The fire

A Long Nap

The quinjet landed in the rocky ditch with an easy calmness, like the world, or at least Steve Rogers' world wasn't falling apart right there and then, like she wasn't crumbling away.

Natasha limped out first, heading straight for the furious green scientist who had taken to shooting down innocent birds with boulder pellets. Clint stood in the entrance to the plane astounded by the sight before his eyes. A blonde woman, who would have probably looked identical to Emilia, lay mangled on some sharp rocks, he choked and looked away. Then there was Emilia, a bloody mess. Her hair was tangled and windswept, her body- Clint barely recognised the agent. She must of lost around at least a two stone, this made her look like a Skelton, her skin stretched tightly across the visible bones. When did she last eat? Then he saw her leg, an uncomfortable gasp left his mouth.

"Oh jesus, Tony." He commented as Ironman traipsed into the jet.

"I think I should contact Fury." The philanthropist replied quietly.

"No shit." Clint muttered still astounded by what had just happened.

"No! I'm not leaving her again!" Emilia cried, pushing Steve off her, she clung to her mothers hand.

"Emilia please." The Captain begged pulling her back gently.

"Get off me, get off me!" She screamed trying to hit the agent off her, as Tony ran over with a blanket from the quin in his arms.

"Thor cover her up." He chucked the God the blanket. "Steve for fucks sake pick her up, or she is going to bleed out here and now!"

"NO!" The tiny girls cries made her vocal chords shake with pain.

Ignoring her protests Thor pulled the item over the body as Steve lifted the shrieking blonde into his arms. She gave up yelling and buried her face in his chest her gargled sobs echoing around.

When everyone was back in the quin, Clint started up the engines and pulled them up into the clouds.

-

Emilia wasn't really sure when she'd first started to feel so tired. Her hands and feet were completely numb, Steve had placed her carefully onto a bed, as another set of hands wrapped something around her shoulder. She'd stopped sobbing, it was pointless.

"Hey Em, can you open those eyes for me." She allowed her eyelids to flutter, when did she close them? "Well done, now keep looking at Cap, okay?" The blonde couldn't quite work out why Bruce looked so worried, everyone knew she could heal, she wished she couldn't. She wished she would sink into a dark hole and rot for eternity for what she'd done to her Mother, and father, a voice whispered in her head. Her gaze drifted to Steve, he gave her a weak smile, gripping her hand tighter. She blinked feeling confused because her captain had tears glistening in his eyes.

"I-I'm-" Emilia tried to tell him she was fine, that she felt okay, but her throat was itchy and dry.

"Shush, it's alright just hold on a little longer." This time a small droplet of water rolled down her boyfriend's cheek falling onto her own forehead. Her stare moved from Steve down to where her numb leg lay. The sight made bile rise in her throat and pour out her mouth. Hands rolled her onto her side until all vomit was gone. "Alright Em, alright." Someone wiped her mouth before she was lay back on her back.

His finger turned her head back to face him. "Don't look keep your eyes on me." He whispered, planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

Emilia wanted to erase the image from her mind. On her left thigh was a very deep gash. She couldn't be sure because of the crimson red liquid which was slowly oozing out, but the the bone was poking at the skin and that didn't seem right. How had she managed to walk? Natasha was pressing down piles of gauze and towels on the injury as hard as possible, attempting to slow the loss of blood.

"S-s-steve?" I croaked, struggling for oxygen, my lungs ached.

"I'm still here." He murmured, failing miserably to keep it together as his lip trembled harder. His thumb rubbed the top of my hand. "I'm still here."

The pain began to finally fade as Elizabeth closed her eyes. The shouting fizzed into a soft hum. She felt a hand shake her shoulder. She ignored it.

It was far too peaceful.

She hummed in her mind as the light behind her eyelids dimmed.

She could do with a nap.... after all it has been a long day.