Happy Friday, Readers!
Apologies for not updating earlier this week, Tuesday was my only day off work in almost two weeks and I spent the day with one of my friends.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.
Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones and her story past, present and future.
Recap
Elizabeth turned back to the tech and dropped her head into her arms, she closed her eyes and allowed the tears to stream down her face. Was he dead or was he alive? Could the serum, the one they'd risked so much for, running through his veins preserve him somehow?
They'd never knew. He was gone.
Her whole body shook as she sobbed into her arms. She wasn't sure how long she was there, just crying her eyes, but Peggy came to her and helped her stand. She felt weaker than she has ever been.
Elizabeth has ever felt pain such as this, and neither has she felt so numb. This feeling was entirely new to her and she had no idea how to behave anymore. Everything was so different.
She went to Colonel Phillips and asked what was going to happen next now that Schmidt was dead. He told her not to worry about it for now, he dismissed her and put her on the next truck out, he ordered her return to London and to wait a few days before coming back to the base to work, eh told her to grieve, which is something Elizabeth was well-accustomed to.
She spent entire journey back to London in a daze, ignoring her surroundings and the men she travelled with.
The trucks were going to the nearby airfield, where the planes that had brought them over were waiting to take them back to London.
As soon as Elizabeth got back on English soil, she disappeared. She grabbed her things and left.
Elizabeth spent the entire day wandering around London, feeling very lost. She had fallen deeply in love with Steve and she's not even sure why. There has been no other man in her life that had brought feelings out in her like Steve did, no wonder she allowed herself to act so reckless as to fall in love with him so easily, he's her first love.
And now, he's presumed dead and not likely to return.
Her heart was shattered into millions of pieces and she wasn't sure if she could go back to the base in the next few days and continue her life as Elizabeth. Sure, the war was still raging on, but it would be so easy to cut all ties, pack up her life and simply disappear.
But that would be too easy, and that would be giving up on Steve.
That night, she made the decision to go back to the house that now belonged to her and she fell asleep very quickly.
Her whole body was numb, she'd cried everything out and felt every single emotion under the sky and now she was numb to it all.
The next day was her day to grieve and once more, she spent the day out of her home and in the Whip & Fiddle, the place where their flirtations grew outside their comfort zones, the place where they'd kissed and the place where she knew she was in love with him.
She found a bottle of the whisky Steve had been drinking and sat herself in a corner with the bottle, sipping gently from one of the glasses. She wasn't trying to get drunk, she physically can't get drunk anyway.
Elizabeth spent the entire day in the Whip & Fiddle, drinking her sorrows away but that didn't work.
She returned to her home, washed and went to bed early, ready to rise again early and dress in her service dress uniform and to go back into the base.
That one day of grief did help her greatly, she felt like her head was clear and she could think straight.
She was confident as she walked into Colonel Phillips' office, she was rather surprised to see who else was with him.
Phillips was having a meeting with the remaining Howling Commandos, Peggy and Howard and they all looked up at her, shock plastered on each of their faces.
"I thought I told you to take the next few days off, Miss Jones." Colonel Phillips said sternly, he looked up at her and she looked back, her gaze just as hard.
"You told me to grieve and I have. I'm ready to help with whatever problem you have going on right now." Elizabeth replied.
Colonel Phillips ground his jaw and shared a look with Peggy. "Fine. Sit over there." He said, jerking his head towards the seat next to Peggy.
"We've gathered intelligence from the Hydra base in the Alps and it seems as though there are still a number of smaller Hydra bases still out there, and we know for certain that some of the sneaky rats of the Hydra organisation escaped from that base too. We believe they're scattered around these smaller Hydra bases and some safe houses." Colonel Phillips explained.
"And you want us to chase these sad bastards down and end their miserable lives?" Dugan asked in his brutally honest way.
Colonel Phillips nodded his head gravely, "Yes." He rose to his feet and paced around his desk until he stood in front of the Howling Commandos. "As you all know, Captain Rogers has been announced as killed in action, despite his death, the Howling Commandos can and will crush Hydra as his last wish." Phillips' eyes glanced at Elizabeth, as if naming Steve was enough to make her crumple and burst into tears but she held herself composed.
It was decided, the Howling Commandos would set out in the next few days to begin taking down the series of smaller Hydra bases and the safe houses.
Just before Colonel Phillips dismissed them, Elizabeth stood up. "I want to be there." Elizabeth said firmly.
"I don't think that's wise, Miss Jones." Colonel Phillips said.
"You know I can help. You know what I can do." Elizabeth said calmly.
"My answer is no, Miss Jones, I can't send a woman out to do a man's job." Colonel Phillips said, Elizabeth set her hard gaze on him.
"Being a woman isn't a disadvantage, Colonel." Elizabeth said in a low tone, "Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can do less than you."
"That's true." Dugan said, speaking up. He glanced at Elizabeth with a knowing smile. "I saw what she did in the Alps, and well, I'm impressed. Let her come with us, I have nothing against it."
"Thank you." She said, nodding her head at Dugan. "Are you all alright with me joining you?" She asked, looking over at the Howling Commandos.
All of them nodded and one or two gave their opinions but they were happy enough for her to join. She turned back to Colonel Phillips.
"You know what I can do. You know that it can help with these missions." Elizabeth said, looking right at Colonel Phillips.
Colonel Phillips looked at her for a few moments with a hard look, "You and me need to have that chat now." Was all he said.
One by one, everyone filed out of the room, shooting watchful glances at Elizabeth as they passed but eventually, it was just Elizabeth and Colonel Phillips in his office.
"Do you want to start, or shall I?" Elizabeth asked as Colonel Phillips sat down at his desk again.
"I think I'll start." Colonel Phillips said, "What I saw at the Alps… that was unnatural. But I'm willing to overlook it. I've known you for a few years now, and I've grown to trust you and your opinions."
"Good." Elizabeth said, she sat down in the seat closest to the desk and looked at him, "Then you know that I'm not a danger to anyone. I'm going to explain everything, please, just keep an open mind."
Colonel Phillips nodded his head, leant forward on his desk and clasped in hands in front of him.
Elizabeth opened her mouth and explained, she explained how she's lived for a long time, how she can somehow create fire and manipulate any fire, how she can heal faster than a normal human being.
"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Sir, but it's a tough subject to tell someone." Elizabeth said.
Colonel Phillips nodded his head slowly, "If I send you out with the Howling Commandos, you are going to have to tell them yourself about this… fire issue." Colonel Phillips said, "But I have no objection to you going out into the field. You do have your uses."
Elizabeth nodded her head quickly, "I will tell them." She said. "And, thank you, sir." Elizabeth said.
The decision was set in stone and when the Howling Commandos set out for their next mission, Elizabeth was beside them.
As a reminder, there's only two more chapters in this story and I'm kinda sad to see it be finished!
Thanks all, I'm glad to see that there are some people in the world who read my story!
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