{Author Note: Hey! Sorry for the long wait. Life doesn't slow down for anyone. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for your patience.}
<<<<<<<<< Christine's Point of View >>>>>>>>>>
"Great work everyone! We have officially completed the assessment training," the sounds of relief from the group fill my ears, "Tomorrow, the Maximoffs will participate in their final assessments and with these past months of training, they should pass with flying colors." I say, smiling at the twins as they receive numerous pats on the back from our colleagues. "Since I'm almost healed from the incident, this may well be the last time I will speak to you all as a whole, but don't worry recruits, I won't leave without your training points being added to your files. I'd personally like to thank you all for making this last training session possible, without you, this would have taken a great deal longer and you'd all be sick of my yelling. You're all excused. Go clean up and get ready for dinner!" I say, dismissing my little band of recruits.
After hearing my words, the twins look shocked. To avoid confrontation, I start walking behind the recruits when Steve pops into my peripheral vision.
"So, you've made your decision." He didn't say it as a question but by the tone of his voice I felt like he was disappointed in my answer.
"I have no reason to stay," I shrug, " I'm not built like the rest of you, I want peace. I want to wake up in the morning and have coffee at the cafe, read a book, ride my bike, and have picnics in the park. This job wasn't easy and I can't tell if it was actually worth all the effort. I never wanted this. I never wanted to push myself so much." I tell him.
"I understand," he sighs, "and I'm not going to push you into it anymore. You've proven yourself time and time again and I want you to know that I get it. This job isn't easy and you figured that out quicker than anyone. But don't forget us here, alright?" He says, stopping as he past my shoulder, "If you ever decide that you want to do this kind of stuff again, the offers always there."
As I nodded he walked off. I head off into the direction of my room to shower and file paperwork before dinner.
<<<<<<<<<< Pietro's Point of View >>>>>>>>>>
"I am shocked by this as well, Pietro. But we can't change her mind. She's too stubborn. All we have to do now is pass the assessment and get back onto missions...." I stopped listening to my sister after that. How could Christine choose to leave? What the hell would make her change her mind? I run to Steve's office. If anyone can talk to her, its him.
"You're just going to let her leave?" I shout as I enter, I didn't bother knocking.
He turns from the window to face me, "How do you think I got her here in the first place? I had to negotiate. I told her if she got you two ready for the field, she could leave. I'm keeping my word."
"But she can't just leave! Where will she go?" I yell in aggravation.
"She can and she will Pietro. I don't know where she'll go. I know she won't go back to England and I highly doubt she's going to stay here since she didn't mention it." He stated.
"You have to make her change her min-"
"-And what should I do? Huh? Force her into a contract, hold a gun to her head until she agrees? She won't stay. She doesn't stay anywhere for long. I'm surprised she stayed in New York with Agent Hill for as long as she did." He says to me sternly as I drop my shoulders and my head.
"She didn't choose this like you and I did. Her past is her own and it has shaped her into who she is today and I don't think she can stand that. She's tired, Pietro. She wants peace. She wants to stop having to watch her back every two seconds to make sure she isn't in danger. And she's smart. She know that if she stays here, that's all she will ever do. So no, I don't have to do anything because I will not make her regret helping me. I will not make her regret trusting any of us. As much as we all hate it, its what's best for her. If I wasn't so desperate, I wouldn't have asked for her aid if I would have known. She's been through enough because of SHIELD. It's because of this place that she can't stay. I won't be the one to keep her here." He says with a sorrowful lump in his throat.
He sigh before speaking again. "Tomorrow you and Wanda will be assessed and she will pack her things and leave. There is no changing that. So stop trying to hold her here because she'll just move further away in spirit and body," He pauses as he walks towards me, with a firm grip on my shoulder he says, "This isn't about me, or you, or anyone else who will feel her absence. This is about what is best for her. Its taken me this long to figure it out and I refuse to let her get hurt again because of us."
**TIME LAPSE**
<<<<<<<<<< Christine's Point of View >>>>>>>>>>
I never got a chance to talk to the twins last night after dinner. What eye contact Wanda lacked Pietro made up for but neither of them would talk to me. I knew I should have waited until after their assessment and just leave quietly. What a mess I made. As I put my hair in a neat pony tail there is a knock on my door.
"It's unlocked. Come on in." I shout. The door opens to reveal my cousin.
"Good morning Mars." I smile.
"Hey Chris. I wa-" She stopped mid sentence when she saw my luggage packed.
"You're disappointed in me too now?" I sigh.
"Yeah, I am in all honesty. Its not like I don't get why you're leaving but knowing that you aren't even staying local makes matters worse." She mutters.
"I need to find peace, Mars. And its not here." I exasperate.
"I know. It still doesn't mean that I don't like it." She shrugs.
"I won't be gone forever. I'll visit!" I give a small smile.
She sighs, "It's almost time for the assessment. You should go talk to them."
I let out a shaky breathe, "I know." I say and walk out of my room and into the back of the assessment hall.
"Hey you two!" I grin trying to release so of the awkward tension. They're distant. I get it but I don't like it. Neither of them respond. FRIDAY's electronic voice comes over the intercom. "Attention, the assessment is about to begin."
"Well, good luck. You know what to do. I believe in you both!" I say with a smile. They just turn away and head for their marks on the mat. I leave the room and enter the adjacent room with the two sided mirror.
I stand next to Rogers and start to bite my nails.
"They'll be fine, Christine relax." Steve says without turning his head away from the view on the other side of the glass.
And they were doing swell. Until Pietro missed an opportunity to strike with a move he's never had issues with. Wanda said something to him in Sokovian and he glared at her.
What is he doing? He knows exactly how to dodge and attack in all the tested situations.
After twenty minutes of excellent work from Wanda and a terrible presentation from Pietro, the assessment is done. I turn to the screen behind Steve and I to see what the final score was.
WANDA: 100%
PIETRO: 24%
I look back through the glass to see the two fighting. Well Wanda shouting at Pietro while he just glares and shrugs before walking away, she's still screaming at him as he leaves the room.
He's not going to get away with acting like this. I stomp through the door and down the hall in the direction where our halls will meet. I turn around the corner and look to my right to see the Pietro walking down the hall.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" I shout as I try to catch up to him. He isn't even walking fast but I can't get my legs to catch up with him. He doesn't answer me.
"Pietro!" I saw running after he pushes the door at the end of the hall open and he still doesn't stop.
"Pietro, talk to me! What has gotten into you? I yell, running straight into his chest as he turns around.
"You. You have gotten to me. After all of this," he gestures between us, "you still choose to leave."
"My decision has nothing to do with you." I say coldly, glaring at him.
"Nothing? NOTHING AT ALL. Is that supposed to make it better?" He yells.
"Why did you do that! Because of that pathetic score back there you won't pass for field!" I shout.
"It doesn't matt-"
"THAT MEANS YOU HOLD WANDA BACK WITH YOU!"
"I don't care." He says vacantly.
"Yes, you do! I yell.
"No, Christine. I don't"
"Of course you do! Because you are mad at me you've held her and yourself back! It's not right!"
"Whats 'not right' is you deciding to leave without telling me!" He shouts.
"I shouldn't matter to you want I do!
"But it does! It does matter to me."
"I've made my decision Pietro."
"I know that and it kills me! You think you can just walk away, huh? Just leave and never come back like none of this ever happened?"
"I told you... I've made. My. Decision." I say slowly through my teeth.
"What where there to decide, Christine?!"
"EVERYTHING!"
"Everythi- You have decided to leave, Christine. It was apparently a simple choice." He says, mocking me.
"It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make! This was everything! My entire life was bent and built and wrapped and winded around this agency. When it fell, everything I knew, everything I had become went with it. History has a way of repeating itself and that terrifies me. Tell me, why would I want to risk all of that happening again?" I cry out.
"The past is behind you, Christine. And nothing can changed what has happened in it. But we have... the challenge... and.. and the hope and the risk to make the future what we want it to be. And I can't promise you that everything won't be taken from you again. But I can promise you this:" He said placing his hands on my cheeks, "You are everything I want my future to be."
With silent tears, shock, terror, and awe displayed in my expression. I went to speak as a loud bang, rumble, and thud was heard. The alarms started blaring and the emergency lights were flashing red and Pietro and I looked towards the speaker system as FRIDAY's animated voice said, "Red alert. Code 2319. Red alert. Code 2319."
Hydra had piggybacked. Before I could every register anything other than that, Pietro picked me up and rushed to the main set of halls. We could now hear gunshots and screaming. I pushed my way out of his arms and he looked at me with a questioning gaze.
"We have work to do." I said sternly.
"I thought you don't work here anymore." He smirked.
"My contract says I work here until you pass the assessment. Go, find out what's going on." I say, turning to go the way we came.
"Where are you going?" He called.
"I'm going to find the wounded from that explosion we heard. Figure out who's shooting at who and stop it." I said and he was gone.
I ran through the halls until I got somewhere quiet.
"Friday? Where did the blast hit?" I whispered.
The computer's digital distorted voice replied, "Wing 3A7."
Now I had a location. I ran down the hall in the correct direction and was soon met with the remnants of Wing 3A7. I ran over to the first survivor I saw and turned them on their back. It was Mars.
"Mars! You're going to be fine I got you." I said, placing my had over her wounds and healing her before she could protest.
She groaned out, "You have to evacuate the building, get the loyals into the open field. They're going to bomb the whole building." I immediately yelled for Wanda in my mind.
"Wanda! You have to get everyone out, that wasn't the only bomb." I yell.
"They're headed outside. Where are you?" She whispered back.
"Wing 3A7, there are wounded survivors. I have to get them out." Almost immediately after I told her, Pietro was there. He helped Mars to her feet then grabbed the next agent and rushed away. I went to heal a dying patient. Their wounds crippling me as their color came back into their complexion. I picked them up with the little strength I had left and started jogging towards the exit. But the hall was now in flames. There was no way out as debris started falling. I drug the agent's body with mine, quickly loosing all my strength. I broke the window and saw Steve two stories below.
"Steve!" I yelled and he looked up. I pushed the agent out of the window hoping Cap was fast enough to catch them. Luckily he did. He passed the weak agent to Pietro and motioned for me to jump. As I jumped through the window, a strong metallic grip grabbed my next halting my fall and taking my breath out of my chest. I was heaved back into the building and thrown across the floor. As I rolled over and tried to get on my feet the metallic grip was back around my throat. It was him. The Winter Soldier: Bucky Barnes.
We thought he had gone off the records. That we had lost his trail, that he had escaped. We were wrong. Now I was paying the price for that mistake.