| The Amelie Chronicles | (MCU)

Part Three: Chapter Three

The door to Steve's apartment was quickly open, allowing four people inside, and then was shut and locked almost immediately.

Amie was relieved to be back home. She was tired, sore, and her ankle was throbbing with pain. Fear creeped down her back, her heart beating out of her chest.

What if they were followed?

She had covered their tracks the best she could, cloaking them from sight the whole way home. Her eyes adorned purple bags and were bloodshot from the effort, her knees wobbly and face pale and clammy.

"Everyone alright?" Steve asked, quickly pulling the blinds shut and making sure the windows were locked and bolted.

"Just peachy." Sam sighed, his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He wasn't superhuman like Steve or Bucky- who were barely out of breath. They had parked the car a few blocks away and ran the whole way up to the apartment.

Amelie was gripping to the kitchen table for support, coughing from the run and trying to keep the weight off her inflamed, throbbing ankle. Her whole body was clammy and shook from how tired she was.

"You think they followed us?" Asked the Falcon.

The youngest of the group shook her head, wiping her hair out of her face.

"No." She breathed, "I covered our tracks."

"The whole way?"

Amelie nodded.

"I told you not to follow me. It was too dangerous for you out there." Steve scolded, "Let me look at your ankle."

"You were in trouble." Amie backed away, "They almost got you, Steve."

"I wouldn't have let that happen." The Captain replied.

Amelie shook her head, silent. Despite the danger she couldn't sit by and watch Steve get taken away... but he wouldn't understand.

The girl started to move towards her bedroom. She just wanted to be alone- to sleep after such a long night. The sun was just starting to rise through the closed curtains, telling Amie that she had been up the better part of 30 hours.

Her ankle, however, decided to keep Amie planted where she was. As soon as she lifted it, the pain radiated up to her knee. The adrenaline that had kept her able to run the last few minutes was wearing off.

"Ow." She closed her eyes tightly, a grimace spreading on her features. Her other leg was weak and tired from the run, shaking and ready to give out.

Steve quickly rushed to Amie's side, helping her ease her way into a chair by the kitchen table. Her leg elevated, Steve began his inspection of her ankle.

"You might need stitches... how does it feel?" Steve asked, cleaning the area with some damp paper towels, and then some antiseptic solution.

Amie cringed, pulling back from the stinging solution, "Not great."

Steve did his best with what they had in their first aid kit- which were some butterfly stitches, some Neosporin, gauze patches, and ace bandages.

"That'll hold until we figure out a more permanent solution." He ruffled her hair, "You're a trooper, Amie."

The girl offered a small smile through her tired expression. She looked around at Sam and Bucky, who were awkwardly seated across from her at the table. They looked sore and tired, and needed some ice for their bruises.

"You two okay?" She asked, tucking a damp strand of hair from her face. Amie wondered what happened that caused Bucky and Steve to be tied up... was there a fight? Did Hydra just ambush Bucky and Steve tried to help him?