Charlie's POV:
I follow Bucky and Sam, in search of John. He might be angry but now is the time to find him, because he's also vulnerable. He watched his best friend die in front of his eyes. His weak and fragile mental state was crumbled. I saw him breaking down multiple times throughout our meetings, constantly switching between his former good guy self, to an angry and bitter man.
Our heavy footfalls on the wet pavement further solidifies our own state. We're all three angry, hurt, and more than ready to get the shield back. Very few people knew Steve the way we did. He played pivotal roles in all of our lives, and we would all protect his legacy with all of our strength we can rally. Steve was a good man, without a doubt. He didn't always make the best decisions, but at his core he had good intentions.
"Charlie, scan the area for his thoughts," Sam huffs out to me.
Before I can think, Bucky hoists me on his back, "This gives you the ability to really focus, honey." I close my eyes, hoping we're close enough to John for me to get some reading, most likely his fevered thoughts will be running rampant and he'll be loud.
We're running in a deserted area and there's only one person's thoughts coming to my foreground. I coil my brain to listen and feel his direction. "Take a right, he's close." His thoughts are piercing in my brain. They race around and cause discomfort. He bounces from thoughts of his murdering of the Flag Smasher and his desperation for Hoskins not to be dead. All his crippling thoughts bore into me and stick on me like thick black sludge.
"I hear him, doll, you did good, pull out." Bucky casts into me. He slows his running and allows me to jump off his back, "You, okay?" He asks with the utmost sincerity. A shiver runs up my spine, I shake it off, and nod yes to him. And we quietly walk into the abandoned warehouse.
We watch as a defeated, broken, and hopeless John kneels on the floor. I don't feel anger or hate for him as much as pity. For all his physical attributes that he had to hold the shield, the government failed miserably in seeing mentally he wasn't capable. The amount of stress and pressure to hold up that shield is undeniable. And either you're prepared for it, or it will wear you down. Even if you're prepared, it can still wear you down. Steve Rogers himself suffered with at times debilitating anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Picking up that shield and presenting a perfect persona isn't easy.
Bucky deeply inhales, seeing a bit of himself in John, and he walks forward. The click of his heels catches John's attention. His movements pause. I watch as he turns his neck, standing up, and whispers, "Time to go to work." He knows why we're here, and it's not just to check on his wellbeing. It's time to end this. His body strides closer to us.
"Walker..." Sam begins.
"You guys should see a medic; you don't look so good. Charlie, you good?" He smiles over to me. "I'm like them now." He points over to Bucky, "Do you think higher of me?" Disgust is written all over my face as I watch him disintegrate into madness, the last hour haunts his every thought.
"Stop, Walker." Sam wants to quit with the mind games.
"What?" He whispers. His voice begins to raise as he recounts everything, "You saw what happened. You know what I had to do. I killed him because I had to! He killed Lemar!" He doesn't understand that that man didn't kill Lemar.
"He didn't kill Lemar, John." Bucky's voice is steady and strong. "Don't go down that road. Believe me, it doesn't end well."
"I'm not like you." John grits his teeth. "I'm better than you, and she still doesn't want me...to be my partner. And now I need you, Charlie." My eyes become glossy as the words I heard for too many years weave their way in my brain. He has no power over me, even Steve doesn't have that power over me. Bucky's body comes closer to my side.
Sam's head cocks to the side, looking at me, realizing why those words affect me so much, and coming from a man holding that shield. His body too comes closer to me, "Listen, it was the heat of the battle. Okay? If you explain what happened, they may consider your record. We don't want anyone else to get hurt. John..."
John's eyes focus only on the floor below. He let's all of Sam's words sink in, absorbing every word. "You gotta give me the shield, man." Those words pull John right out of his need to be the good buy, back into the bitter man. His head slowly pulls up meeting Sam's gaze, realizing again, why we're here. Talking to him isn't enough.
His eyes go to each of our faces, watching to see if there's any minuscule changes to our expressions. There are none. We all watch him stone faced. "Oh, so that's what this is. You almost got me. Even you Charlie, I thought you might have actually cared."
"You made a mistake." Sam still is comforting as he speaks to John.
"You don't wanna do this." John's voice leaks out softly but powerfully because he knows this will be one hell of a fight.
"Yeah, we do." Bucky gruffs out. There is a split second of contemplating before Bucky rushes towards him, his anger of the past weeks of John defiling the legacy of the shield finally hitting its peak. Milliseconds after Bucky's movements Sam and I rush towards him as well.
John's newly serum-ed body is strong, and fast. Sam is an excellent fighter, but John is able to round kick him, throwing his body back. He turns towards me, throwing multiple punches that I'm able to block and I swing my body around his shoulders and begin bashing him in the head. Bucky grabs at the shield, trying to yank and pry it from John's hands. He slings my body off of him and hits and elbows Bucky. He brings the shield up to hit him, I run over to him, taking a protective stance over him and Sam powers up his jet pack and uses the speed to forcefully kick at him before using his wings to hit him.
Bucky picks his body back up and jumps up, hitting the shield with his metal arm. Both the arm and shield being made of vibranium, soak up the force. It gives Sam enough time to continue his jet powered kicks and I duck down kicking his feet out from under him he brings his shield down on Sam before hitting the ground.
Bucky stands back up and punches at him, John blocks every punch with the shield but I go behind him and begin kicking and hitting every part of his body. He spins and kicks me in the gut, propelling my body back to the ground again. John finally gains leverage with Bucky and he uses the side of the shield to hit his arm over and over again. Bucky's eyes leave John's for mere seconds and see I haven't picked myself back up, and his face paints with pure rage.
He's able to back John up further hitting him and the shield, knocking him to the ground. Sam runs over but John kicks him out of the way, Bucky comes closer and John forcefully throws the shield at him. It connects at his stomach and slings him to old machinery. Bucky holds the shield on his arm and now it's John trying to get it from him.
Sam looks over to me, "Charlie, let's go. Your man needs you." He pulls me up by my arm.
I watch John pushing Bucky's body into the machinery screaming, "Why are you making me do this?" And he slings his body into power cables.
I watch horrified as his body falls limp to the ground, his cybernetic arm trembles as electricity sparks along his fingers. My eyes go blurry and I feel the strongest electrical current race through my body, "NO!" I scream racing only towards John. Lightning gathers to my body and I fling it towards John. I throw every bit of the electrical current I can towards him and Sam flies down, knocking him out of the way.
"Go to Bucky, now, Charlie!" He sees the fury in my eyes as the lightning stops striking him. Hearing Bucky's name brought me back to earth and I realize what power I unleashed and why. "Charlie!" He screams at me again, but John tries to hit him with a deathly blow and he rolls away. "You don't let the anger control you! Control it!" I blink and look towards my fallen soldier. His arm still twitches sickeningly and I bolt to his side.
I wrap my arms around him, picking him up, and I hear a faint heartbeat. My fingers trace along his arm; soaking up all the electrical currents that are not supposed to be there. I watch his eyes begin to slowly stir, thank God. "I thought I lost you." I cry to him. He grunts and I look towards Sam. He's got John to stop for a moment, continuing to try and talk him down. "I've got you." I whisper to Bucky. His body is barely conscience, so I hold his head in my arms, gently tracing the perimeter of his face, watching Sam fight for the shield, ready to pounce, should he need me, but right now, Bucky is the one that needs me.
"This isn't you, John." Sam tells him, almost pleading him to stop the fighting. This isn't going to end well.
"We could've been a team." His voice is hoarse and rough. This is far from over. His need to be accepted by us, by America, and the world has caused a crazed unrest in him. He won't let it go.
We watch as Sam connects a tether to the shield, flying it and John's body around the warehouse, furthering the attempt to pry it from his hands. Sam's attempts are successful and his and John's body fall to the floor. The shield teeters around before I hear the metal fall flat with a thick and deep thud. Hearing the weight of the shield shows how it's more than just a shield. It's a heavy symbol that can also be a burden, a burden that can cause a man to go insane.
Sam and John both quickly glance at the shield before running towards it. Sam slings his body out of the way, and I march towards it, almost like it's beckoning me to pick it up, begging for me to hold it in my hands. The shield would be making a full circle. I pick it up, holding it in my arms and the weight, not physical weight, but the symbolic weight of it weighs my spirits down. But I'll be damned if I see it land on John's arm anymore.
John pins Sam to the floor, I turn towards Bucky to ensure my precious human is okay. His body continues to steady itself and I hear John growl down at Sam, "I am Captain America!" He pulls at Sam's wings. I feel the currents running through my veins again; watching as they connect themselves to the shield. I watch as John is successful at pulling off Sam's wings, screaming again, "I am Captain America!" and with all the strength I can I launch the lightning laden shield towards John.
His body throws back and sparks, causing an unnatural jerk of his body, and he pulls the shield off him. Sam is shocked at what just happens and John runs over to Sam's fallen body, rage filled he jumps up ready to pound the shield into Sam, just like he did with the Flag Smasher. Before I can react Bucky's body flies into John knocking him from being over Sam.
We are all filled with anger. Bucky begins to continue fighting with John and I go over to Sam, pulling his body up. And I watch in panic as the side of the shield connects with Bucky's face. He falls to the floor and John continues to try and murder him with the shield. Sam and I come on either side of John connecting our fists into his body.
Sam is able to connect his fingers along the shield. Powering up his jet pack he begins to pull. Bucky uses his brute strength to push John up against some equipment, and I place my hands on his head, using my power to remove his anger from his thoughts. He's fighting us all with everything he has left of him. Sam gets the upper hand and John's arm pulls back. I hear the nauseating sound of his arm break, and the deafening screaming that releases out of his mouth.
Bucky pulls himself off of John, but my anger is consuming me and I can't remove myself from him. He walks closer to me, placing both hands on either sides of my cheek, and I watch as his face fully comes into focus. Seeing the blood surrounding his face pulls me back to him. I look at his battered face and wrap my arms around him. "I've got you." He whispers gently in my ears, and I feel my body fully relax for the first time since the fighting started.
We look back at Sam and I hum when I understand, we did it. We walk closer to Sam and then I hear his voice, "It's mine." His words run up my spine and I feel the anger and currents run through my veins again. He wanted to kill two of the most important people in my life. Bucky's arm tightens around me.
"It's over, John." Sam fiercely whispers at him.
"It's mine." He marches towards me and Bucky. Bucky pushes me out of the way and punches John. Using as much force as he can. And then throws his shoulder in his gut, pushing his body, Sam powers up the jet pack, using it to gain traction, readying the shield. I feel the currents pulsing through me, I cast them to the shield right at the moment that Bucky and Sam sandwich John's body in between theirs. All three men fall to the ground groaning.
Frozen in place and exhausted I watch Bucky pull himself up. Kneeling he picks up the shield and walks over to Sam. He glances down at the former symbol of Steve Rogers, the dried blood around the edges disgusts him, but he knows who this belongs to. He drops the shield beside Sam. He stares down at Sam, knowing this is truly over. He walks back over to me, forcefully pulling me into his lips and pressing a hard kiss into me. He pants onto my mouth before we pull apart, wrapping our arms around each other, we tiredly walk out the warehouse.
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Bucky's POV:
"The GRC is conducting raids to try and find Karli, but so far they've only found her followers. They've searched this camp, and just like the last camp, nothing." I listen to Sam talk to us as my eyes look at the shield. It's been a long road, but it's there. We have it. Sam has it. Charlie and I both lean up against a railing, my arm wraps around her shoulders, and her arm drapes around my waist. I feel her little fingers tickle my back.
Thoughts run uncontrollable through my mind. I never want to leave her side again, but I have a few loose ends to tie up, and I need to do them alone. I glance down at my best girl. She's mine, fully mine, and it's almost time for us to truly start our life together. A few more loose ends, I remind myself. It's amazing how her small body has radiated so much power. When this is over, she promised to look at that file. We're still not finished with the Flag Smashers, but for this moment, we are at a standstill. I know she wants nothing more than to finally make it home to Maggie, and I can't wait for her to have that. Knowing that the tiny girl will keep her busy while I finish up some things with Zemo.
"She's gone. We'll never find her." I'm pulled out of my thoughts, realizing that Sam was talking to us.
"Hey, you got your sleeve back." Torres tells me, I roll my eyes at the kid, "Hey, Charlie! Haven't seen you in a while. Your cyborg here, he's an idiot, jumped out of plane without a parachute."
Her melodic giggle vibrates on me, "I've seen the footage." Stark Industries. Peter was able to rescue it. I pull her off the railing with me, needing a few minutes of alone time to say goodbye, for now.
"Are you off to take care of Zemo?" Sam asks, almost disappointed that I would even consider it. I turn back to look at him, I don't want to answer, he knows.
"Alright, good to know you two survived." Torres calls over to us. Charlie gives him a little wave and follows me out.
"Why so quiet, James?" Her shining face smiles up to me.
"I don't want to leave you." I state. My eyes search her face, she doesn't want me to leave, but knows why I feel the need to.
"I know." Her hand come up to my face as I feel the soft pads of her finger tips trace along my face, being careful of the cuts I have. "But I know why you feel the need to do this alone. This isn't goodbye."
"You need to get home to see Maggie anyways." A pit fills in my stomach at just the few days I will be without her.
"Yeah. She misses me. You, too." She stands on her tiptoes and I feel her plant a sweet kiss on my lips before pulling back to fully look at me. "You would let me know if you needed me, right?" I nod my head at her. "Don't be a stranger. And don't take too long. I've waited too long for you James."
I run my hands down her sides. My hands go to cup her ass and I lift her body up to mine. She wraps her legs around me, like they were made for this position. "I love you, Charlotte Allen."
She pecks at my lips and smiles, "And I love you, James Barnes."
"You know, Charlie Barnes has a good sound to it." I smile down at her.
She lets out a chuckle. "You have to do better than that to get me to marry you, Bucky."
"I know. Just a seed I'm planting in your head. First a few dates." She nods her head agreeing. I pull her in for a passionate kiss. Tasting her vanilla lip gloss as I slip my tongue into her mouth. She pulls me in closer, placing both her hands on my head, making sure I realize exactly what I will be missing when I leave her.
Knowing if we continue this, I will not want to leave her, and I need to she pulls back, resting her forehead on mine. "Until we meet again, Bucky." I laugh at her.
"Until we meet again, Charlie...I'll call you when I land, doll." Her body slides off of mine and I bury myself into a hug. God, I'm going to miss her.
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Charlie's POV:
When I arrive at the farm, I waste no time in running up the steps, not bothering to knock and rapidly look for my sweet girl. I hear clinking of silverware in the dining area and walk in there. Maggie's sweet face meets mine and she drops her fork and runs towards me, "Mommy!" She screams as I pick her up, wrapping my arms around her. I look back down at my precious pearl, what did I do to deserve her? Her fingers trace along the marks on my face. "You're hurt." She places a hand on my cheek.
"No, angel, I'm fine." Tears cloud my eyes as I watch her face soften to the fact, I am okay. I breathe her in, soaking in the lavender shampoo that was used on her.
Laura watches us. She hates that this is my life. She watched these reunions with Clint far too often. "Did you get daddy's shield back?" Maggie's voice breaks my spell of watching her. Tears fill my eyes as I nod my head yes. "Why are you crying then?"
"Because, little pearl, it was a long hard trip."
"You didn't bring Bucky back with you." She searches my face. "Is that why you're crying?"
"No. Bucky has some things he needs to do first."
"He's not going to go rogue again, is he?" Clint asks. I shake my head no, and I hear my phone ping as a text from him comes through. Clint smiles, "That's him, isn't it?" A goofy smile spreads across my face. "You got a special tone for him, huh?" He stands and grabs a plate from the cabinet and begins making me a plate. "Sit down."
Maggie stays close to my side. We don't talk about what happened while I was away. Maggie is too smart for her own good anyways, I don't need to add anything to her imagination, or even create separation anxiety when I have to leave. The rest of the evening she can't leave me. The weeks we were apart was too much, but oddly she understands. I'm sure just like Lila, Cooper, and Nathaniel before her did.
My little girl finally falls asleep while we sit in the living room watching a movie. The other kids and Laura already found their way to their beds. I'll take Maggie with me when I go to my old room. "So, you want to talk about it? How is everyone?" Clint asks. He doesn't want to go back anytime soon, but he misses the people.
"It was draining in a lot of ways. The shield's back where it belongs though." Clint nods his head to me. He stands to go in the kitchen, "Want a beer?" He asks I answer with a yes. He hands it back to me. "Charlie, I've known you long enough to know this mission isn't what's bothering you. Things are good with you and Bucky?"
"Yes. They're perfect."
"So, you slept with him?" He smirks over to me.
"I slept with him, but we didn't have sex." I take a swig of my beer. Not exactly sure how I want to start this conversation.
"So, what else is there?" Clint watches my expressions.
"Did you know I was adopted?" I look over to the man who has always been there for me. He takes a deep breath, eyes staring deep into mine. And nods. "Did you know that I was in Hydra?"
He squints looking at me, trying to absorb my words, "What makes you think you were in Hydra?"
"Zemo. When we were on his plane, he had a file on me. It had Hydra's symbol on it. Clint, I remember...when I met Bucky for the first time in Bucharest, the reason that I was so quick to go with him...when I saw his eyes it was like I had seen them before."
Clint sits silently, contemplating. I watch my sleeping angel. Her lips pucker out, much in the same way that Steve's did and I smile, no longer annoyed at how much she resembles him. "Do you know who my real parents are?"
"It was a closed adoption." He answers quickly.
"Why do you think Hydra wanted me?" I glance over to the man.
He shrugs, "I don't know. But I feel you're still keeping something from me. It's not just that you're the Nighthawk." I smile. "Yeah, I know your fight patterns. Not to mention the bow you sometimes take, it's mine."
"Bucky has a theory..." I start.
"I thought you said Zemo gave you a file? What did it say?" He takes another drink of his beer but keeps his eyes focused on the TV.
"I didn't read it." He glances back over at me with his eyebrow cocked. "We were on a mission and I couldn't deal with that. Sam has the file. When we're completely done...I want to look in it with Bucky. Zemo mentioned multiple times, and others, that Bucky was involved in my time there."
"What's Bucky's theory?" He asks.
"Bucky has a theory that Hydra knew who my parents are. My real parents. Clint, my powers...they scare me."
"Why?" He asks softly.
"I feel electrical currents run through my veins...and I don't know I guess, produced, lightning."
His head quickly turns to look at me, "What do you mean?"
"It's not something I've got full control over, but the first few times when I was angry and protecting Bucky, I hit someone and lightning, well I guess electrical sparks connected with their body. And when we were fighting John for the shield and I thought he killed Bucky...it was full blown lightning. My eyes got a bit blurry, well...my vision, it was different. I threw the shield with lightning on it." I begin rambling as I recount all the things that happened that was weird. "And several people made comments about how people were after me. How my real parents weren't dead. How powerful I was. And even how my real parents had a part of my life."
"You don't think...?" He begins but I don't want him to finish.
"Don't say it...because I know what you're thinking."
"He was really fond of you." He nods his head.
"Clint...please. It could be anybody." I sigh.
"Okay, if that's what you want to tell yourself." He takes another drink of his beer. "Why are you running from it? I think you know who the obvious answer would be. But just because it's obvious doesn't make it true."
"Okay, hypothetically...he's my dad...why would he give me up for adoption?" I narrow my eyes at Clint and he shrugs.
"He did come for one day just to see you." He recounts my first night at the compound. "He also made sure to tell you bye after Tony's funeral. He didn't tell everybody bye. He watched over you when he was there. You two were connected. You were even able to communicate in his head long distances."
"Clint." I warn him. It's not like these thoughts weren't in my head.
"Although, he was rather concerned about your sex life with Steve." He smiles nodding his head.
"He called me a mere mortal."
"He's throwing you off the scent." He laughs. Nothing about this is funny. It's the first time I've vocalized any of this.
"Would it be so bad if he was your father?"
"Yeah. How am I going to get in touch with him? That only answers one half of the equation of my parents. Still doesn't answer why of all people he would give me up for adoption. How old was I when I was adopted?" I look over to Clint and he sucks air in through his teeth.
"I don't know, maybe five or six. We have a box that has all your papers, including the adoption papers, and some diaries of yours. I'll get it down from the attic."
I nod. Diaries in my own words could be helpful. "Five or six? How do I not remember that? Oh wait...Zemo told me that I was Hydra's best kept secret and the most successful brain swiping. Did you see me a lot when I was a kid?" I ask him. He shakes his head yes. "And what was I like?"
He tilts his head thinking. "Shy. A bit different. You had this stuffed bear you carried around everywhere. You called it your soldier, and you said your Mishka gave it to you. When I asked your mom who that was, she shrugged and said it was an imaginary friend and that she bought it for you."
I pull out my phone but look over to Clint. "Anything else unusual about me?" I laugh.
"You had this thing for drawing red stars. You put red stars on everything." He chuckles and quickly stops.
"Like a red star on a metal arm?" I glare over to him. And I realize just how tired I am. My phone pings and I look at it.
Why are you wanting to know if Mishka means anything in any of the languages I speak?
You could just answer the question
"Who are you texting this late?" My eyes glance at Clint with a smile. "Should have known. What are you asking?"
"If Mishka means anything in any of the languages he speaks." Clint nods his head.
"You know...reading the file would be much easier than guessing games." He focuses back on the movie.
"You forget, I don't have the file. And I want to look at it with Bucky." He nods.
Uh...in Russian it means teddy bear
You want to tell me why you're asking now?
Talking with Clint
He told me when I was a kid, I had a stuffed bear that I called my soldier, I told him that my Mishka gave it to me. Mom told him it was an imaginary friend. And he said I had a weird thing for drawing red stars.
I sit and think for a few seconds. Throwing my head back on the couch and close my eyes. "Charlie, you're making things a lot worse for yourself by refusing to read the files."
"Clint..." my phone starts ringing and I don't need to look to see who it is.
"Charlie...what's going on? All that you're telling me..."
"I know. I shouldn't have said anything to you. I should have just googled it."
"No, it's just...I don't want you going through these memories on your own. You're just talking? You don't have the file?"
"No, Sam still has the file. They're not my memories. They're Clint's. And I doubt that Hydra gave me a teddy bear anyways."
"You called it your soldier, doll. You had a thing for drawing red stars."
"Okay, and we knew that we knew each other in Hydra. You told me that you recalled me when I was kid. So, nothing new, right?"
"Yeah. Okay...okay, when this is over, I don't care about your fears, we're reading that file. Do you understand."
"Yes, Bucky, I understand."
"And we'll do it together. Did you tell Clint about your added powers?"
"Yep." My exhaustion begins to get the best of me, and I let my p pop. I feel Maggie stir underneath my arm a bit. I sit motionless hoping not to wake her.
"And?"
"And, he just wanted to make speculations about who could possibly be my father."
"He thinks it's..."
"Don't say it. Don't you dare, say it."
"Why are you afraid of his name?"
"I'm not. I just don't want to think that's my father and it possibly turn out it's not."
"He's literally the only one that makes sense."
"I don't care. Not going to talk about it.
"Fine then. Goodnight, Charlie."
"Wait...I didn't mean that." I whine not wanting to hang up.
"I know, but you sound tired. I'm tired. I should be finished here soon, okay? I love you."
"Love you too."
"If you can't sleep, we can always have the phone on later." I smile forgetting he can't actually see me.
"Do you need to do that?"
"Do you?" He laughs.
"Doubtful, I'm pretty tired."
"Would you two just hang up the phone?" Clint huffs over to me.
"Bye, doll." Bucky laughs.
"Bye, handsome." I click the phone off.
"Just seeing him one more time, and you both already have each other wrapped?"
"Shut up, old man." I stand and gather Maggie in my arms.
"Your boyfriend is older than me." He laughs. Bucky's my boyfriend. It has a nice ring to it. "Goodnight, Charlie."
"Night, Clint."
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Bucky's POV:
I watch Zemo stare up at the memorial for Sokovia. I understand why his grief brought him to this point. Negative emotions can often breed negative actions. His actions have caused a lot of turmoil in my life and more importantly people I love have been put through immeasurable pain at his hands. It is time to end this madness, and finally free myself from him.
Emotionless he stares at the structure, hearing my footsteps come ever closer to him. I watch him, waiting on him to make the first move, "I thought you'd be here sooner." He was expecting me, of course he was. His head finally glances in my direction, before his focus is back on the memorial, "Don't worry. I've decided I'm not going to kill you. Or your precious doll, Charlotte."
"Imagine my relief." I respond. My voice is flat. My right hand clutches the gun, as my left hand angrily balls in a fist.
"It's almost a shame I can't see your faces when you learn of your origins to one another." My gun clicks, he hears the motions, discerning why I'm here. An odd sense of relief crosses his face, he walks over to me, giving me his full attention now, "The girl has been radicalized beyond salvation. I warned Sam, but he didn't listen to me. He's as stubborn as Steve Rogers before him. But you...they literally programmed you to kill. The only one you ever had a weakness for was Charlotte, you know? James, do what needs to be done." I hate that he is aware of mine and Charlie's past. Why is he so interested? "Karli has people everywhere, and there's only one way to make sure she cannot continue her mission."
"I appreciate the advice." I'm over his constant droning monologuing. "But we're gonna do it our own way."
He huffs out a chuckle before his eyes look at my hand clutching onto the pistol, "Yeah. I was afraid you would say that." I click the gun again. Watching every movement in his face. He's not scared. He wants me to shoot him. He knows what he did to me, what he did to the Avengers, what he's continued to do to me, and even Charlie. He will pay for his wrongdoings.
I raise the gun, aiming it to kill him. Stone cold faced, knowing I have to do this. There is no other way. I pull back the hammer, readying the shot. He deeply inhales, closes his eyes, and welcomes his death at my hands. Nodding to me, letting me know that he's ready for this. I cock the gun, bracing myself. This is almost over. My finger tightens around the trigger and the gun just clicks.
Zemo's eyes stare back into mine. He really thought that he was still in me. That I couldn't control the Winter Soldier, that I will forever be a killer. I'm free. His face is now painted with fear instead of relief, realizing that he did not in fact get in my head. I drop the gun to my side, still unable to remove my gaze from him.
My left hand that was in a fist comes to his eyeline as I let the bullets drop to the ground. I'm free. Men like him will never have control over my body ever again. His eyes slowly close as he hears the Dora Milaje marching to apprehend him. Finally, Wakanda will have justice for King T'Chaka's death. He turns acknowledging the women, "Ladies...I took the liberty of crossing off my name in your book. I hold no grudges for what you thought you had to do. Take care of your China doll."
"She doesn't need me." I tell him. She doesn't need me to protect her. She wants me there.
"No, but she wants you." I look him in the eye, we have an understanding finally. "Goodbye, James." He whispers.
Two members of the Dora Milaje march off with Zemo, Ayo stays behind. We both watch, knowing that this is finally over. "We will take him to the Raft...Where he will live out his days. It would be prudent to make yourself scarce in Wakanda for the time being, White Wolf."
"Fair enough." Only time will make her forgive me for freeing Zemo. She nods her head, and begins walking away. "Hey!" I call out to her. Slowly her body turns to look me in the eye, "I may have another favor to ask of you."