Summary: A year after the civil war, the Avengers are still divided with friendships broken and loyalties torn when they are sent to find a powerful young woman whose life has been destroyed by HYDRA. While Bucky seeks redemption, Martine seeks to get revenge on the people who murdered her grandmother. Co – Written with WalkingPotterGirl14. Bucky/OC, Wanda/OC, Clint/Natasha and Steve/Sharon. Rated M.
Divided We Fall
Chapter 12
Bucky looked at her then. Martine did really care about him, and it wasn't pity that she was showing him. He smiles and tucked into his meal.
The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while as they ate their food, before finishing up.
They heard crickets in the distance and Martine laid down on the soft grass for a bit. She looked at Bucky, who was laying down next to her silently.
She took his hand and he held it tightly.
He pulls her into his side and she willingly comes, letting her head rest on his shoulder, near the crook of his neck. To anyone else they just looked like two people resting together. But to them it felt real for some reason.
"I don't know how I got lucky enough," she chuckles, looking at his hand. "To end up with a friend like you."
Bucky snorts, shaking his head. "I'm the one that should be lucky." He looks down at her, finally feeling her at peace, and then nudges her side. "C'mon. We gotta get back. Get some rest."
She smiles and nods. He stands and then helps her up, holding her hand, and the two of them head towards the hotel in a peaceful silence. Something was right in the air. At least for now.
The next day, everyone was up early, and planning on heading to the HYDRA base, all silent as bugs and ready to fly in and take back those books. Martine made sure she was well-fed and her energy was up. She needed to be as awake as possible.
They had their plan, and hopefully it went well. Hopefully.
But first...it was funeral time. And Martine could be ready for the mission all she wanted...but nothing was going to prepare her for this.
She had dressed up a bit for it. Her hair was left hanging, and she had placed on a black lace dress she had brought with her. As well as the black low high heels. Black clothes were funeral type clothes.
She just wished she had something a bit better.
"Bucky?" She asks softly. He had stayed in her hotel room for the night, and was with her this morning.
"What's up, doll?"
"Do you have a black jacket or something I can wear?" He looks up with a raised eyebrow.
"It'll be a bit too big on you," he chuckles quietly. She shrugs.
"I just want to cover up a bit more, you know? It's a funeral," she says softly. He nods and then comes over, coming up behind her and placing the jacket around her. She sighs. "I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye," she whispers.
"I don't think you should be. Your grandmother wasn't ready to die but was murdered in cold blood, just to get to you and Adrian...but at least you can get closure," Bucky said quietly, a bit comfortingly.
Martine nodded before looking down at her clothes. She needed something different.
Then she moves quickly, changing into another outfit, and nods. Martine smoothed down the black lace dress that she was wearing to the funeral, and put on a pair of black low heels and black tights.
Once they were both ready, they headed down to the reception area, where Adrian and the others were waiting for them.
Adrian hugged her tightly and she held him back. They all quietly walked outside with Bucky and Wanda at their sides, along with the others.
Agatha was to be buried at Lafayette Cemetery next to her husband and son, who were both buried next to each other. They got into a black limousine, and saw Beatrice, Jax and Jeannette were in the limo with them.
Martine hugged them tightly before silence echoed in the car. After a few minutes, they reached the cemetery, and got out of the limo. All of them went into the church to pay their respects, as Martine held Bucky's hand tightly.
Adrian held Wanda's hand as well, trying to keep a grip on his emotions. They sat down in the front pew and saw Carla sitting in the next row opposite them, with Audrey and Christine Everhart.
Martine glares angrily; feeling her rage rise, but then Bucky squeezes her side, causing her to relax. But slightly. And then he leans down to her ear. "They ain't worth it, doll."
She nods her head, and they sit down, listening to the priest start the mass.
It was a nice ceremony. The priest knew what he was doing and there were plenty of tears and crying. But nothing brought more tears and tension than the speech that Martine gave.
She went up the podium, looking down at the paper shaking in her hands, before looking at everyone. Here went nothing.
"When I was younger, my grandmother used to sing a song to me in French. When I got older, she would always sing the same song, and then she started to teach me French. Every day I would learn something new and practice it. French helped me get through my mother leaving." She glares at Carla. "French helped me get through my father dying. French helped me get through my brother being away for as long as he was." Adrian looks down at the ground. Wanda rubs his back. "But French could never help me get through this."
She wipes the tears from her eyes and then continues.
"When I found her dead, I felt my world stop. My grandmother had been the one thing in my life that was constant, something that didn't change. She always loved me for who I am, accepted me for my powers, and would always be there for me in my times of needs. When two people are close, there's always this sort of invisible pull between the two, a rope. Now when I pull that rope, its limp. There's no one there. And it hurts like hell...but I guess I have to somehow get through it. Because it's done. She's gone. And there's nothing I can do."
She takes a shaky breath and then looks at everyone, trying to control her sadness.
"I know that wherever she is right now is much safer than here. She was an amazing woman, sweet and kind, and anyone that says anything different is a liar. And I know it's selfish, but I'd give anything to see her again, to just say goodbye. I wish I could, but I can't. I know this ain't a goodbye. This is a see you later, and it's a sucky one, but it's just something that we need to accept, one step at a time. Rest in peace, grandmama. Je t'aime."
She places a hand on her casket before walking back to her pew. Instantly, Bucky's arms are around her, and she lays her head against his chest, tears dripping onto her dress.
Afterward they head out to the cemetery, lower her into the ground, and then all of them go to leave. They would start the plan in an hour. A little bit of time. Martine and Adrian said goodbye to Jeannette, Jax and Beatrice, and then Adrian leaves with Wanda to get ready.
Martine looks down at her grandmother's grave, before seeing a few flowers grow around the tombstone. White lilies. She must have made them appear subconsciously. Fun.
She sighs as she feels Bucky grab her hand. He was getting more and more comfortable around the others, and with her. "You okay?" he asks her. She bites her lip and nods.
"I gotta be." She squeezes his hand before nodding towards the sidewalk. "I have to protect my people. She's somewhere better now. I wanna make this better than it has to be, even if not perfect."
Bucky smiles a bit at her optimistic attitude, before seeing Carla talking to the reporters. She heard him let out a low growl and she chuckles, shaking her head.
"Doesn't matter, right?"
"They're gonna say bad shit about you."
"I don't care. Say what they want. I know what's true. Now let's go." Bucky looks at her quietly before nodding, and then they went to go suit up for their mission.
Grieving was done for. Now it was time to save the city.
Wanda and Martine looked at the HYDRA base later on, both of them ready to go. They their comms on their ears and Fury's words going through them. The two nod, and then take off as quiet as they could. Two guards stood at the back entrance.
Wanda controlled one with her mind and knocked out the other with their gun, before knocking himself out. She nods, and then the two race inside, staying quiet. The two head in, hiding behind boxes, hearing some talk.
"They're talking in French again," Wanda states quietly.
"I know...books...key...lock...they're locked in a safe. The books. Someone has the key." Wanda nods. Thank God, Martine could speak French. They would get nowhere if she couldn't.
They wait for the HYDRA officials to pass before heading towards the center of the base. Three guards saw them, but Martine easily uses her power to knock them out, and then slam the other two onto the ground. After that, they keep walking.
Jesus, it was so fucking dark. Martine hated it when it was so dark like this. She could barely see anything. So she made sure her hands were glowing a bit so she could get by.
The two hide behind another pair of boxes as more soldiers head by. Martine's comm buzzes. "You two in there?" Fury asked quietly.
"Yeah. Found out the books are in a safe. We're gonna head deeper into the area to try and find them. We'll get back to you when we do."
"Okay. Stay safe. We're on the outside if you need us."
"No problem, chief. Out." She hangs up and then looks at Wanda. "All these guards are coming from the same place. We follow them, we get to the books. I'm sure of it." Wanda nods, and then the two head to where the guards had come from.
It was like a game of hide and seek. When more guards came, they'd hide, and when they left, they'd go, each and every time. Once they reach the end of the warehouse, deep near the sea, she sees four guards protecting a door made of titanium. Wanda and Marine exchange a look.
"Mind-control?"
"Yup."
The two focus on two of the guards. One tells the other, through Martine, that the master was calling for them, and they leave. Once they were gone, Wanda uses hers to drag the other way, saying he was pissed for something. Either way, they were gone, which gave them leeway.
They run towards the door and try to open it, but it won't budge. Shit, those guys probably had the key.
"Keep an eye out," Martine says to her quietly. Wanda nods, looking towards the corridor. Martine focuses on the door, and then after a few moments of hard concentration and plenty of heat coming from her fingertips, the door pops open. Nice. She was getting better.
The two walk inside quickly, seeing the safe on the other side of the room. Martine nearly raced towards it, but Wanda holds her back. Martine looks at her like she was crazy, but Wanda only flips a coin from her pocket, and the answer was given.
Red holds exerted from all points in the room. Damn lasers.
"Shit." Martine rubs a hand against her face before looking around the room. She focuses on one of the lasers with her eyes and it explodes. The laser going off there causes the others to slowly turn off. It looks like it was a domino effect. Slowly all of them were gone, and once they were the two of them race off towards the safe.
Wanda looks at the safe as Martine opens it with her hands, the door popping open with her heated hands. There they were, the books her father and grandfather had died looking for. Everything they had put their lives into trying to find, and lost them. They were right there in front of them.
"I can't believe it," Martine whispers, picking them up. "We found them."
Wanda smiles as Martine takes them out, and counts them. And then did a second look. Not all of them were here. Some were missing.
"Shit...shit, shit, shit..." she curses.
"What?"
"Not all of them are here. Some of the books are still missing!" she says, tears threatening to fall. "Those fuckers are hiding some!"
"HEY!" a guard screams.
Wanda quickly turns around and places a force field up, bullets soaring towards them. Martine instantly gets on the comm, calling out to the others. "We need backup! Now!"
She hangs up as Wanda lets out a huge wave of energy and sends all of them backwards, but more guards kept coming. Martine looks at the window in the room, breaking it quickly with her powers, and jumped out with Wanda, the books in her hands.
Or at least the ones she found.
They race towards the front, guards running after them. One came in front of her, but Martine quickly puts her training to work and kicks the man upside the hide, before hitting him in the side, and then punching him in the neck. He falls to the ground, and she keeps running forward.
Wanda and Martine fight off more with their powers, but there were too damn many. They were being herded back inside, until a giant metal body came out of nowhere and swept two of them off into the bay.
"Won't let you die, Witchy."
Tony. Damn it, Stark.
The other Avengers come in too, fighting them quickly, until Martine could see Bucky. He beat down on the officers before slamming his head into a nearby radiator. Blood splatters, but she couldn't care less. All these people could die for attacking them.
He looks up and she smiles, running towards him to hand off the books and fight together, until there was suddenly a searing pain in her back, and she fell down to the ground, blood splattering out in front of her.
Her knees hit the ground first, and everyone's screams and shouts became blurred, until Martine looks down at her chest.
Three bullet holes. Straight through her skin.
She looked up, seeing the shocked and horrified faces of others, and then falls to the ground, as if in slow motion. One word leaves her lips, not even formed.
"James..." And then everything faded to black, an empty abyss.
Bucky watched as Martine collapsed on the floor, her back covered in blood. He saw the bullets wounds through her top, clear as day, as she laid on the ground limply.
Wanda and Adrian ran over with Natasha and Clint. Bucky's vision had started to turn red. He grabbed the fucker who had shot Martine and stabbed him in the throat. Multiple times. Blood spattered everywhere.
He then shot two more, and raced over to where Martine was. She was bleeding out over the concrete flooring, and her skin had turned ashen pale. He pulled her on his lap.
"Martine stay with me, please," he urged.
Bucky swallowed as he put pressure on the bullets wounds, seeing his hands getting covered in her blood. He saw Adrian run over to her, along with Wanda and Sam.
"We need to get her to Cho. She's bleeding out like hell!" Sam instructed. Bucky nodded as he picked her up in his arms, and cupped her cheek tenderly.
"Stay with me, Martine...stay with me, doll," Bucky whispered pleadingly. He carried her to the quinjet, where he placed her in the care of Sam.
Martine looked pale as a sheet. Her corset was drenched in the blood, and had bullet holes from where the bullets had exited her body. He looked at Sam.
"Please don't...let her die," Bucky said quietly.
"I ain't gonna," Sam says quietly to him before closing the jet, and then he took off. Bucky watched it go before suddenly ringing was happening in his ears, everything inside him snapped.
Martine could die.
He turns around and stabs the first fucker that was near him in the neck again, and then grabbed his gun. Like a crazed man, he fired off shots one by one, hitting multiple HYDRA soldiers, screaming and yelling. The others could think he was crazy all they wanted.
But he was mad. He was fucking angry. He was more than just that. All he wanted was to murder all these fucks. Fuck morals. He was Winter Solider, and he didn't do fucking morals.
Before he could shoot anyone else, too people come behind him, restraining him. He yells out, trying to break free, the grip was strong. It had to be Steve and Tony. Those fuckers.
"Let ME GO!" He screams, thrashing around. "FUCKING LET ME GO!"
"He's unstable," Fury announces to Steve. "After seeing Martine die like that."
"SHE'S NOT DEAD, YOU FUC-"
Steve shakes his head and looks at Fury. "Where do we take him?"
"The base. It's where she would be. And where he's going to be held. We can't have him walking around while she's in there. And if she dies-"
"SHE'S NOT-" Bucky kicks out at him but Steve and Tony pull him back.
They bring him to the back of a jet, locking the door before he could get out, and Bucky screams. He didn't fucking care if he was unstable or not. He just couldn't get the image of her getting shot out of his head. He punched at the floor, hard, but he wasn't getting out. The floor was made of metal, just like his arm. He was fucking trapped. So he kept punching and punching, his anger and insanity never leaving his body.
It was hours later when Steve found Adrian outside the base, smoking a cigarette. They had come back to base a little while before, and they had taken Bucky to a special holding cell where he was restrained. Steve didn't like seeing his best friend restrained like that.
But right now? It honestly was for the better?
"She in surgery?" He asks Adrian.
The man nods. "Yup. Doctors say they don't know if she will live or not. Isn't that just fantastic?" Adrian mutters to Steve. "She's gonna be in there for hours. And then there's the chance my little sister might die. Isn't that just fucking dandy?"
Steve had no idea what to say to that question. Adrian had lost his grandfather three years ago, then his father had been killed last year, and then Agatha had been murdered four months ago in cold blood by HYDRA.
Now his little sister and remaining family member was fighting for her life in the operating room.
Wanda quietly came out then with two cups of coffee. They gratefully took them. As they drank, she swallowed.
"Me, Natasha, Clint and Pepper donated some blood for Martine...she's lost a lot of blood. They're now stitching her up...we're still not sure," Wanda said quietly.
Adrian buried his face in his hands and sobbed quietly. Steve and Wanda exchanged sorrowful glances.
Both of them wouldn't blame Adrian if he went on a rampage and killed everyone in sight that was linked to HYDRA.
Will Martine live? Wait to find out. Enjoy and review :)