(takes place during "Legacy")

John

"Well well well," The Savage purrs, her eyes trailing me up and down as she exits through the storage facility door. "Isn't this a surprise."

"A welcome one I hope." I hope she can't see through me, see how terrified I am, how angry I feel. If she can, she doesn't let on, she just looks around, at the darkness surrounding us.

"Depends on why you're here," She replies cooly. "You came alone, you came barely armed, so you have my curiosity peaked."

"I'm here for you." I grin at her, sliding my hands in my pockets to keep them from shaking.

She takes a few steps forward, shaking her head, humor and disappointment dancing around her features. "Valiant attempt, John. You really think I'd fall for that?"

Play it cool, don't let her see through the mask. "Fall for what?"

"I'm not Soroya. She's the one you're after, the one you're in love with. You're trying to reach me through her, it won't work."

Truth, all of that is the truth. Denying it feels impossible, and the Savage will be able to tell if I'm lying, so I have to choose my next words carefully. Jo all of the sudden pops into my mind, something she told me once circulating my thoughts and giving me an idea. She said that when she's really scared and doesn't know what to do, she pretends she's one of her favorite fictional characters. It makes things easier. Maybe I should try that, pretend I'm someone else so that what I say will be believable. I have to pretend to be as vile and heartless as the Savage, I have to appease her.

I shake my head, trying to imbue my voice with as much confidence as she has. "Actually no, I'm not. I've had time to think about what you said in the vet clinic, about freedom and being our true selves. I haven't been my true self since I met Soroya. She messed with my feelings, turned me into a love struck puppy dog, made me weak. I've had to watch her be with her annoying husband and bratty children for two decades, and all for what? I'm sick of being wrapped around her finger. I want to be me again, I want freedom from her, and I think I can get that freedom with you."

Lies, all of it. I don't mean a thing I'm saying. I hope this speech was enough to convince her, I don't think I could lie like that again and make it seem truthful. Part of me thinks it didn't come off as such, but the way the Savage is looking at me says otherwise. She's looking at me in curiosity, her hostility and guard dropping by the second. I think it's working.

"So what you're saying is that you want to betray your friends and stand by my side?"

She's been gradually walking closer and closer to me, and is now only feet apart from me. In her eyes I can see a lot of anticipation and playfulness, which makes relief flood through me. I must be convincing her. Deciding that maybe actions are better than words, I grip onto her waist and pull her against me. I slowly nod my head and bring my free hand up to trail her face, hating the heat that forms on my cheeks, wells up in my stomach. I've always wanted to hold Soroya like this, touch her, hold her face in my hands. Knowing that lying may not work well in my favor from this point on, I chose to stick closer to the truth when I speak again.

"I want to help you destroy your enemies, I want to watch you make them suffer, then after all that's done, I want to live my life with you by my side. Together we can finally be loved and accepted for who we are, we can be free."

The Savage grins. This grin is different from any of Soroya's smiles, this one is wicked and filled with underlying anger. She's staring at me like I'm her prey, something to hunt and catch. The Savage may be wearing Soroya's skin, but underneath is little humanity. All I see is an animal.

She growls, actually growls as she lifts her hands up, sinking them into my hair. I hate the sigh that exhales through my lips, and I hate even more that I lean into her touch. She's not Soroya, I keep chanting this to myself, needing the reminder each second she's this close to me. I can't enjoy any of this. I refuse to. Not only is she not Soroya, but she's in Soroya's body. I feel dirty touching her like this, flirting with her. Soroya is married to one of my closest friends, one of the best men I know. Her two children call me 'uncle John' for god sakes. I can't enjoy distracting her like this, I just have to do it and conduct myself like I'm on a mission. I need to keep a clear mind.

"Soroya was stupid to pick such a spineless fool over you. His blood, his body, his mind are too filled with chemicals and tampering from HYDRA...but you...you are a pure perfect specimen, much better for a mate. I think you'll do quite nicely."

She's speaking in such a low whisper, her hands are still in my hair, her body still pressed up against mine. I'm in trouble. I'm in such deep, deep trouble. I already thought I was damned to hell for loving Soroya the way I do, thinking of her the way I do, but this, this has certainly marked me a place in hell. My shame is like no other as I lean forward and graze my nose with hers, dropping all facades, dropping all falsity, and speak the truth I feel in my heart.

"How can anyone talk about perfection when they're in your presence?"

She suddenly grips onto my chin and hums, the sound making my knees wobble slightly, the intensity of her gaze threatening to undue me.

"Yes, yes you'll do very nicely." She whispers, then pulls my face down to hers, and places her lips on mine.

I freeze for the first few seconds of the contact, trying to convince myself that kissing her back is a bad, bad idea, but as her lips begin moving against mine, I can't help myself as I melt into the kiss. All thoughts in my brain fly away, all self control, all sense, all shame. All I can bring myself to focus on is the pair of lips on mine, the low moan that escapes from her. I clutch at her hips, deepening the kiss further, feeling her hands move from my hair, to my neck, to my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin so hard I think she's drawing blood.

I'm a horrible, awful, selfish man. I don't deserve Soroya, I don't deserve Bucky's friendship, I don't deserve the love of Stevie and Livy. I've wanted to kiss Soroya for so long, and I know that that is not who I am kissing right now, but the Savage is the closest I'll ever get. God that sounds awful, I really am a terrible person. But I can't help it. I want her, I've always wanted her. I'm supposed to be playing a part, I'm supposed to kiss her and hold her, make her believe my lies. But one thing that is not a lie is the love and desire I feel for Soroya.

I don't think the Savage will doubt anything I've said now, passion like what I'm showing can't be faked, especially as I lift her up by the hips, wrapping her legs around my waist. I run my hands up her back, over the curves of her body, hearing a growl of my own escape my lips. I want nothing more than to back her up against the wall of the storage unit, kiss every inch of her body, and see what kind of growl I can get out of her. I think she would let me, let me touch her in the way I've only dreamt of touching her. But I try to hold onto some semblance of self control and stay where I am, trying to remember that this isn't Soroya and I'm supposed to be distracting her while Jo gets Hale's blood.

I think I'm doing a pretty good job at distracting her. Or least I was. From the Kimoyo Beads on the Savage's wrist, Hale's voice cuts through the air, his voice frantic as he shouts: "The invisible girl is in here, it was a set up, she's getting away!"

The Savage tears her lips from mine, pushing herself off of me, her face contorting in anger. I feel a little light headed once she pulls away, but I quickly compose myself, shocked to find a hint of jealousy clouding the Savage's eyes.

"She really worth all this? Is she really worth a chance at real freedom? A chance to be yourself and not some love sick mutt who chases a woman who will never want him?"

"She's worth everything." I tell her, meaning it with every ounce of my soul.

I don't waste a single moment. I lunge for her, tackling her to the ground, trying to pin her body down beneath mine. Just as I get a hold on her, she shifts into a kangaroo and kicks at my chest, simultaneously knocking the wind out of me and sending me flying backwards onto the ground. I land with a thud, a choked gasp coming out of me as I try to sit myself up, gasping for air. The Savage is already here though, her foot colliding with my face, then her knee. I hear a loud crunching noise and then searing pain spreads throughout the middle of my face. I think she broke my nose.

I stumble backwards, falling onto my knees, blood trickling from my nose. I have always considered myself a good fighter, had a reputation for it in the army, but I'm no match for her. She isn't even trying that hard, isn't even giving her all. I may not be able to beat her in this fight, but I can still put up enough of a fight for Jo to escape. As the Savage goes to kick me again I catch her foot, pulling on it hard, making her fall onto her back. I jump on top of her, knocking the wind out of her chest. I knock my head against hers, grabbing onto her hair and slamming her head into the ground, trying to knock her out. All I need to do is knock her out, then Jo and I will have an opening. That's all I need to do. But it's so hard. My mind knows that I'm fighting the Savage, not Soroya, but I'm still hurting Soroya's body. I'm still hurting the woman I love.

My hesitation is my undoing. I'm so focused on trying to knock her out, I don't notice the Savage retrieve the knife from her suit's holster. I feel a sharp pain in my stomach, and I look down to find the knife sticking out of my body. I drop her hair, my body collapsing to the side, my breaths coming out at a rapid pace. I've just been stabbed, and not in the most ideal area. There's a lot of blood, too much.

I look back up at the Savage, but find her eyes not on me, but Jo. She's just exited the storage facility, the blood sample dangling from her grip. She spots me after a moment of search and begins running towards me. Panic fills me as I notice the Savage readying herself to fight her off, so I once again act, pulling the knife out of my stomach and plunging it into her calf. I feel a whimper escape my lips, not from my stab wound, but from giving Soroya's body one. But I have to. Soroya would understand, hell she would die if it meant saving Jo's life. I'm prepared to do the same.

"Jo, get out of here!" I shout, my voice hoarse, shaking. I glance back down at my stomach, finding my shirt bright crimson.

"No! No, I won't leave you!" She yells back, tears now spilling down her cheeks. Bursting from the doors of the storage facility come dozens of animals, all snarling, all mad with hunger, all charging for Jo. She manages to hold them back with her forcefields, determined to reach me. I'm so focused on her, I'm once again caught off guard when the Savage kicks me in the face again, sending me back down to the ground.

I try to sit myself up, but the pain in my stomach is growing more intense, my shirt and the ground beneath me wet from my own blood. When I finally manage to sit myself up enough to see what's going on, I see the Savage take the knife out from her calf and throw it at Jo, the blade landing in her shoulder.

"Jo, get out of here, go! Go!" I plead, I beg, blood spilling down from the corner of my lips. Jo tries to create a new force field but it doesn't work, she tries again, and one forms, but it's weak, barely a shimmer in the air. She then tries to create two, one for her and one for me, but that still doesn't work. She's injured, her powers have weakened. Letting out a sob, Jo listens to me and leaves, creating a force field strong enough to fend off the animals that still pursue her. I laugh to myself in relief as she disappears into the night, not caring how much it hurts, how scarcely I can breathe.

The Savage now turns her attention back to me, limping as she walks up to my body. I try to sit up more but I can't, it hurts too much. I slump down to the ground, staring up at the Savage, at the face of the woman I love. The moon is just above her, it's glow creating a haze around her body. She looks like an angel, she's always looked like an angel. God does this hurt, everything hurts.

I'm a smart man, I've been in countless battles and fights, been at war, seen others perish from it. I know when someone is dying. I'm dying. I have minutes left with how bad this wound is, but I'm sure I won't make it until then. The Savage will kill me herself long before I succumb to my wounds. This is the end. And since this is the end, I will take my last moments, my last breaths to say this:

"Soroya, I know you're still in there. I-I know you are," I swallow, tasting more blood fill my mouth. "D-don't blame yourself, this...this wasn't you. It wasn't you."

The Savage shakes her head, looking annoyed. "Damn right it wasn't, Soroya would never have the stomach for this," she brings a gun from her holster, loading it, aiming it at my head. "Any last words, John?"

I smile, knowing exactly what my last words will be. My body is shaking, my hands stained red from my own blood, my breaths are slowing. I'm dying. I'll be dead any second now. People spend their whole lives wondering what their last words will be, and mine will be the last declaration of my heart. I promised her a long time ago that I would never tell her this again, but if I'm going to die, I need to say it one last time. One final time.

"I-I love you, Soroya. I love you." It's the only truth I know, the only thing that has ever mattered, that will ever matter.

I stop focusing on the Savage, the look of disgust on her face, the disappointment, the anger. Instead I think of Jo, of Livy and Stevie and Zy. I think of Bucky, of Jade, Alex, Khari. I think of Sam. And lastly I think of Soroya. I think of her smile, her laugh, her voice, the feel of her hand, the feel of her embrace, the feel of her lips...

And then the Savage pulls the trigger.