THE FADING FALLEN ● Bucky Barnes X OC ● 18+ ● ENGLISH [COMPLETE]

Chapter 48

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New York, 2018

It had been almost three months since the blip.

The painful cramps started a few days earlier. Emilia didn't really pay attention to them. After all, she assumed it was a signal from her body trying to cope with the loss, grief and strain.

She didn't really eat or drink anything. Like the rest of the Avengers, she was too busy trying to sort out the mess left behind.

Caught in her own time loop, Emilia didn't notice how the weeks passed. A day felt like eternity for her. Therefore, it was not surprising why she didn't care about her missing period.

The dull everyday life trotted along and slowly the careless handling of her body and psyche became apparent. Despite the insomnia, she couldn't get a wink of sleep.

Floppy and without energy, she dragged herself through the empty headquarter to the meeting room. She had just returned from a small shelter outside the city to check on the residents there.

The pain in her abdomen was almost unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the sorrow in her soul.

"You look worse every day. Do you think Barnes, Shuri, or any of the others would have wanted you to wander through life like a phantom?"

Emilia only gave Natasha's concerned words a weary shrug. Even at the mention of Bucky's name, she didn't respond.

"Where do I go next fo... Ugh!"

With one hand propped on the large table and the other holding her stomach, she bent down over it.

"I thought it wasn't that bad? Damn it, Emilia... why don't you get yourself a check-up? This really cannot keep going on like this!"

Natasha had rushed toward her, but her helping hand was rudely slapped away.

"I'm fine, Nat. Just give me something to do."

Before she could even reply to Emilia's icy demeanor, her phone rang.

"Hey, Steve. Whats going on?"

With a reproving look, Natasha pointed to one of the screens. On it was surveillance footage of what used to be a fairly decadent residential neighborhood on the outskirts of town. Already it was dominated only by criminality and violence.

Emilia knew where it was and nodded briefly before turning around.

"Good, let's keep an eye on it then. By the way, I have another problem here right now... Yeah, right. She's still refusing. Stubborn like never before."

Hearing Natasha's reproachful voice still behind her, Emilia paused as she left the room.

The familiar feeling of premonition spread through her. She couldn't see the images clearly. It was more like a single dark hole spreading out before her. She felt nothing. Neither something good, nor something bad.

A little irritated, she slid back from this more than unusual situation.

The sudden unbearable pain was as if someone rammed a blunt sword right through her. There was no other way she could describe it. 

From one second to the next, everything went black in front of Emilia's eyes. Through the darkening veil, she could only see herself falling to the ground.

The next thing she remembered was the ceiling lights passing by quickly above her. For a few seconds she regained consciousness.

Hectic voices could be heard in the empty hallway. Among them was the rather insistent one of Natasha: "Then stop the bleeding, goddammit!"