WHILE BUCKY WAS CONSOLING MARTINA IN HER ROOM, Tony and Steve were sitting in the living room on the opposite end of the compound. Their large bodies sat on the sectional couch, both looking off into the distance with nervous taps of their feet and anxiously twitching fingers as silence surrounded them.
"Tony, this is bad," Steve finally spoke, tearing his eyes away from the expansive glass window in front of him to look at his friend.
Tony sighed as he leaned forward and ran his hand down his mouth. "Yeah, AllStar, I know."
"What do you think S.H.I.E.L.D is going to do?"
Steve did not have to elaborate because Tony knew exactly what he was talking about, the subject that they had been so deftly avoiding since Tony arrived at the compound.
The botched mission.
"We can talk them down," Tony responded, although his voice lacked any confidence. "If anything, we'll get a slap on the wrist and she'll go under house arrest."
But Tony did not believe this. The very day he had been trying so hard to prevent was finally upon them and he knew that whatever was going to follow would not be a slap on the wrist.
The silence resumed after that because although Tony had been trying to convince not only Steve but also himself that everything would be okay, both men understood with complete certainty that- this time- it would not be.
However, a startling and rather enraged voice broke through the deafening stillness and caused both of them to tense up.
"She stuck me three times, Loki! I'm pretty sure the last time was on purpose!"
Both Steve and Tony snapped their heads up as Artemis and Loki walked into the living room. They were both dressed in typical Asgardian fashion with Loki wearing his trademark outfit and Artemis sporting a somewhat revealing golden silk dress that flowed around her like a halo.
"Darling, you told her that the designers on Earth were better," Loki teased, brushing his thumb against the exposed skin of her back, not wanting to voice the fact that he indeed saw several pink pricks. "What did you expect her to do?"
Artemis rolled her eyes and swatted his hand away, her vicious snarl softening into a smile when she spotted the two men on the couch.
"Hey, guys!" she greeted, leading Loki over to an armchair to sit. "What did we miss?"
Steve and Tony both gulped audibly as they looked at each other, trying to ignore Artemis' inquisitive stare. They both shook their heads at each other as if some mental war was brewing between them until Tony put his hand up.
"Rock, paper, scissors?" Tony offered, lifting his fist above his flat hand.
Steve took a beat, rolling his bottom lip into his mouth before he nodded and mimicked Tony's hands. "Best two out of three?"
"Guys," Artemis laughed, tipping her head to the side and swatting their hands down. "Why are you being so weird? Did Wanda blow up the kitchen again or something?"
Tony and Steve stared at each other yet again until the honorable Captain America cursed under his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Fine," he groaned, shaking his head at Tony. "I'll do it but you owe me for this."
"While this all rather amusing, my huntress and I would like to retire to bed soon," Loki mumbled, his fingers brushing against the back of Artemis' neck. "May we speed this up?"
Steve took one last glance at Tony before letting out a breath. He turned to Artemis, biting the inside of his cheek, trying to find the same courage that he once had when he signed up for the Super Soldier Program.
The story was not an easy one to tell, and with each detail that was shared, Artemis' face morphed from slight weariness to sheer mortification. Loki tried to soothe his fiancee as the tale unfolded, but not even his magical touch could reel back the panic coursing through her body and electrifying her mind.
"Fuck!" Artemis shouted, squeezing Loki's hand as she shot out of her seat. "I need to go find Martina!"
Artemis was already making her way across the couch, but a familiar ring resounded across the living room, and Tony's hand shot out just as she was crossing in front of him.
"Wait," he urged, pulling her back down on the couch before looking down at his watch.
"Wait?" Artemis practically screeched, trying to get up again only for him to push her back down. "What the fuck am I waiting for, Stark?"
Her question was answered when Tony tapped the final button of his watch and none other than Everett Ross' face was projected in the living room.
Everett Ross was known for being a rather collected man. He had served in the military, aided Wakanda in taking down a usurper king, and had taken the position as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D with the same cool and composed attitude he carried his entire life.
However, in front of them, was not the man they knew Everett Ross to be. His pale face was burning red with rage and they could see the little vein in his forehead throbbing.
"Seriously, Stark? Fucking seriously?" Ross began, shaking a handful of papers in front of the screen. "Did you really think you could keep this from me?"
"Keep...what from you?" Tony teased lightly, leaning back casually as he tried to keep himself composed and oblivious.
Everett Ross, however, was not buying it. "I know all about her, Stark! It's one thing to have three enhanced persons, one person who can afford the technology to fight, two aliens from another planet, and three secret agents that can do practically anything, but a mutant- as you referred to her on this piece of document that I didn't even know about- is entirely different. She's not even human!"
Tony was immediately on guard. He shot up straight and they could all see a slight trickle of sweat on his forehead, which was only a sign of bad things to come.
Tony Stark- the Man of Iron- never sweat
"Where did you get that?" .
Everett rolled his bottom lip into his mouth as he tugged on something off-screen until Lionel came into view.
"I'm s-so sorry, Mr. Stark," Lionel plead, thrashing against the iron grip Ross had on his collar. "I didn't do it on purpose. H-he saw it and he made me show him.
"Stand down, Boy-Wonder," Stark said, raising his hand and hushing a blabbering Lionel. Tony took a deep breath before he turned back to Ross and clasped his hands on his lap, holding a strict poker face. "What are you going to do with her then?"
"What am I going to do with her? Now, of all times, you want me to tell you information!" Ross screeched, shaking his head incredulously. "Fine, I'll bite. We're going to figure out how we can reduce- or best case scenario- take her powers away. Until then, she belongs to us. Lock her up."
"Imprisonment will do nothing for her," Loki spat, feeling a sudden urge to protect the young woman he had grown fond of. "Trust me, I should know."
"It was her first mission, Ross," Steve said, trying to placate the situation. "The hostile had Natasha-"
"The details don't matter to me!" Ross snapped. His angry face suddenly relaxed and he let out a deep breath. "Look, these are different times. After all the shit you guys have pulled in the last few years, you should know better. I'm trying to help change S.H.I.E.L.D, guys. This is for the good of everyone. You've got to help me out."
Those were Everett Ross' parting words and as the screen faded away into black, they all sat there in silence. Each one with a different idea and scenario racing through their mind.
It only took a split second for all of them to jump to their feet.
"How long do you think we have?" Steve asked, looking down as his watch.
Stark sighed. "Not long."
"So then what are we going to do?" Artemis asked, infuriated as the two men in front of her simply stared down at their phones. "Guys!"
"The only thing we can, kid," Tony said, defeated as he sat back down. "If we fight them, we lose everything we've worked for. Think about how many people will suffer because of it."
"You're fucking with me right?" Artemis shouted, happy that Loki was holding her back by her elbow because she was a second away from tearing out Tony Stark's mechanical heart.
"Art..." Steve began wearily, sitting down beside Tony.
"Et tu, Brute?" she gasped, staring down at the both of them with disappointment.
Tony shook his head at her. "Look, they're going to take her no matter what. The best thing I can do is to make it under my conditions. All of her procedures will be monitored by me."
"Yeah," Steve agreed, nodding his head in consensus. "Stark might be able to talk them down from trying to take away all her powers, even though we're not sure if that's even possible."
"You're all being hypocrites!" Artemis screeched, not liking that plan at all. "You're just going to let them take away her powers? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"It's for the best," Tony sighed.
Steve shook his head at her. "We won't let anything happen to her."
Loki looked down at his fiancee to see her trapped deep in her thoughts. She was worrying over her bottom lip, her eyebrows were furrowed, and he could practically hear the humming of her mind working overtime.
When her lips relaxed and her shoulders dropped, she nodded her head at the two men, not bothering to say a word as she left.
Artemis did not waste a second running toward Martina's room and Loki knew the look in her eyes because it was one that he had become incredibly familiar with.
His huntress was out for blood.
━
Martina was laying on her stomach, flipping through Beyond Good and Evil as she waited for Bucky to return from the kitchen. Her fingers absentmindedly traced the several love-bites that he had given her just mere minutes ago as she recounted the experience they had both shared.
James Buchanan Barnes loved her- her -and there was nothing in the world that made her happier.
Although the realization of the men she had killed continued to dawn on her, she couldn't find it within herself to let that dampen the overwhelming joy she felt.
She was just about to get up and put on some clothes in order to find Bucky because she had grown rather impatient, before her bedroom door burst open.
"Artemis?" Martina questioned, looking at her bewlidered friend. "What's going on?"
Artemis looked like a picture of Greek perfection. Her long blonde hair seemed to be blowing by an invisible fan, and her golden silk dress flowed tightly around her and highlighted her strong limbs.
Her face, however, betrayed every etheral quality about her appearance.
"Where's Bucky?" Artemis asked frantically, looking around the room, ignoring the fact that Martina was half-naked.
"Um, he's in the kitchen," Martina replied, frowning at her as she tried to pull down her tank top to cover her underwear. "Why?"
Artemis' eyes immediately locked onto hers and it only to a second for her to throw herself at the young woman. When she pulled back, hands planted firmly on Martina's shoulders, her words tumbled out rushed and urgent. "Martina, they're coming to get you."
Martina tilted her head in slight confusion until Artemis' words dawned on her. She immediately shot herself back and her hands flew to her mouth.
They were coming to cage the monster.
"But-But I didn't mean to!" Martina cried, shaking her head. "You're talking about what happened on the mission right? It was an accident! I know it was wrong but I'm not a criminal."
"Martina," Artemis sighed, tears brimming in her eyes. "They're going to try and take away your powers."
Artemis wished that she could have been a little more sensitive with the information, but there was no time to waste. She hated the way Martina's trembling form immediately froze as she gulped.
"Stark would never let that happen," Martina whispered, trying to believe her own words, trying to forget Artemis' urgency, trying to remember Bucky's promise. "Stark wouldn't-"
"He doesn't have a choice," Artemis insisted cooly, biting her bottom lip to prevent herself from screaming. "This is happening, Martina."
Martina suddenly felt her world crash and burn all around her. The moment Artemis had walked into the room, she had sensed something was wrong, but she had refused to believe it. Her day had been filled with so much death and destruction, but Bucky had been able to somehow harness all those negative emotions and suck them out of her.
He loved her- her- and she realized she was an idiot trying to pretend that it solved anything.
"Artemis," Martina quivered, tears beginning to coat her cheeks as she clutched her heart. "I'm scared."
Artemis growled as she paced back and forth, feeling a sense of rage coursing through. She tried to ignore Martina's broken form as she tried to focus on the situation. She was thinking of all possible options until the only sensible one came to her mind.
Well, sensible might not have been the right word.
"Fuck!" she shouted, kicking the doorframe as her hands bunched up her skirts. "Why the fuck does this always happen to me?!"
"Artemis, what is it?"
But Artemis ignored her as she started to pace again, all the while nodding her head. "My uncle's going to kill me."
"Artemis! Tell me what's going on!"
Artemis snapped her head back at her and she was no longer upset but determined. She stood her grown with solidity as she nodded her head once more and pointed at Martina. "Put on your clothes and get your shoes. I'll be right back."
As Artemis ran off, Martina stood frozen in her place. She began to question what the actual fuck had just happened to her. For a second, she thought it had been some sort of weird nightmare. That is until Artemis returned in what felt like a matter of seconds, half-naked as she attempted to put on pants while running and carrying her quiver and a duffel bag.
"Did you not hear me? Hurry!" Artemis urged, almost tripping on herself as she jumped into her pants. "We need to go!"
"Wait, what?" Martina questioned, the latter part of her remark being cut off when Artemis hit her in the face with a pile of clothes. "What do you mean-"
Artemis interrupted her as she ran to the closet. "Where's your go-bag?"
"My what?" Martina sputtered, not too sure what was happening as she heard Artemis roar before she began trashing her room.
"Your go-bag, Martina!" Artemis shrieked as if the answer should have been obvious. "The prepacked bag you've made ahead of time for cases when you need to go."
"Why would I ever need a go-bag?" Martina asked as Artemis reached for a duffel under the bed and began piling things in it.
"For situations like these!"
"Situations like these? Artemis, I don't understand what's happening," Martina cried, grabbing her arm. "You're scaring me! Stop! Stop for just a second!"
"Okay, okay," Artemis said, stopping in front of her and grabbing her shoulders. Her eyes were still full of anxiety and haste but she managed to quell the emotions for just a moment. "Martina, we only have minutes before they come and take you. Hopefully, Stark will find a way to smooth this over but for now, it's not looking good."
Martina placed her hands atop of Artemis'. "Why are they doing this?"
Artemis' lips were set in a line. "S.H.I.E.L.D hasn't been too happy with us. I'm sorry none of us told you before, but we just didn't want to freak you out. They don't trust us and they were just waiting for an excuse to crack down on us again. You are just convenient. Regardless, you have a choice to make. Are you going to let them take you or are we going to run?"
"What about-?"
Artemis knew by the trembling of Martina's lips what she was about to say and she cut her off immediately.
"They'll be fine, it's not them they want. All of them including Bucky and-" Artemis stopped short when her voice cracked, her indomitable and fearless attitude crashing for a second. "Bucky and Loki, they'll be okay. None of them know I'm telling you this."
"We should tell them!" Martina protested, trying to wriggle her way out of Artemis' steel grip.
"Martina, think." Artemis slapped the side of her head and made a mental note to apologize for the blow at a later time. "They are the last people we are going to tell. We can't drag them into this. It's for their own good, but we're running out of time. What do you want to do?"
In those brief fleeting and vital seconds, Martina thought back to everything she had accomplished and learned over the past few months.
She loved the Avengers, she loved Bucky, but she had grown to love her powers too. It had become an irreplaceable part of her and she had been denied of it her entire life, she couldn't fathom having it ripped away from her.
She had done terrible things, things that would put nightmares to shame, but she was no monster.
Martina nodded her head with conviction. "Let's go."
"Okay." Artemis let out a deep sigh and brought her into a hug, holding her closely and tightly before letting her go and grabbing the discarded duffel. "Now, get fucking dressed. We don't have a lot of time. No phones, no wallets, no electronics of any kind. Do not take anything."
While Artemis was preparing the rest of Martina's bag- grabbing her gloves, extra clothes, anything she could get her hands on- Martina quickly dressed and ran over to the nightstand and took care of some business.
Once she was done, Artemis handed Martina her bag and adjusted her quiver over her shoulder.
"We'll keep each other safe," Artemis spoke quietly, grabbing Martina's hand and holding it up between them.
"How do you know they won't find us?" Martina questioned, feeling her shaky hand steady under Artemis' grip.
Artemis smirked at her and that award-winning, resounding confidence was back. "Because I won't let them."
They shared a nod and each took a deep breath.
"Okay," Artemis said, giving her one last reassuring glance before crossing her room and opening the large window. "Out the window, come on."
Martina nodded and was about to climb out of the window when she saw a hoard of black trucks pulling up into the driveway.
She quickly snapped her head at Artemis. "How are we going to get out of here?"
Artemis chuckled as she pulled a set of keys out of her pocket and jingled them in front of Martina's face. "Snagged the keys to Steve's motorcycle."
━
Bucky was reaching into the fridge, trying to figure out whether to give Martina strawberries or blueberries, deciding on both and promptly dropping them both on the floor as Steve ripped him away.
"Steve?" Bucky questioned, looking at his friend's panic-stricken face. "What's going on?"
But, before Steve could answer them, a throng of armed S.H.I.E.L.D agents burst through the kitchen. Bucky felt his fists clench beside him as only one woman floated through his thoughts.
"I need to go to Martina," Bucky demanded, trying to pull himself away until Loki used his magic to root him in his place.
"They're here for her," Loki said, using all his strength to hold Bucky back.
Bucky's head snapped back and he continued to fight. "But-"
"Things are different now," Steve explained, giving Bucky a pleading look. "We had a feeling this would happen."
"Hypocrites!" Bucky yelled, realizing that his strain against Loki's powers was futile.
Loki snickered as he easily held the Winter Soldier back. "Funny, you sound just like-"
But then Loki's eyes went wide and he immediately let go of his grip on Bucky.
"-Artemis!"
It didn't take even a second for reality and reason to dawn on the three men and they bolted toward Martina's room. When they arrived, none of them were surprised to see the two women missing. Loki ran ahead and checked his and Artemis's bedroom as well and arrived at the same sight.
While Steve and Loki were trying to piece together the scattered contents of Martina's bedroom. Bucky spotted something on the nightstand and waved the two over.
In perfectly written writing were nine beautiful but crushing words.
Loki,
Bucky,
I'm sorry, I love you.
Artemis.
Martina.
While Loki snatched the note out of Bucky's metal hand, Bucky saw that underneath it was his copy of Beyond Good and Evil with the ring Bucky gave Martina resting on a particular underlined passage.
"The chasest expression I have ever heard: 'Dans la véritable amour c'est l'âme, qui enveloppe le corps."
Loki appeared behind him, having read the note over his shoulder, a sudden soft smile appearing on his face. "In true love, it is the soul that embraces the body." When Bucky gave him a quizzical look, Loki shrugged his shoulders. "AllSpeak."
"Why?" Bucky growled, his fists clenching around the note. "What does that even mean?"
Loki shook his head. "Well, where would the fun be if I told you?"
The tone of Loki's voice alone caused Bucky to snap his head up at the Trickster. Loki held a soft smirk as he took in the note and, almost as if laughing to himself, shook his head.
"You think this is funny?" Bucky seethed, grabbing Loki's collar and shaking him furiously.
"Of course, it is," Loki laughed, not reacting even in the slightest to Bucky's harsh grip. "My lovely fiancee just seems to love stirring up trouble. It's nice to know she's still the same woman I fell for."
"If you know where they went-"
It was Loki's turn to snap as he magically slipped from Bucky's fingers, showing the metal-man that he was always capable of freeing himself. "Oh, enough of this. I was allowing you to express your little fit of anger because it was amusing, but it no longer is. Tell me, don't you think if I knew where my fiancee was, I'd be here chatting with you?"
"But your magic? The wedding-"
"Magic? Wedding? Do you even know Artemis? For some Odin forsaken reason she loves me, but she does not care about any of that," Loki said. He sighed and in a moment of uncharacteristic kindness, he extended his arm to pat Bucky's back. "Look, my huntress will not let any harm befall your tiny mutant."
Bucky thought over carefully Loki's words. He wasn't entirely convinced that the God of Mischief had no part to play in Martina's disappearance, but Loki's smirk had started to lose its mirth and the hand on his back went from firm to unsure.
So, in another unusual act of kindness, Bucky awkwardly hugged the god. "It's going to be okay."
━
Martina wrinkled her nose at the smell in the air. When Artemis suggested getting dinner, this was not what Martina had envisioned.
"Artemis," Martina whined, plugging her nose and forcing herself to look at her friend. "Do you think she felt any pain?"
"She?" Artemis snorted, briefly setting her knife down to wipe the sweat off her forehead, leaving little specks of blood behind. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion before recognition dawned on her and she smiled. "Oh, this?" Martina wanted to throw up at the almost completely skinned rabbit Artemis held up. "No, not in the slightest."
"How do you know?"
"Because I snapped his neck," she explained matter-a-factly. "If you've got the strength and will to do it, it's quick and painless. Start a fire?"
Martina nodded, grunting as she stood up and made her way to the stone fireplace in the corner of the room. With a snap of her fingers, the fire was ready and waiting for Artemis, who promptly positioned their dinner in a rack above it.
"How did you even find this place?" Martina questioned, looking around at the rustic living room, wrinkling her nose at every dead and stuffed animal hanging from the wall. "It's...nice."
Artemis snorted as she plucked two beers from the old fridge, tossing one to Martina as she sat down. "By accident, really. Five years ago, when Loki escaped the Avengers for the first time, he accidentally transported us to Maine. I spotted this cabin when we traveled through the forest to find a place to sleep for the night. It was occupied back then, so I took a risk bringing us here. Jesus, you should have seen how pissy he was about walking. I wanted to strangle him."
"But instead you fell in love with him," Martina trailed off in a whisper, noticing the way Artemis' eyes flickered down to her engagement ring hanging proudly around her neck. She chuckled lightly, although there was a lingering sadness in it, as she tucked the necklace under her shirt.
"Yeah," Artemis replied with a somber smile. "Something like that. Anyway, we won't be staying here for long. I think we'll stick around for just another day so I can get us some passports. After that, we'll cross to Canda."
"Canada?"
Artemis nodded her head. "We'll go to Canada on foot- easier because of the border patrol- and the passports are for the airport. I doubt they'll stop us there. We'll take a flight to somewhere in Europe and hide out for a few days in one of the places Loki and I stayed."
Martina gulped audibly. "Do you think they'll find us there? Since it's a place you and Loki have been before?"
"No." Artemis' answer was immediate and unwavering. "Not at all. He might not have been able to come with us, but he would rather cut off his tongue than rat us out. He's more loyal than he looks, and he likes you a lot by the way. He won't say anything."
"Do you really think this is the greatest idea?"
When Artemis had suggested running, Martina had her doubts but the urgency of their situation and the fear she felt at the possibility of losing her powers had blinded her. But now, sitting in a dusty old cabin, roasting a dead rabbit for dinner, and talking about fleeing the country, those doubts reared their ugly head again.
Artemis sighed deeply. She set her beer down on the end table beside her and scooted over so that she could grab Martina's hand, angling her so she had nowhere to hide and so their knees brushed against each other. For some reason, the little contact provided her comfort.
"When I first met Loki, he had killed so many, but I went out on a limb and helped him because something in my heart told me it was the right thing to do. My damn heart's caused a lot of trouble, but it's never wrong. What you did, Martina, that was an accident. I'm not saying it's okay to kill people, but the world isn't just black and white. If this was about punishment, we wouldn't have run. The people you killed were human traffickers for Christ's sake, but it's not even about that."
Martina squeezed Artemis' hands. "What is it about then?"
"They want to lock you up because you're different," Artemis stated as if the answer was obvious. "Thor and Loki, they're somewhat out of the jurisdiction, but at least S.H.I.E.L.D can explain what they are. With you, though, we don't have the slightest idea how you came to be. You have so much power inside of you, and I don't even think it's reached its peak. I know you're nervous, and I know that initially, you hated this inside of you but are you ready to give it up? Would you rather pretend none of this happened?"
It was a difficult question, one that Martina should have been prepared for but couldn't answer. She had been so adamant about embracing her powers, finding the beauty in the terror, but she didn't think she was so sure anymore. She tried to picture her life before; simple, boring, safe. She hadn't exactly loved it, but she hadn't hated it either.
However, when she finally managed to control her powers, it was like a breath of fresh air. She finally felt like she was her true self, like something in her life that she didn't know was missing returned to her.
"My entire life was a lie," she started, looking up at Artemis who had patiently waited for her to collect her thoughts. "I know that I'm not a bad person. If they just wanted to lock me up for a few years, I might have agreed to it, but this- trying to take a piece of me- this is different. I will not let them take away who I am. I will never let anyone take that away from me."
If it weren't for her powers, she would never have met the somewhat lovable Tony, the broody Bruce, the cuddly Thor, the righteous Clint, the eccentric Wanda, the powerful Artemis, the dangerous Loki, the-
Bucky.
She would never have met James Buchanan Barnes. She would never have grown to love him. She would never have saved him the way he saved her.
"I betrayed him," Martina whispered, close to tears at the thought of Bucky, sitting alone in their room, worrying and wondering about her. "He told me he loved me and I left him behind."
"No," Artemis snapped, reaching over and bringing Martina into her chest the way a mother would codle their child. "Kid, you did not such thing. He knows why we had to do this. He wouldn't have wanted to see you hurt."
Martina shook her head as she felt her tears wet Artemis' shirt. "B-But we could have brought him with us. Loki! We could have brought him with us too! I know you said-"
"I meant what I said, Martina," Artemis soothed, patting the young woman's head. "I did. If anyone can understand my position it's Steve and if anyone can understand your situation, it's Bucky. If we had given either of them a choice, I have no doubt they would have come with us. And my fiance? Don't worry about his dumbass. He's probably enjoying all of this."
Martina nodded her head as she pulled away from Artemis. She looked into her dull blue eyes and knew that what she was saying was true, despite the lingering sadness and apprehension in them. She took a deep breath as she collected herself, wiping away her tears before she spoke. "We're doing this to protect them."
Martina was stating a fact, but it seemed that she was trying to convince herself more than anything. Artemis knew this- she always managed to know everything- and smiled back at her with as much warmth as she could muster. "We'll find a way to make this go away."
"How?"
"I don't know but I know we can." Artemis pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt like she had this conversation with various people a million times in her life. She had said the words she was about to say to Martina countless times, but it always seemed like Artemis was the only one that believed them. "No one is beyond saving."
With that, Artemis leaned over to give Martina a quick peck on the forehead before standing up and making her way across their rooms where their bags were stationed. She was making sure that she had managed to pack all her things, and when she realized that something was missing, she cursed at herself. "Fuck."
"What? What is it?" Martina was suddenly on edge, jumping out of her seat as she looked around in panic. She truly believed that Artemis had the ears of a hawk and the nose of a bloodhound and might have picked up on something she missed.
"No- just- relax, babe. No one's coming to get us. When I don't want to be found, I don't get found," Artemis said with a humor-filled laugh and a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm just pissed because I forgot my gloves. I don't really need them, but I always get nasty ass blisters when I don't wear them."
"Oh," Martina said with a nervous giggle, happy when she felt her heartbeats lower to a reasonable level. She pointed to the bag right next to Artemis. "Look in my bag. My gloves are in there and although they aren't meant for you, I don't think it'll be a big deal if you wear them."
Artemis rifled through Martina's bag until she found said black gloves. She slipped them off and winced when she felt it sting the palm of her hands. "Is that shit supposed to happen?"
Martina nodded her head. "Yeah, they're just a prototype. They're meant to regulate my powers, but obviously they don't work too well."
"Okay," Artemis said with a shrug. "That works for me. How about we eat our dinner and head to bed early? I'll go out first thing and the morning and get our things."
Martina nodded her head and then looked wearily at the fireplace. "Do I really have to eat that?"
Artemis stilled in her place. She looked over at Martina for a stolen moment. Golden hair, hazel eyes, bright smile, and overwhelming youth. Her heart stung for a moment thinking of the awful situation she was in. They were being hunted like prey and they were technically classified as fugitives.
She wondered what would have happened to the poor girl if she hadn't gone on a limb and helped her escape. What would have happened if Ross had gotten his hands on her? Would she had been able to stand idly by as Martina became nothing more than a glorified lab rat?
No, Artemis concluded. No fucking way.
Because, as always, Artemis fucking Barton bowed before no one.
She would do anything to make sure Martina was okay.
She smiled at Martina as she made her way back to the fireplace, the young girl completely oblivious to the silent pact Artemis made to herself.
"No, babe," Artemis replied smiling as she looked at Martina whose nose was scrunched as she sniffed the meat in front of her. "Not if you don't want to."