Down the hall, Tony sees a group of ten soldiers stop in front of a door. The door opens, and Rumlow steps out.

"Rumlow!!" Tony shouts with a rage that startles Steve and Bucky.

A wicked smile spreads across Rumlow's face. "You just don't know how to take a hint, do you, Stark? She's mine and always will be." He hollers as a team assembles behind him.

"Where is she?" Bucky yells back.

"Somewhere safe and in excruciating pain, I'm hoping." He says with a sneer.

Those words propel Tony and Steve forward towards the small army awaiting them. Rumlow steps back and lets his soldiers fight his battle as he watches.

Tony, Steve, and Bucky are working their way through Rumlow's soldiers. As the final four soldiers close in on the trio, Rumlow turns and starts to retreat further down the hallway, in hopes of drawing them away from the room you're in.

As two soldiers drop to the floor and Bucky and Steve take on the last two, Tony looks up and sees Rumlow running away.

"Rumlow, he's getting away again." Tony moves to follow him, but Steve and Bucky yell at him to stop.
"Tony, don't! We'll take care of him. Find Jo. He's trying to draw us away. She's got to be in that room he came out of." Steve yells to Tony as he and Bucky take down the final two soldiers.

Tony gives them a nod as he heads toward the door to the programming room. Steve and Bucky rush past him as they chase after Rumlow. They look to Tony as they do.

"You find him and kill him!" Tony says coldly.

Both men nod, promising to end this once and for all. They continue down the hallway in pursuit of Rumlow. Tony touches the handle of the door. He can feel some kind of current pulsing through the mechanism. What is on the other side of this door?

Agatha's power is forcing its way into your head. "Darling, just relax and let me in. I promise it won't hurt as much." Agatha says with a sickening tone.

"No! I'll never let you in." You cry through gritted teeth.

"You don't have a choice, dear. You can't fight me forever. Once I break through, I'll erase everything but Alpha, " she says as she pushes her powers even harder.

You scream from the increased pressure surrounding your head. You start to think of your time with Tony. Images of him flirting in the mission room during your first few days there. The night you slept with Tony for the first time. You can feel his hands running down your body and how they are so warm. His touch that night made you feel whole again, like maybe you wouldn't always be the monster Hydra made you into. You envision Steve's smile and Bucky's laugh.

Tony pulls open the door, instantly seeing you engulfed in Agatha's power.

"You've got to be shitting me! Another witch?" Tony says under his breath. He raises his hand and sends a blast from his repulsor glove. Agatha quickly moves a hand away from you, raising it in front of her. A type of force field blocks and deflects his shot. He fires another, that one deflected also.

Agatha looks down at you, twisting in pain. "My, he is a cute one and so valiant. I can see why you're fighting so hard."

Tony speaks into his comm. "Maksimoff, I'm going to need your assistance with this one and fast. I think I'm looking at another witch, and she's got her voodoo rolling all over Jo."

"What?" Wanda says, confused over the comm. "I'm on my way, Tony."

Wanda is there in less than two minutes, but it seems like millennia to Tony, having to watch you scream in pain.

You can't fight her any longer; it's too painful, and you're exhausted from hours of being shocked in the chair. You start to recall your time with Bucky, the good and the bad. The things you said when you blew up at him after your release, the look on his face when you told him about Tony's proposal. As you see them in your mind, they start to fade away like a mist in the morning sun.

"No! No! Please don't do this. You can't take them from me. I'll always remember." You scream as the tears of fear and pain run down your face. But the faster you try to remember they disappear.

You scream louder as she pushes deeper into your mind. You see the night you spent with Steve. You needed him so badly that night but knew it was wrong because you couldn't love him like he wanted. You remember finally facing the music, talking to Steve about Tony. The look in his eyes and the words he said hurt so deeply. You never wanted to hurt him. You will always love him. The look on Tony's face when his accidental proposal flew from his lips and the feeling in your heart as you heard those words.

"No, no, no." You barely whisper out. You fall silent as the tears continue to flow from your eyes in rivers.

"Where is she? Where is Alpha?" Agatha says under her breath. Suddenly, the memory of killing Alpha flashes before her eyes. "No, what have you done? You stupid girl, there's nothing there now."

Wanda stands next to Tony, looking on in shock at the scene playing out in front of her. She turns to Tony. "Get to Jo. I'll take care of this one."

Wanda pulls her power together and sends it full force at Agatha. Agatha is strong but not strong enough against Wanda's full power. The force sends her flying back, breaking her hold on your mind.

Bucky and Steve come to an open atrium, Rumlow standing in the center. "She's gone by now. I have my Alpha once more, and there is nothing you can do. How does it feel to know you failed her once again." He spits the words like venom.

With out a single word between the two of them, Bucky and Steve attack Rumlow full force. Rumlow is good but not good enough to stand against two vengeful super soldiers. They kick and hit Rumlow like a ping-pong ball between them. Rumlow lands several kicks and hits to both Steve and Bucky. The fight continues on for several minutes until Steve sees a chance and throws his shield across the room, ricocheting it back with Rumlow standing in its path. Bucky sees it coming and pivots to the side just as the shield strikes Rumlow in the back of the head full force. He falls forward onto his knees as Steve catches the shield. Steve sends his foot into Rumlow's chest, kicking him backward onto the floor. Before he can blink, Cap is standing over him with pure rage in his eyes, and the shield is raised above his head.

"Go ahead. You think she's worth breaking your moral code over?" Rumlow growls as he spits out blood. Steve slowly lowers his shield as he drops his shoulders. "That's what I thought." He tries to sit up on his elbows, but Bucky kicks him back down.

He raises his gun, firing two shots, hitting Rumlow between the eyes. "But I can! That's for Jo, you son of a bitch."

Agatha gains her footing and sends several bolts of her power at Wanda. Wanda uses her's to deflect the power sending it dangerously close to you in the chair. Tony tries to get closer to you but the battle between Agatha and Wanda is keeping him at arms length. If Tony wasn't so desperate to reach you, he would be transfixed by the sheer power being generated by both witches.

He finally sees an opening as the two witches continue to stay locked in a battle of power. He reaches your side and grabs your face, turning it to look at him.

"Jo! Jo? I'm here, Lieutenant. It's going to be ok." He says to you waiting for a response.
Even though there are still tears streaming down your face, there is no expression in your eyes.

Wanda continues her magical assault on Agatha but the dark witch continues to hold her own. Wanda looks over at you and Tony. She can tell by the look on his face something is wrong. She turns back to Agatha, channeling that new anger and sending it straight to her. It knocks her back, and she realizes she is outmatched at the moment. She casts a spell, causing a cloud of smoke and wind to engulf her. Wanda watches as the smoke clears and Agatha is gone. Wanda turns and rushes to your and Tony's side.

"Jo? Jo? Please look at me." He says with fear in his voice. You continue to look straight past him, not seeing or hearing him. "Damn it, soldier! I said look at me!" He screams one more time as fear starts to grip his heart.

"Wanda? What did they do to her?" He says as he looks up at Wanda standing beside you.

She gently cups your face with her hands and looks into your mind. She winces in pain as she sees nothing but shattered mirrors everywhere and no sign of you. She can feel you faintly, but you are lost behind the broken glass, and she can't tell which one. "Jo, I know you're here, and I'll find you somehow, but I need you to hold on for me." She calls out to your energy.

Wanda opens her eyes, and tears start to fall. Tony's heart sinks as he sees her face. "Talk to me, Maksimoff. She's in there, right? She's going to be ok?"

She smooths back a piece of your damp hair and speaks. "Tony, it's a mess in there. Everything is so broken and fractured that I couldn't find her. I can barely feel her."

"What? No, you can fix her like last time, right? Tell me you can help her again?" He begs as his breathing starts to hitch. "Tell me she's going to be ok?" He looks back at your dead gaze and knows the truth.

"I don't know Tony. She is in there, but her mind is so broken. I don't know if I will be able to find her again." Wanda can see Tony start to shatter and steps away, giving him space with you. As she steps toward the door, she can hear his tears start to fall.

Tony looks at you, touching your face gently. "I know you're in there, Jo. You need to come back to me, please. You promised me a future." He taps on the arm of his suit, and a small door opens, and a box pops out. " See, I even got the ring right here." He lifts the lid to the velvet box to expose an exquisite eight-carat ring. "I'm holding you to your word, Lieutenant. Do you hear me? I'm going to get you the best help, I promise."

As Wanda is about to step out, the door swings open. Bucky and Steve rush in, seeing Wanda, and start to scan the room. They both see Tony standing over your body in the chair as he cradles and kisses your head.

"Joey, no?" Bucky almost whines

Steve looks at Wanda as he starts to shake. "Is she...? " is all he can manage to say.

Wanda gently reaches out and takes both men's hands. "She's alive, but we need to talk." She pulls them aside and tells them what she saw in your mind.

Both men catch each other as they sway on their feet, taking in the news. Bucky slowly walks over to you and Tony while Steve embraces Wanda in a tight hug. A few minutes later, the rest of the team descends upon the room, already burdened with the terrible news. They all hold each other as they look upon you. Tony has dried your eyes, but your breathing is still shuttered.

Several minutes later, Bruce enters the room with an anti-gravity stretcher. Steve and Bucky lift your body and delicately lay you on it. Tony slowly pushes you out of the building and to the quinjet while everyone solemnly follows behind.

Tony falls behind while Bruce continues to push you onto the jet. As Steve and Bucky approach the bay door, Tony turns to them.

"Tell me you ended this?" He says coldly

"Rumlow will never be a problem again. I made sure of it." Bucky says flatly as he steps up on the bay door.

Several hours later, the quinjet lands in an open courtyard of the Wakanda palace. Shuri and T'Challa are there waiting with the Dora Milaje. Steve, Bucky, and Tony are the first off the jet. As they approach, T'Challa and Shuri cross their arms over their chests, saluting the men. T'Challa embraces Bucky tightly and does the same to Steve. Shuri walks up to Tony and pulls him into a soft hug. Clint and Nat bring you out on the stretcher.

"Please bring her inside." T'Challa says softly.

As they walk past, the Dora Milaje start tapping their staffs on the ground and chanting softly as your body passes them.

Tony, Steve, and Bucky stand watching as they place you in a cryo sleep chamber. Shuri pushes a few buttons as she programs it. She looks over at Tony. "This is the best thing for her while we try to repair her mind. You can say something to her if you like before we start.

Wanda steps up and touches Tony's elbow. They both slowly walk up to your peacefully resting body.

" I believe deep down that you can hear me, Lieutenant. I'm not giving up on you so you better not give up on me." Tony leans and kisses your lips lightly. "You're my favorite part of me."

Tony leans back as a tear slowly glides down his cheek. He looks to Wanda as she touches your temple. She closes her eyes, after a few seconds a sweet smile spreads across her face.

She opens her eyes and looks to Tony. "I still can't find her, but her voice is stronger. I could hear her. She loves you and will find her way back to you." She reaches out and touches Tony's hand. "I believe her, Tony. She will come back to you. It just may take a while."

Shuri approaches the chamber and touches Tony's back. "It's time, Tony."

Tony and Wanda walk back over and stand next to Steve, Bucky, and the rest of the team. Shuri taps a few buttons on her small tablet, and the chamber slides closed over you. A few seconds later, it fills with a cloud produced by the liquid nitrogen.

As the cloud slowly obscures your face from view, Bucky lets out a deep sigh. Shoving his hands in his pockets and lowering his head, he hides the tears welling in his eyes. Steve sniffles as he tries to hide his sadness while he grips Bucky's shoulder in support.

**I just want to thank all of you for sticking with me through one of the hardest times in my life. I'm sorry it took so long to finish, but I hope you enjoyed it. And you never know maybe just maybe this isn't the end of Jo's story. Only time will tell🙂 I will be taking a break from Marvel for a little while, but I've got a Supernatural story in the works to come soon😏