~Broken Family~

A Love Story

Everything came to her in blurred fragments.

She was lying on a table of sorts, everything shaking and trembling beneath her. She was strapped to it, which filled her with panic.

I'm still in the laboratory.

Gwen struggled against the bonds, feeling helplessness well up in her throat.

She was going to die here, just like Harley had.

He hadn't deserved it.

She did.

"Shh," a voice whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. "You're safe now. Relax."

She knew that voice.

Harley?

But that was impossible. He was dead.

Maybe she was dead, too.

Giving up and ceasing her struggle, she relaxed against the table and closed her eyes as the voice continued to soothe her.

***

Gwen awoke as the altitude began to change, making her even more dizzy.

She was in the back of the quinjet, strapped to one of the emergency transport tables bolted to the wall. Lifting her head, she could see the top of Clay's head down by her feet on the table next to him. He remained motionless except for the uneven rising and falling of his chest, which was hastily wrapped in bandages. A strange woman stood next to him, stroking his hair. When she noticed Gwen awake and alert, she stepped back from Clay's table, gripping a bar on the wall for support as the plane moved again.

"Where--where's Harley?" Gwen asked, voice thick with exhaustion. The woman's cold brown eyes stared blankly at her.

"That's it?" She cocked her head, black hair woven into tiny braids and piled atop her head into a tight bun. She had a slightly German accent, but it was hard to tell. "No 'where am I, what happened?' Just 'where is the boy?'"

Gwen felt her face flush and she reached a hand up to undo the straps belting her down to the table. "I guess those answers would be nice, too. As well as who you are."

The woman's frown flickered into a smile for a moment, but quickly returned as Clay whimpered and started to labor in his breathing. Abandoning the bar, she returned to Clay's side and planted a kiss on his forehead, making him calm back down.

Yuck.

"You want the short story, or the long one?"

Gwen sat up, rubbing her ribs. She didn't think HYDRA did much to her at all, she was just tired and in shock from the whole ordeal.

"I guess I don't have anything else going on," Gwen said with a shrug.

The woman, who declared herself to be Eleonora, an ex-HYDRA agent, explained how Harley and Clay had stupidly snuck out of the base and called for backups. An hour later, they were busting down the doors with Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D. She wasn't sure what happened after that, just that Harley and co. had been surrounded and they had somehow managed to escape, bringing a few wounded agents with them. In addition to Clay, who had apparently gotten his wound from a blaster.

"But...how?" Gwen asked. "Tony didn't try to shoot him, did he?"

"Oh, no." Eleonora shook her head. "He...he jumped in front of the blast. To save me."

"How---"

"I'm not sure. It was all too much of a blur. Tony was aiming at the Arbiter, but he used me as a human shield. Somehow Clay knew that would happen with his heightened senses, or...or maybe it was something more."

She gazed down at his face with an expression of such pure, fierce love that Gwen was suddenly scared for anyone that stood between them.

Serves the Arbiter right for getting his head blasted off. He should've known better than to stand between them.

"The Arbiter is dead, right...?" Gwen asked hesitantly. Eleonora shrugged.

"I saw him. He was definitely dead. But HYDRA is HYDRA...No one can usually stay dead for long."

"How did you... I mean, why would you leave HYDRA?" She tried not to give the impression that she thought Eleonora might still be evil or something, but it was hard not to.

Eleonora smiled down at Clay like he was a misbehaving toddler. "I wouldn't have if he hadn't risked his life to protect me. Even if it was stupid. Even if it wasn't necessary. Now I know how much he'd risk for me, and I wanted to do the same. I don't care what side I'm on, as long as I'm with him."

How sweet, Gwen thought, trying to swallow her sudden jealousy. I wish I felt that way about Harley and he felt that way about me.

Gwen sighed, glancing at the door to the small room and wishing Harley would come in. She wanted to talk to him, maybe try to choke out some kind of pathetic apology.

As if on que, she heard bootsteps approaching. Excitement sparked in her chest, but when the door opened, it was Tony.

"How you doing, Gwen?" he asked gently. She nodded.

"I'm okay. Can--can I go home yet?"

"Yes, Gwen. We're almost home. Hang in there, honey." He closed the door before she could ask about Harley.