fix you

chapter sixteen ( finale )

She woke with a scream, the remains of a horrific nightmare in which she could not wake, could not control. A dream in which she...in which she...

Oh, God. Ohgodohgodohgodohgod.

Bolting upright, she prayed with everything she had that it had just been a night terror. That it hadn't happened, she hadn't shot Fury, hadn't stabbed Steve, hadn't...oh, God, oh, Jesus. Hadn't...

But the room she was in was unfamiliar. Horror rolled out of Maria in a keening scream, as she took in the room, trying to process that it might have all been real.

Please, please, please. Let it not have been real.

The room was small. A tiny bed, meant for only one person. A colorful rug, covered the majority of the floor, and a two-seater sofa sat on the far wall, a little table in front of it. The bed was propped against one wall, a bookcase against the third.

The fourth wall was reinforced glass.

And on the other side...somehow, on the other side...

"Been wondering if you were ever gonna wake up."

"Nick." The word was a sob as she jumped up, moved to the glass. "You're not dead. You're not dead."

"No, Maria, I am not dead." His arm was in a sling, and he held a cane. "Not that you didn't give it a damn good try."

"I'm sorry," the words rushed out as she slumped to the floor, shaking. "Nick, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

"Not as sorry as I am," he interrupted. "I should have known Boggs was a traitorous piece of filth. Never should have let him near you, or Steve. For that, you have my sincerest apologies, Hill."

"Steve." She crumpled at that, curling in on herself as much as she could. He hadn't fought back, hadn't tried to hurt her. Even though he should have, dammit he should have. If he had, he wouldn't be...he wouldn't be...

"He's alive, Maria."

"He--what?" Did he say that, did he really say that? Or was she projecting, her brain trying to send her one last hopeful image before shattering completely?

Fury crouched down so he was eye-level, and tilted his head. "I said, Rogers is alive."

"How?" she breathed. She'd seen him fade, watched his eyes gloss over.

"What do you remember?"

She dragged horror-stricken eyes up to meet Fury's calm one. "I stabbed him. I stabbed him, Nick, and was about to slice his throat---"

Bile rose up, vomit tasting at tip of her tongue.

"Sam Wilson and Ms. Maximoff joined the fight before you damaged Cap's throat. Scarlet Witch was fortunately traveling with Vision. He can teleport now, did you know that? Damndest thing. He took Rogers to Wakanda. Kept him from dying."

"He's alive? You're sure?"

"Would I lie to you?"

The laugh bubbled out of her, a snort through the tears, some of the terrible tension in her shoulders lessening. "Yes, sir. Absolutely."