I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go
When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said don't leave me here alone
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight

Just close your eyes, the sun is going down
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound.

"Safe and Sound" - Taylor Swift

All of Me

Chapter Nine: Safe and Sound

"What are we supposed to do with black lights?" Shuri demanded as they raced down the corridor.

Marcy did her best to keep up, but everything her body had been through was starting to catch up with her.

"It's a theory Bruce Banner had when he inspected dead Hydra soldiers who had this same ability I have. The process that made them this way was such an extreme change to their very DNA that it altered them in all sorts of unexpected ways. One being their inability to feel pain. Another that some of their internal workings might show up under a black light when they're invisible. Specifically the nervous system."

Shuri said something in her native tongue that sounded like a curse word. "You mean to say I could shine a black light on one of these invisible men and I will see an absolute nightmare."

"It's still just a theory. I didn't undergo the same process to get my ability so it doesn't work on me. And we only had dead soldiers to inspect. We couldn't make the bodies go invisible to test it."

She winced and held her side as Shuri began to pass her up.

"Your pain medicine is wearing off," the princess told her.

"What do my eyes look like?"

Shuri stopped in her tracks at the strange request. "What?"

"My eyes," Marcy repeated. "What color are they?"

"Brown."

That meant Marcy didn't have much of the super soldier influence in her system left, if any at all. She really needed that right now. The strength and endurance, plus the extra healing power would have been helpful. But she hadn't had prolonged touch with either soldier since the hotel.

"I don't know how much more useful I can be to you," she said with apology.

"We can handle our own here in Wakanda," Shuri said with confidence. "I am just trying to think of the quickest way I can get a portable black light."

"Just make your own with a flashlight, tape and markers."

Shuri grinned, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "That, we do have."

.

Steve and Bucky ended up back at Marcy's hospital room, hoping she might be there. They even inspected the bed to see if she was hiding in her fade mode. No such luck.

"She was hurt pretty bad, wasn't she?" Bucky asked with regret. "She left because she doesn't like to see the two of us fight."

"She doesn't like to see the two of us fight over her," Steve corrected.

Before Bucky could reply, a pair of female warriors dressed in red armor came into the room. They were armed and serious, and a very unusual sight within the white, calm hospital.

"Come," one of them said. "We have need of your assistance. There are outsiders within the palace. American soldiers that can go invisible, like your friend."

"You mean Hydra soldiers," Bucky breathed. "They followed me here."

"I do not know what this Hyda is," the female warrior said in annoyance. "These enemies are American and they are after Wakanda, her resources and her king. They are not here for you. Your friend said you have experience fighting men with this ability."

"We do," Steve said. "Marcy talked to you? Where is she?"

"She is with our princess. She is helping to find them."

Steve couldn't believe it. Wounded and just out of surgery, Marcy had already managed to get into the thick of things when she should have been in bed.

"How can we help?" Bucky asked.

"Not you," the female warrior said. "You are wounded. We shall take only him." She nodded to Captain America.

"If Steve goes, I'm going."

"You are missing an arm," the first warrior insisted.

"Don't say it like that," said the second. "Sanswui is missing her arm and that didn't stop her from being a Dora."

The first one shushed her.

"Looks like we're both going," Steve said.

"Fine. Do as you wish, but we will not be able to watch over you."

"It's fine," Bucky insisted. "We can handle ourselves."

Steve looked at his best friend. He, too, wasn't sure Bucky was in the best fighting condition. Especially when it came to this type of enemy. They were tricky and ruthless and Bucky still wobbled a bit as his equilibrium still wasn't quite there yet.

"We find Marcy and you stay with her," Steve told him. "I'll help them deal with these soldiers."

Bucky didn't look happy, but he knew this was the most reasonable compromise. Marcy was the main reason he refused to be left in the hospital wing of this massive mountainside palace.

He nodded. "Let's go."

.

Shuri prided herself as being able to build any gadget the mind could conceive in her lab. But creation took time. Time was one thing they did not have. With T'Challa out somewhere fighting the ringleader, the other soldiers knew their plot had been discovered. They would be moving forward on whatever contingency plan that had in place should such an event were to occur.

As such, Shuri could not depend on her lab at this moment. Instead, she went to her old craft box from her childhood. With tape and some blue and purple markers, they changed a pair of searchlight-strength flashlights into black lights and they were ready to put them to the test

Okoye met up with them as Shuri led the way down to the vibranium reserves and gave her one of the flashlights. They were flanked by more and more Dora as all available guards were called in. They were only going at a brisk walking pace, but Marcy was still having trouble keeping up.

"You should go somewhere safe," Okoye told her. "You are hurt and this is not your fight."

Marcy winced as she held her side and tried not to limp. "If this flashlight idea doesn't work, you'll still need someone who can see these guys. Don't worry, I'm happy to let you do all the heavy lifting." She winced again. "I'll just be there for moral support."

They reached the vibranium vaults where the rare mined metal was melted down and then molded into cylinders for storage and shipping. When Shuri and her small army of Dora Milaje arrived, they immediately saw that the guards and all workers had been murdered. A group of soldiers with grayed skin wearing army fatigues were hauling wheeled crates of vibranium to the open maw of the hallowed-out mountain. There, they attached the crates to ropes and the vibranium was lifted up to a higher level.

The second the Wakandans came into view, the soldiers immediately disappeared before their eyes and opened fire.

"A few levels above hold the hangars," Shuri shouted above the sound of gunfire. "They're going to steal our ships and fly the vibranium out of the country! We can't let them leave."

Okoye was already dispatching some of her Dora to the higher levels.

"Wait!" Marcy called. She grabbed her modified flashlight and prayed as she flicked the purple-tinted beam around the room. It was faint, but the absolute eerie, sight of a standing human's collection of veins and nerves could be made out.

Shuri blurted out a word in her native language that must have been very dirty because Okoye looked appalled at such language from her princess. Shuri tossed her flashlight to the departing Dora. They would need it as there would be more soldiers waiting in the hangars above.

The princess then turned to Marcy, touching her hand that held her own light. "You find these men, shine the light, show us where they are. We will do the rest."

They were all ducked down, keeping low from the volley of bullets flying at them. Marcy faded out, allowing her a full view of the soldiers. Unfortunately, since they were also in their invisible state, they could see her, too. She could only manage a few glances before bullets hit where her head had been a second before.

Marcy tried to keep her voice low, but it was hard to be heard over the automatic weapons. "There's three of them. Watch my light."

She flickered the high-powered light toward each of the enemies, darting it back and forth. A few of the Dora couldn't help but watch the flashlight float there on its own. Wakanda had seen many miraculous things, but this was new. However, most of the warriors remained focused on the task at hand.

They fired back with their energy weapons as Marcy kept illuminating the invisible bodies that now looked to them as a collection of glowing wires in human shape. With this advantage, plus the Dora's numbers, one of the solders was hit and the other two were pinned down. They were winning. Soon the vibranium would be secured.

But then a barrage of bullets rained on them from behind. Several Dora were hit as more of the invisible soldiers had come from whatever places they were hiding to defend their comrades. Shuri screamed as one of the Dora shielded her with her own body and then fell to the floor. Enraged, she fired her energy weapon at bodies she couldn't see while an invisible Marcy grabbed her and tried to pull her down for cover.

"Protect the princess!" Okoye ordered over the staccato of war. They were doing their best, but very few had shields and many had been shot, though they were still valiantly fighting.

Marcy did her best to shine the light from one side to the other so the Dora could see who they were fighting. She had shot a few soldiers herself with the gun she had taken, but it was now empty of bullets and the only thing useful she could do was be a beacon to the female warriors.

They were outnumbered and overwhelmed, bullets flying at them from all sides. The Dora were fierce and brave, but they had very little cover and they were dropping as fast as they could drop the enemy. Marcy was desperate to do something, anything. Normally, her ability would give her the advantage, but these soldiers, when invisible, would be able to see her just as she could see them. And her body was done. While her brain was trying to come up with a plan of attack other than acting as a living spotlight, her body felt like she was going to pass out.

Too bad, Marcy. You have to keep it together. Though her body screamed in pain, she tensed. She would use herself as a distraction. She could direct fire away from the Dora so they could attack. If she caught a few bullets in the ass while she was at it, at least she would die doing the one thing she joined SHIELD for: protecting people.

But just as she was ready to jump, she heard that most familiar metal twang of a vibranium shield rebounding off the walls. And then he was there, like the most beautiful answer to her prayers. The mere appearance of Captain America startled the soldiers—invisible or not.

"The hell is he doing here?" one invisible man's voice demanded. "I didn't sign up for this job to be on the opposite side of frickn' Captain America!"

Steve barreled in like a charging bull and Marcy made sure she illuminated his targets. More of the Dora Milaje came with him, as did a large male form that practically slammed into her in his attempt to put his body between her and the fight. She caught him with a wince, so happy to see him. Even though she too wished he had stayed behind due to the injury to his head.

"James! Are you okay?"

Bucky blurted the same question to her at the same time. He didn't wait for an answer as he inspected her for blood.

"You!" Shuri demanded next to him. She ducked from a few shots and then turned and fired back. "You should not be here. You're not put back together yet! I need to finish your new arm."

Marcy cut him off before he could retort. "Just watch my back so I can focus on this."

With Bucky by her side, she felt her energy return. With Steve out fighting, the tide of the battle had changed. American soldiers thought they were stealing from a foreign country. Not all of them were keen on battling their nation's hero.

In the end, invisible or not, their fates were sealed at their first discovery. Those soldiers who did not die in the fight were rounded up and jailed to face whatever kind of judicial system existed in this Wakanda. Marcy was not asked but told by Shuri, Okoye and a few of the other Dora that she had done enough and they would take the homemade black lights themselves and comb through the rest of the palace and its adjoining buildings for any other outsiders.

As soon as some of the most powerful women of Wakanda were done ordering her, Steve was suddenly all around her, hugging her close to his solid body.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her in a rough voice. "I'm sorry I screwed everything up. I'm sorry I let you down. Please give me a chance to fix this. Don't give up on me yet."

All Marcy had the energy to do was close her eyes and let him hold her up. Her legs no longer had any power to stand and his arms felt so good. Her body hurt and so did her heart. The only thing that didn't hurt was his warm embrace and she could not bring herself to pull away from it.

.

T'Challa chased his long lost cousin deep into the hollow of the mountain where the fight continued on the lowest railway track. Despite the infestation of enemies, the trains carrying vibranium from the mines to the refinery were still running. This gave the two time to glare at each other on either side of the train while their suits struggled to stay on their bodies. The vibration fields destabilized the vibranium, including the vibranium in the battle suits they both wore. T'Challa knew this place was the only way he would be able to find an opening in his opponent's defense.

Erik bided his time between trains yelling his hatred at T'Challa. All the things that had been festering in his heart came out of his mouth as he cursed T'Challa and his father and threatened the lives of his remaining family. That would bring the new king running at him in anger and the fight would resume.

In the end, T'Challa had beaten him. In the small window between the tail end of a train and Erik's suit healing itself, T'Challa managed to stab him in the chest and Erik fell to his knees, knowing he was already dead.

At that realization, it was no longer the hate that ate at him, but the regret. T'Challa could feel the change and his anger dissipated in the wake of his victory. He did not relish this win. T'Challa felt nothing but loss. He had lost his peace of mind that Wakanda was a safe place. He had lost the rose-tinted view he had of his personal hero—his father. And now, he was losing his cousin after having only recently known of his existence.

Erik coughed an a thin trail of blood leaked out from the side of his mouth. "You know, my dad told me Wakanda was the most beautiful place on Earth. As a kid, I always wanted to see it. But when I came here, all I could think about was how to rip this place apart. Even with beauty right here before me, I couldn't see it anymore."

T'Challa wordlessly put his cousin's arm around his neck and lifted him to his feet. They slowly made their way out of the hollow and to a majestic cliff side looking out over their home country. T'Challa gently set Erik down and they sat together, looking at the glorious sunset.

Erik closed his eyes and breathed in. "It is beautiful. You know, when I first got here, I had a mind to challenge you for the throne and become king instead."

T'Challa gave him a sympathetic, but doubtful look. "And maybe you would have won that challenge. But you hate this country and you hate its people. You would hurt innocent women and children for your own anger and revenge. You might have had a throne, but you would not be a king."

"Maybe not." Erik coughed and blood flecked out onto his hand. "And its your dad's fault. If it wasn't for him, I would be in Wakanda, I would be a part of it. And maybe I would be king."

T'Challa felt that familiar anger raise in him and it was difficult to temper. He was mad at Erik and he was mad at his father. And he was mad at his uncle who had started all of this by betraying his country.

"It is both your father's fault and my father's fault that your father is gone. My father is to blame that you were not taken home. But this, where we are now, you are here because of you. You made your choice to return here not as a son of Wakanda, but as her enemy. If I would have known of you sooner, I would have taken you in as my brother."

Erik gave him a dark look as he made a derisive sound. "Yeah, right. You would have happily brought me in and told your family—your mother—about what your daddy did to my family? That's bullshit and both of us know it."

T'Challa frowned. Erik was right. With his father so newly gone, if Erik had shown up on his doorstep, he would have done anything to cover up that which tarnished his father's name. Looking at Erik in shame, he had a quick thought that maybe there was still time to heal him from his wounds. That thought was quickly banished. Even if Erik managed to survive a trip to the hospital wing, the penalty for treason was death.

"If you would like to be buried here—if you would like to truly come home, I will allow it," T'Challa said quietly. "Or I will bring your body back to your family in America. Tell me and I will do it."

Erik just laughed, a cry empty sound. "Tell me, cousin, do you think you'll be a good king?"

T'Challa let out a long breath. If he could, he would have willed this moment to last longer. He had wished more people had the nerve to ask him the hard questions, to challenge how he viewed the world. He had grown up so sheltered here.

"My father told me that it is hard to be king, and even harder to be a good king."

"I hope it's the most difficult thing you ever do," Erik growled. Then, with determination, he pulled the blade from his chest and slumped over as his heart slowed to a stop.

.

Steve practically dragged both Marcy and Bucky back to the hospital wing. He tried more than once to carry her, but she stubbornly limped back one step at a time. Many of the nurses and doctors gave them the stink eye as their naughty patients returned and equally fussed and berated Marcy, especially as they inspected her arm and looked over the new cuts and bruises.

Marcy was just happy to be off her feet and not worried for her life anymore. And she had miraculously not gained any more bullet holes where some people had lost their lives that day. All things she was quietly and humbly thankful for.

Steve would not leave her side and he would not let go of her hand unless one of the nurses needed to examine that arm. Then he would be right back to holding it. The look on his face was a mixture of worry and disappointment—but not at her. Every once in a while a particularly disturbing thought seemed to rear itself in his head and he would squeeze her hand a little bit.

After his own much quicker exam, Bucky came into the room and sat in the chair next to Steve. Marcy squeezed Steve's hand back at that moment and gave Bucky a watery smile. She finally had the opportunity to say the things she had been meaning to since she woke up.

"I thought you had died. Sitting in that chair, not being able to see if you were still alive was the worst nightmare."

Steve kissed the hand he held. He was very stubbornly not going to let her go this time. "It was a nightmare for me, too. Seeing both of you like that. I thought my life was over. There was no way I could have gone on without the both of you."

By then, the last of the nurses had left them to have their privacy and Marcy looked down at Steve. It was the first time her heart ached in a different way for him since she woke up here. It was the first time here she really felt that he still scared about her.

"I'm sorry I scared you," she told him softly. Then she looked at Bucky. "And I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you back then. I should have been able to stop them from ever turning you."

Bucky suddenly went very serious, his eyes dark. "No." He stood up, leaning with his one palm on the bed to meet her gaze. "It's my fault. You should have been safe with me, but they've got me. They're still in here, controlling me and I've never been able to get them out. That's on me." He lowered his head as his breath hitched. "I could have gotten you killed. I could have been the one to..." His throat tightened and he couldn't finish the thought.

His thick, dark hair fell around his face like a curtain. Marcy brushed one side from his face and tucked it behind his ear so he would look at her. His sad, blue eyes met hers as her thumb remained, brushing the line of his cheek.

"Do you know who shot you?" she whispered, then touched the bandage around his head.

He shook his head only slightly so he wouldn't lose her touch. He couldn't remember much, only that he had been ordered to hurt her; kill her.

"You did." She glanced at the empty space at his side that no longer filled out his sleeve. "Your arm did. That arm that always protected me even protected me from you. That piece of you that has always looked out for me was still in there, even deeper than Hydra."

He pulled back and looked at the space where his arm used to be. "It's gone now."

"It's still in you," Marcy insisted. "No matter what Hydra thought they had, they never had all of you and they are constantly losing more and more pieces. The rest of you can get out, too. I know you can. I won't give up on that, ever. Neither will Steve."

"And he's not giving up on you either, Marcy," Bucky insisted right back. "You know he screwed up, but Steve always gets back up swinging. He'll keep fighting for you if you let him."

"Steve's right here," Steve reminded. "But I appreciate that both of you talk me up to each other."

"I'll always go up to bat for both of you," Bucky said. "I'm not picking teams. I'm team Starcy."

"Starcy!" She exclaimed.

"Agent Romanoff told me that's what she calls you two. I ship it."

Marcy laughed and then immediately tried to stop as she held her aching side. While the mood was light, Steve stood with a soft smile. He put an arm gently around her and kissed her hair.

"I love you," he murmured. "There wasn't a time when that love went away, I was just struggling with other things. And I've always been one of those people who struggle alone. I shouldn't do that. I should let you in more."

"I'm guilty of the same thing. I ran away when I should have stayed and talked to you."

"That was my fault," Bucky cut in. "I'm the one that screwed that up. I feel like I'm always the one that throws the wrench in the works when things are going good between you two."

Steve and Marcy immediately disagreed with him at the same time and Bucky wouldn't have been lying if he said he didn't appreciate it.

"The only thing that matters is we're all here and we're all going to be okay," Steve said with authority.

"Even if one day Steve and I aren't together anymore, I hope the two of you will always be friends," Marcy said boldly. Maybe it wasn't the time to say such a thing, but she was serious about it. "I don't ever, ever want to come between the two of you for any reason. I won't stand for it. You need each other. You always have to have each other." Her voice suddenly broke as emotion overwhelmed her. "That's so very important to me."

"But what if we need you, too?" Bucky blurted out without thinking. "We—I would have never made it this far without you. You keep me grounded. You keep me feeling like a normal person. If something had happened to you back there in Siberia, I don't know if anyone would have been able to pull me out. I need you in my life just as I need Steve. I want you to know that."

She blinked at him, but her expression was sincere. "Okay. I hear you."

He seemed to catch himself then and realized what he had said. "Okay, good. I'm going to leave you two to talk and go get some rest. Just come get me before you get yourself into another fight."

Her worry turned into a smile. "Okay. Rest well. And...I love you." She looked at Steve. "I love you both."

Bucky looked a bit thrown off at that comment, but left without another word.

.

Marcy was so tired and sore she was about to drop, but she also stank of blood, sweat and gunpowder. So when Steve asked about getting her a hot bath, she was completely on board. He set up everything, which she loved him for, because her brain was shot. He left her sitting for a while and she nearly fell asleep before he came back for her.

Even as he steered her down a hall, her eyes were closed most of the time. And it was quite a ways to go that took them away from the main hospital wing. Marcy didn't pay much attention to where they went until she was led into what looked like a hotel suite. Past the main area was a beautiful bathroom, as lavish as anything she had ever seen. The walls were tinted rose with a massive tub trimmed in gold that was already full with steaming water. The sight was so beautiful it almost made her cry.

She mentally thanked the gods of Wakanda for this beautiful gift and slowly, painfully undressed herself. When Steve saw her struggle, he moved to help. When her skin was bare, he lightly caressed some of her marks and bruises, the new and the old. He had a gentle frown as he touched her and Marcy fell for him all over again. If her body hasn't already been at its limit, she would have insisted on making love to him.

Steve helped her into the tub and the hot water was pure bliss. It smelled heavenly, a lush, floral scent, as the heat took away some of the ache. Marcy's eyes were closed as she leaned back, but opened them when she became aware of Steve still moving around next to her. He had now shucked off his suit as well as the rest of his clothes and stepped in to sit behind her.

She leaned against his chest, his legs encasing her. He felt safe and she was dying to feel safety right now. Everyone was safe. She had given it everything she could to save Bucky from Hydra and he came back to them. She had survived yet another encounter with invisible soldiers that felt no pain.

If I survived this, shouldn't I be able to survive anything, she idly wondered as Steve put his arms around her. The thump of his heart was slow and steady. It didn't take long before she was lulled off to sleep in the arms of the man she had loved and still loved. They would try to once again repair what was broken tomorrow.

.

Steve noticed when she went completely limp in his arms. Good, she needed rest. And it soothed him, too, that she still wanted to be near him. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want to lose this life he had been building here in the future and he had come dangerously close to screwing it up. He thought they had been working so well, but he hadn't been paying attention to his girlfriend's feelings as of late.

He tried to come up with a plan that made him a more attentive partner, but he wasn't sure where to start. Maybe he should ask Bucky. His best friend could always see when he was being an idiot a mile away. As firm as he thought the foundations of their relationship was, there were still cracks and he kept missing him.

Steve mused it over until the water grew cold. Marcy was only partially awake as he drained the water and wrapped her in a towel. He carried her to the adjoining bedroom and dressed her in some light sleep wear before curling up behind her and turning out the lights. It was then Steve felt the pull of exhaustion himself. He had been in Wakanda almost twenty-four hours and hadn't slept at all.

With an arm around Marcy, he dozed off until movement awoke his soldier's instincts. He wasn't sure how, but Bucky was in their room. His friend looked dead tired and haunted, something Steve had seen in him many times. It usually resulted in Bucky sleeping on the floor in his room.

It looked like he would do just that, until Marcy reached out a hand to him.

"Stay here," she whispered, patting the bed. She backed up and Steve moved with her. The mattress was large, but it would still be a tight fit for three adults.

Bucky didn't even protest. He looked so threadbare. He climbed in as soon as he was asked and lay on his back, looking at the ceiling with a sigh. Marcy bunched the collar of Bucky's shirt in her fist as she rested her head on what remained of his shoulder. She, too let out a long sigh and her whole body seemed to relax as she drifted off again. Bucky glanced at him, looking apologetic for being there, but Steve didn't mind at all.

In fact, he was suddenly hit with a profound feeling of rightness. The people he cared about most in life were right here within these four walls. This was how it should be. This, he decided, was how the foundation needed to be fixed.