behind blue eyes [bucky barnes]

onehundredandtwo

"First you get hurt, then you feel sorry."

Song: First by Cold War Kids

. . . . .

In the morning, once everyone had gotten up and moving, Tony called a meeting in the barn. It was comical to see all of these superheroes scattered around in the midst of hay and farming equipment. Maria was seated next to Bucky on the hood of the tractor, watching as everyone filtered in.

"Alright, alright! Everyone, listen up," Tony said, clapping his hands together and summoning everyone to gather around. "Now, we have all had a rough past few months - some of us more than others. But our fight is only beginning."

"What exactly are we fighting, Mr. Stark," Peter asked as he sat close to Wanda and Will. All eyes turned to Maria, seeing as she was the one who knew the truth of everything. The girl took a deep breath and felt Bucky's hand squeeze her thigh.

"As some of you may know, Steve and I spent the last year or so searching for Will, who we thought was working as a rogue HYDRA operative in search of the team. This led us to numerous individuals that pointed us in the direction of the true culprit and mastermind behind the attacks. It was Secretary Ross. After spending a few days on the Raft, I verified this information. And then," she said, pausing to take a deep breath. "Then we found Will, who told us more about the story. Apparently Ross has been HYDRA the entire time. Everything he has done has been HYDRA sanctioned. And, for the past few years, he has even been the head of the organization."

Bewildered did not begin to cover the looks on everyone's faces. Maria's head ached as an uproar began once the processing had finished. Everyone had something to say.

"What does he want with all of us, Maria?"

"A- Apparently..."

"Thaddeus Ross was Grant Ward's biological father," Bucky said for Maria in response to Bruce's question. Everyone held their breath as Rhodey spoke up.

"So, what you're saying is that since you killed his son, now this bastard is gunning for all of us?"

Maria felt her heart plummet into her stomach. She nodded her head and lowered her eyes as she carried the weight on her shoulders. In her mind, her adoptive uncle wasn't wrong. It was her fault.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

Nobody had an answer. It was an impossible question that had an impossible answer. Maria felt Bucky's eyes staring at her, but she couldn't bear to look at him, let alone anyone else. The girl felt ashamed and guilty.

"Maria," he whispered in her ear. "This isn't your fault."

"How can you say that? I killed his son. Of course he would retaliate by coming for my family too."