Chapter Ten

After all three of them were dressed, Steve came back over and the three of them ate a quick breakfast of cereal. The drive to the Triskelion was pretty quiet, just like breakfast.

Entering the building felt a bit strange to her, as if she were being watched. Walking through the halls, she saw there were a few agents staring at her, but then they might actually be due to who she was walking with. Steve and Sam were very well known, and there was a chance that some of them may have clearance to know who Bucky Bear was. By now, there might even be a few who knew of her.

Sitting in the mission briefing room waiting for Maria to get there was nerve wracking. Looking down at her nails, a few of them had been chewed down to the quick, ruining the manicure that Natasha had taken her for days ago. When the door finally opened, Maria was all business as she stood before the group and started the meeting.

"We received confirmation a few hours ago about a Hydra cell planning a biological attack in forty-eight hours. They gained access to an anthrax strain that has been altered to be airborne. Intel states that they will be releasing it during the upcoming Dallas Stars' football game. Executives from an overseas oil corporation will be in attendance and they are the primary targets. Killing them will halt a merger between two corporations that would help increase gas production with a new process that is less expensive and safer for the environment."

"How many people are expected to be at the game?" Sam asked as she sat silent trying to absorb the information.

"It's close to being sold out since it's on a Saturday. That means just about a hundred thousand innocent people would be exposed," Maria informed them, driving her point home with her wording that was probably meant for her.

And it was working.

Lorraine couldn't believe what she was hearing. Hydra would kill that many innocent people just to get to a few businessmen? This was the type of action that she had always been taught that Hydra was supposed to be trying to stop, not the other way around.

The others were still talking about the attack so she tried to refocus on what they were discussing.

"We now know the location of their base just outside of the city. The plan is to move in before they have a chance to get anywhere near the stadium," Maria continued on.

The others started to ask more questions, getting more details on what they need to know for the actual missions, but Raine wasn't listening anymore…she couldn't.

There was no logical reason behind the gruesome task the Hydra cell was planning. None of the group she had begun to think of as friends were even surprised by the hideousness of the deed, as if to them Hydra trying to perform such an act was normal. But from everything that she had learned over the past few weeks, it seem that for Hydra…it was.

Raine felt a sharp pain in her chest as she told herself that her uncle had been lying to her.

Leaving the briefing, Sam gave Bucky Bear the keys to his car, letting him have the use of it for the next few days while they were all gone with the promise of not ripping the steering wheel out of this one. None of the group bothered to ask her anything about what she was feeling or had learned, even Sam who was always trying to make her feel better. They could probably tell by her expression that she didn't want to talk about it.

As the two of them quietly walked through the building towards the parking lot, Raine now understood.

Everything her uncle had told her was a lie…especially about how her Bucky Bear would be with her forever.

Bucky watched over Rainedrop for the rest of the day after getting back home from the briefing. She remained very quiet the entire time, and he could see that she was more than a bit withdrawn. He knew that it was hard for her to have such evidence given to her about Hydra. But maybe this would be the final turning point for her to realize that none of them had ever lied to her and that it had been her uncle to do so for all her life.

Rainedrop had silently fixed them a simple lunch and then shut herself in the bedroom with the e-reader that Sam had given her as a gift. He could always tell when she purchased a new book by the unique smile that always crossed her face. He remembered years ago how happy she had been after the first time he had been woken up and she had learned enough words to be able to read him a book. That was a smile that almost made him want to reassess his idea of refusing to have…of accepting the feelings he had for her.

A few hours later, Rainedrop moved around the small apartment cleaning and doing their joined laundry over in Steve's apartment, which he had told her she could have access to. Undertaking that chore kept her away from him, and he knew that she was doing it on purpose. She was still trying to accept all that she had learned today and it seemed that there was no need for him to validate what she was starting to understand. Bucky just regretted that it had to be done and that he hadn't stop her uncle from poisoning her mind years ago.

By bedtime, they had barely spoken to each other all day, and he did not like the quietness between them. Waiting as Rainedrop finished in the bathroom, he decided to see how she was doing now that she'd had time to process what she had learned this morning. He didn't want her to go to sleep if she was mad at him or the group.

"Raine," he called out to her when the bathroom door finally opened. She'd taken a long bath, probably just soaking in the water. As she stepped into the small den area, he could once again smell the sweet scent of vanilla that always accompanied her after bathing, enveloping the apartment as well as his senses. He had grown to like that scent too much. "Come sit with me for a few minutes."

Without actually answering him, she did so wearing that red nightgown that stirred something in him, something bad.

"I want to talk with you for a moment about this morning. I know that you didn't like what you learned about at the meeting and I wanted to see how you are doing now."

"I'm fine," her voice sounded small.

"Can you tell me a bit more than just you're 'fine'?" he tried to make sure that his voice was calm and a bit on the lighter side. He didn't want to get into an argument with her.

"What do you want to hear? That I've finally figured out that my uncle lied to me for my entire life?" she was instantly defensive, her voice raised…exactly what he didn't want.

"No, I just want to make sure that you are not upset with any of us," he told her reaching over to take a hold of her hand, but the moment he made contact she pulled it out of reach. It struck him that it was exactly the same move that he usually did to her when she tried to touch him.

There was a small pain in his chest from her action. Now he knew what that denial of affection felt like.

"No, I'm upset with myself for believing my uncle. He lied to me about Hydra, he lied to me about what he was working on…he lied to me about you."

There was no mistaking the meaning in her voice as she said that. And once again it brought a nagging doubt to him but he couldn't let himself falter. Maybe if he drove the point home to her now, he might actually start to believe it too.

"Now you have the chance to start over. You can make the life that you want, not what your uncle wanted for you."

"I guess I'll have to now," she told him standing up and walking towards the bedroom, leaving him with an uneasy feeling in his gut with the statement. "Good night, Bucky."

It took a moment after Rainedrop had closed the bedroom door for him to realize that it was the first time she had not called him Bucky Bear.

After a bit of research due to yet another upgrade request from Maria Hill, Tim sat at his computer just before leaving for the night to let her know what he had been able to find. Yawning, he typed out the confidential email to her.

Director Maria Hill
Status Report: Item #6587598-Z

We found some of the old internal wiring was insufficient so I ordered them stripped and they will be replaced. The outer panels which showed the beginning signs of rust or deterioration will also be replaced.

But the additional upgrades that you requested in your last email will push back the completion date of the Bot by another two months, putting completion in early to mid-May. Most of the delay will be producing the materials from the designs for Stark Industry's advanced servo motors to upgrade all of the joints. I will put in the order immediately for production to start.

The other computer software and internal hardware modifications can be done while they are being produced.

Tim Harness

Climbing the stairs to his apartment, Steve was dragging from a long couple of days. They had managed to take out the small Hydra terrorist base but it had not been easy. They had been supplied with upgraded weapons, some even automated. Instead of a quick breach and capture, it had become a three hour fight while trying to keep nosy civilian reporters from walking into the middle of a battle just to get a story.

Reaching the top floor, the faint smell of something cooking was much stronger and easily brought a smile to his face. He was sure that Lorraine was making dinner. Pausing at their door, he almost knocked to see if he could invite himself in for a hot meal not purchased at a drive-thru. There was not a single sound coming from the apartment.

Heading over to his door, he gave it a quick test and found it unlocked. He had told Bucky and Lorraine that if they wanted to they could also use his place while he was gone. It looked like one of them had.

Opening the door, the smell of the dinner wafted from inside, telling Steve that it wasn't being cooked next door.

"How did it go?" Bucky asked while sitting down on his couch and watching a movie Steve didn't recognize.

Glancing to the kitchen, Lorraine was standing in front of the stove-top with all the burners being used. There was no way to hide the smile at seeing her cooking and knowing that she had done so over here guessing he would be home to join them. He'd called this morning saying to expect him at some point today.

"Let's just say I'd rather not have to do that again anytime soon," he stated putting his shield to rest against the wall.

"Five minutes, Steve," Lorraine called out to him. "I hope you're hungry."

"Starving," he told her taking up a spot near Bucky on the couch. Dropping his voice so that only he could hear, Steve asked, "How did it go here the past few days?"

"Same as it has been, maybe a bit quieter," Bucky told him with a bit of a frown.

Shaking his head a bit, Steve could only wonder why Bucky was being so hardheaded about his feelings for Lorraine. There were too many times to count when he would catch Bucky watching her with a smile on his face. But the moment that she turned towards Bucky it was gone. Maybe he deserved what he was bringing on himself.

"Alright you two, go wash your hands," Lorraine called out reminding him of his own mother's habit of saying the same thing.

The two of them eventually made it to the table as Lorraine put the piled-high with food plates on it for them. He felt so much like a small child when she did such a motherly gestures. He and Bucky usually sat opposite of each other with Lorraine next to Bucky, which always brought out a grimace at her trying to be close to him.

But tonight, she took the seat next to him for the first time, making Steve a bit more curious as to what had gone on between them while he was away.

They ate while chatting but it wasn't until most of the way through the meal that he realized that even though the two of them were talking with him, they were not actually talking with each other. They didn't seem to be mad at each other but they weren't engaging in conversation together either.

What had Bucky done now?

By the time that Monday morning arrived, Raine had finally been able to make a decision after spending the past two days alone with Bucky. She had spent most of their time alone reevaluating the past few weeks together. Every time she had tried to sit a bit too close, Bucky would get up for something. Trying to hold his hand as they walked to the grocery store, he'd pulled away. Eating at the bar on the stools, he would move his all the way to the wall, as far as he could get from her.

Bucky was making it very clear that she was not wanted in his life.

That was why she had pulled her hand away from his the other night. To stop any feeling of comfort going to or coming from him. Raine was not going to let him get away with withholding affection only to dole it out when he wanted to. It was now obviously clear that he was ready to move on.

Which mean that she needed to move on.

There was no way that she could continue to live in the same place with Bucky every day. Seeing him and now knowing that every single feeling that she had for him was created by lies hurt her in a special way. Especially the part where he was not going to return them. From his reactions, getting physically to close to him almost made him angry at her.

She couldn't keep doing this…there was no reason to.

Considering her options, Raine felt that she had finally come up with at least the beginnings of a plan. Shield probably knew that she wasn't a threat to them anymore. Which meant that she didn't have to live right next door to their most famous agent. There was one very easy way to get out of here so that Bucky could continue to live next door to his best friend.

Raine needed to find a husband.

And to be able to start working on that, she now needed to talk with Maria.

Picking up the cellphone that Sam had brought for them to use, even with Bucky being next door at Steve's, she grabbed her coat and headed up the stairs so that she could sit in the small roof area for a bit more privacy.

"Good morning, Maria," Steve answered his cellphone as he and Bucky were arguing about which of the commandos had taken a bottle of whiskey that Dum Dum Dugan had stashed back during a mission. Each of them had always thought the other the culprit but both of them were adamant in their innocence. It seemed that it was an age old mystery that would never be solved.

"Well I just had an interesting conversation with Raine," Maria told him.

Glancing at Bucky who had taken the interruption of the call to get another cup of coffee from the kitchen, Steve stood and walked closer to the den windows, the furthest he could get from his friend.

"Really?"

"Yes. It seems that she has decided that she needs to move on…in the form of finding a husband," Maria sounded very amused. "She asked me how to accomplish that considering her history."

"You're not joking, are you?"

"Not in the least," she said.

Looking back at Bucky, he knew where this was about to head and he wondered how his best friend was going to take it. He had hoped that after living together for a few weeks, and even being alone over the weekend that Raine or something else would push the issue and then Bucky would finally give up his pigheadedness about being together, making them both happy. Steve had seen the hidden smiles behind her back and the jealous nature when she talked with or even walked with other guys.

Listening to Maria though it sounded like the past two days had the exact opposite effect.

"Give me a little while and I'll be in so we can talk about this in person," he told her to which she agreed.

"What did Maria need?" Bucky asked when he hung up.

"It seems that I need to head in and talk with her for a bit. I don't think it should take long. How about I pick up lunch for the three of us on my way back?"

Bucky seemed to narrow his gaze at him, as if trying to judge his honesty, but he had in fact not lied about anything he had said.

Omitted, definitely.

"I'll let Raine know," he told him.

"Raine talked with me wanting to know if she was allowed to move out or if Shield would be watching her. I told her that if she really wanted to that she could move, so I then asked her why she wanted to move. She explained at if she found a husband then she didn't have to stay living with Bucky. Raine then asked how she could go about finding a 'potential mate', her words, considering her background," Maria told him with a smile as they sat in her office.

It wasn't that big of a secret that the two of them were dealing with conflicting feelings for each other. Everyone in their group small group of friends knew the soap opera that Bucky had brought on himself. All of them were in agreement with Steve that he was just being obstinate. For weeks they had all seen the small things that Lorraine did to try and win Bucky's affection…cooking his favorite meals, making sure to stand close as they walked somewhere, trying to hold his hand, the smiles at him behind his back.

There was no mistaking that Lorraine was trying to get him to open up to her. But Bucky had taken over the title of 'stubborn as a mule'. But it looked as if she could only take so much rejection and had finally given up on him.

"What did you tell her?" Steve asked.

"That I would have one of our agents begin the paperwork to put her back into society…a driver's license, birth certificate to reflect her apparent age, a social security number. I told her it would take a few days and during that time I would figure out a plausible story for her. Do you know if something happened between her and Bucky this past weekend?"

"I think that the problem is that nothing did. When I got back last night, they seemed fine, but a bit more distant with each other. Lorraine even sat by me at the dinner table instead of next to Bucky where she usually would."

"And he still hasn't admitted to having feelings for her?" Maria asked but he guessed she already knew that answer.

"No, he hasn't. I think that he's worried about what could happen," he told her.

"The Winter Solider is scared?"

"No, Bucky is scared."

Sitting in her chair, Steve watched as she fell into thought about something as she crossed her arms before looking back at him.

"So…what do we do to make him un-scared?" Maria asked with a devious smile.

Sitting back in his own chair, Steve smiled back at her as he considered what she was getting at. He quickly began to formulate a plan.

"As Bucky said to me that day we took her to Camp Lehigh, I think that we give Lorraine exactly what she wants," Steve then began to explain his idea.

When Steve had finished, there was an amused glint in Maria's eye as she told him, "I have the perfect agent to help with this. It'll let him see just how much I like a good joke."

Agent Ryan Traxler left Director Hill's office with a wide grin on his face that he couldn't hide if he tried. He had been given a special mission that had a very special possibility. He now knew about the female he and Eric had found in the hidden room being a former Hydra member's family member who had been lied to and tricked into being cryo-frozen.

But it turns out that Lorraine Zola was trying to be acclimated back into society and he was chosen personally by Maria Hill to take her out on a date. Hill had informed him that there was a chance during their date he may learn confidential Hydra secrets from her and if he did, his security level would be increased to reflect his new status.

Sure, seeing a picture of the beautiful woman he was going to spend an evening with was just a bonus.