The Raft
Bucky was led through the Raft, his face a stone visage of determination. Sam was able to call in a few favors to get him there but that was about it. Bucky had to be careful how much he talked because Secretary Ross would be very interested in Phoenix if he ever found out about her. Her venom alone had many applications and Bucky wasn't going to abide her falling back into the hands of man after a century and a half of freedom. He was banking on Zemo being of the same opinion. When he reached the door leading to his cell block, Bucky waited to be buzzed in. He could see Phoenix standing in front of him, waiting for the door to open when she was here ages ago. His heart twisted but he kept his expression stony. The door buzzed and he walked in.
Zemo looked up from the book he was reading and frowned in confusion when he saw Bucky standing outside his door. "I must say I wasn't expecting this," he said, bookmarking his page and setting the book aside. "Didn't you? I find that hard to believe," Bucky snarked back. Zemo got to his feet and went to the glass, folding his arms. "I suppose the princess told you she came here to visit at my invitation. And now I suppose you decided it was time to tell me to stay out of your lives," he said. "That's not the problem, Zemo. The problem is what happened after," the White Wolf responded. The Baron's confusion was growing. He was good at selling any emotion but he had no idea what the former Winter Soldier was talking about.
"Has something happened to her?" he asked. Bucky's face went from stony to thunderous and he nearly punched the glass. "She almost killed herself, you son of a bitch. What did you tell her?" he demanded. Of all the expressions he was sure Zemo was going to show, surprise and concern weren't them. "There's a story here. What possessed the princess to almost end herself?" Zemo inquired. "You tell me. You're the last person she spoke to before things went down," Bucky growled. Zemo knew that wasn't true. She had been escorted here by someone, though he didn't know who. Valentina never told him. He held his hands up as a signal for Bucky to simmer down. "All I did when she was here was catch up. I respect your princess because of her genuine sympathy for my family. She did admit to being involved with you but that matters little to me. I may have sabotaged and broke the Avengers but I did that to prove a point. I have no reason to sabotage your relationship. There's nothing in it for me," the Baron explained.
Bucky's own anger turned to confusion and he leaned back a bit. Zemo spoke before he could. "Tell me what happened. The princess I know was always of a strong mind. Attempted suicide is out of character for her," he said. Bucky sighed before running a hand through his hair. "It wasn't a suicide attempt. She was trying to bring about a drastic change and almost died in the process. The two of us got into a fight about it. I haven't seen her since. She's been staying down south to heal," he explained. Zemo felt annoyed that the walls had ears this time. Valentina had visited a few days after Phoenix had and she told him that the one who escorted her there had cut off the audio in addition to looping footage in any camera she had passed by on her way to the cellblock. But because the circumstances were different this time, he couldn't press for exact details of what Phoenix had done. He wanted her kept out of the Contessa's hands in addition to Ross's.
"What sort of change?" he asked. Bucky explained in vague detail that Phoenix attempted form expulsion and it almost killed her. Zemo was a smart man. He could figure out or guess what happened in exact detail. By the end of it, the Baron was standing with his eyes closed in thought. He then opened them to look at the former Winter Soldier. "I know my word is less than the dirt on your boots, James, but you can believe me when I say I wasn't the one who put that idea in her head. I respect the princess as she is and since I have nothing to gain from sabotaging you two, you're blaming the wrong man," he said.
Bucky knew Zemo wasn't lying. He was honest when it counted. "If it wasn't you, then who did? Who brought her here anyway?" he asked. Zemo shrugged. "I never saw her escort. She came in here alone. This might be a question you could answer. When the princess returned to you, did she come alone or was she with someone?" he ventured. Bucky's blue-greys widened a bit. "John Walker was with her…," he said, more to himself than to Zemo. The Baron's face soured. He should've known Valentina would've recruited him and he should've known he was the only option when it came to bringing Phoenix here. "Walker is really the only one who could be responsible when it comes to this, James. He likely has a grudge against you and Sam but you're the one he could hurt the most," the Sokovian said flatly.
Bucky looked appalled. "Why would he drag her into his vendetta against me?" he sniped. Zemo leaned his hands on the door frame. "You're not the only one Walker has a grudge against. The princess made her own mark on him so if anything, whatever he said was meant to hurt you both. The princess is strong but you and I both know she has self-worth issues. My guess is Walker managed to get to her and made it seem whatever she attempted was the only option in order to stay with you," he pointed out. Bucky turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why would she be so stupid? This makes the whole thing even worse because she chose to believe him over me," he groaned.
Zemo just shrugged. "Love makes people do stupid things. We can both agree the princess wasn't acting out of maliciousness with what she did and it goes right back to her self-worth issues. She wanted to make you happy but ended up paying a hefty price for it. In the end, you need to talk to her about what Walker said in order to get all the answers. Whatever he said must've had some modicum of truth. Otherwise, I doubt the princess would've taken such drastic measures. She's wiser than that. How long ago was this, anyway?" he asked. "She attempted literally the day after my birthday," Bucky responded. Zemo just sighed. "And you're only now trying to get to the bottom of this? I expected you to be more on the ball about this, James," he said, shaking his head.
"Shut up. I wasn't exactly in a good place after it all went down," Bucky said in his defense. Zemo gave him a look. "Fair enough but you've been letting him win this entire time. That's probably what is most disappointing about all this. I would've expected you to start getting to the bottom of things long before now. But it is what it is," the Baron said. The men looked at each other. "Stop letting him win, James. The princess deserves better than that," Zemo hammered home. Bucky wasn't sure what was more ridiculous. The fact Walker never crossed his mind as a possible suspect in Phoenix's breakdown or the fact he was basically getting lectured on women by Helmut Zemo of all people.
Zemo crossed his arms. "If you don't mind, did she ever give a reason? You don't have to give me any details. A yes or no will work," he then inquired. Bucky was quiet for a moment. "She said she didn't want to have a life after me," he responded simply. That was all that needed to be said. Zemo could sympathize with that sentiment. If one were to ask, he didn't want to remain in this life while his wife and son, along with his father, were gone. He had tried to off himself in Siberia but King T'Challa saw to it that he stayed alive. By this point, Zemo was past the desire to rejoin his family by his own hand. He found some contentment in his continued existence. He would never admit it to anyone but Phoenix had helped him there. She had inspired him to rise above his own pain and he knew now that his dear wife would've wanted him to live.
"So what are you going to do now, James?" Zemo asked. Bucky took a deep breath. It was a rhetorical question. Answering it would put eyes on his back and Bucky was not interested in drawing attention to himself more than necessary. He did know that if he ever saw Walker, he was caving his face in for his interference. He almost lost the one he loved to Walker's vendetta and it may have cost them their relationship. Phoenix was still ultimately responsible for the decisions she made but she never would've done anything of her own accord if the idea was never planted in her head. Bucky was still angry with her but now it was different. She believed Walker over him but looking at it rationally, Zemo was right as well. Much like a lot of people, Phoenix struggled with self-worth. Whether it was worse for her or not because of her species was irrelevant. She was old and wise, but Bucky had known for a while that being in near-constant contact with humans via him had started taking its toll on her.
He wished he could talk to Seiryu about it but in the end, it is what it is. Bucky didn't want to break things off and it was a conversation they needed to have. He wasn't going to make a unilateral decision about this just because he thought it would be good for her. He needed to take her feelings into account. But that all could wait. Right now, he needed to hunt Walker down and put him in his place. After that, he would probably call Sarah to let her know that whenever Phoenix was completely healed, he wanted to talk to her face-to-face. After that, the ball was in her court. His mind set, Bucky looked at Zemo. "Thanks for your time," he said. He turned towards the door but Zemo stopped him. "James," he called. The White Wolf looked over his shoulder. "Do the right thing when you see the princess again," he said before smirking. "From the moment I met her, I noticed how you couldn't keep your eyes off her. I love it when I'm proven right," Zemo snarked. Bucky's only response was a scowl and he flipped him off. He left the room and headed back to his transport.
Back in NYC
Bucky entered his apartment and pulled his jacket off. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Sarah, it's Bucky. I'm doing okay. I think I have things figured out but I still need a little more time before I'm ready to talk to her. How is she anyway?" he asked when she picked up. Learning that Phoenix had been in a very depressive state since he left her wasn't a surprise but it still made Bucky sad to know that she was suffering so much because of him and because of what she had done. The last thing he said to her was that he couldn't look at her and he wasn't sure if they could come back from it. Before learning the likely truth behind her reasoning, Bucky was more sure now that they could work through it. He was willing to try. Phoenix was a different story. She had been hurt more ways than one by the whole ordeal and since he had cut contact the day he left, he couldn't be sure if she wanted him back.
"Hasn't spoken a word in all this time? Shit. I feel like trash for everything anyway but this really takes the cake. If Nix isn't talking, I don't know how this is going to get resolved," Bucky said in response to the news that the chimera had lost her voice. He did feel a glimmer of hope when Sarah told him that while she was still depressed and lost, Phoenix was starting to come back to life a bit and her wound was recovering very nicely. Sarah had been doing some light physical therapy with her to see if the failed expulsion had any lasting physical damage. So far, her mobility didn't seem to be affected at all. If there was any residual pain, Phoenix was either very good at hiding it or she was steeped too much in her misery to notice.
Bucky felt a small frown on his lips. Sarah asked him how he was doing. The White Wolf sat down heavily on his couch. "It wasn't easy not having her here. It still isn't. But now that I have some direction, I think I'll be okay. Try getting her to talk. Nix is going to damage her voice this way," he said. The White Wolf paused, waffling on if he wanted Sarah to pass on a message to Phoenix for him, letting her know he loved her. But he knew this wasn't the right time for that. The only way he would know if that was still true for himself was to see her in person.