A/N: Exams are over! Yus! Things should be going back to normal now. :) Hope you enjoy, as usual!
Big thanks to winter368 for following :)))
Review Response(s):
CheekyLittleFoxy: I guess you'll find out. Glad you enjoyed it! :)
8 - Stories
Inside the jet were seven people, excluding Bucky and I. A few I vaguely recognised from my oldest memories, but there were three who were strangers to me. A woman I knew to be Agent May was flying the plane, which, based on what I could remember, was a fairly common occurrence.
"Wow," I drawled dryly as I dumped my bag on the floor. "Wasn't expecting a welcoming party."
"Don't worry," Coulson said with a small grin, "there's an even bigger one back in New York."
I blinked. "Why are we going there?"
"Headquarters," he answered simply. "But actually, we're going to Toronto first. That's where he went."
"The one who blew up the care home?"
"The one who planted the bomb," Coulson corrected. "Based on the camera footage we've managed to acquire, he wasn't working alone. We plan on extracting the name of his partner (or partners) when we find him."
I glanced at Bucky, taking note of the stone-like expression he'd adopted. When he met my eyes, I knew he was seeing the same thing reflected back at him. "How long?"
"An hour and a half, at most," May called up from the front.
"Right," Coulson said, glancing around at everyone, seeing them staring at him in anticipation. "Introductions." I raised an eyebrow at him, but nonetheless allowed him to continue. "Designated driver - Melinda May. Resident engineer and tech guru - Leo Fitz. That's Daisy Johnson, she's an Inhuman. The others are Lance Hunter, Al Mackenzie (we call him Mac), and Bobbi Morse. They're our main field Agents. Everyone, I'm sure that she needs no introduction but I'll do it anyway; this is Daphne Barnes, also known as Silverthorn."
"Information overload," I muttered to Bucky, who chuckled. "Okay," I said, "I think I got it all, but don't be surprised if I start calling you something completely wrong. Just go with it." They exchanged bemused looks, but nodded. I turned back to Coulson. "Any luck with Tyrfing yet?"
"Funnily enough, contacting Asgard isn't that easy."
"Sure it is," I protested, frowning. "Just ask. Heimdall's always listening."
"He and I have already had this discussion," Bucky noted, folding his arms over his chest in an 'I told you so' kind of gesture that was pointedly directed at Coulson.
I shrugged. "Well, he's only human."
"So are you," Coulson pointed out.
"Barely," I shot back.
Bucky scoffed. "Speak for yourself," he grumbled. "I personally think myself to be very human, thank you very much." I shot him a wink, and the smirk on his lips told me he was also only kidding around.
My smile faded slightly, and I asked my husband quietly, "Any news on Vera?"
He shook his head. "I haven't had the opportunity to ask," he admitted. "I'm sure she's fine. She's got a better security system than the U.S. government."
I chuckled. "That's true, I suppose."
"How old is she now?"
I glanced up, seeing Fitz fiddling nervously with his sleeve even as his eyes shone with avid curiosity. "Four months, just about," I answered. "I reckon she'll be starting to crawl soon."
"Maybe she already is," Bucky mused. "She always was oddly strong for her age."
"Or maybe not so odd, if you think about you guys," Fitz pointed out with a grin.
"I just hope she doesn't turn out like her mother."
I let out a noise of protest, smacking Bucky on the chest. "That's rude. I'm an absolute delight!"
"You weren't when you were pregnant," he countered, raising an eyebrow.
I sniffed, shaking my head. "I was being attacked by outrageous hormones. I had no control over my actions."
Fitz looked between us in amusement, then asked, "What did she do?"
"So many things," Bucky said with a grin. "For example, about six months into the pregnancy she threw a Bible at my head when I told her I'd never watched Sherlock before." I shrugged sheepishly, not denying it. In fairness though, I'd probably do that even if I wasn't pregnant. Not that I'd ever tell him that. "It then took me almost five hours to convince her I wasn't mad at her for it."
"How long was it before you'd watched all three seasons?"
"We were done by the end of the very next day, even with all the bathroom and ice cream breaks."
"I had a tiny human being pressing on my bladder!" I protested, even though I was actually enjoying this conversation. I had the excuse that I was pregnant at the time to back me up, so hearing about my actions was rather amusing. "I'd like to see you do better in my shoes."
Bucky looked absolutely terrified by the thought. "No thanks, I think I'll go without."
I grinned at him, winking at Fitz when I caught sight of his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. "Although," I added with a smile, "I have to admit I can't argue about the ice cream breaks. Those were absolutely necessary."
"Especially after the week 19 meltdown."
"Oh my God!" I cried, my eyes moving to glare at Felix, who was staring innocently back at me from his place on the floor. "That evil dog!"
"What happened?" Daisy asked, and it was only then that I realised everyone else on the jet was looking extremely entertained by this conversation.
I let out a long sigh, before grudgingly telling them, "I had a sobbing, weeping meltdown because Felix peed on my last clean pair of comfortable, stretchy trousers and I was forced to put on maternity jeans. Bucky had to listen to me sob on his shoulder for a solid five minutes before I gained enough composure to explain why I was even crying in the first place."
"And then of course there was the day you made that old lady cry."
I groaned into my hands. "I'm still mortified by that," I grumbled.
Bucky grinned at me, before turning back to the others. "When she was about seven months in, whenever we went out people would ask her when she was due. Well, one day she completely lost it when this little old lady asked her that very same question. Daphne very promptly told her that she was not pregnant and would appreciate it if she minded her own business. Anyway, this poor woman started bawling hysterically in front of everyone and apologising over and over."
"I felt horrible," I said, picking up the story. "I apologised profusely and told her I was just having a bad day. When I did, she stopped sobbing and just stared at me. Then she called me an asshole - this woman was like seventy years old, let's not forget - and told me that of course she knew, because I was as wide as her house. Bucky didn't stop laughing for ten minutes straight, and he still hasn't let it drop."
Everyone in the jet laughed along to that, except May and Coulson, who both just grinned instead. I winked at Bucky, and he smirked in return, wrapping an arm around my waist as everyone finally calmed down and then settled into their own conversations.
When I was sure no one was looking, I turned to Bucky. "I haven't seen you since July and I still haven't kissed you yet."
He cocked an eyebrow at me and then adopted a completely serious expression. "You're quite right. How appalling of us both." And then he ducked his head down and sealed his lips against mine, and I knew there and then that I would never let go of him again. Logic or not, I wasn't letting my Bucky Barnes go off on his own.
Daphne and Bucky were gathered with the rest of the team in the quinjet as Daisy showed them a detailed blueprint and street map of the building they were heading forward.
"The Old City Hall has a clock tower that is inaccessible to the public all the way to the top," Daisy explained. "However, from what we can tell, and what satellite imaging has told us, Joey Coltrain has holed himself up at the very top of the tower, behind the clock faces."
"Up there he'll be isolated," Coulson put in, "however it stands to reason he'll have some sort of escape route planned. So, Daisy and I will head up to his hiding spot through the tower. If he decides to make an escape - which, given the circumstances, he probably will - chances are he'll end up on Queen Street West, where I want Bucky and Daphne to be posted. In case something changes, I want May and Bobbi on Bay Street. Hunter, you take James Street, and Mac, I want you on Albert Street. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Now, we want to cause as little panic as possible, so discretion is preferred. And, of course, no guns. Fitz, I want you to stay with the jet. Daisy will hack you into local security cameras. If by some miracle he manages to give us the slip, we'll need you to track which direction he's going and try to find us a faster route so we can cut him off."
"Got it," Fitz said firmly, and Coulson gave him a curt nod.
"Great, then we're ready to go," he said, before heading over to box and picking out a few peculiar looking guns. "ICERs," he explained at the sight of Daphne and Bucky's equally perplexed expressions, though they both took the weapons without complaint. "They'll knock a target out for a good few hours. Only use it if you must."
Daphne nodded. "Yeah, having a guy collapse in the middle of the street isn't exactly subtle, is it?"
"Good, you picked up on that part. That makes one of you."
Daphne chuckled. "I'm guessing subtlety isn't high up on the popularity list with this group."
"It's not very fun," Hunter mused.
Bucky scoffed, causing everyone (except Daphne) to look at him in surprise. "Are you kidding?" he asked, putting the ICER into the holster on his belt. "The element of surprise is what makes it better. You get to relish in the expression of shock on their faces."
"We're landing in five," May reported, moving back into the pilot seat and taking over the controls. "Closest place we can land is Mugg's Island, so we'll need a boat."
"Well, we could always swim," Daphne offered, smirking as everyone else just shot her a look. She rolled her eyes. "Hey, it's an option."
Coulson shook his head. "Let's try to avoid that, if we can. Daisy, can you get us a boat for when we land?"
Daisy nodded, turning her laptop around and typing away so fast her fingers were almost a blur. Daphne raised an impressed eyebrow at her, before turning to Bucky. "You okay?" she asked, tucking her ICER into her waistband, not having a combat belt like Bucky did.
He nodded, smiling softly. "Always. And you?"
Daphne smiled in return. "Yeah," she murmured. "I'm good."
"Just think," Bucky mused, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him, "in just a few days' time we could be able to go back home. See Vera. See Steve and Natasha. See Pietro and Wanda. See Kaia. See everyone."
Letting out a longing sigh through her nose, Daphne rested her head on Bucky's chest and then hummed. "I'd like that," she murmured. "I'd like that a lot."
"We've got eyes on the target," Coulson reported, Bucky and I listening intently as we waited in the street opposite the Old City Hall, pretending to be tourists. Night was still very much in place, leaving the street mercifully calm, though hardly empty. "Everyone in position?"
"Yup."
"Confirmed."
"Ready when you are, boss."
"You did say James Street, right?"
I exchanged a look with my husband, who quirked his lips at me in amusement at Hunter, before he wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we stared up at the stone war memorial sitting in the area in front of the building. Despite the fact the whole 'tourist' thing was fake, I still silently paid my respects to the people who gave their lives from this area. I knew personally what they'd been through before their deaths, and they deserved respect.
"Target's on the move. Bucky, Daphne, he's heading your way."
"On it," Bucky said sharply, moving towards the clock tower, where a speck of a man in black clothing could be seen abseiling down the tower. Bucky glanced back at me and nodded, and I turned down Bay Street at a casual walking pace, before heading along Richmond Street West. I moved carefully, taking extra care not to knock into anyone and draw attention my way. "Daphne, he's moving east. Move to intercept, now."
I started jogging along the road, picking up speed until I was running at a fairly fast, but not inhuman, pace. I swerved to the left, along the next road, and then circled back onto Queen Street West. The man was heading towards me, only for his eyes to clap on mine and for him to suddenly change direction, fear and recognition sparking in his eyes the moment before he turned away. I decided to forego subtlety and kicked myself into my highest gear, running probably around three times as fast as him. I caught up with him in seconds, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him back.
"Try to escape, and I'll use a little more force next time," I hissed in his ear, before escorting him back toward Bucky, who slapped a drug patch onto the man's neck. Fitz had produced them just before we left, telling us that the patches were designed to make the consumer delirious. It acted within seconds, and Bucky and I hoisted the man's arms over our shoulders, making it look like he were dragging a friend back home after a long night of drinking. No one spared us a second glance.
