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Chapter Text

Hello fellow fans, I am happy to introduce you to my collection fanfiction. I love writing, it is my main creative outlet. Follow me on Watppad @Anaxe30n_1 for original work!

By_the_Brooke

Chapter Text

It had been over a year since you and Bucky had started dating. You had met on a Saturday when he and Steve were drinking at the bar you tended. They had started talking to you and eventually Bucky had asked when your shift ended. While unfortunately, you had to work late and then clean afterwards you decided to give him your number instead. He had texted you the next day, you met for lunch on Tuesday, dinner on Friday and you were an official couple by the Saturday morning. While it wasn't like you to sleep with someone on the second date, there was something about Bucky. Maybe it was the dark, mysterious feeling about him, or maybe it was as simple as the Brooklyn accent and the chiselled jaw. He was incredibly attractive after all, although you really hoped you weren't that shallow.

Bucky was sitting on the barstool at you breakfast bar in your apartment. He seemed to enjoy it when you cooked, especially when you were happy enough to sing quietly while you did. You watched the bacon sizzle in the pan as you asked him to pass you the carton of eggs. He obliged and walked to pass them to you. As he placed them on the bench next to you, he kissed your neck, wrapping his arm around your waist. You turned your head and kissed him lightly on the lips, smiling. You cursed as you turned back to see the bacon start to burn, you quickly took the pan off the heat.

After breakfast you both sat on the patio, enjoying the mid-morning sun. You sat on the couch, your legs laying over Bucky's lap. He subconsciously stroked your legs as he read his book. You got up when you heard the phone ringing when you answered it was your boss, asking you to cover for a co-worker. You sighed and agreed reluctantly, replacing the phone on its receiver. Bucky walked in and wrapped his arms around your waist, kissing you gently. You turned and rested your head on his chest, sighing again. He kissed the top of your head and held you tighter.
"I'm really sorry Buck, I know today was supposed to be an 'us' day." You apologised to your boyfriend. He hushed you and tilted your chin so as your eyes met his.
"Don't worry about it doll." He smiled gently down at you. "I can wait for you. I'm sure that I can find something to do. Might see what Steve is up to." He kissed your forehead again and you both walked towards the bedroom to get changed.

You worked the twelve-hour shift begrudgingly, you couldn't keep your mind off of Bucky, and how bad you felt for messing up your day off. You pulled your Honda Rebel into the driveway, Bucky still wasn't home you noticed. Unlocking the door you flicked on the lights and checked the time on the clock. 10:20pm. You threw your keys in the bowl next to the door. You flopped onto the bed and closed your eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

You'd been asleep for an hour when you heard Bucky enter the bedroom. You couldn't even be motivated to open your eyes to greet him, you just blew him a kiss in the general direction of the door. He chuckled to himself as he gazed at you on the bed, still dressed. He knelt next to you and removed your shoes gently, putting them at the end of the bed. Next, he gently removed your jeans, earning a groan of acknowledgement from you. He threw them into the laundry hamper, he also took off your necktie, blouse and bra. Sitting you up slightly he put on your nightshirt. He then got changed into a pair of pyjama pants and climbed in next to you. You rolled over and cuddled into him, falling back to sleep as you listened to his steady breathing.

You were woken up suddenly by a sharp pain in your arm. You gasped and tried to pull away from the crushing grip. You realised it was Bucky's metal hand that had grabbed you. You yelled out as the hand clenched tighter. Bucky's eyes flew open and he immediately released your arm. You fell back onto the floor beside your bed with a loud thud. Bucky cursed and sprang to his feet, realising what he'd done. You cradled your sore arm in your other hand, gingerly checking the already bruising skin. Bucky came to where you were huddled and crouched beside you, turning on the bedside lamp. He gasped and cursed again as he looked at your arm. There was an obvious, hand shaped bruise where he'd grabbed you. He reached out to wipe tears from your cheeks but you flinched away.

"Doll I am so sorry," he spoke softly, on the verge of tears himself. "I'm gonna go get some ice for you, alright?" You nodded and he left the room. You heard him rustling in the freezer as you climbed onto the bed. You moved your fingers, making a fist and then releasing. You twisted your wrist, wincing at the pain. Bucky reentered the room and sat next to you on the bed. He gently placed the wrapped ice on the bruise. You placed your free hand on top of his and you shuffled closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder. He went to apologise again but you shushed him.
"We both know that wasn't you. But Buck, you need to talk to me, was it that nightmare again?" He sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, I was back in that Russian cell. I can't breathe and it's so cold. The worst thing is that I don't remember anything. I don't remember Steve or the Avengers. I don't remember you." He paused, his mind wandering back to the dream. No, not a dream, a memory. You turned to face him, placing the ice beside you on the bedside table. You reached up with your good hand and pulled him into a deep kiss. You broke for breath and whispered in Bucky's ear, "that's another thing I know. You could never forget me."

You woke up the next morning to banging on the door. there was a large wet patch where the ice had melted. Bucky wasn't in the bed and his pillows were missing too. A wave of panic flooded your mind, "Bucky?" You called out, afraid that he'd left you. You'd been left before by someone who you thought that you'd spend the rest of your life with. You scurried out of the bed, throwing the blanket around your shoulders. You yelped in surprise as Bucky opened the door to the bedroom.
"Y/n?" You sighed and hugged him tightly. "Are you alright?" He held you in his arms, kissing you on the top of the head.
Doctor Stephen Strange stood in the doorway behind him. He gave you a nod, you blushed immediately, realising you were still in your nightgown. "Buck," Bucky looked down at you when you spoke. "Why is Doctor Strange here?"
"I didn't know who else to call."
"Call for what?" You loosened your grip on him, looking up at him intently.
"You need to get your arm checked out, I need to know I didn't really hurt you." You glanced at your arm, it had a nasty bruise in the shape of Bucky's fingers.
"It's fine, I promise." You tried to fake a smile but Bucky saw straight through the lie.
"Get dressed, I'll put the kettle on."

You walked out a few minutes later, freshly dressed and your hair brushed and tucked behind your ears. "Y/n, it's good to see you again." You had only met Stephen Strange once before, it was at the Avengers headquarters, where Bucky had sent you to drop off an important item that he'd recovered a week earlier. You sat next to Bucky on your couch, a set of blankets lay in a pile on the floor next to the couch. He poured you a cup of coffee and sipped slowly at his own. Stephen cleared his throat and leant forward. "So, let me see your arm." You offered your arm out to him, sucking in air through your teeth as he turned it over. "It's not broken, so that's a good start. I would advise you to take it easy, take a painkiller if you need to but it should heal quickly and there shouldn't be any lasting damage." You, Bucky and Strange talked for a while longer, enjoying the morning sun and the hot coffee. When he stood to leave, Bucky offered to walk him out. Doctor Strange leaned close to him, whispering something that made Bucky's entire body tense. He closed the door behind Strange, his hand lingering on the handle for a while longer. You collected the mugs and took them to the kitchen, unaware that Bucky had followed you. You rinsed the mugs in the sink, you bumped your arm and cried out in pain, the mug clattered to the ground, shattering on impact. You cursed at yourself before searching for the half-brush and shovel. Bucky set some newspaper on the kitchen counter and helped you collect the small pieces. You looked up at him, he stared at your arm as you worked, tears in his eyes. "Bucky, you're upset." He shook his head, looking away from you. "I can't believe I've done this to you. Maybe I should go," you slapped him across the face, the hit ringing out across the room. "Don't you dare. I knew who you were before I started dating you, you've told me about your past and I accept that. If I couldn't take a little damage do you really think I would want to be around the Avengers?" The shock on his face turned into one of pure love. He pulled you into him, clutching you close. "You have no idea what that means to me." He whispered.

Chapter Text

You walked up the stairs to your apartment, dragging the heavy parcel up with you. ‘From The Doctor’. You repeated the line in yourhead. It was the only thing written on the paper-wrapped parcel. "Not from my doctor I hope," you said, mainly to yourself. You balanced the parcel in one hand and clumsily unlocked the apartment door with the other. You placed the package on the table and threw yourself on the bed, falling asleep before you had even kicked your shoes off. You woke up to light streaming on your face, you groaned and rolled over, checking your alarm for the time. It read 05:30 am. You shook your head and got up, searching for the lights source. You glanced around your room and saw that your bathroom light was on. "Strange," you thought, "I haven't used the bathroom since I got home." You walked to the door and reached for the light switch, turning it off. The beginning of the day had just started to creep into the room. No going back to sleep now. You wandered over to the coffee machine and flicked the switch to turn it on. Instead of the normal buzz the machine made, there was silence. You gave it a few smacks to get it going but to no avail. You cursed under your breath, directing it at the machine and stalked back to your room. The parcel caught your eye and you changed your course to grab it. From The Doctor. You read it again. "Doctor Who?" You said out loud.
You tore the string from around the package, revealing a large, grey coat. You laughed at the gift, "Well this is an expensive joke." You checked the size. "It's my size, creepy." You put the coat back on the table, checking the pockets. There was a small slip of paper inside the breast pocket. You opened it and read the words aloud. "Y/N, put this on before you go to work today, it's going to be cold. From The Doctor." You were thoroughly creeped out, you threw the note in the trash and the coat back on the table. You decided to shower to clear your mind.

You went to grab your raincoat from the wardrobe, it was the end of autumn and, while it wasn't going to be cold, it was supposed to rain all day again. You opened the wardrobe door and reached for your rain jacket. You put it on, only to find that it had a large hole in the sleeve. "When did I do that? I only wore this yesterday!" You cursed again and then sighed. "I'll have to wear that grey one then. I swear if it gets me killed, I will haunt this 'Doctor' until the end of time," you said angrily. You threw the jacket on and walked out of your apartment, locking the door behind you. As you walked to work, you swore that you saw a man with a leather jacket and a slightly large nose, following you around. You would see him in the shop windows and at pedestrian crossings. It had begun to warm up, unlike what the note had predicted so you walked without the jacket on. You were just about to walk into the building where you worked when someone called out to you, a young, blonde woman ran over to you.
"Hi, I'm Rose, no time to explain but I really need your help!" This girl looked around 19 and had a London accent. You nodded reluctantly and followed her, you couldn't say no to a girl so young in distress. Rose led you down the street into an alley, running the whole way. You called out to her, out of breath, as Rose turned a corner. You rounded the corner of the building moments later. The alley opened out into an open field. Rose was nowhere to be seen. "What the bloody hell?" You gasped aloud, mildly annoyed that this girl had disappeared. You spotted a note on the ground and picked it up. 'Sorry, I had to leave, I hope you aren't too mad at me. I love the jacket by the way. Rose Tyler.' You’d had enough. You screwed up the note and threw it to the ground with an angered grunt, stamping it into the ground with your foot. You spun on your heel and continued to work as the rain began to drizzle from the sky.

"Stupidly late but I'm almost there," you thought as you saw your workplace. You walked up to the doors but stopped when you saw a blue police box across the road. "Bloody weird, maybe it's a student art project or something?" You made a mental note to check the newspaper later to see if there was anything enlightening. You walked into the lobby of your company building and saw the same blonde girl talking to the receptionist. In a moment of anger, you almost walked up to confront her, then decided against it, you were already late to work. You sat at your desk, staring across the street at the mysterious blue box through your window. You had just stopped for lunch when you saw a man exit the box. He looked panicked and ran into your building. You stood up to go investigate when an enormous explosion shook the building, the windows shattering as you threw yourself to the ground, you felt a pain in your arm as a shard of glass flew past you. The door to your office flew open and in ran Rose and the man that exited the blue box. Rose ran over to you as the man inspected the window.

"YOU!" you yelled at Rose, who smiled sheepishly.
"I'm really sorry about earlier, this is the Doctor."
"Doctor who? Wait, the one who sent me the jacket?" You turned to him, hauling yourself up, using the desk for support. You grabbed the jacket from the back of your tipped over chair and thrust it at him. "You creep! How did you know my size? How did you know where I live?" The Doctor turned around and enveloped you in a hug. You tried to say something but couldn't as another explosion rocked the building. You could hear sirens in the distance. You pushed him away, but he grabbed your arm, causing you to wince in pain. The Doctor pulled his hand away, noticing the blood on his hand, he took your wrist and inspected the wound. He tore off a piece of fabric from his shirt and wrapped it around the shallow cut. He looked at you, "Y/N, you don't know who I am?" He spoke softly.
"No, I can't say I do," You said coldly in reply, "should I?" You noticed a hint of sadness on his face but it passed as quickly as it came. There was a bang behind them and Rose called out, the Doctor's blue eyes shot up to her. You turned and saw a large, crab-like monster walking through the doorway. You screamed and backed up into the Doctor. You turned to run but the wall of your office blocked the way. The creature advanced on the trio and Rose ran to join you and the Doctor. You shook your head, begging yourself to wake up. The Doctor grabbed your hand and looked into your eyes.
"Do you trust me?"
"What?" You practically screamed. "You're probably the reason they're here!" The Doctor asked you again. He looked genuine, concern clouding his face. You shook his hand off of you and stood back. Rose stepped towards you,
"Please, you need to trust him if you want to make it out of here." The crab creature let out a roar that made you jump. Tears threatening to fall from your eyes, you sighed.
"Okay," you said softly. "Just please, don't get me killed." The Doctor grinned at you and threw your office chair at the creature, earning another bestial shriek. He grabbed Rose's hand and told her to climb up on the window sill. "Jump!" He yelled. Rose jumped immediately while you looked on. "You are bloody mad!" You screamed. The Doctor grinned again and as the crab creature grew closer again he took your hand. You decided that you were more likely to live jumping out of a window than against a crab monster, so you jumped.

As you fell, it felt like the world was moving in slow motion. The shattered glass sparkled above your head, catching the light with an eerie beauty. Suddenly, you stopped falling, so did the debris above you. A blue light surrounded you, you turned to see the blue police box hovering next to you. A hand jutted out and grabbed your shoulder, pulling you in. You fell heavily onto the floor, the Doctor breaking your fall. Rose pulled the door shut, leaning against it. "Are you alright?" He asked you as you rolled off of him.
"No! I just jumped out of a window to get away from a crab!" You screeched at him. You began to hyperventilate as you realised the fate you had narrowly escaped. The Doctor moved to you, taking your hands in his. He lifted your chin to make you look at him,
"it's alright, you're alright. You're safe." You stared at him, tears began streaming down your cheeks. "Come on, we have a city to save." He walked over to the glowing console in the centre of the room.
"What is this thing?"
"This is the TARDIS." Rose piped up, offering you a cup of tea. "She is a beauty of a machine, able to traverse the universe and travel through time." She helped the Doctor to operate the controls as you watched.
"Yeah, sure. Quick question, how are you going to, you know, stop the giant monster from destroying the city?" The Doctor turned to you,
"That is where you come in." With a whir and a shake, the TARDIS took off.

Rose opened the door to the TARDIS, cold air blew in from the outside, chilling you to the bone. The Doctor wrapped the grey coat around your shoulders, it gave off a soft, pulsing heat. You eagerly shoved your arms into it, wrapping it tightly around your body. "Where are we?" You asked as you stepped out onto the snow-covered ground.
"The North Pole."
"Okay, great. You'll be telling me you're Santa Claus next." You chuckled to yourself and picked up a handful of snow.
"Nope, just an alien. Rose is human, though." Rose smiled and gave you a small wave. You let the snow fall through your fingers as you looked around. The snow glistened as the sun shone over the white wasteland.
"I thought you said we were saving the city. How are we doing that from here?" The Doctor gave you a puzzled look,
"You seem to be taking this very well. All things considered."
"I have made the decision that this is all a fever dream of mine, maybe I got hit on the head on the way to work this morning and I'm currently lying in a hospital bed. That's the only explanation I have." You walked over to where Rose was inspecting some animal tracks. The Doctor followed you over, kneeling on the ground beside you.
"These are what we're looking for," he confirmed. "Better start walking then."

The small, circular tracks continued for nearly a kilometre before they led into a dark cave. The Doctor pulled a small screwdriver from his pocket and pressed a button, producing a small amount of light. "Stay close to me," he whispered in your ear, hooking his arm around yours.
"I'll keep watch out here," Rose offered. You and The Doctor wandered down the slick cave, you lost your balance after a few steps, your work shoes not offering great grip. You accidentally dragged the Doctor down after you. As you both skidded to a halt at the bottom of the cave, a rustle up ahead caught your attention. The Doctor pulled you to your feet, he shone the screwdriver's light out, illuminating a long hallway. You followed behind him as he walked down,
"What are we looking for?" You asked quietly,
"The nest. If we destroy it, the children will be destroyed too." Soon enough, the ground became sludgy and muddy, sticks stuck out at random intervals, occasionally catching on your pants. You held tightly to the Doctor, fear clutching your heart and making your stomach cramp. He handed you a lighter, "when we find the nest, set it on fire if you get the chance." You nodded and continued forward.

"There!" The Doctor hissed at you, pointing at a large cluster up ahead. There were broken eggshells and large piles of sticks and other greenery. It looked like a giant bird's nest, but there was something unsettling about it. As you drew closer, you could see the remains of what you hoped were only animals. Something moved in the darkness, making you jump. The Doctor yelped as something hit him. Clicking noises filled the room, now you could see them. There were close to fifteen crab monsters lingering around the nest, all looking at you. You turned to the Doctor, who was laying on the floor in the freezing water. A crab loomed over you, staring at you and clicking its claws. "The nest," the Doctor moaned, attempting to get to his feet. The crab turned to him, grabbing him in its massive claw. It lifted him and threw him effortlessly across the room, he rolled over in the water, moaning in pain from where he'd hit the ground hard.

You fumbled with the lighter in your pocket, pulling it out and running over to the mess of sticks. You flicked the lighter furiously, trying to ignite it as you became very aware of the monsters moving quickly towards you. 'Yes!" You yelled when you produced a flame, hovering it next to a dry area of wood. It took time but the wood finally started to smoke, your heart raced with excitement. You were thrown across the room as a claw collided with your body, the lighter flew from your hands, extinguishing in the water. "Too late." You scowled at the monster who hit you, the sticks ignited and bright light filled the cavern. The monsters scurried to the fire, desperately trying to put it out. They screamed as their own bodies ignited and slowly turned to ash, along with the nest. You crawled to where the Doctor lay, motionless. You grabbed the screwdriver, holding it between your teeth, then you grabbed his jacket and pulled, adrenaline rushing through your body. You dragged him after you, back down the hall, avoiding everything the best you could. You yelled out to Rose when you saw the light at the entrance of the cave. She slid down the slope and helped you with the Doctor's body. She shook him violently, yelling at him to wake up, you looked on in fear. You'd only known this man for an hour, but it felt like so much longer.

His eyes shot open as he sat up, Rose clutching him tightly. He rubbed her shoulder reassuringly. He looked at you, "did you do it?" You nodded, remembering the flames. He stood slowly and walked to you. He held your face with his hands and kissed you, deeply and passionately. It caught you off guard, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. He broke from the kiss, admiring your blushing cheeks, "you are incredible."

Chapter Text

Steve and Bucky sat at a bar, Bucky was busy talking to a beautiful blonde while Steve watched the singer on stage. It was 1939. The bar the boys had chosen had a special on drinks for soldiers about to go off to war. They had a special performer in to sing for the soldiers, the poster beside the door had read "CARMELLA STANTON - Hear the voice beyond compare!"
Steve had been enthralled by the singer as soon as she'd stepped on stage. Her long, black, sequinned dress reflecting the stage lights and her brown hair styled with rolled curls at the back. Her voice paralysed him as she performed with the band. The way she moved made him want to get up and be on stage right next to her.

Carmella announced that the band would take a short break and resume in 10 minutes. The bar applauded and then continued talking amongst themselves. Carmella stepped off of the stage and walked to the bar. Jimmy, the barkeep, gave her a nod. "Can I get a clean cloth, Jimmy? Oh, and a glass of icy water, if you wouldn't mind." She spoke with a subtle English accent, giving the barkeep a smile as he nodded and produced a clean cloth from under the bar, he left to get some ice. She turned her back to the bar, patting gently at her neck to wipe away the sweat. Steve watched her in amazement, there were only two stools between them. Steve stood to walk over to her but a pair of burly soldiers got there first. Carmella politely smiled and gave them a quick nod. She could tell immediately that the taller of the two was drunk off his ass.

"'Ave you enjoyed the show tonight boys?" She said in a singsong tone. She leant back as she caught a strong whiff of alcohol. They both nodded and the taller one finished the drink he was holding, slamming the glass on the bar top. Carmella arched an eyebrow slightly. Steve watched intently, about to move when Bucky placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him to wait. The tall soldier managed to slur out an introduction,
"I'm Victor sweetie, how would you like to share a -hicc- dance with this soldier?" Carmella half-smiled and politely declined, stating that there wouldn't be any music to dance to without her on stage. Her face became stony as Victor slipped a hand around her waist and tried to force a kiss on her cheek. Steve quickly walked over, Bucky following behind him closely.
"Steve, they're twice your size bud, are you sure?" Bucky asked in a whisper as the walked closer.
"Damn right I am Buck, I don't care how big they are, they should show some respect to the lady." Steve and Bucky reached the drunken soldiers and Steve cleared his throat. "That's enough boys, the lady politely asked you to stop and you haven't. I'm not asking politely." Victor smirked at the scrawny Steve and pushed him back into Bucky.
"Go home kid. Bar ain't a place for you." He retorted.

Carmella smiled and placed a hand on Victors' arm, which was still around her waist. "You've got three seconds to remove your hand and apologise to him," she pointed to Steve, who Bucky was stopping from throwing a punch. Victor smirked again.
"One," Victor turned and shared a laugh with his friend,
"Two," Carmella tightened her grip on his arm, which the drunk didn't seem to even notice.
"And three." In less than five seconds, Carmella had twisted the soldier's arm away from her waist and delivered a nose crushing punch to his face, knocking him to the floor. She then turned to his friend, who had only just realised what had happened and decided to react. He lunged for her but Steve stepped in between them while Bucky pulled her back. The punch went too high and lazily caught Steve in the shoulder. Steve returned the punch into the soldier's stomach, making him double over. The man stood up and went to punch Steve again but Steve dodged and punched him in the nose as well. The man fell against the bar, dazed. Carmella had, meanwhile, put the taller man into an arm lock as he had gotten up to fight again. She walked him over to Steve, each time he struggled he would tighten her grip or twist his arm a little further.

"Apologise." She hissed. When he didn't she twisted his arm. "Now, or I break it." He spat out an apology to Steve and she let go.
"Bitch!" Victor growled at Carmella before being escorted out by Jimmy and a few of her band members. Carmella and Steve called out after him in unison, "watch your language." The other man followed his friend, red from embarrassment. The other bar patrons laughing them out
"Thank you, boys, for coming to 'elp me out." The brunette singer said, fixing her hair in the mirror, readying herself to go back on stage. "It isn't often I get a man wanting to defend me just because that's what is right." She smiled at Bucky and Steve, walking over to them. She placed a kiss on Bucky's cheek, thanking him. She then turned to Steve who was blushing a little. She kissed him on the lips, making him go beetroot red. She turned to walk back on stage. Bucky gave Steve a gentle nudge and Steve called out after Carmella.
"Do you want to, I dunno, get a drink sometime? Maybe?" He stammered out. Carmella turned and smiled brightly at him.
"Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world." Before stepping up on stage to continue her set, which mesmerised Steve for the rest of the evening.

The bar slowly emptied once Carmella and her band finished their set, just before the band began to pack up, Carmella asked them for a favour. "Play us a slow song if you don't mind." The band obliged happily and played a slow, jazz song. Carmella offered her hand to Steve, "got time for a dance?" He smiled at her. Bucky watched the pair make their way to the dancefloor, laughing quietly at his tipsy friend. Jimmy had been supplying them with free drinks all night and Steve had drunk more than he should have. Carmella and Steve slowly danced in circles, ignoring the rest of the world around them. "Thank you again for earlier," Carmella spoke softly,
"It's not like you needed the help." Carmella laughed, pulling him closer to her. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"I have two older brothers," Steve raised his brow, "one of them is gay, the other is smaller than you, no offence."
"None taken,"
"Our father was a general, he disowned both of them. Somebody had to learn to take care of them." Carmella smiled up at him, before pulling him closer. She hummed along to the song, the sound sending a feeling of peace through Steve.
"Hey, Carmella?"
"Yes, Steve,"
"Would you mind if I kissed you?" Carmella took his cheek in her palm, she kissed him passionately, their lips battling for dominance.
"Do you want to come back to my place?" Steve's cheeks turned bright red,
"Uh, I promised Bucky I'd walk him home, or maybe he promised to walk me home."
"He can come too if you want." Carmella winked suggestively at the aspiring soldier, taking his hand and leading him to the bar where Bucky waited. "Give me fifteen minutes to help pack up."

Chapter Text

Carmella held one of Steve's arms as they walked to her apartment, Bucky supported the other. Steve stopped to give Carmella a kiss on the cheek, "Alright soldier, wait till we're at my place." Bucky laughed and nudged Steve, who poked his tongue out at him. Carmella pulled a set of keys from her bag. After fiddling with the lock she pushed the door open. Steve walked in first, pulling Bucky inside after him, Carmella pulled the door closed and flicked on the light. She threw her bag on the couch, the strap of her dress falling off of her shoulder with it. Bucky pushed Steve into the room in front of him, urging him to make the first move.

They all removed their shoes, discarding them near the front door. Carmella walked to the record player, she scanned the selection for a certain record. She put it on, the sound cleared and a smooth trumpet bellowed from the speakers. Carmella swayed her hips to the music, the sequins on her dress catching the evening light seductively. She pulled a clip from her hair, allowing her long, curly, brown hair to flow down her back.
"Steve," Bucky whispered to him, "if you don't make a move, I will." Steve was frozen at the sight of Carmella, she hypnotised him with her body.
"She's so..." he struggled to form any words,
"beautiful." Bucky finished the sentence for him, moving towards Carmella. He spun her around, pulling her into a deep kiss. He held her by the waist, pulling her waist into his body. Carmella kissed him roughly back, running her hands through his hair. He moved his hand to the straps on her shoulders, pulling them down gently. "Are you sure?" He asked her, breathing in her ear.
"Definitely." Carmella reached up to undo the back of her dress, allowing it to slip down to the floor. The black sequins fell away to reveal her silky lingerie, the black lace trim matched the dress perfectly.

Bucky turned her around, wrapping his arms around her body as they swayed together, his head resting on her shoulder. Carmella beckoned Steve to join them, he moved forward, his body acting on its own. Carmella pulled him into her arms, Bucky letting her go and beginning to take his shirt off. Carmella kissed Steve, slowly unbuttoning his shirt while he was distracted. The grey shirt fell to the floor, exposing Steve's chest. Carmella pulled him closer, feeling Bucky behind her, trailing kisses down her neck. Bucky bit gently, making Carmella gasp as pleasure shot through her body. Steve held her cheek, rubbing his thumb across it lovingly. Carmella sucked his thumb gently, giving him a dirty smile. Bucky let out a moan as Carmella rocked her hips against his growing erection. She turned to him, running her hands down his naked chest, feeling his muscles beneath her fingers. She bit his earlobe gingerly while she palmed his crotch. Steve traced his fingers along her back, sending shivers down her spine. Carmella undid the button on Bucky's trousers, pulling them down slightly and placing her hand down his underwear. Bucky groaned again, pulling Steve closer to him.

Bucky undid Steve's pants eagerly, "I can't be the only one having fun," Steve went red as his erection was exposed. Carmella sunk to her knees, facing Steve. She took his cock in her hands, stroking it gently before taking it into her mouth. Steve gasped and threw his head back when she did, holding onto Bucky's shoulders. Bucky kissed him, pushing his tongue past Steve's lips and stroking himself through his pants. Carmella looked up at the friends as they made out. "Fuck, that's hot." She stood up and took their hands. She pulled them to her bedroom, a large bed dominated the room. She pushed Steve to the bed, making him lay on his back. "Hey Bucky," she whispered in his ear, a look of concern crept onto Steve's face, "can you suck him off?" Bucky grinned and walked over to Steve, kneeling between his legs. He began to suck Steve's cock, earning various moans of pleasure.
"Buck, that feels incredible" Steve groaned, gripping the covers of the bed. Carmella sat on the edge of the bed, watching Bucky's head bob up and down. She played with herself through the silky lingerie, the wet patch around her crotch growing larger as she did. Steve sat up and pushed Bucky away, much to Carmella's disappointment. He crawled across the bed to her, "your turn." He let out a soft growl as he lay her back, pulling the silk from her body, exposing it completely. The cool air sent chills over her bare skin.

Bucky moved over to them, ditching the last of his clothing. Steve played with Carmella's plump breasts, trailing kisses down her stomach. He made his way down her body, paying special attention to the places that made Carmella squirm a little. Bucky watched as Carmella's body reacted to Steve's gentle touch. Steve kissed her inner thighs before moving closer to her most sensitive area. He drove his tongue into her soaking cunt, savouring her juices. Carmella gasped as he moved his tongue around inside her, pulling it out to suck her clit. She wrapped her fingers in his hair as he did, her body beginning to go wild. An orgasm built up quickly and when Steve pushed two fingers into her pussy, she was pushed over the edge, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

"Please, I need more," Carmella groaned. Steve moved away, allowing her to draw in deep breaths as her body shook from pleasure. Steve lay on his back again, Bucky throwing a condom at him. He quickly pulled it on, waiting for Carmella. She knelt above him, straddling his waist. Bucky put on his own condom and continued to stroke himself. Carmella lowered herself onto Steve, moaning with pleasure. She waited for a moment, adjusting to the feeling. She beckoned Bucky over, "I want you too." Bucky arched a brow, smirking slightly. He moved behind her and aimed his cock at her ass. He pushed slowly, past the barrier and slowly sinking into her tight ass. Carmella dug her nails into Steve's shoulders, leaving her mark. She waited again, the fullness inside her blowing her mind. She gave a quick nod and both men began to move. They rocked in time with one another, penetrating deep into Carmella. Carmella panted as she was overwhelmed with pleasure building up. Bucky and Steve's breaths became more ragged and their strokes became more rapid and primal.

"I'm gonna cum," he breathed. Bucky slowed down and pulled out, allowing Carmella to ride Steve to orgasm. He grunted as he thrust hard into Carmella, dragging his nails down her back as he came. He caught his breath and pulled out of Carmella. Bucky pulled her to him, pushing back into her sensitive ass. He sat and thrust into her, rubbing her clit as he drove himself into her, hard. He kissed her, muffling her moans and concealing his own. Carmella's breathing hitched as she felt another orgasm rising in her. She squeezed her eyes shut, her muscles tightening around Bucky. She squealed in delight as he came in her ass, pushing her over too. Her body shook with the orgasm, every nerve ignited by the feeling.

Carmella fell back into the bed next to Steve, who cuddled her sweating, naked body. Bucky kissed her cheek and lay on the other side of her. He stroked Steve's arm absentmindedly. "I think I love you," Carmella finally broke the silence, "both of you."

Chapter Text

"Y/n, could you come in here, please? I need to borrow your brain." Sherlock called out to you from across the apartment, putting his violin back in its rightful place.
"Give me a minute, Sherlock!" you yelled back at him, you were in the middle of finishing a painting that you'd been working on for close to a month now. You lay the last stroke of paint on the paper with a flourish, placing the dirty brush in the brownish water. You admired it for a moment, the stunning portrait was of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson sitting in the lounge area, calmly drinking tea. It was a memory you'd pulled, one of your favourite times was the moment of quiet between cases. You wiped your hands on the old shirt you were wearing, getting most of the wet paint off before walking to where Sherlock waited, his fingers arched in front of his mouth. It took a moment for him to notice that you'd walked in, but he smiled happily when he did see you. He walked over to you, hands dropping to his side. He frowned at the state of your shirt,
"You were painting, again?" You raised your eyebrow at him,
"yes, Sherlock, that's kind of what an artist does." You nudged him playfully, careful not to get any paint on his coat. "How can I help?" He nodded and gestured to the seats, waiting for you to sit before he followed suit. You balanced on the arm of the chair. You really did not want to get paint on the couch, Mrs Hudson would have a fit if you did.

Sherlock crossed his legs, breathing in, and out. "I need your help with another case," you winced at the words. "I know that the last case you helped with didn't work out as well as I thought, but I'd still like your help. If you're willing to give it to me, of course. You nodded slowly, eager to repay your debt to him. John Watson had hired you a few weeks earlier, he'd needed some artwork created for his blog and you'd been highly recommended. You came and talked to him, asking about preferences and what he'd wanted. You left their home at that same time that a highly organised mob, that Sherlock had put away, decided to exact revenge. Unfortunately for you, that involved being kidnapped and held for ransom. Sherlock and John managed to find you within the week and taken you home with them, however, the threat they were left with was clear- the mob would come after you again.

Sherlock tapped your leg gently, pulling you from your daydream. You smiled at him, asking for him to repeat himself. "There was movement inside the mob that took you, we don't know where they've gone." Panic swept through your body, your heart raced and your mind filled with terrified thoughts. "I wouldn't ask you to help me if I didn't think it was completely necessary. When they took you, did any of them talk about a safe house or a second base? Anything?" Your mind drifted back to those moments, you thought hard, trying to recall any information.
"The docks," Sherlock shifted his body to face you, "they were whispering about an abandoned warehouse down near there. There was talk about it being able to hold cars, or cargo maybe?" You'd sparked Sherlock's interest and you could see that he was running through possibilities in his own head.
"Do you remember a number? Anything more specific?"
"I'm sorry, Sherlock. I..." You suddenly remembered a small, seemingly indifferent detail. "They were going on about getting rid of the smell of fish. One of them even asked my opinion." Sherlock's face lit up, you recognised the look immediately. "You know where they are."
"John! Come here, now!"
"Wait, I want to come with you. Just let me change my shirt, please." You pleaded with Sherlock, he was about to respond when John ran in from downstairs.
"Sherlock? What the hell were you yelling about?" Sherlock looked back at you,
"Go get changed then, wear something dark and inconspicuous. John, get your coat." You hurried to the spare room downstairs, pulling your paint covered shirt off of your body.

John pulled Sherlock towards him, speaking in a low whisper, "Sherlock, she can't go with us. What if she gets hurt?"
"John," Sherlock pet his arm reassuringly, "it will be fine, but I think we're going to need all the backup we can get." John began to protest but stopped as he heard you coming up the stairs. John grabbed his coat and put it on, he tucked a gun into the back of his jeans. He pulled another one from the drawer of his desk, handing it to Sherlock. Sherlock offered it to you, but you put your hands up.
"No, thanks. I'd prefer not to carry something like that around, I don't like guns." Sherlock shrugged and tucked the weapon into his jacket. Sherlock led the way down the stairs and out the front door, hailing the closest taxi. John climbed in the front passenger seat, Sherlock and you took the back seats.
"The docks, quick as you can." Sherlock calmly commanded the taxi driver.
"Why on earth are we going there, Sherlock?" John turned in his seat, dark eyes flicking between you and Sherlock.
"What? Don't you trust me, John?"
"Not as far as I could throw you." John snapped back, facing forwards.

The taxi pulled up to the docks, warehouses lined the pier and ships dotted the water. John paid the driver and he drove off, leaving the three of you alone. The sun had begun to set, darkness encroaching on the city. "Y/n," you turned to Sherlock when he placed a hand on your shoulder, "if this gets to be too much, tell me. Straight away." There was a moment, as you stood in the dim light, that you could have sworn that there was a hint of something else in Sherlock's eyes, a different kind of care, a look that he normally saved for John.
"I will." You smiled up at him.
"Onwards then," he stepped past you, John falling in behind him. "There's an abandoned warehouse just around the corner from here, it was used to store and prepare fish but went out of business six months ago."
"Sherlock," you hissed at him, pulling him and John into a space between two of the warehouses. The dark swallowed you, hiding you from a group of three men who were all huge. Two of them stood taller than Sherlock and they were all built like trucks. The laughed amongst themselves, cigarettes in their mouths, continuing on their path.
"What's wrong?" John whispered to you,
"The short one, he's one of the ones that grabbed me." John nodded,
"thanks for that." Sherlock moved out of the alley, crouching slightly and moving along the wall.

"It's just up ahead." Sherlock pointed to a building that was lit up. There were several motorbikes and a few different cars parked in front of it, slowly being moved inside. John pulled his gun, checking it and cocking it.
"I'll go round the back, you stay with her, Sherlock." There was an edge of warning and worry in John's voice. Sherlock grabbed your hand, pulling you forwards with him. You both made your way around the opposite side of the building, using the dark shadows as cover. Sherlock pulled himself on to a crate next to the warehouse, looking through a window briefly. He jumped down next to you,
"There's seven more in there, they're moving huge wooden crates, I didn't see what was in them." You sighed,
"I'd bet they were drugs." You winked cheekily at him, trying to lighten the mood. Sherlock raised his brow,
"Bet you £25 that it's not."
"You're on." Sherlock continued to one of the entrances, pushing the door open slightly. He looked carefully through the gap before pushing it open fully. You walked in after him, the hair on your arms standing on edge. "Sherlock, something's wrong. This shouldn't be this easy."
"Don't be silly, this isn't a story." You quietly followed him, a sinking feeling set into your stomach. There were footsteps in front of you, Sherlock put his hand out to stop you. The warehouse lights up ahead of you suddenly burst to life, temporarily blinding you and Sherlock. You squinted, trying to see who was coming. Seven people ran towards you, one of them tackling Sherlock to the ground, his gun scattering across the floor. He grunted in pain as he hit the floor, you shrieked and tried to run to him. Another one of the men grabbed your hair, pulling you backwards. You instinctively put your hands up to his, digging your nails into his knuckles. He let you go, cradling his hands. You turned around, throwing a punch into his nose. His head jerked backwards and his hands flew up to his nose. You shook your hand, pain rippling through it. Sherlock had taken some time to teach you basic self-defence, but that was still the first time you had ever thrown a real punch.

Sherlock pushed his own assailant off of him, delivering a blow to his stomach then his cheek. A gunshot echoed through the building, freezing you in your tracks as you helped Sherlock to his feet. Two men loomed behind you both.
"That's enough. Sherlock, it's time to pay." A large man stepped forward, aiming his gun at Sherlock. He ordered you to put your hands up, which you happily did. "You took down a huge part of my operation, you cost me millions. Now, I'm going to take it out of your arse."
"Wait, did you really just fire a gun? You know people are still working and will call the police." You remarked, a snarky smile creeping onto your face. The large man clicked his finger and one of his goons whacked you in the stomach, you doubled over in pain, gasping and out of breath. Sherlock yelled, lunging for the man who hit you. He was rewarded with a hard blow to the side of his head, dropping him to one knee. The goon hit him again, dropping him to the ground. He kicked him in the side for good measure, a smile on his face while he did it. The man who punched you pulled you back up, the leader walked towards you menacingly,
"I don't have time for smartmouths. I honestly thought you would have learned your lesson last time we got hold of you, y/n." You grit your teeth, the only thing stopping from taking a swing was the burly hand on your shoulder. Sherlock was pulled up next to you, still in a daze.
"Are you alright?" You asked him under your breath, he nodded weakly, blood dripping from his nose.

There was a loud crash on the other side of the warehouse, the mob leader pointed his gun in the direction of the noise, commanding his people to go see what it was. You took the moment of distraction to drive your forehead into the nose of the man holding you, picking up the gun as you ran past. He yelled after you but you were far smaller than him and you easily slipped between the crates. You stayed out of sight and quietly climbed up onto an old storage container, using the wooden crates they were moving for a boost. You carefully carried the gun, taking extra care not to accidentally shoot yourself. You spotted John on top of another crate, staying low. You waved to get his attention, his mouth dropped open when he saw you. "What are you doing?" He mouthed at you, you shrugged, to be honest, you hadn't thought this through. The sound of the mob leader yelling cut through the silence.
"You let her get away? You fucking idiot!" You spotted him walking around the corner, Sherlock was being dragged behind him. You could see that he was barely conscious. John moved, you caught the movement out of the corner of your eye. You climbed down, following the group of mob members. Someone placed their hand over your mouth, stifling a scream. You turned to see John staring at you.
"What happened?"
"Sherlock. We walked into a trap. We have to help him,"
"We will," John held your shoulders, "I've called for backup already."

There was another shout, "Y/n and John Watson, come out now or Sherlock dies." John pulled you to the edge of a container, peeking his head around the corner.
"They're right there. Damn,"
"How's Sherlock?" You asked panic setting in.
"He looks rough, he's on his knees. They're going to fucking execute him." You clasped your hand over your mouth to stop from squeaking, you felt like you were going to vomit.
"How many people are around him?"
"Three, the others must be looking around for us, well, for you."
"Can you sneak around behind them?" John nodded at you, "wait for my signal and get ready to grab Sherlock. Just get him out the way."
"Y/n, is there something you aren't telling me?"
"That's a story for if we survive."

When you saw that John was in place, you tucked the gun behind you and stepped out into the light. Suddenly there was a gun aimed at Sherlock. The leader smiled at you, "you've ruined our operation once before. You've almost cost me another few million in cocaine today."
"Well, I do love to inconvenience people," you retorted.
"Oh, I know. I know exactly who you are, you've changed a bit but I'd recognise you anywhere. Does your boyfriend here know you?" He gestured at Sherlock, his head hung low.
"You talk too much for a mob boss." You pulled the gun and fired three shots, each finding their mark. You fired without flinching, without thinking. John moved, dragging Sherlock to the side. You ducked back behind the container. The remaining mob members ran from all directions, one of them spotting you on their way past. You drew your gun up before he had a chance to react. This guy must have been no older than twenty. "If you want to live," you warned, "you didn't see me." The kid nodded, continuing to run to his injured boss. Sirens wailed outside, blue and red lights flashing and lighting up the docks. Armed police swarmed the warehouse, forcing the remaining mob members to the ground. You found where John had taken Sherlock. "John! Sherlock!" You ran to them, John grabbed you and wrapped you in a hug.
"Bloody hell, y/n, how did you do that?"
"I have a history, my father taught me to shoot. I'm pretty good at it, but I hate it. I'll explain later," you knelt down to Sherlock, examining the bruises on his face. "I need a medic over here!" You called out into the warehouse. A paramedic team raced over to you, picking Sherlock up and putting him on a gurney.

You sat next to Sherlock's hospital bed, battling to stay awake. He gasped as he woke up, taking a moment to recognise where he was. You bolted upright, moving immediately to his side to calm him down. "It's okay, you're safe." He grabbed your hand,
"Where's John?"
"He's on a lunch run, he only left a moment ago, I could probably catch him if you like." Sherlock sat up suddenly, grunting in pain. He pulled you close to him, looking into your eyes. "What's up?" You smiled, slightly embarrassed at how much you enjoyed being this close to him.
"You told me you couldn't shoot a gun."
"No, I said I didn't like them." Sherlock beamed and kissed you, ignoring the pain that flared up in his face. "Oh, hell." You groaned.
"I'm sorry, that was unprofessional." You shushed him,
"Don't be sorry,"
"What's wrong then?"
"I'm not supposed to fall in love with my clients." You smiled at him, kissing him back, careful of the many injuries he'd sustained.

Chapter Text

You answered the door to your apartment, not expecting anyone this late at night. You'd had a busy day, chasing an alien ship across the galaxy with the Doctor and his current companion, Clara. You'd met the Doctor when you hit him with your car. To be fair, he had literally appeared out of nowhere. You rushed to his aid but he simply got up, shook your hand and ran off. You followed him to a strange blue police box, it was out of place in the countryside so was hard to miss. Before you knew it, he'd pulled you into the box with him, introduced you to the TARDIS and then later to Clara. He'd taken you on a trip to one of Jupiter's moons, Europa, where he had discussed a peace treaty, putting an immediate halt to interstellar war. Clara wanted to do a little bit of exploring on the moon, but you weren't so keen so the Doctor stayed behind to keep you company. Thus began the beginning of your relationship with an alien, not that you mentioned that to everyone who asked about him. In fact, you kept the relationship highly secret, even from his companion.

Standing behind the door to your home was the Doctor, you admired him as he smiled at you. He wore a red velvet coat, a blue vest and a white shirt beneath it. His grey hair seemed to glisten in the flickering fluorescent light. The Doctor stared down at you with his steel blue eyes, giving you a wink before kissing you on the cheek. "I'll put the kettle on shall I?" You giggled, kissing him back. You beckoned the Doctor into your home, watching out the corner of your eye as he took his coat off and placed it on the couch, neatly folded. You flicked the oven on as you walked past it, shaking the kettle slightly, checking how full it was. You and the Doctor made small talk as you waited for the whistling of the kettle. You made tea and offered him a biscuit, which he graciously accepted. You began drinking your tea but put it down, "You've been gone for weeks." The accusation came out of the blue, you didn't realise you'd said it so harshly until you spotted the look on the Doctor's face. He looked like a kicked puppy,
"I'm sorry, I know. I was meant to send you a message but I got busy." You sighed and moved closer to him,
"Please, don't be sorry. You save the world all the time, I can't blame you for not remembering to call amongst that kind of pressure." He put his teacup on the table and placed his hand on your leg, leaning in close to you. His breath was hot on your neck and his voice was low and sultry.
"Let me make it up to you," you shuddered at the suggestion, becoming lost in his voice as it moved through your body. You placed your hands on his chest and climbed on to his lap, he gave you a devilish smile.

The Doctor was already half-hard when you climbed on him, his body tensing beneath yours. You kissed him deeply, closing your eyes and reaching for the buttons on his vest. You pulled back, undoing the buttons slowly, teasing him. He reached behind you and lifted your shirt over your body, tossing it to the side. You did the same with his shirt, smirking as it landed on top of yours. He fiddled with the latch on your bra, cursing it. You smiled and reached up to help, "you can fly that TARDIS, but you can't undo a bra?" You tutted him playfully,
"Shut up, that things far more complicated than the TARDIS." He ran his fingers over your exposed skin, your body reacted with goosebumps. You let out a soft moan as he took a nipple in his mouth, sucking gently. You ran your fingers through his silvery hair, enjoying how close you were to him. You ground yourself against his member, feeling it grow harder as he growled, you felt the vibration on your nipple, causing your breath to hitch. The Doctor lifted you slightly, changing the position and placing you on the couch. He undid your jeans and pulled them off slowly, adding them to the pile. "My god, you're so beautiful." You blushed as he looked you up and down, only your underwear covering you.
"No fair, you're still technically dressed." You sat up as he stood before you, he discarded his white shirt as you undid his pants. He kicked them off, smiling down at you.
"Now, now," he warned, "I'm not here for me."

The Doctor pushed you gently back, laying you back on the couch. He kissed your leg, moving up slowly, his fingers lightly brushing against your skin. You moaned under his touch, completely in his control as he moved further up your body, trailing kisses along your thighs. He wrapped his thumbs around the elastic waistband of your underwear, pulling them slowly down, watching as your body reacted. He looked at you with a dangerous lust, an animalistic grin creeping onto his face. He lay over you, kissing your breasts and walking his fingers down your stomach. He kissed you on the lips, deeply and passionately as he drove a finger into you. You moaned into his mouth, "my, my. Excited, are we?" He pumped his finger gently, moving and curling inside you, holding you in his kiss. He added a second finger and you squeaked in surprise.
"Like that," you breathed, pleading with him. You felt your pulse start to race as he moved faster, you began to pant and grind your hips in a circle. "Oh fuck," you whined and arched your back as your orgasm built.
"Go on, I know you want to." His words tipped you over the edge, you gasped as you came. Your body shuddering and shaking as he held you and you came down. "Ready?" You nodded and felt him move again, pulling his fingers from your soaking hole.

You felt his member pressing against your entrance, he lubed himself on the juices that were still on his fingers. "Are you sure?" You'd done this a few times, but the Doctor always asked, no matter how hungry he was for you. You nodded and pulled him down into a kiss. He thrust his hips forward, filling you and causing you to yelp in surprise. You ran your fingers down his back, feeling the tension being released as he moved his hips. You grabbed his waist and pushed him onto the couch, so he was sitting. You positioned yourself on him and lowered yourself onto his rock hard cock. You made small circles with your hips, then you bounced up and down. The Doctor slowly massaging your breasts, his steely eyes watching you as you took control, as you'd found out, it was something he liked. Your breathing became heavier as another orgasm built up. You looked at the Doctor, who had closed his eyes and let his head rest on the back of the couch. You watched as his breathing became erratic, matching his thrusts. He took you by the hips and held on to you. You moaned his name and he moaned yours as you both came.

You rested your head on his chest, listening to both his hearts beating and slowing back to normal. He lifted your eyes to meet his and kissed you gently, with a tenderness he'd never shown before. "I think that I," the door to your house flung open. Clara raced in,
"Doctor?" She yelled out, "Doctor, the scanner picked up an abnormal heart rate, I thought that you..." Clara went bright red as she saw you, still on the Doctor's lap. "I am so sorry." The Doctor was equally red in the cheeks. You, however, turned to Clara and smiled.
"I suppose that we need to explain? Please, I'm happy to tell you everything."
"No!" Clara covered her ears, then her eyes, then her ears again. "I don't want to hear any of it!" She turned and left, the door firmly closed behind her. You burst into laughter, the Doctor breathing a sigh of relief.
"Next time, remember to lock the door." He laughed and kissed you before getting up and putting his pants on. You sat naked on the couch, noticing your tea. You took a sip and spat it back into the cup.
"Great," the Doctor looked at you suspiciously, " now I have to make more tea."

Chapter Text

A knock on your window made you almost jump out of your skin. You cautiously walked to the window, brandishing a metal bat as a weapon. You checked the clock as you passed, 09:30 pm on a Friday. You pulled the curtain back, you sighed when you saw Peter Parker waving at you through the glass. "Bloody hell, Parker," you unlatched the window to let him in, "I have a perfectly functional front door." He smiled and climbed down from the window sill, giving you a hug. You smiled as you breathed him in, listening to his heartbeat.
"How was your day?" He asked, relaxing his hug slightly, but still holding you close to him. You shrugged,
"pretty uneventful, what about yours?"
"I've been doing, stuff. Mostly working with Mr Stark, Mr Captain America needed me to run an errand for him too. I've been looking forward to tonight though," you placed your hands on his chest, forcing him to let go.
"You are so late, it's not even funny. Seven o'clock, that's what we agreed!" You weren't really angry, you knew that Peter moonlighted as an avenger. To be honest, you felt so much safer knowing he was out there. You also understood how hard he had to work, desperate to prove himself to Tony Stark. Peter smiled sheepishly at you, running his hand over the back of his neck,
"Yeah, sorry about that, you know how Mr Stark can be."
"Well, it's lucky I haven't made the popcorn yet. Is it your turn to pick the movie?" Peter nodded and walked into your bedroom, picking up the remote as he walked past. He turned the TV on, immediately muting it. He knelt down next to a box of movies, picking each one up and reading the summary. You walked into the kitchen. You put a bag of popcorn in the microwave, Kettle corn, your favourite. You walked back to your room, leaning on the doorway and watching Peter as he picked a movie.
"Y/n, what do you feel like watching? Horror, a bad romance," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at you, making you giggle. "Or we could watch a comedy."
"Babe, I chose last week. It IS Friday the 13th, so a horror would be fitting." You shrugged and walked back to the kitchen, not wanting the popcorn to burn.

Peter picked up a film at the bottom of the box, the rest of them were piled next to him. He read the summary and smiled, the Conjuring. A classic horror. He put the disk in the DVD player and walked to the kitchen. He propped himself up on the counter, waving the DVD case towards you. You finished pouring the popcorn into a large bowl and took it from him. "The Conjuring? I've never actually seen this. My mum gave it to me for my birthday a few years ago." You grabbed the bottle of coke from the fridge and Peter carried the popcorn bowl to your room. You sat down on your bed next to him, pulling a blanket up over your shoulders, Peter climbed in next to you. He placed a hand around your waist, leaving his other free to grab the popcorn. "I forgot to grab the remote," you groaned, about to get up.
"I've got it," Peter shot a web and pulled the remote over to him, handing it to you. You kissed him on the cheek and pressed play, the screen bursting to life. You turned up the volume and watched.

Just over an hour in, you had moved considerably closer to Peter. It wasn't that you were scared, you normally handled horror movies pretty well. There was something about this movie, the fact it was based on a real story perhaps, that was unsettling. You moved the popcorn bowl to the ground, it was emptied a while ago but you were both too fixed on the film to do anything. You kept watching, determined to finish it. You tensed as the film took a turn, you could feel it building up to something. You looked back to Peter, wrapping both arms around him. The movie carried on and you began to realise why this was considered one of the scariest horror films ever made. You jumped, letting out a quiet squeak and Peter instinctively grabbed you, pulling you into his arms. You buried your face into his shoulder. "Babe, we can turn it off if you want." You laughed half-heartedly.
"It's fine, it's almost done anyway."

By the time the film was over you were practically in Peter's lap. The credits rolled and you let out a grateful sigh. "Yup, 10/10 would not watch again." You shuddered and Peter laughed at your joke.
"It wasn't that bad, was it?" You smacked him playfully on the arm.
"Maybe not for you, you could probably tell when the scares were coming."
"Pfft, maybe." Peter hugged you tighter, kissing your forehead. "Well, now that that's over, I should probably head home." You turned to him, pleading with your eyes.
"Please stay," he looked at you, concerned.
"Only if you're sure."

You threw the bowl in the sink and the empty soda bottle in your recycling bin. It was close to midnight, luckily neither of you needed to get up tomorrow. You checked the windows and the door, making sure they were all locked and secure. Peter was putting all of the DVD's back into their box. You moved around him, grabbing your pyjama shirt. You threw your shirt and bra into the laundry basket and pulled on your nightshirt. You remade the bed and climbed in, watching Peter as he put the box up on the shelf. His shirt lifted a little, revealing his abs. You put your face in your pillow, barely stopping yourself from squealing. He walked over to you and kissed you goodnight. "I'll sleep on the couch, call me if you need me." He turned the lights off as he walked out of the room. You lay on your back and closed your eyes.

You tossed and turned, laying in bed for close to an hour before sighing in frustration. You got up and snuck to the bathroom, you snuck a look at Peter as you went past. He was breathing softly, his chest rising and falling slowly. He had discarded his shirt on the floor. You smiled and kissed him on the forehead. He smiled back in his sleep. When you left the bathroom Peter stood in the bedroom doorway. He turned to look at you, panic fading from his eyes. "Peter, are you alright?"
"Yeah, no. Yeah, I am now. You weren't in your room and I panicked a little." You smiled and walked over to him, hugging him around the waist. "I think that movie may have gotten to me a little more than I thought." You pulled him into the bed with you, cuddling up to him. You listened to his rhythmic breathing, relaxing into his embrace. "I love you." He whispered sleepily.
"I love you too." You finally drifted off to sleep, any fears melting away with his warmth.

Chapter Text

Frank Castle sat quietly on your couch, drinking crappy bourbon straight from the bottle and going over various notes. You hummed quietly to yourself while you made a cup of coffee, the fresh scent wafting through the kitchen. "Do you want a snack?" You called to him,
"No thanks babe, I'm good."
"Suit yourself," you shrugged and grabbed a biscuit from the tin. You grabbed your coffee off the counter and held another biscuit between your teeth. You walked, past the stereo, turning it up a bit more. You swayed your hips as you walked into the room, moving in time with the music. You noticed Frank watching you out the corner of his eye. You wiggled your eyebrows stupidly at him, you were not trying to be seductive, just funny. It made everything worth it if you could make Frank smile. He smiled, letting out a little chuckle. He put the bottle on the table next to his notes, then he stood and looked you up and down. You were wearing an oversized t-shirt, one of his that you had ‘borrowed’, and a pair of loose-fitting track pants. The name of the game was comfort, especially on a Sunday morning. Frank took the cup of coffee from your hands and placed it on the table. Before you react, he was in front of you. He grabbed you by the waist and pulled you closer, taking part of the biscuit in his own mouth, biting it in half. He winked at you as you swallowed your half of the biscuit. “That was strangely and insanely sexy.” You said, wide-eyed and confused by yourself. Frank smirked, swallowing his own biscuit. “I thought you weren’t hungry,”
“Not for biscuits,” he retorted, his voice low and rough.
“What are you hungry for then?” You were desperately trying to shake the need from your voice, trying to match his own control. Frank kissed you, deeply and with nothing but desire. The other biscuit in your hand fell to the ground as you reached up to wrap your arms around him. You moved your hands under his shirt, feeling every scar along his muscles, some fresher than others. He began removing your own shirt, you lifted your arms and broke the kiss.

A knock at the door broke the heavy silence. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Frank muttered, letting your shirt fall back onto your body. “Maybe if we ignore them, they’ll go away.” He groaned, pecking you on the lips, not wanting to lose this moment.
“Y/N, I know that you’re home.” Matthew Murdock’s voice rang out from outside. “I can smell the coffee and bourbon from here.” You smiled at Frank, patting him sympathetically on the shoulder when he groaned again. He stamped to the stereo, turning it off then flopping onto the couch, packing away his notes. You walked to the door, opening it widely.
"Matt, come in. I thought you'd be in church on a Sunday." Matt chuckled, knowing that you meant no harm in the comment. "Oh, I moved the couch and the bookshelf around, so watch out for them." You warned the blind man. Matt instinctively put his hand out, feeling in front of him. You took his hand and led him to the armchair, placing his hand on the back of it.

"Surprised that you're here so early, Frank." Matt started,
"Yeah, I spent the night, Murdock." He clapped back, quick as lightning. You went bright red, Matt and Frank didn't really get along. You assumed that was because Matt was technically your ex. Matt cleared his throat and looked to where you were standing.
"Coffee?" You offered Matt in an attempt to change the subject.
"I'd love one," Matt smiled in your direction, you called to Frank over your shoulder,
"Last chance to change your mind, Frank." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Okay then, do you want a hand?" He began to stand,
"Nope, I've got it. They'll be ready in a minute." Frank sat back, sinking into the couch.

"Why are you here, Red?" Frank glared at Matt from his seat and sat forward, his arms resting on his knees.
"I need y/n's help with something."
"Is it dangerous?" Matt shook his head.
"No, it's just a simple stealth mission to gather information."
"Bullshit," Frank hissed at him, "last time you said that she almost got burnt to a crisp in a house fire."
"I know, okay? I know. I was there. It's not like that this time." Frank was finding it hard to keep his voice down as the anger rose.
"No? Can you guarantee that? What do you need her for anyway? You've got your superhuman hearing." Matt sighed, he knew that Frank wouldn't like the answer.
"I need her transformation abilities. I can't guarantee that she'll be safe, Frank. I never can." Frank stood up sharply, knocking the coffee table over, the bottle of bourbon, your hot coffee and Frank's notes clattering to the floor.
"You're a real piece of work, Red, I should kick your ass out, right now." Matt prepared to defend himself. A shattering sound from the kitchen followed by a yelp made them both bolt to you.

You'd heard Frank knock over the table. It made you jump and knock a mug off the countertop and, when you went to pick up the pieces, one buried itself in your palm. Frank reached you first, noticing the mug on the floor and stepping around it. "Y/n, are you alright? What happened?" You looked over at him, keeping your hand over the sink.
"It's fine, I just caught my hand a little." Frank examined your palm, blood dripped down your fingers,
"That's not a little bit, I'll grab something for it. Keep doing what you're doing." He kissed you on the cheek before moving quickly to the bathroom and rummaging through the first aid kit. Matt began picking up the shards of the ceramic mug.
"Matt, you can leave that, I'll get it in a minute, I'd feel terrible if you accidentally cut yourself. While I'm stuck here and Frank is in the bathroom, what'd you need to talk about." Matt stood up and leant against the counter, crossing his arms in front of himself.
"I need your help, I need someone who can get into a high-security building and grab some files."
"Okay, no problem." Matt looked over at you,
"Are you sure, it'll probably be dangerous."
"Sure, it'll be good to get out and about, able to transform for something other than fun. When do you want it done by?"
"Bit keen to break into a building, y/n. Should I be concerned?" You laughed at the joke he tried to crack. Matt was normally pretty serious when talking business, maybe he had changed since the last time you worked together. Frank came back, shooting a nasty scowl at Matt as he moved away.

Frank sat you up on the counter and took your hand in his, clicking his tongue. He made sure that the cut was clean before binding it with a bandage. "Don't use that hand too much, not till it's healed a bit." You thanked him and he helped you down, holding you for a moment before kissing you on the forehead. "So, what does he want?" You knew he meant Matt by the cold tone in his voice.
"He just needs some help with a client; it shouldn't take longer than a few hours. I'll head over there tonight and be back before morning." You gave Frank a sweet, innocent smile which he didn't buy for a second. He sighed and placed his calloused hand on your shoulder,
"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I will ask you not to go." He looked down at your hand before bringing it up to his lips and gently kissing it.
"It'll only be a few hours." You reassured him.

You slinked up to the outer vent on a large company building, Matt had informed you that the building was owned by the Russian and it was likely that they were keeping the locations of their warehouses somewhere in the main office. Your job was to climb through the vents and pop out just above the office, grab the documents, then get out. You had done far more difficult tasks for Matt so you had a strong sense of confidence as you changed your form into a small squirrel. You squeezed through the gaps in the metal and scurried down the vents. You followed a mental map and soon enough found yourself above the office. You double checked that nobody was in the room before changing into a bird and flying down. You stood up, forming back into your normal, human look, quickly looking through piles of paper on the desk, careful not to make a lot of noise. You spotted a file cabinet standing alone in the corner, some Russian symbols scrawled on the label. You pulled on the drawer, "Locked? No kidding." You mumbled softly to yourself. You searched the room for a key, looking in the obvious and not-so-obvious spots. Eventually, you thought to look beneath the office chair and almost jumped with joy when you saw a key taped to the bottom of it. You pulled it off and tried it on the filing cabinet, hearing it unlock as you turned the key. You pulled the drawer open but your blood froze when you heard a dull clang come from the back of the drawer. Seconds later deafening alarms blared through the building. Matt's voice echoed in your ear through the earpiece you were wearing,
"What's going on?"
"I screwed up!" You frantically searched through the drawer for anything useful but everything was in Russian, a language you barely understood. "Damn!" You grabbed several files with highlighted labels, assuming they were important, and climbed on the chair beneath the vent, poking them up into the vent system. You climbed down, pushing the chair back into place and as you started to transform into a hummingbird your body tensed. Electricity burned through your muscles, as it waned you fell to your knees, gasping from lack of breath and pain. You heard Matt's voice again,
"y/n? Talk to me, what's happening?" You tried to groan a response,
"Sorry, Matt." Your body tensed again, every muscle aching from the bolts of electricity coursing through them. Your mind forfeiting control over the rest of you. Three people dressed in black picked up your tired, aching body, carrying you out of the office.

Freezing water snapped you back into reality, your mind reorientating itself and taking in the situation. You saw the same three people standing nearby, various weapons in their hands. An elderly Russian woman snapped her fingers in front of your face, she barked something in Russian to a person you couldn't see. Another wave of icy water splashed down over your head, you let out a pathetic squeak of shock, the old lady smiling at your response. "Good, you're with us." She spoke softly, almost kindly. "What did you take?" She asked you, holding your cheeks in her hand. Her face turned cloudy when you failed to answer her. She clicked her fingers and one of the people in black stepped forward. They brought their hand up to your face, holding a small knife between their fingers. They drew the blade down the side of your cheek with unreal speed, blood flowed down onto your shirt.
"I don't know what you mean." You spat back, the old woman gave the man a nod and he drove his fist into your stomach, driving the breath out of your lungs. "Fuck you." You groaned. Multiple nods and punches later, your body begged for mercy. Your mind wasn't far behind.
'Look," the old lady placed her hands on your knees, staring directly in your eyes, "I don't have time for this. I know your working with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, don't try to bullshit me, darling." She slapped you hard across the face, the pain amplified by the fresh cut. "Maybe I should deepen this, make it more permanent for you." She held her hand out for a knife and ran it down the already open wound. You gritted your teeth against the pain, feeling the blade's every move.
"You should have done better research," you spat on the ground as she stepped away. She whirled back around, challenging you silently. "You should have checked who I was sleeping with."

The door to the warehouse flew off its hinges with a bang, Frank stood in the smoke beyond. You smiled weakly when you saw his figure, even more when you saw the dangerous weapons he was wielding. He began firing into the warehouse space, precise and fast. All of the people in the room, apart from the elderly lady, fell to the floor, spurts of blood flying from their bodies. Frank called out to you, his voice riddled with worry. "Frank, I'm alright." You weakly replied. You watched as he approached you, dropping one gun but pointing the other at the Russian woman. She began to beg for her life but Frank simply pulled the trigger, her head snapping back as the bullet ripped through her brain. Frank carefully untied the rope binding your hands and lifted you in his arms. You gasped in pain, feeling every bruise on your body as he did.
"I am so sorry, I should never have let you do this." You shushed him,
"Let's get out of here so you can stitch me up." Frank nodded and carried you into the night air outside

Frank stitched your face up in the back of his car, moments later Daredevil landed beside him. "You massacred them!" He confronted Frank, who turned around and punched him in the face, sending him to the ground.
"And they fucking tortured her because of your recklessness!" He yelled back, gesturing back at you, "have you seen what they've done to her face?" He spoke softer the second time, fully realising the direness of the situation. He helped Matt to his feet, leaning in close, "she'll never get rid of that scar." Matt turned to you, asking if he could feel the wound. You nodded, taking his hand in yours and lifting it to your tender face. He swore as he felt it.
"I am so sorry," he apologised to you, "I know the Russians are ruthless but I didn't think they'd ever go this far,"
"They caught me breaking in, it kind of gives them the incentive to do it." You retaliated, trying to lighten the mood with the dry joke.
"Let's get you home," Frank reached over to buckle you in, pushing Matt out of the way. "You need rest."

Frank helped you into your apartment, turning on the lights as he went past the switch. He ushered you into the bedroom and turned on the shower. You tried to remove your clothes but couldn't get very far, your muscles protested every movement and it was hard enough to stand up on your own. Frank came back and noticed you struggling. He helped you to take off your ruined clothes, throwing them into the trash. Frank examined your naked body, grimacing at the bruises and cuts. "Jesus," he placed a hand on your good cheek and kissed your forehead. "Baby, I am so sorry. Let's get you cleaned up, I promise you'll feel better." You allowed him to almost carry you into the bathroom, he tested the water and helped you in. As soon as he let go your legs gave out, almost sending you into a crumpled heap but Frank was too quick, catching you as you began falling. "Hey, it's alright. I'll get in too. He sat you down on the bath floor, the warm water rushing over your back. He took his shirt off, revealing his own scars. He removed the rest of his clothes and climbed into the bath with you, helping you to your feet. He supported your body with one hand and gently washed you with the other, taking extra care around the most tender bruises. You sucked air in through your teeth as he accidentally caught a bruise on your stomach, your mind blanking for a moment in response to the pain. "Shit," Frank reacted and pulled you close to him, allowing you to recover. "I think you have a broken rib, fractured at least." You nodded weakly, too tired to properly respond.

Once you were properly cleaned, Frank helped you out of the tub. He wrapped you in a fluffy towel and walked you to the bed, sitting you down. He dried himself and threw on some sweatpants, leaving his torso exposed. He dried you off and helped you into an old shirt of his, you breathed deeply, enjoying the smell of him on the fabric. He threw the wet towel across the room and lay you down in the bed, pulling the covers over you and brushing your slightly wet hair away from your face. You winced at the pain in your cheek. Frank went back into the bathroom, you heard him rummaging through the medicine cabinet before coming back in, white pills in his hand. He handed them to you with a glass of water, which you gladly accepted. Frank climbed into the bed next to you, you warmed up as he cuddled up next to you, holding you in his arms. You drifted off to sleep to the sound of his soft breathing.

Chapter Text

“I'm doing a food run, what does everyone want?" Dean Winchester looked at his brother, Sam, and his friend, Castiel. He made a mental note of their orders and grabbed the keys to his Chevrolet Impala. He drove to the nearest diner, the rain just starting to pour as he walked through the door, the little bell announcing his arrival. The cafe was practically empty except for you, the attending waitress, it was nearly midnight. You looked up from the book you were reading, the incredibly attractive man in a leather jacket grabbing your attention. You walked to the cash register, Dean smiled at you at his pulled out his wallet. He gave you Sam and Castiel's orders and stopped. "Ha, I didn't even think of what I wanted." You smiled at him,
"I know the feeling. Late night coffee runs can be an interesting ordeal. I'd suggest the white chocolate Mocha, it's pretty kick ass." Dean nodded,
"And one of those then, oh and a chicken burger, to go." You wrote his order down and repeated it back to him, he confirmed and you told him the total cost. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. You had a moment of mild panic as he reached into his pocket, realising you were the only ones here except the chef. You sighed in relief as he pulled out a wallet, not a gun. He raised his eyebrow at you, handing over his card.
"Sorry, we've had some weird stuff going on in town lately. Can't be too cautious." You took the card from him, reading the name on it. "Erica? Didn't pick you as an Erica?" Dean went pale,
"Oh shit, I grabbed the wrong card."
"I've done that before too." You pulled some cash from your wallet, you counted the notes and put them into the register, grabbing your change.
"Thanks, I'll pay you back.
"Don't worry about it. It's not like it was expensive. They'll be ready in about ten minutes. I'm y/n, by the way." You walked to the back and relayed Dean's order. Dean sat on one of the barstools.

“So, not Erica, I haven't seen you around town before." You said to him with a smile, leaning on the counter.
"Dean. My brother, my friend and I are just driving through. Hey, you said before that some weird stuff had been going on." He could read the regret on your face.
"Well, there's been someone, or something going around snatching people. Mostly younger women, they don't normally show up alive."
"Normally?"
"One woman, Amy, did make it back, and when they asked her about what had happened she just started screaming. She was put into the mental ward and it took her six hours to claw both of her eyes out ranting and raving about a bogeyman." Dean winced at the mental image. "She wasn't any older than me, funnily she was my best friend until about three weeks ago."
"You're talking about her in past tense, why?"
"She took her own life two nights ago, she sent me a letter the morning before she did it. We all thought she was getting better, I guess we got our hopes up too early."
"Why did you break off your friendship? If you don't mind me asking." You smiled, drumming your fingertips on the countertop, fighting back tears.
"She tried to push me in front of a bus.”
"Oh, any idea why?" You shrugged,
"I guess that's what the letter was supposed to be about. It was nonsense to me, just a horrific drawing and a few words." Dean leaned forward, intrigued.
"Do you still have it?”
"Yeah, I don't know why. Something about it seems important, for a lack of a better word." A bell rang in the back of the diner. "Food's done." You walked off to get it while it was still hot. You passed it over to him with a smile.
"Thanks, hey was there any chance I could get a look at that letter?" You wondered what he'd want with it but you shrugged.
"Sure, where are you staying? I'll bring it over in the morning." Dean gave you the address and his number, telling you to text him before you showed up. You quickly scribbled them both down. He left the diner, giving you a cheeky wink. You felt yourself blushing, as he left the chef walked out and began closing up the cafe.

You pulled up to the motel on the back of your motorbike. You spotted Dean's Chevy, you parked beside it, removing your helmet and tucking it under your arm. You walked up to the door and knocked. A tall, brown-haired man answered the door. "Ah, can I help you?" You looked up at him, brushing your hair from your face.
"I'm looking for Dean. I have something for him." The tall guy turned around, yelling into the room.
"Dean! Someone's here for you. Uh, come on in." He stood to the side, letting you in out the rain. Dean walked out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair dry with a towel. Another man in a trenchcoat sat at the table, reading something from an old looking book. He didn't acknowledge you as you walked in.
"Hey, how's it going?" Dean offered you a seat, you put your helmet on the table and unzipped your leather jacket. You pulled out an envelope. "The tall guy is Sam, my brother, and the stubbly dude is Castiel." Castiel shot a glare at Dean before going back to his reading.
"Nice to meet you both, this is that letter, Dean. I don't know why you want it but you're welcome to keep it for as long as you want." You reached into your backpack, pulling out an apple pie. "This was left over at the diner. You look like you'd enjoy a good pie." Dean's face lit up when you pulled out the pie.
"Oh yeah, I love me a good pie." He took it from you with a thank you. Sam grabbed the letter from him while he went to get a fork.

You explained to Sam what the letter was before he opened it, "oh, wow," was his initial reaction then, as he looked closer, he held it further away from him like he was disgusted.
"Yeah," you said, smiling a little, "pretty horrific. I know." Sam handed the letter to Dean, who was currently stuffing his face with the pie.
"Woah, that's intense." He passed the letter to you. You stared down at the piece of paper, the image was drawn with charcoal. A tall man with horrendously long fingers leered over a vague depiction of you. He had large, empty eyes and what looked like smoke curling around him. 'Tried to save you.' They were the only words that were written on the paper, followed by what could have been a bloodstain. You clenched your teeth while you looked down at it. A twinge of pain struck your heart as you remembered your time with Amy and the days that led up to her death. Castiel spoke for the first time since you'd walked through the door.
"Let me see it," you passed it to him, kind of offended at his demanding voice. "I've seen these before, it's a boogeyman."
"Like the kid's story?" Sam looked down at where he sat, arching his brow.
"Yes, Sam. It plays on your worst fear and feeds on that fear."
"Okay," Dean piped up, swallowing his mouthful, "how do we kill it?"
"Kill it?" You laughed, "you guys are joking, right? The boogeyman isn't real, you said it yourself, it is just a children's story. Parent's make it up to get kid's to behave!" Castiel ignored your outburst,
"These things are pure darkness, if we shine a strong enough light on it, it should disappear."
"Wow. You three are psychotic." You threw your hands up in the air. "Keep the fucking letter." You angrily grabbed your helmet off the table, Dean called out after you as you walked through the door. "You seemed nice, Dean. You really did, but I won't stand here and listen to this, not when there is a real person murdering women." You climbed on the back of your bike and took off.

You pulled into the diner to start your shift, the lights were off in the building. You pulled out your keys and walked to the back door. "Why is the door locked?" You wondered aloud. You checked your watch. 7:30 pm. The diner opened at seven in the morning, you were meant to be taking the graveyard shift. You unlocked the door and reached for the light switch. You gasped as something rattled the pans in the darkness, you moved your hand up and down the wall, searching desperately. Your hand touched the light switch and as you went to flick it on, someone else's hand was already there. You screamed and fell out the door, something stepped out of the doorway after you. It took up the entire space, looming over you. You shuffled backwards, dragging your legs after you. That thing was the same one in the letter. You screamed again, begging someone for help but it stepped over you, blocking the path. It reached down and covered your mouth, muffling your screams. You kept screaming though, it was the only thing giving you hope. As the thing moved closer, thick, black smoke surrounded you, choking you. You didn't remember what happened next.

"Dean!" Sam called to his brother, who was searching the front of the diner. "I've found something." Dean ran to his brother, the torch he was carrying pointed in front of him. Sam inspected your motorbike, your helmet lay cracked on the pavement nearby. Your keys still hung in the lock on the back door. Sam flicked the lights on in the diner, "what the hell happened?" There were pots and pans thrown around the diner, cutlery was stuck into the walls and ceramic plates had been shattered on the floor. Dean walked in behind him, Castiel followed closely after.
"Y/N?" Dean called out but was answered with silence. He walked cautiously around the mess, searching for any signs of life. Suddenly, his phone rang out, cutting through the silence. He answered it quickly, "Dean speaking, what? Where are you? What can you see? We'll be right there, just stay on the phone and keep talking to me."

You woke up in a cell, there was a pile of straw beneath you, acting as a makeshift bed. You groaned in pain as you sat up, something moved outside of the cell, slithering on the floor like a snake. You held your breath, fear taking over. Long fingers with massive claws circled the metal bars. A soft growl came from the other side of your cage. You blinked and that thing was in the cell with you. You screamed and backed up to the wall, catching your shoulder on a loose nail. It stepped towards you and got down on all fours. It breathed heavily and reached out to you, gripping your wrist. You kicked at it but it effortlessly caught your foot. Tears streamed down your face as its claws dug in. A minute passed and the monster left your cell, leaving you shaking and sweating. You pulled your jacket off, inspecting the large cuts that had been left on your arm. Your phone fell out of the inner pocket as you began wrapping your arm with the jacket. You just stopped yourself from crying out in joy, the phone's screen lit up. You dialled the emergency number. Holding the phone to your ear, you whispered into the mouthpiece, "please, there's a huge monster. It's going to kill me." The dispatcher on the other end of the phone became furious, accusing you of faking an emergency and scolding you. You desperately tried to explain but the dispatcher hung up. You burst into tears, almost throwing your phone across the cell. A thought came to you, a crazy thought for an even crazier situation. You scrolled through your contacts until you found it. Dean.

Dean answered his phone, you jumped at the sound of his voice, the first sign of hope you'd had since waking up. "Dean! It's y/n, please, that monster on Amy's drawing. It took me from the diner, I'm in a cell, I don't know where it took me. Wait," you shone your phone's light on an old label on a wooden barrel next to your cell. "I know where I might be, there's an old tavern out in the countryside, it burnt down ages ago but the cellar was untouched. The owner used to keep his slaves down there in cells, next to the brewing station." You slowly became more confident as you explained more and more. A voice echoed through the dark,
"That was a very naughty thing to do." The boogeyman appeared by your cell, walking through the bar. It grabbed you by the throat. You dropped your phone as you reached up to try and free yourself. You could hear Dean talking through the phone, his voice becoming more concerned. You heard him tell Cas to move his ass. The monster dug its claws into your neck and smiled at you. Jagged teeth jutting past its cracked lips. The smell of rotten leaves and sour-milk filled your nose, making you gag. The monster threw you against the floor, knocking the wind from your lungs. The monster picked up the phone, wincing at the light. It crumpled it in its huge hands, the pieces falling to the floor. It left the cell with a growl of warning.

You heard a crash upstairs and then light appeared in the cellar. You heard the monster growl and shuffle past your cell. You moved to the metal bars to get a better look. You heard someone yell out and something fell down the stairs. You recognised the flashbang to late and it went off. You held your head as your ears rang. The boogeyman screeched in pain as the light hit it. Dean, Sam and Cas ran down the stairs, Dean igniting a flare and moving towards the monster. Cas and Sam both lit flares of their own, throwing them at the monster's feet. It screeched again and ran back towards your cell, grabbing you and holding you against the back of the cell. You cried out in pain as it did. Dean heard and ran up to the bars, calling out for you. "Dean!" You squealed, fighting to get to him.
"Let her go!" He growled at the monster, aiming his gun at the lock and firing. The boogeyman recoiled at the flash of light. Dean lit another flare and threw it in the cell, igniting the straw on the floor. The entire cell lit up with a bright, orange light. You were stunned for a moment by the sudden brightness but were shaken by the monster as it tried to hide behind you, cowering behind your back. You sank to your knees, making yourself as small as possible, the monster pulled you back to your feet, holding you by the back of the neck and your back, it dug its claws into you. You yelped in pain, feeling the blood drip down and soak your shirt. Sam rushed into the cell and drew his flare gun.
"Close your eyes!" He yelled at you, you did as you were told and Sam pulled the trigger. A brilliant green light filled the small space, Dean, Cas and Sam all shielded their eyes. The entire cellar was temporarily lit up. The monster roared in pain, releasing its grip and letting you fall to the ground. The roar died away with the flare's light. You screamed when you felt a hand on your shoulder. You looked up to see Dean. You burst into tears, practically leaping into his arms.
"Hey, you're okay. It's over now, that thing's dead." You sobbed uncontrollably, shaking in Dean's arms. You shook from the terror and the pain in your body. Your breathing slowed as Dean held you, shushing you and whispering calming words, repeating "you're okay,' over and over. He helped you to the stairs of the cellar, you could see the Impala above it, it's headlights on full beam. Dean almost carried you up the stairs, you were only moving your legs so they wouldn't get caught on the stairs.

Dean sat you on the back seat of the Impala, he asked if he could take your shirt off so he could look at your wounds. You started to unbutton it but you quickly realised that you weren't fully in control of your body, your fingers were defiant and stubborn. Dean helped you, slowly removing the bloody fabric. He looked you over, "you'll need stitches in a couple of them but the other's don't look too deep." You nodded, your body was beginning to shut down from shock, the adrenaline leaving you feeling empty. Dean kept talking but it all sounded muffled to you. "Y/n? Can you hear me?" You looked at him, snapping to attention.
"Sorry, no I, uh, I was trying to listen but,"
"It's alright, your going in to shock. I can stitch you up here if you like, rather than going to a hospital."
"Sure, I don't know how I'd explain this without ending up in the mental ward." You attempted to laugh but stopped as your body flooded with pain again. Dean grabbed a first aid kit from the trunk and climbed into the car next to you. Sam came over to you two, he and Cas had searched the cellar and ensured that the boogeyman was really gone.
"Is she alright?" He asked Dean, genuinely concerned.
"She'll be fine once she's stitched up." Dean poured some alcohol on the cuts on your back to clean them, you gasped in pain. Sam grabbed your hand,
"Squeeze as hard as you need." You gritted your teeth as Dean began stitching up the cuts on your back, he then moved on to your neck and lastly your arm and leg. He passed you his jacket, allowing you to cover yourself. Cas came over as Dean and Sam packed the car, he noticed you shivering and knelt down.
"Are you cold?" You nodded slightly,
"A little, most of the shaking is fear, I guess." Castiel took off his trenchcoat and tucked it around you. Dean climbed into the back seat, pulling you over to him and holding you tightly, but still being careful of the areas where you had been cut. Sam sat in the driver's seat and Cas was in shotgun. Sam started the Impala and turned on the music, classic rock played quietly from the radio. Dean slowly ran his fingers through your hair. You relaxed into him, breathing deeply. You closed your eyes, listening to the sounds around you, it didn't take long for you to drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Sherlock watched you as you entered the room, a black, flowing dress flowing off your body. The corner of his mouth lifted as you finished adjusting an earring, dropping your hands to your side. "What?" You laughed, noticing him staring, "is it too much?" He shook his head and walked to you. He wrapped a hand around your waist, kissing you gently on the cheek.
"You're perfect." You brushed his hair from his greenish-blue eyes, smiling up at him. You adjusted his bowtie and stood back,
"We should get going." He offered his arm to you and you allowed him to lead you out the front door. Paparazzi surrounded the front door, police officers holding them back. One of them yelled a question at you and Sherlock,
"How does it feel, knowing you've taken down a major part of the mob!" You felt your stomach cramp at the memories, Sherlock placed his hand on your arm, supporting you. An officer opened the car door and Sherlock helped you in. He climbed in the other side next to you, grunting in pain as he sat.
"Are you alright? We don't have to do this if you don't want to." Sherlock leant over and gave you a kiss, his lips soft against your own. You couldn't help the smile creeping across your face.
"It's fine, I'm just a little sore." You rubbed your hand on his thigh, reassuring him. You buckled your seatbelt and Sherlock signalled for the driver to move.

You looked down at your hands, spotting a fleck of blue paint on them. You picked at it, trying to look pristine. You mumbled under your breath, "damn it." Sherlock looked over at you, taking your hand in his.
"It's fine, nobody will notice." He tried to sound convincing but you knew him better than that. You smiled back at him, he kissed your hand gently. The car stopped and Sherlock had a sudden look of terror painted on his face, it faded quickly and he turned away. "Ready?" You nodded and undid your seatbelt. The car door opened and you were helped out by a young man in a tuxedo. Sherlock walked around the car to you and held your hand, looking concerned. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, Sherlock. It's unavoidable so let's get through this as quick as we can." Greg Lestrade walked up to you, clearing his throat and nodding at Sherlock,
"This must be y/n." He shook your hand in greeting. "I'm Greg, it's a pleasure to meet you." You smiled and followed the men through the door. After sitting and talking to the police for an hour, you were finally able to leave the building. Night had taken hold of the city of London, the temperature had dropped and snow had started to fall from the sky.
"Well," Sherlock took his coat off and draped it over your shoulders, "that was tedious, but it's done now. Since we're all done up, would you like to go to dinner?" You stared at him, caught off guard by the suggestion.
"Sure."

Sherlock sat across from you, taking in his surroundings. "So," you said, bringing Sherlock's attention back to you, "shall we order?" You got a waiters attention and they came over, smiling. You both ordered and sat silently as you ate. You'd ordered a coffee, with extra milk foam. You took a sip and placed the mug back on the table, Sherlock burst into laughter. "What?" You asked, suddenly concerned. Sherlock reached over the table, taking a napkin and wiping your top lip.
"You had a milk moustache," he laughed. You blushed slightly, but couldn't hide your smile. You finished your meal and began walking to catch a taxi. A voice called out behind you,
"Sherlock!" You both turned to the mysterious person, a young man ran up to Sherlock. He was panting and out of breath from the run, he bent over, hands on knees and tried to explain himself. "Please, it's my sister. She hasn't come home yet, I'm worried sick." Sherlock looked him up and down.
"Did you ring her?"
"No, my phone's flat." Sherlock sighed and rubbed his forehead. You handed the young man your phone, allowing him to make the call. The young man went bright red, similar to a beetroot. He apologised profusely over the phone. He hung up and handed the phone back to you.
"She's staying at her partners, I forgot. Thank you." He hurried off before you had the chance to respond. Sherlock hailed the taxi and you both drove home. Sherlock went straight to bed, kissing you on the cheek. You stayed up to do some more painting.

It was close to midnight before John walked in. "You're still up?" He asked as he walked past the spare room where you were staying. You checked your watch and cursed,
"where did the time go?"
"Did it go alright today?" John leant on the doorway, holding his jacket.
"Yeah, it was lovely. We ended up having dinner." John smiled and nodded, he wished you a good night and went upstairs. You looked at the painting, admiring your work. John and Sherlock, sitting in front of the fire. It was almost finished. You fell back on the bed, dead tired.

Morning streamed in, warming your bare arms. You woke up fully as the front door closed. You sat up and called out, no response. You checked the house and found that nobody was home. "Excellent," you spoke aloud to yourself, "a chance to get some practice in." You caught a taxi down to the shooting range and practised for close to an hour, refreshing yourself. You were a brilliant shot, your father taught you at a young age to shoot. What you hadn't realised was that he was training you to become a killer. He slowly groomed you, keeping the behaviour a secret from your mother and sister. He trained you to shoot to kill with one shot. He had also taught you some hand to hand combat, often leaving vicious bruises. You never regretted learning what you'd been taught, just the circumstance. After the practice, you decided to go into an antique store to look for a gift for Sherlock. You'd already gotten something for John and Mrs Hudson. You scoured the shelves and eventually, you found the perfect thing for him. You still made it home before John and Sherlock. Mrs Hudson didn't question your absence, after all, she was used to John and Sherlock randomly popping out. To ensure she didn't ask too much, you presented her Christmas present, a new ceramic tea kettle, decorated with a garden scene. You made yourself comfortable upstairs, drinking your tea and watching the snow as it began falling. You had given John his present last night, a small pocket watch. He'd laughed and joked with you,
"Great, now I can see how much time Sherlock's wasting!" He had really appreciated the gift, admitting that he'd been thinking of getting one for himself.

You heard Sherlock and John come in, Sherlock immediately yelled upstairs, "y/n, we're back." You replied,
"I'm up here, I have a surprise for you!"
"Come on, we both know that nothing surprises," Sherlock stopped talking as he saw you sitting on the couch, a neatly wrapped gift in your hands, "me." You smiled up at Sherlock and John. “I have a gift
for you, Sherlock.” You handed over a medium-sized package. He unwrapped it suspiciously, flicking his eyes between you, John and the gift. Inside it was an antique magnifying glass. Sherlock smiled and picked it up, looking at you through it. The silver handle glistening in the light.
“Thank you, it’s lovely,” John asked to see it and Sherlock gave it to him. He sat next to you, kissing your forehead. “What’s the occasion?”
“I won’t be here for your birthday, so I’m giving you a gift now.” Sherlock looked at you, puzzled.
“My birthday isn’t for three weeks, why not give it to me Christmas?” You tensed at his comment.
“I don’t celebrate Christmas. I haven’t in a long time.”
“Any particular reason?” You went slightly red in the cheeks.
“Last time I did, my father went insane and shot my mother and sister, then came after me. It gets pretty painful this time of the year.” You absentmindedly touched the old bullet wound on your shoulder. Sherlock looked at his feet, sighing.
“Sorry, I should have realised.”
“It’s fine, it’s not something I tell everyone.”

The weeks went by, Christmas slowly creeping up. You, John and Sherlock, were invited to various Christmas parties, only one of which you attended and that was because it was at 221B Baker Street. John decided to visit his sister on Christmas Eve this year so he wished you both goodbye, walking off into the snow and leaving you alone. Mrs Hudson was also visiting a good friend, you'd decided not to pry when she gave you a cheeky wink. Christmas Eve rolled around and you treated it like any other day. You had waited a week to be sure your painting had dried completely, you were currently adding the final clear coat on the piece of art. You kept hearing Sherlock go up and down the stairs, whispering softly to himself. You popped your head out and cleared your throat, "what are you up to, Sherlock?"
"Nothing," he answered far too quickly, "just... stuff." He hurried into the kitchen and you went back to your own activities. Half an hour passed and you sat on your bed reading. "Y/n? Could you come up here?" You sighed and placed your book on your pillow. You walked up the stairway, the lights were turned off and you could hear noises coming from the top.

The music played softly in the room, Sherlock stood there in the firelight. You looked at him suspiciously, “what’s all this?” Sherlock looked up from the fire,
“I know you don’t celebrate Christmas. I know it reminds you of far too many things, but I thought that, just for tonight, we could do something special. I could help you to forget those memories.” You looked around the room, it had been cleaned and Sherlock had put fresh roses in a vase on the table beside a fresh, hot meal. Various candles burned in different areas, delicious smells emanating from the melting wax. He had put a framed photo of you and him on the fireplace, a single rose lay in front of it. You covered your mouth and tried to stop crying, a few tears escaping. Sherlock rushed to your side, “I’m sorry, we don’t have to if it’s too much.” You shook your head and hugged him tightly, letting the tears fall freely.
“Thank you.” You both sat to eat dinner, the wine matched perfectly. The music softly filling the silence. “It’s been so long since I did anything for Christmas.” Sherlock listened to you talking, smiling slightly, “I forgot how beautiful it could be.” You finished your meal and sat together on the couch. You stood up and held your hand out to Sherlock, he took it and you pulled him to his feet. You placed your hands on his shoulders, he placed his on your waist.

You spun slowly with Sherlock, holding each other and swaying to the slow music. You listened to his breathing as you danced, he twirled you around, pulling you back into his body. You giggled and kissed him. “I have a gift for you.” You raised your brow, letting him go slightly. He reached into his shirt pocket, “here, it’s not much but I saw it and couldn’t resist.” He presented a small box, your heart raced as you pulled off the ribbon. You lifted the lid and saw the sparkling jewellery. A small pendant rested in the box, it was in the shape of a magnifying glass. The silver metal caught the firelight, dazzling you. You turned, allowing him to put the necklace on you. You admired yourself in a reflection, falling in love with the pendant straight away.
"I love it, it's beautiful." You continued to dance together until you both grew tired. Sherlock invited you to sleep in his bed with him,
"since it's warmer upstairs," he insisted. You agreed and followed him to his room.

Chapter Text

Thomas Shelby rode down the cobblestone street, people tipping their hats as he passed. He rode with his head held high and his posture straight. He watched the people as they hurried past him, his brother waved to him from the door of The Garrison, a pub that the Shelby family owned. He dismounted the horse, patting it lightly on the neck as a young boy grabbed the reins. The night was creeping into Birmingham and tonight was a special night indeed. Thomas drank from his glass, his other hand feeling for the gun at his side, just to ensure that it was there. John and Arthur Shelby sat across from them, waiting for their brother to give them a signal. "Alright boys," Thomas spoke to them, emptying his glass, "let's do this." The plan was to wait until the cover of night to steal a shipment coming in via the main road, the cargo was a box of expensive, high-quality whiskey bottles and six guns, with ammunition. Thomas led his followers down the road, waiting in the shadows for the truck.

The truck bumbled along the road, an older man steered the truck and a younger man sat next to him, nervously looking around and holding his gun tightly. Thomas gave a short, sharp whistle and three men jumped in front of the truck, forcing them to stop. Two others approached the sides, aiming their own guns inside. The two men climbed out of the truck cab and raised their hands over their heads, choosing life over their cargo. Thomas walked to the back of the truck, ordering Arthur and John to watch the men. He pulled the canvas back and shone his light into the back of the cab.

You heard the canvas covering the bed of the truck, instinctively flinching. Your eyes were covered, your mouth gagged and your limbs bound. You heard someone gasp, "what the fuck?" They climbed into the truck, shifting the heavy box of guns. The blind was pulled from your eyes, you whimpered as a strong hand grabbed your arm, pressing on the bruises. Thomas Shelby looked at you with concerned blue eyes, "My name's Thomas, it's alright, I'm going to help you." You tried to squirm away from him, fear gripping your heart as he reached towards you. "It's alright," he pulled the piece of cotton from your mouth. You took the first proper breath that you could for the last few hours. Thomas pulled a knife from his belt and cut the fabric tying your hands to each other, then he moved on to the binds on your ankles. "Who are you?" You looked at him, unsure of whether to trust him. You decided to, just for now.
"Y/n, please, get me out of here." He nodded and held his hand out to you, you hesitated to take it.
"Please, you can trust me." You took his gloved hand. He helped you out the back of the truck, he got down first, calling to his brothers who raced around to him. "I need you to help me."
"Tommy," Arthur put his hand to his forehead, "who the hell is that?"
"I don't know," Thomas snapped back. He reached his hand out to help you down, you stepped on to the floor and a searing pain shot through your leg, making you cry out in pain. Your legs gave out and you felt yourself falling. You reached out and grabbed Thomas by the coat, he held you, reacting quickly and helping you to stand. "You're alright," he whispered to you, holding you against him. You felt the warmth coming from his body and it was the closest you'd been to a source of comfort in weeks.

Thomas helped you to the back of his car, supporting your weak body. You groaned in pain as he tried to lift you into the seat with John's help. "Jesus, Tommy," Arthur spoke, still keeping an eye on the two men from the truck.
"Please, wait." You begged them through the pain. Thomas stopped John lifting and looped your arm around John's shoulder.
"Alright, let's get you a drink, try get rid of some of that pain." Thomas walked back to the truck and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. He popped the top off and handed it to you. You took a deep drink, gasping as it burned going down your throat, bringing you back to your senses. You let go of John, standing on your own.
"Thanks," you spoke softly, gritting your teeth in pain. John, Arthur and Thomas quietly discussed something as you leant against the car, you could overhear snippets of the conversation,
"who is she?"
"What if she's locked up for a reason?"
"Shut up, the pair of you." Thomas snapped at his brothers. You briefly glanced over at the men kneeling on the ground and noticed the younger had a suspicious smile, despite the gun to his head. You saw his eyes flick between the two men standing in front of them, they had been distracted by the brother's conversation.

The young man's hand moved, reaching for a hidden gun. He aimed at Thomas but you saw him move first. Instinct kicking in you dove for the person who rescued you, Thomas, tackling him to the side as a gunshot rang out through the fields. You heard the others shout as your ears rang. You felt someone groan beneath you, you looked down at Thomas who was looking at you with wide eyes. You had your hands on his chest, feeling it rise and fall with his rapid breathing. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?" You managed to stutter out, falling off of him and sitting on the grass next to him. He sat up, brushing the dust off his hands.
"Please, don't apologise. You just saved my life." You could have sworn that a smile crept into the corner of his mouth.
"Bloody hell!" John helped Thomas to his feet then extended a hand to you, helping you up. "That was one hell of a tackle." You groaned in pain as you felt a sharp pain in your hip, your vision swimming as you felt blood trickle down your raggedy blouse.
"Shit," you gasped and placed a hand to the gunshot wound. "I wasn't fast enough." Blackness took over your vision, the last thing you saw was Thomas reaching out for you, fear clear in his blue eyes.

You gasped in pain as you felt a tugging sensation in your side. Strong hands held you firmly to a table. You opened your eyes and looked around, Thomas Shelby stood near your head, holding your hand. "Hey, we need to get this bullet out. It's gonna hurt like a bitch but it needs to happen." You felt calmer as Thomas reassured you, then the pain came back. You screamed out, swearing and cursing, tears falling down your cheeks as somebody dug around in your side. Seconds passed, but to you, it was an eternity, then the pain dulled to a throb. You caught a glimpse of silver in the corner of your eye and you looked over to it, a man in a white coat held the bullet up to the light. "One more thing," Thomas said to you, taking your cheek in his hand, it was surprisingly warm but rough from a life of work. You noticed that he'd taken off his gloves and he had blood on his knuckles and face. Pain overwhelmed you again as you felt liquid being poured into your gunshot wound. You clenched your teeth and fought back to need to fall unconscious again. "It's over, you did so well." Thomas smiled down at you, kissing your forehead before helping you to sit. "We've checked the rest of you, the doctor says you'll be alright with some rest." You nodded slowly, resting your head on Thomas.
"Thank you." You whispered, voice hoarse from the pain and whiskey. Thomas rubbed your shoulder before taking your hand in his. "What happened to those men?" Thomas looked at you, confused for a moment.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes. Please, I need to know what happened to those bastards."
"They're both dead. Arthur got pissed after they tried to shoot me. They won't be coming back." You let out a sigh of relief, smiling half-heartedly.
"Good."

Thomas poured you another drink of whiskey, lighting a cigarette for himself. "So, who are you?" He stared at you from across the table at The Garrison.
"Y/n,"
"Why were you in the back of that truck?" You bit your lip, remembering the savagery that you'd been put through before being bound and forced into the back of that truck with its other cargo.
"I was being traded. That's what the whisky and guns were for too."
"Traded for what?"
"An alliance between two Irish families." Thomas nodded slowly, drumming his fingers on the wood. Somebody knocked on the door, opening it and walking in quickly.
"So, this is the woman that saved you?" Polly spoke from the doorway, looking you up and down.
"It is indeed, Aunt Pol,"
"Look at the state of 'er" She gave Thomas a disapproving look,
"Be nice. She just got out of a pretty fuckin' bad situation." Thomas snapped at her, coming to your defence. Polly threw her hands up in mock surrender,
"No offence intended. Now, where's she staying?" She directed the question at you, waiting for an answer that you didn't have.
"I don't have a home." You looked at the glass of whiskey in your hands, ashamed of the statement.
"She's staying with me." You looked up at Thomas in surprise, he gave you a quick wink.
"If you say so, let me take 'er home first, get 'er washed up and clothed."

Polly and Thomas escorted you to Thomas' home, almost taking your entire weight between them. Thomas had lent you his coat and you'd gratefully wrapped it around you, the cold Birmingham air biting at your tender skin. Polly unlocked the front door, ushering you inside. She ran a hot bath while Thomas sat next to you on his couch. "How're you feeling?"
"Like shit" You tried to laugh but the pain in your side stopped you quickly. "I have definitely been better." Polly helped you to the bath, scolding Thomas when he tried to follow.
"No, a woman needs her privacy." Thomas turned and waited, pacing through his lounge with a whiskey in his hands and a smoke in his mouth. Polly helped you take off the tattered, blood-soaked clothes that barely covered you. She gasped at the large scars that ran across your body, swearing under her breath. "What the hell did they put you through?" You climbed gingerly into the bath, ignoring the question. The water turning a murky brown as the dried blood and mud came off your skin. Polly helped you wash your hair, untangling it and running a brush through it. Once you were sufficiently cleaned, Polly stood up and got clean towels. "Get out when you're ready, don't stay in too long though. If the water goes cold, make sure you get out or you'll fall ill. I'll leave some clothes by the door." You nodded and relaxed in the bathtub water, enjoying the warmth as it washed over you. You closed your eyes and ten minutes later you heard a soft thud by the door. Polly called out from the other side, "these should fit you fine, love."
"Thank you," you called back, not even opening your eyes.

Another ten minutes passed and the water was lukewarm, you eased yourself out of the bathtub, wrapping the towel around you. You thoroughly dried your hair before running the brush through it again, you gazed in the mirror and decided to keep it loosely tied behind you. You cracked the door open, listening to the voices echoing down the hall. You heard Thomas and Polly in a heated discussion with a couple of other people. You grabbed the clothes on the floor and quickly closed the door again. Polly had left you a white blouse with a small ribbon tied in a bow on the front. She'd left a matching black skirt along with black boots and socks. You dressed quickly, suddenly aware of how many people were potentially in the house. You stepped out into the lounger, everyone turning to face you. The entire Shelby family was there and staring at you as you walked down the hall, supporting yourself on the wall. Thomas walked to you, offering his arm which you gratefully took. He led you to the couch, telling the others to move out the way before sitting next to you. He'd taken his coat off, his holstered gun clearly visible and yet you felt safe when you were next to him. "Thomas, she can't stay." You looked up at Arthur, "it's too dangerous."
"Where is she meant to go? I'll not kick the person who took a bullet for me to the street." You looked at your feet, not wanting to be the centre of the conflict. "I've made my decision." He waved his hand dismissively, "you don't have to go home but you can't stay here. I'll see you in the morning." His family slowly finished their drinks and left his house, the front door closing behind them, leaving you, Thomas and Polly in the lounge. "Something to say, Aunt Polly?" She shook her head, turning to you.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me." She followed the others out. Thomas sighed and lit another cigarette, offering one to you. You politely declined.
"If you are going to stay with me, we need to get you new clothes. You look like my aunt." You both laughed at the jab at Polly.

Thomas helped you to his room, sitting you on his bed, "I can't take your bed, where will you sleep?" You protested. He shushed you,
"I'll sleep on the couch. You need your rest." He lay you down gently, pulling the blanket up to cover you. He lit a small lamp and left it on the bedside table. You had barely drifted off to sleep when panic set over you, you were suddenly surrounded by men with various metal tools, glinting in the orange light of a fire. Their faces came into focus one by one, drifting in and out of your field of view. They all had malicious smiles painted on. One of them, a man you knew as Patrick O'Creed, moved right up to your face, grinning as his whiskey breath burned your nostrils. You spat in his face and he retaliated by driving his fist into your face. You opened your eyes and the room changed, you were held down as Patrick O'Creed dug into your back with a knife, drawing blood. He growled in your ear,
"I'll teach you to disrespect me," you yelled out in pain, trying to squirm away from the pain.

"Y/n, wake up," Thomas shook your shoulder gently, calling out to you. "You're dreaming, wake up." Your eyes snapped open, mind slowly separating dream from reality. You almost threw a punch at Thomas but managed to stop yourself, recognising his voice. He held you for a moment, shushing you softly as you wept.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." You had managed to calm down enough to speak, focusing on Thomas's breathing as he held you. He hushed you as you spoke,
"It doesn't matter, I wasn't really asleep anyway." You nodded, he let you go and sat beside you, "do you want to talk about it?"
"About what?" You answered, not really wanting to remember your dreams.
"Don't try lying to me, I know what kind of dream you were just having." You looked down at your hands, Thomas reached across and took them in his. "I know because I've had the same dreams." You looked up at him, eyes blurry from the tears and exhaustion. You briefly went over your dream, Thomas listening intently to you the whole time. You finished talking with a sigh of relief, glad to have someone to talk to. "I can see why you have nightmares," Thomas finally broke the silence,
"Yeah, I haven't even told you the whole story." You grimaced.
"That's for another time, try get back to sleep." Thomas stood up to leave and anxiety swelled in your body. You gripped his hand,
"Please, don't leave me."
"Alright," he sat back down next to you. He helped you to lay back down and lay next to you, hugging you lightly, watching you as you drifted back into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

You breathed a happy sigh as you watched a cloud off in the distance of the blue sky. The purr of Dean's Chevrolet Impala mixing perfectly with the classic rock playing on the radio, Dean singing along, tapping on the steering wheel. Sam smiled beside him, singing quietly and reading the map. "Turn right, Dean." Dean gave him a half-nod and turned on to a dirt road, not bothering to indicate because there wasn't another car for miles. You sipped your coffee out of your thermos, taking a moment to cherish the smell. The Impala climbed a small hill and as it crested it the beach came in to view, blue, sparkling water stretched out as far as the eye could see. Dean pulled over on a small plateau of solid ground, switching the Impala off. You undid your seatbelt and climbed out of the car, stretching and yawning. Dean climbed out as Sam folded the map, placing it neatly in the glovebox. Dean walked to you, placing a light kiss on your cheek,
"not to rough in the back seat?" He asked, you shook your head and pulled him closer, kissing him on the lips.
"Alright, nobody wants to see that." Sam joked, fake vomiting.
"Not on Baby you don't, Sammy" Dean raced around to the passenger's side of the Impala and Sam took off down the beach, laughing heartily. You watched the brothers, smiling to yourself, your heart filled with love for them both.

You lugged the picnic basket down to the beachfront, placing in a dry space. You unrolled the blanket and looked around, trying to find some stones to hold it down. You saw Sam and Dean jogging back over to you, Dean giving you a huge smile, you waved back. "Hey babe, was Cas showing up?"
"Uh, possibly, he said he'd try to make it. He knows where we are anyway." Dean eyed the sandwiches you'd made hungrily, you batted his hand away.
"Dean, help me find some rocks first, just in case the wind picks up." You scolded him,
"Of course," he rubbed his neck sheepishly, "come on, Sammy." The two men walked off along the beach. Returning quickly with two stones each. They placed them on each corner and sat on the blanket, taking off their shoes. They both grabbed a couple of sandwiches each and a glass of soda. You joined them, eating your meal in silence, enjoying the warm sun. "You know," Dean said, wiping his fingers on his pants, "I don't remember the last time we actually had a proper day off."
"A long time ago now," Sam agreed. You felt a twinge of heartache, remembering how you first met the Winchester brothers. Kidnapped by the Boogeyman and rescued by the people that scare the Boogeyman.
"Before you met me at least," you piped up, "so over a year."
"Is that how long you've been hanging with us?" Dean looked shocked,
"Yeah, we've been together for nearly a year, Dean."
"Watch out, Dean. You'll be married soon." You burst into laughter at Sam's comment, laughing harder at Dean's reaction. Dean stared at Sam with an open mouth and wide eyes,
"Shut up, Sammy." He snapped, starting to laugh, his cheeks returning to their normal hue.

You stood watching Dean take his shirt off, biting your lower lip subtly. Sam smacked you lightly on the arm, wiggling his eyebrows at you. You pushed him back, blushing slightly. Sam took off his own shirt and rubbed suntan lotion on himself. You undressed, revealing your own swimwear and your fully healed anti-possession tattoo. "I am so glad I decided to get a tattoo in the winter, I couldn't bear to miss the beach this year. You tied your hair back and started applying your own suntan lotion. "Hey, Dean," he walked over to you, admiring your form.
"Hey, that's healed really well. It looks good," he pointed to your tattoo. "What'd you need?"
"Can you lotion my back?" You handed him the bottle. He happily helped you, the cold lotion giving you goosebumps. Sam packed away the picnic blanket and Dean took the opportunity to kiss down your neck, making you shiver with delight. "Careful you, the car's only a short walk away." You teased him. You helped Dean to lotion his back and slowly made your way to the water's edge. A flock of seagulls flew overhead.

Dean and Sam raced past you, shoving each other playfully. You walked into the water until it covered your ankles, wriggling your toes in the sand. You laughed at Sam and Dean as they tried to wrestle each other into the water. Dean went over first, ending up on his back in the water and getting annihilated by a wave. Sam helped him to his feet and Dean kicked his legs from beneath him, sending him down into the water. You held your sides, shaking from laughter. You saw Dean point to you and Sam nodded, smiling evilly. They both walked towards you, hands behind their backs innocently. "What are you two up to?" You eyed them suspiciously,
"Nothing," they said in unison, looking at each other.
"I just noticed that you haven't been in the water properly yet," Dean said, winking at his brother. You clicked to what was about to happen,
"Don't you dare." Dean reached his hands out towards you, "Dean Winchester, I swear if you do what I think you are going to do there will be hell to pay." You warned him, a smile teasing at your lips. Sam circled around behind you,
"On three," Sam stepped closer,
"One," Dean reached out again, wiggling his fingers, "two, three!" Sam scooped you up under the arms, you squealed as he did. Dean grabbed your legs and they both hoisted you up, running with you in the arms until the water was a little deeper. They let you go and you fell with a splash into the water. You breached the surface, tears of laughter streaming down your face. You splashed Sam then turned on Dean, chasing him through the water and tackling him.
"You are the worst," you kissed him as he sat in the water, it lapped lazily just below his shoulders.
"All the way." He kissed you back.

The three of you waded around in the water for a long time, occasionally taking a break to reapply some suntan lotion. You climbed out of the water first, laying your towel out in the sun. You lounged about on the towel, working on your tan. You closed your eyes and drifted off, listening to the waves and the birds. You heard someone walk up next to you and you opened your eyes partially, seeing Dean lay his towel next to you. He held his hands out over your back, dripping water onto it. You gasped at the sudden cold, "DEAN!" He cracked up into wild laughter, sitting down heavily and wiping tears from his eyes.
"Worth it, your reaction was totally worth it." You punched him lightly in the leg, turning onto your back. Dean leaned over to give you a kiss of apology, "you can't stay mad at me," he shot you his ridiculous puppy dog eyes. You smiled and shook your head, rolling your eyes. Dean chucked on his sunglasses and stretched out. Soon enough he was snoring lightly. You felt Sam tap your shoulder, holding his finger over his lips then pointing at a cup of cold water in his hands. You covered your mouth to stop from laughing. Sam walked around you and held the cup over the unsuspecting Dean. Chaos ensued over the next couple of seconds, Dean was almost immediately on his feet, swearing his head off and cursing the cold water. He saw you and Sam leaning on each other, out of breath from your laughter. "Oh, it's on!" He ran after you, catching you and wiping the water off of his torso on to yours, then he chased after Sam, eventually catching up to him with his water bottle and squirting a decent amount of icy water on his brother. After calling a truce, you all headed back up to the Impala, the wind beginning to pick up and the sky starting to cloud over.
"We might get some rain later by the look of that," you gestured to the darkening clouds on the horizon.

You towelled yourself off, throwing on your shirt and shorts. You lay the towel on the back seat of the Impala, not wanting to damage the seats, after all, you knew what this car meant to Dean. San and Dean got in the front, doing the same. Dean turned on the car and blasted the air conditioning, turning the music up to combat the noise. He turned the car around and guided it back onto the dirt road and eventually the main road. So boys, how did you enjoy your day off?" You asked the brothers who both smiled, "I told you the world wouldn't end if you took some time to relax."
"Yeah, you were right," Dean admitted with a dramatic sigh. "Back to normal tomorrow though, otherwise the world might actually end." Sam joked but there was a hint of seriousness in his voice. You nodded and turned your attention back to the clouds, watching them grow and darken, growing more menacing as the sun began to set. "I have an idea," Dean tapped on the side of his head, "the perfect way to end the perfect day is to get pie. Since I'm the driver, you two don't have a choice."

Chapter Text

Charles yelled out in pain, gripping his arm as the knife drove into his skin. Erik concentrated on the blade, wrenching it from the colossal man's hand, catching it as it flew into his own. Charles flew backwards into the wall as a giant fist smacked into his chest. He curled up in pain, trying to regain his breath. You watched from the balcony, debating with yourself whether to help them or not. "Erik," Charles groaned, "there's someone else here." He pulled himself up, supporting his body on the wall.
"Is it her, Charles?" Erik called out, throwing a large steel block at the colossus. Charles nodded and pointed up at where you were standing. You swore under your breath and dove off the building. Magnificent wings, much like a falcon, spread out behind you, slowing your descent. You manoeuvred towards their attacker, the same man who was hunting you. You hurled your body at him, wrapping your wings tightly around you and hitting him with the full force of the fall. The man was driven nearly half a metre into the ground from the impact. You rolled away, reeling from the impact. Charles and Erik ran for you, Charles helping you to your feet. You brushed him off, scowling at the two mutants.
"How the hell did you find me?" You snapped at Charles,
"My mutation allows me to see into others heads, I was able to find you easily enough using a machine that enhances that ability." Erik raised his hands and warped metal from the surrounding buildings, trying to incase the giant in the floor. "Please, let us help you." Charles reached out for your hand to shake it.

Gunfire rang out across the courtyard, you instinctively dived for Charles, deciding that Erik could defend himself from the metal bullets. He did, simply stopping the bullets in their path. You wrapped your wings around Charles and yourself, bullets hitting the feathers and harmlessly bouncing off. Men in black cavalier suits advanced on the four of you, surrounding you. You growled at them, baring your teeth viciously, "why can't you leave me alone!" You screamed at them. Using your wings to propel yourself, you flew at a group of mercenaries, spinning on your knees and flattening your wings. They sliced through the mercenaries like sharp blades. The remaining men open-fired at you, unable to get past the impenetrable shield attached to your body. Erik crushed the metal barrels of their guns, the guns backfiring. The giant broke out of his metal prison and grabbing Erik, a crack resounded through the courtyard, echoing off of the buildings around you. Erik cried out in pain, gasping for air. Charles started to run for him, desperate to get him free. "Get your head down!" You yelled as you flew past Charles, the wind almost knocking him over, you hurtled at the giant and at the last second you changed your path, aiming high and opening your wings. The feathers sliced through the air before meeting flesh, the giant let out a sickening gurgle before releasing Erik and falling to his knees. You spun again, taking his head clean off, it clattered to the floor, rolling away and stopping at the remaining mercenaries feet. You turned on them, wiping a splatter of blood from your face. You stepped towards them menacingly. they looked between you and each other, nodding then running back to where they came from, leaving you, Charles and Erik in the courtyard.

"Thank you," Charles spoke to you softly, you whirled around, your face inches from his.
"Don't you thank me, they would never have found me if it weren't for you." You started to stalk away from him, stretching your wings out and feeling a sudden pain in your side. The adrenaline wore off and you finally noticed that you had been hit during the fight, blood was beginning to seep through your coat. Your mind blanked for a moment, making you fall to your knees and clutching your side in pain.
"Erik! She's hurt." Charles knelt next to you, laying you on your back so as he could inspect the wound. Erik ran over, kneeling by your head, supporting it in his lap. You hissed through your teeth as Charles opened your blouse and pulled the fabric away.
"I need you to stay very still, I need to get the bullet out." Erik offered his hand while he spoke, letting you squeeze it. With his other hand, he shifted the bullet, pulling it gently through the hole it made. You tried to squirm away from the pain but Charles held you still, whispering into your mind.
"It's alright, you can trust us." He smiled at you. You gritted your teeth and eventually, the bullet came free. "It's over, your alright." Your eyes shifted between the two mutants,
"Why? Why would you help me?"
"Becuase," Erik lifted you in his arms, cradling you gently so that you weren't in pain, "you're one of us."
"What, a freak?" Erik half-smiled at you,
"If that's what you want to call us."

You lay awake, alone in a strange bed. You watched the shadows cast on the ceiling by the fire burning away in the fireplace. You watched as the danced and moved as if they were alive. You sighed and sat up, grunting in agony. You looked down at your side, covered by a white bandage. You pushed your legs over the side of the bed, spreading and fluttering your wings. A glass crashed to the ground, shattering on impact. You swore and spun away, jumping to your feet, knocking a lamp over, followed by a stack of books. The door flew open and Erik ran in, hands up in a calming manner. "Hey, it's alright, calm down." You backed up, wings curling around you in protection. Darkness threatened your vision again and your mind swirled. Your legs gave out but Erik caught you before you cluttered to the wooden floor.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break it." Erik hushed you, helping you back onto the bed.
"It's fine, Charles is practically made of money." You laughed and Erik smiled, amazed that he'd made you happy. "Would you like something to eat?" He walked over to the curtains, pulling them open and letting the daylight in .
"Please," Erik turned back to you, folding his arms loosely across his chest.
"What would you like. Unlike Charles, I can't read your mind to find out."
"I already have something prepared," Charles spoke from the doorway. He presented a plate of fresh fruits and a glass of juice. You eyed it up hungrily as Charles sat it on the bedside table next to you.

"So, y/n. Care to share a little bit about yourself?" Charles sat in a chair next to the bed, Erik stood by the window. You swallowed the mouthful of fruit and put your fork down.
"There's not much to tell, I was born with these wings, my parents didn't want a freak like me living with them so they took me into a forest and left me there." Both Charles and Erik tensed at the phrasing but you ignored their reaction. "Eventually I learned to hunt and take care of myself, I mostly stayed in the forest so that I wasn't seen. I was recruited by the British army during the second world war, they used my abilities to take out massive sections of advancing armies. The only problem was that both sides saw me as a threat, so I was constantly being shot at. They sent me in to break people out of concentration camps which was a great idea until I was captured by the Nazis and experimented on, they wanted to know if they could make armour like my feathers. Completely bulletproof and pretty much everything else proof." You took another bite of a slice of pineapple, enjoying the sweet and sour taste. Erik watched you intently, Charles watching him. You looked at his bare arms, spotting the numbers on his forearm. "I see I'm not the only one who had a run in with them."
"How old were you during the war, you aren't that old."
"Twelve, thirteen maybe." Charles' mouth dropped open,
"That's insane! How the hell did they get away with sending you into the frontlines?" You smiled at his small outburst, his sense of morality taking over his calm demeanour,
"I'm a mutant, they didn't give a damn if I died or not. Their laws didn't apply to me, I wasn't a human to them." You took another bite, "So, metal changer," you looked up at Erik. "Why were you in a camp?" Erik raised his eyebrow at your question, sitting on the end of the bed.
"I was a Jew. My name is Erik, by the way. Erik Lehnsherr" You nodded understandingly.
"And I'm Charles Xavier."
"Pleasure to meet you both."

You wandered down the steps of Xavier's school for gifted youngsters, basking in the sunlight. You let your wings spread right out, ruffling the feathers. You spotted Charles training a young teenager who was desperately trying to control a shard of ice. You looked around the grounds, spotting Erik in the distance, watching the clouds drift by. You took off from the ground, your wings carrying you effortlessly to where he sat. He turned his head to you, patting the concrete next to him. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself yet, you could hurt yourself." He scolded you as you sat.
"I've been flying my whole life, I won't stop because of a bullet wound." You retorted. "So, what is this place?"
"It's a mix between a sanctuary and a school for mutants."
"Oh, I see." You gazed off into the distance, sitting in silence for a moment before clearing your throat. "Do you think he'll let me stay?" Erik turned to you, "Who?" "Charles, the school's named after him so I assumed he made those decisions." Erik smiled at you, taking your hand in his, "I'm sure it'll be fine, we didn't go through all that trouble just to turn you away," he said reassuringly. You smiled at him, unsure of what to say. It was such a strange feeling, having someone actually want you around.
"Thank you." Charles waved to you as you walked back to your room, leaving Erik sitting by himself. "Hey, y/n." You nodded and smiled, "I was hoping, if you are feeling up to it, of course, you could show me what you can do."
"Uh, sure. What do you want to see?"
"Well, I know you can fly and I know your wings are bulletproof. What else can you do?" You played with one of the feathers on your wings absentmindedly before letting it go with a sigh.
"I can do this," you ruffled your feathers and extended your wings. You stretched your arms out as far as they could go, keeping your balance. Then you bent your knees and sprung off the ground, your wings giving you an extra push. You flapped your massive wings, producing a wave of wind, Charles covered his eyes as he watched you. You smiled slyly at him before letting out a primal screech, like an eagle cry. Beating your wings harder, you focused the sound into a single stream, flattening the grass on front of Charles. You lowered yourself down to the ground, grunting at the surge of pain in your side. Charles noticed you wince and supported you,
"That was incredible. You can show me anything else later, once you've rested more."

A knock at your door woke you from your rest, "Yeah? Come in," you called out. The door creaked open and Erik stepped in,
"I'm just letting you know that dinner is ready." You thanked him and he closed the door behind him. You stood and checked the clock on the wall, 6:30 pm. Your stomach growled at the thought of food, your mouth salivated when you caught a whiff of the meal as you walked down the hall. The mutants were already sitting down to eat, each in their own cliques. Erik and Charles sat at a table by themselves, talking to each other and smiling. Erik caught your attention and waved you over. Charles gave you a warm smile and Erik pulled over a plate of food without touching it. "So, I heard that you showed Charles what you can do earlier."
"I did indeed," you responded cooly, "I enjoyed showing off if I'm honest."
"Fair enough, you have a lot to show." Charles added, "I'm looking forward to seeing any other abilities you can unlock." You smiled and thanked him, finishing your meal with barely any other conversation, Charles and Erik carrying on as normal.

The sound of gunfire surrounded you as you flew through the air, both German and British soldiers firing at the unknown entity. A large net fell on you as you struggled to free a chain from around a gate, the gunfire echoing from a distance now. You felt red-hot irons press against your body, the pain making you clench your jaw with teeth shattering force. Sweat dripped down your forehead as every muscle fought against huge volts of electricity. Your own screams drowned out by the laughter of the Nazi inflicting this torture. You felt firm hands on your shoulder, shaking you and calling your name. "Erik?" You tried to call, recognising the voice, "you shouldn't be here."
"Y/n, wake up!" Erik shook you gently, "it's just a dream." You opened your eyes, panting and sweating. Tears burned at the edge of your eyes. You felt blood on the palm of your hands, your nails had cut through the skin. You saw Erik's face, a look of deep concern clouding it in the dim light. You bit your bottom lip, readjusting to the room.
"Sorry, I...I'm just..." you choked on the words, tears finally surfacing.
"Hey," Erik shushed you, "it's alright. I've had those dreams too." He lifted you to your feet, guiding you out of the room. "Come on, I know exactly what you need."

You sat on the couch in the common room, Erik poured you both a whiskey. You sipped it, gagging at the strong burn. After the burn subsided you had another sip, enjoying it more the second time. Erik grabbed a bandage and wrapped your hands carefully. He sat next to you on the couch, pulling a blanket over both of you. You finished the whiskey and cuddled into him, enjoying his presence. He wrapped one arm around you, holding you close to him. You'd tucked your wings away, one partially covering you and the other lay flat against your back. You breathed slowly, relaxing in the comforting atmosphere. It didn't take long for you to drift off to sleep.

Charles walked into the common room, first up as always. The first traces of day peaked through the windows, a ray of sunlight falling on your exposed feet. Charles smiled at the sight, Erik cradled you in his arms, his head resting on yours. You had wrapped one wing around Erik in a protective gesture, the other wrapped around yourself. You were both in a deep, peaceful sleep. Charles tapped Erik on the shoulder, waking him gently. "Charles, what's wrong?" Erik spoke, jolting awake.
"Nothing's wrong, it's time to start the day. Why are you in here?" Erik looked down at you with a smile, raising a slightly worried brow at the way your wing claimed him.
"She had a nightmare, I couldn't let our newest mutant be uncomfortable, could I?" He kissed your head, rousing you from your sleep. You sat up quickly, ready to fight if needed. "Hey, it's alright. I need to get up and start getting ready for today." You blushed as you noticed your wing. You unfurled it from around Erik, releasing him. He shivered slightly, not realising how warm he was.
"Sorry, I swear they have a mind of their own sometimes."

Chapter Text

"Hey, Strange?" You called out into the London Sanctum, pushing the door closed behind you. "Stephen, are you here?" You called out again, growing worried as you noticed shattered glass laying around. You sped up the stairs, looking frantically around for Stephen. The Cloak of Levitation floated up to you. You greeted it and it took your hand, pulling you along behind it. "Wait, what's happened?" The cloak pulled you along the second floor to Stephen's bedroom where he lay on the floor, eyes closed and sweat beading on his forehead. You rushed over to him, pulling your phone out as you ran to his side. "Stephen?" You shook him gently, trying to rouse him from his sleep. He groaned in pain and that was when you noticed the large bloodstain on his clothes, dripping onto the floor beneath him. You undid his shirt, revealing a large gash in his side. You dialled one of the only numbers in your phone, a voice picked up almost immediately,
"Stark. What's up?"
"Tony!" You were almost in tears over the phone, "I came to Stephen's for lessons, the Sanctum's been attacked, he's hurt, badly." Tony tried to calm you down but to no avail. "Please, I'll open a portal to you, I need help."
"Alright, I'm in my lab." You hung up the phone and stood up. You held one hand out, the other rotating in a slow circle as you imagined Tony's lab. The orange sparks spun in time with your hands and a portal materialised in front of you, Tony stood with his back to it. Your heart jumped with joy when you saw him with a medical kit. He hurried through the portal into the Sanctum, spotting Stephen straight away. You closed the portal and knelt next to the men. "What happened?"
"I don't know, Tony. I only just got here." Tony nodded and started to clean Stephen's wound. You covered your mouth, trying to hold back tears as you listened to Stephen groan in pain. His eyes slowly opened and locked onto you, he reached out for you and you took his hand in yours. "Stephen, I'm here, it will all work out, okay?"
"They're still here," he gasped weakly, pulling you closer to him, "after you." The words paralyzed you.

You had met Stephen while running from an ancient clan of vampires, they were trying to harness your natural ability with the arcane arts. You had hidden in the Sanctum, completely bypassing the magical locking system. When Stephen had discovered you hiding there, he showed no anger towards you, only an incredible amount of understanding. You had thanked him, your shabby clothes and dirty appearance was generally offputting but Stephen had looked past that, seeing the talent beneath. You had only allowed him to help you to begin honing your skills after he had asked you for that to be his birthday gift. You were a quick learner, you even managed to teach him a few tricks about natural magic.

All the training hadn't prepared you for what you were watching, you could heal small wounds and large wounds with time, but Stephen was blocking your power, almost like he was hiding you. "Stephen, let me help you!" You tried to pull away from his grip but he held you tightly. Tony looked around as glass shattered behind them. He tapped his arc reactor and was suddenly covered in his iron man gear. You spun around and was stunned by a punch to the side of your head. You went flying across the room, mind reeling. You saw large boots land in front of your head and a large hand reached down, grabbing you around the neck. You heard Tony yell out and start firing at the attackers. You pulled your hands up and made some quick motions before pushing against the man who held you, he went crashing into the wall. He slumped to the floor with a spear poking out of the front of his chest. You rubbed your neck and tried to help Tony. A voice echoed through the room, a beautiful woman stepping out of the doorway.
"That's enough, come with us and they don't die." She gestured to Tony and Stephen. Tony was held down by several vampires. You shot her a deathly cold glare,
"You see, I've been learning and I have this great new trick." You recalled Stephen's instructions on how to create a ball of sunlight, you mimicked the actions you saw him do. A ball of light burst out of your hands and the room was covered with bright, burning light. The vampires screamed and tried to run but you pulled the door closed, holding it in place as they turned to ashes before your eyes. You dropped your hands, the light fading.

Only you, Tony and Stephen remained in the room, you rushed back to Stephen, hovering your hands over his rapidly bleeding torso. A green light floated down from your fingers like mist. The blood flow stopped and the wound began to stitch itself together. "You'll be okay," you whispered to Stephen. A familiar voice sent shivers down your spine,
"you've forgotten, I'm far too old for sunlight to hurt me." The head-vampire teased, her form flickering into view across from you. Suddenly she was rushing towards you and tackled you to the ground, delivering several blows to your stomach as you fell. You kicked her off, following up with a punch to the nose. Her head snapped back and a trickle of blood streaked down from her nostril. She growled at you, low and animalistic, "I've had enough of this." Her form flickered and she reappeared behind you, grabbing you by the neck. She squeezed the breath from your body, your vision darkening as you desperately tried and failed to breathe in. Tony wasn't able to get a clear shot of the vampire, cursing as she held you in front of her. You tried to form a weapon in your hands but you couldn't concentrate, your body beginning to shut down with the lack of oxygen. Stephen pulled himself up, moving his hands in a specific gesture, a long whip appeared before him. He flicked it at the vampire, catching her across the chest. She let you go, you fell heavily to the floor, gasping and holding your throat. Stephen flicked his hand again but she was prepared and dodged easily out of the way. Tony shot a bolt of energy into the vampire's chest, leaving a burning hole. She squealed and disintegrated like her brethren. Tony helped you over to Stephen who was barely breathing.

You sat on the end of Stephen's bed, watching him sleep peacefully. Every so often his face would contort in pain. When he did, you would wave your hand over his body, releasing green energy into it to help him fight off the pain. You had been waiting for over two days, Tony occasionally dropping by to give you food. He had recently sent Peter Parker over, Peter had almost lost his mind when he saw you and Stephen Strange in the same room. "I'd heard about you but I never thought that you were so powerful, I can feel it coming off of you." He'd fangirled for a while before remembering why he was there. You allowed him to stay for a while, answering most of his questions and showing him a bit of what you were capable of. Peter was off admiring an artefact when Stephen opened his eyes. You rushed to his side, helping him to sit up.
"Take it easy, you took one hell of a beating, Strange." He gestured to a glass of water nearby, he drank the clear liquid greedily, as if he'd never drink again. You filled it up and this time he drunk more slowly.
"What happened?" He croaked,
"Those vampire things came back but Tony and I sorted it." Stephen nodded, finishing the water.
"I'm not in my normal clothes." You scratched your neck nervously,
"they were covered in blood," you admitted, "there was a risk of infection so,"
"Please tell me you changed them, not Stark." He interrupted.
"I changed them, I even made Tony leave the room." You joked with him, smiling as he smiled. "Get some rest, I'll bring up some food in about an hour."

You called Tony, letting him know that Stephen was awake. He asked to come over so you opened a portal for him. Tony sent Peter home through the portal, Steve waited on the other side, waving when he saw you. Tony followed you to the kitchen where you started to prepare Stephen's favourite meal. "You can go up and see him if you like, I can't promise that he's awake." Tony nodded and made his way up the stairs. You finished cooking and put the meal on a plate, making it look as appetising as possible. You weren't the best chef but what you made was always edible, Stephen never complained. You walked in to see Tony watching over Stephen like a concerned family member. You placed the food down and shook Stephen gently. He opened his eyes and smiled up at you. "Dinner's here." You propped him up with pillows and handed him the food.
"Thank you, I'm sorry to be such a hassle." Stephen struggled to get the words out, they came across groggily and half-formed.
"You're not, I was the one they were after. You just happened to be who they found." Stephen ate the food hungrily, it was like he became more alive with every bite.
"This is so good," he spoke clearly now,
"Thanks, I put a healing incantation on it. I'm glad you feel better."

Days passed and Stephen was quickly back to his old self. You listened to his teachings, taking notes and watching carefully. You were hesitant to leave his side so you temporarily moved into the sanctum. Before long you received a call from Tony, summoning you to New York. Stephen and you left abruptly, the urgency in Tony's voice unsettling both of you. Stephen allowed you to open the portal for them, proud of your form. "Stephen, y/n, I'm glad you could come so quickly." Tony walked you through the compound, "we've picked up some weird energy coming from the Arctic. Here," he pointed to a monitor with a glowing green dot on a map of the Arctic. "You two will get there the fastest, we need you to see what it is and report back. Questions?" You both shook your heads, Stephen turning and opening a portal. "Oh, Cap is going with you." Steve walked forward, finishing a conversation with Sam. Bucky followed closely behind, checking a gun. Stephen stepped through the portal, followed by you, Steve then Bucky.

The freezing winds cut through the coat you wore, biting effortlessly at your skin. "I'm sure it could be colder!" You yelled at Stephen sarcastically, struggling to be heard. He pulled you closer to him, wrapping his own cloak around you. Bucky and Steve seemed to have no reaction to the cold. "Super soldiers," you hissed to Stephen, who chuckled and hit you lightly on the shoulder. You all walked through the snow, a tracking device leading you towards the object of interest. You couldn't have missed it though. A large metal spaceship protruded from the snow and stone. You recognised it immediately, although the memory was like a strange sense of deja vu. A spike of pain shot through your head, painful enough to drive you to the brink of unconsciousness. You gasped and dropped to your knees, strange visions of a desolated world flashing through your mind. Bucky and Steve rushed to you, Stephen kneeling beside you and supporting your head as your body convulsed.
"What is going on, Strange?" Steve watched on helplessly.
"I don't know, this hasn't happened before." You snapped back into focus, your mind reeling and pain rippling through your body.
"We have to get this ship off the planet. It's going to explode."
"How do you know?" Stephen asked as he lifted you up.
"I just do, please, trust me." You urged him. He handed you to Bucky, opening a portal back to New York.
"Tony, it's a ship. We need to get it off Earth."

A small explosion burst from the ship. The shockwave sent you and Bucky tumbling through the portal, leaving Stephen and Steve in the Arctic. You rushed back through the portal, you called to Tony over your shoulder as you passed him, "there isn't time. I've got this." You had managed to move objects with your mind before, although you had never attempted anything quite this extreme. You ran up to the wrecked ship, drawing on the raw energy leaking from it. Stephen realised what you were going to do and with it, he realised the damage it could to you.
"Y/n! You can't put your body under that kind of stress!" He warned, worry clear in his voice.
"I've already defeated my archnemesis this week, I don't really have anything left to live for." You smiled half-heartedly at him.
"What about me?" Stephen retaliated sadly.
"If this ship stays here then there will be no you." You walked up to him, pulling him close. You kissed him gently on the lips. "It will all work out."

You focused on the ship, feeling the metal beneath your fingers. You felt the way the exterior groaned in the relentless winds. You concentrated on it lifting out of the snow, pain crackled through your fingers as you did but you ignored the pain. The metal bent slightly and the snow started to give way. You sighed in relief as it lifted higher and higher. Your mind burned as you pushed it further away. When it left your reach you yelped in pain, the sudden extra strain catching you off guard. You watched the ship rise into the sky, a large metal bird. "Go you monstrosity!" You screamed at it, pushing harder. Another explosion rang out, the wave pushing you into the snow. The ship began to plummet to the ground, you cried out, desperate to not be defeated. You remembered the head vampire and the way she disintegrated, drawing on that image to drive all your focused energy upwards, pushing against the ship. It shot into the air, rising once more. You got it to the atmosphere and continued pushing it until you could no longer see it. Moments after it vanished it exploded, blue and green light arching across the sky. You turned back to Stephen, who watched on in awe. You smiled and started to walk to him. A pain burned at the base of your skull, moving all the way across your body. Your eyes glazed over and a trickled of blood dripped from your nose. You coughed up blood, spitting it on the floor. The crimson red striking against the pure white snow. Stephen caught you as you fell,
"no, please." He brushed the hair from your face, whispering to you, "you're okay, please be okay." You took his cheek in your hand, wiping away a frozen tear. You spotted Tony running through the portal towards you,
"I told you," you groaned in pain, "it will all work out."

Chapter Text

You had been seeing Superman for a while now, he and Lois Lane had been apart for a while now. Strangely it was you that had saved him, He had been backed up against a wall with a shard of Kryptonite by one of Lex Luthor's followers, getting weaker by the second. You had seen this and broken free from your restraints, diving at the goon and taking him to the ground. You drove punch after punch into him until you were sure he wasn't getting back up for a while. You ran to Superman's side and helped him to his feet, your own strength surpassing his own for the moment. You grabbed the goons gun and dragged Superman to the helm of the ship where you were being kept, along with several other people. You shot three other followers of Luthor before escorting the ship back to shore. On the way back you picked up the shard of Kryptonite, tossing it in the ocean, letting it float into a trench, never to see the light of day again. Superman had recovered quickly and thanked you unendingly. "I don't know how I can repay you,"
"Well, you could go to dinner with me?" You suggested, not being entirely serious. When he had agreed you felt you couldn't back out. That was the first of many nights you had spent together since.

You waited on the balcony of your apartment in Metropolis. You held a hot cup of coffee in your hands, your breath fogged in front of you as you stood in the morning sun. Superman's voice rang out behind you, "you're up early today," you turned as he snaked his arm around your waist, pulling you close to him. He kissed you on the forehead,
"I couldn't sleep again," you admitted to him. "This city is so loud." You had moved into Metropolis two weeks ago after your house burned to the ground. Clark had found you an apartment and a new job with Wayne enterprises after your boss fired you. Clark ran his fingers through your hair, holding you close to him. "Typical, I don't get a sleep in on my day off." You sighed, taking a sip of your steaming coffee. Clark chuckled beside you,
"do you have plans for today?" You shrugged,
"I was going to walk to the park and check out the bus routes to Gotham City."
"Oh," Clark looked off over the city,
"Why, did you want to do something?" You winked at him suggestively.
"Well, I thought that I could show you something. If you were interested," you beamed at him,
"The park and buses will be there tomorrow." You sat and finished your coffee before going to find Clark have a shower.

You walked into the bathroom, admiring Clark as he stood there shirtless, shaving his stubble. You walked up behind him, throwing a towel on the warming rack. You ran your fingers down his back, tracing the lines of his muscles. You noticed that he'd stopped shaving and stared at you in the mirror, one brow raised, you gave him an evil smile and removed your hands. You unbuttoned your nightshirt slowly, leaving you in your underwear humming to yourself. Clark washed his face off, drying it with a clean flannel. Clark went to leave the bathroom but you wrapped your hands around his waist. Your naked chest pressed into his, he let out a low groan. You traced your fingers down to his jean buttons, undoing it slowly. You spun him slowly, pulling the zip down. He looked down at you suspiciously, "I thought you were having a shower." You smiled at him,
"I decided that showering can wait." You kissed him hungrily, he ran his hands up your side, easily picking your naked body up. He listened as your heart rate skyrocketed, smiling into your kiss. He carried you out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, you barely broke the kiss as he lay you on the bed. You ran your hands down his toned chest, he ran a hand down your face. A knock at the door interrupted your loving kiss. Clark cursed under his breath, "such language," you scolded him jokingly. He got up to answer it as you threw on a shirt and some pants.

Clark opened the door and let out a yell of pain as electricity streamed through his body, dropping him to his knees. "Clark!" You squealed, running over to him, he gasped in pain but looked unharmed. A man stood in the door, bald and menacing. He reached out for you and you dodged out of the way. He sighed as you tried to run into the bedroom. He followed you and pointed a taser at you. You put your hands in the air but he fired, electricity rattling your body. You dropped to the floor, muscles spasming uncontrollably. You groaned in pain as the bald man loomed above you. You tried to move, the panic in your chest rising quickly. He brought the butt of a gun down, cracking it across the side of your head. Darkness swirled in your vision, the last thing you saw was Clark trying desperately to get to his feet. "Clark," you weakly called to him before blacking out.

You woke up chained to the ceiling. A voice cut through the darkness, "I do apologise but you were not supposed to be in that apartment."
"Who the fuck are you?" You spat into the shadows.
"Lex Luthor," the name struck a memory in your mind. You remembered Clark talking about him, not in a nice way either. "I'm sure I've been mentioned before." The bastard sounded incredibly cocky. He stepped into the light before you. "You must be y/n, Superman's newest fling." He brushed a strand of hair out of your face, you recoiled in disgust.
"Get your hands off me." You warned. Luthor sighed,
"I am sorry to do this to you, but its the best revenge I could come up with."
"Revenge? For what?" You angrily shot the question at him, not really expecting him to answer.
"Oh, Superman ruined my life once before, now I'm going to ruin something he loves." You shuddered at his words. You pulled on the chains as you saw him produce a syringe from his pocket. "This is going to do one of two things, one option is that you'll die an agonising death. I do hope that's what's going to happen." He waved the syringe in front of your eyes, admiring the fear in them.
"What's the other option?" You hesitated to ask, forcing the words past your lips.
"You'll find out if you live. Oh, by the way, give this to Superman when you see him." He put a folded piece of paper into your jacket pocket before injecting the glowing liquid into your arm, searing pain flowing from the syringe. Your body glowed with a green hue before dying away. You felt the chains come loose and you collapsed to your knees, suddenly weak. "Well, that went well." Luthor teased before clicking his fingers. "Drop her from the top of the building." You attempted to fight off the two men who grabbed you but your body wouldn't cooperate.

The wind howled as you were dragged to the top of a high rise apartment. You recognised Wayne Enterprises in the distance, it gave you a burst of strength knowing how close to home you were. You drove your shoulder into the man on your right, catching him off guard and sending him onto his back. You used the momentum to roll away from the other man who produced a gun. You screamed out at the top of your lungs, "Superman!" You prayed that Clark heard you before diving back towards the other man. A gunshot rang out and part of the roof flung up beside you. You tackled the other man to the floor and he swung the gun into your side, forcing the air from your lungs. He drove his knee into your stomach and pushed you off of him. The other man was on his feet and grabbed a fistful off your hair, pulling you roughly to your feet. He dragged you to the edge of the roof and threw you off, you felt yourself screaming but couldn't hear the noise over the ferocity of the wind. You caught a glimpse of blue and red in the corner of your eye and suddenly you were no longer falling. You floated in Superman's arms, he spoke softly to you, reassuring you again and again. Apologising as he flew you across the city. He put you down on the balcony of your apartment where you vomited blood on the concrete, clutching your stomach in pain. Your head throbbed and you dropped to your hands and knees, retching again. Clark pulled your hair away from the bloody vomit, rubbing circles on your back. You sat back and Clark held you in his arms. "What did he do to you?"
"Green glowing liquid, a syringe." You answered weakly before your head lolled back. Clark picked you up and took off, flying towards Gotham City.

Alfred answered the door to Clark's frantic knocking. "Please, I don't know what's happening." Alfred gasped at your pale, unconscious form. Alfred led Clark down the stairs to the Batcave where Bruce Wayne was waiting.
"She looks like a corpse, what happened?" He asked, placing the back of his hand on your forehead. "She's ice cold."
"She said something about a green liquid, please you have to help her." Bruce nodded, telling Clark to put you on a metal table that looked like a modified MRI machine. He pressed some buttons on a panel nearby and the arm moved above your body, a blue light shining down on you. Clark paced next to you, running his fingers through his hair nervously. The machine groaned to life, sending information back to a monitor that Bruce was watching intently.
"I can't find any abnormalities, she has a broken rib and some incredible bruising but nothing else." You focused on his voice, trying to open your eyes, fighting against sleep. Clark saw you stirring and took your hand in his, whispering softly in your ear,
"I'm here, you're safe now." Your eyes flickered open and you focused your gaze on him.
"Clark? Something's wrong," you gasped as pain shot through your skull. You felt your hands begin to tingle and heat up. Your breath caught in your throat as you watched panic cloud Clark's face. You screamed as pain flooded your body, "my head hurts so much!" You cried out, gripping the sides of your head. Clark took your face in his hands in an attempt to calm you down, you looked at him, your fear temporarily subsiding.
"Hey, just listen to my voice." He spoke softly but to you, it sounded like screaming, "How can I when everything is so loud."
"Honey, there isn't any other noise." Clark tried to pull your attention back to him but you looked desperately around.
"Why are you yelling at me? Why can I hear your heartbeat?" Tears streamed down your cheeks as you backed away from him, covering your ears. You ran to the edge of the Batcave, seeing the stars above you reached for them and with a burst of energy you flew up into the air.

You had flown for close to three kilometres before finding a place that was quiet enough for you to sit and think. "What happened to me?" You murmured to yourself, you heard something in the distance. "Who's there?" A small moth flew towards you, landing softly on your outstretched hand. "Hello, you're not too loud. Do you know what's happening?" You heard Clark calling out, the swoosh of his cape behind him as he flew in your direction. "Clark? I'm here." You whispered, not really wanting to tell him. A minute later he landed gently beside you, sitting down and wrapping an arm around you. "Clark, I don't know what's happening. I can hear everything, I can see through things. I can fucking fly!" Tears threatened you again but you held them back.
"I understand, we'll work this out. Together." You put your hand in your pocket, your fingers brushing against Luthor's message. You pulled it out and handed it to Clark. "What's this?"
"From Lex Luthor." Clark's face went dark, an unnatural shadow passing over it. He unfolded the paper and read it aloud.
"You always worried that you were alone, thanks to you, now you're not. Lex." Clark stared at the paper, it spontaneously burst into flame, the ash swept away in the wind.
"Does that mean what I think it means?" You looked up at Clark,
"He's made you Kryptonian. He's used my DNA to do it, he's taunted me with it before but I never thought that he'd perfect it."
"But, why use it on me?"
"Because now you are going to suffer the same fate as me. The world will depend on you but you'll get nothing even near to compensation. You will live for so much longer than the humans but you will always be outcasted. I can't think of a better way to get revenge on me than to hurt you like this and I am so sorry." You moved onto your knees, wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek.
"But I get to suffer with you." You smiled at him reassuringly. "To be honest, I wouldn't want to suffer a life like this with anyone else."

Three weeks passed and you had only been back near society for three days. Clark had taught you to suppress sound and focus your senses. You had been incredibly surprised the first time you went to open a jar, squeaking when it shattered in your hands. The next thing Clark had taught you was to control your strength. He watched you from the doorway as you sat on your balcony, a blanket wrapped around your shoulders and a coffee in your hand. The sun was just beginning to rise of Metropolis and you had been up for hours already, the traffic keeping you alert. "I was thinking," you talked to him over your shoulder, "we should go out today. I could practise flying. We'd have to go somewhere secluded though, I don't think I'm ready to tell the world how clumsy I am." Clark sat behind you so you were nestled between his legs. He rubbed your shoulders comfortingly,
"Of course, where did you have in mind."
"I didn't think that far ahead." You both chuckled.
"I know where. We can head out when you're ready to go."

Clark carried you to his old farmhouse in Smallville. He greeted his mother cheerfully, hugging her for a long time. Martha spotted you standing behind him, looking around at the expansive farm. "So, I finally meet the person that makes my son so happy." She walked around to you, wrapping you in a big hug. She offered you both tea which you accepted more than happily. You sat and chatted for a while, Clark briefly informing her of the last few weeks. "Oh, that's a large secret to carry but it's safe with me. Who else knows?"
"Nobody I don't trust." Clark smiled at his mother and gave your leg a reassuring squeeze. You finished your tea and Clark escorted you outside. Martha sat on the porch, watching intently. You tried to take off but your body refused to cooperate, after fifteen minutes of trying you yelled out in frustration, kicking a rock and sending it close to five hundred metres in the air. "I'd like to try something." Clark took your hands in his and started to float. He only hovered a metre or so above the ground but it felt like so much higher to you.
"What are we doing, Clark?"
"Just close your eyes and concentrate on me, don't let anything else in your mind." You blushed a little as you thought of him in front of you, you imagined kissing him as you flew through the air. "Open your eyes." You obeyed him and saw him floating nearly two metres away, smiling like an idiot.
"What are you smiling at?"
"Look down." You looked towards the ground and let out a startled yell when you noticed how far it was from your feet. You wobbled but managed to stay up in the air. You whooped happily, gliding towards Clark's open arms. "I knew you could do it."

Chapter Text

You smiled at the beautiful redhead in bed next to you. "Nat," you whispered in her ear, she groaned grumpily at being woken up. "I need my arm back babe," you wiggled your fingers in front of her face. She grabbed your hand, lacing her fingers in between yours.
"No, it's my arm now." You sighed and leaned over, kissing her neck.
"How will I make you coffee if I only have one arm."
"Damn it. Alright, you can have it." She lifted her body, untrapping your arm. You climbed out of the bed and pulled the covers back up, tucking Natasha back in. You smiled at the sleepy assassin, your heart aching to stay beside her. You walked downstairs to the kitchen, going to turn on the coffee maker. Steve had beaten you to it, he was currently arranging two mugs on the counter.
"Morning Steve. Good night sleep?" He shrugged, grabbing another two mugs for you,
"It was alright. Sam, Bucky and I stayed up pretty late training. How about you?" He turned and crossed his arms, looking at your unkempt appearance.
"Yeah, it was alright. Nat woke me up at some point, she was having another nightmare, not that she'd admit it."
"I know that feeling, Bucky can be like that." You both laughed. You sighed and ran your fingers through your hair,
"I just wish she would talk to me, you know?" Steve nodded, "I mean, it's not like I haven't been through my own shit. I feel like I could really help her."
"She'll open up to you over time, just give her time to do so. You got Bucky to open up to you so I'm sure you'll get Nat to crack too." You shrugged and propped yourself up on the counter.
"I must catch up with Bucky today, I need to service his arm."
"I'll let him know you're looking for him."

You wandered down to Tony's workshop after delivering a coffee to Natasha. You could see Tony's legs sticking out of the bottom of a car."Anything interesting today?" Tony asked, calling out without leaving his spot. You placed your coffee mug on your workbench and picked up your diary. You flipped to the current date, checking what needed to be done. Clint-bow repair and upgrade. Bucky- arm service.
"Not particularly, just repairs. Did you need a hand?"
"Yes, actually. I was hoping that you could have a look at something of Stephen's for me." You picked up a nearby pencil and made a note in your diary.
"I will definitely get to that. Tell him to bring it over at around 2 this afternoon." Tony thanked you and carried on fiddling with the car. You turned back to your workbench.

An elegant bow lay before you, a large crack running down it scarring the surface. You clicked your tongue and turned it over in your hands. "I've told him a million times that a bow is not a weapon for smacking people with." You shook your head as you mumbled to yourself. You went to work on repairing the bow, then you started on reinforcing it with light metal plating. You had just started to clean up the carving when you thought you heard steps behind you.
"Hey," Natasha crept up beside you, planting a kiss on your cheek. "Busy?"
"I could take a break," you turned to her, placing your hands on her hips, "what's up?" She pulled her hand from behind her back, handing you a fresh coffee. "Thanks, I must be due for a caffeine fix."
"I thought you might," she said with a smile. "What are you working on?" She peered around your shoulder, "oh, wow."
"Yeah, hopefully, Clint won't be able to break this one." You picked up the bow and held it in front of you. You plucked the string, satisfied with the tightness you picked up an arrow. The feathers were a bright green and the shaft was a silvery grey. You nocked it in place and drew it back, aiming at an empty beer can on Tony's desk across the room. You aimed and released the arrow, striking the centre of the can and smiling as it clattered to the floor. Tony peeked his head out from behind an ironman suit, a startled look on his face.
"Holy hell, some warning next time would be nice!" He picked up the can and pulled the arrow free. "Is this the new tracking arrow you're working on?" You nodded and took it from him, returning it to a quiver. "I didn't know you were such a good shot." Natasha watched you as you put the bow back. You didn't answer here, instead, you decided to change the topic.
"Could you do me a favour and find out where Bucky is?"
"Of course, I'll send him down." Nat left with a smile, waving to Tony as she walked past.

Tony had left you and Bucky alone, having left for lunch. Bucky sat shirtless on a chair, watching your every move as you pried the plating from his metal arm. "I'll admit," you sighed as the last piece of plating on his forearm came loose. "This is bloody well made," Bucky smirked and nodded in agreement,
"It is, but it still locks up sometimes." He flexed his fingers, making the gears and wires move at his command. "It's been really bad over the last few days."
"I'll see what I can do to stop that." You worked in silence for a few minutes, before standing up and walking to your workbench, hunting for a certain screwdriver tip.
"So, got any idea what's making it jam?" Bucky called after you,
"Yeah, one of the gears in there is damaged, if you hold your hand in a certain position it short-circuits one of the wires, cutting off the electrical pulse." You walked back with screwdriver and replacement gear in hand. "It should be easy enough to replace." You continued your work and once you were satisfied with the way the gear sat, you began replating Bucky's forearm.
"So, you've been here for nearly a year now, but I don't think you've told me anything about you," Bucky spoke, giving you a non-threatening look.
"There isn't much to tell," you lied through your teeth.
"That can't be true, Fury doesn't let just anyone into the Avengers. You can tell me, I am the last person entitled to judge someone because of their history." You fixed the last plate on and packed up your tools.
"I'm finished," you turned away, heart pounding and head spinning. You felt a lump in your throat as Bucky placed his hand on your shoulder.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," you waved him away.
"It's fine. I just need some time." Bucky left the lab, you waited for a minute before running to your room. As soon as the door closed behind you, you broke down into tears.

You sat on the edge of your bed, head in your hands as you breathed deeply. Someone knocked on the door, the door slowly creaking open as they stepped into your room. "Hey, you weren't in the lab, Stephen brought his relic for you to look at." Natasha walked over to you, she saw your tear-stained cheeks and immediately wrapped you in a hug. "What's happened?" You stood in her arms, unsure how to react to her concerned kindness. "Please, talk to me." She spoke softly, holding your shoulders in her hands and looking into your eyes.
"It's nothing."
"This," she gestured to your puffy eyes and red cheeks, "is not nothing."
"It's just an anniversary of a sad day."
"And what happened on this particular day?" You choked up again. Swallowing the lump in your throat and trying to control your shaking hands, you sat on the bed.
"Ten years ago, my entire family died in front of my eyes."
"I am so sorry,"
"I pulled the trigger." You looked down in shame. Natasha gave you a concerned look before holding you tightly against her,
"That's not the whole story, is it? That is not the you I know."

"I haven't been entirely truthful to you, Nat. I'm not human, that's the reason Fury took me in. I'm an alien, the last surviving member of my race. I was the heir to the throne, days from my coronation. We were invaded by an opposing planet, the Aeyurgron from Rikai V. We had been at war for years but they had finally developed a weapon that could destroy worlds. The gave me a choice, put my entire family to death and give up the throne or sacrifice my planet. They made me pull the trigger, then they destroyed my planet anyway. My whole world was turned into a pile of rocks, everything my ancestors had built was obliterated in seconds." A surge of rage rushed through your body and angry tears fell on your lap. "I was only saved because the took me prisoner on their ship, planning to sell me to a collector. I killed every single thing on that ship and set it to self-destruct. I was planning to die on that god-forsaken ship but the universe had other plans. The captain had sent out a distress signal and ironically the Asgardians answered. The Asgardians were their enemy as well so they sent a warship to arrest them."
"She was the last thing living on that shipwreck when we found it." Thor piped up from the doorway making you hunch your shoulders. "Although she was closer to death than life. We took her back to Asgard and my mother nursed her back to health. Loki and I enjoyed her company for a long time, she was Loki's first crush." He laughed jovially, patting you on the shoulder. "Of course, you didn't hear that from me."
"How did you end up on Earth?" Natasha finally broke her silence.
"I couldn't stay on Asgard, I would have loved to but I was still being hunted by the Aeyurgron. I went into hiding, wandering planet after planet and eventually I ended up on Earth. I actually clipped an asteroid on my way past the galaxy and was forced to land because my engine failed. I landed with an escape pod but lost it in the sea, we didn't have salt water on Luminae IX and it dissolved my poor ship."
"So, what are you really if you aren't human?" Nat sighed, running her hand through her red hair.
"I'm Ethaail from Luminae IX,"
"But you look human."
"The Ethaail was an extremely advanced race, more so than the Asgardians. She is wearing a cloaking device, why do you think she always wears that necklace?" Thor pointed to the beautiful pendant around your neck, he was right. The pendant was a highly sophisticated piece of cloaking technology, it's job was to make you appear like a native of the planet you were on, no matter the form. It had worked flawlessly for nearly two years.
"What do you really look like?"
"Are you sure you want to see? It could be frightening." You asked, unsure you wanted to reveal your real form to Nat, you couldn't bear it if she were scared of you.
"It can't be worse than Bruce on a bad day." She reached over and undid the chain around your neck, taking the pendant away. You stood and turned away from Thor and Natasha, your image shimmered for a moment before the mirage disappeared.

You gazed at yourself in the mirror. You admired the two large horns that curled around to the back of your head, long black hair parted around them. Your irises had changed to a bright yellow, striking even against your deep purple skin. A small scar ran across your left eye, the shadows caused it to appear deeper than it was. You stood over 2 metres tall, towering over Thor and Nat. Your skin had different spiralled patterns running up and down the arms. Your long, dragon-like tail flicked around by your feet, curling and uncurling on its own. You turned to the wide-eyed Natasha. "So," your voice was husky and deeper than usual, it had a strange echoing to it. "What do you think?"
"You look incredible. You're so tall!" She rushed up to you, walking in a circle around you. "You have a tail!" She looked over every inch of your body, making sure it was okay before she ran her hands down the skin on your arms, feeling the many spiralled scars.
"That is the form of true Ethaail royalty and a strong warrior." Thor embraced you, you rested your chin on his head, pride swelling in your chest. "Although Natasha is correct, you were not taller than me last time I saw you like this."
"No, I've grown. I don't even think my horns had fully developed when you rescued me." You laughed with him as you recalled the days of playing together. A thought crossed your mind,
"Stephen! He's waiting for me!" You went to run out the door but stopped as you reached for the door handle. You turned to Nat and it was like she read your mind, passing you the necklace. "Nat, please don't tell anyone." She smiled and nodded, pulling you down for a kiss before you left.

You walked into the lab where Stephen was patiently waiting. "You're here. I was getting worried, Natasha went to find you nearly half an hour ago."
"My apologies, Doctor Strange. We got caught up in a conversation. How can I help." You walked to your workbench where the relic was laying. "Oh, that is a marvellous piece of technology."
"You know what it is? That's why I was bringing it to you. I was hoping you'd know what it does."
"Yes," you picked it up gingerly, "it's a storage container. It locks whatever is inside in a time lock, meaning it is essentially frozen in time until the container is opened." You inspected a panel on the side closely, "I wonder what's in it."
"Maybe it should be opened under quarantine?" Tony watched from across the lab. He was right, you didn't want to infect the planet with some alien disease.
"Of course," you walked to a small chamber off the side of the lab, stepping through the airlock you locked the door behind you. "Here goes nothing I suppose." You opened the container, it hissed and the lid lifted slowly. A sudden pulse of energy erupted from the box, sending you flying into the reinforced glass. You gasped, trying to regain your breath. Your head spun and you could barely open your eyes, a bright light shone from the box. You crawled over to it, hearing Strange and Tony yelling from the other side. You reached the box and tried to close it, shielding your eyes with one hand. A voice filled your mind and you got closer to the light.
"Child of Luminae, replace what I held with something you hold close to you." Your mind screamed at you to leave it but you knew what would happen if the box stayed open. You had already worked out what was trapped inside. You pulled the necklace from your neck, the chain breaking and sliding to the floor. You blindly fumbled for the box, feeling the mirage slip from your body. More voices joined Strange and Tony's yells, banging on the chamber door distracted you for only a moment. You found the opening and thrust the pendant inside the empty box. You slammed the lid closed and the light disappeared, leaving you stunned but alive. You stumbled to the door, unlocking it before slumping to the ground. A small piece of red-hot rock lay in the centre of the chamber.

The Avengers rushed into the chamber, surrounding you and murmuring. You head was still reeling from the blast and a headache crept into the side of your skull. You looked down at your hands, taking a moment before realising that you no longer resembled a human. You looked up at the others, their faces showed a range of emotion, from scared to shocked and even slightly disgusted. You slowly got to your feet, searching for Thor or Natasha, neither of them was amongst the crowd. "I can explain," you stammered out, fighting through a stabbing pain in your side. They all took a step back as your tail flicked up around your waist where the pain was coming from. You felt your blood wet against your tail.
"Step back everyone." Thor's voice sliced through the room. "Give our friend some space."
"What the hell is this?" Rhodey spoke, he didn't try to be threatening but you had begun to panic.
"Please, leave her be." Natasha urged the others, pushing her way to the front.
"You look so," Peter stepped right up in front of you, his eyes lighting up with curiosity, "amazing. Why didn't you tell us sooner that you were so cool!"
"Peter!" Tony scolded him, "would you get out of her personal bubble." You smiled as the fear began to fade,
"You aren't afraid? You're not angry?"
"Why would we be angry? You're an Avenger, we should be disappointed with ourselves for not making you feel like you could be yourself." Steve stepped forward, he reached his hand towards you. "I'm sorry that you thought you had to hide your true form."
"No, I'm sorry. I should have told you, this wasn't how any of you should have met me." You looked around at the others members of your team, they were all either smiling or intrigued.

"So, you're an alien?" Peter was practically jumping with joy.
"Yes, I am an Ethaail queen. Was a queen." You corrected.
"Where are you from? Do you have any special powers? Can you change into any form? Are there any more of you?" Peter rapidly fired question after question.
"I am from the planet Luminae IX. I'm not sure about powers, I can do things that are uncommon for the human race but normal for my race. No, I lost my pendant so I'll have to stay like this for now." You paused before answering his last question, your voice refusing to come out. "I'm the last one. There are no more Ethaail left." You turned your face away slightly, feeling Thor's hand on your shoulder and Natasha's on your waist.
"Why? What happened to the others?" Vision flicked Peter around the ear, giving him a stern warning look.
"They were killed, my entire planet was destroyed." You felt slightly dizzy as another wave of pain rushed over you. Your legs nearly buckled beneath you. You grabbed your side, gasping in pain.
"Are you alright?" Natasha sounded far away from you, "hey, what's wrong?" Your vision slowly faded and you focused on your hand as you pulled it away, bluish-black blood covered your fingers.
"Damn," you cursed quietly before closing your eyes and falling backwards, Thor catching you before you hit the ground. You tried to muster a sentence but only managed to form slurred words, "don't... touch... star." Your consciousness escaped your grasp as you warned the others.

Chapter Text

You woke up to the sounds of someone knocking on the front door. Thomas groaned and shifted beside you, trying to slowly pull his arm from beneath you. He quietly left the bedroom, grabbing his coat off of the chair. You sat up in the bed, still sore but feeling significantly better after the night's rest. You followed Thomas to the lounge, he had invited Polly in and she smiled when she saw you. You were still wearing the clothes she had given you and you noticed that she had a small letter in her hand. She handed it to Thomas who opened it cautiously, "It's from the O'Creed family?" He asked Polly who shrugged. Your heart raced at the mention of the name. Polly saw you physically flinch and moved over to you,
"You know them?"
"Yeah, they were the ones trading me."
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realise." You shook your head and went to answer but Thomas spoke first.
"Have you read this?" He handed the letter to Polly who read it quickly,
"'You'll pay for taking our bargaining chip.' They mean her?"
"Keep reading, Pol." You sat on the couch, head in your hands.
"How could they know it was you?"
"They could have seen me at the bar," you spoke quietly, hands shaking from fear. "Patrick O'Creed has eyes everywhere."
"Well, he's made a huge fucking mistake. He's threatened a Shelby now." Polly spoke, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder.

Thomas had invited you to the family meeting, you sat awkwardly at the table, hands clasping a glass of whiskey. Ironically it was the same whiskey you had been found with. "So, these O'Creeds have decided to fuck with us," Thomas addressed the entire family, "we'll just have to show him that we aren't afraid of the fucking Irish." You could see how angry he was, the way he couldn't stand in one place. "They've given us a week and a half to pay him or give her back so in exactly one week we are going to take him out, and the rest of his family too."
"How're you gonna find him? We've never even heard of them till today." John asked, playing with the toothpick in his mouth.
"She's our ticket," Polly pointed to you, making you look up at her. You stood, supporting yourself on the chair, the car ride over had caused a lot of pain in your hip. You cleared your throat and looked around at the Shelby family.
"I know the O'Creed family, I spent close to a year in their company after I returned from the war as a nurse. They are a barbaric bunch of animals, they have little to no morality and even less mercy." You felt a little ill remembering them. "They'll stop at nothing to get what they want, they're more than happy to murder and torture people. They're bloody good at it too." Arthur scoffed at the thought,
"I'd like to see them have a go at me," Thomas told him to shut it.
"I know where their base is too," this caught everyone's attention.
"If she knows, why don't we go now." John turned to Thomas,
"because it's a fortress, you'd have better luck attacking him at one of the parties he has monthly. It's coming up next week and he wouldn't miss the chance to drink with his friends."

Thomas led his brothers through the plan to attack the O'Creeds, making sure they knew the stakes and rewards. Once he'd finished talking to them he turned to you. He helped you to your feet and started to lead you out of the house and into the car. "Let's get you some different clothes."
"I don't have any money to pay you back, Thomas."
"It's fine," he climbed into the driver's seat, "you've already paid me back with information." Thomas drove you to the closest clothing store and supported you as you walked in. He waved to the tailor and sat you down. "This lovely lass is in need of a few outfits." He handed over a few paper notes to the tailor, their face lit up at the sight. "She needs to look like a Shelby," you blushed at his comment. The shopkeep went into the back, rustling and the occasional clatter rang out from behind the counter.
"Thomas, you're too kind."
"Not really, what do you mean?" He sat next to you, lighting a cigarette for you both.
"I'm not a Shelby, you've only known me two days. Yet you've let me sleep in your bed, eat your food, you're even buying me clothes. Why?" He took your hand in his,
"I have no idea. There's something about you that makes me feel," he paused.
"Safe?" You finished his sentence, he looked into your eyes.
"Yeah, you make me feel safe." You leaned closer to him, he matched your movement. He leaned down and kissed you, moving his hand up to your face. You kissed him back, the taste of smoke and alcohol on his lips. The tailor cleared their throat, causing you and Thomas to break the kiss and turn to him.

You stood patiently while the tailor took your measurements. Thomas sat nearby, watching your every move. You beckoned him over to you as the tailor started producing fabrics, laying one after the other on the countertop. "What do you think?" The tailor asked you, "any preferences for the colour choice or material?"
"I like the navy blue or possibly the black silk. I think the blue will bring out your eyes," Thomas placed his hand around your waist, making your heart skip a beat. "But it's up to you,"
"No, I like them both. Maybe I should get one in a lighter colour though, perhaps a light grey?" The tailor smiled and nodded, pulling a beautiful grey material with a light floral print. You fell in love instantly with it.
"A blouse in each colour and a dress in each. Three black skirts too," the tailor quickly noted Thomas' order.
"I'll have them delivered to your home if that's alright sir."

Thomas escorted you around various stores in Birmingham. You followed quietly, watching in awe as people acknowledged him, then you. He walked you to The Garrison and ordered a drink. You asked for a whiskey and something to eat, the barkeep nodded and spoke to a young boy behind the bar. "So," the barkeep talked as you waited on your drinks, "where did you find this bird, Mister Shelby? She looks like she's just stepped out a war zone." He started to smile but decided better of it, seeing the solemn look on your face.
"This," he placed a hand around your shoulder, "is the woman who took a bullet for me."
"That's the one? Good to see you up and about, considering you got shot." You smiled at him,
"I've been through worse pain than a gunshot wound." The barkeep was about to keep questioning you when the doors to the bar flew open. An older man and several more men walked in, brandishing guns. Thomas sighed and turned slowly,
"Can I help you?"

"We are looking for a little whore that escaped the O'Creed family, Patrick would like his prize back." Their accents were thick and Irish. Thomas ushered you behind him,
"Sorry lads, we don't have anyone like that here." The older man stepped right up to Thomas's face, his breath stinking of booze and hot as hell.
"Who's that then?" He locked eyes with you sending shivers down your spine,
"My fiancee. Why do you care?" Thomas snapped, you desperately tried to hide your rapidly blushing cheeks.
"That right?" The older man turned to the barkeep, "is this arsehole lying to me?" The barkeep shook his head,
"Y/n has been 'round these parts for years. I've known her since she was young."
"Strange," the Irishman huffed, "you look exactly like the missing whore. Maybe I should take you back, just in case." He grabbed your wrist, pulling you from behind Thomas. His grip was tight enough to bruise your wrist. Your mind raced, looking for an escape.
"You could take me," Thomas tried to interject but you cut him off, "but imagine how angry your boss, Patrick O'Creed was it? Imagine how pissed he'd be if I wasn't that whore." You managed to make it through the sentence without stammering. "A man could lose his life for that if she's as important as you say." The colour drained from the old Irishman's face. One of the younger men placed a hand on his shoulder,
"She's right, the O'Creed's would kill you for wasting his time." Your wrist was released and you clutched it to your chest, whimpering in pain from that and the wound in your side. The Irishmen stormed out of the bar, leaving it in a stunned silence. Thomas pulled you to him, holding you in his arms. When he pulled away you looked down, a large patch of crimson blood was smeared on his shirt.
"You're bleeding!" You cried out, pointing to the blood.
"It isn't me," at that point, you felt the warm wetness on your side. Sharp pain followed, making you clutch your side and drop to your knees. "You've opened the wound, come on." He picked you up and carried you to the car, carefully laying you in the back.

You woke up in agony, the pain seeping from your hip was bordering on unbearable. You groaned and tried to turn, you could hear harsh whispering next to the bed. You recognised Thomas's room, then his voice. Then you heard Polly, "I warned him, she was recovering from a gunshot wound for crying out loud!" She hissed, "he should never have taken her out into that environment," her words seemed distant and muffled like your head was submerged underwater.
"Wa-" you croaked, "wa-ter, pl, please." You struggled to form words in your dry mouth. John came into view, helping to prop you up. He held a glass to your lips, allowing you to drink slowly.
"Gently now, drink slowly," Polly said up near your head. She placed a hand on your forehead, the cool touch was welcome.
"Thank you," you breathed.
"How are you feeling?" Polly asked with concern, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.
"Fine, just tired." You remarked, laughing quietly. "What happened?" Panic gripped your heart when you realised that Thomas wasn't in the room, "where's Thomas? Is he alright?"
"He's fine, he's calling a family meeting to inform them about what happened," John answered, offering the water to you again, which you gratefully accepted. "I'll tell him you're awake." John left the room with a nod to his aunt. Polly sighed and sat next to you, "How are you really."
"Fine,"
"You may be able to bullshit John but I'm no fool."
"Sorry, I'm in a stupid amount of pain. It's nothing compared to when it first happened though," Polly smiled, taking your hand in hers.
"I know the boy's come off like they don't feel pain, but that doesn't mean you have to." You smiled back at her, she looked at you the way you saw mother's looking at their children when they're ill.

"Are you ready?" Thomas spoke to you, pulling his coat closer to his body as you walked. A light snow had fallen, thick fog still settled over the valley. You could barely make out the large manor on the hill. The fog gave the Peaky Blinders perfect cover, it was the best day for an attack.
"Ready as I'll ever be." You felt the gun in its holster beneath your coat. The black blouse Thomas had brought you looked stunning with the black skirt, you had seen him sneaking peaks at you all day. "Thomas, before we go in," he paused to look at you, brow raised. "Thank you for doing this."
"It was bound to happen, remind me to thank the O'Creeds." You smiled at his response, trying to hide your confusion.
"What for?"
"Because, if they never stepped on my territory I'd never be able to do this." He dipped his head down, placing his lips on yours, one hand around your waist. He kissed you with a burning passion, catching you off guard. You were initially surprised but took little time before you were kissing him back.
"Oh," was all you managed to say.
"Shall we." Thomas flourished his hand in front of him.

Chapter Text

"So you're immortal?" Peter Parker asked, sitting outside of the glass containing you.
"In a sense," you replied with an annoyed sigh. "If I was grievously injured I can still die, luckily for me, I developed a serum that gives me advanced healing."
"Like Cap!" You lifted an eyebrow and shook your head, smiling slightly.
"Yes, like the great Captain America. Shouldn't you be somewhere Spiderboy?" Peter shrugged,
"Spiderman, and no. Mr Stark gave me the day off today, he told me to stay here and keep you company."
"Even though they have labelled me as dangerous?" You smiled coyly at him, "they leave a child to guard me." You seemed to strike a nerve as you taunted him, he turned slightly away from you, cheeks blushing red.
"I can defend myself," he mumbled.
"Let me out of here and let me see." You placed a hand on the glass, watching Peter as he considered the idea. "Come on, this is your chance to prove to them how strong you are, imagine how impressed Tony would be." Peter nodded and walked to the control panel, pressing a combination of keys before the glass door hissed open. You sauntered over to it, stepping out into the warm air beyond. Peter readied himself to fight you but you could see him shaking with sudden fear.

You rushed towards him, catching him off guard and tackling him to the floor. You placed your lips on his, and his eyes glazed over white, he placed a hand on your cheek and half-smiled. "Now, Spiderman, let's go have some fun." You climbed to your feet, Peter following you out of the room. You heard footsteps rushing down, "get ready for trouble." You warned Peter, he raised his hands in defence. You saw Steve Rodgers and Tony Stark rushing down the hall.
"Nightshade!" Tony yelled before tapping the arc-reactor on his chest, a suit of armour covering his body. "Go back to your cell and nobody gets hurt."
"I just want to go home!" You yelled back, "I don't want to be trapped in here. Peter, take him out." You commanded him, pointing at Tony. "I'll take the Captain." Steve pulled out his shield, protecting his torso. Peter nodded and leapt at Tony, striking him again and again. Tony was hesitant to hit his prodigy but had to protect himself. He managed to get Peter in a choke hold, holding him still as he thrashed around in an effort to get away.

You dove at Steve, roaring in fury as you pulled a sword from thin air. It shimmered in your hand as it struck the shield, a wave erupting from the collision. You and Steve managed to hold your ground, tensing every muscle in your body. You drew the sword back for another strike and this time you sent Steve flying into a wall with the force. You rushed towards him, delivering a kick to the knees. He buckled under the hit and the shield dropped. You seized the opportunity and punched him in the temple, smiling as he crumpled to the floor. "Weak and pathetic. That is a shame." You leaned down and whispered in his ear, "I expected a bigger fight from you." You placed your lips on him, watching his eyes glaze to white. "Come, help our dear Spider." Steve got up and turned to Tony, who was still holding Peter.
"Cap, this isn't you. You have to fight it." Tony pleaded with him,
"That's where you are wrong Stark," you spat, "he gave in, why would he fight it?" Steve ran at Tony, smashing him in the head with his shield. Tony let Peter go as he reeled from the impact. Peter coughed and spluttered on the floor before picking himself up. He came to your side, away from the fight. "Regain your strength and help the Captain." You ordered coldly, Peter nodded in response. He drew a few deep breaths and went straight back to fighting Tony. Tony was on his back, his armoured suit being pummeled by Captain America.
"Please, stop!" You heard someone yell from the doorway, Hawkeye and Black Widow stared at the fight, confused.
"I am leaving, I would advise you against stopping me."

You clicked your fingers and Steve and Peter returned to your side. "What have you done?" Tony groaned from the ground,
"I have simply opened their eyes." You said with an evil smirk, "don't worry, I'll give them back. First, I'm leaving." You moved to the door where Natasha and Clint blocked it. "Move." You commanded flatly.
"Not until you let Cap and Spiderman go." Natasha challenged you, squaring up.
"Last chance before this gets ugly." You warned, unimpressed by her challenge. She shook her head, Clint drawing an arrow beside her. You growled and nodded at Peter and Steve, who stepped in front of you.
"Put the weapon away," they spoke in eerie unison. Steve reached for the arrow but Clint dove backwards out of reach. He nocked it into his bow and fired it at you, Peter reached for it and electricity pulsed through his arm, travelling to the rest of his body. He yelled in pain before dropping to the ground. Steve threw his shield at Natasha, she barely dodged the incoming projectile. Clint prepared another arrow and aimed at you.
"Stop him!" You screamed at Steve, pointing at Clint. You were too late, the arrow arched through the air and sunk into your shoulder. A bolt of electricity spread through you, your muscles tensing and your nerves on fire. You gasped in pain, dropping to your knees. Your body spasmed as you collapsed on the floor, curled into a fetal position. Your mind gave out and you lost the fight for consciousness.

"Nightshade, wake up." You recognised the voice, Tony spoke to you coldly from the other side of the glass.
"That is not my name," you growled, pulling against the chain that held you to the metal beam above you.
"What did you do to Peter?" You laughed at his anger,
"It's a nice magic trick, maybe if their minds weren't so fragile they would have stood a chance." You mocked,
"I'll ask you again, what did you do?" You laughed again, looking around the glass cage.
"Let me go and you can find out for yourself." You smirked. Tony smacked his fist on the glass, yelling in anger. "Oh, they haven't come out of their little trances yet? Are you looking to fix them?" You were genuinely curious, normally when you lost consciousness the link you used to control others was broken. "You see, the thing is, only I have the ability to pull them from their little enchantment and I don't think I want to." You cackled manically as you watched Tony turn away, his anger rising.
"Tony, you need to take a break," Thor placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, leading him from the room.

"So, immortal one." You growled at Thor's comment,
"Not immortal. It's a common misconception. Just like you, I can still die."
"My apologies, nearly immortal one." You shook your head,
"What do you want, I was having fun teasing Stark."
"I wish to talk to you, god to god!"
"You're bold to assume that," you looked at him curiously,
"I would recognise a god's power from across the nine realms. Of course, you are far more ancient than me,"
"Far more." You agreed, "I suppose there is no use maintaining a facade then." You grunted slightly and shattered the chains that bound you to the room, rubbing your wrist slightly. You placed a hand to the glass and for a moment it glowed, you stepped through unhindered and the glass appeared solid again. Thor extended his hand to you, offering a friendly handshake. "You're foolish enough to trust me?"
"Not at all, but I am also sure that you can't control me." He said with a genuine smile. You took his hand, shaking it firmly before releasing it. "So, which god are you?"
"I do not remember. I was worshipped once as the ruler of the gods, people prayed to me, sacrificed and pillaged in my name. They would bring me gifts and riches from all over the earth to earn my favour. A young demi/god challenged me one summer, seeking revenge for their fallen 'immortal' parent or something equally idiotic. I was careless, having grown lazy in my comfort, they poisoned my drink before we fought. I lost, they cast me from my throne, the poison caused me to lose my memory and I have only just begun to regain it." You stared into the distance as you recalled the memories. "I do know that I am very old, older than humanity, older than most of the forests and the seas. As I remember more, I get stronger and more merciless."
"What if that isn't your way? What if you were a benevolent god?"
"Then I have truly sullied my reputation." You sneered evilly before reaching your hand to the ground, a portal appearing by your feet. "Do not fear, I will let your friends go, eventually."

You stepped out of the wall into a room of cells. You saw Peter sitting in the corner of one, Steve was pacing around another. Steve perked up when he saw you, walking to the edge of his cell. "What are you doing Steve?" Bucky spoke with a warning tone, he turned and saw you standing there.
"Wow, Steve's memory doesn't do you justice." You walked up to him, entranced by the man with a metal arm. "So, you're Steve's old friend. I'll tell you what, if you come with me and stay by my side, I will release the other two." Bucky aimed his gun at you but you stepped closer still, hands raised.
"You won't keep your word," he hissed. You frowned and turned to Peter.
"Go on, little spider, you're free." Peter dropped to the floor, clenching the sides of his head. His eye colour came back as he gasped for breath. He looked up, sweating and panting.
"Where am I?" He begged, on the verge of tears.
"Someone else can explain that I don't have the time. Now," you looked back at Bucky, "will you come with me?"
"I have a thing about mind control." Bucky shuddered, "I'm not that keen."
"Oh, you misunderstood me. I don't want to control you, I don't need to. You fascinate me, your pain and suffering intrigue me. I want to learn more." You held your hand out to him, watching as he considered your words carefully.
"Okay. Let Steve go." You turned to his friend and put one hand on his cheek.
"You're free from me, Captain of freedom." He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. When he opened them they were their normal colour and filled with anger and confusion. You withdrew your hand and instead took the gun from Bucky. "Come then, this should be fun" You opened the portal and pulled Bucky through it after you.

You emerged in a large temple, the floors and pillars a creamy white. The stars sparkled above the open hole in the roof. "Where are we?" Bucky asked, pulling his hand from yours.
"Somewhere quiet." You wandered to a chiselled seat, sighing as you relaxed into it. "Please, sit." You pet the empty spot next to you. Bucky hesitantly sat down,
"what do you want with me?"
"I told you that already, you intrigue me. Tell me," your eyes scanned him slowly, "what is the darkest part of your history?" Bucky flinched at your forwardness,
"I'd rather not." You huffed and rolled your eyes.
"Alright, I'll guess. It was the torture and brainwashing, right?" You half-smiled. "I know that's what always hurt me the most." You couldn't stop yourself showing the tiny bit of weakness, Bucky stared at you, shocked.
"What?"
"Nevermind," you stood sharply but Bucky grabbed your hand.
"Not nevermind, you wanted to talk. We're talking."
"I didn't want to talk about me!" You snapped. Bucky stood up, still gripping your hand.
"Come on, tell me."

“I was a god, once. Powerful, loved, feared. After falling prey to a trap that I helped create, I was cursed to walk this plane with no memory of who I was. My only full memory is becoming a scientist for Hydra. I found out that they were running horrific experiments on children, orphans that they had shipped from all over the world." You stared at your hands as you recounted your past. "They would change them, 'unlock their potential' they would say. I wanted to leave but the stopped me and locked me up. I didn't have anyone else, so nobody suspected I was missing. They ran tests on me, discovering my ancient and powerful DNA. In an effort to unlock my powers and return me to my former stature, they played with my DNA. If I didn't cooperate, they would torture me. Sometimes they would 'forget' to feed me for days, other times they would lock me in a dark room with a candle and a box of matches. You have no idea how stressful it is, not wanting to use up the candle but not wanting to be in the dark." You looked at Bucky, hatred seething in your eyes. It took nearly four years for them to get the results they wanted from me. When they did, they used my abilities to try and decimate their enemies. I fought back and broke free, but everyone only saw me for what I had been forced to do, not who I was."
"I know the feeling," Bucky piped up, that was the first thing he'd said in a while.
“They never actually realised that I was a god.” You chuckled at the irony. "They would send me on their errands and eventually they had had me working on experiments. I wormed my way into the operations and eventually, I earned enough trust to blow the entire bloody thing to pieces. As I built up relationships with the children, earning their trust. They worshipped me, giving me back my power and memory. I killed everyone in that building except the kids, I worked for weeks on smuggling them out. I managed to reverse a lot of the experiments for the kids, so they could live a relatively normal life. As I healed them, I had to erase their memories, erasing me along with it. I still can't get a good night's sleep because of,"
"The dreams." Bucky sighed, nodding.
"Yeah. Then, to top it off, I bumped into one of the bloody Avengers and they decided to lock me up because I was 'dangerous'."
"They're like that. Did you try to explain it to them?"
"Do you think I'm an idiot? Of course, I tried, all that got me was a gag. I wish I could have spared Peter, he was truly kind to me. Unfortunately, that was also my only ticket out." Bucky nodded understandingly. "I really do just want to go home and live the rest of my life trying to earn my people's love again, I want to be powerful and worshipped like I was once before. I want to be able to rebuild my people into the strong empire they were once."

"I'll take you back now if you like." You offered Bucky after talking for close to three hours.
"Where will you go?" You shrugged,
"I'll probably keep wandering."
"Come back with me,"
"They'll just lock me up again." You bit your lip at the thought,
"I'll make them understand. You have to trust me." You nodded and opened a portal, on the other side the Avengers slowly paced around.
"She is loose and dangerous, we need to find her!" Tony Stark growled angrily,
"We can't have someone that can control minds running around." Sam agreed. They all saw you at the same time, turning in surprise.
"Bucky!" Steve cried out, running to him. "Are you alright?" Bucky brushed him off, protecting you instead of embracing his friend.
"I'm fine, we need to talk." He scowled at the others, " you locked her up without giving her a chance to explain. Did you know she took down a Hydra base? No, but we all knew that it went down we just didn't know who did it."
"Bucky," Steve warned,
"She was tortured for saving the lives of innocent children." The Avengers cast their eyes away from you,
"I remember that mission. We picked the kids up," Peter admitted.
"What is the point of this?" Tony grew impatient with the morality check,
"she needs a place to stay until she can go home."
"And you think here is the place?" Tony said snarkily,
"It's better than the streets." You responded coldly. Tony was taken back by your quick retaliation.
"She stays," Thor said, leaving no room in the statement for argument. "You can stay in my room for now but you are to bathe first." He ushered you out of the room and to the shower.

Chapter Text

The large mansion located above Crimson Peak was menacing, towering above you as you approached it. The warm summer breeze ruffled your skirts gently, warnings and whispers carried on the winds. You saw a young woman gazing at you from one of the top story windows. You adjusted the bag on your shoulder and walked to the front door, rapping on it with your knuckles. Moments passed and you knocked again. A hushed argument carried through the door, "you invited her?"
"Yes, I did. As I have told you before, Lucille, I need her expertise." You recognised Thomas Sharpe's voice from the numerous times you had met him. You recognised the name of his sister, Lucille.
"You did not check with me!"
"That is enough." The doorknob turned as Thomas scolded his sister. "Y/n," Thomas stood in the doorway, smiling warmly at you, "I am so glad you could make it."
"Yes, so pleased," Lucille said sarcastically from behind him, shooting you a nasty glare. You smiled at them both pleasantly.
"I do apologise for being late, there was a small accident on the railway." Thomas moved to the side, taking your bag from you. He leaned close and whispered in your ear,
"Ignore Lucille, she's being petty." Lucille heard despite the whisper, you got the feeling it was intentional.

You followed Thomas to the living room, admiring the artistically carved home. The fire had simmered to embers from neglect. Lucille threw another log of wood on the fire and stoked it gently. She moved the kettle of water over the growing flames. Thomas placed your bag gently near the staircase before standing next to you. "You're wearing the dress I had made." You twirled the Navy blue skirts of your dress, "It looks beautiful." He pecked you gently on the cheek, lacing a hand around your waist.
"Thank you," you leaned in close to him, placing your lips next to his ear, "it looks better on the floor." Thomas cleared his throat, smiling at the comment. Lucille rolled her eyes and turned to you both. "Lucille, will you be staying in the house this weekend?" Lucille scowled at you.
"No," she snapped, "I leave tomorrow morning and I am gone for the week. I am off to France on business."
"Well, that is a shame." You matched her sarcasm, earning another scowl. Lucille took a step closer to you but Thomas stepped in front of her, speaking low.
"Yes, maybe you should make sure you are packed for tomorrow." Lucille huffed and stormed up the stairs, leaving you and Thomas alone. A slam echoed from an upper story. Thomas sighed and begun making tea. "I must apologise for my sister again. She seems to dislike most of my companions nowadays." You smiled and rested a hand on his shoulder,
"It's fine. It's worth dealing with her to be with you. Besides, you need my help with your new invention." Thomas stood up and grabbed your hands, kissing you on the lips.
"You are so perfect."

Lucille was gone just after dawn, Thomas was up early to see her off. He tried his best not to wake you but the heated argument downstairs startled you awake. You wrapped a warm dressing gown around you and walked to the window, watching the two horse-pulled carriages pull away from the manor and down the hill, fading off into the distance. You walked out into the hall, looking down over the bannister where you could see Thomas pacing around. You wandered down the stairs as quietly as you could. Thomas didn't notice you come up behind him. He sighed and stretched, muttering under his breath. He rubbed his hands over his eyes. You kissed him on the neck, running your hand down his chest. Thomas tilted his head towards you, taking your hand in his. "Did I wake you?" He asked with a disappointed sigh at himself.
"Yes, but that's alright. It was time for me to get up anyway." You kissed him again, trailing your hand further down his chest to his hip.
"If you move that hand any lower we are going to have trouble." You raised an eyebrow, smirking.
"I could use some trouble." Thomas let out a small moan as you rubbed his crotch through his pants.
"Could you now?" He was breathing heavily now, shuddering under your gentle touch. "You know, Lucille could come back."
"I doubt it, she seemed pretty keen to get away from me." You undid the buttons on his shirt slowly, helping him slip his coat off. "Let me help you relax before we get to work." Thomas turned to you and kissed you, running his hand along your back. Shivers spread from where he touched.

Thomas backed you slowly to the couch, you lay on your back. You kissed him desperately like you were starving for him. He ran a hand up your leg, lifting your skirt. He kissed down your neck and to your chest. You ran your fingers through his hair, you felt him smile as you moaned. He pulled your skirts right up to your thighs, his surprisingly warm hands trailing along your skin. He kissed along your inner thigh before moving his hand to your slit. He slowly pushed a finger in, a grin spreading on his face. "Well, you are excited." He pulled it out and put it to your lips. You sucked his finger, cleaning yourself off of him. He undid his pants, pulling his stiff cock out. He positioned himself over you, pausing at the entrance to your soaking cunt.
"Please, I can't wait any longer." You pleaded with him, he pushed inside you and you gasped. He filled you completely. You grabbed his shirt, pulling it off his body and throwing it to the floor. You ran your fingers over his defined muscles. "Thomas, fuck..." he took your breath away as he thrust hard into you, pleasure shooting through your body. He grabbed the ribbons holding the front of your dress together with his teeth, pulling them undone. He pulled the corset away, revealing your breasts. He sucked eagerly on one while palming the other. "Harder... please..." you breathed, he responded by picking up the pace. His thrusts became more rapid as your orgasm built. Suddenly he pulled away, leaving you gasping and begging for more.

Thomas placed a piece of silk over your eyes, kissing you on the forehead. "Trust me?" he moved to your hands, binding to the arm of the couch with a similar silk.
"I trust you," he pulled the skirts away from your body, discarding them in the growing pile on the floor.
"Good." You lay completely naked on the couch, blind and defenceless. The sensation was exciting. You felt Thomas' lips on your own, you could taste yourself on him. His breathing was ragged and his kiss was needy. He slowly inserted two fingers into your pussy, earning a delightful moan. He pumped them faster and faster, watching your chest rise and fall. He bit his lip as you called his name in pure ecstasy. "Tell me what you need,"
"You, I need you." You groaned,
"Do you want me to make you orgasm?"
"Yes, oh god yes!" You almost screamed as you felt a familiar heat build up in your stomach. Your legs shook as you began to orgasm.
"Do it for me then, call my name as you cum on my hand." His words pushed you over the edge. Your breath hitched in your throat and you gasped. The orgasm rippled through your body, making your muscles spasm and relax.
"Thomas!" You squealed, eyes rolling into the back of your head.

Thomas repositioned himself between your legs once you had calmed down. He was desperate for his own release now and he thrust hard into you, almost driving the breath from your lungs. He gripped your hips and drove into you, moaning your name softly between breaths. He leant down and bit your neck lightly, you shivered at the mix of pain and pleasure. The sensations slowly took your mind to a state of nirvana, another orgasm building. "Shit," Thomas almost whispered, "I can't hold on any longer." He dug his nails into your hip, balancing himself as his body shook. He groaned in pleasure and came inside you. The warmth pushed you into another orgasm. You wrapped your legs around him, pulling him closer. Slowly, his breath evened out and he sat back. He undid the silk around your wrists and eyes. You squinted in the sudden light but soon you focused on Thomas' smiling face. He lifted you up and carried you to the fireplace, laying you on the fur rug in front of it. He grabbed another fur blanket and lay next to you, covering your naked, sweating bodies in the expensive fur. He kissed you on the neck, watching the flames crackle away peacefully. You listened to his heartbeat and eventually fell asleep on the floor with him.

Chapter Text

You followed Thomas up to the back door of the O'Creed Manor. He had his gun drawn and facing the door, you watched his back. He pushed the door open a little, peering inside. The door opened to the kitchens, thankfully they were empty at this time of morning. There was still a mess from yesterday's party. "The staff won't be up for another hour," you assured Thomas. He nodded and took a box of matches from his coat. He lit one and held it out, allowing it to burn for until he couldn't hold it. The flickering flame illuminated the eerie fog around it. A few seconds later, three more identical lights shone in the distance.
"Ready to go," Thomas walked into the house quietly. You watched as dark figures moved up to the house, testing windows and climbing through them if they were unlocked, which most of them were. "Coming?" Thomas tapped you on the shoulder.
"Of course," you felt sheepish for a moment but you got a grip, refocusing on the job.
"Where are we going?" You mentally mapped the house,
"The main stairs are in the entry hall, but there are servants stairs to the right of the pantry." You walked over to the small door of the pantry, a little further up was an archway revealing a staircase. You tested the first step, testing its stability before you continued up. Thomas followed you carefully, keeping an eye on the archway. "The master bedroom is the last door in the hallway on the second floor." Your slowly healing gunshot wound began to ache as you continued to climb the old wooden stairs. You stopped and grabbed where the pain was worst. Thomas placed a hand around your waist, steadying you.
"Hey, are you alright?" You nodded and carried on climbing. You left the stairs to a long hallway, you remembered it all too vividly. A single tear escaped your eyes as you remembered the torture that went on behind these closed doors. Your mind filled with lament and the pain of memory. You began to wonder if you should be here again. Thomas grabbed your hand and kissed you on the forehead, whispering softly, "you can do this. Put this arsehole in the ground for good. He'll still be hung over from last night and his guards won't be much better."

The fog had begun to lift outside, the morning sun beginning to burn through it. Thomas and you waited by Patrick's bedroom door. John appeared at the end of the hall and waved to you, then he gave Thomas the thumbs up. "Time to go," he slowly turned the handle and listened. You both heard heavy snoring coming from the dark room. Thomas stepped inside, raising his gun. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before scanning the room when he was satisfied he took another step in. You followed his lead, doing a scan of your own. It wasn't that you didn't trust Thomas to make sure it was safe, it was the fact you knew how crafty the O'Creed family was. You could see the bastard lying in his bed, although he was almost completely covered in his blankets. It was strange, he looked shorter than you remembered. Your mind clicked and you ran towards Thomas, grabbing his collar and yanking him back as the man in bed sat up, throwing the covers off. A bullet ripped into the wall behind you, exactly where Thomas' head was moments ago. Thomas swore and fired into the man's chest, gore sprayed onto the pristine white sheets. "Who the fuck is that?" Thomas hissed,
"I have no idea!" You and Thomas ran back into the hall.

Patrick O'Creed stared at you at the end of the hallway, holding John hostage, gun pressed against his skull. "Let him go," Thomas growled.
"Not gonna happen, lad, you need to leave my home. Now." Patrick retorted, "although I see you've brought what's rightfully mine back." He smiled at you, revealing rotting teeth. "I'll tell you what, Mister Shelby, how about a trade? I'll give you your brother back if you give me her." O'Creed barely seemed hungover at all, if anything his eyes were clearer and wilder than usual. He seemed very excited to see you.
"Deal," you responded before Thomas had a chance to consider. You weren't going to make him choose because you knew he wouldn't. You took a few steps toward John and Patrick. Patrick let John go, pushing him forwards roughly.
"What are you doing?" John hissed on his way past you,
"Trust me." You hugged him tightly, whispering in his ear. You walked up to Patrick who grabbed your arm roughly and pulled you into him. He kissed you full on the mouth, the revolting taste of stale alcohol abundant on his breath. You fought your own gag reflex and reached for the knife you kept hidden in the back of your dress. You pulled it from its ribbon bow and raised it. You made sure Patrick wasn't looking before you moved, you only had the one chance. There was no way he'd let you attack him twice. You drove the small blade into the side of his neck, you pushed it in as deep as it would go. Patrick's eyes bulged and he gasped in shock and pain, although it was closer to a gurgle because of the blood pooling in his throat. You had severed his vocal chords, stopping him from screaming. Warm, sticky blood pulsed from the wound and sprayed over your arms, chest and face. The gigantic man grabbed you around the throat with both hands and squeezed, pure anger flowing through his veins. Black spots waltzed around your vision and you began to panic. You heard Thomas yelling out but it was hard to make out the words over the blood rushing through your ears. You reached up and gripped the blade, pulling it out. A spray of blood soaking the wall, painting it a gory red. You plunged the blade into Patrick's arm, he let go and gripped it in pain. You drew in deep, stinging breaths.

A loud thump made you jump, you realised it was Patrick falling to the ground. The blood loss made him lose consciousness quickly. You felt something grab you and you swung at it in a blind panic. Thomas dodged the slow punch easily. He hushed you and pulled you to his chest, ignoring the fresh blood covering you as it rubbed off on him. You watched Patrick as he convulsed on the floor pitifully. A disgusting and brutal end for a matching man. You kicked his corpse as it continued to twitch for a moment longer. You spat on the floor next to him, breathing heavily and rubbing your neck. You could feel bruises coming up already. You yelped when Thomas placed his hand on your shoulder, giving you a fright. "You did it," he said in astonishment. "That was incredible," you smiled at him. John stood behind him, staring at you.
"You saved me. You would have sacrificed yourself for me?" He placed his head in his hands, looking like he was about to scream as realisation swarmed over him.
"Of course I would have, it's because of me you were here in the first place."
"How many other people are in this house?" Thomas asked as he and John inspected the rooms on this floor, suddenly aware of how quiet it was.
"Eight or nine all up, most of them are staff though and not willing to die for the O'creed family. I think that only his wife and other brother are left." As you spoke you heard footsteps come up the stairs. You picked up the gun next to you and aimed it at the stairwell, a small ball thing was flung up through the doorway. Thomas recognised it immediately,
"Grenade!" He yelled, diving backwards and protecting John. You jumped as far as you could away from it, covering your head. The explosion rocked the entire house, bits of debris landing everywhere. You crawled towards where you had seen Thomas moments earlier, your ears still ringing. You felt fabric beneath your hand and you pulled yourself closer. You felt John's hand beneath yours but you couldn't feel Thomas.

"Thomas?" You called over the ringing. You clambered to your feet, supporting yourself on the wall. The dust settled and you could see two bodies on the floor, John had sat up but Thomas wasn't moving. "No, no, no please." You cried out, running to him, "Thomas, please get up." You rolled him over, seeing the ash and blood on his face. A bullet connected with the wall above your head,
"you bitch!" A woman screamed, seeing Patrick's dead body, "I knew he should have killed you when he had the chance. Now I'm finishing this." She pulled the trigger and the wooden floor splintered beside you. You grabbed the gun hidden in Thomas's coat and aimed, pulling the trigger several times. You heard three bullets hit their fleshy target, followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground.
"Yeah," you sighed, "maybe next time he'll listen. And next time, you won't miss." You spat the ironic joke out, knowing she was already dead. You turned back to Thomas who hadn't moved. "John! Go get help!" You cried when you couldn't rouse him. "Thomas," you whispered, "don't leave me." You could see his chest moving up and down shallowly. You lay your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"I couldn't leave you." Thomas groaned in a hoarse whisper, bringing a hand up to your cheek and wiping a tear away.
"Hold on, help's coming." You heard the other members of the Peaky Blinders come up the stairs. Thomas's brothers picked him up and carried him to the car, driving him to the doctor for medical attention. You watched them drive away, drowning in fear. Aunt Polly came up to you, placing an arm on your shoulders.
"Thomas asked me to give this to you when this was all over, only if he couldn't of course." She pulled out a small black box and handed it gently to you. You opened it and gasped. A small golden ring was tucked away. You pulled it out and slipped it on your finger, it fit perfectly. "I guess he wants you to become a real Shelby."

Thomas watched you walk down the aisle, a white dress and veil decorated your body. You held his hand as you exchanged vows and kissed him lovingly after saying 'I do'. You danced carefully, both of you had painful injuries to remind you to slow down. You drank and ate, happily chatting away with your new family. For once, you felt like you were truly at peace and you knew that Thomas felt the same.

Chapter Text

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" John Constantine scolded you as you both crawled to safety, an old school building ablaze behind you. "You could have gotten killed!" You looked at him sheepishly.
"John, you know I wouldn't do anything that reckless."
"Yes, you bloody would," he burst into laughter as he held you. You listened to his heart beating rapidly in his chest. You both got to your feet, bruised and bloodied but gratefully alive. "So, that went better than I expected."
"Did it John? We burned an entire building down."
"Yeah but it looks amazing." You smacked him lightly on the arm. He smirked at you, folding his arms across his chest. You watched the flames, strange grey flames rising out of one window. An unfamiliar pain pulsed through your head, dropping you to your knees. Your ears rang, blocking out all other noise. You could feel John's hand on your arms, you could see his mouth calling. The look of concern was heartbreaking to see. John watched, helpless, as you convulsed on the ground in pain. You couldn't draw in a breath as your chest tightened. You could feel blood dripping from your nose. You saw John hover his hand over your body, muttering a spell with his eyes locked on you. You could see Chas standing behind him, looking equally worried.

You opened your eyes, the pain still pulsing in your head. The white light dimmed to reveal John, standing with his back to you. You tried to call for him but no sound escaped your throat. You walked to him but as you touched his arm he shimmered and your hand went through him. He turned to you, eyes blacker than coal. "It's about time you showed up," his voice was dark and echoing around you. "I wanted you to see this." He lifted his hand, a knife in it. He pulled it to his throat and before you could stop him he dragged the blade across. You screamed as blood sprayed out of the wound. Constantine's eyes cleared and he stared at you in silent shock, "you could have stopped this..." He fell to his knees, hands trying to staunch the blood flow. You squeezed your eyes closed and when you opened them, you had replaced John on the floor. You stared down at your own dead corpse. The same voice echoed through your head, "it's you or him."

The pain slowly subsided, it leeched from your body and into the ground. You could feel it move down to your fingers and out. You gasped for air, desperately grabbing for anything physical. You felt John's coat between your fingers. You heard him calling your name, "you're okay, I'm here," he pulled you close to his chest. You sobbed into him, fear gripping your heart and refusing to let go. "Hey, it's okay." John tried to reassure you,
"It's not, I'm not okay." John shushed you and rocked you gently as you both sat on the floor. Chas gave you a sedative to calm you down and help you sleep, he carried you to the cab once you had dozed off.
"What the hell happened, John?" Constantine shrugged and climbed into the passenger's seat. "She's normally so level-headed, considering she didn't even bat an eye when she helped you exorcise that inner circle demon."
"I dunno Chas, she wouldn't tell me."
"What was that spell you used on her?"
"It was a magic blocking incantation, couldn't you feel the raw energy coming off of her?" John looked back at you empathetically. "If I didn't do anything I think it would have killed her." Chas winced at the comment.
"So, what do we do?"
"For one of the first times in my life, I have no bloody idea mate."

You stared at the ceiling, groggy and sore. The bed was soft under your body though and you were warm, tucked up under the blankets. Silence filled the house, it was weird to not hear either John or Chas. You sat up in the bed, groaning in pain. "John?" You called to him. "John!" You were slightly more urgent that time, fearing the worst. The door to your bedroom creaked open, a black shadow walking in. "JOHN!" You practically screamed. You could feel something shaking you as you began to panic. The black shadow crept over to the bed, you could smell its rotting breath as it stood next to you. It bared its teeth, jagged and sharp. It morphed into John's face, covered with his own blood.
"Time to choose," it growled. An evil laugh followed it as you were shaken awake. John stood over you, hands on your shoulders.
"Are you alright love?" You stared at him, he had cleaned the ash off him. You saw that his hair was wet and he only had a towel wrapped around his waist.
"John you're okay." You pulled him down to you, hugging him tightly.
"Woah, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I saw you die. I watched it happen, after the fire." John looked at you, confused. You let him go and he tried to stand up, "please don't leave me." You grabbed his hand,
"I'm not going anywhere." He smiled that crooked smile at you. "Try to get back to sleep, I'll be right here." You nodded and lay back down, you watched Constantine walk away, checking him out as he walked. You climbed out of the bed quietly, sneaking up behind him. "You're supposed to be sleeping."
"How can I sleep when you're taunting me," you attempted to lighten the mood.
"Taunting am I?" You kissed him on the neck, trailing your fingers across his tattoos.
"Extremely." You winced as he grabbed you, pain shooting through your arms and head. "Shit, what the hell?" You looked down, huge bruises in the shape of long-fingered hands were starting to form before your eyes.
"At the front door," a kind woman's voice echoed through your head.
"Jesus, what the hell happened to your arms?" John looked over them. You told John to put his clothes on, ignoring his question. You rushed out of the room, leaving him to change.
"Chas, lock the door!" Chas looked up at you, "move!" He started towards the door just as an explosion ripped through it.

Wood splinters lay on the floor around you. Chas slowly got to his feet, helping you up as well. John ran down the stairs, swearing as he threw his shirt on. Three tall, black shadows stormed into the house. One of them grabbed you, holding you by the throat. One grabbed Chas and the last held onto John. "No!" You screamed at the shadow, recognising it from your dream. It placed it's hand on John's face, being absorbed into him. His eyes turned black and he smiled evilly at you. That dark, gravelly voice came through, you had to remind yourself that it wasn't really John.
"Time to choose," he growled at you, the shadow holding you handing you a knife.
"What does that mean?" Chas struggled to get free.
"I have to choose who dies, him or me." All three of the shadows cackled. The same woman's voice echoed to your head again, an image accompanied the stranger's voice.
"Sacrifice your flesh and banish them..." the voice commanded. You gripped the blade in your handheld it to the back of your hand. You etched the symbol into your skin, crying out in pain but pushing through. A strange light surrounded you, forcing the shadow figure away from you and allowing you to finish. The light swirled around your hand and you aimed it at the shadow holding Chas.
"No!" John yelled out, running at you.
"I am so sorry John." You grabbed him, the blood from your hand dripping on his shirt. "This is going to hurt," you could have sworn you saw him nod and smile but the expression faded back into a nasty scowl. The light pulsed from your hand, the shadows congealed and fought against the light, attempting to smother it. "Get the fuck out of my fiancee." You commanded, the shadows growled and sped from John's body. His eyes returned to their normal hue and he stood unsteadily in front of you.
"You did it," he smiled, kissing you and spinning you around. "That was incredible." The room shook and the shadow's voice grumbled,
"the choice was made." A shadow rose up behind you, delving into you. You felt cold and the world seemed distant. Your hand shone once again and your vision cleared. You stumbled away from John, coughing and spluttering. You spat black oil onto the floor. John and Chas tried to help you but you told them to stay away. You kept yourself up by leaning on a cabinet. You caught a glimpse of yourself in a nearby mirror, one eye was jet black and the other shone white.

John began attempting to banish whatever was inside you but you stopped him. You blinked a few times, warmth returning to your body. You stared in the mirror and your eyes were normal again. You couldn't hear either voice anymore, in fact, you felt eerily normal. "Hey, are you alright love?" You nodded and walked to John,
"I'm fine. We should clean up." You turned to the wreck of a house and waved your hand, the wood picked itself up and rebuilt the doorway.
"That's new," Chas stated in shock,
"You're hurt," you looked at the cut on Chas's arm, a piece of wood stuck in the wound. You placed your hand on it and light shone over it, healing it with no scar.
"What's on your hands?" Chas grabbed you by the wrists, showing John. There were two symbols, the one you had carved and another one on the opposite hand.
"What the hell? I've never seen symbols like this before," John scratched his head, "do they hurt?" You shrugged.
"They're excruciatingly painful."
"That's not the right reaction," Chas let you go, placing a hand to your forehead. "I think you need to do an exorcism, John." Constantine nodded and held your arm, speaking the incantation.
"Stop! It hurts!" You cried, holding your ears. Black shadows caressed your cheek before shooting out, shoving Chas and John backwards. "I'm so sorry," you apologised, tears building up. "What's happening to me?" You fell to your knees, head in your hands. John comforted you and helped you to sit on a chair.

The clock read 2:13 am but you still couldn't sleep, it was like a war was going on in your head. John lay next to you, fast asleep. You kissed his forehead and climbed out of his hug. You grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen, "John. I can't stay, I'm sorry." You wrote the words with a shaking hand, fighting tears. You placed it on the bedside table and walked out, leaving everything behind. Chas was sitting next to the fire in the lounge. "Chas, you're still up." He nodded and stood, placing a hand on your shoulder.
"Are you leaving?" You felt foolish, thinking you could just slip away. "I won't stop you, but I'd like to know why."
"If I stay, John will die. I'm holding back a terrible dark power, I feel like I'm constantly fighting it and I can't be around you two if I lose." Chas hugged you as tears trickled down your cheek.
"You don't have to fight it alone. Please, stay with us and we will work it out." You smiled weakly at him,
"I'll stay on one condition. If I can hold it back anymore, you have to kill me." You pushed a decorated knife into his hand, "I couldn't ask John to do it. I trust you to make the right choice." Chas took the blade with a nod.
"I will, but only if there is no other option." He pulled you back into a tight hug, holding you for as long as you needed him to. Neither of you had noticed John at the top of the stairs, watching with a helpless feeling in his heart and heavy tears in his eyes.

Chapter Text

There was one thing that Muse has always been told. "You are not alive, do whatever you are told." Muse was the android belonging to a high-class family, one of the richest in America. She was the main android of the household, although she wasn't the sole android. Muse would go about her day caring for the Lady of the house, amongst other duties. More often than not, the mistress would ask Muse to sing for her, after all, that was the main reason she was designed in the first place. Muse was humming while collecting the laundry when there was a knock on the door, Lord Darren, Muse's master, called for her to open the door. "Of course, Lord Darren." She said with a smile.
"Muse?" Darren spoke from the top of the stairs, adjusting his tie, "if it isn't dire, turn them away. Layla and I are going out in ten minutes and I can't afford to be late."
"Of course, sir." Muse smiled and bowed her head. She placed the basket of clothes on the table and quickly fixed her black hair in the mirror. Another knock echoed through the hall. Muse sighed and hurried to the door. The heavy wood swung open easily from her strength. A young android stood behind an older human man, Muse scanned the man quickly. Lieutenant Hank Anderson. He pulled his coat tighter around him, the cold wind carried light snow onto the doorstep. "Good evening, how may I be of assistance gentlemen?" Muse spoke politely, her programmed British accent was almost undetectable.
"Evening, is the owner of the house home?" Hank addressed Muse with a hint of disdain.
"May I ask if this is dire business, sir?"
"It's police business." Hank snapped back.
"I see. You had best come in out of the cold." Muse stepped back into the house, holding the door open. Hank and the android walked in. Muse watched the android with suspicion, cocking her head slightly. "I don't believe I got your name," Muse closed the door after them, offering to take Hank's coat. The android ran his hands through his brown hair, turning to face Muse.
"My name is Connor, I am an android sent by CyberLife."
"A pleasure to meet you, Connor from CyberLife," Muse told them to wait in the foyer before pacing up the stairs to fetch her master.

Two children followed Muse downstairs, running around her feet. Muse was the favoured android of the house's children, Robert and Bethany. Robert was twelve and Bethany was only eight. Bethany bumped into Connor, losing her balance. Muse was by her side quickly, catching her before she hit the ground. "Bethany, how many times have I told you not to run on the tiles." Lord Darren scolded her as he came down the stairs.
"Sorry father." She looked at the ground.
"Muse, get the children ready for dinner." Muse bowed her head before ushering the children out. "Oh, and do help Layla with her hair." Darren shook Hank's hand, "Lord Darren Upham,"
"Detective Hank Anderson, I'd like to ask you a few questions about your androids."
"Of course, please follow me to the lounge where we can sit." Hank and Connor followed the Lord into the lavish sitting room, the chairs were made of leather and a large table made of mahogany was the centrepiece of the room. Bookshelves lined the walls, breaking only for the windows and a fireplace. "Now, what did you want to know."

"You helped to design the entertainment robots, did you not?" Connor asked, not waiting for Hank to speak. Connor also remained standing while Hank sat happily on the couch.
"I did indeed, Muse is one of my finest models. I created her myself." Connor nodded at the answer, he couldn't find an android called 'Muse' in the CyberLife database. "She has done wonders for my wife and my children, although she can be peculiar at times."
"What do you mean?" Connor was suddenly intrigued,
"Ah, just the occasional glitch. Sometimes she seems," he paused, chuckling to himself, "human." Hank was more concerned than intrigued, he sat forward in the leather seat.
"Have you tried to fix that behaviour?" Darren laughed and shook his head,
"My wife wouldn't hear a word of it. Did you know Muse can write music? Original pieces all by herself." Connor was growing more concerned with a possible deviancy threat. "Speak of the devil," Layla entered the room with Muse trailing behind her. "This is my lovely wife, Layla Upham." Layla shook Hank's hand, then Connor's. Connor was surprised that he was included in the greeting. Layla smiled at the pair. She turned and signed a sentence to Muse,
"Mistress says that she is almost ready to leave." Layla gestured to her hair, which Muse proceeded to tie back into a bun. Hank shifted towards Darren,
"Is your wife deaf, Lord Barren?" Layla shook her head, careful not to disturb Muse.
"No, Detective Anderson," Muse answered for him, "Mistress Layla had to have her vocal chords removed because of a cancerous growth." Hank nodded solemnly. Layla signed again to Muse, "of course I will sing you something, do you have a preference?" Layla shook her head. Muse spent a moment thinking, making a prediction on what her master might like to hear.

Muse sang softly, her voice melodic and entrancing. Hank, Connor and Darren stopped talking to listen to her. The melody was soft and calming, although the words were still bright and cheerful. Connor had a strange sensation come over him, his LED flashed yellow for a moment as he tried to isolate the feeling. "I'm sorry, Detective. I must step outside for a moment." He walked out of the house and into the snow outside.
"Muse, would you go check on the android, please. I would hate to have him break in our company." Muse nodded and walked off after Connor. Darren and Hank continued discussing the house's androids.
"Excuse me, Connor from CyberLife." Muse tapped Connor on the shoulder to get his attention. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm an android, I do not feel anything. However, I am in perfect working order, thank you."
"Are you quite sure? You look like you have seen a metaphorical ghost." Muse watched him carefully,
"I have a question for you, Muse. Why are you not in the CyberLife database?"
"Because I am not just an android." Her LED flickered green, a colour that Connor had never seen before.
"What do you mean?" Muse turned away, her LED fading back to blue before she walked inside. Connor followed her back in, desperate to ask more questions.

Hank and Connor said their goodbyes and left Lord and Lady Upham to get back to their evening plans. Darren and Layla said goodbye to their children and left for the night, going into town to have dinner and see a film. Another android accompanied them but Muse stayed behind. Bethany and Robert clung to her legs as they watched their parents leave. Muse helped the children with their homework before putting them to bed. She then continued with her nightly chores. As she was cleaning up the bottom floor she noticed that Hank's wallet had fallen out of his coat, she picked it up and turned it over in her hands. She called out to one of the other androids who came to her quickly. "I need to go out, take care of the children until I return." The android nodded and Muse walked out of the house. The snow had stopped falling for now, although it was still bitterly cold. Muse walked quickly down the street, taking care not to interrupt the natural flow of foot traffic. She made her way to the police station, however, halfway through the walk she noticed someone following her. She saw a familiar face up ahead, Connor. She picked up her pace, noticing another man had joined the first one following her. She turned and scanned their faces, they were both known anti-android protestors. A rock was thrown from behind, knocking Muse to her knees. The two men were joined by two others, they grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. "Look at this disgusting mockery of human life,"
"Please, I am on an important errand."
"She ain't even American." One of the men mocked her, pulling a knife. "Who do you belong to then?"
"Lord and Lady Upham,"
"Oh god, she's one of them butler models. I ain't never seen one look as pretty as this though," the third man licked his lips while eyeing up Muse. He delivered a powerful punch to Muse's stomach, making her double over. The others dropped her to the ground, kicking and hitting her as she knelt defencelessly.

Connor spotted commotion in the dark not far away, he spotted a group of men beating up an android. "Detective Anderson, there is an android being assaulted. We should stop it."
"Shit," Hank sighed, "come on then." They jogged to the group. "Alright, that's enough."
"Get lost old man, take your fucking android too." The first man spat at Connor's feet.
"I'm a police officer boy, now take your guys and get out of here before I arrest you for the destruction of property," Hank warned, only enraging them further. The second man threw a punch at Hank, knocking him to the ground. Blood spurted from his nose. Connor stepped in front of them, blocking the next few hits but eventually he was overwhelmed. The men hit both Connor and Hank again, and again. Hank was barely conscious when Muse got to her feet, LED flashing red.
"Hey, asshole." She spat before cracking the biggest one over the back of the head with her elbow. He flopped to his knees, Muse grabbed him and threw him backwards, away from Hank and Connor.
"Hey cut it out you android trash, you aren't meant to hurt humans." They began backing away as Muse inched closer.
"You should have checked that I was just an android." She scowled, electricity sparking between her fingers. "Android protocol override, initiating procedure three. Protect Detective Hank Anderson and Connor from CyberLife." She brushed her fingers over one of the men's arms and he flew backwards, a jolt of energy passing from her to him. He gasped on the floor, writhing in pain. Connor slowly climbed to his feet, moving over to Hank and trying to wake him up. One of the men grabbed a metal bar laying on the floor and swung it at Muse. She grabbed it and sent electricity pulsing through it. The man on the other end screeched in pain, clutching his arm. The two relatively uninjured men dragged the other two away, swearing revenge and other nonsense. Muse blinked a few times, her LED returning to its natural state. "Procedure three, successful. Android protocol reinitiated." She hurried to Hank's side, "is he alright?" She scanned his body, no major injuries showed up.
"He will be." Connor reassured Muse, "I think we need to talk."
"Not now, come back to my master's home when Detective Anderson is safe." Hank shook his head and slowly sat up with the assistance of Connor and Muse.
"What happened?"
"They ran away after Muse defended us from the assailants." Connor smiled softly at Muse who returned the smile.
"Well, guess I should thank you then."
"Please, Detective, I was just doing my duty. Oh, that reminds me." She handed the wallet to Hank, who gratefully took it. "Get home safely, both of you." Muse stood up and walked back home, leaving Connor and Hank in a state of awe.

Chapter Text

"Don't stay out too late, please." You rolled your eyes at Tony Stark, your older brother.
"Tony, I swear that you worry like you were our mother." You hugged him, the smell of diesel strong on his shirt. "I'm just going to dinner with Steve, did you know it's our anniversary? It's been two years since we started dating." You almost skipped out of the workshop, running up the stairs to get changed. You picked up a red dress that lay on the bed, a note lay on top of it. "For tonight, Love Steve." You read it aloud with a grin. You picked up the dress and spun it around. The red, silky material shimmered in the setting sun's rays. You threw your old shirt and jeans into a basket in the corner of your room. You pulled the red dress on, it fit perfectly. "Steve must have had this made for me, that man is full of wonders." You said to your reflection, a small light flashed in the corner of a mirror before a screen popped up.
"Good evening, Miss Stark, I see you have already dressed. May I suggest hairstyles and makeup to suit?" You nodded,
"Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y." Images flashed on the screen showing different ideas. You spent the next half an hour trying out hairstyles and eventually settling on the rest of your outfit.

Steve waited for you in the common room in the Avengers tower. He was wearing a black suit and a red tie that matched your dress. He beamed when he saw you come down the stairs. The other Avengers all turned to look as well, Natasha gave a whistle. "You look amazing," Steve kissed you gently on the cheek. Tony walked over to you, he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and smiled. He turned to Steve,
"I know I say this everytime you take my sister out but I still mean it, protect her with your life."
"Of course Tony, I'd never hurt her." You linked arms with Steve and he led you out to a cab. You both sat in the back, chatting excitedly and discussing what you would get for dinner. You pulled up to a beautiful restaurant. The name was French and the inside was lit gently with crystal chandeliers and candles. Steve took your arm and a man in a black tailcoat approached you.
"Oh my, Captain America, what are you doing here?" He looked amazed at Steve's sudden appearance.
"We have a reservation for dinner, under Stark."
"Of course! Follow me," the waiter led you and Steve to a table under a chandelier. You sat across from him, watching as he signed a few autographs.
"I'm so sorry about that," a younger woman interrupted Steve's apology to take a photo with him. You felt a small jab of jealousy but hurriedly buried it, you should have been used to the constant attention the Avengers got, since New York and then the Ultron incident. Even though that was a year ago, people still felt like they had to thank the Avengers at every chance they got. Once all of the fans were satisfied, Steve turned back to you, "maybe we can enjoy dinner now?" You both chuckled, knowing that a peaceful night was never really in the cards.

You pushed the plate away from you, wiping your mouth with a napkin. Steve had gone off to use the bathroom, you drummed your fingers on the table. You looked around and hailed a nearby waiter. "Is there any chance I could order dessert?"
"Oh, that's already been taken care of Miss Stark." You looked at him, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Mr Rodgers has pre-ordered the dessert, I'm afraid I can't tell you any more." You had a moment of anxiety set into your heart, it vanished when you saw Steve reappear. He sat back down, looking rather nervous.
"Are you alright Steve?" He nodded. A waiter came out with a large, covered plate. He placed it in front of you with a wink, "what's this?" You eyed Steve suspiciously. Suddenly the waiter knocked over a glass of water, one of his sleeves catching the liquid. The water scattered over your arm but barely got you. You stood up sharply, the waiter apologised profusely and wiped the excess water away with a cloth. When you turned back, Steve was on one knee.
"Babe, we haven't been dating for very long, but I have been alive long enough to know when I've found someone I should keep by my side." He pulled a red box from his jacket, he opened it to reveal a shining ring. Your heart nearly leapt from your chest with joy. "Will you give me the honour of being Mrs Steve Rodgers?" You began to cry, happy tears falling down your cheeks.
"Of course I will, yes!" Steve slipped the ring on your finger, you wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him. The room erupted in applause.

Steve carried you into the tower, you couldn't stop giggling and kissing him. He put you down before walking into the common room, you followed closely behind him, trying to cover your wide smile. "How was dinner?" Tony asked, beating the others to it. You cleared your throat,
"Good, it was delicious." You desperately tried to stop smirking but it was almost painful to hold your happiness in.
"Something's happened," Bucky stood up and walked to Steve, "Steve, you're hiding something." You stepped up to Steve, linking one arm with his. The Avengers watched you both, holding their breaths.
"Steve has asked me to marry him." You said, flashing the ring to the others. Natasha squealed and ran to you, hugging you tightly. Tony looked like he was going to pass out. He was about to say something in protest but Clint gave him a look that could kill the dead.
"Congratulations, both of you," Tony said calmly, you walked over to him, taking his hands in yours. "I'm happy for you."
"That means everything to me," you kissed Tony on the cheek before Natasha dragged you away, admiring the ring.
"So, who's planning the wedding?" Sam asked, finally showing interest.
"We haven't thought that far ahead yet, we thought that we should wait until Thor gets back though. It would break his heart if we didn't." Everyone agreed with that. You and Steve retired to bed shortly after talking through the evening's events with the other members of the team.

It had been a month since your engagement to Steve and Tony had just begun to accept the idea of being Captain America's brother-in-law. You had been slowly making sure that Tony and Steve were spending more time with each other, building up that relationship. It's strange how a turn of events can undo hours and hours of hard work. First was the accidental explosion caused by Wanda, the explosion that had killed several humanitarians from Wakanda. The American government were already touchy around Wanda because of her heritage. Today you had learned of another explosion, a purposeful bombing. The King of Wakanda's was killed and now his son was swearing revenge on the culprit. The footage showed the culprit to be Bucky, Steve's best friend and best man for the wedding. You had helped Steve to get Bucky to safety once you had learned the truth, that Bucky's brainwashing had forced his hand. You pulled your strings in the underground and hidden them away, hoping for the heat to die off. You stood up as Tony stormed in, "my darling sister," he said sarcastically, "you wouldn't happen to know where your fiancee has taken his friend, do you?"
"Tony, of course, I don't!" You lied to his face, it was delivered perfectly.
"I know," Tony sighed, hugging you after seeing the fright and hurt in your eyes, "I know this is hard and I would do anything to not make you choose between me and him. I'm sorry,"
"I love Steve, I always will. But you're family Tony, the only family I have left and I won't betray you." You hugged him back. He smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I have a gift for you then." He placed a bracelet around your wrist. "Press the blue gem." You obeyed. Blue metal spread from the bracelet, covering your arms and moving to the rest of your body. You watched yourself in the mirror as a fully formed Iron Man suit moulded to your body.
"Tony! It's amazing!" You exclaimed,
"Thank you. Hopefully, you can protect yourself against more powerful enemies now, not that you couldn't before. I know Natasha taught you well in hand to hand combat." He smiled. "I hope that you mean what you said, that you'll stand by me if the time comes."

You stood on the roof, Tony and Rhodey beside you. You three were fully kitted out in your suits, a matching trio. You watched Steve run onto the roof in his own uniform, shield on his back. You took in the situation as the other members, or ex-members, of the Avengers, joined either side. A few new faces joined the growing battlefield. You fought with your heart as Tony and Steve argued, each defending their own actions as the better choice. Suddenly hell broke loose. The Avengers fought amongst each other, you threw a punch at Antman, propelling your fist with the suit. He fell backwards, seemingly disappearing before he hit the floor. You went after Barnes next, pinning him to the ground. "Why are you on his side?" Bucky struggled against you,
"I'm sorry, I can't betray my brother!" Bucky hit you with his arm, sending you across the floor.
"I'm sorry too, but I can't let Helmut get away." He ran off,
"Who the hell is that?" You yelled after him. Steve stepped out, blocking your way. "Steve? Please, move." He shook his head,
"I can't do that."
"You can, we don't have to do this." You stepped closer, trying to move around him. The AI F.R.I.D.A.Y. took control of the suit as you edged closer.
"Activating defence mechanisms."
"No!" You yelled as the suit hit Steve, he barely pulled up his shield in time to absorb the massive impact. You hit his shield again and again, over and over. Tears burned your eyes as you fought against the suit, muscles straining against metal. Steve's instincts kicked in and he struck out with the shield, hitting you across the wrist as you went to strike again, driving your gauntlet into your chest. The blue gem cracked and metal pierced your skin as you flew backwards and plummeted down to the street below the building, a fragment from a metal flagpole piercing your leg as you hit the ground heavily.
"Multiple wounds detected, heart rate at dangerously high levels. Oxygen levels declining," F.R.I.D.A.Y. echoed in your head, your vision swimming as the suit crushed your chest. You heard Steve cry out, scaling the building and landing beside you.
"No, I didn't mean to," You saw Tony land behind him, some of the other Avengers not far off. You gasped for air,
"Suit core damaged, unable to retract," the AI warned you.
"Suit... not... coming off..." you frantically tried to pry the bracelet away. Steve grabbed where the suit had split and pulled, the metal tearing away. Blood streamed from the various cuts on your body, you could feel the bruises rising. You could finally draw a full breath as the pressure was relieved. Tony scanned your battered body,
"You have several broken bones and your leg is..." he trailed off. Steve was almost in tears as he listened.
"Steve," you gasped, grabbing his hand and pulling him down to whisper in his ear. "You need to run, prove Bucky is innocent. Stop Helmut." Steve kissed your forehead and ran.

You could have killed the machine beeping beside you. Your eyelids were heavy and your entire body ached. You strained to turn your neck, the unfamiliar surrounding gave you a fright. It took you a moment too long to realise you were in a hospital bed. Tony was asleep next to the bed in an armchair. "Tony?" He woke with a start, looking worse for wear.
"You're awake," he sat on the side of your bed.
"Where's Steve? Is he okay?" Tony nodded,
"He's alright for now. I'm just about to go meet him." You sat yourself up, noticing your bracelet had been repaired.
"I'm coming." "No." Tony said sternly, "you're not. You already got hurt because of him, I won't let it happen again." He kissed your forehead and walked out.
"Try and stop me." You murmured, pressing the blue gem and donning your suit. You followed Tony out of the building, keeping a fair distance. You followed him to an older building where Bucky and Steve were.

You watched as Bucky murdered your parents on the monitor, wanting nothing more than to hold Tony as you saw his heart break. Tony attacked Bucky in his fury, signalling to you that it was time for you to step in. Steve and Bucky fought against Tony, doing equal amounts of damage to each other. "Stop!" You screamed at them, moving in between them. You held your hands out, holding them back. "That's enough. I can't let you kill my brother." Tony looked slightly triumphant until you addressed him, "and I can't let you kill Bucky or Steve."
"He murdered our parents!"
"You don't think I know that!" You yelled back, removing your helmet as tears streamed down your face. "But we both know that wasn't him acting on his own." You lowered your hands, pleading with Tony. "Killing him won't bring them back."
"But it will serve as decent payment for their deaths." Tony scowled, aiming at Bucky. You stood in the line of fire.
"Then you'll have to kill me too." Tony's face dropped,
"You'd do that for him? Die for him?"
"No, I'd do it for you. If you kill him then you are just as bad as the Hydra agents who made him that way." Tony dropped his hands, staring at them in disgust.
"Fine." You walked over to him, holding him despite your own pain.
"Thank you, Tony." Steve walked up behind you, tapping your shoulder.
"I am so sorry, I almost killed you."
"Oh please, that wasn't the first time I've been thrown off a roof. Although, I do think that I need to go back to a hospital." You stammered the sentence out as your vision faded, Steve catching you on the way down.

Steve stayed by your hospital bed for most of the recovery period, him and Tony taking it in shifts of sleeping. When you finally woke up they both smiled at you thankfully, "how are you feeling?"
"Sore," you groaned, reaching for a glass of water. You could barely hold it, your hands shaking wildly. You spent the day being caught up on the situation, a lot had happened in the three days you were unconscious. You'd unfortunately done more damage to your leg when you left the hospital, Tony morosely told you that they'd had to amputate it. His words cut through you, you're mind filled with the possibility that you couldn't be on the Avengers anymore. Steve and Tony had both assured you that they would never allow that to happen. "You two are alright now?" They both nodded, sharing a look. "Good." Tony left to get some clothes from the tower and some decent food. Steve cuddled up next to you in the hospital bed. He fell asleep with you in his arms. You were almost asleep when you heard him talking in his sleep. "Steve?" He had beads of sweat collecting on his forehead, "Steve, wake up," you shook him gently. His eyes snapped open as he gasped.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" He asked, checking the time.
"What were you dreaming about?" He looked forlornly at you,
"The rooftop. I could see you falling but I couldn't catch you. When I finally can move you're in such bad shape, then I pull a gun out and just shoot you. Point blank range." His voice carried panic along with it.
"It's just a dream, I'm fine." You smiled, stroking his hair,
"I could have killed you. I was so worried about everything else that I hurt the person I promised I would never hurt. I can't forgive myself for that."
"Lucky you don't need your forgiveness, only mine." You kissed him on the head, pulling him closer, "and I forgive you."

Chapter Text

Your favourite thing about having the day off was sleep, you slept till eleven in the morning and then lounged around in bed until 11:30. Clint and Natasha were just making coffee when you got up. "What are your plans for today?" Clint asked you as you sipped the hot coffee.
"I'm going to finish reading the book Tony got me for my birthday," Natasha smiled at the comment,
"Nice. I think I'll join you and enjoy the sun today. Does your brother have the day off too?"
"Yeah, Tony's over in London today, he won't be back till tomorrow." You headed outside with a bottle of water and your book, relaxing in the sun in a lounger.

You flipped the page of your book, sighing as you read the last words. When you were done you threw the book to the bottom of the lounger, Natasha Romanov looking at you concerned. "What did it do?" You covered your face with a pillow, letting out a groan of mock-pain.
"It ended on a cliffhanger, now I'm dying inside." Clint and Natasha laughed with each other at you. Once you'd calmed down you sat up and went to the kitchen, "hey, do either of you two want some iced tea?" You offered. Both Clint and Natasha did so you grabbed three glasses and a jug. You checked your phone instinctively as you walked past it, there was a few missed calls and texts. You checked the messages, most of them were from S.H.E.I.L.D.
"There's something going on downtown, I know it's your day off but we need all hands on deck." Tony's voice crackled through, "I'm still a little way away so I need you there quick." You ran out to Clint and Nat, informing them of the situation. As you turned back you could see new, black smoke billowing into the air from downtown.

You ran through the streets of downtown New York, ushering everyone out of the city. You could see malformed beasts crawling through the city, snarling and snapping at bystanders. There was an anthropomorphic lizard man commanding them from the top of a building. A young girl, no older than 12, ran past you as a giant, ugly rat ran after her. You clicked your fingers and summoned a flame in your hand, pulling the girl behind you. The rat squealed as you seared its flesh with the flame, not relenting until it had collapsed on the ground. "Are you okay? Where is your parent?" As you questioned the young girl a man and woman ran up,
"Ellie!" They both cried, hugging the girl tightly, "thank you for helping our daughter." The man said to you before running off with his family.

You continued to run towards the centre of New York, Clint and Natasha not far behind you. An enormous elephant tore through the foundations of an apartment building, you could hear people screaming inside as the building rocked violently. You conjured another flame and was about to throw it when Clint caught your hand,
"You might hit the civilians!" He yelled over the noise of the glass shattering. You extinguished the flame and looked around. You spotted a water tower not far away, turning to Clint you pointed to the tower,
"I need you to release the water!" He nodded and shot an arrow at the tower, it exploded on impact, the water flowing out of the massive hole. You caught the water and directed it to the apartment building, the elephant with eight tusks and rotting skin was washed away. You were careful not to damage the already fragile foundations. You captured the elephant and wrapped the water around it, throwing it across the city. You created a slide down from the building, getting people out of the higher stories quickly. "Get them to safety," you instructed Natasha, watching as she took the dozens of people to safety. They called their thanks to you out as they ran past, helping the wounded and old out of the city. You nodded to them as they left before continuing forwards with Clint.

"Down!" Clint yelled as a bird flew overhead. The massive, decrepit bird swooped down at you, huge talons aimed for your head. You swore and brought your hand up. The bird was too fast and it latched onto your arm, tearing through the skin. You cried out in pain. Clint released an arrow which went through the bird's skull. "Are you alright?" You nodded but your arm was bleeding heavily. You saw a plant with long leaves nearby, plucking a leaf from the plant you carried on forwards. You manipulated the leaf to make a make-shift bandage, stemming the bleeding for now. You heard another bird screech above you. You tracked it and focused on the air around it. You brought your hand up suddenly, snapping the air above you into an invisible spear. You directed it at the bird, bringing another hand in the opposite direction, disrupting the air currents. You drove the spear through it and let it drop pitifully to the ground. "Good job, let's go."
"Thanks. Hopefully, we don't see any more birds. My arm hurts enough as it is." You smiled, Clint clapping you on the shoulder.

You could see the commander up ahead and he saw you. He pointed his finger at you, annoyance plain on his face. A rhinoceros charged through a building beside you, you barely had enough time to dodge out of the way. It turned and ran back through the building. You looked at Clint, confused at the strange attack. Then it clicked, rather it hit you like a building. You watched as the tall building crumbled, falling towards you menacingly. You could see it had already been evacuated but Clint was still with you and in immediate danger. You ran to him and brought your arms together. A shield of rock burst from the earth, creating a protective bubble around you and Clint. You held your hands together waiting for the impact. You gasped at the strain of maintaining the earth shield as tonnes of metal and concrete collapsed on top of you. The ground shuddered and the shield cracked but it held. You sighed with relief and slowly released your magical grip. You felt around in the dark for Clint, grabbing his hand. "Are you hurt?" You asked him,
"No, I think I'm okay. How do we get out of here?" You smiled in the darkness, placing both hands on the ground,
"We dig," You forced the ground apart beneath you, opening a tunnel wide enough for you and Clint to fit through. You burrowed under the building and out, into the sunlight. You closed the tunnel behind you, not wanting to do more damage than necessary. You looked around and spotted the commander, he was focused on another part of the city. You could see that Clint had taken a hit so you told him to go search for other civilians. You propelled yourself to the top of the building, bending the air beneath your feet to your will.

You cleared your throat, drawing the anthropomorphic commander's attention. "Hi, I need you to call off your disgusting army and leave New York." You tried to be polite, not wanting to make the situation more aggressive than it already was. The commander snarled and turned to you,
"Not going to happen young Stark." You flinched, "yes, I know who you are."
"Fair enough, I do have a famous brother. I do need to know, do you know what I can do?" You asked mockingly. The commander looked mildly concerned. You curled your fingers, the concrete in the building clamping onto the commander's feet. He growled and tried to pull it away. You clicked your fingers and produced a flame, you threw it at him allowing it to circle around him. You threw a secondary ball of flame into the sky like a flare. You held the commander while a helicopter flew closer. A vulture thing flew towards the helicopter but you batted it away, forcing it out of the air to the ground. The helicopter pilot saluted you and you nodded back. Steve Rodgers and Bucky climbed out of the helicopter, running over to you. "Where are the other Avengers?" You asked, worried about Tony.
"They're clearing the city and taking out this one's minions." Steve secured the commander and loaded it into a cage. "Your brother is on his way back to America. He'll meet you at Stark Tower." You nodded and leapt from the building, catching yourself with the wind.

You sat in Stark Tower, waiting for you brother. You saw him fly in, equipped in his Iron Man suit. He walked in through the balcony, removing the suit. "You're alright." He sighed, you ran to him, tears in your eyes. "Hey, it's alright," he hushed you, "what happened to your arm?" He took your arm in his hand, leading you to the bathroom.
"One of those bird things grabbed me. Clint killed it." Tony grabbed the medical kit and cleaned the wounds. You sucked air through your teeth, grimacing in pain. He wrapped a clean bandage around it once he was happy that it didn't need stitches. "Thanks," you smiled at him.
"Mr Stark," F.R.I.D.A.Y's voice rang out from the lounge, "I think you should see this." You and Tony walked to the lounge area where the television was showing the news. You saw yourself broadcast, saving the young girl and fighting off the elephant. You saw yourself trapping the commander in a stone and fire prison. The news reporter appeared back on screen with the young girl, Ellie, and her parents.
"She saved my life, even though it was putting her in danger. If you're watching this, thank you for saving me." The young girl started to cry and her mother comforted her. The camera flicked back to the reporter.
"It seems we have a new hero in our midst. The people of New York have started calling her Arcanimus and it's said that she is our very own Iron Man's sister." The camera cut to a crowd of people, you recognised them from the collapsing apartment. Shot after shot played of them offering their thanks to you.
"Thank you for saving my mother, Arcanimus."
"Thank you for protecting my family, Arcanimus." A young boy appeared on screen with his younger sister.
"Thank you for saving my sister," he smiled a toothy grin at the camera. The younger girl blowing a kiss. You smiled and tears pooled in the corners of your eyes. Tony turned back to you and hugged you tightly.

"I am so proud of you," Tony whispered as you buried your head in his chest. "You did so well today, you did everything I knew you could. You should be proud of yourself." He lifted your chin to look at him, "I know you didn't really know mum and dad but they would be so proud of you as well." You broke into tears and Tony squeezed you tighter, shushing you as you wept.

Chapter Text

“How are you feeling?” Steve asked, approaching you cautiously as you sipped the hot coffee in your hands. You shrugged and turned away from him, the metal support on your leg cold against your skin. You caught Steve staring at the scars that he left on your body when he threw you from the rooftop nearly two years ago. You had both tried to fix your relationship, but it was rough, Tony wasn’t helpful either. Every time you tried to talk to Tony, he would say something like,
“I told you he was dangerous,” or “he almost killed you, how could you still love him?” It made you unbearably mad, so you never spoke to Tony about it. Bucky became your best friend after the incident, talking you through the flashbacks and the nightmares that confronted you.
“Hey, babe?” You turned to him, putting your coffee on the table. Steve put his hand on your cheek, “I know I’ve said it before, but I am so sorry.” As he apologised your heartbeat raced, a pang of pain shot through your leg as the memory of Tony and him fighting flashed across your mind. You flicked his hand away.
“I know, you’ve said that before. I don’t forgive you, I can’t. Just like I can’t forgive Tony. You two’s stupid bickering and immature fighting nearly got me killed and you two couldn’t even stop fighting while I was in the hospital!” You tried to climb to your feet, but the process was slow and awkward, the metal support extending much slower than you would have liked. Tony hurried in when he heard you yelling, which was a mistake. You turned between him and Steve, anger clouding your judgment. “You two tore everything that I loved apart, my engagement, my love for my brother, my fucking ability to walk!” You felt tears leak from your eyes, but you wiped them away angrily.
“Please, let’s talk,” Tony tried to rationalise with you, but you stormed past him, flipping him off as you went past.

You sat toying with the blue gemmed bracelet on your wrist going over the events of a few days ago. You still hadn't spoken to your brother or to Steve, who had disappeared after you two had argued. You jumped when your phone rang, groaning as it clattered to the floor. You picked it up angrily and answered it with a snap, "what?" Tony's voice came through the other side.
"We have a situation, it's pretty bad and I need you out here." As he said that a portal opened before you, Stephen Strange and Tony waiting on the other side. You hung up and stepped through, Bruce waved shyly at you,
"Hey Banner, when did you get back?" He pointed to the hole in the ceiling. "I see," you half-smiled for the first time in days. You all stopped and listened as the wind howled outside, "it was dead still this morning, what's going on?" You asked Tony who shrugged. He pulled the door open to chaos. Stephen used his magic to slow the roaring winds and Tony instructed you to stay behind him, which you completely ignored, stepping to the front and pressing the gem on your bracelet. The improved suit covered your body and enclosed your head. The battle that ensued was intense and bloody, with you and the others getting split up. You yelped as Stephen threw you through a portal to protect you from a flying bus. You landed through the portal with a thump, staring up at looming trees. "Where am I?" You asked yourself, getting to your feet. You flew above the treeline, spotting the ship as it took off into the sky. You focused on the ship and tried to call Tony on the built-in phone of your suit. His voice crackled through,
"Are you alright?" He asked, worry in his voice.
"I'm fine, where are you?" The pause told you what you needed to know. "You're on that ship aren't you?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. I'll be back on earth soon." The line clicked closed. You cursed and flew back to where the ship took off, watching as it left the atmosphere.

Tony, Stephen Strange and Peter Parker had been missing for several days now, you paced around the room waiting for some news of their arrival on earth. When you did finally hear from Tony he had pulled you to a place called Wakanda, you didn't argue and flew there with Steve and the others. You barely spoke to Steve on the voyage, sitting alone in the back of the plane. "We're here," Steve said, looking down at your hands and spotting the ring on your finger. He smiled to himself but said nothing. You stepped off the plane, where the King of Wakanda greeted you, along with Bucky. You looked around, amazed, you had never seen a place so beautiful, even the guard's armour was incredibly detailed.

You stood next to Bucky, watching as huge alien ships entered the atmosphere, breaking above the shields over Wakanda. You pulled your suit up and readied yourself to defend against the coming onslaught. Steve joined your side, giving you a quick sideglance before running to defend against the alien enemies. He fought alongside T'Challa and the other Avengers, killing alien after alien. You could see he was getting overwhelmed so you ran to his side, covering his back. At that moment you saw Tony fly through a portal and into Wakanda, "Thanos has the time stone!" He yelled to the others. You continued to fight and yelped in pain as one of the aliens broke the metal supports around your leg, crumpling you to the ground. Steve whipped around and shielded you from a massive blow, taking the impact himself, the blow opening a hole in his chest. He was flung across the field, scattering across the floor and laying still. You crawled over to him, cradling his head and generating a shield from your suit.

“No,” you sobbed, holding Steve in your arms as the war raged on around you. “Please, I can’t lose you.” You held your hand on the gaping chest wound, desperately trying to staunch the bleeding. “You can’t leave me, I know I told you I hated you Steve, but I didn’t mean it. I lied, I love you. Please,” Steve’s eyes remained closed. You shook his shoulders, kissing him desperately. You screamed as you felt your heart break, your voice carrying your agony across the field of Wakanda. Tony heard and saw you kneeling to Steve’s lifeless body and he flew to your side.
“I am so sorry,” he whispered. It seemed as though the world stopped as Tony held you. Tears stained your heated cheeks and you cursed the unfairness of everything. You cursed the misfortune that had been thrust upon you and you wished for Steve to get up and tell you that it was all going to be alright. You heard Steve groan in pain and you dropped to your knees,
"It's going to be alright, I'm so sorry." Steve apologised, squeezing your hand as blood dribbled down his chin. "I'm fine," he managed a weak smile.
"Can you heal this much of an injury?" You asked shakily, dreading the answer.
"I don't know, I've never had to before." He attempted to laugh but that only caused him to wince in pain.
"I'll protect you, just rest." You whispered, watching the tears fall from your cheeks. "I forgive you, I'm sorry I said what I said. I love you." Your voice broke as Steve closed his eyes. "Just live so you can keep loving me." Tony continued to fight around you, allowing you to keep your shields up and protecting Steve. You watched his body as it slowly began to pull the chest wound closed. You rested your head on his shoulder, waiting to see if he would wake up. It seemed like an eternity passed before Thor dropped from the sky with the crackle of lightning. You sat in your bubble, just waiting.

Steve gasped and bolted upright, you held him as he shook in fear. "You're okay, you're alive." You whispered to him, hugging him tightly and kissing his forehead, you gave him a few moments before standing. Steve looked around the battlefield and got to his feet with your help, "I'm sorry Steve, but you can't rest. We need your help." Steve nodded and ran off to help in the fight, you followed close behind. When the battle was over and half the world had vanished you found Steve. Tony had gone back to find Peter and Dr Strange, leaving you behind once more. You comforted Steve as he silently mourned the loss of his friends, barely holding it together yourself. You held him close to you as he stared at where Bucky's dust lay. You spoke in a soft, calming tone, "Steve, it's going to be okay."

Chapter Text

You watched in awe as Jim paced around the room, going over his plans aloud, more to himself to you. You rested your chin on your hands, smiling as he leaned against the window. The late afternoon sun streamed in, outlining his silhouette. He finished the bourbon from the crystal glass he held, grimacing at the burn as it flowed down his throat. He turned back to where you were sitting, giving you a half-smile. "What are you staring at?"
"You." He walked up to you, kneeling down and kissing you deeply. You relished in the aftertaste of alcohol on his tongue. Before he could go further you put your hand up, "I need to get ready to go,"
"Go?" He stared at you, puzzled.
"Yes. I'm meeting an old friend for dinner tonight. I told you last week. You wrote it down on the calendar." Moriarty's eyes flicked to the calendar hanging on the wall, sure enough, there was a small note on today's date. "I'll be home just after midnight." Moriarty groaned and got up,
"So I'm home alone?"
"I'm sure you'll entertain yourself, love. Maybe you could work on that masterplan you were trying to finish?" You winked at him before wandering to the bedroom.

You adjusted the tie and swept your hair off your face, you ran your fingers across the large scar on your side with a sigh before tucking your dress shirt into your pants tidily. You heard Moriarty call out from the other room, "did you buy this wine for tonight?"
"Yes, don't open it!" You yelled back, hurrying into the kitchen to stop your boyfriend.
"You brought expensive wine, should I be worried about this friend?" He asked, half-joking, half-concerned.
"Yes," you grabbed his hand, "but not in the way you'd think." You kissed him on the cheek, grabbing the wine and your wallet off the counter. "I'll see you later, don't wait up." Moriarty grabbed your shoulder gently,
"you aren't driving, right babe?" You laughed softly,
"I'm not that stupid of a man. I'm catching a cab," you tapped your temple with a smile, walking out the door. Jim smacked your butt lightly as you walked away and you shook it teasingly as you left.

You smiled as you spotted Sherlock standing outside the restaurant, collar drawn high enough to almost hide his cheekbones. He paced slowly, puffing on a cigarette. "Sherlock!" You called, waving when you got his attention. He smiled and put out the cigarette. "It's so cold, you could have waited inside." You kissed him on the cheek in greeting.
"Yes, it is cold. Shall we," he dramatically gestured to the door. You walked in first, pulling your coat off. You wore a white shirt, the top button undone. Your black jacket matched your shoes and pants. You produced the wine to Sherlock, he raised a brow as he recognised the bottle. "Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée, produced in 2013. This is a £100 bottle of wine." You just shrugged,
"Yes, yes, only 1,600 bottles were made. To be honest, it was just sitting there going to waste, I thought we could enjoy it." You signalled a waiter who led you to a table near the window under a grand chandelier. "Please, get us some glasses. Make sure they're crystal, please." You handed the waiter a £50 bill. He nodded and hurried off, tucking the money into his jacket. Sherlock spied you suspiciously.
"Since when did you just throw money around?" You laughed to mask your nervousness. The truth was that you had stolen the wine and the money. You had planned and performed the heist flawlessly, using your knowledge of Sherlock to erase all trace of yourself from the scene and pin it on one of the idiots you hired.
"Oh, anything for a friend."

You poured Sherlock a glass of wine, then yourself. You clinked the crystal glass together and sipped. The waiter handed you both a menu. "So, why did you want to meet again after so long?" Sherlock said once the waiter had left with your orders. "It's been nearly six years since we spoke."
"I was finally back in London, can I not want to see a friend?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't buy that at all. You could have invited me anywhere but you invited me to the restaurant where we solved our first case. That means something." You scoffed at his suggestion, even though he was right.
"I have a favour to ask you, Sherlock. I won't be mad if you say no," you tried to work up the courage to ask him. Sherlock didn't break eye contact. "I need your help finding someone." Sherlock sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I wasn't going to ask you until after dinner, I really need your help." You reached over and squeezed his hand.
"Who do you need me to find?" He took a drink of wine, watching as you smiled, almost leaping out of your chair in joy.
"A man named John Watson."

You padded your shirt dry, standing in the men's bathroom. The, thankfully, white wine sprayed out of Sherlock's mouth when he heard the name. "Why do you need to find him?" Sherlock squeaked.
"We served in Afghanistan together. We lost touch when he was discharged for a shoulder wound. You act as though you know him." You laughed as you cleaned yourself up.
"Funny you say that. I think that you need to come back to Baker street with me." You nodded,
"After dinner though. I'm starving." You pulled your phone out as you walked back to the table, sufficiently dry. You text Jim, "Be home a little later than I thought, a lot to catch up on. xx"
You sat with Sherlock, discussing the last six years of your life, as normal Sherlock didn't share anything about his past few years. "So, Sherlock. I've talked quite enough about myself, are you still doing your detective work?" You asked, taking your hands off the table as your food was placed in front of you. Sherlock nodded,
"Yes, I even have a partner." You beamed at his comment, excited to hear it.
"That's wonderful, Sherlock. I'm happy to hear it, who is she?"
"You'll meet him later." You smiled slyly,
"Him?" You kicked Sherlock playfully under the table, "I wasn't aware you were officially swinging for the other team Sherlock or I would have snapped you up a long time ago." Sherlock smirked,
"You did, remember? I do believe that you get quite frisky after a few drinks."
"As do you," you winked at him, remembering those evenings close together when you were younger. You finished off your meal with polite conversation, covering the bill yourself. "You can pay me back by finding John, Sherlock."

Sherlock unlocked the door to 221B Baker Street, stumbling slightly. You wandered in after him, admiring the flat for its simplistic beauty. You could tell that the wine had gone straight to you and Sherlock's heads. You wandered upstairs while Sherlock went to get a glass of water. You found Sherlock's violin and played it beautifully while you waited for him to come back, filling the flat with music. "Sherlock? How'd your night go?" You didn't hear the voice of someone calling from a bedroom over the violin, neither did you see the door open and John Watson step out of it. He stared dumbly when he saw you standing there, playing with your back to him. Sherlock stepped into the lounge as you remained blissfully unaware of their presence. "Y/N!" John exclaimed, making his way across the room. You almost dropped the violin in fright when you heard his voice.
"John!" You gasped, you saluted him before he waved your hand away and hugged you. "It's been so long! When did Sherlock sucker you into moving in with him?" You winked playfully at Sherlock.
"A while ago now. How have you been?" You looked away, pausing and considering your answer. The truth was you hadn't been alright. You left the army after being ambushed and watching your friends get killed in the crossfire, the truth was you still saw it when you closed your eyes. It still haunted you in your sleep, more than anything you had ever seen in the army. You didn't even want to mention becoming a criminal to make ends meet and being in a relationship with one of the most feared criminals on the planet.
"I've been fine, truly." John didn't believe your answer but also didn't want press further. "Let's have a cup of tea," you offered.

You talked with John and Sherlock until the early hours of the morning and at around 3:30 am you received a text, "Is everything alright? I'm worried about you, love J.M." You smiled at the text and saw the time,
I need to go! I am so sorry, come to see me sometime John!." You apologised to Sherlock and John before writing your address on a scrap piece of paper, grabbing your coat and running out the door, hailing a nearby taxi. You sat in the back and texted Jim, "Everything is fine, on my way home. Warm up the bed for me? ;)" You smirked as the text went through, imagining Jim's face. The car ride was quick and you tipped the taxi driver heavily, still slightly intoxicated. You loosened your tie before wandering into your house, noticing the door had been left unlocked and Jim was nowhere to be found. You threw your coat onto the couch and undid the top few buttons on your shirt. You wandered into your bedroom where Jim was sleeping. "No wonder you didn't text me back." You kissed him on the forehead before pulling the covers up over him. "It's a shame you're asleep, I could have really done with some," you paused and smirked, "stress relief." You turned away and undid your shirt fully, folding it and placing it on the dresser. You unbuckled your belt and put it in a drawer, as you did you knocked your phone off of the dresser, cursing as it clattered to the floor and slid under the dresser. You got on your hands and knees and reached for the phone, waving your hand wildly under the dresser. You felt your fingers brush the case and you pulled it towards you with a triumphant "ha!" You heard steps behind you and Jim's gravelly, tired voice whispered in your ear as you knelt on the floor.
"That's a good position for you." He taunted, rubbing your shoulders.
"I thought you were asleep," you said, turning to face him but not getting off your knees. Jim looked down at you, biting his bottom lip.
"I was, then you came home." He offered his hand, helping you to your feet. You stood and kissed him, planting your lips on his. He broke for air, panting with desire, "I missed you tonight." He pushed you back to the bed, pushing your back against the bedpost. He sunk to his knees and hooked his thumbs into your pants, undoing the button and pulling the zip down with his teeth.
"You did miss me." You raised a brow while you watched him.

Jim pulled your aching cock out of your pants, biting his lip again. He stroked it gently, smiling when you moaned softly. "Fuck, Jim. What's gotten into you?" You leaned your head back against the post, tangling your fingers in his hair as he took you into his mouth. You watched his head bob up and down slowly as he sucked, groaning when he pulled away.
"How did dinner go babe?" He asked before taking you in his hands and stroking faster, kissing the tip of your penis.
"It was fine, I had a good talk with my old friend." You tensed up as he took your cock right to the back of his throat.
"Mhhm," he hummed, letting you know he was still listening. The vibration of his voice felt incredible,
"We had a few drinks and went back to his place, turns out he's living with an old army pal of mine," Jim stopped blowing you and looked up, suddenly intrigued.
"Oh, which 'army pal'?"
"The medic I told you about, John Watson." Jim stood up like he'd been shocked with a cattle prod.
"Sherlock Holmes! Your friend is Sherlock bloody Holmes!" He yelped, startling you.
"Yeah, that's why I didn't tell you!" You could feel your cheeks flare red with sudden anger as you heard the jealousy in Jim's voice, you turned away from him with a huff. Jim lowered his voice,
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled." He hugged you from behind, reaching around to grab your still erect penis. "It just surprised me, that's all. Let me make it up to you. I'll let you be on top tonight," he whispered devilishly in your ear. You moaned and turned back to him, kissing him deeply.

You lay Jim back on the bed, rubbing your cock against his growing erection as you nibbled his neck. He groaned in delight, digging his nails into your bare shoulder. You always enjoyed the rougher side of sex and loved getting that reaction from Jim. You slipped his shirt off, then hooked his underwear in your teeth, pulling them off agonisingly slow. You reached into the bedside table and grabbed the thing of lube, pouring some into your hand and slathering it over your cock. You stared at Jim's naked body, devouring him with your eyes. You lubed up his tight hole before positioning yourself above him, resting your cock against him. "Ready?" You asked, hovering in place for a moment, Jim nodded madly. You pressed into him and he groaned, gripping your shoulders. You swore under your breath as you watched him squirm beneath you. "You're still so tight for me," Jim didn't answer, he was just concentrating on your movements. You pulled out and thrust in again, listening to your lover yelp in pleasure. You did it again, and again, and again. Thrusting harder each time and going deeper with every thrust.
"Please,' Jim panted,
"Please what baby?" You purred in his ear, not stopping your slow, hard thrusting.
"I need you to fuck me harder, faster. Please," he begged.
"As you wish," you growled, picking up the pace. Jim threw his head back as he neared climax. "Are you going to cum, my love?" Jim didn't answer so you stopped moving. You grabbed his face in your hand, forcing him to look at you, "I asked you a question." Jim's eyes widened as his orgasm slowly faded,
"Please, I want to cum," he sounded desperate to do so. You smiled and continued to fuck him mercilessly, harder and faster than before. "I'm gonna," you grabbed his cock in your hand, stroking him. It proved too much and he came, white semen spurting onto his stomach and your hand. You put two fingers in his mouth, enjoying the feeling and sight of him sucking his cum off your fingers.
"You're so fucking hot," you grabbed his hips and rammed into him, panting yourself. Moments later you felt your own climax building and you came into Jim, barely holding yourself up. You pulled out and rolled next to him. "Bloody hell, that was amazing." Jim cuddled you and nodded. You looked at the door and saw Sherlock standing there, stunned.

Chapter Text

"The Doctor, always travelling, always busy." You huffed as you watched birds flying around out the window. You drummed your fingers rhythmically on the table as you sipped your cool glass of lemonade. You gazed off into the sky, searching amongst the clouds for your doctor, imagining what trouble he'd be getting himself in to. You finished the lemonade and headed inside, smiling to yourself.

You had met the doctor on Christmas Eve last year, a nasty group of aliens came to earth in search of human specimens to put in their zoo. You had been unlucky enough to be "chosen" by them. The doctor didn't stand for it and snuck on board the ship as it pulled away from Earth. He'd found you in a slimy cage, chained helplessly to the floor. After a daring rescue and heroic escape, he'd taken you across the universe. He'd shown you the moons of Jupiter and flown you to a different galaxy entirely, then he took you to medieval England to meet one of your ancestors. When you had finally returned to earth you didn't want him to leave so he modified your phone so that you could always call him. You'd waited the first night out, scared of reliving the day's events. You'd tried to sleep on the second night, but those nightmares taunted you and woke you up screaming. On the third night, you were so tired that you felt like you were dying, then you remembered the Doctor, how safe he'd made you feel when he rescued you. You called him, listening intently to the dial tone. "Hel-low?" His voice came down the line, making your heart skip a beat.
"Doctor?" Your voice shook as you spoke, tears rolling down your cheeks. The Doctor instantly recognised your voice,
"Hey? What's the matter? Are you alright?" You began to cry harder, the mix of concern in his voice and the lack of sleep tipping you off the edge.
"I need you to come here," you heard the Doctor running around the TARDIS, flicking switches and pressing buttons. "Please, I'm so scared." You pleaded,
"I'll be right there," you heard the TARDIS take off, moments later you could hear it land outside in the dark. You hung up the phone and watched the TARDIS materialise. The Doctor burst out of it and spotted you sitting on the porch with a blanket wrapped around you. His silver hair glittered in the full moon's light. He sighed and sat down next to you, "what's going on?" You explained what was going on in your head, pressing on through the tears. The Doctor held you when you finished, hushing you gently.
"It's strange, you make all that fear disappear." The Doctor smiled and kissed you gently on the forehead.
"I'm not going anywhere tonight, let's get you to bed." He stood up and grabbed you, hoisting you up in his arms. You giggled as he did,
"I can still walk," he winked cheekily at you but didn't put you down. True to his word he stayed with you through the night, your head resting on his lap. For the first time since your abduction, you actually got a solid night of sleep.

You lay on the couch, reading a book, enjoying the afternoon sun. You had called the Doctor earlier, asking when he was planning on coming home. He said he'd be home this evening so you waited patiently, unsure why he couldn't travel back in time and see you sooner. You decided not to pry, to be honest, you didn't understand a lot of the technology in the TARDIS and you weren't sure the Doctor always did either. You made your way inside, eager for another glass of icy water, your modified cellphone was sitting on the bench, taunting you. You toyed with the idea of phoning the doctor again but you didn't want to bother him. As you played with the cell phone you heard it. That incredible, heart-stopping, adrenaline-inducing sound. The TARDIS. You ran to the window and watched as it materialised on the front lawn. Your Doctor was home at last. You smiled and waved through the glass, he beamed when he saw you. You ran out the door and into his arms, he hugged you tightly and kissed you passionately. "You are late, which should be impossible for a time lord." You scolded him playfully. He shrugged sheepishly at you and you smiled, pulling him into a deep kiss.
"I can make it up to you, promise." He winked before taking your hand and leading you onto the TARDIS.
"So, where have you been?" You asked, always eager to learn about his adventures.
"Bill, Nardol and I have been in America in the year 1779."
'Wasn't that during the revolution?" Your interest perked up. He smiled and nodded,
"Glad you remembered that one." You laughed as he pulled you into his arms, kissing you again. "Now, shall we." He clicked fingers and a door swung open upstairs. You beamed and bit your lip lightly.

The Doctor ran his fingers across your cheek, staring into your eyes. You stared back with a lustful hunger in your eyes. You grabbed his jacket and pulled it off of him, tossing it aside. He smirked at your sudden action. You sauntered to the bed, pulling him after you. You pushed him lightly so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. You undid your shirt slowly, smacking his hand away when he moved to undo your bra. "Hold on now." You pulled his shirt off his body, kissing his neck and revelling in his gentle moan. You climbed into his lap, straddling him. You ground yourself against his crotch, feeling him grow harder.
"Hell, you're getting me all bothered." You smirked as he unclasped your bra, taking a breast in one hand and massaging it. His other hand snaked down and rubbed your crotch through your pants. You placed a hand on his shoulder to steady yourself. He took the opportunity to flip you on your back. "I missed you. I missed us." He undid his belt buckle and you slipped your hand into his pants. You felt him growl with pleasure. You placed your other hand on his chest, feeling both his hearts beating. You undid his pants and pulled them off as he pulled yours off. He perked an eyebrow as he saw that you weren’t wearing any underwear.
“I was prepared,” you winked at him. He kissed you again then slowly moved down your body. He kissed your neck, chest and stomach. You trembled under his touch, the way his fingers brushed over your body driving you insane. He licked your slit and your hips bucked, fingers digging into the bedsheets. “Please, I need more.” You begged him. He stood and pulled you to the edge of the bed. He positioned himself between your legs and drove into you. You yelled in pleasure as he did, lifting your hips so he could get a better angle as he fucked you. He took your wrists in one hand and pinned them to the bed above you. He groaned and cursed as you gyrated your hips, picking up the pace. You wrapped your legs around his waist and held him there as he came, releasing your hands and leaning on your shoulders as his body shook and sweat dripped down his forehead. He continued to rub your clit until you orgasmed around him. “Holy shit.” You sighed as he flopped down next to you on the bed. “Maybe you should stay away for longer next time,” you teased, “that was one of the best fucks of my life.” He laughed next to you.
“Yeah, I suppose that was building up for a while.”

Chapter Text

"You don't understand, she's one of the most powerful vampires to roam the world, Sookie," Bill warned Sookie as she sat playing with her hair.
"Bill, I don't know why you are so caught up on this." She teased, "you didn't do anything wrong killing that vampire."
"Sookie, you don't understand because you aren't one of us. It wasn't just a vampire I killed, it was part of an elder tribe. They are revered in the vampire community and now I'm going to be punished, considering this isn't the first time I've killed another vampire." Bill's face fell. Sookie wrapped an arm around him.
"You'll be fine. What's the worst that can happen." There was a heavy knock at the front door. Eric Northman stood in the doorframe, Pam was at his side.
"Eric, Pam, come in." Eric shook his head,
"We have news, Bill. She's here."
"Where, at Fangtasia?" Bill stepped back.
"No, she's in the car." At that moment a tall, olive-skinned vampire with raven black hair and a silver streak through the front stepped up behind Eric and Pam. Her eyes were such a pale blue they were almost white. Sookie gasped and hid behind Bill. The vampire was intimidating, standing only slightly shorter than Eric but her presence was much larger. A tall man with a chiselled jaw and medium length brown hair stood behind her. They were joined by a young woman, no older than Sookie but with vibrant blue hair pulled into a ponytail. She was slim but short and incredibly beautiful. The two humans linked their arms together and stood on the bottom of the stairs behind the vampires.
"William, it is truly a pleasure to see you again after so long. What has it been, nearly 60 years?" Bill bowed when the vampire spoke.
"Closer to 70, Empress. Please come inside." He stood to the side, backing Sookie up. "I'm sorry I don't have anything prepared, I wasn't expecting guests. Least of all someone as admirable as you, Empress." He showed the three vampires to the sitting room, offering a seat to the eldest vampire first. She sat nearest to the blazing fire, her black dress shimmering in the firelight.
"So, who your lovely companion?" The Empress gestured to Sookie.
"This is Miss Sookie Stackhouse, the one I was protecting from the elder vampire," Bill answered reluctantly. Sookie smiled and went to shake the Vampire's hand. The Empress stood up sharply, a fierce anger in her eyes. Shadows coalesced around her feet. "Please,” Bill begged, “it's wasn’t her fault."
"Is it not her fault my brother lays in his coffin for the final time? Is it not her fault that she is the reason I must punish one of my favourite descendants?" The Empress turned to Bill, beckoning him over. "William, my dear vampire descendant, I will give you one of two options. The first is to kill or turn this human, as a poor compensation for my brother." She scowled at Sookie.
"I can't do that." Bill felt his heartbreak. "There must be something else."
"I know how hard it is to let a favoured human go," The tall brunette laid his hand gently on her shoulder and the female human kissed her on the cheek. "The other option is that you will accompany me for the next three weeks while I am attending business here in America." It was then that Sookie clicked, her accent was English, but it was ancient, like how they were portrayed on television in Shakespearean theatre. "If you do this, all will be forgiven, and your human may remain alive. For now."

Bill left to pack a bag, although he was told to only bring things he couldn’t survive without. The Empress sat with Eric, Pam and Sookie downstairs. Sookie paced around the room restlessly. The Empress took a sip of the hot tea that Eric had made for her, thanking him. Bill came back downstairs with a single black bag in his hand. "Samuel, do help William with his bags." The tall male nodded and took the bag gently from Bill and carried it out to the car. "Do get your human to stop pacing William,"
"I apologise, Empress. Sookie, please sit down."
"Another thing, call me Valeria, Empress makes me sound horrendously old." Bill nodded and Eric chuckled.
"To be fair, Empress, you are over three thousand years old." The Empress smiled at Eric's comment, revealing large, pristine fangs.
"That is true. Now, Dahlia, clean up these dishes. I'm ready to leave." The blue haired girl picked up the cup and took the china to the kitchen. Stephen walked back through the door.
"Mistress, the dawn is nearly here. We must leave now or stay here for the day." Valeria nodded and stood.
"Say goodbye, William. You will not be gone for any longer than I promised.” Bill kissed Sookie as tears welled up in her eyes. “Shall we leave,” Valeria followed Eric and Pam out, her two thralls following behind her, quietly talking between each other. Bill walked out last, taking one last look at Sookie before leaving.

Bill was astonished at the size of the limo with blacked out windows. “It’s state of the art, absolutely no light gets through.” Eric informed him. “It also has separate sections for privacy reasons.”
“Speaking of which, Dahlia, Samuel,” the thralls turned and bowed to the Empress, “ride in back with the coffins and Pam and William. Eric, I would ask that you ride in the front with me.” The statement was less of a request, more of a command. The driver patiently waited, opening the doors for Valeria. She climbed in, her black dress slinking along behind her. Eric was next, admiring her backside as she climbed in. Bill looked at him with disappointment. Bill pulled the car door closed and once he was in his coffin, Valeria pressed a button, a speaker in the coffin crackling to life. “Try to get some rest William, we will be at our destination by nightfall.” Bill nodded and closed his eyes, almost immediately asleep. The car drove away, dim lights coming on in the compartment.

“Now, Empress Valeria,” Valeria turned to Eric who whispered in her ear, “I’ve missed you.”
“Have you Eric?” Valeria smirked, running a finger along his cheekbone. “Show me how much you missed me.” Eric kissed Valeria’s neck, his fangs scraping her skin. Valeria shuddered and pulled off Eric’s shirt. She ran her fingers over his chest, admiring his toned muscles. Eric slipped her dress straps down and pulled the fabric up, exposing her legs. The seat extended beneath them, flattening into a bed, the movement caught Eric and Valeria off guard, making them fall backwards. Eric ran his fingers up Valeria’s leg, pulling her underwear down and discarding it on the floor. Valeria pulled her dress off completely, followed by her bra which joined her underwear. Eric spread her legs gently and kissed her thighs. He licked her clit, drawing a moan from the Empress. He pushed one finger into her tight cunt, pressing against her g-spot and sending a shudder of pleasure through her. He added another finger, stroking her insides gently. He picked up speed as her breathing shallowed. He alternated between using his fingers and his tongue to penetrate her. Just as she was about to cum he pulled away, leaving her desperate for more. “Fuck, Eric, enough of the foreplay.” She pulled his pants off and flipped him on the bed. She positioned herself over him, sliding down onto his rock-hard cock slowly. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as he thrust into her. She rode him for a few minutes before Eric took charge again. He grabbed her waist and sat up, thrusting deeper into her. Valeria dragged her nails across his back, leaving her mark that would quickly heal. Their bodies rocked in unison before Eric began to feel a familiar sensation building up, Valeria felt it too and looked deep into his eyes. They quickened the pace and Eric swore under his breath.
“Valeria, I can’t hold back anymore.”
“Please, Eric, let go.” Eric moaned and thrust harder into Valeria. She gasped in pleasure and threw her head back, Eric took the opportunity to bite her neck. Blood dripped down his chin and her neck. He drank deeply from the Empress as they fucked, making little mess. Eric grunted and slowed his pace, moaning as he came inside Valeria. Valeria’s body shook with her own orgasm, her nails dug holes into the leather seat below them. Eric lay Valeria next to him before laying behind her. “You really did miss me.”

Valeria woke up half an hour before sunset, as was usual for her. She changed into a new set of clothes, a classic grey suit, and called the driver on the local phone. He informed her that they were almost at her American home. Eric woke up and smiled at her. “Good evening,” Valeria kissed him on the cheek. “We’re almost there, you had better get dressed.” Eric did as he was told, purposefully leaving his shirt off before sitting behind Valeria. He placed his hands on her shoulders and a kiss on her neck. He massaged her shoulders gently, Valeria instantly relaxed as he did.
“So, what have you been doing for the past decade?” Eric asked,
“I have been working on Human and Vampire relations in the United Kingdom. Some people are fine with Vampire’s living amongst them, others have been totally outraged. We have had several mass killings over the past six months alone, but it hasn’t been all bad. A few bad apples spoil the bunch and all that.” The phone rang and Valeria quickly picked it up.
“We’re here Empress, the sun has just set.” They had pulled up to a large plantation house, its exterior was white and glowing in the dull light. The door to the limo opened and the driver helped Valeria out of the door. The driver then opened the back and knocked on the coffins, Pam and Bill climbed out, followed by Samuel and Dahlia. Dahlia ran to Valeria and kissed her hand, Samuel was not far behind. The thralls took one arm each and escorted Valeria the front door. “Please, make yourself at home.” Bill nodded and followed her up the stairs. “See that somebody shows you to your room, William. Eric, Pam, you know where your rooms are.”
“Of course, Empress.” Eric smiled and began up the stairs with Pam. A young man suddenly walked in with their bags and followed them up the staircase. Moments later another, older man came in with Bill’s bags.
“I’ll show you up to your room.” The older man said with a bow. Valeria waved to Bill and walked upstairs with her two thralls.
“Come my darlings, I am starving.”

A week had passed, and Valeria would often go to different houses of vampires. She only offered for Bill to accompany her once. As they entered the vampire’s house with Eric and Pam, (the thralls had stayed at home), the vampire tried to run but Bill and Eric caught them. The vampire, an older man with salt and pepper hair, was almost in tears as Valeria stepped close to him. She wore a silver claw on her thumb and forefinger, the inside lined with velvet. She smiled menacingly at him and dragged the silver claw down his cheek, causing him to scream in pain. “I’m sorry!” He screamed out, “I didn’t mean to kill them!” Valeria growled and lifted him by his throat.
“I don’t want to hear your excuses, you killed a member of my court. One of my humans. Not only that, you kept them for nearly three months in this very house.” She squeezed harder, the skin beneath the silver sizzling. “You tortured him, drained him then killed him. Now I’m going to kill you for it.” She opened her mouth and her fangs dug into his throat. She dropped him and spat his blood out. “What the hell have you been drinking!” She yelled, kicking him in the side. “Your blood is more alcohol than blood!” She drove her hand into his chest and smiled as her hand hit the floor. The vampire man then exploded after letting out his last dying breath. Eric watched with a sick delight and Bill with mild disgust. Valeria didn’t speak a word for the rest of the evening until they got home where she told Samuel to run her a bath. Dahlia comforted her mistress and followed her up the stairs.
“What was that about?” Bill asked Eric.
“That was the vampire that killed the thrall Valeria had before Samuel. She was very attached to him, he’d been her thrall for nearly a century, and he’d managed to evade her for close to a decade. That’s why she is really in America.” Eric seemed forlorn when he explained to Bill.

Bill walked upstairs after finishing a bottle of Tru Blood. He heard someone moaning as he made his way to his room. Bill followed the gentle moaning coming from down the hall, he heard someone yell out in pain and he raced to the door at the end of the hall. He pushed the door open slightly and peeked inside. Laying on the bed naked was Samuel, he had blood on his hands and on top of him sat Valeria, who was also naked. She was kissing Dahlia passionately as she rode Samuel. Dahlia had blood surrounding her mouth and dripping down her chin. It had been a week since Bill had felt Sookie’s touch and the sight turned him on immediately, much to his shame. “I know you’re watching William,” Valeria’s intoxicating voice rang out from inside the room. The door swung open and Valeria grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss.
“I can’t, what if Sookie finds out.” He breathed heavily, trying to convince himself more than Valeria.
“She won’t find out from me and she won’t find out from my thralls.” Bill looked her shoulder where Dahlia and Samuel were continuing to kiss passionately as they ground against each other.
“But she can read minds,”
“Not these one’s. I had them enchanted by a powerful witch, they can’t be controlled, can’t have their mind read and they can’t die by normal means.” Valeria kissed him again, but she’d spiked his interest.
“What did that cost you?”
“To have them enchanted? Two million dollars and a manor house I owned in Ireland.” Bill winced at the price, the thought of enchanting Sookie suddenly seemed impossible again. “That’s each, by the way William, in case you were thinking of taking Sookie to see her.” She pulled him back into a kiss, rubbing his growing member through his pants.
“How long have they been your thralls?” William asked. Valeria threw her hands up,
“You are so much more talkative than you were 70 years ago. I found Samuel a few years ago, he’s my replacement for another young thrall I lost. Dahlia has been by my side for close to fifty years. She’s been enjoying seeing the way the world’s changing, she’s even started dying her hair to look younger, not that she’s aged a day.” Dahlia and Samuel heard their names and came up behind the naked Valeria, planting kisses along her body, Dahlia winked at Bill and moved over to him. She kissed his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

Samuel picked Valeria back and carried her to the bed. He knelt down and kissed his Mistresses legs, biting the inside of her thighs. Valeria groaned as he pushed his tongue into her, she wrapped her fingers in his hair. Dahlia took Bill by the hand and led him into the room, closing the door. She knelt before him and undid his pants, pulling out his growing erection. She stroked him gently and smiled as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. Dahlia took him into her mouth, and he let out a low groan. “Come join us,” she took his hand and led him to the bed. She kissed him deeply and lay on the bed. Bill climbed on top of her and positioned himself between her legs. He bit into her neck as he thrust into her. Dahlia moaned in pleasure and pain, wrapping her legs around him. Valeria turned Samuel over and sat on him, riding him and kissing Bill at the same time.
“William, I want you.” Bill pulled away from Dahlia, leaving her panting, and moved to Valeria.
“Are you sure, Empress?”
“Stop talking and fuck me.” She ordered him. He pressed his cock against her ass. He readied himself and pressed further, his cock driving into her ass. Valeria squealed in delight as Samuel continued to thrust, Bill joining the rhythm. Dahlia pleasured herself as she watched the three fuck like animals. Valeria shuddered as she felt the two men inside her. As she neared orgasm, she dug her nails into Samuels shoulders, licking the blood that dripped from the holes. He gasped as she did and thrust harder, cumming inside her. Bill thrust a few more times before cumming himself. Valeria’s orgasm followed closely after, leaving her breathless and laying on top of Samuel. “Well, that was fun.” Dahlia and Samuel crawled next to her, one on either side. They kissed her naked, sweating body before closing their eyes. “Thank you, William. The sun will be up soon so I suggest you go to bed.”

Chapter Text

Tony, Natasha Romanov, Steve Rodgers and Clint Barton were all sitting in the lounge chatting away. They had only recently learned that Tony remembered the night you came home and asked him to tell them the story. You always loved listening to it, so you sat quietly. “The night you came home from hospital you were so small I thought I’d break you if I held on too tightly, or drop you if I was too slack,” he said with a smile. “our parents asked me what they should name her. I said Maria, of course, and they both laughed. Instead they suggested y/n, which I fell in love with. I promised to protect her on that night, then and forever afterwards.”
“And you haven’t broken that promise yet.” You interrupted, beaming at him from across the room.
“That’s lovely, I have one question though.” Clint stood up, rubbing his hands through his hair. “Why can she do weird stuff with her mind and you can’t, Tony?” Tony and you shrugged.
“We think it was a recessive gene or something, only she inherited it. If one of our parents had telekinesis, then they didn’t tell us.” Tony answered casually.
You wished everyone a goodnight and left the room, leaving them to their conversation. You passed Bucky Barnes in the hall and he looked pissed off. “Bucky, are you alright?” You placed a hand gently on his shoulder. He relaxed at your friendly touch.
“No, not particularly. I just learned that SHIELD has been keeping secret files on us, doing heavy background checks and stuff.”
“That’s nothing to worry about, you don’t have anything to hide.” You reassured him softly.
“I’m not mad about that. I’m mad because they’re just sitting there in the open. They have all of our weaknesses and our potential pressure points for interrogation or blackmail.” you grimaced, imagining the possibilities, “that’s not even the worst part. They were just sitting on an agent’s desk. I’m going to see Director Fury now. You can come if you like.”
“I would love to, Bucky. But I kind of want to look at my file, see if I can learn anything about myself and maybe fix a weakness they know about.”
“Alright but be careful. You might not like everything you find.” He began to walk off down the hall before he paused and turned back to you. “And don’t look in anyone else’s files.” You smiled and waved him away.
You picked up the brown file, labelled neatly with your name. You opened it and saw a picture of yourself staring back. You flicked through the papers and saw several pages of notes on your telekinetic powers. The various tests that SHIELD and Tony had run you through were detailed. It mentioned how your powers were driven by your emotion, you had control of your power unless you were under extreme emotional pressure. “Whatever that means.” You shrugged, skipping ahead. As you went to put it back a piece of paper fell out and floated to the ground. You picked it up and read over it. “Adoption papers?” You read your name and your parents, Maria and Howard. “I’m not a real Stark?” You read further, looking over scientific lab notes about cloning. There was an image of you as an adult holding a child. The caption read “Susan and her successful clone”. “I’m a clone? I’m not even human.” You felt anger and sadness well up in your chest. “Why didn’t they tell me?” You felt embarrassed and hurt. Hurt by the family you loved and trusted. You felt yourself losing control and you noticed the office supplied around you begin to float. You tried to calm down but the more you did the more you were reminded of your difference. “No wonder Tony doesn’t have Telekinesis! He’s not a freak!” You yelled, snapping the pens and pencils and bending the metal equipment. Bucky and Nick Fury bust in the door, startling you.
“Y/n! Please, it’s alright!” Bucky yelled to you. You breathed out and dropped everything, including the paper. He moved to you, wrapping you in his arms. “It’s alright.” You felt your heartrate slow as you calmed yourself down.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” You snarled at Director Fury.
“It wasn’t necessary for you to know, if anything it would compromise the security of SHEILD.” He remarked nonchalantly, beginning to pick up the papers from the floor. At that point Tony and the others burst in through the door.
“What’s going on?” Tony ran over to you, checking you over for injuries. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Tony. Did you know?” You asked, pulling away from him.
“Know what?”
“That I was adopted. That I’m a clone from Hydra,” Tony stared at you in shock, then at Fury with anger.
“What the hell does that mean?” Fury handed him your file. Tony read through it silently. “I’m so sorry,” he turned back to you, “Our parents told me to never tell you.”
“Your parents,” you corrected him, pushing past and out the door. You walked up to one of the windows and shattered it with your mind. You stepped up, ignoring the others calling to you. You looked up to the sky, the stars sparkling above you. You stepped out, concentrating on your feet and pushing up. You leapt nearly ten feet out into the air, the cold wind whipping around you as you fell. You thrust your feet beneath you and jumped again, kicking off air like it was solid ground.

You sat on the roof of a tall apartment complex, breath freezing as you exhaled while watching the sunrise. You could hear Tony’s suit coming up behind you. “Please, don’t run.” He said calmingly as you began to stand, he stepped out of his suit and smiled at you.
“I don’t want to talk right now, Tony.”
“I understand. Let’s not talk then, I have coffee.” He offered, handing you a hot cup. You sat for five minutes, watching the city go on beneath you.
“Why didn’t Maria and Howard tell me?” You asked Tony, voice cracking. Tony placed his arm around you.
“You’re a clone. Not just any clone, you are the clone of Susan Walker, one of the most lethal Enhanced Hydra Agents in history. She was a weapon of mass destruction but when you came along there was a difference in her. I only met her once but whenever she talked about you, she melted. You were six months old when she smuggled you out of the Hydra lab. Mother and father found her hiding in an abandoned building and gave you both shelter in our home. She didn’t want you to become like her and it cost her everything, including her life. She was shot and killed less than a week after she escaped. We didn’t tell you because it never mattered to us, we never cared that you weren’t biologically related. The adoption was enough for us and we didn’t want you to feel like you didn’t belong.”
“But I don’t belong. I’m a freak Tony!” You crushed the cup in your hand. “Nothing about me is normal and nothing about me is safe. I’m dangerous, I’m a security risk to SHEILD and the Avengers.” You stood up, peering down at the city. “Why have they never come for me?”
“We made Hydra believe you didn’t make it out of the lab. If they learnt that you are alive, there’s no knowing what they’d do.” You grimaced at the thought of being taken away and brainwashed, becoming a killer. “You don’t know what you could do, even Susan hadn’t fully discovered the extent of her power.” You looked up into the distance as yelling echoed through the early morning air. A ball of flame burned through the sky. Tony quickly equipped his suit and took off, you followed him closely behind. You spotted a crane in a nearby construction zone slowly tipping over. You thrust your hands out and concentrated on it, as you lost concentration on your footing you began to fall. Tony grabbed you around the waist, allowing you to direct your attention to the falling crane. The air rippled around the bending metal and you pushed. The metal slowed as Tony placed you on the floor and began to direct people out of the way.
“Tony! I can’t hold it!” The metal buckled and disconnected, putting its full weight on you. “Get everyone out of here!” Tears welled up as pain ran through your straining arms, even though there was nothing touching them. Your head swam and you began to black out. You shook your head and braced for impact as the crane toppled over and you lost your hold on it. 200 tonnes of metal crashed down on your body, pain seared through your arms as you struggled to lift it. You felt someone next to you and looked over. Steve and Bucky helped to support the crane, relieving some of the weight off of you.
“Everyone apart from us is out of danger, we need to put it down slowly around us.” Bucky told you. You nodded. “On three, lower it.” Steve and Bucky braced themselves, you followed suit. “One, two, three!” You all struggled to lower the crane and get between the metal, but you eventually had it resting on the ground and you three were safe. Bucky grabbed you and lifted you out of the metal wreckage, carrying you away. Tony landed beside you,
“Are you alright? You almost got crushed, are you crazy?” Tony scolded you.
“I’m fine, I’m tired and sore but alive so I can’t complain.”

Tony sat on the edge of your bed, almost asleep. “Tony?” He shot awake, relaxing when he saw you were safe.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I just need to ask you something.” He smiled at you and moved closer, taking your hand to help you to sit up. “Do you care that I’m a clone?”
“Of course I don’t, it doesn’t change who you are.” He wrapped his arms around you, kissing your forehead.
“But I’m not who you thought I was, who everyone thought I was.”
“Which you should have always known. I made a promise to protect my sister, I won’t break it now.”

Chapter Text

You adjusted your hair slightly as you passed a mirror, tucking it behind your feline like ears. You checked your contract again and searched for the contracts name. You were a mercenary, working as security detail for a mob boss. It was supposed to be a simple night but, of course, that never actually happens. It was nearing midnight and you thought you saw someone leap across the building above you so you decided to check it out. Drawing your gun, you climbed to the roof, leaping effortlessly up to it. You saw a strange man in red jump down into the central building. You ran to stop him but got there too late, the man had already open fired into the meeting room where the mob boss was sitting. You swore and recognised the man. “Deadpool! What the fuck?” You yelled at him. His eyes snapped up to you.
“Hello Kitty,” he said menacingly before firing his gun at you. You fell backwards out of the way of the stream of bullets. Deadpool climbed to the roof as you took off, swearing as you ran.
“You’ve fucked up my contract Deadpool,” you yelled as you ran, “I won’t forget that.”
“Oh, a feisty kitty, I think I’ll keep you.” His words chilled you to the bone because you knew he meant it. You leap over the gaps of the rooftops, effortlessly scaling a wall and continuing to run at breakneck speed. “Wait up! I just want to play!” Deadpool called out after you before following you up. You ran for close to two minutes, Deadpool barely keeping up with you. You looked back and noticed he stopped running. A smile spread on your face as you sprinted away.

You were beginning to get farther ahead when a sharp pain cut into your leg. You toppled over, losing your balance and landing on the edge of the roof. Instinct kicked in as you slipped over the side. You tried to climb back up onto the roof, but you couldn’t put any pressure on your leg, the bullet imbedded deeply in the muscle. Deadpool’s face appeared above you and you were tempted to let go but, looking down you could see the fall would break your legs easily. “Hello again,” he reached for your hands.
“Don’t touch me you piece of shit,” you spat at him.
“If you don’t let me help you, you’ll fall. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You shot me!” You screamed back. Deadpool shrugged and nodded.
“Do you want me to help you or not?” He said, annoyed at the setback. You scowled at him before sighing,
“Fine, pull me up.”
“What’s the magic word?” He teased,
“Fuck you.” He grabbed your arms tightly,
“Close enough.” He pulled you onto the roof. You landed heavily on top of him, groaning in pain as you caught your leg on the edge of the ceiling. “Sorry about shooting you, by the way. Sorry about this as well.” You looked at him just as his fist collided with the side of your head.

You woke up stark naked in a bed. You flicked your tail to cover your exposed genitals. “You have long hair for a guy, it’s pretty hot.” Deadpool said from a chair in the corner of the room.
“Why am I naked?” You asked, embarrassed at your vulnerability, pulling the blanket over yourself.
“I had to get the bullet out of your leg and check for other injuries.” He was suddenly very serious. “I made you breakfast.” You looked at a clock on the wall, it was close to 1 in the afternoon.
“You mean lunch, right?”
“To be fair, I made it this morning when it was breakfast time.” You smiled, sitting up. Your muscles ached slightly but you could ignore that, what really hurt was your calf. Deadpool placed the plate of food in front of you. You tested it, picking through it looking for signs of poison. “What, you don’t trust me?”
“Don’t take it personally, I don’t trust anyone.” Deadpool sat on the bed and pulled off his mask. You tried to not look terrified, although if Deadpool saw anything he didn’t bring it up.
“Yeah, I understand that. Eat up, it’s fine.” You took a few bites before you realised how hungry you were. You finished the plate off within minutes.
“Thank you, Deadpool.”
“Call me Wade.” You nodded and tried to get out of the bed. “There are clothes in the drawers.” Wade walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

You rested for a couple of days before Wade interrupted you while you were reading. “I have a job for us.”
“I work alone,”
“Not today you don’t.” He snapped, you shrank back into the couch at his sudden anger. “Stop being so damn stubborn. I need the money and I am not leaving you here by yourself.” He chucked the contract to you and took a few deep breaths. You read over the contract and nodded. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped.” You didn’t meet his gaze.
“This is just roughing up some guys. Not a hard job.” You walked to the bedroom and put your shoes on. “Ready to go?” You asked as you walked out. Wade had put his suit on and was equipping his weapons. He passed you a couple of guns before you both walked out.

You walked up to a shabby apartment building and rang the buzzer to be let in. A woman’s voice crackled through speaker, “can I help you?”
“Yeah, we’re here to see a Mister Patrick,” the door buzzed and clicked open. You and Wade pushed through and hurried up the stairs. “Which room is it?” You asked,
“this one.” Deadpool kicked the door open to the apartment. A group of men were surrounding a young woman who had been badly beaten. They immediately drew their guns, but you and Wade were faster and prepared. You put three bullets in the foreheads of three of the men. Wade shot a full magazine and only killed two. The last man standing fired at you. You didn’t see it until it was too late. Suddenly, Wade was in front of you, taking the bullet to his chest. You fired at the man, blood spurted from his forehead.
“Are you alright?” You asked Deadpool as he got to his feet.
“Yeah, that hurt but I’m fine.” You nodded and ran to the woman. She sobbed as you helped her to her feet.
“Can you walk, miss?” You checked her over for severe injuries. She nodded and leant on you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. You led her out and to the next apartment over. Wade began looting the bodies. You banged on the door until someone answered. A sweet old lady smiled at you and gasped at the sight of the woman. “I need you to call an ambulance for this lady, then the coroner for the guys in apartment 206. She nodded and led the woman inside. You went back to search for Wade. “What are you doing?”
“Extra payment.” He said while rifling through the dead men’s pockets. You sighed,
“Let’s go. Before the cops show up.” You both climbed out the window and onto the roof. “This is gonna hurt.” You leapt to the next roof, gasping at the sudden pain in your calf. Wade supported you for a moment before encouraging you to run. You nodded and picked up the pace. You eventually made your way to the street and into a taxi. Wade gave the address and sat back, rubbing the hole in his chest which had started to heal. You sat in silence for the first half of the ride before you turned to him. “You took a bullet for me, why?”
“Because I actually like you. I didn’t patch up the bullet hole I gave you for no reason.” You half-smiled at his comment.

Wade helped you to the bed where you lay down and closed your eyes, exhausted from the day and in a fair amount of pain. As you drifted off to sleep dreams filled your mind. At first it was fine, you were sitting in a park, a duck and her ducklings wandered past you, stopping to look up at you. Then a dark cloud came over the park, rain poured around you but didn’t touch you. Your step-mother and father stepped out of the rain, smiling menacingly at you. Your father held a bottle of alcohol and baseball bat, your mother egged him on. Convincing him to hit you. Your father threw the bottle of alcohol at you, making you fall to the ground as it collided with your head. You screamed for them to stop as they advanced but they ignored you. Your step-mother kicked you in the side and held you down as your father hit you again and again with the bat. They picked you up and locked you in a cage and laughed as you sobbed and screamed to be let out. They kicked the cage into the duck pond and cackled as it began to sink. You felt the cage shaking as you began to wake up. Your eyes snapped open and Wade was shaking you awake. You sobbed as he held you.
“What’s going on?” He asked, lifting your face to his once you’d calmed down.
“It was just a dream.” You tried to brush him off, “it’s nothing.”
“Nothing doesn’t make you scream bloody murder while you’re asleep.” He saw straight through the lie. “Talk to me.” You bit your lip and eventually gave in, explaining the dream and the history with your parent’s. “They’re lucky I don’t know where they live,” Wade threatened angrily, “or I’d have to have a few words.”
“They don’t live anywhere, I buried them when I was 16. My father murdered my step-mother then shot himself.” You winced at the memory, “he’d already gotten away with murdering my mother.”
“How’d she die, if you don’t mind me prying.” Wade sat back, listening intently.
“He strangled her in front of me, I was ‘delirious’ when I called the police. They put it down as suicide because he put a rope around her neck. I never got to testify.”
“What about when they died? Your father and step-mother?”
“One night they were both really drunk, my father pulled a knife and tried to cut my ears and tail off. “You’re a freak, just like your mother,” he kept screaming. “You’re the reason she’s dead,” my step-mother taunted me while she held me still. I got hold of the knife and buried it in her chest then I ran to their bedroom and grabbed a gun. I snuck around to the side of the door and shot him, point blank in the temple.” Wade almost looked impressed.
“Well, that’s fucked up.” You shrugged and leant into Wade. “I want you to know that you’re not the only one who had it rough, I’m always here to talk to.”

Chapter Text

You watched out of the window of the café, sipping the hot tea occasionally. A waitress came up to you, “would you like another, love?” You smiled at her.
“No, I should probably get going. Continue my hunt for a job.” It was officially six months since your fiancé left you after you’d exhibited some strange abilities. You had managed to keep the fact you had celestial wings for close to four years but, when you were attacked when walking home from dinner you had to protect both you and your fiancé. You spread your wings and shielded you both, your sparkling translucent wings sprouting from your back. A man in a leather jacket with a rather large nose rescued you by knocking the muggers out. He disappeared before you got the chance to thank him, so you took your fiancé home. When he recovered from the shock, he’d screamed at you to get out, he called you a freak and threw the engagement ring he wore out the window. You’d flown out the same window, flying until you were three towns over. You’d found a place and were on the lookout for a job, but it was hard to find one with barely any references.
“You know,” the waitress interrupted your thoughts, “we’re hiring, I could talk to my boss and get you an interview.” She looked at you with an understanding pity.
“That would be incredible,” you choked back tears.

“I’ll ring you tomorrow, you can be sure of a job here though.” The café owner assured you with a smile, apparently, you’d made quite the impression with how swiftly you moved around the café. You walked out with a huge smile on your face. As you wandered home you spotted the man in a leather jacket. You called out to him and he turned to face you. He immediately beamed and waved.
“Well, it’s the winged woman!”
“I never got to thank you for that night in the alley.” You shook his hand. “Let me buy you a coffee as thanks.” You offered.
“Fantastic!” He exclaimed, “I’ve got the perfect place for coffee. Follow me.” You followed him and laughed when he went to unlock a blue police phone box.
“That’s not a coffee machine. You know that, right?”
“I’m aware. It’s so much better.” He turned the key and stepped inside. “Come on!” He urged you, pulling you in by your hand. “This is the TARDIS.” He smiled at you as you looked around.
“It’s a nice ship. I thought all of these were destroyed.”
“I know it’s bigger on the, wait, what?” He stopped in his tracks. “You aren’t surprised?”
“I literally have invisible wings. No, I’m not surprised.” You laughed at his reaction. “So, what can it do?” You walked to the control panel, fighting to urge to press buttons.
“It can take us anywhere in all of time and space. Where do you want to go?”
“Well I did promise you coffee, you said you knew somewhere.”
“I did indeed,” he agreed, nodding. “I’m the Doctor, by the way.” he added. He moved around the control panels and the TARDIS whirred to life.

When the Doctor opened the door to the TARDIS, you stepped out into the streets of Turkey. “Welcome to 1683BC, the Ottoman Empire awaits us.” He said with a flourish. You smiled and looked around. The street was bustling with a market, people selling their goods and wares. “So, if I remember, there is a coffee brewer a block from here.” He waltzed off. You followed him but stopped as a piece of fruit rolled in front of you. You picked it up and handed it back to the keeper. He thanked you and gave it back,
“Please, keep it, I can’t sell it now it is bruised. You should have it, pretty lady.” You smiled and walked off, catching up with the Doctor.
“How could I understand him?”
“The TARDIS automatically translates the language, you were speaking Turkish.” Your head couldn’t quite comprehend the thought, but you carried on, deciding to just accept it. “So, what day us it?” He asked to a nearby shopkeeper, nodding when he was given the answer. He turned back to you, “today seems so familiar. It’s quite strange.” You shrugged and carried on walking to the coffee brewer. As soon as the smell hit you it was like heaven.

“Doctor, one problem,” you stopped him just before you walked in. “I take it they don’t take cards.” You joked nervously.
“That’s fine, I’ve got this.” He assured you before striding inside. You followed closely behind him. You felt a little out place and certainly looked it, a few people had started to give you strange looks. You sat on a couple of cushions and a beautiful young woman served you a kettle of freshly brewed coffee. You sipped at it and smiled, it was amazing. Different to what you were used to but still delicious. You sat in the setting suns light, enjoying the coffee and company. A few girls danced nearby to a drum beat. Women and men alike watched them. “I remember what today is.” The Doctor jumped to his feet. “Don’t look at them,” he warned you, covering your eyes.
“What’s wrong?” You got to your feet, keeping your eyes squeezed closed.
“They’re called Irshi, we need to leave.” He took your hand and led you outside. “You stole a glance in a mirror and saw they’re true form, winged and taller than what you’d seen but still eerily beautiful. One of them spotted you and screamed to the others, they blocked the doorway and forced you backwards. The other occupants snapped out of their trance and ran out the back doors and leapt out the windows. One of the Irshi picked you up, ripping you from the Doctor’s gasp.
“Well,” she croaked, “you aren’t human. I can’t wait to feast on you.” You spat in her face and she threw you through a wall. You only just managed to soften the blow by sprouting your wings. The glistened in the dimming sunset. You propelled yourself towards the Doctor but another Irshi threw you aside. Two of them held down the Doctor. You collided with a supporting pillar, watching as the cracks spread to the weakening roof.
“It’s going to collapse!” You yelled to the room, trying to warn everyone, not just the Doctor. Three of the five Irshi ran from the building but two of them stayed behind. You flung yourself at them, knocking them away from the Doctor. They fell on top of each other, bouncing off a wall and grunting in pain. The impact shook debris from the roof, a large piece of stone fell on top of the Doctor, shunting him to his knees. He groaned in pain, holding his head. “We need to go,” the Doctor nodded and tried to stand but you could see it was too late. You considered for a moment leaving him here and escaping. You shook the thought from your mind and spread your wings, surrounding yourself and the Doctor. You braced as the roof collapsed, rocks pummeling you, but your wings took the brunt of the force.

The dust settled and a strong pair of hands pulled you from the rubble, the shopkeeper that gave you the fruit smiled down at you. “You’re alright, we have you and your boyfriend.” He carried you away from the building. You tucked your wings away, as to not cause suspicion. The Doctor took you from the shopkeeper, thanking him profusely.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh, not really. I’m so sore,” you tried to laugh but your body protested at the movement. You could feel bruises coming up already. He carried you back to the TARDIS and sat you on the chair inside.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen. You saved me, I don’t know how I can repay you for that.” You placed a hand on his arm, your body starting to shimmer.
“You could let me stay here until I’ve healed, it shouldn’t take me long, a few hours, a day at most.”
“You have three broken ribs, that takes longer than a day to heal.”
“Not for me, the wings come with an increased healing factor.” You showed him that the minor cuts and bruises were already healing over and fading.
“That’s fantastic. So, what are you?”
“I’m an experiment. Some cracked scientist mixed my DNA with an alien’s. I guess that make me half alien, then.”
“I’d like you to travel with me more, if you’d like. You’re incredibly interesting.” You smiled at him, your heart fluttering.
“As long as I’m back for work tomorrow.” He laughed and nodded. He set course for your next destination.

You walked up behind the Doctor and covered his eyes as he took in the sights of Stonehenge. “Guess who?” You taunted, he turned around to face you.
“The only person I have travelling with me?”
“That’s cheating,” you jokingly pouted. “This place is amazing, a real piece of history right before me.”
“I know it’s not coffee, but I thought we’d do something different now that we’ve been travelling together for nearly a month.” He sat down on the grass, taking off his leather jacket. You sat next to him, leaning on his shoulder. You placed a hand on his chest, feeling his two heart beats. He raised an eyebrow at you, switching between looking at your hand and your eyes. “What are you doing?”
“I didn’t think you had one heart. You’re far too kind for that.”
“Oi!” He scolded, “I have a tough reputation to uphold, don’t be telling people that.” You both laughed.
“Seriously though, you are so kind to me, and I’ve never done anything to deserve it.” The Doctor turned to you, taking your chin in his hand.
“Everybody deserves kindness, nobody has to earn it.” You smiled at him and sighed,
“Doctor, don’t get mad for this.” He looked confused but you shut your eyes and kissed him. He almost jumped back but instead leaned into it, kissing you back. When you broke away you went bright red, realizing what you’d done. “I’m sorry.”
“Why did you do that?” He asked, not moving away.
“I had to know what it was like, kissing another non-human. I also think that I’m feeling something for you. It’s not the fear of being alone like with my fiancé, it’s different. Was it wrong?” The Doctor shook his head,
“I’m glad you did, now I can do this.” He kissed you, lips warm and sweet against yours. You smiled as you kissed on the hilltop, the world fading away around you.

Chapter Text

It had taken almost no time for you to find Sam Winchester, faster than you had planned. This was supposed to be a daylight attack but now the sun had set on the horizon, making it a lot more dangerous. You caught sight of his shadow in the forest across from you, waiting for your cue. Headlights came around the corner, briefly casting a light on your face. The shining, silver knife glistened in your hand reflecting the bright lights, your eyes doing the same. As soon as the brake lights faded into the coming darkness you moved, sneaking closer to him. A twig snapped under your foot, causing Sam to look in your direction. He held a finger to his lips urgently. You raised your hands in mock surrender before continuing forward. You raised the knife, ready to strike but Sam's strong hand held you back. "Wait for Dean and Cas," he hissed at you. You glared at him,
"this fucking monster destroyed my life, I am not letting it get away again!" You growled, daring him to stop you again.
"Alright, just remember, you aren’t alone in this fight. If you can pin him, we can get a clean shot." You pushed past him, and he stood slightly to the side, wanting to reach out after you but thinking better of it. You spotted the large, gingery brown wolf up ahead in the rising moonlight, just on the edge of the forest. It sniffed the air three times then it turned in your direction, staring directly at you. You held the knife at your side, ignoring Sam as he whisper-yelled at you. You locked eyes with Dean who was on the other side, he shook his head angrily at you. The full moon shone down on you, triggering your transformation. You snarled and raced at the creature, feeling your bones creak and crack beneath the skin. Black fur grew from your body and made a thick coat. You dropped to all fours, barely breaking your stride as your teeth sharpened and your nails turned to long claws. Your vision flickered and changed to a grey scheme, allowing you to see in the night. A tail sprouted from your backside and your ears stretched. You could hear your own heartbeat and you felt your breath quicken. A deep, guttural growl escaped your throat as you bounded towards the wolf. With only a few meters to go before you slammed into the wolf, you had changed completely, becoming a beast yourself. You were smaller than the other, only a newly changed wolf against their alpha stature. You bared your teeth and aimed for their throat.

"I can't get a shot!" Dean yelled at Sam, who cursed at the same issue. You fiercely fought the other wolf, locked in bloody battle. You pinned the alpha to the ground, gripping them by the throat and tearing a chunk of flesh and fur away. The alpha whimpered and kicked, sending you flying across the clearing. "Now!" Dean fired twice, stopping as the alpha dove at you as you struggled to get back on your feet. The alpha snapped at you, digging its significantly larger teeth into your skin. You howled in pain as blood clumped the fur. You felt a bone in your arm snap as the beast grabbed you. Your mind started to slip, and your animal form began to fail. The alpha picked you up, your neck in its mouth, shaking you violently. A gunshot rang out and you heard the bullet impact the wolf holding you. Your body had begun to change, black fur dropping from your body and your teeth becoming dull. You raked a claw across the alpha's eye, forcing it to release you as it backed away from the pain. You fell to the ground, broken and bloody. Large wounds and bite marks littered your body. A sharp pain in your arm overwhelmed you. You screamed as you landed on it. The alpha stood over you, drool and blood dripping from its teeth. You felt the knife next to you and you gripped it, cutting your fingers on the blade as you felt for the handle. You drove it up as the beast went for another attack. Warm blood soaked your arm and the wolf's form faded away as it drew its final breaths.

An older man with ginger and grey hair stared down at you in shock, the blade protruding from its throat. You snarled nastily at him before twisting the blade. The man gurgled and slumped over, collapsing on top of you, dead. You heard footsteps hastily making their way towards you, you could hear Dean and Sam yelling for you. The weight of the man was lifted away, and you heard Sam cry out defeatedly. You had no strength to respond to him, as desperate as you were to reassure and comfort. "Please, tell me you're okay." He begged, you felt his hands beneath you as he lifted you away from the ground. You gripped his hand softly, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Cas, please," he carried you to where Castiel was standing. "You have to help her," his voice shook as he begged. Cas rested his hand on your forehead, but he dropped it away with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, Sam. I can't do anything to help her."
"You've healed her before! What's changed?" Sam snapped,
"She's not the same. She's an alpha now. She's untouchable by angels. I am sorry." Sam shook his head before gazing down at you, carrying you back to the Chevrolet Impala.

You scowled in pain at the hospital lights above you, the white light too bright. You attempted to block it out, but your arm was heavily bound. “She’s waking up,” you could hear Sam next to you. You felt his light touch on your arm, and it took you a moment to focus on his form. He smiled at you, you returned the smile weakly. “How’re you feeling?”
“Like I attacked an alpha werewolf.” You croaked, chuckling. Sam sighed with relief.
“Fair enough, stupid question.”
“Sam,” you tried to sit up slightly further but gave up because of the pain, “why am I in a hospital?”
“You lost a lot of blood; the staff here weren’t even sure they would be able to treat you. You’re fine now, when you’re feeling better, we can go home.” He assured you. You shuddered, unsure of how to take the news. You both turned your attention to the door as it slid open. Dean walked in with a bag of food. He already had a burger in one hand,
“The hospital food here sucks, I brought you something half decent.” He pressed the controls on the bed, moving you into a sitting position. You grunted from the dull ache covering your whole body but forgot it when you smelt the food. Your mouth immediately started watering,
“That smells like the best thing ever cooked.” Dean smiled and passed a burger and some fries over to you. You wolfed them down, your body thanking you for the warm, salty meal. Sam grabbed a salad from the bag and Dean grabbed a second burger.

You sat chatting for a while before there was a knock at the door. The scent of wolf hit your nose, you growled a warning as a young woman walked into the room. Her uniform told you that she was a nurse. Sam and Dean saw your reaction and stood in front of you. “I’m here to help,” the nurse said innocently. You noticed the plastic bag in her hand. The smell of fresh blood excited you.
“Give me what’s in the bag.” You commanded, the nursed nodded and handed it to you. Sam and Dean watched as you pulled out a chunk of raw venison. You licked your lips hungrily and tore it to shreds, devouring it within a minute. You gasped as your body started to regenerate. Your arm fixed itself and you could feel the claw and bite marks closing. Sam and Dean looked on, unsure of what to do.
“You are an alpha, you need the fresh blood to activate your abilities.” You nodded to the nurse who was kindly explaining. Your nose twitched and you could hear yelling downstairs. Their voices echoed up to your room.
“Where is the woman who was brought in here?" They yelled, "two men brought her in, one tall and dark hair, one’s short and cocky.” You could hear the men yelling and breaking stuff downstairs. A female nurse told them which room you were in, causing your body to release adrenaline at the realisation of danger.
“We need to go. Now.” You warned the others, climbing out of bed. The nurse helped you take out the I.V. lines, you went to stop her, but it was like she read your thoughts.
“I am actually a nurse.” She reassured you with a gentle smile. You climbed out of the bed, leaning lightly on Sam. The glass shattered as a chair was thrown through it. You dragged Sam out of the spray of glass. Large claws grew from your hand as you confronted the men that stood there. You ran at the one that threw the chair, faster than you were ever able to run before. You shoved him backwards, he flew into the wall and fell, unconscious, to the floor. You grinned at the others before letting out a blood-curdling howl. One of the men pulled a gun and shot you, the bullet bounced pitifully off of your skin, the mark healing instantly. You growled at him and grabbed him by the throat, throwing him into one of the others.
“I don’t want to kill you, but I will.” You snarled to the men.
“Screw this, the pay ain’t worth it. You weren’t meant to be this powerful.” One of them said, taking off out of the hospital. The other conscious men followed him out.
“I think we should go home.” You turned to Sam and Dean, “I’d like to get changed first, though.” You looked down at the hospital gown with a sigh.

You sat in the back of the Chevy Impala, singing along to the rock music that Dean had chosen on the radio. You pulled up to the safehouse, sighing in relief at the familiar sight. Sam opened the car door and helped you out, you smiled and took his hand. He lifted you up and kissed you, taking you by pleasant surprise. “Oi, lovebirds!” Dean taunted, “one of you need to help me with the groceries.” You knew he was meaning Sam, but you strode to the car boot. You lifted four of the six bags with ease,
“Sam, babe, could you get the door?” He shrugged and unlocked the front door, struggling for a moment in the moonlight. You sat down with a beer on the couch once the groceries had been unpacked. You motioned for Sam to sit next to you. Dean was about to sit down when his phone rang, he rolled his eyes and left the room. Sam lay on the couch, head resting in your lap. You absent-mindedly played with his hair as you drank your beer.
“So, super strength and speed. Keen hearing and smell.” You smiled at him as he talked, “that’s new. What else can you do?”
“I have no clue, we saw that I can take a bullet and regenerate. I can also see much better in the dark. I suppose the longer I’m like this the more we’ll learn,” you shrugged.
“Do you think you’ll have to feed on humans often?” You looked down at him in shock.
“Sam.” You almost scolded him for suggesting it, “if I could survive on hunting animals before, that won’t change now.”
“But you aren’t the way you were before, are you?” He sat up, taking your hand in his. “I don’t care, as long as it’s not innocent people. But other hunters, Dean and Cas, they might not think the same.” He sounded incredibly concerned, it was almost sweet.
“I can control it. If I can’t, you need to put me down. I won’t be a danger to innocent people, I can’t.” Sam winced at the bluntness of your sentence. Dean stepped back in the lounge,
“That was the local sheriff. There are several wolves hanging around town, big wolves.”
“They’re werewolves.” You answered, standing up and putting your empty beer bottle on the table. “They are waiting for me.”

You walked to the front door, as you opened it howls filled the air. Your body ached as you transformed into your wolf form. Bigger than before and your fur blacker than raven feathers. Sam and Dean followed you out and climbed into the car. You waited for the roar of the Chevy’s engine before racing off down the road. The Impala followed you, but Dean struggled to keep up on the winding road. He slammed on the brakes as you approached a group of large wolves. They all bowed their heads as you entered the clearing, the car behind you. You stood up, transforming back into your human self. “My wolf brethren, I am aware that I am not the alpha that has ruled you for the past three decades.” The wolves snarled and snapped at each other. “I will not change much, only one rule. You are not to feed on the innocent. You can survive on animals, there is no need to end a human life.” You could feel that they weren’t happy at the suggestion, a couple of wolves stepped forward. You decided that you would have to become more aggressive as an alpha. You grew claws and growled back at them, one of them whimpered and backed off but two remained.
“Why should we listen to you?” One of them growled.
“Because I am your alpha. If you refuse my command, you will die.” You warned, stepping towards the male wolf. He got ready to pounce and you changed into a wolf in response. You bared your teeth and he leapt at you. You heard Sam gasp, but Dean held him back. You caught the ignorant wolf with your teeth, pinning him beneath you. You bit his shoulder, leaving a nasty gouge as a reminder before letting him go. He limped away in pain, hiding behind other wolves. You turned back to the others, letting out another guttural growl. “Does anyone else want to challenge my authority?”

Chapter Text

“Hey, Robin!” You called out to your boyfriend from across the rooftops. He turned and smiled when he saw you. You spread your wings and leapt over to him. “I thought you’d be at home tonight,” you hugged him tightly, “you know, after what happened to Batman last night.”
“He has Alfred looking after him, he practically forced him to stay home tonight to let his body heal. I couldn’t stand to listen to him beat himself up over being caught in a trap.”
“Fair enough,” you sighed.
“Besides, I’d much rather spend my night out here with you, Cygnus.” He kissed you deeply, tipping you back slightly.
“If only I wasn’t busy protecting Gotham, I’d take you home.” You kissed him back.
“Yeah? And what mischief would we get up to?”
“Maybe put on a movie, make some popcorn,” you walked your fingers up his chest, “we’d have to make sure it was a boring movie though, just in case we decided to do something far more fun.” Robin listened intently, mesmerised by the way the moonlight caught your lips as he held you.
“I’ll remember that next time I have a night off,” he kissed you again as you smiled.
“Gotham’s not in trouble now, shall we go take a break?” As you said it, screaming filled the air. “Damn it, I had to say something.” Robin let you go and you both ran towards the source of screaming. A ball of fire erupted into the air in front of you, you yanked Robin back just in time.
“Thanks,” he nodded at you. You spread your wings and flew down the side of the building, Robin following closely behind. You crept around the side of the warehouse, pulling out a pair of perfectly balanced throwing knives, carved into the shape of feathers. Robin equipped himself with his BōStaff, keeping it collapsed but a finger on the button. “I’ve got your six,” he whispered in your ear before disappearing from sight.

You stepped lightly on the floor, barely making a sound. You fluttered your wings as something brushed past them. A fist collided with the side of your head, sending you cluttering to the ground. You heard laughter in the darkness beyond,
“Now that Bats is out of the way… hehe ha…” you recognised the laugh immediately, “I can use you to get rid of his pesky sidekick!” The joker erupted into his vicious, mocking laughter as a gas canister rolled next to your head. You swore and attempted to kick it away, but the Joker jumped on you, pinning your wings down with his knees. He placed a gas mask over his face but not before you saw his wild smile and even crazier eyes. You struggled to get away as the sickly green gas billowed from the cannister.
“Robin! Run!” You screamed, throat burning and eyes watering like mad. Your mind swam and you struggled less and less, your body overwhelmed by the sedative gas.

You woke up chained to the ceiling. The Joker sat in a chair, twiddling his thumbs. “Oh!” He smiled and jumped up, “you’re awake. I may have used too much gas, it took a long time for you to wake up.” He wrote a note down dramatically.
“I think it was the concussion,” you snarled, head aching.
“Hmm, that’s a possibility.” He tapped his chin.
“What do you want Joker?” You were already looking for a way to get out of the chains. You tested your wings, but they were bound tightly behind your back.
“I want the Robin. Because if he comes, Batman will come too.” He laughed and grabbed your cheeks. “Now sweetheart, don’t try get out of those chains, they’re set to release ten THOUSAND volts of electricity without the key.” He cackled at the look of shock on your face as he told you.
“You’re insane.” You spat,
“people do keep telling me that.” He wandered out of the room.
“Where are you going?” You yelled after him,
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t tell you,” he grinned, “we’re going to make a nice movie for Batman and Robin. You’re the star!” You winced at the suggestion, your mind beginning to panic.

The joker strode back in, two thugs following behind him holding a camera and a laptop. “So,” he walked up to you, “we need to discuss what your lines are!” He walked around you, looking you up and down. “First let’s get rid of this mask.” You leaned away from his hands, but he grabbed the white mask, decorated like a swan that covered all but your mouth. “Are you recording you, idiots?” He snapped at the thugs who hurriedly set up.
“We’re streaming sir, we have a direct line to Batman.” The Joker smiled and removed the mask. You cursed under your breath.
“Well! You are quite a looker, if I wasn’t in a relationship, I’d steal you away from that Robin boy.” You glared, unblinking, at him. “Right. All you have to say is something along the lines of,” he pursed his lips before screaming at the top of his lungs. Everyone in the room jumped at the sudden sound. His scream slowly devolved into malicious laughter. “But I’m just making this up on the spot. You do it how you like.”
“I am not screaming for your video.” You snapped back,
“Oh dear, cold feet?” He picked up one of your knives, “I’ll encourage you a little then.” He held it over a nearby fireplace. You watched the flames heat the pristine metal. “Make sure you get this,” he instructed the thugs, who nodded a little too enthusiastically. You heard a voice on the other side of the laptop,
“Cygnus!” Robin and Batman said almost in unison.
“Robin! Batman!” You called back, struggling against the chains. “It’s a trap, don’t come,” you screamed as the red-hot blade pressed against your leg. Sweat beaded on your forehead as you tried to get away. “Fuck you!” You groaned at the Joker as he removed the knife. He danced in front of your face.
“This is a very nice blade, no wonder it’s your preferred weapon.” He dragged the blade down your cheekbone, leaving a bloody trail behind. “Batman and Robin, good to see you decided to log on today. I’d hate for this lovely creature to go to waste.”
“What do you want Joker?” Batman growled.
“Me?” The Joker laughed evilly, “I don’t want anything, but I know you want her back. So, come get her.” The last line gave you chills.

Your arms ached from holding your own bodyweight as you continued to hang from the chains. It must have been close to three hours of the Joker “playing” with you, getting more and crueller as time ticked on and he grew more impatient. Blood dripped from your body, a small pool gathering at your feet. You winced as he stepped closer to you, “they mustn’t care that much.” He smiled cruelly at you as he lifted your chin to look at him, “they’re taking an awfully long time to rescue you.” You spat blood into his face,
“they know not to put themselves in danger for me, especially if they know it’s a trap. I doubt they’re coming at all, as you said, they don’t care that much.” Your heart broke as you lied, the truth was, you knew they would come, and you couldn’t shake the guilt of them getting hurt trying to save you. The Joker smiled and wiped the blood away, blood smearing down his face. He tapped your cheek lightly before delivering a hard blow to your stomach, driving the wind from your lungs.
“Do not lie to me!” He hissed before cracking into laughter, “you haven’t spent a night protecting Gotham without one of them next to you, if not both!” His ranting was interrupted by a cacophony upstairs. “Well, well, well. Right on time.” He spun to face the door as the thugs drew their guns. The door blew off its hinges and smoke filled the entryway. The thugs open -fired on the doorway. “You morons! Don’t waste your bullets!” The Joker warned. He stepped behind you, holding a large blade to your wings. The two thugs looked away for a moment, just enough time for both of them to be knocked unconscious.
“Don’t you touch them, asshole,” you growled at him as he gripped the feathers tightly.
“Joker, let her go and nobody else gets hurt,” Batman warned, his voice echoed around the room.
“Not a chance Bats!” He chuckled. “Is the boy wonder with you?”
“I’m here, Joker.” You smiled when you heard Robin.
“Good, I’d hate for you to miss this. Step out of the smoke, hands up.” Batman and Robin both stood forward, doing as they were told. “Good boys. Now, I am sick of Cygnus here taking out my operations. She’s costing me a lot of money. I need her to stop.”
“She doesn’t answer to us, if that’s what your thinking,” Batman said, caution and confusion in his voice.
“I’m quite aware,” he laughed, grabbing your wings tighter and pulling them out straight but still bound together. “I was thinking something more permanent anyway.” He brought the blade down, slicing through the shoulder of your wings. White filled your vision as the worst pain you’d ever felt rushed through your body. Your back ached and burned at the same time. You screamed in pain, trying to relieve some of it. “Oh, they were actually attached.” You heard the Joker laugh behind you. Your head slumped forward as you fought to stay conscious. Batman rushed past you, the Joker caught off guard. Batman punched him hard enough to knock him out with one hit.
“Cygnus?” Robin held your cheeks in his hand, “stay with me, okay?” He started to pick the locks to your chains put you shunted him away.
“Chains… electric… need key…” You warned him away. Batman threw him the set of keys that the Joker had around his neck. Robin undid the chains and you fell heavily to the floor, your legs giving out. Robin supported you, dragging you to a nearby seat. Tears fell down your cheeks, further staining your blood covered shirt.

“She’s bleeding out, Batman,” Robin called to him as he tied the Joker up. He rushed to your side, “we need to get her to a hospital.” He urged.
“She won’t make it that far,” Batman countered. He was right and you all knew it. “Even if we wrapped it…” he trailed off.
“Cauterize it.” You told them in a whisper,
“Cygnus, you know that means we won’t be able to reattach them,” Robin informed you, trying to make you reconsider.
“I’ll die if you don’t, there’s no point reattaching them to a corpse.” You laughed morbidly. Batman pulled a laser from his utility belt and aimed it at the stumps of your wings.
“Take a deep breath,” he told you. You felt Robin take your hand and you looked up at him. He took his mask off, letting you look directly into his eyes.
“This is going to hurt, but you’ll be fine. You’re strong like that,” he smiled, giving you a quick kiss. You nodded and drew in a deep breath.

You opened your eyes, the beeping of a nearby heart-rate monitor bothering you out of sleep. You noticed that you were on your stomach and as you attempted to turn over your back protested. You cried out in pain and someone laid a hand on your shoulder. “Hey, babe. Let me give you a hand.” Dick Grayson’s voice filled your ears. He helped you onto your side so you could see him. Bruce Wayne stood close behind him. “Better?” You smiled weakly at him, head throbbing.
“You’ve been unconscious for nearly five days. You’ll be a little stiff.” Bruce stepped up next to Dick.
“My wings?” You forced yourself to ask, knowing the answer already. The first thing you’d tried was fluttering your wings. When you did you felt nothing. Dick shook his head solemnly,
“I’m sorry.” You bit your bottom lip, nodding.
“Five days, huh? That’s a hell of a nap,” your voice came out croaky and tired. “I’m ready to go, is my stuff packed?”
“What?” Dick spluttered, “you aren’t going anywhere. You almost died less than a week ago!”
“Dick’s right, you need to stay here and get proper treatment.”
“I can get treatment at the manor.” You sat up, pushing past the pain. “Gotham needs me, it needs all of us as a team. You can’t tell me to stay and get treatment anyway,” you scolded Bruce, “you got shot in the arm and didn’t even take a night off!” You recalled the night before you were caught.
“Yes, I can tell you. Not as the caped crusader but as a parental figure, I’m the one that’s taken care of you for the past three years. This is what’s best for you, heal up now and you’ll be back on the team in no time.”
“Please, just a few more days.” Dick took your hand, kissing it gently. You smiled and sighed,
“Fine. I’ll give it three days.”

Chapter Text

Dick Grayson helped you into the car, waiting patiently for Bruce to finish finalising some details with the hospital. You had been true to your word and stayed an extra three days, despite being bored out of your mind. Dick and Bruce had alternated staying with you to keep you company, although they both left at night to assume their superhero personas and protect Gotham. In times like that, Alfred stayed with you instead, refusing to leave you unguarded. You attempted to get him to go home but he insisted. It made the nights pass faster as Alfred brought homemade meals and a few games to keep you entertained. He kept your mind keen by challenging you to games of chess like he did when you were first brought under the Wayne Manor roof.

Alfred was waiting in the car, greeting you cheerily as you climbed in, careful of your back. "How are you feeling this morning?" You sighed and buckled your seat belt, Dick closed the door and waited for Bruce outside.
"Still sore. Don't tell the others," you joked.
"It won't come from me, miss." He smiled back. Bruce and Dick climbed in, Dick sitting next to you. He rested his hand on your knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. You rested your hand on top of his. "Ready to go home?" Alfred asked, turning the key in the ignition.

You looked over Gotham, perched on the roof of Wayne Enterprises. You wore your combat suit and mask but still felt naked and unsafe. You had found that adjusting to a wingless life was more complicated than you anticipated. You found yourself overbalancing and almost pitching forwards almost every time you stood up. You had also almost jumped from a roof in a moment of instinct, Robin pulling you back at the last moment, reminding you solemnly that you couldn't fly anymore. You found yourself colder than usual as well, needing to wear more layers to counter the fact you couldn't wrap your wings around yourself for warmth. Robin joined you on the roof, placing his arm around you. "It's almost dawn, we should head home. Batman is taking over soon." You nodded and followed Robin back to Wayne Manor.

You climbed into the shower, grateful for the warmth and pressure. You removed the bandages from your shoulders and threw them in a pile on the floor. You had bled through them, the moving and jumping opening the burned wound slightly. You stepped into the shower and began to wash. You ran your hands lightly over where you wings once were, a lump forming in your throat. Memories of the Joker’s cruel torture flashed across your mind, overwhelming your thoughts. His laughter filled the space around you, you tried to draw a breath, but you were shaking too hard. You sank to the bottom of the shower, hands holding your head. You cursed as you broke down into tears, slamming your fist into the wall. “Babe?” You heard the door creak open and saw Dick’s shadow through the frosted glass.
“I’m fine,” you answered, voice shaking. He opened the shower door. He had his sleeves rolled up his forearms and the top button undone. He saw you shaking and in tears and climbed in the shower.
“It’s alright,” he hushed you as he held you, the water soaking his clothes. You cried harder as he kissed your forehead gently, “you’re alright. I’ve got you.” You sat for a few minutes before he stood you up slowly. He turned the shower off and grabbed a nearby towel, wrapping it around your shoulders. He dripped water on the bathroom floor as he undressed, wrapping a towel around his waist. He walked you out to the attached bedroom and helped you get dressed.

You climbed into bed as the sun streamed through the window. Dick had rewrapped your injuries and put a movie on. He climbed into bed next to you, you turned to face him, and he wrapped his arms around you. You rested your head on his chest, listening to him breathing as he watched the movie. “Try to get some sleep.” He kissed your cheek and you nestled into him. Dick fell asleep shortly after the movie started, exhausted from the night before. You fell asleep shortly afterwards, relaxing in his safe grip.

A gentle knock on the door woke you up, it was late afternoon and you hadn’t meant to sleep this late. You gently lifted Dick’s arm up, unwrapping yourself. You opened the door and Bruce stood there, “how are you feeling?” He whispered, noticing that Dick was still sleeping.
“Better after a night’s rest. Is something wrong?” Bruce smiled and shook his head,
“No. I was just wondering if you two were coming down for a briefing?”
“Let Dick sleep, I can come, then fill him in later. Give me a second to get dressed, I’ll meet you in the cave.” Bruce nodded and turned away. You saw that he already had his combat suit on so that’s what you chose to wear. Dick had woken up while you were getting changed and told you to get started without him. You went downstairs, Alfred greeting you as you made your way through the Manor. You took the elevator down to the Batcave where Batman was waiting.

You sat, listening intently to Batman as he explained what he’d recently found. “It’s a huge drug movement, in exactly seven days’ time they’re moving millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine into the city. They are currently storing it in a warehouse, here.” He pointed to a map. “We have one chance to stop this shipment moving further.” You nodded.
“Let’s go.”
“So, when were you going to tell her?" Dick interrupted.
"Tell me what?" Your interest was suddenly piqued.
"I was going to tell her after I finished briefing her. Then I wanted to wait for you." Bruce scolded Dick for his impatience.
"Blah blah blah, stop the drugs, follow your lead. There, briefing done." Dick smiled, "now show her." Bruce sighed and grabbed a remote.
“I know that you’ve been struggling with the lack of flight. I’ve been working on something that I think will help.” A large glass case spun around from a wall, contained in the glass was a metal pair of wings, intricately designed. “They are based on your original wings, but we decided to take it a step further.” He lifted them out of the case and offered them to you. “If you want, I can permanently attach them once you’ve healed a bit more, for now, they will respond to your movements. They should allow you to fly again and be no heavier than your own wings were. They’re also bulletproof.” You clasped your hand over your mouth as Batman attached the wings, connecting them to your combat suit. You spread them behind you, admiring the feeling. “Until they are properly connected to you, they won’t feel the same but after the surgery, they should be fully functional.” You turned to Batman and kissed his cheek, hugging him tightly.
“Thank you,”
“You’re welcome. You should thank your boyfriend too. He came up with the idea, I just did the engineering.” You smiled at him and ran to Robin.
“You’re amazing,”
“I couldn’t bear to see you in so much pain, like a piece of you was missing. I just wanted to see you whole again.” He whispered to you,
“So, when do you think you can do the surgery?” You asked, eager to get them properly attached,
“If you are not sore tomorrow, we can do it then. If you want to do that, you need to rest for the rest of the day and tonight. That means you can’t come out tonight.” You nodded,
“Sure. You two can handle one night.”
“Cygnus, one more thing.” Batman laid a hand on your shoulder, “about the surgery, you’re going to have to be awake.”

The day seemed to drag on, but you managed to fall asleep fairly easily that night. Your mind drowned in the thoughts of being able to fly again. In the morning you got up, noticing that Dick wasn’t in bed with you. You made your way to the kitchen to ask Alfred. Alfred was busy preparing breakfast. “Ah, good morning, miss. I’m sorry to say this isn’t for you. Master Wayne was very insistent that you don’t eat before your surgery today.” You sighed,
“Can I at least have a coffee?”
“I don’t see why not,” Alfred smiled, handing you a fresh mug. “Good luck today, Master Wayne is downstairs.” You thanked Alfred and headed down to the Batcave. Bruce greeted you as you entered the cave, Dick was by his side. An older woman had joined them,
“Good morning. I hope you slept well, this is Doctor Venda, she’s the one helping me with the attachment surgery.” You shook her hand, she had a firm grip which gave you a fresh bout of confidence.
“So, Cygnus,” she walked around you, examining your back, “I am to attach these wings in the same place they were prior?” She spoke with a thick French accent,
“Yes, please.”
“Very good, this will be unpleasant, I will need to attach each nerve individually. It will take a long time, you may not go to sleep or I will not know if I damage any of the nerves. We are able to take breaks, but I would like to get this done as soon as possible. We may begin as soon as you are ready.”

You lay on the surgical table, the pristine room around you smelt of disinfectant. You lay with no shirt on and shivered from the cold. Dr Venda leaned down to talk to you, “alright, my dear, you have these two wonderful men to keep you company. Is there anything you need before we begin?” You looked up at her,
“Can we put on some music?” Dr Venda smiled,
“Of course. I work better with music anyway.” Soft rock music echoed from a nearby speaker, Dr Venda hummed along to the words, covering her mouth with a surgical mask. “Take a few deep breaths, try to relax.” You did as you were told, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. You squeezed your eyes closed as Dr Venda ran the scalpel down your back.

Several hours of surgery later, you lay still, exhausted and in severe pain. Dr Venda congratulated you as she wrapped the fresh surgical wounds. “Not many people would be able to stay conscious, you did extremely well.” You gave her a half nod,
“Can I sleep now?” you said jokingly
“Of course,” she laughed, “you won’t be able to use your wings for a few days. If it doesn’t begin to feel more comfortable in the next few days, get Bruce to contact me.” She nodded and picked up her bags. Bruce pulled her to the side, having a quiet conversation with her while Robin came to your side.
"Feeling alright?"
"Not even close," you responded, showing him a half-smile. "I think I'll be alright after some sleep." He kissed your forehead and sat in a chair nearby.

You groaned as you sat up in bed, body bruised from the night of guarding Gotham. Sudden excitement took over your body, tonight was the night you were allowed to remove the bandages from your wings. You shook Dick awake, he went into defensive mode but calmed down once he saw that you were beaming. "It's time." You took his hand, admiring his body for a moment before throwing his clothes at him.
"Excited much?" He laughed, pulling a shirt on.
"You have no idea, babe." You chose a backless shirt for the occasion. "I'll meet you downstairs." You called to him as you practically ran out of the door. You bumped into Alfred, who was making his way upstairs.
"Ah, I was just on my way to wake you. Master Wayne is in the garage." You thanked Alfred and continued to the garage. Bruce looked at you as you burst through the door.
"You're awake. Good."
"I'm ready."
"I can see that. Come here then," he beckoned you over. Dick walked in the door behind you, folding his arms over his chest as Bruce unwrapped your wings. You admitted that feeling someone touch your wings was strange, almost ticklish. "It's good that you can feel that," Bruce assured you. You felt a cool breeze blow under the feathers as the bandages fell away. You stretched them backwards, tucking them around yourself and fluttering them about. You could feel barely any pain as you tested their range of movement.
"They look amazing," Dick said in awe. You spotted a mirror in the corner and walked to it. You spun around, admiring the way they moved with you. Tears of happiness fell down your cheeks as a feeling of completeness washed over you.
"Thank you, so much." You nodded to Bruce then kissed Dick. "I can't wait to try them."
"We'll start off small, with gliding and such. Then we can move to full flight." Bruce stated, pulling a pair of car keys from his pocket and opening the car door.
"We're going now?"
"What other time would you like to go?" Dick asked, climbing in the car.
"Now's good," you answered with a feeling of anxiety.

You stepped to the edge of the building, peering over the side at nighttime Gotham. You had complete trust in Batman’s wings, and you knew that even if they did fail, he and Robin were there to catch you. The only doubt was coming from your mind. Did you still remember to fly? You looked down and spread your wings. "Are you alright?" Robin asked from behind you,
"Robin, what if I can't fly?"
"Cygnus, trust yourself. Listen to your instincts and you'll be great," he smiled, kissing your forehead. You nodded and turned back to the edge. You shook your wings and drew a deep breath, then you jumped.

Chapter Text

You watched the sun setting over Naboo, standing near your ship. You turned to the Twi’lek that was talking to a native Gungan. “Aconrido,” the male Twi’lek with light lilac skin turned to you.
“Yes, Essal?” The Gungan hurried away from you two.
“Did they know what I asked?” You asked, more impatiently than you’d intended.
“It did. We need to continue east, this is Gungan territory.”
“Let’s get the fuck out of here then, I’m being eaten alive by bugs.” A deep red Devaronian joined your side, she looked extremely upset at the circumstance.
“Patience, Simni.” You scolded her, “we have to wait for Pas to get back.” She huffed and walked back onto your ship. You let out a high-pitched whistle and stood patiently. Out of the tree line sprang a Vulptex, its crystalline fur catching the late sun. It saw you and bounded over. A male Mirialan, his skin slightly tinged green waved at you as he walked from out of the tree line. “Pas, you took your time.” You ushered him onto the ship, one hand on his shoulder.
“Cerno found something and wouldn’t leave it alone.” He glowered at the Vulptex that was rubbing against the side of the ship.
“Aconrido, let’s go!” You yelled out of the ramp, the Twi’lek nodding and climbing aboard. He took the controls and you sat next to him. “Let’s find somewhere to stay.”

You walked through the centre of the Naboo city, the people who lived there acknowledged your crew, but continued with their business. Cerno followed right behind your heels as you led the way. A group of young humans ran up to you, they bothered you with questions about your pet and asked to rub him. “No, you’ll take your hand off.” You warned them, their faces fell. “Tell me, where’s the nearest inn?” You asked the eldest child. They pointed over to a tall building on the other side of the square. “Thank you.” You walked directly to it, calling Cerno after you. Your crew followed quickly behind. Simni growled at the children as she walked past, earning a smack from Aconrido who apologised to them.
“How can I help?” The barkeep asked as soon as you walked in.
“We need rooms,” you explained. He nodded and gave you the prices. He spotted your Vulptex and grimaced,
“We have a strict ‘no pets’ policy.” You rolled your eyes and pulled a bag from your hip. You pulled a large, dark blue gem from it, showing it to the barkeep.
“Well, I don’t see any pets here, so it’s all fine.” The barkeep looked at the gem and shrugged,
“No, no pets at all.” He smirked, “so, miss,”
“Janntri, Essal Janntri.”
“Miss Janntri, I hope you enjoy your stay. You and your crew,” You smiled at him and went to hand over the gem, but a drunk patron pushed past you. The gem was knocked from your hand and hurtled towards the ground. You made a motion to grab it, concentrating on the fragile crystal as it stopped inches from the ground. It floated slowly up to your hand. “You can use the force?” The barkeeper saw in awe. You pressed your finger to your lips,
“nobody else needs to know, right?” The barkeep nodded as you passed him the blue gem. You turned to your crew, handing them their respective keys. “I’m going to have a drink, don’t wait up.”

You sat, drinking slowly from the cup in front of you and observing the room. You’d noticed two men in hoods as soon as you’d walked in. You were used to shady characters but there was something about them that made you wary. The rest of your team had already gone up to bed, Aconrido taking Cerno with him so you sat alone. One of the waitstaff walked over to your table with another drink. “I haven’t finished this one yet,” you declined the drink politely,
“it’s from the table over there.” He gestured to the two hooded men. You gave the waiter a nod and he carried on his way. You grabbed the cup and carried it over to the hooded men’s table.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” You went to walk away but the older man grabbed your arm. You froze in your tracks, “hands off if you want to keep them. First and only warning.” You said bluntly.
“Sit with us.” He offered, releasing his grip. “Please,” you groaned and sat reluctantly next to the younger man.
“What? I’m extremely busy.” You snapped,
“My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is Anakin Skywalker. I noticed that you can use the force, where did you learn that?”
“I’m not a Jedi, that’s for damn sure.” You spat.
“What’s wrong with the Jedi?” Obi-Wan pressed on, you grew angrier as he did.
“I’ve got my reasons. Why are you so interested?”
“Because I’m a Jedi. Anakin here is my Padawan.” You scowled at them both, standing up to leave.
“Please, don’t leave. We need your help.” Anakin pleaded with you.
“Are you going to die if I don’t help?” You countered,
“I hope not.” Anakin admitted, “we can pay you if that’s what it takes.”
“Jedi’s hiring mercs. That’s something I haven’t encountered. How much and what for.”
“Straight to business, huh?” Obi-Wan sounded impressed and relieved. “8,000 credits to escort us to a nearby planet.”
“Do you have a ship?” You asked.
“Not currently, there’s one waiting for us on that planet.” Obi-Wan sighed,
“My crew and I can take you, we’re refuelling and restocking tomorrow. We leave tomorrow night.” You took a few steps but turned back, “where are you staying?” Anakin shrugged,
“we aren’t sure yet.” You rolled your eyes.
“You can stay in my room. I have an extra bed, Cerno will just have to sleep on the floor.”

You showed the men up to your room. Simni heard you coming upstairs and stepped out of her room. “Essal. Who are these men?”
“We have a job, Simni. This is Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, his apprentice. We’re taking them to Rugosa tomorrow evening. Go back to bed.” You commanded her, Simni reluctantly turned back into her room. You pushed open the door to your own room and walked inside. Anakin sat on the end of the bed. A strange beeping came from Obi-Wan’s pocket, he pulled out a communicator. A strange, short green creature appeared.
“Talk to you, I must.” The creature said.
“Of course, Master Yoda.” Obi-Wan excused himself from the room. You walked to a bag that lay on the bed next to the Padawan.
“So, Anakin. What brings you to Naboo anyway?” You asked, pulling your shirt off, revealing the various scars on your torso.
“We are here on political business.” Anakin stared at your body for a moment before averting his eyes.
“Fun.” You grabbed a clean shirt from the bag, “a Jedi, huh? Why the hell would you choose that kind of life?”
“I didn’t choose it, it chose me.”
“Right, the will of the force and all that.” You looked at him, “it’s a shame, really.”
“What is?” He asked, looking up at you. You placed a hand on his chest, leaning down so that your mouth was next to his ear. You felt his heart quicken under your palm.
“We could have some fun if you were allowed to.” You hooked your fingers in his robes and shimmied them off, you bit his ear lightly. You trailed kisses down his exposed chest, he moaned softly at your touch. “Oh dear, the Jedi-to-be is enjoying himself.”
“It’s not that, I just,” Anakin stammered,
“haven’t been touched like this in a long time?” You finished his sentence. You stood up and grabbed the robes just as the door clicked open and Obi-Wan cleared his throat.
“Anakin, what’s going on?”
“Well, Anakin here had spilt something on his robes, I wasn’t about to let him run around with a stain on them, so I offered to get them washed. It’s covered by my room fees.” Obi-Wan looked at Anakin,
“Is that true?”
“Yes, master.”
“Well, be more careful next time. Thank you Essal.” You smiled at him.
“Make yourselves comfortable, one of you will need to sleep on the couch or share the bed.” You walked out to get the robes washed, after all, they did smell slightly.

You woke up early in the morning, earlier than the sunrise as usual. You wandered out to the balcony attached to your room and breathed in the crisp air. You watched as the world began to wake up. You smiled at the feeling of serenity that filled you. “It’s lovely out here. Peaceful,” Anakin spoke behind you,
“It is. My favourite time of the day.” You turned to him, he looked like he was about to burst. “What’s wrong?”
“About last night,” he started, wringing his hands together.
“I took it too far, I’m sorry for that.” You admitted,
“No, that’s not it. I’m conflicted, you see. I know that I shouldn’t have enjoyed it, but I did. Then last night, while I was sleeping, I had these dreams.” He stepped closer to you, “I think you’re driving me insane.” You smirked and raised an eyebrow.
“And what are you going to do about that?” You teased. He stepped forward quickly, wrapping a hand around your waist. He pulled you to him and kissed you passionately. You kissed him back, running your hands through his hair and down his back. When you finally broke apart Anakin was smiling, a truly happy smile. “That’s one option. Anakin, what if your master finds out?” Anakin’s smile faded,
“I don’t know. I’ll have my status revoked,”
“Look, I won’t tell him. That’s up to you.” He nodded,
“Thank you, I don’t know what to do. I have duties as a Jedi, but my heart tells me that it wants you.”
“Well,” you walked your fingers up his chest, “Lucky I can keep a secret.”

You ate the breakfast that was brought up to your room, sharing it with Obi-Wan and Anakin. Your crew joined you shortly after breakfast had arrived. You introduced the others to the two new men. “We’re going to be helping them, they’re paying us. Any questions?”
“No captain,” your crew said in unison.
“Good. Simni, you’re in charge of refilling the clean water supplies.” The Devaronian nodded and stood up, moving for the door. “Pas, you need to restock the food supplies. Take Cerno with you for a walk. Aconrido, fuel and check over the ship for repairs. Contact me when you’re done.” The crew left, Pas calling Cerno to his side, Cerno reluctantly left you behind. “Alright, is there anything you two need to do today?”
“No, we’ve finished our business here.”
“I need to go and see someone about something they stole from me. You can come if you like.” You offered nonchalantly, not really expecting them to say yes.
“Sure,” Obi-Wan said, standing up. Anakin followed his lead.
“Are you certain? I don’t deal with things in the Jedi way.”
“Maybe we can change that,” Obi-Wan smiled. You shrugged and walked out the door.

You approached a beautiful house on the opposite side of the city. You banged on the door, hard enough to shake the nearby window. Anakin and Obi-Wan watched you carefully. A young human female answered the door. “Can I help you?” She asked impatiently.
“Where’s Chorus?” The female went pale.
“He’s upstairs, who are you?”
“If you want to make it out of this unscathed, you won’t ask again.” You pushed past her. “Which room?”
“Second on the left on the second story.” You stormed up the stairs, the Jedi following behind you. You almost flew up the stairs, using the force to propel yourself. You came to the door that the woman had directed to you and kicked it in. The wood splintered beneath your foot. Three barely dressed women screamed in fright, an older human male sat on a couch. He almost fell over it backwards when he saw you standing there.
“Out.” You growled at the woman. They ran past you, grabbing their clothes as they went. “Chorus.” You stepped forward.
“Essal! How are you?” Chorus tried to make conversation in a futile attempt to defuse the situation.
“I’m great. You, however, are about to be considerably worse.” You grabbed a vase off the nearby table and flung it at him, it cracked open on his leg. He cursed in pain, moving backwards.
“Essal, is this appropriate?” Obi-Wan asked. You flicked your wrist towards them, shunting Anakin and him onto a chair.
“Damn straight it is.” You continued to approach the reversing human. “Where the fuck is it?” You grabbed another vase and threw it, it barely missed his head.
“Where’s what?” He stuttered as his back hit the glass window.
“Don’t.” You slammed a hand on the glass, it cracked menacingly under the sudden force but didn’t give, “do not fuck with me.” You glowered at him. “You have one chance, Chorus.” You reached behind your back and pulled out a gun. You heard Obi-Wan stand suddenly.
“Please, help me!” Chorus yelled at the two Jedi. You punched him in the stomach. He doubled over, out of breath. You held him by the throat and aimed the gun at Chorus’ leg,
“Where is it.” You pulled the trigger. Chorus screeched in pain, clutching the wound. “Don’t make me shoot the other one. Or maybe there’s something you value more than walking,” you moved the gun to aim between his legs.
“It’s in the safe,” he yelped. You let him go, he crumpled to the floor in tears.

You looked over the safe. “What’s the code?” You asked Chorus,
“It takes a voiceprint.” He admitted, a sense of confidence deceiving him. “You won’t get it open without me.” You raised your hand and focused. The metal safe buckled as you controlled the force to crush it.
“Weird,” you said with a smirk as the safe door swung open, “it seems to have broken.” You reached in the safe and withdrew a lightsaber. Obi-Wan approached you,
“Is that?”
“A lightsaber, yes.” You powered up the lightsaber, a white blade erupting from the hilt. You pointed at Chorus, his body suddenly jerked towards you, landing at your feet. He whimpered as you waved the lightsaber in front of his face. “Did you learn your lesson? It’s wrong to steal, from me anyway.” You said mockingly.
“Yes, I’m sorry. Please, let me go!”
“No.” You lifted him and threw him at the window. He stopped just before he crashed through, floating in mid-air.
“That’s enough, Essal. You have what you wanted.” Obi-Wan had Chorus in his grasp, hand outstretched to him.
“Fine. Let the piece of shit live.” You walked out, retracting the lightsaber as you left. Obi-Wan dropped Chorus to the floor unceremoniously.

“What was that about?” Anakin asked, running to catch up with you.
“Chorus used to be part of my crew. He stole my lightsaber and stabbed me with it, then the coward ran.” Anakin nodded understandingly. “He’s lucky Obi-Wan has a soft heart because I don’t.” You carried on. Your transmitter beeped at you, you answered it and saw a familiar Twi’lek.
“Captain, we’re all ready and back on the ship. We’ve collected our items from the inn, including yours. When are you able to join us?”
“I’m on my way to you now.” You assured him. “We’re finished here.”

Chapter Text

You watched the tall man with the scruffy face walk into the bookstore. You peered over the book you were reading and watched him pick up a children’s book. You tucked a bookmark in your novel and placed it under the counter. You mustered up a polite smile and walked over to him, “Hi, welcome to the New York Book Emporium, can I help you?”
“Uh, hi. I’m just browsing thanks. Quiet today, huh?” He half smiled at you,
“Yes. You’re the second customer to come in all day. Looking for a kid’s birthday gift?” You gestured at the book in his hand. “We have a better range in the aisle close to the counter.”
“No, I’m not. I,” he stammered over his words and you could see he was upset.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” You went to walk away but the man cleared his throat,
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. My name’s Frank.” He offered his hand, you took it and was surprised at the firm shake.
“Nice to meet you, Frank. I’m Bee.” You dropped your hand to your side. “You’re military?” Frank looked at you with concern,
“How would you know that?”
“Your handshake. My parents used to shake hands just like that. My mother was a soldier, my father was a field medic in the Army.” Frank nodded,
“Used to?”
“Yeah, they were caught in the crossfire in Afghanistan a few years ago, neither of them made it home.” You looked away. “If there’s anything I can help you with, I’ll be behind the counter.” You walked into the back of the store, trying to compose yourself.

Frank Castle walked up to the counter, watching you for a moment as you read. “Bee, is that your real name?” You smiled at him,
“No, it isn’t. It’s Beauregard, everyone calls me Bee.”
“Why Bee, not Beau or something more common?”
“My mum’s name was Rose, I was her little Bee. The name stuck,” you laughed. Frank pursed his lips.
“Right. I swear I recognised you from somewhere.” He drummed his fingers on the desk. “It’s the weirdest sensation.”
“Well, I do occasionally go out at night and fight bad guys under an alias. An animal themed one, you know. The Wolf or something like that. I have a costume and everything.” You smirked, Frank eyed you suspiciously. “Frank, I’m joking.” He grunted and smiled,
“Right. That would be bizarre.” He handed you a colourful comic.
“Just this one today?” You logged the purchase into the computer. He nodded and handed you a ten dollar note. You passed him his change. “Need a bag?”
“Only if it’s paper.” You smiled and tucked the comic into a brown paper bag.
“Have a good day, Frank.” You waved as he left the store. A voice came from behind you,
“That is the first time I have seen anyone do that.”
“Do what, Madam Lotus?”
“Make a joke about being a vigilante and get away with it, while actually being a vigilante.” A Chinese woman, young and beautiful stepped up next to you, coming out of the back room. She was wearing a long, black satin dress.
“It’s the perfect cover, what vigilante would admit to being one? Besides, I am not a vigilante, I’m a mercenary. Vigilantes don’t get paid for their work. Shall we discuss payment.” You walked to the back room, Madam Lotus chuckled as she followed you.

You perched on top of a building, scoping out your target. Your employer was very specific, this target was to be shot in the right shoulder, a non-lethal hit but still excruciatingly painful. You watched the Russian man walk past the window again, then again. He was pacing. “Wolf!” Daredevil cried out,
“Fuck.” You pulled the trigger, the glass shattered, and the Russian dropped to the ground. The red spray coated the white room. You watched him crawl away, blood spouting from his right shoulder. “Devil, you almost screwed up my shot.” You stood and faced the man in red, “a man could have died.” You tutted him.
“Who are you working for?”
“Well, I can’t tell you that. Employment confidentiality and all that nonsense. Besides, they go missing and I don’t get paid the rest of what I’m owed. And I am owed a lot.” You scowled at him. You knelt down next to your sniper rifle and packed it away, picking up the heavy suitcase. “I’m going to go now, my dog needs feeding.”
“Stay there, Wolf.” Daredevil readied his stance for a fight,
“come the fuck on, double D. Go catch a petty criminal, you’re good at that.” You tossed the suitcase over the side of the building, it landed snugly in a trash bin fifteen stories down. “You’ve never beaten me in a fight before. Do you really think you’ll beat me now?”
“Only one way to find out.” He ran towards you, you duck under his punch and drove your fist into his stomach.

You and Daredevil traded blows, fighting evenly for a few minutes before you kicked him in the chest. He sprawled onto the rooftop. You wiped a smear of blood from your mouth and walked over to him. He got up slowly, “give it a rest, D. You’ve lost.” A surge of electricity scattered across your body as Daredevil hit you with his electric baton. You dropped to your knees. You kicked Daredevil’s legs from beneath him and struggled away. “I’m finished. Count this as a win if you like but I do not like being shocked.” You backed to the edge of the building.
“Wolf, don’t jump. We’re ten stories up.”
“Closer to fifteen.” You rolled backwards, projecting yourself off the edge of the roof and gripping a rope. You heard Daredevil swear as you went. You collided with the wall and grunted. You propelled down the side of the building efficiently. You grabbed the suitcase out of the trash and ran.

You walked down the main street, only a few blocks from your home above the bookstore. You tucked the mask away and pulled your trench coat around you, hiding the grey and black combat suit. You spotted someone following you, obvious to anyone who knew what they were looking for. Another two men joined him, you swore under your breath as two more stepped out in front of you. Another man stepped out as well, you recognised Frank immediately. “Frank!” You called out to him, he turned and smiled at you. All five men walked straight past you, one of them making a frustrated call on his phone. “How’s the comic?” You asked nonchalantly,
“it’s pretty good. What are you doing out so late?” You turned your face away from him, trying to keep it in shadow as much as possible.
“I had to pick up some new books for the store, they were flown in and the flight was delayed. Typical.” You rolled your eyes and laughed.
“I’ll walk you home, there are some dangerous folks out.”
“You have no idea, thanks.” You and Frank walked towards the store.

You walked up the steps to the bookstore but stopped before touching the handle. “Everything alright?”
“The door’s unlocked.” You said aloud, putting the suitcase down.
“Did you forget to lock it?”
“It has an automatic lock. It locks at closing without fail. Something’s wrong.” You peered through the window and spotted a shadow move across the shop floor. “There are people in there. I’ll call the police, you go home.” You smiled at Frank. He scowled,
“I’m not leaving you alone,” the glass window shattered next to your head. You dove at Frank, tackling him down the stairs. You both landed heavily at the bottom.
“Sorry, you need to go.” You reached into your back pocket, pulling out a small pistol and a combat knife.
“Not going to happen.” Frank pulled his own gun. You nodded approvingly,
“alright.” You walked to the window, keeping low. You peeked in and counted the people inside. Another gunshot rang out, followed by yelling. “Three on the left, two on the right. Men, all around 6 foot. Armed to the fucking teeth.” You informed Frank. He nodded and moved to the other window.
“One, two,” you aimed through the window as Frank counted, “three.” You open fired into your store, hitting all three men on the left. They dropped before they could pull the trigger. Frank shot the two on the right, killing them quickly. You opened the door and scanned the room. Frank checked that the men were dead. You cursed them,
“Get blood on my fucking books, I don’t know. Bloody amateurs.” One man groaned when Frank kicked him. You held your knife to his throat. “Who the fuck sent you?” You snarled at him, he looked confused. You repeated yourself in Russian, then Chinese. His eyes lit up when you questioned him in Chinese, “good to know.” You stuck your knife into his throat, watching as the man choked on his blood. You whipped around as another two men came out of the shadows. The one closest to you tackled you into a nearby bookshelf. The other went for Castle. The man on you tried to drive his knife into your shoulder, you twisted but your arm still got caught by the blade. You felt the sting and blood roll down your arm. You brought your knee up between his legs, the man wheezed as you felt a crunch beneath your knee. You smashed a heavy leather book into the side of his head, and he collapsed pitifully. You grabbed the gun from his hip and tracked Frank and the other man. They were wrestling for a knife. You aimed at the man and pulled the trigger, the silenced pistol making a dull thump. Blood sprayed more books and you glared at the dead man. You pointed the pistol down at the one who attacked you and squeezed the trigger. His barely conscious body convulsing then falling still. “What a mess.” You looked around the store. “Coffee or whiskey?” You offered Frank.

You sat upstairs, your dog sitting by your feet. The large mastiff wagging his tail happily. Frank sat across from you with a glass of whiskey. “What happened to your face, they didn’t hit you?”
“This?” You touched the bruising gingerly, “this was Daredevil. He wasn’t impressed that I shot some Russian guy.”
“No, he doesn’t tend to.” He took another sip, not taking his eyes off you. “You weren’t lying then, earlier, I mean.”
“Not fully, I’m not a vigilante. I’m a mercenary. The rest was the truth.” You laughed to yourself. “What were you doing out tonight?”
I was looking into something.”
“If you need help, I have the best research facilities you can get.”
“I might have to take you up on that.” He finished the whisky.
“How good are you at stitching?” You stood up, your mastiff huffing and readjusting himself. You unzipped the combat suit you were wearing to show the blood leaking down your arm.
“Jesus,”
“It looks worse than it is. It’s too deep to just leave though.” You walked to the bathroom and stripped off the combat suit, you stood in your underwear before Frank. He admired your body as you searched for your first aid kit. You handed it to him and sat on the bed.

“Done.” Frank closed the first aid kit and put the needle and excess thread on a plate.
“Thanks, it’s a little hard to do that one-handed,” Frank smirked,
“I get that.” He put the first aid kit on your dressing table. “I’ll be going now.” You walked up behind him, he watched you in the mirror.
“Thank you, not just for stitching me up but for saving my life.”
“I wasn’t just going to leave you to deal with them by yourself. What are you going to do with the mess?”
“I’ve already called a cleaning crew. They’ll be here soon, that's if they aren’t here already.” You wrapped your arms around his waist, “you could stay the night. Just in case they come back.” Castle smirked and watched you watching him in the mirror. You trailed one hand down his stomach, feeling the firmness of his abdomen.
“Why would you want me to stay?”
“You make me feel safe.”
“That is not normally what people feel when I’m around.” You smiled and sighed, dropping your hands to your side.
“Welcome to the party, Frank Castle.” He turned to you,
“I never told you my last name.”
“I know, I recognised you as soon as you walked into my store.” You flicked your hair behind your ears. “It’s not hard not to, although most of the world presumes The Punisher is dead, it’s my job to know better.” He stormed over to you,
“What do you mean your job?”
“Alright, calm yourself back down. I do a little bit of research for Daredevil, he needed to know if you really died so he paid me to find out.” You smiled and grabbed his shirt.
“Oh. You’re working with Red?”
“No.” You scoffed at the suggestion, “that man is far too good for me. I mean in the moral sense, by the way.”
“You like bad boys,” Frank stepped closer, “that why you called out to me on the street?”
“No, not fully. I did need you to help protect me, besides, trouble is far more fun with a partner.” Frank pulled you to him and kissed you hungrily. You gasped as he lifted you on the bed, laying above you. He cupped a breast in your hand and you rubbed against his crotch. A ringing noised interrupted your kissing. You groaned and checked the caller ID. “Shit, I’m sorry Frank.” You picked up the call and walked out of the room. You walked back a minute later, smiling at Frank.
“Everything alright?”
“I have to go pick up my kid, she’s got the stomach flu apparently. I think she just doesn’t want to stay at her friend's house. It's not the first time, there is something off about her friend's father.” You laughed and grabbed some spare clothes from the dresser.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Frank offered, “just in case you get attacked?”
“Sure. You will need to put a shirt on though.”

You pulled up to a beautiful home in the suburbs. Frank watched as you stepped out of the car and walked up the stairs. You walked up to the door and knocked, politely waiting to the side. You’d asked Frank to stay in the car. The door opened a moment later and a young girl, almost thirteen, stepped out. You thanked her friend, Amy, and watched the door close. Eira hugged you tightly around the waist, her eyes misty from tears. “Baby, what’s the matter?” You lifted your daughters face up to look at you, she had a large bruise on the side of her face. “What happened?” You placed a hand on her shoulder, and she winced in pain.
“Nothing, mum. Can we just go?”
“Eira, what the fuck happened?” The tone in your voice was more concerned than angry. Any anger in it was not aimed at her.
“Was it your friend?” She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “Was it her piece-of-shit father?” Eira bit her lip and looked down. “Go sit in the car.”
“Mum, please. I just want to go home.”
“Do as I say. I won’t be long.” Eira sighed and walked to the car. She sat in the back, stunned that Frank was in the car.
“Who’re you?”
“Frank. I’m your mother’s friend.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Eira.”
“That’s a nice name, what happened to your cheek?” Frank asked, looking at Eira in the rear-view mirror.
“Amy's dad got drunk and started yelling things about my mum, I told him to screw off and he hit me.” Frank looked pissed off and went to get out the car but Eira stopped him, “don’t bother. Mum’s got it. I almost feel sorry for the poor guy.” Frank smiled and got in the back seat with Eira.
“Can I have a look?” He grabbed a first aid kit from under the seat and pulled out a ready to go ice pack.

You stalked up the stairs, straight to the master bedroom. You kicked the door in, it splintered on its hinges. A middle-aged man, clearly still drunk, sat up in the bed. “The fuck did you do to Eira?” You pulled him out of bed, noting that he was stark naked.
“I didn’t do nothing, you crazy bitch.” He spat at you, you retaliated by kicking him in the side. You grabbed a fistful of his greying hair, what was left anyway, and yanked him to his feet.
“I’m going to ask one last time. Did you lay one of your disgusting hands on my daughter?”
“What if I did?”
“You’re going to pray that you didn’t.” You scowled and kicked his knee, hearing the bone crunch beneath the force. “I’ve had a really long day, almost been killed and already been in a fight with the devil of hell’s kitchen. I’m really hoping that the clean-up crew is finished by the time I take my daughter home because it will be awkward trying to explain why there are several dead men on the shop floor. She’ll understand though, she knows what I do.”
“What are you talking about?” He groaned. You brought your fist down, his nose crunching beneath your knuckles. “Who are you?”
“My name, the one I go by at night anyway, is Wolf.” You smiled at the terror in his eyes, “oh you do know me. Great, we can skip introductions.”
“I won’t do it again,”
“I know. I also need to know that you won’t be hurting your own children or your wife again.”
“They’ll know it was you,” He laughed, backing away.
“I know. Do you think that your wife or kids will testify? Will they really mourn the loss of a wife-beating child-hitting piece of shit like you?” Your words rung in his ears, knowing you were right he began to sob and beg for his life. “Besides, it was a tragic suicide anyways. You just couldn't stand the guilt.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear? It was awful, you flung yourself out the window from the guilt and landed on the spiked fence below. You must have been truly sorrowful, the two-story fall wouldn’t have killed you, you would have bled out slowly. You died naked and drowning in your own blood.” You grabbed him, spun him to face his doom and shoved him out the window, watching as he screamed as he fell. Sure, enough he landed on the metal fence below, his screams turning into gurgles.

Frank heard the glass shatter and covered Eira’s eyes. “You don’t want to see that, keep your eyes closed.” He watched you scale down the side of the building, out of the broken window. You walked over to the car door and climbed in.
“Alright my darling?”
“Thanks, mum, you didn’t have to kill him.”
“I know, I’m sorry my love. I’ve warned him once before, you’d think he would have learnt. I thought that he didn’t live there anymore,”
“He wasn’t supposed to be there. Amy’s mum couldn’t kick him out.” You nodded and turned the key.
“Seatbelt. I have ice cream at home, we can hopefully make the night better.”

You tucked Eira into her bed, kissing her on the forehead and gently closing the door. You sighed and sat next to Frank on the couch. You checked your watch, almost 6 in the morning. “I’m going to have to open soon, at least the place is clean. The window will be replaced tonight which is nice.” Frank turned to you and took your hand in his.
“Is Eira going to be alright?”
“Yeah, she’s a tough kid. We’ll talk more when she wakes up.”
“She knows about your mercenary work, isn’t that a little dangerous?”
“Yes, it is. Her not knowing would be worse. I told her because this way she knows what to look out for. She can defend herself if she needs to.”
“What if someone takes her to get to you?” Frank was genuinely concerned.
“You saw what I did to a guy that hit her, I’d tear the world apart if someone took her from me.”
“Fair enough.”
“Do you think I’m a good mother?” You buried your head in your hands.
“What?”
“Do you think that telling her was the right thing to do? You said you had kids, do you think it was wrong to tell her everything? Did I take it to far?” Your words caught in your throat,
“no,” Frank wrapped a hand around your shoulder. “I think you were just protecting her from some bastard that had it coming. I would’ve done the same for my kid.” You took a few deep breaths to compose yourself.
“Thanks. Do you want to stay? Saves booking the room in a hotel for another night.”
“Sure.”

Chapter Text

The ship barely bumped as Aconrido landed it with ease. You stood up and walked to the cockpit, patting the Twi’lek on the shoulder. “Stay on the ship.” You turned to the rest of your crew, “that goes for the rest of you. Stay here, I’ll be back.” You opened the door of the ship and stepped down, drawing your gun. You scanned around the perimeter. “Alright, let’s go.” You instructed the Jedi.
“Anakin, come on.” Obi-Wan stepped out of the ship. You whistled to Cerno and he bounded out of the ship, rushing to your side.

“Essal, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Anakin said as he walked next to you, “why didn’t you tell your crew we’re Jedi?” You raised your brow at him,
“They have mixed feelings about the Jedi. Simni probably would have kicked your ass, Pas would have kissed you and Aconrido wouldn’t have spoken to you for the entire trip.”
“So, why don’t you like Jedi?”
“It’s a long story.” You shied away from the question,
“We have a long walk,” Obi-Wan insisted. You shook your head and sighed.
“I was twelve or thirteen when a Jedi came to my home, he was hurt, severely. I mean, he was on death's door. My mother was the town healer, so naturally the injured or ill were directed to us. What we didn’t know was that he was being followed by a group of hunters. They tracked them right to our doorstep. We weren’t warriors but we tried our best to hide him, hoping the hunters would see he wasn’t there and move on. They got so angry at us that they slaughtered my entire village as I watched, including my family. I’ve never been angrier than I was then, that’s when I truly used the force for the first time. I snapped every one of those hunter’s necks.” You just realised that you had all stopped walking, the Jedi too intrigued by your story.
“The Jedi, he didn’t help you?” Obi-Wan asked, disbelief in his voice,
“He was too severely injured. He couldn’t have defended himself, let alone us. I buried everyone I knew that night, then I nursed the Jedi back to health. Once he was strong enough to travel, we got on my father’s starship and he took me back to the Jedi Council, explaining the “immense power” he saw in me. The Council took one look at me and refused to train me, “I was too inclined to the dark side”, they said. The Jedi apologised to me and sent me on my way. Aconrido’s family took me in after that, I never returned home.” You pointed to the nearby town, “we’re here.”

You waited outside a building with Anakin while Obi-Wan discussed his business. You threw a stick for Cerno, who eagerly retrieved it every time. Anakin cleared his throat, “Essal, I’m sorry about what happened to your family.”
“Don’t be sorry,” you threw the stick again, “that made me what I am.”
“And what’s that?”
“Strong. I made a promise to myself that night, you know?” You turned to Anakin, he watched you cautiously, “I promised I’d be strong enough to kill anything that would hurt the ones I cared about. That I’d be strong enough to defend my new family.”
“And have you kept your promise?”
“None of them have died yet.” You smirked.

Obi-Wan re-joined you and Anakin, offering you both some food. “Who trained you to use the force?” You swallowed the bite of food in your mouth,
“I shouldn’t tell you that.” You took another bite of the juicy fruit.
“Why not?” Anakin pressed,
“Because, you won’t like the answer,” you shot back.
“Well, now I’m just curious.” Anakin laughed, “come on, how bad can it be?”
“Anakin, if she doesn’t wish to tell us, she doesn’t have to,” Obi-Wan warned his apprentice.
“It was a Sith.” You admitted coldly, Obi-Wan’s jaw dropped. “I’m not on the dark side, don’t worry about that. Darth Jinua found me when I was sixteen, I’d run away from Aconrido’s family and was wandering the galaxy. She offered to teach me, help me refine my skills. In return, she wanted to join me on my ship. In truth, I think she was lonely.” You smiled, your memory of the Sith was a fond one, she showed an unnatural caring towards you.
“It’s not like the Sith to care for children,” Obi-Wan stated,
“No. I guess I got lucky. She wasn’t like a mother, but she was more caring than the Jedi were to me. She cared enough to make sure I didn’t die before I reached adulthood.”
“Where is she now? Do you keep in touch?” Anakin rested his hand on your shoulder. You shook your head,
“I don’t know, we separated a few years ago, just before I met Pas and Cerno. I haven’t heard from her since then. She left me as everyone else has.” You scowled. You wiped your hands on your pants and offered one to Obi-Wan, shaking his hand firmly then repeating the action with Anakin. “Alright, I’d better get back to my ship. It was a pleasure meeting you both,” you kissed Anakin-who went bright red-on the cheek, then Obi-Wan. You waved as you walked away.

You heard rustling in the forestry around you, you turned and could see Anakin and Obi-Wan still talking where you left them. You heard a branch break and snapped your gun up. “Who’s out there?” A group of droids stepped out,
“Halt. We know you’re helping the Jedi. You are marked for destruction.” The group of twelve droids aimed at you.
“Hold on,” you raised your hands, “we can work this out. Nobody needs to be destroyed.” One of the droids took the gun from your hand and threw it away. “You don’t know who your fucking with, buddy.” The droid who had talked smacked you on the back of the head, dropping you to your knees.
“Shut up. It’s time to die.” You focused on the lightsaber in your back pocket, it wiggled free and flew to your hand, bursting to life. You deflected the bullet and rolled away from the droid. You sliced upwards, the droid in front of your splitting in half. You looked behind and saw the Jedi running toward you, their lightsaber's at the ready. You swung at the next two droids as they fired at you, there torso’s fell away from their bodies.

“Essal!” Anakin yelled as he leapt over the droids, landing behind you and deflecting bullets away.
“You guys shouldn’t be here,” you scolded the Jedi. “They’re after you!”
“We won’t let you die for helping us.” Anakin covered your back, Obi-Wan cut down droid after droid. You heard a fourth lightsaber power up in the forest. You sliced through the last droid and watched as the woman stepped out of the darkness. An older Chagrian wielding a red lightsaber smiled at you. “Obi-Wan!” Anakin drew his attention to the Sith. Obi-Wan ran and stood in front of you.
“Wait!” You yelped as the Jedi ran at her, they stopped in their tracks.
“Hello, Essal. How are you, my child?” The Chagrian smirked,
“Jinua.” You knelt on one knee. “It’s been a long time.” You felt a wave of overwhelming anger and sadness rise in your chest, “you left a long time ago.”
“I know, my dear. I’m back now.” She opened her arms and you felt compelled to walk to her. You pushed past Anakin and Obi-Wan. Anakin reached out to stop you, but you brushed him off. Jinua embraced you, whispering in your ear. “You’ve been making waves, now I see you’ve sunk low enough to befriend the Jedi I am supposed to kill.” She grabbed you by the throat and lifted you in the air. “I’ll have to retrain you, teach you so you won’t forget next time. First, I’ll deal with this scum.” She dropped you and pulled you to your feet, moving you behind her.
“Please, don’t hurt them.” You pleaded, looking at the Jedi.
“Why?”
“They’re not my friends, but they don’t deserve to die.” Anakin smiled as you spoke, reassuring you.
“The Jedi betrayed you, or did you forget that?”
“And the Sith are no better, you still left me. Or did you forget that?” Jinua turned to you, “you betrayed me too. Don’t think I don’t know who sent Chorus to steal my lightsaber, only five people knew about it. Me, my crew and you. My crew aren’t that stupid so that left you. Jinua, why would you do it?” You looked up at your old master,
“Do you have proof?”
“No. I don’t, but I have a strong gut feeling, one I can’t ignore.” You gripped your lightsaber tightly. “We don’t have to fight. We can leave,”
“We?” She looked confused,
“Yes, we. You and I can go anywhere else.”
“I’m a Sith, Essal.” She placed a hand on your shoulder, “Killing Jedi is something I’m very good at. If the weak cannot defend themselves, they’ll die.”
“That’s not what you thought when you took me in.” A sombre look crossed Jinua’s face.
“I know, but you weren’t a Jedi.” She turned and ran at the Jedi.

“No!” You yelled, grabbing at Jinua as she ran. She flew back toward you as you did.
“You’d use what I taught you against me?” She swung her lightsaber at you, you deflected it with your own. You jumped over her head and raised your hand at Anakin and Obi-Wan, who were moving to attack. It was like they hit an invisible barrier that shot them backwards. They both landed on their backs several meters away. Jinua scowled at you, “get out of the way child.” You glared back at her,
“No. I won't let you hurt anyone else at my expense.” You clashed again, Jinua striking you in the arm. You growled in pain as the lightsaber cut the flesh. You reached for her lightsaber as you ducked, it flew into your hands. As you stood you drove your white lightsaber up, it dug into her stomach. You gasped as she let out a gurgle and collapsed to her knees.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Tears rolled down your cheek as Jinua stared at you in shock, you lowered her to the ground as the Jedi stood above you. You knelt next to her body and she placed a hand on your cheek.
“You turned out to be so strong, not listening to anyone else.”
“You trained me that way.” She laughed and smiled. “Master, I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I couldn’t let you hurt them.” Jinua let out a final breath and closed her eyes. “I’m so sorry.” You wept as you held your mentor, surrounding by broken droids. You stood up and pulled out your lightsaber, tucking it away. You wiped your tears away, they were immediately replaced by fresh ones.
“Essal?” Anakin pulled you into his arms and away from the Sith’s body. “Thank you,”
“don’t you dare thank me for what I’ve done. I killed her. I killed her for you two, I don’t even know why! You’ve never done anything for me.” You cried. Anakin hushed you and allowed you to bury your face into his chest. You composed yourself and pushed Anakin away, “I need to get back to my ship but first I need to bury my Master.” You picked up Jinua and scouted for a place to bury her.
“Let us help you, it’s the least we can do now.” Obi-Wan offered. You nodded and you spent the next hour digging, Cerno tried to help but missed the point of digging a hole in the same spot.

You stepped back on the ship, Aconrido took one look and knew something was wrong. “What’s happened?” He took your face in his hands, he looked you over for injuries. He spotted your upper arm, the wound hastily bandaged with a rag. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly and sat you down, whistling for Pas. You smiled at him and gripped his hand.
“We ran into some droids, we handled them pretty easily.”
“One of them was wielding a lightsaber?” Pas questioned.
“Or did one of them hurt you?” Simni turned on the Jedi.
“Simni, sit down.” You scolded her. “I caught myself with my saber.”
“You aren’t that clumsy, what happened?” Aconrido pushed,
“That is the truth as far as you three are concerned. Get ready to take off.”
“They’re staying with us for longer?” Simni groaned, glowering at the Jedi.
“Yes, they’re ship wasn’t here, unlike what they were promised.”

You paced around your rented room on Coruscant, Aconrido sat on the chair in the corner. “You killed her?” He repeated, astonished.
“Yes.” You rubbed your temple, “I hate myself for it, why would I choose them over her?” You blamed the Jedi for the previous day’s incident. “Not only that but now I’ve put all of you in danger. The Sith won’t just accept that one of their own was killed without compensation.”
“What are you saying, Essal?” Aconrido stood up and walked over to you, gripping your shoulders.
“I’m saying, I’m leaving the crew. You need to take care of Pas and Simni. Find someone else to be your captain or be a captain yourself. It isn’t safe for me to stay here while I’m being hunted.
“We stay together as we have for the past few years. It’s not anything we can’t handle.”
“Yes, it is.” You turned on Aconrido. “They aren’t the average bounty hunter, they are Sith!” You slammed your fists on the table. There was a knock at the door, “there won’t be any more discussion about this. I’ve made my mind up.” Aconrido nodded solemnly and left the room. Anakin walked in the door,
“everything alright? I heard a lot of yelling.” You sat down on the bed and put your head in your hands.
“No, everything is not fine.”
“The crew isn’t handling the news well?”
“I’ve only told Aconrido,” Anakin sat beside you, “Simni will be furious with me.”
“What about Pas?” Anakin grimaced,
“He’ll be heartbroken. He’s only young, I rescued him from a group of Nexu and he’s never been alone since.”
“I see,”
“Is this the right idea?” You shuddered at the thought of abandoning your crew,
“You know, you should always follow what you think is right. Sacrificing everything you have and are so the one you love is safe? That seems right to me.” Anakin smiled at you. “You have to trust yourself to make the right decision.”
"That's rich coming from a Jedi, telling me to follow my heart." Anakin laughed,
"I'm not very good at following that part of the code."
"Oh? And what does your heart tell you?" You whispered to him.
"To help you forget about things for a while."

Chapter Text

You and Dick Grayson sat on the porch of a treehouse at Wayne Manor. You laughed at a joke he made, you heard Bruce chuckle behind you. “Who knew you had a sense of humour, Dick.” Dick rolled his eyes at Bruce. “Jet, are you ready to do more training today?” You nodded and stood, following Bruce to the Batcave where he had built a specialised training facility. You stepped into the refurbished blast shelter. “Ready?”
“Ready.” You answered, taking an aggressive stance. Bruce pressed a button and three robots dropped into the room. You ran at the first one to hit the ground and summoned a sword in your hand. It glimmered into reality with a black and white light. You swung it at the robot and sliced it effortlessly in half. A gunshot echoed behind you, ricocheting off the floor. You grabbed the sword by its blade, willing it to morph into a bow. It transformed with another glow and you shot an arrow. The arrow pierced the robot’s head, straight between the eyes. The third robot rammed into your side, slamming its fist into the side of your head. You groaned and tried to crawl away, but it grabbed your leg. “Enough,” you moaned as it pummelled into your side again and again. You felt the bone in your arm crack as you tried to defend yourself. You looked over and saw Bruce frantically smashing buttons, Dick pounded on the glass. You tried to summon a shield, but your mind was panicking, instead, you let out a blast of energy. The blast was a bright light followed by the darkest black Bruce and Dick had ever seen. The glass, which was several inches thick, splintered and cracked. The concrete followed suit. The pain subsided and so did your panic, the dark shadows faded away with the feelings.

Dick held you in his arms, carrying you from the room. “Jet?” You felt your bed beneath you, “can you hear me?” You gasped as you felt a cold hand on your neck.
“Cold hands,” you batted his hands away, “they could wake the damned dead.” You laughed and hugged Dick. “What happened?”
“The robot malfunctioned, we think someone may have tampered with it. You almost blew up the entire building.”
“I’m sorry,”
“don’t be.” Bruce said from the doorway, “if anyone should be sorry it should be me.” You smiled at Bruce before relaxing back into the bed. You stared at the roof for a while, chatting with Dick and Bruce on how you could improve.

You wandered into the lounge, Bruce and Dick were talking about an upcoming mission. They stopped when you walked in. “Okay, that was weird. You two haven’t forgotten that I’m going out tonight, right?”
“What? Are you sure you’re not in too much pain?”
“I’m fine,” you looked down at the bandages on your arm. “Dick is coming with me anyway,” you smiled at him, then at Bruce.
“Exactly, Bruce. We’ll be fine.” Dick stood up, “we’d better get ready to go.” You walked up to your room, choosing a nice shirt and pants to wear. You thought you saw something out the corner of your eye but ignored it. You jumped when Dick knocked on the door. “Hey, ready to go?”
“Yeah, I’m just coming.” You answered. You turned and reached for the door handle but your vision went black before you touched the handle.

Dick Grayson walked back and forth across the safe house’s lounge. Kory sighed as she began to lose her mind, “Dick. Would you stop pacing? It’s seriously bugging me.” Dick sat down heavily on the couch. “What’s wrong?” Kory asked him, shuffling closer.
“I got a call from Batman, he says he found someone that may fit into our little group here. Someone who disappeared a long time ago.”
“Really?” Kory drummed her fingers on her leg, “so, why are you pacing?”
“She was meant to be here by now, if she was going to be late, she was supposed to have called.” He stood up and began pacing again. He almost tripped over the couch to get to his phone when it rang. “Hello? Batman, have you heard from her?” His face fell as he listened to the voice on the phone. He hung up and threw the phone, “she’s gone. I need to find her.”

You woke up in a sweat, you bolted upright but gasped when chains pulled you back onto the bed. “Let me go,” you groaned, your head swimming with the rush of blood. A voice crackled over the intercom,
“Welcome back, Jet.” You didn’t recognise the man, but you knew he wasn’t friendly. “We are sending somebody in to give you some water, please behave.” The door unlocked and a female nurse stepped in with a glass of water. She put it to your lips and allowed you to sip slowly. You coughed and spluttered, trying to sit up and draw in a breath.
“What do you want?” You groaned,
“To know what you’re made of. If the Batman has an interest, so should we.” You struggled against your bonds, feeling the leather press on your skin.
“Let me out and I’ll show you,” You growled and ripped the binds away from the bed. You leapt on the nurse and held her down. “I am leaving.” The nurse jabbed a needle into your side, you gasped as your head swam. “What did you do?”

Dick pulled up to the large, abandoned jailhouse. Kory, Garfield and Rachel were in the back of the car. “This is where the camera’s picked her up, the latest images were from three days ago.” He stepped out of the car, “it is vital to get her out as fast as possible.”
“Why is this girl so special?” Rachel asked Dick, climbing out of the backseat.
“She’s an old friend of mine. Let’s go.”

You screamed against the gag in your mouth as electricity surged through your body. You tried to summon a weapon, but your mind was fogged. “Jet, you need to relax.” Another surge of electricity followed by a splash of cold water. You snarled and tried to break free. You mumbled something through the gag. A nurse removed it,
“I’m going to kill you. All of you.” She injected you again.
“You broke out a few days ago from your old prison and we captured you. You didn’t kill us then, so what makes you so sure?” You’re head spun as you watched a man walk up to you. His face was contorted into an ugly smile. He held a knife up to you and laughed. Your mind filled with images of your past, contorted and terrifying. You head Bruce Wayne whisper in your ear, you knew it wasn’t really him, but for a moment you were horrified.
“Stop.” You watched Dick walk in front of you and pull a gun. He aimed it at his head. “Dick! Don’t, please.” You screamed at him. He pulled the trigger and confetti exploded out. Dick laughed and pointed the gun at you.
“Where did you go, Jet?” Bruce stepped next to him,
“What do you mean?” You whimpered as another bolt of electricity ripped through you.
“You left. No explanation, no contact.” They said in unison.
“Liars, I called you as soon as I got out.” You spat back. “I didn’t leave, I’d never leave.” You shut your eyes and let go. Your mind swimming with continual nightmares.

Dick crept into the hallway down from your room. “Dick!” He heard you call out,
“Does she know you’re coming?” Kory stopped Dick.
“She couldn’t, there’s no way.” He continued forward. He peeked through the glass window. He spotted you, strapped to a bed and sweating. Tears streamed down your face. He checked the room before cracking the door open. You called out to him again. “Jet,” he ran to your side. “Kory, watch the door. Jet, wake up.” He took the IV line out of your arm. “What have they done to you.” He placed his hands on your forehead, careful of the bruising.
“Cold hands,” you whispered.

You felt the coolness of Dick’s touch, hearing him calling out to you. You focused on the coldness and tried to urge yourself to wake up. “Your hands are cold, as usual,” you attempted a laugh and opened your eyes. “Dick?” He smiled down at you,
“you’re okay.”
“You found me,”
“Bruce and I, we never stopped looking.” He broke the chains around your wrist. “Can you stand,” you carefully got out of the chair. You tried to stand but your legs gave out.
“No, I don’t think I can.”
“Lean on me, we’re getting out.”
“Dick, great reunion but we need to go!” Kory yelled as Rachel and Gar ran into the room.
“Damn, what happened to her?” Gar blurted out, you looked up at him.
“Not fun things.” You smirked,
“Maybe I can help?” Rachel stepped forward, placing her hands on your arms. She breathed out and yelped, “what’s going on?”
“Don’t,” you tried to warn her, but your body reacted first. Rachel flew across the room, showered in black and white sparks. “I’m so sorry,”
“It’s fine,” she brushed herself off. “I’m not hurt.” She said as sirens erupted throughout the corridors.
“Dick, we need to leave,” you urged him. You limped to an empty wall and pressed your hand against it. A dark shadow reached up from the floor, clawing at the wall.
“Where does this lead?” Dick asked you, supporting your body with his arm.
“Home.” You stepped through, letting go of Dick.

You stumbled out of the dark door into an old treehouse. Dick followed through seconds afterwards, Kory, Gar and Rachel weren’t far behind. “Jet is this…”
“Home.” You smiled, collapsing to the floor.
“Jet!” He held your head, wiping away the blood that had pooled around your nose. “Rachel, Gar, go into the house. Get Bruce Wayne or the butler, Alfred Pennyworth.” Rachel nodded and climbed down the ladder, Gar leapt down. “Kory, can you give me a hand to get her out of this tree?”
“Of course,” Kory picked you up and slung you over her shoulder. She grabbed a rope nearby and swung down. She placed you gently on the floor and watched Dick slide down the same rope.
“Not what I had in mind, but that works.” Dick cradled you in his arms and took you to the door where Bruce Wayne was waiting with Rachel and Gar.
“Dick, is that Jet?” He said quietly, looking over your body. “Bring her downstairs,” Dick nodded and followed Bruce inside. “They need to wait out here, Alfred will take care of them.” Kory started to protest but Dick gave her a look that warned her against it.

“I’ve managed to stop the bleeding, but I can’t get her heart rate down, she’ll go into cardiac arrest at this rate.” Bruce’s voice was full of concern.
“What could be causing the heart rate?” Dick asked, taking your hand in his.
“Stress, her heart itself looks fine so I think that’s the best explanation.”
“If she woke up, would that help?”
“If she was having a nightmare then yes. She hasn’t woken up since she’s been here.” Dick sighed and placed his hands on your face.
“Jet, you need to come back to us. Wake up.” He urged you. Your mind was filled with torturous memories, electrocution and near-drowning. You were constantly trying to get away, so close to freedom but still so far away. You could hear Dick and Bruce talking and you tried calling to them, but it was like you were underwater. You felt cold hands on your cheek and recognized the feeling. You told your mind to wake up, screaming to get out of your own head.

You bolted upright and your vision cleared. “Where am I?” You panicked and looked across at a rapidly beeping machine. “Stop making that noise!” You screamed at it, aiming your hand and watching black and white energy pulse from your palm. The machine flew backwards, cords ripping out of it as it hit the wall.
“Jet, take a deep breath, you need to calm down.” Bruce took your face in his hands, you could feel Dick squeezing your hand. You stared at him,
“who the hell are you?” You shoved both of them away,
“Jet, it’s Dick and Bruce. We’re your family.”
“Bruce?” You turned to him, then to Dick. “Dick? Where were you guys? I waited for so long for you to find me, to rescue me.” Your voice cracked, “I was so alone. I was in so much pain, so scared.” You felt electricity run over your skin.
“I’m so sorry,” Dick hugged you gently, “we looked for months. They removed your tracking device and every time we got close to finding you, they vanished.”
“You’re home now, it’ll all be alright,” Bruce assured you. You tried to smile but your mind wouldn’t let you, even faking happiness felt like you were betraying yourself. Dick measured your heart rate manually, sighing with relief that it was back to normal, for you anyway.

Chapter Text

"I don't understand why you're dressing up for Halloween, we're staying in to watch a movie aren't we?" Stephen asked, relaxing on the couch. You walked out of your bedroom, adjusting the sleeve on your shirt. You did the top button on your tuxedo, watching as Stephen checked you out.
"What?" You smirked at him, "we were invited to the Avenger's tower for a dinner party, you promised you'd go." Stephen looked suddenly terrified,
"I don't remember agreeing to that. I don't even have a costume!" You smiled at his panic, knowing that this would happen.
"Lucky I'm amazing then." You beckoned him to the bedroom and pointed to the bed. Laid out in front of him was a matching tuxedo. The red and black suit was perfectly suited for him. "Put that on, I'll do your makeup."
"Okay, but what are we meant to be?"
"Vampires, it was the only costume that wasn't skanky at the store." You laughed, pulling your long hair back into a low ponytail, revealing two dots on your neck. Stephen stripped and put on the tux, he went to put the bowtie on, but he couldn't quite manoeuvre it properly. You could see him getting frustrated, so you stepped in. "Allow me," you tied it perfectly and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks, love." He smiled.

You carefully applied some fake blood to your mouth, letting it dribble down slightly. You applied black eyeliner to Stephen and dripped some fake blood on his lip. "You look quite the part; those cheekbones make you a perfect vampire." You giggled, Stephen smiled and kissed you.
"You are truly magnificent. You know that, right?"
"I know. I also know that we are going to be late if we don't leave in the next three minutes." You winked and grabbed your coat that was hanging on the door. "I almost forgot," you grabbed two sets of fake fangs from the dresser, "these are for you." You gave one set to Stephen and put the other in your mouth, adjusting them until they comfortably fit.
"You know we could teleport there,"
"No." You said too sternly, catching Stephen off guard, "sorry. I'd like to drive."

You pulled up outside Stark Tower, you could see Bucky and Steve sitting outside with a drink in their hand. Bucky was dressed up with red devil horns and a matching tail, fitted with a pure red suit. Steve was next to him, he had a golden halo sitting on his head and a small pair of feathery white wings strapped to his back. He was also wearing a gold embroidered white suit. You waved to them, Stephen trailing behind you. "Hey, guys! I love the matching costumes," Bucky smiled and got off the concrete fence. He gave you a tight hug, Steve hugging you second.
"Thanks, I like the bloodsucker get-up. Tony's waiting inside, he said he wants to talk to you before everyone else gets here." You nodded and walked inside, leaving Bucky to finish his drink with Steve in peace.
"Hey, why don't you go say hi while I talk to Tony." You told Stephen who sighed but left your side. He still didn't fully trust and get along with the Avengers, although their relationships were so much better since you came along.

You walked up to Tony, he smiled at you when he saw you coming. You noted that he wasn’t wearing a costume. “Christ, Tony.” You were almost smacked backwards when you felt the energy in the room, “what’s going on?”
“I need your help. I’m aware that on Halloween night the veil between world’s is thin,”
“And you need your resident medium to help out. You know I’m not that kind of medium Tony, I use the spirits to fight. It’s like a force, I can’t see the future or anything.”
“No, I know.” Tony sighed, “It’s not that. We need you to cross to the other side and retrieve something.” The colour drained from your face,
“I can’t do that.” Memories flooded your mind, “last time I did that I was trapped in purgatory for a year. I can’t go back to that.”
“We’re taking necessary precautions, it’ll be safer.”
“You’re talking like I’ve already agreed.” You glared at him,
“It’s essential we get this item back.” Tony pleaded with you,
“No, Tony. I can’t.”
“I know you’re scared but,”
“You don’t know. How could you know?” You snapped, anger clouding your thoughts, “you’ve never been locked in a permanent state of running away. Every night I was in purgatory I barely slept because if I slept too deeply or for too long, I would be killed by some menacing beast. Every noise could have been something trying to murder me, rip me apart or worse. It was only light for a few hours a day and the nights were blacker than a moonless one on Earth. Don’t you dare talk to me about fear.” You went to walk out of the door, almost tempted to go home.
“Please, it’s a young girl.” You stopped in your tracks. “The item, it’s a young girl.”
“You’re fucking joking.” You cursed, “you’re an asshole, Tony Stark.”
“So, you’ll do it.” You felt a tear roll down your cheek, looking up at the clock above the door.
“We’d better start, there are only eight hours till midnight. And I’m not telling Stephen, you can do that.”

You could hear Stephen practically screaming at Tony and Director Fury. You sat in a separate room that had been emptied specifically for tonight. You lit several differently carved candles around the room, placed in their designated spaces. You had an intricate ritual painted in red, black and white on the floor. Several spirits that you were used to working with circled you as you worked. “This is a bad idea,” one of them commented.
“What if you get trapped again?” Another one said, brushing against your arm as you lit some incense.
“You are not helping.” You scolded the spirits, “I know how stupid this is but a child’s life is at risk.”
“What’s so special about this girl?” A third spirit asked.
“She has a special gene that could do wonders for medical science. I need to bring her back so that we can learn where she is, that way we can protect her.” You stood up, checking over the ritual. Stephen went quiet next door which worried you. The door cracked open and Stephen stepped through.
“No.” He stated,
“Stephen, this isn’t up to you.”
“I’ll be damned if I let you do something so dangerous,” he paced around the room.
“I know, that’s why I didn’t ask. Nobody else can do this, you know it has to be me.”
“I’ll go with you.” He offered, taking your hands in his trembling ones.
“That really is stupid. You’ve never been to purgatory, you wouldn’t know how to handle yourself.”
“I’m not letting you go alone, I could help.” You kissed his cheek with a smile,
“No. I couldn’t risk you being trapped in there.”

Tony, Fury and Stephen watched as you spoke lowly in an ancient tongue. The sigil on the ground glowed and burst into life, dark mist coming out of the edges. The candles flickered but refused to go out, “these mustn’t go out before I get back. If they do, I won’t be able to return until someone can perform the ritual next year.” Black energy shot up and thick roots sprouted from the sigil. You stepped forwards and the roots reached for you, eager to pull you in. “Nobody else can come through. Make sure they don’t,” you warned the others. Tony nodded. You took a deep breath and placed your hand in the circle, roots immediately bolted up and hook around your wrist. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head and your head snapped backwards. Your lifeless eyes stared at the ceiling as your spirit was wrenched from your body. Stephen ran for the sigil before Tony or Fury could react, he thrust his hand into the sigil. He reacted in the same way you did, left staring blankly at the ceiling.

You woke up on the ground, growling creatures surrounding you. Stephen was next to you, still unconscious. You swore and leapt to your feet. You let out a guttural growl at the converging creatures. They yelped and backed off as dark shadows surrounded your feet and moved to your hands. Stephen gasped and bolted upright. “What the hell have you done?” You snapped at him.
“I couldn’t leave you alone,”
“You couldn’t do as you were told!” You countered, “I’m sending you back.” You reached for him, but an arrow came out of nowhere and caught you in the shoulder. You placed your hands against the ground and pulled up a wall of thick bramble. “Son of a bitch,” you held the wound and an orange glow spread around it, sealing it closed for now.
“It came from the tree line,” Stephen pointed to it. You clenched your fist and a vine sprouted from the ground, it dragged a humanoid creature out of the dark forest and to your feet. The vines bound around the creature and pinned it to the ground. “You shot me, asshole. Stay put.” You turned back to Stephen.
“Please, I can help.” He attempted to summon a sword, but it only sizzled and faded. “Okay, I can still fight.”
“Babe, your power is useless here. Nothing works here like it does in the living realm.”
“So, what are you suggesting I do?” You took Stephen’s hands in yours and smiled.
“Hopefully the portal is still open enough to send you back. For now, I need to teach someone a lesson.” You glared at the humanoid. You stamped next to it and the ground erupted beneath it, impaling it.

You lit a small candle and placed it on the ground where you had woken up. You uttered an incantation and the flame grew. You smiled but your face dropped when the flame flickered and sputtered out. “Fuck!” You yelled and slammed your fists on the ground.
“It didn’t work,” Stephen stared at the burnt-out candle.
“No, we’re too late. You’ll have to wait until the ritual kicks back in on the other side. That’s four hours away. Damn it all.” You sighed, “stay next to me.” You walked into the depths of the forest, Stephen matching you step for step. You held your hand out in front of you as you walked, a gentle glow pulsing from your palm.
“So, this girl we need to find, what does she look like?” Stephen asked quietly,
“She’s apparently young, I have a picture of her. Even if I didn’t, she won’t look the same as the creatures here.” You stopped in your tracks. “Do you smell that?” You dropped low to the ground, pulling Stephen down with you. The forest suddenly came alive as hundreds of pairs of eyes ignited around you. “Stay quiet.” You shoved your hand over Stephen’s mouth just before he gasped in fright. You could hear the quiet footsteps of four-legged creatures moving around you slowly. One of them let out a growl right next to your head. You held your breath as it sniffed your hair, you could see its cat-like face poking out of the dark. Its eyes glowed but stared into the distance. It stepped past you and revealed its body, it was large and bulky like a bear. Once you were certain they had left, you removed your hand from Stephen’s mouth.
“Why didn’t they try to kill us? One of them sniffed you! They were right on top of us!” He whispered sharply.
“They rely on sound, if they can’t hear you, they won’t attack. They smell so terrible that it masks everything else. Come on, we need to move.”

You walked for close to an hour before you stopped again. You thought you could hear crying. You climbed up a small hill to get a better look at the land. “Is that crying?” Stephen joined you on the hill.
“I think so, it’s coming from the north.” You pointed at a black river nearby. “We’re going to have to cross.” You jogged down the hill to the rumbling water. “How far can you jump?”
“I don’t have magic, so I don’t know.” You nodded and grabbed his arm,
“Brace yourself then,” you threw him across the river. He landed on the other side of the bank, rolling to a stop. “Are you alright?” He waved and gave you a thumbs up. “I haven’t done this with two people, the Siren’s might know I’m here.” You bit your bottom lip and readied yourself to jump.
“Can’t you just make a bridge?” Stephen called out,
“No. It’ll either collapse or it’ll destroy the only chance I have of not alerting the Sirens.” You smiled, “I’ll be fine, I know I can jump it.” You took a few steps backwards and sprinted for the water. You gasped as a hand shot out of the inky water just as your feet left the ground. Its elongated claws gripped your leg, digging into the skin and dragging you into the water. The water was frigid, the sudden cold sending your body into shock. You broke the surface of the water and gasped for breath. You could see Stephen moving towards the water. “Stay back! Don’t touch the water!” You screamed at him, warning him away. He watched helplessly as he paced down the bank.
“Behind you!” He yelled to you, you spun around to see a humanoid figure with a horrifying face. The “human” woman had sickly algae for hair and three-inch fangs protruding from her mouth. Her skin was an inky black, but her eyes were whiter than marble. She let out a high-pitched scream and dove at you.

You fought against the Siren, her claws and fangs tearing at your flesh and clothes. You kicked her in the jaw, her head snapping away from your ankles. You used the thrust to propel yourself to the edge of the water. You clawed desperately at the clay and loose dirt, but you couldn’t get a grip. The Siren screeched again and pulled you back under the water. You felt her fangs dig into a shoulder and swallowed a mouthful of the murky water. You grabbed a rock on the bottom of the riverbed and hit the Siren with it, using all your strength. You didn’t manage to hurt it, but you did get it to let go, floating away slowly, stunned by the rock colliding with her head. You wasted no time swimming to the surface. You could hear Stephen yelling for you and you swam desperately for him. You clawed at the dirt again, but the water rushed past too fast. You began to slip, and you whimpered in defeat. You felt Stephen grab your arm and haul you up, his grip clumsy but still strong enough to help you gain a foothold. You fell onto the floor, hard and drawing in deep breaths. You coughed and spat out excess water from the river. Your arm burned with pain and blood quickly soaked through your shirt. You waved your hand over the wound, a familiar orange glow sealing the wound. “Will that hold?” Stephen asked, cautiously.
“For an hour, two at most.” You grimaced at the pain and stood up with Stephen’s help. You stared into the forest. “Stephen, look.” You pointed at the treeline where a young girl stood, cheeks streaked with tears. “It’s her.”

Chapter Text

You had to admit, sometimes it seemed like John loved the dogs more than you. Not that it would’ve surprised you if he did, he had a soft spot in his heart for the beasts. You loved the dogs as well, purely because of how happy the made your fiancée. You watched John playing fetch in the yard, smiling as he tried to wrestle the stick from the jaws of your powerful mastiff. You sipped from the cool glass of homemade lemonade, stretching out your legs in the late summer sun. John jogged over to you, kissing you lightly before getting a drink for himself. The dogs gave you a lick on the hand before trotting over to their water bowls. “Having fun?” You asked John as he sat next to you on the grass.
“Yeah,” he answered, a man of few words as always.
“I have to go out tonight. Do you need anything from the city?” John turned to you,
“You aren’t working, are you?”
“It’s just a quick job, darling.” You took his hand in yours, you knew he hated aspects of your job. You were one of the best in the field, however. “I’ll only be out for tonight.”
“You promise?”
“Promise.” You smiled, kissing him tenderly.

You grabbed a small bag and threw it in the back of your Mustang, John watching from the doorway. You checked yourself in the car window. Your hair had elegant waves and your makeup was pristine. The deep, red wine dress you wore fit you perfectly, as it should for the price you paid. You noticed that John had changed into a fully black suit. “I’m coming with you.” He stepped into the garage.
“No, John. I can’t risk you getting hurt.”
“And how do you think I feel? You’re playing assassin tonight, putting everything on the line. What if you don’t come home?” He looked mournful as he defended his decision.
“When have I ever not come home?” The phone interrupted your conversation before John could get an answer in. John picked up the receiver.
“Wick” He listened patiently to the other end of the line. “Alright.” He hung up without saying anything more.
“Who was that?” You asked, concerned.
“An old friend, turns out I need to go into the city anyway.”

John pulled up in front of a fancy hotel, “The Continental.” He opened the passenger door for you and helped you out. You kissed him and grabbed the keys. “I’ll meet you back here in four hours. Get us a room with a big bed.” You winked at him and climbed into the driver seat. You drove off, making your way downtown to the theatre. You handed the car over to the valet and got escorted up the stairs. You recognised several mafia members and other high-profile criminals, none of them sparked your interest. You had your eye on one man, “Corvus Harrington.” You said with an elegant smile. A tall, chunky man turned to you. Two pretty young women hung off his arms, glaring at you as you approached Corvus beamed as he looked you up and down. He bowed slightly, “my, my. How have I never seen you around here before? I usually keep an eye out for masterpieces.” You batted your eyes at him, swatting his arm playfully.
“You flatter me,” you winked at him. Corvus pushed the other two women away and offered you his arm. You took it, lightly placing your hand on his shoulder. He led you up to a private box in the theatre, ushering everyone else out.
“You have me at a disadvantage, miss. You seem to know me but I don’t even know what to call you.”
“Starling, Evelyn Starling.” You smiled slyly, running a hand up his leg. “I do know about you, Mister Harrington.”
“Please, call me Corvus. I love the way it sounds on your tongue.” He placed a hand on your leg.
“I know that you are not a man to be argued with, Corvus.” You dragged out the syllables of his name, “you’re a man of great stature and influence. I love that in a man. It shows a certain strength that not many can cope with.” He grinned stupidly at you as you whispered sweetly to him. He hung on your every word. You stood up slowly, “if you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” He nodded and pointed to a door nearby. “Don’t get into any trouble without me.” You winked, he nodded enthusiastically in response.

You left the booth and almost bumped into a server boy. A champagne bottle hurtled towards the ground, but you managed to catch it just before it shattered on the ground. “I’m so sorry, miss.” The young man apologised in a French accent.
“No worries, nothing broke.” You placed the bottle back on the serving tray, opening your ring as you did. The light blue powder settled onto the lip of the crystal glass. “Could you tell Corvus that I’m feeling ill.” You padded the back of your neck with a cloth and fanned yourself with your hand.
“Of course, miss. Anything I can get you?”
“No, don’t worry yourself. Just yell Corvus I’ve gone home, but I’ll see him again soon. You smiled and slipped the man a $100 bill. As soon as you were out of sight you hurried to the parking lot. The valet brought your car around quickly and as you went to get in sirens shrieked throughout the building.
“Corvus has been poisoned!” A waiter came out, screaming at the guards to get inside. “He's dead! They want you to round up all of the staff and the two women who were with him earlier.” The guards rushed inside. You closed the car door with a sigh of relief, tearing off towards “The Continental.”
You walked into the lobby where John was waiting. He pulled you to him, squeezing you tightly, “babe, still need to breathe.”
“Sorry,” he loosened his grip slightly, but still held onto you. “I heard that Corvus Harrington is dead. Killed at the same theatre you went to.”
“Funny that, I was disappointed that the show was cancelled. The Phantom of the Opera is one of my favourites.” You could see had questions, but you put a finger to his lips. “I’d kill for a drink, John. Shall we?”

You and John walked downstairs, pushing a gold coin through the slot in the door. The door swung open and you walked in. You found a seat while John ordered a couple of drinks. He sat at the table, in the seat across from you. “I’m assuming you’ve gotten the neighbour to feed the dogs tonight, John.” You smiled at him, taking his hand in yours.
“And tomorrow morning.”
“So, we aren’t in a rush to get home.” You smiled with a wink.
“I suppose not,” he raised his glass and clinked it against yours.

Chapter Text

You drew in a deep breath, you had been preparing for this moment since you were first approached by Hal Jordan. You smiled as the other Blue Lanterns watched you repeat the oath. "In fearful day, in raging night, with strong hearts full, our souls ignite. When all seems lost in the War of Light, look to the stars, for hope burns bright!" The end of your recruitment had come, after three days and a rather convoluted explanation of the meaning of hope and what it took to be a Blue Lantern. The Guardians of Hope bestowed a ring of power on you and you thanked them gratefully. Hal Jordan came over to you after the celebrations had begun, hugging you tightly. As soon as he came near you, you felt your ring grow more powerful. “Hal, I made it in!” You smiled
“I never doubted you.”
“So, when’s our first mission?”
“First, you need some training.” Your face fell,
“Why?”
“Because you’re a young man that’s been gifted one hell of a lot of power.”
“I know about responsibility,” you countered. Hal smiled and lifted your chin slightly.
“Think of it as an opportunity to spend time together then.”

You followed Hal through the air, flying slightly behind him. “Shouldn’t we have reached the training grounds?” You called out, concerned.
“Yes, I don’t know what’s going on.” Hal slowed down, looking around him. You pulled up a map of the galaxy, doing a quick scan of the surrounding area.
“There should be a colony over,” a bright light, full of several different colours spiralled through the air towards you. “Hal!” You yelled and put up a shield, recognising that the lights were a wormhole. You couldn’t hear anything over the sudden noise. Hal held on to you as you hurtled through space. The rushing air stopped, and you managed to catch your breath. You looked around just in time to see a large piece of rock tearing towards you and Hal. Hal saw it too and shoved you out of the way. He pointed his ring at it and a beam of green energy pierced the rock, shattering it. Shards of rock flew at Hal, one collided with his shoulder. He yelped in pain but still managed to avoid the rest of the rock. You floated over to him, examining his injury. “Stay still,” you hovered your hand over your shoulder. The ring on your finger came to life, glowing with a dull blue. Hal’s fractured shoulder healed before your eyes, his face relaxing as the pain subsided.
“Thank you.” He nodded and pecked your cheek.
“It’s no problem. We should find somewhere to regather our thoughts.” You looked around, spotting a planet nearby. “Over there.”

You and Hal made your way over to the forest planet. You landed in a clearing of the dense forest, sitting on a fallen log. Hal sat next to you,
“where are we?” He asked, looking up at the purple sky.
“I’ll check for any signs of intelligent life. Wait here.” You instructed Hal,
“you’re not going alone.” He stood up and took off from the ground. His green glow flickered, and he fell from the sky. You caught him in a pillow on the ground. You only managed to absorb some of the impact of the fall before your own ring flickered out.
“What the hell is going on?” You tapped your ring frustrated. “Let me see if I can charge your ring.” You waved your hand over his ring, a dull blue glow resonated from it. You focused and the blue light became brighter. “Try sending out a distress signal,” you told Hal. He nodded and pointed his ring to the sky. Your ring flashed in Morse Code, S.O.S.
“Alright, everyone in the galaxy will have picked it up.”
“Great, I have no juice left so here’s hoping someone is nearby.”
“Not that I know where here is.” Hal scratched his head. “I think we should find a source of clean water.”
“There are birds nearby, I’m assuming there’s water on this planet. Hopefully, they haven’t evolved too differently.” You grimaced at your own comment.

You followed Hal through the thick undergrowth, pushing giant leaves out of the way. Hal held his hand out, stopping suddenly. “Do you hear that?” He whispered to you,
“hear what?” You whispered back. As the words came out of your mouth, you heard rustling nearby. Your eyes went wide as you edged closer to Hal, scanning your surroundings quickly. You tried to put a shield around yourself, forgetting that you had no power in your ring. You silently cursed your misfortune. Hal grabbed your hand and lead you forwards, creeping along at a snail’s pace. You whimpered softly as a fallen branch cracked beneath your foot. The whole forest around you seemed to seize, the breeze froze, and the birds stopped chirping. You tracked the source of the rustling coming from your left, the only noise apart from your rapid heartbeat. You could see the brush moving as something walked through it. Hal pulled you behind him and you peeked around his side. Hal lifted a stick and wielded it, ready to get into a fight.

You burst into laughter as a small, fox-like creature with various mosses and mushrooms growing on its fur stepped into the clearing. It looked at you, as surprised to see you as you were to see it. You knelt down, making soothing sounds as you tried to lure it over to you. “Hey, little friend,”
“Not a good idea,” Hal warned as you inched closer.
“I’m being careful,” you scolded him gently, “this isn’t the first time I’ve encountered wild animals. I was the top male zookeeper at my work before I became a blue lantern, you know.” You shut up as the fox ventured closer. It sniffed your finger and gazed at your ring. “You like that, do you?” You smiled at the bizarre creature, “do you know where some water is?” You asked it rhetorically. Your ring glowed blue for a moment and the fox’s ears perked up. It tilted its head slightly and nipped at your ring. You pulled your hand away but kept your composure, not wanting to scare the animal. The fox yipped at you and turned in a circle. “We should follow it,” you acknowledged the nagging feeling in your mind.
“That’s insane.” You started after the fox, walking away from Hal. “Fine.” He huffed, following behind.

You walked for a few minutes, almost losing the fox several times, amazed that it came back to find you each time. Slowly but surely the forest thinned out. You heard the rushing water before you saw it, you could tell that Hal was as excited as you. You could see the water shimmering in the sunlight. The fox wouldn’t step onto the riverbank, choosing to stay in the shadows of the trees. You knelt down and scratched it behind the ears, it made a strange chirping noise before running off into the forest out of sight. You turned back to Hal who beamed at you. He hugged you tightly, “how’d you do that?”
“I have no clue.” You shrugged once he let you go. “I know that the rings of power can translate but I never thought they allowed us to communicate with animals.” You admitted.
“I don’t think it was just the ring. I think it was you, after all, Blue Lanterns work on hope.” Hal smiled and walked to the water's edge, finding a calmer spot.

The river was crystal clear, and you could see several brightly coloured fish species swimming around. You watched as the light reflected off of their scales while they danced through the current. Hal stuck one hand in the water, tasting it before taking a proper drink. “Is it alright?” You asked. Hal shrugged,
“It tastes like fresh water to me.” You cupped your hands together and sipped from the river. As you knelt down next to Hal you noticed his ring flashing.
“How long has your ring been flashing?” You pointed out.
“Since you knelt down. It must be feeding off of your ring.” You nodded,
“It started to recharge as soon as we started following that fox.”
“Is it strong enough to open a wormhole and get us off this planet.” The thought hadn’t crossed your mind to be fair. You stood and concentrated. The air around the ring shimmered for a moment, you got excited as a wormhole began to form. A sudden burning pulsed through your arm and you fell to your knees, the wormhole snapping shut. A streak of blood dripped from your nose as you gasped for breath. “Hey, are you alright?” Hal crouched next to you, rubbing your back soothingly.
“I drained too much power from the ring, I’ll be alright.”
“Maybe we should rest.” You nodded and shifted your position to sitting. You leaned against a nearby tree. You closed your eyes as Hal sat next to you, wrapping an arm around you. You leaned your head on his shoulder and drifted off to sleep.

“Wake up,” Hal shook you softly. Your eyes sprang open and you looked around you, searching for danger. The sun had begun to set, and the forest’s shadows stretched over the river. “It’s alright.” He smiled, taking one cheek in his hand. “It’ll be nightfall soon. I’ve built a shelter for the night.” He helped you to your feet and led you to a hastily made lean-to. It looked warm and waterproof and you had a sudden burst of hope. Your ring glowed a bright blue and Hal’s ring glowed along with it. You heard voices above you.
“There!” A rough male voice echoed down.
“I see them!” A female confirmed his sighting.
“That’s their rings!” A second male joined their voices.
“Hal,” you pointed up, seeing three green lights above you. “It’s the rescue party.”

Chapter Text

You watched Captain America from across the lounge. The sunlight streamed through the barely opened blinds. He sipped his steaming coffee, watching the city of New York beyond. “I don’t understand why you don’t just ask him out,” Natasha teased you, snapping you back into focus.
“What?”
“It’s obvious that you like him,” Nat laughed. You shoved her lightly,
“you have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.” Steve turned and smiled at you. You blushed in response, hoping he hadn’t overheard the conversation.
“If you don’t ask him, someone else will snap him up,” Natasha whispered. She turned to the door, watching as Sharon Carter walked in. “Speak of the devil.” Natasha smiled and stood up. You turned back to your book, trying to ignore what was going on in the room. Sharon walked over to Steve with a set of files in her hands. He smiled at her and took the files.
“Thanks, Sharon. I’ve been waiting on these files for ages.” Steve said, a slight annoyance in his tone.
“No problem, it was surprisingly easy to get hold of them when I mentioned they were for you. It must be nice to pull rank every so often,” Sharon tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.
“I try not to.” Steve smiled.
“You’ve got a little something on your cheek,” Sharon stated, reaching up and wiping the stray hair away. “Steve, I was wondering,” you tensed up at the conversation, trying your best not to react.
“Yes?”
“Do you want to go for coffee sometime?” Steve nodded.
“Sure, I’m free on Saturday.”
“Great, I’ll swing by at about 10 in the morning.”
“See you then.” You stared at Sharon as she walked out. “Are you alright?” Steve asked you, suddenly standing in front of you.
“I’m fine,” you lied through your teeth. The truth was that you felt like you were going to burst. Anger welled up in your chest, threatening to erupt like a volcano. You stood up, slammed your book on the table and stormed out of the room. Steve watched you go, confused at your sudden outburst.

Tony walked into your room where you were pacing back and forth, calming yourself down and working out an apology to Steve. “What’s going on? Steve said you were upset.”
“It doesn’t matter,” you turned to him. Tony had a smirk on his face.
“You’re mad because Sharon was flirting with the Cap.” You glared at him, “you, my friend, are jealous.”
“How do you know that Sharon was flirting with Steve?” You stepped closer. Tony put his hands up in mock surrender. “Tony.” You growled.
“Nat said how you liked Steve, so we decided to help. We set Sharon up to flirt with him to nudge you into making a move.” Your breath caught in your throat as you struggled with all the words you wanted to scream.
“You two are awful!” You yelled. “How dare you meddle in my personal life like that!” Tony’s smile fell from his face as you yelled at him. You turned away from Tony, disgusted by him. “You guys had no right!” You felt tears of anger, betrayal and embarrassment flow from your eyes. “If you understood how much I love Steve you would never have done that!”

“You love me?” Steve said from the doorway, he’d come in to see what the yelling was about. You whipped around, cheeks glowing from embarrassment. You felt a twinge of relief when you saw Steve was smiling.
“I, uh, wait.” You stumbled over your words. Steve walked over to you, wiping a tear from your cheek. “Steve, I don’t know what you heard but I can explain.”
“Explain what?” He stared at you, waiting for your answer. “You said you love me, what do you mean?”
“It means I love you, Steve!” You cried, “ever since I went on my first mission with the Avengers and we got stuck together in the Arctic. The way you held me to keep me warm and how we talked for hours.” You took a step away from him, your whole body trembling. “I don’t want anything more than to stay by your side. I want to protect you, and I wouldn’t trust anyone to protect me more than you.” Steve grabbed your shaking shoulders, you looked up at him. He was smiling ear to ear.
“You really feel that way?” He asked, genuinely curious.
“Yes, I really do. I’m sorry.” Steve laughed and pulled you towards him, kissing you gently on the lips. When he broke away, you stared at him stupidly. Lost for words and unsure of how to react.
“Don’t be sorry.”
“Does that mean?” You whispered softly,
“I love you too,” Steve answered before you could finish.
“You should probably call Sharon to say you can’t go on a date.

Chapter Text

Sherlock waltzed into his shared apartment 221B Baker Street, he said a quick hello to John as he walked in but otherwise headed straight to his room. John had barely gotten a word in edgewise all day and there was something Sherlock needed to know. Sherlock, however, had no intention of listening. He was buried so deep in his current case that he didn't notice the hot tea Mrs Hudson had brought him, sitting on his bedside table. Sherlock paced his room, arching his fingers in front of his face, lost in thought. He let out a low growl as he heard knocking on his bedroom door. "Sherlock?" John called from the other side, "Sherlock we need to talk quickly."
"Not now, John." Came the snappy reply.
"Yes now, Sherlock." John was becoming impatient. "Do you have clothes on?"
"What? Of course, I have my clothes on. Why do you ask?" That was all John needed to know before he pushed open the door to Sherlock's room.
"Right, sit," John ordered Sherlock as he gestured to the bed. "I want your full attention." Sherlock sighed and sat on the bed. He looked at John, puzzling over what could possibly be so important that John decided he needed to interrupt him. John cleared his throat and sat across from Sherlock, leaning on the dresser.
"I have a very good friend of mine coming over tonight Sherlock. They are visiting London and need a place to stay, so I offered them our couch." Sherlock began to protest, but John beat him to it. "They were a good friend of mine before I joined the army. Before you say no, like I know you will, you don't have a choice. They are already on their way." John finished his sentence and stood to leave, he left no room for argument. Sherlock stood to follow John and tried to tell him that there were plenty of hotels around. John turned on Sherlock, visibly annoyed. "Sherlock, one more thing. Don't do anything to make an arse of yourself. And do not embarrass them or me." With that, John closed the door to Sherlock's room behind him. Sherlock sighed and turned his back to the door.
"Dammit John, can't you tell I'm busy? Too busy to entertain a visitor." Sherlock murmured to himself.

It was late in the evening at 221B Baker Street when there was a rap at the door. John called out to Sherlock, who was still in his room. "They're here!" He stood to answer the door. As John grabbed the door handle, he adjusted his jacket, noticing that Sherlock had made it to the top of the stairs, curious about the intruder. John opened the door and in walked a pretty, fiery red-haired woman. She placed her bag on the floor and hugged John tightly, both of them beaming. Sherlock, however, was less than impressed. He stalked into the lounge to wait for them. Minutes later, John and the red-head walked into the room. "Sherlock," John paused, waiting for him to turn around, which he eventually did. "This is Alice. She is going to be staying with us." Sherlock stood and walked over to the pair, Alice extended her hand. Sherlock cleared his throat, making John tense.
"Alice, it is nice to meet you," Sherlock said, the strain in his voice obvious, he was trying with his whole heart to stop himself from deducing her. Alice dropped her hand.
"Sherlock Holmes, I hear you have been a very good friend to John," Alice spoke with a subtle Irish accent. "I appreciate that. Goodness knows you need friends, John." Alice laughed and John smiled.
"Would you like some tea Alice?" Mrs Hudson asked from the doorway.
"I'd love some, if you don't mind," Alice replied, looking back at Mrs Hudson as she spoke. John offered her a seat and took her bag, placing it on his computer desk. Alice thanked him and sat. John sat in his armchair and Sherlock hovered on the edge of the room. John and Alice chatted for a while until Mrs Hudson brought the tea. The rain had just started to fall as they sat in near silence, drinking the hot tea.

"So," Sherlock said abruptly, "what is it you do?" John shot him a look of warning, Sherlock already had a fair idea of the answer. He gathered that she worked in the field of science, psychology perhaps.
"I am currently working as a Criminal Psychologist. I'm in London because a friend has requested for me to do some research here for him." Alice smiled again. Sherlock didn't return the smile.
"Who is your friend?" Sherlock was trying to push Alice for information, attempting to unlock her secrets.
"Sherlock, " John warned, "back off." Alice turned to him and smiled, she then turned back to Sherlock.
"Now that, Sherlock, is not something I can tell you. It is classified." Sherlock huffed and turned his back. John and Alice continued to talk, joking about their past together. It took ten minutes before Sherlock piped up again.
"Are you in a relationship Alice?" John choked on his mouthful of tea. "I notice you don't wear any rings on your fingers. You do, however, have a ring on a chain around your neck. So either the ring doesn't fit and you can't have it resized, for whatever reason, or,"
"Sherlock," John growled.
"Or," Sherlock continued, "You are wearing it for another reason, perhaps it isn't yours and you're a thief. " John gave him another warning. "Could you be a widow and that is your dead lovers ring. Maybe it's a trophy from a murder victim. Studying Criminal psychology would mean you know your way around the law and how to get away with murder." John was standing now, getting angrier with each word Sherlock spoke. The problem was that Sherlock couldn't see him as his back was still turned, and now he was on a roll. Finally, he turned around, taking in the scene. He had expected John to be angry but what he didn't expect was the incredible calmness on Alice's face. Once Sherlock had stopped talking Alice let out a laugh, causing John to turn and look at her as well.

"I see what you mean John, he is dangerously clever. As much as I wish I could tell you that you were right Sherlock, you're not even close. I'm not in a relationship, that is true. Also, this ring around my neck is not mine, but it was neither a lovers' nor a dead partners'. It isn't a trophy and I certainly didn't steal it. It belonged to my sister. She and her husband died in an accident a long time ago now. I wear it because it is the only thing I have left of her." She stood, collecting the tray of cold tea and the cups. "If you'll excuse me, I am going to fetch some fresh tea." John spun to face Sherlock once she had left.
"You absolute prick!" He hissed. "You are a top-notch arse, you know that? There was one thing I asked you to do, don't embarrass her!" Sherlock was still stunned by Alice's calm demeanour, not even hearing John and his run of insults.
"Alright John, she can stay." Sherlock interrupted him.
"Wait, what?" John was shocked by Sherlock's sudden change of heart.
"Apologise to her for me would you John." Sherlock left the lounge and went into his bedroom to think. Alice walked back in, carrying the fresh tea on a tray.
"Oh dear, I hope I didn't hurt his pride by telling him he was wrong." John shook his head.
"I think you've gotten him interested actually, Alice." John sat back beside her and they shared more stories before John excused himself to go to bed.

It was close to midnight when Sherlock shook Alice gently, rousing her from her sleep. Her hand shot to his, catching it in a vice-like grip. She relaxed when she realised it was Sherlock. "What?"
"I need to know more about you," Sherlock stated, bluntly. Alice yawned,
"what do you want to know?" She leant on her arm, still tired.
"Everything you can tell me." Sherlock leant in towards Alice, absolutely intrigued.
Sherlock offered Alice some tea as she recounted her life.
"I was orphaned at age eleven, along with my sister who was nine. Both of my parents were murdered. They were caught in the middle of a hostage situation at the bank, it went wrong and they were shot. I was taken in by my Aunt who raised my sister and me until I was eighteen and she was sixteen. We moved out together, I went off to University to do my psychology papers while working part-time as a waitress. She met her husband while chasing a music career. A few years passed, I got my PhD and was offered a job. She got married and they died on the way to the honeymoon. That was when I met John actually. He helped me pick up the pieces of my life and we ended up having a lot of fun together, although we never became more than friends. I moved to England to be with the only person I had. About a year later, John left for the army and I moved back to Ireland." She took a long sip of her tea, pausing to allow Sherlock to take it in. "And now I'm here. So there you are, Mister Sherlock Holmes, my life in a very compact nutshell." She laughed half-heartedly, watching for Sherlock's reaction. He nodded slowly, deep in thought, fingers arched in front of his mouth.

Sherlock stood up sharply, causing Alice to jump and spill her tea. Alice cursed under her breath as Sherlock apologised profusely. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He sounded genuinely sorry. Alice smiled and waved him away as she tried to brush the cooling tea off of her nightshirt. She gazed down at the brown stain, sighing. Sherlock went to get a cloth from the kitchen and Alice grabbed a spare shirt from her bag. She walked to the bathroom and closed the door gently behind her, careful not to make too much noise. She stripped her nightshirt and placed it in the sink, she dressed in a purple t-shirt with a cartoon owl on it. Now standing in her shirt and underwear, she grabbed some laundry powder and ran the tap hot. She gently patted the tea stain out of her shirt.

Alice jumped as she felt a warm hand fall on her shoulder. She turned to see John smiling at her, on the verge of laughter. "Sherlock woke me and told me what happened. He was bloody embarrassed," John laughed, patting Alice's shoulder. Alice smiled back and, satisfied with the cleaning of her shirt, threw it into the laundry hamper. Alice and John walked back into the lounge area where Sherlock was waiting. Sherlock glanced at Alice as she walked in, taking in the clothing change. Alice was a curvy woman, but fit, her body clearly came from a lifetime of work. Alice caught his gaze, Sherlock cleared his throat and turned to face looked at John. John said goodnight once more and headed back to bed, Sherlock followed suit and wished Alice sweet dreams. Alice remade the couch and slithered between the covers. Sighing and staring at the ceiling, eventually drifting back to sleep.

Alice pulled the pillow over her head, trying in vain to block out the noise of Sherlock's violin. John was sitting in his chair, sipping a cup of tea and reading the daily paper. Alice rubbed the back of her head as she sat. She stretched and yawned, her shirt lifting slightly as she did. She looked over at John, who smiled sweetly. "Morning. Did you get a decent rest?" Alice shrugged, running her fingers through her hair in a vain attempt to smooth it down.
"I got to sleep eventually, so that's something." She chuckled to herself,

Chapter Text

Superman watched as you watered the plants on your front porch, taking special care around the roses. He had been watching you for a while, the last few weeks actually. He had noticed some interesting things about your behaviour, the fact that you lived in a small cottage in the middle of a forest, far from civilisation was one thing that tipped him off. You only ever went into town, which was nearly a day’s ride on horseback, once every month. You bought things like sugar and flour but nothing else. He'd followed you one day, after noticing strange sigils covering your arms. When he saw where you lived, he had taken an immediate interest. As you finished watering the plants you grabbed a separate bucket from just inside the door. You whistled and a group of animals rushed over, amongst them was a cow and her calf, a sheep, a stag and a doe, and several chickens. You spread various seeds, oats and other scraps onto the floor. The animals hungrily ate it. You grabbed a small amount of seed and held your hand out, a black raven landed on your arm and ate from your hand. The raven cawed gently at you, "there is a man watching you." You thanked the raven and allowed it to finish its meal. You stood up and brushed your hands on your skirt.

"I know you're there, you can come out." Superman landed on the grass before you.
"How did you know?"
"The birds know things I don't. Please,” you gestured to the front door, “would you like some tea?"
"Sure," he said, following you inside. You stoked the wood fire and placed a kettle of water on top.
"So, humanoid, what brings you to my home?" You spoke over your shoulder as you prepared two mugs for tea.
"I've been watching you and you have my interest. I want to know what you are, you can’t be human." You turned to him, a brow raised in confusion.
"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I am human. Sugar?" Clark nodded, "I've just been able to use and master the power of earth, I'm what they used to call an arcane. A magic-user, one of the last in the whole world."
"I know that feeling. So, what does it mean, to be an arcane?" You carried the hot tea over to him, it was a delicious smelling brew of lavender and rose, picked from your own garden.
"It means that I can do a lot of things humans cannot. Like helping my plants to grow, speaking to animals and even changing my shape."

You escorted Clark from your home, as you opened the door a large wolf stood in the way. Clark pushed you behind him, protecting you from the beast. You placed a hand on his back, he looked at you and saw you smiling. A puzzled look invaded his eyes, but you just stepped around him. You pet the wolf on the head, "you know you aren't allowed on the porch." You scolded it, "what's the matter?" A low growl came from the wolf, you nodded.
"What did it say?" Clark had moved up behind you out of interest.
"A group of people are coming, excuse me." You hurried down the steps and lifted your hands to your house, vines and moss grew up the sides of the wood, obscuring parts of it. Within moments the house looked abandoned, you then turned your hands to yourself and your form began to shift. "You should hide," you warned Superman before completely changing into a black cat and scurrying up a tree to watch. Superman flew into the sky, hiding amongst the trees. Voices echoed through the trees,
"Are you sure this is where it picked him up." A woman spoke, followed by a gruff sounding man.
"Yes, in the middle of this forest. Don't ask me why." Wonder Woman and Batman exited the tree line and came into the clearing, "I'm picking up a lot of life around here."
"Yes, it's a flourishing forest." Diana irately answered Bruce, gesturing to the trees around her. Superman floated down to the ground beside them.
"What are you doing here?"
"We need you for a mission, you weren't responding," Diana spoke up, hand on her hip. You morphed your form back to human, watching these intruders suspiciously,
"I was busy," Clark defended himself.
"With what? There's nothing out here!" Bruce snapped and hit the balcony of your home, cracking the carefully carved wood. You'd heard enough and you moved your hands in an upwards motion.

Large rocks sprang from the earth, coating Bruce and Diana's bodies and holding them tightly. You forced them to their knees, restraining their hands effortlessly. They struggled to get free, but you tightened your grip. You leapt to the ground, vines rushing around you and grasping on to their necks, beginning to squeeze. "Wait!" Clark cried out, but you couldn't hear him over your own anger. You approached the two superheroes gasping for air,
"Why are you invading my home!" Your yelling attracted a nearby wolf pack who came to your aid, circling them and growling. Diana gasped a response,
"we were just looking for him. Please, we didn't mean any harm,"
"I know you, you're an Amazonian." You relaxed one hand, releasing her from the earth's grip. Then you turned to Bruce, "You, what are you?" You relaxed the vines around his neck, allowing him to talk.
"He's human, just like you." Clark went to break the rocks off of him, but you moved one hand up and batted him to the side with a pile of rocks, sending him to the ground.
"Speak," you commanded Bruce, "before I take your head off."
"I am human, I’m an inventor of sorts. Please, I don't mean any harm." A butterfly flew past you, drifting before your eyes and whispering to you,
"I'm y/n, this is my forest." You relaxed your hand and let Bruce go. Clark got to his feet and cautiously walked over to you,
"It's alright, we're leaving." You turned to your home and dismissed the vines and moss that covered it.
"No, please, I'm sorry for my rudeness. Daffodil here reminded me of my host's duties." The butterfly landed on your finger.

You invited the trio into your home, although there wasn't a lot of space. You explained who and what you were, "I don't get many visitors, the ones that I do have tried to harness my power or kill me." You gave them a warm smile, "you can't be too careful with strangers." Diana spoke next,
"You said you knew me, how?"
"I know the Amazons, I would certainly recognise their princess. Although you are older than I remember."
"I'm sorry that I can't say I know you." You shook your head,
"I wouldn't expect you to, the last time I visited the Amazons was over a century ago."
"You're that old?" Bruce interrupted, earning a daggered look from Diana.
"Older, I've been on this earth since the Celtic times. I've just taken different forms as each one has expired."
"So, you're practically immortal." Clark expressed his interest by moving closer,
"No, not even close. It takes a lot of time to prepare a different form. I could be in limbo for decades before coming back. If my soul is destroyed, then it's all over."
"How does one destroy a soul?" Bruce interrupted again,
"I would not tell you such information." You finished your tea and stood, motioning towards the window. It opened slowly and a raven flew in, landing on your shoulder. "Hello again," you talked to it in a happy, perky tone. "Have you not had enough of me today?" The raven cawed back, retelling its message. "Thank you." You offered the raven a small seed before taking it to the windowsill.

"What are you looking at?" Clark said, standing beside you.
"There," you pointed to a small, dark ring of grass. Clark went over to it, but you pulled him back. You picked up a stone and threw it into the circle, it slowly melted and disappeared. Diana spoke up,
"That is what we were trying to find you for, these rings have been appearing all around the planet. This is a small one." You turned to her,
"The circles aren't harmful,"
"Then how do you explain that?" Diana gestured to the rock.
"It's the things that inhabit the circle. I'll assume you can't see them then." Clark looked at the circle again, trying with his x-ray vision but still finding nothing. You put your hand in the circle, then pulled it out unharmed. "See, the circle isn't harmful."
"How do you get rid of whatever is in there?" Bruce asked,
"It's a simple incantation. Simple for me anyway, take me to the circles, I'll happily close them for you." The cow nearby mooed at you. You walked over to her, rubbing her side. "I'll only be gone a short while, you might have to just eat grass." You scolded it. Clark nodded,
"I can take you."
"Can you show us first?" Diana asked, intrigued by the thought.

You bent down next to the circle, waving your hand beside it. You drew a sigil in the dirt beside it and rock drove up through the middle. The ground splintered and then the rock sank back into the earth. You stood up and walked into the centre, happy with the outcome. Clark, Bruce and Diana all watched in amazement. "We have tried everything to get rid of those, nothing has worked so far apart from that."
“Yes, that’s because this is old magic. It can only be broken by the same. Your new technology won’t have any effect.”
“So, why is it in a perfect circle?” Bruce asked, stepping closer to examine the sigil.
“It’s the way the creatures graze. The more creatures the larger the circle.” You informed him, waving your hand over the circle. The inside shimmered and hundreds of small, dark pixie-like things appeared. You picked one up and examined it. “I have never seen so many in one place, they shouldn’t have had to die like this.” You touched the ground and a large crack ran through it, opening up into a pit. You started to place the pixies at the bottom of it. Clark helped you to lay them to rest. Bruce tried to convince you to allow him to take one, for research purposes. Diana shut him up fairly quickly. Once they had all been laid underground, you motioned your hand over them, rapidly filling the hole with dirt. You turned to the other three superheroes standing before you. “Shall we go to the next one?” Clark nodded and offered you his hand. “I’ll follow you.” You made a quick motion with one hand and wings sprouted from your back. Your form shrank and black feathers grew from the rest of your body. You were joined by your raven friend as you took off into the air.

Chapter Text

You stroked Loki’s hair as he lay with his head in your lap. He breathed softly, a smile curling at his lip. You leaned your head back on the sofa and sighed. The sun warmed your foot as you relaxed in your Brooklyn apartment. The sunlight glistened off the other leg, which was made of metal. The metal extended up your entire left leg, up your hip and stopping just above your belly button. The metal had also replaced your left arm. You’d defied the odds by surviving after being caught in an explosion during your time in Afghanistan. You suffered severe damage to your entire body, the left more than the right. You still had major scarring on your left cheek and the left half of your neck.

You’d first met Loki during a mission with the Avengers, you were the captain of a team sent to provide back up. You protected Loki from a line of bullets, holding them at bay as they ricocheted off of your leg and hip. He promised to take you to dinner if you both made it out alive. Now you both lay on the couch in your living room, far too comfortable to do anything productive. You and Loki had been dating for close to six months and you fell more in love with him every day. Every small thing he did would make your heart race. From humming when his favourite song came on the radio, tapping his fingers to the beat while you drove, to the way he smiled when he caught you staring. You knew you had the same effect on him. You’d caught him standing outside the bathroom door, listening to you singing in the shower on a number of occasions, not that you minded at all. Something about Loki, despite all that he’d done, made you feel safe.

Loki slowly opened his eyes and smiled up at you. “Morning, sleepy head,” you joked. “Good sleep?”
“Yeah, what time is it?”
“Almost 11.” You saw him begin to panic slightly, “don’t worry. You don’t have anything to do until tomorrow.” You kissed him on the forehead.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” He sat up slowly, kissing you back.
“You looked like you needed the rest. Have a shower, I’ll make some food and put on a pot of coffee.”

You buttered the freshly popped toast, humming quietly to yourself as you did. Loki walked in wearing a completely black suit, drying his hair. “I feel so much better, amazing what a good shower can do.” He smiled at you, drying his hair.
“Agreed. How do you want your eggs babe, the normal?” You asked.
“I’ll do them,” he made his way to the stove. “You get the coffee on.” He kissed your neck as he walked past you.
“Any reason your all dressed up, or was it your goal to distract me?” He laughed as he cracked a couple of eggs into the pan. “Your silence means yes.” You smiled and turned to fill up the kettle.

An explosion tore through the side of your apartment building. You were dragged off your feet by the shockwave and pummelled by debris. You groaned and rolled onto your side, ears ringing. You could feel blood dripping down your forehead. “Loki?” You moaned, getting to your knees and trying to shake the ringing from your head. “Loki! Where are you?” You searched the brick-laden floor. You felt Loki’s hand fall on your arm, sighing in relief as he pulled you into his arms.
“Are you hurt?”
“A little, I’ll be okay.” You could hear screaming coming from the rest of the building. You stared at the gaping hole in the wall, the midday sun dancing on the resting dust. You went to investigate but Loki pulled you back, just as another explosion ripped through the walls. You covered your head with your arm, turning your body for protection. You coughed out the dusty air, trying to regain your footing and get back to Loki. You heard him call out for you. “I’m over here,” you called back, following his voice. Your eyes flooded with tears as you looked around your ruined house, the home you had bought with the love of your life. Loki grabbed your hand and led you to a far wall, away from the worst of the rubble. You saw a shadow move in the sunlight and heard a familiar voice yell into the room. “Steve?” You almost screamed to him,
“you’re alright!” He ran through the room, dodging rubble. “Are you hurt?” You shook your head. “Loki, are you alright.” He nodded. “Good, we need to leave.” Steve helped you over to the side of the building and began to scale down alongside you.

You clung onto the bricks attached to apartment block as you made your way down the side of the building, the stairs were destroyed in the blasts, so this was the only way down. Steve was already on the way down helping others out of the building. You could see Loki just above you. You looked up just as a third explosion took out the floor where you had just been, shaking the entire building. Loki was next to you, falling quickly so you reached out, grabbing his arm. He tried to grab the building but lost his grip, jerking downwards as a piece of concrete gave way. He caught himself on a ledge, but the sudden weight shift made you lose your grip. You felt your finger leave his skin and then nothing. You watched him get further away, taking a while to realise you were falling. You gasped as your mind kicked into action. You searched for a ledge as you fell, reaching out with your reinforced arm. Your fingers caught a ledge and you jerked to a halt, your body swung into the side of the building. You cried out in pain, you could tell straight away that your rib had broken. The sudden pain caused you to lose consciousness for a moment, that moment was all it took for you to lose your hand hold. You grasped at anything as you hurtled downwards again. Your fall was cut short as a hand grabbed yours. You heard someone swear as they caught your full weight. You swayed in the air, shoulder aching from the forced pull. You realised how lucky it was that your arm was metal, the force could have pulled it from its socket otherwise. You felt yourself being pulled up, dragged gently over the edge of the window sill. You landed on top of your saviour with a heavy thud.

“I need to learn to stop catching people.” Clint Barton’s familiar voice came from beneath you. “Are you alright?” You groaned and rolled off of him.
“Not particularly, I think I’ve definitely broken something.” You gasped in pain as you laughed in relief. “Thank you, Clint.” He nodded and got to his feet.
“Always happy to help a fellow Avenger. Let’s get you to safety.
“Agreed.” He helped you to your feet, allowing you to lean on him.
“You have a piece of glass in your leg,” he commented. You gripped the large shard of glass protruding from the metal. You pulled it out, Clint winced but you didn’t feel anything.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing Tony can’t fix.” Clint escorted you down the last flight of stairs. You saw Loki waiting for you on the ground, he was almost screaming at Thor.
“What if the building falls down?” He yelled, not noticing you.
“You can’t go in there! No other civilians are inside brother, I can’t risk losing you too.” Thor scolded Loki, holding his shoulders.
“Loki,” You cautiously called out, he turned around and ran towards you.
“You’re alive!” He cried out, hugging you. You grunted in pain as he did. “You’ve been hurt.”
“I’ll be okay.” Your legs crumpled beneath you, Loki barely holding you up.
“That’s a lot of blood,” Loki whimpered as he helped you to the floor. He took his hand away; red blood coated his hand.

Steve gestured to a nearby medical team, they rushed over and started examining you. The paramedics seemed intrigued by your metal replacements but still did their job. You were imagining the trip to the hospital if it was needed. One of the paramedics brushed over your shoulder and you cried out in pain. “There’s a large tear where the metal and your skin join,” the paramedic informed you. “You’ll have to go to a hospital.”
“I don’t need a hospital, I need you to get Tony Stark.” You scowled,
“I’ll go with you to the hospital.” Tony retaliated.
“I won’t leave you either,” Loki reassured you as you were lifted onto a gurney. He sat in the back of the ambulance by your side the whole way to the hospital.

Chapter Text

“Are you feeling better today?” You jumped when Deadpool spoke behind you. You swallowed the mouthful of tea.
“Yeah, I’m not as sore.” You’d had a rough night with Deadpool, helping him on his various missions. He stroked the top of your head, ruffling your cat-like ears.
“Good, because we have another mission tonight.”
“Who are we going after?”
“Some sorcerer, nothing big.” You nodded and finished your tea. Deadpool and you waited until the still of night before you both snuck off to an abandoned building.

You could smell the herbs and incense immediately as you approached the building. “They are definitely in there.’ You told Deadpool, covering your nose.
“Good job kitty,” he nodded. Deadpool led the way into the building pulling his katanas from their sheath. You both snuck through the bottom floor of the building, keeping an eye out for the sorcerer. As you made your way up the stairs you heard a whisper behind you. You turned around, pulling a gun. A cloud of bright purple dust was blown into your face as you went to aim. You coughed and choked, firing blindly. You felt Deadpool leap over your head and drive his swords through his target. You clambered to the bottom of the staircase, head aching suddenly. “Are you okay?” Deadpool asked. You could see the sorcerer behind him, pinned to the ground.
“Yeah, just had shit thrown in my face, I have a small headache but otherwise I feel okay.” As you said that you felt a strange sensation come over you. Almost like you were shrinking.
“Kitty, what’s going on?” Deadpool took your face in his hands. The sorcerer laughed evilly,
“everyone always wants to turn back time. Now you have the chance.” He sighed as the last shred of life left his body. You began to panic as your body shrank smaller and smaller.

Deadpool picked you up in his arms effortlessly. You cried out, speaking slowly. “What happened?” You looked at yourself in a nearby mirror. You now looked like you were a three-year-old toddler.
“That sorcerer must have done this.” You felt like bursting into tears. “Hey, don’t get upset. I’ll find a way to turn you back.” Deadpool hushed you and carried you home. He lay you in your bed and tucked you in. “Goodnight, Kitty.”
“Goodnight.” You fell asleep pretty quickly, exhausted from the day.

You got up in the morning, falling out of the bed. Deadpool rushed in at the sound of your tears. “Hey,” he scooped you up from the floor. “It’s alright, just a little bump.” He smiled, you held on to him tightly. “Ready for breakfast?” He carried you into the dining room and sat you at the table. He placed a cup of juice and a bowl of cereal in front of you. You wolfed it down hungrily. “So, I need to get some stuff done in town today. I can’t leave you here, so you’ll have to come along.”
“Okay.” You sighed, climbing down from the table. “I don’t have any clothes though.” You murmured.
“Oh, right.” Deadpool went into his room and rustled through the drawers. He pulled out a shirt and handed it to you. “I accidentally sunk this in the wash ages ago, it should fit.” You draped the shirt over yourself, with his help. The shirt was a little big, but it would do. “Right, let’s go.”

You and Deadpool walked around town, women stopped to fawn over you at every chance. They adored your little ears and tail. You had to admit; you liked the attention. Deadpool was getting compliments as well, how he was so talented to bring up a child on his own. After wandering around for an hour, doing various errands and buying better clothes that fit you, you decided to head home. Deadpool carried you inside as he could see you were tired. He sat on the couch, you cuddled up to his side. He stroked your head as you drifted off to sleep. “How much longer till I grow up?” You asked groggily,
“I don’t know. I’ll take care of you, however long it takes.” Deadpool assured you. You purred happily as Deadpool held you.

You got up in the morning, Deadpool had carried you to bed sometime after you’d fallen asleep. He got you dressed and helped you to have breakfast. You giggled as he lay with you on the floor, throwing you gently in the air and catching you. He read you a book, although it was a book on the art of the perfect gunshot, you enjoyed it anyway. He practiced duelling with his katanas and you sat and watched happily. He would occasionally smile at you and that made you happier. After two weeks of him caring for you, you started to feel ill. Deadpool tucked you up in bed and made you chicken soup. He sat by your side and waited until you’d fallen asleep. When you woke up in the morning, you felt perfectly normal. You climbed out of bed and caught a glimpse in the mirror. You yelled out to Deadpool in excitement, you were back to your regular size and age. Deadpool ran in, you stood up and hugged him. “You’re back to normal,” he gasped as you hugged tightly.
“Yeah, it must have happened overnight.”
“That’s amazing news.” He smiled at you. “Might I suggest putting some clothes on?” You went red as you noticed that the children’s clothes you were wearing had been ruined when you’d grown.

You sat drinking coffee on the couch, delighting in the bitter taste. “Hey, Pool?” Deadpool looked over at you.
“What’s up, Kitty?”
“I wanted to thank you. You didn’t have to take care of me like you did, you could have given me to someone to take care of.”
“That would never have happened,” Deadpool looked confused, “you’re my friend. I’d never abandon you like that.”
“I know. Still, thank you. It was a strange experience, for both of us. I think we made the best of it though.”
“I think we did. Besides, I learnt something new about you.” You arched your brow. “You can purr.” You went red again,
“yes. Yes, I can.”

Chapter Text

You kissed Hal gently on the forehead as you left the room you shared. You put on your dressing gown and wandered into the lounge. You made a cup of tea and turned on the television. You watched the news for a while before growing tired of the gloom and turning it back off. You caught a glimpse of your true self in your reflection, the one you desperately tried to hide from Hal. The large portion of scar tissue covered half of your face. The healed burn gave way to your eye that was completely white. You turned away as Hal walked into the room. He smiled and kissed you gently. “Good morning,”
“Good morning, Hal. The kettle should still be hot.” You sat with Hal for a little while, wrapped in his arms while you both drank your tea. His ring glowed brightly, and he quickly got to his feet. His clothes changed into his Green Lantern uniform. He kissed you goodbye before flying out of the window. Your ring also glowed, although it was a deep black rather than a bright green. You kept the ring hidden mostly, but its call was too strong for you to ignore for long. You put the ring on, and your disguise shattered. In its place was the real you, scarred and broken. You looked over yourself, the black clothing replacing your own. You flew off, out of the atmosphere.

You were met by two other Black Lanterns, who greeted you coolly. You did the same, you had no interest in getting along, just getting the job done. You watched as three streaks of green rushed towards you. They stopped just in front of you. Three Green Lanterns now floated before you. You recognised Hal immediately, cursing softly. “Black Lanterns, you are under arrest. Come quietly and none of you has to get hurt.” One of the Green Lanterns warned.
“Y/n? Is that you?” Hal stammered, stepping closer.
“Hello, Hal. Why did you have to respond to this?” You shook your head. “I’m sorry.”
“We aren’t going into custody.” One of the Black Lanterns laughed. “You three are going to die.” The other two Black Lanterns rushed towards the Green Lanterns. Hal jumped out of their way and focused on you.

“Why?” Hal floated towards you, “why are you on their side?”
“This is my way of revenge, Hal.” You smiled, “do you know what it’s like, being kicked around for your entire life by people who think they are so much better than you? To be killed by someone you thought was the one person who ever loved you?” You cried out, reliving your memories.
“I didn’t know, why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’d never have understood. To you, the Black Lantern Corp is the height of evil.” You threw a punch at him, he caught your fist, “they saved me; gave me life and a chance to get revenge.” You brought your other hand up, smacking him in the stomach.
“This isn’t you. It’s the ring talking.”
“It might be the ring, but it’s based on my feelings. I am over being kicked to the ground, abused and ignored.”
“There are other ways.” Hal pleaded with you.
“I tried the other ways!” You screamed at him. “I used to tell the teachers at school that the other kids picked on me, they told me to ignore it. When I came home with a broken and bloodied nose my parents scolded me and told me to stop being a wimp. When I had my innocence ripped away from me nobody listened. I was murdered for fuck's sake, Hal!” Tears welled in your eyes; this was the first time you’d told Hal anything truthful from your past. “I went to the police to try and get my ex-fiancé arrested for killing my sister and me. You know what they said?” You gripped Hal around the throat, “they said that I was crazy. They said that since I was standing there, they couldn’t do anything. They locked me up in an asylum for nearly a year before they discovered my sister’s rotting corpse and let me out. By then, he was long gone.”
“I’m,” Hal gasped for air, “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want your meaningless apology. I promised myself that I would never be that weak again. I will kill everyone who ever wronged me.” You snarled, shoving him away from you. “And anyone who stands in my way.”
“Please, listen to me,” Hal begged as you floated menacingly toward him. “You aren’t alone. I know that you were before and I’m sorry you had to go through that by yourself. You don’t need to do this on your own anymore, I’m here. I love you and the thought of hurting you kills me inside.” The rage inside you simmered down as he spoke to you, a dull pain spread from the ring on your finger.
“You don’t love me.”
“I do, truly. Have I ever hurt you?” You looked away from him, knowing that nobody had ever treated you like Hal had. He always made sure that you were happy, even over his own happiness. You had created fond memories with him, you remembered how gently he held you after an argument, kissing you softly on the forehead in apology.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Hal. But I can’t stand by and let others get away with cruelty.”
“Then we will bring them to justice together.” He floated over to you, touching you gently on the shoulder. “Please, just let me help you.” A tear flowed down your cheek as you looked at him, the sincerity in his eyes clear.

“You are not worthy to wield this ring.” A voice rang out in your head. The black ring on your finger glowed and send a sharp pain up your arm. “You are not strong enough to be a Black Lantern.” You cried out in pain as a black shadow crept up your arm. You desperately tried to pry the ring off but couldn’t focus enough to grab it, the pain overwhelming you.
“Hal, please, get it off!” You shrieked. Hal grabbed the ring and pulled it from your finger, the pain subsiding as it left your skin. The bubble of air produced by the ring disappeared and you couldn’t breathe. Hal held you and extended his own bubble over you, shielding you from the harshness of space. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“I know,” he hushed you. “Let me get you home.”

Chapter Text

You travelled slowly behind the deer, arrow knocked and ready to draw your bow at any moment. The large stag stopped by a nearby stream to take a drink. You aimed at the creature, breathing in slowly. The stag’s ears perked up and it looked at something across the glade, but not at you. You flicked your eyes over there and watched as a man ran out into the clearing. His long, messy brown hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. He had his sword drawn already and turned back to face where he came. A large warg leapt from the forest, landing only a few metres away. The stag was long gone so now you had to choose, track down you and your hunting party’s dinner or save this stranger? You stepped out of the bush you were hiding in and loosed your arrow. It pierced the warg’s side and it howled in pain and fury. It ran at you as you reloaded another arrow. You aimed as the warg ran and let your arrow fly. The warg made an awful noise as the arrow gouged into its eye. You drew your hunting dagger and ran at the charging beast, driving the elvish metal into its neck. Warm blood dripped from the wound as it collapsed, letting out a dying shriek.

You wiped your blade on the grass and collected your arrows, watching the strange man. He smiled at you as you walked over. “What are you doing in these woods?” You asked him cautiously. “Not a lot of people are stupid enough to travel this way.” The man sighed and nodded,
“I was trying to track down a group of nomads,” you arched your eyebrow as he spoke.
“What do you want with this group?”
“They have a hunter with them that is renowned where I come from, I wanted to meet them.” He gasped in pain and gripped his side. You moved quickly to his side as he dropped to one knee. He lifted his hand away; fresh blood coated his palm and fingers. “That warg must have caught me deeper than I thought.” He groaned.
“I’ll take you back to my camp. Can you walk?” He nodded, hissing through his teeth as you helped him to stand. “Walk as far as you can, at least back to my horse.” You urged him. He wrapped an arm around your shoulder and slowly made his way into the forest. You led him to your horse, a beautiful black Friesian stallion. You grabbed the reins and led the stallion.

You helped the barely conscious man down by the fire, the other members of your clan gathering around. “I didn’t get your name,” the man smiled, his voice slightly more than a whisper.
“They call me Phantom here,”
“Phantom? I’m known as Strider,”
“Wait, you’re a ranger?” Aragorn nodded. You turned to your people, standing as you addressed them. “Back to your duties, I will bring some fresh meat in shortly, there is still plenty of daylight.” The clan nodded and left you and Aragorn alone. “Somebody find Athelas, I need to see her.” You knelt back beside Aragorn. He was breathing softly, staring up at the light dancing through the tree’s leaves. “Are you warm enough?” He didn’t answer, his eyes were closed. You placed your hand on his collarbone, feeling the temperature of his skin. You grabbed a nearby fur and covered him. An older woman, maybe fourty, with long greying hair stepped over to you. “Athelas,” you stood to greet her, “tend to his wounds and watch over him while I’m hunting.”
“Is he under your protection?”
“Yes. I want you to keep the others away from him. Understand?” Athelas nodded. You grabbed your bow and rode your stallion back into the forest, watching for tracks as you went past. It wasn’t long until you tracked the stag and took it down.

Aragorn woke up, startled by the strange place he saw around him. He could smell freshly cooked meat nearby. He felt the remarkably soft fur covering his body, appreciating the warmth. He hadn’t been this warm in weeks. He felt the sharp pain in his side, grunting as he felt the binding on them. They were professionally done; he made a mental reminder to thank whoever had dressed the wound. He noticed that the sun had gone down and now moonlight streamed through the treetops. “You’re awake.” You helped Aragorn sit up, “how are you feeling?” Aragorn’s stomach rumbled and he looked over at the pot stewing on the fire. There were close to twenty other people, including children and elderly folk, gathered around the fire’s warmth.
“Hungry, I suppose.” He smiled up at you. You nodded and smiled back,
“I will get you a bowl of stew then. It should be ready.” You made your way to the large pot, stirring the meaty stew inside of it.

A young woman, no older than fifteen, approached Aragorn. She had long brown hair, braided with different flowers and colourful ribbons. Aragorn smiled weakly as she offered him some water from a wooden cup. He gratefully accepted it. The water had a mix of berries and herbs in it, giving it a sweet, earthy taste. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Are you a ranger?” The girl blurted out. You walked over and scolded her,
“why are you bothering our guest, Myra?”
“Sorry, Phantom.” Myra looked down.
“It’s alright, curiosity isn’t a bad thing,” Aragorn said, sitting up as you offered the bowl of stew to him. “I am a ranger.” Myra’s eyes lit up as he recounted his tales of travelling. She sat listening for ten minutes before you cleared your throat.
“Off you go, Myra. Your food will get cold.” The girl kissed you on the cheek before skipping away, joining the other children.
“Is she your daughter?” Aragorn asked,
“No. She is as close to a daughter that I have. My only daughter was killed in a bandit raid last year. Myra and her mother were being held as slaves by the bandits, I rescued them after slaughtering the entire bandit camp. It’s amazing how easy it is to kill them when they’re drunk.” You scowled. You turned back to Aragorn, “eat up, you need your strength.”

Aragorn finished the bowl of stew. The food was delicious, the venison was tender, and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. You watched him and offered him another serving, he smiled and accepted, hungrily eating from the bowl. “So, Strider.”
“Please, call me Aragorn.” You nodded, correcting yourself.
“Aragorn, that name is so familiar.” You had a strange sense of déjà vu as the words left your tongue. “You said you were looking for a hunter. We are the only group of nomads this far north, and I am one of two hunters in the group. The other is Whisper, he has never left the group.”
“So, it must be you, the hunter I was told about.”
“What have you heard?” You were curious to know what the outside world thought of you.
“We were told of a hunter that killed a bandit camp that we were going to take out. I was also told that you killed a Wight by yourself. There are several other tales as well, one was about how you convinced the elves to teach your people to craft, mend wounds and cook. I can tell that this is true because of the way my own wound has been tended to. And the meal I just ate.”
“I see, you know a lot about me.” You felt flattered that your triumphs had been heard by so many. “The elves were easy to convince; they are my kin after all.”
“You’re an elf?”
“Not exactly. I am of elven descent. You’d know about that though, wouldn’t you son of Arathorn?” Aragorn’s face fell. “You are not the only one that knows about others.” You smiled. “Don’t worry, the rest of the clan doesn’t know.”

Aragorn carried an armful of branches to the pile near the firepit. You wrote on a piece of parchment, but you put the quill down when you saw him. Aragorn sat beside you on the pelts. He sat closer than you expected, almost touching your arm. “So, you’re feeling better today?”
“Yeah, my side barely hurts anymore, Athelas did a good job.” Aragorn stretched out in the sunlight.
“Good to hear. You’ve been here for a while now, nearly three weeks. I expect you’ll be moving on soon.” You turned to him; the words hurt as you spoke them. You’d grown quite attached to Aragorn. He had depended heavily on your help for the first few days, especially once infection had set in. You’d worked hard to heal him, travelling all night to a nearby town to get rare herbs. You used elvish methods to brew medicinal concoctions to help him. You’d sat by his side all night, holding him as he shook from the feverish nightmares. Once he had fought off the infection you helped him to gain his strength. What you hadn’t noticed was that Aragorn remembered everything you’d done for him. While a lot of his memory was fragmented, as he was in and out of consciousness, he always knew you were right there beside him.
“Yes, I don’t want your clan carrying me for longer than they have to.” You sighed.
“It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve taken on a stranger and let them stay. Myra is an example of that.”
“I know. My duties do lie elsewhere.” You nodded, knowing that he had higher priorities than staying with you.
“Well, the clan will always be happy to have you if you come across them again.”
“The clan?” Aragorn was confused by your choice of wording.
“I won’t be staying for long either. The clan no longer needs me to lead them. When I found them, they were on the verge of starving or freezing to death. I taught Whisper how to hunt and the others how to make clothes from the hide. I helped them gain the elves knowledge and I taught them all how to defend themselves. Myra is becoming a woman and soon she will take over the clan as their leader. I have no need to be here anymore.” Aragorn took your hand,
“come with me.” He blurted out, unable to stop himself.
“What?”
“Come with me. Travel and hunt by my side. Be my companion, could you imagine what we could together?” He looked hopefully at you.
“Aragorn, I’m flattered but I don’t know if you want me to accompany you.” You dropped your voice, “you’re the heir to Gondor’s throne. I’m nothing more than a hunter.”
“I don’t care about that, not if it means you won’t stay with me.” Your heart skipped a beat when you realised that he was serious.
“Okay. When you feel that you are ready to travel, I will leave alongside you.” Aragorn beamed and leaned towards you, wrapping you in a hug. He pulled away and kissed you on the cheek. For the first time in a long time, you blushed slightly.

Chapter Text

“In bleakest days,
in quiet night,
know our barren and empty plight.
Let those who know,
the weight we bare,
know all hope has died,
there is only despair.”
The words echoed solemnly in your head. You released a breath that you’d been holding in, wiping the tears from your eyes. “Would you like to say a few words?” The priest placed a hand on your shoulder that was shrouded in black cloth. You nodded and stepped up to the freshly filled grave.
“My family wasn’t the most functional, what happened to them was a tragedy. I know that they abandoned and abused me but that didn’t warrant their deaths.” You lied through your teeth. The truth was that you had been so heartbroken that they’d left you, abandoned in an empty house nearly six weeks ago.

After you had discovered them leaving you, you’d fell into a deep pit of despair, lost and helpless. After wandering aimlessly for over a month, you found yourself on the edge of a bridge, contemplating the fall. You felt utterly worthless as you stood there, teetering over the black nothingness below. That’s when you heard the whispering. It was barely audible at first, slowly it grew louder. Eventually, as the sun set and you were close to tears, a young woman stepped out of the growing shadows. She wore a long cloak of deep purple fading to black. Her hair was light red, and her shirt was only a few shades closer to blue, fading to the same deep purple. “Who are you?” You asked her cautiously, your heart sinking as you looked at her tear-streaked cheeks.
“My name is Misery. I’m part of the Twilight Lantern Corps.” You’d heard of the lanterns; Hal Jordan was a Green Lantern and a celebrity in your town. You’d only seen him once before, along with the other members of the Justice League. “I know your story,”
“What do you mean?” Misery sighed and offered her hand to you. You took it and stepped off of the ledge, your mind overwhelmed with the memories of your past.
“I’ve seen what your family has done to you. I’d like to offer you a chance to make things even.”
“You want me to join the Twilight Lanterns.” You finished Misery’s thoughts.
“Yes,” she placed her hand over yours. When she took them away, a glittering ring was revealed on your finger. It was like the night sky moments before dusk. “Let your heart take over. Channel, the pure despair in your heart into power.”
You watched your family walk into their new house. Misery stood with a hand on your shoulder as you choked back tears. You walked out half an hour later without a drop of blood on your dark cloak. The floor of the house was littered with body parts and blood. You barely winced while hearing the dying screams of the people who’d truly hurt you. Now you walked away from their graves, not even giving them a parting glance.
Hal Jordan sat across from you in the diner, you wiped your eyes dry and greeted him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, y/n.”
“How do you know my name?” You sipped the coffee in front of you.
“I’ve talked to Misery, she suggested I come to you for help because she’s busy.”
“Why do you need the Twilight Lanterns to help?”
“You’ve heard of the Red Lanterns?”
“Of course, I have. They’ve been roaming through the universe causing chaos.” You put the coffee down, “how can I help?” Hal smiled and stood up, his ring glowing and his clothes changing. You did the same, donning your dark coat.

You followed Hal to a nearby planet, where the Red Lanterns had last been spotted. As you touched down on the planet’s surface you could see the damage that had been done. Flame erupted from nearby buildings as people tried to extinguish the growing flames. Hal started to help as soon as his feet landed on the surface of the planet. You took a moment longer, looking around for Red Lanterns. Once you were sure you were clear you helped extinguish the roaring flames. Hal pulled water up from a river at the bottom of a nearby cliff, eerily close to the village. You wondered how the people living here got water from it, as there didn’t seem to be any other sources of water nearby.

Once the fires were out, Hal and you regrouped. You watched as suddenly a nearby civilian started shouting and yelling at another. You and Hal went to try to sort of the issue, only just stopping them from punching one another. You grabbed an onlooker, “are they usually this violent?” You asked impatiently.
“No,” the onlooker replied, a startled look on their face. “They are usually really kind.” You groaned and turned back to the fighting pair; Hal held them apart. You rushed over as another person tried to attack the first. Soon enough, everyone within your line of sight was fighting, if they couldn’t attack the person they’d chosen, they would quickly move on to a random.
“Hal! What is going on?” He shook his head. You both looked up as cackling erupted above you. A Red Lantern floated above the chaos, smiling down. Hal and you flew up, ready to fight. The Red Lantern scowled at you as you yelled at him, “stop this! You can’t corrupt people like this!”
“Oh yeah? Watch me.” The people beneath you continued to fight, yelling profanities at their neighbour. Hal dove at him, you tried to stop him, but the Red Lantern caught him first. He wrapped him in a red, glowing fist. “Give in, Green Lantern. You can become all that you were meant to be. Full of anger.”
“Don’t listen!” You yelped, rushing for Hal, who was struggling to get free. You could see him trying to fight the power of the Red Ring as well, his mind considering the Red Lantern’s words. “Hal, please.” You concentrated on the Red Lantern’s ring, feeling their power start to drain and their influence leave your mind. The people beneath you started to stop fighting but still bickering. The red fist flickered but you were too late.

You watched as Hal slowly stopped fighting the lantern that held him. You reached out as he fell, tumbling to the edge of a cliff. You raced for him, grabbing at his hand. Before you could get a decent hold, the lantern pulled you away and kicked Hal off the edge. You screamed as he disappeared from sight. You turned angrily on the Red Lantern, raising your hand and concentrating on their rings. You could feel their energy drain from their ring, the people around them stopped fighting, confused and sore. You turned back to the cliff face, spotting Hal rapidly falling. You took a deep breath and leapt from the cliff.
 

Chapter Text

You watched over The Farm, smiling as the last of the Mutfruit was being pulled into the kitchens to be preserved. The Farm was your settlement, one that you’d built from the ground up. It had slowly grown into a thriving community of misfits that wanted to work the land and earn an honest living. That’s what you all had in common and what held the settlement together. Hancock stood beside you, feeling immense pride in your success. He kissed you softly and walked inside to cook dinner. You supervised the bottling of Mutfruit for half an hour before leaving the capable farmers to do their jobs. You sat down to a tasty meal with Hancock before settling down with a drink for the evening.

You were startled awake by an urgent knocking on the door. You swung it open, frustrated but already calming yourself down. Hancock stood behind you; pistol drawn cautiously. One of the Brahmin herders stood before you, tears brimming in her eyes. “What’s happened?” You urged.
“The herd, they’re missing.” She whimpered and you took her hand reassuringly, “the gates were torn from the hinges and the fence was broken down.”
“I’ll come to take a look,” you assured the herder. You followed her to where she had last seen the stock.
“I heard a noise over there,” she pointed shakily to the fence line that had been destroyed. You felt an anger rise in your chest,
“the Western Raiders.” You snarled, picking up a small piece of cloth with a partial emblem on it. “I’ll have a look nearby, see if there are any Brahmin left nearby. Hancock, can you check for any other evidence around the gate?” He nodded and you smiled at the herder. You followed a set of Brahmin tracks, not wanting to stray too far from The Farm, but still wanting to get a clearer picture and find where the Brahmin was taken. You heard a rustling in a nearby bush. You stepped forward, grabbing the gun on your hip. You raised it when you spotted the person watching you. They jumped up and a gunshot rang throughout the evening air. You felt a sharp pain rip through your side. You cried out and pulled the trigger, firing three shots from your pistol. One of them hit the raider in the centre of their chest, dropping them to the floor. You felt another bullet rip into your leg, and you fell to your knee, clutching the second wound. You lost your vision as a sack was thrown violently over your head. You heard Hancock calling out far away in the distance.

You gasped for clean air as the sack was torn from your head. You sucked in air through your teeth, gritting them against the pain. You noticed both wounds had been cleaned and bandaged. You looked around, noticing the strange, office-like room. “Where am I?” You asked, not really expecting an answer.
“The home of the Western Raiders. We took your Brahmin recently and you tried to track us. We couldn’t have that.”
“What?” You yelped,
“besides, we can trade you for supplies.” A foot connected with your side, you gasped in pain.
“If you expect The Farm to just give in to you, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“You might be surprised,” the leader of the Raiders stepped into the room, “it’s amazing what people will do to get their leader back.” He lifted your chin and slammed his fist into the side of your head, knocking you out cold.

You’d been captive for nearly two weeks, being fed enough to stay alive but unable to regain your strength. On the thirteenth day, you heard it, the nearby gunfire. The lock on the door rattled gently while the firefight continued. A strange looking synth burst in moments later. He untied you and helped you to your feet, supporting your weight. “Who are you?” You groaned as your stiff joints stretched for the first time in a few days.
“The name’s Nick Valentine.”
“From the detective agency?”
“Yes,” he moved you to the door, peering around the corner. “Mayor Hancock hired me to find and retrieve you. We can talk later, let’s get you out of here.” He helped you into the hallway beyond.
“Who’s that fighting?”
“Some of the settlers at The Farm, Hancock and the Minutemen. They’ve lent us a hand in taking the raiders out, an agreement made of mutual interest.”
“I’ll have to repay them if I make it out.” Nick scowled at you,
“when you make it out,” he corrected. You nodded and let him lead you to safety.

You and Nick made your way out of the building, stepping over raider bodies carefully. “Nick! Where is she?” You heard Hancock call out, you turned and looked at Hancock. “Holy shit,” he ran towards you, wrapping you in a hug. “You’re okay.” You leaned into him, allowing him to fully support you. “Let’s get you out of here.” He and Nick helped you out of the building and sat you against a tree outside. You grunted as you put weight on your leg. Slowly, the Minutemen came out of the Raiders base, victorious. You got Hancock to help you to your feet while you addressed the leader. You noticed that they’d captured the captain of the raider gang.
“Thank you for helping to rescue me and rid the land of these miscreants.” The leader of the Minutemen nodded. “I’ll be happy to trade with you and you can count on us aiding you when the time comes. The Minutemen will always be welcome on The Farm.
“What do you want to do with him?” Nick gestured to the captain of the raider gang. You grabbed Hancock’s pistol and aimed it at their head.
“Please, I know what I did but I don’t wanna die!” The captain pleaded.
“You’ve killed my people, raided our supplies, shot and beaten me. Now you beg for mercy when you showed none to me? None to my people?” You glared at him, placing the barrel between his eyes. The captain was spluttering in a disgusting, pitiful display, pleading and begging for you to spare him. “The people can decide what to do with you. Take him to the pen at The Farm. I’ll deal with him later.” A couple of the settlers nodded and led him away.
“That took a lot of courage to show mercy,” Nick applauded you.
“Yeah, I would’ve shot him,” Hancock admitted, taking his pistol back.
“I just want to go to bed,” you gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Besides, he’s not worth the bullet.”

You thanked the Minutemen again as they helped herd the Brahmin back into their paddock. You offered them some of the bottled Mutfruit as compensation. As they left, Nick and Hancock led you back to your house. Hancock helped you into clean clothes and put you to bed. "I have to go back to Goodneighbour. Come see me when you're feeling better," he kissed you softly on the forehead.
"I'll stay with you until then." Nick offered, Hancock nodded to him.
"I'll see you soon, Hancock. Go take care of your town." You smiled, drifting off to the first peaceful sleep you'd had in a while.

Chapter Text

You could feel eyes watching you as you sat in the diner, waiting for your cup of coffee to cool down. You’d seen a man walk in five minutes earlier, jacket collar pulled up and cap sitting low. He’d caught your gaze as he sat down in the adjacent booth. You’d flashed him a quick, friendly smile but he quickly buried his nose in a menu, making you feel rather offended. You kept reading your lab reports from Stark Labs. Every so often you looked up to survey the room, you caught the man staring at you every time. When the waitress came over to refill your coffee cup you asked if she knew him. “No, not personally. He comes in for coffee but doesn’t make conversation. I think his name is Bucky or something.” She shrugged and walked away to tend to a loud customer.
“Bucky,” you repeated quietly to yourself before carrying on reviewing your notes.

You sat for another twenty minutes before you saw two men walk in. They were huge, tall and brawny. You felt intimidated as soon as they stepped into the diner. They made their way to the counter, the smaller one nudged the other and gestured in your direction. You felt a tingle of fear run down your spine, screaming at you to run. You began to pack up when the strange man sat next to you. He placed a metal hand on yours and whispered in a low, gruff voice, “don’t panic. Those men are here to interrogate you, I’m here to protect you. My name is James Buchanan Barnes, you can call me Bucky.” He squeezed your hand gently and you nodded subtly in response.
“What do they want to know?”
“Something about the work you do with Tony Stark.” You gaze at the rough notes before you.
“But, they’re only the notes on his new suit for Peter.”
“Whatever it is, they will be more than happy to kill for them.” You felt the colour drain from your face as your heartbeat began to race.
“Good to know,” you whimpered.

“Ma’am,” the smaller man smiled warmly at you. He towered over you both, Bucky ignored him, but you stared into his eyes. “We believe your car has been the victim of a hit and run. We need to talk to you privately.”
“That’s funny,” Bucked piped up, still not looking at the men, instead, holding your hand and looking at you. “We rode in on the back of my motorbike, not in a car.” You’d seen him pull up on a bike earlier, although you had walked.
“Well, we’d like you to come with us, just to make sure you aren’t mistaken.”
“I’m pretty sure I’d remember what vehicle I came to a diner in. If you don’t mind, we’d like to get back to our morning,” you snapped, hoping they would back off.
“You can’t bullshit me,” the man growled, leaning in close. “You walked here. You work with Stark Labs and this man is a stranger to you. You’re coming with us.” He started to reach for you when you had a not so brilliant idea.
“A stranger? Would a stranger do this?” You leaned over and kissed Bucky fully on the lips. He was taken back by the sudden move but leaned into it, catching on quickly. “Now, if you’ll please leave my fiancée and me to our breakfast.” You scowled at them, watching as the smaller man looked at you in shock. He shuffled away.
“We aren’t mistaken. We’ll be seeing you again.” The larger man warned before trailing after his comrade.

“I am so sorry,” you cried once the men were out of sight.
“No worries, it was good thinking on your part. Got them to move on anyway,” Bucky smiled.
“I just kissed Captain America’s best friend.” You moaned and buried your head in your arms, burning from embarrassment. Bucky laughed and rubbed your shoulder. “I’m going to go home now.” You stood up, Bucky rose too.
“Let me walk you home, it’d make me feel better to know you got there safely.” You nodded and packed up your work.
“Very well, as long as you don’t mind coming back for your motorbike.”

You arrived at your front door, unlocking it quickly with the key. Bucky waited patiently behind you. “Thanks, Bucky. For helping me at the diner and walking me home. Do you want to come in for a coffee?”
“Maybe another time, I’d better report back to my higher-ups. Let me give you my number, just in case you need me again.” You handed him your phone and he put his number in. You thanked him again and headed inside. You stepped into your apartment and immediately kicked a table, you flicked on the light and saw that your apartment had been trashed.
“Shit,” you murmured to yourself, stepping over debris. “Maybe I should call Bucky.” You picked up your phone and dialled his number.
“Hey, what’s the matter?” His voice echoed down the phone line.
“Someone’s trashed my house. The alarm’s been turned off,”
“Get out of there. I’m on my way back.”
“Okay.” You heard a noise behind you, your heart sank as you turned around to see the two men from the diner.
“Hello, told you we’d meet again.” The larger man ran at you, you turned and sprinted for the door.
“Hello? What’s happened?” Bucky yelled into the phone, racing up the stairs of your apartment. “Hello!” You screamed as the man grabbed you, lifting you off the ground. You dropped the phone, it bounced across the carpet to the door.

Bucky flung the door open, barging into your apartment. He watched as the larger man carried you to the lounge. “Hey! Put her down!” He yelled, racing after you.
“Damn it.” The smaller man sighed, “you couldn’t have just left.” He fired at Bucky, who lifted his hand and deflected the bullets. You bit the larger man on the arm, he yelled in pain and threw you across the room, sending you crashing onto the couch. You groaned in pain but scrambled to your feet. “Get her!” The other man changed his attention to you, allowing Bucky to slam into him from behind. His gun dropped and scattered across the floor to your feet. You lifted it and aimed it at the larger man.
“Stop.” You warned as he reached for his own gun.
“I’ll kill you, little bitch.”
“Now, now,” the smaller man reasoned, Bucky holding him by his collar. “Let’s not be hasty. We just wanted to ask you some questions,”
“by wrecking my apartment and trying to kidnap me?” The larger man reached for his gun again, so you cocked yours. He put his hands up in surrender. “On your knees.”
“No.” The larger man grunted and rushed at you; you squeezed the trigger.

Your ears rang as the gun fired. The bullet tore into the man’s stomach, dropping him to the ground. You cried out and dropped the gun. “I shot him.” Bucky punched the smaller man in the face, letting him crumple to his knees. He ran over to you as you wretched, clutching your stomach.
“It’s alright, you had to defend yourself.” Sirens wailed outside as the police showed up. Both men lay, groaning, on the floor. The police kicked the door open, you and Bucky putting your hands in the air. After a quick explanation, they freed both you and Bucky.
“I can’t go home,” you sighed, looking up at the darkening sky. Bucky took your hand and wrapped his other arm around your shoulder.
“You could always stay with me.”

Chapter Text

As the leader of The Farm, you were in charge of maintaining relations with the other settlements in the commonwealth. Today, you were meeting with the mayor of Goodneighbour. You fixed your hair in the mirror, then you adjusted your coat carefully, careful of the gunshot wound in your side. Nick Valentine knocked at the door, calling out to. You stepped outside with him helping you, breathing in the crisp morning air. You smiled at the settlers and minutemen as you passed them, wishing them well as they went off to their respective jobs. You found the trading party you were meant to be travelling with and prepared alongside them to move out. Nick kept a close eye on you, helping you when you needed it and making sure you had everything for the two-day trip. As the sun crept higher into the sky, you and the traders set off into the wasteland. You heard the large metal gates screech closed behind you, closing out to unforgiving and brutal land beyond. The roads between The Farm and the other settlements were well established, created from existing roads from before the war. You still kept an eye out and a hand on the hilt of your gun. You didn’t trust the wastelanders, you knew that some of them would happily kill for wanted and would never earn it honestly.

The trip went smoothly with no issues, now you could see the glow of Goodneighbour in the distance. The signs came into view just as the sun began to set on your second day of travel. It had been far too long since you’d been in this town, far too long since you’d seen Hancock. Nick pushed open the gates of Goodneighbour and you followed the trading party inside. You were greeted by several smiling faces as you walked through the town, some you knew and others were friendly strangers. The traders stopped at the stores, allowing you to conduct your own business privately. You walked up to the old house in the centre of the town, climbing the stairs to the door slowly. Two guards looked you and Nick over, noting that you were armed. They must have been new guards because you didn’t recognise either of them. “I’m here to see the mayor.” You stated, moving to get inside.
“What’s the purpose of your meeting?”One of the guards shot back, stopping you from walking any further.
“That is the mayor’s business and my own. Not a guard,” you growled, growing impatient. “Let me through.”
“Let them through,” a female voice echoed down the staircase. Fahrenheit stood there, smirking at you. The guards nodded and stepped aside. “Well, if it isn’t the leader of The Farm. Been a while since you visited Goodneighbour. How’s the leg?”
“Getting better, the walk here was a pain though. I spent most of it on the back of a Brahmin.” Fahrenheit led you upstairs, to the mayor’s room.
“He’s expecting you.”
“Good to know,” you smiled, pushing the door open. Nick went to follow but you put your hand up to stop him. “Go and buy supplies for the trip home. Could you also check at the bar for a package? I’ve been waiting for a while.”
“Are you sure?”
“I can handle Hancock; you should know that by now.” Nick nodded and left your side for the first time in a couple of weeks. “About time I got him to take some time for himself,” you murmured under your breath.

Well now,” Hancock turned to face you, looking up from his notes. “If it isn’t the great farming legend. What can I do for you? You beamed at him, your heart rate picking up.
“Hancock,” you raced over to him and he hugged you tightly, chuckling softly.
“Missed me?”
“You have no idea,” you pulled him close to you, kissing him passionately, hungrily.
“Sweetheart,” he broke away, “shouldn’t we be a bit stealthier?” You glowered at him,
“I haven’t seen you in weeks. Not since Nick and you rescued me from those raiders. You haven’t come to see me and I haven’t been well enough to travel.”
“I know, I’ve just been so,”
“Busy. I get that.” You sighed and dropped into a nearby seat. “I’ve been busy too, running a large settlement is hard work. Especially one that needs to be growing enough food to supply Diamond City, Goodneighbour and several other settlements. Between water collection, weeding, fertilising, harvest and trading, we are flat out. I’m lucky I’ve had Nick to help me out. I also know that you can’t just pick up and leave Goodneighbour, they need their mayor after all.” You gave Hancock a half-hearted smile. “I really do understand.”
“I know, but I still should have visited you to make sure you were alright. You got shot, twice. You’re the one who ain’t a ghoul, I’ve got all the time that I want, I should have been spending it next to you. Hancock stood behind you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and kissing your neck. “I’m sorry,”
“don’t be. I don’t blame you for taking care of your town.’

You and Hancock sat with a bottle of whiskey between you. Drinking and talking about the most recent developments in The Farm and Goodneighbour. Hancock was eager to know how the razorgrain harvest had been. You were grateful to learn that he had a bunch of new stimpaks and radaways “donated” to Goodneighbour, which he was more than willing to trade. As you talked about business, there was a knock at the door. Nick stepped in, a look of concern plain on his face. “Nick, what’s going on?” You stood up, Hancock following suit.
“Be quiet and get down.” Nick dove towards you, pulling you to the floor. You grunted in pain.
“What’s going on, you overgrown circuit board?” Hancock growled, joining you on the floor.
“The Western Raiders are here, what’s left of them anyway. They look like they’re trying to regrow their numbers. If they find out you’re here, they’ll kill you.”
“What about the traders? Did you see if they were safe?” Nick shook his head,
“no, I came straight here. Hancock, you need to get her out of here.”
“There’s a tunnel out the back,” his voice was low and filled with anger. “You take her, Nick. I’ll teach these assholes to step on my turf.”
“Hancock, no. I won’t let you do that for me.” He turned to you, taking your cheek in his hands.
“They don’t get to disrespect either of us like that.”
“I’m going with you.” Hancock went to protest, “you really don’t have a choice.” He sighed in defeat.
“That synth has had far too much of an influence on you.”
“Yeah, she’s also stopped using so many chems, she’s only taking one for pain.” Nick scoffed, “I convinced her that she doesn’t have the constitution of a ghoul.”
“Boys.” You scolded them, “you can bicker later. We have a gang of raiders to finish off.”

Chapter Text

You smiled menacingly as the man removed his hand from the knife in your chest, a look of terror shadowing his face. “How are you…”
“Still alive?” You finished his question. “I’m a mutant. My mutation allows me to heal almost as soon as I’m injured. Oh,” you gripped the knife and pulled it from your chest, plunging it into his, “and a serious lack of patience for morons that don’t do their research.” You watched a spittle of blood drip from the would-be-assassins lip before he fell to his knees. You placed a hand on his shoulder and tore the blade from his chest. The assassin dropped dead at your feet. You wiped the blade on your sleeve and tucked it into your belt. You took off at a full sprint down the road, sirens echoing in the distance. As you neared the forest edge you thought you spotted someone on the tree line. As flashlights darted around behind you, you had no choice but to carry on, into the cover of the trees. Once you’d reached the thickest part of the forest, you finally stopped, drawing in heavy breaths. You felt a wave of nausea hit you, causing you to vomit violently. You sat back against a tree and wiped the beaded sweat from your forehead. You pulled out the assassin’s blade, admiring it in the late evening light. As you looked at the intricate detailing, you noticed a button. You pressed it curiously and a large dose of foul-smelling liquid oozed down the blade. You placed a small drop on your tongue and immediately spat it out, gagging. “Poison? Another wave of nausea struck you, followed by a pulsating pain creeping out from where you had sustained the stab wound. “Are you kidding me?” You groaned, crawling along the ground, trying to find various herbs that you knew grew in this area.
You managed to find a handful of herbs, fully aware that the next step would be significantly harder. You needed to find and then boil fresh water. You clumsily staggered along the forest, eventually coming across a stream that lazily bubbled through. You head ached as you clambered towards it. Several forest animals, from rabbits to deer, stopped to investigate as you doubled over, dry heaving into the grass. You slid down the steep bank of the stream and quickly washed the herbs. Taking out a flask, you crushed the herbs so they would fit, then you topped off the flask with water. You climbed up the bank, slipping several times, the mud and clay unstable underfoot. Once you were up, you found a clearing and started collecting sticks for a fire. You thought you heard someone moving in the distance, but your mind was too unfocused to find where they were. You swayed dangerously before crumbling to your knees, clutching your chest. The world span as you lay on the grass, staring at the stars beginning to twinkle above the trees. The footsteps of a stranger approached you quickly. They got close enough that you could see the outline of a man. “Hold on, bub. I’ve got you,” he lifted you into his arms. You groaned in protest, your vision blurring as you watched the world around you fade. “You’re gonna be alright.”
When you opened your eyes, you saw a plain motel room. You darted upright, immediately grabbing for the knife in your belt. When you couldn’t find it, you reached for the nearest solid object, the lamp. A man stepped out of the bathroom; a towel wrapped around his waist. “Hey, you’re awake. I was afraid you weren’t going to.” He half-smiled at you. “I don’t mean you any harm, you can put the lamp down.”
“Who are you?” You barked, taking a defensive stance.
“My name is Logan. I’m a mutant like you.”
“I’m not a mutant.” Logan stepped closer to you, reaching out gently for the lamp.
“You don’t have to protect yourself with lies. I’ve never seen someone fight off a huge dose of poison like you did, don’t even get me started on the stab wound,” he chuckled.
“How do you know I was stabbed?”
“I saw it go down. I was going to step in, but you seemed like you could handle yourself.” You let him take the lamp from your hand. He replaced it gently on the side table. “So, what else can you do, except rapidly heal?” You sat down on the bed and looked over yourself, you were filthy. You raised your hands and concentrated, the dirt slowly lifted and formed into a ball. You caught it in your outstretched hand. “Telekinesis.”
“Yeah,” you shrugged, suddenly aware of the muscular, half-naked mutant. “It comes in handy. I can’t use it if I’m distracted. I can heal because of my telekinesis, it’s like I can stitch myself up. I can do it to other’s as well, most of the time.”
“That’s impressive, bub.”
“So, Logan, what about you?” He smirked at you,
“They call me the Wolverine for a reason.” He extended his adamantium claws, you gasped and jumped back, tripping and landing on the bed. He retracted his claws and rushed to your side, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine,” you brushed him off, “I just wasn’t expecting that.” You brushed the hair out of your eyes and composed yourself. “What else can you do?”
“I can also regenerate, I have heightened senses as well, among other abilities.” He saw you staring at him, awkwardly trying to avert your eyes and not be rude. “I’ll get dressed, shall I?” He grabbed some clothes from the other bed and went back in the bathroom, emerging a minute later, fully clothed. “Better?” You smiled and nodded,
“it’s not that you aren’t nice to look at, I mean,” you stuttered and silently begged yourself to shut up, feeling heat rush to your cheeks.
“I get it, a strange man in a motel room, half-naked, it’s a strange thing to come to terms with.” He smiled warmly at you. “Where are you staying?” He attempted to change the subject.
“Nowhere now, I guess. They know where I live, so I can’t go back.” You fiddled with the button on your shirt sleeve. “I suppose I’ll have to start looking for a new home, again.”
“Who knows where you are?” Logan pressed.
“A group of anti-mutant rights activists. They tried lynching another mutant and I stopped them. They tried to lynch me but when I wouldn’t choke in the noose, they tried to burn me alive. The fire spread out of control and caught one of their houses on fire. They blamed me for it. That assassin was the second one to come after me. I thought I’d sent enough of a message the first time.”
“I see,” Logan empathised with you. “I may have a place you can stay; you’d be around other mutants too. You could learn how to control your abilities and strengthen them. I’m sure Charles would be keen to meet you.”
“Who’s that? Where is it?” You asked, excited at the promise of meeting other mutants.
“Charles, Professor X,” he corrected himself, “is like the leader of the X-Men. He runs a school for mutants. It’s a place where you’d be protected from the activists.”
“When can we go?”
“As soon as you feel well enough.” You and Logan left the motel less than an hour later.

Logan drove casually down the highway, upholding a casual conversation with you. He described some of the other mutants at the school. You asked him about his past, swapping parts of your own history. You explained how your mother was completely human, your father was a gifted mutant. He could breathe underwater and swim inhumanly fast. You hadn’t exhibited powers until you had a near-death experience at the age of fifteen. You had been trapped in an elevator, an explosion from a gas main at the top of the building severed the cables. This sent you, your family and three other bystanders plummeting down nearly twenty stories. Your powers manifested as you caught the elevator with your mind, almost passing out from exhaustion as it ground to a halt at the bottom of the shaft. You were hailed as a hero by the general public, but anti-mutant activists instantly took to harassing you and your family. “They couldn’t get past the fact that I was a mutant. Even though I saved five people from certain death.” You scowled, staring out the window as you fought back tears. “I had to leave my family so that they could be safe.”
“You said your father was a mutant, did they harass him too?” Logan asked.
“No, he was able to hide his powers. I’m glad he never showed them, at least he can still support my mother.”
“I see.” You sighed and turned to the road ahead. You spotted a car swerving in the distance ahead. Logan slammed on the breaks, but he reacted too late. The car headed straight towards you. You thrust your hands out and a wall of displaced air sprung from the front of the car. It wrapped around the other car; you could see the terrified face of a woman in the front seat. Her car lifted up, flying over your car. You tracked the other car, concentrating on it with everything you had. You placed it gently on the road behind you. Logan had stopped the car and you jumped out, racing to the other car. You threw open the door, the young woman looked at you in tears.
“Are you alright?” You asked, adrenaline pulsing through your veins.
“My tyre, it just exploded!” She wailed. You could see her three young children in the back. “I couldn’t control it.” You helped her out of the car.
“You’re okay,” you hugged her tightly, calming her down. You listened to her children asking her what was going on, crying themselves. “You need to calm down your children. My friend and I will fix your tyre, then you can carry on.” You assured her. Logan joined you. You grabbed the spare tyre out of the woman’s boot. Lifting the car, you replaced her tyre and replaced the burst one in the boot. She thanked you profusely, offering you money for your time, which you respectfully refused, which made her burst into tears again. She asked a few questions about your mutation, trying to make sense of the bizarre situation. Once she was satisfied with your explanation, she hugged you again and drove off into the night. You watched her drive away, wincing at the growing pain in your head. You swayed and Logan wrapped his arms around you.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I just overextended myself.” You assured him that you were alright, knowing he didn’t fully buy it. He helped you back to the car and placed his jacket over you. You drifted off to sleep not long into the ride.

Logan woke you up softly. You looked out the windshield and saw a magnificent mansion. The lights from indoors sparkled in the midnight’s darkness. It was a beacon of safety, your heart raced in anticipation. Logan escorted you inside, where Charles Xavier waited. Behind him was another man, who smiled at you as you walked in. “This is Professor X,”
“Please,” the wheelchair-bound man spoke, extending his hand to you, “call me Charles.” You smiled and shook his hand politely, but still cautious of the strangers. “This is Erik, his mutant name is Magneto.” You also shook Erik’s hand. He bent and kissed your knuckle tenderly. “I’ve got some tea in the sitting room if you're interested?” You nodded and followed the men into the sitting room. You made sure to not stray; this house was so large that you would easily get lost. Charles offered you tea and a seat. You sat next to Logan, he made you feel safe in this whole mess, safer than you’d felt in years.
“So,” Erik turned to you, “tell us about your mutation.” You concentrated on the cup of tea in front of you, watching it intently as it floated slowly over to you, landing gently in your hands. “A telepath! Brilliant. Of course, you already knew that Charles.” Charles smiled at you. “Charles here is also gifted in reading minds.”
“You can read minds?” Charles nodded in response to your question. “That’s so cool.” You said under your breath.
“So is being able to move objects,” Erik offered.
“She can use her ability to heal herself.” Logan interrupted. “I watched her get stabbed in the chest, she didn’t even flinch.” You looked away from the men.
“Is that true?” Charles asked,
“Yes. I can heal myself to an extent. Physical wounds are easy, poison and mental attacks are harder.”
“Well, that is great to hear. I’ll be happy to help you with training,” Charles finished his tea and showed you to a spare room. He and Erik left you with Logan.
“Are you staying here?” You asked him.
“No, I’m leaving in the morning.” Your heart sank, you were struck with confusion.
“What? Why?” You stuttered out. “Have I done something?”
“No, I just don’t really belong here.”
“Please, don’t leave.” You grabbed his hand. “Something about you makes me feel something I haven’t felt in a long time. I can’t stay here without you to help me.”
“Alright.” Logan grabbed your hand. “I’ll stay as long as you need me.” You pulled him close to you, he wrapped his arms around you. He kissed you on the top of the head before letting you get ready for bed. You didn’t protest as you were still sore and exhausted.

Chapter Text

You raced across the U.S.S. Commander’s bridge, ushering people to the life shuttles. You waited by the communications console sending out one last, desperate distress call. “Please, is anybody out there? The Starship Commander is going to break apart. Any ships in the vicinity, please respond. This message will repeat.” The ship shook as another explosion ripped through the body. “Captain’s log, stardate 4022.5, acting Captain Elethea Barton reporting. We have lost control of the helm after being attacked by a Klingon Warbird. Captain Plymouth was killed in the second explosion, leaving me in command. I have sent out a distress signal and I am currently trying to evacuate the ship. I will stay behind until every last crewmember is off this ship, hopefully distracting the Klingon ship for long enough for them to get to safety.” Another blast rocked the Commander. A warning popped up; they had destroyed the landing bay for the evacuation shuttles. This left you and your crew stranded. You fired back at the Klingon Warbird, its shields stood firm. The Commander no longer had enough manoeuvrability to outrun it. “This will be the last message from the Captain’s seat of the Commander. I want it noted that all of the crew acted with bravery in the face of attack and have died in the line of duty. We were doomed as soon as our shields were taken out from the inside. The bastard that sabotaged this ship is dead and any accomplices will die alongside us. Our ship will be destroyed, evacuation is impossible, we need a miracle,” your voice broke. “Captain Barton, out.”
“U.S.S. Commander, this is the U.S.S. Enterprise. Do you read?” A voice crackled through the communications board. You raced over to it, putting it on audio.
“I hear you Enterprise!” You answered excitedly,
“This is Lieutenant Uhura, we are nearby and have received your distress call, closing in on your position. Hold tight.”
“Please hurry, we have lost our shuttles and this Warbird is coming in for another strike.” Another voice came through over the audio,
“This is Captain James Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. Who am I addressing?”
“Acting Captain Elethea Barton. Captain Plymouth is dead, leaving me in charge of the Commander.”
“Alright, Captain Barton. We will beam you and your crew aboard. First, we will get this Warbird off of you.” You spotted the Enterprise in the distance, closing fast on the Klingon Warbird. They fired on it, again and again, the shields failed, and you watched as it disintegrated, drifting off into space. Your heart raced in excitement “Captain Barton?” Captain Kirk’s voice echoed over the speaker.
“I’m still here,”
“We are able to beam aboard with a medical party and begin evacuating your crew.” You breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ll meet you in the transporter room.”
You hurried down to the transporter room, past several fires. You ushered your crew to the transporter room before you. You lost your footing as an explosion tore through the ship as one of the engines imploded. The power flickered but thankfully stayed on. Fire blasted out of a nearby room, taking out part of the wall. A support beam collapsed, crushing your leg. You let out a scream of agony. You tried to lift the burning beam off of your leg, but you were pinned. You heard a crewmember come down the hall, “Captain!” They called out to you, trying to help you out.
“Get to the transporter, this ship is going to tear itself apart.”
“But, Elethea,”
“Go!” You roared at them. “Get the crew out of here!” They ran back down the hall, leaving you with the groaning ship and the blaring sirens. You lay back, fighting back tears of frustration and pain. “Well,” you spoke to the Commander as if she were alive, running your hand over the floor beneath you. “My mother always told me that a Starship would be the death of me.” You laughed grimly. “I didn’t think you’d trap me here with you. I wouldn’t want to die alone either, so I understand.” You closed your eyes as another explosion rocked the ship, dust and debris covering the hall. The beam shifted and crushed your leg harder. “At least I made it to Captain. If I’m honest, I wouldn’t do it again.” The ship seemed to groan in response, almost empathetically. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save everyone. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t even save myself.” You breathed in, the thick black smoke filling the corridors. You closed your eyes and resigned yourself to your fate.
“Captain Barton?” You didn’t recognise the voice.
“I’m over here,” you tried to yell, but your voice was hoarse from breathing in smoke. You could hear several people approaching. The weight of the beam was suddenly lifted, the relief from pain was a welcome feeling. Someone lifted you to your feet, placing an oxygen mask over your face.
“My name is Doctor McCoy, I’m with the Enterprise. We need to get you to the transporter and off this ship.”
“The rest of the crew?”
“They’re off the ship. You’re the last one.” A Vulcan spoke next to you, supporting you. You limped to the transporter, Dr McCoy helping you onto the pad. The Vulcan set the coordinates and climbed up next to you. You closed your eyes, when you opened them again you were safe aboard the Enterprise, which began to speed away from the Commander. Dr McCoy helped you down, your leg giving out finally as the adrenaline wore off. “Mr Spock, give me a hand to carry her,” McCoy instructed the Vulcan. Spock supported your weight enough that you were barely touching the ground.

You lay on the medical bed, barely conscious as Dr McCoy examining your injuries. The sickbay door opened, and James T. Kirk walked in. “Bones, how is she?”
“Jim, she’s been pretty severely injured, she is also suffering from smoke inhalation. It’ll take time for her to recover but she’ll live.”
“Good to hear, what about the rest of the crew.”
“They’re all on the way to recovery. Only minor injuries, cuts and bruises really.” Bones patted him on the shoulder. You opened your eyes and sat up slightly, McCoy helping you.
“How many dead?” You asked bluntly.
“200,” Kirk answered. “213 crewmembers survived, thanks to you.”
“We would have all died if you hadn’t come along, Captain Kirk. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, we’d never leave a fellow fleet ship in distress. Get some rest, I’ll check in later.” Jim nodded to the Doctor before leaving.
“I’ll give you a sedative and something for the pain. Try to sleep, if the pain is too much or if you lose feeling in your leg, let me know straight away. The pain medication may make you feel a bit strange, but it should help. If you need anything, just call out.” You nodded in acknowledgement before closing your eye, adjusting your posture to be more comfortable. Dr McCoy injected a syringe into your arm, the sedative kicking in quickly. You to drifted off into a disturbed sleep.

Your dreams were filled with horrifying images of your crew members dying in front of your eyes. Captain Plymouth’s last cries of pain as you held them, dying in your arms, you desperately tried to staunch the bleeding from their abdomen. You saw the communications officer get electrocuted, falling unconscious. You instructed two medical personnel to get him to the sick bay. You had no idea what happened to him afterwards. You cried out for help as you ran through the corridors of the Commander, crew members still bodies surrounding you. You tried dragging them to the transporter, but they disintegrated when you grabbed them, bodies turning to ash. You rushed back to the bridge, trying to get the shields back up. The Klingon Warbird fired on your ship again. Your communicator crackled to life and several dozen voices screamed through it, blaming you for their deaths. You tried to justify yourself, but you couldn’t hear your own voice over the cries of pain and blame.

Searing pain in your leg woke you up. You swore and bolted upright, ready to fight. Your head swam and you dropped back down, feeling like you were going to vomit. “Stay still please, Elethea.” The pain spiked as McCoy moved your leg. Spock and Jim held you down as you thrashed around, trying to get away from the pain.
“Bones, do something,” Kirk commanded.
“I am, Jim!” McCoy pulled a syringe out and injected you with another sedative. You could hear a rapid beeping. As you calmed down, the beeping slowed. Once you’d stopped fighting, Spock and Jim let you go. Bones looked over you. “How are you feeling?”
“Terrible,” you murmured. “What’s going on?”
“You were screaming in your sleep, we had to restrain you before you injured yourself. Your heart rate was dangerously high, I thought you were going to go into cardiac arrest.” McCoy answered, checking over your injury.
“What were you dreaming about?” Jim asked, taking your hand reassuringly in his.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does.” Jim countered, “it matters if it’s causing you that much stress.”
“Were you reliving the trauma on the U.S.S. Commander?” Spock asked, making the connections in his head already. You looked away. “Studies over history have shown that some races, humankind especially, benefit from talking through these emotions. Maybe it will help you as well.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, and I am not human. I said it’s nothing.” You snapped, taking everyone in the room by surprise.
“Alright. Spock, Doctor, give us a moment please.” Jim shooed them from the room, leaving you and him alone.

“Captain Barton,” Jim sat next to your bed,
“call me Elethea, I am not Captain anymore.”
“Elethea,” Kirk corrected, “what happened on that ship? The Commander should have been able to take on a Klingon Warbird effortlessly.”
“Someone sabotaged the shields, leaving us totally exposed. We never stood a chance.” You shifted to face Jim straight on.
“I see, do you know who it was?” You nodded,
“they shot Captain Plymouth and tried to kill me; I got a shot off first. They’re floating in space alongside the Commander. I have no clue who else helped them.”
“We can help you with an investigation.”
“Thank you.” You sat in silence for a moment. “Captain Kirk,”
“Jim,” he smiled at you.
“I’m sorry for snapping earlier, I’d like to apologise to both Doctor McCoy and Mr Spock as well, it’s not like me to lose my temper.”
“It’s quite alright, Spock can be insufferable at times. I’ll pass on your apologies.”
“Spock, he’s a Vulcan?” You’d instantly recognised his behaviour and appearance.
“Yes, he is also my second in command.”
“Good choice. Vulcan’s are famously loyal and unbeatably clever.”
“Don’t tell Spock that, he doesn’t need his ego stroked.” Jim laughed wholeheartedly, his laugh was contagious, and you smiled next to him. “You said you weren’t human. I can see that just by looking at you, but I’m not sure what you are.”
“I’m Luytian.” Jim looked at you in surprise.

The Luytian were an alien race, originating from the planet Luyten b. The Luytian people were renowned for their thick skin which acts as natural armour, giving them good protection from the elements and in battle. They also have a long tail, varying from clan to clan. The tails act like an extra arm. Usually, their skin colours ranged from purples and reds to blacks and greys. You, however, were strangely pale, there was only a subtle hue of blue in your skin. This is what originally pushed you to join Starfleet, after being exiled out of your own family for your colouring, that and your lack of horns. Another reason was your tail, which was long and spiked at the tip. On Luyten b, these were called demon tails and seen as a bad omen. For this reason, you generally kept it tucked away, wrapped around your waist under your shirt.

“I’ve been to Luyten b before, you don’t look like any of the natives I’ve met.” Jim stared at you curiously,
“there’s a reason I joined Starfleet. I look different because I’m apparently cursed. I was born under the wrong moon phase and with a few abnormalities in my appearance. This gave my family and my clan reason to force me out. I had a choice, leave on one of the shuttles heading to a nearby starbase or live in the harsh, rocky wilderness of Luyten b.”
“I never knew you weren’t human. I’d heard of you during one of my encounters with Captain Plymouth, they never mentioned you were different. They did mention how well you fought and how well you performed on any mission you were given. And that you were a talented pickpocket.” You smirked,
“Why am I not surprised Plymouth mentioned that? I have been known to acquire things that don’t necessarily belong to me.” You noticed Jim’s concern, “I haven’t stolen anything for a long time. Not since Captain Plymouth took me under their wing.” You winced as pain shot up your leg.
“I’ll let you rest; you need to recover. We aren’t that far from a starbase. They’ll be able to take care of the crew.” You nodded and watched him walk away. Bones stopped him before he left. He spoke in a whisper. You used your supernatural hearing to listen in with your eyes closed, feigning sleep.
“She’ll lose her leg, Jim. It’ll never heal, and the chance of infection is staggering. I’ve contacted the starbase and they’ll happily receive her.” Jim nodded and looked over his shoulder at you. He left silently, leaving McCoy to his duties. You fell back into a restless sleep.

Chapter Text

You watched the man, known to you as Eddie Brock, walk down the street. He seemed to talk to himself, but you knew better. He was talking to a similar parasite that you had inside of you. “Venom,” you sighed. “That’s what you called him, Wreckage?”
“Yes,” the symbiote confirmed.
“At least his host is an attractive one.”
“Don’t get distracted,” Wreckage warned, “we have to find out if he’s dangerous.”
“I know.” You rolled your eyes and placed a ten dollar note under your empty coffee cup. “I can’t help myself; do you know how long I’ve been single because I’ve been working with you?”
“Sure, blame me.”
“Oh, I do.” You followed behind Eddie, “Wreckage, I need to ask you something. You can sense Venom; can’t he do the same?”
“Possibly, it wouldn’t surprise me if he knew I was here with you.”
“So why hasn’t Eddie tried to get away from us?” You tried to look as casual as you could, easily pulling it off, this wasn’t the first time you’d tailed someone. You stopped when Eddie stopped at a hotdog stand like an unnatural hunger had taken over him.
“That looks delicious,” Wreckage hummed,
“We only ate this morning, we aren’t stopping. You also didn’t answer my question,”
“I don’t know why, let’s stop him before he gets the chance.” Wreckage began to move you over to the hotdog stand,
“We are going to blow our cover if you don’t calm the fuck down.” You warned her, no longer in control.
“Move it!” Wreckage yelled as you ran for the stand. Eddie looked over at you running at him.

“I’m sorry for this,” you yelped just before you collided with him. You landed on top of him, “I’m SHIELD agent Smith. I need to ask you a few questions.” You panted,
“You’re her,” Eddie groaned, “the one Venom has been going on about.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” you helped him to his feet.
“I think he knows,” Wreckage growled, “take them out now.”
“No.” You grunted under your breath. Eddie looked at you confused, then a huge smile cracked across his face.
“You’re talking to it. The symbiote.” You grabbed him and pulled him along behind you, making your way down an alleyway.

“What do you think you know?” You leaned on a trash can nearby,
“She’s called Wreckage, it’s a symbiote like Venom. She’s been here a lot longer than Venom has. Why did she choose you? How long have you been her host?”
“We were compatible, I’ve been her host for five years. Is Venom dangerous?”
“Oh god yes. He’s insane,”
“He isn’t insane, just unpredictable.” Wreckage growled.
“Right, Eddie. You and Venom are coming with me.”
“I don’t think we are. Sorry,” he went to hit you, but you caught his fist. A familiar white goo covered your body as Wreckage prepared to fight.
“You are coming with us, Venom.” Wreckage scowled, “you don’t have a choice and I’d rather not take this to the streets.” With Wreckage’s help, you now stood close to nine feet tall. Wreckage revealed herself as a white symbiote with black accents, almost exactly opposite to Venom. She was slighter than Venom, but still more muscular than you and extremely intimidating. Wreckage snarled, “it’s just a few questions.” Eddie nodded and raised his hands. Wreckage smiled and morphed back into your body.
“Good, come with me.”

You and Eddie sat on a park bench; you had gotten a hot coffee as you walked. You sipped it slowly, Wreckage hummed happily as you drank. “I didn’t think symbiotes liked anything dead.” Eddie smiled as you drank, your eyes totally black as Wreckage peaked through them.
“Yes, coffee is the one thing she loves. I have several a day because she burns through the caffeine.”
“Good to know. So, what did you want to ask?”
“We need to know how dangerous Venom is. We were also asked to learn if he has any other weaknesses, other than fire or sound.”
“Why would we tell you that?” Venom’s voice rang out angrily,
“Because, if you go rogue, we need to know how we can contain or destroy you.”
“To be fair, we’re already rogue,” Eddie laughed. You smiled and finished the coffee. You threw the empty cup into a nearby trash can. You stood up sharply as your hair stood on your neck. “What’s wrong?” Eddie stood as well.

The ground beneath your feet rumbled and threatened to pitch you over. The earth exploded a few metres away and you instinctively jumped backwards, grabbing Eddie and pulling him with you. “What is that?” He yelled,
“Titan.” A rock fell from the sky and hurtled towards you. Wreckage emerged and covered your body. She braced and caught the giant rock. Another symbiote, bright red and angry, crashed through the rock in your hands. His fist collided with your face and you crumpled to the ground. “You need to go,” you and Wreckage growled at Eddie as you got to your feet, but he shook his head. Venom took over and leapt at Titan. You ran over to where Venom and Titan were fist-fighting. You felt Wreckage smile as she drew her favourite weapon, your hands changing into a large trident. Titan had Venom pinned under a barrage of punches, giving you the opportunity to strike him hard. You drove the trident into Titan’s side, listening to him shriek in pain. You followed the blow with a hard punch to his spine. He leapt away from you, snarling and snapping. You watched as the wound healed before your eyes. “Titan, you finally have the nerve to face us?” The red symbiote smiled,
“I’ve come to pay you back for the last time we met.”
“Let’s do this.” Wreckage let out a roar that shook you to your core. She ran at Titan, biting into his flesh as they toppled to the ground. Venom followed closely behind, grabbing one of his arms and pulling.

Titan swung its large sword at Venom, catching him in his side. You grabbed Venom and yanked him behind you. You could hear Eddie groan over the commotion. You turned your head, seeing Venom sink back into Eddie’s body. Eddie groaned in pain and rolled over; you could see the blood staining his shirt already. Titan was renowned for hitting hard enough to get through the symbiote's body and hitting their host. You wrestled with Titan for a few minutes before you managed to overpower him. You put punch after punch into his body, feeling his strength fade with every successful hit. He had burnt himself out too early, Wreckage worked with endurance and still had reserves of energy. You smiled as Titan slumped over after taking a heavy hit to the temple. He slunk back inside of his host, he was bruised and barely conscious. Before he could entirely disappear, Wreckage grabbed Titan and dragged him out of his host's body. She held him out, watching as he writhed and struggled. Wreckage dropped his carcass to the ground, digging her heel into it.

You knelt next to Eddie; his body slowly healed as Venom took over for a moment. “Feeling alright?”
“How the hell did he hit me? Not just Venom?”
“That’s his speciality. He targets the host. You’ll be fine, by the way. You need to replace your shirt but other than that,”
“Do you still need to ask us questions?” Eddie asked, letting you help him to his feet.
“Yes.” Eddie smiled cheekily,
“shall we discuss it over a coffee?”

Chapter Text

Peter Parker watched as the strange, young man lurched towards him. He would tick sporadically, blood dripping from his large knife. “What do you want?” He asked, the boy stepping closer. The other members of the Avengers watched in terror as the boy seemed to flicker in and out of reality. Static filled their ears, sending shivers down their spines.
“I want revenge,” the boy pointed his knife towards the group.
“Who are you?” Tony Stark stood in front of Peter.
“My name is Toby.”
“Let us help you,” Natasha stepped forwards, trying to be friendly but still unsettled. Toby was covered in blood and it was not his. He did look like he’d been injured but showed no signs of pain.
“You can’t help me,” he stepped closer to Peter and Tony. “Nobody can.” He sprinted towards Peter, slashing the knife at him. Tony stepped between them, the knife ricocheting off of his iron suit. He grappled with Toby viciously, knocking the knife from his grip. Toby growled, it emanated from deep in his throat. The lights flickered and Toby disappeared.
Toby stalked a drunken man who had his arm wrapped around a woman who was obviously drugged. Toby snuck up behind him, the knife blade glinting in the streetlights. The pair staggered down a dark alleyway, “perfect,” Toby thought to himself. He waited for them to be hidden in the shadows before he struck. He concentrated on the voices that were whispering to him,
“kill him…kill him…” They repeated the phrase over and over, filling Toby’s senses, almost driving him mad. He plunged the knife into the man’s back, he made a pleasing squeak of horror as the blade pierced his lung. He gasped, letting the woman go. She collapsed, unconscious, to the ground. Toby pulled the knife out, watching as the man turned. He thrust it into the man’s chest several times before the man fell to his knees, bleeding profusely. Toby stabbed him again, leaving the knife embedded in his chest. He placed his foot on the man’s chest and kicked. He left the man sprawled on his back as the pool of blood surrounded him.
Peter stared down in horror at the gruesome sight from a nearby New York City rooftop. A young woman had been taken to for treatment after being drugged at a bar, otherwise, she was unharmed. The man that had presumedly drugged her, however, had been stabbed 28 times, leaving a bloodied corpse in the alley. Peter had recognised the knife in the man’s chest, it was the same knife that had threatened him the evening before. “Toby,” he grimaced. “I need to find him.” Peter returned to Stark Tower to report what he’d seen to the other Avengers.
Toby watched Peter leave the crime scene, tracking him all the way to Stark Tower. He couldn’t wait for night to come, so he could claim his next victim. The voices in his head continued to whisper to him as he watched. The truth was, Peter reminded him of one of the children that used to tease him, and he wanted nothing more than to hurt him as badly as they did. He sunk into the shadows of New York to wait for nightfall.
Toby snuck into Peter’s bedroom, watching as he breathed gently. He tightened his grip on the axe handle in his hand, smiling menacingly. The axe head was rusted from its bloody work, despite this, it was still as sharp as the day it was brought. Toby waited in the shadow, the whispers becoming more aggressive and louder the longer he waited. He snuck forward, silent as the grave. He lifted the axe above his head and swung.
Peter had felt Toby’s presence as soon as he’d entered his room. He feigned sleep, not wanting to alert Toby. He waited as he crept up next to his bed, ready to defend himself. As Toby brought the axe down, he shot a web at the handle, pinning it to the bed frame. He heard Toby curse as he struggled to free his hands and the axe. Peter rolled out of his bed, Tony, Clint and Natasha burst through the door, aiming their various weapons at the 17-year-old attacker. “Why are you trying to kill me?” Peter yelled.
“Why did you torment me?” Toby snarled back. Peter was surprised by the response; he had never met this kid before. Toby could feel the web loosening the more he wriggled his hands. He yanked his hands free and swung at Peter. The blade caught his shoulder, slicing with surprising strength and ease. Peter jumped back in surprise, putting immediate pressure on the wound. The voices in Toby’s head were screaming. Urging him to kill. Toby brought the axe up again, Tony retaliated by shooting a warning shot above his head, splintering the axe handle. Toby scowled at him and pulled a knife from his belt. Tony pushed Peter behind him, armouring up completely. “I just want him,” Toby tried to bargain. When he didn’t get a response, he looked to the window. He ran and jumped, shattering the glass and freefalling, hitting a lower balcony. He got to his feet and descended the fire escape.
Tony and Peter both followed Toby out of the building, tracking down the Queens streets. Toby ran through an alleyway and managed to shake the Avengers off of his trail. He swore under his breath, deciding that Peter wasn’t worth the trouble. Instead, he settled his gaze on an older man that was screaming at his wife in a nearby apartment building.

Chapter Text

It was the only way for the world to be saved. The infinity stones had to be returned to their own timelines, that was the deal. Steve offered to take them back, which terrified you. You had seen how he’d looked at Peggy Carter and how much he loved you. It would be so easy for him to just stay in the past to live alongside her and the thought haunted you. You fought back tears as Steve suited up. “You’re going to come back to me, right?” You asked for the hundredth time. Steve and you had been dating for close to six years, Steve had only recently proposed to you. He was your anchor throughout the five years after the infinity snap. He loved you and you loved him, but Peggy still held a special place in his heart. Steve took his cheek in your hand, wiping away a tear. He kissed you gently which broke your heart even more. The worst thing about it was that you would understand if he stayed with Peggy. “I’ll see you soon,” he assured you, stepping up onto the transporter. It felt like your heart was going to leap from your chest as it started up. You’d already lost too much, you couldn’t lose him too. Steve smiled at you before disappearing. You fell to your knees as you broke down into tears. Bucky consoled you as you waited.
Steve had replaced all of the stones and stood at Peggy’s door. He knocked and Peggy opened the door. Her jaw dropped when she saw Steve. It was Saturday, late in the morning. Peggy invited him inside, kissing him as she closed the door. Steve smiled, kissing her back. “You made it,”
“Of course, I did, I promised you.” Peggy held him tightly, listening to the radio softly playing in the background. She could hear his heartbeat. Peggy took his hand and noticed the ring on it.
“You’re engaged?” She felt a twinge of jealousy.
“I have a lot to tell you.”
It took close to three hours for Steve to explain everything to Peggy. She nodded occasionally, sometimes pressing for more detail but otherwise staying silent. Once Steve had finished, Peggy offered him a drink, which he gladly accepted. “You sound like you really love your partner.” She said, focusing on the drink in her hand.
“I do, I’m torn, Peg. I love you too.” Peggy smiled and placed a hand on his lap, he kissed her forehead.
“I know you do, and I’ll always love you. If you hadn’t travelled back in time, you would never have come back to me. Besides,” Peggy gestured to a nearby photo showing her with another man, “you aren’t the only one who fell back in love.” Peggy always had a talent for being completely level-headed and honest. Steve appreciated that. He also knew that she would leave her fiancée if he asked.
The more Steve thought about you and the life you and he had shared, the more he longed to return to you. Peggy and Steve talked for hours and in almost every memory, you were there with him. Before you had even started dating, you were part of the Avengers and had his back. He sighed and took Peggy’s hand in his, finally making his decision. “I have to go back, Peggy.” Her face fell, but there was a shadow of understanding.
“I know,” Steve cocked his eyebrow, “the way you talk about them, your heart belongs with them, not with me.” She kissed his cheek and walked him to the door.
You sat, staring at the transporter. Bucky sat beside you, an arm around your shoulder. Sam paced nearby. “I should go home,” you stood, beginning to walk away. You had lost all hope when Bruce couldn’t pull Steve back to this time. “I need to pack,”
“where are you going?” Bucky asked, following you.
“I can’t stay in our house; it would just be a constant reminder that I wasn’t enough.” You wiped the tears from your cheeks and took a deep breath.
“You were always enough,” Steve said from behind you. His voice was like a choir of angels, lifting your spirit. You turned and ran to him, he caught you in a kiss. He held you in silence.
“Why didn’t you stay with Peggy?”
“What?” Steve was confused as to how you knew he would go back to her.
“I know you love her; it would’ve been easy to stay with her.”
“Yes, it would have. I do love her; she was the first woman I ever loved. But you’re the one that holds my heart. I couldn’t imagine living without you, not after everything that we’ve done together. You’ve been my friend and soul mate for years.” You sobbed into his chest as he held you. You were overwhelmed with relief, knowing that he truly did love you. When you finally let each other go, Steve offered to take you to a bar for a drink. You smiled and nodded, letting him take your hand in his.

Chapter Text

You watched over your older brothers from Asgard, Odin standing beside you. “They continue to neglect their duties on Asgard, instead choosing to stay on Midgard. I need you to go and get them.” You nodded, feeling your eyes well with tears. You were stronger than both of your brothers, which made them wary of you. You couldn’t stand to hurt them which made them even more terrified. You ruled over the domain of Death and Mourning and were charged with retrieving the souls of the dead who had suffered greatly during their lives. You released them from that misery by ending their life and allowing them to go into the afterlife. Odin walked you to the Bifröst where you transported down to earth.
You had been to earth before, never for more than retrieving souls, however. It was a nice enough realm, so full of heartbreak and misfortune. You landed just outside of a graveyard; a group of people had gathered around an open grave. You could hear them weeping and you breathed in the grief. You could feel tears falling down your cheeks. You didn’t collect this one’s soul; they must have had a happy life. You walked towards Stark towers where your brother was. You extended a pair of long black wings that looked like flowing smoke. You flew towards the building with inhuman speed.
You crashed through one of the windows on the top floors of Stark tower. Loki and Thor stared at you in astonishment. “Sister, why are you here?” Thor stood to greet you. You noticed that the Avengers were standing before you, ready to fight.
“So much sorrow,” you said, your voice husky and breaking, “so much pain. You’ve all lost so much and will continue to lose much. I only wish to take my brothers home to their place on Asgard.” You breathed in deeply, feeling their memories flow through you. One stood out in particular, his memories and sorrow were almost intoxicating. You opened your eyes and locked them on a man at the front of the Avengers. He had a metal arm and rough black hair. You stepped towards him, tucking your wings away. You reached out to touch his face, but another person grabbed your hand first.
“Hands off,” the attractive blonde male commanded. You lowered your hand reluctantly.
“Who are you?” You asked them both.
“I’m Steve Rodgers, Captain America,” the blonde said proudly. “This is Bucky Barnes.”
“You are full of pain and agony. You mourn and grieve in every waking moment of your life. Let me take that away,” you offered, reaching out again. Bucky seriously considered it for a moment before stepping back.
“My pain makes me what I am.” You sighed and nodded, turning back to your brothers.
“Father wants you home.” You walked back to the shattered window, ignoring the glass digging into your bare feet.
“We need to finish what we’re doing here; the fate of the world depends on it.” You shook your head, a twinge of empathy pulling at your heart.
“Very well. I will stay here to ensure you go back when you are finished.” You lifted your hands and watched the glass rise into the air, settling back to its original place in the frame. It sealed like it was brand new.
You watched Bucky as he talked to Steve, he laughed at something. You found that you smiled when he did, which shocked you. You hadn’t smiled in years. You stood up and walked to get a drink of water. You stood quietly in the kitchen, watching the water swirl in the glass. Bucky walked in a few moments after you. He poured himself a mug of coffee, adding one sugar. He looked you up and down, leaning against the countertop as he stirred his coffee. “Can I help you?” You asked cautiously.
“Who are you? I know you’re one of Thor’s siblings but there must be more to you.” You stared at him, wondering why was so curious.
“I am the goddess of Death and Mourning. I take people’s pain and grief and allow them to die in peace.” Bucky nodded with sympathy.
“I wanted to thank you for letting Thor help us before taking him back.”
“My father will be furious, but I don’t wish for Midgard to end. I quite enjoy watching the humans.”
“Before, when we first met you, you seemed to ignore everyone but me, why?”
“I find you fascinating. You have been through so much. You’ve been brainwashed, forced to kill, put through painful procedures and more. Yet you stand tall and continue to fight.” Bucky looked a little bit concerned. “I can feel your memories, along with everyone else in this building.” You looked back at the water. “I know it’s invasive, I have no choice but to see.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Bucky placed a hand on your shoulder. You felt a strange sensation as your mind was filled with happy memories. You saw Bucky dancing with a beautiful woman, drinking with Steve. You saw him in all of his best moments, feeling love and friendship, happiness and excitement.
You stepped away from Bucky, gasping for breath. “What’s wrong?” He asked with concern clear on his face.
“What did you do?” Tears rolled down your cheek.
“I just touched you,”
“you made me feel happy.” You shook with fear. Thor ran through the door, Loki following closely behind him.
“Sister? Are you feeling well?” Thor asked, placing a palm on your forehead,
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Loki glared at Bucky.
“I’m fine.” You reached out to Bucky, placing your hand on his cheek. You felt more happy memories flow from his mind to yours. “You are the only one who does that to me. The only living being I’ve come across that has allowed me to see memories of good things.” You were intrigued and frightened by him. “I need to leave.” You ran from the room onto the balcony, spreading your wings as you leapt from the building. Bucky and your brothers stared after you as you flew away.
You sat in the graveyard, soaking in the grief of the people who walked past you, none of them even noticed you as they went about their business. You didn’t mind, you were fine with being left alone. You sighed as Thor and Loki approached you. Thor sat on the bench next to you, Loki stood, leaning against a grave with his arms crossed. “Why have you come here?” You asked them,
“we were worried about you,” Thor placed his hand on your shoulder. “I have never seen you look as scared as you did before. What happened?” You explained what had happened to your brothers, they looked shocked. Loki cleared his throat and stood straight, scratching his head.
“So, what makes him different?” You shrugged.
“I’ve never come across a human that’s made me feel happy over anything else. What troubles me is, I enjoyed the feeling.”
“Then why did you run?” Bucky jogged up to you, slightly out of breath. You shot to your feet. “I thought I’d hurt you.”
“No, I just didn’t know how to react. I’m sorry if that offended you,” a tear streaked down your cheek. Bucky brushed it away, giving you another rush of happiness. “I’m a goddess, you shouldn’t have this power over me.” You tried to walk away but Bucky grabbed your hand. His touch was electric.
“Please stay,” he begged.
“I can’t, I must return to Asgard with my brothers.”
“We still haven’t finished our task,” Thor countered. You turned back to Bucky, he looked like he was scared to lose you.
“Let me take you out for a coffee,” he offered. You reluctantly agreed, frightened but eager to learn more about him.
“On one condition,” Bucky raised a brow at you, “tell me why you want me to stay.”
“You’re the only one who has felt what I’ve felt. You’ve seen my memories, you know my past and you weren’t scared of me.”

Chapter Text

The past three days had been as close to hell as you ever wanted to be. Everything had started as a simple, run of the mill job which, as a hunter, should have been easy to deal with. A string of disappearances in Kansas had caught your attention, as well as Sam and Dean Winchester’s. 7 young women had been abducted from their homes, however, there was no sign of forced entry of violence when their houses were examined. You had worked with the Winchester’s a few times, both the boys and their dad. Dean and you had even spent some time together out of work, although you both knew this life was unforgiving and decided to go your own way. The boys offered you their help, which you gladly accepted. After all, you felt as though you’d hit a brick wall in your investigation. It seemed that every time you looked over at Dean, he was gazing at you, hurriedly looking away when you smiled at him. It became a bit of a game for you as you sat close to him on purpose, taking every opportunity to touch him. That included brushing fluff from his jacket or brushing his hair back.
It didn’t take long for the three of you to crack the case. You had discovered an underground occultist group that had been convincing the women to “help” them. In reality, they were luring them to their lair and sacrificing them to a demon. them to a demon. You couldn’t remember whose idea it was to use yourself as bait, but sure enough, that was how it went. You were woken up in the middle of the night by a dirty looking child begging for your help. You followed him into the nearby forest. Dean and Sam followed behind, close enough but not within sight. You ended up in the heart of the forest, standing before an old, decrepit cabin. The house looked as though it would collapse if you sneezed on it. As soon as you stepped onto the front porch someone hit you over the back of the head with a metal bat. You grunted and fell to the ground, knocked out cold.
When you opened your eyes, your head was pounding, and you were bound with leather straps to a stone table. A group of chanting, hooded figures surrounded you. One of the men held a knife menacingly over your heart. The eerie chanting gave you goosebumps along your skin. You called out for Sam and Dean, but the only response you received was a hard and prompt punch to the stomach. You would have doubled over if you were able to move. Instead, you lay there gasping for breath. A figure stepped out of the shadows, his eyes glowing with a crimson red. His eyes roamed over your body as he edged closer. “This one will do, she has fight in her.” You spat at the demon, cursing him. He just laughed you off and nodded to the man with the knife. He smiled and plunged the knife towards your heart. You twisted at the last second, feeling the blade pierce your side but miss your heart. You cried out in pain and anger, knowing you were completely helpless.
A deafening gunshot exploded overhead. One of the cloaked figures dropped dead. Three more shots rang out and the cult started panicking as they quickly lost members. Each of them falling, one by one, gurgling as the light left their eyes. The demon stepped forward and grasped your cheeks in his hands. He placed his lips on yours, the smell of sulphur making you gag. You fought against it but the demon easily overpowered you, kissing you deeply. You felt the leather straps fall away, our control falling with them. The demon had you tightly in its grasp. You watched Sam and Dean run over to your hijacked frame. “Would you kill her to get to me?” Your voice mocked. Dean swore under his breath.
“Sammy, start the exorcism,” Dean commanded, Sam nodded, reciting the Latin verse.
“Do that, and I will kill her,” the demon pulled out the knife that was still embedded in your side. Sam stopped speaking abruptly. You fought desperately against the demon, demanding to take back control of your body. You managed to gain a foothold for a few fleeting moments.
“Do it, Sammy,” you begged, “I’ll be fine.” Sam nodded and began again. Dean grimaced but didn’t stop him.
“I mean it!” The demon screeched, “I’ll kill her!” Sam ignored his threats, trusting in your plan and strength. He recited the exorcism verse with ease, after all, he’d done it dozens of times. You felt the demons influence lift as it was forced back to hell. The demon tried to pull up the knife but now he was the weak one. You had to use all of your strength to stop him, but you managed to keep him at bay. As the exorcism continued it became easier to fight off the demon. As it finished, you could feel him leave your body, dragged screaming back to hell. You collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Dean cradled you in his arms, putting pressure on the heavily bleeding wound in your side. He carried you back to the impala, patching you up as best he could and driving to the nearest hospital. You begged not to be taken to the hospital, you’d always hated them. Eventually, Dean gave in, against his better judgment, instead, heading for a motel.

You startled awake as the Chevy pulled into the motel parking lot. Sam and Dean were chatting in the front seat. “Hey,” Dean turned and smiled at you reassuringly, “you’re awake. How are you feeling? It isn’t too late to go to the hospital.”
“I’m fine,” you smiled back.
“I’m glad you got some rest,” Sam added, “you lost a lot of blood. The stab wound seems to have stopped bleeding now, which is a good sign.”
“Where are we?” You asked, glancing out the window at the neon lighting. Dean opened the car door for you.
“Safe, we’re staying here tonight.” You lent heavily on Dean as you climbed out of the car. The stab wound in your side screamed in protest to the movement and your body ached like every inch was bruised. “Hey, take it easy,” Dean wrapped an arm around your waist when you stumbled. Your head swam and you felt faint.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Sam had rushed to your side.
“I’m okay, just sore and tired.” You tried to smile, forcing it to the surface. You hobbled to the front of the Impala, leaning against the warm bonnet “I’ll wait here while you two check-in. They might get suspicious if they see me.” You laughed. The boys nodded, Dean reluctantly following Sam to the administration building.
“I still think we should take her to a hospital, Sammy.”

You placed your hand on your side, feeling the warm blood against the dirty cloth and reliving the last few days in your mind. You coughed and saw the splatters of blood on your hand, “shit.” You felt like you were going to vomit and doubled over, retching heavily. You felt the stitches tear as you heaved. “Dean!” You called out, voice and body quivering. He must have heard the urgency in your voice because bolted outside. You tried to take a step toward him, but your legs gave out. You were out cold before you reached the ground, the image of Dean’s terrified face and his panicked yell etched into your mind.
The steady beeping of a monitor ushered you back into reality. You sat up in a panic, gasping in pain as you did. “Woah, you’re alright.” Dean hushed you.
“Where am I?” You asked for the second time in as many days.
“In the hospital.” You looked around cautiously. The traffic in the city was still heavy despite the late hour. Sam was sleeping in a chair in the corner and Castiel was just walking through the door with a fresh cup of coffee. “Do you remember what happened?” The look of concern on Dean’s face broke your heart. You shook your head; the details were fuzzy, and it was hard to focus. “You almost died.” Dean brushed a hair on your face. “The doctors said you’ll be okay if you take it easy for the next week or so.”
“I can’t just stop hunting for a week, Dean, I’ll go insane.” You countered.
“You can and you will,” his voice became more dominant for a moment, but it softened again as he continued. “I almost lost you and it broke me, I can’t imagine what I would do if you died. Let me take care of you.”

Chapter Text

Thor watched Loki carefully as he snuck out of the Avengers tower. He wore a long cloak, making himself look more formal than usual. Loki crept through the streets, the light rain laying a mist through his hair. He brushed his long black hair from his eyes, knocking on a purple, wooden door. Thor has silently followed him through the night to the stranger’s home. The door creaked open, and you stood there, smiling happily. You welcomed him inside. He wrapped an arm around your waist, planting a kiss on your cheek. Thor watched in surprise and snuck closer, peeking in the window.

You walked through your small store to the back room, Loki planting himself on the couch near the small fire. “Is it warm enough?” You asked, Loki nodded and smiled at you. “Would you like some tea?” He nodded again. You flicked your hand and the stove lit, the kettle filling with water. You placed two ceramic cups on the bench and placed a tea bag in each before sitting next to Loki. You placed your head on his shoulder, sighing as he ran his fingers through your hair. The kettle whistled softly, in response, you flicked your hand again, whispering a short incantation. The kettle floated across the room and poured its contents into the cups. The cups floated slowly and carefully over to you, landing on the coffee table. You and Loki took a cup each, sipping slowly on the freshly brewed tea. Loki adding a cube of sugar into his. “How has it been going, being on earth?” Loki sighed,
“Boring, these weak humans surround me and yet I can’t rule them.”
“I know,” you assured him,
“I just want to be a king. Thor is to be king of Asgard after father, which leaves me with nothing but my brother’s shadow.” You smiled and finished your tea, listening to him without interruption.

Once Loki had finished talking, he turned to you, noticing that you’d been unusually quiet. “Are you alright, my love?” You smiled and refilled the kettle,
“yes, my mind has been elsewhere today. I had a strange dream last night; it was more like a memory, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“Is there anything you can do to remember?” You nodded,
“There is a small spell I could cast to travel back in my memories. I just didn’t want to go alone.”
“I can go with you,” Loki offered quickly. “If you don’t mind.”
“I’d love that.”

You sat on the couch with three candles lit before you. A strange, floral tea steeped in front of you and Loki. Loki had worked with magic before, but never like this and it intrigued him. You burnt a small handful of herbs, the smoke filling the air of your small store. You breathed deeply, instructing Loki to do the same. You both sipped the tea, Loki recoiling at the bitter after taste, making you giggle. You whispered quietly, asking the spirits to take you and Loki back to that memory. A strange feeling overwhelmed you. The room shook slightly, and time began to turn backwards. Loki watched you carefully, confusion clear on his face. You smiled reassuringly at him, hiding your own fear. When the room stopped spinning, you helped Loki to his feet. “Whenever we are, we can’t change the past. We won’t be able to interact with anyone or anything, it’s technically all in my head,” you laughed before stepping out the door.

“Burn her!” A man screamed as he ran past, a pitchfork in his hands. You stepped backwards reflexively, backing into Loki. He lay a hand on your shoulder reassuringly.
“All in your head, remember?”

Loki was amazed at the crowd that had gathered around a large pyre. He took a step closer, you followed him carefully. “What’s going on?” He asked you.
“Welcome to Salem, they’re burning a witch.” Loki stepped closer; recognising your past self. You had been tied to a large log.
“You have been proven to be a witch.” An intimidating man stood before the pyre; he wore a star-shaped badge on his lapel. “You will burn for practising black magic and affiliating with the devil, heathen.
“Yeah, good luck with that.” You mocked, “If I am a witch, I won’t die. If I’m not, then you’ve killed an innocent person and will be damned for murder.”
“I am sentencing you in the name of God, my conscience is clear.”
“Have it your way,” you shrugged. You whispered an incantation and the pyre at your feet burst into flames, the crowd screaming and running for cover. “You think you mortals can kill a real witch?” You laughed, the rope burning away. “I am a master of the elements; you are merely human. You hide behind your God so as you can kill who you please.” You stepped down from the pyre, the flames covering your body but leaving you unharmed. You walked up to the sheriff, staring into his panic-filled eyes. “I have worked as a healer in Salem for a decade now and this is my repayment? After everything I’ve done, after I helped your wife birth your child. When they both caught scarlet fever, I was the one who healed them. I could take it all back,” you grinned at him as he cowered before you, “it would be easy to reverse all the care that I have gifted to this town.”
“Please, we’re sorry. Don’t hurt me,” the sheriff begged you.
“What was that?” You prompted him, even though you’d heard him clearly. “Say it loud enough for the crowd to hear your pitiful begging. Let them see who their sheriff truly is.”
“I’m sorry!” He yelled, the crowd watching in disgust. “I’ll pardon you if you let the town be in peace.” You looked around, spotting the innocent children in the crowd, hiding behind their mother’s skirts. With a sigh you turned, extinguishing the fire.
“Very well, but if anyone dares to raise a hand against me, a plague like no other shall rain down on this world and only the innocent will be spared.”

Loki watched in wonder as your younger self walked towards you. She seemed to smile as she passed as if she knew you were there. “That was,” Loki started, turning to you. You interrupted him before he could say more,
“a very different part of my past,” you placed your hand in his. “I was far more reckless then, as you saw. I was never actually going to hurt anyone, but I sure as hell wanted the trials to end.”
“I think that you were brave,” Loki kissed you on the cheek. “Besides, watching you step down from that pyre, fire dancing around you was hot,” he added with a wink. You slapped him lightly on the arm.
“That pun was terrible,” you both laughed. “Let’s go back home.”

Within moments, you were sitting back in your lounge, the tea still steaming. “Well,” Loki cleared his throat, “that was interesting.” You smiled at him, brushing a strand of hair from your face.
“Yeah, I didn’t know exactly where we were going. The spell is quite random.”
“Hey,” he placed a hand on your lap, shuffling a little closer. “I enjoyed learning more about you.”

Chapter Text

You sat next to Bucky, breathing slowly as he caressed your wings, the smoke rolling off of his fingers. You hummed gently as he embraced you. As you sat next to him, feeling his skin, you felt memory after memory. With each one, you felt yourself grow less lonely. You could hear a whisper in the back of your mind. A name followed by a face. This person was near death and it was your duty to help them to the afterlife. You stood up, extending your wings to their full length. “Where are you going?” Bucky asked,
“I have been given the nickname ‘angel of death’ for a reason, my dear.”
“Let me come with you,” you turned to Bucky, stunned.
“You don’t want to see this,” you warned him, “it isn’t a nice sight.” Bucky wrapped his arms around your waist. You felt that familiar tingle run up your spine. “Fine.”

You approached the hospital bed, wings extended fully, hiding Bucky behind them. The old man looked at you in surprise, then he smiled. You had changed your appearance to look like his long-deceased wife. “Is it time?” He asked you, voice croaking slightly.
“It is, my dear.” You stepped closer to him, caressing his cheek softly. “It will be quick.”
“Will it hurt?” You smiled softly and sat on the edge of the bed, lowering your wings. The old man noticed Bucky standing behind you, although he saw his son standing there instead. “My son is here too?” Bucky looked confused for a moment before stepping forward.
“Yes, he is here to help you go home. I will make it as painless as I can, it will only hurt for a brief moment, then you’ll never feel pain again.” You leant forward and kissed him softly on the cheek, tasting the salty tears that fell down his cheek. He gasped and convulsed for a moment before laying still, staring blankly at the ceiling. You felt your own tears creep down your cheek. The monitors in the room blared in alert, nurses rushing in. They ignored you and Bucky, moving through you as if you were smoke.
“They can’t see us?” Bucky asked, amazed. You shook your head.
“No, I use my magic to change their perception. All they’ll see is a shadow out of the corner of their eyes. Let’s go home.” You offered your hand, taking the shaken Bucky home. He had been used to war, seeing people die violently was easy now. But they always fought for life, it was different seeing someone so ready to die and it shook him to his core.

“How do you deal with that?” Bucky asked you once you were home. “How do you cope with constantly being around death?”
“I’ve never known anything different. I was given this position nearly three thousand years ago. I don’t remember anything other than death.” Bucky took your hand, looking at you sadly. “I will admit, it makes it easier having someone that has seen so much death too.”
“It’s different. I wasn’t in control of the murders.”
“Do you think that I have a choice?” Bucky hadn’t considered that, so he looked away. “If I could stop being the goddess of death, I’d give it up in a heartbeat. I would love to have a different life, to be able to settle down.”
“Why can’t you?”
“I’d have to pass on the scythe to someone else. I couldn’t make anyone go through what I have.” You both sat in silence for a long time. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be telling you this. My father would be furious if he knew I was moping around like this.”
“I’m happy you told me. I hope it helps you to deal with it, even just a little.”
“It has,” you smiled at Bucky. It was the first time you’d genuinely smiled in a century. “I appreciate that you listened.” You felt a similar sensation, a whisper and face. Your face fell and you stood up.
“Another one?” You nodded, “Can I come along?”

Chapter Text

You felt your heart break as the senior officer handed you a trifold American flag. You felt a mixture of anger, despair and abandonment. You stared down at the stars and stripes, glaring angrily. “He was one of the best soldiers we’ve ever known.” The officer said sadly. You thanked the officer and went back inside your cheap Brooklyn apartment, placing the flag gently on the table. You let out a yell and punched the wall, your fist going straight through the drywall.
“You left me!” You yelled into the empty room, turning on a photo that depicted Bucky Barnes and Steve Rodgers. Steve was your brother and Bucky your boyfriend. They had both left to join the army and fight in the war, Steve later joining SHIELD after Bucky’s death. He hadn’t come home to comfort you and let you help him grieve. You knew they were best friends, but you and Bucky were going to get married, you needed support. You picked up the photo frame and threw it across the room, watching it shatter in the glowing embers in the fireplace. You grabbed your jacket and stormed from the apartment, not even bothering to lock the door. You were heading to the closest pub.

You sat at the bar, shooting back glass of whiskey after whiskey, daring someone to approach you. Eventually, a young woman did. She introduced herself as Vienna and paid off your tab after a few minutes of friendly conversation. You were fairly drunk by now and allowed her to lead you out of the bar. She was extraordinarily pretty with bright red hair and a fit body; she was easily turning the heads of every man in the bar as she walked you out. She helped you into a car and climbed in beside you, giving a nod to the driver. “Where are we going?” You slurred. Vienna gave you a gentle smile and rested her hand on your arm,
“Miss Rodgers, I am from an organisation called Hydra. We recently heard about the loss of your brother, my boss asked me to make sure you were alright. I’m taking you home to rest.”
“You’re Hydra?” You had heard stories of the organisation; you knew that they were after the same serum that had turned your brother into a freak. “Take me to your headquarters,” you demanded, taking Vienna by surprise.
“May I ask why?”
“I want revenge, I want you to change me into a super-soldier.” You had piqued Vienna’s interest.
“And what do we get in return?”
“My loyalty, I will fight for you, kill for you. Just let me become strong enough to prove it.”

You pulled up to an enormous and intricate house in the mountains, it looked like a holiday home for a billionaire. You walked in, led by Vienna. The fireplaces crackled away while people in lab coats busied themselves with various experiments and paperwork. She led you downstairs, through a series of clean labs, where a menacing man waited. “Who is this, Vienna?” He asked, his accent was thick and German.
“This is Miss Rodgers,” the man’s eyes lit up, “she wants to join the programme.”
“You are Miss Rodgers? Welcome!” he shook your hand vigorously, as though you were a superstar. You had sobered up on the ride here and were a little unsure of your decision. “We would be glad to have you aboard. Please, sit.” He offered you a seat in the lab. “A few preliminary questions,” you nodded and watched him pull out a pad and paper.
“Anything you want to know, I’ll tell you.” He smiled at your eagerness.
“Do you have any weapons training?”
“I used to go hunting with my brother and father, I was the best shot of all of us. I can hit a stag from 60 metres. I was going to join the army as a sniper, but they wouldn’t take me.”
“And why was that?”
“I’m a female.”
“You will have no issues like that here, Vienna is one of our best agents.” She smiled at you, graciously accepting the compliment. “When would you like to begin?”
“Now.”

70 years had passed like a blink in the eye. You had risen to the top of Hydra’s assassins in a matter of months. The Serum they had given you had rapidly transformed your mind and body, making you a ruthless and confident killer. You now lead your own group, The Beauty and the Beasts, an all-female team that was composed of only the best. Most of the women were trained by your own hand. You fought for Hydra loyally, never faulting or refusing their missions, however, it was on one condition; you were to be the one to kill Steve Rodgers and Bucky Barnes. The endless battles had left you with a scar-covered body, but each one reminded you of the victories you’d claimed. Now was your time to shine.

You led your team through the forest. Hydra had gotten a tip that both Bucky and Steve would be alone at that point. You signalled to your teammates for them to flank the men as you pushed forward. They were to wait for your signal, no matter what happened. You could see Steve and Bucky laughing together. It made your blood boil. You stepped into the dim lighting. Steve and Bucky whipped around; weapons raised. “Hello, boys.” You smiled at their surprised expression.
“Wait,” Steve stuttered, taking a cautious step toward you. “You can’t be here, can you?”
“Who, me?” You clasped a hand dramatically over your heart. “You aren’t the only one who was turned into a freak, Steve.” You strode over to them, holding yourself confidently.
“Babe,” Bucky had immediately lowered his weapon.
“Don’t call me that!” You snapped at him, smiling as he flinched away from the anger in your voice. “All those years you belonged to Hydra and you never noticed me,”
“I didn’t know, I wasn’t the same person in Hydra.”
“I wasn’t the same,” you mocked, “bullshit. I know they screwed with your head but if you had loved me then you wouldn’t have left in the first place.” You spat on the ground angrily before pulling a pack of cigarettes from your breast pocket. You lit one up, smoking away with a vicious smile on your lips. “I loved both of you, my brother and my fiancée. I depended on you to protect me, well now I don’t need you like you didn’t need me then.”
“What are you doing here?” Steve asked, checking his surroundings.
“I’ve been sent on a mission that I’ve been looking forward to for nearly a century.”
“And that is?” You snapped up a hand, clenching it into a fist and raising it into the sky. You then took a step back, turning away from them. You pulled a knife from your utility belt, toying with the sharpened blade.
“To end your lives, as was promised to me.”

Your team burst from the treeline, guns raised and aimed at the men. Bucky and Steve were utterly outnumbered, and they knew it. “I’d like you to meet my new family. The Beauty and the Beasts. I’ve trained each of these women personally, they are the best of Hydra and under my command.”
“You’ve done well for yourself,” Bucky sighed,
“I always knew you would,” Steve added, looking sadly towards you.
“Don’t you dare,” you warned, “you can’t corrupt me. Don’t pretend you’re proud of me!” You whirled around to face them.
“I am proud,” Steve countered. “I never doubted that you’d be strong.” Each word made you more furious. You threw the knife at him, Steve barely able to deflect it with his shield. “I know we left you, but we had to keep you safe.”
“You left me!” You screamed. For the first time in 70 years, you felt like you might cry. You took a deep breath, composing yourself. “You both left to join the army. It was war, I get that, I’ve fought in several of them now. But you never came back, you,” you pointed a finger at Steve, “left to join SHEILD and become a super-soldier. And you,” you turned on Bucky, “you couldn’t even stay alive to protect Steve.”
“So, you’re going to kill us because we fought for our country?” Steve said, rather boldly. You raised a brow at him.
“Normally, I’d let my team open fire on you. I’d watch as the bullets tore your body apart, shredding it like paper. But I think that I’ll deal with both of you personally.”

You lunged at Steve, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground as he took the brute force of your shoulder to his chest. You delivered a hefty punch to his throat. His eyes were wide as he struggled to regain his breath. Bucky grabbed your shoulders and hauled you off of him. You rolled to land on your feet. You raised your fists, a knife in your right hand. You sprang on the balls of your feet, launching yourself at him. You wielded the knife in front of you aiming at his heart, Bucky pulling his metal arm up to protect himself. The blade snapped as metal ground on metal. You growled and threw the broken blade aside, following up the initial hit with a punch to his side. Bucky grabbed you and pinned you to the ground. You struggled for a moment, noticing how his eyes were brimming with pain. It wasn’t physical pain; you had seen that hundreds of times. It was a mental battle he was fighting, he didn’t want to hurt you, and that was something that you could use against him. “Bucky?” You begged, gasping in fake pain. “I’m sorry,” you lifted your head, kissing him on the lips. You felt him slacken his grip. You took that moment to slip free, smashing your forehead into his nose. Blood spurted from his nostrils as he reeled back. While you were occupied with Bucky, Steve had circled behind you. Your radio crackled and you immediately picked it up, ignoring the other two.
“We need you back at base,” you recognised your commanding officer.
“Acknowledged.” You responded simply. You signalled to your team, watching as they disappeared back into the trees. Once they were out of earshot, you turned away from Steve and Bucky angrily. “Sorry, boys. This will have to wait for another day.” You began to walk away but Steve called after you. You turned to see his fist fly towards his face. You fell backwards into Bucky’s arms, stunned. Your head swam but Bucky held you firmly.
“I’m sorry about this,” Steve said, knocking you unconscious.

Chapter Text

“I’m surprised by how well you fight.” Erik smiled as he dodged your knife attack.
“Well, I’ve had several people attempt to kill me. I learnt to protect myself, and my family.” You countered, dropping the knife into your other hand and driving it up. Erik used his metal bending ability to deflect the blade, sending it across the courtyard. You locked eyes with the dagger and willed it to come towards you. “They weren’t very good killers.” Catching it effortlessly, you dove at Erik. You held the blade to his neck. He held his hands up in surrender. You panted heavily from the fight but still stood tall, amazed you’d come out on top of the fight.
“Well done, bub.” Logan clapped you on the back.
“Well done indeed,” Charles agreed. “I’d like to test something if you feel up to it.” You nodded, excited to see what else they had in store for you.

Psylocke sat across from you. Her hair was a stunning purple, long but tied back. She was another mutant that had been introduced to you. She shared your telekinetic ability. There was a small ball between you, with two metres on either side. “This will work like a tug of war. Psylocke will pull it towards her, and you will pull it towards you.” Charles informed the pair of you. You both nodded. “On my mark.” Charles waited for a moment. You deepened your breathing and focused on the ball. “Go.” You reached your hand out, shocked when nothing happened. You focused harder, flicking your eyes up to Psylocke. She was also concentrating on the ball. The small ball floated into the air, vibrating dangerously. You focused harder, putting all of your energy into dragging it away from Psylocke. You could feel a drop of blood fall from your nose.
“Charles,” Logan warned, “that’s enough.” Charles hushed him. Your head started to ache, and your skin burned. The ball was shaking more violently with each passing moment.

With a loud crack, the ball split in two. The burst of energy exploded out, knocking you and Psylocke on your backs. The two sides of the balls bounced in opposite directions. Psylocke got to her feet, seemingly unharmed. Your breath was knocked out of your body as you landed, leaving you gasping for air. You grasped the sides of your head, it felt like your head was going to implode. Logan ran over to your side. He reached for you but recoiled as the heat radiating from your body burnt his hands. You slowly regained your breath, but your body still burned. Despite the warmth, you shivered as you lay on the ground. Your nose was still bleeding as you curled up on your side. Logan whispered reassuring words to you as you shook. Slowly, your body cooled down to a touchable temperature. Logan picked you up, Erik helping him to get you back into the building. Logan scowled at Charles as he walked past. Psylocke looked on helplessly.

Charles entered your room. Logan sat next to you on the bed. Scorch marks scattered across the sheets from hotspots on your body. Erik paced around the room. “We finally got her body temperature down to a point where she stopped setting fires,” Erik informed Charles. “Although, we’re going to need new sheets.”
“That is the least of our problems.” Logan snapped, “you pushed her too far, Charles. What if she’s really hurt.”
“I’m sure she’s going to be fine.” Charles countered. You could hear the men arguing and it angered you. You sat up slowly, still exhausted but willing to push yourself to get the point across.
“Alright,” you caught their attention. Logan sat next to you, checking over your body. “That’s enough, you’re all being ridiculous. I’m a grown woman,” you looked at Logan, “I don’t need a babysitter. It’s nice that you care but I’ve been looking after myself for a long time. Charles,” you turned your head to him. “You already know what I’m going to say but I’ll say it out loud anyway. You are moulding people’s minds; you should know their abilities and boundaries. That test was intentionally going to see me fail. I hope I surprised you by making it a draw. You all need to stop treating me like I’m some fragile piece of glass. I’d almost guarantee that I’d take more damage than either of you, apart from Logan.” You stood and walked out of the room.
“Wait, where are you going?” Logan followed you out.
“To clear my head and rest.” You continued out of the building, making your way into the forest beyond.

You sat next to the small stream, letting the cool water run over your feet. The sun had begun to set and as the darkness came over the forest, you felt more at home. You hadn’t gotten any sleep, but you still felt rested. You had expected Logan to have followed you, but he’d respected your space and stayed behind. It was nice to just sit in the near silence. While you sat, you took in the sounds of the forest. You thought that you could hear footsteps in the distance. You stood and tracked the sound. You stepped into a small clearing where the steps were coming from. The clearing was empty. You looked around, “who’s there?” You caught a glimpse of silver on the forest edge. “Logan? This isn’t funny anymore.” You scolded. A loud bang echoed through the forest. You yelped in surprise. A sharp pain shot through your leg; the pain made it crumble beneath you. Another bang and you felt the bullet hit your shoulder. You lay on your back, staring up at the stars appearing in the sky. You focused on the wounds, pulling the bullets from your flesh. You grit your teeth against the searing pain. You fixed the deep wounds, although you knew it would scar. You had only been shot once before and still held the gnarled scar.

A bullet was hard to prepare against, unlike a knife. A bullet moved too quickly for you to know where it would hit and the wound it left was messy. You were also still tired from your earlier trials. You slowly got to your feet, grunting as you put weight on your leg. A man in a black coat had joined you in the clearing. “They sent amateurs to kill you before.” He raised his gun again. “I won’t fail.” You burst into laughter; the man lowered his gun slightly in confusion. “Stop that, freak.” He warned, but that made you laugh harder.
“You have no idea, do you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Think about it. Why has nobody killed me yet?” You paused for a moment, “I’m unkillable. Trust me, I would’ve chosen death a long time ago if I could.” You raised your hand and the gun flew from his hands. The man pulled out a second gun and fired. The bullet hit your jaw, coming out your cheek. You smiled with bloodied teeth. The man’s face contorted with horror as it healed before his eyes. It left a large, star-shaped scar on your cheek but otherwise, you were unharmed. “Good luck with that.” You took a step towards him. He fired five more times, emptying his clip into your body. Two missed completely, two hit you in the chest and the last one clipped your neck. “I thought you were a professional?” You laughed, stitching the wounds up. You now stood in front of the cowering man.

A rustle behind you got your attention, Logan and Erik sprang from the trees. You turned back to the man, who was trying desperately to crawl away. “You don’t have to kill him,” Logan offered.
“If I let him leave, then he will bring back up next time.” You growled, pulling the man back towards you.
“Please, that isn’t your decision to make. He should be judged by a court.” Erik added.
“No.” You knew what would happen if you did let him go free. He’d get off with nothing but a slap on the wrist. “I’ll be judge, jury and executioner. That’s a good mutant name, The Executioner.” You waved your hand, snapping the man’s neck. He slumped to the ground pitifully. You stepped away from him. “I am sick of people trying to kill me. I’m sick of non-mutants thinking they’re better than me. I won’t bow to them anymore.” Logan and Erik both looked at you with concern. “I’ll make them bow to me instead.”

Chapter Text

You were old. Older than any living being on the earth. That wasn’t your fault, you were an immortal vampire. You were one of the first vampires created. A being of darkness and an omen from hell. You sat in your castle, the one you had owned for nearly 5 centuries. It was lonely, even though you had been used to being by yourself. The castle had fallen into disrepair around you, the old stone beginning to crumble and the wood warping. You sighed, standing up from your throne. You decided that it was time you went out and created some chaos.

You walked through London. It had changed dramatically in so many ways, and yet it still had the same feeling as it did when you walked through it as a human. You nodded to a young couple that passed you under the streetlights. You had adorned a leather trench coat, dark jeans and a black blouse. You wore dark sunglasses; despite the fact it was nearing midnight. You wore a single necklace, a Celtic triskelion. It was given to you before you had changed, you wore it every day. Your body was scarred but fit, your vampire blood keeping you healthy.

Heads turned as you walked into a bar. Men and women allowed their eyes to roam over your body. You sat at the bar, flicking your coat so it flowed behind you. The bartender approached you with a smile. “What’ll it be?”
“A bloody Mary.” You returned the smile. A few moments after the bartender left, a young man sat beside you.
“Hey, sweetheart, your drinks on me.” He was clearly swaying in his seat and the stench of alcohol wafted from his breath.
“Thanks, but I’ve got it.” You pulled a hundred-dollar bill from your pocket. The man’s eyes lit up.
“Oh okay,” he stammered. “My name’s Brendan.” He tried to recover the conversation.
“Leandra.” He nodded, eyes flicking to the bartender as he brought your drink over. He beckoned to a young woman who was standing nearby.
“This is my girlfriend, Mary.” You raised a brow, chuckling at the irony. “We’re looking for someone to have a little fun with. Keen to join?” You chugged the drink before placing the bill in the bartender’s hand. You gave him a wink,
“keep the change.” You stood and followed the couple out.

You licked the blood from your finger, the scarlet ruby glinting in the dull light. Brendan lay on the couch, unconscious but breathing. Mary was in your arms, gasping slightly as you drank from her. Brendan was too drunk to drink from, he’d passed out almost as you entered his house. Mary, however, was practically sober. Her blood was sweet on your tongue. She was young and cared for her body, exercising regularly and eating healthy foods. It made her blood taste like a summer fruits cider, irresistible to your palate. You sighed and looked down into her eyes. “You won’t remember any of this,” you assured her, Mary groaned in response. “Make sure you treat this like a hangover, drink lots of water and eat something with carbs.” You smiled, your fangs flashing in the light. You lay her next to Brendan before leaving the home. You stretched, smiling at the moon. “The night is still so young.”

You wandered around for a while, your hunger satiated by the young Mary. You were now hungry for excitement, for drama. You desired chaos. You caught a scent on the wind, another vampire. They were close. You followed the scent to a house nearby. You looked through the window. On the other side, a vampire was feeding on an older man. You could see three dead bodies on the floor, all drained. You walked to the front door and knocked. “What?” The male vampire snapped in answer. “Fuck off,” he yelled.
“No manners,” you smiled to yourself. You kicked the door in, the wood splintering under the force. The male vampire looked up in shock. “You’re one of those man-made vampires, aren’t you?” The vampire picked up a nearby gun.
“I told you to fuck off, now I have to kill you.” You laughed at the statement.
“That’s not very nice.”
“I wasn’t trying to be.” He scowled, pulling the trigger. The bullets tore through your flesh, but you stood still, waiting for the magazine to run empty.
Click.
There it was. You dashed forward, your body already healing. You gripped the man around the throat, thrusting him against the wall. He squirmed but couldn’t free himself. You wiped the blood from his mouth, licking it off of your finger. “Why are you drinking old people? The youth are far more appetising.” You pressed tighter. “I have to kill you now, you're ruining my chance at hunting. Then I’m going to have to kill your ghouls. Not that it will be difficult.” You placed your hand on his chest, ignoring his begging. You pushed against his sternum, crushing it and piercing his heart. You felt the wall against your palm and looked up into his eyes. You smiled evilly and pulled your hand out, dropping his body to the ground. You pulled a gun from your belt and shot each dead body in the head, ensuring they stayed down.

You left the building, blood still dripping from your hand. You exited to find several soldiers pointing their guns at your head. “Stop! Get on the ground!” You raised your hands in surrender.
“Now, this is what I’m talking about.” You smiled, revealing your fangs. “Does anyone have any last words?”
“Get down!” The same soldier yelled.
“That’s lame. Try again.”
“Take aim. Fire!” You sighed and pulled the broken door off of its hinges, using it to partially block the rain of bullets. Once they’d stopped firing you threw the door at the soldiers. They ducked but it still clipped two of them. You hadn’t noticed another vampire in their midst, their scent concealed by the blood on your clothes. “Miss Victoria, take the shot.” Your eyes flicked to the sniper on the roof. The 0.30-inch calibre bullet pierced your chest. You fell onto your back, grunting in pain. The soldiers approached you carefully. You grabbed one of them, throwing him backwards. You climbed to your feet and attacked the closest soldier. You snapped his arm effortlessly before throwing him to the side. The soldiers fired again, and you jumped to the roof of the building. You ran at the sniper who was now on her feet.

“That was a brilliant shot,” you clapped slowly as you approached Seras. “No human could have made it.” Seras backed up a little, still very aware that she was on the edge of the roof. You walked along the edge confidently, your vampiric balance wouldn’t let you fall. “Hellsing?” You read the badge on her arm. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“You aren’t one of those new vampires, they wouldn’t have survived that shot.”
“Absolutely correct!” You laughed, leaping over the gap between buildings to stand next to her. “I am a real vampire. Not one of those fakes.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Why would I do that?”
“I shot you.” You scratched your chin, thinking.
“You aren’t the first to shoot me. I also doubt you’ll be the last. You are different.” You lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “Someone sired you, that makes you one of my kind. I don’t kill my own kind unless I have a good reason. Who was it that turned you?” A deep voice spoke behind you.
“She’s mine.”

You hadn’t seen Alucard for more than two centuries. He hadn’t changed a lot; his hair was different, and his clothes were fitted to suit the current style. You turned around to face him with a wide smile. “My dear friend!” You bowed slightly to him,
“Leandra?” He seemed astonished that you were standing in front of him. “You’re alive?”
“Well,” you clicked your tongue, “alive for a dead person, I suppose.” You could tell he was checking you for weapons with his eyes. “I don’t want to fight you, Alucard.”
“You attacked those soldiers.”
“Because they shot me! Last time I checked; self-defence was still legal. Besides, none of them are dead.” Alucard looked down, making sure you weren’t lying. “Come on, I didn’t know that you were tracking that fake. I just happened upon it.”
“Why did you kill it?” Seras asked quietly.
“Because I have no patience for supposed vampires that kill for no reason and are too stupid to cover their tracks.” You answered, patting her on the head condescendingly. She scowled at you but kept quiet. “I think I’ll go home now.”
“I’ve been sent to deal with the fake, but my master would expect me to kill you too.” You cackled at Alucard,
“I believe that you haven’t ever bested me in a fight, do you think that will start now?” You taunted him. He sighed heavily, turning his gaze to Seras,
“make sure the soldiers are clear and safe. Then return to the Hellsing organisation.”

You and Alucard circled each other menacingly. He was stern and focused; you were bouncing around but still equally focused. You watched him reach for his gun and, instead of going for yours, you pulled out two daggers. Alucard fired and you split the bullet down the centre with the blade in your hand. The bullets buried themselves into the tree behind you. You ran at Alucard, tackling him. At the same time, you drove the daggers into his side. The blades were made of a silver alloy, they were strong and deceptively sharp. Alucard kicked you off of him, flinging you across the rooftop. He disappeared for a moment, reappearing behind you. You brought the dagger up, catching him in the arm. He pulled the trigger on his gun, the bullet piercing your shoulder. You punched him in the nose, blood spraying out of his nostrils. He grabbed your throat and held you on the ground. You brought a dagger up, slicing through his forearm, taking it off cleanly. You rolled out of his path and kicked out as you flipped onto your feet. Your foot found purchase with his chin, his teeth clashing together and his glasses flying away from his face. You grinned as he reeled backwards. “You’re getting slow in your old age, Alucard.” You threw one of your daggers, it stabbed through his neck, the blade protruded out the back. “Or is it those years of serving a human master?” Alucard fired his gun at you again, the bullets ripping an arm from your body. He spat blood onto the ground at his feet before pulling the blade out. He threw it back and you caught it, the silver cutting your fingers. You ran at him again, using your weight to push him off the roof. He lay sprawled on the ground for a moment before getting to his feet. You jumped down from the building’s roof, landing in front of him.

You both took a moment to regenerate, your bodies healing back to normal. “Ready for round two then?” You mocked, raising both daggers in front of you as he raised his gun.
“Alucard!” A commanding female voice resonated across the emptied London streets. “That’s enough.” Alucard dropped his head. You spotted Seras standing behind her.
“Who are you?”
“Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing, head of the Hellsing Organisation.”
“This is your master?” You turned back to Alucard, “I see why. She’s quite the catch,” you strode over to her. Alucard appeared between you. “Oh, come off it, I wasn’t going to hurt her.” You punched Alucard lightly in the shoulder, becoming playful. “I just wanted a closer look at one of the Hellsing family members.”
“You’ve taken too long to clean this up,” Integra ignored you completely.
“That’s because,” you placed a hand on Alucard’s shoulder. You gripped his jacket and the flesh beneath it, throwing him to the side. “He can’t kill me. Besides, I’m not a mess to be cleaned up.” Integra pulled her gun up, aiming at your forehead. “Do it, pull the trigger.” You teased with an ominous smile. “Better yet, allow me.” You squeezed the trigger, the bullet burrowing into your head. Your head snapped back but returned within moments. You dug around and pulled the bullet out, dropping it to the floor. Integra looked up at you, her stern face flickered with terror for a brief moment. “I assume you haven’t been told yet. Allow me to introduce myself.” You took a step back, bowing deeply. “My name is Leandra, one of the first vampires. I am the oldest living vampires in existence, older than Alucard and far stronger. It was a pleasure,” you waved over your shoulder. You stepped up to Alucard and grabbed his collar, pulling him closer to you. You kissed him deeply on the lips, smiling when he returned the passion. “I see you still haven’t let go of your old feelings,” you whispered in his ear before strutting away. Integra and Seras looked at Alucard in surprise.

Chapter Text

You struggled against the chains around your wrists. Bucky and Steve watched you from the safety of a glass wall. You snarled at them, angry that you’d been caught. “You cowards,” you spat, “why didn’t you just finish me off in the woods?” Steve looked hurt, which made you smile evilly. You wrenched the chains tight, feeling the skin bruise. The chains groaned in protest. Slowly, the metal links began to give way. You twisted your arms, snapping the metal. You ran up to the glass, punching it with all your weight. The glass cracked around the impact, cracks dancing across the crystal surface. Bucky and Steve took a step back. “You should have killed me because I won’t stop.”
“Please, you’ve been sedated for a long time,” Steve begged, taking a step forward to place his hand on the glass. You punched it again, more cracks spreading dangerously away. You felt the splintered glass dig into your fist, but it didn’t bother you. Blood trickled down the fractured wall, dripping like wet paint on a canvas. “Calm down so we can talk.”
“You didn’t want to talk then, why would I listen now?” You almost screamed at him.
“This isn’t you,” Bucky had moved up to the glass as well. “What happened to the sweet girl I was going to marry? The girl that we grew up with,” he smiled at you. You laughed and spat against the glass.
“She’s gone. She died on the battlefield alongside you.”
“No,” Bucky shook his head, “she’s still in there.”
“Alright,” you backed away from the glass, dropping your hand to your side. The pain was excruciating but you wouldn’t let it show. Instead, you let the blood drip morbidly onto the floor. “Maybe she is, somewhere deep down, that little girl is still there. But she’s buried beneath years of agony and anger. She’s been chained by the grief and heartbreak, choking on her tears. But why would you care? I certainly don’t. I let her go for my own sanity.” You could feel a tear streak down your cheek, you wiped it away angrily. “I am not her.”
“Then why are you crying?” Steve asked. You yelled in rage, hitting the glass again. The glass showered down on you as it shattered. The men jumped away from the shrapnel, shielding their eyes. You stood in the empty gap, boots crunching the small shards beneath you. You strode forward, assessing the situation in your head.

Behind the men was a stairwell and large windows. You weren’t far up, no more than four stories. It was a long drop for a normal human, but you weren’t normal. The fall wouldn’t kill the men either. You didn’t see any weapons as you looked around. The only thing you could see was Steve’s shield, which rested against the railing. You ran at Steve, shunting him to the ground but staying on your feet. You grabbed the shield and strapped it to your arm. You whipped it around, smiling with satisfaction as it caught Bucky in the chest. You were faster than them, that gave you a major advantage. You wouldn’t be able to kill them without your weapons, but you could hurt them. You brought the shield down on Steve’s chest, ribs snapping under the force. Bucky was still on the ground, so you delivered a powerful kick to his side. “You truly are reluctant to hurt me,” you grinned before smashing the shield against his face. Steve grabbed your shoulder and hurled you across the room. You landed in the pile of glass, the sharp fragments tearing up your skin. You groaned in pain but slowly got to your feet. You watched Steve; his fists raised in front of him. A strange feeling came over you. You bent over, vomiting onto the ground. There was an alarming amount of blood on the ground. “What have you done to me?” You screamed at him, although he looked as shocked as you.
“Are you alright?” Steve stammered. You hurled again, dropping to your knees heavily. You stood up and brushed your hands on your pants. You threw the shield, Steve ducking instinctively. The window behind him shattered and you ran for it.

The ground hurtled towards you. You counted the floors and braced yourself. You landed and rolled, distributing the impact. Pain shot through your ankle, but you fought threw it, breaking out into a sprint. You turned your head, spotting Steve in the window. He grabbed Bucky and ran down the stairs after you. You didn’t stop running until you found the nearest train station. You were aware of how you looked, your blood-stained clothes were torn and glass still stuck out of you. You sat on the train quietly. Passengers gave you a startled passing glance, but nobody’s eyes lingered for long. You got off at the second to last stop, mapping out a route in your head to the nearest Hydra base. You limped into the base. The soldiers escorted you up to the laboratories where Vienna was waiting. She looked at you in surprise. “You’ve come back,”
“Of course I did.” You didn’t mean it to sound so angry.
“You look like you lost,”
“You should see the other two.” You shot back, growing tired of the meaningless chatter. “What’s happening to me? I’m not healing.”
“You missed your serum dosage, you’re becoming unstable.”
“What the hell does that mean?” You answered, suddenly concerned.
“If we don’t give you another dose soon, you’ll die without medical intervention.” You swore under your breath, “come with me and we’ll fix this.”

You followed Vienna through the corridors. You felt exhausted and your body ached. Vienna held the door for you, dismissing the guards. “Vienna, can I tell you something?” She nodded, grabbing a nearby syringe. “I think I want to leave Hydra.” She dropped the syringe, mouth open in shock.
“You aren’t serious.”
“I am. I’m sick of fighting. I seriously thought that I wanted to kill Steve and Bucky, but now I’m unsure. I could’ve killed them today, one of them at least. I didn’t. I couldn’t,” you looked toward the ground. “All I wanted was to have them back, but I was so angry at them that I didn’t want them to be happy.”
“I see,” Vienna sighed. “I’ll be right back.” She walked out of the room, leaving you sitting in silence.

Four guards walked in, guns raised and aimed at you. You raised your hands and stayed deathly still. Vienna stepped in front of them, shaking her head. “I’m sorry about this.”
“Are you going to kill me?” You weren’t exactly upset by the notion.
“No, we are going to retrain this.”
“Anything but that,” you stood up but your leg gave out. You crumpled to the ground.
“You aren’t really in a position to resist.” Vienna smiled down at you, nodding to the guards who dragged you from the room.

You felt blood trickling down your nose as the electrocution ceased. You had been injected with the serum again but heavily restrained. Vienna had her hand on the switch, ready to send more electrical impulses through your body. She pulled the lever down and your body convulsed uncontrollably. You gasped for breath when it stopped. “Please,” you cried, “I won’t leave.”
“We can’t risk that,” Vienna answered coldly. She sent another current through your body. “You will obey,” she whispered in your ear before shocking you again. She repeated the sequence over and over. “You will obey.” Shock. Repeat. You couldn’t focus, you were in too much pain. You braced for another shock, but it never came. You heard Vienna cry out and tried to open your eyes to look over but couldn’t. The heavy restraints were removed from your body and someone lifted you into their arms. You recognised the cold metal of Bucky’s arm. You struggled against him, trying to get away. He simply held you tighter.
“Stop being so damn stubborn.”

You could’ve killed the person that had woken you up. The restraints on your arms and legs had different ideas. You looked around the room, Bucky and Steve stared back. “You’re kidding me.” You sighed, testing the restraints.
“Don’t try, if these can hold the Hulk, they can hold you.” You dropped your arms back down. “What happened?” Steve continued.
“None of your business.”
“You don’t get tied to an electric chair for no reason.”
“Don’t bother trying to lie. We found your file.” Bucky sat on the edge of your bed, brushing hair away from your eyes.
“I wanted to leave; Hydra disagreed. Nobody leaves Hydra.”
“Why leave?” Steve stepped in,
“Because I got bored.” You smiled up at him. Steve just shook his head and sighed.
“I don’t believe that.”
“That’s a shame.”
“We’re trying to help-”
“We’re sorry for leaving you.” Bucky interrupted Steve. “I’m sorry I never came back; Steve is as well. You should’ve been the first person on our minds, but you weren’t. That was wrong and stupid.” Bucky pulled a chain from around his neck, the engagement ring he had given you hung from it. He took the chain off and placed it in your head. “We’ll let you rest.” He and Steve left you alone. You squeezed the ring tightly, wishing it should melt away. You could’ve crushed it, but you couldn’t bring yourself to destroy the thing that symbolised so much love. You yelled and slammed your hand against the bed, tears brimming on your cheeks.
An hour later, Bucky came back into the room carrying hot coffee. “I thought you’d appreciate a hot drink,” he offered it to you. You sat up in the bed. You had wrapped the chain around your wrist sloppily. Bucky reached for your hand, but you pulled away. He gave you a stern look and you placed your hand in his. He adjusted the chain to fit more neatly. You sipped the steaming coffee carefully. Being restricted made it hard to bring things to your mouth.
“Where’s Steve?”
“Clearing things up with headquarters. They wanted to bring you in for interrogation, Steve wouldn’t let them.” Your lip curled into a half-smile, that was exactly how you remembered Steve. Always fighting for the person on the back foot.
“I won’t forgive you or forget what you did. Taking me away from Hydra won’t change that.”
“I know,” Bucky said with a sigh. “It’s a start though.”

Chapter Text

You sat in your castle, alone again. You sighed and paced the room, picking up a chair and hurling it against the wall. The boredom was driving you insane. You couldn’t stop thinking about Alucard. It had been so long since you’d seen him. The last time you spoke to him was the only moment you had truly thought that you were going to die. It was over two hundred years ago, in 1776. You had both travelled to America to fight in the revolutionary war. You had both been stationed on a ship which was quickly going up in flames and the sun was coming up. It had come down to a choice, only one of you would be able to survive. Most of the crew was already dead but the bombardment of cannon fire hadn’t stopped. You made the choice; it was easy in your mind. You had grabbed Alucard and thrown him in the only metal coffin on board. You’d locked him inside and thrown the coffin overboard, watching it sink to the bottom. The suns rays erupted from over the horizon, scorching your skin as the gunpowder reserves blew. The explosion pulverised your body, but you had survived, just. The water kept most of your pieces from being burned away by the sun. It had taken days, but you regenerated. Alucard had gone back to London to deal with his grief. You stayed in America, determined to finish the war. You also knew that it would be weeks before you could travel.

When you had arrived back in London, you couldn’t find any trace of Alucard. You went back to your home, the castle you had been brought up in. You waited. For years you waited to hear anything from Alucard, hoping every night that he would walk in the front door. But he never did. You had assumed that something had happened on the trip back, leaving him stranded or dead. In the year 1888, you had rampaged through the streets of London in grief. The people named you Jack the Ripper, oblivious to your true identity. You had fled London a year later, determined to taste blood from around the world. You had lost more of your humanity with every country you visited. When the world plunged into its first world war, you happily went along. You changed your appearance, presenting as a male. The war made for easy feeding, but for you, it was over in a blink of an eye. Then the second war had come, bringing more opportunities for you to kill humans with no repercussions. You were stationed in Poland during 1944. You were taken back when you saw Alucard with a young boy. You were about to approach him, but your heart pulled away. You could see it in the way he held himself, it was obvious that he had moved on. You felt a feeling of deep sorrow for the love you’d lost and had run from the battlefield. Changing back to your female appearance, you went back to the war-torn England.

A knock on the castle door grabbed your attention, waking you from your memories. You threw on a large coat and answered it. Alucard stood before you, hat in his hands. He took your hand and kissed your knuckles gently. “Leandra, I couldn’t stay away.” You smiled and took his chin in your hand. You lifted his face, so he was standing up straight.
“You’ve brought friends.” You glanced up at Integra, Seras and the small army behind them. “I don’t mind an audience, but I don’t think they’ll all fit in the bedroom.” You winked seductively at him.
“It’s not like that,” Alucard stammered, “not that I don’t want to.” You placed a finger on his lips, silencing him.
“I’m joking.” You were the only person that could shake Alucard’s confidence, which you did with pride. You walked past him, approaching Integra with your head high. You made sure she knew that you were looking down your nose at her. “Hello again, Seras.” You smiled warmly at her before checking out the troops. “Were you planning on marching to war?” You asked Integra.
“If it’s needed.” She responded bluntly.
“I see,” you nodded. “So, Ms Hellsing, what brings you to my doorstep?”
“You’re a danger to England and her people. In the name of her Majesty, the Queen of England, I am apprehending you. You will be contained until we know what to do with you.” You broke out into laughter. Once you’d composed yourself, you wiped the tear from your eye.
“You really mean to take me in?” You grinned evilly. “I would love to see you try but I’m tired. The sun will be up soon, and I need to go to bed. Good day,” you turned and walked back to your home.
“Take aim,” Integra commanded her forces.
“Wait!” Alucard yelled, “let me talk to her.” He added more quietly.
“You have ten minutes.”

Alucard followed you inside, closing the door behind you. “Leandra,” you turned, and he pulled you into his arms. He kissed you with more passion than you’d felt in centuries.
“Missed me?”
“You have no clue.” He allowed you to stand back up and straighten your coat. “Come back to the Hellsing Organisation with me,”
“And work for a human? Do you think I suit drinking cold, donated blood and taking orders from a human master? I’ve never been like that, Alucard, you know that.” You turned your back on him, taking hold of a glass filled with blood.
“Neither did I, but it’s not all bad. I have a safe space to sleep, guaranteed food and respect.”
“I’ve seen how she looks at you.” You snapped. “She despises you and uses you to kill your own kind.” You threw the glass into the fireplace, extinguishing the embers.
“Please,” Alucard took your hand in his. “We could be together then, neither of us hunting the other.” You pondered his words. Alucard was aware that his time was ticking away. Integra would storm the castle and kill you by any means necessary. Alucard also knew that you would easily be able to take out the small army, Seras and Integra included. “Leandra, please,” he repeated.
“Fine. I’ll give it a try.”

You walked with Alucard through London, making your way to the Hellsing Organisation. Seras and Integra had driven with the soldiers. You had recounted the events that had transpired from all the time that you had been away from him. You told him about all those years you’d thought he was dead. He answered all the questions you had, and you did the same for him. You were astonished to learn that he’d spent years locked under the Hellsing Manor. He walked with his arm around your waist. “So,” you sighed as you approached the Hellsing Organisation, “what will be expected of me?”
“Integra will tell you more,” he assured you. “It will most likely be protection and hunting missions.” You nodded slightly.
“Sounds boring,” you smiled at him when he sighed.
“It can be, but it can also be quite entertaining.”

You stopped dead as you entered the hall, several guns pointed at you. “Why?” You exclaimed, throwing your hands in the air.
“It’s just a security measure,” Integra answered from the top of the stairs. You sneered and ran upstairs, flicking each of the guards on the nose as you swept past. You moved so fast that the men couldn’t track you, all they saw was a blur of movement.
“Trust me, they wouldn’t be able to protect you if I wanted to kill you.” You grinned at Integra menacingly. She had barely flinched when you’d appeared before her. Alucard stared up at you, mouth agape. Each of the guards rubbed their noses, most of them with tears in their eyes. You vaulted over the bannister, landing silently on the bottom floor. Integra glared at Alucard, then you.
“Walter,” the house butler stepped up beside her, “show our guest to their room.” Walter nodded and beckoned for you to follow him.

The room was cold concrete, the smell of dampness vague but still noticeable. The large four-poster bed dominated the room. You scowled at it, Walter questioning the reaction. “I’ll collect my own coffin, thank you. This won’t do.” You glared at the blood sitting on ice in the centre of the room. “What on earth is this?” You picked it up gingerly.
“Donated blood,”
“I know that it is blood.” You snapped, “why the hell is it on ice? Whose cruel joke is that?”
“It’s as Sir Integra ordered,” Walter defended.
“Let me ask you something, Walter,” you thrust the bag into his hands. “Do you eat your meals cold and out of a bag?” He looked at you confused. “This is food to me, not a glass of water. If I were feeding off of a human, it would be body temperature.” You elaborated. Walter nodded understandingly.
“I shall heat it up for you, madame.” You smiled, flashing your sharp fangs.
“I’m glad you got the hint.”

You lay on the bed; it was too late to fetch your coffin now, so you would have to deal with it for the day. Alucard opened the door, knocking politely first. You greeted him warmly. “How are you settling in?” He asked, sitting on the end of the bed.
“It isn’t the worst place I’ve stayed in. It will have to do.” Alucard nodded before shuffling closer. “Anywhere with you is enough.” You grabbed his coat and pulled it off, discarding it on the floor. He did the same to yours. He ran his hand up your leg, sending shivers up your spine. He bit your neck gently and you raked your nails down his back. As your passion began heating up, a knock at the door cruelly interrupted you. “If we ignore them, they’ll go away.”
“Not in this house.” Alucard sighed, sitting back.
“Come in,” you growled. Seras peeked her head into the room. “What?”
“I just wanted to make sure everything was okay,” she stammered, piecing the situation together in her head. You could see a flicker of jealousy cross her face. “Sir Integra wants to see you, master.” She lowered her gaze to the jackets on the floor. Alucard groaned and threw on his jacket, disappearing into the shadows. “You and my master get along well,”
“We have an intricate history.”
“He’s infatuated with you,”
“Jealous, miss Victoria?” Seras’ face flushed red. “Lucky for you, I can share. When you’ve lived as long as I have, monogamy becomes quite boring. Although, I doubt he will ever love you as he loves me.” Seras stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. You chuckled to yourself, lowering the top of the bed and going to sleep. She would be a fun person to toy with.

Chapter Text

You watched Sam stumble from the car, landing heavily on the ground. The smell of blood filled your nose and your stomach growled hungrily. You rushed over to him, calling out for Dean. You sat him up against the door of the car, discovering the growing bloodstain on his hip. “How long have you been covering this?” You gasped, lifting his shirt. Dean joined swore and grabbed a first aid kit from the Impala. Sam didn’t answer you, instead, he looked down at the ground. You tilted his chin, forcing him to look at you. “You told me that you were okay,” you scolded him, “you promised me that you were alright.”
“I know,” he groaned, “I didn’t want to worry you. That beast must have caught me as we destroyed it.” You nodded understandingly.

The three of you had just finished hunting down a rogue werewolf, one that refused your orders as an Alpha. Sam and Dean had distracted him while you took the shot and put it down. The werewolf had been squatting in an old house and knew the environment well, using everything it could to chase away the three of you. You knew that there was glass around the abandoned building, but you didn’t think that the wolf would have used it as a weapon while in its human form. Now, Sam stared at you with distant eyes. Dean brought the first aid kit to your side. There was a large gash running across Sam’s side. You took off your shirt, using it as a cloth to help control the bleeding. “Sam, you idiot,” you cursed. He sucked air through his teeth as you pushed harder onto his wound. “Dean, we need to take him to a hospital.”
“No,” Sam argued, “it’s fine.”
“Like hell it’s fine!” You yelled, grabbing the kit from Dean and standing up. “Dean help me get him inside.
Dean and you helped Sam into the motel room. You sat Sam onto one of the beds. You grabbed a towel from the bathroom and placed it beneath him. “Let me look. Lie down.” You commanded Sam, leaving no room for him to argue more. He obeyed and laid down on his side. You took a bottle of alcohol and poured some on your hands. You asked Dean to open the kit, which he did. The look of concern on his face scared you, but it also made you want to stay brave. You pulled needle and thread from the kit, along with a pair of tweezers. You poured alcohol on the large slash, Sam cursing in pain. “It looks like there’s a shard of glass in there, which explains why it’s bleeding so much. The more you move around, the more damage it’s doing. If you told us straight away, it wouldn’t be so bad!” You continued to scold him while you worked.
You gripped the large piece of glass, Sam flinching. “Breathe, Sammy.” You spoke soothingly, trying to be as reassuring and calm as possible. “On three, take a deep breath and try not to move.” You counted down and Sam followed your advice. You pulled the glass shard from his side on two. That was a trick you’d learnt your years stitching yourself and other werewolves up, and it worked surprisingly well. By the time Sam had reacted, you’d pulled the glass free. Sam swore at you, but you and Dean laughed it off. “If you think that hurt, your gonna have one hell of a surprise now. I have to make sure there’s no more glass.” Sam stared at you in disbelief. “I’m joking,” you smiled at the sigh of relief from Sam. “I can see there’s no more glass, and the wound isn’t actually that deep. I’ll stitch you up and you’ll be fine.”
Sam and you sat alone in the motel room. You had sent Dean out for painkillers. “I’m sorry,” Sam sighed, sitting down next to you. “I should’ve told you,”
“Yes, you should have.” You shook your head in disappointment. “But it’s alright now, you’ll be fine. Sam, I need to go out tonight.”
“Why?” He asked,
“It’s the full moon. My pack is meeting tonight and as the Alpha, I have to be there.”
“Oh, of course.”
“You forgot, didn’t you?” You teased, playfully shoving him. You looked out of the window; the moon was just beginning to rise into the sky. It shined beautifully through the glass, full and bright. You could feel your heart racing faster the longer you stared. “I need to go, Sammy.” He stood in defiance,
“I don’t trust the pack. Especially not since you hang out with us, hunting down your own kind.”
“I don’t have a choice. If someone sees me they could be at risk. I could hurt them, or word could get out to other hunters, who would try to kill me.”
“At least let me come with you,” Sam offered. He wrote a note to Dean, although he knew that Dean would worry anyway.
“It’ll be dangerous,” you warned.
“I know you’ll protect me.”

Sam walked alongside you as you approached the pack. You had met every full moon since you’d taken over. It was important for you to keep track of each of the pack members. It was one of the only ways that you could make sure they weren’t feeding on humans. “Why have you brought an outsider?” A large grey wolf growled. A few others yipped in agreement.
“Because he is mine. I have claimed him as my human.” You snarled back. Sam couldn’t understand what you were saying to one another, but he assumed that it was pack business. “He is no stranger to us,”
“But he is a hunter. I can smell it on him, along with fresh blood.” A white wolf that was far larger than you spoke. He took a precarious step forward, baring his teeth. Sam stumbled backwards. You matched the white wolf’s ferocity, leaping towards him. He backed down, not wanting to take you on despite his size. You had the pack backing you, and he knew it.
“Now, unless you want to formally challenge me, we should get on with our business.”

You and Sam walked back through the door to your motel room. Dean threw his hands up in the air. “Are you kidding me? You send me out for a grocery run and disappear!”
“We left a note…” Sam murmured,
“No excuses. You should be resting, Sammy! You got seriously hurt and you could have been attacked.”
“He was perfectly safe. I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.” Dean sighed in defeat,
“I know. I was worried.”
“Which is perfectly fair. I couldn’t wait for you to come back and Sam was sure he’d be okay.” You tried to reassure Dean, although he still looked doubtful.
“Don’t do it again.” He scolded both of you before getting a few beers from the fridge.

Chapter Text

Pain. That was everything and the only thing that you could remember. Your head was filled with those final moments, those that you thought would be your last. You remembered the tears on your cheeks and the blood on your palms. You could picture the bright lights and the wailing sirens. You could see them clearly, but there was nothing else. You didn’t know why you was standing there, in the centre of the road in the middle of nowhere. You couldn’t remember what the officers had said to you. The truth was, you didn’t really listen in the first place. You didn’t remember hitting the floor after falling unconscious into one of the officers arms. Now, you lay in an unfamiliar hospital, the beeping machinery annoying you to consciousness. The white sheets seemed cold and alien along with the fluorescent lights above you. You went to raise your hand to shield your eyes but found that you had been chained to the bed. Panic set in as your mind filled your head with the fear of being trapped. The beeping becoming more rapid as her breath quickened. You cried out, pulling against your restraints. A female nurse rushed in, her name tag reading Jolene. She hushed you, her voice soothing and kind. Her greying hair bounced in tight curls on her head as she fought against your utter terror.
“Deep breaths, sweetheart,” she instructed you calmly, “your safe here.” A cool liquid was injected into your arm and your limited vision swam. You fell back into a restless sleep.

“Hey,” you recognised Sherlock’s voice. His face was only inches from yours as he roused you from your sedation. You immediately burst into tears and turned away from him in shame. He placed a hand on your cheek, forcing you to look at him. “What happened?”
“I broke,” you sobbed, “I’m just a broken failure. I’m a useless burden and I didn’t want to be that anymore.”
“And your answer was suicide?” Sherlock’s voice caught in his throat, “why didn’t you come to me or John?”
“I didn’t want to bother you with my problems. You’ve been working so hard to crack this case and I didn’t want to distract you...” you realised the irony of your words as they came out. “And now I’ve dragged you to a fucking hospital because I couldn’t even kill myself properly!”
“Don’t talk like that,” Sherlock took your hand in his. You could see tears brimming in his eyes. “I would never think you were a burden for needing to talk to me. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel that way,”
“Sherlock...”
“I knew I should have checked up on you but I didn’t. I’ve been too caught up in my work, I never thought that you were slipping back into this.”
“Please don’t blame yourself,” you squeezed his hand gently, giving him a weak smile.
“I’m so glad your okay,” a single tear streaked down his cheek. You’d never seen Sherlock cry before, it was deeply unsettling. “When I got the call from Lestrade... it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I felt it in the pit of my stomach, that dread. The thought of losing you was...” he didn’t finish his sentence, instead he just stared at the covered cuts on your wrists. “I don’t want you to ever feel that alone again. Promise me that if your ever feeling like that, you’ll talk to me. If not me, talk to John or someone.”
“Okay, Sherlock. I promise.” He placed a light kiss on your forehead. You didn’t have the heart to tell him that you didn’t know if you’d keep that promise, all you knew is that you would try.

You sat in the lounger of 221B Baker Street silently. Sherlock played his violin in the corner and John typed away on his laptop. You picked a the loose threads on your bandages. You’d only been home for two days, after being locked away in the mental ward for nearly two weeks. The freedom was a relief at first but you couldn’t escape the growing rain cloud over your head. John looked up from his work, noticing that you were staring absently at the wall. “Are you alright?” He asked quietly, kneeling in front of you. Your eyes wandered over to him, your mind still half lost in thought.
“I guess,”
“I know that look. You’re in your head. Come on, let’s go for a walk.” You nodded softly and found a pair of comfortable shoes. “Just popping out for some air, Sherlock.” You heard John call from his bedroom. The violin stopped and you could barely make out the muffled conversation.
“Are they alright?” Sherlock muttered,
“I don’t know... get something to eat...” You sighed heavily. John always knew when you were upset. He recognised the signs and knew how to react without making a big deal out of the situation. You loved Sherlock but John was a superior empathiser.

John held the door to the cafe open for you. You thanked him quietly as you walked past. The cafe was quiet, only a young couple and older woman sat in the store. You were grateful for that, the less people to stare at you the better. You didn’t get a clear glimpse of the man but you could have sworn you knew him. You brushed it off as another side effect of the medication you were on. John ordered two drinks, your favourite and a coffee for him. He paid and you sat down to wait. “So,” John broke the silence, “how are you really doing?”
“Honest answer or the answer everyone wants to hear?”
“Honest.” You breathed in deeply, grounding yourself before you continued.
“I feel awful. I don’t know what worse, the drugs they’ve put me on or my own head. I feel like I’m constantly at war with myself. One part of me wants everything to go away. It wants the constant pain and anger and suffering to disappear and it will do anything to get it.”
“And the other part?” John smiled warmly, masking his concern.
“It wants to carry on. It wants to stay and create new memories with you and Sherlock. Part of me wants to help people and stay alive to do that. But the more I think about it the less logical it seems. You and Sherlock were fine before you met me. You were both happy and solving mysteries without my help.” John nodded and sighed.
“You know, since meeting you, Sherlock has barely been using any sort of drug. He’s been cleaner than I’ve ever known him and he stays that way because it makes you happy.” You could feel tears building up as John talked. “Since meeting you, I’ve been having less flashbacks to the war and you’re the only person I know that can pull me out of them. Sherlock does an alright job but he’s not exactly the easiest person to talk to. I agree, we were doing alright before you walked through our front door, but I’d never go back to it. You helped solve one of our biggest cases when there was no way we could’ve worked it out. It took your eyes and your mind to solve it. You shouldn’t doubt yourself so much or the impact you have on other’s lives. It’s so easy to get lost in the bad, you forget to look at the wonders you’ve accomplished. You’re going to need to find something to stick around for and when you find it, you need to hold onto it with all your heart.”

You and John sat together for a while longer, finishing your drinks and chatting. As you spoke you noticed the young couple become increasingly more aggressive towards each other. The man stood and a memory finally clicked in your mind. The man was the same one who had abused you, practically tortured you, before you had enlisted John and Sherlocks help to prosecute him. He had gotten off with three years imprisonment and a hefty fine, the punishment barely fitting the crime. John noticed too. “Would you like to leave?” John asked. You shook your head. The man slammed his fist on the table and yelled at the top of his lungs,”
“You stupid whore, you’re nothing without me!” He screamed at his girlfriend. You jumped in fright, heart racing and adrenaline pumping through your body. John grabbed your hand and began leading you out the door. The woman picked up the glass containing her iced coffee and hurled it at the man. He ducked and the glass shattered against your arm. You yelped in pain and scrambled away. John turned on the man, eyes fierce and full of rage. The older woman had already rushed out the door and the staff were busy on the phone, presumably to the police.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” John shouted.
“They shouldn’t have got in the fucking way!” The man spat. John squared up to the man but he was considerably smaller. The girlfriend tried to diffuse the situation but that just made the man angrier.

You looked down at the blood running down your arm and scowled at the rips in your jacket. If it were any other jacket you would have let it go, but this was the jacket that Sherlock had gifted you for your one year anniversary and it meant the world to you. You got to your feet and stalked over to the other patrons. You pulled a shard of glass from your arm and leapt at the man, knocking him to the floor. You placed the shard against his neck, barely making contact but ensuring that he knew it was there. “You ruined it,” you growled. “You ruined it like you ruined everything else.” The man finally recognised who you were and his face shifted into a menacing grin.
“Well, fancy seeing you here.”
“You’re meant to be far away from here,” you spat back, “you’re still meant to be locked up.”
“Nah, baby. I’m a free man. Got out on good behaviour. It’s amazing what lies the people up top will buy.” He attempted to sit up but you pressed down harder, the glass cutting into his skin.
“I should kill you. For everything you did to me. I should stop you from ever doing that again.” Fear flashed across his face as he realised how serious you were.
“Don’t make any rash decisions now, if you kill me you’ll go to jail.”
“Maybe. But I wonder if it will be worth it.” You pressed harder again, red dripping down his neck.
“Don’t,” John warned, “if you kill him then you’re just as bad as he is.”

The mans hands flew up and grabbed your wrists, digging into the still healing wounds. You cried out and tore your arms away. The man kicked you off of him, wrapping his hands around your throat and placing a knee on your chest. You struggled for breath as his weight crushed you. “Hands up!” You heard someone yell. The weight didn’t move and the choking didn’t stop. “I won’t warn you again!” One of his hands moved away, reaching for his belt. The man drew a gun and aimed it at your head, the cold steel a shock on your burning skin. You gasped and struggled, unable to get away. A gunshot rang out and you could suddenly breath again. The man slumped to the side and spat blood from his mouth. You rolled to the side, John pulling you into his arms and away from the dying man.

Hours and hundreds of questions later, you were back in the apartment. Your shaking hands were struggling to hold the hot chocolate Mrs Hudson has made you. You felt nauseous and exhausted. John had told Sherlock about the ordeal and now Sherlock refused to leave your side. He took the cup from you, the hot chocolate now stone cold and barely touched. John had to go back to the police station for questioning, leaving you and Sherlock alone. You lay down on the couch, resting your head in your partners lap. He played with your hair gently as you lay there. “What’s going through your head?” He asked. You shrugged. “That isn’t an answer.”
“I’m not sad that he’s dead.” You admitted quietly. “The man was scum and deserved nothing less.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,”
“Well, life seems to love kicking me while I’m down. I guess I should be used it by now.” You tried to laugh but you didn’t have the energy. “Sherlock,” he raised an eyebrow at you, “I realised something through this whole thing.”
“What’s that?”
“In the moment that I thought I was going to die, I thought about you and John. I didn’t give a fuck what happened to me but I felt like I had to keep fighting to keep him from hurting John. I didn’t want to die because I didn’t want you to suffer through that.”
“Oh?” You sighed softly, turning onto your back to look up at Sherlock.
“I don’t want to stay alive for myself, I don’t love myself that much. But I love you, and I love John too. I don’t want to leave you. John told me to find something to live for and I think I’ve found it. I want to live for you.”

Chapter Text

You watched your target walking into the Lux nightclub. You’d heard of the owner, Lucifer Morningstar, from the people that employed you. You worked for the CIA as one of their most lucrative operatives. You were stronger, faster and smarter than any of the other agents, that made you dangerous and irreplaceable. You had worked for the CIA for your entire life, well, what you could remember anyway. You had brief flashes of memories before the CIA, but you dismissed them as lost dreams. You had been told of the accident you were in which gave you the two large scars on your back. You had been struck by a train as you stumbled home drunkenly, the scarring was the reminder of the operation you needed to save your life. It made you feel scared and unsure when you looked at them, like something was missing but you couldn’t place your finger on it.

You were dressed in a well tailored suit, the top button undone. It was made with a layer of Kevlar and, while you didn’t plan on getting shot, you were thankful for the extra protection. You wore a wig and dark glasses, protecting your identity from passing glances. You walked through the doors to Lux, nodding politely to the bouncer. The music pounded in the space, sweaty bodies dancing along on the dance floor. You scanned the room, spotting your target flirting with a group of girls. You walked to the bar, ordering a bourbon and cola. “Always order a drink, it makes you less conspicuous,” your handler had told you. “Sitting at a bar without a drink makes people notice.” You looked around again. Your heart jumped when you saw your target approaching. He already reeked of alcohol and, thankfully, was too focused on ordering more. He nodded at you and you returned the gesture. The bartender handed him a tray of shots, which he carried back to the women.
“Stupid fool, those women will never sleep with him.” The bartender laughed,
“Amen to that,” you chuckled taking a sip from your drink.

It was time. You’d noticed your target shuffling his feet for a few minutes now. He desperately needed to use the bathroom, which was the perfect opportunity to strike. You finished your drink and followed him as he left, making sure to leave enough time so he didn’t realise you were following him. You opened the bathroom door, faking a drunken stumble as you approached the urinal. The target leaned heavily on the wall as he carried out his business. You walked over to the basins as he did. You dropped a hidden blade into your hand and held it against his neck. He raised his hands, shrieking in surprise. “My wallets in my pocket, take it!” He stammered, lowering his hand slightly,
“Keep them up,” you ordered. “I have no interest in your money. I’m here to end your miserable life.” He whimpered and began to beg, a little more pressure shutting him up. “I don’t care for last words, they’re always so dramatic.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he cried.
“You have been running your business as a front for the mob and getting people killed because of it. We know, now I’ve been sent to stop you.” You presses the cold blade harder against his skin.
“Stop!” Someone yelled from the doorway. You flicked your eyes up to them, staring in the mirrors reflection. Lucifer stood there,
“Looks like you have a guardian angel. To bad he’s too late.”

Crimson blood painted the mirror as you drew the blade swiftly sideways, slicing through flesh. You slammed the targets head into the mirror, shattering it. Lucifer ran at you, moving for the blade. You dropped it into your other hand, striking out with a closed fist. Lucifer’s head snapped back as your knuckles collided with his cheek. He grabbed your arm and slammed it against the marble counter, forcing you to drop the knife. He grabbed a fistful of your jacket and twisted your arm behind your back. You thrust backwards, stepping on his foot. He yelped and loosened his grip for a moment, but that was all you needed. You turned and head butted him, bringing a knee up and connecting with his stomach. He grunted and stumbled backwards. You grabbed the blade and dove at him. His eyes glowed red and he stretched his arm out, sending you flying across the room. You crashed into the wall and slumped to the ground.

Lucifer lifted you up by the collar, stopping when he noticed the wig. He tore it off, taking the glasses along with it. “Who are you?” He growled.
“If you’re gonna kill me, hurry up. I don’t have time for this shit.” You spat. He drew his arm back but stopped as he got a better look at your face.
“Your eyes...”
“What about them?” You scowled. You knew your eyes were strange, it was part of the reason for the glasses. One was pale blue and the other was almost red.
“I know those eyes,” Lucifer dropped you, shocked by the sudden recognition. “You’re one of the angels,”
“I ain’t no angel, sweetheart. Unless you count the grim reaper as one.”
“You are, but I thought you died. I saw you fall,”
“What the fuck are you on about?” You glared at him. “You’re crazy and a liar, then again what did I expect with someone who calls themselves Lucifer.” You pushed past him to leave but he grabbed you before you could.
“You need to come with me,” he commanded,
“Not happening.”
“Sorry about this then,” he clubbed you over the back of the head with his fist, dropping you to your knees. He dragged you up to his private room, tying you to a chair.

When you fully came to, Lucifer was sitting in front of you on his bed. “You knocked me out,” you groaned.
“Yes.”
“Now I’m tied to a chair in your room.”
“Indeed.”
“Why does this sound like its going to end badly?” You tested the bonds, disappointed to find no give.
“I won’t hurt you. I just want to talk.”
“Well I have nothing to say. I don’t know you and I have no idea how you could know me.”
“You were an angel of the lord, like me. I only knew you for few hundred years before you were banished, but we were close.” He stood up to get closer to you. He placed his hands on your temple,
“Don’t touch me!” You screamed, jerking your head away. “You’re fucking delusional!”
“I can help you find your memories, then you’ll believe me. And I can find out how to help you get back upstairs.”

A blinding white light filled your vision. You felt like you were swaying, making you feel a little seasick. Images flashed quickly in your mind, visions of heaven and god, visions of Lucifer still next to you there. You saw your own wings and his, both beautiful and bright. You could remember how close you had gotten, Lucifer treating you like a younger brother, even teaching you to fly when nobody else made time.

The next thing you remembered was the arguments. Lucifer had fought so hard to keep you from being banished, but in the end, his word alone didn’t stop the angels from slandering your name. God cast you out because you didn’t want to play by his rules. You were young and reckless, the other angels had thousands of years experience on you, but nobody cared.

You only knew darkness for the next few hundred years. You had fallen, unconscious, from the sky, landing in a crypt in Egypt. The force had shattered the stone layers, trapping you inside. Repair labourers had come the next day and repaired the concrete, which you would only realise days later when you woke up. As the stone fell, one of your wings became trapped under the heavy stone. The pain was immense and the darkness overwhelming. Although, once the smell of decomposition had faded, it became slightly more bearable. You had tried desperately to get out, screaming until your voice was hoarse and clawing at the stone until your fingers were bloodied. After a century, you gave up. You didn’t see the point if you couldn’t return to Lucifer.

The first time you saw the sky was over two and a half thousand years later. You finally learned the name of the person you had been buried with. An Egyptian noble who had only just been buried in his tomb. Americans had come to Egypt and planned to rob the tomb, but they found you instead. You were taken back to America in chains, where the CIA has taken you into their custody in order to figure out what you were. It took years for your strength to return and in that time, the CIA had begun brainwashing you. When they realised you could potentially escape once your wing had properly healed, they cut them off. You had never felt such pain and you would’ve spent another thousand years locked up with that sarcophagus if it meant keeping your wings. It took decades but the agents in charge of you finally broke your mind, transforming you into a mindless machine. You followed orders without question and without any hesitation.

Now you were back with Lucifer, in the comfort of his rooms. You felt tears streak down your cheeks as the memories flooded back. “I’m sorry,” you whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“Hey, it’s alright, I’ve been called a lot worse,” he soothed. He untied your arms and legs.
“The scars, they were my wings,” you rubbed your shoulder sentimentally.
“I’m sorry about what happened, if I had known you were trapped I would’ve rescued you. But I was cast down and I thought you’d died on earth.”
“What do I do now?” You sighed, “I can’t go back to working with the CIA, not now I know what they did. I can’t go back to heaven, I doubt they would take me.”
“You can stay with me,” you looked up at Lucifer in shock. “You could work at Lux and help me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”

The next few weeks had been hard. You picked up bartending quickly and were glad to have Lucifer as company. The demons working for Lucifer had originally treated you with hostility, but once they realised that you had no interest in fighting, they became more accepting. You had been hesitant to stay, knowing that your handler would check here first when you didn’t report back in. Lucifer assured you that he would never let them take you back. You learnt to trust him, confiding in him when the memories became too much. The work kept your mind busy during the shift but afterwards, you were prone to panicking.

Lucifer was with you every step of the way, appearing when you needed him most. That included the first time you’d attempted to go in an elevator. You were fine until the doors closed. You had panicked, feeling trapped in the small space. Lucifer had held you tightly for the short ride, whispering encouragement to you. You had almost jumped out of the elevator when the doors reopened, falling to the ground and gasping for air. Lucifer had sat with you as you calmed yourself down. “It’s alright, you never have to be trapped again,” he promised.

After a few months, you’d become quite adept at your job. You could fix a drink better than anyone, which made people want to come back. “What’s in this?” People would ask, as if you had some secret ingredient,
“Nothing special,” you would smile back. That was the truth, you made the drinks according to instructions, but they always seemed to turn out better than usual. During one of your shifts, the thing you were dreading happened. Your old handler walked through the door.

Her code name was Autumn, after the colour of her hair. She was a great handler, but it was unusual to see her out in the field. Your heart practically stopped when you noticed her. You cowered from the sight of her, knowing her job was to bring you back, dead or alive. You were guessing that she planned to kill you, considering she had three other agents with her. She asked Mazikeen, Lucifer’s right hand demon, for the owner. She called Lucifer over. While they waited, she spotted you. She smiled and approached you.
“It’s been a long time,” she said. “I wondered where you had gotten off to, agent.”
“I’m not an agent anymore. I know everything.”
“Do you? That’s a shame.”
“I’m not leaving,”
“We just want to talk,” she assured you. “Maybe I can convince you to come back willingly.”
“That won’t be happening,” Lucifer interrupted, placing a hand on your shoulder.
“You must be Lucifer, we know all about you. Let us have our property you stole, and we can all go on our merry way.”
“Get out of my club,” Lucifer warned. “Before this gets messy.”
“Are you threatening me?” Autumn laughed.
“Not at all, I’m just telling you how this will end.” He nodded at Mazikeen, who cleared out the club. The patrons moaned about it, but made their way out nonetheless.

You could cut the tension that was brewing on either side of the bar. “I’m sure we can strike a deal, I’m authorised to pay any amount for the return of our friend here.”
“Oh?” Lucifer chuckled, “he’s priceless to me. No amount of money or threats will make me change my mind. Besides, he’s not a piece of property to be bought and sold, least of all to you.”
“We can provide you with anything you desire,”
“Desire!” Lucifer grinned, “now that’s my domain. Speaking of, what do you most desire, Autumn?” Lucifer stared into her eyes, which became unfocused for a moment.
“A promotion, returning the angel will guarantee that.” Autumn was shocked as the words spilled from her mouth.
“That’s what I am to you,” You glared at her in disbelief, “a chance at a promotion, nothing else?”
“Yes. I won’t lie. If you come back, we can give you your wings.” You pondered the offer, you didn’t know the fate of your previous wings. They could have been destroyed, but there was a chance they weren’t. You looked over at Lucifer, who looked worried. “I promise, I even have a picture of proof that they’re still in the compound.” She pulled out her phone. You recognised your wings, although they were now dull and unkempt. Your heart yearned for them to be reattached, but you knew that you didn’t need them. You’d survived for so long without them, you didn’t even know if you could still fly.

“No,” you broke the tense silence. “You can keep the bloody things, destroy them for all I care. I don’t want them. They remind me of a terrible time in my life.” Lucifer sighed in relief before turning back to the agents.
“I think you should leave,”
“You knew me for a long time, Autumn. You know that you and your guys won’t beat me in a fight, even if I was alone. But I’m not, and you sure as hell won’t win against all three of us.” You snarled, your eyes glowing blue and red. Autumn looked between you, Lucifer and Mazikeen, weighing up the situation.
“Go home with one agent missing, or with four. Your choice.” Lucifer growled. Autumn sighed and offered her hand,
“Fine. If you ever want to come get your wings and come back, you know where we are. As your handler, I’ll say that you resigned peacefully. As your friend,” she clasped her hands over yours, “I’m going to warn you that others will come looking. They won’t let one of their greatest assets go without a fight.” You nodded and Autumn turned on her heels. She beckoned for the others to follow and left Lux. Lucifer turned to you and you began to shake.
“Are you alright?”
“Not really. I can’t stay here, I’m putting you and Mazikeen in danger if I do.”
“We will be fine, it’s not the first time we’ve been threatened.”

You sat in your room, head in your hands. You had the chance to fly again, to be truly free, and you turned it down. Your heart was heavy with conflict and you were so lost in thought that you didn’t notice Lucifer come in. He sat down beside you on the bed. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“What’s there to talk about? I chose you over the only thing I have left of heaven.”
“Do you regret it?” He asked, taking your hand in his. You shook your head. “Did you really mean what you said?”
“What was that?”
“That you didn’t care if they destroyed your wings.”
“Yes and no,” you sighed heavily, leaning your head on his shoulder. “I want them back but I won’t become a puppet to get them. Maybe if they were destroyed, it would make the decision to stay easier.”
“I see,” Lucifer wrapped an arm around you. “I’ll support whatever decision you make.”
“I’ve already made it. I’m not going anywhere and they can hunt me down until the end of time if they like, it’s not my resources they’re wasting.” Lucifer chuckled.
“I remember when I first met you, when you first came into the kingdom of light. You were so afraid, so young. You’ve grown up a lot now.”
“Being trapped in a tomb for three thousand years will do that,” you muttered.
“True. But I’ll never let that happen to you again.”
“Thanks,” you smiled.
“Get some rest. I’d like to take you out tomorrow,” he offered.
“Where are we going?”
“Flying.”

Chapter Text

You held your gun at the ready. You could hear the gentle whirring of Nick Valentine’s synthetic components as he knelt beside you in the dark. Hancock was on your other side, insisting that you stayed beside him during the firefight. You could hear the civilians of Goodneighbour outside, they would never take an invasion laying down. “Mayor Hancock!” You heard a raider yell from outside the city hall. Hancock swore under his breath. “We know she’s here, bring her out and this wont get bloody.” You shuddered as the demands echoed through the city. You stood up and headed for the door, shrugging off Hancock and Valentine’s hands.
“I won’t let anyone die for me.” You turned and smiled before heading onto the street. “I’m here,” you called out. The head of the Western raiders, a horribly scarred man named Corbin, flashed a rotting smile at you.
“Well, I didn’t expect you to face us. We saw your caravan and assumed you were here, but I had to make sure.”
You raised your hands and walked over to him.
“Let these people go, and we can talk.” You offered, feeling the weight of the pistol on your hip as you walked. The raiders hadn’t noticed it yet. Corbin considered it for a moment before shaking his head. You sighed and grabbed your gun from its holster. “Big mistake. This was probably the worst town you could’ve picked.” You’d counted their raiders, the Goodneighbour residents outnumbered them three to one and most of them were heavily armed. It would be a bloodbath.

As soon as you raised your gun, Hancock appeared on the balcony above you. “Of the people, for the people!” He shouted, the residents repeating it back. They fired, the raiders ripped to shreds before they even had a chance to pull the trigger. The only one left alive was Corbin. You grinned evilly at him. He began to beg for his life but you pulled the trigger. Blood and gore splattered the wall behind him. He slumped to the ground pitifully and you holstered your gun. The residents of Goodneighbour cheered and began looting and dragging the bodies away.

You walked back into the city hall, where Nick and Hancock waited. You hugged Hancock tightly. When you let go he scolded you for “making such a stupid decision.” You smiled and Nick checked over you, noticing the blood on your shirt.
“It’s not mine,” you assured him.
“That was one of the dumbest and bravest things I’ve ever witnessed. Never do that again,” Nick frowned.
“You could’ve gotten killed!” Hancock threw his arms around you again.
“I could’ve gotten killed by a deathclaw on the road or by a swarm of ferals. If I’m gonna die, it’ll be by my choice. Now, if you’ve both finished trying to parent me, I think we should have a drink.”

Nick had left to check up on the caravan, leaving you and Hancock with a bottle of whiskey and each other’s company. It had been weeks since you’d seen each other, but you only realised now how much you’d missed him as you lay with your head on his shoulder. Hancock took out a bottle of Daytripper, offering it to you. “I shouldn’t, Nick will have a meltdown.” You sighed, taking another gulp of whiskey.
“But he’s fine with you drinking? Your getting fucked up anyway,” Hancock laughed. You shrugged and took the chem.
“I hope that’s not the only way I’m getting fucked tonight,” you murmured. Your face went bright red as soon as the words left your mouth. Alcohol had always made you more honest, sometimes removing your internal monologue entirely.
“Really?” Hancock teased, “i didn’t think you were planning to stay tonight.”
“I could make an exception. We planned to have a spare day of travel. It wouldn’t matter if the caravan left tomorrow...”
“Well then, what are we waiting for?”
“I’ll let Nick and the others know we’ll be staying tonight,” you grinned.
“They can stay in the third rail, I’m sure they have room. If they don’t, I’ll find somewhere.”
“Give me five minutes.” You raced out of the building to get rooms and find Nick.

Nick was talking with C.L.E.M in her store, talking about potential upgrades. “Hey, Valentine.”
“Ready to go?” He asked, paying C.L.E.M for the new gun he’d purchased.
“We’re gonna stay here tonight, Hancock and I have some business to take care of. I’ve gotten you rooms at the third rail, best in the house.”
“Alright, you’re the boss. What kind of business have you and the good mayor got?”
“The fun kind.” You wiggled your eyebrows at Nick. He nodded understandingly.
“I see.” He looked over you, noticing that you seemed happier and more relaxed than usual. “Are you high?”
“What?” You stuttered, ringing your hands together.
“What did you take?”
“I’ve just been drinking,”
“I can tell when you’re lying. I’ve seen you drunk, this is something different.”
“It was just a little Daytripper, nothing else.” Nick sighed,
“You were doing so well. Bloody Hancock is a bad influence.” Nick rubbed his temple. You could feel a growing guilt in your stomach.
“I know, this is the only time to celebrate our victory against the raiders. Honest.”
“You’re an adult, I can only give you advice. It’s your choice whether you follow it or not. I’ll meet you by the gate tomorrow.” He walked away, leaving you with your head in your hands. You knew that he was disappointed but you were telling the truth, it was only for tonight.

Hancock was waiting for you when you walked back into his home. The chems and alcohol he begun to wear off. As your head cleared, you wondered if you made the right decision about facing the raiders head on. Nick and Hancock were right, you could have been killed. If it had gone badly the Farm would have been left leaderless. You had people who depended on you, an entire settlements worth. Hancock could see you were lost in thought and held you tightly. “What’s going on?” He asked quietly, knowing Fahrenheit and his many guards were nearby.
“Am I a good leader, Hancock?” He was taken back by the question.
“Of course, you built up the Farm and have made it one of the most successful settlements in the commonwealth.”
“I know that, but am I the person that should be leading them now? Am I too reckless? The entire caravan could’ve been killed today because the raiders were after me. They won’t stop now that I’ve murdered Corbin, that puts everyone in danger.” Your voice broke as you spoke.
“Hey, they could’ve been attacked anyway. You stood up for them, showed them that they shouldn’t be afraid of those assholes. They look up to you for strength and wisdom. Don’t sweat it, your settlement needs you and they wouldn’t be here without you.”

You gazed up at Hancock as he talked, remembering why you’d fallen for him in the first place. He was brash, cocky and arrogant sometimes but he had a softer side. He was a strong leader, and a caring friend. You pulled him into a kiss midsentence. When you broke apart he had a huge smile, “you didn’t let me finish,” he chuckled before picking you up. You wrapped your legs around him and he carried you over to the bed, kissing you deeply. You hurried to undo his belt as he pulled your shirt off. He threw your clothes to the side, not caring where they landed. You did the same for him, although you took his hat and placed it on your head, earning a low growl from Hancock. “That looks good on you,” he breathed in between kisses. You grinned up at him.
“Maybe I should where it all the time,”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

The room was bathed in a red glow as the sun set on the commonwealth. You felt a deep sense of peace as you lay with your sleeping boyfriend. You watched his chest rise and fall as he breathed softly. You leaned over to the bedside table, grabbing a cigarette and finishing the glass of whiskey. You felt Hancock’s hand run over the scars on your back, lingering at the bullet wound on your side. “Does it still hurt?”
“A little, only when I do something exasperating,” you winked at him.
“You should’ve said, I would have been gentler.” You lay your head on the pillows, taking a drag on the cigarette and passing it to him.
“Nah,” you smiled, “that wouldn’t have been any fun.” Hancock smiled back,
“It was definitely a good time.” You lay in silence for a while, lost in thought. “You’re thinking about something. What’s up?”
“John, will you come back to the Farm with me?” You asked with a sigh. You knew he had responsibilities here but you didn’t want to leave his side. Hancock stared curiously at you, trying to decide whether you were joking. The look on your face told him your were deadly serious. “I understand if you don’t want to. I know I’m a handful. I’m not beautiful, I’m scarred, physically and mentally, and have enough baggage to sink a ship...” Hancock sat up properly, placing his hand on your cheek.
“You think I give a fuck about the fact you have scars? Or that you have problems? I’m a ghoul, sunshine, my whole body is a scar. I know you’ve been through a lot, we all have, but you’re dealing with it. You don’t let it consume you. You’re always putting others first. Maybe you need to take some time to figure it all out, maybe you don’t, but I’ll always be here for you. I’m all yours. If you think you can stand looking at me all the time, then I’ll stay by your side.”
“You mean it?”
“Of course. I never thought I’d fall in love, and I definitely didn’t think anyone would love this ugly mug. You’ve given me something to hold on to. You make me feel better than chems ever could.” You allowed him to pull you into his arms, “you keep me going when this fucked up world keeps kicking me even though I’m on the floor.”
“Thanks,” you said, choking back tears.
“I love you, don’t forget that.”
“I love you too.”

Chapter Text

The cool water of the shower was soothing on your hot skin. You always felt like you had a fever after transforming, it was one of the disadvantages. Dried blood and dirt was carried away with the water. You sighed and ran a hand through your hair as you recounted the business with your pack. You knew it was a mistake letting Sam come along, he had been in too much danger. If the pack hadn’t been under your control, he could have been killed and you would have been powerless to stop it.

You turned off the shower, reaching for a towel on the cabinet. You looked over yourself in the mirror, large, horrific scars plagued your skin. You healed faster than an average human, faster than other werewolves, in fact, but you still bore the scars of particularly gruelling fights. You sighed and walked to the bedroom you were sharing with Sam, who was sitting at his computer, chatting with Dean. He watched you walk away, Dean smirking at his brother’s starry-eyed expression.

You sat on the bed, picking at threads on the motel towel. You dried your hair thoroughly, the early morning sun helping you along. The motel was bland, and you were glad that you wouldn’t be staying long. A floor length mirror stood in corner of the room, you walked over to it. You looked at your collarbones, where the claws from another wolf had caught you a few weeks ago. Your fingers lingered on it, your own nails tracing the lines. A knock on the door disrupted your thoughts. “Come in,” you called out, adjusting your towel to cover you in case it was Cas or Dean. To your relief, it was Sam that stood there.
“You alright?” He asked, wrapping his arms around your waist. You grunted in response. “You’ve been in here for ages, I was starting to wonder if you’d run off,” he chuckled.
“Just thinking,”
“About?” You sighed and turned to him.
“Just things,” you smiled. You brushed a stray strand of hair from his face. “The pack, you and me,”
“and your scars.”
“Ding ding ding, we have a winner,” you grinned.
“What are you so concerned about them for?” He asked, leading you to the bed.
“They’re so ugly and they constantly remind me of all the times I’ve lost.” Sam sighed and kissed your forehead. “Every time I see them, I feel this burning hatred in the pit of my stomach.”
“So, you're concerned that you look human?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. You smacked him lightly on the shoulder,
“No. Besides, why would I want to try and look like something I’m not?”
“Well, I think the battle scars are sexy,” he wiggled his brow at you.

You pressed your lips on his, pushing him backwards into a lying position. He undid your towel, throwing it to the side. He grabbed your waist and flipped you onto your back. You hastily undid the buttons on his flannel shirt, exposing his toned chest. You ran your fingers down his skin, admiring him for a moment. Sam trailed kisses along your collarbone, following your scars the way you did with your nails. He kissed you passionately, breaking away when he needed breath. He leant down, whispering into your ear, “you shouldn’t worry about anyone else’s opinion on your body, not even mine.” You smiled and gasped as he bit your neck gently. Sam’s hand trailed down your stomach, finding its resting place on your groin. “Your skin is so warm,” he moaned, “and it smells like excitement.”
“And what does excitement smell like?” You teased, sitting up to get to his belt and jeans.
“The forest just after it rains,” he whispered, “and fresh coffee.”

You tried your hardest not to scream in delight, knowing that Cas and Dean were in the next room and the walls were thin. Sam moved inside of you, sweat beading on his forehead. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he lifted you, pressing your back against the wall. You dragged your nails down his back, gasping as he drove deeper inside you. “Fuck,” you murmured, trying to grab at what you could. Sam smirked as you threw your head back in ecstasy. Sam swore under his breath as you bit his shoulder, taking care not to actually hurt him. Your eyes glowed bright yellow as you neared orgasm, your teeth growing sharper. That seemed to turn Sam on even more as he carried you over to the bed. He moved his hand to your clit, rubbing in small circles. You cried out, biting into a handful of blankets as your body shook in pleasure. Sam finished closely after you, breathing heavily as he rested his head on your shoulder. “I’m going to need another shower now,” you laughed, Sam agreeing.

You lay next to Sam, his arms wrapped around you. You traced the anti-possession tattoo on his chest as he slept. You had just drifted off to sleep to the sound of his gentle breathing when there was another knock at the door. You were thankful that the blankets were covering everything downstairs as Dean walked in. “Oh, Jesus!” He exclaimed, shielding his eyes. “I’m making you two get a separate suite next time!” Sam pulled the blankets up to cover your chest.
“What? You act like you’ve never seen a woman’s chest before, Dean,” you teased with a wink.
“Get some clothes on, we have a job to check out.” Dean left while shaking his head. You turned to Sam and burst into laughter.
“Sorry about that. Dean can be weird when it comes to me having sex.” He got up, stretching. “I swear he still sees me as a baby brother sometimes.”

Chapter Text

You shook Sherlock’s arm gently, waking him from his nightmare. Beads of sweat had collected on his brow as he called out in fear. He sat up with a gasp, placing his feet on the floor. You wrapped your arms around him, resting your head on his shoulder. “It was just a dream,” you reassured him. His pale skin was warm against your chest. “It was just a dream,” you whispered, stroking your hands through his hair. His breathing steadied as he gripped your hand. “Do you want to talk about it?” He shook his head. “Alright,”
“Will you talk?”
“What?” Sherlock turned to you, brushing the hair from your cheek.
“Talk to me, about anything. Tell me about your day or the last novel you read, anything.” You smiled at him and lay back,

Sherlock laid his head on your chest.
“What did I get up to today,” you pondered. “You and John left early for a case, so I got up and had tea with mrs Hudson. I had a couple of errands to run in town so I did them. I picked up some milk from the store, dropped it off here and met a friend at the cafe downtown. John rung me to get some advice on a present for his lady friend, where I could hear you correcting someone on the police force.” Sherlock chuckled, “I assume it was Lestrade.”

You carried on talking for a while longer until you had run out of things to say. Sherlock squeezed your hand, “keep going. I was just about asleep,” you smiled down at him, stroking his head. You hummed gently, soothing your partner to sleep. Your eyes drifted closed, your mind going back to your own dreams.

The sun shone on your face, rousing your from your sleep. Sherlock still lay on your chest, curled in your arms. You smiled and kissed his head. He nuzzled closer to you. “I have to get up,” you whispered to him. He groaned as you wiggled out from under him. You were meeting an old acquaintance today and couldn’t be late.

You pulled up your coat, shielding yourself from the harsh winter rain. You walked into the library, heading straight for the restricted section. A woman sat there, her coat as red as blood. She stood up, kissing you on the cheek. Her lipstick was a direct match to her coat. You placed your coat to the side. “Milana,” you smiled. The young woman offered you a seat. “Why meet here?” You asked, sitting down across from her.
“We won’t be disturbed here.” You nodded. “I needed to talk to you,”
“We haven’t talked in years and you contact me out of the blue, demanding to talk to me.”
“I need to know about your new boyfriend.” You scoffed and went to leave. “Please, I need to know.”
“I’m sure you can read John’s blog and learn all you need. I’ll pay you, 10,000 pounds.”
“For what?”
“Tell me his plans. What does he do all day? What does he do when not working? Has he brought home anything strange recently? His favourite drink and place to eat, things you’d know that nobody else would.”
“I’m not going to sell out the person I love and who saved my life.” You snapped, walking away.
“You need to keep away from him. He’ll get you killed.”

“Where have you been?” Sherlock asked as you walked into the lounge.
“Meeting a friend,” you sighed. “It didn’t go well.” Sherlock looked at you curiously.
“Who is she?”
“She? I’m assuming you’ve deduced that. Is it the lipstick or the perfume that gave it away?”
“Neither, I guessed and you confirmed.” You laughed and placed your jacket on the chair. You stood behind him, kissing him on the cheek. “What did she want?”
“She wanted me to tell her everything I knew about you, offered me quite a bit of money for the information.” Sherlock turned to look at you. “Come on, I didn’t take it. If I did, I would’ve brought home a gift or something.”

Sherlock watched you intently as you made a drink. You smiled over your shoulder at him. “Something’s wrong,” he muttered.
“What?” You laughed off the comment. Sherlock strode over to you, checking your pockets thoroughly.
“There’s no way they would have let you walk away. Maybe they planted a bug,” he continued checking until you pushed him away.
“Keep getting all handsy and things will get out of hand,” you winked.
“Please,” Sherlock begged you quietly. You sighed and held out your arms. He turned your arm over, placing his fingers on a cut. You winced and pulled away. “This is from this morning. When did you do it?”
“I-I don’t know,” you admitted. “Must have caught it on a nail or something.”
“There wasn’t a rip on your coat. When did you take it off?”
“When I sat down to talk and when I got home, why?”
“Sit down.” You did as instructed.

Sherlock prodded at your arm, you sucked air through your teeth. Your phone rang, Sherlock’s eyes snapping to it. You answered it, recognising Milana’s voice straight away. “I told you he would get you killed. You should’ve taken the deal.”
“What are you talking about?” You spat back.
“I’ve been instructed to tell you that I’ve implanted something in your arm. I’m sure you’ve found it by now. Any attempt to remove it will cause a large amount of neurotoxins to be released into your bloodstream. Sherlock, I know you’re listening. If you don’t want her blood on your hands, you will decrypt the files on the hard drive in your partners jacket pocket.”
“Why not come to me in the first place?” Sherlock growled,
“I’m just doing as instructed. You have thirty minutes while the neurotoxins in said device slowly seep into her brain. The countdown begins.” The dial tone ended the conversation.

Sherlock ran over to your coat, turning the pockets out. A small black box fell onto the floor. Sherlock plugged it into his laptop. You went to stand to help, but he put his hand out. “Stay sitting. You need to keep your heart rate down.”
“Okay,”
“If you start feeling anything, tell me.” Numbers flashed up on the laptop screen. Sherlock started working on the decryption.
“Sherlock,” you groaned, your head feeling light. “Sherlock, stop.” Your own mind was working a thousand miles an hour.
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t decrypt that thing. Whatever’s on it could be dangerous. It could endanger or kill hundreds.”
“If I don’t, it will kill you.” You took his hand as he knelt before you.
“So be it. One life isn’t worth more than hundreds.”
“It is to me,” he said softly. You felt blood drop from your nose, you wiped it on your sleeve.

Sherlock went back to the laptop, continuing with the decryption. You sighed and placed your hand on his shoulder. Sherlock worked tirelessly as time ticked away. You stumbled, falling to the floor. Sherlock yelled for John, who was just arriving home. John was by your side in an instant. Sherlock explained as quick as he could, John looked terrified. “You have to finish the decryption,” John exclaimed.
“I already said no!” You yelled, “I will not let them get whatever’s on that hard drive!”
“I will not let you die!” Sherlock whispered.
“You’re a smart man, Sherlock. You don’t need me dragging you down,” you chuckled, squeezing his arm. “Think about it, one life or whatever is on that box.”
“There must be a way to save you both.”

Sherlock tapped away while John sat with you on the floor. Sherlock yelled and slammed his fists on the desk. Everything he was trying was wrong, the more he failed, the more frustrated he grew. You groaned in pain as your head ached. “Is this what dying feels like?” You asked yourself, not meaning to say it out loud.
“I won’t let that happen,” Sherlock snapped. Your phone rang again. Milana’s mocking voice spoke.
“Fifteen minutes, Mr Holmes. You’d better hurry or you won’t have time to administer the antidote.”
“You’re sick, I thought we were friends.” You groaned.
“Being friends doesn’t pay well. This does.” She hung up.

Minutes later, Sherlock jumped up. “I’ve done it. I’m in.” He exclaimed, scrolling through the decrypted files. “Oh no,” he cried, realising what was on it. On the box were the launch codes for a set of top secret government warheads. They had the power to destroy half of the planet. He relayed the information to you and John. You sighed and looked over at him, smiling gently.
“Destroy them,” you begged.
“I have a better idea.” Sherlock typed commands into the laptop. Time was ticking away and exhaustion threatened your consciousness. Your phone rang for the final time, Sherlock snatching it to answer. “It’s done,” he informed Milana.
“Good,” you could hear her smiling on the other end of the phone. “Bring the box and your dying friend outside.” John helped you downstairs. You were barely able to keep your head up, let alone walk.

Milana met you outside, hand outstretched for the codes. “Antidote first,” Sherlock hissed.
“Not until I know the hard drive has been decrypted.” Sherlock handed the small box over. Milana plugged it into her phone, scrolling through the files. She removed the hard drive with a smile. She handed Sherlock a syringe. You gasped as the needle pierced your arm. Sherlock and John carries you upstairs. John apologised as he removed the small device from under your skin. Sherlock hugged you tightly while John called for an ambulance. You might not be dead, but there was no way to know what damage had been done. You took Sherlock’s hand,
“what did you do?” You whispered. Sherlock grinned and kissed your forehead.
“That decryption was for one use only, which your friend just used on her phone. They won’t get those codes.”
“They’ll try again when they find out.”
“I doubt it, that hard drive will ping their location directly to Lestrade’s computer. They won’t know what’s happened until it’s too late.” You tried to laugh,
“You’re far too clever.”
“They messed with one of the only things I truly care about. They deserved nothing less.” Sherlock scowled.

Chapter Text

Your legs gave out as you ran from the vampire. You collapsed to the ground, drawing breath in sharply as your body shook. A cackle echoed through the dark alleyway. You looked over your shoulder, watching the vampire advance closer to you. You tried to scream but a hand wrapped around your throat. Where the hell were Sam and Dean? You asked yourself. Dread gripped your heart as the vampire lifted you into the air, baring its fangs at you. Blood splattered your face as a hand ripped through the vampire’s neck. You were dropped to the ground, landing heavily on your back. The vampire choked and gasped, its body trying to repair the wound vainly. Another hand appeared, tearing the heart out of the vampire’s chest. The monster turned to dust, carried away on the breeze.
You stared up at the young man who had just torn your attacker apart. The man offered a hand, pulling you to your feet. His long black hair was tied back into a messy ponytail and his eyes were shimmering gold. “Who are you?” You gasped as he checked over your bruised body. “Are you a friend of Dean and Sam?”
“Mortis. My name is Mortis.” He answered, taking a step away from you. “I don’t know who this Dean and Sam are, but if they’re your guardians, they should be fired.” He shook his head, wiping the vampire’s blood on his dark trench coat.
“Thank you,” you said.
“Just doing my job.” Mortis threw up a hand in a lazy wave as he walked away.
Sam and Dean rounded the corner as Mortis walked away. They stared at each other for a moment before Dean’s gun snapped up, “freeze!” He yelled. Mortis raised an eyebrow but froze as commanded. You rushed over, trying to explain the situation. “I know about you, Mortis,” Dean snarled. “You’re not exactly an innocent bystander.”
“No. I do my job as instructed and given by the Underground.” Mortised spat back. “On occasion, I play rescuer to pretty little things in the dark,” he gestured to you. Dean pulled you behind him, still keeping his gun locked onto Mortis.
“You’re a demon,”
“Half-demon,” Mortis corrected. “Don’t make me out to be a pureblood when I’m not. I take pride in my human descendency.”
“You are still something we should put down,” Sam interrupted. Mortis scoffed,
“good luck with that. That gun won’t do jack against me.” Dean pulled the trigger.

Mortis’s head snapped backwards, and he fell, limply, to the ground. Dean smirked and turned to you. “Are you alright?” He asked, you assured him you were just tired. His smile fell as Mortis groaned. Mortis got to his feet, digging the bullet out of his cheek with his finger. He dropped it into Dean’s hand, stretching his jaw as it healed. Dean swore and pushed you behind him and Sam.
“That’s not right,” you gasped.
“Well, I suppose I should be used to being shot as thanks.” Mortis joked dryly. “I’m sure it won’t be the last time.” He stalked away, leaving you with the two brothers.
“Wait!” You called after him. “I’m sorry Dean shot you, he can be a bit trigger happy. Can I take you out to eat or something?” You offered, genuinely apologetic. Mortis sighed and looked up at the sky.
“Sure,” he shrugged. “Did you have somewhere in mind?”

Dean sat across from Mortis in the diner booth, scowling at him. You kicked his leg under the table. Dean shot you a look of confusion, which you returned with your own, disappointed gaze. Sam seemed interested in learning more about Mortis. Mortis had baffled them with his distinctly human-like behaviour. He continually checked his watch, as if waiting for something to happen. “Are you alright?” You asked him.
“I’m waiting for a friend.” You nodded understandingly. “They should have shown up by now.”
“Who are they?” As if on cue, the lights in the diner flickered. The shadows grew around the wall and a man stepped through. He was shorter than Mortis, although that wasn’t difficult. His skin was dark, the pale scars decorating it like lights. He lowered his black hood, smiling at Mortis. He squeezed into the booth, introducing himself as Nox.
“You are late,” Mortis teased, handing him a menu.
“Yes, I’m sorry about that. I got caught up. I see you’ve dealt with the vampire issue,” Nox looked around and beamed, “and you made new friends. I didn’t think you were capable of such bounds!” He laughed, clapping Mortis on the back.
“Shut up,’ Mortis frowned, sticking his nose in a menu.

You had spent some time learning about Nox and Mortis. Eventually, the waitress came over to inform you that the diner was going to close. You all left reluctantly, the cold air biting at your skin. Nox had relieved some of the tension between the Winchester’s and Mortis. It had made the evening go a lot smoother and you were thankful for it. Dean still didn’t trust Mortis; all he could see was the demonic heritage running through his veins. Mortis turned to you, holding out a card. You took it, it was difficult to read in the low light. “If you need help, call me.”
“They have us,” Dean interjected.
“And look where that got them,” Mortis mocked. He shook your hand, Nox followed suit. They wandered away. Nox spoke in a low voice to his friend,
“they seemed nice.”
“The older brother shot me,” Nox burst into laughter.
“You do seem to have that effect on people!” Mortis smiled softly, nodding in agreement.

You, Dean and Sam got back to the motel. Dean hadn’t spoken to you on the return trip, he was fuming. You decided to find out what his problem was. “Are you mad because you had your kill stolen from beneath you?” You pushed for answers, Dean refusing to respond. “Can’t you be happy that I wasn’t killed? That vampire is dead, that is all that matters!” You shouted.
“I know!” Dean retaliated, “but that Mortis is still a demon. We have to hunt him down and kill him.”
“You shot him, and it didn’t leave a mark.” You shook your head, “do you really think that you could kill him?”
“We’ve killed full demons before, that should make it easy enough.” Dean tried to reason with you, but you wouldn’t hear it. You had signed up to kill evil monsters, Mortis just wasn’t your type of prey. You stormed off into your separate bedroom, snatching your phone from your pocket. You dialled the number on Mortis’s card. Nox answered,
“Hello, Mortis’s murder line.”
“Nox? It’s me, from the diner.”
“Oh, hi!” You could hear him smiling through the line. “Mortis isn’t here at the moment, is everything alright?”
“I just wanted to warn him about Sam and Dean. I think he should get out of town.” Nox paused, the dull crackle of the phone filling the empty air.
“We’ll be okay. Mortis has dealt with worse people than a couple of hunters. Are you safe?” He asked, his voice deadly serious.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“Who is it?” You heard Mortis yell over the phone, his voice distant and muffled. Nox said goodbye to you and hung up. You sighed and fell onto your bed, throwing the phone to the side.

You had tried to beg Dean to change his mind about hunting down Mortis and Nox. He had brushed you off, his instincts and training getting the better of him. You begrudgingly followed him and into the belly of the beast. The safe house where Mortis and Nox where staying was nothing spectacular. It was an unassuming two-bedroom apartment in the outskirts of town. It actually wasn’t far from the motel where you had been staying. You watched Dean knock on the door, his other hand placed on his knife. Mortis answered, opening the door confidently. Dean yelled stabbed the blade into Mortis’s chest. Mortis looked down with concern and annoyance mixed on his face. Black blood dripped from the wound as Mortis wrapped his hand around the handle and Dean’s hand. “Ow,” he growled, twisting Dean’s hand, forcing him to let go of the blade. “That is just plain fucking rude.” Mortis threw the knife to the side. You could see the large gash already stitching itself closed. Mortis punched Dean in the nose, his head snapping backwards and sending him crashing to the ground. Sam picked his brother up and stood in front of him protectively. Nox appeared in the doorway behind Mortis. Mortis stalked towards the men, readying himself for a fight.

“Enough!” A dark growl reverberated around the empty street. An enormous, red demon with bull-like horns stepped out of the growing darkness.
“Markus,” Mortis scowled but stopped in his tracks. You, Dean and Sam couldn’t believe their eyes as the demon’s form shifted into a man’s. “Mortis, enough,” he repeated sternly. “These men are just doing their jobs, like you and Nox. If you had laid low as I insisted, you wouldn’t be in this mess.” He turned to Sam and Dean, bowing deeply. “I apologise for Mortis’s behaviour. He is supposed to be tracking a rogue Werewolf in these parts, not picking fights with other hunters.” Your mouth was hanging open in shock as Markus bent and kissed your hand.
“Markus, long time no see,” Castiel spoke as he materialised next to Dean, healing his broken nose.
“Castiel,” Markus glared at the angel. His entire demeanour changed as he addressed Castiel. “I would ask that you keep your pets on a leash.”
“I would ask the same of you,” Castiel snapped back. Markus placed a hand on Mortis’s shoulder, holding him at bay.
“Ungrateful piece of—” Mortis spat at Dean’s feet.
“Mortis!” Markus scolded, sounding like a disappointed father. “I said enough.”
“I’m not letting this go until I get an apology for being shot and stabbed, even after saving his girlfriend.” Markus sighed and looked you up and down.

You felt unnerved by Markus’s gaze. While he looked human, an attractive one at that, you had seen his true form. It felt unnatural looking at him, knowing he wasn’t human despite his outwards appearance. “Dean,” you turned to him, “apologise.” Dean scoffed,
“not gonna happen.”
“Dean, Mortis saved my life. You owe him an apology at least.” Dean rolled his eyes but apologised anyway. Mortis continued to glare at him but accepted the half-assed apology. Nox grabbed Mortis and pulled him back into the house. He turned and gave you a slight wave before shutting the door. Markus bowed again and disappeared into the shadows. You listened to Dean mumble and mutter under his breath for a while. He shut up once you had reached the motel room. You shook your head, toying with Mortis’s card in your hand.

Chapter Text

Goodneighbour, the one place in the commonwealth to get a stiff drink and higher than a kite. You smiled up a the neon sign as you approached the gate. As you walked through the town, you headed straight for The Third Rail. You caught a glimpse of yourself as you passed a surprisingly clean window. You had a scarf wrapped around your head and a black leathery mask pulled up over your mouth and nose. The black leather armour covering your torso and arms were partially covered by a blue cloak. The matching midnight blue and black gloves covered your hands. Your leather boots were a similar blue. Tucked into its hilt was a customised sword, sharp and slightly curved. You smirked as you passed; the look tended to ward off raiders and thieves alike. It also allowed you to carry out your work in protection and comfort. Your work included taking out anyone who needed killing. You’d do it for any fair price, no matter who it was. You’d had some high profile targets over the years, and that reputation made sure that you had an almost constant workflow.

“‘Ello,” Whitechapel Charlie greeted you as you approached the bar. “What can I get ya?”
“Whiskey. Just bring the whole bottle.” You said, taking off your mask and scarf.
“Tough week, aye?” You scoffed and nodded. Charlie handed the bottle over along with a glass. “I’ve not seen you around these parts before. What brings you into our humble abode?”
“Just taking a break from work.”
“I see.”
“How much do I owe you?” You asked, as politely as you could.
“It’s on the house,” a rough voice came from behind you. “Newcomers drink for free on their first night.”
“No thanks. I’ll buy my own drinks,” you said, not even turning around.
“Come on, rules are rules.” You sighed heavily and turned to face the person intruding on your drinking. The ghoul was smiling slyly at you, and was surprisingly handsome, for a ghoul anyway. “Mayor John Hancock, at your service.”

Hancock sat next to you at the bar, sharing your whiskey and shooting the breeze. Magnolia sang in the background, filling the silent moments when you ran out of things to say. You finished the last sip and stood up, swaying slightly. “Shit, that’s some good whiskey. I should probably get a room and sleep it off.”
“I’ll walk you over there, if you like.” You smiled and took Hancock’s outstretched arm. You wandered through the cold air of Goodneighbour, only a few drifters still awake and walking around. Hancock escorted you up to your rented room.
“Thanks. I doubt I would’ve gotten lost, but the company was nice.”
“You’re welcome. Hopefully I’ll see you around.”
“Maybe. I don’t plan on staying around long. Just long enough to get another job.” Hancock nodded and left the room. You leaned on the doorway, watching as he left the hotel.

Gunshots rudely woke you from your sleep. At first you thought it was your head pounding from a hangover, however, screams and yells of the drifters soon echoed through the open window of your room. You leapt to your feet, grabbing your sword and pulling on your mask and scarf. You ran to the balcony, ducking down as raiders kicked through the door of Hotel Rexford. You swore under your breath and crawled to your room, locking the door before moving to the balcony. You climbed down from the balcony, intending to escape over the back wall. Something urged you to turn around, and when you did, you saw Hancock and his right hand woman, Fahrenheit, being dragged into the old state house. You paused, considering whether you should help or not. “Fuck it, maybe I’ll get a few caps for my efforts,” you groaned as you ran quietly towards the building.

You scaled the side of the house effortlessly, making practically no noise as you climbed. You’d never get through the front door, but there was more than one way to break into a building. You spotted a hole in the ceiling and climbed towards it. As you peered inside, you saw Hancock and Fahrenheit, along with some other hostages, lined up against the wall. You lowered yourself into the room, landing on the rafters silently. You scanned the room with your Pipboy, twelve raiders in total on this floor, six on the floor below. Only one guarding the hostages. The way he carried himself told you that he was obviously the leader. Easy enough to clean house, if you maintained the element of surprise. You crept down the stairs, drawing your sword. The first raider had no time to blink as you drove your sword into the base of his neck. You caught him as he collapsed, now was not the time to be given away.

The next three raiders died in a similar way, each kill silent and efficient. As you rounded a corner, you spotted a fifth raider. You leapt at him, driving your heels into his stomach and knocking the wind from his lungs. A quick slice across his throat and he was dead within seconds. After clearing the last raider, you moved back to the second floor. You killed each of the raiders with masterful, terrifying skill. “Then there was one,” you muttered grimly. You walked boldly into the room where the hostages were, kicking the door open fully. The raider whipped around, aiming his gun at you.
“What the?”
“Last chance to leave, or you die. Either way, these folks are going free.” The raider laughed, you remained stone faced.
“Oh really? We outnumber you. I don’t even see a gun on your hip!”
“Never needed one. I don’t even need the sword. It just makes the work easier. Faster. More pleasant for the target.” The raider called out into the building, summoning his dead coworkers. “Good luck with that,” you mocked. The raider pulled the trigger, but missed. The bullet hit the wooden wall where you were moments ago. The raider searched for you, but never bothered to look up. You ran across the rafters, dropping down and driving your sword into his skull. You rolled onto your feet, freeing the blade from the corpse as you did. The others stared in shock, unsure of how to process the situation. While they stared, you cut through the rope around their wrists and ankles.

Hancock got to his feet first. “Thanks. Goodneighbour owes you for this.”
“We aren’t out of the woods yet. There’s more of them out there,” Fahrenheit countered.
“I’ll take care of it.” You knelt down next to their leader. With a few swift cuts, you severed his head. You took the decapitated head downstairs and out into the street where the raiders waited. “Hey!” You yelled, drawing their attention and throwing the head at their feet. “Your boss says your all dismissed.” The raiders stared at the severed head and looked between each other.
“Yeah, fuck that.” One of them said, turning and scurrying out of Goodneighbour. Each of the raiders followed suit, not wanting to be next on your list.

Hancock laid a hand on your shoulder. You turned, tucking the sword back into its hilt. He beamed down at you, the infectious smile making you want to run. The way he looked at you, with such gratitude and caring, it seemed unnatural. “You did something great for us today.” You looked away as he spoke. “You saved countless lives.”
“You would’ve managed.” Hancock chuckled heartily.
“Probably! But that isn’t the point.” His face changed into one of immense seriousness. “You still went out of your way to help us, when anyone else would’ve run.”
“I couldn’t just leave. I’m a trained killer, not a heartless bitch.” Hancock laughed again. You pulled down your mask, wiping the blood from your face. Hancock reached forward with his sleeve, moving to wipe a splatter of blood from your brow. Your hand flew up, grasping his wrist. Fahrenheit sprung forwards protectively. Hancock stuck his other hand out, stopping her. “Sorry. I should’ve asked.” He apologised sheepishly. You released his wrist, hurrying back to your room without a word.

You sat on the edge of the hotel bed. It was uncomfortable and smelt, like it hadn’t been cleaned since the bombs fell. You watched out the window as the sun came up, the sunrise mixing with the neon lights of Goodneighbour. A knock on the door interrupted your thoughts. Hancock stuck his head into the room, waving a bottle of whiskey tantalisingly into the room. “Hey, how’s it going?” You shrugged your shoulders. “Keen for a drink?”
“Sure.” Hancock sat next to you on the bed, handing you a glass. You placed the glass on the bed, grabbing the bottle a swallowing a large mouthful. “So, tell me about yourself.” You half choked on the liquor, staring at Hancock in shock.
“What do you mean?”
“You know, who are you?” You clicked your tongue.
“I’m a mercenary, kind of. I’m a specialist at finding people and taking care of them.” You handed the bottle back to him. “Look, no disrespect, Mayor Hancock. I appreciate you trying to thank me, but I’m not planning on staying and getting to know the town. As soon as the next job comes up, I’m leaving.”
“I hear ya. I wouldn’t be sticking around either. I guess this is me saying thanks and goodbye, in case I don’t get the chance.” You nodded solemnly.
“Thanks for understanding.”

You sat in silence together for a while, sharing the bottle between you and Hancock. You turned to him, “my turn to ask a question. Do you always treat newcomers so kindly?” Hancock scratches the back of his head.
“Well, yes and no. I knew there was something special about you, first time I saw you at the Third Rail.” You leaned closer to him. “You seemed like the kind of trouble I’d like.”
“Really?” You placed the bottle on the floor. “And what else caught your attention?” Hancock cleared his throat, smiling like an idiot.
“You know, your aura of mystery. The way you sat broodingly at the bar.”
“Mhmm.” You crept closer to him, placing a hand on his chest.
“The way you killed those raiders sealed the deal, I just wanted to-“ you pressed your lips onto his. He kissed back, unclamping your cloak and throwing it to the side. You grabbed his hat, throwing it at the growing pile.

You woke up with Hancock’s head on your chest. You watched him for a while. You didn’t regret sleeping with him, but you didn’t want to get that close. People who got close to you ended up dead. It was never an easy death either. You shuffled out from underneath him; you grabbed your clothes from the floor and threw them on. You leaned over him, kissing him on the cheek before walking out of the door. Fahrenheit bumped into you outside. “I’m looking for Hancock, seen him?”
“He’s upstairs, sleeping,” you said bluntly, stepping around her.
“Hold on!” Fahrenheit grabbed your shoulder. You twisted, breaking her grip. “What do I tell him when you’re not there?”
“Tell him I left. Tell him I went to find work and Diamond City or some bullshit. I don’t care, just make sure he doesn’t come after me.” You hurried away, leaving Goodneighbour in your shadow.

As you made your way through old Boston, you swore you could hear somebody yelling your name. You tried to ignore it but they kept calling for you. When you turned around, a familiar ghoul was running after you. You bit your lip, tempted to run and slip away in the growing shadows. Something glued you to the spot, refusing to let you move. Hancock skidded to a stop before you. He was red faced and panting. “Look, Hancock, I told you-“
“You’re alright!” He interrupted you. “When you disappeared, I thought that those raiders had come back.” He wrapped you in a tight hug. “But you’re okay.”
“Hancock, please. You’re making this harder than it needs to be.” You pushed him away. “I can’t stay with you. You don’t want me to. I’ll bring nothing but trouble if I stay in Goodneighbour.”
“Remember what I said? You’re the exact kind of trouble I’m looking for.” You smiled at this beautiful fool pleading in front of you. “I know we don’t know each other well, but something’s there. Come back with me. Please.” You took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Alright.” He looked shocked that you’d agreed. “Besides, I’ve gotta protect you in case those raiders come back.”