The Avenger's Witch

Chapter 17: Explanations

A simple disguising spell was all it took to make it out past Rumlowe and his thugs. None of them knew she was there and therefore weren't looking for signs of magic. The group of three made it to the parking lot without any issues. They made it to the outskirts of the parking lot where Ayda had parked her truck and started on the long trip to New Jersey.

An hour rolled by in silence. Circe had returned to her fox-squirrel form and was dozing on Ayda's chest where she lay in the back. Steve was driving and Tasha was lounging in the passenger seat. Just as the silence finally became too awkward, Steve spoke, "Why?"

The question was obviously aimed at the witch in the back seat. She sullenly looked at Circe and pet her softly. "You guys remember the story of how my parents died." Steve nodded and Tasha hummed in agreement. Tasha hadn't been there exactly for the conversation but Ayda knew that she had ways of getting information. "SHIELD did it." Twin sharp inhales "Or at least HYDRA hiding within SHIELD. The bookstore was a gift from my mother, it was their cover for gathering information. They left me a quick way to get there in an emergency."

Rain hit the windows as they passed through the edges of Baltimore. "A few years after the attack, I found a file my parents had hidden in the shop. In their time working with SHIELD, someone from within HYDRA approached them; they asked my parents to join. They thought my parents were like-minded. My parents turned them down and thought that was it."

Lightning lit up the sky around us. "But HYDRA never stopped watching them. Shortly after my tenth birthday, my folks realized that they were still being watched. They hid with me and used the excuse of my powers. They thought they were safe. Thought we were safe."

Ayda took a shuddering breath as she continued, "HYDRA hid their surveillance better, my parents got careless. They found out what my first two soulmarks were." She made eye contact with Steve in the rearview mirror. "It was yours by the way. Yours and the star on the other side. They knew what it meant and planned on taking me. I don't know what they intended after they got their hands on me but it probably wasn't pleasant." Her body shuddered at the thought, Tasha scowled and Steve growled, actually growled.

Ayda blinked in surprise. "What was that?"

Tasha spoke over her shoulder, "Something we noticed after you left, Steve is extremely protective." She smiled at Steve fondly. "You should have seen the handles on the chair he was sitting in the first time I went on a mission without him-" Ayda leaned in, ready for this story.

"Focus," Steve cut Tasha off. His cheeks had a slight pink tint that showed he was embarrassed by whatever story the red-headed assassin had about to tell. "Finish the story, Ayda." His eyes zeroed in on hers in the back.

Ayda sighed before sitting back and resuming her story, "that night, someone stormed through the back door. They killed my father and then came after my mother and me. My mother died and I escaped. You guys know everything else after that"

Tasha gave her a look, "That still doesn't explain why you ran, or why Stark was unable to find you."

Ayda rolled her eyes, "Keeping Tony from finding me was easy. When I left, I created a backdoor in JARVIS and then added a program I created. Every time JARVIS did find me, which was only twice, he simply didn't see me. I can't explain it without showing you. As for the why I ran, I didn't know who in SHIELD could be with HYDRA, just waiting for a chance to take me. They tried again right before the party."

Steve's fists clenched around the steering wheel. Ayda could hear the metal groaning. "And you didn't say anything?" His voice was controlled but furious.

"I couldn't!" Ayda's voice was practically a shout in the small space. It bounced off the window and made even Tasha flinch. "I didn't know who I could trust. For all I knew, they had somehow gotten to Fury, Hill, or any one of the hundreds of other agents that wandered around the airship. They attacked me on a shopping trip that only those on that ship knew about! I couldn't trust anyone; I couldn't even trust you guys." Ayda's voice fell back down to a whisper as she curled up in the back seat.

Steve and Tasha both looked at each other with sympathy.

"The next morning," Steve started speaking, keeping his side of the deal. "Loki was the first to notice. He had gone to your floor to walk you down to breakfast. When you didn't answer your door, he assumed you had left yourself already. He asked a few of us but no one had seen you. Tony asked JARVIS where you were. He said you were still in your room. We went back to your floor, forced JARVIS to open the door, and found you gone." Both Steve and Tasha kept their eyes locked on the road in front of them, deep in the memory of that day. "Thor found the note and read it. Bruce nearly had a Code Green just hearing it." Even Steve couldn't keep his face empty of emotion, tears pricked his eyes. "Tony went off on JARVIS for not noticing sooner. Thor went to ask Heimdall if he had seen anything, Loki tried tracking you, everyone was doing everything possible. Did you really think that we just wouldn't look? Did you really think we cared so little?"

Ayda waited a full minute to answer, "It's because you cared, that I had to go. If HYDRA came for me, you guys would have done anything to protect me. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let any of you get hurt." Tears were flowing freely down the young witch's face by this point. "If I lost anyone else, I wouldn't be able to take it; I'd break."

The vehicle was silent again after her admission. Every individual locked in their thoughts. Another half hour passed before anyone spoke. "Why were you working at an Apple store?" Steve's face was twisted in confusion when he remembered where they found her.

Ayda snorted in surprise at his question. She sat up to answer, "I had enough money stashed away to last about a month. After it ran out, I had to find somewhere hiring on short notice. Aaron bumped into me at a coffee shop, I read his mind just a bit and heard that he needed some help at the store. I talked to him for a while afterward and convinced him to hire me. He's a sweet guy once you get to know him. And for your information," She added looking at Steve's pinched face, "He is in a perfectly happy relationship with his soulmate." Steve relaxed and both women snorted.

Steve shot them both a glare as he pulled the truck to a stop. A wire fence was directly in front of them indicating they had reached their destination.

"Alright," Steve turned to look at them. "We don't know what's on that drive or why it leads here, so be prepared for anything." He faced Ayda directly. "I'd ask you to stay behind but I know you won't so please, just stay near one of us at all times. If we lost you, we'd break too." His face was completely serious.

"Okay." Ayda agreed. They were all on HYDRA's radar from the beginning; it had been useless to try and hide. Fate had proved that by bringing her back to her soulmates.

"Then let's go." 

_________________________

That came out a lot faster than I thought it would. Keep the comments coming! I love hearing your guy's feedback. It always makes me smile. I read every single one and try to reply when I can.

In case I don't see you... good afternoon, good evening, and good night!