Chapter 76

The ride back to Vienna had been silent for the most part. Steve had been turned on autopilot as soon as he could and moved to hold her, while Bucky didn't say a single word the entire flight. Zemo had been knocked out for it all, and for that she was grateful. She really didn't want to hear anything else that he had to say.

She'd radioed ahead to Everett Ross, informing him of the situation in that they'd apprehended Zemo. She hadn't gone into specifics. She was sure Zemo would reveal it to them soon enough but it wasn't something she wanted to talk about right now. She didn't want to talk about how close she'd come to death or that she'd feared for her life. She didn't want to talk about the fact that she had accepted that she was going to die as she lay there on the bunker floor with Bucky hovering over her.

When the plane landed, Steve had gone first, shoving Zemo out of the plane. There was media all around them, taking photographs of the true criminal behind the bombing that had occurred. The world watched as Steve handed a detained Helmut Zemo over to the Vienna authorities and Zemo was taken into custody. They watched as Zemo glared at them all, without saying a single word.

She saw Everett approach her and she shot him a smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, with concern. She'd taken off the suit in the jet; it was too damage to keep wearing, and as such, all the bruises and cuts were as visible as day to the rest of the world.

"She needs to have a doctor look her over," Steve said, without giving her a chance to respond. "Please."

She nodded over at him, as she knew his fears about their child were just as prevalent as her own. Just because there was a heartbeat didn't mean that their child was okay.

"Of course," Everett said, as he escorted her into the building. They'd set up a medbay after Bucky had been triggered, and a few doctors had remained on site. She followed him through the building. "In the time that you've been gone, we've managed to verify the footage of Barnes at the bombing site as false. There are several independent sources that can confirm that it wasn't him. And with Broussard being dead by Zemo as he infiltrated his us, Barnes' case should be simple enough. Of course there's going to be slight issues given that he was triggered, but I assume you can handle that."

"I can," she said to him. It wouldn't be easy, especially given the world had seen what had happened when Bucky was triggered. And even if she burnt the red book Zemo had, there were still a handful of HYDRA running around who knew the trigger words that could easily spread it if they so choose. "And Secretary Ross?"

"He was apprehended at the Vienna airport, alongside his men. He's been stripped of his role in the UN and of any responsibilities on the Accords council that he may have held," Everett told her. "The President's not pleased. He wants to strip Ross of his position all together, for disobeying his orders and going against them. Footage of the fight has been leaked and it doesn't look good for them, especially given Lieutenant Colonel's accident. The Air Force is furious at how it happened, especially given there was minimal damage on their side since the Avengers showed restraint. It was excessive force, and they're demanding answers."

She didn't say anything about Rhodey. She hadn't heard from Prince T'Challa yet, and she could only hope that Rhodey was okay in his care and that she'd made the right decision to send him over to Wakanda.

Speaking of which, she'd need to call Pepper and let her know. She felt a pit of guilt form in her stomach; she hadn't even thought to inform her best friend that her boyfriend was off in an African country given the severity of his injuries.

"Ross' actions are being heavily scrutinized," Everett said, without pause. "Especially actions he's committed in the past. And well, it's all coming out now. I wouldn't be surprised if he received a dishonorable discharge from the Military at some point this week."

"I may have some files that could help," she said, "Regarding his actions pertaining to the Hulk. Several of them were straight up illegal, endangered innocents, and involved human experimentation."

"I'll forward them to those investigating," he nodded, "His blatant disregard of enhanced individuals' lives is disconcerting to the public. Especially when more and more enhanced individuals are emerging who just want to lead normal lives. The public isn't happy with him at all."

He stopped then, as they reached the hospital room that had been set up, and he nodded at her. Steve and Bucky had been trailing behind, as they'd been whispering to themselves, in too low of a voice for her to hear.

But as soon as they reached, the two men immediately stopped, as Steve came over to her.

"I'll leave you to it," Everett said, wanting to give them privacy. "I'm going to make sure everything is going smoothly with Zemo's arrest and questioning.

"Thank you," she said, as he walked away.

"I'll wait out here," Bucky told them.

"Bucky," she told him gently. "Whatever happens, it's not your fault. I hope you know that. This was on Zemo."

He didn't say a word, and she sighed, as Steve lead her into the room.

Other than a doctor and nurse inside, she was relieved to see no one was in the room besides them. The room had state of the art equipment brought in, and she assumed it was from performing scans on anyone who'd been hurt.

She'd seen the plans for the new Accords building when it was being built, and knew the room was meant to act as a medbay between missions if anyone was hurt. There were several task forces meant to act out of the facility as well, so it made sense that they wanted a proper medical facility on site.

"What can I do for the two of you?" the doctor said as she came up to them with a smile.

"She's been hurt in a fight," Steve said quickly, "Can you look her over? Please, she's pregnant."

"Of course," the doctor said, as she ushered Toni over to one of the beds. "Do you have any abdominal pain? Any spotting?"

"A bit of soreness, but I mostly feel okay," she said, "The suit's kept me pretty protected. I added in extra protection in that area just in case."

"That's always a good sign," the doctor murmured. She lifted up Toni's shirt to reveal her stomach. The doctor placed the probe on her stomach after rubbing gel over her, as she moved it over her stomach.

Steve's hand slipped into hers, and she knew he was worried about her as they watched the doctor scan over her stomach without saying anything.

"Everything seems to be okay, Mrs Stark-Rogers. Your baby has a heartbeat. I would caution against you going into any conditions involving fights however. I'm sure you know this already, but I must stress it."

"Of course," she said, as she felt relief settle over her. Steve kissed her forehead. "It was unforeseen circumstances. But I fully am pausing my role as Iron Woman until after my pregnancy."

"Is there anything else?" the doctor asked. She was battered still but it was nothing that wouldn't heal with time. She shook her head and the Doctor gave her a nod.

"Thank you," she said, as Steve helped her up. They walked out of the room together, holding hands, and Bucky looked relieved when he saw her. She knew he heard through the walls that she and the baby were both.

"Thank God," Bucky said, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm fine," she told him, and he tightly wrapped his arms around her.

"I thought I'd hurt the baby," he said gruffly. She rubbed his back tenderly. "I would never have forgiven myself if something had happened. I'm so sorry, Toni. I never should have put you in a position where you were at risk. It was a mistake for me to think that I was capable of breaking free from HYDRA and having a normal life."

"Hey," she cut him off, as she pulled away. "It wasn't a mistake. We didn't know. We didn't know that they had any control over you. We just didn't factor that variable in. We need to perform some recalculations, but it's not an impossible formula to solve. You will be free of them. You deserve the chance to have a normal life. And I'll be damned if I let you walk away from the life you deserve because of a mishap."

"A mishap that would have taken a child from you!" Bucky said, furious at himself. "It could have taken you from this world! I could have killed you, Stark. I would have killed you and I wouldn't even have known I was doing it. I wouldn't have been able to have stopped it. How am I supposed to live with myself if that happened? How would I face Steve or Ava knowing I murdered you? What happens next time? Are you going to say it wasn't me? Because this is me. I am a monster. And there's nothing that can change that."

"Bucky," Steve started, "Look, what happened was unfortunate. But you can't live in the what ifs. You can't live in fear of what could happen. You need to focus on what will happen. Toni is okay. Our baby is okay. But you? You're clearly not. Let us help you. Let us get you help and remove the trigger words so you can truly be free. Please?"

"I don't know if I can do that, Stevie," Bucky said, as her phone started to ring. Steve gave her a look, telling her to take it and she frowned at him, but moved to the side to answer the call.

"Mrs Stark-Rogers," she heard Prince T'Challa's voice call out. "I hear you have apprehended the criminal responsible for killing my father. I owe you my thanks."

"He will face the full force of the law for everything he's done," she promised him. "How's Rhodey?"

"He is still in surgery. I suspect it should be done shortly, however I expect it to go well. I have sent the coordinates to your phone for the palace. We do not often invite foreigners into our home, however if we have word of your discretion, I think we can make an exception."

"Thank you," she said, as her phone buzzed. "We'll head out now."

She turned to the two men who were clearly still bickering, "Rhodey's still in surgery but the Prince has given me their coordinates. I think we're wrapped up here for the most part, so I want to head to Wakanda and see how he's doing."

"Of course," Steve nodded. He wrapped an arm around her tenderly, as he gave Bucky a look. The three of them headed off towards the Jet, as she shot of a quick text to Everett, letting him know that they were going to check on Rhodey and to call her if anything was required from her.

As soon as she got into the jet, she punched the coordinates in. She'd never known much of Wakanda, given their need to keep to themselves. However there was clearly more to the country than what met the eye. Their prince was some sort of enhanced, and they had technology to save her brother when the rest of western science wouldn't be able to do anything for him.

Perhaps there was more to the rumours circulating the small country than the rest of the world gave them credit for.


Bucky sat at the end of the quinjet. Steve was piloting and Toni was resting as they flew towards Wakanda. They weren't far out now, and as he looked out the windows, all he could see was the African terrain for miles. If there was a secret palace somewhere, they were doing a damn good job of hiding it.

He glanced over at his best friend's wife and felt a pang of guilt shoot through him once more. He had hurt her. He had nearly killed her. All because some man with a desire for vengeance had said a few words to take Bucky out of his right mind.

He'd nearly killed the woman who'd saved him. Who'd given him a new life.

He wasn't sure how he was ever going to deal with that knowledge going forward.

What if next time he wasn't so fast? What if next time he took a second too long to recover? What if he hurt someone he cared about? Like Steve, or God, even Peter. What if he hurt Ava? He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to handle that if he did.

His hands shook as he took out the phone Toni had given him out of graciousness and began to dial.

"Bucky?" Ava breathed on the other side as her face filled the screen, "I'm so glad to hear from you. Are you okay? What happened?"

"Zemo triggered me," he said, his voice rough, "There were trigger words, Ava. And when he said them, I had no control over what I did or said. He tried to make me kill Toni."

She looked horrified at that, and how could he blame her? He was a monster.

"Oh God," she exclaimed, "Is Toni hurt? What about the baby?"

"They're fine," he said, not wanting to worry her. "Only because I broke through at the last moment. Otherwise…"

"James," she said, and he looked up at her at the sound of his given name, "Are you okay?"

"How can I be okay?" he asked her with a broken laugh, "I nearly killed a woman and her baby. How am I supposed to be okay after that? If things had played out different, she would be gone right now. If I didn't break the conditioning, she would be dead."

"But you did," she said gently.

"This time," he said, "What about next time? What about when the next person asks me to commit a heinous crime? Then what? Pray that I'm able to break through in time?"

"We work on it together," she told him. "Like we treated your PTSD. We didn't have the parameters to break the conditioning then. But we have it now. We can treat you. You just have to trust in us."

"I do trust you," he promised her. "But I don't trust me. I've had these triggers for years and had no idea. What happens if someone gets to me before then? What if they use the words against me? it's not going to be a secret for much longer. The world is going to learn how it was that I was controlled. Which will make everyone around me a target while they try to get to me. I can't have you in risks way because of my own selfishness. I can't have that happen to you, Ava."

"So you're leaving," she said flatly, and he closed his eyes for a moment. Because that was exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to run away. He wanted to hide himself in a hole while he searched for a way to remove the triggers without risking anyone around him. He couldn't put her at risk any longer. He couldn't stand it if something happened to her because of him.

"I have to," he whispered, "I can't be around other people when I know there's something about me that could be used against me. I can't put all of you at risk like that. Ava, please, you need to understand. I need to keep you safe. I need you to be safe."

"No," she shook her head, and he could see the tears falling down her beautiful face. He hated himself so much more for making her cry. "If you really cared about me, you wouldn't leave. You'd stay and we'd figure this out, together. But instead you want to run away from the world and from your problems. Running away never solves anything, James. You need to stay and face your actions. You need to fight to make things better. You need to fight for us. Please."

He couldn't say anything to her then, not wanting to hurt her any more than he already had.

"Ava," he said finally, "I care about you. Since I've come back to the world you've been there by my side through it all. You've given me a reason to fight for my future. But we both know you were never fully in this relationship. I don't blame you, we both said we'd take things slowly and casually, just to see where it went. But you don't love me. You and I both know that. You love him."

"Bruce left," she spat out, "Just like you're leaving now. All of you are nothing more than cowards. You're not willing to fight for what you want. You're not willing to fight for us."

"I'll come back one day," he said, promising her. Because if he ever removed the triggers, he would gladly go back to her and to the group he'd grown to consider family.

"I care about you," he told her. "I do. Ava, I'm asking you to give me time, please. Let me find a way to deal with this, and then I'll come back. But I can't put you at risk until I have a way to deal with it. Just let me try and deal with it, okay?"

"Fine," she said, "Don't expect me to be happy about this, James. Because I'm not. I'm not happy with this or with you. But if this is what you need to do, then I hope you find what you're looking for."

She ended the call then, as Steve warned them to prepare for landing. He closed his eyes, as he slipped his phone back in his pocket.

Why did it feel like he was losing everything?


When they'd approached the barrier, Steve had been unsure, but she could sense something slightly off about it. To the untrained eye, they'd be able to notice nothing, but she wasn't untrained. It was a screen.

She told Steve to go through the treeline and while he looked slightly sceptical, he obeyed. And just like that, they'd landed in the Kingdom of Wakanda.

And a country of poverty it most certainly was not.

"Toni," Prince T'Challa said, as he came out to greet them, "Captain Stark-Rogers."

"Steve's fine," her husband said, giving the young prince a smile.

"Of course," the Prince said, "Allow me to escort you inside. I would offer to take you on a tour, however I'm certain you wish to see your compatriot first."

"Please," she said, with a nod, "How is he doing?"

"He just woke up ten minutes ago," the Prince said. "The surgery was a success. Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes will make a full recovery."

"He's not paralyzed?" she breathed in shock. Because while she was grateful at them for saving his life, she was certain that he'd be facing some sort of lasting issues going forward. Because a fall from that height, well Rhodey was just lucky to be alive after it all.

"The surgeon in charge is one of the best," the Prince said with a smile. "I'd trust her with my own life."

"She must be something special then," Toni smiled back.

The Prince lead them through the palace and she tried to keep her facial expressions neutral. It was large and lavish, but it was also clearly very high tech. And that was something she certainly was interested in digging into further.

He stopped as they approached a chamber, "Your friend is right in here. I shall give you some privacy."

"Thank you, Prince T'Challa," she said, as she smiled at him, "For everything you've done."

"You brought my father's killer to justice," he told her, "I owe you a debt of gratitude. As long as we have your word that our countries secrets shall remain just that, then I am happy to oblige."

She nodded at him, as she slowly made her way into the room.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she heard Pepper's voice say, unsure. She could see Rhodey lying in the bed, talking to her on a phone she'd given him, and he smiled when he saw her.

"I'm fine, Baby," he told her, "I promise. They're saying I'm going to make a full recovery. I'll be able to walk again, as if nothing ever happened. I'm fine."

She heard Pepper sniffling, "Good," she said, "I'm in half a mind to come there now and see you myself."

"The doctors said I'll be discharged later today," Rhodey promised, "I'm coming straight home to you after this."

"I miss you," Pepper said, "God when Toni told me. I was so scared, Jim."

"I know, Pep," he said, taking a deep breath. "But I'm okay now. I promise. Toni's even here now, she can confirm it."

"Toni?" Pepper asked her, as she sat down beside her brother on the bed.

"He's going to be fine," she promised him, "I just talked to the Prince. He assured me that the surgery went well. There's nothing to worry about."

"Good," Pepper said with a soft smile, "I expect both of you back here soon then. Peter misses you all as well, and I just want all of you home, okay?"

"As soon as possible," Rhodey promised her, "I'm coming home to you, okay?"

"Okay," Pepper said with a nod as she hung up the phone.

She ended the call then, and Rhodey turned to her, "I owe you, Tones," he said, and she shook her head. "No, hear me out. I talked to the Princess. She told me that if you'd sent me anywhere else, I wouldn't be able to walk. You saved me."

"I never would have allowed that," she said strongly, "Even if surgery wasn't an option, I would have built you new legs myself. You mean too much to me."

He wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her head into his chest.

"Oh good, you're up," she heard a young voice, and she pulled away to see a young teenager walk into the room as Prince T'Challa followed behind her.

"Shuri, I told you to give them a few minutes," the Prince said, sounding exasperated with her the way Rhodey was often exasperated with Toni.

"Brother, you told me Toni Stark was here and expect me not to meet her?" Princess Shuri said, with an eye roll. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs Stark-Rogers. I've read all your papers. Your technology is remarkable for a white woman."

Toni barked out a laugh, as Prince T'Challa sounded scandalized, "Shuri!" he scolded her.

"No, it's fine," Toni laughed out, "It's nice to meet you, Princess. I suppose you're the one responsible for treating my brother?"

"I am," she said, looking at Toni to see if she'd critique her for her age. It was a look she knew all too well. But Toni wasn't about to do that, not when she was so used to her own critics.

"Then I owe you my thanks," Toni told her with a smile, "For healing him. It means the world to me that you trusted us into your kingdom and that you helped him. I'm assuming Vibranium was the key?"

The Dora Milaje tensed.

"You are as clever as they say," the Princess remarked.

"I had a small sample left to me," she said, nodding at Steve. She'd studied the hell out of shield when she'd had it in her care. And looking around her, well it was hard not to make note of the metal coursing through the walls.

"We trust we can have your discretion on the matter?" the Prince asked her, somewhat hesitantly.

"Of course," Steve said for them both, as she nodded. "After everything, keeping your secret is the least we can do."

"Perhaps then I can use this newfound acquaintanceship to pick your mind then," Princess Shuri said, glancing over at Toni. "There are numerous projects that I would love to get your input on, if you are not too busy of course."

"I always love talking science with people, even Princesses" she grinned, "I do ask however that my son be allowed to join in. He is rather fond of working with me in the lab. He's about your age, and well, he could always use more friends that he can nerd out with."

"I look forward to it, Mrs Stark-Rogers," Princess said, looking gleeful.

"Toni," she corrected the woman.

"Then I must ask you call me Shuri and drop the formalities," the Princess insisted. "May I take you on a tour of the lab? Your brother will need about an hour to rest, but he may leave after that. In that time I can take you around and show you where I work."

"I think it's best I leave now," Bucky said, as all eyes drew onto him. "I am grateful that you allowed me into your home, but I've spent too long here already. I need to head out before anyone traces me here."

"Does Ava know?" Toni said, eyes narrowing onto the man, "That you're planning on running away."

"I spoke to her earlier," Bucky admitted, "I need to leave, Toni. I'm risking all of your lives by staying with you. You have to understand that right? After everything that happened?"

"So your solution is to leave?" Steve asked, upset, "I just got you back, Buck. You can't leave now. Not after everything that's happened."

"I have to, Steve," Bucky looked at them both, "How long do you think it is before another HYDRA operative tries to get to me? Before they try and trigger me again? What if you cannot remove the trigger words before then and something happens? Would you be able to forgive me if I murdered your wife or children? Because I wouldn't. I need to leave; somewhere where HYDRA won't be able to find me."

"They would not be able to find you here," Prince T'Challa said then. "Very few white men have seen Wakanda and lived to tell the tale. We can offer you solace away from the Palace where there will be few prying eyes. I believe between my sister and Mrs Stark-Rogers they can find a cure for you. Then you will not be putting any lives at risk. Would you find that acceptable?"

"Why would you do this for me?" Bucky asked, looking confused.

"If it were not for Mrs Stark-Rogers, I would have tried to have killed you," the Prince said. "You were innocent of your crimes, however. I owe her many thanks for everything she's done for me in the last few days. The least I can do is offer you a sanctuary. Come Sister. We shall wait outside to give them a few minutes to talk. Then you can show Toni around your lab."

Shuri nodded at them as she followed her brother out of the room.

"I don't like the idea of you being here by yourself," Steve said after a moment.

"It's safer for everyone if I'm on my own," Bucky said.

"It was supposed to be you and I til the end of the line," Steve whispered, "When did that change?"

"We always will be til the end of the line. But it's not just you and I anymore, is it, Stevie? You grew up and got yourself a wife and two kids."

Rhodey shot her a glance at the mention of a second kid and she smiled sheepishly at him.

"You need to be there with her. Besides, you could come visit me at any time. But I won't take you away from your family. Not when I know how much it hurt for you to grow up without a father. I won't do that to you. Or to them."

Steve looked at her, wanting to know what she thought, "I think you need to do what's right for you, Bucky. You haven't had the freedom to make a lot of personal choices in your life. If you think the right thing for you is to stay here and to heal then we get it. But I want you to know that you always have a home at the Tower, with us. That will not change."

"I know," Bucky said, giving her a nod, "Now go on your tour with that young super-genius. She seemed awfully excited to have you around."

"And you?" she asked him.

"I'll stay with Steve. I'm sure we have some stuff to talk about. Let's give Rhodes a chance to rest, shall we?" Bucky said, gesturing to her friend.

She kissed Rhodey on the forehead, "I'll be back, okay?"

He smiled at her, as she left the room to join Shuri. She couldn't help but feel as if there was an aching feeling in her stomach. They'd won against Zemo. He was imprisoned and he wasn't going anywhere. And yet, he'd managed in dividing up the Avengers. Rhodey was hurt, Bucky was running away. Ava was heartbroken again. Steve had looked like he hated chosing between her and his best friend. And she'd almost lost her baby.

No matter how hard she tried to remind herself that it was over, she wasn't all that sure the cost of their victory was worth it. Not when so many of her family members got hurt in the process.