Savage

by awalkerlifeforme

She was everything people feared. She wanted to defend the world but also wanted revenge on those who wrecked hers. The ones who forced her to leave Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Now she's back and while Steve attempts to get back the woman he's always considered his sister, Bucky hopes to thaw the ice that has formed around her heart. A heart that he had always believed was his.

37. Chapter 36

Bucky's P.O.V.

When Bucky woke up in the morning, he instantly turned to look at Vika. Much to his surprise, she was still fast asleep. She normally would have already been awake. Her hair was knotted and she was sleeping on her stomach - a rarity. Her face was buried in the pillow. But her legs were still tangled with his. She looked perhaps the most relaxed he had ever seen her. As she began shifting, Bucky placed his hand on her back, tracing his fingertips over her bare spine. Her eyelids began fluttering as she woke up.

Bucky's free hand went up and began running through his hair. He could tell that it was standing straight up and likely mussed all over the place. To his surprise, there was a slight strain in his legs. But even in spite of that, he felt more relaxed than he ever had before. This was a night that he had looked forward to for months and it had been everything he'd wanted. Bucky tightened the sheet around his waist slightly as Vika began to roll over. He had never bothered to put on his clothes last night. Neither had she.

Last night had easily been one of the best nights of his life. The only one that could have compared to it was the night that he asked her to marry him. Just being with her was everything to him. It reminded him of the reason that he had waited for her for so long. Simply because he loved her. He had always loved her and he would always love her. Because there was never going to be anyone who could compare to her. He had always known that. He just hated that it had taken him so long to realize it.

At least he was finally getting the chance to make up for all of those years. Bucky realized something when he looked down at her. Something that surprised him. Her skin seemed to be... moving? There was a soft golden glow underneath her skin. It appeared to be down in her veins, almost like blood rushing through them. As Bucky put his hands on her back again, he noticed that she was extremely warm to the touch. Almost burning. There was something about her that seemed different. Could something have happened when they were together last night?

Vika shifted over in her sleep again and Bucky's hand fell off of her back, plopping back down against the bed. When she finally managed to turn back to Bucky, she went and ran a hand over her face. It took her a few moments to drop it. She finally peeled her eyes open and met Bucky's eyes, smiling lovingly at him. He immediately responded to it, leaning down and pressing a kiss against her lips. When he finally pulled away and looked her in the eyes again, he realized something rather startling.

"Your eyes aren't yellow," Bucky said.

Her eyes widened. "What?" she gasped.

"They're not yellow anymore," Bucky repeated. "They're... gold."

Her blonde eyebrow arched. "Gold?"

"Yeah. They're beautiful," Bucky said honestly.

And they really were. There was something fascinating about them. Her old yellow eyes were dark enough that, in the darkness, it was rather difficult to tell that she had yellow eyes. Right now her eyes were so brilliantly golden, they were practically glowing. He could see something in her eyes shifting. Almost like there was a light constantly flashing through them. Vika raised her hands to the side of her face and ran them underneath her eyes. He could see the concern in her eyes.

"Hopefully they go away," she mumbled.

"Why's that?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Because I'll have to explain why they turned golden. Do you really want Chester knowing what the two of us did last night?" Vika teased.

Bucky's face paled slightly. The last thing he wanted was for Colonel Phillips to know what the two of them had done. "Think he'd believe me if I told him that you used your mind control on me?" Bucky asked.

"I think you better practice your sprinting," she shot back.

Bucky laughed loudly. He glanced down at her and smiled. "God, I love you." The corners of her lips turned up as she stared at him with a funny look in her eyes. He couldn't read it. "What is it?" Bucky asked worriedly.

"That look in your eyes. I never thought that I'd see it," she whispered.

Love... That was what she meant. Bucky's heart gave a slight twinge. She deserved so much better. "You'll always see it. For as long as I live," Bucky promised her. Vika smiled, pressing a kiss against his shoulder. "You know, there's a look in your eyes that I never thought that I would see."

"What's that?" Vika asked.

"You look happy. Really, truly, happy," Bucky explained.

She was quiet for a moment as she thought about it. "As pathetic as that might be, for the first time ever I think that I really am happy. The missions make me feel like I'm doing something good with my life. Chester has really become a parent. I finally have a real girlfriend and Steve is finally the man that we always knew he was. The men are actually my friends. They're not afraid of me. Kind of," Vika corrected herself. Bucky laughed. "I've got a man who loves me far more than I deserve. I'm getting married to the love of my life. For once... I'm happy."

"Good. I want to keep you that way forever," Bucky said honestly.

He just wished that he could stay with her for the rest of eternity. "Just be here," Vika whispered.

"Always," Bucky said fiercely.

For as long as he possibly could, he would always be there for her. And he hoped that he would stay with her long after he died. Bucky leaned down, placing a hand behind her neck, and pulled her into him. Vika giggled softly as he pressed a kiss against her mouth. Her hands wound around his waist as she pressed them into the small of his back. The two of them shared a long and very passionate kiss as Vika finally rolled over to lay on top of Bucky. He laughed, placing his hands against her thighs to steady her.

"Bucky?" Vika asked against his lips. He hummed in response. She leaned up and looked into his eyes. "You want kids, don't you?"

Bucky stiffened slightly. "We've already talked about this. Vika, I'm okay with whatever you want. I'm happy either way," Bucky said truthfully.

He knew that this conversation would come back around eventually. He knew that Vika would want to know about kids and his feelings in regards to them. He had always thought that he would want and have kids. But he knew that she wasn't willing to bring a mutant into the world. Not after the way that she had been treated. He was hoping to be able to change her mind about them eventually, but he was fine either way. He could see that Vika was thinking about dropping the conversation, but he knew that she wouldn't. She was too stubborn.

Vika tightened the sheet around her chest and sat up. Bucky followed her a moment later. "Tell me the truth, Bucky. I don't want to have to drag it from you. Please, just tell me the truth," Vika begged.

Bucky sat up with her and grabbed her legs, pulling her to sit against him, legs crossed, knee-to-knee. He looked her dead in the eye. "Okay..." Bucky breathed out, hoping that he wasn't about to ruin things. "Yeah. Yes, I'd like them. But -"

"Tell me what you thought," Vika cut him off. "Tell me that picture that you had of your life before you found out what I am."

Bucky let out a breath. "Why are we playing this game?" he asked.

"Please, Bucky," Vika begged.

She could read his mind. He had to tell her the truth. She would know if he was lying. "All right. Well... I always thought that I would have kids growing up. I thought that I might be a good father. It was something that I looked forward to at some point in my life. I wanted to get to teach my son how to play baseball and get dragged into a tea party with my daughter," Bucky chuckled.

It was the picture of his life that he used to have. But things were different now. "That's a nice life you're thinking about," Vika whispered.

"But it's not the life that I need," Bucky promised her.

"You want them," she commented.

Bucky hesitated. She was right, as always. "Yes. I would really like kids," Bucky finally admitted. Vika merely stared at him. "Why are you asking me about them? Are you concerned about -?"

"No. No, I'm not," she interrupted, waving him off. "I'm not concerned about last night. I'm not concerned about anyone finding out, even if it did happen. I don't care what they think. I care about us."

"Okay, so what's this about?"

"With Raven around here, I thought that it was kind of like having a sister. But maybe I wasn't looking at her like she was a sister. Maybe I was looking at her like a daughter. Someone to be protected."

"Now that's got you thinking about having kids?"

"I guess," she shrugged.

"Vika, I told you... we have time to think about it. We have time to talk about it and make our choice. Whether or not we ever want to have kids. Our life is ours. And we don't have to make every choice right now," Bucky told her honestly.

He grabbed her hands. "But this is an important conversation. Whether or not we're on the same page about kids. I don't want to take something from you that you want," Vika said.

"For once, let's ask you the question. Are you okay with having kids?" Bucky asked her.

She sat in silence for a moment. "What if they were like me?"

Bucky shifted again, yanking her into him. "Listen to me. I would be the proudest father in the world to have a child like you. It's part of why I love you, Vika. Those mutations make you so special. You already are, but that makes it even more so. I would be so thrilled to have a child like you. Absolutely perfect in every way," Bucky said. Something in her eyes lit up. "Someone so strong. So different. I love that. Whether they were completely normal or a mutant, the only thing that would matter was that they were happy and healthy."

"Really?" Vika asked breathlessly.

"Really. I would be so proud to have a mutant for a child," Bucky said honestly.

"But..." Vika trailed off.

To have a child just like her. His life would be fascinating. He felt like he would never stop laughing if he had a child like her. A wife who was one of the most powerful mutants in the world. A child who likely wouldn't be able to control their powers. It would be hysterical. Bucky met her eyes again. He noticed that she had a far-off look in her eyes. He knew immediately what she was thinking. She was thinking about her own parents. The people who had been so miserable toward her. They had hated her. He knew that she was questioning the same thing. What if he became scared of their child?

"Are you afraid of ending up like your parents?" Bucky asked curiously.

Her eyes were hard. She had never liked talking about them. "Yes. They were horrible, Bucky. I remember the day that I was born. I remember them looking down on me and loving me, right up until someone told them what I was."

"Guess what? We are not your parents. I am not either one of them. You deserve all of the love in the world and even more. Something to make up for all of the love that you lost as a child. If we have a baby... I'll tell you what will happen. I'll be there through every stage. Waking up at two in the morning to put them back to sleep. Going with them to their first day of school. Trying to do math homework with them to prove to my brilliant wife that I'm not a complete moron. Helping them through their first heartbreak. Cheering them on at graduation."

Her eyes were slightly misty. "And if -?"

"If they're a mutant?" Bucky interrupted. She nodded carefully. "Laughing as they set fire to the curtains. Watching them learn to fly and panicking that they might fall. Putting them into wrestling or track and watching them beat everyone. Letting them practice their telepathy on me. Hoping they don't hear what I really think of their mother."

"Bucky!" she gasped.

Bucky grinned, having known that his comment would get to her. "If we have kids, I don't care what they're like. I just want them to be happy. Just like we are," he promised her.

She smiled sweetly. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

"I know. Whenever you need to hear something, I'll be there to tell you."

And he meant it. He would always love her. He would always be there for her. The two of them smiled at each other. Bucky grinned madly as she leaned down and pressed a kiss against his mouth. He instantly reached out and grabbed her underneath the thighs, rolling her over. She laughed softly as he threw the sheets over the two of them. He genuinely did want a child one day, but he didn't mind whatever it was that she wanted. Whether they had one or not. Because, in the end, the only thing he wanted was her.

Victoria's P.O.V.

Half an hour after the two of us had woken up, we laid in bed together. It was one of the laziest mornings that I'd had in a long time, but I was grateful for it. Especially after we had bonded a little more. Thankfully there was no mission today and nothing that either one of us needed to do. For now, we were free to do as we pleased. We would likely end up going to the base soon enough, but there was no rush today. We would have to leave just to make sure that no one got suspicious of what the two of us were doing.

Especially considering that Chester would be waiting for the two of us. But that was a conversation for another day. For right now, I was grateful for the conversation that the two of us had had about children. It was one of the few things that I had needed to talk to him about for a long time. It had been one of the few things that had scared me to say. But it was such a serious thing that mattered so deeply to me. To ensure that Bucky wasn't going to make a mistake by getting married to me.

Bucky's hands gently wound through my hair as I ran my hands over his back. I was about to offer him to either go take a shower or head to breakfast when I noticed something. Something even stranger than I had ever seen with myself before. My hands appeared to be flickering in and out of reality. What the hell was happening to me? I'd never seen something like that happen to me before. I shot upright, almost knocking into Bucky, desperately trying to stop the phasing. It appeared that I was now able to move my hands through solid objects.

"Vika?" Bucky asked, noticing my hands. "What is that?"

"I - I don't know," I stuttered.

"Have you ever been able to do that before?"

"No."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Not really," I said, holding my hands up in front of my face. They continued flickering. "I've never seen something like this before. If I had to take a guess, I'd say that it's something along the lines of intangibility."

"What's that?" Bucky asked.

"Not common. If this is what I think it is, I can phase through solid objects and living beings at will. It seems that the effects are accompanied by flickering, prismatic afterimages of my body as my body shifts through space. It means that I can shift back and forth between solid and intangible," I explained.

"And you've never been able to do this before?"

"No."

"Can mutants develop new powers?"

"Yes. Or they can be old powers that have laid dormant. Something awakens them," I said.

But I hadn't found out about a new power since I had escaped from Stryker's lap a few years ago. "Could it be something that we did last night?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Perhaps. I don't know, Bucky. I don't know what's going on right now. But I know that I need to talk to someone about this," I said worriedly.

"Okay. Come on. Let's go," Bucky said, trying to pull me out of the bed. My hands went straight through his. "Who will know?"

"Howard, maybe," I said.

Howard was the only person who could help me right now and I needed someone to help me. I couldn't do this alone. Someone had to figure out what was wrong with me. The two of us instantly jumped up and tried to get ready. I managed to get ready in a state of panic. My hands were shifting through solid objects as I shifted in and out of reality. My clothes and actual objects. I had to force myself to calm down and solidify. It vaguely worked. I was still shifting slightly but I was able to grab my things now. It helped things just slightly.

"Can we go?" I asked breathlessly, once I was clothed.

"Come on," Bucky said, trying to wrap an arm around my shoulder. His arm went straight through me. I began breathing heavily. "Calm down. It's okay. It's all going to be okay."

"What the hell is happening to me?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. Come on. We're going to get you to Howard and he'll help," Bucky said.

There wasn't a doubt in my mind that this was one of the scariest things I had ever experienced. At least in Stryker's lab I had known what was coming. But this was something new and I didn't know anyone who could help me. Howard was my one hope. Bucky staggered out onto the street with me tucked underneath his arm. We walked down the street together as I continued phasing in and out of reality. Not even trying to calm down was helping. Then something worse happened. Flashes of other parts of the world began flooding through my vision.

I panicked at the sight, unable to see what was happening in my own world, jumping back in horror. "Vika?" Bucky's voice called. I felt his hands trying to reach out for my arms. "What's wrong?"

"I'm... I'm seeing things," I gasped.

"What? What are you seeing?" Bucky asked desperately.

"Other parts of the world. The universe. I don't know. I've never seen half of these things before," I breathed. "Ah!"

There was some horrible feeling that shot through me. I wasn't completely sure what it was. It wasn't quite a pain, considering that I couldn't feel pain anymore, but it was something very similar to it. It was a nasty feeling. Something that I had never felt before. Suddenly things began to form in front of my vision, even clearer than they had been before. What the hell was I seeing? It took me a moment to place it. They were other parts of the world and the universe. At least, that was what it seemed like.

They all flashed through my mind in quick lapses. There was a shot of something that appeared to be an underground bunker. I caught the briefest glimpse of the Red Skull. I was forced away before I could figure out where he was. Then I moved to a dark orbiting rock that appeared to be in the shape of a throne. No one was on it. In a black pit, I could see a deep red glowing light. In a large room filled with carvings on the wall, there was a purplish glow in the background. In what appeared to be a library, I saw a green eye. On a beautiful alien planet, I sensed a huge danger.

Suddenly, without warning, I was thrown back to reality. I was no longer on my way to the base. Instead, I was lying on a bed in what seemed to be one of the medical rooms. "Vika!" Bucky's voice echoed. I slowly turned to face him. "Vika! Are you alright?"

"Vic?" Steve's voice called. My head rolled back against my shoulders. "Hey, look at us. You're alright."

My eyes opened wide enough to see Chester, Steve, Bucky, Peggy, and the men standing around me. "What happened?" I groaned.

"We saw the two of you staggering over here," Chester said. He glanced down and I noticed that my body was still phasing. "What the hell's happening to you?"

"Nothing good. I - I don't know what's happening to me. But something's changing. In my molecular structure, my brain, my entire body; I can feel it. I need help," I gasped, feeling my breath shorten. Someone needed to help me. "I need... Howard... bring Howard to me."

Chester turned back and snapped at one of his men. "Stark. Go get Stark. Now!"

"You're alright, Vicky. You're going to be alright," Peggy said.

She reached out to touch me when I threw myself back against the wall. "Don't. Don't touch me!" I snapped. She instantly drew back. "Not until I know what's going on."

They listened. No one tried to touch me, although they all crowded around me in fear as the sergeant went to find Howard. The men looked concerned about me but they did attempt to joke around - something that I greatly appreciated. Peggy, Steve, and Bucky were perched around the bed, as close as possible, but they didn't actually touch me. Chester watched the hall for Howard. I continued having flashes of the other worlds as my body continued to phase. I wasn't sure what was happening, but there was definitely an unknown power surging within me.

There was something radiating off of me. It was so hot that it was causing everyone to sweat profusely. "Move. Move!" Howard's voice echoed through the hall. He sprinted into the room and hesitated slightly when he saw me. "Victoria..."

"Took you long enough," I moaned.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Howard said, placing himself on the edge of the bed. "The hell is happening to you?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. Do a test. Something."

"Come on," Howard said, motioning me up.

The last thing that I could handle right now was having someone touch me. They could end up seriously hurting themselves. Howard and the others backed away as I slowly pushed myself back to my feet. It was hard, considering that my hands kept going through the mattress. My head was also spinning, making it almost impossible to stand. But I had to. I had to find out why I was feeling the way that I was. We staggered down the hallway for a while when Howard finally pushed me inside of his medical room. He asked the men to stay outside.

Everyone else gathered around. "We're not sure how powerful she is right now. We're not sure what will happen if someone gets too close to her," Howard said, motioning everyone backward.

"What tests are you running?" I breathed.

"Anything that I can," Howard said. He turned to the others, who all looked quite concerned. "That containment chamber should be enough to hold her."

"Do you have any idea what's going on with her?" Bucky asked worriedly.

Howard stared down at the monitor that was reading the energy levels coming from the containment chamber. "It's interesting. She appears to have gone through some type of massive change. If I'm looking at these levels correctly, she's latching onto some type of energy and draining it from the source. It's coursing through her and she doesn't know how to control it. It's taking over her body," Howard explained to the others.

"What could trigger it?" Peggy asked.

"Anything, really. Not necessarily one little thing. She's also getting older. She's hitting the age of maturity. That could affect her mutant powers differently. They could mutate again," Howard said.

"Is she dangerous?" Gabe's voice floated from outside of the room over the microphones.

"Right now? Probably," Howard said.

"How strong is this chamber, Howard?" I asked desperately.

"Should be strong enough to hold anything that you can throw at it," Howard said, pretty much unconvincingly.

"Shit..." I gasped.

The worlds began to flash through my vision again. There was nothing I could do to stop it. I jumped up from the medical table, banging through the crowd of my friends, and collapsed to the other side, pressing my hands up against the walls. I closed my eyes, desperate to block everything out. It was too overwhelming right now. I could hear the voices of everyone else in the room. I could see the splits in reality through my vision of what I had been seeing before. Now there was the overwhelming sound of screams in every corner of the realm.

My eyes remained tightly closed. I was desperate to try and block everything out. The sounds grew louder and louder as I drove my head into the wall. Everyone voices faded. When I finally managed to open my eyes again, everything had fallen silent. I straightened up nervously. Because now I saw something that horrified me. I was in some type of plain, bathed in an orange light and submerged in a few inches of water. By now I had clearly tapped into something I didn't understand. There was only one thing I understood right now. My mother was standing mere feet from me.

"You don't have long. You have no true access to the Soul Stone," my mother called to me. She stood, merely staring at me. My eyes narrowed. The Soul Stone? I didn't have the Soul Stone at all. "Your passage here is weak."

My heart nearly stopped. "You're dead," I commented.

"Not here. Not in the realm of sacrifices."

"I didn't sacrifice you. I accidentally killed you to keep myself alive after you tried to kill me!"

"To stop this," my mother said.

"Stop what?" I asked.

"You don't feel it? The shift?"

The shift? What the hell was she talking about? I stared at my mother for a long time. She looked... almost bored. She looked so different than I had ever seen him before. Not angry or scared. Merely content. I stared at her for a long time. I didn't know what she meant about a shift. The only shift that I'd felt recently was the one within myself. But it was different now. Now that I was in this foreign world, I felt normal again. My body was no longer phasing and I didn't feel quite as weak as I had before.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her slowly.

"You grow more and more powerful by the moment. There is a danger that comes with something as powerful as you are. A danger to those near you. A danger to all on the planet."

"What is happening to me?"

"Your power continues to grow."

"How?" I asked. She merely continued to stare at me. "Tell me!"

"Go find your answers," she warned.

"Useless when you were alive and useless dead," I snarled.

All I wanted was some damn answers. But she couldn't even give me those. This was exactly the reason that I'd never even thought about my mother. There was a sudden horrible feeling in my stomach when I was thrown back against the floor in the chamber that Howard had locked me in. I realized that I was alone now. The others were standing outside of the containment chamber, watching me, as my powers grew. I pulled myself back to my feet, shaking the horrible fuzziness in my head, as the others' voices called to me.

"Vika!" Bucky shouted, banging against the glass. "You okay?"

"It's fine. I'm fine," I said, waving him off. "What's going on, Howard?"

Howard was reading a screen that seemed to be beeping loudly. "You have a massive surge of energy traveling through you right now. I can't even risk calculating it. Any machine I could hook you up to would be instantly overwhelmed," he explained.

"We can't just do nothing!" Bucky shouted, clearly frustrated.

"We're not doing nothing. We're not. We're going to run some tests. Anything that we can," Howard told Bucky reassuringly.

"I don't give a damn how machines you break. Find out what the hell's wrong with her," Chester snapped.

"Of course. Hang tight, Victoria," Howard said.

"Hurry up," I moaned.

"You're going to be alright, Victoria," Chester promised.

"We'll be right here," Peggy added.

"No one's leaving," Steve said.

The other room was quiet for a moment - where the men had come back in - until Bucky turned to Howard. "Can I go in there with her?" Bucky asked.

Howard shifted guiltily. "Honestly, I wouldn't risk it right now. I'd give her some time for the powers to subside. Let's see what exactly is wrong with her. Let's see if we can calm down whatever is going through her," Howard advised him.

Bucky definitely looked defeated. He merely shifted and placed his hands up against the glass. I wanted to try and say something to him - anything to reassure him that I would be alright - but I couldn't. I was too overwhelmed. As everyone came to stand against the glass, I collapsed and planted myself against the floor. More echoes of other worlds were flashing through my mind. I couldn't stop seeing figures and other parts of what I was sure was the universe. There was a monstrous figure hulking above me. Their body was too blurry in my vision for me to place them.

"Hello, little one," the man's deep voice rumbled.

Before I got the chance to ask who he was, Bucky's voice drifted into my mind again. "Vika," Bucky called. I glanced up and stared at him. He looked terrified. "Hey, you're okay. Look at us."

"C'mon, girl. Smile," Dum Dum goaded.

My eyes began scanning the room, desperate to try and remain in this realm. It took a few deep breaths for me to get back into my normal mindset. As my eyes moved across the room, I realized that it was actually melting. I gasped slightly. What the hell had happened? Was this all from the new power I was emitting? Black char marks now spanned the walls. They were warped from whatever power was coming off of me. I was just grateful that they had left the room in time. That would have killed them.

"Did I do that?" I asked breathlessly.

"It's okay, Vic. We've got Howard looking into it," Steve said.

Howard would never be able to figure out what was wrong with me... I didn't even know what was wrong with me... I wanted to release the energy that was building up in me, but I was sure that I would destroy everything - including those I loved - if I did. My eyes began rolling back in my head again as I dropped limply against the floor. From some far off place, I could hear the others calling my name, but it was too late. It felt like I was being transported back to the Soul World. Once I was there, much to my surprise, I saw my father.

"Now you?" I asked sharply.

Out of the two of them, I could remember my father always being nicer to me than my mother. Not that it meant much. He still hadn't tried to save me when she'd wanted to kill me. But at least he had fed me. At least he had allowed me to run outside without letting my mother know. At least he had provided me some books to read. But he had still wanted to kill me. He had still feared me. I strolled up to him slowly. He looked slightly afraid of me - just as he always had been.

"Come here," my father ordered.

"Why?" I asked.

"We never got to explain what research we were doing."

"You never wanted to explain. You tried to kill me!"

My father continued as if he hadn't even heard me. "The research we were doing before you were born. The hope that we might be able to have a child as smart as we were," he said.

"You got one who was smarter," I sneered.

"You don't know the truth. You don't know just where you draw your power from."

"I'm a mutant. I draw my power from the X-Gene."

My father shook his head. "You are so much more than that. We learned too late."

Why was this what had happened between the three of us? I had deserved more than this. I deserved to have a normal life. I deserved to be loved by my parents growing up. I deserved to be allowed outside and have friends over. I deserved to get to go to school. But that hadn't happened. Instead, I had been kept in my bedroom and locked indoors for years. They had been ready to kill me until I had done the same to them. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at my father. I deserved so much more than this...

"Why couldn't you two have just loved me?" I asked shakily.

"Because we know who you are. Because we know what you will do in time. You are too powerful for this world. You belong not in the realm of mortal men," my father explained coldly.

"You didn't know that when you had me. You were just afraid."

"Yes," he agreed. "You should be too."

No, I wasn't supposed to be afraid of myself. I couldn't be afraid of what I might do in the world. I had to try and enjoy my life. I had to enjoy my friends and my eventual husband. I stared at my father blankly, willing myself to say something, but instead found myself wondering exactly what he meant. In the meantime, I was losing my connection to the Soul World. I felt myself beginning to phase again as images of a beautiful planet filled my head. Something was calling me there. Something there felt like home. I passed out mere moments later.

Bucky's P.O.V.

"What's happening to her?" Bucky asked desperately.

She was unconscious against the floor. Making noises did nothing. "Couldn't even begin to tell you," Howard said regretfully. "If I was going to take my best guess, I'd say that some type of energy or power is using Victoria's body as a channel. I don't recognize any of the signatures that it's giving off and it would have to be something rare for me not to know. Powerful too, considering it's done this to her in such a short period of time."

"Is she alright?" Bucky asked.

Howard looked at Bucky, an extremely guilty look on his face. "I don't know," Howard admitted.

"What the hell brought this on?" Steve asked.

Steve walked over to Bucky and threw an arm over his shoulders. Bucky needed the support right now. He'd never seen Vika like this before. She was clearly incredibly sick. She looked like she was about to die. Bucky had never even seen her get hurt before. She'd never broken a bone. But this was something so much more. She looked like she was falling apart at the seams. The entire building creaked and groaned as the energy coming off of Vika continued to warp the building. It sounded like it was about to come down on them.

"Was she doing anything before the phasing started?" Peggy asked.

Bucky thought about telling the truth, but Colonel Phillips was in here. He couldn't admit it. "No. We were just sitting and talking..." Bucky said quietly.

Was this really from something that they had done? If so, he wished that they had just gone to bed last night. A few of the others in the room gave him doubtful looks. They knew that he was lying to them but Bucky couldn't say it out loud. He knew that he should have come clean and told the truth, but he also knew that it was something that would embarrass her greatly. She didn't want anyone to know. But he promised himself that if she continued getting worse, he would tell them the truth over what had happened.

"She's gonna be alright. She's been through worse," Steve said hopefully.

But Bucky couldn't believe that. "People have put her through worse. I've never seen her deal with something like this. I've never seen her have to fight something that came from her own body this hard," Bucky said, swallowing thickly.

"It'll be okay," Steve promised.

Bucky was thrilled to see that she was shifting slightly. "Vika?" Bucky called loudly. She shifted toward his voice. "Vika! Hey, it's okay. You're okay."

"Tell me a story," she breathed.

It felt like she'd just thrown cold water on him. "What?" Bucky asked.

"Tell me something to distract me."

Bucky walked over to the glass separating the two of them and smiled at her. She could barely open her eyes to look at him. "Okay. Uh... Want to know the time that I knew that I'd marry you?" Bucky asked. Vika nodded.

This was a story that he'd always wanted to tell her anyway. They were little children when he'd known. He had told her the truth when he'd said that he almost always knew. It was one of the times that they had really connected as children. One of the first times that he had known for a fact that they were ultimately supposed to be together. They had been sitting on the bleachers outside of the school. She was helping him with his math homework - seeing as she had always been wonderful with it - to ensure that he didn't fail.

She looked completely entranced with her own work. She had finished her work hours ago. She was now working on it for fun. Bucky threw down his pencil in frustration. "I don't get how you understand all of this," Bucky told her.

"Yeah, well, I don't understand how you have so many friends. We all have things that we're good at and not so good at," she said huffily.

"You don't need friends. You've got Steve and me," Bucky teased.

She glanced up and shook her head. "That's pathetic, Bucky. It's your way of making me feel better for not having any friends," she said.

"I could always introduce you to some of my friends," Bucky offered.

She snorted under her breath. "No, thank you. I must say that I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request."

"What?" Bucky asked confusedly.

Vika glanced up, her eyes flashing yellow playfully. "Means no."

She was only twelve! How did she know that? "How the hell do you do that? How do you know things like that?" Bucky asked her.

"I've got no friends," Vika deadpanned.

"You've got us!" Bucky said brightly.

Vika rolled her eyes but turned back to him with a smile. "It's called a pleonasm. It's the use of more words than those necessary to denote mere sense," she explained.

"See? I don't understand how you know things like that," Bucky said.

A slight flash of hurt shot through her eyes. "There was never anything to do at my old house. My parents rarely spoke to me. I didn't know anyone. I barely ever left the house," Vika explained. Bucky let out a breath. He hated hearing about her monstrous parents. "The only thing that I had to occupy my time was read all of the textbooks in the library. I memorized the dictionary. I read a letter before bed every day for weeks. Some of my favorite books were Mechanics and Special Relativity, Abstract Algebra, and Statistical Thermodynamics."

Bucky stared at her blankly. "You might as well be speaking Latin to me."

"I liked Latin, too," Vika said.

"That wasn't the point, Vika."

"You don't speak Latin, anyway. It's a dead language. You can read and write it."

"Still not the point."

"Just saying."

They both laughed softly. Bucky stared at her curiously as she continued to work. "Must be nice, Vika." She looked up at him. "To have your entire life together. To know exactly what you want to do. I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life. What I'll even be able to do. My grades are terrible. I've got almost no chance at getting into college. I think my parents know that," Bucky told her.

She looked back at him and clasped his hands in hers. "They don't. They have faith in you and I have faith in you. I know that you can do anything that you put your mind to. So, you don't like school. It's not for everyone. But that doesn't mean that you're not brilliant in your own way," she said sweetly.

"Thanks, Vika. You mean that?" Bucky asked.

"I don't lie," she said.

"What happens when you're some super successful scientist? You going to remember about Steve and me?" Bucky teased.

"I could never forget the two of you," she said. The two of them smiled at each other as she finally looked back down at their work. Her eyes scanned over to his paper. "Your essay is wrong."

"What?" Bucky asked.

She'd barely even looked at it. What could have been wrong already? "Norse Mythology. Those facts. Most of them are wrong," Vika pointed out. Bucky stared at her. "You shouldn't be using time references. At least, not the way that you are. Units of time and elements of the Norse cosmology are personified as gods or beings. They don't use time. It's not just the Vanir. They also worshiped the Æsir. You've incorrectly described the layout of Norse mythology. There are nine worlds within the three realms of the Norse universe that flank a central cosmological tree, Yggdrasil.

"They're Asgard (the land of the warriors and gods), Vanaheim (the land of the fertility gods), Alfheim (the land of the Light Elves), Midgard (our mortal world), Jotunheim (land of the giants), Nidavellir (land of the Dwarfs), Svartalfheim (land of the Dark Elves), Hel (the realm of the dead), and Niflheim (another world of the dead).

"Odin didn't lose his eye in battle. It's because he traded his other eye for a drink from the well of wisdom and gained immense knowledge. The gods didn't travel by teleporting. Supposedly there was a bridge separating Midgard from Asgard called the Bifrost; it was made of three colors and was the only way to enter Asgard," Vika explained.

For a long time, Bucky merely stared at her. She was looking back at him as if she'd merely been discussing the weather with him. Nothing more. But eventually his lips broke into a smile and he grinned at her. He had always liked when she had gone off on her little rants. They always fascinated him. She knew more about everything than anyone he had ever met before. She was much smarter than anyone else - particularly himself - and that was just one of the many things that he adored about her.

"I'm sorry... I'm rambling," Vika mumbled, looking quite embarrassed.

Bucky shook his head, smiling at her. "No, I like it. You look at peace. You look comfortable talking about it."

"It's like when you talk about sports or music. I understand anything... logical. That's why I'm so desperate to make it into Harvard. People who might understand the kind of person I am," Vika said hopefully. He wanted that for her too. But he'd miss her desperately. "I don't like people. I don't like crowds. I'm not always the best at talking or making sense of normal things. But that's okay. That's not the person that I want to be. I want to be the kind of person who can make a difference. I don't want to be just a housewife. I think that I can be more than that."

"You will be more than that. You are more than that. Trust me," Bucky promised.

"So are you," Vika said.

He might have believed her, but she didn't believe him. He knew that. "Maybe one day you'll believe me," Bucky said quietly.

She gave a slightly bitter smile. "You know that I don't think as highly of myself as you do. I don't think it's possible for me too."

"Like always, you're right."

Vika smiled slightly. "Bucky -"

"Hey, Bucky!" Olivia's voice echoed. Bucky let out a breath, wishing desperately that he had heard what she had been waiting to say. Bucky turned back to see Olivia waiting with some of their friends. "You coming?"

Bucky turned back to Vika. She gave him a bitter smile. "You should go ahead. I'll see you at home," she said.

"Come with us," Bucky told her.

"We only have the one extra ticket," Olivia said. She turned to Vika. "Sorry, Victoria."

Vika gave a tense smile. "Go," she told Bucky. "I wouldn't want to make you miss your plans. I'll help you on the essay when you get home."

"Thanks, Vika," Bucky said.

"You're welcome," Vika said.

But Bucky didn't want to leave her anymore. Much to his own surprise, he would have rather sat there and listened to her ramble on about school. As they walked off, Bucky regretfully wrapped an arm around Olivia. He had been out on a few dates with her over the past few weeks. She had been relatively sweet but there was something missing there. Something he knew he wanted. And talking to Vika... he had finally realized what it was. He missed that spark. That hint of life that he had only ever seen in Vika.

"Why do you talk to her?" Olivia finally asked, distracting him from his thoughts.

"What?" Bucky asked.

"Yellow Eyes," Olivia said.

"Don't call her that," Bucky snapped.

Olivia jumped slightly and Bucky felt momentarily guilty for having startled her. But he hated that damned nickname. "I'm sorry, Bucky. I know that she's Steve's sister, but it's pathetic the way that she follows you around like a lost puppy. Just look at her. It's like she doesn't even know how to be a teenager. She's weird!" Olivia gasped.

"I've always liked weird," Bucky said.

Clearly, that didn't satisfy Olivia. She huffed at Bucky as the two of them headed to the theater with the rest of their friends to some movie that Bucky really didn't want to see. Before they walked off, Bucky turned back to see Vika already immersed in her books. She glanced up, almost as if she knew he was watching her, and met his eyes. Bucky sent her a little wink. He noticed that her cheeks colored slightly before she rolled her eyes and looked back at her books. Bucky grinned. That was it. That moment, right there. He was going to marry her.

Back in reality, Bucky watched Vika just barely manage a smile. "I knew. That was when," Bucky told her.

"Even back then?" Vika asked breathlessly.

"Even back then," Bucky confirmed.

They were quiet for a little while. Vika suddenly opened her eyes and stared at him. "The assignment on Norse mythology. I almost forgot about that one," she whispered.

"It wasn't very memorable," Bucky teased.

"How are you doing, Vic?" Steve asked from over Bucky's shoulder.

"Alive," she answered.

Peggy fell beside Bucky. "Don't worry, love. Howard's running tests right now. He should be back any moment with something to tell us. You're going to be all right. We promise. We'll be right here. We're not moving," she reassured Vika.

"We love you, Vika. We're right here. All of us," Bucky told her.

"C'mon, girl. Smile," Gabe teased.

Vika barely managed to pull herself off of the ground. She limped weakly over to the bed and collapsed on top of it. Bucky moved over to the glass and pressed one of his hands up against it, wishing that she would do the same. But she didn't. Instead, Bucky felt a terrible heat warming through the glass. It was definitely almost painful to touch. He had to pull his hand away. Something terrible was happening to her and Bucky so desperately wanted to be able to help her. But he couldn't. Not with this one. Not right now.

"Bucky..." Vika moaned.

"I'm right here," Bucky promised her, placing his hands back up against the glass. He ignored the searing pain in them. "I'm not leaving."

"Stay."

"Always. I promise."

Was she about to die? Was this really how bad things had gotten? It killed Bucky to think about. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't. At that thought, Vika rolled slightly and collapsed back against the ground. It didn't quite look like she was going to pass out but it did look like she was going to have either a stroke or heart attack. Bucky so desperately wanted to touch her, but right now he had to settle for just promising her that he wasn't going to move. And he wouldn't. He would be right there, for as long as possible.

Victoria's P.O.V.

My head was still rolling around against my shoulders. I tried to press my head down against the metal, but it was boiling hot, just like the rest of the room. Howard had tried to lower the air conditioning, but that wasn't working. At least Bucky was sitting with me as Howard was elsewhere, trying to run his tests. Everyone was staring at me through the glass like I was some kind of animal. I felt absolutely miserable, about as close to being sick as I possibly could be. Suddenly Howard came barging back into the room. He looked shocked at the heat.

"What have you found?" I asked breathlessly.

Howard walked over to me, seating himself in a chair just behind the glass. "Victoria... I just don't think that you're designed to be a sedentary creature," Howard explained.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"This energy that you're emitting," Howard waved around us, "it's off the charts. I've never seen something quite as strong as the energy that you're putting off. Simply put, I think whatever this is has remained dormant for years. Something has brought it forward right now and you have no idea how to contain it. You have to find some outlet for the energy before it consumes you. Before you completely lose control. Honestly, you shouldn't have as much control as you do right now."

"How does she release the energy?" Bucky asked.

It was the question that was on my mind. "Without hurting someone? I'm not sure," Howard admitted.

"Is there no way for her to contain the energy?" Chester asked.

"Maybe. But we're running out time. She's going to melt these walls in a few hours and... I don't think any of us can stand up to whatever that is coming from her," Howard explained.

Something finally dawned on me. "That story that you just told me... about the assignment that we did on Norse mythology..." I breathed to Bucky.

"When we were kids?" Steve asked.

"That gave me an idea. Bring me the piece of the Space Stone," I ordered them.

"What?" Howard asked blankly.

"There's someone that I need to talk to. Someone who knows exactly how these Stones work. I know that's what I'm connecting to. It's what I'm seeing. If anyone knows how to help me, it'll be Loki," I explained.

"The Trickster God?" Howard asked skeptically.

Loki knew more about these Stones than anyone else did. I needed his help. "Please, Howard. Bring me the Stone. I have to talk to him," I said desperately.

"Okay," Howard said.

He jumped up to his feet without another question and darted off. Once he had gone, Bucky turned back to me. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked me.

Was it a good idea? Probably not. But it was something that I needed to do. "I've gotta get out there. If I can get to Loki or even Eternity, I can figure out what's going on with me. Buck... I don't know what this is but it feels like it's going to kill me. I've gotta figure something out," I told him.

"What do you think is happening to you?" Steve asked.

"I'm drawing some type of power from something far stronger than I'm used to," I said, the only thing I knew for sure.

"Can someone go with you?" Peggy offered.

They would likely die if they came with me. "No. No one is strong enough to touch a piece of the Space Stone. They're not even strong enough to grab onto me with it. I'm not risking any of you," I said stubbornly.

"Vika -"

"It's okay, Bucky. I have to do this. The containment chamber can only hold me for so long. If I can't get this thing out of me, I'm going to end up killing everyone in here. I've gotta do this."

He looked like he wanted to argue with me, but it wasn't going to work. This was something that I needed to do. I wasn't one hundred percent positive if it would work, but I had to try. I had to know if I could get to Asgard. From there, I had to try and get Loki to help me. He loved the Infinity Stones and wanted their power. He would likely help me. At least help me figure out what was going on with me. Bucky didn't look thrilled - nor did anyone else - but eventually he nodded his consent.

"We're not going anywhere. We're right here," Bucky promised.

"As long as you need us," Steve added.

"Thank you," I told them.

"We'll slide it through the slot," Howard told me.

"Okay," I said.

"You're going to be alright, kid," Chester promised.

There wasn't a choice. I was going to have to be alright. I hadn't suffered this much to die right now. Howard brought out a black case and slid it through the slot in the containment chamber. I opened it and took a weak spot on the ground, feeling my head continue to spin. I gave a somewhat nervous smile to the others as I reached out and grabbed the piece of the Space Stone. My hand instantly clenched around it as it had done the first time. My head threw back as the world went completely dark.

Then I saw the lights again. My eyes very slowly peeled open as I found myself getting thrown across the cosmos as I had the first time I'd touched the Space Stone. It was almost impossible to control, but I finally managed to drop myself into Asgard. It was quite difficult to try and pull myself out of all of the worlds flashing past me. But somehow I managed to throw myself right into the center of Asgard. I flung myself past the outer cities and collapsed into what appeared to be the throne room.

As I barely managed to push myself back to my feet, I glanced around. I had definitely just interrupted something. But I didn't care right now. Thor and the rest of his friends were all sitting at a table a few feet away. So was Loki. He was the only one grinning instead of staring at me in fear and curiosity. The Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and Thor all jumped to their feet, likely getting ready to try and kill me. I merely held up my hand in response. All of their weapons dropped from their hands as they stared at me blankly.

"Get out. Now," I growled.

Without a choice as to whether or not they wanted to leave, they all sheathed their weapons and walked off. None of them even spared me a glance or hesitated. Loki was watching from the corner of the room in mild amusement. I waited for the group of five to pass before walking up to Loki. He was still watching me curiously. Knowing that I was very likely about to hurt him, I grabbed him around the throat and lifted him up, slamming him back against the wall. He grunted in pain as my grip tightened.

"You've grown stronger in the months since we last met," Loki said curiously.

"Things have changed," I answered.

My phasing was still happening slightly. It passed through Loki's throat and I was forced to drop him. Loki glanced down at me. "Interesting... What is happening to you?" he asked.

"I don't know. That's why I need your help. You're the only person I can think of that might be able to give me an answer. Why am I phasing in and out of reality?" I asked him.

"What a curious situation," Loki said bemusedly.

"Do you know what's going on?" I asked.

"You don't look well," Loki commented.

He wanted me to beg. I growled at him as my legs threatened to cave out from underneath me again. "Just - help - me. Please," I begged.

Begging was something that I had never wanted to do, but I had to do it right now. I needed someone to help me. I needed something to stop this power before either I died or I killed everyone I cared about. Loki clearly understood the desperation that I was feeling right now. He grabbed me underneath the arm and pulled me back toward a seat near the back of the hall that we were standing in. I continued to phase in and out of reality as we stumbled along. Much to his dismay, I began to burn a hole through his armor.

"Sorry about that. It looks expensive," I muttered dumbly.

Loki scowled at me. "It is."

"Well - it was."

Loki scowled at me again. "When did this begin?" he asked.

"This morning when I woke up. Everything was fine for a while and then… this started," I explained.

"You appear to have awakened a dormant power lying in wait," Loki said.

"What is it?" I asked.

For the life of me, I couldn't understand what was happening to me. All I knew was that I was falling apart at the seams. My body couldn't handle whatever this was. I couldn't. And clearly, no one else could either. This had to be stopped. I had to get rid of this power. If I didn't, there was a good chance that I would end up killing everyone back at the base. And I couldn't do that. Not to all of the men. Not to Chester, my own father. Not to my best friends and, most certainly, not to my fiance.

Loki stared at me for a while before arching a brow curiously. "If I am correct, the Soul Stone," he finally explained.

My jaw dropped. There was no way that I was drawing power from the Soul Stone... Absolutely not. "How would I have the ability to draw power from the Soul Stone? We don't even have it. We have just a tiny piece of the Space Stone," I said.

"No. The Soul Stone has been lost for generations. Few know where it is," Loki said.

"So… how could I be drawing power from it?" I asked curiously.

"I know not," Loki admitted. I sighed. "But I know of someone who can."

That was all I needed. "What are you -?" I interrupted myself when I realized exactly what he was talking about. "Eternity," I said. Loki nodded. "How do I get to him?"

"Eternity does not make his presence known to just anyone," Loki said. But I needed him... I couldn't wait for him to come and find me... "Call out to him. If he has shown himself to you once, he may do so again."

"Eternity! Please! Help me!" I screamed. I turned to Loki after a long silence had passed. He motioned for me to continue. "Come on! I know that you're out there!"

There was no answer. My heart was pounding in my chest. If I couldn't find Eternity, I wasn't sure what I could possibly do to stop everything. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to go back to the base. Not if I was going to risk potentially killing everyone there. Another long silence passed where I waited to see if Eternity would come to me. Even Loki seemed curious to see if he would show himself. But minutes passed and Eternity never showed up. I let out a terrified breath. What was I going to do if he didn't come to me?

That was when I remembered something else. I was clearly drawing power from something incredibly strong. Not me. There was no way that I was drawing power from just the X-Gene. I had never heard of it potentially being this powerful. And it didn't seem to be coming from something that I was directly putting off. If this was the Soul Stone... could I use it to try and find him? Try and control the powers? Or, at least, use them? I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, trying to tap into the power of the Soul Stone.

Without warning, the power suddenly faded from my body. What the hell had just happened to me? It felt like I had returned to normal. I slowly opened my eyes to see where I was. Loki was still with me. At least that was something. But we had been transported to the same beautiful planet that I had seen earlier when I was phasing. Just as I was about to ask Loki what had happened, I spotted Eternity standing off in the distance, saying nothing, merely waiting for me.

A spark of anger shot through me. "Thanks for your help, asshole!" I shouted.

Loki ran after me, grabbing me around the forearm to stop me from advancing any further. "Enough," Loki hissed.

Eternity acted as if he hadn't even heard me. "Do you know where you are?" Eternity asked.

"No," I said breathlessly.

"This is the home of the Soul Stone," Eternity explained. Loki's interest had clearly been piqued. But it didn't matter. Eternity began speaking in my mind. "Voromir."

"Why are we here?" I growled.

"Come," Eternity told me. He then turned to Loki. "You are to stay."

A glaze formed over Loki's eyes. It was similar to the way people looked when I controlled their mind. I watched him in mild fascination for a few moments. I figured that he would be furious once he realized that Eternity wasn't going to allow him to overhear this conversation. I didn't care. I'd gotten what I needed. Although I still felt like I was going to explode. Here I was, about to die, and Eternity was treating it as if we were out for a walk in the park. I snarled and backed away as Eternity reached out for me.

"What did you do to him?" I snapped.

"Nothing that you, yourself, cannot do," Eternity responded.

I was sick of this game. "Help me," I panted. "What's happening to me?"

"You have awakened an ancient force in yourself. One that very few beings are capable of possessing. You have grown to possess the power of the Soul Stone," Eternity explained.

"So… I have the mutated powers on top of the Soul Stone?" I asked stupidly.

"Yes."

"Why am I connected to the Soul Stone?"

"You will know in time."

Another answer that wasn't really an answer. I was sick of having to try and figure this out for my own. I needed him to give me a real answer. "Bullshit. Why?" I barked.

Eternity was silent for a moment before saying, "The day will come that you need to be."

Was this how it ended? Grabbing the Soul Stone and learning to control it? If that was how I ended everything that was happening with me right now, maybe that was what I needed to do. I didn't like the idea of having this much power, but I knew that this needed to stop. I stared at Eternity for a long while, wondering what he meant. What did he mean about the day coming that I would need to have the Soul Stone? That didn't bode well for anyone. I was tempted to ask, but I knew that he wouldn't answer.

"How do I get it?" I asked curiously.

Eternity glared at me for a moment before saying, "You must make a sacrifice. In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul for a soul."

My head took a long time to wrap around what he had just said. Sacrifice... It was the same thing that my mother had told me in the Soul World. They were saying that I had sacrificed them for something. But I hadn't sacrificed them. I had killed them to keep myself alive. Perhaps it was the same thing. But right now it didn't make sense. I would have to lose the thing that I loved. But there were a lot of things I loved. That was when it dawned on me. I knew exactly what Eternity was asking me to lose.

"You mean to sacrifice the thing that you love most? My fiancé?" I snapped.

"Yes," Eternity said as if he was asking me to take his dog for a walk.

My jaw almost dropped to the floor. There was no goddamn way I was doing that. "You're out of your damn mind! I'm not killing him for this. I don't even want the Soul Stone. I just want to block it off from me!" I shouted.

"The Soul Stone contains information that you could only dream to know," Eternity explained.

There was absolutely no way that I was killing Bucky. I loved him. "Let me keep dreaming about it, then. I'm not killing him for this. For anything. I'd sooner let it kill me," I said honestly.

Eternity gave me a stern look. "You do not understand that of which you are sacrificing."

"Nothing. I'm sacrificing nothing. I will not kill him to gain the Soul Stone," I said stubbornly.

"You must obtain the Soul Stone to channel your power correctly. You are drawing your power from the Soul Stone."

"That doesn't make sense! I'm a mutant. I draw my energy from the X-Gene."

"Not at all times."

"Why would I be drawing my power from the Soul Stone?"

"Take it and find out."

There was a disturbing part of me that wanted to take the Soul Stone. I wanted to know what was happening to me. I wanted to know what the stone was even doing as a part of me. But I couldn't believe that I had considered that for even a moment. There was no way that I could do that. No way that I could ever even think about killing Bucky just to learn a little bit about myself. The only thing that I wanted was a normal life. There was no way that I could have that with the Soul Stone. No... It wasn't worth it.

"I can't, Eternity. I love him. I can't sacrifice him," I whispered.

If it would kill me, so be it. I wouldn't kill him. "You owe it to yourself to discover your connection to the Soul Stone. It is rare for a creature to draw their power from an Infinity Stone. The Celestial that granted you the mutated powers has chosen you for a different destiny," Eternity explained. But I hadn't wanted a different destiny. All I wanted was to go to college. "You draw your powers from the Soul Stone. The Stone has awakened. It feeds into you. Come with us. We will teach you."

Us? Did he mean the other Cosmic Entities? It didn't matter. I wasn't going to kill him. Never. Perhaps I would die for my choices; either the Soul Stone would kill me or Eternity might. But it didn't matter. I wasn't going to let him die for something I had caused. He hadn't asked for any of this. He might have loved me, but he hadn't signed up for life with a mutant. Not all of this, anyway. Knowing that it might have meant my own doom, I began shaking my head. Eternity let out a deep breath.

"No... I have a life on Earth. I don't want to leave it. There has to be another way. And... maybe you just can't understand. I love him more than anything. The Stone isn't worth it. I will not kill him," I said.

"You are powerful enough to access most of the power on your own. Without holding the Stone," Eternity explained. So... I didn't even have to take the Soul Stone? Could he live and I could gain the Soul Stone? "Allow your mind to connect."

"If I do?" I asked carefully.

"You will garner a power unlike any known to any mutant before you," Eternity explained.

But I didn't want even more power than I currently had. What I had was already far too much. "What happens if I say no?" I asked carefully. Eternity merely stared at me. "I don't want the Soul Stone. I don't want the power. Eternity, I mean no disrespect, but I don't want this much power. No one needs this much. Perhaps in the future, but as for right now, I just want to live a normal life."

"You understand what it is to refuse an offer such as this," Eternity said.

"I understand," I said honestly. "Can we say that I'm not refusing it? Simply asking to put it off."

"Life does not always wait," Eternity said.

"Understood."

"You wish to return to your life?"

"Yes."

All I wanted was to go back home. Back to Bucky, Steve, and everyone else. "The Soul Stone will continue to use your body as a tunnel to channel its power," Eternity explained.

That meant that I would be right back where I started. I couldn't handle that. "Can you stop it?" I asked desperately.

"To a certain degree. The Soul Stone has found its home in you. But I can redact most of the strength that it will attempt to feed into you," Eternity explained.

"How?" I asked.

"A barrier in your mind."

"A barrier?"

If it could stop the Soul Stone, I was willing to do - or let Eternity do - anything. "I can block the powers of the Soul Stone to a certain degree. Allow you to return to your normal life. You will still gain some of the power from the Soul Stone, but you will be able to go about your regular activities," Eternity explained.

The hope that built in my chest quickly deflated. "If it comes down?" I asked.

"You have seen what will happen. If the barrier ever does come down, you will know what has to be done," Eternity explained.

Lose what I love most to keep myself alive... "Yes," I answered.

"Last chance," Eternity warned me.

After a brief hesitation, I said, "Do it."

We would cross the bridge of me potentially having to kill Bucky - or whatever I loved the most - if and when that day ever came. Eternity was clearly disappointed with my choice, but I could tell that he understood the simple fact that I had to do this. Eternity raised his hand and pressed it against my chest. There was a rippling chill that shot through me as I staggered backward. I collapsed onto my hands and knees as Eternity showed me a brilliant orange light in his hands. Very slowly, I pushed myself back to my feet.

"What is that?" I asked, already well aware of the answer.

"A remnant of a time long passed," Eternity answered.

"That's the Soul Stone, isn't it?" I asked.

"A mere piece of its immeasurable power," Eternity said.

"Why is it in me?" I asked curiously.

There had to be a reason that the Soul Stone was in me. This wasn't some kind of coincidence. "It always has been. You have merely awoken the connection," Eternity explained.

"It's beautiful," I said, watching the light flicker.

"It will wait for you," Eternity said.

Would the day ever come that I would actually want the Soul Stone? I wasn't sure. No matter what, I would have to sacrifice that which I loved the most to gain it. What if I waited until Bucky and Steve were gone? It would be hundreds of years in the future, but one day I would be able to take the Soul Stone and find out everything that it had to offer. I hated to admit that I was even moderately interested in it. Eternity waved his hand and the remnant of the Soul Stone vanished into thin air.

"Thank you for everything," I said awkwardly.

"If the day ever comes that you find you may have made a mistake, use this," Eternity said.

Clearly, he wasn't happy with my choice. In a way, I supposed that I wasn't completely happy with it either. I would have liked to learn about the complete power that I could have had. But I would never sacrifice Bucky. I watched as Eternity waved his hand and produced something that looked the slightest bit like a necklace. There was a swirling galaxy in the center of the gem, similar to the way that my eyes looked whenever I read someone's mind for an extended period of time. I took it carefully.

"What do I do with it?" I asked him dumbly.

"You will know," Eternity said unhelpfully.

"Okay." I took the necklace from him and tossed it over my neck. "Thank you, Eternity. For everything. I mean it."

Eternity merely stared at me. "I will return you to your friend."

"Oh, he's not really my friend," I began to explain. I stopped talking when I realized that Eternity was an all-powerful entity who had much bigger things to deal with than my friendships. "You don't care…"

It was very obvious that Eternity really didn't care about my quasi-friendship with Loki. Not that it was one. He merely helped me every now and again when I didn't know what else to do. Eternity snapped his fingers and I was thrown back without a chance to thank Eternity again. I was thrown back into the center of Voromir with Eternity, where I grabbed Loki. Before I got the chance to say anything, Eternity snapped his hands again. The two of us collapsed as we fell into Asgard's palace. Eternity was nowhere to be found.

"What happened?" Loki grunted.

The two of us barely managed to pry ourselves back to our feet. I was exhausted but felt much better than I had before. "Believe it not, you've really helped me," I told Loki.

"Tell me," Loki commanded.

It probably wasn't a wise choice - considering how much Loki really wanted to get his hands on one of the Infinity Stones - but I knew that he deserved to know. Mostly because he was the only reason that I had even managed to find Eternity in the first place. So, I decided to explain everything that had happened with Eternity to Loki, leaving out just a few details of what had happened - including my necklace to call Eternity back one day. Mostly because I didn't completely trust Loki.

Once I had finished speaking, Loki stared at me blankly. "Why would you give up the chance to know everything about the universe? Ultimate power. The ability to control the dead," he said.

"Because I'm not you. I don't want that. Loki, I just want to go home, be with my fiancé and friends, and live as normal of a life as possible. That's what I want," I explained. Loki merely nodded blankly. Clearly, he didn't understand. That was just how different we were. "And I hope that you get what you want. Thank you for everything."

"You are welcome," Loki said, walking me back to the center of the room. "What is his name?"

"Excuse me?" I said blankly.

"Your fiancé."

Right... I had mentioned that. "Bucky. Why?" I asked.

"Curiosity," Loki said.

Perhaps I shouldn't have told him Bucky's name... "If you hurt him, whether or not you just helped me, I'll kill you," I snapped angrily. Loki merely grinned. A flash of his desires shot through my mind. I narrowed my eyes. "Also, if you ever invade Earth, I'll kick your ass."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "I will learn to block you."

"We'll see. Goodbye, Loki."

"I still do not know your name."

"It's Victoria," I admitted.

"We will meet again, Victoria."

"We'll see."

Things hadn't changed since the last time that I saw Loki. I was still hoping that this would be the last time that I ever saw him. I never needed to see him again. I smiled to myself, moderately amused by the Norse God, as Loki walked toward me. He gave me a long look as he slowly raised his hands and pressed his fingers against my temples. Just like the last time he had done so, I was thrown back to my old world. Much to my surprise, back to myself. It felt like I was completely back to normal.

"Vika!" Bucky shouted. I slowly opened my eyes. "Vika! Are you okay?"

"Give me the case," I said.

Very slowly I uncurled my fingers from around the Space Stone. The others entered the containment chamber. They must have realized that I was back to normal by now. Perhaps the monitors were reading normal levels. Howard slid over the black box that he had originally given me. I placed the piece of the Space Stones down into the case and shut it. Howard handed it off to the scientists, who immediately took it back to containment. Once they were gone, I slowly looked up at my friends, who all looked terrified for me.

"How are you feeling, kid?" Chester asked, pressing a hand up against my forehead.

"Better. Much better," I breathed.

The collective sigh of relief was definitely audible. I smiled at them. I looked down at myself and realized that my skin was still glowing golden very slightly. I attempted to phase very briefly and grinned when I realized that I still could - I could just control it now. That could definitely be a neat new trick. I took Bucky and Steve's hands and let them help me back to my feet. I walked out of the containment chamber and saw, in the reflection, that my eyes were still golden. But I appeared to be mostly back to normal. I let out a deep breath of relief.

"Come here," Bucky said. I stared at him for a moment before throwing my arms over his shoulders and letting him wrap me in a tight hug. The others smiled at us. "You're okay. It's okay."

"Am I hurting you?" I asked worriedly.

"No. Never. You're wonderful," Bucky whispered in my ear.

As we pulled apart, Peggy grabbed my arms. "What happened?" she asked.

Despite wanting to keep it to myself - not wanting to freak them out - I told them everything. Everything from what had happened this morning (leaving out one key detail), to everything I had seen in the Soul World, to what had happened with Loki in Asgard and what had happened with Eternity on Voromir. It was easy to see that they were all quite nervous about what I had told them. I kept a close eye on Bucky as I spoke. I hadn't explicitly mentioned that I would have to kill Bucky to get it, but he was no fool. He would figure it out.

Once I had stopped speaking, Steve stared at me. "So... to get this Soul Stone thing..." he trailed off.

"It extracts a terrible price. Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. It has a certain wisdom. To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power, the stone demands a sacrifice. You must lose that which you love. A soul for a soul," I explained.

"You would have had to kill me?" Bucky asked, obviously getting the point.

He looked terrified. I shifted toward him and shook my head. "I wasn't doing that, Bucky. I would have died before letting that happen," I said honestly.

"What happens now that you haven't taken it? That barrier holds strong?" Bucky asked.

"The Soul Stone will never completely leave my body. It's always going to channel through me. But the barrier that Eternity placed in my mind keeps the stone from overwhelming me," I explained.

"What does it do?" Dum Dum asked.

Far more than I would like to be able to do... "The Soul Stone has the ability to manipulate the soul, the essence that makes up an individual, and has the ability to resurrect and conjure the spiritual representation of the people who are dead. When I was in the pocket dimension from the Soul Stone, I saw both of my birth parents. If I connected to it, I could alter and manipulate all souls," I explained.

They looked shocked to know that was what had happened. Bucky and Steve both looked like they might have wanted to ask me what had happened when I'd spoken to my parents, but I was sure that they both realized that I didn't want to talk about it. I would prefer to keep those conversations to myself. Bucky walked back over to me and threw his arms around my waist. I pressed a hand against his stomach and tightened my grip on his stomach. His arm tightened against my back.

"You gonna be okay?" Gabe asked.

"Yes. As long as the barrier holds, you'll all be safe," I explained.

"What can we do for you?" Steve asked.

"Nothing. It's back to normal for me for now," I said.

"Do you need something to eat?" Howard asked.

"No. But I'm tired. I think I should go to bed. I'm sorry about today," I muttered awkwardly.

Right now, I just wanted to get away from everyone. I was embarrassed and tired. "Don't be sorry. We're just glad that you're alright," Chester said, grabbing my hand for a moment.

"Come on. I'll take you back," Bucky said, tugging me along.

"It's all gonna be okay," Steve whispered.

And I knew that he was telling the truth. Everything would be okay. We would all be fine. I moved forward and gave everyone a hug, being extremely careful. But no one wanted me to be careful. As soon as I touched them, they wrapped me in bear hugs. I was hesitant to actually hug them. I was terrified to touch them and potentially really hurt them. I couldn't handle that. As they pulled away, everyone gave me kisses on the cheeks. They were quite clearly scared of me, but more than anything, they wanted me to be okay.

Bucky slowly walked the two of us back to our bedroom. We didn't speak at all on our way there. It was probably for the best. There was nothing that I had to say to him right now. I could tell that he wanted to speak to me by the way he kept glancing down. But I refused to say anything. I felt terrible about everything that had happened today. I could have ended up accidentally killing them all. I could have killed Bucky. It was honestly mostly luck that I ended up not hurting any of them - save what appeared to be some burns on their hands.

It took the two of us a few minutes to get back to our room. Which was fine by me. I was trying to avoid having to face him about what had happened for as long as possible. Once we had arrived, we walked into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. Neither one of us said anything. We sat in silence for a long while. I pulled my knees up to my chest as Bucky sat on the edge of the bed a few feet away from me. I noticed that he didn't dare try and touch me or speak, even as the minutes ticked by.

Finally, Bucky was the first to speak. "Do you want to talk about it or should we sit in a stony silence for a little longer?"

"Don't you see?" I shouted suddenly, the lights flickering at my shout. Bucky didn't make any move. "Don't you see how fast it can happen? It could be an accident, Bucky, but if I ever lose control again... if that wall in my mind ever comes down..."

"You'll what? Kill me?" Bucky asked, filling in the blanks. I merely stared at him. "What if that's a risk I'm willing to take?"

"What if it's not a risk I'm willing to take?" I asked quietly.

As much as I loved him, I couldn't stand the thought of potentially killing or hurting him. I didn't want to leave him or give up our relationship, but I also couldn't stand possibly hurting him. The two of us stared at each other for a long time before I realized that I was crying. I didn't bother wiping the tears out of my eyes. This entire thing broke my heart. I loved Bucky more than life itself, but as I had just demonstrated today, I could easily end his life. It wasn't something that I was willing to let happen.

"I love you. But I could never live with myself if I hurt you," I said weakly.

Bucky stared at me for a moment. "So, what do you want to do? Call off the wedding?" he asked quietly.

"No. I want to be normal," I said.

"You're not," Bucky said. And I knew that. But I didn't want to be that way. "You're far from it. I trust you, Vika."

"Why?" I asked tearfully.

Bucky gave me a bitter smile. "Because I love you. Because you have never given me a reason not to trust you. Because I know what I mean to you. Because I know everything that you can do terrifies you. But I trust you. I always have. I always will. Look at me," Bucky commanded, pushing my head to meet his eyes. "You know the traditional vows? For better or worse. As long as you'll let me, and even when you don't want me, I'll always be there."

"Promise?" I sobbed.

"I promise. With all my heart and soul," Bucky said.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Anything it takes to be with you, whatever risk there ever might be, it'll be worth it," Bucky said. I smiled at him. His eyebrows quirked teasingly. I arched a brow. "With that wall up in your mind..."

Of course. I should have known that it would come back to this. But I managed to smile, amused by where his mind automatically went. "The Soul Stone has no way of tapping into me. It's blocked from causing any further problems. As long as Eternity's wall holds, the Soul Stone will have no way to pour its energy into my body. Back to normal. For me, at least," I explained.

"Then I can... do this," Bucky said teasingly, pushing me back.

"Yeah. You can do that," I agreed.

Bucky's arms wrapped around my waist and tightened slightly. I merely grinned at him. He was insane. After all of this, he was still with me. I didn't quite understand, but I supposed that it didn't matter. As Bucky pressed me back in the bed, I thought back on the day. Did I somehow make a mistake sealing the Soul Stone off of myself? What had I stopped by cutting off its access? Like Eternity had said, was there a chance that I would live to regret this day? Had I doomed someone else by saving all of my friends?

In the end, I supposed that it didn't matter. We would cross that bridge when we came to it. Maybe there was a chance that the day would never come. That was what I was hoping for. After all, there was no way that I could risk it with Bucky and everyone else. I wasn't planning on killing them, and who knew? If I had taken over the Soul Stone, maybe I would have ended up killing the rest of them anyway. I loved them too much for that to happen. This was the safest thing that I could have possibly done.

But today had been rather interesting. Besides all of the horror that I had faced today, I had also managed to learn the true extent of my powers. It seemed that they were almost limitless. And somehow I had managed to tap into the Soul Stone. It would have been rather fascinating to learn about why my parents had really wanted to kill me. But I couldn't learn that right now. Not without hurting them. Maybe one day I would go to Eternity and began him to teach me, once they had all died, at least. Maybe he would take mercy on me.

In the meantime, the best thing was to have Bucky properly distracting me. That was what I needed right now. I giggled slightly as he rolled me over and pressed me back into the bed. These were the moments that I lived for. These were the moments that I loved more than anything else. The moments where I could forget about everything else that was happening. I might have been powerful enough to level an entire continent and control the dead, but all I wanted at this moment was to be in bed with the love of my life.

A/N: As I said before, I have huge plans for Victoria in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Speaking of, have you guys seen the trailer? It looks awesome! Sorry about the long absence, I'm just lazy and have too many stories going on. Thanks for the follows and favorites! Please review! Until next time -A

.2018: Thank you!

Crazy Devil Girl: I'm so glad that you love the story! In all honesty, I can't wait for the train fall either lol. I'm really excited to write Victoria in that situation and eventually move into the Avengers/Winter Soldier story. Can't say whether or not Victoria will end up in the ice with Steve or not. Either way, you will hear about everything important that happens in Victoria's life either through flashback or by her telling it.

LadyPorterfield: Well hopefully you made it to the end! Thank you! I hope you have enjoyed the story since the beginning!

ChibiJeshka: I can't believe you read the entire story in one sitting. Oh my. But I'm so glad that you're obsessed with it! There are probably only a few chapters left - I'm thinking about six or seven. Who knows? We'll then move into a new story. They should have, but this is the forties and people didn't do stuff like that! Well, they might, but they waited at least to be engaged lol. Since the story is rated T, I can't push things too far lol. Imagination is always a wonderful thing though! Sorry how long it took for the update, but I hope that you enjoyed it!