The Viper || BUCKY BARNES [2]

10 ― Guilt

ONE MONTH LATER
2016 ― Upstate New York

THE AVENGERS WERE AT THE FACILITY UPSTATE. Holland Stark was sitting in her room watching the news again, and they were saying what they always said. 11 Wakandans were dead; she felt terrible. Every time she watched the news, she felt sicker and sicker. Steve kept trying to convince her to stop, but no, she had to. She had to hear it, everything they were saying about her. Especially since she's a Stark, and now everyone knows she's related to Tony put an even bigger damper on her reputation because of the messes Tony has been in himself.

"They were operating outside and above international law. Because that's the reality, if we don't respond to acts like these. What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Holland Stark have... to operate in Nigeria, especially after everything she's done in the name of HYDRA...-" As Holland was watching the news, the TV cut off. Still, she didn't turn around because she knew it was Steve.

"It's my fault, Steve," Holland said.

"That's not true." He said.

"Turn the TV back on... they're being very specific." Holland responded. It gutted her to hear them bring up HYDRA. She blamed herself enough already, even though it wasn't her fault. She was a victim of HYDRA; she didn't have a choice.

"I should've clocked that bomb vest as soon as he came after us," Steve said as he walked inside of her room and sat down on her bed with her.

"But Rumlow said Bucky, and it sent me back to the forties, specifically to the moment where he gave me his dog tags as he proposed, and said to keep them until we could swap and he'd give me a ring, I'd give him his tags back. I got distracted, and people died because of it." Holland said.

"And when he said Bucky, I was a 16-year-old kid in Brooklyn again. It's on me." Steve said.

Holland looked over at him. "It's on both of us." She said.

"I don't think I have to tell you that this job..." Steve trailed off because that wasn't the direction he wanted to go. "...We try to save as many people as we can, and sometimes that doesn't mean everybody, you know that. But, if we can't find a way to live with that... then next time... maybe nobody gets saved." Steve said.

Then Vision came through the way, and Holland abruptly looked up. He has a habit of doing this when he needs to get someone, and sometimes Holland thought it was hilarious. "Vis, I thought we talked about this," Holland said. She thought Vision was a great addition to the team. At first, she was wary of him since Ultron created him first, but he has proven to be on their side.

"Yes, but the door was open, so I assumed that... I apologize, but Miss Stark, you wished to know when your nephew was arriving." Vision said, and Holland nodded her head.

"Thanks, Vision; we'll be right down, okay?" Holland said.

"I'll use the door." He said as he pointed over to it. Holland laughed a little as Vision walked to the door, and then he turned around. "Oh, and apparently, he's brought a guest." Vision said.

"We know who it is?" Steve asked.

"The Secretary of State." Vision said, and then he walked out. Steve and Holland exchanged a look with each other, and Holland groaned as she laid back on her bed.

"He's here because of me." She said. Steve laid back as well and turned his head to look at her.

"Hey... this is not your fault," Steve said as he held up his hand. Holland sighed as she took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "Now, what are we?" Steve asked.