Ailwéns Story

Friends

"Would you say you were her friend?" Stark asked as he walked towards the holding cells where they had transferred Ailwén until they could understand what had happened  Barnes shrugged and held the door open for him. His heart broke as he saw Ailwen sitting in the bare cell they hadn't even allowed her out for her fathers funeral.
"Hey" he began and she looked at him.
"Now what brings a nice boy like you to a dump like this? She drawled.
"Visiting a friend?" he grinned sliding a pack of grapes through the small gap. "They can't keep you here for ever Ail. I thought you might like to talk to someone they controlled as well" he sighed.
"I knew I shouldn't do what Brock told me but it was like I was a  passenger in my own body." she admitted "there's gaps where I don't know what happened to me. Am I really this dangerous?" She asked motioning to the cell walls.
"No" replied Stark through the speaker "but we needed to make sure you weren't under any one's control and Wanda thinks she's cleared any programming out so your moving to the Tower. Your apartment was destroyed so for the time being your stuck with us." Barnes winced at Tonys blunt statement and held out a hand to help her to her feet. Barnes gently led her out of her cell knowing that if she reacted in any way he could control the situation. As they reached the lift she stopped and looked back at the cell wondering if she should just return there if it would be better for everyone she just returned there.

Cautiously Ailwén walked into the room she has been assigned and looked at the boxes piled on her bed. She opened the first and stared inside, sighing she picked out the picture of her and Kelly opening his dream bar and held it to her chest sitting on the bed forlornly looking at her surroundings.

A short while later a gentle knock on the door made her focus and Pepper Potts beckoned her. Obediently she followed and found herself in the gym where Barnes was waiting for her. She knew she had to pass a fitness test as well as her physical before they allowed her back to work but Ailwén didn't think she would be in the field for a long time.
"I thought it would be better if your assessment was done by me than Steve" He explained and she nodded. Maybe hitting something would help with the hollow feeling in her stomach. For a moment she was lost in her last memory of Kelly pouring whisky behind the bar. Automatically as Barnes fist came towards her she defended herself and the super soldier found himself flat on his back.
"My turn" a voice from the side announced and Alwén found herself facing the black widow.
"Well she can still fight" Stark observed as he and Steve watched her effortlessly take down a super soldier and the black widow.
"From what I heard she could have done this before she was kidnapped" Steve informed him  "I want her in the the Tower where we can keep an eye on her". He added before they left.
Ailwén sat silently in her room deciding not to go down for dinner when Jarvis told her they were serving choosing instead to look through the remains of her clothes for something she could run in. Quietly she put in her headphones and used the back route to the gym and found an empty treadmill and ignored everyone else that was in there and started to run. This was when she thought her best if ever she had something to mull over she would just run and let her mind wander until she came up with a solution. Unfortunately there was nothing she could do to get out of her current situation . As she ran she noticed a red light flash in the corridor and slowing her machine she jumped off and went into the corridor. The alarm seemed to be blaring but it was soundless. Carefully wondering why no one was responding and then she saw the bodies and she knew she was back in her nightmare. Normally there was just Kelly but this time Rogers and Barnes were on the floor with a skull masked man standing over them. Cautiously she moved towards him her hands outstretched and as she looked down she could see blood on them and she began to scream.
Rogers narrowly beat Barnes into the room his heart breaking as she was obviously seeing something terrifying in her dream. Cautiously Bucky took hold of her hands and placed them on his chest so she could feel his heart beat.

Whimpering Ailwén seemed to wake up muttering.
"Your alive, your both alive oh thank god" and then she almost instantly collapsed back into sleep. Carefully Barnes lay her back down and pulled the covers over her sighing as he did so.
"What the hell is she dreaming Steve?" He murmured moving a stray long curl out of her eyes and moved away from the bed. The moment he let go of her hands she started to whimper again. Reluctantly he lay down next to her and allowed her to move against him almost instantly calming down.
"Looks like your sleeping here" Steve smirked and left the room.

Ailwén woke in the darkness and tried to move only to discover she was being held in someone's arms and for a moment she thought she was back in Hydra with Brock, his tendency to hold her whilst he slept had been his one saving grace that brought her comfort because she could pretend it was someone who really cared for her. Slowly she slipped out of the arms and the bed curling up on the corner sofa shaking. Until she sorted out her feelings she couldn't allow herself become dependent on anyone else.