girl ― saved by captain america

[thirty one] betrayal

[Steve]

"Mornin', Cap," Clint greets as I step off the elevator into the common space of the fiftieth floor, startling me enough to make me jump. On a typical morning when I come home from my early-morning runs, no one else is awake. Glancing at my watch, I see that it's just about 7:00, which is a little bit later than when I usually return. Even still, Clint's never been an early riser.

"What're you doing up this early?" I ask as I join him in the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with water.

"I'm not sure. Guess I didn't sleep too great," the archer admits as I take a few sips from my glass.

"Anyone else up?" I question. He takes a bite of the apple in his hand and shakes his head.

"Nope. Pretty sure everyone's asleep. Except for Tony; he's down in his lab. But what's new, I suppose." I nod, understanding. It isn't unusual for Tony to spend all night down working on his gadgets. The rest of us know it's probably not good for him, but we also know that there's no stopping him. He's just wired that way. And as long as it's not hurting anyone else, we keep quiet about it.

"I'm gonna go see if Willa's up," I decide, finishing what's left in my glass before placing it in the sink and looking out through the window onto the balcony. It seems like a nice day out; maybe it would be a good idea to take Willa outside later. We could go to the park or something. I've been meaning to get her out and about more lately, since Bruce says the sunshine's good for her.

"Hey, have you thought any more about the Accords?" Clint asks just as I'm about to leave the kitchen. I pause, turning back to face him. A serious look has formed on his face.

"I think I've made up my mind. As much as it's going to complicate things, I can't sign. It just doesn't feel right," I assert.

"I'm with you," the man nods. "And it's not just us. After you left last night, the conversation went on for quite some time. Bucky's against it. Sam, too. Even Wanda, though I think she feels a lot of pressure coming from Tony."

"She's just a kid," I sigh as I shake my head. "I don't know why she has to be involved in this. Peter, too. And what? Are they going to want Willa to sign, because of her powers?"

"That... wasn't discussed," Clint replies slowly. "Maybe you'd have to sign on her behalf. Vienna's in three days; I don't know how it'll look if half of us don't show up. Or, if we all show up, but only half of us will sign."

"I guess we'll see," I shrug, earning a nod from my friend. Not knowing what else could be said about the situation, I turn to leave the kitchen without another word, heading to the bedrooms.

As I walk towards the end of the hall, all of the doors are closed except for mine, Clint's, and Tony's. Stopping in front of Willa's door, I knock lightly before turning the knob and swinging it open. When I step inside, the sight I'm met with causes my stomach to drop.

Willa's bed is empty.

I glance around the room frantically, but she's nowhere to be seen. Quickly making my way over to the bathroom door, I push it open. It's vacant as well. The light is off, but the sunlight coming in from the window by the sink illuminates the room enough for me to see that I'm completely alone. Willa is gone.

Turning around, I make my way back through the bedroom and out into the hallway, double-checking every room again as I pass it to make sure that there are no lights on shining through from underneath the doors. Everyone is asleep. She couldn't be playing with Wanda, or watching movies with Peter. Which means... she's not on the fiftieth floor at all.

As I enter back into the living space, my heart pounds heavily in my chest, ringing all the way up through my ears. Clint glances up at me from the newspaper he's begun to read, immediately seeing the look of panic on my face. "She's gone," I mutter breathlessly. "Willa's gone."