Fun Fact!
I am actually a model and a photographer and I specialize in self-shot photography.
The vast majority of these photos actually exist and I am the subject of every single one of them. I either modeled the photos or took and modeled them myself.
I have changed a few of them slightly to better fit this story and my OC.

Chapter 25

Sam and Bucky walked into the room adjacent to the main entrance of the gallery. It must have been an introduction to the main gallery in the room beyond.

Sam turned to Bucky with a questioning look on his face. Then he turned back around to check over his shoulder to make sure that they were out of earshot of Ella.

"What was that about?"

Not wanting to disclose more information than was necessary, Bucky responded accordingly.

"I have no idea. I know as much about this show as you do."

"Then what was all that about the coffee shop?"

"I think she was talking about how it hurts more when she knows the person. Meaning she won't care if you won't ever want to talk to her again after this."

Sam laughed sardonically at Bucky's jab.

The room that they were in only had three huge canvases hanging on the walls. Two on the wall to the left, then one right in front of where they had entered. The entrance to the gallery space was on to the right of the canvases.

The canvases were all black but were painted entirely differently.

The first one was painted using a rather large brush, with big sloppy brush strokes, and white paint. It read: 'The Following Exhibit Contains Material That May Be Disturbing.'

The next black canvas was hung right next to the first. It looked as if the lettering had been blocked out before white paint had been splashed onto the surface. It read: 'The Subject Matter or Opinions May Be Considered Controversial.'

The last black canvas, the one directly in front of them when they entered, was the neatest of the three. It was painted in lettering that looked as if it had come from a huge typewriter. In big white letters, it read: 'Viewer Discretion is Advised.'

"That's one way to open a show."

Sam said to Bucky as they made their way into the main gallery room.

Once they walked into the large space Bucky took in the fact that it was like a long, wide hallway that made a right turn at the far end. Most likely to circle back around to another room on the other side of the gallery similar to the one they had just come from. Mirroring their entrance at the exit.

More than a few people were milling around, looking at the photos. Most were in groups of two or three. Here and there, a single person was observing. The conversations and general chatter in the room were muted.

Then he looked at the walls and took in the first few series of images. A woman dressed in men's slacks, suspenders, and a fedora, smoking a cigarette. Shirtless. The next images were of the same woman dressed in revealing, barely-there semblances of battle armor, wielding various weapons. The photos following those were two depicting a nude angel, then a nude demon.

Their faces were all the same.

Bucky's mouth fell open as the blood drained from his face. He immediately regretted bringing Sam here. The woman in every photo was Ella. He knew that she was a photographer and a model. He had no idea that she did self-portraits.

Let alone self-portraits like these.

Without noticing Bucky's reaction Sam elbowed him in the ribs.

"Are you ready for this, old man?"

Bucky turned on his heel and headed back into the room with the three black canvases. Oddly fitting were their warnings now.

Sam followed Bucky. Finally catching onto what was happening to him.

"Bucky you have to listen to me. Things are not the same as they were back in your day. Women have different standards and expectations put on them now. Specifically, less of each. They are more in control of themselves now than they ever have been."

Bucky barely heard Sam. He was too busy pacing back and forth, busy raging war in his head with the monster that resided there. Other people were seeing her like that! He was seeing her like that for the first time in this context! SAM HAD SEEN HER LIKE THAT! This was wrong, she was his and his ALONE.

Bucky may have been a progressive man who believed in women's rights and freedoms, but his inner monster was not having it. It was being a possessive little bitch that was threatening to come to the surface and lash out at Sam for having even laid eyes on his girl.

He was mad at Ella for taking such photos and then displaying them for every single person who wanted to ogle at them to see. How could she expose herself like that?

It wasn't until Sam grabbed him by both shoulders and spun him around to look him in the eye that Bucky became more aware of what was going on. It was more than obvious that Sam was aware of at least part of the inner war in Bucky's head. At least what it was about.

Sam seemed to be just as mad as Bucky was. Though Bucky couldn't think of a reason why. He had no right to be mad. This only made Bucky even more livid.

"You listen to me, and you listen to me good, Barnes."

Bucky was fully attentive now. He had been successfully shocked momentarily. That was the first time Sam had ever called him by his last name. Save for when they had first met.

"Are you listening or should I not even bother wasting my breath and drag you out of here myself?"

"I'm listening." Bucky said with a monotone sneer.

"Don't you understand that this is how Ella expresses herself? Can you respect that? This is her art that she has put her heart and soul into, she said so herself not five fucking minutes ago. Can you respect that?"

Bucky fought the monster back into a corner with great difficulty, which gave more space to what Sam was saying.

"Do you really care about this woman or is she just another thing to you?"

Bucky was about to answer when Sam cut him off.

"No. You just stand there and you listen. Have you ever taken an art class? Of any kind?"

Bucky just nodded.

"Then you know that women have been depicted nude in art, like what we are about to see, for thousands of years. Only they have been depicted by men, for men. And these men have been celebrated for it while the women were called whores and harlots."

The monster in Bucky's head was quiet and listening. Ella was neither a whore nor a harlot. Bucky himself was thinking hard on every word Sam was saying. He had never heard him speak with such conviction. Nor with so much veracity.

"In this day and age, we are finally letting women take their bodies back. Take back their control and their power over their own flesh. This is an art gallery, Bucky. Not some back-alley porn shop. Even if it was, that has nothing to do with your feelings or opinions. But that is not what we are discussing. Do you even know what the nudity in her artwork means? Is it empowerment? Vulnerability? Does it send a message? Does it vary from piece to piece? You will never know until you see for yourself."

Bucky was starting to feel mighty ashamed of himself. The monster in his head began to whimper in shame. Then Sam drilled the final nails into the coffin.

"If you cannot respect and accept this part of her, you flat out do not deserve any part of her. If you cannot handle this, you might as well turn tail, march your happy ass back there, and tell her that. That you cannot handle her and don't even want to try. It's time to man the fuck up, Buck. What's it gonna be?"

Bucky stood there, the monster in his head howling in pain, thinking over everything Sam had said. He knew his immediate reaction was due to many things, but Sam was right. About everything. Ella had every right to create the art she wanted and proudly display it. Sam had one more thing to say that hit Bucky hard.

"If you didn't see what I saw back there, then I'll give you a rundown. That woman is terrified of what you're going to think of her after seeing this. She is petrified of losing you over something that she holds so close to herself. Ella has it bad for you, Bucky. Can't you see that? She wants to be accepted by you, all of what she is. Part of which is shown in this gallery. Can't you see that? Or are you that thick?"

Bucky hung his head. Goddamn when Sam was right, Sam was right. Did Ella have it bad for him? Did she think this was going to make or break whatever it was that they had going on? Was it going to?

He remembered the conversation that he and Ella had had in the coffee shop in greater detail. He resolved to keep his mind as open and accepting as he could. He wanted to see this part of Ella. He was just seeing a lot more than he had been bargaining for.

Bucky was determined to see every last photo that Ella had wanted to display. He wanted to learn more about her and this was the way to do it. She was extremely vulnerable and was anxious about his reactions. Now he understood why.

It all came down to the fact that he did not want to lose her, either. He wanted to be respectful and accepting of every part of her. To be deserving of her.

"When did you become so adamant and advocative on this subject, Sam?"

"Since I have a sister who has more balls than any man I have ever met. If she was in Ella's position, I would have kicked your ass to kingdom come just then. I thought you had three sisters?"

Bucky sighed.

"I did. If they would have done anything like this, I think I would have reacted the way that I just did. But you are right. Times have changed. That was then and this is now. You were right about everything. If I cannot handle this, respect it, or accept it I do not deserve any part of Ella."

Sam crossed his arms in self-satisfaction with a smug look on his face at being right.

"Now, I'm going to ask you again, and I want the truth. Are you ready for this, old man?"

Bucky took a deep breath, made sure the monster that had reared its ugly head and gnashed its fangs at the sight of the photos was securely locked away. Licking its wounds dealt by Sam's words.

"I'm ready. For real this time."

As they turned back towards the gallery Bucky turned to Sam.

"How about we analyze every photo like we are in art class again? I want to understand more, and I think it will help with the issues I'm having. With all of this…"

Sam smiled and clapped Bucky on the back.

"Sure thing, Buck. Let's start at the beginning. Maybe there's some rhyme or reason to the layout and positioning of these pieces. Let's find out."

Sam and Bucky were back in front of the series of four black and white photographs. Depicted was Ella with short, slicked-back hair. Taken some time ago due to the current length of her hair. She was wearing loose black slacks with dark suspenders. A fedora was in all but one of the photos and she was smoking a cigarette in all of them. Her breasts were fully exposed in every frame.

Each photo captured a different masculine pose. Whether it was sitting splay-legged on a stool, fedora hanging off of her knee as smoke billowed from her mouth. Or just by the look given to the camera. The photos gave off a very Film Noir feel.

Sam was the first to make an observation as Bucky continued to look and take in the photos for what they were and not how he felt them to be.

"I had no idea she smoked."

Bucky's response was immediate.

"She doesn't. At least not that I know of."

"What are your thoughts on these photos?"

Bucky continued to look objectively.

"I think these are genderbending or crossdressing. But she is a woman in men's clothing. So that doesn't exactly fit. She can certainly pull off the look. Hell, she would fit in back in the 40s easily. If she put a shirt on, of course. Maybe she's playing to a hyper-masculinity element?"

Sam just nodded in approval of Bucky's assessment and moved to the next series of photos.

These were a series of three photos, each taken on location in some misty, wooded area. In all of them, Ella had her long hair braided in various ways. Her makeup and hair reminded Bucky of what he would think of to be Viking-like. One even showed her in a mohawk.

Each outfit was either made of see-through chainmail, interlocking metal plates that looked like dragon scales or tattered, torn, and distressed leather. Each weapon was different but had one similarity. They were all various types of swords.

"When we moved from the last set to this one, I thought of duality. These seem hyper-feminine. But in a way that screams strength and ability." Sam commented.

"She did mention that she is good with a sword. I imagine you wouldn't want to come across her looking like this wielding any of those weapons because she certainly knows how to use them. I agree with the duality. The others were of a strong masculine nature, these seem to be of a strong feminine nature."

"She sword fights?" Sam looked at Bucky, confused.

"I think so. She told me she's good with a gun but better with knives. And to never cross her with a sword. So, I assume that's a yes. Let's move to the next set."

The next set of photos were of Ella portrayed as an angel and a demon. The angel was super angelic, the photo having been digitally altered to give the effect of the pure radiance of heaven's light. Same with the demon. Cloaked in darkness, the flames encasing her. Both the angel and demon were holding apples.

The angel was offering a red apple with a pure smile and the demon was holding a green one close to her mouth that sported a wicked grin as if she were about to take a bite.

Both Sam and Bucky studied these two photos for a minute. Each one couldn't figure out what they meant besides the continuing theme of duality. Bucky wanted to know why the angel was offering the apple while the demon was withholding. And why they were different colors.

They moved on.

Next, they were facing a set of three photos. Ella was facing away from the camera and walking away from it. In the first photo she was standing straight up, the next she was falling forward, and in the final photo, she was on the ground. Obviously in distress, curled up in the fetal position.

Another thing that changed with each photo was the giant shadow that appeared with Ella's shadow that she was casting, but did not appear on her person in any of them. Wings. Big shadows of feathery-looking wings.

In the first photo, they were clear and strong. In the next they were starting to wither and waste away, feathers appearing to be blowing off of the shadow in large numbers. In the last photo, the one where Ella was curled up on the floor, she was surrounded by the shadows of hundreds of feathers.

From beginning to end was the disintegration of not only Ella herself but of the wings as well.

"Falling from Grace." That was all Bucky said.

Sam nodded his head in agreement as they moved onto the next series.

Just as Bucky was getting more used to the photos and seeing what Ella had created, and also how her mind worked, he was faced with a challenge. He was seeing past the nudity aspect apart from how it pertained to the photograph and what it may mean in the message of the series. But this was a step to sexy he wasn't expecting.

Three photographs sat side by side. The first photo was a portrait of Ella from the waist up, nude. The next was of her fully nude on all fours. The final one was of her sitting up, still fully nude, on her knees. What didn't quite make sense was the fact that in each photo she was dripping in honey. Completely covered in it.

The portrait looked like someone was pouring a bucket of honey onto the top of Ella's head. She was looking seductively at the camera while the honey dripped down her face and onto her chest. Her tongue was poking out the side of her mouth, licking at it.

The next photo was arranged in a way that everything was covered. Her arms covered her chest and her leg covered anything else that would be considered explicit. Again, it looked like someone was pouring a huge bucket full of honey onto her. Only this time the action was more violent and forceful. Causing the honey to splash off her back as it cascaded down her body. Her head was tipped back and her eyes were closed.

Lastly, was the one of Ella sitting up on her knees. She was completely covered in honey and hugging herself. Arms wrapped tightly around herself as the honey dripped and ran down every part of her. What caught Bucky off-guard about these photos was the last one. The look in her eyes that stared into the camera was one of sadness, not seduction.

There was a deeper meaning in these photos besides the obvious.

"Now that looks like one hell of a mess. The color of it brings out her eyes though." Sam observed.

"It looks sickly sweet. It looks sticky and messy and… stuck. She looks stuck. Especially in this last one, look at her expression and her eyes compared to the first one."

Sam looked at the photos again.

"You have a point there, Buck. Also, what happens when a bug gets stuck in honey? It dies because it cannot escape. You also catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Remind me to ask Ella about this set. It's intriguing."

Bucky agreed. He was interested in what Ella's meaning behind this series was. It was sexy and seductive. On the surface. But there seemed to be more to it than met the eye.

He was also glad that he was shedding the apprehension of looking at these photos, particularly the nude and/or sexy/seductive parts. Even more so with Sam standing right next to him making comments about it. It was nice to look at Ella's work and see it for what it was, not just what he had been programmed to see.

Bucky felt free from the monster he had encountered at the beginning of the night. Which he was incredibly thankful for as there were still many, many, many more series to look through before they were done. If he had any issues, he knew that Sam did have his back like he had said he did.

Even if having his back meant slapping him upside the head.

And he might need it. Bucky had a feeling that things were going to get more provocative, more explicit, more disturbing, and more controversial as they went further into the show.