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, 149

Chapter 11:

Strength

It wasn't hard to find Seph.

Steve followed the scorch marks where her feet had taken their path and it led him to where she was sitting opposite her family's grave, looking at the picture of Barbara on the gravestone, tears making their own tracks down the expanse of her blotchy face, her singed and damaged clothing hung off her in tatters as she hugged her knees to her chest, sniffling as her bare feet twitched and her toes dug deeper into the grass.

Steve fell to the ground next to her, sitting next to her and he studied her.

There was now flaming aura shrouding around her, her body heat was normal, her hair was still the same chestnut red, her skin, though covered in dirt and soot, was unharmed, her face, though blotchy from the tears, was also unharmed. She was physically okay, but her eyes, though now their original and beautiful hazel, carried a shadow of darkness. He had seen that many times before.

In his own mirror.

She had watched someone close to her die.

"It was my fault, you know?" Seph spoke suddenly, sniffling.

"What was?" Steve's eyebrows furrowed.

"My sister's death. It was my fault." Persephone revealed, her breath catching in her throat as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

"No, Persephone. God, no. Your sister's death was not your fault." Steve turned to her, his hands gently sliding over her delicate shoulders as he turned her body to him and she looked into his eyes, the shadow taking over.

"You weren't there, Steve. Well, you were, but not where Barbara and I were during that terrible battle." Seph shuddered, as she looked down and shock coursed through Steve.

It had been two years since Seph lost all of her family. She was suffering from anxiety over it and she must have only recently started to come to term with her PTSD, though her mind and emotions were still incredibly fragile. It wouldn't take much to unsettle them.

This would have done it.

"The invasion. ." Steve's lips barely moved as the words passed in a breathless whisper between his teeth, his blue eyes wide.

Seph nodded, confirming his fears as she looked up at him, "we were taking refuge in an already busted place when the building next to us fell, the one which was protecting my parents as we couldn't get them, there was an alien outside. . . I did what I had to. It didn't turn out quite like I planned." Seph whispered, her heart and mind opening to the Captain as she took his hand and their eyes connected as Seph took a deep breath.

(..)

Seph had been thrown into the wall by one of the Chitauri. She was bleeding and broken, her ripped and blood soaked clothes covered in rubble and crushed grain of the stones as she coughed blood, scrambling to get away. None of those heroes were coming to Seph's rescue. Seph grunted in pain as she slowly got up, the reptilian Chitauri soldier watched over her, laughing as the amusing lower life form limped and dragged itself back into to the building, in some attempt of rescue mission, but it was all for naught as the alien could not detect any signs of life.

But all it could read was the heat signatures of the deceased bodies in the building.

"Mum. . .Dad!" Seph called, trying to reach her parents, tears trekking down her cheeks as she slowly and painfully tried to make her way to the blown out wall, but the higher life form was having none of it. It readied its staff and swung it hard, digging it into Seph's stomach, making her fly back further than any normal human could possess without the enhanced strength. Seph cried out as she fell to the floor hard, sobbing in frustration and pain. She was useless!

The Chitauri soldier threw the staff. It was bored, it wanted something more fun to do now. This thing had amused it for long enough. It was time to end. It unsheathed its rifle.

"NO!" Seph heard her scream, saw her chestnut brown hair fly as she ran out of the building as fast as she could. Indigo blue eyes glimmering with tears as she ran in front of her battered sister, taking the shot that was meant for Seph.

Barbara flew back, crashing to the floor, silent and unmoving and Seph watched her, unblinking, her heart breaking as her sister's light breaths started to slow. She needed to get there. She needed her sister.

Without even realizing, Seph was up, agony lancing through her with every step from the possible broken bones and gashes and bruises. But it wasn't stopping her, she wasn't losing her sister. It just wasn't going to happen.

The Chitauri fell the the ground suddenly, lifeless, but Persephone didn't notice.

She dropped to her knees, beside Barbara and gently rolled her over, indigo blue eyes were wide, tears rolling down her cheeks as Seph looked down. Her sister's stomach had been blown through. The sight was gory, disgusting and it made her stomach turn, her head whirl her heart rip apart just looking at it, but she had to be strong, for her sister. For Barbara, she had to be strong. Seph ripped her jacket off, pressing it firmly to the large wound, trying to stop the blood flow, but it was soon soaking through the jacket. On her hands and all over the older Brandt.

"It's going to be okay, Babs. T-the ambulance are going to come and get you. They're going to put a band-aid on it and it's going to be all better. You'll see. It's not even that bad, sweetheart, there's no reason for you to be so dramatic." Seph babbled, her watery vision blurring the image of a bloody Barbara.

"S-Seph. ." Barbara whispered, looking up with tired eyes. She couldn't pretend anymore, "please, protect Joseph. Protect my baby boy. ANY way you c-can." Barbara gargled, grabbing Seph's bloody hand tightly.

"I will, Barbara, don't worry. He'll be the safest boy on the Earth." Seph sobbed, taking Barbara's hand and kissing her palm.

"I-I love y-you. . Persephone. . I love you so much." Barbara wheezed, trying to breathe around the blood filling her lungs, but all that did was make her cough blood.

"I love you too, Babs. I love you too." Seph sobbed, her tears splashing onto Barbara's cheek, her head dipping down to kiss her sister's forehead.

Barbara's hand loosened.

Her breathing stopped.

"No. . no, no, no, no. ." Seph murmured over and over, moving back to see her unseeing eyes. Lifeless eyes. "Oh, God. Barbara!" Seph called, tapping her cheek gently in a fruitless attempt. "Barbara, come on! Wake up!" Seph shook Barbara but to no avail and Seph sobbed once, pulling her sister's lifeless body to her chest, ignoring the throbbing pain in her body as she cried, rocking Barbara back and forth until she lost control of her emotions.

"BARBARA!"

(..)

"I honestly don't know how long I was there with Barbara, it's all hazy from that point on. I don't even remember how I found out my parents died, it's all just one massive blur. I can just hear Joey's voice, screaming and hollering about how much he hated me for taking his Mum away from him that it was all my fault and I . . I believed him. I mean, if it wasn't for my stupidity, she'd be here." Seph wiped at her tears, sniffling once again just as Steve's arm wrapped around Seph's shoulder, even though she tried to pull away, for fear that her power might suddenly flare up. . but it didn't. Steve pulled her into his chest and held her as close as physically possible in the position they were in and his arms wrapped around her tightly.

"What you did, was more than what a lot could have done in that situation. You were outmatched in every aspect, but you pushed on. As for Barbara, she made her choice with full knowledge that she was going to lose her life so you'd keep yours, that isn't your fault." Steve spoke with conviction, his chin resting on the crown of her head.

"But if I didn't run out there-"

"How sure are you that Barbara wouldn't have run out there and put herself through the same predicament as you? How sure are you that you wouldn't have run after her and protected her as much as you could've, like you wanted her to? I believe that if she was the one that was facing an alien and about to be receiving the finishing blow, that you would have rushed out as she did and jumped in front of the energy blast." Steve answered seriously, pulling back to look into her eyes which were filling with tears. "Stop blaming yourself for something that you had no control over. Trust me, I know what it feels like to go through so many different scenarios in your head, imagine what you could have done differently, take this route and you stop that. But reality doesn't have rewind button and we can't keep trying to invent one to stop a traumatic experience. I know, Persephone." Steve's hand caressed her cheek, wiping away the constant tears, "with everything that's happened to you over these past few days and now this, it's having a toll on you and if we don't help you curb your mutant abilities, it's only going to get worse and I don't want that hanging over your head." Steve was gentle in his words and she knew he was speaking the truth.

"How do I come back from this, Steve? From all of this?" Seph gestured to the gravestone and to herself, "there is no way to come back from a train wreck like this and be myself again!"

"You were beginning to when we first met," Steve answered her and Seph's eyes widened, "you were beginning to bounce back, get into a normal routine, come back to being yourself. It takes small steps, not leaps and bounds. Your mutant abilities don't change who you are, they shape who you will become later on. Your past will make you stronger as it did last time. You want to come back to being closer to yourself? You need to take small steps and pave your own way as you did last time."

Seph's eyes softened as her hands slid up and gripped at his soot covered and damp shirt, tightening it in her fists as she took a ragged breath. "Will you be there with me? I don't think I can do this on my own."

"I'll be there every step of the way. We all will be." Steve affirmed strongly, looking deep into her eyes, "Joey too. He doesn't hate you, Seph. He loves you and he will be there for you also. Your family and your friends. We will be there by your side, helping." Seph nodded, one stray tear dripping from her eye and down her cheek as she nodded.

"Thank you." She whispered softly, closing the distance in a tight hug.

But the overshadowing question remained in Steve's mind, and he decided to voice it, "why didn't you blame us? Hate us? Resent us for not being there when you needed us?" Steve asked apprehensively and expected her to pull away sharply, but her hold tightened around him.

"I wanted to. Desperately. I wanted to pin it all on you and never look back." Seph whispered, her fingers playing with the back of his head, running along the blonde strands of his hair. "But I couldn't, because it wasn't any of your fault. None of you could have possibly known what was going on and I didn't have the energy to hate anyone at the time, still don't." Seph answered, pulling back slightly to look up at him, "answer your question? Now don't you start beating yourself up, too."

Steve sighed and nodded before he looked back up into her eyes, "ready to go back to the tower?"

Seph turned to look at the gravestone for one long moment before she nodded.

"Let's go."