The Seventh Avenger - (Marvel x OC)

CH 3.4 The Past

The sounds of various boat horns and bells woke Diana out of a comfortable sleep. She quickly sat up and spotted Andrew standing nervously waiting to dock their small wooden boat.

"Is everything alright?" Diana asked from her 'bed.'

"Hm? Oh, hey...yeah...yeah, everything's great" Andrew lied to Diana and himself.

He brought the boat to a stop and Diana walked over to him.

"Talk to me" Diana gently held Andrew's arm.

"I ca-- I can't breathe" Andrew replied, unable to catch his breath and feeling like he was going to explode.

"You're safe" Diana assured him, assuming he was worried about an unfamiliar place. "I have you." Diana held him close and kept her head on a swivel...if Andrew was this worried about danger then it must be an unsafe area.

"That's not...not it" Andrew panted. "I can't...I can't!"

"Can't what?" Diana asked confused.

"This isn't right, Diana. I-I've seen this all before. This is the 40s..."

Diana had placed Andrew on the makeshift bed after he'd felt dizzy. He'd painstakingly informed her of what his theory had been since he'd seen the Germans on the beach. He was back in the height of the Second World War, but he'd come from almost fifty years after he'd helped end it. This was too much. He felt that he could collapse at any moment and his mind would shatter into a million pieces.

"You're in the past?" Diana questioned after Andrew had explained everything and she'd forced him to drink some water.

"It seems" Andrew sighed in disbelief and flopped down on his back, shoving his hands over his face to hide from the world.

"How is that possible?" Diana asked, more confused than she'd ever been.

"You tell me, Diana" Andrew spoke muffledly through his hands.

"I cannot" Diana sighed, taking Andrew's statement seriously.

"This is too much" Andrew mumbled, having little faith in himself to get through this. Diana came and sat next to Andrew on the ground. "I can't do this" he began to feel that same fear and anxiety creep over him, pulling him deeper into self-doubt. Andrew moved his hands to the side but kept his eyes tightly closed.

"I believe you can" Diana firmly grabbed Andrew's hand. "I won't let you do it alone."

Andrew looked over to Diana, a weak smile the only sign of hope on his worried face.

"What are your choices?" She asked and gently squeezed his hand in encouragement. "You can stay here on the boat and worry...or you can stand up and keep moving forward...you can keep fighting."

"I don't see a way out of this, Diana. There's no light at the end of the tunnel."

"You can't be sure until you explore the whole tunnel."

Andrew smiled at Diana's literal response. Deep down...he knew she was right. His only move was to keep going, keep pushing, keep fighting...it's what he'd done since he could walk. It's all he knew. But how long before he couldn't fight anymore?

Andrew sighed and began to stand. Diana pulled his arm to help him up and Andrew felt his feet slightly leave solid ground. "Easy on the lift, Diana."

"I apologize, you were far lighter than I expected" she admitted as they walked to the edge of the boat.

"How much do you think I weigh?" Andrew asked with a chuckle.

"Five hundred pounds?" Diana questioned.