It had been two days since Bucky had left their session. Alex hadn't heard from him but had expected as much. Having a break between other appointments, she went out for a walk. Almost all her free hours had been spent immersed in the files Fury had sent and Alex was now trying to digest all she had read and seen. From all indications, her theory was looking more and more like fact. As she strolled along, her cell phone buzzed alerting her of a text message. She looked at the screen and was very surprised to find that it was from Bucky.

Do you have a few minutes to talk?

Alex answered quickly, replying she was available. Expecting the phone to ring, she stopped walking but no call came. Instead, the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching from behind made her turn her head.

"You really do come out here every day?"

"Uh-huh. For the record, I don't lie to my clients... that includes you. Are you stalking me?"

Bucky stood there with a sheepish look on his face and eyes cast downward. "Didn't want to bother you."

"I get it, you don't trust me. I was tossed at you without warning. I refuse to sit behind a desk and wear grown-up shoes. It's a lot." He looked down at Alex's feet which were clad in camo tennis sneakers. When he lifted his eyes to meet hers, she was smiling.

"About the other day," he said.

"It's okay. It's gonna happen. You're not going to like what I say." Her words did little to alleviate his uncertainty and when the apprehension didn't disappear from his face she continued.

"If you want to be sorry for something, be sorry for running off. Don't be sorry for having the emotion. You felt the anger, expressed it, and maybe even thought about a thing or two afterwards."

Under the weight of her gaze, Bucky wilted and half-heartedly nodded. Alex went on to say that while she didn't expect him or even want him to agree with everything she said, walking out was no longer an option.

"That sounds like a rule," he said with a good-natured smirk.

"More of a non-negotiable suggestion."

Their exchange was interrupted when Alex heard her name called followed quickly by Bucky's. Both she and Bucky turned their heads to see Dr. Raynor standing nearby.

"What the...?" Alex muttered under her breath.

"Two sessions per week? I like my patients to have some time to work on the things we discussed," Dr. Raynor said.

Alex agreed with the sentiment but added that she made herself available to everyone she worked with when they wanted to talk. The other woman's eyes shifted back and forth between the pair. Without another word she turned and walked towards the office building. Bucky and Alex intently watched her go.

"I take it you two aren't best friends," Bucky said with a wry grin at Alex. She shot him an annoyed glance then turned her attention back to Raynor. Seconds later, she jabbed him with an elbow in the ribs. Bucky protested but followed her attention to where Raynor was greeting a man who suspiciously looked like John Walker. The psychiatrist and the former Captain American then entered the building.

"Shouldn't he be in jail or something by now?" Bucky asked.

Alex didn't answer but spun and started off walking in the opposite direction. Bucky lingered looking at the entrance of the building. She went back, grabbed his arm, and tugged him towards her, asking if he had plans. Along the way, she pulled out her phone.

"Maria, I need to speak to Fury now and if he's on another call, get him off," Alex said. Her demand surprised Bucky. Alex demanded to know what was going on with Raynor. She then warned the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader that she was putting him on speakerphone with Bucky there. As the conversation progressed, Fury continued to deny knowledge of any active mission between Raynor and Walker. However, he did promise to have his sources look into it.

After she hung up, it was Bucky who became the voice of reason and tried to further reason with Alex over lunch. He pointed out, echoing Fury's overall sentiment, that it all could've been a coincidence. She looked at him skeptically and asked if he really believed that.

The next afternoon Fury called Alex and requested her presence at a meeting. Her tight schedule was deemed not an acceptable excuse and she dashed through the building to get there. As she opened the office door, Alex prepared to be reprimanded for her attitude on the call yesterday but was surprised to see others in the room. From the video screen, Nick Fury acknowledged her arrival and then made introductions.

"Sam Wilson; John Walker... Alex Duchene," Fury said. "I believe you are already acquainted with Mr. Barnes."

Alex greeted Walker and Sam cordially, and then turned to greet Bucky. His eyes were cold; all warmth and cordiality from the previous afternoon had disappeared. He said nothing but tilted his head and raised his eyebrows at her. Alex was unsure if he was questioning Walker's presence or her own. The therapist took a seat in an empty chair behind the others and tried to figure out exactly why she was there.

"Yesterday, I did not have a good day. First, I get pulled away from my lunch by you two," Fury said and pointed at Alex and Bucky causing Sam and John to look over at them with surprise. "Then, I just about sit down again and it's another 9-1-1."

Fury began by filling them in that the remaining core group of Flag Smashers were being held separately in undisclosed locations. At one of those locations, a riot had broken out and one of them was now missing. Nick Fury went on to share that they had not only did they have no leads to where the missing person was but there was no additional intel on Zemo's location either.

"Zemo doesn't have them; he would've killed them, not kidnapped them," Bucky interjected.

Walker began angrily arguing about Zemo's motives which antagonized Bucky. From his chair, Sam tried to mediate while Alex surveyed the situation and its participants. Nick Fury watched the dispute for a bit before loudly putting an end to it. When John Walker stated his hastily devised plan to go search for the missing Flag Smasher with Sam and Bucky accompanying him, Fury swiftly vetoed the idea and ended the discussion. As the meeting concluded and they all stood up, Nick Fury thanked them for attending. After Walker left the room, he called the others back to their seats.

"You just let him go?" Sam asked with amazement.

"He has no information. If he knows something or finds something, he'll lead us to them," Fury replied. "Alex, what's the problem?"

"He may not have any information, but he's not stable."

"From what I understand, people say that about me as well," Fury said.

Alex smiled wryly. "I'm serious. He's a ticking time bomb. All it's going to take is someone getting in his way and you're gonna have a repeat of last time."

"He is fully the government's responsibility, not mine."

"I'm pretty sure the world at large isn't going to make that distinction."

"The world at large knows there is a new Captain America. Is there anything else pertinent?" Fury asked.

Alex shook her head and said coolly, "I have to go; I'm late for a session with Klein. You and I are still on schedule for this afternoon."

"Gentlemen, thank you for your time. Mr. Barnes, I would not miss that meeting," Fury said before the screen went black.