Between the Wars
Post The Winter Soldier/Pre Age of Ultron
Prologue: Lost in Memories
Between the wars we'll stay
Fading echoes spin away
Lost in memories
Lost in memories
-Allman Brown
On the last day she'd seen her mother, the weather had been sunny, bright and mild in temperature; in other words, perfect. Since the weather in Ireland was often overcast, drizzling or pouring rain, Rebecca O'Riley was making the most of it, lying outside on a blanket in the grass, reading Pride and Prejudice and occasionally sipping on the iced tea she'd brought out with her.
She was also valiantly ignoring Seamus Gallagher lurking several yards away, scowling like some stone gargoyle while she lazed about. Seamus hated guard duty and was often vocal about it, to everyone but Declan O'Riley, a Captain of the Real Irish Republican Army. It was Declan who'd given him the guard post that day, to make sure nothing happened to his fifteen-year-old daughter. Though what could happen on the front lawn of the latest O'Riley home remained a mystery to her.
"Becky!" The clear lyrical voice of her mother rang out from the front of the cheerful cottage they currently lived in.
Rebecca set her book aside, shading her eyes until she could see her mother clearly. Siobhan O'Riley was ethereally beautiful. Her skin was smooth and pale as porcelain, except for the smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her hair cascaded down her back like waves of fire and she had the slender, willowy build her daughter had inherited, as well as the dreamy green Irish eyes. But Rebecca had her father's darker coloring, so instead of looking like a faerie straight out of Irish lore, she was just a skinny girl who wished she had the presence to command attention like Siobhan O'Riley 'nee Callahan.
"Mom," Rebecca sat up when Siobhan crouched down beside her. "Everything okay?"
It was a loaded question. As she grew older, Siobhan could no longer hide the truth of their situation from her daughter. Declan O'Riley didn't just have friends staying over to help them out and look after them when he was gone. He had soldiers, who carried out his orders that often left blood on their hands. Rebecca's father wasn't the man he pretended to be with his daughter; doting, attentive and kind. He was, in fact ruthless, cruel and a murderer.
He'd been behind a bombing recently that had Rebecca sick to the point of vomiting for nearly forty-eight hours. There had been children caught in the crossfire, all dead because of her father's need to rebuke the Republic of Ireland.
It had been too much for Siobhan as well. She'd come to Rebecca in the middle of the night in the days following the bombing to tell her they would be leaving her father and soon. Her mother's brother Finn, whom she hadn't spoken to in years had finally made contact. He'd set up a safe house for them in Italy. He'd be waiting for them when they stopped in Galway and would smuggle them out from right under Declan's nose.
"I'm going into town for supplies. We need food for supper tonight," Siobhan stroked a hand over her daughter's hair. It was not often she wore it loose, usually tied back in a tail or a braid. "Do you need anything while I'm gone?"
"Rhubarb and Custards?" Rebecca asked hopefully. They'd always been her favorite sweeties and she'd had a hankering for them lately.
Siobhan laughed. "I think I can arrange that. I'm going to make beef and sweet potato stew for supper tonight but I need fixings for soda bread."
Rebecca almost began to salivate. Her mother made the best stews. "I cannot wait."
Siobhan kissed the top of her head and then looked over at Seamus. "Take care of me favorite Lassie Seamus, will you? She's me heart and soul."
Seamus grunted but gave her mother a nod. Rebecca rolled her eyes only because she knew he couldn't see her face.
"I'll be back soon," Siobhan promised, rising up to her feet. "Don't stay out in the sun too long, your skin will burn."
"Just a little longer," Rebecca assured her. "Then I'll take this inside."
Siobhan looked appeased and started back towards the drive, where Fergal Dungan, her father's second in command, waited to drive her into town. Before she got into the little sedan, Siobhan turned and waved to Rebecca, blowing her a cheeky kiss, which Rebecca returned with a laugh.
She had no idea that would be the last time she'd ever see Siobhan again.
Even after his arrest, Declan O'Riley had never confessed to the murder of his wife. She was still considered a missing person since her body was never found. He'd told Rebecca when she'd grown worried about her mother's absence that Siobhan had run off with another man and left them behind.
Rebecca hadn't believed him. They'd had a plan. They were going to leave together, Siobhan would not have left her behind. And, when Finn Callahan was discovered dead in his hotel room in Galway, Rebecca was sure her father had discovered their escape plan and had Fergal do something horrific to her mother.
What Declan hadn't planned on was he'd set the wheels into motion of his own downfall, at the hands of the daughter he'd deceived.
A/N: This story is going jump forward to post Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but pre Avengers: Age of Ultron. This story is a Sequel to my other fic, Let The River Run, which sets the stage for this one and explains Rebecca's connection to Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, who will be used the most frequently in this fic, obviously. You don't have to read Let The River Run, but I recommend it if you want to fully understand what's going on.
We're going to jump forward to present day in Chapter One. So stay tuned and if you have time, please review and let me know what you think! Enjoy!