The phone was still ringing – buzzing obnoxiously on the sideboard and sliding closer to the edge. She needed to answer it, but her eyes were fixed on Bucky. A hand reached out to her, thumb swiping over her cheek, with a last look over her features before shifting attention to the phone now ringing for a third time.
Squeezing his hand a last time, she moved from him.
Steve's name lit up the screen before she hastily swiped her thumb across it. "Hello," the greeting was muffled as she gnawed on one of her nails.
"Lizzy," his voice was grave. "You're okay," he finished, the words more a sigh of relief than proper verbalisation.
"Yeah, I-uh I just got back." Sharing another look with Bucky, meeting his curious gaze with a creased brow, she reached out for him. Comforted by his hand in hers she returned her attention to the phone. "Stevie, what's wrong?"
"Some… people came to-" He stopped, sighed, and restarted. "It looks like they're after the infinity stones. Maybe they just wanted Vision's but… please be careful." The words came out disordered, confused almost, and he seemed in the midst of processing this strange information himself.
"Is he okay? What happened?"
"He's fine," he quickly reassured, "he's coming with us. But Tony's gone to… space I think."
Blinking rapidly, taken aback, she sat on the bed. "He- what? Steve, what the hell is going on?"
"I- I don't know much more than you," a beeping rang through the receiver then, "we'll be there in a few days, I'll tell you everything then." A long staccato breath sounded from him, "I just needed to make sure you were okay."
Nodding pointlessly, she smiled despite the sudden graveness of the air. "I'm okay, Stevie. Just… hurry up and get here."
"I'll see you soon, Lizzy."
The air was so thick with questions as she hung up that Bucky didn't need to ask. "Something's happened," the bed dipped as he sat beside her, "Steve's okay but, they're coming here – he thinks someone's after the infinity stones."
"After you?" he ducked his head to catch her eye, worry creasing his forehead.
Turning his hand over in hers, running her fingertips over the lines of his palm, Lizzy tried to shrug. "That's nothing new, right?"
He said nothing, jaw jumping as he looked down at their hands.
She didn't need him to say anything, it was obvious. Something about this was different.
Resting her forehead against him, fatigue of a whole new type overtaking her, she whispered into his shoulder. "We'll be okay."
Wrapping an arm around her, lips pressed to the side of her head, she felt him nod slightly. When he eventually spoke, his voice seemed strained, "yeah."
The days meandered by after that, the dread of anticipation slowing the pace of every second. It was unclear exactly when Steve would show up, each passing day bringing more worry that maybe something had happened in transit and he would fail to arrive entirely. All they could do was dutifully prepare for whatever may be coming.
For Lizzy, this was a quiet process. Trying her best to enjoy the last few moments of peace here with Bucky before their fate arrived, she allowed herself many quiet, intimate moments with him. The dread tried to taint these small moments, pull them down into overwrought anxiety, but she enjoyed them regardless. They weren't even fully aware of what they would be facing, but Steve's fearful tone was indicative enough.
T'Challa had met with them, showing them footage from what had happened in New York. The images were chaotic and confusing, individuals she couldn't recognise fighting alongside Tony. From what she could gather, the fight revolved around some kind of green gem. Intuition pulled at her incessantly that this was an infinity stone. This unsettled her greatly, pushing her to try to ignore her much trusted intuition despite the logic of this conclusion. Were she correct in her assumption it served only as further proof that she may be an unwilling epicentre of whatever was about to happen. Lizzy watched this footage often, squinting at the screen intent on finding some detail to reveal their enemy. It was not a fruitful effort.
For Bucky, this was a process full of rush. The impending situation had made it abundantly clear that it would be best for his treatment to finish sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, this forced him to take steps much quicker than he would have liked. She had tried to reassure him but there was little her words could accomplish. As much as she wished to help him, this seemed a path he needed to walk alone.
So, here she was; waiting for him.
It was the end of the third day of awaiting Steve and the night had fallen fully by this point. The shrill, but now entirely recognisable, sounds of the New York footage played through their hut. Lizzy wasn't watching it, the noise more a distraction from her constant worries over Bucky.
She had every faith in him, and Shuri for that matter, but there was a smattering of fear that wouldn't seem to leave her. She hadn't lied to him, she was confident she could bring him back again should the need arise. This fear was for him, for what it would mean for him if this hadn't worked. This small slice of freedom he could regain, this mastery over his own actions, would set him free on more levels than he knew.
It had been hours since he had left, however, and this made her nervous.
Just as thoughts threatened to spiral, her ears caught movement outside even over the video playback. Immediately, she leaned over the table and silenced the video. Keeping still, not wishing for the sound of her own movement to muffle anything happening outside, she narrowed her eyes as she tried to catch the sound again. Despite the quietness of these few days, Steve's warning had imprinted a paranoia on her.
She heard a long sigh from outside, followed quickly by more sure footsteps. Whoever it was out there was not attempting stealth at least. This seemed enough to reason that it was not an attacker of any kind and she let her muscles uncoil. Watching the door, she waited for Bucky to appear – breath caught in her throat as she awaited news.
When he stepped through the threshold, she knew immediately. He was wiping at shining eyes but his smile as he looked at her seemed confirmation enough. Jumping to her feet, not moving to him until she knew for sure, she tried to hide her smile. "It- did it work?"
He bridged the gap between them, hands reaching for hers as he struggled to verbalise through the thickness of his voice. "Yeah," he confirmed with a nod – the relief appearing to wash over him as he spoke the word.
She pulled him to her, squeezing her arms around him and fighting tears of her own. After the miracle Shuri had achieved with Lizzy's own fears she had doubted the girl was capable of failure, but the reality of his words was undeniably overwhelming. She couldn't imagine how he was feeling.
Pulling back, keeping her arms around him, she looked over his face. Using her thumbs to swipe the tears from his cheeks, she held his face in her hands and smiled up to him. Bringing his forehead to hers, he let out a long sigh and let his eyes drop closed. "It's over," he finally breathed out, more tears spilling over his cheeks.
Lizzy nodded against him. "It's over," she confirmed.
The sounds of the night swelled around them as they remained pressed together. Time passing them by as they basked in this victory. After everything that had happened, Lizzy had finally learned to appreciate the moments of goodness in her life and this, undisputedly, was one of them. Even the dread that had hung over them for days now could not burden this moment.
"Oh," he startled her out of their shared silence, but she pulled back with a careless chuckle to look at him more fully. "Look," he told her, left hand coming up between them.
Immediately taking the unfamiliar metal between her hands, she echoed him. "Oh!" Turning his hand over, fingertips running over the metal palm, she cocked an eyebrow. "It's new?" Shaking her head at herself, she looked up at him as she heard him laugh. Rolling her eyes, she chastised herself. "Obviously it's new, that was stupid, but… how?"
"Shuri, she said the last one was-uh outdated." Still tracing her fingers over the grooves that allowed his fingers move, she nodded for him to continue. "Hydra didn't give it to me, its more durable, and-" he paused in his list of positives, to pull his hand from her grip and cup her cheek, "I can feel you. Completely."
Eyebrows raising, she cocked her head. "Really?" Pulling her face away she looked over his hand, fingertips pulling it closer once more as she inspected it with narrowed eyes. "That's… amazing. How does that work?" Lizzy sincerely doubted she would understand the explanation, even if he were able to provide one.
"I didn't quite follow that part."
Laughing at his sudden sheepishness, letting their entwined hands fall between them, she basked in his relief. "C'mon," she whispered into the space between them, pulling him along with her. "Let's go to bed."
The morning brought more than sunshine. News of Steve's imminent arrival reached them early in the day, Lizzy having barely rolled out of the bed by the time the call came. There was excitement within her at the thought of seeing Steve again, after so long, but the dread had increased exponentially. Steve's return likely heralded the arrival of this new threat.
Preparation had filled the rest of the morning.
Shuri had gifted her some new throwing knives, the metal lightweight and well-balanced but perfectly sharp. A pistol had been provided for her but her favourite gifted weapon was a pair of featherlight daggers. Each were a few inches in length, refined to a sharp point, and with handles that allowed them sit perfectly in her palms. A redesign of her combat suit was also provided; allowing greater freedom of movement whilst providing greater protection of her torso. Lizzy wasn't certain when exactly Shuri had managed to obtain her measurements but the suit fit her perfectly.
The material itself, although apparently packed with technology that Lizzy didn't understand, was breathable. In the harsh heat of the early-afternoon, this was something she was entirely thankful for. Apparently sensing her discomfort, likely noting the constant shifting of her feet and heaviness of her breath, T'Challa appeased her. "Their jet has entered our territory, it will not be long."
Nodding her thanks, she leant closer to Bucky beside her. "You okay?" he murmured to her.
Biting her lip, she looked over the horizon and took his hand in hers. "I love you." She gave in response. The jet had peeked over the horizon and nerves bundled within her. Whatever happened next, whatever was coming for them, she had so much to lose.
She had so much to fight for.
He squeezed her hand. "I love you too."
The jet landed with little fanfare. It touched down on the tarmac, ramp lowering almost immediately to reveal Steve – alongside his band of renegades. Lizzy could barely contain her excitement at the sight of him. Bouncing forward, she allowed him to finish his customary greeting of T'Challa before intercepting him with excitement. Embracing him, she laughed into his ear. "Nice look."
Pulling back he laughed with her, his now shaggy hair almost bouncing with each chuckle, "gotta keep a low profile."
Snorting, she looked him over. "Oh yeah, completely unrecognisable, Stevie."
Glossing over her comment, a rueful smile overtaking him, he looked her over. "How you been?"
"Warm," she supplied, fanning herself dramatically and earning a laugh. "You?"
Turning back to the haggard individuals emerging behind him, he heaved a sigh. "It's been a rough couple of days."
Nodding, she stepped aside and watched idly as he greeted Bucky.
"Hey, Lizzy." A warm hand grasped her shoulder, "looking good."
Turning to face Sam, she leant into his brief hug. "Better than you at least," she teased, already waving to Nat behind him.
Shouldering Sam out of the way, smirking at his well-humoured yelp of annoyance, Nat spoke. "You ready for this?" The words were light but an undercurrent of seriousness strained them.
Swallowing thickly, Lizzy nodded resolutely. "Let's hope so." Spotting Wanda's figure, flanked closely by Vision, Lizzy lowered her voice. "What happened?"
Eyes darting to the side but not craning her neck to look more obviously at the pair, Nat answered in a hushed tone. "Some… people came to try and take the stone, we got there in time to stop it but… they'll be back." Lizzy felt her teeth grind together. "We're gonna fight for you, Lizzy."
Looking sharply upwards, meeting her unrelenting gaze, Lizzy heaved a calming breath. "Thanks."
"Hey, Lizzy." Steve was calling for her, standing in the shaded area beside the large doorway. "You coming?" His gaze was heavy, pointed, and he purposefully flickered it momentarily to Bucky. Standing beside Sam, shuffling his feet and readjusting his weapon awkwardly as Sam spoke to him, he was unaware of the silent communication between herself and Steve.
Looking back to Steve, she found a sadness in his face but he still tried to quirk his lips up. Lizzy felt sure there was a complication to this whole scenario he was now hoping to privately share with her. Considering his avoidance of including Bucky, she doubted it was anything good. Dropping her head, she squeezed her eyes shut and nodded to her feet. "Okay," she murmured to herself, "let's go."
As they moved through the spacious hallways, Steve hung at the back beside her. From someone so used to leading the charge, this surprised her somewhat. As they passed a set of spiral stairs, he squared his shoulders and finally broke the silence between them. "Bruce told us more about," he swallowed thickly, "what's coming."
Slowly, she turned her gaze to him. "And?"
"They're after all of the stones, not just Vision's." His voice dropped, "so, they're gonna want you too."
This revelation was not a true surprise, this had always been on the cards, but it was distressing to hear nonetheless. She had never been particularly lucky and she had always been hunted by one group or another – regardless, she had hoped she would somehow escape persecution in this case. The heaviness tainting the air made the thought of this new pursuer oppressive. Pursing her lips, she allowed a moment to settle herself by watching her surroundings. Recognising the hallways leading to Shuri's lab, she quirked an eyebrow. "But there's a plan?"
Nodding to the pair just ahead of them, he shot down her hopes with solemnity. "For Vision, yes." He grasped her wrist softly, stopping her in the hallway and turning her to face him. The others continued without them, only Nat sparing them a brief glance before moving on. "We can get to his stone, we can separate it from him and then Wanda can destroy it." His eyes bounced back and forth between his feet as he worked through his thoughts.
"But that won't work with me."
Her words were more a statement than a question but he answered regardless. "I don't think so." His voice was thick with emotion. "Maybe – if we can just destroy one, maybe that will be enough. Maybe they'll move on."
Squeezing his hands, she nodded, and spoke with a hoarse voice. Adding another "maybe" to the pile they were already relying on.
Giving an empty laugh, he looked to her with shining eyes. "I guess it'd be no use telling you to stay up here, stay hidden with Vision and Wanda while they do this?"
Gaze darting to the open doorway to their left, she spotted Wanda hovering nervously over Vision's figure. Her eyes sparkled with fear, features crumpled with worry as she chewed a nail, but the fear was not for herself. Still watching the girl, Lizzy shook her head. "They're gonna need all the time they can get," she looked back to Steve, "maybe me being out there will be enough of a distraction."
"Are you sure?" He didn't allow her answer before he was attempting to convince her otherwise. "These people could kill you to get what they want."
She forced a shrug. "Well, no-one's managed to do that so far." Her words seemed unappreciated by Steve and so, more seriously, she added. "If this doesn't work with Vision, I'm done for anyway – I might as well try and buy them some time."
He watched her in silence for a short while, eyes flickering between both of hers, before his expression changed. "I can't change your mind?" He asked as though he already knew the answer.
Twisting her lips, she shook her head. "I don't think it would make a difference either way, Stevie."
A shaking breath escaping him, he pulled her forward into a sudden hug. "These last few years, ever since I woke up…" he trailed off, fighting for composure, "I couldn't have done it without you… I wouldn't have wanted to."
She could barely choke out her response, the dire reality of the situation stealing her breath. "I'm so glad you came back," she managed before pulling away.
Quiet tears having escaped him, he ducked his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. Reaching up to him, she squeezed his shoulder as she fought tears of her own. "We got this," she told him, barely believing it herself. Pulling back from him, rocking back on her heels and gesturing to the still open doorway, she tried for a smile. "Shall we?"
With one last shared smile, sadness clinging to their gazes, they walked through the doorway.
Almost the moment they entered the room, Steve lifted a hand to his ear. Nat quickly sprang forward and pressed an earpiece into Lizzy's palm. "Guess we've got less time than we thought."
Murmuring her thanks to Nat, she hastily replaced the earpiece. Nothing sounded through the earpiece but a terrible crashing rang through the air. Looking from one of the large windows, Lizzy quickly discovered the source. Flames of an explosion licked the clouds as the automatic defences of Wakanda shielded them from falling debris. Several large, metallic objects, fell in the distance. From so far out they seemed miniscule, but they dwarfed the ages old trees they landed amongst, casting ominous shadows over the sunburnt grassland.
T'Challa was spouting orders, his commanding tone ringing clearly through the air, but Lizzy was already turning to leave. Hurrying down stairways and through long corridors, she quickly found her way to the exit. Her previous conversation with Steve was reverberating in her mind, fuelling her movements. If this were to be it, she was going to give herself time for a goodbye – even if she was the only one to know how likely it was to be one.
Trying to smooth some of the fear from her features, she stepped into the open air once more. Embracing Sam first, ignoring his surprise, she quickly spoke. "Thanks for staying with Steve, Sam." And for everything else, she thought privately. "You're a good friend."
A knowing look overwhelmed his warm eyes and she realised that he knew how large the target on her back really was. "Really should've run away together, huh?" He told her with a grin.
Grateful for his humour, settling her even at a time like this, she laughed. Sam quickly left her with Bucky, moving to join Steve as he exited the building.
"Here we go," he broke the silence between them with these nerve-stricken words. Swallowing thickly as he allowed his eyes to take her in, sweeping over his features in an attempt to memorize what he could.
"Here we go." She parroted, letting him pull her in for an embrace.
Resting her head upon his shoulder, she breathed in this moment in some attempt at calming her suddenly racing heart. Anticipation was killing her; knowing what she was fighting for made her almost antsy to get out there and fight. But this moment was worth quelling that feeling for a little while longer. She should tell him, perhaps, what Steve had shared with her but the idea of distracting him with that knowledge now was too dangerous to consider.
The majority of the group had already moved off to meet their opponents in the field, the distance between them shortening by the second, and Lizzy could no longer blissfully meander in this moment. With one last look to Bucky, whom she had fought so hard for, she readied herself for yet another fight.
The pair of them moved off to join the frontline.
Hi!
I'm so excited to be moving into IW - I have so many fun ideas and I really can't wait to share them with you guys. Lizzy's such a dear character to me at this point that its almost weird to watch Marvel stuff that she's obviously not in - I'm always half expecting her to show up and have to remind myself that she only lives rent free in my head.
Anyway, thank you for reading, favoriting, reviewing, following! I recently reached 200 followers for this story which made me super happy - to celebrate I'm going to release a little stand alone what if... thing for Lizzy and Bucky, it's almost finished so look out for that if you're interested!
LotsofLava