Indeed, Bucky, needing fresh air after being surrounded by the other boys, is heading to his favorite hanger, wondering if he should buy a bike for him and Audrey as a personal project, smiling at the thought of taking her out on a ride, or heck, let her take him out on a ride.
He is surprised that he's somehow feeling comfortable and happier when he actually tries to get to know genuinely of Audrey, and strangely, he doesn't want to go back to his womanizing ways for she pops in his mind with that feisty smirk or even that cute blush, and he feels like he couldn't be his old self again with her around, and he isn't even bothered about it.
Hell, he might just admit that he's really falling in love with Audrey Ramirez, about the stubbornest, most feisty, very fiery, boldest, and cutest gal he had ever met. He might tell her tonight or soon...Yes, that would work...
Bucky is humming a tune Audrey taught him as he came in through the front door of the side hanger, heading for the motorcycle section when he heard metal clanking amongst jeers, shouts and yells of pain, "Get her, get her, Zac!", hearing a group of female and male voices amongst Audrey's voice.
Bucky quickly moved fast as he didn't know what exactly that was a sound of, but he had a feeling that it probably wasn't good. "Audrey?!", he called out and ran towards the voices.
Bucky ran faster when he heard a pained yell of a man's voice, "Bitch!", and Audrey's shout of triumph and then surprise, before she screamed, "Don't touch me!", before shouting in pain, causing Bucky to run faster, afraid for Audrey's life.
A group of men and women, with one of the women bleeding and having signs of bruises forming, all in amounts of being drunk, jeering, "Get her, Sean!", crowding around two men and Audrey in the back of the hanger, with one of the men on his knees, holding his crotch, and the other man was slapping Audrey in the face while pinning her knees and arms, making her unable to kick out or jab at him, as she was partly on her front and side.
Sean snarled, "You ain't even a real woman! You're just a weak teenager, and it ain't fair! Should have been one of us real men out there next to Barnes, not you! This is for smacking my dame, and kicking my friend in the nuts!", before his fist grabbed in her hair upwards, causing her to cry out in pain, while his slapping hand went to rip the overalls, and she cried, "No! Help!", before hearing Bucky's voice, "Audrey!", along with an echoing gunshot.
Everyone turned their attention as Bucky had fired a round off in the air to get a distraction. Bucky came in just the nick of time as he then quickly tacked the man that was pinning Audrey before he could do anything else as he then gave him a severe 'donkey punch' to the back of the guy's head, knocking him out cold as he looked to Audrey. "You alright?", he asked.
Audrey heaved, panting heavily with tears in her eyes, looked at him with a small nod, and Bucky was relieved, and then narrowed his eyes at the crowd, "Unless you want a bullet in the foot, all of you, stand down now! I ain't asking again! Or you'll answer to the gods if you don't stand down now!", using his sergeant voice, barely hearing the front door of the hanger open again in the distance.
The crowd, despite being drunk, realized that they are all done for, and dropped down to the floor, and Bucky saw one of the patrols come in, saluting, "Sergeant Barnes, what happened?".
"A couple of GIs got drunk and decided to commit actions dishonorable of their ranks and roles in the United States Army, if you want me to say it in the nicest way possible.", Bucky said.
The leader of the patrol exhaled, "I see. Some of them look like they are from the nearby town. We'll take all of them to General Phillips, Sergeant Barnes.".
Bucky nodded, "Keep them apart in individual rooms, Patrol Leader. They may be all drunk, but General Phillips is sure to be through. Is that clear?", and the patrol leader nodded, "Yes, sir, and the two men, especially the one that's out cold?".
Bucky narrowed his eyes, "Have those two chained up to their own interrogations when the time comes. They were a danger earlier, and if they are a danger to themselves or more other people, best to be safe.".
The patrol leader nodded, "Yes, sir!", saluting, and then ordered, "Take them out, gentlemen!", and they went to take the crowd, cuffing them and such, with carrying the unconscious man as well, leaving the hanger and the duo.
Bucky took a deep exhale, finally relaxing his body as he was that tense, and looked over, "It's okay. It's all over, Aud-Oh!", as Audrey collided with him, sobbing with tears flying, her hands wringing in his shirt.
"Sorry...", Audrey sobbed; this wasn't normal for her but all her life, she had been one to easily come out on top in a fight. In this case, not only being pinned down like that but what could've happened had Bucky not arrived in time just really caused something to snap in her and basically break down the tough exterior she normally gave off.
Bucky wrapped his arms around her gently, rubbing her back, "Don't be...I'm just glad that you're safe...I know it'd be normal to use the crystal to heal those bruises on your face and all, but we can't risk it right now when we need them to prove that you got assaulted...What happened, Audrey?".
Audrey spoke shakily, "I was searching for some oil and rough cloth to work the coil chain to the back wheel of Steve's bike when they came in...I kept my cool and such when I told them to get out as I was afraid that they would bash some of the Jeeps or something...then they overwhelmed me, grabbing me roughly, taking me to the back of the hanger here...That woman, the one that was bleeding and being bruised up, she instituted a catfight with me, and I fought back...Turns out she was one of your old stand-in women from your past...Jealous of me like the other few women in the crowd...The one I kicked in the crotch, he had challenged me to a wrestling fight...I won, of course...And then what you heard and saw, happened...I...I was so scared, Bucky...I thought he was...", as she is having one of her overall straps missing and torn away, yet the other one is keeping her overalls up, thankfully...
"It's okay, Audrey...", Bucky told her. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean for anything I did before to come back to hurt you like that.", he told her, now feeling sick to his stomach as he had quite the harsh reality from his playboy ways in revealing some serious consequences.
Audrey exhaled, rubbing her tears into his shirt, whispering, "I'm not upset at you...Yet...how could we make this work?...You...you heard him...I'm just a teenager...I never cared before, as I could always have help forging paperwork that I'd turn 18 next year and all, but now...they will notice that I'm...I'm too young for you...And you're a sergeant...let alone that the Rangers and all know your personality...I don't want to hurt you either...".
"Please, Audrey, let's not think any of that right now, alright?", Bucky asked as he continued to hold her tightly, trying to make sure that she felt safe at that moment and not scared.
Audrey nodded softly, taking some deep breaths as she relaxed in Bucky's arms, feeling strangely safe in them like she was when he carried her to that depression near that ditch that day when the 110s attacked before she healed her badly bruised ribs.
She listened to his heartbeat, feeling it slow down to its natural rhythm after all the adrenaline running through him, and knew she is feeling the same, and they were like that for some minutes before she looked up at him with a small smile, "I'm better now...I just want to get this over with...I need to tell my side of the story to Phillips, show the proof, and then I will feel much better when he makes the order of punishment or even exile.".
Bucky replied, "Okay...After this, we will figure something of healing your bruises with your crystal just enough for a couple of days to show the base that one of their heroes got hurt, and that the ones who did it got karma, and then everything will settle down to normal...".
Audrey smiled a bit bigger, "That sounds logical...", before wincing at the soreness of her bruises on her face, and nodded, "Let's go. You think the patrol leader let Phillips know already?".
"Oh, I'm certain about that; those men will be in Leavenworth by next week with how fast Phillips will probably rain down on them.", Bucky assured her as she took a deep breath and nodded a bit. "But I promise you, they won't hurt you again.".
Audrey smiled at Bucky, hearing the sureness in the tone of his voice, and somehow felt like she knew she is being taken care of, because he really cares about her, and within a voice in her head, perhaps even love her...
Her heart skipped a beat, still conflicted between her apparent feelings about Bucky, and stuck with replaying that bastard's words that led to her thoughts earlier, and she pushed it back for the sake of getting her justice verified.
They left the hanger, and they saw the trio on their passing, and Audrey turned into Bucky, ashamed and holding into her overalls when she saw Mole, and for once, Mole felt the atmosphere and read the signals without being his weird self or giving into his normal habit to annoy Audrey, with Bucky shortly replying, "You saw the patrol with the drunk GIs and their friends?".
Steve nodded, and Bucky looked serious, answered shortly, "Saved Audrey from them...they were putting her in an unfair fight, and...was attempting to assault her...", and the trio was horrified, and even Mole was enraged to hear that one of his friends was hurt like this.
Peggy replied, "We'll wait, but not too long...We got bad news, but take your time to see Phillips.", and Bucky nodded as Peggy gave Audrey a reassuring smile, and she smiled back at her best friend, and then headed to the interrogation building a little way of Phillips' office.
"You sure you want to go here?", Bucky asked Audrey. "There's a chance we might see those guys again and I'd rather avoid that for the both of us if you understand.", he said as Audrey looked at him and shook her head.
"No, I have to do this. And if I'm lucky, there might be a way for me to point them out without them seeing me...", Audrey replied, and Bucky nodded.
And so, they headed into the interrogation building, and saw General Phillips standing around, looking at the duo, "Anything broken, Ramirez?".
"No, sir. Just gritty painful bruises and such, and I caught a moment to breathe. I'm alright, just a bit out of composure.", Audrey replied.
Phillips nodded, "Understood...We are lucky that we got a line-up room next to some interrogation rooms, and they will not see you. Could you wait in that hallway out of sight while we get them in the line-up, and when you're ready, you can point the violators while explaining what happened on your side of the story, if that's good with you?".
Audrey nodded as she took a deep breath. "Nothing too much to explain though, I'll admit, sir.", she told him. "All the same, I'd still like to hear it before having these men court-martialed if what the guards told me was true.", Phillips said.
Audrey replied, "Of course, sir.", and then she and Bucky went to a hallway out of sight from the interrogation rooms and the line-up room, and she exhaled as she heard footsteps and the noise of chains, and felt a hand squeeze her hand, causing her to look at Bucky who gave her a reassuring smile, whispering, "You got this. Take your time when you look, okay?".
Audrey gave him a warm, small smile, and kept hearing the sound of chains and footsteps for a few minutes before a door slam closing was heard, and Phillips' voice called out, "Okay, it's clear! You can come out now.".
The duo stepped out from the hallway, and joined Phillips as he turns a switch on, revealing the crowd organized in the line-up, looking dazed, regaining a bit more life from being drunk and also nasty-looking with bruises and all, especially the one Bucky had donkey-punched.
Audrey took a deep breath, relieved to see that the people in the line-up didn't appear to see her at all, meaning that the secret window is working, and went to tell her story from the beginning, prominently pointing out the woman in the catfight, the man she had kicked in the crotch, and eventually the man who attempted to assault her to full escalation, at certain points when she told the events behind the perpetrators, keeping composure as best as she could, somewhat exhausting her in a way of tension and holding back her emotions as the recent memories ran through her head.
After she was finished, Phillips pushed the one-way call button into the line-up room, "Guards, pull out all the names and such you can get from them, and keep them in their rooms for several hours to sleep it all off, and do not, I repeat, do not let an eye off them, even the ones without obvious bruises! Apparently, the town of Toulouse will have a bad day, to know that some of their people encouraged others to do dishonorable things that I will not take kindly upon by inducting a court-martial. Chain them up and take them away!", before releasing the button, and turned off the window switch, looking at them, "Thank you, Sergeant, and Ramirez. You may go now.".
Bucky nodded, "Night, General.", and Audrey gave a thankful smile at Phillips, "Thanks, General.", before they swiftly yet calmly left just in time before anyone, even if drunk still, could've seen them.
"Feeling better now?", Bucky looked at Audrey as she touched her crystal to her bruises just slightly to ease the pain, but keep the bruises visible, for she knew she might possibly appear for the court-martial, and she then smiled genuinely for the first time without pain, "Much better...You never left my side at all...".
"I wasn't going to let you feel alone even if you were fairly safe there...", Bucky told her as he held her hand. "Audrey, again, I'm so sorry that all happened to you because of my past stupidity...", he closed his eyes tight as he just hated himself at that moment.
Audrey's heart lurched in pain as she felt for him, wanting to cheer him up, to see him smile wryly and teasingly, not wanting to see him blame himself, and if telling him that she has feelings for him, that she's falling in love with him, is a way to cheer him up, she'd take it.
Suddenly, in the distance, faintly, with some rookie cadets fooling around in a game, a faint squeal was heard as a pig was launched, and Audrey saw it happening behind Bucky, seeing the pig technically flying, and she was struck by her own words running through her mind when she was with Steve and Peggy that night in getting them to the underground bunker when they were trying to tease her in imagining her falling in love...'When pigs fly.'
"I'm such a hypocrite.", Audrey replied with a groan, and Bucky looked at her in confusion, and then Audrey boldly moved to rest her hands on his chest and kiss him on the lips quickly in a peck, trying her best for a first kiss in her own way.
Bucky was quite stunned by that kiss; it wasn't his first, obviously, but coming from Audrey, it was quite a surprise especially how things had been with them prior; she couldn't even stand him the first time they met.
Audrey replied, "Bucky?", as she saw his shocked expression and his frozen body, biting her lip, frowning, "Snap out of it, please...Did I do that badly?".
Bucky shook his head as he gave a small smile, "No... not at all, just... just a bit caught off guard by that...", reassuring her. "What?", Audrey chuckled. "You think I still hate you or something?", she teased.
Bucky looked at her with a sheepish chuckle, "Somewhat, yeah, even if we became friends and all..You really don't hate me?", and Audrey smiled, "No, I really don't hate you...Rather the opposite...And it's true...I am not ready to say those three words, but I can say that I'm having feelings for you, that I'm falling in love with you...", with a whisper on the last part as she blushed.