She didn't answer so I left the room and headed toward the elevator. I hit the button for the basement where all the equipment was stored. Tony had programmed it with small, holographic rings in the air. I had to gather them as objects swung toward me. Through a large hoop and two more sharp corners. Dive! Then stop short, wait, and climb again. I snatched the last ring.

"2 minutes and 57 seconds," Friday recorded. The rings reappeared in the air. I growled.

"What's my best time?"

"1 minute and 13 seconds," was the reply.

I punched one of the sandbags; It slid down a track, stopping short as Bucky caught it. I jumped, "By the gods! What are you doing?"

"Looking for you."

"How long have you been watching?" I asked.

"Not long. I gotta say, you look a lot better."

I glanced down. I was wearing shorts and a tank top. It was hot in the training room as Tony had set it up to mimic outdoor temperatures.

"Thanks."

"Aoife-"

"We could spar if you want," I gestured toward the small ring.

Bucky looked as though he were about to say something but changed his mind. "Yeah, we can fight."

I stood straight, sheathing my wings. Bucky tilted his head. "Don't you want those out?"

"When doing hand-to-hand combat, they can get in the way. Also," I pulled my hair out of my ponytail. I shook it out before wrapping it up into a bun, "why don't you remember training with me at Hydra?"

"I… we didn't fight if you remember. We pretended to but used the time to talk."

"Oh, so I have an advantage over you." I removed my shoes and Bucky copied me.

"We'll see."

We walked to the ring and faced each other. He watched carefully as I raised my fists. He circled and I turned to continue facing him. Then, he lunged forward and I jumped back.

"You'll find I'm not as slow as the opponents you usually face," I grinned.

He didn't reply. I jumped up over him and forced my wings together, creating a gust of air that knocked him backward. Then I sheathed my wings as I fell. I swung a fist toward his face but he caught it easily. He rolled to his feet, trying to knock me down. I leaned into the momentum to force him on his back once more. He didn't stay down for long though, jumping nimbly to his feet. I spun, lowering myself on one leg, swept out a wing to knock him down, and then quickly put my hand to his neck.

"I win," I grinned. He pushed me away and stood up again. "Wings get in the way, huh?" I didn't reply, backing up to fight again.

We sparred two more times, Bucky only winning once. He fell backward to the ground and lay there. "Okay, okay. I need a break."

"Already?" I gasped. "You've barely been here for 15 minutes." I walked over to a water fountain on the wall and stuck my head under it. The cool water felt amazing.

Bucky was quiet for a few minutes. I bent down to put on my shoes. I heard him sit up slowly. "Do you want to get out of here? Stark called a meeting as soon as we got back, so everyone's busy."

"Another meeting?" I asked quietly, looking up. Bucky turned away quickly. A flash of suspicion flowed through me but I pushed it away. "I want to take a shower before we do anything."

"So you have something in mind?"

"There's a gyro shop that's only a couple blocks away."

Bucky hesitated. "Sure, let's do it."

I turned away so he wouldn't see my frown. I wondered why his reply had upset me. My chest tightened as the possibility filled my head that he was only looking after me because he felt responsible for Hydra's actions. Nat was right, I'm afraid of rejection.

Bucky walked next to me as we approached the elevator. He raised a key card and I raised an eyebrow. "When did you get that?"

"Tony gave it to me today. I only have basic access though."

I nodded. "It's the next step in recruitment."

We parted ways as I headed to the bathroom to shower. Suspicion came back while I scrubbed my entire body thoroughly from head to toe. What had they talked about that required another meeting? And why had there been so many since I'd gotten back? Meetings were usually held whenever there was a mission and only those going on it would attend. Once a month we would all get together for progress reports. But other than that we didn't see much of each other. Some preferred the complex but Nat, Wanda, and I preferred the tower. I forced myself to stop thinking and got out of the shower, dried off, dressed, and went to go find Bucky.