𝗀 𝗁 𝗈 𝗌 𝗍 | | 𝗌 𝗍 𝖾 𝗏 𝖾 𝗋 𝗈 𝗀 𝖾 𝗋 𝗌

𝗌 𝗂 𝗑 𝗍 𝗒 － 𝖿 𝗈 𝗎 𝗋

𑁍 𝟤𝟢𝟣𝟪, 𝗎𝗉𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗒𝗈𝗋𝗄 ＆ 𝖽𝗎𝖻𝗅𝗂𝗇, 𝗂𝗋𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖽 𑁍

MARTA HAD IMMENSE PRESSURE ON her now. Ross had put the blame of Vision's disappearance on her, and she now had to find him. It had been two years. Two, lonely, painful, and depressing years. Marta had made a life for herself. It wasn't much, but it was enough. She hadn't spoken to her husband since he left her in the night, nine months prior. She was at terms with his absence now. They weren't meant to be together, she couldn't do anything about it now.

        Bucky was surprisingly doing better than she was. They talked on the phone every night, and every night, Marta pretended like she wasn't drunk. Many times the conversation shifted to Marta's alcoholism, and she brushed it off. She just needed a way to get through the silent nights in the empty compound. Tony and Rhodey lived full time in New York. Rhodey worked in the compound with Marta, so he was there nearly every day, but Marta was the only permanent resident.

        She was okay with it, though. No one bothered her. Maybe one day she would move out, live somewhere else, but not anytime soon. She couldn't live in Brooklyn without Steve and Bucky. Marta worked constantly to stay busy. Every week, she went to the graveyard in Brooklyn where her parents and sister were buried.  People watched her from a distance. They used to ask for pictures, but Marta's hiding and her constant blank expression led the public to believe she didn't want to be bothered.

        "Yes, I understand the mission. Follow the leads, call for backup if necessary." Marta said with an eye roll, standing with Rhodey in front of a hologram of Ross that was projected into the compound.

        "I'm not sure I can trust you to follow through with this, Lieutenant." Ross said, angering Marta immensely.

       Marta remained calm. "Mr. Secretary, this is a simple search. I can handle it. If I get anything promising, I'll bring it in." she said smoothly, hands clasped behind her back.

        Ross was silent for a moment. She had signed the Accords and attempted to bring in the six war criminals two years ago. He figured he could trust her, especially now that she was Hydra free. "Okay. Dismissed." Ross said stoically, removing his hologram from the compound.

        Rhodey turned to look at Marta. "What if you find him?" he asked. He would've gone with her, but he wasn't sent, so he couldn't.

        Marta shrugged. "I'll try to bring him in." she said simply. Vision's tracker had been on the fritz, so Marta had to find him and check that everything was alright. Bringing him in was an added bonus.

         Rhodey nodded, and Marta packed a small bag. Putting on simple clothes, guns in her back pockets, Marta braided her hair and bid Rhodey goodbye. She boarded her jet and flew to the coordinates Ross had sent her. Ireland. Marta had never been. She landed her jet and headed into the town of Dublin, following the directions her watch projected. That was an update done by Tony.

        Sam, Steve and Natasha were watching over Vision and Wanda outside of the city. Somehow, Marta didn't catch them hiding as she moved into town. Her hearing caught movement, and Marta looked right at them. She saw bright blue eyes staring back at her, but she kept moving. Now, Marta should've discovered who the eyes belonged to, but she knew who it was, and she didn't want to talk to him, and Ross would never know. She kept moving.

        "Anything?" Ross asked, his radio transmissions from New York connected to Marta's comms.

        "Not yet." Marta answered as she walked, leaving those bright blue eyes behind. It was better that way.

        "He was sighted deeper into the city." Ross said, and Marta rolled her eyes.

        After hours of searching, it was clear that even if Vision had been there, he wasn't anymore.  "Ross, there's nothing. I'd say just have your tech guys keep trying to reconnect his tracker. There's nothing I can do here." Marta said, already beginning to make her way back to her jet.

        Ross sighed. "Copy. Head back. Good effort, Lieutenant." Ross spoke, and Marta was surprised at how nice he was being to her.

        Marta looked for the eyes on her way back through Ireland. They weren't there anymore, and she could relax. She headed back to New York, letting off steam by training before her call with Bucky. She had a session with Rhodey, and he was running now. They had started putting him in his suit, and he was doing great. Marta was extremely pleased with his progress.

        Over the next few weeks, things were the same. The occasional recon mission between patients, calls with an enthusiastic Bucky every night, and yet Marta still felt empty. She figured she always would. Marta leant out her bedroom window with a drink one night, watching the sun set over the lake outside the compound. Her luck had run out, but she was alive. She had started making amends, trying to atone for what she had done. There was a pardon pending, but Marta doubted it would go through. That was just the life went. She would have to get used to it.

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