EARLY WAKE UP CALLS, BLAZING FURY AND INFECTIOUS SMILES

With the help of medication and naps, Ileana was right as rain in a day. She still couldn't read anything otherwise a wave of nausea would take over her, her arm couldn't move with the same flexibility as it once could and bright lights seemed to be more piercing than they'd been, but apart from that, she was okay. 

Everyone was relieved at hearing this. The Secretary of State had given Tony thirty six hours to hunt down both Bucky and Steve to try and clear this mess up, and they planned on taking Ileana when they found them. That way, whilst everyone was fighting, she could talk to Bucky in private and convince him to go with her. What he wouldn't know was that there would be agents waiting at the meet up point. 

With the tiny frame of time they had, they needed to prepare Ileana to be able to defend herself. If they took her into the midst of battle, she needed to be able to look after herself otherwise the others would have to protect her. No one wanted her death on their conscience. 

Natasha was shocked to the core when she heard that Ileana killed two agents. She didn't seem the type to have the capability, yet she could see the toll it had taken on her. The only person who seemed to make her smile was Rhodey, and even then her eyes went distant. As sad as it was, it was reassuring to know that Ileana would protect herself at all costs when the time came. They just hoped it didn't come to the same conclusion as last time. 

Natasha strolled down the hall, the first specks of early morning light glinting through the windows. They needed to get as much time to train as possible, which they all knew wouldn't help much - they were desperate. She confidently found the door she'd been looking, pounding her fist against the solid wood. 

"Wakey wakey! Time to train!" Natasha waited a minute, not hearing a response. Sighing, she hit the door again. "Don't make me drag you out of bed, because I will! Clint still has the carpet burn I gave him!" 

Ileana moaned, patting the side of her bed for anything. Her fingers fumbled over everything on the bedside table, judging them to be too light or too heavy. They finally caressed something that was heavy enough, and with all of her strength she hurtled it at the door. Her shoe thudded against the wood, Natasha's demanding voice on the other side stopping for a moment. Ileana relished the small victory, burrowing into her blankets. 

Her eyes drifted close, and she was on the edge of sleep when it happened. Several heavy thuds smacked the door, and Ileana angrily pulled her pillow over her ears. She refused to be awake before the sun was up. 

Her ignoring Natasha could only last so long, something that Ileana found out the hard way. A huge crack and crash rung in Ileana's ears. Her eyes snapped open. Her door was on the floor. Natasha Romanoff stood in front of it, staring at Ileana. "Get your ass out of bed. It's time to earn a living." 

Groaning, Ileana rolled out of bed, her feet landing on the floor harshly. She sleepily stumbled to the closet, rummaging in it to find yoga pants and a loose shirt, trainer socks and some trainers. She threw them all on the bed, turning back towards Natasha. She pointedly stared at her, begging her to leave. 

Natasha laughed, shrugging it off. "We're all girls here, it's fine. And I need to make sure you don't crawl back into bed. Again." 

What euphoria she would've felt at being included was stifled by Natasha's intimidating presence. Ileana gulped. Timidly, she turned her back to Natasha and ripped off her pyjama top. The cold instantly nipped at her skin, leaving her shivering as she reached for her sports bra and shirt. She was grateful that she'd turned her back, knowing that she'd see pity in her eyes at all of the scars littering her body. 

Throwing on the rest of her clothes in the same fashion, she met up with Natasha in the doorway, not paying any attention to the broken door and the splinters sprayed across her room. Hopefully she wouldn't be staying long enough for her to see it all again. She didn't want to clean it up. 

Natasha led the way to the training centre, beginning the long and awkward walk. Ileana twisted her hands together, waiting for Natasha to say something, anything to fill the empty gap between them. You need to be careful for what you wish for. 

"Ileana," Natasha kept her eyes straight ahead, and she knew that this wasn't a good sign. "Why don't you ever talk?" 

Ileana shook her head, rolling her eyes. She thought it'd be pretty obvious by now, but they were all ignorant enough to dismiss the idea. Knowing that she couldn't get her attention any other way, she nudged Natasha. Instantly Ileana was the focus of Natasha's veiled curiosity. Her eyes followed Ileana's hands pointing at her throat, and her shaking her head. It clicked immediately, almost as quickly as Natasha took note of the scar slicing across the centre of her throat, burrowed in the folds of her neck. Yet whenever Ileana would tip her head back you could see it - a jagged line.

"You can't talk?" Ileana nodded, picking up the pace. The thing she didn't want five minutes ago suddenly became the only thing she wanted. She didn't like talking about it - it riled her up. "Is it voluntary or?" 

Her prying questions set her teeth on edge. It made her even more excited to train and learn some moves, some of which she hoped would kick the red heads perfect ass. She wondered if this was Natasha's plan - she was trained to notice the smallest detail about someone, so could easily tell it made her irritated. Either way, it was working. 

Ileana refused to feed Natasha's selfish curiosity, lengthening her strides. She caught sight of Rhodey in training gear making his way in the same direction and she let out a silent breath of relief. At last, someone who she was comfortable with. Well, most comfortable with, out of everyone on the compound. 

He took a swig out of his water bottle, sweat already beading on his skin. "You girls here to kick ass?" 

"You bet your sweet ass we are." Natasha folded her arms, smiling. Rhodey's eyes drifted to Ileana, pressing for an answer. She just shrugged, dragging her foot along the floor. The quicker they got into the training centre, the better. 

*

After two hours of getting her ass kicked, Ileana collapsed on a bench. Her body was drenched in sweat, her injured arm was on fire despite the amount of pain killers she was eating like Tic Tacs, and she hadn't felt her breath shudder in a long time. It all felt useless, and as she watched T'Challa and Natasha face each other, she felt even worse. They all knew what they were doing, she was just someone without a home made of bones and skin. Everyone in the room had a purpose, and hers was to manipulate her friend. It didn't feel nearly as important as what these people do everyday. 

She rested her head on her hand, taking a deep breath. She felt as though she hadn't taken in the right amount of oxygen for a while, and it was coming back to bite her in the ass. Her chest was constricted, and she needed to do was get drunk on oxygen. 

A bottle appeared in front of her face. Ileana frowned, her eyes trailing up the arm to find her instructor, Natasha. She wasn't even breaking a sweat, and she had taken down T'Challa in the space of minutes. If she wasn't already down heartened, she'd felt it now. 

"Drink up. It's time for round two." Ileana groaned, gratefully taking the drink. She took a deep swig, letting the liquid cool her throat and insides. Natasha, waiting for her to finish, placed the bottle on the bench and offering her hand out. "I want to find out what you can do now that you've learned a few new moves. I can only do that if I see you fight." 

As much as Ileana hated her for it, she knew that she was right. She took Natasha's hand, eyes widening in shock as she felt her body being lifted off of the ground and flying through the air. Her body landed harshly on the ground, knocking what little air she had in her out of her. Pain flared up her back, and she knew for certain she didn't land on the mat. 

"Life lesson - don't accept anything from anyone. Especially in a fight." Ileana tipped her head back against the floor. She moaned in agony - something she found herself doing a lot in the training centre. The hand appeared in her vision again but she angrily pushed it back, clambering to her feet by herself. 

Knowing that no one would understand her, she moved her hands in abrupt motions. 

"You think I'm falling for that shit again you can go fuck yourself." 

Natasha laughed, tilting her head back. "I knew you were hiding a feisty streak. I like it." 

If Ileana hadn't been furious, she would've stared at her in surprise. Instead, she pulled a sarcastic face at her, flipping her the bird as she stepped onto the mat. She felt sorry for the person she was about to fight, all of her pent up anger needed a release, and unfortunately for them, her relief was going to be the sound of their body hitting the mat. It would be nice to someone other than her lying breathless on it today. 

Natasha gestured for T'Challa to step up to the mat but he quickly shook his head, backing away. "I have already learned my lesson. I am not going to fight an enraged woman, she will most likely kill me." 

Ileana felt a strange pride overcome her. She'd seen him fighting Natasha, and even though he lost, his skill and grace had her mesmerised. 

Rhodey chuckled at the two of them glaring at each other, stepping between them. "It's okay guys. I'll sacrifice myself for the greater good. At least it'll be the fairest fight she'll have today." 

Ileana knew she was going to cause some damage, and she knew she would be remorseful when the fury had fled her system. Until then, she felt her fists clench and a smile creep it's way onto her face. 

He walked up to the mat, standing before her with his fists in front of him. He assessed her form, lunging for the unsuspecting victim. He ploughed into her body, knocking backwards onto the mat. 

The anger within her blazed into an inferno. 

She bucked her hips, catching him off guard and sending him flying off of her. She quickly composed herself, clambering to her feet and spreading them apart evenly. He followed instantly, pouncing at her before she could blink. Instinctively she pressed her palm into his body, shoving him out of the way as she stepped out of the way of his line of fire. He stumbled, coming close to stumbling over his feet and tripping. She would've laughed if adrenaline wasn't coursing throughout her body. 

Wasting no time she kicked him in the back of the knees. He tumbled to the ground, and she landed on him. She pinned his arms above his head, straining to keep them under his thrashing arms. She arranged herself so she could knee him in his privates, pivoting her knee to attack. In a split second he gained dominance, breaking free from her hold. He grabbed a hold of her waist, flipping her onto her back. He poised himself over her, and he grinned. She was panting, and her glower lessened in aggression. It moulded into a wide smile. His smile was infectious. 

"You need to fix your form," he uttered, breaking eye contact. Rhodey climbed off of her, walking off of the mat. She didn't feel satisfied, she needed at least one win that day. She needed to prove herself. So she did something that shocked even herself. 

With lightning speed, she got to her feet, running towards him lightly and pounced on his back. He let out a cry of surprise, hitting her legs as she wrapped them around his shoulders. Replaying what she'd seen Natasha do in her head, she twisted her hips. They both flipped to the ground. 

Rhodey moaned in pain. For once, it wasn't her, and she stood over him, triumphant. 

Slow applause came from the side of the mats. "That wasn't half bad." 

That was the closest thing she'd come to a compliment while there. Maybe she was stronger than she thought.