"You could have just broken in," Frankie said, opening the door. The knocking had been incessant for ten minutes. She figured it wouldn't stop anytime and she might as well stop ignoring it.

"I'm just assuming that Tony has some kind of weird security rigged in here."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Frankie laughed, shutting the door. "Do you want refreshments? I don't imagine you really want to be here but I'm happy to be as hospitable as you want since you are."

Natasha laughed. "I'm happier to be here knowing we can skip pleasantries."

"What did he send you for?"

"To make sure you're alive."

"Oh easy! Here I am, living and breathing."

"Think Tony would let me report back with that?"

Frankie laughed. "Nah. He should've just come here himself and not been a coward. And it's been, like, a day and a half. Could he be more dramatic?"

Natasha gave Frankie a pointed look that made her laugh.

"That was ridiculous. Of course he could."

"How are you? Really?"

"Do you care?"

Natasha paused. "I don't not care… But I don't particularly care either."

"We're going to be great friends because we can be totally honest with each other," Frankie said, a wide smile on her face. "Just tell Tony I'm good. I'll send him a text and let him know I'm among the living. He's harping on me to pick a therapist so I'll just pick one and he'll be satisfied and he won't send anyone to beat down my door again."

"Alright," Natasha agreed. "I'll leave then."

"Bye," Frankie waved. The door closed behind Natasha and she relaxed. She really did think she and Natasha could be good friends. But it would evolve organically. Not because Tony sent Natasha on a task to check on her.

A few minutes later there was a knock on her door. Frankie rolled her eyes and ripped open the door. She was surprised that Natasha would come back.

"Oh!"

"Oh?"

"Natasha just left. I figured she was back," Frankie explained. "Tony sent her. Do you want to come in?"

"I actually came to see if you wanted to come out?"

Frankie raised her eyebrows. "Out where?"

"It's time for me to leave my apartment without purpose." Bucky looked bashful. "I don't think you went out yesterday."

Frankie's eyebrows raised. "Are you watching my door?"

"Not intentionally. I didn't leave yesterday… Super soldier hearing and everything. Extreme paranoia and security concerns because of years of HYDRA's torture and manipulation. Hyper aware of doors opening and closing. Windows too. Elevators."

Frankie surprised them both when she laughed. It was so matter-of-fact how he spoke of his mental health. "I didn't leave home. I stayed here and moped yesterday. Tony has been pissing me off with all this therapy shit. I need to just pick one. But wait, you came to ask me to go outside because you need to go outside. Alright. Let me change."

Frankie didn't bother closing her door, instead she just jogged to her bedroom. She kicked her bedroom door closed and threw her bike shorts and sports bra on the ground. Frankie quickly pulled on a pair of loose denim shorts and a loose black tank top. She looked in the mirror and wiped old mascara from beneath her eyes and pinned her hair in a twist and pulled a denim jacket out of the floor and shrugged it on.

Good enough.

Frankie walked out, Bucky still in the doorway where she left him.

"You get ready so fast for a gal."

"That's sexist." Frankie threw her purse across her body and locked her door. "I bet Tony takes longer to get ready than me. I know it, factually."

Bucky laughed. "You're right. That was sexist. I'm sorry."

"Anywhere in particular you were thinking of going?"

"Just a walk around Brooklyn. We can go anywhere you want, though. Or if you just have somewhere in mind."

"A walk with no purpose sounds nice. But I reserve the right to change my mind."

"Noted." Bucky opened the door and lightly pushed Frankie out ahead of him. The sun sat high in the sky but it was early enough in the day it wasn't blazing hot.

"Left or right?"

"Left."

Frankie nodded and turned left and they began walking. They walked ten blocks in silence, just enjoying the air, when Frankie turned to Bucky while at an intersection.

"So… Mandated therapy. Do you ever find it useful?" Bucky began walking when the light changed and didn't answer. They made it another ten blocks and Frarnkie began wondering if she shouldn't have asked him about therapy.

Maybe I should apologize. Or tell him he doesn't have to answer? But, he's a grown ass man, surely he knows he doesn't have to answer any questions he doesn't want to. Not like I'm torturing him for information or anything. Ha.

"Yes. It took me a while to find it useful. I'm not saying I enjoy it or anything, or that it's useful everytime. But I think… over time I can see how it has been beneficial."

"I have to pick someone today and let Tony know. I mean I don't know how I'm supposed to choose someone based on a picture and short bio. I don't even know the different types of therapies and what I'm going to be the least resistant to."

"Just try them out. You can always ditch one and get someone else. Just because you decide you want someone now doesn't mean you can't say that it isn't working for you and it would be better with someone else. For me, that was a lot of someone else's. I get the feeling we're similar kinds of stubborn and resistant to talking about ourselves and our feelings."

Frankie nodded. "Yeah. That's kinda why I figured you would be a good person to ask."

"I think those packets also say what they specialize in. I have PTSD, so therapists that don't know anything about PTSD aren't a good fit for me. Especially if they don't understand or respect what triggers me."

"Makes sense. I don't know if I have PTSD or not. I would like to think I don't, but I became almost an exclusive hermit after I was abducted and I don't feel like I know what triggers me."

Bucky made a noise of acknowledgement. Frankie had mentioned her abduction as a test, to see if he would start asking questions and trying to pry details of why S.H.I.E.L.D. thought she needed a therapist in the first place.

After five more blocks she felt content that he wasn't going to ask a thousand questions and she felt herself relax.

"You slept in your bed at all?"

Frankie laughed. "Nah. I've been sleeping on the couch though. So that's an improvement from what I was doing."

"I don't really sleep in my bed either. Or the couch. I'm still in the 'lots of blankets on the floor' place in life."

I think he's testing me now.

"Blanket forts are pretty rad. Highly recommend a blanket fort."

Bucky laughed. "I'll have to try that out."

"We can watch a movie at my place sometime and build one if ya want. I have so many great blankets."

"Excellent idea. No horror though," Bucky said. "I think I've seen enough of that."

Frankie grimaced. "You and me both."

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"Thank you! Finally," Tony said, throwing his hands in the air dramatically. "I'll call and have her get in touch with you so you can schedule your first appointment. It only took you an eon. You would think I was asking you to do something dangerous."

"Don't be a dick," Frankie said, rolling her eyes. Tony started to respond but restrained himself as the rest of the team began filing into the briefing room. Frankie stuck her tongue out.

"Alright team," Tony said, clapping his hands once everyone was sitting down. Bucky sat across from Frankie, but they didn't look at each other. Steve was on Frankie's left and Sam on her right. "You all were incredibly unhelpful when you all spoke with Franklin about weapons and whatnot. She wants to come on a mission to see things in action to get a better understanding of what could be helpful."

"And you're alright with this?" Natasha asked pointedly. "Does she have any training?"

"I'm pretty good at handling my own," Frankie said cooly.

"Not enough for what we do," Tony answered. "So she'll train with Barnes and Rogers."

"Don't you think it would be better if she trained with Wanda? Or Nat?" Steve asked.

"Because I'm a woman?"

"Yes," Steve replied, matter-of-factly. "We have super soldier serum in our veins. It's an unfair fight from the start."

Frankie felt a surge of irritation towards Steve. When she asked Tony to go on a mission he had spent an hour arguing with her, but every point she made was so logical Tony had to admit her thought process had validity. He conceded only if Frankie spent a month training, and could take on Steve and Bucky and hold her own relatively well.

"Nat will train her too," Tony said. "Wanda, you're great, but you aren't great at training-"

"No offense taken," Wanda said. "I'm not. I know my weaknesses."

"I want to be sure she's able to take on people bigger than her and stronger because of an enhancement."

"Are we training Frankie on weapons?" Bucky asked.

"Oh weapons I've got down pat," Frankie answered. A dangerous smile found its way onto her face. "You should see me with a gun. And knives. My accuracy is fucking stunning. I'm a beautiful shot. And all the other weapons, stuff that blows up, lasers, all that jazz? I'm pretty amazing with that too. I make it, and when I make something I've tested it extensively. If it doesn't work well for me in low-risk scenarios it's going to be useless in life and death scenarios."

"I'm not comfortable with this," Steve mumbled.

"You shouldn't be. I'm going to beat your ass. The first time I do it will be because you underestimate me and hold back out of some antiquated idea of gender roles. The second time I kick your ass will be after I've spent a month in training and I'm just that capable." Frankie smiled sweetly at Steve, who looked at her with a gaping mouth. He shook his head while Sam and Natasha laughed at their exchange.

"I called it when I said the Golden Boy wouldn't know what to think of you," Tony laughed. "This isn't up for debate. You can start now. Scurry."

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Frankie landed another punch to Steve's jaw then kicked his legs from underneath him. "You aren't even trying," Frankie snarled when she put Steve on the ground for the third time in twenty minutes. He hadn't landed any hits to her yet and was only attempting to block her blows. "You're half-assed at even blocking anything I'm doing. This is a waste of my time." She moved away from Steve and pushed her hair back. "I'm not doing this until you're really ready to do this."

"I just can't," Steve shook his head. "If you were the enemy I would be fine but I just feel…"

"Stop feeling and use your imagination," Frankie snapped.

"Bucky, swap in," Natasha said. "You're quick, that's good. Steve, she's not helpless and you're treating her like she is. That's insulting."

"She's not you," Steve defended himself.

"We don't know anything about her. She might not have grown up in the Red Room but she isn't in the same league as a civilian. Barnes, don't hold back," Natasha ordered.

"Don't kill her either," Steve said.

Frankie rolled her eyes and laughed lightly. Bucky moved from the bleachers and stood in front of Frankie. Once Steve was out of the way the two looked at each other.

"So are we doing a count down or-" Frankie's breath was knocked from her as she fell to the ground. Bucky had knocked her legs from underneath her. He circled Frankie and frowned.

"Don't waste time running your mouth. It often ends in this," Bucky said. "Get back up."

Frankie got to her feet again and went straight for Bucky's stomach but was easily blocked. The two danced around each other for a few minutes before she finally landed a blow to his jaw.

"Come from the side more when you're going for the jaw. You need to force someone's head to turn to get an upper hand. You're tiny, you need any upperhand you can get."

Frankie lashed out again, easily caught by Bucky and he put her on the ground again. Instead of circling her this time, he kneeled to the ground and pinned her arms behind her back and put an arm around her throat. He was applying just enough pressure for her to feel it, but not enough to actually cut off her air supply.

"How are you getting out of this?"

"Running my mouth?"

Bucky laughed. "Don't think so, doll." Frankie grinned and threw one leg back, making contact with Bucky's shin. He fell forward in surprise, which was enough room for Frankie to throw an elbow into his nose and roll from underneath him. She jumped to her feet, but he was back on his own feet just as quickly.

"That was really good," Bucky said encouragingly. They spent another twenty minutes going back and forth, Frankie never quite getting the upper hand on Bucky but holding her own relatively well. When Natasha called time they were both sweaty and breathing heavily.

"You could've had a good workout this morning, Cap. Next time I hope you'll see me as more of an equal."

"We have a good idea now of what we should work on," Steve mumbled.

"Alright. I'm off to shower and then work with my fellow tech nerds. Let me know what kind of training schedule you want to set up," Frankie said. She gave a short wave and walked out of the training room, heading to the showers. She felt sore and sweaty, but good. Maybe training would be a good way to get some pent up aggression out of her system.