***A/N Thank you guys for all the notes! Yes, I'm working on SOF too the next chapter is coming early next week. Hope you like it too!
The next morning Steve's phone started humming and he growled as he snatched it from the bedside table.
"Yes?" he asked impatiently.
Chris lifted her head and heard the cadence of Tony's voice.
"That's great, Tony," Steve told him abruptly.
Tony talked for a couple more moments. Then Chris heard a pause before Tony asked, "She's there with you, isn't she?"
"Hi, Tony!" Chris called before moving over and cuddling up to Bucky.
"Hey, kid!" Tony yelled.
Tony went on for a couple more minutes.
"Does it have to be today?" Steve asked irritably. "This morning?"
Well, that didn't sound good.
"Why do we both have to be there?" If Steve hadn't slipped into his Captain voice by this point, he would have been dangerously close to whining.
"Yeah, yeah, we'll be there," Steve told him and then simply hung up.
"Are you kidding me?" Bucky grumbled irritably. "Why?"
Steve swung his legs over the side of the bed, stretching. "Fury is on his way. Ross is coming with him. Everyone needs to be in on this."
"Can I at least sit this one out?" Bucky tried.
Steve had already tried to get one of them out of the meeting.
Steve blew out an exhale. "No, apparently not."
"We just got her back," Bucky was whining. "Why the fuck do we have to do this right now?"
"Let's just get it over with," Steve told him, heading for the shower. "We've got thirty minutes."
Bucky surprised Chris by rolling on top of her pinning her to the mattress. Chris laughed when he peppered her face and neck with playful kisses. Chris laughed thinking it was very much like fighting off a really large puppy.
"How long will it take?" Bucky asked.
The water in the shower started. "Oh, we'll be there a few hours," Steve called sourly.
"I've got to work anyway," Chris told him, stretching up to kiss his mouth before pushing at his chest lightly.
Bucky let her up searching for his boxers under the covers.
"Is this a mission?" Chris asked, having no clue what was going on.
"Nah," Bucky told her heading for the shower. "Meeting about one."
Chris jumped when her phone chimed on Bucky's bedside table. Tony.
"Hey, boss," Chris answered grinning.
"So you have a meeting in about 28 minutes," he told her.
"Seriously?" she asked in a not-so-serious tone.
"Seriously," he shot back. "Hey, are you okay? What happened after I left?"
"I ended up talking to Steve," she said quietly though she didn't know why. They'd have no trouble hearing her conversation even with the water running.
"Is everything okay now? Are you okay?" The concern in Tony's voice had her smiling.
"I'm better than I've been in weeks," Chris told him. "Promise."
"Okay then," Tony told her. "Go shower and suit up, kid. I'll see you in the conference room."
Stealing Bucky's robe, Chris sprinted to her apartment and started putting herself together. The comments about her weight had been spot on, she hadn't been paying attention until she went to find something to wear that wouldn't hang off her. Finally, she settled on a black pencil skirt, a silver blouse and a black blazer to wear with some practical heels. She left her hair down but straightened it to fall sleekly about her face. Chris decided she needed some normal and some of her old confidence, particularly if she was going to be facing comments about her unorthodox relationship. Bucky had never cared what anyone thought from the beginning and now that she knew Steve wasn't ashamed of it, she could handle it.
A soft knock at her door drew her attention to the time. She had five minutes. A spritz of perfume and she was ready. Grabbing her StarkPad, she darted out the door, running into her boys who eyed her with surprise.
Bucky whistled as he walked completely around her admiring.
"Boss making you go to the meeting?" Steve asked, his gaze anywhere but on her face.
"Afraid so," she told them, smiling.
"Doll baby, you look amazing," Bucky told her, motioning her ahead to head to the elevator. "I'm thinking you should boss me around when we get back."
Chris winked at him over her shoulder. He looked amazingly handsome in his dark jeans and light blue button down – which was as business as Bucky Barnes ever got. Steve was put together in gray slacks and a white dress shirt. His dark leather belt matched the nice shoes he wore. He looked impossibly dashing.
So much for focusing on the meeting.
They made it off the elevator to see Nat heading in the direction of the conference room with coffee, but she stopped when she saw the three of them approaching with Chris in the middle. Walking up to Chris, Nat linked her free arm through hers and steered her away.
"We'll see you inside," Nat told Steve and Bucky dismissively.
Steve nodded and headed into the meeting. Bucky, just because he could, pressed a kiss to Chris's cheek before following Steve.
"You didn't answer any of my messages," Nat was direct with Chris.
Chris nodded, her confidence waning a little. "Nor anyone else's. I'm sorry, Nat. I wasn't in a good place."
"I get that," Nat told her. "But isolating yourself when things go to hell isn't always the best solution. I'm your friend, remember?"
Again, Chris nodded.
"Are you okay? Did they apologize?"
"I'm okay," Chris told her. "And yes, Steve and I have settled our differences for the moment and things are back on."
"Only now it's not a secret," Nat informed her.
Chris blew out an exhale realizing maybe she wasn't as confident as she thought at all.
"You knew," Nat realized.
"Just yesterday."
"Hey," Nat nudged her with an elbow. "It's okay. There's nothing to worry about. It's not anyone's business but yours. Right?"
She was right, Chris realized. "But you just know," Chris thought out loud, "there's no way this won't follow me back to the FBI."
"Is that bad?"
"It could be," Chris told her. "I guess I'll find out when I get there."
"If you choose to go back," Nat said, steering them in the direction of the conference room when she saw Tony walk in.
Almost everyone was there including Thaddeus Ross but since she was just FBI and not enhanced, he barely spared her a glance. Two seats had been saved next to Steve and Bucky. Nat placed her between herself and Bucky. Chris took her seat and noticed that Tony was studying her, concern obvious in his expression.
The meeting was largely uneventful for the first couple of hours. The mission they spoke of would involve her too and seemed to be large in scope. It was centered around the data they'd obtained on the first mission Chris had gone on, the one where she'd been shot. At the break, Nick Fury approached Steve.
"I need to see you, Barnes, and Danforth for a moment," he told Steve before heading out of the room.
Bucky smoothed his metal hand over her back, whispering close to her ear.
"It's okay, doll baby," he told her. "Let Steve handle this."
Chris rose to see Steve's gaze on her, his expression determined. "Let's get this over with."
Fury asked them to close the door once they were all in his office. Steve gave her and Bucky the seats on the other side of the desk from Fury and remained standing.
"What did you want to talk about?" Steve began.
Fury gazed at her with his single eye and she did her damnedest to read his emotions. His control rivaled Bucky's but wasn't quite as strong. Surprisingly concern was the strongest emotion there, closest to the surface.
"I've been made aware that the three of you are involved in a romantic relationship of sorts," Fury said, his gaze still on Chris.
She held that gaze and kept her head up.
"We are," Steve confirmed. "And?"
"It's unfortunate that anyone outside the three of you had to be made aware of the situation," Fury went on, glancing up at Steve.
"Yes, it is," Steve agreed. "But it's done now."
"My concern is the impact that this will have on the team," Fury explained. "Romantic entanglements pose problems and this one is very unconventional."
"The three of us have no plans to broadcast our private lives or let it impact our work in any way," Steve assured him.
Bucky nodded and so did Chris.
"You realize that this may pose problems for you when you return to the FBI," Fury said to Chris. "They frown on scandal but I'm sure you know that."
Her boys were both gazing at her carefully. While their masks were still in place, she could tell they hadn't thought of that.
Regret. Regret. REGRET.
"I am aware of it," she told the director. "I'll deal with any consequences then. There's no use in worrying about something that may never happen."
Nick's expression changed to one of approval.
The relief vibes she got from Bucky on that note were strong. She just knew he took that to mean that maybe she wouldn't return to the FBI.
Maybe she wouldn't.
It wasn't even an option at the moment and she needed to focus on the now.
"If at some future point your… situation… does pose problems for the team," Nick spoke carefully, "we'll be forced to move Danforth to another location until it's deemed safe for her to be without our protection. I trust you all understand."
Chris shouldn't have been shocked at the warning but yeah, she kind of was. So if things got out of hand with their relationship, they'd pull her out. From the emotions coming from Fury, she got the impression it was more of a warning for her boyfriends to behave than it was for her. She understood why it had to be said at all. The Avengers dealt with global concerns, world threats. They had to be focused.
On the one hand, she resented being used again the two men she cared about to keep them in line, as if that were ever going to be an issue with Steve and Bucky tended to follow his lead. On the other hand, it had her cringing because the reason their situation had been revealed at all was because of her and it wasn't the first time her actions had drawn attention to the three of them.
It gave her a lot to think about.
"I understand," she said simply. Steve's expression remained calm but underneath he wasn't happy about what they'd just been told.
Bucky wasn't even trying to hide his displeasure at it all.
Steve nodded. "Is that everything?"
"It is," Nick told them, rising from his desk as they made their way out of the office.
Chris headed down a side hallway for a moment, both Bucky and Steve following her.
"What does he mean they'll move her to another location?" Bucky was upset.
Steve placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "It's not going to come to that," Steve told him. "He had to say that now that everything is out."
Chris's heart squeezed in her chest. If Bucky was that upset about the possibility of them moving her out of the compound, what had she done to him over the last three weeks?
"He's right," Chris whispered, taking his flesh hand in hers for the moment. "He had to say that. If it were someone else, he would have said it to them too."
She hated the shadows behind his expressive blue eyes, wanting to banish them forever and more than a little afraid some of them were her fault. "Let's just get through these meetings so we can do make-up sex when we're done," she whispered.
That had his smile returning.
"Yeah?" Bucky smirked at her then Steve.
"Yeah," she told him with a flirty smile. "I could even boss you around if you wanted me to."
Bucky playfully growled at her as Steve urged them back up towards the conference room.
Sam stood waiting for them to catch up, grinning at Chris. Steve's hand at her lower back was a comfort.
"We've missed you, Chris," Sam said in his usual teasing tone. "You get everything straightened out over at the nursing home?"
Chris had to laugh at that. "Yeah, Sam, I believe I did."
The Falcon cast a glance at each of her men before returning his gaze to her and smirking. "Well, when you decide to trade them in for a much younger model, I'm hoping you'll keep me in mind."
"Don't you have anything else to do, bird-brain?" Bucky grumbled but she could tell he wasn't really offended.
"No, right now I really don't," Sam went on with a wink, leading them back into the meeting.
When they re-entered the room, Thaddeus Ross was very focused on her. What was this about? Chris made an effort to pointedly avoid looking at him from that point on, but she stayed aware of him in the room as the meeting resumed. From across the large table, she couldn't get much. What she thought she got was curiosity and not the good kind.
Steve and Bucky had noticed it as well, the tension from both was palpable. It didn't take Chris long to realize that it was directed at Steve. Ross, for whatever reason, wasn't a fan of Steve's and just might be considering how to use her against Steve.
Well, that wouldn't do.
"So at that point in the mission, I'll manage intel from the base," Tony explained. "Danforth will be handling data analysis here at the compound. We're going to have to work fast. So fast."
Chris nodded, understanding it was a high-pressure situation. It was the sort of situation Chris loved and thrived in.
"You mean Athena." Ross stared directly at Chris.
Bucky tensed next to her. Chris folded her hands on the table in front of her calmly.
"You actually plan to have a known cyberterrorist step in on this mission in such a capacity?" Ross asked.
"She works for me," Tony defended her. "I've no reason to question her loyalties."
"She has loyalties to parts of this group certainly," Ross cast cold glances at Steve. "But the council will not approve someone who is practically a criminal working on this mission. It's too important."
Steve was about to snap, she could feel it. She just needed him to hold on another few seconds.
"With all respect, Mr. Secretary, my activities were all commissioned by the bureau," Chris explained calmly.
"But you learned to conduct yourself as a hacker somewhere, did you not?" the man shot back.
Chris calmly shrugged. "It takes a hacker to stop one, doesn't it?"
"We need her on this," Tony cut in. "If she's out, I'm out."
"So am I," Steve stated.
Ross shook his head, smirking. "There's nothing on your record before you arrived at Quantico, agent. Care to explain that?"
"My personal records were sealed to protect my surviving family," Chris was getting pissed off now.
"There's no other reason?" Ross's sarcasm was biting.
"You're welcome to try and find something. I think you'll be disappointed."
Natasha was barely concealing the grin on her face as she glanced at Chris. Barton wasn't even trying to hide his amusement, neither was Sam.
Tony winked at her before moving on to the last part of the mission. Ross kept shooting her looks meant to intimidate but Chris wasn't worried. She chose to ignore him until the meeting finally concluded. Ross was one of the first out of there.
Everyone started filtering out of the room, it had been four hours after all, Tony caught her by the arm as she rose from her chair.
"I'm behind you all the way, kid, you know that," Tony began quietly. "But I need to know. Is there anything before Quantico I should know about?"
Steve and Bucky waited for an answer to that too.
Chris shook her head. "Not a thing. It was to protect my aunt. She's all the blood family I have left. I wanted her protected. I insisted on it when I took on the Athena persona."
Tony nodded his understanding. "Makes it easy then. Okay, we'll catch up later."
"Didn't I tell you we needed you on the girls' team here?" Wanda told her, giving her a quick hug as they made their way to the elevator.
As soon as the doors slid closed, Chris turned her attention to Steve.
"Why is Ross out to get you?" She wanted to know.
"Because of me," Bucky explained to her.
"Not entirely," Steve cut in. "I wouldn't sign the Sokovian Accords and that was what really started it. Half of the Avengers agreed to sign hoping to still have some control over what we do as a team but it didn't work out the way we thought. Around that time, there was the bombing."
"When Zemo set it up to look like Bucky had been the terrorist when he was not involved," Chris finished for him.
Steve nodded. "When Tony realized what had happened, he followed us to where Zemo waited. He and T'Challa helped us take him into custody. I expected a big fight but it was actually over pretty quickly."
"I never heard. What was Zemo after?" Chris asked.
"His family died in Sokovia," Steve explained. "He wanted payback and he tried to use Buck to get it. He knew that…"
"That?"
"That I killed Starks' parents," Bucky said grimly. "While I was with HYDRA. He planned to use me to get Steve and Tony to tear the Avengers apart."
Chris let that sink in, shocked.
Fear rolled off Bucky now and Steve was more than a little anxious.
"Bucky," Chris said with a sigh, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry they did that to you. If he'd gotten to Tony with that first… It could have been a real catastrophe. I know Steve would have fought for you."
Steve nodded, agreeing.
Bucky stared at her with a mixture of surprise and disbelief, seemed to be stumbling over what to say.
Chris glanced down as the elevator doors opened to their floor. She led them back to Steve's apartment and took a seat in the living room as Steve closed and locked the door and joined Bucky on the couch.
"I was given dossiers on each of you before that first mission," Chris told them both.
"How extensive?" Bucky wanted to know.
"Very extensive," Chris admitted. "It outlined many missions you'd completed for HYDRA, targets you'd neutralized. I know we've not really talked about it, Bucky, but I've known all of that since the beginning. Even before I met you, I knew that wasn't who you really were. Now that I do know you… You're someone I admire. Someone with incredible strength. Not many people couldn't have survived what you did. I wouldn't have been able to."
"See?" Steve kept his tone teasing. "It's not just me telling you that to make you feel better."
Bucky held out his hand to her and she rose, letting him pull her down onto his lap.
"You don't…"
"Hate you?" Chris said lightly. "No, Bucky. I never could."
Slowly he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him and pressing his forehead to her chest.
Chris ran her hands through his hair to calm him.
Chris pulled back to glance at Steve. "You're not his target though. Steve is. I feel like he's going to try and use me or me and Bucky to create trouble for you."
Steve's hand smoothed up her back, smoothing over Bucky's hands too. "He can try."
Steve leaned forward to brush his lips over hers, testing the waters. His lips felt so good. It had been weeks since she'd kissed him properly. Angling her head, Chris deepened the kiss, happy with the low moan she drew from his lips.
Steve's fingers tugged at the buttons on her blouse while Bucky peeled the blazer back. Steve's lips burned a fiery trail down her throat, down her chest. One large hand reached up to cup her breast before pulling the cup down so he could tease her nipple with his mouth and she released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Bucky wasn't idle, pulling her blouse free of the skirt, pulling it off before unhooking her bra and removing it also. Steve was lavishing attention on her breasts so gently as Bucky slid a hand up her thigh, under her skirt moving steadily upward as his lips teased the back her neck.
"Are you kidding me?" Bucky's hand stopped and Chris smiled, knowing he'd found it.
Steve stopped what he was doing for a moment. "What?"
Bucky hauled her skirt up to reveal the flesh-colored thigh-high stockings she wore beneath.
Steve groaned. "That's what you had under there in the boardroom the entire time?"
"You know what she didn't have?" Bucky grinned at him over her shoulder.
Steve's other hand slid up her other thigh, discovering Bucky was correct. She wasn't wearing panties.
Steve shook his head, lowering his head to her shoulder. "So glad I didn't know about this. That fucking meeting was long enough."
Chris tipped up his strong chin. "Language, Captain."
Steve smirked at her while Bucky petted her pussy lips, driving her crazy.
"Really?" Steve asked.
Chris nodded, squealing when he snatched her up out of Bucky's lap and threw her over his shoulder, making a mad dash for the bedroom. Bucky was on his heels.
He'd been promised make-up sex after all.