Chapter 4
Bucky got arrested.
A three-word text from Sam startles me so thoroughly that I nearly jump out of my own skin. I rush from the ice cream shop, calling Sal to cover my shift, and to the police station in a nail-biting frenzy of worry. My mind conjures up horrible scenarios where Bucky snapped and killed someone or somehow got turned into the Winter Soldier again and killed someone. Most of the bad scenarios involved death.
Walking through the front doors of the station, surrounded by police, I tried to think positively too. Maybe he got arrested for jay-walking or not paying a parking ticket, something minor. Unfortunately, my optimism doesn't ring true.
"Sam," I spot my friend sitting in an uncomfortable-looking plastic chair. "What happened? Is everything ok?"
"It's fine, Flo. I didn't mean to worry you. He missed his court-mandated therapy session and a warrant was put out for his arrest. Don't worry, he's getting released now," Sam tries to reassure me.
I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Why did he miss it? Where have you guys been? I haven't been able to get ahold of either of you all day."
"We were uh…taking care of something," Sam looks cagey and I eye him suspiciously.
"Taking care of what, exactly?" I don't get an answer, because Dr Raynor walks toward us, looking stern and tight-lipped.
"Florence," she greets. "It's good to see you again."
We've met only a handful of times, but she's always been kind to me.
"And you're Sam, of course. I'm Dr Raynor, James' therapist. I've heard a lot about you, it's good to meet you." She shakes Sam's hand.
"Thanks for getting him out," Sam says.
"That wasn't me," Dr Raynor replies.
"Christina!" An irkingly familiar voice calls and we all turn to watch John Walker making his way through some excited fans to reach us.
My stomach plummets. I watched his latest interview on television with Good Morning America, watched him talk about how he feels like he and Steve are brothers. It made me sick. Steve was my brother and my brother alone. The only other person who even came close to earning that title was Bucky.
"You got to be kidding. You know him?" Sam asks, looking at Dr Raynor.
"Yeah, we did some field ops back in the day," Dr Raynor says.
I slide behind Sam as John approaches, jovial and with a spring in his step. "I heard you were working with Bucky, so I thought I'd step in. Bucky's not going to be following a strict schedule any longer."
"We haven't finished our work. Who authorised this?"
John laughs a little, then motions to himself, as though to say 'me'. "He's too valuable of an asset to have tied up."
I bristle immediately, my teeth gnashing together. "He's not an asset," I say but it comes out so quiet that no one hears.
John's eyes fall to me, like he only just noticed my presence, and he smiles softly. "Hey, Flo. About the other day, I wanted to just say—"
"What happened the other day?" Sam interrupts, looking at me. I shake my head; my voice seems to have died.
"Look, I'm going to wait outside. I have unfinished business with Bucky," John says, backing away. "You too, Wilson." He turns and leaves just as Bucky comes through to the main desk, flanked by officers.
I hesitantly approach him, still a little hurt from our fight. "Are you ok?" I manage to find my voice long enough to croak out those three words.
He stays very still, like he's scared to spook me, but his eyes carry a wealth of emotion. "I'm fine. Sam shouldn't have told you about this."
Ouch.
"Why?" Bucky is the person I'm closest to - why wouldn't I want to know that he's been arrested?
Before he can respond, Dr Raynor stalks past. "James, condition of your release session, now. You too, Sam."
Both men look aggrieved.
"Flo, you coming?" Dr Raynor asks and I shake my head, backing away from Bucky.
"No. No, I should go," I say. I try to catch Buck's gaze, but he won't even look at me.
Walking out of the police station, I feel more alone than ever. I don't have my brother and Bucky feels more and more distant every day, drifting away from me like we're in seperate life rafts.
My stomach tightens, my head giving a dull throb and I pause mid-step. It's the same feeling I always get when I'm about to time-jump.
No, no, this can't happen now.
Panic rises in me, strong and gripping. But I remember Daisy's words. I'm in control. It doesn't control me.
I envision the box of time in my mind and I see it inching open, ready to suck me in and hurtle me to another year.
I'm in control.
I slam the box closed. The tightness in my stomach recedes and I am able to breathe normally again.
It is a small victory in what feels like a day of losses.
~O~
With nimble fingers, I braid my long hair, pulling the strands over each other. Having my hair in two braids feels familiar; I used to wear it like this when I was young. Bucky's mom taught me how to do it.
The TV plays in the background as I get ready for work, buttoning my dress and lacing up my apron.
"…reports that after a prisoner riot in a high-security jail in Germany, Helmut Zemo has escaped. Police say he is on the run and being pursued, but they don't currently have any leads on his whereabouts."
I listen in horror, my mouth slowly dropping open and fear clawing at my insides. Zemo escaped? How the hell is that possible?
I call Bucky but he doesn't pick up, so I try Sam. No answer. The fear slowly turns to dread.
What have they done?
I call one more number. "Daisy, I need a favour."
~O~
It's cool in the Quinjet, the temperature steadily dropping as we rise higher and higher in the sky.
"We'll be there soon," Daisy assures me, sitting across from me. One of her fellow SHIELD agents is piloting the jet.
I wrap my coat further around myself. "Ok. Thank you, for doing this."
"It's alright, really. Just wanna help."
I nod and we sit in silence for a long while. Eventually, I clear my throat and ask, "Where is Madripoor anyway? I've never even heard of it."
"It's amongst the Indonesian Islands. Rough place, corrupt, nearly non-existent government. I haven't been there myself. Wasn't exactly on my bucket list." She looks down at the screen of her tablet. "Sam's phone is pinging in Low Town, residential address from the looks of it. We'll get you as close as we can."
"Thank you."
When we touch down, Daisy offers to come with me. "This is a dangerous country. You might need protection."
"It's better if you wait here. Bucky and Sam… they don't trust easy. They especially don't trust SHIELD and I don't want them to see you as a threat. I'll be ok." The confidence in my voice is utterly fabricated. I am so screwed if I get attacked or mugged or something. I figure I'll just keep my head down and go straight to the address where Daisy tracked them to.
~O~
The address leads me deep into the city, to a nice townhouse wedged in between two buildings. Guards stand out the front, pulsating music reverberating from within. A group of inebriated, scantly dressed people stumble their way toward the front door. I slip into the group, keeping my head down and the guards don't even notice me - out of place as I am - while we walk inside.
The house seems to double as a nightclub, with a full bar and crowded dance floor. Strobe lights make it hard to see, everyone's faces flashing in and out of visibility. Expensive paintings line the wall, with some people opting to ignore the music and focus on the artwork instead.
A hand grabs my waist as I make my way through and I quickly yank away, heart racing fast. I've not really been in an environment like this before. It's intimidating and disorienting.
I look for Bucky or Sam everywhere, but all I see are unfamiliar faces. An older man tries to offer me a drink but I profusely refuse and back away, bumping into someone who shoves me angrily. I tumble forward and knock right into the back of a man. He turns around and the face that greets me makes my skin crawl.
It's Zemo.
I jerk back from him, my face twisting in disgust. His eyes light up.
"Florence." The music is too loud to hear him but I see his lips form the word.
Panic begins to choke me; I didn't realise how much I still feared him. After everything he did, everyone he murdered, just to get to my brother and the rest of the Avengers… He terrifies me.
A hand grabs my elbow and I jump, but when I look up, I see that it's Bucky. His mouth is tight, his eyes flaming. He's angry, but regardless his presence is welcome.
His metal arm goes around me, holding me tight to his side, and he steers me through the crowds. Sam catches sight of us and falls in behind us as we move toward the back of the townhouse.
The throngs of people part for Bucky in a way they didn't for me, naturally moving out of his way and making a clear path for us to walk straight through. We reach a back room and when Sam closes the door, the music becomes dulled, muffled. They're both dressed for the party, Bucky wearing a suit jacket and Sam in a sophisticated turtleneck.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Bucky demands, pulling back from me.
"How did you even get here?" Sam asks.
"I can't believe you two," I say.
"Answer the questions, Flo. How'd you know we were here and how'd you get here?" Bucky pushes.
"Daisy tracked you. SHIELD brought me here on the Quinjet."
Bucky huffs, shaking his head. "That's it, you're not allowed to be friends with this Daisy girl anymore."
"I don't think you're in any position to be giving orders given your obvious lapse in judgement! Tell me you two aren't actually working with Helmut Zemo!"
Their silence is damning.
"This is unbelievable." I turn away, putting my head in my hands.
"Look, this country isn't safe. You need to go home," Bucky says, but I ignore him. His words filter in one ear and out the other.
"How could you do this? After everything he did to you, to Steve?" I pivot back to face them. "How could you work with a man like that?"
"He's our best lead to finding…" Sam trails off.
"Finding what? What?" There's something they aren't telling me.
"Super-soldiers," Bucky finally, begrudgingly admits. "Eight of them."
My eyes go wide. "What?"
"We're trying to track them down before something bad happens," Sam explains. "Something really bad."
"Why is that your job? Let the new Captain freaking America do it! Or do it without freeing one of the most dangerous criminals in the world!"
"Flo—"
"No!" I interrupt Bucky. I don't want to hear his excuses. "What were you thinking?" He must see the hurt on my face because his own expression turns guilty. "He nearly destroyed Steve, you… He murdered King T'Chaka. After everything the people of Wakanda did for you, you're really going to just throw it all back in their faces?"
This hurts Bucky. I see it immediately, the ways his mouth twitches, the way his shoulders tighten.
"Not to mention the danger you're putting everyone in. If he turns on you, he could do a lot of damage and hurt a lot of people."
"We've got it under control," Sam says.
"Do you?"
They both exchange a look and I can see they're unsure.
"Flo, Buck's right. You can't stay here, it isn't safe. You need to go home," Sam says.
"And what're you going to do about Zemo?" I ask.
"Right now, we need him. But it's not going to be forever, alright?"
I want to believe Sam, so badly. But there's a bad feeling in my gut that I can't shake.
"Give us a minute," Bucky murmurs and Sam nods. He slips out the door, music pouring in as it opens then going quiet again when it slides shut.
I rest against a desk in the corner of the room, gripping the edges of the glass top with white knuckles and staring down at my shoes. Bucky's feet come into my view, stopping close to mine. He's warm, always running a little hot and I want to so badly lean into him.
But I'm angry. I have to stay that way, if only to be stubborn.
"You should've told me," I say, very quietly. "That you were going to do something like this."
"No," his voice matches mine, staying low and steady. "I shouldn't have. I have to keep you out of this, out of all of it."
I shake my head, but don't have a rebuttal. I don't know. Maybe he's right. What use could I possibly be to them anyway? What use am I to the world, really?
My bottom lip wobbles, like it always does before I cry and I sink my teeth into it.
"Hey." Bucky's right hand gently grabs my chin and he tilts my face up so I look at him. I blink rapidly trying to hold back tears. "I'm sorry," he says, "about our argument about you having the chip taken out of your arm. I just can't…" He lets out a strong breath, looking away momentarily. "I just can't lose you." His thumb sweeps up over my cheek and I lean into his touch instinctively, even though I'm supposed to be mad.
He leans closer, face angling down toward mine and there is a moment, a single second, where I think he's going to do something crazy, like kiss me. But then he just presses his lips against my forehead like he's done so many times before, cupping the back of my head to steady me. I put my hand on his chest, underneath his jacket, so I can feel the pounding of his heart against my palm. It is anchored and real. He's real. Sometimes I still can't believe it. Sometimes I dream that I'm back in Russia of 1999, chasing a ghost through the woods, never able to reach him, always left behind.
"Don't leave me behind," I mouth the words, but he hears. His grip on the back of my head tightens comfortingly and his lips skim from my forehead to my temple. Beneath my hand, his heart speeds up a fraction.
"Never again," he says and maybe it's naive of me, but I believe him.
~O~
Bucky drives me back to the Quinjet in an expensive car, where Daisy is waiting for me. I'm still mad and worried about Zemo, but there's nothing I can say or do to persuade Bucky and Sam from this path.
"Be careful," I tell him. "Watch your back."
"I'll call you as soon as this is over," he says and I think, what if it never ends? He's gone from one fight to another since 1943. Maybe he'll just keep fighting till it kills him.
I get out of the car and close the door behind me. Daisy greets me on the tarmac.
"You ok?" She asks.
"Yeah…Let's just go." The dejection in my voice is unmistakable. Bucky stays, idling in the car, while we board the Quinjet. As the back-ramp lifts up, I watch him speed off into the night.
~O~
A/N: Who else loved 1x03? I sure did. I wish there were 10 (or more) episodes in this season instead of 6. We're already halfway through.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know any and all thoughts in a review!
Thank you so much for reading this story, it's awesome to be able to share this with you.
Lots of love x