Learn to Fly

Big Me

Andie hadn't really been paying much attention as the Quinjet landed, she'd been too focussed on her thoughts. On what her parents had said. Then again, were they even her parents? All she had to go on was a gut feeling and their word. Maybe Wanda Maximoff had just done a number on her mind and she wasn't able to discern what was real anymore.

That was unsettling.

Ignoring that thought, she pushed out a breath and sat a little straighter as Sam walked back to her. For the past few hours he'd been a damn rock. Patient, kind, never pushing her for answers. He'd just...held her, whispered to her, reassured her. Little by little Sam Wilson was wrecking every wall she'd built up around herself with his innate...Sam-ness.

"Feeling any better?"

Glancing down at her muddy clothes, she sighed. "Still processing."

He smiled and knelt in front of her, taking her hand in his. "Maybe we can get you a nice shower to reboot and upgrade your software," he teased.

Andie laughed lightly, despite the pit in her stomach. "I think it's more a hardware issue," she said. Visions of her mother's strength and her father's reflexes swirled in her mind's eye.

"Good shower might fix that, too," he said, squeezing her hand gently.

"Either that or fry my motherboard," she said, shaking her head as she bit down on a wry smile. "Thank you, by the way."

"For?"

Looking up at the bars and metal bits that made up the Quinjet, she gathered her thoughts. "I...just...everything," she finally said, bringing her gaze back down to meet his. Until she met Sam, she'd always had a thing for green eyes. Now? Nothing could beat those brown eyes; they pulled her in, mesmerized her, brought comfort. "I don't know what I would've done without you after -." After having my brain thrown in a blender.

Gently, he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The light touch made her smile as she leaned into it, taking comfort. There went another piece of the walls.

"With how damn strong you are? Nah, you would've pulled through without me," he said. A smirk pulled the corners of his mouth up, mischief twinkled in his eyes, and his demeanour went from serious to something lighter in a flash. "But if you want to keep telling me how amazing I am, I'll take it."

This laugh was a lot louder, more confident. More her. She'd always thought tearing down her walls would leave her with no defence; instead, Sam was somehow reinforcing her defences while tearing them down. "Alright, flyboy, let's go."

Sam grinned and helped her up, putting a hand at the small of her back as he triggered the hatch and they walked out.

To a farm.

Or, more accurately, a small farmhouse in the middle of a huge swathe of land. The house itself was off-white with a green roof and a small barn out back. A double-railed wooden fence stretched around the property. Bales of hay, farming equipment, a blue and white truck with two by fours sticking out the back. And nothing but grass and trees reaching out into the horizon as far as she could see.

It was peaceful.

Unexpected, but peaceful.

And late in the day; the sun was already setting.

Clint lead the way inside, helping Nat along with an arm around her waist. Whatever the hell she'd seen had clearly done a number on her; Nat was still out of it.

The rest followed behind in a line, Steve, Stark, Thor, Banner. Andie and Sam took up the rear, side by side, his hand still resting on her back.

"What is this place?" Thor asked as they walked up the porch steps.