Years Beyond - Old Soul Sequel

5

<Narrator's Pov>

Natasha fell weakly into Bruce's arms, tears streaming down her face. "How could you?" she screamed at him, the other Avengers around them. He clung to her, and she was too sore to fight him off of her. No matter how relieved she was to be with him again, she just felt sick to her stomach.

"We have a plan," Bruce tried to tell her, but she whipped her head wildly.

"We have to go get them!" she insisted, her voice breaking in effort as she sobbed uncontrollably. "We need to get them back! You don't understand... They'll torture them to death! You delivered their weapon right to them! Now they have Avalie!"

She continued to shout useless ramblings, and some of the Avengers tried to talk some sense into her. The others looked at her with pity, aware that they had no idea what she went through with Hydra.

"Then the war is over," Bruce said. "Or stalled, at least."

Natasha lifted her head, her eyes wide. "Where is Tony?" she asked, her gaze darting around the room frantically. "Tony would want to get them back!"

It was Sam who spoke up this time. "Tony left headquarters a few weeks ago," she said. "Listen, Nat, we want them back too. We just need time--"

"We don't have time," Wanda spoke up suddenly. Before, she had been sitting numbly, staring at the desk in deep thought. "It was stupid of us to give up Avalie. It's exactly what Hydra has wanted all along. The war was started over her. They have her power now."

"The war started centuries ago," Bruce pointed out. "And she still doesn't have any power."

Natasha finally started to recompose herself. "Hydra can heal her. She must be Hydra property. Otherwise they wouldn't want her so bad."

"Unless she isn't," Sam chimed in. "Maybe they can't heal her. Maybe they want to kill her before we figure out how to heal her. Her power could be our salvation."

"Or theirs," Wanda said.

Nobody said anything. Everyone sat back in thought, debating the situation. Of course they were going to get their friends back, but the important question still remained: Who is Avalie Daniels and where did she come from?

~

<Avalie's Pov>

"Sing to me, Nana," little Avalie crooned, squirming under her bed covers. Her small hands batted at the wisps of hair that flew into her round face, a smile lifting her chubby cheeks.

"It is way past your bed time," Nana replied, sitting delicately at the bedside. "Your mother won't be too happy with me."

Avalie frowned. "Just one song." Her bottom lip puckered, and Nana relented, knowing that she couldn't refuse that face.

Nana started to sing, her old, rickety voice soothing to Avalie's ears. " You are my sunshine, my only sunshine."

Avalie laid her head down and sang along softly, "You make me happy when skies are gray." She smiled sleepily, her voice fading away.

"You'll never notice how much I love you. Oh, please, " Nana's voice died away too, and suddenly the song was interrupted by her coughing fit.

Avalie's eyes shot open, and she sat up in bed. "Nana? Are you ok?"

Coughing racked her lungs, and she hunkered over. Avalie's instinct was to run to her grandma, but was stopped when she noticed the splattered blood that had flown onto the white bedsheets.