Chapter One

Elizabeth Reyez

"How is she coping?"

"She seems to be an extremely fast healer, so much that even her aging has been affected."

"There are no clues as to how?"

"No, sir."

"Isn't there anyone else like her?"

"She's our only survivor, sir. Everyone else died."

The man grinned at her. She hated that grin, so much. She knew that he had prepared something horrible for her. She wanted to escape, but her body was aching for rest.

"Prep her."

Elizabeth sat up so quickly, she thought she injured herself. Looking around, she was relieved to find that she was still in her house.

She was safe there.

She stood up and got ready for the day ahead of her. It was always busy; the standards she set were always too high. Starting at school, she carried the habit into her life.

Journalism, medicine, law and education, all at once.

She remembered fondly what her best friend had said when she told her the news.

"You work yourself too hard, Lizzie. Take a break every once in a while, please."

Elizabeth grinned at the memory. Carol was always there by her side, unless circumstances prevented her, of course. Like now.

Carol had taken a job as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Elizabeth had been offered a position but she declined, saying that her life was alright for her. She wasn't lying. Her routine, which she had set, seemed perfect for her.

She lived in the house her parents had bought for her, so many years ago. It seemed more like a permanent hotel room than a home, really, but it was better than paying rent to someone.

It was one in the afternoon, which meant she had definitely overslept. Luckily, it was Friday, and she was on leave. She didn't have to go to work for the next week or two. It depended on whether the clinic was busy or not.

She worked in the clinic every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, from one in the afternoon until three. She was a pediatrician, and that paid half of her bills. As for the other half, she wrote articles for the local newspaper. She didn't have an office there; she was simply called if she could cover some events. The manager was an old friend of hers.

As for savings, she allotted everything she earned from taking cases as a lawyer, or, at least, everything her clients paid. If she liked the client, she would give a discount for her services. Carol often said it was a waste, but she never minded.

When she was free in the late afternoon, she offered to tutor kids on English, Math or Science. It was odd for her, at first, but she soon got used to it. Teaching still wasn't her forte, but at least she could help some children learn more, right?

Other than tutoring, she earned her pocket money by working in the local library on early weekday mornings, from six until ten. Then, she would go to Starbucks and take odd shifts here and there.

The schedule was pretty busy, but it worked for her. She had gotten use to it, though Carol was still pushing for her to drop some of the work. She said 'maybe' at the time, but she wasn't sure if she really would.

Arriving at the store, Elizabeth brought out the list she had made. It was a something her mother had tried to instill into her when she was younger, though she still forgot sometimes.

Flour

Sugar

Eggs

Milk

Cereal

Bread

Junk food

Noodles

Meat

Canned food

"Hey, Lizzie," greeted May, the girl who worked in the information desk. "You're late. What kept you?"

"Overslept," she replied sheephishly.

"Why? Was it because of a guy?" she asked, leaning forward and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"No! Get your head out of the gutter."

May only laughed as she walked away.

After successfully purchasing what she needed, she got into her car and headed back to the house. She parked her car and went inside, placing the groceries on the floor.

Humming Perfect Two, she began to put everything where it needed to be. The milk, eggs and meat went into the fridge. The canned food and noodles went into the cupboard, along with the flour, cereal and sugar, after being placed into their proper containers. She placed the junk food and bread into the cabinet.

She saw her phone buzz as Carol's picture flashed on the screen. She picked it up and answered the call.

"Hey. How's life?"

"Fine," came the reply. "My boss has me working overtime."

"Uh oh. What happened?"

"Remember the incident in Washington?"

"How could I forget?" Elizabeth was one of the witnesses of the whole fiasco of the helicarriers. She was also the one who had written the news about it on the local paper. "What about it?"

"We needed to do some serious crowd control recently. Same old, same old, you know. We're hunting down HYDRA agents, so I'll be staying here for a few weeks. Is that alright with you?"

Carol had taken residence in her house for a few years now. They went to the same college together, though she went on to be a therapist while Elizabeth went on to be a pedia.

"You don't have to ask me, Cal. Go ahead. By the way, have you met Captain America yet?"

"Nope," her best friend replied with a sigh. "But there's still hope."

"Of course there is. Anything else you need? Want me to fly up there and keep you company?"

"Nah. I'll be working anyway."

"Okay. Then, I'll be here."

"Thanks, Liz. You're the best."

"I know, darling, I know," she replied, imitating Edna Mode.

The two friends shared a laugh before they ended the call. Leaving her phone to charge on the table, she went upstairs. She headed straight for her bedroom and opened the door.

There window was open and a man in a mask was aiming a gun at her. Elizabeth saw his left arm glint in the light. It was metal.

The Winter Soldier was in her room.

She locked eyes with him, staring right into his icy blue ones. Finally, she gathered her courage and spoke.

"If you're going to kill me, kill me. Don't stand there and dawdle."

Something flashed in his eyes and he lowered the gun. His position was still tense and he still seemed wary of her. He pulled down his mask and she would be lying if she said he wasn't cute.

But it was his next words that made her go cold.

"I'm not going to kill you."