《You're the guy my dad never shut up about? | S. Rogers [1]》67. Where's Castiel?
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"Cyclone. Shield. Museum. Line. Howling. Alley. Rogers. Two. Sneak. Stark Expo" Galilea quietly recited as she sat on a chair and looked out into the city.
She heard the cars driving on the streets below her, along with the horns. Her eyes scanned the landscape before her and her mind drifted off to Bucky. She wonders how he's doing. Does he still remember? And if he does is he mad at her for leaving him behind, or worried because he hasn't seen her in weeks. She promised him that she will get him out but he's still stuck with Hydra while she's back home with her friends.
Doctor Grey gave Galilea the all clear and has been back home for a week now. It was a bit hard at first since that's where she was taken from, but eventually she was able to get back to the swing of things. The Avengers are still trying to locate Hydra and have managed to gather new information and get possible locations but they won't let Galilea get that involved. She wants to help but they don't want her anywhere near Hydra. They tell her to rest and to stop missing Castiel because he is the bad guy not the good guy.
Galilea can't help it. She sees something that triggers her and her mind goes to Castiel. Sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night crying out to him but he never shows up. Instead it's the team trying to calm her down and try to make her see who Castiel really is.
Galilea's brown hair flew around her as the wind picked up. She took in a deep breath and continued to repeat the words "Cyclone. Shield. Museum. Line. Howling. Alley. Rogers. Two. Sneak. Stark Expo. Cyclone. Shield. Museum. Line. Howling. Alley. Rogers. Two. Sneak. Stark Expo"
"Why do you keep repeating those words?" Galilea jumped back slightly and looked over her shoulder to see Peter staring at her curiously.
"Jesus Christ" Gali placed a hand over her heart and another over her healing ribs.
"Sorry" Peter apologized as he sat in the chair next to Gali "so, what do those words mean?" Peter curiously asked again.
Galilea adjusted the pillows in the chair before sitting back. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly "my friend James-"
"The guy that's still being held by Hydra" Peter tried to clarify.
Gali nodded "James and I came up with these ten words that would keep ourselves calm. That would remind us of who we are... You see when you're with Hydra, they do things to you, they hurt you and twist you in order to break you. They want to have complete control over you and they don't care about anything else. You get hurt, oh well. They throw you in a cell and let those healing vapors do their thing. They beat you up so you'll fight back, and then they'll hit you even harder so you won't fight back" Galilea began to explain.
"They brainwash you until you'll forget who you are. They train you so you'll be their puppet. Their personal killing machine" she said in a whisper.
"Is that what they did to James?" Peter slowly asked.
Galilea stared back at the city, her brown eyes holding sadness and pain "I got him to remember a part of him. He was lost- he still is. That's why he came up with those words... Those ten words help him- help us remember. I promised him that we would leave that place. I promised him that I would get him out but I left him. James is still with Hydra and I don't even know if he still remembers who he was" Galilea sadly explained.
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Peter stared at Galilea for a minute. That woman sitting next to him has been through hell and back. She was Hydra's hostage for a month. They were able to break her and even though she's not with them anymore, they still have some kind of hold on her. But despite all that, Galilea's concern is for James. Her friend.
Peter never had many friends, so seeing the tight bonds of friendship the team have, was something new for him. If something happens to one of them, the whole team is there for them. They don't just protect each other, they tease, play and gently bully one another. They are a team. They are friends. They are family.
It's like Tony told Peter back at Shield headquarters "we are more than a team, kid. We're Ohana. You know what Ohana means? It means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten"
"Did you just quote Lilo and Stitch?" Peter questioned the billionaire.
"You'll soon find out that we love Disney movies" Tony patted Peter's shoulder before shoving blueberries in his mouth.
Peter looked over his shoulder and saw the team through the glass, gathered around a table most likely talking about Hydra. He turned his head and looked back at Galilea.
"If there's one thing I know about Galilea Stark" Peter began "is that she always keeps her promises. And if by any chance she wasn't able to keep it, she tried her best to fulfill that promise. I'm certain that you'll get James out of there. I mean take a look at the team" he nodded his head to the glass and they both stared at the team.
"You guys are Ohana. Ohana means family and family means that-"
"Nobody gets left behind or forgotten" Galilea and Peter said at the same time. She smiled small.
"You've been talking with Tony, haven't you?"
"How do you know?" The boy furrowed his eyebrows.
"Lilo and Stitch is our favorite movie. In some way we relate to it" Galilea explained. Peter hummed and nodded understanding "and it's we, Peter. Not you guys" Galilea corrected.
Peter stared at the girl in confusion for a moment before he slowly broke into an excited smile "Really? You mean it?"
"You're not allowed to take part in the fighting but yes. Welcome to the Avengers, Peter Parker" Galilea smiled at the boy. Peter jumped out of his seat and gave Gali a soft and gentle hug.
"Thank you" he whispered.
"But you gotta stay in school you hear me?"
"Yes" he nodded "I promise"
The elevator dinged and its doors slid open. Galilea tiredly walked out of the elevator with one hand in the pocket of her hoodie and the other wrapped around her ribs. That area is still a little tender but she's healing.
When Galilea reached the living room and saw all the ruckus, all she could do was stop and stare. She's been in her room the whole day. It's quiet and there are no people running around like maniacs. Nobody down there is running but they might as well be.
The tv is on and it's showing an Adam Sandler movie. Clint, Sam, Thor and Natasha are sitting on the ground around a table, a box sitting on top of it. Kamilla is sitting on the couch watching the movie. Tony is out in the balcony with Rhodey and Peter. The two grown men are throwing things over the balcony and Peter would catch them with his spiderweb and set them on the floor on a growing pile of random objects.
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Bruce seems to be teaching Sam something. Steve and Pepper walked out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of popcorn and drinks. Jane came out of the bathroom and joined Bruce and Sam.
Loud laughter came from the group sitting on the floor and Galilea actually took a cautious step back "what in the world?" She mumbled under her breath. She slowly approached the large group and Clint was the first who spotted her.
"Hey, baby avenger! Come play. Look" He held up what to Galilea appeared to be a plastic mouth guard "it's that Speak Out game. Like the one Ellen plays with her guests" he wore the plastic mouthpiece and wasn't able to shut his mouth.
Something clicked in Galilea's head and she felt scared. She took a step back and glanced up at the tv when she heard Adam Sandler yell "what an asshole!" He began to sing a very familiar song "wouldn't it be nice if we were older? Then we wouldn't have to wait so long..."
Her brown eyes went back to Clint who was trying to smile with his mouth open but that and the song in the background caused Galilea to panic and vividly relive a moment at Hydra.
She saw herself back in the glass cell, jumping and singing Wouldn't it be nice, at the top of her lungs. She then turned to Castiel and smiled at him.
"Hello Castiel! I'm fine. I'm great!" She beamed "I mean how many people have the pleasure to wake up in the room they've been living in for three weeks because they were kidnapped?!" She snapped.
"It was all an act. Should've seen this coming... here... sustenance" Mariana gave Galilea an apple.
"Aww, you care about me. Look, the little bitch cares!" Galilea cooed. Mariana's angry face was the last thing she saw before fear and panic spread inside of Galilea.
The mouthpiece Clint has reminded her of the first time she had her memory wiped "no, please don't!" Galilea yelled as she stepped back and the memory changed.
She was back in the cell where she use to fight the Winter Soldier. She saw herself all disheveled after her fighting with him. She was screaming "leave me alone!... You have to remember!..." Castiel got a hold of her and dragged her out of the room and she struggled against him. She wanted to get out of his grasp and run over to Bucky who she didn't know was him until she took the mask off him.
Galilea saw herself being dragged out the room and shoved into a chair. She remembers the fear and panic she felt. How that was the first time during her captivity that she was scared "no, no, what are you doing? What are you doing?... Castiel! Castiel! Please Castiel!... Help me Castiel!... Stop... Castiel..." She was screaming and something was shoved in her mouth. She let out a scream as the metal pieces attached themselves on either side of her head and did their memory wipe thing.
The memory faded away but she was still calling out for Castiel. Galilea felt warm hands on her face and heard her muffled name in the distance and slowly getting closer and clearer "Gali, Galilea it's okay. It's okay Gali"
Galilea stopped screaming and her vision focused on the baby blue eyes in front of her. Still thinking about Castiel and how those aren't his eyes, she panicked and threw a punch at the man in front of her. She crawled away and hugged her knees up to her chest, ignoring the pain in her ribs.
"Castiel... Castiel- where's Castiel?" She whispered.
"Gali... Gali hey" Peter slowly approached the woman hugging her knees.
Galilea snapped her head up and saw the teenage boy she's looked after for over a year "Peter" she breathed out, relieved to see someone who wouldn't hurt her like Castiel did that day "Castiel-" she began.
"Castiel isn't here. He's not here. You're safe. That was a memory. You're no longer there with Castiel or Mariana" Peter slowly and softly said.
Galilea let go of her legs and sat up on the ground "Castiel isn't here? Okay. Okay" she steadied her breath and closed her eyes for a second.
"Remember where you are?" Peter tentatively asked.
Galilea thought about it for a second before answering "home. I'm home. Oh my god!" She gasped and brought a hand to her mouth as everything became clearer "who did I punch?"
Peter's look of concern slowly changed to one of amusement "it was great. I think you managed to knock him out for a second or two. Poor Steve never saw it coming" Peter chuckled.
"None of us saw it coming" Bruce commented from the other side of the wall, followed by some sniggers. Galilea made an 'oops' face and slowly stood up.
"I'm so sorry" she apologized as she stepped out and saw the whole team there. The involuntary flinch didn't go unnoticed by the team but Galilea didn't let that stop her. She went straight to her boyfriend who's siting on a chair and has a hand on his jaw "oh my god, I'm so sorry" she apologized and eyed the area where she punched him.
"It's alright" Steve gave a small smile.
"It was great. He was out of it for minute" Tony laughed as he walked out of the kitchen with an icepack. He handed it over to Steve and he gratefully took it "thank you" he placed it on his jaw and winced at the freezing cold.
Gali passed her fingers through Steve's blond hair and turned to the others "I'm sorry guys"
"There's no need to apologize. We understand completely" Clint assured the brunette "but I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we would like to see you punch Steve again" he laughed at that.
Galilea glared at the archer and narrowed her eyes. With her pain power, she gave him the sensation of someone whacking him behind the head and he glared at the girl "ow" he dryly said as he rubbed the back of his head.
They soon dispersed, leaving Galilea and Steven alone "I'm sorry, sweetheart" Galilea apologized again, her hand trailing down from Steve's head, down his stubbly cheek, curve of his neck and resting on his shoulder.
Steve simply pouted "you can really throw a punch" he adjusted the icepack.
"I know" Galilea confidently said. She placed her hand over Steve's hand that's holding the icepack and gently brought it down. She let go of his hand and gently traced her fingers across his cold, stubbly jaw "you'll probably have a bruise" Gali commented. Steve pouted "aww, I'm sorry!" Galilea placed a soft kiss on his cheek and hugged him.
She rested her cheek on top of his head and Steve hugged back. They were having a cute, adorable, sweet couple moment but as soon as they began to kiss, Anthony threw a pillow at them "None of that!"
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