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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐃𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒

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"Anđeo?! Anđeo, where are you?!" the familiar voice screamed as Charlie stood frozen in the darkness. Footsteps broke the silence that followed the shouts, causing chills to run up and down her spine as her breathing became unsteady. The Barton girl's eyes scanned the room around me, only to be greeted by a familiar pitch-black as the sound of him approaching got louder. "I know you're here. Please come out."

The sound of him walking around the abyss that surrounded her cut through the air as Charlie's blood ran cold at the tone of his voice while he proceeded to call out to me. He didn't sound like his fun-loving, playful self. He almost sounded...angry. "You can't hide forever. Don't make me have to find you."

She stood in her place as if her feet were glued to the ground while her ears listened to the silence around her. She soon realized that the sound of his footsteps wasn't audible anymore and she began to panic. Before she could fully comprehend her discovery, a sharp pain went through every inch of her body. Her hands reached for where the pain originated, only to be greeted by a warm liquid and a cold object against her stomach. The next thing she knew, bright lights filled the room that she was trapped in before her eyes landed on Pietro standing inches from her face.

"Now you know how I felt that day."

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Panic coursed through Charlie's veins as she snapped out of the nightmare she was trapped in. After managing to calm herself down, she found herself next to Bucky in the back of the blue VW Bug that Steve managed to "find." The Barton girl stared at the floor of the car for a moment before looking up to find the three men staring at her with concern on their faces. She soon began to fidget in her seat from being watched from all sides before her fingers subconsciously intertwined in her lap. It wasn't long before Charlie snapped her attention away from the men and looked out the window to watch the landscape fly by.

"You told me the nightmares stopped," Steve broke the silence that surrounded them, causing Charlie's gaze to turn away from the passing cars to meet his eyes through the rearview mirror.

"If I didn't tell you that, you and Sam wouldn't have left my apartment," Charlie responded before she let out a sigh and looked down at her interlocked hands, "I couldn't let you babysit me when you had jobs to do."

"Are they still the same?"

"Sometimes it's just the flashback like before. Sometimes it's...different."

"Do you still see him?" Sam asked, making Charlie hesitate for a moment before her eyes looked back out the window, which answered his question.

When no one said another word, the Barton girl looked back towards the rearview mirror without thinking to find Steve scanning every inch of her face. A sudden wave of anger washed over Charlie without her realizing it before she saw nothing but red. Her mind raced with the memories of everything that occurred over the last few days before she thought back to the redheaded girl she left behind at the farmhouse to help the super-soldier and his flying friend.

"Don't look at me like that, Steve," the archer said in a tone that shocked everyone in the car including herself. It took everything within her not to snap as she let out a long breath in an attempt to calm her nerves while her eyes stayed glued to Steve's through the mirror, "I didn't want to come back but you insisted. I had other things to deal with back at my apartment."

"Like what? Chasing someone who no longer exists?" he retaliated, taking her by surprise and causing all previous emotions within her to fade.

After studying the Man Out of Time's eyes for another moment, Charlie looked back out the window to watch the landscape once again. Her thoughts of Alex disappeared and were replaced with every moment she'd seen Pietro this past year. The same moments she tried to convince herself he really was there. But none of it was real. It never was. It was just her wishing for a boy who would never return.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I didn't mean that," the super-soldier in the driver's seat sighed, derailing the girl's train of thought before her attention went back to the mirror, "I'm just worried about you."

"No. You're right. It's just my mind wanting something that I can't have anymore."

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After driving for another hour in complete and utter silence, Steve pulled the car to a stop underneath a freeway pass behind the car belonging to Sharon Carter. Charlie stared at the woman in confusion while the Man Out of Time turned off the engine. No one said a word as the Rogers man got out to meet the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, leaving the Barton girl in the car with an irritated Sam and a stoic Bucky.

Trying to ignore the uncomfortable soundlessness that filled the Bug, the Barton girl's eyes stayed glued to Steve and Sharon. The two of them had an inaudible conversation before the Carter woman opened the trunk of her car. A small smile formed on her face when everything that was confiscated from them was revealed before she felt the man next to her start to fidget in his seat.

"Can you move your seat up?" Bucky asked Sam, breaking the silence in the car while keeping an emotionless expression on his face.

"No," Sam replied without taking his eyes off of the two having a conversation outside of the car.

Charlie held back a small laugh before she realized that Bucky's attention turned away from Sam and landed on her. When she looked over at him, the first thing she saw was the Winter Soldier studying her. It was as if he was deciding if he should tell her something or if he should keep it to himself. The Barton girl scanned over Bucky's blank face for a moment as he continued to have an internal battle before she let out a slightly annoyed sigh and slid back down in her seat.

"If it's bothering you that much you might as well tell me," Charlie whispered just loud enough for the super-soldier to hear while keeping Sam out of their conversation.

"I...I think I saw him, too." The archer's eyebrows scrunched together as her mind tried to wrap around his words before she looked back up at the man next to her. Confusion and anticipation filled every inch of her body as she waited for him to continue. "Outside the window of that warehouse. He was there one second, gone the next."

An emotion Charlie couldn't describe began to run through every inch of her body as she studied the Barnes man. This continued until he looked over at the Falcon to make sure he wasn't listening in to their hushed conversation. When she found Sam still watching Steve and Sharon out the front window of the Bug, a silent sigh escaped her lips then the Barton girl cast her gaze back to Bucky.

"You better not be trying to make me feel less crazy," she told him, causing a small smile to form on his face.

"I'm not."

Her heartbeat quickened to a point where it shouldn't be humanly possible as the two of them turned their attention back to Steve and Sharon just in time to watch them share a quick kiss. Charlie hid her smile better than the two she sat with after the Man Out of Time turned back to look at his allies. Chuckles from Sam and Bucky filled the car while the Barton girl got out of the vehicle to help Captain America move their stuff.

Once their equipment was in the Bug's trunk, Charlie closed the door just in time to see Bucky slide over to her side of the backseat. After sending him an eye roll, the Barton girl forced Sam out of the passenger seat so she could get into the back before they continued to the airport.

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When they finally reached their destination, Steve drove them through the airport's parking structure before they pulled up beside an old white van. A small smile appeared on Charlie's face at the sight of the two familiar faces standing by the back door. As soon as Sam got out of the car, the Barton girl pushed the passenger seat up before jumping out to greet the man that she missed more than she'd like to admit

"Didn't think you'd actually agree to this," Charlie told Clint as she pulled him in for a tight hug before a small laugh escaped her, "wait, let me rephrase that. I didn't think Laura would let you agree to this."

"She's not thrilled. Neither are the kids, to be honest," he admitted after they ended their hug.

"How's Alex?" his daughter whispered just loud enough for him to hear without drawing the unwanted attention of those that surround them.

"She's doing fine. She wanted to come help but I wouldn't let her. She's a great kid," her father confessed, causing the smile on Charlie's face to grow before his eyes left her and wandered to someone behind the Barton girl, "Cap."

"You know I wouldn't have called if I had any other choice," Steve sighed as Clint reached past his daughter to shake hands with the Rogers man.

"Hey, man, you're doing me a favor," the Barton man responded as Wanda walked up behind the father-daughter duo, causing Clint to smile at the girl before he turned his attention back to the Man Out of Time, "besides, I owe a debt."

"Thanks for having my back," Steve said to Wanda, who sent him a small grin as her eyes traveled to meet the Barton man's gaze.

"It was time to get off my *ss," the telekinetic responded to the man in front of her before pulling Charlie in for a hug.

"How about our other recruit?" the Rogers man asked, causing confusion to make its way through Charlie's veins as she pulled away from the Maximoff girl to meet her mischievous eyes.

"Other recruit?" the Barton girl questioned the brunette before looking back at Steve, "who else is there?"

"He's rarin' to go. Had to put a little coffee in him...but he should be good," Clint stated as he opened the back door to reveal a man sleeping in the backseat. After the van door slammed open, the man jumped up before looking at all of the heroes in a daze.

"What time zone is this?" he muttered as he slowly got out of the van while scanning his surroundings before his eyes landed on the Rogers man, "Captain America!"

"Mr. Lang."

"It's an honor. I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow! This is awesome!" Lang exclaimed before he released Steve's hand and looked back to the two girls standing behind him while gesturing at Steve, "Captain America. I know you guys, too. You're great!"

Charlie and Wanda exchanged an amused smile then looked back at the newcomer to see him put his hands on Steve's chest. "Ah, look, I want to say, I know you know a lot of super people, so...thinks for thanking of me," Lang told him before he looked over at Sam, "hey, man!"

"What's up, Tic Tac?"

"Uh, good to see you. Look, what happened last time when I..."

"It was a great audition, but it'll...it'll never happen again," the Falcon responded with a small smirk on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"They tell you what we're up against?" Steve asked, drawing the brunette man's attention back to the Man Out of Time.

"Something about some psycho-assassins?"

"We're outside the law on this one. So if you come with us, you're a wanted man."

"Yeah, well, what else is new?"

"We should get moving," Bucky announced after watching their interaction with an unamused look on his face.

"We got a chopper lined up," Clint told them before an announcement in German started playing over the PA system.

As she listened to the unknown words, Charlie silently wished that she chose to take that as one of her language requirements. She knew seven languages but none of them could help her decipher what was being said.

"They're evacuating the airport," the Winter Soldier told them after seeing everyone exchange confused looks.

"Stark," Sam sighed while Charlie rubbed a hand over the side of her face before looking over at Wanda, who was showcasing a blank expression on hers.

"Stark?" Lang questioned before glancing back at the two girls.

"Suit up," Steve ordered, ignoring the confused look on the man's face while the rest of the heroes rushed to prepare for the upcoming fight.

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