N-701124 {b. barnes}

VII

The sun was starting to rise as the jet flew over New York City.

Belle didn't sleep at all on the jet ride back. She didn't dare sleep, especially now, with all the thoughts and memories running through her head. She knew she'd wake up feeling worse than she already did.

The jet touched down somewhere in the countryside. Belle watched out the window, but she didn't recognize where they were.

"We're here." Steve spoke softly. "You should wake Autumn." He nodded to the young girl sleeping on the floor of the jet, curled up into a ball, using a sweatshirt as a blanket.

"Where are we?"

Steve and Natasha exchanged a glance.

"Avengers Compound. Headquarters, I guess you could say." Steve answered.

"I don't belong here. I'm not one of you. I never will be." Belle said immediately, her voice inaudible.

"We don't have anywhere else to go. It's not like you're a free woman here, Belle." He reminded.

Belle sighed. Steve was right. She got up and gently woke her daughter, who sat up quickly and looked around, concerned. Once Belle explained what was going on, the thirteen-year-old relaxed. She still appeared slightly skeptical, but she didn't have much of a choice other than to trust her mother.

Autumn reached her hands up. With a faint smile, Belle grabbed her hands and pulled her daughter to her feet. After being pulled up, Autumn still didn't let go of her mother's hands.

Belle wasn't shocked. She didn't force her daughter to let go. After all, Autumn only had one parent left.

The two followed Steve inside, with Natasha trailing behind them. Clearly Steve was the only one who felt comfortable inside the building. Belle glanced back at Natasha, who shot her a puzzled look. The blonde was better at masking her discomfort than Belle and Autumn were.

Steve led them down the hall and around the corner once, twice, before stopping outside a door. He gently pushed it open. "I know there's not much here, but you can stay here until we get this sorted out. There's a bathroom attached, and a spare room right across the hall."

Belle only nodded. Autumn stepped into the room across the hall and closed the door behind her. After staring at her daughter's door for a few seconds, Belle vanished into the bedroom and silently shut the door, hearing it click shut.

The room was plain to say the least. The far corner had a large bed with white sheets, and near it, sat a dresser with a mirror, and then a desk and chair in the corner. On the wall, there was a clock, and closest to the foot of the bed was another door, which she assumed led to the bathroom.

She was right. The bathroom was a decent size and had everything she needed. The sink was right next to the door, directly across from the bathtub and shower. There was a small counter at the end of the bathtub, and a set of doors underneath. That's all she had, but it was all she needed.

She left the bathroom and sat down in the desk chair. There was nothing to do.

Nothing to wait for.

Nothing to hope for.

No one to cuddle with.

No one to sleep with.

It was only Belle and Autumn. The last two pieces of their broken family.

She tossed and turned. She tried adding more blankets, kicking them off, sleeping on the floor, and anything else she could think of.