The next day after dropping Olivia at school Alex returned home. She picked up a book and after a few pages, set it down. She turned on the television, quickly flipped through channels and shut it off. She thought of calling her mother to chat, but promptly vetoed that idea knowing there would be many questions to answer on why she wasn't working.

Alex grabbed her keys and phone then headed out for a walk. As she reached the sidewalk, she glanced at her phone. She was torn. A part of her wanted to call or text Bucky and explain that she would be away for a few days. On the other hand, Alex knew she needed some time to herself and that just hearing his voice might make her change her mind. With great effort, she put the device back in her pocket. If he seriously needed to talk with her, she would be available; otherwise, any conversation and subsequent explanation could wait until his next session.

That same afternoon Sam knocked on Bucky's front door. When it opened, he quickly walked inside and made no attempt to hide his curiosity while looking around. Sam decided the sparse furnishings without any personal items were very fitting given the resident.

Bucky who had been looking at his phone since letting Sam in shook his head when asked if he had heard from Fury. Sam continued to take in the surroundings and did a double take when he saw the front of the refrigerator. Two pieces of paper were taped to it.

"Next time you get the crayons out, I want one of these for my place," Sam said as he went to look closer at the crayon pictures.

Bucky grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and gave him an exasperated look. "Did you hear from Fury?" Bucky asked.

This time it was Sam shaking his head. "You should really talk to her."

Even though Sam hadn't said a name, Bucky was sure he was referring to Alex. "And say what? Hey, I know you're my therapist but maybe when I'm done with all this, we could grab dinner and see a movie?"

"That works."

"Yeah," Bucky replied with a touch of sarcasm. "Right now, Alex thinks I have a death wish. I don't think she'd share a bag of chips from a vending machine with me right now much less go to dinner."

Sam raised an eyebrow and sat down on a chair. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" Bucky asked after taking a drink of water.

"Have a death wish? Is that why you want to do this?"

"I'm doing this so other people don't have to die." Bucky stated.

On her second day of her official 'think about it' time, Alex kept Olivia home from school to spend the day with her. The child let out a squeal of excitement. The squeal was repeated when Alex suggested they visit the museum.

When the pair returned home later that afternoon, Olivia asked if they could get pizza for dinner. Alex pretended to think about it for a bit before giving in to the request. With a huge grin on her face, the girl then asked if Bucky could come over for pizza, too. Alex smiled gently as she shook her head. She then explained to her daughter that Bucky was busy working. Olivia frowned and declared she was never going to work.

"Smart choice," Alex replied and pulled her phone out.

As she touched the screen, she discovered she had missed a few texts; a few were from Bucky. She quickly read and then re-read the messages. They were mostly short and casual. The first one only said, 'hi'. The last asked her to text or call him whenever she had a moment so he could explain his decision. Alex knew whether it was a call or text, the conversation wouldn't be quick. He seemed determined to go through with his original plan and she was still just as convinced that it was a bad idea. After ordering a pizza, she put the phone down on the kitchen table and went to join Olivia.

Alex sat down with Olivia and played a bit while waiting for the pizza to arrive. When the doorbell rang, Olivia took off towards the door and Alex warned her to wait. Alex pulled herself off the floor and had only managed to take one step when she heard a loud bang. Olivia screamed out in terror.

Alex ran the short distance to the door, her heart pounding. The front door was wide open and Olivia ran towards her, face filled with fear.

"I didn't open the door, Mommy."

"I know, baby," Alex said as she gathered the child in her arms. She then addressed the person standing just inside her house. "What are you doing here?"

John Walker looked at mother and child. He was totally composed and watched them impassively. Alex stroked Olivia's hair as she waited for an answer.

"You need to come with me," he said somewhat robotically.

"What? Why?" Alex asked. "No."

"Alex, it's important," Walker said. "Fury wanted me to get you."

"He didn't tell me." Alex said. She stood up slowly and tucked Olivia behind her. Knowing that Walker was unstable, she did her best to stay calm and not agitate him.

"There wasn't time. He's on his way. He needs your help with Bucky."

"Bucky?" she repeated and recalled the texts she had read earlier. It seemed unlikely that Fury would enlist Walker but it was possible that the plan had gone awry and Bucky did need her help. "Let me call Fury."

"No," Walker commanded harshly. "There's no time. I'll explain more in the car."

"You have to give me some time. I need to get someone to watch Olivia."

"Bring her with you."

"No," Alex said sharply.

John Walker took another step inside and gave her a stern look. Alex immediately reevaluated her response. She backed away from him and glanced down at Olivia. The child was watching the entire scene intently and reached for her mother's hand. Alex gave the girl as reassuring a smile as she could manage. While watching Walker in her peripheral vision, she crouched down and comforted the child with a whisper. Alex stood back up and agreed to Walker's orders.

"Let's go," he said and moved aside. He pointed and made Alex and Olivia exit the house first. He closed the door gently in direct opposition to how he had opened it and guided them towards a large nondescript sedan waiting in the street.