It was a day after Christmas that I had left to go and see my mother my mother who was had came back from London to spend some time with me before the embassy called her back.

"So?" my mother started as we walked through the snow covered woods. "Anything new?"

"With SHIELD?"

"No. With you?"

"Nothing much. I'm working on my powers. I've actually made some progress with them and---"

She placed a finger over my lips, silencing me.

"No. I mean anything new about you. New friends? New hobbies?" Mom snickered to herself. "New boyfriend?"

I rolled my eyes as we looped arms.

Of course she would ask me that. What normal mother wouldn't be worried if her twenty two year old daughter wasn't dating. Much less having sex.

"Yes. Yes. And hell no."

"Pity." I saw the corner of her mouth turn upwards. "I thought you and Bucky were dating."

Bucky and I were mearly friends. Although I wasn't sure if he had the hots for Natasha or Steve. The line was kinda blurred there and it felt rude to ask him about that.

"At least you didn't say Loki." I snorted. "The internet is a crazy place."

"The war criminal who nearly destroyed earth and looks like a emo male model?"

"Yup. That's the one."

"Good heavens, no!"

"Wait? Male model?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. "Oh, mom. Don't tell me you're part if his little fan club?"

"What? No." She shrugged. "However, he is rather good looking. You can't deny that fact."

"Thank you, mother." I laughed at her reaction. "Although he isn't that bad as he used to be. Sure he has issues but then again, don't we all?"

"You sound like one his fangirls now, little bird." she said with a distasteful tone.

"Oh yes. Please. Let me ignore the you fact that he tried to take over the world and enslave the human race." I said sarcastically. "Please. I still can't believe he even has fangirls. You have no idea how hard it is to keep that information away from him."

"Men have such fragile egos."

"But women have vanity, mum."

"That is true." She stopped in the middle of the path, smiling to herself as she looked up towards the tree. "Look, darling. It's a cardinal."

I looked up at the heavy Oak branches to see a small speck of red resting amongst them, like a drop of blood admits the snow. It gave a quick chirp as it regarded us and flew away towards a warmer climate.

"Pity."

"Maybe it'll come back."

"Your optimism is so adorable, little bird." She smiled this time a bit more sadly as if remembering a happier memory.

She did that a lot recently, I wondered what was on her mind.

"Mum?" I asked, a bit hesitant to ask her. It was a question that was eating at me for days. "What was dad like? You know, before he joined the organization?"

For a second I thought she was going to get mad. She usually did when it came to talking about dad but this time she took a deep breath in and then out, letting her anger mix with the winter air.

"Why?"

"I need to know."

She turned to me, gesturing us towards a bench hidden right off the trail. Mom sat down, disregarding the snow. I sat down next to her patiently waiting.

"You know how we met, yes?" I nodded my head. "Good. We can get that part out of the way. You see, little bird, your father was a bright and intelligent man. He was as ambitious as he was fierce. I think that was why I married him, he seemed so right for someone like me. So ready to take on the world and change it."

"What happened?"

"There lies the problem, little bird. He felt like a part of him was missing. Of course there was," she sighed. "He left for an expedition one year to the dessert and came back. Raza had ambition and a thirst for knowledge but this was something radical. I saw in him a sudden change that I never predicted."

"And then?"

"You know the rest of that, darling."

"That's it." I scowled, slightly disappointed. "He goes out into the desert and comes back a new man? There has to be more than that!"

"I wish there was but Raza kept too many secrets from me." I kicked the snow at my feet as Mom held my hand. "You don't have to worry anymore. He can't hurt you. Not as long as I'm around."

"That's what I'm afraid of, Mom." I said. "He'll do worse to you than me."

"I'd like to see him try!"

"You and I both know what he can do."

"Yes but you've defeated him once." Mom said. "That's the difference between you and I, you defeated him while I ran away from him."