Broken Glass (Book 4)

2.7

I could feel a lot of eyes on me. Steve stood protectively in front of Bucky as Tony launched himself at him. Steve held him back. I look up at Bucky, tears in my eyes. "Clara..." Tony glared at Bucky, pointing a finger at him.

"Don't talk to her." Tony threatens. I can't control my breathing as I continue crying. I hate Bucky. I hate that I can't hate him. I hate that I love him.

I shake my head.

No. I don't hate Bucky. I love James Buchanan Barnes. I hate the Winter Soldier. I hate HYDRA. With tears still running down my face, I turn around, looking at Tony and Bucky. I want to hug Tony, but not like this, not when he is still in his suit. "Did you know?" Tony asks Steve, turning to him.

"I didn't know it was him." Steve mumbles. I look back at him. He knew they were murdered and he didn't tell me?

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?" Tony yells.

"Yes." Steve mumbles, looking away. Tony steps back, his chin jutting upwards. Tony reengages the Iron Man helmet. He punches Steve to the floor and deflects gunfire from Bucky, disarming him. He grabs Bucky and flies across the chamber. He slams him onto the floor, then jumps on his arms. I run over to them, trying to pull Tony off of Bucky.

"Tony!" I yell, but even using my super-strength, I couldn't pull him off. He was too angry. Steve threw me his shield and I hit Tony, pushing him off of Bucky.

Tony used his blasters and I wasn't quick enough to block it. The blast threw me back. Usually I would get right back up again but I felt my head hit the pillar. The last thing I saw was Bucky and Steve fighting Tony.

Then it went black.

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I woke up seeing T'Challa looking down on me. I raised my hand to the back of my head, but I didn't feel anything except for a bump. My head hurt like hell. I probably have a concussion. He held out his hand for me to grab onto and I did.

I looked around, trying to find the boys but they were gone. And then I remembered the last thing I saw... Tony was going to kill Bucky. T'Challa led me outside, where the doctor was sitting, his phone in his hand. He was listening to a message. "I almost killed the wrong man." T'Challa says, standing behind him.

"Hardly an innocent one." I wanted to kill that man, but T'Challa wouldn't let me.

"This is all you wanted? To see them rip each other apart." I ask him, refusing to sit down anywhere near him.

"My father lived outside the city. I thought we would be safe there. My son was excited. He could see Iron Man from the car window. I told my wife, "Don't worry. They are fighting in the city. We're miles from harm." When the dust cleared... and the screaming stopped. It took me two days until I found their bodies. My father... still holding my wife and son in his arms. And the Avengers? They went home. I knew I couldn't kill them. More powerful men than me have tried. But, if I could get them to kill each other... I'm sorry about your father. He seemed a good man. With a dutiful son." The doctor said.

"Vengeance has consumed you. It's consuming them." T'Challa said, blinking as he retracts the claws in his gloves. "I am done letting it consume me. Justice will come soon enough." The doctor picked up a gun and smiled.

"Tell that to the dead." He tries to shoot himself, but T'Challa puts his hand over the gun just as it was fired, and as I yank the doctor down to the ground.

"The living are not done with you yet." T'Challa says, as I have the doctor in a chokehold.

T'Challa took the doctor, whose name is Helmut Zemo, back to the quinjet in handcuffs. He would watch over him until I got back from saving my friends. I was just afraid it would be too late.

When I ran back into the building I heard metal clashing on metal. I ran faster, as I saw Bucky laying on the ground, his eyes shut as his metal arm having been ripped off. Tony and Steve continued to fight as I ran over to Bucky. His eyes fluttered open as I touched his face, looking down at him. "You're ok." I brushed his hair out of his face, smiling. He wasn't dying. He was just done fighting. He was tired but he was ok. And he was going to live.

I got up from where I was just in time to see Steve raise up the shield as he was crouched over Tony. "Stop! Both of you stop!" Both of their heads turn towards me, seeing the disappointment in my eyes. "This is what he wanted. To tear us apart." I stare at them. "You can't kill each other." Steve looked back and forth between me and Tony. "Put down the shield Steven." He looked back at me and I saw how truly wounded they both were. Both of their faces would need stitches. Steve got up, taking the shield with him as he walked away, back to Bucky.

"That shield doesn't belong to you." Steve doesn't turn around, as he picks up Bucky. "You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!" Steve stops, raises his chin, then drops the shield and walks away with Bucky's arm around his shoulder.

I kneeled down next to Tony and I saw the tears in his eyes as he started to cry. I wiped his tears away when he looked at me. "I'm so sorry I hurt you Clara." I helped him up, putting one of his arms around me as I led him to his plane. T'Challa was already in there, Zemo by his side in cuffs. I got onto the plane with Tony.