Ardent || MCU

Chapter Twenty Three

Louise walked freely, her feet bare as she walked across a sidewalk, her head turned up and staring at the signs. Many people bypass her, slowing as they watched her walk quietly along. She disappears among the crowd, going to places she knows by heart through New York, quickly picking information from signs as she walks peacefully.

Hours and hours surpass, her body finally freezing before an abandoned building in Brooklyn. She sits at a wooden bench before it, just staring at its emptiness and down. Her hands are folded across her lap, just staring, slight thoughts fill her mind as her hand absentmindedly reaches beneath her shirt to grab her dog tags, rather Bucky's.

The tags jingle as she pulls them out and stares down at the name. Running her finger over his rusted name, his numbers. Louise's feet quickly move to make her stand, her body moving to the closed door of the building. She takes a step close to the door, her hand jerking the handle to open. A cracking sound alerts her to the door breaking through old wood as it opens slowly.

She takes soft steps into the old, musty room, memories filling her mind in reminiscence.

'Luisa' Louise hears her mother shout from the kitchen, her head looking up from the opened counter surface in the bakery display.

'Luisa, hai fatto fiori??' (Luisa,did you make flowers?) Her mother asks, staring at her from the back.

'Yes, mamma.' She replies as she piped a final petal on a specialty cake for one of her mother's co-workers. Her mother moves near her, seeing her beautiful display of flowers along to the top of the cake.

'È perfetto, il mio fiore.' (It's perfect, my flower.)

Louise smiles at the memory, stepping to a small box in the large empty dark building. She kneels down, grabbing the first thing sticking out. She pulls back a dusty picture frame, blowing lightly to clear a layer of dust off. She smiles widely as she sees the aged photo; her father holding her 3 year old self upon his shoulder, her mother hugging his side as they stood before the bakery at it's opening. She sets the frame to the side next to her, her hand grabbing another one that was smaller.

Her hands wipe the dust off this time, pausing at the photo inside it. Her smile widens before a few tears fall down her cheeks.

'Bucky. You need to look at the camera.' Louise's father yells, trying to get a photo of the Golden Trio's last carnival celebration for the summer. Steve stands next to Bucky on his right, smiling and laughing at Bucky's excuses. Louise next to him on his left wearing a light blue dress with a smile from laughing.

'Okay, last one.' Her father yells as the photographer readies his camera and goes to take the picture. Bucky had his arms around each of their shoulders, his head once again turned to look as Louise next to him. Steve smiles at the camera as Louise shares a glimpse with Bucky, as the camera takes its picture.'

Footsteps sound next to her, causing her to tense till she feels a familiar presence behind her. Louise rises to a stand, turning softly as she looks back.

"Steve?" She says, seeing her best friend in perfect health in a white shirt and khaki pants. She quickly steps from the bench, jogging near Steve as he takes steps near her. Their arms barely reach each other before they both cling to one another. She holds him tightly, keeping her emotions intact as she immersed herself into him, his smell, the feeling of their bonds.

Steve pulls back after a minute, brushing her hair from her face so he could see her. He leans in and kisses her forehead once before leaning back slightly and speaking.

"You scared me for a second." Steve speaks up, his feelings evident in his voice and his eyes that were tired and saddened.

"Same here, Steven." She jokes with a smile, making her ache as it's been a long time since she'd last done it. Steve glances to the frame in her hand, lifting it to see the photo of them.

"He wouldn't stop looking at you that day." Steve murmurs, making Louise chuckle as her tears dried and she wiped her eyes.

"It seems your adjustment was rather quick, Miss Grant." A voice says behind them, and she calms her mind to control and turns from Steve.

"It was." She responds as she sees the dark skinned man standing a few feet away in all black with a long black coat and eye patch on his left side.

"You've been asleep for about seventy years, Miss Grant. Along with you companion Mr. Rogers, who awoke just days ago."

"Who are you and what year is it?" Lousie plays along, feeling Steve hold her hand in assurance as the man spoke.

"Name's Nick Fury, the year is 2011." Fury says and Louise tenses, feeling something unknown fill her mind and thoughts with doubt. She glances to Steve with his own eyes giving her a look of agreement as they look back at Fury in uncertainty and hesitancy.

--

'We need to sedate her deeper, doctor.' A muffle male voice says near Louise, her body immoble, and her eyes shut.

'She's calm enough, man. Keep it together. We're on a tight schedule. We must finish her swipe before having to return her. Now hand me the syringe, we need to hurry.' Louise lays silent, her body calm before pain takes over her senses, overwhelming her in fear.

Louise shoots up on the couch she laid in, her head shooting around to find something. Her hands twist on a lamp light, giving the darkness of an office it's light. She sighs, shaking of her dreariness and going to stand. She moves to look around, seeing that she is still at a gym.

Grunts fill the air as she takes a step out the door to the small office. Her head perks up to see Steve knocking and destroying another punching bag.

"Trouble sleeping?" She hears a voice speak up, seeing Nick Fury once again holding a file. His eye looked towards Louise then back to Steve who did the same. Louise took a few steps to meet them halfway, Steve grabbing another punching bag and hanging it up, as she neared him.

"You're here with a mission, sir?" Steve speaks up as Louise intended to listen.

"I am." Fury responds and hands the file to Louise.

"Trying to get us back in the world?" Steve continues, glancing at Louise and the file.

"Trying to save it." Fury adds with his arm at his back, Louise reads a few lines before looking back up to him.

"Stark, huh?" Louise finally speaks, reading the file for an operation, a team, the Avengers.