When You Were Never Mine: Part 3

I Know What I Saw

When you arrived at the hastily agreed upon meeting point that Walker came up with, there was no one in sight. It was a dark and eerie old warehouse, the only sound around you an annoying constant drip in the distance, just loud enough to grate on your nerves and add to your already incessant anxiety over the situation. You ventured out slowly to look around into each corner, details hidden by shadows and lifting clouds of dust as your feet moved across the uneven surface of the old concrete floor. You had no idea why Walker would choose a place like this other than if he wanted complete removal from view; to hide something that he trusted you with, though you had no inclination as to where trust would come from. You had no idea who the other was beyond name and loose associations. Maybe he was counting on your life as an Avenger to define your character, or maybe it wasn't that at all; maybe it was your Stark name and resources that he needed. He wasn't exactly held in the best regard after his antics across the world in such a short time as Captain America, and maybe he needed a well-known face to represent him.

He must have forgotten that Steve was your friend. One of your best friends, and to see this guy carry the shield made you physically ill. Whatever it was, you wanted nothing to do with it. You had only one purpose and reason for even being here, and he would soon know exactly what that was.

"Walker?" you whispered harshly, as loudly as you could without being too obvious. "Walker, are you here? Walker...OW! What the hell?!" you shouted out, feeling a stab into your thigh as you turned one of the dark corners into the next room. "Son of a bitch!"

"Quiet!" Walker snapped. "Just sit down before that kicks in."

"Before what...kicks in?" You stumbled slightly, feeling your head quickly begin to swim and your vision cloud over. "What did you do?"

"Started an experiment."

Grabbing your head, you leaned against the nearest wall, feeling his hands take your arms but you couldn't shake him away. Your feet felt heavy, then up your legs and to your torso, followed by a searing heat that built in your chest and felt as if you could breathe fire. If only you could, you might have a chance of getting away. "Walker-"

"Just sit down, okay?" he urged. "It won't take long. Just try to relax."

"Relax?! What did you do?!"

"I couldn't take it myself until I could see it with my own eyes. I had to guarantee the serum was safe first, and you were willing to meet."

"The...the serum? Are you fucking kidding me?!" You slid down the wall, pushing your hands against it to try to stay up, knowing that if you gave in then you'd be fully at his mercy. You tried to connect with Bucky, the first time in so long, hoping that he was open to you so that he would know, but you had ruined that chance with your last meeting. You gave it all of your might to stay on your feet, but they betrayed you and you finally fell to the ground. "I don't want this."

"I'm sorry, (Y/N)," he answered flatly, his expression lifeless from the little of it you could still see. "But if this works, I have big plans for us. Plans that you'll follow if you ever want to go home and see Morgan again."

~~~

The next time your eyes opened, the warehouse was gone. You felt like you had slept for an eternity, and the energy you had lost was returned in excess that made your body yearn for movement and your brain eager for stimulation. Bright lights now took the place of deep shadows, and you no longer sat on an unforgiving dirty floor; instead, you felt the comfort of a soft bed and warm linens, clean and crisp around you, almost impossible to deny until you saw his face staring back at you.

"You're awake," John sighed. "I was starting to worry."

"Where am I?"

"You're safe, don't worry."