His Angel

More to the Story

A dark figure walked up.

"How many?" the sailor, Michael, asked in low voice.

"Two." came the gruff reply.

A wad of cash hit the ground at the sailor's feet. He nodded picking it up and turning to his boat. The figure moved forward into the light. Michael raised an eyebrow at the sight of the unconscious young woman in the man's arms. Then he simply turned and looked away. The man boarded the ship and Michael pulled up the anchor before climbing aboard himself.

"Rooms are below deck," he stated, "Bathrooms on your left."

The man didn't say anything, simply followed the directions. He found a room on the far end of the ship with two beds in it. On one bed, he laid the young woman down. She didn't stir in the slightest. He stared down at her for several silent seconds. Then he turned and left the room locking the door behind him. Michael's son noticed the man leaving the room. His eyes widened at the sight of the man's metal hand.

"Dad," the young boy called as he headed back up to the top deck.

Michael looked up from where he'd been coiling the rope from the anchor.

"We've got new customers, Kel. Go and get them some blankets," he stated standing up.

"But Dad, that guy..." Kel trailed off looking behind him to make sure he hadn't been followed, "He's got a metal hand."

Michael frowned but nodded.

"He's known as the Winter Soldier," he sighed, "Don't bother him. And stay out of his way."

Kel nodded before running off to get the blankets like he'd been told. Meanwhile Michael walked down below deck to check on his newest customers. He approached the door right as the Winter Soldier was entering it. The Soldier paused looking at the man expectantly.

"I need a destination," Michael said.

"Any port in Spain," the Soldier answered turning to head into the room.

Michael nodded. He frowned at the sight of the woman on the bed.

"Does she need a doctor?" he asked, "My wife will treat any injuries she has free of charge."

The Soldier stared at him for a moment. Then he nodded.

"I'll send her down," Michael said and left.

A few minutes later, a knock on the door sounded. The Soldier walked over and opened it to reveal a tall, dark haired woman holding a bag. The woman brushed by him without a word. She knelt by the woman on the bed before look at the Soldier.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," she stated.

He narrowed his eyes to which she sighed.

"I won't hurt her. But I can't tend to some of these injuries if you're in the room," she explained.

He finally nodded and left the room locking the door behind him. Michael's wife, Eliza, sighed turning back to the young woman. She recognized her from somewhere but couldn't place it. She undressed the young woman before setting to work on the multiple wounds marking her body. Her face stayed placid as she tended to the bullet wound in the woman's shoulder, jagged cut on her stomach, her busted lip, and the multitude of bruises and smaller cuts. Her brow furrowed only slightly when she saw the bruising on the young woman's hips.

"Who are you?"

She looked up at the sound of the weak, hoarse voice. The young woman looked at her through unfocused eyes.

"My name's Eliza. I'm gonna be taking care of you for a little while okay?" she answered softly, "What's your name? You don't have to tell me if you prefer not to."

The young woman squinted at her seeming to have some difficulty understanding her. Eliza went back to tending to the woman's wounds.

"Angelina."

Eliza looked back at the woman's face and it clicked in her mind who this was. She kept the shock off her face.

"Well Angelina, I've done what I can for now. Try not to move. Your hips are fractured if not broken and it will be sometime before they heal. The less you more, the more likely it is for them to heal properly. You should rest," she said gently.

She didn't have to tell her twice. Angelina was already unconscious again by the time she'd packed up her stuff. Eliza went to the door and knocked on it. The Soldier opened the door. She left and he went in locking the door behind him. Eliza went up to the top deck where her husband was.

"You told me it was just the Winter Soldier and some woman," she stated with a frown.

"It is," he shrugged.

"Oh and when were you gonna tell me that that woman was Angelina Rogers, the Guardian Angel?" she hissed.

He froze looking up at her in shock.

"You're joking," he breathed.

She shook her head. He ran a hand over his face letting out a long slow breath.

"This isn't our business," he started to say.

"Not our business! Michael when you told me that you had a business transporting criminals under the radar, you never said anything about allowing a criminal to bring a kidnapped superhero on board! Much less a SHIELD agent!" she cut him off.

"My contract with him is already laid out," he snapped, "Complete secrecy. No contact with any government. No other passengers until he reaches his destination. I can't do anything about it now."

She sighed running a hand through her hair.

"You know what, fine. But the minute Miss Rogers is healthy and able to move on her own, I'm offering her a way out," she stated firmly, "I can't imagine what will be going through her head when she wakes up and realizes she's being held prisoner by the most dangerous assassin in history."

"I think you might be surprised," Michael chuckled looking up at his wife, "I think there's more to this story."