Happy new year!
disclaimer: I don't own the avengers.
Alex woke up multiple times throughout the night. She was in a permanent state of alertness that made her feel uneasy at every little sound outside of her room.
The first time she had woken up had been the worst. Waking up in the dark room connected to an I.V was more than enough to convince her she hadn't escaped. That it had all been a dream created by her delirious brain.
Alex had one foot down, ready to rip the I.V when her eyes finally adjusted to the lack of light. She noticed the bathroom first, the yellowed light shyly peeking from under the door was all it took to calm her. They never allowed her to leave the lights on."I forgot to turn off the light. " she whispered to herself.
She let out a nervous laugh as she moved around in the bed, fixing the blanket she had hastily thrown off her body. "This Is going to be a long night, " she muttered letting out a tired sight closing her eyes.
From then, she found herself trapped in an endless cycle of a restless sleep that came to an end as soon as she heard footsteps outside of her room.She jolted awake, eyes wide as she took in her surroundings once again before her attention was drawn to the door.
She could clearly see the outline of two silhouettes standing next to each other and before she could question it herself, one of them spoke.
"It's a shame really, nowadays young girls like her end up taking the wrong path and ruining their life forever just for a quick release of dopamine."A pause, probably to allow the other person to answer and then, he spoke, his voice was low and muffled by the door, leaving Alex to ponder at the familiarity of both voices before the first one spoke again.His voice caused an unpleasant shiver in her body that sent her to a full alert estate once again.
Any trace of sleep was gone by the moment Alex reached the door and pressed her ear against it to cease her curiosity."-Her parents had been so worried for her, she's their only child, you know- I'm glad you chose to do the right thing by calling us."
"...Thank you officer. I knew the moment she was brought in that something didn't add up. Usually victims would be eager to get assistance, yet she declined-begged us not to call."
Alex backed away hastily, almost tripping with the I.V in her hurry to get away from the door.The room seemed to grow smaller, darker and colder as Alex crawled to a corner.
Suddenly, she wasn't alone anymore, there were a pair of hands firmly crushing her windpipe, cutting off her oxygen supply, leaving her in a daze as she struggled to breathe.
The exit was so close. Only a few more steps and she was out-
"It's not real, my child." Lady Eir's voice soothed her.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her and brought her back to reality.
Her eyes darted around every corner to make sure she was truly alone, and once she was done she wasted no time to glare at the door, hoping she had some secret x-ray vision to melt him off out of existence.
How had they found her so fast? Alex had naively thought she had at least a few hours to rest before they came barging in to take her back.
The man laughed, as if to mock her thoughts.
She had to leave. Now.
Getting back to her feet, Alex made her way towards the only window in the room. Her hands battled with the latch as she struggled to peer it open. A few more seconds and a lot of whispered curses later and Alex managed to open it.
The cold air hit her without a warning, leaving a trail of goosebumps across her exposed skin causing her to become aware of how inappropriately dressed she was. The paper thin hospital gown wouldn't do for her second escape attempt, at least her raggedy, muddy pajamas had given her more coverage. But beggars can't be choosers.
Leaning in, Alex took a deep breath before she looked down and immediately regretted it.
She was higher than she had expected. Fuck.
She doubted she could survive the fall unscathed in her current estate. Maybe a few months ago she would have laughed and jumped without question, but now, she wasn't so sure. Well, Steve was a super soldier and he had survived far worse and she was technically a bootleg goddess... but he was built like a tank and full of muscles, she on the other hand...
Breaking her legs wouldn't be ideal. At least the streets below were deserted so she wouldn't end up traumatizing some poor passerby on accident. "Wait, no." She thought as she squinted her eyes to see better. There were definitely people walking around, even a few cars drove by every now and then. If someone saw her jump out they would definitely let the hospital know.
She smirked despite her situation. She was truly fucked.
Her other option was more plausible, mainly due to the fact that it didn't involve her jumping to her death, but it wasn't the best plan either. Bursting out of the room and beating the shit out of the "officer" wouldn't work in her favor. It would only make her look like a crazy girl that attacked a poor innocent officer doing his job.
She shook her head, she needed another plan. She turned to the window again, peering out, she noted that it would be impossible to climb down the building spider-man style. The surface was too flat, and the windows frame weren't thick or wide enough to support her weight.
Behind her, the door opened and closed.
Without thinking Alex jumped into action. One foot was already out, her back turned so she could face the room and not the cold unforgiving asphalt as she fell.
The cold wind was brushing her back when the light was turned on.
The nurse's eyes widened as she gasped, running towards her and gently reaching to help her down, "What were you thinking- This is not the solution to your problems- I know it is scary for you but we want to help you go back home, to your loved ones." She whispered in a panicked tone, gripping Alex's arm firmly as she reached to close the window, only to be stopped by Alex.
She felt the need to explain herself, it was the least she could do, "I wasn't trying to kill myself," and then an idea struck her, she choose to be honest, "I need your help." That got the nurse's attention, "The man outside is not an actual officer," She licked her lips, unsure of her choice of words, there was a chance the woman wouldn't believe her, and yet, Alex wanted to take the risk, "He's one of my kidnappers." Her tone left no room for discussion, but the look on the nurse face was enough to shatter any hope Alex had in her.
The woman shook her head, a few strands of blond hair escaped her messy bun giving her a more disheveled look, the small smile on her lips was kind, but to Alex it was a slap to the face, "Let's get you back to bed, okay? You must be exhausted,-"
"No!" Alex interrupted her, and she tried a different approach, "He has dark hair, a beard, brown eyes and glasses!" She spoke fast, her mind overworked itself trying to remember every little detail about him, "There's a tattoo on his left arm, a bird of some sorts- I don't remember anything else, please."
The woman glanced back towards the door with weariness, "You described him perfectly," she muttered, turning back to Alex shaking her head, "I can't help you,"
"Then let me jump out of the window," she shook out the nurse's hold, going back to her previous position by the window, "I'd rather die than go back there." Determined to fulfil her words, she gripped the window frame to propel herself up earning a gasp from the nurse.
"W-wait!" She hugged Alex torso, successfully pulling her down, "I believe you," she tightened her hold, "...I believe you."
Unconvinced, Alex turned to her, "Prove it." She said firmly, Involuntarily, a small purple spark coated her fingers as she gripped the nurse's hand tightly. "Help me."
(...)
Alex waited patiently in the dark room near the open window, doing her best to remain unbothered by the cool breeze sweeping the room. The light had been turned off per her request. She had wanted to keep herself hidden in case the nurse changed her mind.
The woman had left minutes ago, with the promise of helping her hanging in the air, Alex couldn't help feeling anxious.
She glanced at her messy bed, eyes narrowing at her white sheets. Perhaps she could tie them together and use them to get down- or she could thrown the bed first to soften her fall or-
The door opened and Alex tensed.It was the nurse carrying a cleaning cart.
Alex's mouth gaped before she snorted, "Really?" She asked in disbelief approaching the woman.
The nurse puffed her cheeks looking offended, "It's not like we had many choices," she said, handing Alex a pair of blue scrubs, a black hoodie, a hair cap and a surgical mask, "Besides, this is ten times better than your plan," she retorted, eyeing the window, "Put those on." She handed her a pair of shoes, "I hope they fit you." she muttered to herself.
Alex dressed as fast as her wounds allowed, also known as a very slow speed that forced the nurse to step into action.
She dressed Alex quickly and moved to tie her shoes, "I done this like 50 timestoday," she explained, smiling at Alex. "You're the least cooperative though,"
"Sorry," Alex said sincerely as she winced.
The nurse clapped her hands, dismissing her apology, "Now wait here, I'll distract him. Give me five minutes and then you can come out," she said, turning to leave.
Say something, Alex! she's risking her job to help you! "What's your name?" Alex asked in the heat of the moment.
"Why are you asking? You're going to send me a fruit basket and a card?" She joked, "I'm Susan Woods, or Susie if you like."
She nodded, "I'm-"
"Alexandra, I know. I read your file."
Alone in her room one last time, she realised she didn't have a watch to count five minutes, and having no idea how many seconds were in five minutes, she chose to count to sixty seconds five times using her fingers. Her stomach clenched in anticipation, and by the moment she reached the last number she was ready to throw up.
"C'mon Alex, man up. This night is not over yet."
Taking and encouraging breath, she stepped out. To her left, engaged in an animated conversation with the nurse, was her kidnapper. Susan's eyes met hers momentarily, before she averted her gaze back to him, giggling at something he had said.
Alex adjusted her mask in place and started to make her way towards the elevators. Her heart was racing all the way there, and her treacherous mind was filling her with fake scenarios in which she was caught before leaving.
A soft 'ding' announced the elevator arrival. Alex steeped in, not daring to look back at the pair near her room, instead she quickly pressed a bottom, grateful to be the only occupant of it. Her heart stopped racing as soon as the doors closed.
Almost in sync, the elevator next to her opened, revealing the form of Tony Stark himself.
(...)
The streets seemed darker now, lonelier, desolated in a way that made the hairs in the base of her neck stood in response. Any trace of life was gone by now, even the cars were far in between, leaving her to navigate her way around the unknown area on her own, using the dimmed yellow light from the street's lamps as her guide. She wished she had asked Susie for directions.
At the moment she had been too busy worrying about leaving the hospital, not about what to do after that. She realised her mistake now, as she walked as fast as her bandaged feet allowed her too.
Thankfully, she was too high with adrenaline to feel any pain. The cold was a different story though, the thin scrub barely made a difference to her, leaving her exposed to the chilly night air.
She puffed a breath as she dug her hands in the pockets of her hoodie to keep them warm when she felt something. Frowning, she paused her step, looking down at the wrinkled bills in her hand.
The corner of her mouth twitched upwards, a hint of a smile appeared as she looked up, "Bless you, Susan Woods. You're an angel on earth." She said, smiling.
Now she needed to find a bus stop or a taxi. Preferably, a bus stop, being alone with a stranger in a tiny place wasn't appealing to her. At least in a bus she would feel the comfort and company of a bunch of strangers.
Any little sound made her jump in a defensive stance. Alex wouldn't be caught with her guard down. She was painfully aware of how similar it was to the night she died. Even the sky looked the same, completely dark with the lack of stars. This time though, she didn't have her trusty pocket knife with her.
Out of sheer luck, she now found herself sitting in a bus, ignoring the weird looks she received from the other passengers.
She had quite literally stumbled upon it on accident after taking what she thought was a wrong turn.
She had removed the cap earlier, choosing to hide her hair with her hoodie but leaving the mask in place not wanting to catch more attention from her bruised face.
"Rough night, hun?" A woman asked next to her, offering a kind smile.
Alex nodded. "You have no idea, ma'am." She responded, turning her attention to the window.
After a while, she started to recognize the area, quickly locating Marko's corner cafe nearby as the bus came to a stop.
She let out a relieved sigh as she exited the bus. Her feet started to move, already deciding her destination.
Just like that night, she knocked on the glass door of her workplace with trembling hands.
"We're close, man. Come in the morning." Someone said above her, leaning out of a window, voice slurred with sleep.
"Ivan," she said, her voice full of emotion. Seeing a familiar face was all she needed to start crying.
His eyes widened as he recognised her voice, "Alex- shit! Wait there- don't move." He said in a hurry as he disappeared out of sight.
Soon, he was outside, staring at her like her was seeing a ghost, "I thought you were death- Dean, he said some bad people were after you. I- what happened Alex?"
Swallowing hard, Alex shook her head, "It's a long story." She said in a whisper, avoiding his enquiring gaze.
Ivan pinched the bridge of his nose exasperated, "You can't just poof out of existence for six months and show up like nothing- Dean is dead, Alex!" He growled, eyes glossy with unshed tears, "I have no idea what happened, but I know it was something to do with you. He called me on the verge of a panic attack, talking nonsense about some bad guys- he mentioned your name and-" he looked away, arms crossed, jaw clenched. "I heard a gunshot. I went to investigate. I wish I hadn't. It looked like a fucking horror movie. His brain was splattered all over the floor and walls," He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memories, "I couldn't find Ella ..."
"I'm sorry," she said in a quiet voice. Dean was part of Hydra? It made no sense to her as to why he would've known that if he wasn't. Something wasn't right...
Brows furrowed in deep thought, Alex backed away, "Forget you even saw me. I need to go-"
"No!" Ivan said, holding her in place. "You can't leave without answering my questions. Dean was my friend, I need to know why he died like that! Damn it, Alex," he grabbed her by the waist, lifting her like a sack of potatoes, eyes widening by how lightweight she felt. Alex didn't protest as he carried her upstairs, "I was worried about you!"
"Sorry,"
"Stop apologising and tell me the truth, Alex. I can handle it."
I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart every single person that took their time to read, follow and review this fic. I'm so glad y'all enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it, and as embarrassing as it sounds, I have to admit I shed a few tears readings some of your reviews, it feels surreal to me that I'm the one receiving such a lovely compliments. I can't believe we reached 630 follows and 640 reviews. It seems like it was yesterday that I was super nervous to upload the first chapter.Let us hope 2021 is a better year for all of us.P.s I know it feels like I'm dragging this forever, I promise the next chapter we'll have their reunion... maybe...Thank you for reading!