Chosen

10

    When you woke the next day your lower body hurt and throbbed. You laid there staring at the curtain as all of the events the evening before came back full force. Tears threatened to spill and you couldn't find in you to roll over and see if he was still laying next to you. Who knows how long you laid there staring at the deep crimson curtain. It was the soft sound of the door closing that rustled you from your thoughts. The smell of apples and cinnamon wafted through the air long before the curtain was pulled to the side.
    Wanda smiled at you before she saw the tears. She pushed the tray that she had been carrying to the night table next to the bed as she sat down. Her hand gently resting your bare shoulder, you felt awkward as you attempted to pull the front the dress closed so your breast wasn't on display.
   "What happened?" She asked softly.
——
    "Can you run that past me one more time?" Tony clipped, walking around the table in his lab as he stared at James.
   James hadn't waited when he woken like he usually would of, the events of yesterday still fresh in his own mind. How weak you sounded when you told him not to touch you, you sounded wounded. It made him want to wrap his arms around you and protect you, unfortunately he had been the reason behind your tears. He pushed those thoughts aside again.
    "Look Tony, all I know is that I just didn't wake up one day fully formed." James sighed running his hands down his face as he sat in the swivel chair. This was ridiculous, trying to explain this whole thing to Tony had been Steve's idea.
    "So you plan on.." Tony stated at him a loss for words which generally wasn't the case with him.
   "Tony, I was born of a human, that much I know. I had a childhood, different from other kids but I was a child. My mother was human, not vampire." He reiterated again, sighing heavily. "It's possible for me to reproduce, you yourself have stated in theory that it was possible after going through centuries of history. There was a point I wasn't the only pure out there."
   "Yes, yes, this supposed lure." Tony clipped putting quotation marks in the air.
    "The first human that fell for it, I didn't realize it till it was to late. And I had drained her and she has to be human in order to reproduce." James sighed, his frustration starting to bubble forward. "But, y/n, she can smell it and I taste the difference in her blood, just like the other one."
    "So only specific humans can carry vampire children, only the ones that can smell your scent, which by the way is creepy. And what does y/n think?" Tony asked cocking his head.
    "I haven't told her." James replied, looking down at his hands. Guilt flooded him again, when he remembered your form trembling next to him as you tried to sleep.
    "Bucky!" Wanda screamed upon entering the lab, her eyes glowing bright red as the door bounced of the wall from the force of her shoving it open, startling the man from his thoughts.
    You rushed in after her the blue dress long replaced by a deep purple made of velvet. You tried to stop her, grasping at her left wrist as she walked straight up to him but she was far stronger then you, dragging you behind her.
    The smack of her hand across his cheek echoed in the room, and everything went silent. Her shoulders rose and fell as she seethed glaring at him, Tony stood there blinking furiously at the two of them. You watched, your eyes wide and mouth slight open as James slowly turned his attention to her. His eyes an electric blue as he regarded her, slowly he stood from his seat, towering over the petite woman. She didn't back down or cower from him, his lips twitched as he glared down at her.
   "Wanda." His voice was deep, and you could feel the anger behind the word.
   "You.." she stabbed a finger into his chest. "You know how she feels about us and still you did that? Just while she's coming to terms with the fact that we aren't bad as she was led to believe, do you have any idea how she is feeling right now?"
    "This isn't your business." He growled again, his words barely audible. She didn't cower to him but held her ground firmly as she glared up at him.
   "Like hell it isn't!" She spat out. "I finally have a friend that wasn't made in a lab, someone who actually talks me like I'm not a child. Someone you wish to have by your side as equal, as you have told all of us, and this is how you treat her! Leaving her alone to her thoughts after you... after you.. rutted into her like a wild animal!"
   Your heart warmed when she called you her friend and for the first time you felt like you had someone in your corner. Her feisty persona and refusal to back away from someone bigger and stronger then her put a smile on your face. It breathed life back into you, she had no fear of him, her trust that he wouldn't hurt her even though he looked ready to rip her a part. It told you more of the dynamic in the family, that she had just as much right as any of them. And why they held her back from the hunt was a mystery to you.
    Slowly James's gaze lifted from her to you, those piercing blues taking you in. Your legs felt weaker the longer he stared at you, there was no malice in his eyes. You felt a pull suddenly, and you bit on your bottom lip. His eyes drifted back down to the angry woman before him and he took a heavy breath.
    "You're right Wanda, I shouldn't of left her, I shouldn't have done what I did last night." He softly spoke to her before looking back up to you and walking around her.
   Your heart leapt to your throat, and you crossed your arms to keep everyone from seeing your fingers tremble. You looked away from him, his stare making you feel uncomfortable suddenly. You started to take deep calming breath as you felt his fingers wrap around your wrist and pull them toward him.
    "Come with me." He asked tenderly, you nodded, not trusting your voice as guilt washed through you again. Thoughts of those hands running across your skin, the way they felt while touching and caressing you.
    You followed him out of Tony's lab, leaving Wanda behind. He led you down the darkened hall and pushed a large set of doors open, James motioned for you to step inside. The library was enormous, easily two stories high, walls lined with books from floor to ceiling with a balcony wrapping around the second story. Windows held one entire side, showing off the surrounding forest as the land gave way beyond the glass panes.
    The fire place roared and the warmth in the room made it feel inviting. Slowly you walked away from James, enamored with your surroundings. Gently he closed the doors, pulling them shut tightly behind him as you walked to the large windows looking out of them. He walked up beside you, staring out across the abyss of trees that the moonlight casted down upon. Fog gracing the tops lightly giving it an otherworldly appeal.
    "I truly am sorry for last night." He spoke finally breaking the silence as he made no move to look at you.
    "You have nothing to be sorry for, I didn't tell you to stop." You replied, brushing the tear that had started to form from your cheek.
   "But you didn't want it." He quietly stated, sighing heavily.
    "That isn't it, at the time.. I did. But then.." you took a deep breath before continuing. "I remembered, my oath, I remembered what you were and what I am. Right now I feel nothing but contempt for myself. I had sex with a vampire." You shrugged biting your bottom lip. "And, I have to figure out how to deal with that."
    "Am I that revolting to you?" He asked finally turning to face you, you made no move to look at him. "Still?"
    "You are still what you are. A beast." You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath.
    "A beast." He chuckled drily, he shook his head, and grabbed your shoulder forcing you to turn to face him. "Is that what you think or is that what you were trained to think? Cause the two seem very deferent."
    "Let go of me." You whispered, focusing your eyes on his broad chest.
    "One minute you are talking, and enjoying the company of my family. You enjoyed my company last night, and you can't deny that, the way you kissed me back. And then on the flip of a dime, you become cold and despondent when you think to much about what I am, what we are." He hissed at you, roughly grabbing your chin and lifting it so you had to look at him. "Kitten, we are no more of a beast then those that raised you with hatred. They raised you as cattle, leaving you to deal with me alone, sending a team to deal with my family."
     "I was prepared to die that day. I knew there was chance I wouldn't make it out alive." You snapped back, glaring up at him.
    "And if I had chose to turn you instead of killing you? Then what?" He asked.
    "I would of found a way to kill myself." You told him, all emotions left your voice as you spoke.
   "So death is better then becoming like me?" He asked, his eyes flicking down to your lips before traveling back up to meet your gaze.
    "Why haven't you turned me?" You asked him, ignoring his own question.
    "Because doll, I want you human. I want you the way you are." He stated blinking caught off guard by your question.
    "Why? All your kind does is kill or make more? You don't want to kill me, and you don't want to turn me, then what is your purpose for me?" You sighed, pulling away from him.