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 13
Natasha quietly watched as Helen Cho and two other surgeons battled to save Martine. Her heart had stopped at one point, and they were doing everything they could to save her.
Clint quietly joined her.
"Adrian's not doing good. Neither is Bucky. T'Challa's heading this way now," he said grimly. Natasha nodded.
"I should have covered her back, Clint."
"Nat, this isn't your fault completely. We all had a say. None of us saw the bullets coming."
"But I was near her when it happened." She looks up at him. "I was fighting next to her. I should have seen the agent, I know I should've. She was so busy running off that she didn't. God, it was her first mission...and now she's fighting for her life."
Clint looks down at her, seeing how emotional she was getting, before pulling her into his side. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Nat let herself cry. Not hard, but she could feel tears slipping down her cheeks.
And then she heard them again.
"Her heart stopped again. Get the defibrillator!"
They come over and shock her back to life, while Natasha looks away. This was too painful to watch.
She heads outside with Clint, closing the door behind her. She saw some of the others waiting out there. Tony was with Pepper, and when he looked up and saw the two of them he came over.
"How's she doing?"
"They just had to bring her back again," Natasha says quietly.
"Shit,"' Tony mutters. "Poor girl." He looks at the two of them and then sighs. "Know what's funny? She actually got the books before she got shot. She fulfilled her mission."
"Not all of them," Wanda states, coming over. "Adrian told me she didn't get all of them. There must be more that they are hiding, and now that they know we know about them-"
"They're bound to hide them even more," Natasha finishes, looking at the operating room. "For the sake of everyone else I really hope she lives."
She looks down at the ground as Clint looks at Tony. "Any tabs on Bucky?"
"I heard that he's starting to wear down. He's not screaming or yelling anymore. They've restrained his arm so he can't get up. I think he just gave up and sank in...And it's good he's in there. If he saw Martine being dead and being brought back to life, he would be even more unstable than he is right now. It would break him."
"It would cause him to kill everyone in sight. Bucky needs time to calm down," Scott said quietly. They sat down again and saw Steve come in with a pale Adrian.
Jeannette, Beatrice and Jax were with him. They were talking comfortingly, all of them hoping that Martine would get better.
Natasha hoped she did, for Adrian and Bucky's sake, as well as for the Avengers.
They needed Martine. She was their last hope.
Martine woke up to see that she was wearing a black dress with a dark purple shawl that had red roses on it. She walked around wearily, confused, and then saw Agatha up ahead.
"Grandmama!" she cried overjoyed. The young woman raced over to hug her grandmother, who happily hugged her back then tightly and kissed her forehead.
"My petite - fille - bien - aimee," Agatha whispered lovingly as she stroked Martine's deep silky blonde hair.
"Grandmama, I've missed you so much, and so has Adrian, Jeannette, Beatrice and Jax," Martine sobbed heavily.
"I know you have, ma petite," she whispers. "I could see, and it would break my heart. But you must know I'm somewhere better now. Somewhere safe. I'm not gone."
"I know..." Martine looks around, seeing nothing now but a green field. Lilies were there. "Where are we?"
"Sweetie, you're in purgatory."
"I'm...dead?" she whispers.
"No. Not yet," Grandmama says quietly. "I've come from above to give you a choice, my dear. You were hurt pretty badly, and the blood was bad, but I'm going to give you two options."
Martine looks at her quietly before nodding, and Agatha takes her hands.
"You can come with me to the other side and let your body die, or you can go back. You have time." Martine looks down at the ground before looking away.
She didn't know.
Agatha brings her towards a lake in the field, showing her the reflection. "I think you should return."
"Why?"
"Because there are so many people who care about you. My time may be up, but yours isn't." She nods at the reflection, and Martine looks to see everyone she had become close to.
Wanda was comforting a crying Adrian. Her friends from New Orleans were praying she would be okay. Natasha and Clint were close together, both looking worried. Even Steve and Tony were solemn, though they were trying to keep a tough face.
And Bucky...oh, Bucky...
She saw only fragments of him. He was locked away, binded with metal, as if he was restrained. He was staring blankly at the ground, his head hanging. Martine takes a few steps back and looks away.
All her friends...
"I have to go back," she says so quietly, as if no one could hear her, but her voice echoed for miles.
"I know," Agatha says softly to her before placing her hands on her shoulders. "And you will do fantastic things, my dear. And don't be afraid. Fear will be in your life, but you just need to face it head on, you hear me?"
Martine nods, tears slipping from her eyes. "I love you so much, grandmama."
"I love you too, amoureux. Tell the others I am okay, and I'm watching over them." She leans close, and then kisses Martine's forehead. When this happens, Martine closes her eyes, sinking into blackness.
Her grandmother was safe. And she would be too.
Martine gasped as she woke up, her eyes squinting as light invaded her vision. The distant sound of an IV and heartbeat machine made her look around. She was in the hospital room. She was back.
Hesitantly, she lifts up her nightgown to see the damage and cringes. Fuck, the stitching looked so gross. Skin was still being healed, and there were green and blue bruises all along her stomach.
That just didn't look cute.
"Gross," she mutters before sitting up. At that moment the door opens, and she looks up to see Adrian. He gets one glance at her, seeing she was awake, and then runs over as fast as he could.
"Oh Jesus Christ! Thank god!" Adrian sobbed heavily. Martine hugged him tightly, as her brother sobbed in relief at seeing her alive and well.
"I'm ok, Adrian. See? I'm ok," Martine said reassuringly. Adrian smiled as he called the others to come in then, which they did. Their faces lit up, and one by one they all hugged her tightly.
"Damn, Witchy. We thought we were gonna lose you for a minute," Tony said, relieved as he hugged her tightly.
"I'm ok, somehow. Where's Bucky?" she asked concerned. Thaddeus Ross entered the room then calmly.
"He is being detained for everyone's protection," Thaddeus said coldly as everyone stared in disbelief.
"Well I'm fine now. Can I see him?" Martine asked calmly.
"We're afraid that's not the smart decision right now."
"Are you kidding? I'm alive, and breathing. Let me see him!"
"Barnes is being locked right now. It's not smart to-"
"Oh, fuck this shit." She disconnects the IV from her arm and then stands, before nearly falling. Her legs felt like jelly had been put there instead of skin and muscle. "How long have I been out?"
"A month, sis."
Jesus, she had been in a coma for a month? How does that even happen? "Whatever. Adrian, take me to Bucky. Please."
Adrian doesn't even think. He wraps an arm around her and brings her towards the door. Ross glares at her. "This isn't smart, boy." Adrian glares right back.
"Go suck a cock." And then he leaves with Martine, who was clinging to him.
She was nervous to see Bucky. If it had really been a month since anyone had seen her alive, then she was sure that he wasn't doing so well. And she wouldn't allow him to be detained. There was no way in hell. Even if she was just in a hospital gown, she would see him.
Adrian takes her below the surface to a holding facility, and the sight of it makes Martine want to hurl. Bucky had been in this place for a month?
Jesus Christ.
He takes her towards a heavily guarded jail, and they instantly step in front of the window to stop her from seeing what was happening. But the fuckers forgot she had ears too.
And he was screaming in pain. Bucky was being hurt.
"STOP IT!" she yells before pushing one away. They aim their guns at her but an overwhelming amount of energy emerged from her body, and knocked all four of the guards onto the floor painfully. Adrian raises an eyebrow.
"Damn. Already back at it."
"Help me open the door."
He nods, and Adrian grabs the key from one of the guards to unlock the heavy door. Once it was, both of them pull it open, and Martine gets a sudden glance at what was happening.
Bucky was strapped to the wall, shirtless, being beaten to shit by the guards. He must have acted out. She got to see one whip and then she snapped.
"YOU BASTARDS!"
Her power overwhelms the room and the three men who were beating him went flying into the walls, hard that it made a significant crack in the concrete. She heard broken bones. Good.
She runs over to Bucky, taking his face in her hands. "Bucky? Hey, are you there? C'mon, don't go," she whispers. "Speak to me."
Bucky's eyes darkened for a minute. She could see the Winter Soldier coming out, but he remained calm and simply stared at her a while longer.
And then he spoke.
"Martine?" he asked quietly. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she cupped his face tenderly in her hands. He was shirtless, and his chest was covered in bruises and cuts.
"I'm here, James. I'm here. See? I'm alright, and me and Adrian are getting you out of here," Martine said firmly. She helped him up, and he leaned on her heavily.
Adrian walked over to him and helped her support his weight, as they began walking back to the medical bay. Steve caught sight of them, and then froze.
His face darkened at the sight of Bucky, who was black and blue with bruises and cuts on his back and torso.
"Bucky, who the hell did this to you?!" Steve said enraged, as he helped his best friend sit down on a hospital bed.
"Why don't you ask Ross?!" Martine hissed bitterly, as she began bathing his cuts, when Helen hurried over to help.
Bucky suddenly lashes out at the woman who was trying to help, and Martine held back his arm, turning his face to her. He was unstable. He really was. But she could still see Bucky. He was in there.
"Why did he do that?" Helen whispers in shock.
Martine shook her head and looks at Bucky again. He looks up at her, his eyes tired but feral. Dangerous and hard but soft. He was just one big contradiction.
Her hand cups his face and she feels the tension leave his body. She knew why now.
"He only wants me to touch him," she says quietly before nodding at Helen. "Just give me the supplies. I know what to do." The woman nods, not even going to fight, and then Martine gets to work.
"How could you let something like this happen to him?" Steve snaps at Ross. "That man has been through enough pain and torture to last a lifetime! He didn't need more guards beating the shit out of him!"
Everyone in the room actually cringes. It was weird and unusual to see Steve curse. He only did it when he was mad. And right now, the super soldier was fuming with anger.
"Barnes was unstable and he would fight against the guards. We needed to suppress him."
"That didn't mean you had to beat the living SHIT out of him!" Martine snaps from where she was working. "Don't you realize that torturing him like this brings him back to what he was before? You're making him worse!"
"We did what we had to in order to protect ourselves, Mrs. Laveau," Ross said coldly. Martine began losing her temper, causing the sky outside to get dark and the floor began to shake.
"By beating him? By electrocuting and whipping him like the bastards in HYDRA did to him? You say you're not like HYDRA, but I think you're worse. Bucky didn't do anything to deserve getting beaten like some animal! Neither did Dr. Banner but you wanted to make his life a living hell!" Martine snapped enraged.
She knew that the Home Secretary didn't like her. He didn't really like any of the Avengers. Thought they were freaks.
"You sanctioned scientists to perform horrific experiments on superheroes regardless of whose side they were on. You tested on my brother, tortured him and then tortured his best friend and killed him. You and anyone who did that are no better than the Nazis who did that to innocent people. Magneto was right when he said there would be a mutant holocaust, because of people like you, Audrey Eastman, Christine Everhart and Jemma Simmons being paranoid and cruel. I don't want to see your fucking face. Now get the hell out of here," Martine growled dangerously, as her eyes flashed dark purple.
Everyone stared at her in shock.
Thaddeus Ross glared at her before storming out of the room, and everyone stared at her in admiration.
Clint whistled.
"Damn, Martine," he states, causing her to look over. "I didn't think you had it in you."
"Yeah, well I do. I hate him." She turns to where Bucky was and brushes away his hair, seeing the cuts on his forehead. "For now on, he stays with me. He's not getting out away, no matter how unstable he is. It's better than being tortured like some evil man."
No one even bother to fight with her. Bucky was calm under her touch, and as long as she was here, he would be okay.
She runs a hand through his hair before sighing.
What had she gotten herself into?
Another month had passed for her recovery, as well as for Bucky. Wherever she went, he did too. It took her nearly a week to convince him not to go to the bathroom with her (hey, she liked her privacy too) but everywhere else he was near her.
She had healed well. Of course there were scars on her chest that would be there forever, but it didn't really mean much to her anymore. Scars were just something they all had to deal with.
Bucky, on the other hand, hadn't been who he was. What happened to her really affected him badly. He didn't smile as big as he used to around her, wasn't as intimate, but he still held her hand, and the two of them slept together on a daily basis, both happy that the other is okay. She could still see Bucky, he was just trying hard to bring him back.
But his protectiveness had gone to a whole new level. She would see the smile he would give her, the little jokes, the sweet silences, but when someone-anyone-came near her he was instantly defensive. He had growled at plenty of guards who came near her to check how she was doing. She had to calm him down.
One morning, both of them were asleep, her wrapped up in his arms like she usually was, and someone entered the room. The person came over to where Martine was, but before they could even touch her, Bucky had pulled a gun out from under the pillow. Turns out it was just Wanda.
But hell if he slept with one eye open.
"Jesus, B-"
Martine wakes up and sees what was going on, before she calmly touches his arm. "She's not a threat. Calm down." He nods and lowers the weapon. Martine sighs before looking at Wanda. "What is it?"
"There's something on the news that you might wanna see," Wanda says nervously. Martine raises an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"Just turn on the TV."
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