An unspecified amount of time later…

Location: unknown castle, Germany, Earth

The sound of the sea, the early morning wind. He got used to this.

Every morning Baron Helmut Zemo would overlook this scenery from the top of his castle balcony, the beautiful sparkling blue ocean, the birds flying across the horizon. In his opinion the sight never got old, it remained beautiful and awe inspiring as he drank his cup of coffee every morning.

An odd sound then filled the air as the Baron turned around and saw gateway appear behind him, as a figure stepped through it. The early morning sun cast its rays as Weiss Schnee suddenly appeared on the balcony, a bundle clutched in her hands.

Zemo looked at the sudden emergence of the woman with a complete lack of surprise, instead answering with a polite "ah miss Schnee, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?"

Weiss always found the man's accent kind of interesting. Apparently the people of this world all lived so far apart that they developed different manners of speaking, which intrigued her slightly.

"Good morning Helmut, I see you are doing well" Weiss said as she stepped forward.

The brown haired man of noble status simply shrugged as he took a sip of his coffee "what can I say. The perks of being a member of the Collective, they helped me get back this old estate that once belonged to my family, using it as a place for me to get the rest and healing I need" he spoke.

"So I heard. The last big fight you had with the Collective left you pretty injured, so much so that our Lord Titan put you out of commission for a while" Weiss said.

"Well…I still do intelligence gathering, a small way to do my part. But enough about me, what brings you here?" he asked again.

Weiss didn't immediately respond, she held her head up high but Zemo could easily see that something was bothering her. Without saying a word Weiss just moved the bundle in her hands forward, unwrapping the blanket slightly.

In it was a baby girl, with cold blue eyes just like Weiss, but her small hair a seeming mix between light blonde and white, almost platinum colored.

"What a beautiful child," Zemo noted before turning to Weiss "yours?"

Weiss silently nodded.

"What is this about?" Zemo asked, placing his cup on a nearby table.

Weiss took in a deep breath before speaking "I need your help Helmut. My duties to the Collective are becoming overwhelming, and I realize we may make a lot of enemies and…I can't…I can't take care of her like this anymore."

Weiss started to slightly whimper as she said this "it's just not safe and…I need someone I can trust and…you used to be a father, I figure you know what to do."

Zemo raised his eyebrow, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"So you want me to take care of her?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Which Weiss confirmed by nodding silently.

"And her father…is he not in the picture?" Zemo asked.

Weiss shook her head "it's….complicated. I'm trying to find him but my duties are keeping me occupied. He doesn't even know about her."

"I see" Zemo simply responded.

The Baron looked at the young woman, who looked like she was second away from crying out loud. Here in a desperate moment, trying to keep her only child safe. It reminded Zemo of his wife's final moments, doing everything to protect their son at all costs.

He knew working for the Collective took its toll, as his injuries made evidently clear as he had been recovering and taking it easy in this castle for close to a year now.

"I wouldn't be here if I had any other choice…and I am truly sorry for asking this of you Helmut…but I have no one else to turn too and…I am desperate" Weiss admitted.

With that Zemo had all the confirmation he needed, and he knew what he had to do. Extending both his hands he took the baby out of Weiss' arms and held it gently.

"I will take care of her. She will be safe here."

Weiss moved forward and embraced Zemo in a hug, the Baron returning the favor by returning the hug with one hand.

"Thank you Helmut…thank you so much" she whispered as she pulled away. Giving one last look at her daughter, softly kissing her forehead and stroking her cheek "mommy loves you, and she always will."

With that Weiss solemnly turned around, preparing to walk back to the gateway.

"One more thing young Miss Schnee? What is her name?" Zemo asked.

Weiss stopped in her tracks and turned her head towards the Baron, answering in an affectionate tone.

"Kara."

And with that, she turned around, tears streaming down her face as she returned to the gateway, to her own world and her duties, leaving young Kara behind in the hands of a good friend.