Before We Rise

Chapter 32

Steve's Point-

I slumped on the sofa, watching the news when I suddenly jerked forward.

"Earlier today, Riley Donovan, also known as Siren or Avenger has been found and now as been arrested for the crimes she has committed. For the where bouts during her disappearance is still unknown and her sudden appearance in the Avengers Tower is also unknown to most of law enforcement. Riley Donovan will be question and possibly a pending trial. Now for further news...." My eyes continued to stare at the screen but I didn't listen.

I shot up from my seat and down a few levels of floors and into the room. I stared at Bucky's frozen face. His non-emotional face.

"Hey Buck. It's Steve." I grabbed a chair and sat in front of him. I sighed before rubbing my face in frustration. "They found Riley. They arrested her and took her in for questioning." I sniffed as a tear slipped down. "I didn't look hard enough for her, Buck. She needed me and I couldn't find her. I think it's the world getting back at me for Sharon kissing me. God, Buck. I didn't look hard enough."

"Steve." I jerked around to face T'Challa. He stood there with his hands behind his back.

"You heard?" I asked him.

"Yes. I'm doing everything I can to locate where they are taking her." He told me. I nodded. "Does she know what happened between you and Sharon Carter?"

"No. I don't know." I admitted.

"It would be best to tell her before she finds out by someone else. She may be very upset with you but she would be even more if you didn't tell her and she finds out." He told me.

"You're right. I should have told her the second I saw her." I stated. He grabbed a chair and sat next to me.

"Riley is a very special woman to you, isn't she?" He asked.

"Yes. I love her." I said to him.

"I figured that out. What is she to him?" He asked, looking up at Bucky. "They seem close."

"Back in 1944, she saved Bucky's life in a Hydra factory. She helped me look for him even though she didn't have too. Then later that same night, he saved her from falling to her death. They grew close after that. Saving each other again and again." I admitted.

"That's nice. Having a woman like her. I wish that in the future I can find a woman just like her. But women are never alike, no matter how much you try too." He said. We both turned when a knock came from behind us.

"We found Ms. Riley's location." The woman said.

Riley's Point-

I stared at the wall, hugging my legs. Telling myself I did the right thing. A knock sounded next to me and I turned. Tony stood there on the other side of the door. Then I saw him behind him. R smiled at me from behind Tony.

"How you doing?" Tony asked.

"Why don't you ask the guards? Or how about my ass, Tony?" I told him, getting more angry at his presence.

"Riley, I know you're mad,-""I'm more than mad, Tony. I'm pissed. You locked me in here. You are breaking up this family even more, Tony. Do you realize that?" I asked, interrupting him.

"I'm doing what I think is right." He told me.

"Well what you're doing right is wrong. For the past three and half years, we became and grew as a family. And you and these Accords have ruined all the good things this family had. Are you ready to throw that all away because you can't get over your anger and just grieve?" I asked him.

"I can't get over it, Riley. He killed my mother." He yelled. I jerked out of my seat and grabbed the bars in front of the glass door.

"And I killed my mother. I was angry at myself and I haven't grieved. I haven't grieved my father's death, my mother's or my brother's. I haven't. I know your mother meant the world to you and my father meant the world to me. I tried getting vengeance on my father's killer but that didn't make me feel any better. It just made me feel worse. Getting vengeance on Bucky isn't going to make you feel better. Trust me when I say it. I didn't kill my father's killer, Steve did. I was so angry at him but once I finally realized what he did, I felt the pain of losing my father." I told him.

"Riley."

"No, you don't get to stop me Tony. You need to know the truth about what you're doing. You wanna know why I didn't sign the Accords? It's because I have an elite assassin who wants to kill me. She's already killed enough people to get to me so if I had signed the Accords, I would have already been dead. Only a few people know this, Tony. You're the third." I admitted to him.

"Steve's the first?" He asked.

"No, he doesn't know. I never got to tell him because he abandon me. He abandon me for a month, Tony. Didn't even try to look for me. I willingly came to you and look at the result. I'm locked in here and I'll probably never get out. That's because of you wanting to gain the UN's trust. You put me in here, Tony. And I really don't understand why you are here. So just go away." I ordered him. I turned away from him and sat on my bed, my back to him.

"I'm sorry, Riley. I never really meant for all this to happen. Maybe you were right." I heard him say before walking out. It was about an hour later, sirens and red lights started to go off. The lock to my door filled my ears and I turned around.

"R!" I got up and ran to him. He hugged me, holding me tightly to him. I looked behind him, seeing a familiar face. I pulled away from R and ran over to him. He held out his arms for me to hug him but I punched him across his face. Steve went down like a sack of bricks.

"Riley, we have to get going." R said from behind me. I grabbed his hand and all three of us started to run down the hall.

"We have to get to the roof. We have someone waiting for us." Steve yelled from behind me. We came to a halt when someone blocked out path.

"I see you're at it again, Steve." Tony said from in front of us.

"Tony, please just let us through." Steve pleaded.

"I can't do that, Steve." Tony told him.

"Tony, ple,-""Not without this." Tony interrupted him, holding out Steve's shield. We walked up to him and Steve took his shield.

"Wha,-""You three need to go." Tony interrupted Steve again. We went to run down the hall but Tony grabbed Steve's arm, stopping him. "Protect her, Steve."

"I will." Steve replied to him. Tony looked at me and I smiled a little. R started to tug on my hand and we started running again. We made it to the roof where a jet was waiting for us. We got on and it took off. I walked to the front, holding onto the handles.

"Good to see you again under different circumstances, Ms. Riley." T'Challa greeted me from the pilot seat.

"Hi." I said back, awkwardly.

"Riley." I turned to Steve and crossed my arms at him.

"Why?" I asked him. He looked at me confused.

"Why what?" He asked.

"Why did you kiss her?" I asked him. His face fell.

"I'm not going to make any excuses. I'm just going to say the truth. Yes, I did kiss her. I did, I admit it. But she's nothing compared to you. I didn't feel the spark that you gave, I didn't feel the love. And I'm sorry." He admitted. My eyes started to water.

"Why did you abandon me? I know that Bucky's more important to you but you abandon me for a month, Steve." I asked him.

"I didn't abandon you. I searched for you every day. But I didn't do it hard enough. And I understand if you've moved on." Steve glance at R who was staring at us. "I completely understand."

"You hurt me, Steve. But we've been together since 1943. I've loved you since then and I still love you now."