Chapter Thirteen

"No!" James slams his fist onto the metal table infuriated. "I didn't start it! You have to believe me!" He breathes rapidly as an agent sits down in front of him eyeing him. "He was going to kill my mother, I had to stop him... you have to believe me. I would never do anything to harm anyone. I swear." The agent with short silver hair turns away from James thinking about all that he just said.

"Who was the man?" The agent inquires still facing away from him.

James looks down hesitant, "Hydra." The agent glances over his shoulder while nodding his head already knowing he's telling the truth.

"Why would they kill her? Why would they kill your father?" He pauses, "Or are they after you?"

"I-I don't know..." James answers truthfully shallowing his fear, "When I was a child they were after me, but then my-my actual parents died because of them. They were trying to protect me, and in that process, they died. I don't know what they want from me."

"You still fought on government property and you actually think you are in the right?" The agent turns quickly around glaring at James.

"I think I did what I thought was appropriate. Hydra is alive, Thanos is no longer our issue, he's dead. Loki is dead. It's Hyrda who's alive." James quickly explains feeling flustered. "They will always be alive..."

"James, what happened to your parents is unfortunate, but this is not your fight. You have to lay low, if they find out about you then they will kill you or worse. Look I don't know if Francis is a good fit to keep you, I know you are nineteen. You are an adult, and you will make your own decisions. But I think you need to be living with someone who knows more about your situation than you do and understands the threat." The agent explains rubbing his temples stressed.

"Like who? You really trust any of the so-called Avengers take care of me? They are impulsive even if some of them are old." James groans shaking his head.

"Tony Stark might be a good fit, he's not like how he was. After all the things he's been through, I think he might be able to keep you safe." James looks down slightly offended.

"My father and Tony Stark never got along and had a brawl. My mother betrayed Mr. Stark, I'm their son, there's no way I can go there." James sighs, "You aren't bringing me to Tony Stark, you're bringing me to the Avengers. I will be kept in that place surrounded around by special people who's one job is to make sure I stay. I won't do it. As you said, I'm an adult, I have school starting in a month, I have soccer camp in a week. I will return home with my brother and I will stay low." James gets up to leave knowing he told a half-truth.

"Is it right for me to assume you won't stay low, considering who your biological parents and adoptive are?" James stops at the door knowing they have every right to be skeptical.

"I guess, You'll just have to wait and see," James answers snarky before walking out confidently.

James struts out feeling overwhelmed by all the questioning. He walks past the military guards who eye him carefully as he heads out the door and into the warm summer night. James takes out a cigarette to light feeling desperate. He sighs before taking a long drag on the cigarette, his minds wonder to all the questions and to the guy he chased after. He rubs his side were they bandaged up. "I'm surprised they let you go." A voice says from behind. James quickly drops the cigarette stomping it out. Francis walks up standing next to him with a long drawn out sigh while putting his hands in his pockets.

"I have so many questions, I don't know where to start. The way you ran after that man it was instinct like it was what you do. You are a defender, just like your father... It scares me, honestly. You have this look in your eye that I've never seen. You smoke because nothing hurts you, you can't get drunk, cigarettes cant kill you. Your like mutant, but your not. The son of two Avengers who happen to be genetically modified. Everything about you is different and unique. I feel like you don't know how to handle it, so you run. But recently you're wanting to fight, and you don't know what to do." Francis looks over towards James, who is starting off in the distance.

"I want the truth. I want to know why my parents died, I want an understanding of who I am and why I am the way I am. I want to protect what is mine." James looks at Francis with tears streaming down his cheeks, "I'm tired of loosing. I want to kill Hydra."

"Why?" Francis looks down worried for his little brother.

James grides his teeth feeling helpless, "Because!" He snaps, "Because they have taken everything from me! Don't you get it? I've lost everything, and yet they are still alive trying to take the only thing I have left and which is my sanity!"

Francis quickly defends himself overwhelmed by James's outburst, "Hey! I do know how you feel! You aren't the only one they've stolen from, my parents are in that hospital and my mother might not make it!" James turns to look at Francis angry.

"Well, your parents aren't dead yet." He snarls resentful.

Francis stares at James blankly surprised by what he just said, "Whatever, James. Be selfish, if that's what you want to be. You want to be a hero, and go save the damn city then go. Be like the rest of them, be impulsive, but you'll lose everything. And for the record, you don't know everything, and you haven't lost all thought you have." Francis walks away from James fed up with his attitude lately.

"What do you mean?" James calls out feeling guilty.

"Keep searching and you'll find out!" Francis calls out still walking away.

James plops down on the sidewalk so frustrated that he could scream. He covers his face with the palms of his hands trying to calm down. "You okay, Kid?" A voice from a short distance asks. James blinks recognizing that voice, but it was only like dream that he heard that voice before.

"I'm fine," James calls out not wanting to be bothered.

"You don't look fine." The man says still keeping a good distance between them. James heart races as the voice become even more familiar as he talks. "You wanna talk about it?"

"No, No..." James quietly answers feeling his heart starting to pound out of his chest, "I have to go..."

"You sure? You don't look well, kid." The man's voice was fatherly but also distant.

"I think I'm hallucinating. I'm exhausted, that I'm hearing things... Thank you for your concern, sir, but I've to go get some rest." James stands up quickly starting to feel panicked.

"Wait! You're swaying, sit down. You need rest I will go get you a cab since your friend or brother left." The man tries to walk closer to James.

"Please, don't come any closer." James warns as he looks up to see the man in shadows, "I'm just hallucinating because there's no way what I think I'm seeing is true... I-I gotta go..." James takes off running feeling sick.

"Ja-" Steve stops himself from yelling out to him. He looks down to the ground angry at himself for even speaking to him, "Damn it."

James collapses a mile away throwing up on the sidewalk. He pushes his hair back from his eyes feeling a cold sweat run down his spine, "Not possible... I'm just, exhausted."

"James!" James snaps to look in the direction of the person running over to him, "What the hell!" Francis grabs his arms and helps him up off the ground.

"Do you believe in ghost?" James asks shaking looking directly into Francis's eyes.

"What?" Francis asks confused and extremely worried.

"I think I saw a ghost..." James confesses before hitting the ground again.

"Damn it, com'on..." Francis helps James up again and helps him into the car. Francis whips the sweat from his brow before starting up the engine, "I don't know, James. You're exhausted and a lot has happened. Your probably seeing things, just please sleep. It's going to be okay..." James eyes flutter shut as Francis starts to drive away.

"Hey, boy!" James perks up at the sound of his father walking into the apartment after a long day at work. James runs towards the door feeling excited. Steve catches James in his arms swinging him around. "Hey!"

"Daddy!" James laughs brightly as he hugs his father's neck."I have something to show you!" The five-year-old jumps down out of his father's arms and races towards the living room.

"Whatchu got?" Steve asks now sitting on the floor with James. James hands him a drawing of his father in his uniform while holding his shield. Steve smile increases as he stares at the messy drawing, "I love it!" He exclaims pulling his son into his arms.

"I love you, daddy!" James exclaims hugging Steve tightly around the neck.

James painfully wakes up laying in his bed back in New York. "What happened?" He sits up painfully as he feels sharp pain from his side wound. He groans ill feeling, not even sure what time it is he tries to get out of bed. A knock on the door makes him stop moving, "Yes?" He groggily asks.

"I brought you some water with Advil and some chicken broth." A female voice says from behind the door.

"Cecile?" James asks confused why she's here.

"Yes?" She says hoping he'll let her in.

"You can come in." He says still in a lot of pain. Cecile walks in carrying a tray with water and a bowl. She sets it down on his nightstand next to him. "Why are you here?"

"I was told about what happened and your brother couldn't take care of you today because he had to go to work. Griffin didn't feel confident enough, so he asks me to come. If you don't want me here, I will go. I understand if it's awkward between us because of the other night." She answers quickly feeling awkward and trying hard not stare at his muscles.

"No, no you don't make me feel uncomfortable. In fact, you make me quite comforted." He looks at her with love even though it's unintentional. Cecile looks away trying not to smile. "I'm sorry I just realized I'm shirtless, let me put on a shirt."

"No!" Cecile says too quickly putting out her hand for him to stop. "I-I mean not no like I like it, I mean no because of your injury." James smiles at her cuteness as she tries to lie.

"Alright, will you help me get back into bed. It really hurts to be sitting up like this." Cecile nods her head quickly before helping me.

"So, um, you want to explain?" She asks laying him down gently. James chuckles under his breath as she pulls the covers over him.

"Explain what?" He asks with a cheeky smile as she looks down at him her hair framing her face.

"Why you have a deep knife wound to your side?" She asks again with a beautiful smile and soft eyes. James stares at her in amazement of her beauty.

"You look like an angel..." He whispers hoping she heard him. Her green eyes lock with his letting him know she heard him, "I'm sorry..." He quickly apologizes for calling her an angel.

"Why?" She chuckles flattered by the compliment. "You just confuse me, James."

"I know..." He looks away ashamed of how he can't be honest with her about how he feels. She sighs as she walks away to the other side of the room to sit at his desk.

"Go on, tell me about how this wound appeared." She encourages with a smile.

"A theft." He lies with a flirtatious smile. "A theft was stealing from this old lady."

"I don't believe you." She laughs knowing his lying face better than anybody.

"There was a man who was trying to hurt my mother and went to stop him. He ate cyanide and hailed hydra before anyone got to him." James answer truthfully even though it was painful to admit.

"Oh..." Cecile looks away not realizing the magnitude of the situation.

"Can I ask you something?" James looks towards Cecile with tear filled eyes.

"Anything." She reassures while she moves her chair to the side of his bed to talk to him better.

"Do you believe in ghost?" James asks feeling his chest grow tight from the thought.

"Why do you ask?" She asks perplexed by the question.

"I think I saw one last night," James admits. She looks at him confused as she laces their fingers together holding his hand tightly. "Or I was just exhausted."

"What do you mean?"

James looks away hesitant to tell her what happened. "You can tell me anything..." She kisses his knuckles calming his anxiety. "Go on." she encourages sweetly. James reaches up creasing her cheek in his palm. Cecile's heart races at the touch of his hand, so tender and soft. She leans down stopping only inches away from him. He gently pulls her closer to his chest wrapping her in his arms. Cecile sighs resting her head on his chest letting him hold her like he once did. "What happened to us?" She asks being sidetracked from what he was going to tell her.

"I don't know. Just maybe youth and my own stupidy. I have to be honest with you." James gathers the courage to tell her how he feels. "I-"

"James... don't say anything, not quite yet. Just let this moment be, and we'll figure it out later. I just this is different in a good way, I just want to rest here..." She stops him knowing what he wants to say, but if she was honest she hadn't had feelings for him since they were sixteen. But then being in his arms she felt a feeling she never felt before. She was falling for him all over again, but this time it was a new him, a more mature him. She wanted to hold onto this moment and not rush. She knows she loves him and he loves her, it was true love, safe love.

James nods his head understanding what she meant. He runs his fingers through her hair as she rests in his arms, the only thing he would want right now. After a few minutes of silence he decides to speak again, "Like I was saying, I saw someone who looked a lot like my father and sounded like him."

"How?" Cecile asks her voice soft and perplexed.

"I don't know, but it makes me wonder. Even though I was exhausted, it was real. I need answers... I need them fast because I can't lose anyone else." His voice cracks as he tries to hold back the tears.

Cecile sits up slightly and cups his face in her hands, "Oh, James..." She whispers whipping the tears from his eyes, "It's going to be okay..." He nods his head even though he's overwhelmed by the lies. He places his hand around her wrist gently stroking it with his thumb as he lets her comforting presence wash over him.

"I think my father is alive..." James confesses as he glances up into her eyes, "If he's alive then my mother is also alive." A stray tear slides down his right cheek. She strokes the tear gently away. "I don't know what do." Cecile sighs as she strokes his hair gently and loving.

"How do you know for sure?" She asks empathizing with his pain as she looks deep in his glossy eyes.

"I don't know for sure, but I do know someone who might help me." He answers her with a long sigh.

"Who is it?"

"It's Bucky..." James looks away, "Will you go with me to Virginia Beach to ask him?" Cecile nods her head without hesitation.

"Of course, James..." She answers whipping away another tear. James gently pulls her back down in his arms, holding her like he always has. He holds his tongue even though all he wants to tell her is that he loves her.

"I really think they are alive..."

Author Notes: Hey guys! I know I have not updated this story in a very long time! But life has been crazy! I've dealt with school, work, and I got engaged! So I was also wedding planning lol! I found some time to unwind and finally write what I've been meaning to write for a while! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really love writing this chapter because I've been stuck on how to transition into where the story is heading now, but I think I did a great job with it! I hope you all really do enjoy this! Please review and let me know what you think!

Love Y'all,

CR