III: The Soldier and the Fairy Queen: Red Eve

II: Cold Water

Tatiana leaned back onto the side of the bed, watching the small television balancing precariously on the edge of her oak dresser. "As Abraham Lincoln said after the Battle of Gettysburg--" the documentary sounded extraordinarily loud. The monologue swam out the door and echoed down the empty hallway.

As far as she knew, only Steven was in the house, besides her. He was on the other side, where the men's bedrooms were. Wanda had left to meet Vision in Vermont as soon as they'd touched down, which was almost six hours ago. Samuel was with Marcielle at the movies, and Natalia wouldn't arrive until around four in the morning, so she said. There was an empty room that belonged to Mr. Barton, but he had only occupied it for a couple days after Tatiana had bought the house.

It was a grand house in upstate New York, bought under a fake name with money filtered through dozens of accounts, even though Tatiana was not publicly linked with the 'criminals' who'd refused to sign the Sokovia Accords last year. Tatiana and Steven had picked it out after the Raft Prison breakout. It was built in 1901, and had kept almost everything except it's wallpaper, furnace, and kitchen. The only troublesome thing about it was the water heater, which had broken down four times since they'd moved in. The house was spacious, but now that roominess was working against her, amplifying every sound. She reached for the remote and turned the television off.

The silence permeated her every enhanced cell. She hated it. Tatiana almost wished she did have a date, just to escape the quietness. She stood and walked over to her desk. The papers she'd printed out earlier stared back at her.

The coordinates the woman in Panama had recited led to an insignificant spot in the Swiss Alps. She wondered again at what the woman had said, seconds before she died. 'HYDRA is dead. Long live LAZARUS!' What-- or who-- was Lazarus? A person, an organization, a country (it wouldn't be the first time)? Tatiana's mind cleared for a second. Her subconscious picked up on a noise. She cocked her head and listened again.

She went out into the hallway, padding down the wood floors with silent feet. She strode through the kitchen and sitting room. The sound was rising in volume, but it was still a muffled wail, dying down a bit just to start again. She reached the men's quarters and peered down to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

She heard a shower running, and the wailing sound intensified. It was sobbing. But only Steven was in the house, so-? Her heart dropped down to her feet as she tip-toed to the open bathroom door and peered in. Her eyes were met with a soaking-wet, trembling, and very naked Steven Rogers curled up on the blue tiles.

She shivered and looked down at the little puddle that had formed in the hallway. Great. Damage Control time. She yanked open the small linen closet beside the bathroom and hauled a pile of towels into the bathroom. She felt an idea come on in her mind and she leaned over to touch the water pouring from the shower head.

Her suspicions were confirmed as soon as the icy-cold water hit her fingertips. The heater had broken down again. Tatiana leaned farther, almost falling into the clawfoot tub. She turned the dial and the shower cut off, leaving just the sound of Steven's sobs to fill the empty air. Tatiana grabbed a towel and kneeled beside Steven on the cold, wet floor.

The man was shaking, and he'd shoved his knuckles into his mouth, presumably to stiffle his cries. Beads of freezing water dripped off every part of him.

Tatiana started to dab at him with the towel, narrowing her vision to only what she needed to see, "Hey, Steven. Steven, dear, it is okay. You are not there. You are here, on the bathroom floor." She paused and pulled him up into a seated position, pretending to be calm. Her sock feet slipped on the floor and she fell forward.

Tatiana scraped her temple against the corner of the countertop before she caught herself on the toilet. She touched the cut and hissed. Her fingers came away bloody.