A/N: If you don't like the character's, plot or pairings, then don't read.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Captain America, only my character/s
WORD COUNT: 2, 264
Chapter 7:
Making Headway
The Avengers and Seph watched intently as the frost that had enveloped the glass container started to evaporate and slowly become water.
"Sir, I have visual on Mr. Drake." JARVIS spoke through the silence.
"Tell me what you see, buddy." Tony answered, his eyes transfixed on the frosted glass.
"Mr. Drake has incapacitated the prisoners, by exposing them to subfreezing temperatures. It seems he is waiting for the glass to thaw. The mechanisms have frozen over."
"Okay JARVIS, start up the heaters. Start slow and gradually turn up the heat."
"Yes, sir."
Tony looked toward Seph, "is he going to be okay in there? I mean, it's probably just as freezing as that iceberg was that Steve was in. No offence, Cap."
"Taken." Steve quipped. "Maybe you'd like to know the experience."
"Verbal threat!" Tony grinned, happy that he was successfully baiting the stoic soldier.
"Yes. He'll be okay. His mutation gives him immunity over sub-freezing temperatures." Seph said, rubbing her hands over arms. She could feel the cold from the container and she shivered. She got cold way too easily.
Steve, without thinking, wrapped his arms tighter around her shivering form and pulled her closer to his warm chest, rubbing his hands over her upper arms. "Better?" He asked, looking down at his date. Seph looked up and smiled kindly.
"Yes, thank you." Seph leaned into his warm chest, her head resting over his left breast, closing her eyes for a moment, just appreciating the feeling of his body and the undeniable warmth that he produced and the rhythm of his strong, steady heartbeat that calmed her. Steve smiled, enjoying the feel of her own small figure against his as his body-heat warmed her, just like she warmed him with a simple smile.
The other members of the team watched them fondly before the ice melted away, the doors opened and Bobby emerged, looking a little shaken. Seph opened her eyes and turned her head as she looked at Bobby's face, which was pale and not from the ice. "Bobby, what happened?" Seph asked, slipping out of Steve's embrace and bounded toward her cousin, grabbing his shoulders, looking for any visible signs of injury. "Bobby, talk to me!"
"Anyone know the name: Адского Огня?" Bobby asked, shakily, looking at Seph as he pulled her closer, as if warding off anyone that dared to hurt her.
"Huh?"
"Are you sure that's what they said?" Natasha's expression was grave, incredibly serious, her back straight and her entire body tensed.
"What is it?" Steve asked, eyebrows pulling together in concern as Tony shrugged, his face also serious.
"I don't know, but if it's got Nat shaken. . ." Bruce murmured.
"What is the tongue in which you speak, ice-man?" Thor questioned, not understanding what Natasha obviously did.
"Адского Огня. It means 'Hellfire' in Russian." Natasha answered their questions.
"What's it about?" Clint asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"It was just myth back in Russia, I never thought it actually existed." Nat murmured, before looking at the team, and then directly to Seph, "in my knowledge, Hellfire is rumored to be a Soviet kill-squad, killing their political targets precisely and efficiently without ever getting caught. When I heard of them, they were also in the business of killing mutants whose powers were unable to be utilized for their gain, or they were just killed for being a powerful threat." Nat looked over the Seph with somber eyes, "if you've been targeted by these people, and if they actually do exist; then you and your nephew will die." Nat informed, making Seph's breathing stop.
"But why are they targeting me? I'm not a mutant and neither is Joey! How many times do I have to say it for it to sink through?!" Seph snarled, now livid at how, after everything her nephew had been through, he was going to be under even more stress now. Seph's eyes flashed with rage as she stared at all of them, still being held by her cousin who felt a spike in her body temperature and now she was starting to heat up with anger, like she always did. "They aren't going to get near my nephew. I won't let them."
"And neither will we, we need to find out everything we can about this organization. Even if we have to resort to extreme measures to glean information from our less than willing prisoners. Did they say anything else?" Steve took control of the situation and everyone straightened, listening to their leader.
"No, just that word before they passed out." Bobby affirmed as Steve nodded.
"Stark, you'll be in charge of research, if there's even a whisper on any kind of forum, website, radio network or TV show, I wanna know about it." Steve ordered as Tony nodded and quickly went to his many computers, shouting orders at JARVIS. "Romanoff, you have some knowledge on this Hellfire, you'll collaborate with Tony. Barton, anybody in the wide world you know who can possibly help us?"
"Sure, they'll need a bit of 'persuading' but nothing I can't handle." Clint answered, cracking his knuckles.
"Do what you have to." Steve agreed, "Thor, you'll team up with Clint. More 'persuasion', more answers."
"Understood, Captain. Come, archer. Let us seek answers for this fire of Hell." Thor strode out confidently and Clint sighed.
"I'll reel him in." Clint assured Steve before following the Asgardian prince out of the door and Bruce stood, taking his glasses off as he caught Steve's attention.
"If Seph will let me, I can take some blood samples from you. Gain some perspective on the matter with the mutant situation, they obviously wouldn't attack if they didn't have some proof that you were a mutant. If we're going to act accordingly and protect you and your nephew in a way that will benefit you both, some insight would be greatly appreciated." Bruce explained and Steve looked at Seph who sighed.
"If it helps, then you can drain me of all my blood, I don't care." Seph looked away and Bobby's eyes saddened.
Bruce nodded and quickly exited as Steve pulled her into his broad chest, hugging her tight, to which Seph reciprocated wholeheartedly, sighing. "Is there anybody that can help us on your side of the board?" Steve asked Bobby, who nodded.
"Professor Xavier. He can help us." Bobby suggested, both Seph and Steve nodded. "He can keep Joey safe."
"I'll just go see Joey and do what Dr. Banner wants and then we'll go." Seph patted Steve's back before she extricated herself from his hold and walked upstairs to find Joey.
Once Seph was out of sight and earshot, Bobby looked at Steve, "it must be the real thing, huh?"
"Excuse me?" Steve asked, politely, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
"You must really like my cousin to be getting all the Avengers on this, doing all this for her and Joseph." Bobby explained his statement, smiling softly.
"Persephone is someone I would protect with my life without question. She's not like the other women I've met these days. She'd rather protect herself and those close to her than be protected herself. She's strong, fierce, she can punch a jerk right over the island counter of Poppy's Diner," they both chuckled at that, "and she has a past that she's coming to terms with. I'm not going to pry until she's ready to tell me, but I can see it still haunts her to this day, and she still has the strength to get up in the morning, continue a normal life and smile and somehow find the light to make it genuine." Steve marvelled at Seph, his eyes shifting to steps she had taken previously.
"You're good for her." Bobby grinned, "you both deserve a win and don't think I don't notice how she is with you. One date and already you act like you've been together for years. Trust me, that kind of connection. . it's special. Don't let it fizzle." Bobby warned, before taking the same route as Seph.
Steve stayed, looking at the glass containment unit, where the two prisoners were busy thawing.
He was going to protect Joseph and Seph with his life, no matter how much she pushed in front to protect them.
(..)
Seph finished her blood samples so Bruce could start on his analysis, before they were heading to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and they entered the school and they were greeted by a bald, elderly man in a wheelchair. "Bobby, welcome back! And you brought guests I see." His English accent tickled something in the recesses of her mind but she ignored it when she felt slight pressure against her hand. Seph looked down to see Joey hiding behind Steve as he held onto her hand.
"Professor Xavier, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Persephone Brandt and our nephew Joseph." Both Seph and Joey looked up to nod.
"Nice to meet you, Professor." Seph spoke gently, "I hear you can help us."
"Well, I am more than willing to try. I'm Charles Xavier, it's nice to meet you. And it is a pleasure to meet you, Captain Rogers."
Both men shook hands and Steve nodded, "the pleasure is all mine, sir." Steve's politeness made Seph smile gently. Despite the guarantee of safety from Bobby, she couldn't help but worry if Joey would actually be safe here.
"There is no safer place for your nephew than my school, Miss. Brandt." Charles reassured her and both Steve and Joey looked confused while Bobby just smirked.
"Uh, I didn't say any-" Seph looked startled and she felt incredibly shocked at how accurate his statement was.
"Oh!" Charles chuckled, shaking his head at himself, "it's become quite the habit, excuse me. I'm telepathic, you see. I can read minds." He explained himself.
"Oh~," Seph let a long drawn exclamation, smacking Bobby's chest in recognition.
"I assure you, young Joseph, 'awesome' is only the beginning." Charles addressed Joey, even though the young boy hadn't said anything and Joey let loose a pure Persephone Brandt grin curl his lips and widen them. It was the largest smile Seph had ever seen the boy produce since before the death of his mother. Back when Joey loved his favourite Auntie with all his heart, and didn't blame her for the destruction of their family.
Charles led them to his office as Bobby caught up with the Professor while Steve, Seph and Joey hung back and she held onto both her nephew and her boyfriend? Friend? Love-interest? She didn't know. After a kiss like that, you'd expect to be in the bedroom; having massive amounts of explicit fun. But Steve also didn't seem the type to shack up with a woman on the first date, though they did get suspiciously close during their dance. It was. . confusing. And Seph was a woman, everything about her species was confusing to men, but Steve Rogers was a confusing enigma, wrapped in blonde-haired and blue-eyed mystery and patriotic sex-appeal. It didn't help that through their almost kiss they were nearly pumped full of lead and she had a full blown panic attack after.
Damn.
What also confused her was the fact that Joey wasn't pulling away like he normally did. If she went to pat his shoulder or hug him, he'd move away and give her a forbidding look as if he hated her with everything in his being, but now he seemed to be pushing into her as if he needed to be near her, like he was protecting her. It was something that played with what had been ingrained in her mind for the last two years.
Don't touch Joey.
Don't look at Joey in the eyes.
Don't speak to him unless he initiates the conversation first.
Don't bring up Babs.
Don't bring up Mum and Dad.
Don't be an Aunt, just be a shadow.
That was what had been ingrained in her thought process for the last two years of the hell that was their lives and they were only now starting to settle on their feet until all this happened. She was stepping on eggshells around her own nephew and while Persephone Brandt played to sound of her own drum and nobody else's, she had set aside her stubbornness for her nephew. To make him comfortable.
A lot of weird shit's going on now, she didn't know if she could keep up with it all.
"Professor, will you be using Cerebro?" Bobby asked as they continued through the school.
"Not this time, Bobby. I believe there is a different approach that they can go about, something that they need desperately." Charles answered, quiet enough for the three behind not to hear.
"Something to steer her in the right path." Charles thought, his face grave.
He didn't know how Seph would take his suggestion.