Captain America: Civil War (Charlotte Stark)

Ch. 12 We'll Be There

Steve wrote Tony a letter and bought a burner phone for him to use, in case something happened in the future. I did the same.

This was Steve's letter:

Tony,
I'm glad you're back at the compound. I don't like the idea of you rattling around a mansion by yourself. We all need family. The Avengers are yours, maybe more so than mine.
I've been on my own since I was eighteen... I never really fit in anywhere. Even in the army. My faith's in... people, I guess. Individuals. And, I am happy to say, for the most part they haven't let me down. Which is why I can't let them down, either. Locks can be replaced, but maybe they shouldn't.
I know I hurt you, Tony. I guessed I thought by not telling you about your parents, I was sparing you. But... I can see now that I was really sparing myself. And I'm sorry. Hopefully one day you can understand. I wished we'd agree on the accords. I really do. I know you're doing what you believe in.
And that's all any of us can do. That's all any of us should. So, no matter what, I promise you: If you need us, if you need me, I'll be there.

This was my letter:

Brother,
I don't expect you to understand right now why I protected Bucky from your wrath. So I'm going to try and explain it to you.
My time in Red Room was similar to his time at Hydra. I was brainwashed into cooperating, tortured if I didn't do what I was told, and forced into complying. I didn't want to kill anyone for them, but here I am, a killer assassin.
I found out it was Bucky only a few hours before you did. And if it's any consolation, I slapped him across the face. Then I found out Steve knew, and punched him in the nose. But I forgave them. Because resentment can be corrosive, and I hate it.
No matter what happens, I love you. I always will. You're my family, the Avengers are my family, and I'm sorry it had to come down to this. But if you ever need me, or Steve, please call. Because no matter the distance or the anger between us, we will always be there.

—————————————————————————

"You sure about this?" asked Steve as Bucky sat on the edge of an examination table in a laboratory built deep in the remotest reaches of the Wakandan jungle. T'Challa and I stood a few steps off, letting them have their moment as old friends.

"I can't trust my own mind," Bucky said. The stump of his cybernetic arm was carefully wrapped in a sealant, with tape over it. He leaned back into the stasis capsule, which T'Challa had built specifically for him. T'Challa was as skilled an engineer as Tony Stark. There were thousands of brilliant minds in Wakanda, mostly cut off from the rest of the world—though that would begin to change now. It would be a benefit to both Wakanda and the world. T'Challa only wished it had not taken the Lagos disaster and his father's death to bring it about.

"So," Bucky went on, "until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head, I think going back under is the best thing... for everybody." I walked over to the men, wanting to say my final goodbyes to Bucky.

"I'm gonna miss you. Rest easy, buddy." I tell him. He smiles.

"Goodnight, Charlie."

The capsule closed and its interior frosted over instantly as he slipped into the frozen stasis.

"Thank you for this," Rogers said quietly.

"Your friend and my father, they are both victims," T'Challa said. "If I can help one of them find peace..."

"You know," I said, "if they find out he's here, they'll come for him."

T'Challa didn't bat an eyelash. He looked out the windows, at the expanse of misty jungle—and at the giant statue of a black panther, a warning to anyone who might threaten Wakanda and awaken the anger of its protector.

"Then let them try," he said.