The House in the Field

Ava made her way slowly up to the room she had left Bucky and Ida in, stopping by the kitchen to clean the blood up from her hand and to gather her thoughts. It scared her at just how quickly the Colonel could get into her head, he knew what switch to flick to have her back to that vulnerable girl she was when he took her. She had been searching for Bucky for about 10 years when she was captured by him. He knew of her born skills and that she had the healing agent and struck when she was still naïve enough to think the bad guys had been captured. Similarly, to Bucky she too had a chair that brought fear and dread to her; Colonel used to sit her in it and listen to everything she had done to try and find Bucky, all her hopes and plans. She thought he was a friend, someone who was out to help her; but, he only had one thing planned for her – control. She spent five years as his pet, she’d been forced to betray her country and morals, beaten until she was out for two days and starved to the point her body couldn’t even support itself. She felt the cold sweat run down her back as she watched the red water swirl down the drain. What scared her the most that despite all that she was willing to hand herself over to him so easily. She took a deep breath as a fresh wave of tears hit, she needed to see her baby; to hold her tight and centre herself again.

Taking two steps at a time Ava finally reached the door, she opened it slowly ignoring the fact that her tears were still silently falling. Bucky was up in an instant, his arms wrapping around her, so she could feel the security he gave her. She sobbed brokenly in his chest, shoulders jumping up and down when a violent sob escaped. “I’ve got you doll.” He whispered kissing her hair as he gripped on to her tighter, lifting her so her legs wrapped around his waist and carried her to the bathroom as she hugged herself into his body, she needed to feel him.
“I nearly killed him James.” She whispered in disbelief. “I nearly did that. What if he was right? What if I haven’t changed? Only think about myself.” She sobbed staring straight ahead, even when he turned the tap on. “I nearly let him out.” She whispered again.
“You are not the woman he said you were. Ava listen to me” He turned her face to look at him when he realised she wasn’t there with him. “Ava, you were doing what was best for your family. That’s not selfish, that’s good parenting.” He held her cheeks hard enough to keep her attention. “You got the answers, you don’t have to face him again. That’s it, it’s over. He’s over.” He whispered again as she nodded slowly, but, Bucky could see the blank glaze of her cool blue eyes.
“He said he could help you.” She whispered after a few moments of silence, watching as Bucky took the washcloth and cleaned her hand meticulously.
“I don’t need help.” He told her, his eyes flicking back up to hers causing her to swallow thickly. “You’d have been free from it, from him.” She whispered again, this time matter-of-factly.
“I’d rather you be free from him doll.” His own tone matching hers. “I have all I need in this room. You and Ida that’s the freedom I need.” He told her throwing the stained cloth in the trash and washing his own hands.
“They’re not going to know where to find the stick, it’s in a fake wall” she hesitated “where my room was.” She turned her head to face him, his face showing understanding.
“We’ll go together. I’m sure Aunty Wanda would love to have a play date with Ida.” He told her, taking her cheeks in his hands softer this time. “I love you remember that, no matter what you were or have become. I love you.” He whispered on her lips, pecking them simply. The simplicity of the action caused a fresh wave of tears to fall from Ava’s sore eyes.

It had been a day since Ava faced the Colonel and they had all decided to get the USB sooner rather than later. Ava had struggled and spent the night awake staring at her baby insuring she was safe and content, something Ava craved. “Mama loves you baby.” She whispered kissing the youngsters head before handing her over to Wanda who had a bright smile on her face.
“We’re going to have so much fun aren’t we Ida.” Wanda bounced her a little causing her to let out a small giggle, Ava’s face lighting up at the sound.
“Be good.” She spoke out when Steve nodded to her that it was time. “Thank you.” She hugged Wanda gently before planting another kiss on to Ida’s head.
“It’s okay.” She smiled softer this time knowing the strain this was having on her friend.

They arrived at the compound in just short of an hour and Ava felt Bucky’s hand squeeze her knee causing her to nod, not daring to look at him.
“What’s the plan Cap?” She asked nervously as he and Natasha turned to face the Barnes’ in the back seat.
“We go in get the USB stick and Nat is going to try and download the files from his computer. We stick together.” He told them all, who nodded in unison. Ava knew this place like the back of her hand, she also knew this was given to them too easy and four of them was better odds. They made their way into the cold derelict building, unlike most HYDRA bases this one gave the three heroes a cold shiver.
“It’s down a few flights of stairs.” She mumbled, her fingers twitching as her memories came rushing back. The bullet holes in the wall from where SHIELD had attacked all those years ago caused the ringing of shots to flood Ava’s hearing. She quickly led them down the staircase that was at the back of the building, it previously had a steel bolt lock and padlock that only the Colonel had the key too, preventing people from going down to speak to his pet. The smell of damp and stale water hit them all once they reached the lowest point in the building, it was only when Natasha flashed her torch around the area that they realised they were standing in water that stopped at their ankles. Looking around they saw a small area that had a soggy mouldy blanket in the corner next to floor and wall chains and hooks. “The fake wall is over here.” Ava’s voice broke the disturbed silence when they all realised this was her ‘room’. Ava, however, wasted no time in going to the wall the furthest away from her corner, staring at the bricks remembering which one he used to move she hadn’t noticed Bucky and Natasha make their way over to the corner she was confided too all those years ago. They noticed the old blood that stained into the scratch marks left there. She finally found the right brick, her hand going straight in and grabbing the two USB’s looking confused.
“What’s wrong Ava?” Steve noticed her hesitation as she turned holding up both the USB’s shaking her head.
“We’ll take both, he might have just done our job for us.” Steve told her as she nodded. “Next stop computer then we can get out of here.” He told them all, Bucky and Natasha moving back to the centre of the room.
“Hang on.” Ava’s voice surprised them, she slowly made her way over to her corner grabbing the knife from her waistband as she crouched down to the wall Bucky and Natasha had just observed. Sticking the knife in one of the cracks between the bricks she prized out a brick feeling around for whatever was in there, a small smile creeping on to her lips when she felt what she was looking for. She pulled it out smiling holding up the thin silver band. “He took everything from me, said if he had to break my finger to get it off he would so one night I hid it. Told him the sewers could have it before he did.” She smiled sadly. “I suffered pretty bad for that one.” She shrugged taking off the ring that never truly felt like hers and replacing it with her original wedding ring. “Let’s get out of here.”

Notes