Like You ✦ {Bucky Barnes}

Chapter Seven, Christmas Special Part Three: Recovery and Competition

Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry I took so long to update, but in fairness, this chapter is almost eighteen pages long! It took me soooooo long just to find time to write, and sorry this Christmas Special is delaying after Christmas, and don't worry there's only one more chapter of the Christmas Special before I get back to writing regularly, and I promise you, you'll really like it.

See you guys later!

- Harper E. Pierce

Dani woke up on an uncomfortable bed with a whole lot of pain. She didn't remember anything past shopping with Nat at a liquor store for a certain bottle of whiskey that her father seemed to enjoy.

She looked over to see that she was in the same room she was in the last time she had an incident, and figured that that was the case this time. Tony was in the room, fast asleep in a chair. He was probably waiting on her wake up. She glanced over at the clock. It was a little early for her, about eight o'clock. Tony shifted in his seated and blinked his eyes.

"You're awake," he observed.

"I am," she replied. Clint popped his head into the room to check on Tony, but saw Dani, and called the Avengers in the room. She looked at them, all beat up and tired, noticing Bucky and Natasha weren't there. She looked down at the bed she was in, with a guilty expression.

"Don't beat yourself up, Elemental came out to play when we least expected it," Steve reassured her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Why did you go after that guy though?" Vision asked her bluntly.

"I wanted to help. I saw the guy stealing, so I ran after him."

"You're not properly trained to go out and fight, Dani." Wanda scolded her.

"Look, it was the right thing to do, but I guess my HYDRA instinct kicked in and took control," she excused herself.

"Dani, I know it was the right thing to do, but let the cops, or the Avengers handle it. We don't want you getting hurt," Steve sighed. "If you're feeling okay, then you should look for Nat and Bucky. They're kinda beat up," Dani took a deep breath in, and said "okay," very quietly. She stood up to leave the hospital part of the lab.

"Dani, don't crawl back into your shell again, what you did was an accident." Tony called out behind her.

"What I did was almost killed you guys! What the hell do you expect me to do?!" She yelled back. "I can't control it!

"Tony, I have an idea. How about, after the holidays end, we train her to control her? Elemental, I mean." Wanda suggested.

"Are you crazy?! Hell no, she won't ever need to use her abilities for anything! She'll have a bodyguard whenever she goes out," Tony argued.

"If anything, that'll just increase the chances of her getting attacked. And we still have to come out to the world about Danielle Stark."

"Yes, but the bodyguards will keep her safe."

"Actually, if she learns to control her powers, she can use them to defend herself if she needs to. She has a much higher chance of survival against HYDRA if they ever come after her again, which they will, and bodyguards have proved to be incompetent useless at times. Many have died due to HYDRA attacks on the Winter Soldier and the Scarlet Witch, and they have proved that they could defend themselves. Even though neither of them have complete control over their alter egos." Vision stated his numbers.

"We should train her, Tony. I know you hate the idea, but it's worth it. She might not ever get taken again, and her chances of getting taken will be slim." Wanda smiled at him, her eyes begging for an answer that wasn't no.