Astrild; Goddess of Love

Chapter 25 - Background

Author's Note; Sorry for the cliffhanger again and thanks for reading can't believe this story have 300+ reads! I'd love to hear your feedback so please conment and vote as always, FanGirl8ygc3804

"Whoa there," Steve held her firmly as her thin form striking out at everything within reach allowing me to see her unique tattoo; Norse Runes.

"Nora?" I asked. She stopped struggling and really looked at me.

"Liz?" She paused as Steve let her go realizing I knew her.

"Oh thank goodness!" She put her hands on my shoulders, "They took her."

"What? Who?" I asked confused.

"They took Fern."

"Who took her, Nora?" I asked holding her up as she swayed tired suddenly.

"HYDRA, Liz they thought she was you." She said speaking shakily.

"It's all my fault." I whispered pulling my hand through my hair.

"Hey, no it's not." Steve reassured me with an arm around my shoulders as Bucky and Tony stood in the doorway. I turned to look at him tears stinging my eyes, "We have to get her back Steve."

"I know, and we will." He said kissing the top of my head.

"But we don't even know where she is." Nora said saddened.

"I do," Bucky stated, "but it'll have to me and small team."

"I'll call Coulson get it cleared with SHIELD," Steve said walking into the other room.

"I'm, coming, with." Nora spoke carefully as she was short of breath.

"No." I argued.

"Yes." She retaliated.

"You only just escaped last time!" I shouted in return.

"I didn't sacrifice myself so she could be reacquired later. She's not some asset Liz, she's our best friend!" She leant on the wall catching her breath before she continued, "Whose fault is it that she got captured? Yours! By rescuing me! You made yourself known to them, on their radar. They took her either draw you in or by mistake."

She finished so weak that she nearly fell luckily Bucky's reactions were quicker than mine and he caught her.

"Just one problem with that theory, HYDRA don't make mistakes," Steve chimed in returning from the other room.

"Thanks a bunch, that makes me feel so warm and fuzzy." I said to Steve sarcastically, "Just the three of us then." I said just as Nora came around.

"Four you're not going without me, Liz. You and Fern mean too much to me."

"Well this is all tragic but I gotta go." He said expecting to be stopped.

"Let him go, it'll attract too much attention if he comes along." Steve said and Bucky nodded in agreement, a small voice in the back of my mind nagged that this was more than a numbers thing.

* * * * * *

A few minutes later a quinjet arrived to pick us up, but Nora had fallen asleep in the meantime. Steve and I were arguing the pros and cons of having her with us.

"We should leave her here with a SHIELD guard," I suggested not wanting her in harm's way.

"No." Bucky said entering the room.

"Excuse me?!"

"I've been doing this since before you we even a twinkle in your father's eye or even a distant thought for that matter but that's a whole other story." He smiled thinking back to another time, another person. "She should come with us."