Chapter 46- Morning Jog and Information
Diana sat morosely in the chair 4 weeks after Elizabeth's birth. Why HYDRA insisted on wiping her after she had said she would be James's wife and give him a child she never knew. It seemed that all it accomplished was a headache. The perk was that James's lips was constantly on hers. She could never get enough of his mouth caressing her lips. James's lips went to her hairline and trailed a line of kisses across her forehead as he released her from the chair. He gently pressed her head to his chest and stroked her hair. She and James wouldn't go back to their quarters and Elizabeth until Karpov released them. Diana nuzzled her face against James's broad chest, the smell of his sweat and gunpowder soothing her into a lethargic state along with his flesh hand tangling into her hair. Petting her hair like a cat was the best way to comfort her and James knew it. Diana would wake up in his arms to feel his warm hand in her hair as he peppered her forehead with kisses.
"Soldat, take her back to your quarters," Karpov ordered as if his voice came through a long tunnel. James picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his hair, falling into a doze as her lips grazed his scalp. Diana felt half-asleep as he carried her and laid her down on their pallet. Diana felt a sense of happiness as James laid the baby on her chest.
"I'm sorry, doll," James whispered as he stroked her hair gently and touched her forehead with his lips.
"I love you, James," Diana said drowsily as she fell asleep, her daughter sighing softly in her sleep and James stroking her face and hair and dropping kisses on her forehead.
Bucky slipped out of the bed the next morning, careful not to wake Diana. After all the years of marriage, Diana was a light sleeper. The only times she slept and didn't wake was when Pierce or Karpov had frozen them. Bucky made his way to the communal kitchen on Steve's floor. Steve, Elizabeth, and Sam were there and Elizabeth was drinking a glass of milk.
"Do any of you realize how early it is?" Bucky asked as Elizabeth came to him and kissed his cheek.
"Buck, we always woke up this early in the army," Steve pointed out.
"And I was always waking up this early in the Red Room, Dad," Elizabeth pointed out. Bucky felt a swell of pride. His daughter had accepted him and his authority as her father quite easily. It was almost like she had never left him in the first place, and he would never get tired of his girl calling him "Dad."
"World War II ended over 70 years ago and you aren't in the Red Room, Lizzie," Sam teased.
"I know that and don't call me Lizzie, Bird-man," Elizabeth said, giving Sam a scowl that Bucky found adorable.
"How come he can call you Liz and I can't call you Lizzie?" Sam asked, indicating Steve.
"Because I said so and Uncle Steve is Uncle Steve. He has the right to," Elizabeth said.
"Well time to go for our run. Do you want to come, Buck?" Steve asked Bucky.
"I'll go get dressed if you'll wait," Bucky said, pressing a kiss to Elizabeth's forehead.
"On your left," Steve said, passing Sam.
"On your right," Yelizaveta said, passing Sam a few minutes later. Bucky wasn't too far behind her and they all ran into Stark Tower. Yelizaveta looked behind her as Bucky came in. He had kept up with their running. For all of HYDRA's faults, Bucky had been in good condition for running. He wrapped his flesh arm around her and pulled her into a hug, settling his chin on top of her head.
"You are very fit considering how long you've been away from the Red Room," Bucky said.
"Might as well have kept it up. Of course, I also feel hungrier after running. I usually go to get food at a Russian restaurant I know in Brighton Beach; Varennichnaya," Yelizaveta said.
"You actually eat Russian food?" Sam asked.
"Yeah. Some of the food isn't that bad. Especially the vareniki with apples and strawberries It's my go-to when everyone around me is eating hot dogs as I hate hot dogs. I don't want to think about what's in a hot dog," Yelizaveta said. suppressing a shudder.
"Sounds good and that is common for you?" Steve asked.
"Yeah. Vareniki is a dumpling and you can stuff it with whatever. Some people put meat or sauerkraut in it. Sauerkraut isn't that half bad," Yelizaveta said as they entered the elevator.
"Jarvis, the 43rd floor please," Steve said.
"Yes, Captain Rogers," Jarvis said.
"Jarvis, is everyone else awake?" Yelizaveta asked the AI.
"Yes, Miss Barnes. Your mother is cooking for everyone," Jarvis said.
"My mother can cook?" Yelizaveta asked, raising an eyebrow.
"She can, doll. Granted HYDRA had terrible food, but your mother did the best with what they gave us. Also, when she was carrying you, HYDRA didn't want her starved. She could have miscarried," Bucky said, threading his flesh fingers through her hair.
"So, it's really true that you kidnapped your own wife, Bucky?" Steve asked.
"I guess you could say it like that. HYDRA wanted her to breed a Winter Soldier. She was a doctor working in Ukraine. I was told that my wife would be there and I just had to take her. I just had no idea that they would take you from us. I thought you would stay with me and your mother and I would train you to be a Winter Soldier. They lied and told us you had died on the way to a physical that they had you go through every year," Bucky said, stroking Yelizaveta's face with his warm flesh hand.
"Well, I guess it could have been worse," Yelizaveta said.
"How?" Sam asked.
"How what?" Yelizaveta asked.
"How could it have been worse?" Sam asked.
"It couldn't now that I think about that freezing basement in the middle of a Moscow winter. I lied," Yelizaveta said with a groan.
"That was where Clint found you," Steve said.
"Yep. I was being half-starved and wearing an oversized t-shirt that went down a little past my knobby knees. My skin was also red and blue as it's always cold in Moscow in January. Natasha told Clint all about me. He was supposed to kill her, but he made a different call and saved not just her, but me as well," Yelizaveta said as they entered the common room. Diana was plating up bacon and pancakes and she turned to smile at Yelizaveta.
"I wasn't quite sure what you liked for breakfast, Elizabeth, so I made pancakes and bacon," Diana said, kissing first Bucky and then Yelizaveta.
"Other than hot dogs, I'm not picky. Bacon's good with nearly everything. Any jam and syrup over there?" Yelizaveta asked, looking at the table.
"Jam and syrup?" Jimmy asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Yeah. The only way to eat blini is to drown it in syrup and jam. I've always eaten it like that," Yelizaveta said.
"I put powdered sugar on mine," Sam said.
"I knew a few who did that too. At least no one here puts caviar on it. Madame B did," Yelizaveta said, making a face as she sat down beside Bucky and poured herself a glass of orange juice. To her relief there was no pulp in it.
"Sounds disgusting. Fish eggs on a pancake?" Dr. Banner asked.
"People do weird things sometimes. I don't really like fish that much, but to each his or her own," Yelizaveta said as she picked up a jar of raspberry jam and spread it on the top pancake and then drizzled it with syrup.
"So, what's the mission? Do we have any?" Clint asked, coming into the common room.
"Haven't heard anything yet. Maria Hill said that HYDRA bases are being pretty tight-lipped about where they are. Do you know of any, Buck?" Steve asked Bucky.
"A few. There was the one where me and Diana were kept and where Elizabeth was born in Siberia. There is also one in Sokovia, but I honestly couldn't tell you were. HYDRA wasn't big on me seeing where their bases were," Bucky said.
"Don't forget the one in D.C. I had enough presence of mind to notice where it was. Figures that they'd put a HYDRA base in a bank vault. And Pierce must have been crazy if he thought I'd ever help him. In the words of Harrison Ford, "I don't negotiate with terrorists," Yelizaveta said, rolling her eyes.
"Harrison Ford?" Sam asked.
"Yeah. President James Marshall from the movie "Air Force One." Clint showed me that movie years ago. I always liked him in that," Yelizaveta said.
"Isn't that movie the one where terrorists hijack the plane and hold the president's wife and daughter hostage?" Diana asked as Thor and Loki came into the room.
"Yep. You've seen it, Mama?" Yelizaveta asked.
"Yes. I think I went to go see it with a guy I was dating before I met your father. I think he was a doctor at a hospital in the town where I lived," Diana said.
"Do you remember where you lived, Lady Diana?" Thor asked loudly.
"Not really. HYDRA was thorough when they purged my memories. I remember little things, but nothing solid before James took me," Diana said,
"I can also think of another HYDRA base. The Red Room in Belarus where me and Natasha trained. It was a school, but it was a front for HYDRA. If anyone in the school lived to 16, it was amazing as they used to pit us against each other and whoever didn't win the fight was murdered. I almost didn't as one of the Widows knifed me in one fight and one threw a Ninja throwing star at me. The knife mark is in my back and the throwing star is in my shoulder," Yelizaveta said, touching her right shoulder with a wince.
"Those people must have a death wish," Sam said.
"I guess. I guess they never thought that one of their victims would ever fight back. Proves they don't know me," Yelizaveta said, pushing a piece of pancake through some syrup with her fork. Bucky's metal hand gripped her hand tightly.
"Elizabeth, don't play with your food," Bucky reprimanded.
"Please. This isn't playing with it. I'm planning on eating it," Yelizaveta said, rolling her eyes as Tony Stark came in followed by Pepper.
"Morning, everyone. Manchurian Candidate, how did you and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman sleep?" Tony asked Bucky and a confused look filled his eyes.
"Come again?" Steve asked.
"Manchurian Candidate is about a man who gets brainwashed, and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman is about a doctor who treats people in a time when women weren't doctors," Yelizaveta explained.
"Yeah. We also had Jarvis look through records about you. Diana Mackenzie from Seattle. You went to the Ukraine as part of the Doctors Without Borders team. You went missing two weeks after arriving. Your parents and fiancée had you declared dead five months after you went missing," Banner said helpfully.
"My parents and fiancée? I had a ring, I think," Diana said, wrinkling her forehead.
"Yeah. Karpov had me remove it when I brought you to the base. It's frozen somewhere in Siberia," Bucky said.
"Have you told my parents about me?" Diana asked.
"Not yet. I think they would want to hear from you that you are alive, Doctor," Banner said.
"Jarvis ring up the Mackenzie's," Tony said and the phone rang,