We continued to check in to motels in Ohio and then in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland before we settled in Virginia. It was currently the morning of the day I would be meeting with Joey. I was going to be leaving the team through the day to go to DC alone. They didn't need to risk anything for me.
"So I was just telling Bucky here that I think my place in New York should be okay by now." I spoke as I pulled a dress out of my bag. Steve, Sam, and Natasha had just came into mine and Bucky's motel room to talk with me before I left. They'd be without a vehicle and virtually stranded here until I got back.
"We'll talk about it when you get back." Steve spoke from his place near the door. He still wasn't fond of me going to see an FBI agent.
"Are you sure you don't want us going with you, Widia?" Natasha asked with drawn eyebrows. She was concerned about me, but not for my physical-wellbeing, for my mental-wellbeing.
"I'll be okay." I shook my head as I headed for the bathroom.
Once I was inside the bathroom, I put the dress on. It was form fitting and the straps hung off my shoulders. While I was in the bathroom, I put on a bit of makeup and put on the necklace Riggs had gotten me for the last birthday of mine we had celebrated together. My heart was thumping in my chest but I could hear it in my ears. I had to keep it together because everyone was outside the bathroom door and they'd be able to see that I was going to loose it.
Deep breath in. Deep breath out. I evened out my breathing before I left the bathroom.
"Damn, Widia." Natasha grinned a little. "I haven't seen you in a dress in years."
"You look great." Steve complimented.
"Yeah, you do." Sam agreed with him.
"Shut up." I mumbled. My eyes caught Bucky's and I saw that he was about to say something but I pointed at him. "Don't."
"Fine."
I sat on the edge of the bed and put on my black heels.
"Text me when you're on your way back, Widia." Natasha told me.
"I will, mom."
I finished strapping on my heels and stood up. A breath I didn't know I had been holding escaped my lips as I looked at the door. This was going to be a long day.
———
"So what've you been up to?" Joey asked as he took a bite of his sandwich.
"Not much." I shrugged my shoulders.
"What about with that friend of yours? Sadie was it? How is she?"
"She's good. She got married recently." I shuffled through the soup in front of me. "What about you? How's things at the bureau?"
"It's going good. You heard about the shit in DC a few months back, right? With that S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskalion?"
"Yeah." Damn it. Why did he have to bring this up? Joey watched me for a few moments before he sighed gently.
"Are you feeling okay, Widia? You're acting a little jittery."
"I'm fine, Joey. How's Beth and the kids?"
"They're doing great. Beth actually wanted me to ask you if you wanted to come to one of Zoey's soccer games." Joey picked at the fries on his plate and sighed softly. "I told her I'd think about asking you but I didn't want to because I knew you'd say no."
"Joey—,"
"You forget you have a family, Widia." He cut me off. "And we can help you. You can move in with us. Beth and I have talked about this before. Zoey and Eli would love to have you at the house more often."
"It's not that easy, Joey." I crinkled my brows together and rubbed my forehead. "I-I can't."
"You're alone in Rochester and you need to be around people who want to help you. I'm in the FBI, Widia, and before that I served for the Navy. You don't think I know what it's like to—,"
"Joey. You're pushing it." I gritted out through my teeth, eyes tightly shut. My heart was racing and breathing became hard. "You're.... You're testing my boundaries."
He was silent and I was thankful for that. He gave me time to breathe correctly before he whispered.
"I have friends who have difficulty fitting in, Widia. It's common among—,"
"How old are Zoey and Eli now?" I folded my hands into my lap as I spoke. I wasn't hungry to begin with and now, I didn't even want to attempt to eat.
"Zoey is thirteen and Eli will be eight the third of April. Can you make it to his birthday this year?"
April was a long ways away from now.
"It's hard to tell, Joey. I've got a.... a difficult schedule."
Joey nodded his head and then looked to his watch.
"Should we go see Zachie-poo?"
I nodded my head slowly, feeling my chest start to ache.
———
I held Joey's arm, allowing him to guide me through the cemetery. My phone vibrated in my pocket, causing me to pull it out and check it.
From: Natasha
The boys are getting antsy here especially Cap
To: Natasha
Tell him if he doesn't trust me go ahead and leave.
My patience weren't the greatest at this point in the day so frankly, I didn't care about the fugitives I was trying to help right now.
"Who was that?" Joey asked, glancing over to me as I tucked my phone into the pocket of my jacket.
"None of your business."
He chuckled softly and patted my hand. In the hand connected to the arm that I held, Joey had a giant, red velvet cupcake and balloons saying 'Happy Birthday' for Riggs.
"How old is he, anyways? Sixty-three?"
"Thirty-five." I replied quietly. I knew he was trying to joke, to make the situation brighter, but it wasn't working.
We came to a stop at the grave of Zachary Clay Riggs. I let Joey go and knelt down beside the headstone. I kissed my hand and then placed my fingers on the headstone. My phone vibrated in my pocket but I ignored it. My vision of the gray colored headstone blurred as tears came to my eyes.
"I miss him too, Widia." Joey rubbed my shoulder.
"I can't stay for too long, Joey." I brushed the tears away. "He would understand."
"What're your plans for the rest of the day? You could come by the house and have dinner with Beth and me and the kids." Joey suggested.
"I-I really can't." I shook my head as I sat down on my backside. My heart was telling me to stay, that the four back at the motel would be okay without me for the rest of the day. My mind, however, told me differently. Joey knelt down beside me and took my hand. I wanted to pull away, to stop touching him, but I didn't. As much as he pissed me off, he was my family.
———
I stayed with Riggs for a couple hours before I decided I really did need to leave.
"I guess I'll see you same time next year?" Joey asked as he began to walk me towards my car.
"Don't try to guilt trip me into seeing you, Joseph."
"I wouldn't have to guilt trip you if you actually came and saw my kids once in a while."
I rolled my eyes and ignored his words, even though I knew they were true. As we came closer to my car, I took notice to the two men snooping around my vehicle.
"Joey, stop walking and face me." I spoke quietly under my breath.
"Why? What's—,"
"Just do it." I grabbed his arm and turned to face him so my back was to the two men and my car. "What do those two guys by my car look like?"
"Like they're trying to break.... They're FBI. What are they doing snooping around your car?"
"Nothing good." I muttered and looked around behind Joey. "I need to go. But I'm not taking my car."
Joey was silent for a minute and I could see the wheels turning in his head.
"Widia, what the hell did you—,"
"I did nothing. I'll see you next year." I started to pass him but Joey grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me back to him. Our eyes met and I locked my jaw. "Joey. Let me go."
"Why are the Feds after you?"
"I don't know. You're a Fed. Why are you guys after me?"
"Widia, I'm not playing with you. The only thing that's been going on up near you was Captain America and his friends—," Joey stopped speaking suddenly and he locked his jaw for a moment. "I know Rogers and one of his allies were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Are you—,"
"Stop, Joey. Just stop!" I shouted, pushing him away from me. "You don't know shit."
"What have you gotten yourself into?" He spoke under his breath, stepping closer to me again. "So help me Widia Jade—,"
"Riggs would want me to do this, Joey. You go ahead and do whatever it is you think you have to do, tell your FBI buddies where I am, arrest me even, but I'm not going to go down without a damn fight."
Joey stood his ground, broad shoulders straight as I tried to intimidate him.
"You think Zach would want you doing this?"
"I know he would." I nodded my head.
"Widia, this isn't just a few speeding tickets or robbing a store. This is treason."
"Either you're going to arrest me or I am leaving right now." I told him, holding my wrists out for hand cuffs. He said nothing. "That's what I thought. See you next year, Joseph."
———
The four didn't leave the motel room. I had to admit, I was surprised about that.
"Alright, guys. We've got to leave." I clapped my hands together as I entered the motel room. Everyone was crowded into one, eagerly and anxiously awaiting for me to return. "FBI found me in DC and kept me from my car at the cemetery."
"What did you drive back here?" Sam asked, standing up from the little table.
"A blue mini-van."
"Damn it."
"Let's get going, boys. You can complain later." Natasha told them and began to usher all three men into motion.
"Complain my ass." I muttered as I moved to grab my bag. "I'll kick whoever's ass decides to complain about that mini-van."
"No one will suspect a mini-van." Natasha shook her head. "We need to switch out license plates though. We will be tracked easier with the same plates."
"I can fix that." I said. "First stop for gas, I got that covered."
"Where did you learn to steal cars?" Steve questioned as the team began to load up the van.
"My dad boosted cars." I replied. "I'm changing out of this damned dress and then we can leave."
———
The team was on the road minutes later. Steve drove with Natasha in the passenger seat and Bucky and I sat in the two middle seats while Sam stretched out across the back row, enjoying the space.
"Are we going to keep running, Steve?" Sam opened his eyes to look up to Steve in the driver's seat.
"Once we find somewhere safe, maybe we can start taking HYDRA from there but this is just a play by play, Sam." Steve shrugged his shoulders heavily. "I don't really know what's going to happen."
"I might have a safe-house we could check out." Natasha suggested, looking over her shoulder to me. "You remember in 2009 when I stole Lee and Downing and did a mission that involved a safe-house outside of Boston?"
"Yeah." I nodded my head in reply. S.H.I.E.L.D. had tendencies to sometimes take my team and use them.
"We can make our way to that house and see if it's worth our while." Natasha looked to Steve for a reaction.
"We'll start making our way down there."
My phone rang and I glanced down at the caller I.D.
"Joey, if this is about—,"
"They know you're in DC."
"I was kind of aware of that seems how they were checking out my car."
"I can't do much but keep an eye out and tell you ahead of time."
"I don't want you getting yourself into trouble, Joey."
"I won't. I'm careful like that. Tell me where you're at so I can keep an out for you."
I looked over to Bucky and our eyes met for a few moments before I looked back to the window.
"I can't do that, Joey. I can't do that to these guys."
"You can trust me, Widia—,"
"But they barely trust me as it is. So for now, I can't tell you anything. I have to go, Joey."
"Be safe, Widia."
I tucked my phone underneath my thigh and ruffled my dirty blonde hair.
"Who wants to know where we are?" Steve asked.
"My brother-in-law."
"How does he even know you're a part of this?"
"He guessed. He also happened to see the Feds at my car. He's the FBI agent I told you about."
"Widia—,"
"I didn't tell him anything, Steve. You don't have to worry about—,"
"Don't start this, you two." Natasha cut me off.
My lips pressed together in a tight line and I diverted my eyes to the window.
———
"What's wrong, Romanoff?" Steve asked her. The two had switched seats a while back, around midnight. Now it was nearing two thirty in the morning.
"There's a black truck that's been following us for the past fifty miles. The last exit I took, he took too. And every time I do a lane change, he does it too."
"Could just be a coincidence." Sam suggested.
"I don't have a good feeling about it."
I turned around in my seat to look and so did Bucky, Steve, and Sam.
"We need gas. Next exit, stop for gas. If they follow us then we need to get them off our trail." Steve told Natasha. I unzipped the bag of mine by my feet and pulled out a pocket knife. Natasha took the next exit and we pulled into a moderately lit gas station.
"They definitely are following us." Sam sighed as he turned back around in his seat. The truck was indeed following. It parked across the lot from us.
"Steve and I can go in and pay." I spoke, unbuckling my seat belt first. "I'll fill up the van and then you three just stay in here. Keep your heads down. If you need them, there are guns in the bag between mine and Bucky's seat."
I got out and knelt down to tie my boot.
"They're getting out and going in." Steve spoke quietly, then looked away from the agents. "I'm going to—,"
"Wait for me." I cut him off, sending him a brief glare. "You need to start trusting me. If I was going to turn you in, I had plenty of time to do it before and many good opportunities."
He remained silent. We both crossed the lot together and he pulled the door open for me.
"A gentleman." I muttered a little sarcastically and he rolled his eyes
"One in the far corner, one by the register, and the two near the drinks in the back." Steve whispered to me.
"Thirty on pump six." I put two tens and a few fives down.
"You two got the mini-van?" The cashier asked, his perverting eyes trying to look down my shirt.
"Family vacation." I smiled tightly and turned to Steve. "Whatever happens, don't be stupid."
"What does that mean?" Steve asked, his eyes following me as I moved to walk down one of the aisles the HYDRA agents were in. I scanned the shelving as if I was searching for something, but I noticed the way the men moved. Two were moving towards Steve and woman came around behind me. They wanted to trap me in. The sound of a gun going off in the parking lot made me straighten up and my eyes darted to Steve's.
The HYDRA thugs by him began to move first, attacking him without mercy. I brought my attention back to the two agents pinning me in the aisle.
"New friend of theirs?" One asked as he pulled out a knife.
"Does this mean we need to keep her too?" The woman directed her question to her friend.
"Our orders were just to bring in the Asset and Rogers. She's useless."
The woman pulled out a gun and that got me moving. I grabbed ahold of one of the shelves and pulled it down on to her, then turned just in time to block a stab intended for my abdomen.
I played defense for a few moments before delivering a punch directly to his nose. Then he hit my cheek and aimed a hit for my stomach. I blocked that one but then apparently I didn't see the next one he had coming. I suddenly lost the ability to breath and it became difficult to catch my breath. The next thing I saw was Steve taking the man out, throwing him into the shelves.
A gun went off a few times rapidly and I flinched almost violently, bringing my hands up to mouth. The popping noise scared the hell out of me, making breathing even more difficult. Guns were going off outside in the parking lot. I couldn't hear what Steve was saying but he was yelling at me and pulling me towards the exit.
Bucky, Sam, and Natasha were just finishing up the HYDRA agents that were in the parking lot. I could read Natasha's lips as she looked to Steve. She made her way towards us quickly, like something was wrong.
"I have her."
Natasha put her arm around me and a little more forcefully pushed me towards the van and then shoved in, but the door she shoved me in happened to be the one Bucky was at. He was already in his seat, anxiously waiting for us.
My hands were trembling still, heart racing from the sounds of the guns. I landed awkwardly in his lap, one hand on his thigh and the other on his shoulder while my leg rested between both of his. My hearing some how came back quickly because the next thing I heard was Steve.
"Buckle up."
I scrambled to get to my own seat, not-so-gracefully clambering into my chair. I hunched over for a moment, eyes closing and my head resting in my hands as I regained m breathing.
One.... Two.... Three.... Four.... Five....
A hand on my shoulder frightened me. I grabbed the wrist belonging to the hand and held it tightly to prevent anything from happening to me. My eyes followed up the arm and I met Bucky's confused gaze.
"I-I'm sorry." He immediately apologized.
"I'm okay.... It's okay." I breathed out. "Just give me a minute."
"So HYDRA knows we're around here." Sam sighed out. I sat back in my chair and exhaled heavily, placing my hands on my knees. There was a while of silence before Bucky spoke.
"Someone's bleeding."
"What do you mean?" Natasha questioned, turning around in her seat. There was blood on the back off Natasha's seat.
"Widia, I think it's you." Bucky said. I looked around my body and sure enough, I found a spot on the outside of my left thigh.
"A bullet just grazed me."
"I'll fix you up when we stop somewhere." Natasha told me before she turned around. "You're out of shape. I've seen you take crowds down almost effortlessly—,"
"People change, okay?" I all but growled at her.
"I know. I'm just saying, you haven't fought anybody for a few years. It's not safe."
"I'll be fine."
—–—
We stopped at a motel. The same bedding arrangements were made; Bucky and I would share one room with a bed and Sam, Steve, and Nat would share another with two beds.
"You're okay to be with him for the night?" Natasha asked as I stood outside of the rooms, which were side by side.
"Why wouldn't I be? Cause I got an attitude with you? News flash, the attitude is permanent."
"You're adorable." She chuckled softly. "I'll see you tomorrow. If you need anything, call me. And you need to clean up that leg before it gets infected."
"Okay, mom." I muttered as I walked into the room Bucky was in. The door closed behind me and I locked it. Bucky watched me as I crossed the room and retrieved my bag. It sat on my side of the bed.
"You don't have to stare, honey." I glanced up at him through my lashes. He brushed his dark hair back and shook his head a little to mess up his hair. "I'm gonna fix this stupid thing up." I muttered, jabbing my thigh with my finger. Honestly, I couldn't feel the wound. I think it was numb.
———
After I cleaned the gash and wrapped my leg, I went out to the room. Bucky was still sitting up on his side of the bed.
"How's it looking?" He asked.
"It's just a graze. I'll live." I moved my bag from my side of the bed down to the floor and sat down with my back to him. My fingers ran through my hair a few times before I rested with my hands on the back of my head and I hunched over. "I didn't.... I didn't mean to grab you like I did earlier." I spoke quietly, bringing my hands off of my head to rub my eyes.
"It's fine. I didn't mean to scare you."
"I was having a moment." I shook my head gently. "I'm fine now. Guns just.... guns aren't my strongest area."
"I know." He said gently. "You've told me before.
"What to do for the next five hours...." I mumbled. I should call Sadie. I have time now so I should call her. "I'm going to step outside to make a phone call."
"Be careful."
I left the room and closed the door behind me. As I started to dial Sadie's number, I heard Steve talking in the other room. The walls weren't the most soundproof things ever.
"All I'm saying is that if she freezes up like that again, it could cost her her own life or one of ours."
"She can't help it, Steve." Natasha spoke. "It's a result of what happened in 2008. You can't tell me you've done your time living the life you did without getting any scars."
Steve was silent. I felt like busting into the room to tell them to quit talking about me, but I stopped myself. I continued to call Sadie and wait patiently for her to answer.
"What?" A male voice grumbled.
"Hey, Jeremiah."
"Widia? What the hell are you doing up at.... at four thirty in the damn morning?"
"Can't sleep. I'm guessing Sadie's asleep?"
"Who is that?" I heard Sadie in the background.
"It's Widia." Jeremiah told her.
"Widia? Is something wrong? What happened?" Sadie was suddenly panicked about why I had called her.
"Nothing's wrong, Sadie. I just.... I just wanted to call you with an update on my wellbeing."
"So everything with whatever you're doing is going okay?"
"It's not as bad as it could be."
"What about you? How're you doing?" Sadie asked softly. "I think Zach's birthday was just recently. Did you meet up with his brother?"
"Yeah."
"How did that go?"
"Better than it could've been."
She let out a gentle sigh and I could hear the bit of irritation in the way she did it.
"I'm just glad you guys are safe." I told Sadie, scratching my forehead just a bit.
"We're glad you are too. You should be sleeping though."
"Why did I know you were going to bring that up?"
"It's nearly five in the morning, Widia. You need to be sleeping."
"I'll call you later, Sadie." I smiled softly. Hearing her voice calmed my nerves, especially with tonight's run in with HYDRA.
"Be carefully and stay safe, honey."
I returned to the bedroom and made sure the locks were secure. Neither Bucky nor I attempted to actually go to sleep.
"How was seeing your brother-in-law?" Bucky asked. I lifted my head up from where I had been staring at the ground for really no reason.
"It was okay." For some reason, my lips didn't stop moving after those words like they usually did. "It's hard to see him because he looks so much like my husband."
Bucky nodded his head softly.
"You miss him a lot, don't you?"
I bit the inside of my cheek and looked to the door.
"Every day." I spoke quietly. Goosebumps rose all over my skin at the thought of Riggs.
"You're doing this for him." Bucky stated, our eyes meeting once again. "You said before, I think, that he would want you to do this, right?"
I nodded my head in reply.
"Just.... don't get yourself killed because of this. I don't think it's worth it."
What do you guys think about the Inhumans things they've put out?? I'm not so sure....
But GOTG Vol. 2!!!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Vote and Comment!!
<3 Kacey <3