promised Iris that her life was going to completely change because of him and he meant it. This was the thought that he temporarily nourished until it had grown to be his only motivation. He no longer cared to arrest Zemo in the name of justice but to seek revenge on the woman who had threatened him, the only woman who he deemed to be a real threat to him.

The expression of shock that fell over her face when he kicked open the antique door of the Latvian apartment planted a seed of pride in his chest. He had found exactly how to hurt her. And now that he knew, he planned to make her bleed. He would never let her have the upper hand over him again. How could she if the wound he created killed her?

"All right. That's it. Let's go. I'm now ordering you to turn him over!" The man announced. "And since she's an enemy of the state, you can turn her over too." He pointed directly at the only woman in the room.

"Hey, slow your roll," Sam interceded. Always one to try and verbally diffuse a situation, he attempted to talk some sense into John while still managing to make a few jabs to the blonde's ego. "And let's be clear, shield or no shield, the only thing you're runnin' in here is your mouth. Now, I had Karli and you overstepped. He's actually proven himself useful today. We're gonna need all hands on deck for whatever's comin' next. And as for her, she's not going anywhere with you."

Walker was completely fed up with the rogue duo, Sokovian terrorist, and alien terrorist sympathizer. The four people standing in front of him didn't have a single ounce of respect for the man. This was unacceptable. They would give him their respect one way or another.

"How do you want the rest of this conversation to go Sam, huh?" He asked. Wilson remained silent. "Yeah," Walker chuckled softly. "Should I put down the shield? Make it fair?"

"You have to pose a challenge for it to even be considered a fight," Iris mused from the couch. John snarled but refused to give her the satisfaction of a response.

The Falcon scoffed as the imposter Captain America proceeded to set down the shield. However, he barely had a chance to return to his full height before a vibranium spear was launched in his direction. The head lodged itself in a blue tiled column, barely missing him.

Iris immediately recognized the iconic weapon from her time in Wakanda and knew exactly what it meant. The Dora Milaje had found them, found Zemo. Now, they were here to arrest him for his past crimes against their country and the murder of their king. She dug her fingernails into the leather couch in order to remain calm as two other soldiers marched through the front doors. There were now three in total. Three elite soldiers hellbent on bringing justice to their late king.

One of the elite soldiers, who Iris recognized to be Ayo, spoke directly to Bucky in Wakandan. The super soldier stared at his feet, refusing to make eye contact. "Release him to us now," she demanded in English. Her words only confirmed the Dora Milaje's intentions.

"Hi. John Walker. Captain America," the blonde introduced himself to the soldiers in front of him. When met with unexpected silence, he looked back to Lemar for back up but Battlestar stayed quiet. Hoskins certainly had no intentions to defy the women. He knew of their reputation. "Well, let's, uh, put down the pointy sticks and we can talk this through, huh?"

"Hey, John, take it easy. You might wanna fight Bucky before you tangle with the Dora Milaje," Sam piped, a satisfactory smirk on his face.

"The Dora Milaje don't have jurisdiction here," John replied matter of factory, fully confident in himself.

"The Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever the Dora Milaje find themselves to be," Ayo said, her own resolution unwavering.

"Okay," John chuckled. "Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot." He made the mistake of placing his hand on Ayo's shoulder.

In the blink of an eye, she used her weapon to hit the man in the chest, leg, and face. While he was caught off guard, she used all of her strength to kick him back. He was haphazard sent flying backwards, only being stopped by the spear still lodged in the wall. He collapsed to the tiled ground, head spinning and ego certainly hurting more than his throbbing body.

Despite the air being knocked from his lugs and the world swimming before his eyes, he quickly turned his body to snatch up the shield he had placed on the ground a moment earlier. He grabbed it just in time, barely managing to block the pointed tip of another spear from being thrusted into his chest.

The altercation continued as he scrambled to his feet in another attempt to strike back. By now, all three members of the Dora Milaje were fighting Captain America and Battlestar, who only reluctantly joined for his loyalty to Walker was deeper than his fear.

"We should do something," Sam remarked, watching the display next to Bucky.

"Looking strong, John," Bucky called to the man who was not in fact looking strong. Iris couldn't stop herself from laughing at the comment and earned a scolding look from Sam.

"Bucky..."

Walker was continuously attacked unrelentingly from all sides. He was knocked around so easily, barely managing to keep his footing, let alone execute an offensive move. The sight delighted Iris.

Much to her displeasure, Bucky intervened. He managed to wrap his metal fingers around Ayo's weapon while she was about to deliver a potentially fatal blow to John. "Ayo!" The Wakandan grunted, pulling her weapon with both hands in order to regain control of it. "Ayo, let's talk about this!"

Iris looked over at Zemo who nonchalantly took a sip of whiskey from the crystal tumbler he held. Based on his calm actions, she deduced that his had been his plan all along. He had known the Dora Milaje were coming. In fact, Sam and Bucky had probably known too. The secrecy slightly stung but the idea of either John Walker or the Dora Milaje succeeding in arresting Zemo hurt a lot more. The thought frightened her and motivated her.

The Sokovian looked over at his lover and gave her a small nod. The pointedness of his gaze told her everything she needed to know. She knew what she had to do, what wanted to do, what she would do.

She stood from the couch and made her way over to the unused spear by staying on the outskirts of the fighting. With the chaos surrounding her, she was able to act unnoticed. Pulling the spear from the wall, she stumbled back a step. She had not fought in this way in a long time and needed to familiarize herself with the weapon.

"Your technique is good but your motivation lacks," the General said. The grown woman circled the young girl, scrutinizing her every detail, "You need to look within yourself and find something worth fighting for." She finally stopped walking, "Again."

"Again?" The child huffed, stomping her foot. She defiantly threw the golden spear into the dirt, pointed head piercing through the rooted ground. "I've been practicing for hours! I'm tired!"

"Do you think the enemy will care that you have been fighting for hours? Will care that you're tired?" The General asked, shaking her head no. "No. The enemy won't. Again."

"What enemy!" The girl yelled in exasperation. "By the good graces of Infinity, we haven't been attacked in at least a hundred years! The kingdoms of Illyaria signed a truce!"

"And what happens when they break that truce, Iris?"

"My mother is an excellent queen! She will find a way to protect our kingdom without shedding blood!"

"I never said your mother wasn't a good queen, Princess. She's the greatest queen our kingdom has seen in centuries. However, there are even some things she cannot stop," the General explained, now bent down so she was eye level with the young girl. "There are enemies who abide by no treaty. Enemies who crave bloodshed. What will you do when they come?"

"I don't know," Iris admitted, arms crossed over her chest in defeat.

"You will find your opponents weakness and use it," the General instructed. "They will show you a battle, and when they do, you will raise them a war. For a goddess does not cower before anyone."

After replaying slivers of her childhood training in her mind, the weight of the spear felt natural in her hand. It felt like a mere extension of her arm. Around her, the Americans fell to the ground at the hands of the Wakandans.

The General had been right. As a child, Iris lacked proper motivation to fight. She had a head full of fantasies and had been to jaded to find one despite the careful warnings of the woman. Nothing could have ever prepared her for the enemy that came from the sky.

But now, her head was full of nothing but grim truths. More importantly, she had motivation. She had something worth fighting for.

She watched as John Walker tried to stand once more. "Find you opponent's weakness," she mumbled to herself, twirling the spear as she took long strides towards him. "And today, I am yours!" With all her might, she struck the weapon down upon him. The tip struck his vibranium shield and the pure force sent him to the ground.

She remained standing over him, weapon pointed directly at his throat as if daring him to move. "I told you I would ruin your life, John Walker," she saw that Zemo was gone, "and I just did."

exactly where she knew he would be: the Sokovian memorial. She had told ( promised ) him that her soul would search for his in every lifetime. And her soul had certainly searched this lifetime for his after he fled Latvia. She had remained locked in the bedroom of his safehouse, refusing to aid her friends any further. She only unlocked the door after determining where he was and contacting Oeznik to help her. Two days after he vanished, she left the last place she saw him in hopes of finding him once more, in hopes of helping him.

Her feet carried her quickly across the road that stood between the memorial and the rest of the forgotten ruins. She ran with reckless abandon, knowing with certainty that no oncoming vehicle posed a threat to her as she crossed. There were no cars to pose a threat, no people to drive them. There was barely a complete piece of asphalt to label a street. They had repaved the specific section of pavement during the construction process so the construction crew could more easily access their materials. That was the only reason it stood apart from the remains of Novi Grad.

He could tell that her pace was slowing now, closing in on him. "You found me," he hummed, not needing to visibly see her to know it was her. He knew it was her by the rhythm of her thumping footsteps, the sound of her breathing. "I was wondering when you would show."

"I told you my soul would always search for yours," she replied, taking her place next to him. "I spent two days locked in your bedroom, trying to obtain information about any properties you owned, any place you may have gone. I'm ashamed to say it took that long to realize I knew exactly where you would go: the place you love most."

"The place where it all started," he affirmed. The place where his life started. The place where his need for revenge started. The place where he had realized it was possible to love another after his family was gone. "The amount of time it took you to find me is of no great importance. What matters is that you found me before they did."

"The Dora Milaje?" He gave her a silent nod, sullen eyes still fixated on the only fragment of his past life that remained. "Helmut, they were as clueless as the rest of us when you disappeared. They're an elite force, yes, but there's no way they could locate you this quickly."

"You did." He argued, "A person with enough motivation and the proper tools can accomplish anything they wish to. Both of us are proof of this. Motivated by revenge and with extensive espionage training, I spent years executing a plan to spark the downfall of the Avenger empire. And you, motivated by longing and with the help of Oeznik, spent two days determining my location." He finally glanced down at her and he swore his breath almost escaped his lips as if he was seeing her for the first time once again, "Now imagine how quickly the Dora Milaje could accomplish their goal. They have the perfect motivation and more than enough tools."

She shook her head no, wanting to refute his infallible logic. He didn't allow her to attempt to. "Do you still have your phone?"

"Of course," she replied. Then it dawned on her. She had been so swept up in being reunited with him that she had forgotten one of the simplest and most important rules of being untraceable: no phones. Her mouth slightly parted in realization as she frantically shoved her hand into her back pocket. Grabbing ahold of the device, she slammed it on the ground, sending tiny shards of glass flying. She then used the heel of her combat boot to mash it into the brick. She only stopped once it was completely destroyed, utterly unrecognizable.

"Vöglein, it doesn't matter now!" He insisted, his hands catching hold of her wrists. "None of it matters now."

"Yes it does!" She blurted, shaking her head in denial. "I may have led them straight to you!" Her eyes began to burn and she recognized this to be a sign of tears — tears of sadness, anger, and frustration, all in one.

"Effective immediately, the Zemo barony fortune is yours, with all its assets yours to do as you wish with. Oeznik has already been informed and will help you with the transition."

"I'm no Zemo," she disagreed, shaking her head violently at his words. "I refuse to take your family fortune."

"I wish for you to take my last name too."

The man repositioned his hands so that her face was cradled in his palms. His fingertips threaded into her hair as the pads of his thumbs caressed her cheeks. "This lifetime has nothing left for us, vöglein." Iris' eyes searched his, hoping to find an ounce of faith contrasting the darkness of his pupils. She found none. "Next lifetime," Helmut whispered. "You have reminded me from the beginning that I needed to begin to live once more for I must eventually die."

She remembered telling him that, remembered it as if it were yesterday.

"Zemo, you know I'm your only ally in this world," she spoke softly, hoping the security cameras wouldn't be able to pick up the audio. She hadn't jammed the feed as she had in their previous meetings. "I am the only thing standing between you and death."

"Death, it doesn't seem so bad," he replied, yanking on the cuffs, a clang resonating through the room as metal hit metal. "I would be free."

"Momento mori, Zemo. Death is inevitable, each day unpromised. However, I have the gift of bending this harsh truth. As long as I'm here, you will not be meeting your maker. T'Challa told you the living weren't done with you. I am certainly not done with you."

She could see the memories so vividly, so crystal clear before her.

She shook her head no, refusing to acknowledge his words. "I told you that as long as I was here, you wouldn't die! I told you the living weren't done with you! I'm not done with you!" She was making herself upset once more as she hated his submission to death.

"Momento mori, vöglein."

"Yes Helmut, death is inevitable. But a reminder that you must die is a reminder that you must live. You are not living, not yet. I refuse to let you die until you have lived."

"Iris, I have lived," he reassured her, closing his eyes as he once again remembered the past. "I have lived and now am nothing more than a dead man walking. You know that. I am simply a dead man waiting to greet an old friend. I will open the door when death comes knocking."

"For as long as I live in this life, Helmut, I will not let death reach your door or allow you to open it."

"And oh Iris, how I have lived with you."

Her breath caught in her lungs and her heartbeat stilled. He was right. They were out of time. There was nothing left for them. She reluctantly nodded her head in submission, a lone tear sliding down her cheek. He gave her an encouraging yet sorrowful smile.

She stood up, determined to defy death and cling to life. He stood up with her, shaking his head. "Iris, if you defy him, there will be no more reincarnation. There will only be a life that feels like death."

The woman placed her hand on the glass once more, yearning to touch his skin, anchor herself to this life as she once had anchored him. "That's all I've ever known until now so it will be no different."

"What did you find in this life that makes it worth holding onto?" He asked, his hand mirroring hers.

"Friendship."

Love. The answer had been love.

Iris had fallen in love with Helmut over the course of their time together. He didn't know! He needed to know!

"I love you," she uttered, fingers lacing with his. "I love you, Helmut Zemo."

He looked at her as if she were the only that hung the sun in the sky and painted the black of night with stars. Helmut Zemo, a notorious atheist, looked at the woman as if she were god. Because to him, she was. God was the entity that provided salvation to repentant sinners and oh how she had saved him.

"I love you, Iris Zemo."

He connected their lips and it became just the two of them at the edge of the world. No one else existed. They were merely dancing the line between life and death once more. Together. For the final time.

It was only when their lungs ached for oxygen that the pair pulled away, foreheads resting together. Their chests heaved in sync, their heartbeats thumping in unison. They had truly become one — mind, body, and soul.

And just as soon as they had truly become one, they were ripped apart.

He saw them first, the hidden splashes of dark red in the heavily forested background. He noticed the glints of sunlight hitting metal, their metallic spears giving them away. The Dora Milaje were here. It was time for her to go. The Wakandans could decide that Iris had helped him escape and arrest her too. He couldn't — wouldn't — let that happen.

"It's time for you to go," he told her, holding her close one last time. "They're here." He needed to remember the way she felt in his arms. He needed to be able it for the rest of his days.

"I swear my soul will search for yours in the next lifetime," she hastily told him, grip tightening on his hands. She needed to remember the way her hands felt in his. She needed to be able it for the rest of her days.