"Hey, you okay?" Bucky's voice cut through Gianna's stupor, snapping her back to attention.
They were seated side by side in a Quinjet, something Gianna didn't even know existed until a few hours ago. It was remarkably quiet, with a gentle hum the only indication that there was any mechanical reason they were in the air at all. Pepper and Tony sat a few feet away, with Tony in a heated phone conversation with some manufacturer about the availability of more vibranium and Pepper triple-checking her notes for the upcoming press conference. Gianna and Bucky sat on a bench towards the back of the plane.
"Hey team, we touch down at the tower in 15, get your game face on." Tony called before returning to his phone call.
Taking a deep breath, Gianna turned to meet Bucky's eyes. "Yeah. I'm good. Just a little nervous. You know, you think you're good at doing press, but it's one thing to be chatting away about who I'm rumored to be dating or my new song…and another thing entirely to be asked questions about an attack…on my life. Usually I feel like I'm acting, like I'm playing a character. This time, I don't have anything to hide behind."
Bucky paused for a moment, before giving a reassuring smile. "You can hide behind me."
Chuckling, Gianna leaned back. "I might take you up on that if I get a question I don't want to answer."
After the jet had landed on Tony's private helipad, nearly 50 stories in the air, Pepper had ushered Gianna into an elevator. As the doors slid shut, she caught Bucky's eye and tried not to look too terrified that they were being separated. Gianna trusted Pepper and knew there wasn't a place in the world more secure than Avengers Tower, except maybe the compound, but there was a time she felt safe on stage too. She'd only been released from the medical wing this morning, which was a pleasant surprise when she woke up, but she'd been whisked off to the briefing before she even got to ask where she was being released to.
They'd had a surprising array of pastries and fruit set out next to the set of folders Pepper had prepared for them to review in preparation. Unfortunately, they only had a pot of black coffee (Tony's favorite) for her to choose from. In true knight-in-shining-armor fashion, however, Bucky had been seated at the far end of the conference room table, two styrofoam coffee cups in front of him.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Gianna had called.
"You just saw me last night." Bucky deflected, holding a latte out for her.
"I was talking to the coffee."
After that pleasant surprise, it had turned to strictly business. Pepper's somber expression told Gianna that whatever was inside the folder wasn't exactly going to give her the warm fuzzies. As they worked through the intel Tony's team had acquired on the people Bucky tracked down, those responsible for the attack, Gianna felt her stomach turn.
They'd tracked the leader back to a small city called Astapor, basically a hybrid between Las Vegas and Hell. The center of illegal weapons dealing, human trafficking, drug smuggling, you name it. There was a whole underworld of incredibly wealthy people demanding incredibly twisted things. Astapor was the place they'd go to get it.
As it turned out, one of the twisted things that someone was after…was her.
The details had gone fuzzy after Gianna heard the words leave Pepper's mouth. Tony sat uncharacteristically quietly, hands clasped in front of his mouth and eyes fixed on the table. Bucky had stood up and faced the wall, his torment visible on his face. The only reason he hadn't left the room is because he refused to leave Gianna alone to face the horrific details of the attack.
"The person behind all of this was former SHIELD and CIA agent Sharon Carter." Pepper had explained.
"She was…a friend to some of us. When the Sokovia Accords conflict occured, Sharon helped break Steve, Bucky, and a few others out of containment. Turns out, she was fired, and faced charges of obstructing justice. She blamed us for the loss of her reputation, her career. So she took the intel she'd gathered and fled to Astapor. There's a strong policy against extradition, no one would dare try and find someone there. Well…" Pepper paused, glancing at Bucky.
"She knew she'd be safe from potential prosecution. So she went to work trying to set herself up financially. Over the past few years, she sold off all the internal information she had, but she ran out of money. When she found out through the surge of information online that Bucky was working with you, Gianna, she made a plan. She knew that if she could somehow…kidnap you, the biggest name in entertainment right now, there would be no dollar amount she couldn't extract from her buyers. She used her inside information on Steve to set the trap, she knew about his relationship with Bucky. If there was anything that could draw Bucky away from his duty, it was a threat to Steve. She knew that and she exploited it. The plan was to disarm your protection, retrieve you under the shield of chaos, and be in Astapor before anyone knew where to begin looking. She worked with a team of private contractors, all currently in United States custody. She didn't have a buyer lined up yet. All loose ends have been tied up."
There was silence in the room, Gianna couldn't tell how long it went on. Her ears were ringing, her heart pounding. Her mind struggled to fathom the unspeakable horrors that came so close to becoming her reality.
"Ms. Cruz?" Pepper gently called. "Do you have any questions?"
Gianna opened her mouth to speak, but instead of words, she turned around and hurled into the wastebasket Bucky was holding.
Thank God for super soldier reflexes.
Gianna shook her head, forcing memories of that morning out of her head. "Where are we going?" She tried to force her voice to stay steady, knowing it needed to sound clear and confident in a few short hours.
"I have some people I think you'll be happy to see." Pepper smiled gently. The elevator doors slid open to reveal Kate and Tom sitting in yet another conference room. Instead of a light breakfast spread, this time the table was covered by Kate's arsenal of beauty supplies. As they stepped out of the elevator, both heads snapped up.
"GIANNA, oh honey, oh it's so good to see you again!" Kate engulfed her in a rib-crushing hug, her familiar perfume immediately putting Gianna at ease. "Oh, you poor thing, look at you." Kate's hands grazed over her face, brows knitting together in concern.
"You should have seen the other guy." Gianna said sheepishly.
The group chuckled, seemingly relieved that she still sounded like herself. After they'd exchanged hugs and Kate had checked for the fifth time that Gianna was still in one piece, they got to work. Pepper had brought half a dozen outfit options, courtesy of her personal buyer, each perfectly tailored to Gianna's measurements.
The next hour and a half flew by as Kate filled her in on various rumors circulating in the celebrity makeup artist world, her favorite thing to discuss. Based on the fact that neither Tom nor Kate pressed Gianna for a single detail on the attack, she guessed they'd already been briefed and warned not to upset her.
While she felt a much needed sense of normalcy sitting in the chair, Kate's hands dancing across her face, Gianna was only half listening to what she said. Her mind was full of thoughts, but the most prominent one…I wish Bucky were here.
Gianna sat nervously in the green room, her newly manicured hands folded in her lap. Kate didn't miss a single detail. Bucky sat beside her, his metal arm crammed into a black collared shirt that Tony had insisted he wear. After what seemed like an excessively long glam process, due in part to the amount of concealer required to cover all her bruises, Bucky had rejoined them.
"You sure clean up nice." She'd said, gulping hard and forcing her eyes to look at his, not the fabric stretched across his muscular chest.
"I'd say the same, but I don't think I've ever seen you any other way." God, he was such a charmer.
"You kids ready for this?" Tony said, striding into the green room, the chatter of the reporters following him through the open door.
Taking a deep breath, Gianna met Bucky's eyes. He gave a tight-lipped smile as he reached out to grasp her hand.
"You say the word and we'll be gone."
Smiling, she took his hand and stood to her feet, not letting it go until they reached the podium.
Per Pepper's executive decision, the press conference was held in a spacious room at Stark Industries, this one equally as sleek and elegant as every other room Gianna had been in since she entered the Tower for the first time. The room was filled with reporters, cameras, and a palpable tension in the air as everyone awaited the statements regarding the recent bombing incident at Gianna's concert.
Taking her place at the front of the room, Gianna rested her hands on the edges of the podium. There had been a flurry of activity the second they crossed the threshold, but this was no different than usual. Even Bucky was beginning to get desensitized to the flashes and frequent shutter noises.
Pepper gave a brief address to the gatherer press, giving an official statement on behalf of The Avengers, seeing as they employed Gianna's security. They'd agreed in the prior meetings that she'd handle the details and that Gianna's appearance was mainly to assure the public that there was no need to panic or worry. As Pepper emphatically thanked Bucky for his heroics, he simply nodded as the room erupted into applause. Cameras flashed, this time pointed directly at him. Gianna felt his discomfort but was thankful he was receiving the public recognition he deserved.
Pepper concluded her remarks and turned the microphone over to Gianna, though she continued to moderate. Reporters raised their hands, and one by one, they were called upon to ask their questions. Delivering perfectly rehearsed and media-trained answers, Gianna slipped back into her public persona quickly, albeit a little more reserved given the circumstances.
"What will this mean for the second leg of the tour, the international dates?" One reporter called from the second row.
Pausing, Gianna realized she didn't actually know the answer to that question. She hadn't even seen Tom since the incident and hadn't had the energy to check her phone, knowing it would be full of texts and calls from people who only pretended to be her friend. The sad truth was, every person who truly cared about her had seen her within the past 2 hours.
Stepping forward, Tom spoke into the microphone, an apprehensive look on his face as though he were saying something he didn't want to say. "Gianna's team is working as quickly as possible to figure out the logistics that will allow her to return to -"
"Actually," Tony's voice called from behind Gianna. Turning, she saw him stepping toward the podium so she shifted to the side to allow him to take center stage. "There's been a change of plans. As of -" He glanced at Pepper who confirmed a detail on her phone before winking at him. "About ten minutes ago, a new holding company has acquired Ms. Cruz's record label. One who, believe it or not, doesn't believe in taking advantage of unrepresented minors and enforcing a contract less than a week following an attempted kidnapping."
Confused, Gianna glanced up at Bucky, expecting him to meet her eyes with the same questioning look. Instead, she found his gaze locked on Tony, not looking surprised in the slightest. Looking almost…satisfied.
"Okay, fine, you guessed it. Stark Capital Group, founded and funded by yours truly, is officially in the music business. Don't ask me my first order of business, you already know it'll be to make Destiny's Child a reunion offer they can't refuse."
The room erupted with even more flashes and questions being yelled at the front of the room. Tom looked as bewildered as Gianna felt, whereas Pepper and Bucky both looked pleased.
"Mr. Stark, what does this acquisition mean for Ms. Cruz and the tour?"
"What it means is that she's a kid who just almost got turned into pop star puree. Anyone who thinks her top priority right now should be putting on a concert can see me after this conference for a complimentary lobotomy."
"So what exactly-"
"What Mr. Stark means is that we as a company decided to intervene because we didn't feel like the necessary precautions were being taken with Ms. Cruz." Pepper intervened, ever so diplomatic, as she elbowed Tony out of the way. "All ticket holders will be fully refunded, as well as given a voucher for any rescheduled dates we may decide to pursue in the future. For now, our top priority is ensuring that Ms. Cruz has the time and resources to recover both mentally and physically. That's all the time we have for today, thank you all for attending and thank you once again for your support."
The flashes took up once again, all trying to get one final shot as the crew traipsed out of the room. Tony was in rare form, blowing kisses to the camera while Pepper ushered him out. Bucky's left hand took it's place on Gianna's lower back, guiding her toward the door. She reveled in the feeling of the cool metal through her shirt, something thankfully familiar in the midst of all this confusion.
As the door to the private conference room closed and they were alone once again, Gianna couldn't contain herself any longer.
"Can someone please let me in on whatever's happening here?"
Pepper smiled kindly. "Of course. Bucky told us the situation with your label and how you didn't have much room to negotiate for yourself. As soon as Tony heard they were trying to get you back on tour, he asked me how quickly we could buy the company."
Dumbfounded, Gianna looked from Pepper to Bucky, who stood in front of the door. He shrugged and gave a sheepish smile.
"Don't worry, this isn't going to change as much as you think. We've already sent word to fire the man responsible for exploiting you like this, I'll get him replaced with someone much more qualified. Consider your contract reopen for negotiations."
Mind spinning, Gianna struggled to figure out what to ask first.
"So…what do I do now?"
Tony spoke up again. "Whatever the hell you want, kid."
"For now, let's get you back to the compound. We went ahead and prepared a room for you so you can settle in while you figure out next steps. It's the safest place for you to lie low and recover. I'm sure Bucky can be talked into giving you the full tour when we land." Pepper's smile always seemed to extend to her eyes when she spoke, something that made her feel even warmer.
As they left the room to make sure the Quinjet was ready for departure, Gianna swiveled her chair to face Bucky.
"How many times do you plan on saving me this week?" She crossed her arms in mock confrontation.
"As many times as you need saving." A smirk played across his lips.
"I hope you know I do want the full tour. Every inch of the grounds. Maybe twice, considering I did hit my head pretty hard. Oh, and I wanna see your room. If it doesn't have that poster of me you said was on your wall, I'm going to rethink everything."
Chuckling, Bucky held the door open to lead her to the helipad. "Whatever you say."
author's note: FINALLY finished this one, it's a lengthy one but also had a lot of the information I've been wanting to get out forever! let me know what you think! this sets the scene for the next stage of the story and where it will be held. super excited, thanks for reading! xoxo