𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄 | 𝟏𝟖+

46 || end of the line

        "The other agents?" he questioned carefully.

        "Alive." 

        "What the hell happened?" 

         Natasha's mind flitted back to the way her and the two other agents watched in horror as Viktor attempted to reinstate Barnes' compliance, the way each word echoed around the room - filling each and every person with dread for what was about to come. 

        "I have the coordinates from where we were being held in Siberia," she informed Steve quietly. "They brought Barnes there and tried to turn him back -" 

        "Siberia?" Steve repeated incredulously. 

        "What happened to James?" Amelia wondered out loud, her fingers fumbling with her bottom lip as she spoke. 

        Amelia mentally prepared herself for the worst possible outcome - or, outcomes - as she tugged at the hem of James' t-shirt. This was it. This was the moment her nightmare would be deemed true. How could it not? It was what James had constantly warned her about, the possibility of Hydra taking back what they thought was rightfully theirs, and she never listened to him. She was too certain that she was phenomenal at her job, too confident. 

        "Hydra attempted to restore his compliance to them and then ordered him to kill us," Natasha explained, her eyes growing softer as she watched Amelia fiddle with her shirt anxiously. "But it didn't work, and Barnes wanted me to tell you that, that it didn't work." 

        Natasha wasn't completely sure why Barnes was so adamant on getting this information to his therapist then, but now -standing here and physically watching the relief wash over Amelia, she knew exactly why he needed her to know that. The beast was capable of feelings, after all. 

        "He's okay? Where is he?" Amelia let out a deep breath as her tense shoulders relaxed. 

        "Barnes let us escape. All he said was to tell Amelia that it didn't work," Romanoff's brow furrowed slightly as her eyes looked back at Steve. "And to tell Rogers... capătul liniei?" 

        Amelia's eyebrows knitted together at the foreign language she didn't recognize, her chestnut eyes flickering to Steve - dread engulfing her she watched his body turn frigid, his shoulders tensing up at Natasha's news. 

        "W-what does that mean?" Amelia asked faintly. 

        Steve brought his hand up to rub his chin anxiously as he paced back and forth for a few seconds. "Nat, go tell Tony that we're ready to go," he mumbled in an unsure voice. "Get a Quinjet ready for us, as well." 

        Amelia's mouth parted slightly as she repeated herself a little more harshly. "Rogers, what does that mean?" 

        It meant that Buck needed him now - they agreed to never say that phrase to each other unless it meant that they were in trouble. They had never even used the phrase until this point. Just hearing those words leave Nat's mouth sent chills down Rogers' spine. 

        Ignoring Amelia completely, Steve hurried back down the corridor towards the living room, just as Natasha nodded affirmatively, sending Amelia an apologetic glance, before boarding the elevator once more. 

        Spinning on her heels, Amelia followed Steve's fleeting figure as he rushed around the living room, grabbing his things in a rather panicked manner that didn't leave her feeling too great about the situation at hand. "Steve, please," she squeaked. 

        The sound of her begging made his blue eyes lift to meet hers, looking just as freaked out as Amelia felt. "It means end of the line." 

        Goosebumps raised across her exposed skin, traveling down her arms and legs, as she realized that this was not the first time that she had heard those words. She distinctly remembered James exchanging those exact words with Steve before he left. 

        "No," she whispered, shaking her head. 

        "Buck would never say that unless he was in trouble." 

        Water filled in the corner of her eyes as she continued to watch Steve as he shoved his key-card in his back pocket and slip on his boots,  almost falling over a couple of times as he attempted to be too quick. 

        James was in trouble.

        James was in trouble. 

        "Let me go with you," Amelia blurted out. 

        "Rose," he trailed off weakly, tilting his head as he gave her a sympathetic look. "You know he would kill me if I let you tag along on something like this."    

         "I have to make sure he's okay."      

         "The team will make sure he's okay, and you'll stay here where it's safe. I'll make sure you stay updated, I promise you." 

        Amelia clenched her jaw tightly to keep from completely losing it as she rubbed her arms gingerly, pleading with Steve through her eyes. 

        "I just can't, Amelia," he murmured, his voice cracking at the end. 

        "I can't just stay here," she croaked out, a tear sliding down her cheek despite her struggle to keep the tears at bay. 

        After all she had been through, after all James had been through, it felt entirely wrong to sit here and wait it out. She owed it to him to see this through to the end, even if she wasn't quite sure what the end consisted of. She owed it to him to tell him how she felt about him, to tell him that he was capable of being loved. He needed to know how loved he was. 

        Steve walked over to her slowly, wrapping his arms around her petite frame. "I'm sorry, you know I'm sorry. This is the one thing that I just can't do." 

        She nodded against Steve's chest, blinking away the tears that just kept coming, knowing what it was that she had to do. 

        "I have to go, Rose. I'm sorry." 

        Amelia shoved her arms behind her back, rocking back and forth on her feet nervously, as her hazel eyes watched Rogers practically run down the hallway to hop on the elevator. As soon as his retreating figure was no where to be seen, she brought the key-card from behind her back that she had swiped from Steve's back pocket just moments ago as they were hugging. 

        There was no way in hell that she wasn't going with them.