Ororo struggled against the Secret Service agent. He was huge and twice her size, but she could see James bleeding on the steps at Steve's feet. She heard a scream and realized it was coming from her. Steve looked back at her and was about to say something when other agents swarmed and began moving him to cover. James' eyes closed and she felt her knees give.
"Miss, I'm going to need to you keep back." The agent said, trying to hold her up.
"He needs help." She said, her voice wavering. "Please." She said. The agent put his hand to his earpiece. Then he nodded.
"Right away sir." He picked her up. She looked around, bewildered, twisting to try and see what was happening with James.
"Where are you taking me?" She demanded.
"Sorry, Ma'am." The agent said. "I have my orders." He put her in a black Secret Service van. Outside the window, she saw ambulance lights. She pressed her face against the glass.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked.
"President's orders, Ma'am." The agent said. "He wants you in a safe place until he's determined there's no threat. I'm taking you to the White House."
She glared at him. "The threat wasn't to me." She hissed. "I'm not in any danger." How dare Steve try and take her away from James, by locking her up in the White House. The agent stared ahead. The driver started the car. Ororo waited for him to begin to pull out, before jumping from the car. Kicking off her heels and slamming the door, she ran towards the stairs. It took the agent a few seconds to react and by the time he'd exited the car, she was already next to James. putting pressure on his wound and trying to stop the bleeding. The paramedics pulled up and ran to him.
"I'm a friend." She explained as the lead paramedic tried to push her away. "He's my...I'm his..." She struggled, trying to find a name for what James was to her. "I was having dinner with him." She angrily wiped her eyes as her vision became blurred by tears. "I'm riding with him." The man was about to argue with him, but she shot him an angry look which silenced him. She sat off to the side in the ambulance, watching in horror as they examined the bullet wound. While she wasn't sure of most of the medical terms they were throwing around, it didn't sound good. She looked down at the blood on her hands and shuddered, closing her eyes.
They wouldn't let her into the OR, instead they sat her in the waiting area. The nurses looked at her with pity. One of them walked over to her.
"Miss. Is there anyone we can call?"
Ororo was about to respond when the door opened and Kitty and Jean rushed in and froze as they caught sight of Ororo. Sharing a look, Kitty pulled out her cellphone and moved away to have a whispered conversation with someone. Jean knelt in front of her, pulling out a tissue. "Logan called us." She explained quietly. "What happened?" She wiped her face.
Ororo shook her head. "I wasn't...I wasn't there, I-" She broke off as Jean pulled her hand back, her tissue covered with blood. James' blood. "Oh my god he's been shot."
Jean put an arm around her shoulder. Kitty got off the phone and sat on her other side.
"Tell us what happened." Kitty prompted. Ororo closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath.
"Steve was at the dinner." She said finally. "He was...less than happy about seeing Bucky and me together." She shook her head. "He sent one of his Secret Service agents to...summon us." she said bitterly. "As if he had any right to judge who I spend my time with. I refused." She closed her eyes. "So he came over and...had James leave with him." Leaning against Kitty's shoulder, she closed her eyes. "I had bad feeling so I followed them and when I got outside." The memory silenced her. James and Steve beginning a heated discussion. James' look of horror before he jumped and tackled Steve to the ground. She burst into fresh tears. Kitty rubbed her back while Jean murmured soothing words.
"He wouldn't have been out there if I hadn't been with him." Ororo said. "If I hadn't been with him, Steve wouldn't have called him outside-"
"You don't know that." Jean said.
"And if James hadn't been there, Steve might have been shot." Kitty pointed out. Ororo froze. She hadn't thought of that. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on anything besides her worry for James.
Steve entered the white house panic room and glared at the nearest Secret Service agent. "When can I leave?"
"It's protocol to keep you here until we've determined that the threat has been contained." Natasha said as she walked in. Steve crossed his arms.
"And Ororo?"
Natasha shared a look with another one of her agents, then shook her head. "She was with Agent Ward. She managed to escape him and board the ambulance. We have reports that she's in the hospital Sergeant Barnes was taken to."
"WHAT?" Steve growled.
The agent in question walked into the panic room and stood, folding his hands in front of him. Steve glared at him. "Explain."
"I followed orders and brought Ms. Munroe to one of our vehicles. I put her in the back and got in beside her. Because of the increased agents around your person, Mr. President, there wasn't a second agent in the back. She waited until the car was in motion, before jumping and running towards Sergeant Barnes. By the time we'd caught up with her, she was already by the Sergeant and talking to the paramedics. I thought it best to not draw to much attention to her and allowed her to board the ambulance."
Steve glared at the agent, but saw the logic in his reasoning. "Has someone told the First Lady?" He asked just as angry raised voices came from outside.
"I don't care about protocol. I want to see him."
"Guess that answers my question." Steve said as Tony and Sharon rushed through the door.
"Steve." Tony said, looking him up and down. "Are you okay? I saw the security cam footage. You looked really presidential and brave, even when you were thrown to the ground like a rag doll."
"Thanks Tony." Steve muttered, looking past him at Sharon. She seemed worried. "Can you give us the room please?" He asked the Agents. Natasha raised an eyebrow, but didn't lecture him on protocol. She and Ward left. As soon as the door close behind them, a silence fell. "Sharon." Steve said.
"So Bucky took a bullet for you." She said quietly. Steve closed his eyes.
"He and I were talking-"
"About your mistress." Sharon finished for him, shaking her head. "She was there and you got jealous..." She grimaced. "The security camera footage shows her screaming after the shot." She turned, looking at the door to the panic room. "Doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened." She muttered.
"Sharon, Bucky's in the hospital." Steve growled.
"I know that." She hissed. "Do you? He wouldn't have been on those steps if you hadn't been concerned with marking your territory." Steve recoiled.
"That's not what happened." He growled.
"Really?" Sharon crossed her arms. "Ask yourself this; would you have taken him outside if she hadn't been involved."
"You trying to put this on her?" Steve said.
"No." Sharon said bluntly. "I'm putting this on you." She turned and left the room.
The doctor came back in a few hours later. Ororo stood, being careful to not disturb Jean who'd fallen asleep.
"Is he alright?"
The doctor nodded. "We removed the bullet. He's unconscious right now, but he should be coming around soon." He paused.
"Can I see him?" Ororo asked.
The doctor nodded and motioned for her to follow. Kitty gave her a small smile and waved her away. Ororo walked through the hospital room. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the room. He was lying on the bed, pale and somehow shrunken. The doctors had put him in a hospital gown and for the first time Ororo saw the prosthetic arm. He'd always taken are to hide all trace of it, but now. She sat next to him and took the metal hand in hers. It's cool temperature
After about an hour he stirred. He blinked his eyes open and looked down at her hand in his.
"Ororo?" He croaked, his voice raspy. She nodded. He pulled his hand away. and attempted to tuck it under the hospital blanket. She gripped his hand.
"I'm...glad you're okay." She said. "What happened?"
He groaned, closing his eyes and putting his other hand to his head. "Steve and I were...talking and he stopped, I went down two steps and...there was a sniper's dot on his chest. I just...reacted."
Ororo closed her eyes. "You're some kind of hero, James Barnes." She smiled.
"No." His voice made her open her eyes again. His face was full of guilt and shame. "I'm really not." He pulled his hand away and tried to sit up. Ororo put her hand on his shoulder.
"You shouldn't be moving." She said.
"Ororo." He looked pained, and it appeared that it was more than the wound. "There's something I need to tell you-"
The door opened and a doctor stuck his head in. "I'm sorry, Ms. Munroe, but you'll need to leave the room."
"What?" Ororo asked, looking back at James. "But he just woke up."
The doctor nodded. "I'm aware, but unfortunately this portion of the hospital is being locked down to allow Secret Service to do a sweep."
"Secret-" Ororo shut her eyes. Shaking her head. Of course he wouldn't stay away. "I want to speak to Agent Romanov."
The doctor looked at her in confusion. "I'm not sure I have the authority to-"
"Then find someone who does." Ororo said, crossing her arms, because I'm not moving."
"Ms. Munroe." The agent who'd attempted to bring her to the white house came in and frowned at her. "You'll be allowed to return when you've been cleared." He glanced at the bed. James had tensed the second he'd walked in the room; something wasn't right.
"Ororo." James murmured. "I'll be fine."
"But-"
"What's the worst he can do to me?" James gave her a smile. "I've already been shot."
Ororo swallowed, then nodded. Moving back towards the bed, she gave James a kiss on the cheek. He put his hand on her arm and gave her a reassuring smile.
The second the doctor and Ororo left, Bucky glared at Grant Ward. "So you're a Secret Service agent now?" He spat.
Ward grinned. "We had to have someone near the president who wasn't blinded by loyalty or nostalgia."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Bucky growled.
"Just that I wonder what Command will think about the heart to heart you were about to have." Ward said, innocently, walking over to the morphine drip. "His favorite attack dog...a traitor."
Bucky closed his eyes; Ward hadn't heard anything really damning, but that wouldn't stop the jealous agent from trying to bury him. "I'm not a traitor."
"Oh really?" Ward said. "Ororo." He said, mocking Bucky's rasp. "I need to tell you something."
"Shut the fuck up." Bucky growled.
"What do you think they'll do when they find out who you are?" Ward continued. "Ororo and your precious Steve?"
Bucky remained silent.
"Or I could just...turn up the morphine." Ward said, looking at Bucky in amusement. "You need to realize you can't escape B613. We're everywhere. You need to stop believing you're better than us."
"I didn't chose to join." Bucky couldn't stop the exclamation. "I'm not like you."
Ward glared at him. "If I think you've even thought about telling her, I'll kidnap her...and send her back to you in pieces...though the head I'll save for the president." He stepped back from the bed as a knock sounded on the door. Steve walked in.
"Buck." He looked relieved. "You're alright."
"Steve." Bucky said. "I-"
"No no no." Steve sat next to him. "What we were talking about...it doesn't matter. You're safe." He exhaled. "Can you ever forgive me?"
"Um." Bucky glanced at Ward. Steve waved him out, but the look the agent gave Bucky said that he'd be able to hear anything he told the president.
"It was my fault. That bullet." Steve shook his head. "It was meant for me." He looked distraught, his face weary and contrite. "Can you ever forgive me?"
Bucky swallowed. His best friend, wracked by guilt, and yet...Bucky deserved none of his friend's apologies and shame. "Steve." He said, hesitating; he could practically hear Ward listening and marking his every word. "There's nothing to forgive."
Relief spread across Steve's face and he let out a small sigh, smiling. Bucky fought to smile back, the guilt, shame and pain from his wound lancing through him.