Chapter 23- New Missions and Refuge
Diana woke up to see James strapping on his gun and putting his knife in his sheath at his belt. "James, where are you going?" Diana asked sleepily.
James came over to her and placed the palm of his flesh hand on her face and twisted his fingers into her dark hair. "I'll be back in a few minutes, doll. Pierce needs to see me and I feel it has to do with Elizabeth," James said. Diana felt the blood drain from her face.
"Elizabeth? James, let me come with you," Diana said, gripping her husband's wrist.
"No. Pierce can't know that we know about Elizabeth still being alive. Surely he knows that Elizabeth is our daughter and he was willing to not tell me about it. Now sleep, doll," James said, leaning over and kissing her gently.
"How could I have ever been afraid of you, James? You have taken care of me ever since the day HYDRA kidnapped me and forced me to be your wife," Diana said between her husband's gentle kisses.
"I know, doll. I never want you or Elizabeth to be afraid of me. Just know I love you and it wasn't my idea to kidnap you," James said.
"I know, my love. I know. I know every time you hold me. But I do wish that we didn't have to hurt Elizabeth," Diana said.
"I'll try to prevent that. Elizabeth may force my hand and I'll end up hurting her, but I'll try not to. I'll keep her out of that chair if I can," James said. Diana winced at the thought of that chair. It was used to wipe her husband's mind after every mission. Who he was before he ever sat in it, was unknown. Thankfully, James always remembered her and Elizabeth after every wipe. James would be dumped in their cell, barely conscious and in pain and Diana would gather him into her arms, playing with her husband's hair and kissing him gently. He would always come to and kiss her just as gently. It always felt like the first time he had ever kissed her. It was warm and it was like he was exploring her lips.
"Soldier, come on," a voice said roughly outside their cell.
"Be careful, James," Diana whispered softly against her husband's lips as he kissed her again and left the cell.
The Soldier sat in the kitchen, waiting for Pierce to come in. Diana was terrified that he could die and she was afraid for their daughter. She had no idea that he was just as scared. The idea of hurting Elizabeth made him feel ill. The Soldier remembered her curling into his chest as he sang lullabies to her in Russian. He wondered if Elizabeth still had the memory of his and Diana's love for her. She didn't look as if she remembered him when he saw her, but she had been two when he last saw her.
The Soldier looked up as Pierce entered the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out milk, something the Soldier hadn't had in a long time. The Soldier honestly couldn't remember the last time he or his wife had had milk. HYDRA had kept their diets bland and tasteless except for the nine months Diana was carrying his baby. Pierce shut the door with a low bang as he looked at him. ""I'm going to go, Mr. Pierce. You need anything before I leave?" The housekeeper asked.
"No...Uh, it's fine, Renata, you can go home," Pierce said, his eyes on the Soldier.
"Okay. Night-night," Renata said.
"Good night," Pierce said and the Soldier heard Renata walk away. The front door then closed.
"Want some milk?" Pierce asked the Soldier conversationally as if he didn't know that the Soldier couldn't have taken any milk without being ordered to. Pierce opened the cabinet and took out a glass. Apparently the man was going to take his time telling him what he wanted him for. "The timetable has moved. Our window is limited. Two targets, Level Six and the girl I told you about who defected. They already cost me Zola. With the exception of the girl, I want confirmed death in 10 hours," Pierce said as he sat down at the table across from the Soldier. The Soldier felt some relief. He hadn't been ordered to kill Elizabeth. As far as the Soldier could see, he could grab his daughter and administer drugs to sedate her or make her submissive and come with him. He wondered if Pierce would even give him the drugs.
The Soldier then looked in shock as Renata came into the kitchen and her eyes locked on him. "Sorry, Mr. Pierce, I...I forgot my...phone," Renata said in a bumbling way as Pierce turned and Renata and the Soldier looked at each other. The Soldier then knew what was going to happen. Pierce had no soul and the Soldier had seen him kill women before or threaten to kill them. He had once threatened Diana to get the Soldier to kill one of his enemies and, in shock, the Soldier had done it. He wouldn't be able to help this woman.
"Oh, Renata, I wish you would have knocked," Pierce said as he picked up the gun the soldier had put on the table and killed the housekeeper, before the Soldier could even blink. "Now as I was saying, I need you to confirm death in 10 hours and I want the girl. You may use sedatives on her if necessary," Pierce said to the Soldier's relief. He would take his daughter. If he could keep her sedated long enough, Pierce could forget he wanted her punished. By this time tomorrow, the Soldier would have his girl.
Yelizaveta and Steve made their way back to Washington D.C. Natasha was barely conscious as the blast had injured her. "So, where to?" Steve asked, carrying Natasha as they got off the Greyhound bus they had just gotten on.
"I honestly don't know. Clint would take care of us as he's been doing since he rescued me from HYDRA and the Red Room, but he's out of town. Stark is in California. Who knows where Banner and Thor are. Wait. What about Sam that we met the other day?" Yelizaveta asked as she looked down the sidewalks.
"You might have a point. So far, he hasn't been trying to kill us," Steve said.
"Yeah. I looked him up. Judging from our location, he lives about a minute or two away from here. Can you carry Nat that far?" Yelizaveta asked, indicating Natasha who was looking rather pale.
"I have no problems carrying her. Can you make it that far?" Steve teased.
"Really? With the serum in me, you ask me that?" Yelizaveta asked sourly.
Steve started laughing and they went down the street. All too quickly they made it to Sam's house and Yelizaveta knocked. It didn't take Sam long to open the blinds, followed by the door. "Hey, man, kid," Sam said by way of greeting to Steve and Yelizaveta.
"I'm sorry about this. Liz suggested this place to me. We need a place to lay low," Steve said.
"Everyone we know is trying to kill us," Natasha said. Halfway to Sam's house she had come to and her voice was low with pain.
Sam looked at the three of them for a long minute. "Not everyone," Sam said as he moved and allowed them inside.
It didn't take long for the three of them to shower and change clothes that Sam went out and got. Yelizaveta had changed into a pair of dark brown cargo pants and a red and white striped shirt and was toweling her dark hair dry when she came into the room where Natasha sat on the bed. Steve was in front of the bathroom mirror in a pair of blue jeans and a wife beater.
"You okay?" Steve asked the two of them. Natasha wore a pair of dark pants and a black tanktop and was drying her hair.
"Yeah. How about you, Vet?" Natasha asked Yelizaveta.
"I'm okay. I just can't believe it what Zola said about my father being the Winter Soldier. I wasn't trying to hide it. I just didn't know," Yelizaveta said.
"We know that, Liz. I wouldn't accuse you of trying to hide it," Steve said.
"I just feel terrible as he shot Natasha and Fury. Does he even know me?" Yelizaveta asked as tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Oh, Liz, it's not your fault. No one can be judged by who their father is. You haven't done anything wrong," Steve said.
"He's right, Vet," Natasha said as she and Steve took Yelizaveta's hands and squeezed them tenderly, but Natasha still looked depressed.
"What's going on?" Steve asked Natasha.
"When I first joined S.H.I.E.L.D. I thought I was going straight. Me and Vet had just gotten away from our training in the Red Room. But I guess we just traded in the KGB for HYDRA," Natasha said swallowing convulsively.
"I know, Nat. I thought I was free, finally free, from HYDRA. I should have known it was too easy to break free. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but I guess I can't tell the difference anymore," Yelizaveta said with a splintered voice.
"There's a chance you both might be in the wrong business, Liz," Steve said, throwing Natasha's words back at her from the day before. Natasha chuckled before looking serious.
"I owe you," Natasha said.
"It's okay," Steve said.
"If it was the other way around, and it was down to save yours and Vet's lives, now you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?" Natasha asked.
"You and Clint already saved my life once, Nat. And I would now," Yelizaveta said.
"So would I. And I'm always honest," Steve said with a small grin.
"Well, you seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing," Natasha teased.
"Well, guess I just like to know who I'm fighting," Steve said.
"Like my father now?" Yelizaveta asked.
"Yep. You are aware that we have to face him?" Steve asked.
"I know," Yelizaveta said as Sam entered into the room.
"I made breakfast. If you guys eat that sort of thing," Sam said and they followed him to the kitchen.
A/N: I know this part is rather late, but due to computer issues, this part came later than I would have liked. I had to take my computer to a repair shop to get it fixed.