Shattered Thoughts : Book Two (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier)

Chapter 30

    Willow felt herself stand, a feeling which she had all but forgotten. The straightening of her spine sent flashes of agony through Willow. But it wasn't Willow who was standing, it was Thanos, he was controlling her. 

  She heard herself speak, but it wasn't her voice. Willow's voice was often sharp, but yet gentle and full of laughter, when her mouth opened the voice that came out was harsh and grating. Like two stones scraping against each other, and it was old, old and full of malice. "Come, we have work to do. Four of the Avengers will be here within the hour."

  Willow began wrestling for control of her mind, but she felt a cage descend around. Iron steel bars trapping her, and Willow struggled to escape. When she was in her mind, Willow could stand, but even legs would not help her escape. Willow's view of the outside was cut off, and she sat alone in darkness. A prisoner inside her own mind. 

   Sitting alone in the darkness, Willow had a lot of time to think. Willow and her best friend Lulu had loved Harry Potter as kids, the possibility of magic had always fascinated them. As they'd grown older, they'd spent hours contemplating what their patronus would be, or what shape their boggart would take. For Willow is used to be her father, coming after her when he was drunk. But now, Willow knew what form it would actually take, what her worst fear really was. Her worst fear was this, this cage, this prison. Being trapped inside her own mind, while something else used her to hurt the people she loved. 

  But this wasn't Harry Potter, this wasn't a story. This was real life, no spell would make the boggart vanish. Willow couldn't just raise her wand, shout 'Ridikulus' and make her fear vanish. Curling up, her knees pulled to her chest, Willow sobbed uncontrollably. This wasn't like her, Willow never cried. She always looked at a situation, found a way out, and solved the problem. But right now, all Willow wanted to do was cry. Not because she was worried about what would happen to her, but because she was terrified of what Thanos would do to her friends. Willow desperately wished that Tallulah were here, Lulu would wrap her in a hug, and give Willow a shoulder to cry on; then Lulu would punch Willow on the shoulder and tell her to man up and figure it out.

 So Willow made a list in her head, made a list of what she would do. First, she would cry and wallow in self pity, then she'd find a way to beat Thanos. Willow had a body, but she wasn't in control of it, she had a body inside her own mind as well. It was here that Thanos had trapped her, and he didn't think she had a way out. But she was Willow Dariela, and she'd find a way.