NUMB || MARVEL

18

There was barely any light left when she finally saw him arrive. He looked a mess and the fact that he kept looking back if there was anyone following didn't help her anxious state. Sure, she could handle herself but Aileen knew that the people after him weren't simple men. On the contrary, they were trained like the man walking up her doorsteps.

He didn't bother knocking and immediately came in, closing the door behind him. "Aileen?" He calls out wary. She slowly makes her way to him.

"I'm here, want a cup of tea?" She asks him and he sighs deeply. "Scotch then?" She shrugs as she makes her way to the kitchen.

"I'm not here on a social call." He bites and she rolls her eyes. She had met him enough times to know that he was angry at the world, not at her per say.

"That could be Buck, but Steve specifically told us not to go anywhere." She says with a shrug.

"And why should we listen to Steve when he is not here being chased by gunmen much stronger and able than the both of us." Aileen pops her head around the corner and looks at him with a frown.

"Since when are you backing down from a fight." With everything she heard from Steve and after meeting the man himself, there was no doubt that James Buchunan Barnes was a fighter. He never gave up.

He looks at her and she notices the tired look in his eyes. The look of someone om the edge of either going crazy or giving up.

"Here." She hands him two glasses, one with tea and one with scotch. "Drink them both." She says with a shrug and he nods, sitting down at the table.

"Look Buck," she sighs as she sits down in front of him. "We're in the middle of nowhere. Even SHIELD couldn't find me here, though I bet they followed me someday, so you're safe. For now at least. Won't take them ages to find out the place." He nods and takes a sip from his whisky, letting the tea cool down.

"I don't think I'm ever going to be safe." Aileen narrows her eyes at the muttered words and sighs.

"Okay, so you've been on the run for what now.. a few days. First go take a shower, towels and everything is there." She waves towards the stairs. "First door on the right. I'll grab some clothes." He chuckles amused but does as she says, downing the rest of the whisky before going upstairs. "Men these days.." Aileen mutters to herself as she grabs the tea and drinks it herself after having placed clothes outside of the bathroom door.

She gently pushes the curtain to the side and looks outside. It would take a few days before they would find them, it couldn't be easy to search for. This random place. So why did she see a tiny speck of light outside that quickly stopped when she looked out.

"Buck?" She calls up to the stairs as she reaches in the drawer beside the stove. "We need to go." He didn't seem to hear her and she curses softly, checking the bullets in the gun before rushing upstairs, hearing sounds from outside. She leans against the bathroom door and hears humming. "Dammit." She mutters before opening the door that he didn't lock and quickly puts her hand before her eyes. "Buck!" He didn't close the shower curtain. "Ew!"

"Why are you walking in!" He accuses and quickly grabs a towel. She bows down and reaches for the clothes outside of the door and throws them to him. "Safe." He mutters and a slight blush covers his cheeks as she puts away her hand.

"We have to go!" She ushers and her eyes widen as she hears sounds outside. "Like now!" She reaches for the drawer underneath the mirror and pulls out a gun for him.

"Where exactly do you keep these things?" He asks with furrowed eyebrows but quickly holds the gun in front of him as more noise is coming from outside.

"Well, you have to be prepared." She shrugs before they make their way towards the tunnels underneath the house, trying to get away from the men that were searching for Bucky.

"Leen?" Aileen's eyes fly wide open as she hears Sam's voice. "You okay?" She shakes her head quickly as she sits upright. "Come here." He kneels before her and opens his arms, her quickly moving in them to feel safe. She starts to breathe in slowly and his familiar scent calms her down, it felt like something she couldn't describe. The memories had been coming quicker and quicker and it was a lot to take in.

Candles are lit to give some light to the room and Aileen sees the man sitting in the back of the room. He turns to her and his face is earily dark. "No." She hears herself say and he grimaces.

"We had a deal." He tells her and she feels herself frown.

"That deal was over when you betrayed me." She walks over to the cabinet and pours herself a glass of wine. Outside she hears the horses neighing but it is too dark to see what was going on.

"You think that you'd be here if I hadn't done that?"

"I didn't want this." She scoffs and the man narrows his eyes before creeping up on her

"You can't think that I'd possibly let you go." She hears the man whisper in her ear as he has his arm wraps around her neck. She feels fear as she sees a fire start in her barn.

She starts to put up a fight and kicks him in his shins before headbutting him and ducking so he has to let her go, she turns around and punches him. He blocks it and strikes her easily.

"You can't win." A teasing smile comes from the man before her and she feels herself smile.

"I think that you're underestimating me." She says before grabbing the knife from her backpocket and starting to attack. She stabs him in his abdomen and runs outside, trying to see how many more there were.

"There she is!" She hears someone say and flashlights - probably with guns beside them - flash towards her and she starts to run, not thinking about anything but her safety. She feels a bullet sludge through her thigh and she curses loudly before trying to seek for a place where she could hide.

Guns around her start to go off and she quickly dives behind a tree and crouches down, biting her lip not to scream out in pain.

Bullets ricochet of metal and Aileen tries to look around the tree to see what was happening. A few explosions make her cover her ears but she slowly stands up to see what was happening.

"Ma'am." She looks towards the person before her in his metal suit. "You are safe now." She frowns and he recedes the helmet covering his face.

Aileen's eyes widen as she looks at Sam. She had fallen asleep in his arms and he was softly snoring beside her. They were once again on the run, not particularly from anyone but they had to make sure that the government wouldn't find them.

She gets up, making sure not to disturb him and she makes her way towards the edge of the shed they were staying in. Steve apparently had the night shift as she saw him sitting before them, looking around.

"Can't sleep?" He softly asks and Aileen feels caught even though she was allowed to stand and look.

"No. Bad dreams." She sighs as she sits beside him. "I think they're memories." He hums and looks over to her.

"Are you okay?" She looks over to him and narrows her eyes before looking to the shed where Sam was sound asleep.

"I don't know." He frowns and offers her a sip of his bottle filled with water. She gladly takes it.

"He cares about you." He simply says and Aileen could feel the sting in her chest and the familiar burning in her eyes. "I think you know that, I don't think you know how much." She looks back at the shed and smiles weakly at Steve.

"I have an inkling."