Chapter 9
“Ladie, where are you?” Scott’s voice called from the hallway.
“Here, Uncle Scott!” Adelaide answered, poking her head out from where she stood in the closet, trying to decide what to wear.
“Hey, there you are. Look, Steve’s got something he wants to tell all of us. Be down in the kitchen at eleven, alright?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good girl. I’ll see you later, alright?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.
“Yep.”
“Okay!” Scott walked back out, leaving her to her own devices. Adelaide finally decided on a pair of denim shorts and a light green sleeveless shirt that had “Let Your Light Shine” on it in big gold letters. Walking down the hall in her bare feet, she went down a route she knew by heart. She smiled at familiar faces as she passed before ducking into a room that was empty, save for the one person in it.
“Hey, Daddy,” she said, placing a hand on the glass and smiling. “It’s been eight months now. I turned thirteen as of yesterday morning. Uncle Clint and Wanda wanted to go all-out with a party, but I asked if it would just be alright for our little group to celebrate here instead. I got some pretty neat things. Uncle Steve gave me your old dog tags. I didn’t even know you were in the army.” She fingered the chain around her neck, making the little plates jingle. “Uncle Clint gave me a new coloring book. This one has scenes from Lord of the Rings in it. I already did one whole page. Wanda got me a ring like hers. It has my birthday engraved into the inside of it, where hers has Pietro’s name on it. I wish I could have met him; he seems to have meant a lot to Wanda. Uncle Scott gave me a carving he did with the help of some ants. It looks just like a howling wolf. It’s sitting on my dresser now. Uncle Sam gave me a bracelet. It has two little stars on it, and room for more charms. The stars are red and white. I guess I don’t have to tell you what they mean. T’Challa gave me a stuffed bear, and it’s really soft. I slept with it last night instead of a pillow, and I don’t think I’ll switch back.” She grew silent and leaned her forehead against the cool glass. “I miss you, Daddy. I thought it would be easier to be strong for you. It isn’t. I didn’t realize how much stronger you made me until I had to make it on my own. You’ve always been there, even when you didn’t remember me, and now, I’m not quite sure how to move on. Uncle Steve and the others have been helpful and understanding, but I don’t know how long I can hold up under all of this. I won’t give up, though. That’s not what you would want me to do. I’ll keep going; I’ll make you proud of me. I love you, Daddy. Ya podozhdu tebya.” With that, she placed a small kiss on the glass and left the room, heading down to the kitchen, where she found Wanda reading a book. (I will wait for you.)
“Good morning, Addie,” she said with a smile.
“Morning, Wanda,” she answered, snagging an apple from the bowl sitting on the counter and hopping up onto a stool next to her. “What are you reading?”
“Something that Clint suggested. The Secret Garden. It actually quite nice.”
“May I read it after you?”
“Of course. Do you know what Steve wants to tell us?” Adelaide shook her head around a mouthful of apple.
“Uncle Scott said to be in the kitchen at eleven. I’m here early.”
“I suppose we both are. If you’d like, I could read some of the book to you.” Adelaide nodded and crawled over into Wanda’s lap, who started to read aloud from where she was. By the time Steve entered the kitchen, they were almost a fourth through the book.
“Well, you two have been busy,” he said with a smile.
“Wanda was reading to me,” Adelaide answered.
“Was is interesting?” he asked.
“Yes. You should read it, Uncle Steve. You’d like it!”
“I might. Later.” One by one, the others filed in until everyone was settled around the kitchen island. “Alright, I have something to tell all of you. The UN has decided that we are allowed safely back into the country. Someone went back over the Sokovia Accords, and they have been renegotiated. We aren’t fugitives anymore. We can go home.” Various cheers and exclamations were made, but Adelaide remained silent.
“What’s wrong, Adds?” Clint asked, noticing her demeanor.
“What about me?” she asked quietly.
“What about you?” Steve asked.
“What will happen to me?”
“You’ll come stay with us,” Sam said.
“But, Daddy—”
“T’Challa has promised to let you come see him whenever you want, and he will do everything he can to get him back to normal as quickly as possible. They already have several things they think might work. Don’t worry, Addie. We’ll take care of him, and you,” Steve reassured her. Adelaide nodded.
“When do we leave?” Scott asked.
“Two days. T’Challa will provide us with transport back to D.C., and we are guaranteed safe passage to the Avengers’ bunker.”
“Guess we better get to packing, then,” Clint said, shoving off of the island and heading down the hallway.
“Come on, Addie,” Wanda said. “I’ll help you pack your things.” Adelaide slipped off of Wanda’s lap and hugged Steve’s leg. She hadn’t grown much yet, so that was still all she could reach.
“Thank you, Uncle Steve,” she said.
“For what?”
“Letting me come with you.”
“I wouldn’t dream of leaving you behind,” he assured her. “Now, go on. Wanda’s waiting.” Adelaide hurried out after Wanda to go get ready to leave.
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“Ladie, we’re leaving in an hour!” Scott called.
“Okay! I’ll be there!” She hurried off down the hallway and into the room again. “Hi, Daddy. I won’t be visiting you so much anymore. Uncle Steve is being allowed back into the States. All of us are going back to Washington, D.C. today. I’ll be good, I promise, and I’ll make you proud. I love you, Daddy. Speshite ko mne spinoy.” She kissed the glass one last time before going back into her room and making sure everything was ready to go. (Hurry back to me.)
“Adds, we’re loading the plane!” Clint called from the hallway.
“I’m ready to go, Uncle Clint!”
“Scott and Steve will be back to carry your stuff in a little bit, okay?”
“Okay!” By the time everything was loaded and ready, Adelaide was sitting in her seat on the plane, looking out the window as T’Challa spoke with the pilot before coming aboard.
“I wish you all a safe trip back, my friends,” he said, nodding to all of them. Adelaide hopped up and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you, T’Challa,” she said quietly. “For everything.”
“You’re welcome, little lioness. I will help your father return to you, I promise.”
“I know you will.”
“I will see you again soon, Adelaide.”
“Goodbye, T’Challa.” She sat back down while everyone got settled, then watched as Wakanda grew smaller and smaller while the plane flew away. She looked over at Clint and Scott, who were practically giddy with excitement. They hadn’t seen their families in forever, and now they finally got to. She would be as excited as they were, if she were in their position. Wanda gave her a small smile and patted her knee from where she sat on the other side of the small aisle.
“Don’t worry,” she said quietly. “Everything will turn out alright.” Adelaide smiled back at her.
“I know.” She turned and looked out the window.
I’ll find my way back to you, Daddy. Somehow, we’ll be together again.
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Teresa nervously clung to Clint’s neck as he held her inside the plane. She had only met Tony Stark once, and he’d seemed rather nice, but this time it was after the big showdown with her dad. She didn’t know what to expect. “Don’t worry, Adds,” Clint said. “He wouldn’t have called us back if he didn’t want us to be here.”
“But what if he doesn’t want me there?”
“Then he’ll have to deal with it. You’re our little girl now. He’ll have to fight through all of us to get to you,” Scott said. She smiled at him.
“Thanks, Uncle Scott.”
“Anything for you, Ladie.” He kissed her forehead, then walked to the hatch of the plane.
“Ready to face the music?” Clint asked. She nodded.
“I think so.”
“May I hold your hand?” Wanda asked. Adelaide nodded.
“Do I get to meet Vision now?” she asked Wanda as she was set down and grabbed Wanda’s hand. The two had confided in each other quite a bit during the past eight months, and Wanda had told her about her relationship with Vision. Wanda blushed.
“I suppose so. I don’t know if he’ll talk to me now, though. We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.”
“From what you’ve told me about him, I think he’ll forgive you. I think he just misses you.”
“How did you get so wise?”
“I talked to T’Challa a lot.” Wanda and Steve laughed heartily at her statement.
“I’ll tell him you said that,” Steve said. “Come on, you two. Let’s go home.” Steve walked out first, flanked by Sam and Scott. Wanda, who let go her Adelaide’s hand, and Clint walked behind her, all subtly telling the surrounding guards and crowd that they would have to go through all five of them if anyone tried to get to the girl. They entered a room hidden behind tinted window and were met by a man that apparently nobody liked, because the room was instantly tense.
“Captain Rogers,” he said. “Didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“Secretary Ross,” Steve replied tensely. Adelaide had backed up against Clint and Wanda, using them for a sort of support to her shaking form. Clint laid a hand on her shoulder, and Wanda bent her knee a bit to tap against her shoulder blade. Adelaide was too nervous to pay much attention to what the adults were saying. She wanted to go home; this place was too loud with too many people and lights and sounds. She missed Wakanda. Correction: she missed her dad.
“Transportation has been provided, along with a bit of a decoy system should anyone try anything. Your car is waiting for you, with a driver, down that hallway. It’s the last door to the right.”
“Thank you,” Steve said, then turned to their group. “Well, let’s get this over with.” The six of them began walking, Clint leading Adelaide along by the hand.
“Don’t worry, Adds,” he said quietly. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“We will keep you safe,” Wanda assured. When they entered the door, a grey SUV was waiting for them, the driver leaning nonchalantly against it. He nodded to them formally, then climbed into the driver’s seat. Scott took the front seat, as he was the least recognizable of all of them. Sam and Wanda took the middle two seats, and Steve, Adelaide, and Clint climbed into the back. She knew what they were doing, the little ways they were trying to make her feel safe and calm. The engine started, and they pulled out onto the open road. She watched the road silently for several minutes before speaking up.
“Uncle Steve?” she asked quietly.
“Yes, Addie?”
“How long until we get there?”
“A few hours, bug. You can take a nap if you want. It’s going to be awhile.” She nodded and leaned her head against Clint, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let her use his chest as a pillow.
“We’ll wake you when we get there, Adds. Sleep well.”
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“Addie.” The voice cut through her dreaming. “Addie, wake up.” Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw Wanda’s smiling face looking at her front the seat in front of her. “We’re here.” Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she looked through the front window of the SUV to see a bunker of some sort. Clint gave her a reassuring pat as the car pulled to a stop in front of the building. Everyone climbed out, and Steve knelt down in front of Adelaide.
“Addie, this is where we’re going to be staying for a while. You’re safe here; it’s probably the safest place on the planet right now. Wanda’s going to be in the room right next to yours, and I’m going to be across the hall if you need anything at all, okay? You don’t have to be nervous or scared, you know that right?”
“Yes, Uncle Steve,” she said with a small nod. “I know.”
“Good,” he said with a smile. He patted her head and stood up. As they walked towards the front door, a man stepped out. Adelaide paused for a split second before continuing on her way. Although Tony Stark wasn’t her favorite person at this moment in time, he obviously felt sorry for what he did and wanted to make amends. The group reached the front door, and Tony greeted them.
“Cap,” he said tensely.
“Good to see you, Tony,” Steve said with a small smile.
“Yeah. Well, come on. Let’s get inside.” Adelaide looked around the building, taking in the sheer magnitude in size and technology and decoration. She decided that yes, Tony Stark certainly was a billionaire that liked to show it.
“Adds,” Clint said, breaking her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him, and he nodded towards Tony. She looked at him, and he was looking at her while fidgeting with the cup of whiskey in his hands. Oh.
“Hello, Mr. Stark,” Adelaide said, nodding at him in greeting. “Thank you for letting me come stay here with everyone.”
“Yeah, no problem, Bit.” She looked at Steve in confusion.
‘Just go with it,’ he mouthed at her. She nodded again and followed everyone as Tony made sure everyone still knew where their rooms were. Adelaide held in a squeal of excitement when she entered her room. She’d never seen so many stuffed animals in her life! Of course, T’Challa’s bear was packed safely in her belongings, but there were lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) and birds and dogs and cats and so many other animals of all shapes and sizes. She turned to Tony in her excitement and hugged his legs.
“Thank you, Mr. Stark!” she said happily. “It’s wonderful!” Tony looked shocked at her actions and patted her head.
“You’re welcome, Bit.” Adelaide looked up at Steve, who was watching her with an amused smile.
“Is it alright if I stay here, Uncle Steve? I want to look around my room.”
“Sure, Addie. Just stay out of trouble.”
“I will. I promise.” The rest of the group headed on their way, and Addie turned to sort through her things. She actually had surprised herself at how vocal she was today. She hadn’t spoken this much, and to complete strangers no less, since before her father went under. After arranging the animals on her bed as she liked them, she went back into the hallway and back to the common room, where she heard a conversation she didn’t know if she was supposed to here.
“How is the girl reacting?” an unfamiliar voice asked.
“Addie?” Wanda’s voice asked. “Good. She’s come a long way from when I first met her. She smiles more, and talks to all of us now. She even hugged Stark when she saw her room. That shocked all of us.”
“She seems like a hardy young girl.”
“I don’t know if I could have done as well as I did while we were in Wakanda if I hadn’t had her. We developed our powers together. She’s quite the interesting little girl, when she comes out of her shell.” There was silence for a moment, then Wanda spoke up again. “How is Rhodey?”
“Colonel Rhodes is well, given the circumstances. He lost the ability to walk during the fall. Mr. Stark has made braces for his legs that allow him to continue walking, and he has adapted well.”
“That’s good. She was very upset that she didn’t save him, you know. She cried quite a bit over that.”
“She sounds like a wonderful girl.”
“She is. She means so much to all of us. I don’t think she knows how much she helped Clint and Scott while they were separated from their families. They adore her.” Adelaide decided to enter the room now and padded in on bare feet.
“Wanda,” she said quietly. “I’m hungry.” She looked at the man next to Wanda and nodded politely.
“Adelaide, this is Vision. Vision, this is Addie, Bucky’s daughter.” The man nodded to her. He had red skin, and a yellow stone in his forehead. His voice was calming, and had a British accent. She smiled back at him.
“Nice to meet you,” she said quietly. “Wanda, I’m hungry,” she repeated. Wanda laughed.
“Well, I suppose we should raid the kitchen then, shouldn’t we?” Adelaide nodded, and Wanda picked her up, swinging her about a little, before walking over to the kitchen. Adelaide laughed as Wanda began to list things under her breath that were edible, but didn’t sound good to either of them. “What about strawberries? Those look good.” Adelaide nodded enthusiastically. That was her favorite fruit. “Alright then. Let’s see if we can find some sugar to dip them in.” After rummaging around the cupboards and pantry, they found a bowl and filled it with powdered sugar and set in on the counter between them. Adelaide sat on the counter, and Wanda stood on the other side of the bowl, the two of them laughing and chatting quietly.
“What are you two up to?” Clint’s voice asked from the doorway. Adelaide giggled and held out a sugary fruit to him.
“We’re getting a snack,” Wanda said.
“What you’re doing is getting into Tony’s strawberries,” a new voice said. Adelaide looked over and saw a man walk unsteadily into the room, two braces on his legs. She tilted her head at him, then looked to Clint, who was greeting the man.
“Hey, Rhodey. How you doing?”
“Alright, Barton. Good to see you back.”
“Good to be back. How’s the back?”
“Eh, it’s alright. Still hurts a bit, but nothing I can’t handle.” The man sat down on one of the nearby couches and looked over to the girls. “Miss Maximoff,” he said with a nod. “Miss Barnes.” Adelaide hopped off of the counter and padded over to him, reaching a hand out to his braces.
“May I?” she asked quietly.
“Sure, I guess,” he answered. “I’m Rhodey, by the way.”
“I know.” With gentle fingers, she ran her fingers over the metal. She wasn’t aware that as she inspected the braces, the others filtered into the room. Steve, Clint, Scott, Wanda, Sam, Tony, Natasha Rominoff (who Adelaide had only briefly seen once), and Vision all watched her quietly from behind them. Adelaide hummed a song under her breath that her father had sung to her once as she explored the various gears and bars of the braces. Then, her hands went to Rhodey’s legs. The entire group was mesmerized by how gently she moved and how carefully she touched the braces and legs that would no longer work. Her eyes had closed, but a gentle, soothing mint-colored light filtered slowly from her fingertips and into his legs, disappearing beneath the fabric of his pants. Rhodey felt a tingling go from where her hands rested all the way to his back, then what felt like tiny pokes and prods at his spine, as if someone was stitching up a wound. As slowly as it had started, the feeling retreated back down his body and back into her fingers. Adelaide’s eyes opened, and she gave him a small smile, before nodding to him and going back to her spot on the counter. Nobody moved, except for Adelaide, who quite happily munched away on her strawberries.
“Rhodes?” Tony finally asked, breaking the silence.
“I’m fine, Tony.”
“What’d you do, Addie?” Scott asked.
“I fixed him,” she said simply, biting into a fruit.
“You what?” Rhodey and Tony asked.
“I fixed you,” she said to Rhodey. “You don’t need the metal legs anymore.”
“They aren’t legs, Adds,” Clint said. “They’re braces, to help him walk. It’s not like your dad’s arm.”
“He doesn’t need them. I fixed him.” Everyone’s gaze snapped to Rhodey, who looked a bit nervous.
“How do you feel, Colonel?” Sam asked.
“My back doesn’t hurt. Maybe she did fix it.”
“That’s impossible,” Tony said. “The doctor said they couldn’t fix it. How could a child do what they couldn’t?”
“She’s no ordinary girl,” Wanda said. “She’s quite extraordinary. We have all seen her do amazing things in the past few months.”
“Maybe you should try it, Rhodey,” Natasha said. “It won’t hurt anything.”
“Except his back,” Tony said.
“We’re all right here, Tony,” Steve said. “We’ll help him if he needs it.”
“Tony, quit being a mother hen. I’m going to try.”
“You sure, Rhodes?”
“No, but I’m going to do it anyway.” He unhooked the braces from his legs, and put them to the side. Adelaide watched quietly as he looked at her uncertainly before bracing himself on the arms of the chair. With everyone watching nervously, Rhodey lifted himself up and put his feet on the ground, gradually adding more and more of his weight. Then, he was standing on his own, and he wasn’t in any pain. He put one foot out and took a step, then another, then another, until he had crossed the room and was standing in front of Tony, whose eyes were wide with disbelief. “Tony, I’m okay. I can walk.” The room exploded into cheers and congratulations. Suddenly, Adelaide was swept up into a tight hug before being put back down. “Thank you,” Rhodey said. She nodded back. “No, really, thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.” She looked down shyly. After the excitement had calmed down, Clint and Scott stood in front of her as people began to trickle out again.
“We have to go, Adds,” Clint said.
“Our other families are waiting for us,” Scott said. Adelaide nodded.
“Okay. I’ll be good, I promise.”
“We know you will, cupcake,” Scott said, hugging her tightly. “Oh, I’m going to miss you. I’ll bring my little girl over to play with you sometime, alright?”
“Okay, Uncle Scott.”
“You be the best little girl you can be, alright?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Bye, Ladie.” He kissed her cheek and hugged her once more before stepping back and heading out of the room.
“See you later, Adds.”
“Bye, Uncle Clint.”
“Next month, you, me, and Wanda. Two weeks. My farm. Got it?”
“Okay. I’ll ask Uncle Steve if—”
“No, you’re not. You’re going with me and Wanda whether he says you can or not, understand? You need to be a little girl for a bit, before you’re all grown up. You’re going.”
“Okay, Uncle Clint. I’ll be ready.”
“Good girl. You behave for Uncle Steve, you hear me?”
“Yes, sir.” Clint wrapped her up in a bear hug and set her back down on the counter.
“I’ll see you soon, pumpkin spice.” Adelaide laughed at the strange nickname he had up with for her.
“Bye, Uncle Clint.” He patted her head and left through the same door Scott had. Putting her dishes in the sink (only by standing on her tiptoes and being careful), she padded back down the hall to Uncle Steve’s room, knocking on the door.
“Come in,” he called. She poked her head in and looked around.
“Uncle Steve, are you busy?” she asked.
“No, Addie. Not for you. Come on in.” She shut the door and hopped up on the couch next to Steve, who was clicking through the channels on the television. “What’s up?”
“Uncle Scott and Uncle Clint just left,” she informed him.
“Oh yeah, they told me they were leaving. I don’t blame them. They haven’t seen their families in months.”
“I know. I just thought I’d tell you.” The two were quiet, watching a show that Steve had stopped on. “Uncle Steve?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you heard anything from T’Challa?” Steve sighed.
“No, Addie, I haven’t. Don’t worry. He’ll call if he makes any progress.”
“I miss him.”
“Who?”
“Both of them.”
“I know. I miss them too. They’re family, aren’t they?” She nodded.
“It’s not fair,” she said angrily. “Why’d it have to be him? Why couldn’t it have been some other person?” Steve sighed again.
“I’ve asked myself that a lot, and I still don’t have an answer. I wish I knew, Addie, I wish I knew.” They were quiet again, and Adelaide curled up against Steve’s side, watching the T.V. “You know, he’d be proud of you,” Steve said suddenly. “What you did today was good. Bucky’d be very proud of you.” Adelaide sniffled.
“I miss him,” she said again.
“I know, Addie. I know.”
“What if I’m all grown up before he wakes up?”
“Don’t worry. T’Challa will do everything he can as quickly as he can so Bucky’ll get out of there. We don’t want him to miss you growing up any more than you do. We know how much he loves you. He wouldn’t stop talking about you while we went to Siberia. He was worried about you the whole time. We’re doing everything we can for him; you’ll see him soon.”
“How do you know?”
“I just believe it.” Adelaide thought about it for a minute, then nodded.
“I think you’re right. I believe it too.”