Horses Prance through a Silver Storm
Breathless, crying, “I was just a phony!”
“If you go, I shall die!” He replied.
With a nightmarish smile, calm and stony,
“Do not stand in the wind, go inside.”
—“Dusky Veil Shades Her Hands Clenching Tensely” by Anna Akhmatova
Yasha woke with a start.
Someone was pounding frantically against their front door.
Yasha grabbed the pistol in his nightstand and crept towards the door. Opening the door, he had prepared himself for multiple possibilities; he had not prepared himself to find Mary Parker clutching Peyta.
“I-I'm so sorry to do this,” Mary's voice shook. “Richard and I have to leave tonight. Could you watch Peter?”
Yasha could tell that something else was going on. He could almost hear what was behind her words.
Her fear was evident, but she was risking everything for her son.
“Yes,” Yasha promised.
Mary held his gaze. She kissed Peyta's forehead and squeezed him tight. “I love you, my little spider monkey.”
“Mama?” Peter asked sleepily.
Mary was crying as she transferred Peyta from her arms to Yasha’s. She hugged Yasha tightly and whispered in his ear, “Run.”
Yasha held the boy carefully as he rushed towards the girls' rooms.
Natya was already awake. She was already packed and carrying Mushka's carrier.
“Get the twins up,” Yasha ordered. “We don't have time to pack, only bring what's absolutely necessary.”
Natya nodded severely. “They're coming?”
“I don't know,” Yasha admitted.
“But we can't take the chance,” Natya whispered.
“We can't,” Yasha agreed.
Olga barely roused from her sleep as he picked her up with his other arm.
Yasha was grateful for small mercies.
Hopefully, Peyta and Olga would not wake until they were safely away.
Natya had managed somehow to get the twins in the car.
Yasha cursed himself for not having another car seat.
They didn't have time.
He placed Olga next to Natya and buckled Peyta in the car seat.
“Daddy,” Lida grabbed his hand.
He kissed her forehead. “Don't worry.”
Lida squeezed her teddy bear.
Yasha was grateful that the rest of the kids were sleeping as he drove away. He didn't want them to be worried.
How much longer could they keep running?
We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day
Keep smilin' through
Just like you always do
Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away
So will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them I won't be long
They'll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singing this song
We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day
“God in heaven,” Dum Dum cried. “He was alive all these years?”
Tony couldn't stop staring at Captain America.
That was Captain America!
And there was his shield!
His stomach clenched heaved.
For as long as he could remember, he had hated Captain America.
But there he was, frozen in a literal hell.
Tony's hate melted away. “D-Dad, we've got to help him!”
Howard had been frozen staring at his old friend as if he could not believe they'd finally found him.
“How in the hell is this even possible?” Gabe asked.
Tony shrugged. “Guess that serum was stronger than we thought.”
“We have to wake him up!” Dum Dum cried.
Tony shook his head. "We can't wake him up too quickly. He's frozen, almost in a comatose state. If we heat him up too quickly, we could really hurt him."
Falsworth picked up the Captain's fallen shield. “Then what do we do?”
“We need to get him out of here,” Howard's voice was rough with emotion.
Voices.
But not the voice he longed for.
Moving a frozen capsicle proved to be quite the challenge. Especially, since Howard and the Howlies were not as young as they used to be. Not to mention, they were miles away from the ship.
Night had fallen by the time they finally made it back to the ship.
Tony still couldn’t believe that they’d found him—that he was still alive! He was surprised that Howard and the Howlies weren’t celebrating.
They had been strangely quiet.
Why weren’t they overjoyed that their captain was alive?
Tony couldn’t wait to study the serum further to discover how this was even possible.
It was a scientific miracle!
“He won’t believe how far technology’s come!” Tony grinned. He couldn’t wait to show him The Princess Bride!
It was Dum Dum who broke down first. “That damned serum!”
“We couldn’t have known,” Gabe whispered. “We’ll just have to do our best to help him.”
“Help him?” Dum Dum asked. “How? He’s missed forty years!”
“W-We have to try,” Howard said.
“And do you think it’ll do a lick of difference?” Dum Dum asked. “We all know why he crashed that damn plane!”
Tony frowned. He could tell that he was missing something.
But what?
Falsworth sighed. “I do not know.”
“It isn’t fair.” Howard was crying.
Tony watched his father in awe. He had never seen his father cry.
Stunning blue eyes fluttered open.
“B-Bucky?” A hoarse voice creaky from disuse prayed that he had finally died.
***
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