Shadows and Secrets Book Three (A MCU FanFic)

Chapter 4: Sober

Marjorie's POV

Marjorie slowly drifted awake to an unfamiliar setting and a head that felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

"WhereamI?" she slurred, sitting up with alarm. Or, at least, tried to—she wobbled and fell back down.

"Careful," warned Bucky. "I think you still have the drug in your system; your pupils are still dilated."

"Bucky?" Marjorie reached for his face but missed. He picked up her hand and held it to the side of his face.

The room was slowly coming into focus. "Why are we at my dorm?" she recognized.

"Erik wanted to bring you here, to XSGY," he explained. "You fell asleep on the plane, whatever they gave you really did a number on you. What do you remember?"

Marjorie frowned and tried to sort through blurry memories. She got a flash of a dark room and someone holding a cloth to her face, and a glimpse of a brighter room with four people standing around her wearing lab coats.

"I remember being taken, and a bit of a brighter room... but everything's all fuzzy and I–" her voice broke "–I can't—I don't know—I—"

"Hey, stop," interrupted Bucky in a soothing tone, "it's okay, I'm here. The memories will come back once your brain processes the ordeal and the drugs are out of your system. It's going to be okay, I'm here."

Marjorie relaxed while he kept repeating "I'm here" and "I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Is everyone else here?" she asked, looking around the room like she expected an audience. Vaguely, Marjorie noted that the drug they had given her really did do a number on her, physically and mentally. She had always been a lightweight.

"No, Doll," he said patiently. "Everyone's okay, but the rest of the Avengers are at one of Nat's safe houses. Erik took us here separately."

"Erik?"

"He helped rescue you, remember?"

Marjorie thought back to the brighter room, and slowly recalled Erik kneeling next to her. He had asked her if she was okay... "I remember now. Erik let you stay?"

He tilted his head to the side in a gesture of so-so-ness. "Wade stepped in, and Xavier said I could after reading my mind."

Marjorie wrinkled her brow. "Professor Xavier?"

"Yes, Doll. I'll tell you the whole story when you're sober." Bucky flattened the worry line on her forehead with his thumb and Marjorie relaxed into the gentle touch.

"Bucky?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I have help to sit up?"

"Yes, of course, Doll." He gently guided her into an upright position. "Do you need anything else? What can I do?"

"Do you know what they did to me?"

"No." Marjorie heard the sadness leaking into his voice even in her drugged state. "But Steve didn't mention you ever being away from the group. Though, he was only conscious part of the time."

Marjorie thought about that, and cringed away when her imagination filled with doctors holding scalpels and strapping her down to an operation table. "Bucky?"

"Yes, Doll?"

"I want to take a shower," she requested. She needed to feel clean; she could still smell the sharp chemicals scent of the doctors and their drugs.