Moonface

Going Home

"Okay, maybe the mission wasn't a success BUT I GOT YELLED AT BY BUCKY BARNES!" Kiki squealed, pretending to be a little American fangirl.

Lee groaned and put her head in her hands. "What even happened back there, Kiki? We needed this job." She mumbled.

"The poison wasn't strong enough to kill Steve, so while Bucky was trying to punch me, he had recovered. Key word 'trying', because he was nowhere near succeeding. Then Steve came out, apologised,  and had a 'private chat' with Bucky. Bucky said he was gonna help me find my family, Lee! I'm gonna find them!" She twirled and sat down on the bed, summer dress puffing up behind her.

On the other side of the hotel room they were sharing, Kiki's phone lit up. Lee picked it up and read it out.

" 'The location of the new house is in the link. It has no connection to you or anything you have done. You owe us. We will be in touch.' Wait, does this mean..." Lee trailed off.

"I CAN GO HOME!" Kiki yelled. "I KNEW this assignment would help." She lay on her back muttering exited things about going home. Lee laughed and turned back to the book on the desk across from her.

☾

Everything was packed, unpacked, repacked and loaded into the car. Kiki was standing outside waiting for Lee.

"What is taking her so long?" She muttered impatiently. She noticed Steve and Bucky coming out of the hotel talking about something. It was clear they wanted no one to see them, but why?

Lee walked out but Kiki held up a hand to say wait. She also noticed Steve and Bucky being entirely obvious and nodded and stopped to keep an eye on the bags.

Kiki walked over to them, constantly checking around to see if anyone noticed them. She put an arm around Steve's shoulder and beamed at them, herding them towards an empty room and passing the concierge some money. He shut the door behind them.

"What the hell are you idiots doing?" She hissed at them. Bucky sneered at her and didn't say anything.

"Hey, you're that girl from the café, the one who wanted an autograph for... Lee!" Steve face was scrunched up in concentration to remember. "You accidentally gave me a paper cut." He held up his finger.

"No accident about it," Bucky commented, but Steve didn't seem to hear him.

"No shit, Sherlock. You guys are being the most obvious fugitives in the universe so I figured I'd help you out." Kiki sighed. Sometimes people were so oblivious.

"Yeah, well, since you tried to kill Steve I'm pretty sure you owe us one."

"Yeah, well, since you were gonna get arrested by the police for suspicious activity, my debt is paid."

"We found your family."

"You lost me a lot of money. We're done here. Stop being weird, and leave."

Steve looked back and forth between them, confused, and Kiki remembered he didn't know she had tried to kill him yet.

"Wait, you're British?" Right. That.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Captain, but I figured it would seem a little wierder is a British girl asked for an autograph for her Russian friend who detests the Americans. And I had to get you to have a paper cut." Kiki turned to leave. "Bye-bye boys, I've got a flight to catch."

She rejoined Lee by the car and said her goodbyes. The route she would take was quite roundabout, to keep them off her trail, but it would get her there. At least, she hoped it would. No Kiki, don't think like that. Touch wood, touch wood, touch wood.

Now, 2 days of flying to look forward to. What movie to watch first?

☾

She was here! Finally! Well, nearly but it was good enough for her. Ever since she had been taken away from her family she had dreamed about working high enough to come back. And now was the moment!

She wondered what they would think of her. She was so different from the scrawny little 15-year-old they knew. Would they even recognise her? What would she say to them? What would they say to her?

The car pulled up in front of the gates. It was asking to be buzzed in but no one was replying. She saw one of the gates had been left open, so she told the driver it was fine, that she would get out her luggage and someone would collect it soon.

She heard the car pull away as she walked home for the first time in 7 years. It didn't matter that it looked different, as long as it had the same people it would always be home.

Kiki opened the door to the house, just as she had imagined so many times, and her first thought as she stepped inside was:

Where is everyone?