Zemo was laid on the couch with a towel across his face while Sam sat on the other side of the room typing on his laptop. Lizzie busied herself, as she listened to their conversation about the serum. She was surprised when Sam said he wouldn't have taken the serum, had it been offered to him. Listening to Zemo talk, he was not a super soldier fan. She really needed to find out the whole story about him. She turned when she heard him say.
"Super soldiers cannot be allowed to exist."
"Isn't that how Gods talk?" There was a pause between the two men. "And if that's how you feel, what about Bucky?" Zemo remained quiet.
So many questions raced through Lizzie's head. If he thought that about super soldiers, what about her? What if he decided that Bucky shouldn't exist either? What if he tried to come after them when they had finished with Karli? She would never let anyone harm Bucky. He was her family now and no one was going to take him away from her. She would fight to the death for that man. Her thoughts also turned to her grandfather, he was still alive, she wouldn't let any harm come to him either.
The doors opened and Bucky came in, he yanked his jacket off. His face was stone cold serious. "Somethings not right about Walker."
"You don't say." Says Sam.
Lizzie watches as Bucky opens the cupboard and takes out the whisky and a glass, he looks at her and offers her the glass, she shakes her head.
"Well, I know I'm crazy when I see one. Because I am crazy."
"Can't argue with that." adds Sam
"Shouldn't have given him the shield."
"I didn't give him the shield."
"Well, Steve definitely didn't."
Lizzie glazed between the two. She felt a little responsible for the shield thing, she should have taken Nick's offer, that way the shield would have been with them. At that moment, the door bursts open and John and Lemar come in.
"All right. That's it. Let's go. I'm now ordering you to turn him over."
Lizzie chuckled slightly at John's almost affirmative tone; it was only spoilt by the way he stood like an angry toddler. Was this guy for real she wondered? Sam was right; he really was running his mouth in the wrong room. He told Sam he would put the shield down to make it fair and lent it against one of the pillars. Bucky held his arm out to stop Lizzie from going over and taking it. She glanced at him and he shook his head.
With that a spear landed in the pillar, Lizzie turned and saw the woman who had thrown it standing in the doorway. Bucky turned towards her. He whispered. "No matter what, stay out of this one."
She didn't have time to answer before he turned back. She watched as two more women entered the room, one spoke to Bucky in a language Lizzie did not understand, but he seemed too. John tried to do his whole, I'm Captain America thing, but the women looked as unimpressed as Lizzie was about that statement.
"Hey, John, take it easy. You might wanna fight Bucky before you tangle with the Dora Milaje." said Sam.
So these are the people Bucky spoke of earlier, she was catching up, but only slightly.
"The Dora Milaje, have no jurisdiction here." said John, rounding on the one doing the talking.
"The Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever the Dora Milaje find themselves to be." Answer one of the women straight away.
Lizzie liked this woman, she was about to move, when Walker placed his hand on her, and she sent him flying into the spear behind him. John got to his feet as quickly as he could and picked the shield back up. He and Lemar began throwing their weight around like bulls in a china shop, they looked ridiculous going up against these women. Lizzie was quite happy to watch them get their arses kicked. Bucky gave her a wink when she turned to him and nodded towards the other side of the room where Sam stood.
"We should do something." she heard Sam say.
"Looking strong, John." Bucky called out in a sarcastic tone, he stood there with his arms across his chest, and she just wanted to laugh.
"Bucky…." Sam said, his eyes pointing towards John, who was having his ass handed to him by a woman again. A sight Lizzie would never tire of seeing. Just as she raised her spear, Buck grabbed it.
"Ayo, let's talk about this."
So Bucky did know them, Lizzie realised they really needed to talk to each other more about his past.
Bucky and Ayo were fighting now, Lizzie watched as Sam jumped in to help Lemar, as she went to move to help Bucky look over and gave her a look, he had told her to stay out of this. She didn't move, feeling helpless in that moment, but watching these women fight she knew even with her abilities she didn't stand a chance; she had been trained to fight, but not like this. She watched as a spear flew and trapped the shield against a table. Holy shit. Her eyes moved back to Bucky and Ayo then, she was doing something at his arm, Lizzie watched as it fell to the floor, the look on Bucky's face made her want to wrap the spear around Ayo's head.
The fighting was done then, Ayo moved towards the bathroom, she was the only person to have seen Zemo slip away. John was trying to pull the spear out to release the shield. Lizzie finally moved then, she walked to Bucky's side. She watched as one of the women removed the spear with ease and the shield fell to the floor, she flipped it, so it landed on her arm. Ayo came out then.
"He is gone, leave it." she stated, her eyes darting to the shield.
Lizzie watched as John took it back and slipped it over his wrist. She looked back over to Bucky who was just staring at his arm, he knelt down to retrieve it.
Sam was pulling himself off the floor as he spoke. "Did you know they could do that?"
As Bucky placed his arm back, he spoke one simple word.
"No."
She watched as he spun his arm round, as if making sure it was really attached and making it feel like his again. Lizzie really wanted to be alone with Bucky right now, she had so many questions and she was starting to realise she knew very little about the man she loved. She knew the important things, that he loved her, he would protect her, and she also knew he was a good man and that at least when they were back in New York he would do the right thing.
But there was so much she didn't know about him; he was 106 years old after all. He had a lot of history and even more baggage, baggage which she wasn't sure he'd ever open up to her about. They really did need to sit down and have a very serious and very honest conversation with each other. She turned away slightly as she watched Lemar go towards John.
"They weren't even super soldiers." He muttered in utter dismay.
For a split-second Lizzie felt sorry for John. it looked like the weight of the title and the shield were finally starting to show. As she looked back Bucky and Sam had moved towards the bathroom, she looked at the two men, Bucky moved towards her.
"Come on." They left the building leaving the other two behind.
…
As they walked down the street, Lizzie was a step behind the boys, she was listening as Sam spoke to his sister, she had received a call for Karli. She had threatened them. Lizzie had just been beginning to think she could like this girl, yet she goes and does this? Karli wanted to meet Sam and she wanted to meet him alone, but threatening his sister and nephews wasn't a particularly good idea.
"I'm coming with you." said Bucky.
Lizzie looked between the two men, she put her hand on Sam's arm.
"I'm coming too." They both looked at her then and she rolled her eyes.
"Do you think you're up for this?" asked Bucky. She punched him on the arm, and he rubbed where the punch had landed. Sam smiled at the pair.
"I think she's up for it. Just be careful ok, I promised Steve we'd look out for you. I don't fancy being the one to tell him something happened to you. If you don't think you can handle any of it at any time, get out of there."
"Do you want me to pinkie swear on it?" They both laughed a little then.
Bucky placed his hand on her shoulder. "Stay by one of us at all times ok." She nods at the boys and they leave.
They arrived at the building Karli had asked to meet Sam, he was now in his Falcon uniform and Bucky had changed too. She hadn't, she was still in her everyday clothes. This once again reminded her they were Avengers, and she was just the granddaughter of one. They moved to where Karli had appeared. Sam walked towards Karli, Bucky and Lizzie moved off to the side. She was slightly relieved to hear that Karli had never intended to harm Sam's family, she had just wanted to understand him. As she moved her eyes flicked to Lizzie and Bucky.
Lizzie listened as the girl spoke, from the sound of it she still meant to kill John and destroy the shield. Karli had wanted Sam to join her cause. Wow, bold move to state that. Bucky moved slightly, he seemed to be ready to pounce at any moment should this all be one big trap.
"It's Walker." said Sam.
With that Bucky reacted as Karli jumped, the two collided leaving Bucky winded on the floor, Sam went to follow Karli shouting he'd send them the location. There was no time to spare now that John was after the girl again. Bucky looked at Lizzie as she ran over to him.
"Here goes nothing." Lizzie muttered to herself as she set off running beside Bucky as they left the building, she had never pushed herself like this. He was fast, but for some reason she felt she could be faster. She just paced herself and ran next to him.
They were inside a larger, more derelict building before she knew it. Bucky jumped and landed to fight one of the super soldiers that had been waiting for them. She watched as Bucky kicked him through a wall. They moved through the building then, looking for Sam and Walker. As they entered the next room a knife flew towards Bucky, he caught it in mid-air. Shit that was hot. Lizzie thought as she watched him, he flipped the knife and threw it into the floor. Ok he was gonna have to teach her that one.
The fighting continued then, Lizzie managed to get a few punches in and received a few herself. Karli entered the room knife in hand and was heading for John. Lemar pushed her out of the way. As he got up, she punched him, he flew across the room and landed hard against one of the pillars, they all turned then to look. Lizzie knew he was dead, the way his body slumped and the small trickle of blood that ran from his mouth.
John moved towards his friend, trying to wake him, Lizzie moved too, she wanted to check for herself, her years of medical training kicking in. Bucky went to stop her, and she pulled her arm from his grasp. She knelt on the other side as John checked his friend's pulse. As she went to place her own hand on his wrist, John looked at her.
"Let me check him out." she whispered softly.
John just nodded at her. He moved then, as everyone else started to run out of the room. Bucky and Sam were leaving too.
"Lizzie?" she heard Bucky say.
"Go, I'll catch you up."
They left; she heard the window smash as John jumped through it. She turned back to Lemar, he was gone and there was nothing she could do right now to help. Her respect for her job and her deep respect for him as a soldier, made her lay him down. She looked but there were no sheets to cover him with. So she lay his arms across his chest and knelt next to him for a second. She lay a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"I'm so sorry."
She looked up as yelling outside broke the silence that had fallen. Lizzie jumped up and ran out of the building, she still had work to do. They had to stop Karli before anyone else got hurt. As she ran round a corner the sight in front of her made her stop dead in her tracks.
John had the guy she had met in the cemetery pinned down against some steps, he was raising the shield over and over, bringing down again and again on him. She saw Bucky and Sam appear at the other side of the square. People were filming the whole thing. Anger was coursing through her then, as John placed the shield back on his arm. She looked at the crowd and spotted Karli, the two women looked at each other for a second and Karli was gone. As Lizzie turned her attention back to John, he turned and she saw blood on the shield, dripping onto the floor. She wanted to rip it off his arm. She was about to move when she felt Bucky and Sam next to her side each holding her back by an arm. She had no idea where Bucky had got it from, but he placed a cap on her head, pulling it low to cover her face.
"They can't know you're here." he whispered.
She just nodded her head. She knew both men were there to stop her doing something stupid then. When she looked up at Bucky, he was looking away from her, she followed his gaze, John was sprinting away from the scene. Lizzie started running after him, but instead of wanting to rip him in two she now wanted him caught and justice for the man he had killed.
Bucky had to push himself to keep up with her. He wondered how she had become so fast; had she been holding back on them all this time?
When they arrived in a warehouse John was knelt on the floor, Lizzie looked at the men either side of her, this was only going to end in a fist fight. Bucky's face was unreadable. John started walking over to them.
"Walker." said Sam
"You guys should see a medic; you don't look so good." said John.
"Stop, Walker." Sam's voice was more forceful this time.
John was pacing in front of them like a tormented lion in its cage. Bucky was standing half in front of Lizzie. Was he protecting her? Or scared about what her next move might be, because right now, she wanted to ram John's teeth down his throat. It was a little scary how her mood seemed to change when this man was in the room. All her anger and rage seemed to boil to the service when Walker was nearby.
"What?! You saw what happened. You know what I had to do. I killed him because I had to! He killed Lemar!"
Lizzie looked at John then, he was wrong, it had been Karli that had thrown the punch. It was Bucky that spoke though, his voice seemed fairly calm.
"He didn't kill Lemar, John. Don't go down that road. Believe me, it doesn't end well."
"I'm not like you." John spat the words at Bucky.
The look on his face nearly killed Lizzie, he wasn't that man anymore. She went to step forward, but Bucky stopped her. Sam spoke, trying to calm the situation down.
"Listen, it was the heat of the battle. Ok? If you explain what happened, they may consider your record. We don't want anyone else to get hurt." Sam said, trying to reason with him.
Lizzie looked at Sam then, he was right, too many people had already got hurt. But the blood on the shield really made her want to beat John's ass.
"John… you gotta give me the shield, man." said Sam.
John finally looked at them then. Lizzie noticed the crazed look in his eyes, she had seen the same look in the eyes of soldiers brought into the hospital. Those that had lost way more than they should have done.
"Oh, so that's what this is. You almost got me." He said with a cold smile.
"You made a mistake." Sam was still trying to keep the situation calm and rational.
"You don't wanna do this." said John.
"Yeah. We do." said Bucky, there was a harsh flatness to his voice. He was the first to move towards John. The fighting started as Bucky launched himself at Walker trying to wrestle the shield from him.
Lizzie tried to help but was pushed across the floor. Having super strength and been trained to use it were two very different things, she realised in that moment that her grandfather had always gone easier on her. He taught her how to defend herself, but this was different. She looked up and saw Bucky with the shield, John now trying to get it back off him.
"Why are you making me do this!" she heard John yell.
Bucky was then thrown into a pillar; she saw the sparks flying out of his metal arm and watched as he was laid on the floor. She could feel the anger rising in her, she rushed to Bucky's side as Sam flew into John. He was breathing, thank god. As she turned, she saw John rip Sam's wings off, and he was reaching for the shield. Bucky came to and he pushed her out of the way, she stumbled and as she turned, she watched him jump on John to stop him from hitting Sam with the shield. She ran to Sam then, he was ok, breathless and in shock, but okay. Bucky and John pounding on each other. She moved to go help Bucky and Sam grabbed her arm.
"Stay out of it. You're not ready."
The words actually stung her, he was right, she wasn't but for the first time ever hearing the words hurt. Sam moved then and went to help Bucky, both of them working together to get the shield. She heard rather than saw John's arm snap, Sam rolled away with the shield. She caught sight of Bucky's face, he was cut up, he spat blood onto the floor. He started walking towards her and Sam. John was behind him.
"It's mine." John hissed out.
"It's over, John." said Sam.
"It's mine." John grunted as he took a swing at Bucky, he blocked his blow and gave him a huge right hook. Bucky picked John up as he ran at him, Sam jumped from behind as Bucky threw John against the shield. All three men were now laid on the floor, the shield lay between Sam and Bucky. Lizzie moved towards them, John was out cold, but her instincts as a Doctor kicked in and she went to check on him. As she looks up Bucky is the first to get to his feet. He picks the shield up and moves towards Sam, he drops the shield next to Sam. Lizzie could tell by the way he was moving he was hurting. He didn't speak to Sam but started to move away. She watched as Sam picked the shield up, the emotion in his face as he started to wipe the blood from it made her want to cry. She moved towards him, laying her hand on his shoulder.
"It's finally where it belongs." Sam just nodded, Lizzie bent and kissed the top of his head.
"Go after him. He needs you, even if he thinks he doesn't, he needs you right now."
"Are you ok?"
"I'll be fine, Go." He replies, his eyes never leaving the shield.
Lizzie ran in the direction Bucky had left. She caught up with him, she fell into step next to him. He didn't look at her, he just kept walking. Lizzie reached for his hand, she grabbed it and stopped him. He turned to face her; his face was a mess.
"Let me check you out." She moved her hand to touch his face and he moved away from her touch, if he wasn't bleeding so badly, she might have punched him herself. "Why did you push me away, in there?"
He didn't answer her, the adrenaline was still pumping through his body. Bucky grabbed her arm and dragged her into one of the empty warehouses. He pinned her against one of the walls.
Lizzie struggled under the weight of him, he had both her arms pinned behind her.
"Bucky let go."
"Make me!" Lizzie struggled against his grip. "Come on, you have the strength, use it!"
"Bucky please."
He looked into her face, and he let go. As he turned away from her, Lizzie launched at him, she heard the impact of her fist before she knew she had even hit him, Bucky stumbled slightly and turned round.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She screamed at him, her chest heaving.
"You asked why I pushed you away. This is why?! You have all this strength, all this power, but no idea what to do with it. Do you think pleading with John would have worked? I let you go; do you think he would have?!"
She went to slap his face then; she was so mad at him. He caught her hand before she made contact, she raised the other hand and he caught that too. He pinned both hands behind her, pulling her close to him and backing against the wall again. There was a pause and a snap in the tension that had been building between the two since they got to Zemo's, Bucky kissed her. He was so in love with her, even when she was being as frustrating as hell. He stopped kissing her when he felt her bite his lip.
"Fuck, Lizzie." Bucky flicked his tongue over his lip tasting blood, but he didn't release her.
"Do you really think you can shout at me and then just kiss me, who the hell do you think you are Barnes!"
He gripped both her hands in his left hand, he moved his right to her face, she had lost the cap he had placed on her head somewhere along the way and her hair was falling into her face, he pushed it out of the way.
"I'm the man you love." He thought he noticed a smile cross her lips, he ran his finger over them, and he watched as she bit the tip. He'd never seen her like this, so completely pissed at him. He backed her deeper against the wall. He kissed her again, this time she didn't bite, but the kiss was rough. He released her hands, Lizzie pushed him in the chest, making a tiny bit of space between them. He waited to see what her next move was gonna be.
Lizzie kissed him this time, it caught him off balance and the pair fell to the floor, both wincing slightly from hitting the concrete but not breaking their hold on each other. He was undoing her trousers as she was undoing his. Before either of them knew it, Lizzie was straddling him, riding him hard, pushing herself and him harder and faster. Bucky sat up, her legs wrapped around him, he gripped her hair and pulled her head back, he heard her gasp at the slight pain it caused it, but he noticed it just sparred her on more. Her own fingers pulling at his hair slightly. He felt Lizzie tighten around him as her release came hard, he followed not a moment later. They stayed like that. Both resting their heads on the other's shoulder. It was Lizzie that moved first. She picked her trouser up and was slipping then back on when she spoke.
"I'm going home, are you coming with me?"
Bucky got up, he readjusted himself and zipped his fly up, he looked at her. "I have to go find Zemo." Lizzie nodded at him and started to move away. Bucky grabbed her and spun her back round to face him. "Where are you going?"
"To call Sharon, I need a ride back to the states."
Bucky noticed the look in her eyes, almost like a hint of sadness, was this her way of leaving him? Was that the last time they would ever be together? "You're leaving me?"
Lizzie stepped closer to him; she placed her hand on his cheek.
"Yes, but not in the way you think. I need to go home, back to my life. Nick sent me here to be the reasonable one. Not sure that actually worked. But I like my life in New York, I love being a Doctor. This is your world, I'm not sure it will ever be mine."
Bucky moved his hand, so it was over hers. "You're my world." he said softly, it was almost a whisper.
"And your mine. Go finish this. Do what you need to do. I will be in New York, waiting for you. There is no one but you, ever."
Bucky kissed her then lightly, he felt her hand slip away from his face and he watched as she walked away. An hour later he found himself listening to Sam as he spoke about the raids on the camps and how Karli seemed to have vanished into thin air.
"She got home safe." said Sam, he knew Bucky hadn't really been listening.
"You spoke to her?"
"She texted, it was short and sweet. I'm home, I'm safe." Sam noticed the look in Bucky's eyes. "She loves you. God only knows why, but that girl is head over heels in love with you. She just doesn't want this life. Do what you gotta do, then go home to that girl." Bucky gave him a smirk.
Torres entered then. "Hey, you got your sleeve back."
That was his cue to leave. He knew Sam was right, Lizzie did love him, even he didn't understand why, but he was going to give her the space she clearly wanted, and then go home to her. He was going to build a life with her.
End of chapter 7