Thy Kingdom Come: Seek the darkness and ye shall find it.

[hawkeyekate]

(One had to be careful when they start searching for answers. The ones they find, or stumble across, might not be what they want or were looking for.)
She had settled into sleep, and her brain patterns slipped into REM sleep. The dream state. She was outside by the Avengers mansion, watching time shifting and changing all around them. Because of Kang, and Kang the Conqueror. The changes took away Billy, and Teddy. Possibly Cassie too.

"She's going to betray you all later, I saw it. And one of the Witch's spawn? Why should he matter, or you? You were never on my younger self's list." It was the older Kang, Kang the Conqueror staring back at her, and their surroundings shifted. Walls of an old hospital by the look of it. Paint crumbling, sickly dim yellow light.

"You're not really an Avenger. You have no power, and the little you have... can be taken away." He was taunting her with her sword again from one end of the hallway. "You couldn't leave well enough alone. Just like your dear old mother." He was aiming his futuristic gun at her mother now, and still had the sword aimed at Kate.

She tried to run toward them, only for her mother to be shot and vanish again, "No!" She was then stopped as she was grabbed from behind, an arm catching her around the neck to choke her. And the other hand going lower... No, no, not this! Not again! Hard to breathe, but she could still elbow him in the chin, stomp his foot, and kick him in the gut. And felt her attacker fall away and disappear.

"So you are an Avenger... or should I say, killer," Kang the Conquerer taunted her, "You killed me after all. As surely as that whelp of my younger self did."

She shook her head as he approached her while she was still coughing and struggling to breathe again, "Avengers don't kill."

"No? Isn't this your sword? Your stolen sword from the Avengers lockers? The one that sliced through my gut? Do you want it back?" He hissed at her, and then suddenly charged forward to plunge into her stomach.

"TAKE IT!" He yelled. She turned so it only hit her to the side of her torso. Narrowly missing the vitals as it sliced in. She sank down as he removed it and he then vanished. She plunged her fist into the wound, trying to limit how much she would bleed out. Even though, trickles of blood pooling around it, and over her knuckles, dripping on the tiled floor. It hurt, why did it hurt so much in a dream?

And there were footsteps approaching, and a voice, German accent by the sound of it. What's going on?

Comments

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

A while later after Malcolm and Medusa leave them alone, Kate's just holding Will's hand. Quietly, and clearly shaken up by this. She's had close calls before but not like this. Not this intimately where she could feel herself dying.

She finally said, "There's got to be a way to protect ourselves. I fought him for a moment, and I know I hurt him before he hurt me."

[will_scarlett]

"Aye, I'm sure there is."

He knows she's right but he's also rather shaken and looks at her on the bed, leaning down to kiss her forehead,

"Could I lay beside ye, love?"

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

"Please?" Plaintive note in her voice as she held out her arms to him, beckoning.

[will_scarlett]

He doesn't even take off his boots just moves beside her on the side where the wound wasn't and holds her in his arms,

"Thought was goin' to lose ye."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

"Me too. It didn't seem that bad at first, just really hurt. But then I fought back, and got injured again. Made things worse." Her arms tightened around him, and she was going to cling for now. Shivering a little.

"Thought I'd be lost back there for good then."

[will_scarlett]

He just pulls her tighter into his arms, stroking her hair,

"Would 'ave fought an done anythin' I could to get ye back. An ye're 'ere an alive."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

"I know, but he'd try to grab you too. He's not the one who stabbed me with the sword though. He used something like an icepick on my leg."

Kate nodded, and gave a weak laugh to hide the fear still evident in her voice, "Both still alive. Maybe we're like cats with nine lives?"

[will_scarlett]

"We'll find a way to catch 'im some'ow."

He gives her a very gentle kiss before speaking again,

"Just outlaws."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

She kissed back, some fear, desperation and love in her kiss, "We will. He claimed to be a doctor, but very creepy in temperament. Even when he tried to lie. German accent, bald, crooked back, and he was wearing an apron with bloodied handprints on it."

[will_scarlett]

"We should ask others who's 'ad nightmares if they've seen 'im too. Oh love, I'm na leavin' ye."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I can ask around when I leave here."

"Please don't leave. I don't want to sleep. Not until there's a way to stay safe.

[will_scarlett]

"We both will an I'll 'old ye as tight as I can, na sure I could sleep anyway."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

"We both have to talk to Security now. More people will be attacked." She almost went to get up since she had the instincts to go help, and felt people could be attacked while she's just laying here.

[will_scarlett]

When she moves he just pulls her into his arms,

"Nay, later, ye need to rest."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

Kate sighed as she laid back down, "Just thinking there could be more attacks right now, but no good until we know for sure how to stop them."

She then clung tighter to him.

[will_scarlett]

"Love, ye're na good to anyone like this. Rest will do ye good, na e'en sleep just rest since know sleep will be 'ard to find. Just stay in my arms for a time."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

Kate finally acquiesced at that, and tried to relax against him. There were still some faint tremors running through her body.

"Owe you one now. If you hadn't been there..." She trailed off quietly, clutching at him. Help would have been too late if she was by herself.

[will_scarlett]

He runs his hand along her back, trying to still the fear still running through her,

"Shh, love, just breathe, ye live."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

She took in a shuddering breath, and another, attempting to force herself to calm down.

She then stated, unable to stop shaking just yet, "Never been that close before. Not like that, not for me. Not that slow. It's always been quick, abrupt attacks. Like Thor's lightning attacks, or that Kree who tried to choke me when we were helping those kids from LA. Not slowly dying like that was."

[will_scarlett]

He's not sure what to say, if anything he can say will actually help so keeps moving his hand,

"Slow makes it more terrifyin', just waitin' to die."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

Kate nodded, and buried her head in his shoulder. Also crying, but she really didn't care right now.

"Felt like I was being pulled away, piece by piece. Like the whole world was vanishing," she murmured.

[will_scarlett]

Sometimes you need to cry and he's not wearing a shirt to get wet, just his hose though they're stained with her blood,

"Oh my love, but ye came back."

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

She nodded, but then quietly sobbed against him instead of speaking further. Clutching back tightly as she cried.

[will_scarlett]

He just keeps rubbing her back and hair, not really saying anything just being there.

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

The tremors finally ended, and the sobs slowly stopped after a few minutes. She sniffed, and wiped her eyes, still staying close to him.

A few more minutes passed as she cuddled against him.

She then remarked, more like her determined self, "We have to stop him, or them. Whoever is doing this. We have to. Before someone does die."