A/N: IT'S ALMOST HERE IT'S ALMOST HERE THE BIG REVEAL IS ALMOST HEREEEEEE

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

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"To give you your memories back."

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VIENNA
NIGHT BEFORE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Adelaide was back at the broken building where Peter had almost killed a man. She was standing in the same place she had been that night. She looked down at her hands, which were covered in blood. Uncle Ben's blood.

"Did you give my uncle another chance!" Peter shouted, making her look up.

He had the man by the throat but it wasn't the same man from that night. It was Graves. And Peter was about to kill him. Adelaide found herself surprised that she wanted Peter to kill him.

However, just as she had suspected, Graves became invisible and slipped away from Peter's grasp.

But she was forced to watch as the man with the eyepatch who was still visible to her grab the gun off of the floor. Horrified, she watched as he aimed it at the back of Peter's head.

Peter was paying for her mistakes. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Graves pulled the trigger and Peter fell over, blood oozing out from his head. A strangled scream escaped her throat as she fell to her knees. She couldn't even reach out and hold him.

Her demons had finally caught up to her and they had gotten Peter.

She had lost him.

Adelaide sat up, drenched in sweat. She swallowed, trying to ease the burn in her throat. She was safe. She was in a hotel room and Natasha was sleeping in the room right beside hers. It was okay. She let out a shaky breath before standing up to get some water. As she was walking towards the kitchen, she glanced at her phone.

Maybe she should try to call him again. Would it go to voicemail? She decided to call him just to calm herself down. He was okay. She was just overreacting. It had only been a nightmare. He was fine.

"Adelaide?" someone said, picking up the phone. It sounded like May. And she sounded absolutely terrified.

"May?" she said, her heartbeat picking up,"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I-It's Peter," she cried, "A man came in a few minutes ago. H-He was wearing an eyepatch. A-And he h-had a gun. He sh-shot him, Adelaide. He shot Peter. I-In the b-back of h-his head."

No.

No.

No, this wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Not to her. Not to Peter.

No no no no no. Peter. She had lost Peter. Was this really happening? She couldn't have lost Peter. Not him. No. No way.

"Th-The man said he was g-getting even with-with...you. He killed Peter," May whispered.

He killed Peter.

Adelaide woke up with a loud gasp. Her breathing quickened until she was fully panicking. Her ears were ringing and she pressed her hands against them, trying to stop it. A scream died in her throat as her eyes pricked with tears.

She grabbed her throat, trying to breathe. Dream. It was only a dream. Shit, this wasn't working. Water. She needed water. Adelaide stumbled off of the bed and into the kitchen, trying to pour herself a glass of water. She did eventually after she spilled half of it.

Gasping for air, she leaned against the countertop, forcing herself to keep the water down. As the cold air rushed into her lungs, she began coughing until her throat felt raw and she couldn't cough again.

Trying to take deep breaths, she slid down onto the floor, her back flat against the cabinets. She forced herself to finish the rest of the water in her glass. When it was empty, she tossed it aside and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

Why did this always happen to her? Why did she always get these horrible nightmares? She would rather watch herself die a million times than see someone else dying. Like Peter.

She wanted to call him. She wanted to make sure he was okay. But she was too scared that May would pick up the phone and tell her that Graves had killed Peter.

Adelaide rubbed her face, pulling at her hair which was matted to her forehead with sweat. She pulled her knees up, resting her forehead on them. She was burning up and this cold tile floor felt so good.

She sat there for a very long time, enjoying the silence as she stared ahead at nothing. She could hear the clock ticking steadily. A car passed by on the street. The air conditioner was humming softly by her bed. She could hear her breath as she inhaled and exhaled slowly.

Just when she had finally calmed down, her ringing phone ripped through the silence.

She lifted her head up, looking over at her vibrating phone on the bedside table. Her lips parted and she swallowed, her throat feeling dry once again. Each ring felt like a needle in her ear and she stood up when she couldn't take it any more. She didn't think that she could handle it if it was May calling. Adelaide truly believed that she would lose her mind.

But, to her relief or fear, the Caller ID read Unknown and so did the location.

She hesitated.

Should she pick it up? It could very easily be a wrong number or simply advertisers. But there was the chance that it wasn't.

She glanced around the hotel room. She was the only one here. Natasha was sleeping one wall over and although this hotel building wasn't as safe as the Tower, there was still tight security. Against better judgement, she decided to answer the call.

With shaky hands, she picked up the phone and held it up to her ear.

"H-Hello?" she whispered, her voice sounding as if she hadn't used it in days.

"Don't hang up," came Graves' voice and Adelaide almost dropped the phone, the air knocked out of her lungs, "Do not tell anyone about this phone call, Rivers or you will regret it."

There was a pause.

"I only have one thing to say to you. Whatever you do, do not go to the UN conference tomorrow," he said.

Then he hung up the phone without any further explanation.

-----

UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE
THE NEXT MORNING

"Hey Blue. Nervous?" Natasha asked, approaching the teenager.

"Always," Adelaide answered, nervously looking around the room. Graves had warned her to not go to the conference. But why? What was going to happen? What did he know? Did that mean Lukov was going to be here?

"Don't be," the assassin said, taking a sip from her water bottle. Adelaide was sure that if she ate anything it would come right back up. "You have me."

"Things always tend to...mess up," Adelaide said, taking in a shaky breath. Should she tell her about the phone call? Natasha put a hand on the teenager's shoulder to steady her.

Do not tell anyone about this phone call, Rivers or you will regret it.

"Worst case scenario, you die," Natasha said and Adelaide looked at her, "Pretty peaceful."

"Thanks," she mumbled. The assassin smirked, taking another sip of her water.

"I try," she shrugged.

Adelaide's eyes were trained on the tv, watching for the entrance of the former Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Dozens of people were coming but none of them were the man she was looking for.

Adelaide gritted her teeth. Even though Graves wasn't here, he was still messing with her head. And she was letting him. What if he had only called her to trick her into behaving a certain way? Was the phone call a part of his plan?

"Excuse me, Miss Romanoff?" a UN staffer said, causing the assassin to turn around.

"Yes?" she said.

"These need your signature," she said, handing her a pen and Natasha quickly signed it.

"Thank you," she said politely and walked away.

"I suppose neither of us is used to the spotlight," someone said from behind them, causing them to turn around. Adelaide's eyes widened and all thoughts of the phone call went out the window. Prince T'Challa of Wakanda. She was in the presence of royalty. The teenager wondered if she had to curtsy or something but the assassin wasn't so Adelaide stayed put.

"Oh, well, it's not always so flattering," Natasha said with a smile

"You seem to be doing alright so far. Considering your last trip to Capitol Hill...I wouldn't think you would be particularly comfortable in this company," he said with an accent.

"Well, I'm not," Natasha said.

"That alone makes me glad you're here, Miss Romanoff," he said politely.

"Why? You don't approve of all this?"

"The Accords, yes," he said nodding, "The politics, not really. Two people in a room can get more done than a hundred."

"Unless you need to move a piano," someone else said.

Holy shit.

Adelaide watched as the King of Wakanda came to stand beside her. She realized that she was slightly gaping and she closed her mouth. This week kept proving to be more and more surprising. What was next? An alien spaceship invasion? The sun rising from the west?

"Baba," T'Challa smiled, bowing his head respectfully. The King smiled back at him.

"Miss Romanoff," he said, turning to face her. He glanced at the teenager, offering her a polite smile. Adelaide hadn't realized that she was staring until Natasha elbowed her.

"A-Adelaide Rivers," she stuttered, "Your majesty."

The old man laughed heartily and the prince smiled.

"You may call me King T'Chaka, Miss Rivers," the King said, smiling. Adelaide nodded, feeling a hot red creeping up her neck in embarrassment.

"King T'Chaka," Natasha started, her expression sincere, "Please, allow me to apologize for what happened in Nigeria."

Something on the tv caught her eye. A black car had just rolled up. First, a guard stepped out of the passenger seat. He looked around and said something into his walkie. She noticed the gun hooked to his waistband. Then, a driver stepped out and he hurried to open the car door behind him. Another man stepped out, his back to the cameras.

Adelaide held her breath. Could it be...?

And it was. It was Ivan Kazimir Lukov in the flesh. Adelaide was frozen. What was happening to her? Why was she panicking? Her breaths became shallower and it felt as if someone was stepping on her throat.

Whatever you do, do not go to the UN conference tomorrow.

"...I'm sad to hear that Captain Rogers will not be joining us today," King T'Chaka said.

"Yes, so am I," the assassin said with a small smile, her eyes flickering to the teenager who looked like she was having a panic attack.

"If everyone could please be seated," said someone on the speaker, "This assembly is now in session."

"That is the future calling," Prince T'Challa said, looking at Natasha, "Such a pleasure."

"Thank you," she replied, nodding at both men before walking away with the teenager. She pulled her into a secluded corner where no one was watching.

"What's going on?" she asked, watching the teenager worriedly. Adelaide swallowed, struggling to breath. She was having a full blown panic attack and she didn't know why. Her heart was beating wildly as if something bad were about to happen.

Whatever you do, do not go to the UN conference tomorrow.

"I'm fine," she said, swallowing hard.

He was here.

-----

Lukov was here. But he wasn't here. As in, in the conference room. She had seen him get out of the car, but she never saw him walk into the room. Why would he come to a UN conference but not come inside? It didn't make any sense. And if he wasn't here, then where did he go?

Natasha silently squeezed the teenager's hand, telling her to calm down. Adelaide squeezed her hand back, licking her dry lips. Her plan had to work. It had to. Graves was lying, she was sure of it.

But then why was she getting such a bad feeling?

She touched Natasha's shoulder, catching her attention. Adelaide swallowed.

"Nat, I'm getting a bad feeling," she whispered, looking around as her stomach did somersaults, "Can we leave?"

Nat glanced at King T'Chaka, "A stomach ache bad feeling or we're going to die bad feeling?"

"We're going to die bad feeling," Adelaide whispered worriedly. Natasha glanced back at the King again and then looked around the room. She spotted T'Challa frowning at something outside. The assassin looked at the teenager who was pale as a sheet of ice.

"We can leave in a moment," she whispered and Adelaide let out a shaky nod, feeling slightly relieved. She didn't care that Lukov was here. She didn't care about the plan. She just wanted to get as far away from here as possible.

Whatever you do, do not go to the UN conference tomorrow.

"When stolen Wakandan vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon, we in Wakanda were forced to question our legacy," King T'Chaka said, "Those men and women killed in Nigeria, were part of a goodwill mission from a country too long in the shadows. We will not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join. I am grateful to the Avengers for supporting this initiative."

Adelaide began to feel even worse. Something bad was going to happen, she could just feel it. She twisted her hands in her lap, trying to control her uneven breathing. Natasha said they could leave soon. They would be fine. Graves had probably been lying. They would be fine. They would be fine.

King T'Chaka smiled, "Wakanda is proud to extend its hand in peace."

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" T'Challa suddenly shouted.

The room filled with screams until the sound of a large explosion drowned them out.

-----

Adelaide woke up to a ringing piercing her ears.

She winced, rolling her head to the side. A painful noise escaped her throat as her head began throbbing. She tried to reach up to touch the burning sensation on her forehead, but she couldn't move her hand. She groaned in pain again as her eyes flickered open. Her vision was blurry and she blinked rapidly, trying to stop the dizziness. And then she realized that she was in a moving car.

"Nat?" she croaked, "Tony?"

Adelaide tried to blink away the black spots in her vision, looking around as she lifted her head. She couldn't remember what had happened. There had been an explosion and then...

"Nat?" she repeated, her breaths quickening, "Natasha!"

This wasn't their car. This wasn't Tony's car. The infamous smell of smoke reached her nose and she began coughing uncontrollably. She realized that her hands were cuffed to the door of the car. Her eyes widened and she desperately tried to tug her hands away but the cuffs didn't give. Rather, they painfully dug into her wrists.

"Let me go!" she shouted, thrashing her hands against the door, "Let me out!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," someone said from the front of the car and the voice chilled her to her spine. No...It couldn't be...Then, he turned around.

Adelaide froze.

Lukov. It was Lukov. The former Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The man who had messed with her mind too many times to count. The man behind her nightmares. The root of her every problem. The man who had used Graves to watch her. The man who had been watching her for a year now. The man who had turned her life upside down. The man who had handcuffed her and was currently taking her away. She swallowed, suddenly feeling afraid.

"Wh-Where are you taking me?" she asked quietly and he smiled devilishly, shooting an arrow of fear into her heart.

"To give you your memories back."

-----

"Oh, Adelaide, it's been so long," he said, his voice like a snake's hiss, "Did you miss your old man?"

He was circling her bed like a hawk.

She was in a small room with a concrete floor and a brick wall and nothing but a camera in the corner and an overhead light and a medical bed to which she was currently strapped to. She couldn't stop looking at the leather straps on her arm as she literally shivered with fear. There were a couple pacemakers stuck just under her clavicle and a strange metal machine encircling her head. Was he going to hurt her?

Lukov stopped, leaning close to her. He didn't smell like evil or even cigarettes like she had expected. He smelled clean and she hated it.

She had tried to fight him. In fact, she had fought him as he tried to get her out of the car. But then he had injected her with something and she passed out against her will. When she woke up, she found herself restrained to this bed.

"Who am I kidding?" he said, standing up, "You don't remember me. But you will. Soon."

"Wh-What are you going to do to me?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I already told you," he said calmly, "I am returning your memories."

"Why?" she asked, swallowing, "Why now?"

"All your questions will be answered with time," he smiled. He studied her for a moment with a sickening smile on his face. She squirmed under his stare. Curling his lip, he shook his head.

"You are going to do great things, Adelaide," he said quietly, trailing his finger down her face, "And I hope you realize how important you are before it's too late."

How ironic that the man who was making her question her sanity was telling her that she was important. What Adelaide didn't know at the moment was that Lukov's definition of 'great' was very different from hers.

At the moment, at least.

"Now this will hurt like hell," he warned, stepping back with a shrug, "But you've felt worse."

Oddly enough, she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to be in this horrible room alone. She didn't want to be in pain. She wanted him to tell her everything. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see Tony and let him hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

She was absolutely terrified.

"I'll see you in a few minutes, Adelaide."

As her tears blurred her vision, she watched Lukov step out of the room, leaving her alone as she shivered with sobs.

Her heart was hammering in her chest and her breaths were shortening. She tugged at the leather straps holding down her limbs, but they didn't even budge. As her eyes flooded with tears, she began thrashing in her bed.

"Let me out, Lukov! Let me out!" she screamed as her heart beat even faster. Her body knew what was about to happen. And it wasn't good. She had been through this before, she could feel it. Her tears fell faster.

"Please," she sobbed, letting her head fall back, "Please let me out."

She couldn't stay here. She had to leave. She had to do something. She didn't want her memories. Adelaide let out a shaky breath, staring at the camera across from her. The irony of the situation kept growing. For as long as she could remember, she wanted her memories. But now that she was so close to getting them, she didn't want them. She could feel it. They were horrible. She wanted to keep living in oblivion.

"I know you can see me," she croaked, her voice breaking. She could feel her body losing energy fast. She couldn't keep fighting this.

"Please don't do this," she whispered, salty tears freely falling down her face, "I don't want my memories. I'll do anything, please..."

Nobody answered her and the circular metal above her head began lowering itself onto her head. Her whole body stilled. In two places on her forehead she felt cold metal being