A/N: Eeeek! Chapter 20?! Crazy. Hold on to your seats, kids. It's going to be a bumpy ride!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel or MCU, just my plots.
Jess felt nervous as she looked at the red head in front of her, shaking her head at first as she realized what they were asking. "It's not a good idea. Just because I have no weapons doesn't mean I can't kill someone. It's dangerous enough just having him in here, but you'll run the risk of whoever else is in here getting hurt."
They had explained the idea and she had instantly shot it down. The first three times one of them would bring it up, she wouldn't even talk. Just shook her head and ignored them. This time, Nat had come in to sit with her and like with all of the others, she had remembered bits and pieces of memories. With Nat, she remembered vaguely shopping with the woman and getting threatened by her. But her spidey sense (named thanks to Peter) didn't tingle when she was around Nat, that was normally the way she could tell if someone was trouble.
In fact, she had tried to use that to snap herself out of this strange limbo she was in. Tried to tell herself that her spidey sense didn't go off when he was around so it was obvious he wasn't bad. And she had worked through that part, honest! It wasn't that she thought he was bad, she just lost herself every time he was close by no matter how hard she repeated not to hurt him in her mind.
"Jess, please. Just... consider it. You've been in here almost a month. You only have a few months until the baby is born, do you want to be stuck in here with a baby?"
Jess swallowed hard and looked at the other woman, shaking her head. "No, if I'm still like this you have to take the baby and keep her out of here. I'm not going to put the baby in harm's way. Even if I cry or scream or threaten, you have to keep the baby out." Jess said firmly, already feeling the loss even though it hadn't happened. Just the thought of not being able to see her child grow up... it didn't make sense to her why she was already so attached. She hadn't even wanted kids, wasn't even sure she wanted this one. What had changed?
"I will love this child more than anyone has been loved in this universe."
Jess blinked as the words came to her, knowing for a fact they had been from him. The memory was making hope ooze in, was making her look up at Nat. "This might be our only chance, Jess. Please, let us try to help."
Closing her eyes, Jess raised her hands to her forehead as she laid in her bed. Contemplating all the options, knowing nothing else had worked. Remembering what Bucky had said to her when he had came to see her. It had only taken one thing to break him from his trance. Sure, it took longer for him to work through everything, but only one to snap out of it long enough to save his best friend.
"Okay..." Nat looked at her in surprise, certain she would keep denying the idea. "The kid keeps me grounded, he needs to be here. I don't think Bruce should be here because if things go south, well... we don't need to break the building. Thor and Steve should be holding me, and I should maybe even be strapped down." Anyone who didn't know her would've laughed as she listed what she needed to feel comfortable, but Nat knew better. The woman was strong. Could lift several tons and snap an arm in half with a flick of her wrist. Peter was the same way.
"I'll go tell the others the game plan... don't look so worried. You're not alone." Jess smiled weakly and opened an eye to peek at her friend. It didn't make sense to wait any longer. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen.
"Maybe this wasn't a good idea..." Jess protested as she was being held by Thor and Steve, Bucky hovering nearby just in case more man power was needed. They had all refused to strap her down, reminding her that she might have flashbacks of HYDRA since they had strapped her down. At the moment, the men's grips were loose on her since she was still in her right mind.
"We are so close to having you back, we have to try." Nat said firmly from her place by the door with Peter. It was true, she had slowly come to the point where she was comfortable with the whole team. Talking to them, spending time with them. While it wasn't exactly like it used to be, it was better. It would keep getting better with time, Bucky had reassured her.
He was her only obstacle.
Jess closed her eyes and nodded, urging herself to try to put it all behind them. To break the repeat button in her brain that had her going crazy every time he was near. Her spidey senses tingled immediately the moment before she heard the door to the main room open. Not in danger, she reminded herself. The tingling wasn't the same kind as when she was in trouble.
"Start on the outside, Stark." Jess hardly flinched as she heard the name, noting that was progress. She also hadn't started freaking out even though logically she knew he was in the room. She urged herself to keep finding loopholes. Apparently she actually had to see him to freak out. So, she kept her eyes closed as her heart beat quickened.
"Jess..."
Her heart raced more and she let out a strained growl from between her clenched teeth. Keeping her eyes closed, trying to get herself to relax the tension, she nodded, hoping he would get the drift. Every muscle in her body was tensed as she willed herself to stay in the chair and not fight the men holding her back.
"When we first met, you thought I was a robot and trying to hurt the kid. You protected him from me... do you remember?"
Her lip twitched as she kept her eyes squeezed shut, the memory fuzzy but there. "Even back then I knew not to trust you." Jess swore under her breath as soon as the words left her mouth. Not true, not true. He loves the kid. Not realizing the men had tightened their grip on her, not realizing that it was quiet enough for the people without enhanced hearing to hear a pin drop. Only focusing on trying to stop convincing herself the man needed to die, had to die.
"You're going to have to trust us. Trust the guys that they can hold you back, trust yourself that you don't need it, and trust me that I won't hurt you." Stark said softly, inside the circular tank now, his voice was clearer. She was so tense it was beginning to ache.
"I'm not afraid of you." she snarled, not pulling against Thor or Steve now. Her head was angled towards where she knew he was at, eyes still shut.
"That's good. You don't have to be. I would never hurt you, or Tony Junior."
Her fingers twitched as she huffed and shook her head. "No juniors!" The words were out before she knew she had said them, her eyes opening and instantly seeing red as she locked onto the man in front of her.
It was insanity for a moment as everything happened at once, happened quickly. She started pulling away from the men, pulling them and the chair with her for a few feet before Bucky added his strength to the mix and she was halted. Peter and Nat were coming towards her, trying to sooth her with their words that she ignored as she kept her eyes focused on getting to Stark.
"Jess! Stop!" Thor said through gritted teeth, surprised by the strength the small woman had. "Think about the baby!"
"He'll just betray it!" Jess hissed, not looking away as Tony stayed quiet and watched her. "He'll just betray it like he did me!"
Tony pushed Nat away gently who had a hand on his shoulder, walking forward so he was only a foot away from her which only fueled her anger more. "How?"
Jess was panting but not giving up, still pulling and resisting against everyone. "You should know. Coward!" Jess yelled, watching as the dark haired man looked... ashamed?
"Let her go."
Everyone stopped at once, even Jess. "... I'm sorry, what? Do you not see how this was a bad idea? She's going to kill you." Steve snapped, shaking his head and keeping his firm hold on Jess' arm.
Even Jess nodded in agreement. "I will."
"Then, I guess you will. Capsicle, Point Break, uh... metal... arm? Let her go."
They all started protesting at once, Jess staying quiet as she stared at the man, not understanding what he was playing at.
"I let them take you." Jess tensed up at his words, eyes narrowing as she stared at him. "I didn't kill you, that's why you hate me. That's why you can't get past this command they've given you. Because you're mad at me, too. Not just brainwashed Jess, but real Jess. Every time you see me, you're reminded that I couldn't give the order to FRIDAY."
Jess snapped at him to shut up through her teeth, refusing to look away from him as she pulled even harder against the men restraining her.
"When you say you can't trust me, there's honestly a part of you deep down that believes that. That you will believe even after we break you free from this mind zoo you're caged up in." He looked... tired. Tired and sad, his words grating against her as she looked away from him. She clenched her fists and managed to swing on Thor who had loosened his grip, freeing herself enough that she could squirm free and slam her head into Bucky. Enough to break free for long enough to tackle Stark to the ground, hands going to his neck. So close.
"I will love you until my last breath, Drew..." Her hands hesitated in tightening around his neck, pausing for just a moment as the memory on the roof hit her. She tried to blink it away. "Red and yellow is my thing... was my thing... until you came crashing into my life." he spluttered out as she held his throat.
Jess let herself be pulled off him as everything seemed to come flying back at her at one time. Putting a hand to her head as she gasped, and let everything flow back into her brain. He loved her... and she loved him. True, raw, passionate love. "Tony..." Jess managed to sob out, tears starting to roll down her face that confused everyone enough that they didn't stop Tony who was immediately by his girlfriend's side and pulling her into his embrace. She was quickly inconsolable as she cried and held onto Tony's shirt for dear life, not hearing when he asked them to leave so she wouldn't be embarrassed later and got snippy when they refused.
"She just tried to kill you, Tony. We at least need a few people to stay just in case... with Bucky it wasn't an immediate thing where he was a hundred percent better. She could relapse."
"You make her sound like a drug addict." Tony scowled but went back to stroking Jess' hair who was sobbing and soaking his shirt with tears. "Shh, shh... cupcake... easy. It's okay. I'm here."
"You... left... me." She said between gasps of air, looking up at him with a defenseless look that broke his heart in two. "You let them... take me... you promised. I thought they... killed... the baby. Every hit... and shock... and bruise."
Thor, Bucky, and Steve (the only ones who had stayed) were all looking at the back of head with grave looks, feeling useless.
"I know, I know baby. I'm so sorry... I just couldn't. I couldn't, how could I? How could I give up on the two things in my life I never thought I deserved? After the baby, I... I couldn't keep that promise and I hope one day you'll forgive me... I was just trying to keep you both alive." Tony choked out through his own tears, hating that the others were still there but eventually not even recognizing that they were. He held her to him, whispering sweet nothings into her ear as she continued to cry.
Bucky had remembered how tough it had been when the emotions for Steve hit him again. Of course, it wasn't nearly as hard as the ones for a boyfriend would be so he couldn't imagine what she was really going through. Turning around to try to give them some privacy, the other two followed suit and faced away. Steve had clasped a heavy hand on his shoulder, apparently remembering what they had gone through, too.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I almost killed you. And I hurt the others... I'm a monster. You can't trust me now, To-Tony." Jess managed to get out after a few minutes, still breathing unevenly as the memories trickled in. "You need to... to keep me in here. If I have a nightmare now..." It could potentially be catastrophic... the last words weren't said out loud, they didn't need to be.
"I've been working on a few things while we've been getting you back, Drew. You don't need to be in here forever, it'll all be okay... we'll be okay." Tony whispered huskily in her ear, sitting on the ground now with his arms wrapped around her, one hand smoothing back her hair as he sat in complete bliss. It was a feeling he would never let himself forget.