Chapter 4
"Maybe they're right," Celia said, staring back at Steve. He shook his head a little and gave her a confused look.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, sounding frustrated. She knew what had happened and Steve knew what happened, but she didn't think they would be able to convince the rest of them what happened. Maybe that was for the best. What would her life look like if she was caught up in the lives of the Avengers? Would she be able to keep her job? Would she have to go into hiding again? Would she be in danger? Celia was much more comfortable doing things behind the scenes and this attention on her was grating. Celia would hate for them to doubt Steve, but they would forget about this soon enough if she just went away for good.
"There was a lot going on and it all happened so quickly, maybe we just thought we saw something worse than what really happened?" Celia said, looking down at her hands. She couldn't bear to look at Steve's face, betrayal written all over it.
"See, finally we're getting somewhere," Tony said, lifting his glass in cheers before drinking it down. Celia quickly slid her shirt back on, wanting to be ready when the opportunity to leave presented itself.
"You're lying," Natasha said, tying off the last stitch in Steve's shoulder.
"No," Celia defended, folding her hands together to stop herself from fiddling with something. She still hadn't had a chance to wash them, the blood dry under her fingernails and in the cracks of her hands.
"You were nervous before, but now you're a different kind of nervous. I can tell, I'm a spy," Natasha said, putting the medical supplies away.
"It's true. She can always tell when I'm lying about liking her cooking," Clint added, ducking away from the bloody glove Natasha threw at his head.
"You know what I think is strange?" Tony said, stalking back over to the group. "I think it's strange that you guys were the only ones on that elevator, and for so long too. Middle of the morning in a busy building. How often does that happen? And this guy just happened to know exactly what car Cap would be on? Something isn't adding up."
"What are you getting at, Tony?" Bruce said, standing and turning to face him.
"Let me ask you a question, Cap," Tony continued, ignoring Bruce's question. "Did she know who you were before the guy got on with you?" Everyone turned to look at Steve and Steve looked at her. There was the slightest bit of suspicion in his eyes now and he tensed up a bit.
"Yeah," Steve answered quietly. They all looked at her now, frowns on their faces. This lie had backfired on her quickly. Before she was a possible victim in their eyes and she was quickly transitioning into an enemy.
"Care to add anything or should I just call Shield in now?" Tony asked her, tilting his head to the side. Celia did not know what to say to get herself out of this one. She thought she could just convince them she was a weak girl, not turn herself into an accomplice of attempted murder. She sighed, deciding to stick to the truth. She doubted things could get worse then they already were.
"I did know Steve was Captain America, but it wasn't because I was working with anyone to set him up. I saw his picture on that magazine two weeks ago and remembered his face."
"Oh well, that explains everything. My mistake, you're free to go," Tony quipped, rolling his eyes.
"How do I prove to you I didn't do anything wrong? Did you get the video from the elevator?" Celia asked, starting to panic a little. She couldn't get caught up in this mess. She had too many people who depended on her.
"Funny you should mention that. The cameras in the elevators had been tampered with this morning, so nothing was caught on tape. Pretty convenient if you ask me," Tony said.
"Did he threaten you? Maybe hold something against you to force you to help him?" Bruce asked in a gentle voice. Great, hitting her with the old good cop/bad cop routine. This was softball though compared to what she had to expect from an interrogation from Shield agents. Nerf ball even. She chuckled a little, imagining the Avengers in full battle gear hurling foam balls at her. Everyone stared at her like she had grown a second head, not expecting her to be laughing in the middle of this tense conversation. The sight made her laugh even more, standing up from the couch and pacing behind it, giving herself a little buffer from the group.
"So should I call into work and tell them I won't be in for a while because I'm pretty much a terrorist now?" Celia snickered.
"This isn't funny!" Tony snapped. "Just tell us the truth."
"We did tell you the truth but you didn't believe us!" Celia shouted back, losing her last bit of calm. "We told you exactly what happened earlier, but you couldn't hear it, couldn't accept it. And I thought maybe that was a good thing, because I really didn't feel like being studied and dissected in a lab. So I lied and said maybe we were wrong about it, thinking you could brush it off so I could go back to my life. But now I'm a co-conspirator." The team was silent, surprised at her outburst. Steve looked even more tired, like he was ready for all of this to be over. She felt the same, sinking down to sit cross legged on the floor, putting her head in her hands. "Can you guys let me make a couple calls before you decide what to do with me? I need to set a few things up for some people if I'm not gonna be around. I'm not gonna fight, but I swear to you, I had nothing to do with what happened in that elevator today." She sat there for a few minutes with her eyes closed, all the fight having left her. If they weren't going to believe their Captain, why the hell would they believe her?
"I believe her," Steve said quietly, standing from the couch and walking over to stand beside her. "I was there with her in that elevator and I saw what happened. I'm asking you to trust me, as your teammate, that I know what I'm talking about."
"Stranger things have happened," Clint agreed, showing his loyalty to Steve. "I don't know if you guys remember how we fought aliens not too long ago?"
"No one is going to dissect you in a lab," Bruce assured, perching onto the arm of the couch. "Believe me, that was one of my biggest fears for a while but I know no one in this room would turn you over to someone who would do that."
"Tony is right to be suspicious though guys," Natasha added. "We would be remiss to not explore every possibility. Just for peace of mind."
"Do you have any objections to that?" Bruce asked her gently.
"I have no connection to that man and would be thrilled if you could find proof of that," Celia answered sincerely. Steve reached down with his good hand, pulling her back up to her feet.
"Let me show you to a bathroom, so you can get cleaned up a little," Steve offered, pulling her toward the hallway. "We'll be back," he called over his shoulder, not waiting to hear if the team had anything to say. He took her through an empty bedroom and into the fanciest, most spacious bathroom she'd ever seen in her life. In other circumstances she'd be drooling over the deep, jetted bathtub, but now, it was just another room she was trapped in. He closed the door behind him, locking the two of them in the room together.
"Shit, I'm so sorry Steve," she groaned, sitting on the closed toilet seat. "I didn't know what to say and I thought it would be better for everyone if they just thought we were confused." Steve stooped down in front of her and put a hand on her knee. She stared into his eyes and was relieved to not see any anger toward her, just calm understanding.
"I'm not mad, I get why you said what you did. Tony can be pretty stubborn and his natural charisma can get people over to his side pretty quickly. But I don't believe you had anything to do with what happened today. I saw your face when it all went down and I'm pretty sure you couldn't have faked what we went through," Steve stated with confidence.
"What happens now?" she asked quietly, having no idea where to go from here. Something happened to her today and she didn't know what that meant for her future. Was she changed forever? What kind of tests are run after someone comes back from the dead?
"Honestly? I have no idea," Steve sighed, standing and walking over to the sink. He started washing his hands, avoiding looking at himself in the mirror. She couldn't blame him. He looked like he had stepped out of a horror movie. Both of their blood smeared on him from his neck, to down his side and arms. Celia looked down at herself, seeing the smears on her own shirt and skin. She put her hands in her lap, taking in the rusty color that made them look old and worn. They were trembling a little, the small moment of peace they had giving the days events a chance to settle in her mind. She felt her breath picking up, feeling claustrophobic in this massive bathroom suddenly and her eyes blurred. All she could see were her red hands through the thin veil of tears. She could faintly hear Steve calling her name, but she couldn't answer, couldn't turn her head to acknowledge him.
"Celia!" Steve yelled, kneeling in front of her and shaking her shoulders. She blinked a few times, feeling tears rolling down her cheeks.
"How am I alive?" she cried, not able to shove down her emotions anymore. "I was dead, I know it and I felt it. What do I do? Do I just pretend like it didn't happen?" Celia sobbed, feeling everything hit her at once. She just wanted someone to hold her and tell her everything would be alright, but she didn't have anyone to fill that role for her. She didn't have anyone she could depend on to take care of her and she hadn't for years, maybe ever. She was the one people looked to for help and in normal circumstances she loved that. There was nothing more fulfilling than helping another person in their time of need and she dedicated her entire life to doing that. But sometimes she wished that she didn't have to be so strong. That someone could take charge and solve her problems. Steve awkwardly started to pat her back, obviously not sure what he should do with a strange, hysterical woman. Celia took a chance, wrapping her arms around his middle and tucking her face into his chest, seeking out the comfort she desperately craved.