Of Vows & Vengeance | Pre-Infinity War Avengers AU

Three - No Place for Children at War

The trees seemed to be everywhere, as if their whole world was a cluster of trees and nothing else had ever existed. Every once in a while, Jamie would stop suddenly and look around, hoping to find a clue as to the direction they should move in next. Maddie wanted desperately to help somehow, but she couldn't even seem to think straight. All of her energy was focused on staying calm and staying dark--not that she was doing too well with either of those tasks.

Maddie stumbled and fell to her knees. "Jamie," she whispered, hoping only he would hear her. She looked around for her brother, but it was in vain. As much as her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she still could not spot her brother. An uneasy feeling began to take hold of her, setting itself on top of all her other fears. Whatever Mom had said before, she had never told Maddie that she and Jamie might be split up somehow. And now that it was so simple and preventable, Maddie could not believe it had even happened. How could they have been so careless as to forget to stick together?

The bushes rustled somewhere in front of Maddie, maybe ten feet away. Before she could even think about protecting herself, the bush shook very deliberately in the same distinct pattern as the knock Jeffery and Roy used when they came to visit.

Jamie. It had to be. Who else out here would know that knock?

"Madds," the bush whispered, and Maddie recognized that whisper immediately. "Jamie," she breathed back, shaking with relief as she crawled toward the bush. Whatever happened to them, at least they would be there for each other.

"Are you okay?" asked Jamie, the fear in his voice clearer than ever. Maddie wondered at Jamie's ability to function so well when she knew he was so frightened.

"Yes," Maddie whispered. "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

Jamie's eyebrows knitted together. "What do you mean? Of course I'm okay."

Maddie shook her head. "No, you're not. You're scared, aren't you?"

Jamie paused. "Well, yeah I'm scared," he said at last. "We're running away from home, which is where Mom is trying to save us from HYDRA. I don't even think...well, we might not even be safe right now. Who knows when we'll be able to see her again? Yeah, I'm scared. I'm really, really scared right now."

Without realizing it, Maddie began glowing again. Her light pulsed in rings around her chest, keeping in time with her increasing heart rate. The efforts to stay in control of her light were looking less and less useful by the second. Maddie wanted to give up and cry. "Jamie...."

Jamie didn't hesitate another second, throwing his arms over his sister and pulling her jacket up to her cheekbones. "Maddie," he whispered urgently. "Maddie!" He tried in vain to cover her light from prying eyes, but his form was too small and slender to do much good. Hearing both of their accelerating heartbeats quickly transformed the rings into a steady flow of golden light.

Maddie shook violently in Jamie's arms, knowing full well the damage she must be causing. Their position had surely been discovered and in mere moments, HYDRA agents would be descending on them. The fear in her stomach fueled the fiery light burning painfully through her veins. "I'm s-s-sorry," she sobbed, but the tears evaporated immediately. The light was too hot and too bright for tears, and eventually the light shining inside the jacket obscured her vision completely.

Jamie, no longer content to sit, stood and took off toward the trees. After a few agonizing moments of wondering foolishly whether or not he would return, Maddie heard his footsteps coming back toward her. She crouched as low as she could, forcing the jacket to cover as much of her as possible, waiting for the legions of agents to come down and kill them both. Despite her panic, she vaguely registered dull thunks nearby, somewhere near where she lost sight of her brother.