"Is your name Elissa Fleur?"

"Yes."

"Where were your parents from?"

"Noah Fleur was German, Valentina Fleur was from Spain." I answered with a waver in my voice, unsure of where this was heading.  

"Were your parents Hydra?"

What the fuck?  I felt a pang in my chest but replied as calmly as I could muster, "No.  They were brought up by Hydra, but they escaped."

"Did they teach you Hydra's values?  What do you think of Hydra?"

I stammered, "My parents were good people.  Papa taught me about Hydra and I knew that they were bad."

"But, you didn't escape from Hydra until you were eleven.  You were captured at eight."

"No!" I exclaimed, louder than I meant to.  "There was no way to escape, there was Pierce and Rumlow and the Winter Soldier-"

Oops.  

"Do you know anyone the Winter Soldier killed?"

I was under oath, I had to be honest.  Me and my damned mouth just said the wrong thing at the wrong time, and now the lawyers could use it against me.  Their words were calculated, and I felt exposed knowing they were going to pick through every inch of my life.  Be unreadable, I thought.  While there are more appropriate places to be vunerable, the Supreme Court is not one of them.  Still calm and monotone, I said, "I know he killed my father.  I saw him kill Lara and Oliver Jakob Lasse."

Almost mockingly, the lawyer questioned, "Who was this Oliver person?  He obviously meant a lot to you."  Damn, they are good at reading people's faces.

I drew in a shaky breath.  "Oliver was captured by Hydra as well.  He was my friend, my brother.  I don't think I would've survived without him."

"Did you watch him die?"

I swallowed.  "Yes,"

"Explain, Elissa."

The courtroom went eerily quiet as I glanced at everyone's faces.  The reporters and civilians witnessing the trial looked at me with curious, prying eyes; they were wondering what I was capable of saying.  The prosecutors had smiles hiding behind their sullen faces, and I wanted to puke.  Nobody here meant anything to them, it was just a way to gain cash.  I wrung my hands and Shuri, sensing my discomfort, demanded that I get a break.

"It... it's fine," I said, lifting a palm.  My eyes met the lawyer's, and I began my story:

"Oliver and I stayed together because we both wanted to run away from Hydra one day.  We both knew Hydra was evil.  At a gala we gathered boarding passes for one of Crimson Night's ships, but the idea of escaping was growing more impossible by the day.  One night, I found this journal.  On it was Oliver and I's scheduled memory wipe dates - October sixth, 2013.

We decided to leave before they could do that to us.  We escaped in a blizzard one night, but Hydra was chasing us.  I was injured, I wanted to give up, but Oliver ensured that I kept going.  The Winter Soldier shot him multiple times in the chest with a machine gun, I held Oliver as he died.  But I knew I had to keep going- for Ollie."

James was looking intently at the floor by the time I finished.  What I said pained him, and I wished it didn't have to come to this.  The lawyer stepped toward me, trying to look sympathetic by flashing a small smile.  "You have been through a lot.  My colleagues and I are in a consensus about what federal law has decided.  I don't think you should be in a prison, Elissa, you were only eleven and had no other options."

That was a drastic flip from how he had interrogated me only moments before.  It was almost tempting to be persuaded by the lawyer's monologue appealing to my struggles.  Almost.  

The lawyer continued, "After all that you've endured, you have every right to be very angry with the Winter Soldier.  Would it bring you satisfaction to see that justice is served to James Buchanan Barnes?"

 "No," I cut him off sharply.  My speech came back to me, and I found the phrases that put together what I wanted to say.  "Did you listen to what I said about memory wipes?" I questioned, "You don't think Ollie and I were the only ones Hydra's tried to do that to?  The Winter Soldier was created on the basis of brainwashing and removing a prisoner-of-war's memory, James didn't even know his own name.   He and the Winter Soldier are two entirely different people.  While I would never trust the Winter Soldier, I know that James is a good person because he saved my life.  Understand that you are dealing with two entirely different aspects, here, Your Honour."  I looked directly at the judge when I finished.

You could've heard a pin drop, and I felt powerful.  The lawyer quickly muttered, "No further questions," and I scurried back to my chair.

"Mic drop," mouthed Shuri and she high-fived me.  I flashed a crooked smile right back at her.

Five minutes later the courtroom called for a recess.  I stepped outside and inhaled fresh air.  Snowflakes dusted my hair, and I watched my breath fog out in front of me each time I exhaled.  My job was done, but had I done it well?  Sharon and Shuri went to find me and I quickly asked, "Was I okay?"

Sharon touched my shoulder, and said firmly but kindly, "You did a great job.  S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to take care of you from now on- we owe it to your mother and father."  I found it funny that I used to despise her, but now she was becoming more of an ally than I ever could have thought.  And while I would probably be defensive for the rest of my life when meeting new people, I at least knew I had connections with trustworthy friends.  Trustworthy family even.

Shuri wrapped an arm around me and said, "Why do you have no confidence in yourself?  You put those lawyers back in their place.  You did great, Elissa."

And of course, no one could ever hate Shuri.