Fire and Ice, Sugar and Spice

Chapter Nineteen-Brand New Home

Chapter Nineteen

Brand New Home

*Akilina's POV*

Disembodied voices surround me before I can finally identify them. Luckily I can, or else a full freak out would be eminent.

"I can do that. Please just get Steve to calm down. He's making me nervous." Natasha says and I hear a masculine sigh to my left, most likely from Steve.

"How do you know any of this information?" That's definitely Victoria's voice, but where is Bucky?

"I might have found out everything I could about her after meeting her." Natasha replies with absolutely no shame in her voice. "She's cool."

"Well, I guess it's a little flattering to have a stalker." I croak, finally opening my heavy eyes. As I thought, Steve is to my left with Victoria sitting down partly behind him. Natasha is perched on the arm of the chair Victoria is in and Sam is sitting by the door. But there's no James. Victoria also looks weird. "Slight makeover?" I ask her. She sighs and fades back into her normal self.

"I had to say we were related so the doctor would tell us what happened." She explains simply. I nod, not needing to understand.

"Anyways, we're glad to see you're awake." Steve says kindly. I nod at him in acknowledgement and hit the button to sit me up.

"Thanks, but where's James? Last thing I remember we were in a pretty sticky situation." I say, concerned to the point of making the heart monitor notice. Steve's eyebrows of disappointment make an appearance, so I look at everyone else to explain.

"Fellas, why don't you two make a coffee run? Maybe tell the nurses she'd awake?" Natasha suggests and the men are up and out in a second. I continue to look at her, assuming she's not going to bullshit me. Her eyes meet mine and are surprisingly gentle. "Bucky is fine. He's gone back to the Avengers tower with the rest of the team." Natasha says slowly. I blink.

"What?" is the only word that slips out of my mouth. Victoria stands and walks over to me, taking my hand in hers.

"Honey, it doesn't have anything to do with you. Bucky just feels so guilty after everything that happened that he's punishing himself by removing himself from you." She excuses his behavior with concern coloring her voice. I nod once, slowly.

"So, he left me here in the hospital with two seriously infected wounds and glass dotted in my thigh to go sit in the tower because he feels bad?" I repeat, barely believing the words. Victoria nods slowly in trepidation, but Natasha's smirking slightly. "What an ass!" I shout angrily and make the heart monitor beep behind me at a rapid pace.

"I know my ass is great, but please, calm down." Tony Stark walks in wearing a damn fine suit with a dozen nurses in tow. They slide pass him giggling and get to work on me, unhooking me from various things and hooking me into others. My temper simmers down a bit as confusion takes its place.

"Hey, T." Victoria says fondly and he shoots her a wink.

"Hey, Queen. Ready to go flying?" He asks me and I sigh in irritation.

"Can we maybe explain what's happening to the person it's happening to?" I say less than politely. He whistles.

"Seems she's in no better mood than the tin man back at the tower." My scowl deepens and he's quick to explain after receiving a warning glare from Victoria. "I'm flying you back to the tower to have my own doctors work on you. Since Queen here took a lesson from Clint and named you a new Avenger, you now count as another roommate. Welcome to the party, roomie!" He wiggles his fingers at me and Victoria walks over just to swat his shoulder. Natasha stands and sighs.