Julia woke up with a jolt from a bad dream, panting and sweating. She got scared when she noticed she was in a bed in an unfamiliar room. She heard somebody talking in the background.

"Good morning, Ms. Berger," a male voice with a British accent greeted her.

But Julia wasn't in the present, as flashes of her dream kept on looping in her mind. She squeezed her eyes and took her head in her hands, hoping the images would stop.

"Ms. Berger, I suggest you do some breathing exercises Mr. Wilson once taught you. Dr. Simmons is on her way."

"Who are you?" she wondered softly and tried to control her breathing.

"I am JARVIS. A natural-language user interface computer system, created by Tony Stark."

She released herself and looked around with wide frightened eyes. When she looked up she saw 2 sacks of fluids hanging on a pole, one sack with a clear fluid and one sack with dark red fluids. Then she glanced at her hand and noticed the tubes with fluids led to her bare hand. A beeping sound took her attention and noticed she was hooked up on a heart monitor.

"Where am I?" she asked as she tried to take her breath.

"You are in the medical wing of the Avengers compound."

On the other side of her bed, Julia saw Sam sitting slump in a chair with his eyes closed. Julia's eyes widened when she saw his taped hand, stitches above his eyebrow, and he was unconscious.

"Sam!" she called out with panic in her voice.

"Don't worry, Ms. Berger. Mr. Wilson is asleep. His hand has no fractures and is just taped for support," JARVIS intervened.

But Julia didn't listen, and jumped out of the bed. Her feet were tangled in the blanket and made her collapse to the floor. The IV in her hand, the oxygen tube from her nose and stickers of the heart monitor from her chest got ripped off by the fall.

Jemma entered the room and rushed to the fallen teen. Julia was clearly in panic as she was fighting with the blankets around her feet as she desperately wanted to go to Sam.

"Relax, Julia. You're safe," Jemma soothed as she squatted down next to her. "Let me help you."

Tears welled up in Julia's eyes as she got free from the blankets. Jemma embraced her and let her cry. From over Jemma's shoulder, Julia kept a close eye on Sam.

Sam woke up slowly and saw Julia and Jemma on the floor. He left his seat and crouched next to Julia. He stroked his bandaged hand over her hair.

"Hey, what happened?" he asked, concerned.

Julia couldn't talk as she was nearly choking with her released Jemma and flew into an embrace around Sam's neck.

"She woke up in panic, sir," JARVIS answered.

"Nightmares?" Sam wondered as he felt sorry for her.

The smell of Sam's aftershave hit Julia's nose. Slowly she started to relax and came back to the real world.

"They are after me," the teen stuttered.

"You mean HYDRA?" Jemma asked while she investigated Julia's bloody hand.

"Yes. They're back and want revenge for what I've done to them. They killed Wanda, Steve, Bucky…." She gazed at Sam. "You. I couldn't do anything to help because Crossbones restrained me and the Madame had me under control again with the words."

Jemma went to a medical cabinet to grab a clean bandage. Carefully, Sam lifted Julia up and laid her back into her bed.

"Not going to happen, sweetheart. You both killed Crossbones and that woman. Besides, we have a high security system right now." Sam reassured as he laid Julia back on the mattress. "Right, JARVIS?"

"Yes, Sir. At this moment there are eight people inside the building. They all have safety code green."

Julia flinched at the voice, as it reminded her of Zola.

"See?"

Julia felt suspicious but she tried to believe Sam's words.

"How's the legs and neck?" Sam wondered, worried.

"I can move my legs like nothing happened," Julia answered as she moved her feet underneath the duvet. "Neck is doing fine."

Jemma came back and placed a clean bandage over Julia's hand and wrapped it up completely.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Jemma asked, checking in if she had memory loss.

"Shot myself with Daisy's gun," she answered while she looked away in shame.

"Well, you were lucky it was a tranquilizer gun. Did you know that?"

The teen shook her head. She couldn't dare to look at the two worried adults. Afraid they'll be mad at her about her suicide attempt.

"Why did you try to kill yourself?" Sam asked, with compassion in his voice.

"I didn't know what to do. I just knew it needed to stop. Those memories. The words," Julia explained with guilt in her voice. "I get tired of them. I just want to have peace in my mind."

For a moment she was in her mind again. She could remember she had felt several hands on her body before her powers exploded. She did see Peter and Steve after she woke up but wondered whose those other hands were. She glanced at Sam's bandaged hand.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked with a trembled voice.

Sam sighed as he could hear the anxiety in her voice and see the fear in her eyes. He knew it would break her heart if he told her she did hurt him.

"Listen, it wasn't you who did this."

A small flashback of herself grabbing Sam's hand came to Julia's mind.

"But why do I remember hurting you?" she asked absentmindedly.

"I'm sorry for the interruption but Captain Rogers and Dr. Banner would like to visit you, Ms. Berger."

Julia startled as the voice of JARVIS went off again, getting back into reality.

"You can send them in, JARVIS," Sam said.

A moment later, Bruce and Steve entered her room. Jemma went over to Bruce and had a medical handover with him. Steve stood at Julia's bedside, hands casually in the pocket of his jeans.

"How do you feel?"

Confusion suddenly numbed Julia's mind. She just shrugged her shoulders and looked away from him. Steve took a seat on her bed and took her bandaged hand. She did not look up at him; she was staring at the end of her bed.

"Listen, we have been thinking about what's helping you. We would like to share something about a place called Wakanda," Steve started.

Julia glanced at him, curious and scared about what he wanted to share about this place.

"It's a region in Africa, with very advanced technology. Bucky was there as well for treatment. We're thinking they can help you too."

"How long will I be gone?" the teen asked.

"As long as you need. Just think about it first. No rush."

Bruce joined Steve and Julia with a scale in his hands.

"I would like to know your weight before you go there," Bruce said. "I think it's important to know for further treatment."

Julia nodded as a sign it was okay to measure it. Bruce laid the scale next to her bed. With the help of Steve she got out of bed. She stepped on the device and waited for the results. The white LED numbers show them her weight. The men were shocked and Julia got more confused.

"No, this can't be my weight. I need to get off and on again," she said as she stepped off.

She stepped on it again and the numbers gave the same result.

"Oh hell no! This can't be true!"

"It is, Julia. It says you're nearly ninety pounds," Bruce said. "You're very underweight for your height. You should be at least one-hundred-twenty-five pounds. I advise you to stay in bed, no movements and start eating high protein meals."

Steve lifted her up and laid her back in bed.

"But I don't feel ill," Julia said, confused as Steve covered her with the duvet.

"That's because of your powers," Bruce started explaining. "Without using your powers, your body is struggling to function properly. You'll experience tiredness, lethargy and dizziness. Your condition also decreases, both physically and mentally. Thinking isn't going well, and it may even lead to depression."

"And I believe you are already into depression," Sam noted carefully.

"You have a fast working metabolism because of the Super Soldier Serum. On rest your body burns more than two-thousand calories. You really have to eat double portions every hour of the day from now on," Steve added with a firm voice.

Julia stared at the end of her bed, trying to think, and let sink in what she just heard.

"Listen, HYDRA didn't feed you properly and this is the result. We want you to get better, Julia," Steve then soothed her. "We're not angry at you. We're angry at the people who did this to you."

Julia gave herself a few seconds to take in all the words, still staring.

"Okay. I'll do my best," Julia promised after a moment.

"Good, I'll get you some food," Sam offered and made a move to the exit.

"Watermelon. I can eat watermelon," she said, out of the blue and glanced at Sam.

"Watermelon won't be enough. You need fiber, carbs, proteins and so much more," Bruce said.

Julia felt a bit disappointed when she understood she wasn't allowed to eat the fruit she can handle without choking.

"Don't worry. I'll get you something to eat that you'll like," Sam said with a smile.

The teen smiled back at him, also hoping he could arrange some watermelon for her.

"I'm going to inform Shuri," Steve announced.

Both men left. Bruce went to the other bed across Julia and opened its duvet. Julia wondered what he was doing.

"You won't be lonely for the next few days," Bruce announced.

Anxiety and worries came into Julia's mind. She hoped it wasn't one of the Avengers being hurt badly.

"Who got injured?"

"Don't worry, it's just for resting," she heard a woman.

Julia glanced at the doorway and saw Natasha walking into the area with the support of Clint. With Clint and Bruce's help she got into the other bed. Clint came to Julia with a duffle bag in his hands,.

"I believe this is yours?" he asked as he handed it over to Julia.

The teenager immediately recognized the bag and grabbed it out of his hands, without hesitation.

"Is it so important to you?"

"It is. But also to Bucky," Julia said as she opened it.

With an uncomprehending look on their faces, Clint and Natasha watched the teen as she opened the duffle bag.

Carefully Julia took out Bucky's lost metal arm. Her heart broke again as she gazed at it. Her fingers trailed along the golden lines.

"I found it after I got freed from the Crystals. I was scared that losing his arm would kill him."

"If you want you can give it back to him personally," Natasha suggested.

Julia nodded as she kept staring at it. Then she remembered her clothing and ducked into her bag again. She took out her jeans and wanted to put them underneath her hospital gown. She made a move to leave bed and Clint reached out a hand to help her. Julia's body stiffened at his touch.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you anymore," he reassured.

With doubt she took his hand, wearing her own gloves, and Clint helped her out of bed. The jeans fell immediately on the floor. Julia picked them up and noticed they were too large. Realization came into her mind that she had lost a lot of weight.

"Trying to fit in somebody else's clothing?" Clint wondered with a scuff. "It's nearly three or four sizes too big for you."

"No, it's mine. I wore it when I got into HYDRA."

"Can you see now how much weight you have lost?" Bruce stated.

Julia nodded as the realization finally sank into her mind. Once again she went into her bag and took out her sweater. She put it on and noticed it was too baggy for her taste.

"I guess it's better to burn those clothes. It will remind you too much of HYDRA," Natasha suggested.

Julia took off the clothing and gave them to Clint.

"Uhm, thanks?" Clint remarked as he looked at the fabric in his hands.

Julia didn't respond when she crawled back underneath the sheets. A silence followed.

"Well…I think I'll be going now, back to my family," Clint announced.

He gently laid a hand on Julia's shoulder. She flinched and gazed at him, scared.

"You're a great girl and I'll tell my kids about you."

Julia huffed a smile and shook her head in disbelief as she looked away from him.

"He's really going to do that. He told them about me and they adore me," Natasha told.

It made Julia shy; she still avoided his glance.

"We'll meet again," Clint said. "And…" He showed Julia her clothing. "I'll give them a better destination."

Clint glanced at Natasha, winked, and left. Julia went into her bag again and grabbed her wallet. She opened it and took out two ID's. She stared at the two plastic cards.

"Why do you have two ID's?" Bruce wondered as he came closer to her.

"I needed a fake one to buy alcohol for…"

Again she had trouble saying the word 'father' or his name. Bruce and Natasha waited patiently for finishing her sentence. Although Julia had the feeling they were becoming impatient.

"It doesn't matter anymore," the teen finished. "He's gone now anyways."

"Well, I do want to check them both. You know it's illegal to have a false ID?"

Julia could only nod because she knew it was true. A moment later, Sam and Jemma entered the room with trays of food. Sam gave his tray to Julia.

"This is yours. Coconut yoghurt with my favorite cereals. A vegan protein shake and some watermelon, because you asked for it," he explained.

Julia took the fork in her hand, stabbed it in the watermelon and took a small bite. The sweetness of the fruit made her smile, when she took another bite of the same piece. It made Sam smile as he could see her enjoying the fruit. Then Julia took a small sip of the protein shake.

"Yum, coconut and banana."

"It's my favorite too."

"You have good taste, Sam," Julia complimented him with a smile.

Julia took out one piece of cereal out of the bowl and looked at it in her hand.

"So cute. It's heart-shaped."

She took out another piece of cereal.

"Is this one a unicorn? Aw, it is!" she said, amazed and glanced at Sam. "You like unicorns?"

"I eat them for good luck in fighting," he excused himself with a joke.

Julia giggled at his remark and ate the unicorn. Then she took the spoon in her hand and hustled the cereals through the yoghurt. She lifted the spoon from the bowl. It was covered in yoghurt and one piece of cereal was stuck on it. Slowly she moved the spoon into her mouth. It came out clean. Julia chewed a few times on the bran before swallowing. Then she stopped and stared at her food. The others gazed at her and wondered what's on her mind.

"Jul?"

She was woken up from her trance by Sam's voice. She shook her head and blinked her eyes a few times, trying to get herself back into reality.

"Something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"I just remembered eating the food at SHIELD. Kind of scared the choking will happen again," Julia explained.

Jemma went over to her and took a seat on the bed.

"Take your time with eating. There is no rush," she reassured her. "I wonder, have you had those problems swallowing since HYDRA?"

"No, I have had this problem since I was a kid. I have always been a slow eater. Then he made me eat faster and even made a competition of it. Until I choked in a piece of carrot and nearly died," Julia explained after she shook her head. "So when I have tension in my body, swallowing is a problem."

"Who is he?" Sam asked, curious.

Julia's heart raced in her chest. She never liked to describe how her stepfather, Julien Beckers, treated her.

"A man I grew up with. He abused me. That's all I want to say about him," Julia said as she avoided the glances.

They knew from Peter's sharing which man she was talking about. They felt sorry she had been abused by her family.

Julia took her fork and jabbed her watermelon a few times.

"But he's dead now. And yet, the fear of choking is still there," she admitted, playing with her food.

"Take your time eating and when you feel tension, take a break. I'll return in an hour and I'll help you to take a shower," Jemma suggested. "After that you may bring the arm back to Bucky."

Julia nodded in agreement. Sam and the doctors left the two women as they kept on eating in silence.

An hour later, Jemma returned as promised. Julia had just finished eating everything. Jemma helped Julia get out of bed and guided her to the bathroom. The doctor helped Julia take off her clothes. In the shower there was a plastic stool so she could sit while washing herself. After she was done, Jemma helped her dry herself off. After Julia stepped out of the shower cabin, she glanced into a mirror above a sink. The teen's eyes widened when she saw her mirror image. Gazing at her reflection, she went to the mirror for a closer look. She saw her sunken cheeks. Her hair had gotten thinner and her skin was dull and pale.

"Oh my god," she whispered with a tremble in her voice. "I look awful."

Jemma laid her gloved hands on the teen's bare shoulders. Julia took a shaky breath as Jemma's action reminded her of Whitehall doing the same to her before he died. The teenager tried to remind herself it's a good person doing this to her and she won't harm her.

"Don't worry. You'll be yourself in no time," the doctor reassured her.

Julia tried to believe her words, and nodded.

Steve stood in front of the door of his best friend's room. Carefully and silently, he opened the door for a check up to see if Bucky was still sleeping. He found him sitting up in bed, writing in his journal. Bucky looked up and saw Steve peeking into his room.

"You may come in. I'm awake."

"How do you feel, Buck?" Steve asked as he stepped inside.

"Trying to write down my thoughts. Besides that I'm breathing," Bucky answered as he kept on writing. Then he stopped and glanced at Steve. "Any news about Julia?"

"She's awake and eating. I've told her about Wakanda."

"Does she want to go?"

"Haven't got an answer yet. We're trying to feed her properly first because she's severely underweight."

Bucky sighed; he felt bad for her.

"I've tried to contact Shuri again but no success yet. Will try after breakfast in the lounge room. Want to come with me?"

"Sure. Give me a moment to finish my writing," Bucky said.

Half an hour later, the two Super Soldiers arrive in the lounge where the rest of The Avengers were having breakfast. They sat together on the couch. A moment later Wanda served them a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches. The three of them sat and ate in silence.

"Did somebody die here?"

They all looked up at the voice. They saw Julia, sitting in a wheelchair with wet hair and a duffle bag on her lap. Jemma pushed the wheelchair closer to the group.

With a smile on his face, Bucky stood up and hugged her gently.

"So glad to see you," he whispered in her ear.

She could hear his heart beating and it instantly relaxed her.

"Happy to see you too, Bucky."

Bucky released her, looked into her eyes, and gave her a comforting smile.

"And I'm sorry for what I did to myself. It was my only escape because the words were in my mind again," the teenager apologized about her actions.

"You did scare the hell out of me but I accept your apology," Bucky reassured. He glanced at the bag and became curious. "What's in the bag?"

With gentle care she opened it and took out his metal arm. Bucky's eyes widened as he was amazed she had it in one piece.

"My arm."

"I got scared when I found it. I wanted to have it with me so I had something to remember about you in case you…" she stopped in mid-sentence as tears welled up in her eyes.

Bucky hid his flesh hand in the sleeve of his long-sleeved shirt and cupped her cheek. Their eyes met each other again.

"Hey, I'm here. No more worries. Okay?"

Julia could only nod at him, while Bucky wiped away her tears with his hand, covered in the sleeve of his shirt. Steve stood up and walked up to the duo.

"Maybe you can tell her about Wakanda, Bucky," Steve said, as he stood still next to his friend.

Bucky's face started to glow as he began talking.

"Oh yeah, Wakanda is such a beautiful place with amazing people. They have helped me so much in my healing process," Bucky started sharing with a smile. "They can help you too, Julia. Just give it a try."

Then he could see the doubt in the teen's eyes.

"We can go together. You'll meet Shuri and T'Challa, who are the most gentle people. I'll show you every beautiful spot. I can give you the support and motivation you need," he continued. "They even have goats. Maybe some baby goats will be born when we're there."

He saw it was a bit too much for her. He could see the slight panic in her eyes.

"I know it's a lot to comprehend. I'm sorry," Bucky apologized, as he gently embraced her.

Julia's mind went into error mode and it numbed her out. She moved her mouth but nothing could come out. More tears welled up in her eyes as she laid her face on his shoulder.

"Please take me there," Julia whispered in his ear, sobbing.

Bucky looked at Steve and smiled. Steve could hear she said yes to the treatment.

"I'll try to contact Shuri again," Steve said and left.

Julia embraces Bucky tighter and starts crying. Deep inside herself she knows she wants to be released from her trauma. She wants to be cured of all of her nightmares. She hopes this place can help rid her of her miseries. Far away from HYDRA. With the love, support and trust she deeply deserves.