Winter's Angel

Part 6

T.W. violence, torture

Elise wakes up hours later in a panic. She's laid out in a bright room, a dark window to the side; her body aches as she tries to move. Her mind is a little groggy as she tries to remember how she got there.

Winter? W-what happened? She tried calling to him through the link, but receives no answer. Winter please... She can hear the sound of someone screaming in pain nearby, she wants to move, to stand up and find out who it is but still feels too weak to get up. Her head lulls to the side as she tries to stand up but falls to the floor. She hears another set of loud screams.

The door opens and a set of guards walk in. "Please... What's going on?" She pleads, fear racking her insides as they move closer to her. The men are silent as they lift Elise and stand her up at the window. "Watch." One says, pushing her head to look downward. 

Her eyes widen at the sight below: Winter, shirtless, his hand bound and tied, leaving his large frame hanging from chains in the center of the room. Her eyes widen as Pierce steps forward, a whip in hand. He looks up, "is she watching?" The guard to Elise's left nods his head.

A cruel smile contorts Peirce's face. "This is what happens when you don't behave." He turns to Winter, winding the whip behind him before letting it sling forward, the material meeting his bare skin with a loud CRACK! Winter's face grimaces as he tries but fails to hold back another loud scream. His body writhes in pain as he looks up. He can barely see Elise but his eyes narrow anyway. His rage and worry evident on his face.

Elise gasps and recoils slightly, seeing his handsome face marred with cuts and bruises. Evidence of a broken nose trickles down his face. She tries backing away, her heart unable to handle seeing him like this, but the guards hold her in place. Pierce delivers more blows to Winter, each one causing another cry of pain to spill from his lips.

For both, the torture felt like it had gone on for hours. "Stop it! Stop, please!" Elise finally yells, tears spilling from her eyes from watching the scene below. "I can't take it..." Pierce delivers another blow to his face before Dropping the whip and turning from the room. Elise watches as others unchain Winter, letting his tired body to the floor. His broad back littered with open wounds, blood smeared over his skin.

Elise falls to her knees, unable to hold her own weight anymore. She sobs, pleading through the link that was still completely silent. Winter, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

The door opens a few minutes later. "Let's get this straight." Pierce yells, gripping her throat and slamming her against the wall. "If you ever try a stunt like that again - I will kill him. The only reason you're here is to keep him happy. Know your place and stay in it."

"I will, I swear I will." She sobs, thinking of nothing but his safety. "Let me see him, please, just let me see him."

Pierce slams her on the floor and kicks her stomach before spitting on her. "You get five minutes." Elise groans, gripping her body. She's still weak, the shock from the fence and seeing Winter brutalized took almost every ounce of energy she had. The guards drag her through the facility, taking her back to the same dirty cell she'd been in for months. They drop her on the hard concrete and walk away, laughing.

Elise lets her tears fall as she manages to pull herself off the floor and on the bed. She curls herself against the wall. Her mind reeling from shock and trauma. "I just want to go home." She whispers to herself, dragging a hand over her face. She sat curled up for a long while, nodding in and out of consciousness.

At some point the door opens and Winter stumbles in. He's leaning against the wall slightly, his own body too tired to support his weight. Elise looks at him and she can instantly feel the anger radiating off of him and flooding the link. "I thought I told you to get off the goddamn fence." He growls, his harsh stare keeping her glued in place.

"You did..." She whispers, her lids feeling heavy again.

"Then why the fuck didn't you listen to me?"

Elise shakes her head and whispers again, "this wasn't about you."

Winter continues staring daggers at her, slowly sliding along the wall as he moves closer. "What did you just say to me?"

"This was about me, not you and your inability to get me out of here."

He stops a few feet away, "It was a stupid decision."

"Fuck you, Winter, this wasn't about you."

"Well, at least now we know why it was so easy for them to kidnap you. You really are a moron." The words stung, Elise had done everything she could for years to hide her powers and herself. She wasn't even sure if Winter knew about her powers, either way it wasn't her fault that Hydra found her.

"I was in hiding. I didn't want to be found."

"Obviously whatever you were doing wasn't good enough." Winter spats back.

"I didn't mean for this to happen."

He spits a mixture of blood and saliva on the floor. "This is your fault. I told you not to do it. I told you to wait but you were so caught up in what you wanted that you deliberately disobeyed me and-"

"Disobeyed?" Elise repeats loudly, standing up from the bed. "You make it sound like I'm a dog that just ran in the street."

"You just acted like one."

"You don't own me, Winter."

He seems to regain his strength and suddenly moves off the wall, standing in front of her. "Let's get one thing straight. Since you, apparently, didn't understand me the first time." He reaches forward and grips Elise's throat, pulling her to him. He moves is face close enough that she can feel his breath fanning across her face. "I do own you. As long as your sweet little ass is here- you belong to me. I'm your only chance at getting out of here. We both know it."

"Let me go." Elise whimpers, pulling at his arm but the icy grip only gets tighter.

Winter looks her up and down again, "No. I'll hold you like this all day every day until you get your shit together and stop fighting against me." He pushes her against the wall, pinning her to the concrete with his body and the hold on her neck.

"W-winter, please." Elise whimpers, pulling at his arm again.

His tone drops as his face moves close to hers again. "We both know how this is going to end if you keep up. You'll be dead and I'll still be a puppet. Shut your god damn mouth, listen to what I tell you, and don't try that shit again." Tears fall from Elise's eyes as her world seems to shatter around her. The only person she could trust was actively breaking her to pieces.

"Fuck you, Winter. I don't need your help." She hisses, trying to twist her body from his grasp.

The cell door opens and a few guards step in, watching the scene.  He gives a dark smirk and slams her body back against the wall again. "You can't really be this stupid. I'm trying to help you."

The guards move forward and wrangles him away, letting Elise crumple to the floor. "that's enough! Let's go!"

"I'm not fucking finished with her." Winter growls, pulling away from them. He's watching her curl around herself and gasp for air, he didn't realize how hard he'd actually been holding her.

"Yes, you are. Out. Now." One of the guards commands as the others drag him back into the corridor.

As they leave another guard takes post outside of the cell. He moves close to the door and watches Elise for a while. There's a look of pity on his face, knowing everything she'd been through the past few months. Elise eventually gets up and moves to the bed, she glances at the door, noting that she hadn't seen this guard before. He was taller than most of the others, and there was a kindness behind his eyes. He doesn't say anything, just nods to her slightly before backing away and leaning on the wall opposite of her cell door. Elise's hand moves up, her fingers brushing across her neck. She can feel the bruises already forming on her skin as she lays down, rolling over to face the wall and cry herself to sleep.

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