By early morning, the streets of Sokovia were still cold and quiet. The sky had only begun to lighten, stretching into a thin gray blue across the horizon.
Steve was the first to wake up.
He always was. Even here, even during missions, his routine never changed.
He sat on the edge of the old mattress they had borrowed for the night, stretched his shoulders, rolled his neck, and began warming up silently. His movements were methodical and controlled, but slower than usual.
Liam woke a few minutes later.
He stretched lazily, rubbing the back of his neck as he stood.
Natasha was nowhere in the room.
She had already left before either man fully woke. The night before, she told them she had an informant in Sokovia, someone who sometimes passed along scraps of information, and she wanted to check if he had anything connected to HYDRA's hidden bases. She slipped out long before dawn and had not returned yet.
Liam finished stretching and glanced toward Steve. The super soldier had already finished warming up, but instead of starting his usual morning workout, he just sat there, staring at the wall.
That alone was unusual.
Liam lowered his arms and walked closer.
"Cap, you okay?" he asked in a quiet voice. "You've been a little off since yesterday."
Steve did not answer right away.
He looked down at the floor, let out a long breath, and finally turned his head slightly.
"A person very close to me died yesterday," he said quietly.
Liam blinked, surprised. He tried to remember if Steve had mentioned anyone from his past recently.
"Someone close? Someone from before the ice?"
Steve nodded slowly. His eyes showed an old sadness.
"She was the last piece of my old life," he said. "The only one who remembered me as I used to be. The only one left who lived through the same time I came from."
Liam's chest tightened. He had not expected Peggy to die so early. In the original timeline she should have lived four more years before passing away during the Civil War period. He had no idea what changed, or why she was gone now.
"I'm sorry," Liam murmured.
Steve gave a small, grateful nod. "It was her time. She lived a long and good life. But losing the last person who shared your past... it makes the world feel a lot bigger and a lot lonelier."
Liam sat next to him, voice low and steady. "You have people in your corner. Don't forget that."
Steve took a slow breath and managed a very small smile.
"I know."
The room felt lighter after that. Not fixed, but easier.
Liam clapped his hands once. "Alright, come on. If you sit there any longer, you are going to start brooding like a gothic vampire. Get up. Push-ups. Now."
Steve rolled his eyes but pushed himself up. "Fine. But I do not want to compete with a monster like you."
"Now that is a terrible thing to call someone who was trying to cheer you up," Liam grinned.
A few seconds later, both of them were on the floor, racing through push-ups.
Liam moved faster because he knew it annoyed Steve.
Steve moved faster because he refused to let Liam get ahead.
Their competitive energy filled the room, pushing the heavier thoughts aside for a little while.
Fifteen minutes later, the door creaked open.
Natasha stepped in, tightening her gloves. Her expression was calm but annoyed.
"Any news?" Steve asked, standing up and wiping sweat from his forehead with a towel.
Natasha shook her head. "Nothing. My informant has not heard anything useful. No whispers about HYDRA bases in this area. Either HYDRA is quiet or they are hiding something deeper."
Liam sighed. "I told you."
She tossed her bag onto the table. "Yes, yes. Anyway, we need to move. Dawn Watch said sunrise. That is in twenty minutes."
Liam grabbed his jacket. "Then let's not keep them waiting."
Steve opened the door, letting the cold morning air rush into the room. The sky was slowly turning gold at the edges. A new day, and a dangerous one, was beginning.
Together, the trio stepped outside and walked through the empty Sokovian streets toward the river, where the Dawn Watch group waited for answers, alliances, and whatever was coming next.
The walk to the river was quiet.
Liam walked in front, hands in his pockets, scanning every window and rooftop.
Steve walked beside him, calmer now but still thoughtful. Natasha walked on the left, keeping her eyes and ears open like she always did.
As they continued walking Liam couldn't help but think he wasn't in the same Universe as the one shown in movies. It felt like was in some kind of AUMCU. The Wanda and Pietro incident had him doubting already and now that Peggy had died four years earlier than in cannon, this made him about 90% sure.
'Maybe in this universe the Avengers won't need to go back in time for the stones,' he thought, eyes narrowing slightly. 'Maybe I'll be the one to face Thanos. Only God knows what kind of abilities I'll have by then. But if I don't die before that… I'll be overpowered for sure.'
His thoughts drifted deeper until Natasha's quiet voice broke through.
"We're here."
Liam blinked, pulled back to reality.
They had reached the old, half-broken bridge above the river and the Dawn Watch group was already waiting.
Wanda noticed them first. She stood near the bridge's support pillar, arms crossed, her hair tied back, her expression tired but sharp. Pietro was beside her, pacing in short bursts like he couldn't stay still for more than three seconds. The older man and woman sat on a crate, warming their hands around a flickering lantern, while the rest of the group stood scattered around, gripping their newly claimed rifles and keeping watch.
When Wanda saw the trio approaching, she straightened and stepped forward to meet them.
"You came," she said quietly.
Liam nodded. "You asked. We showed up."
Pietro gave a small, respectful nod. "We were not sure if you would."
Natasha smirked slightly. "We said sunrise. We meant sunrise."
Wanda relaxed a little at that. Just a little.
The Dawn Watch fighters gathered closer, curious and still shaken from the night before. Some whispered when they saw Steve, remembering the way he fought. Others stared at Liam with a mix of awe and confusion. The old man rubbed his hands nervously and finally spoke.
"Thank you… again," he said. "Our people slept safely because of you."
Steve nodded once. "Glad to hear it."
But Wanda had something heavier on her mind.
She spoke bluntly. "We need to talk. About last night, about who you three really are, why you helped us, and what comes next."
She gestured toward an abandoned storage building across the river. "This way. More private."
The trio followed her and the other leaders inside.
Wanda closed the door behind them, and the rest of Dawn Watch stayed outside to keep watch, close enough to rush in if anything sounded wrong.
Once inside, Wanda's gaze moved from one of them to the next.
"Last night, the way you fought," she said quietly. "You moved like trained soldiers. That is not normal. Not here, not for civilians."
The old man spoke next, not accusing but wary. "We need to understand who we are trusting. Sokovia is full of enemies pretending to be friends."
Natasha did not look away. "Then ask."
Wanda took a quiet breath, trying to hide the guilt she felt for questioning the very people who had saved them. "Alright," she said softly. "Then tell me, who are you?"
For a moment, none of the three answered.
Liam glanced at Natasha, and she gave him a small nod, silently telling him to take the lead.
He straightened slightly and spoke. "My name is Viktor," he said. "This is Stefan, and that is Nadia. We are siblings."
The Dawn Watch leaders exchanged uncertain glances.
Wanda did not soften. "And why were you near our warehouse last night?"
Liam ran a hand through his hair and spoke like someone exhausted from travel and grief. "We came back to Sokovia few days ago. Our father used to be part of Black Ridge. Not one of the monsters running it now, but one of the old men who helped form it before it became what it is today." He let the words land slowly. "Before he died, he warned us to stay away. He said the group had changed. Said it had rotted from the inside."
The old woman whispered, "Many have said the same."
Liam continued the story softly. "We did not come to join them. We came to see what became of the group our father once trusted. To honor him. Maybe fix a part of it if we could." His voice carried a quiet sadness. "But once we saw what Black Ridge had become, we knew we could never be part of it."
Wanda's eyes searched their faces. "And yesterday?"
Natasha spoke, folding her arms. "We played along so they would not shoot civilians before we had a plan. If we refused their test, they would have killed every one of your people. If we fought openly, they would have gunned down anyone trying to escape."
Pietro swallowed, remembering how close they had been to death.
Liam nodded. "They wanted us to kill you...leaders. We were never going to do that. But the only way to stop them was to get close, pretend we accepted the task." He looked at Wanda. "So we went inside and warned you. Then we dealt with the soldiers ourselves."
The old man frowned, more confused than doubtful. "You risked your lives for strangers. Why?"
Natasha answered before Liam could. "We have seen enough innocent people die. Sokovia has lost more than enough families to groups like Black Ridge. We were not going to stand by and let more die."
Her sincerity settled in the room like a heavy weight. No one spoke for a moment.
Wanda studied her for a long time.
Pietro looked at their hands, their posture, the way they stood without fear. "You really are trained," he muttered. "Black Ridge never trains their men like that."
Natasha allowed the faintest smirk to show. "We trained under our father. He was an army man, strict and skilled. Most of what we know came from him."
Wanda's shoulders eased a little at that. Not completely, but enough that the tension in her stance softened. She wanted to believe them. Their story fit. Their actions fit even more.
But a part of her still held back. She could not fully or blindly trust strangers. Not in Sokovia.
Even so, something else was just as clear.
If the trio had wanted to hurt Dawn Watch, they could have done it last night without hesitation. They had guns. They had skills. They had every advantage. Yet they chose to save everyone.
And coming here this morning, meeting in secret at sunrise, brought risk to them as well. Wanda understood that.
She took a slow breath, letting the weight of her doubts settle. If she kept interrogating them or treating them like threats, it would not only be rude, it would be foolish. These people had saved her group from certain death.
She looked at Viktor again, then at Stefan and Nadia. There was something steady and reliable in all three of them. Something she had not seen in a long time. They fought to protect people without asking for anything in return.
The old man stepped forward first. His voice was quiet but sincere. "We acted harshly. Forgive us. We have lost too much to trust easily."
His wife added softly, "You saved our people. We should have shown you more respect."
Pietro scratched the back of his head, awkward. "Yeah, sorry. We were a bit too suspicious."
Wanda finally met Viktor's eyes and spoke, her tone careful and honest. "I am sorry too. You saved lives last night. Our fear made us question you too much. Thank you for choosing to help us instead of walking away."
Liam nodded once, accepting the apology without hesitation and smiled. "Being careful is not a crime."
Natasha shrugged lightly. "Suspicion keeps people alive. No harm done."
Wanda exhaled slowly, feeling the tension in the building loosen. Something shifted between the two groups. Not trust and not friendship, at least not yet, but something that might grow into both.
She looked at the trio one last time and said quietly, "Then let us begin again. And let us figure out how to survive what comes next."
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