the sight of an almost naked woman he over saw it. Steve on the other hand is a super soldier with enhanced senses. It was probably the first thing he catalogued. I thought back to our conversation many weeks ago when he told me his brain sees every little detail of everything and stores it for future use. If needed, he can recall anything instantly. Like a photographic memory. Only super soldierfied. I giggled at the new word I made up. The quiet conversation going on between Steve and Tony silenced and I felt their stare on me. I couldn't bring myself to care as I started seeing things become more funny to me.
"Uh. Mae?" Tony questioned. He looked towards Steve with slight concern. "Dude is this gonna be some cliche horror movie thing where she stabs us with a knife that no one knew was on her?" Steve sighed.
"She needs to get home. It's the trauma and malnutrition. It's making her delirious." I removed my head from my super soldier's neck and looked at him.
"Well that was quick." Tony mumbled. I giggled again and weakly poked his hairy chin. I turned my focus onto Stevie.
"You're super soldierfied." I couldn't help but laugh at my hilarious joke and looked to Tony. He makes jokes all the time, why isn't he laughing? Tony looked at me with an expression I couldn't read before he started laughing. I laughed again with him. I yawned, and felt Stevie's hand against my head, gently pressing me back into my warm nest.
"Get some sleep Mae. We're almost to the quinjet." He ordered softly. I yawned again, letting my eyelids slip shut as I felt the fogginess seep through my mind, and cuddled into the super soldier's warm neck. My super soldier.
Steve's POV
"My super soldier.." She muttered as she slowly slipped into sleep.
My super soldier
I tensed, but couldn't help the swell of pride that filled my chest when she said that. I also couldn't help the blush that spread across my face. Tony looked at her sharply, a dangerous smirk on his face, before he looked towards me. I kept looking straight. Nope. Don't make eye contact. He won't say anything. Don't make ey-
"Oooh! Someone has a crush!" Dammit Rogers. Tony skipped around in front of me, walking backwards. "You hear that captain? 'My super soldier.' She totes has the hots for you." He said flipping his hand. I sighed.
"Stark, she's delirious. She doesn't know what she's saying. Besides," I tried to look nonchalant as I shrugged, "I was the first person out of all of us she saw. I'm the one carrying her, so its natural for someone who's in her state to want me to protect them. If it was you she would be saying 'My Ironman'." Tony gave me a tiny smirk.
"Oh she wants you alright." My walking faltered slightly, and my eyes widened. I looked sharply at Tony, shocked at what he said. Though I honestly shouldn't be surprised.
"Tony, don't speak of her in that manner!" I looked away, keeping my face on the approaching quinjet. Finally.
"Ugh finally! That damned poor excuse of a jet is here. Now we just have to finish walking. God we've been walking for like hours!" Tony wiped his brow dramatically, sagging his shoulders.
"We've been walking for a little more than fifteen minutes Stark. I think you'll live." I watched the quinjet land, and we approached the steps. Before I made it all the way, Mae was swooped out of my arms by her brother. He gently placed her down on the medical table, brush her hair out of her face.
"Oh Maeflower. My Maeflower I'm so sorry." He bowed his head, taking her hands in his. Knowing their history, especially more so after Mae and I's usual chats under the stars on Stark Tower, I have discovered that Jace is fiercely protective of his twin sister. More so than I've ever seen in anyone. I've seen the look Jace wears in some of the men I've fought along with. It's a look that I see all too much. It's a look Bucky would make when he saw me getting beat up before the serum. The look I would make when saving Buck from that Hydra prison so many years ago. It's the look that says we would kill for our loved ones. Sympathy swept through I walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"She's safe now Jace. She'll be alright." Jace clenched his jaw and looked away, shrugging my hand off of his shoulder.
"I'm the one that should be protecting her Rogers. She's my sister. My baby sister-"
"Only by a few minutes-" Tony tried pointing out. Jace spun on him furiously.
"That doesn't matter! She's my sister and I promised my mother on her deathbed I would give my life protecting her! And I have failed more than once! I promised her! As if she knew what was going to happen! Her dying wish and I can't fucking keep it!" Jace was pacing around now, his hands pulling at his hair. Bruce quietly walked over to Mae and started to tend to her. Clint walked over to Jace, trying to placate him.
"Listen Jace, these things happen but we always come through and-"
"THESE THINGS WOULDN'T HAPPEN IF WE NEVER GOT INVOLVED WITH YOU!" Jace screamed. I looked around at the other Avengers, and we all wore the same look. Guilt. He was right. No one said anything. No one knew what to say.
"Jay?" A quiet mumble filtered through the room. We spun around, seeing Bruce gently trying to push her back down. Jace ran over.
"Flower go back to sleep, you need rest." He said in a soft voice. We felt the jet descending as he helped her lay back down. "You're gonna be okay Mae. This won't happen again." He looked sharply at us, anger in his eyes.
"I wanna go home Jace" She said quietly, her delirium was slipping away with a little rest I was happy to see, despite the situation now. Jace, never taking his hatred filled gaze off of us consoled her.
"Don't worry Maeflower. We will be going home."
So what do you guys think? I feel like I go to fast but I'm purposely doing that because Marcus was really supposed to be just the shittiest villain ever. (Why do you think he got thrown out of Hydra? They didn't even feel the need to kill him off!) Besides, he doesn't compare at all to Loki ;) Hope you enjoyed! I should be able to update more with Christmas vacation here. Not really sure. But I hope! Thanks for reading! (Review!)