Shadow of the Past (Captain America) // ✔️ //

Chapter 12: What must be done

Antonia took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. She didn't want the guys to see her like this, but she knew she couldn't hide this from them. She was a mess inside and out; there was no way she could control her emotions in her present state. Maybe, Rogers would be too pissed to notice and Barnes would be too distracted by a pissed Rogers. O' god, she hoped so. She couldn't deal with their questions right now.

She held her right arm close to her body with her left hand as she walked up the steps to the apartment. She felt so weak that she wondered if she would ever succeed in getting back to her own time. How could she break into her father's company and steal back her device if she couldn't defend herself? How could she get past the guards like this?

As she reached the apartment door, her eyes were watering. "Stop being a baby," she yelled at herself, wiping the tears. She needed to be strong and not a weakling. Taking a deep breath, she stepped to the door and opened it slightly enough to slide through. She poked her head in to scoop it out, and to her joy, all the lights were off, which would make it easy to sneak in. She slipped through the door and closed it softly behind her. Taking a deep breath, she headed to bathroom, where she could be alone, but she didn't make it too far.

"Antonia," Rogers called, softly. Antonia flinched at the sound of his voice. After getting over her shock, she could tell that he was worried.

She closed her eyes, not daring to look back at him. He couldn't see her like this. "Hey...Sorry, I'm late." she said slowly. Her own voice sounded broken and shattered. There was no way he wouldn't be able to tell.

"Antonia, are you okay?" Rogers took a few steps toward her.

"I'm fine." Her voice was betraying her; she hoped he wouldn't notice.

"Look at us," Barnes said. It sounded like an order, which was something Antonia didn't like. Out of principle, she would not listen.

"I'm fine." Why couldn't they leave her alone? Just thinking about what had happened to her brought tears back to her eyes and chills to her bones. She took a deep breath, as she tried to forget the stalker's breath on her face.

Light flashed on startling Antonia, but she didn't move. "Turn around, Antonia," Barnes ordered. His voice was hard.

"Easy, Bucky," Rogers stated, turning to Barnes. It was clear that he didn't like Barnes' tone. He turned back to Antonia. "Antonia, what happened? You had us worried."

She might as well show them now and get this over with as they would notice soon enough. She took another deep breath, as she wiped her tears again. "You guys are worrying for nothing," she declared, turning around. She tried her best to put on a smile as she stared them down. With his arms folded across his chest, Barnes was leaning against the counter, and Steve was standing in front of the couch. She could see the looks on their faces when they laid their eyes on her. She did not like it one bit.

"What happened?" Rogers asked, shock presented on his face. He took a few steps toward her, but stopped when he noticed the pain look on her face.

Barnes straightened himself up and walked to her. "Antonia," he called when he was a few feet from her. He reached out to her, but she turned away. "He did this, didn't he?"

Antonia closed her eyes as she took a few steps away from them. "Barnes," she uttered as she hid her face in her hands. She didn't want to them to see her like this.

"Did he?" he asked again, as he stepped to her. He pulled her toward him, and after a bit of struggling, he had her in his arms. It was clear that he wasn't going to let her go. "Tell me." He was angry, but she wasn't sure if he was angry at her or the stalker.