Three days. I didn't think it was possible to go three days without sleep. But somehow I did it. Now, I was running off of whatever adrenaline I had. That, and a lot of anger.

And with my anger, came consequences.

Less words were spoken. Less food was eaten. Less sleep was gained.

More things were broken.

Nothing would stop me from finding my Maggie. Nothing. Someone would have to kill me before I'd give up on her. And even then, my spirit would roam the Earth, still searching. Then, once I'd find Zemo, I'd haunt his ass until the day he died. Maggie is my world. My everything. I don't care if Zemo wants ransom. Whatever it is, he can have it. Just give me back my daughter.

Steve has been a complete and total wreck. He spends all day searching for Maggie, and then all night in the gym. He breaks punching bag after punching bag, trying to break his never ending anger. But nothing can take away his pain.

In his mind, Maggie is gone because of him.

Because of his inability to win the fight, Maggie is gone.

I could never blame him for what happened. It will never be his fault for as long as he lives. But to him, he lost his daughter. And it's all his fault because he wasn't strong enough to save her. All of his strength and abilities, and they couldn't aid him in stopping Zemo and his men.

After three days of no sleep, no signs of Maggie, and no signs of hope, I finally stood from my seat behind the viewing monitor, and walked out of the room. I was drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. My body was pushed to it's limits. Somehow, I managed to keep going. I knew if I stopped, Maggie would be gone forever. And I can never surrender from this fight.

I walk down the long hallway. The metal walls surround me, feeling as if they were going to close in on me. My arms are crossed across my chest, keeping the guilt and sadness trapped inside. No one else needs to feel this. No one deserves to feel this. The anger piling up within me was tearing at my insides with steel claws, begging to be released.

I need to let it out.

I come to a fork in the hallway. If I choose to go to my right, I will continue to my room where I can attempt to cry myself to sleep. If I go to the left, I can go to the gym, where I can take what little energy I have and force it upon a punching bag.

My hands ball into fists as I shake my head and storm down the left hallway. If I focus hard enough, maybe I can picture Zemo's face on the punching bag.

-

Steve had once taught me to properly wrap my hands before I begin throwing punches at the bag. But none of that matters to me. If I tear my hands up while punching to bag, maybe they will bust open. Maybe they will bleed. Maybe they will release my boiling blood. With my blood on the punching bag, maybe some of my anger will drain away.

But it won't.

I tie my hair into a loose high ponytail. One lonely tear trickles down my cheek and lands in the corner of my mouth. The heavy taste of salt floods my mouth. I clench my hands into tight fists and the sound of my cracking knuckles fills the air. But not for long.

One swift punch into the bag barely makes it swing. So I punch again, hoping that maybe the bag would swing harder. But I'm never going to be a strong as Steve. His serum makes him as tough as steel. But underneath the cold steel shell is a warm heart. It's his warm heart that drives his hands of steel to send riveting punches into the bag.

The heart cannot easily forget things like the mind.

The heart fills with grief when tragedy strikes. Grief like that can fade away only when the person is ready to accept the truth. In my case, I will never accept the truth.

My daughter is alive. I just need to find her.

Blow after blow, the anger within me slowly begins to fade away. But the grief remains where it lies. The pain in my hands grew stronger with every blow.

All these years when Steve was getting lost in his memories while standing here at the punching bag, I never understood what he saw or what he was going through. And now I do. The painful memories coming back to me one by one. Every single moment I had with Maggie plays back in my mind. Every hug. Every kiss. Every little gurgle and giggle that she made. Every 'I love you'. Every single little thing I remember was suddenly torn from my grasp.

Sweat came drizzling down my face. Hair began to fall from my ponytail and cling to the side of my face and neck. My jaw clenched. The insides of my mouth got tangled and trapped between my clenched teeth. The thick coppery taste of blood began to flood my mouth.

My muffled grunts began to turn into soft yelps. And then loud screams.

My knuckles began to twist and crack in improper ways and skin had began to bust. The thick scarlet color began to drip and stain the punching bag.

Salty tears flood my vision as my screams grow in intensity.

Then suddenly, the muffled sound of footsteps comes within my range. They were quick in pace and long in stride.

Strong arms clutch my waist and pull me away from the punching bag. My legs flailing as they pull me away. My nails tear at their arms.

"Hey! Hey! HEY!" Steve's voice lures me out of my trance, and guides me to the safe haven that is his arms. My panting gradually slows to a stop until all that was left was my deep breathing and heavy sobs.

Steve's strong arms left me into the air until he gently held me bridal style. He kneeled down, still holding me softly until I finally touched the ground. I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my hands in my lap. Steve remained in the kneeling position. My back was resting against his bent knee.

"Alice, shhhh." He pulled my head into his chest. His hand cupped my cheek and he continued to shush me. My tears stain his shirt. I can smell coffee on his shirt. He's been drinking coffee to stay awake. The scent of coffee mixes in with sweat.

For five minutes, we sit together on the cold gym floor. Nothing but the sound of my sobbing. No one else was in the gym. Steve's arms, though very large, are so comfortable to be wrapped up in. He is so strong, that when he holds me tightly, I feel so sheltered. So protected. If hugs can heal, Steve's are the winners.

But who could ever heal from this?

Steve releases me gently and reaches for my hands. I hesitated and pulled my hands away form him, but he was stubborn. He took my bloody hands into his and examined them carefully.

"Alice, what are you doing to yourself?" He asks in a mumble.

"Easy," I begin, sniffling hard. "I'm mourning."

Steve sighs and grabs me around my waist. He hoists me up to my feet and then leans in softly to kiss my forehead. He turns towards the door where a small first aid kit was hanging on the wall. I was expecting him to make a comment that violence is not the answer and that I needed to find another way to mourn. The problem is, that he's in the same boat that I am. He spends hours in here, punching the bag the way that I was. His way of mourning was violence.

I know that's not the proper thing to do. What else am I supposed to do?

"We all are." He says quietly as he returns to me. He opens the first aid case and pulls out a bundle of white bandages. He tosses the case to the floor and then begins to wrap both of my hands in bandages. The cloth stung as he continued to wrap them. I wince at the pain.

"We have to get her back. I don't care what Zemo wants Steve. Maggie needs to come home. She needs to live. If it's money he wants or even-"

"Don't." Steve says abruptly. "We can't afford to think like that. If Zemo wants death, then he will get his own. But I will not let him kill you or Maggie."

"What about you? I'm not going to let him kill you. It's better if he took me. If anything were to happen in the future, I know you would have a better chance at keeping Maggie safe than I would. Without you, I would be defenseless. She'd be better off with you." In my mind, there is only one of us who would really be able to keep Maggie safe. Steve. His strength and his cunning wit is what keeps him alive. He knows how to save a life. I have no doubt in my mind that he will save Maggie's.

"A child needs its mother. You are Maggie's mother. You are irreplaceable both in Maggie's heart and in mine. I would never want anything to happen to either of you. You are, both of you, my best girls. I can't leave my best girls behind, can I?" His hand cups my face with his thumb slowly swiping at silent tears that rolled down my cheek.

I look down at my hands only to find that both of them were now completely wrapped. Steve's voice and his handsome blue eyes took me away from my physical pain.

I embrace him suddenly, throwing him off balance. He stumbled backwards in order to regain his balance. His strong arms enclose around me, holding me close to his chest. I can hear his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"We'll find her." He whispers. "I promise."

-

A/N: Feels overload. Sorry... I think... Well I think this update took way too long. Longer then I wanted it to. But here it is! Just a heads up for everyone, updates might begin to come even slower. My life schedule has taken a drastic change. So, I now have even less time write. But that will not stop me! I promise! Also, have you checked out my instagram page yet? My username is listed in my bio! Feel free to take a look!