Upon hearing the noise of the apartment door opening, your husband, Baron Helmut Zemo, turned his head to see who caused that noise. His initial thought was that it was the boy he had hired years ago to keep the safehouse filled with provisions, but he was very wrong. When he turned his head, his eyes met yours. 

While his eyebrows had initially been furrowed (as it wasn't a day when there should be a delivery), as soon as he saw you, his face softened into an expression you last saw the day that Carl had been born. 

"Mein schatz?" (My Darling?) He said, his voice cracking and eyebrows lightly furrowing. You noticed that his eyes started watering as soon as he saw you. 

You nodded your head weakly before you attempted to step forward. However, before you could do so, your knees buckled, and you found yourself teetering forward.  Seeing this, your husband ran forward and caught you before you could hurt yourself. You both fell to the ground, and you were suddenly enveloped in his arms. 

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The last time he had held you in his arms had been 7 years prior before your small family had been torn apart. Helmut had insisted that you and Carl leave the city as the situation became more dangerous. You tried to reason with him and tell him that you didn't want to be split apart, but he wouldn't listen to you. He instead instructed his father to drive you and Carl out of the city. However, on your way out of Sokovia, falling rubble crashed into the front half of the car. You and Carl, who had been riding in the backseat, were safe, but, unfortunately, Helmut's father perished at that time. You and Carl were trapped in the car until you were rescued hours later by an emergency responder. The two of you stayed in a kind family's home for two weeks, waiting for news of Helmut. Every day, there were reports of those who had been found alive or dead. Every day you listened as the names were read aloud in the center of the small village where many of those who had survived fled to, and every day you feared that you would hear your husband's name under the list of those found dead. 

After two weeks, it was decided that everyone who may have still been alive in the rubble was most likely dead. The searches were called off, and you still had no idea if your husband was dead or alive. You didn't want to continue inconveniencing the family that you had found shelter with, so you decided to travel to your family's second home in Latvia (where you knew you would be safe). You had always assumed that Helmut had been killed, never allowing yourself to possibly consider that he may still be alive. For those 7 years, you had bottled up all of the emotions that you had felt, never wanting to let them out in fear of never being the same again.

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But now, with his arms clinging to your body, you couldn't stop the flood of emotions. You reached up towards your husband's coat, balled your fists in the lapels of his coat, and buried your face in the fabric, sobs racking your body. Helmut tightened his hold on you. 

"Shhhhhh.....Meine gelibte....Ich bin hier.....Ich habe dich...." (My beloved, I'm here. I've got you). As your sobs subsided, you slowly raised your head and turned your eyes to meet his. You noticed that his warm, brown eyes were leaking small tears, so you reached up towards his face to wipe them away with your thumb. After you had done so, he took your hand in his and placed light kisses on your palm. 

The two of you had been on the ground for several moments before you heard someone clear their throat behind you. You jumped and quickly turned around to see two men behind you. One was an African American man (who was sitting on a couch), the other, a Caucasian man, was standing by the kitchen counters.

"Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but this is getting a little uncomfortable." Said the Caucasian man.  Helmut quickly pulled you up to your feet and straightened the front of his coat. He then wrapped his left arm around your waist. 

"Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you both to my wife, Baroness (Y/N) Zemo who I had believed to be dead after your friends destroyed our home." He then turned to face you. "My dear, I'd like to introduce you to Samuel (he gestured towards the man on the couch) and James (the man by the counters raised his hand). They are...my friends." Helmut couldn't bring himself to tell you that he had been in prison for most of the time you had been separated, and he didn't want to worry you about Karli and the Flag-Smashers this soon after being re-united.

"Hello." You said quietly in return. It had been a long time since you had had to speak English. "Welcome to our home and make yourselves at home. I just got back from the market, so there is fresh food..." You turned to face the grocery bags that were now abandoned by the door. "Well, on the floor, but everything should still be ok." Zemo chuckled and raised your hand to his mouth to kiss your knuckles. 

"My wife, always the hostess even at a moment's notice." You smiled up at him. Suddenly, his eyes grew large and a look of fear settled on his face.

"Meine Liebe, du bist hier, aber wo ist Carl?" (My love, you are here, but where is Carl?) You smiled at him and took his hands in yours.

"Helmut, er ist in der schule. Er ist in sicherheit." (Helmut, he is at school. He is safe.) He looked reassured and a grin broke out on his face. 

"Can I ask a question?" Asked Sam. You turned to face him.

"Of course! What is it?" You asked.

"Zemo told us about you. He said that you died. You sure don't look dead, so what happened?" Zemo guided you over to an armchair as Sam was speaking. You sat down, and Zemo sat on the chair's armrest. 

"My husband sent our son and I out of Sokovia as things started to get worse. He had his father drive us out of the city." You turned to your husband. "My darling, your father was killed as we were escaping. Rubble fell on top of the front half of the car. Carl and I were in the backseat and escaped injury." Helmut's eyes grew wide, but he quickly checked his emotions. 

"My father was a great man. By assisting the two of you to flee, he died an honorable death. I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted it any other way." Zemo lowered his head, and you placed your hand on his knee. He then placed his hand over yours. "Keep going, miene Geliebte."

"We waited for news of Helmut's location for two weeks in a nearby village. After two weeks, the daily reports dwindled, and I knew that I had to get Carl somewhere safe." You paused for a moment and smiled to yourself. "When my husband and I got married, his mother and father gifted us this home. We honeymooned here. At first, I couldn't think of anywhere that Carl and I could go, but then I remembered this place. Helmut and I had always wanted to bring Carl here, and I wish I could have brought him here for the first time under happier circumstances. We've been living here ever since. Carl is enrolled in a local school. Typically, I am here all day while Carl is gone, but we needed groceries, so I decided to visit the market this morning. Carl has a big exam at school today, so I wanted to get him a treat." Zemo laughed.

"Let me guess. You got him his favorite?" He asked.

"Yes, I did. Turkish delight. Like father, like son. Oh, Helmut, he looks just like the photos of you that used to be hung up around the mansion. I can't wait for you to see him when he gets home this afternoon." He placed his hand on your shoulder, and you turned to rest your chin against it for a moment. 

"I'm just relieved to know that the two of you are safe." Helmut stood up from the armrest and walked behind your chair. You turned to face him again.

"What about you, my dear? What happened to you?" Zemo shifted behind the seat before walking towards the groceries you had left on the floor.

"Miene liebe, I think it would be best for you to wait to hear my story. You have had enough shock today. I wouldn't want to add any more stress into your day than has already been added. For now, I think it might be best for you to rest. Why don't you go to the bedroom, and I will meet you there once I get the groceries put away." You opened your mouth to tell him that you didn't need to rest, but the thought of spending time with him was an appealing enough offer that you just nodded your head and stood from your chair. 

"If you gentlemen should want some food, help yourselves. It's nice to have company." They both nodded, and you turned and left the room. Off the side of the main living space was a hallway with three bedrooms in it (the master bedroom, Carl's room, and a guest room). You walked into the master bedroom and climbed onto the large bed. After carrying those bags back from the market, your arms and torso ached, so you sighed contentedly as you sunk into the bed. 

"Ich hoffe, Sie sind es nicht so gewohnt, alleine zu schlafen, dass Sie mich nicht mit Ihnen ein Bett teilen lassen, liebe Frau." (I hope you aren't so used to sleeping alone that you won't let me share a bed with you, dear wife.) You turned and looked towards the doorway to see your husband leaning up against it. 

"Lieber Ehemann, angesichts der Tatsache, dass wir einen Sohn zusammen haben, kann ich mir keinen Grund vorstellen, warum Sie kein Bett mit mir teilen konnten." (Dear husband, considering the fact that we have a son together, I can't think of a reason why you couldn't share a bed with me.) You watched as a that smug grin of his grew on his face. He left the doorway, closing and locking the door behind him, and walked over to where you were laying on the bed.

"Nun, Liebste, ich denke, es ist Zeit, dass wir unsere Ehe wieder aufleben lassen, wenn Sie wissen, was ich meine." (Well then, dearest, I think it's time that we rekindle our marriage, if you know what I mean.) You felt yourself blushing as Helmut walked closer. Even though the two of you had been married for 12 years, he never failed to make you feel like you were a giddy young woman interacting with your crush for the first time.

"Helmut, was ist mit deinen Freunden? Wir sollten nichts tun, solange sie hier sind. Was wäre, wenn sie uns hören würden?" (Helmut, what about your friends? We shouldn't do anything while they are here. What if they were to hear us?) He just laughed as he climbed onto the bed. 

"Mach dir keine sorgen um sie, meine liebe. Jetzt ist es Zeit für uns." (Don't worry about them, my love. It's us time, now.) Helmut leaned in and started kissing you. While you wanted to protest his reasoning, you couldn't help but give in to his actions. 

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Hi, everyone! I hope you all are doing well! Sorry that it took me so long to post this second chapter! I went to Disney World a couple of weeks ago, so I fell behind on writing. I hope you all enjoyed this second chapter! Let me know what you think! Hopefully I can get Chapter 3 out sooner! :)

-Peggy <3