Broken Soldier [#Wattys2015]

Chapter Fifteen

Location Unknown, Sokovia, 2015

Maria

I felt sore all over and my heart ached. How could I just let them take my daughter away? How could I just sit back and watch while she yelled for me to help her? I squeezed my eyes, trying to hold back tears and rolled over on my side. Something rustled beneath me.

"What the!?" I jolted upright, finding myself sitting under a makeshift lean-to shelter.

I clutched my head; it hurt from the sudden jolting movement.

"Where the hell am I?" I asked myself.

The lean-to seemed to be hastily made and was crafted out of branches and leaves. The main wall was a huge tree. The floor of the lean-to was covered in green leaves. There was also some sort of handmade mat on the opposite side of me.

I squeezed my eyes again, hoping that I would wake up somewhere else - it didn't work. Then I heard someone's large footsteps crunching dry leaves outside. My eyes widened in fear as I realised I too, had a metal cuff around my neck.

God help me...

I watched a shadow come closer to the entry of the lean-to and I moved as far away from the entry as humanly possible. The figure stopped abruptly, as if rethinking whether or not to come inside. After a few seconds, a dark figure entered the lean-to. A man.

"Who are you?" I asked with a strong but shaky voice.

I couldn't quite see his features as he had his head down and his shoulder length brown hair was creating a curtain between me and him. But I could see the he was reasonably tall and very muscular. He was dressed in all black leather clothing and had a single glove on his left hand - which seemed to be glinting...

"Who. Are. You?" I reiterated in a stronger, more confident voice.

He kept his head down. "You knew me." Is all he said.

My mind swirled, trying to figure out who this man was. But I could find nothing. I knew I had majority of my memories back, but something was blocking my ability to reach something to do with him. Perhaps it was the metal cuff?

He walked over to a small pile of stuff (his head still down) that was near the mat and began fumbling around with a few knives. My body shook at the thought of what he might do with them.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked, my voice all but lost it's confident sound.

His shoulders jumped up once, as if he did a small chuckle, and he shook his head.

"Why would you think that?" He questioned.

Well, the knives perhaps...

"I don't know," I replied almost shamefully.

He stopped his fumbling and dropped his hands, turning his head slightly to see me in the corner of his eye.

"You knew me," he said again.

"You already told me that," I said back.

"I know," he replied.

I sat back so I leaned against the huge tree. There seemed to be nothing I could do to get me out of this situation. Then I had an idea.

"Can I ask you a question?" I said.

"Why?" He seemed confused.

"I just need to know if you're helping me or not?" I said.

He thought for a second. "Why do you need to know?"

"No reason," I replied.

He turned his head back to look at his knives. "I don't believe you." He said. "Tell me the real reason why you want to know."

I huffed. There was no way I was going to win this one. It was like he had me all figured out.

"Because-" I paused and sighed, "They took my daughter, Valerie. I want to know if you're helping me or not so I can get my daughter back."

His body seemed to visibly soften at my response. "I'm here to help you, but you won't be going back to get your daughter."

My brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"

He lifted his right hand and knocked on the lean-to wall. Three simple taps.

Tap, tap, tap.

I was utterly confused, but then a small figure walked through the door, a smile spread widely across her little face. My heart melted.

"Valerie?" I questioned.

Somehow she smiled even more and ran over to me, arms out wide. She landed on me with a thud and wrapped me in a loving, unbreakable, hug. I hugged her back, my tears seeping into her hair.

"Miss me?" She asked cheekily.

I giggled a little, letting her cheeky comment slide. "More than you know. I thought they took you!"

She leaned back to look at me. "They did! But he saved me," she pointed at the man.

He was now standing and I could see his face easily. So familiar, yet so unrecognisable. But it hit me like a brick wall.

**********

"Oh look at you," I said as I looked him up and down.

I sat him down on the ground, his head leaning on my shoulder. He was mumbling words that I couldn't make out. I thought he was going to die.

"Look at me," he said quietly.

I turned my head at his request and he smiled. It was so good to see him smile. As I was about to turn my head back he held my cheek with his hand and kissed me. I wasn't sure what to do at that moment, so I kissed him back. That's when I realised something; I was so in love with James Barnes.

**********

"Barnes?" I questioned, unbelieving.

He looked right at me, as if the name didn't register but he knew that it belonged to him. He wasn't the same man that I'd fallen in love with all those years ago. This man had been through hell and back - he was broken.

I gently shifted Valerie off me, her curious eyes locked onto my every move, and stood up. Slowly, I walked over to Barnes, studying his face ever so carefully. He tensed and took a step backwards, as if he were a frighted animal.

"Is it really you?" I was pretty much crying by then.

He showed no literal recognition, but he knew that I was right.

"Yes," he said quietly.

Without thinking, I threw myself at him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He shied violently and fell backwards, rolling so I was beneath him. His stare was cold and his jaw was set firm.

"Barnes?" I tried to speak but he pinned me to the ground with his arms and legs.

It was as if a switch had been flicked in his mind and his personality suddenly changed - like me and Nova. He was now a different person.

"James!" I cried.

His eyes finally registered who I was and he changed again, getting off me quickly and hastily rushing outside. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at Valerie, who was absolutely stunned and unmovable.

"You ok?" I asked her breathlessly.

She nodded slowly, her eyes still wide with shock and fear at what had just happened.

What happened to him?