Avery liked to consider Tuesdays her sleeping in days. She assists for one class at 10AM so she typically wouldn't feel the need to leave the bed with the boys very early. But, that Tuesday seemed to be the exception.
She would be the first to admit that something had shifted for their trio in the last few days. From her and Bucky finally making up to Bucky being extra affectionate toward Steve since the weekend, everything sort of felt perfectly normal again. Even Bucky going away was normal but at the back of Avery's mind, she was a bit worried that his absence would affect the three of them again.
Instead of worrying about that though, she focused on the now - which was early Tuesday morning. She was wrapped in Bucky's arms on the far side of the bed, her face nestled up against the crook of his neck. Steve's arms were wrapped around Bucky's middle from the other side. They certainly hadn't fallen asleep in that order but clearly they all had the same subconscious thoughts guiding their tangle of morning limbs.
Bucky's phone was buzzing on the side table, much earlier than usual. He had to get out to the compound early to fly out to Washington with Sam and Sharon. They were delivering a training program to a special CIA agent group - which was an incredible accomplishment but meant they had to be in DC before ten.
Despite the noise of his phone alarm, everyone tangled in bed seemed to be playing chicken.
Steve wore down when the noise grew louder, letting go of Bucky's torso and reaching for the phone. "Is there time for one snooze?" His morning voice was raspy as he fell back into position, hugging his chest to Bucky's back.
"Please," Avery whispered out, eyes still tightly shut as she tried to get even closer to Bucky.
"If I'm late to meet Sam, I'm blamin' you two," Bucky replied to them both, encouraging a slight shift in their position so he was laying on his back. Avery stayed close to his right shoulder while Steve mirrored his pose on the left.
"Sam can fight me, I don't care," Avery mumbled out, stretching out her arm to run her fingers through Steve's hair. She always felt better, more grounded, when she was touching both of her boys.
Bucky let out a quiet laugh at her comment. He moved his hand up to brush her messy morning hair across her forehead. "You both realize I'm back Friday night?"
"Four days," Steve added after. "I guess we'll survive."
"At least you're in the same timezone on this trip." Avery pushed herself up a bit, to look towards Bucky. A pout pulled at her lips. "It's those few weeks in Europe that are really going to throw us off."
"I'll do my best to coordinate my first break with your morning commute. How 'bout that?"
"Let's focus on one trip at a time," Steve said before groaning once more as Bucky's alarm sounded again. "If we're all awake now though, I propose a shower? Can you fit that into your schedule this morning, Buck?" Steve leaned down and pressed a kiss to Bucky's lips then quickly to Avery's too, before she had a chance to joke and complain.
Bucky just smirked, fighting back a yawn in the early darkness. "Oh, I can always fit that in."
Bucky scrubbed his hands down his face, blinking a few times at the laptop screen before leaning back onto the chair and looking across the table at Sam. They had spent their day running drills with agents - running through scenarios that ranged from low level espionage to escalated combat. Bucky supposed, in the grand scheme of his unwilling participation during his time with HYDRA, having retained those skills turned into something beneficial.
But each full day of exhaustive training and teaching had been capped with himself and Sam pouring time into the case files and research surrounding Jeremy Felix's mysterious reappearance. Or whatever they wanted to call this investigation.
"Well, what's your current working theory?" Sam let out a long breath as he pushed out his chair, stretching out his arms as he stood. "I'm not sure what kind of database you retained up there after your brain was.." Sam shrugged, moving one of his hands around in a spinning motion. "Do you think something like this is possible? Surviving whatever experiment HYDRA may have put people through?"
Bucky let out a hard laugh. He thought for a few seconds more, tilting his head and trying to ignore the anxious twitch of muscle pulsing on top of his left right cheek. "Well, I survived. I guess I was a special case for them but.." He paused again. "It's one thing to come out of a plane crash alive. It's another to come out on the other side of some twisted human experiment. That HYDRA file is the key but we need to find the lock."
"So - where do we start?"
Sam shifted on his feet and stood behind Bucky as he moved his attention towards the laptop on the table. Within a few minutes they were scoping out a map of Europe - Bucky was using all his brainpower to try and remember where any hidden HYDRA cells were. At their peak, they had planted secret locations around the globe. He vaguely remembered safe houses, check in locations, pop up headquarters and laboratories. In France, they had a few sites. That seemed like a logical place to start if it was in Paris where they thought Jeremy had been spotted.
From there, working backwards toward the Middle East borders. It was delicate planning though - Sam had a friend who could provide some air transport once they were across the ocean but crossing borders and seeking other forms of transportation was going to be more difficult. Especially if they wanted to move quickly and inconspicuously.
After another hour of planning, they seemed to have a map of locations to visit once they were overseas. It was still a while until they could have their feet on the ground to explore but at least they could go in with as much preparation as possible.
"Alice has been monitoring the facial recognition program to see if we can get any more leads regarding his location." Sam flopped down onto the nearest bed and laid flat, resting his hands behind his head. "Do you remember anyone else though? Who may have been involved with projects like yours?"
Bucky winced at the question. "We know I was one of a kind, despite their best efforts." He swallowed the lump in his throat, blinking away the memories of Siberia that had been coming back in flashes. "And, well, they did their best to wipe anything else from me. But I do remember some of their labs.. I wasn't the only one in those cells over the years."
The people who ran HYDRA were absolutely wicked. They lacked any remorse for their subjects because that's all they were - subjects. His humanity was taken away from him almost immediately - his name, his identity, his memories, his purpose. Everything was gone. The Winter Soldier was missions and files and reports. He was a tool, a weapon, a fist.
It would be naive to think there weren't other people suffering through similar treatment.
"They thought they had it right, you know?" Bucky's gaze had long left the files and the computer and even Sam. Instead, his eyes were locked on the large window reflecting the lights of the nearby plaza. "It's twisted how your mind can convince you that something utterly immoral and ethically wrong is supposed to be for the greater good. They would manipulate and cleanse and.." The buzzing in Bucky's mind was growing louder and louder as the thoughts piled up.
He had long ago realized that he would never lose that part of himself - the person who was taken from him was not given back when he rehabilitated. His mind would never truly be his own again and he lived with that. But that didn't help him sleep at night. No. It was that underlying pulse in his heart and soul - the one that reminded him of his second and third and fourth chances. That's what kept the darkness at bay, that's what reminded him that his present and future were more valuable than the horrors of his past.
But he could never forget.
"Hey." Sam had pushed himself to sit up on the bed and repeated Bucky's name, louder for him to actually hear this time. "You know, you're allowed to.." Sam wasn't sure the best way to word his thoughts. He knew Bucky damn well by now and he knew handholding wasn't necessary. Even if this was a difficult topic. "If this is going to be overwhelming, you can draw a boundary, Buck. If you give me the coordinates, I can do the exploration without you."
Bucky shook his head. "No, I'll be okay. I can handle it." The 'thank you' was left unsaid but as he met Sam's gaze, he shifted his chin down into a nod.
Truthfully, the idea of diving headfirst back into HYDRA was the last thing Bucky really wanted to do. That part of his life was better locked away in the broken recesses of his mind. But this was important.
Because it wasn't just about him anymore. All of his actions in not just this investigation but also in his daily life affected Steve and Avery too. And this mess that was about to unfold was going to cause more than just a ripple in Avery's life especially. To think about the hurt and confusion, the repressed feelings and memories that were going to flood back for everyone involved - it was dangerous. It was risky to their wellbeing and to the health of their relationship.
Sam, who had still been watching him deep in thought, sat up on the edge of the bed and stuck his hand out to knock against Bucky's knee. "Hey - let's go grab a drink downstairs? I think they even have a little arcade room near the pool. You can channel your tense feelings into a pinball machine."
Bucky flipped the laptop closed on the table and nodded along with Sam. "Sure, yeah. We might get interrupted by a video call from -
Sam cut him off with a laugh. "From your lovers. I know. I'm used to it by now, man."
Avery was feeling burnt out Thursday afternoon. She had spent her morning with Bruce going over her thesis and while she so admired his support, he certainly didn't hold back when it came to her research. She had gone into their one-on-one with confidence about the project she was defending and came out with dozens of new speculations to work through.
Her afternoon was spent in a lecture for her Biotechnology elective. Normally she really enjoyed the class but for some reason lately she just couldn't grasp anything. She knew she could blame her lack of focus on so many different things but at the end of the day, she was just worried she was approaching that burnt out feeling way quicker than she anticipated.
She was worried something was really going to give soon. Luckily, the silver lining of her rollercoaster of a day was that her lecture had taken place in the same building Steve's office and class resided in. He told her to meet him at his office when she was done so they could head home together. Avery was actually really excited to see Professor Rogers in action.
She swept her hair over her shoulder and gripped her backpack on one shoulder as she navigated through the halls. She was trying to follow some old PDF map of the building to find his office number on the wooden doors but wasn't having much luck. Once she turned another corner, things sort of made more sense and she stopped short of what she believed must be the right office.
Standing outside the doorway was a girl not much younger than Avery, standing quite still and flashing her eyes up and down the hallway, as if she was looking or waiting for someone. Her bag was slung over her shoulder, one hand violently gripping the strap. She took a step forward as Avery approached the door to knock.
"Can I help you?"
Avery resisted a snappy response and simply raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Sorry, I was just looking for Steve Rog-
"Professor Rogers' office hours ended at four." A stiff smile appeared on the student's face. "It's nearly 4:30 now."
Avery bit her tongue. She could only assume this eager looking young woman guarding the office door was Steve's teaching assistant. What was her name? Cassandra? Avery supposed something could be said about her loyalty to Steve and maybe the fact that she didn't let strangers into his office was a good thing. But the defensive posture and smarmy attitude was not sitting well with Avery. In fact, after how long and terrible her day had been, the sharp words sitting at the edge of her mouth were becoming more and more difficult to swallow.
She cleared her throat and offered Casablanca a less than sincere smile. "Well, I'm not his student nor am I worried about the office hours he keeps. I'm actually his -
"Listen." The girl dropped her bag down and crossed her arms, taking a step to the side to put herself between Avery and the door. "You're not the first girl to come and try and see Steve Rogers in person. I get it, trust me. But he's a normal person who keeps normal hours and deserves his privacy. So, you'll just have to join the waitlist for his next class like everyone else. Stalking his office door is a bit desperate."
Avery blinked a few times, eyes wide as she was stunned into silence. Who did this girl think she was? Avery supposed the right thing to do would be to call Steve. But it was taking every single ounce of her common sense, paired with every single one of her rational brain cells, to stop her from biting back at this girl.
"No, Cassie. You listen." Avery took half a step towards the girl before grounding herself in place. She clenched her fist beside her hip and took in a big breath. Before she could explode, a voice down the hall interrupted.
"Hey! There you are."
Both Avery and the other girl turned their heads to see Steve turning a corner and heading towards them with another woman at his side. Despite the anger surging through her, Avery was put at ease just seeing the smile on Steve's face. Though it did turn to a frown quickly when he scanned over Avery's pose and body language.
"Hi," Avery replied as he approached, happily accepting a kiss on the cheek from him. "Your bodyguard here was just about to send me off." Avery's eyes were wide as she looked up at Steve, doing her best to send a telepathic message to her boyfriend about this strange guard dog position his Teaching Assistant had added to her job duties.
Steve's lips drew into a straight line. "Why don't you wait inside?" He reached over to open the door and Avery just sighed and went in, followed by Steve's officemate. "Cassidy - let's chat."
Avery plunked down onto the closest desk chair, dropping her bag to the floor as she leaned back.
"I told Steve she's coming on a bit strong as an assistant."
Following the voice, Avery looked over at the other woman who was sitting at the partner desk, flipping open her laptop. Steve had mentioned her before but Avery wasn't sure if she had caught the name. There was a strange familiarity about her though - a chopped blonde bob, warm smile, with a studious academic look. Maybe she taught in Avery's department and she had seen her in passing before.
"I'm Victoria, by the way."
"Nice to meet you." Avery gave her a small wave as she sat up properly in the chair. She tried to listen to Steve in the hallway but couldn't hear anything but muffled voices. "I'm Avery, Steve's girlfriend."
"I figured as much," Victoria replied, turning in her chair to face Avery. "He talks about you a lot. And the infamous Bucky, too. All three of you are dating?"
Truthfully, Avery had faced a lot of questions like this before. They never intentionally hid their relationship but people loved to provide commentary when they found out about three people dating. Most of the time they kept it close to their chest but it was evident Steve had developed some friendship and personal rapport with this woman. Despite that, given her exhaustive day and the interaction she just had with Steve's TA, humouring this woman about her relationship was not at the top of Avery's list.
"All three of us are together, yes." Avery answered quickly and she hoped her tone was firm enough to not encourage more questions. "What do you teach?"
Victoria smiled again. Avery wasn't sure if she could read through the lines with the obvious subject change but she played along. "A few first year Chemistry classes. I taught before the snap but I'm just getting back into it now."
Avery nodded. She tried not to look towards the door. She just really wanted to talk to Steve, maybe feel his arms wrapped around her, accept kisses against her skin. She just wanted to go home.
Avery grabbed a pen from his desk and nervously twirled it in her fingers. "Where did you work before?"
Victoria paused, momentarily checking something on her computer screen. "Oh. Uhm, at Columbia?"
"I took Biochem there before the snap, I wonder if we ever crossed paths." Avery had no recollection of this woman as a professor but it would explain why she seemed so familiar. Thankfully, Steve walking back through the door derailed their conversation. Avery swiveled in the chair to look at him. He gave her a sympathetic frown.
"Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting her at the door," Steve sighed, reaching behind the door to grab his coat from the rack. "Should we get out of here?"
Apparently they weren't going to talk about this here. Avery just nodded and stood up, reaching for her bag - which Steve grabbed instead, slinging it over his shoulder. Quietly they collected themselves and said goodnight to Victoria, who had kicked off her shoes and turned back to her laptop. Steve and Avery headed into the hallway and towards the nearby stairwell.
"So," Steve started slowly, gripping Avery's backpack on one shoulder and grabbing her hand with the other. "Were you going to fight her or.."
"Steve!" Avery finally let out a long breath as he laughed beside her. "She implied I was some desperate Steve Rogers stalker when she's the one running for president of your fanclub. She does realize that being a teaching assistant doesn't mean vetting people outside your office door, right? Because she's going to scare off people who are actually looking for your help." She let out a dramatic groan as they got to the street level and Steve tugged on her hand as they headed towards the parking garage.
"I had a conversation with her about boundaries and we set some things straight," Steve said, laughing again at Avery's outburst. By the time they found the Jeep, most of Avery's frustrations had been aired.
"Also, I've had a long day and I am way too tired to play the whole jealous girlfriend card about the beautiful blonde woman who shares an office with you. Should me and Buck be worried about that?" Avery yawned as she buckled herself into the passenger seat, rubbing her hands together as the vehicle warmed up.
"No, not. We just share an office-
"And go for coffee runs together?" Avery raised an eyebrow.
"I'm fairly certain Victoria told me she's getting married later this year." Steve shrugged. "Now, tell me about your rotten day."
And then, that was the end of it. Avery sighed once more and unloaded everything onto Steve, who just listened and offered a backrub when they got home. That, along with a warm pasta dinner, cuddling with Rocky, and plans to FaceTime with Bucky was enough to distract her from the woes of the day behind. She was especially looking forward to forgetting all about Steve's frustratingly loyal TA. Besides, Avery knew it was herself and Bucky who were really the co-presidents of the Steve Rogers fan club.
Avery: fyi Mrs Levine is officially not getting a christmas card next year
Avery: blacklisted permanently
Bucky: what happened?
Steve: I know you're mad but I think you have to let this one go, sweetheart
Avery: our lovely neighbour thinks i'm a homewrecker
Bucky: what
Bucky: steve?
Steve: Mrs. Levine pulled me aside this morning on the steps to tell me she saw you & Ave kissing last week
Avery: apparently i'm cheating on Stevie with you, Buck
Avery: not that I owe that woman an explanation about our relationship
Steve: I'm sorry you're upset Ave
Steve: she's probably just lonely and jealous you have two handsome suitors
Bucky: or she needs to get a life
Avery: no. christmas. card.
Friday was going to be busy. Avery knew she had a paper due Sunday night that she had hardly worked on, she knew that her lab reports were already late for Bruce and she knew she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Bucky and Steve over the weekend before Bucky left again.
Yet, despite all of that, she compartmentalized her schedule, shrugged her shoulders and headed to the gym. Even if she could have utilized those few hours at the end of the afternoon to be productive regarding her school work, she was itching for some sort of action. When Raya sent her a quick message inviting her to come in for some extra one-on-one time, Avery was quick to shift her priorities.
She was finding something new in herself when she was on those mats at the gym. WIth her hands wrapped and energy pulsing through her, she could close off most of her anxious thoughts and focus on the task at hand.
"Good. Let's try one more time."
Avery's training had shifted though. The boxing moves had evolved into something more closely resembling actually fighting. It was beyond the basic self defense lessons Raya usually taught. This was more precise, more strategic. This was about performance and function. But it was kicking Avery's ass. After the first hour, she was exhausted.
Avery accepted an extended hand from Raya as she helped her stand, handing her a water bottle as she caught her breath.
"What do you do for cardio?" Raya watched Avery recovering, arms crossed as she sized her up. This was still strange, Avery had decided. The close analysis of each move she took in the gym. When she chose to strike one way or dodge a particular kick, Raya always asked why. What was the reasoning behind her actions? Why did she anticipate the way she did? Or why didn't she?
"Uhm, this?" Avery shrugged a shoulder, tossing the water bottle away from the mat as she rotated her arms around. The brace on her elbow was holding and she luckily was feeling no pain. "I don't really have time for anything else."
Raya hummed, tipping her head to the side. "Your cardiovascular health is important for retaining stamina in a fight. Maybe add in a few miles a week? Bike or running intervals would be best."
Avery blinked a few times and nodded. "Uh, sure. I don't know if I have time for that right now but I'll see what I can do." She took a deep breath then hopped a few times. "I don't think I want to actually fight though."
"I know, I know. But I'm going to keep trying to convince you." Raya offered her a stiff smile. "The conditioning is the foundation for everything. You've been blessed with that strength and I think you could capitalize on it."
Avery smiled back for a moment, nodding as Raya dove right back into explaining another sequence. Blessed with that strength. That was one way to put it. It's not like Avery could explain it had been forced upon her by some psychopath creating illegal chemical enhancements. She couldn't lament about how it screwed up her mind and left her with PTSD and side effects she didn't ask for. All she could do was move forward and live with it. And as it turned out, this combination of boxing and martial arts fighting was proving to be a great way to escape that restless feeling.
The Wakandan fitness cuff Bucky had gifted to Avery buzzed a few times on her wrist, indicating some messages had been delivered. She could easily ignore them until she was done - it was just Steve verifying their plans to go pick up Bucky from the compound that evening - but when it started to buzz without stopping, she threw up a hand to pause her activity and saw that she had two missed calls. That was unusual.
Luckily, Raya was running out of time and they parted ways quickly anyway. When Avery finally got to her locker, she checked her phone and saw a handful of messages and more missed call notifications from R JOHNSON.
After a very busy week, Steve was really looking forward to having a few days with Bucky and Avery. Even though Steve and Avery fell asleep beside each other every night while Bucky was away, they hadn't really spent much time together beyond dinner. And even then, Avery had a textbook at her side while Steve was flipping through blueprints on his tablet.
Steve liked having a full schedule. Especially when it came to things he enjoyed doing - like giving his time and service back to the community. He had specifically carved in weekly visits to the Veterans Affairs location in Brooklyn. Sometimes he dropped by to open sessions even, though mostly he was there to instruct some therapeutic art classes.
That Friday afternoon, he had finished up his small class and thought he would be picking up Avery from campus to avoid her slogging home on the subway. Together they would head out to the compound to collect Bucky from his trip home. But, following a frantic phone call from his girlfriend, Steve was going out to get Bucky solo before meeting Avery at the hospital.
By the time he got out to the compound, Steve's mind was racing. He waited outside the hangar in a nearby lounge, pacing around and twirling his keys around his fingers. He stilled when he heard the jet come in, depositing his keys into the pocket of his coat and running a nervous hand across his beard.
"Hey!" Steve turned and let a smile grow when he saw Bucky emerge from the doorway to the hangar, backpack hanging over his shoulder.
"Hey Buck," Steve said as he met Bucky in the middle of the hallway, pulling him into a hug once they were close enough. "Missed you, punk."
Bucky wanted to make a comment about how he was only gone for a few days but he decided against it. It had been a long week and he had missed his people at home immensely. While the aching feeling of homesickness wasn't as heavy as it was over the few months in Wakanda, he knew it was important to appreciate what he had waiting for him whenever he returned.
"I've just gotta go deal with some gear with Sam. Do I have time for a quick shower?" Bucky pulled away, blushing after Steve pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Where's Ave?"
Steve's face fell and he let out a long breath. "She's at the hospital with Bea."
"What?" Bucky frowned hard, scanning his eyes over Steve's face to try and read through the lines. "What happened?"
Steve sighed. "We don't know yet."
Bucky skipped his shower and expressed his gratitude to Sam, who had insisted he could handle the gear on his own. Once they got into the Jeep and back on the road into the city, Steve filled Bucky in on what happened.
Earlier that afternoon, Avery had gotten a panicked phone call from Ray that Bea wasn't picking up her phone. He was down in Jersey visiting his family and though he was heading back as quickly as possible, asked if Avery could go check on Bea at her apartment.
Avery got there as quickly as she could and found Bea inside, having collapsed on her way out of the bathroom. The older woman was still conscious, though incredibly disoriented and trapped in the hallway. During her fall, she had hit her head on the doorframe and seemed to have injured her hip. Everything else had happened so quickly - calling an ambulance, heading to the hospital, waiting outside the emergency room as they tended to Beatrice.
Out of the three of them, Avery certainly had the closest relationship with Bea. But both Bucky and Steve cared for the woman too, having spent plenty of time at her apartment. Beatrice and her partner Ray had even become regular houseguests at their townhouse - with an open invitation for any holiday meal. In fact, Steve was renovating the garden level apartment with the intention of having them move in later that spring.
Above all that, they cared about her because they knew Avery loved the woman. Bea had been Avery's lifeline when she first moved into their apartment building. Avery considered Bea one of her best friends, her adopted grandmother and favourite person to gossip with even. Their bond was special and both Bucky and Steve were sick with worry thinking about how Avery was handling the moment of crisis.
When they finally made it to the hospital, Steve checked his phone for a message from Avery while Bucky scanned the waiting room of the Emergency Department. He nudged Steve and pointed toward the far corner.
Avery was sitting near the dark windows, with one knee pulled up to her chest. Her chin rested there while her other foot tapped nervously on the ground. She turned her head when she heard someone call out her name.
After the stress and uncertainty about the last few hours, holding Bea's hand in the ambulance as she wore an oxygen mask, being pushed to the side as they swept her into a room to run tests - Avery was left feeling crushed. But looking up to see Steve and Bucky heading her way, things already felt a tiny bit better.
Just as she stood, Steve was wrapping his arms around her. She couldn't even get a word out before Bucky replaced him, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"You okay, doll?" Bucky spoke quietly as he held her against his chest. Steve was running a soothing hand down her back.
All Avery could return was a shrug. "Dunno. Ray is back in there with her now. He.. I don't know, he unloaded a lot on me when he got here. Said Bea's been having some issues with recall recently but they hadn't gotten back to her doctor yet and now I think he's just blaming himself." She sighed as she pressed herself further against Bucky's chest. "He said he'll come out with an update soon. Is it okay if we stay a little longer?"
"Of course. Maybe I'll go find us some coffee?" Steve got a nod of confirmation from Bucky as he sat Avery down again.
Despite the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, Bucky swung his arm over Avery's shoulders and kept her close. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
Avery sighed once more and shook her head. "Tell me about your week?" Sure, they had talked every night at least once but that didn't stop Bucky from being the distraction she needed in that moment.
Avery had enough deduction skills to conclude that Bea wasn't on her death bed. But the uncertainty about what had happened still sat heavy in her heart. Bea wasn't young and showed many signs of aging, especially in the last year. Her hearing wasn't perfect and her memory misfired often. But the clear reminder that time was fleeting and death was a real thing was still difficult to accept.
Bea and Ray were supposed to move into their garden level apartment in the spring. That was the next step. Avery was already picturing a flourishing garden and having tea in the summer sun and letting the cats explore the yard. This health scare, though, might interrupt those plans.
Steve came back with a tray of coffees and a small box of baked goods from the cafeteria. Avery sipped at her coffee and picked at a blueberry muffin as they waited. The boys made small talk, mostly Bucky detailing the smartass agents he had to train with Sam, but Avery stayed quiet. Thankfully it wasn't too long before she spotted Ray exiting through the double doors leading to the secure medical area.
Avery stood as he approached. It wasn't lost on her the worry that was striking Ray's body. He was twisting his winter hat in his hands, furrowing his brows as he went over what the doctors had explained to him about his partner.
"They're not really sure what caused the fall. Maybe she was just light headed but she displaced her hip, she's got a mild concussion. Still a bit out of it, too." He took in a deep breath and Avery grabbed for his hands. "Thank you for being there for her."
"You don't need to thank me," she replied softly, rubbing her thumb across his knuckles. "Is she awake?"
"Hardly," he sighed. "They have a lot of questions about how we can move forward and it's a lot. They're worried about her memory. I'm going to call her son and see what we should do."
"Well, if you have any questions or need help, just call me, okay? My sister and her wife are both nurses and I can consult with them if we need to. Are they keeping her overnight?"
Ray nodded then swept Avery into a hug, giving Steve and Bucky a nod as he pulled away. "Just for observation and to figure out a plan to get her back on her feet. Thank you again, Avery. I'll call you when we get home tomorrow, I'm sure she'd love for you to come over for a cup of tea next week."
Then the older gentleman was off again, meeting up with a nurse near the information desk and heading back through the doors. Avery watched him for a few more moments then closed her eyes.
Steve reached over and grabbed one of her hands. "Let's go home."
Despite Avery's unrelenting desire to crawl into bed when they got home, she set up camp at their dining table with her textbooks, notes and laptop on display. Bucky and Steve tried very hard to coax her away from her study nest but it was no use - she was insisting on finishing up her paper so they could have the rest of the weekend together.
Steve cut Bucky off when he tried to argue with her. Giving her space was probably their best bet. It was clear she was using her school work as a distraction from even touching the topic of the hospital and Bea and what was going on in her heart. So, Steve ordered in some comfort food from their favourite diner and Bucky planted himself on the couch, turning on whatever TV show might distract him from just watching Avery across the room for the rest of the night.
Avery clicked, scribbled, typed and muttered under her breath as she worked. At one point, a cup of tea was placed in front of her by Steve. Another time Bucky crossed towards the kitchen and draped a blanket over her shoulders. She remained as focused as possible, headphones covering her ears and hands working rapidly with each strategic keystroke.
The night carried on and when sleep was finally catching up with Bucky and Steve, they again tried to urge Avery away from her work.
"I'm almost done," she murmured, flicking her eyes up at the boys as they watched her from the kitchen. "I'll be up soon."
Even Rocky followed their footsteps to the upstairs bedroom, plunking himself down near the threshold of the door and listening for Avery to come up. Steve and Bucky flopped down onto the bed.
"She'll be okay," Steve said with a sigh, turning his head to look towards Bucky. "I'm glad you're home, Buck."
Bucky's face melted into a soft smile. He shuffled over slightly and rested his head on Steve's chest. Their house was quiet - occasionally creaking as the wind picked up outside. "Me an' Sam have a plan. There's a series of old HYDRA bases I want to explore and see what we can find." A heavy pause hung in the air.
Steve hummed as he listened, rubbing his hand against Bucky's back. "Sam worried about you?"
Bucky smirked. "Not as much as you are, I'm sure."
Steve scoffed, though he was smirking just the same. "Can't blame me. I know you're working through everything in your mind and you handle it well, but.." He couldn't just say it out loud. He couldn't keep referring back to The Incident and how they still didn't know what triggered Bucky's actions. What if it happened again while in the middle of scoping out some HYDRA cell? What if it was worse? Who was going to help him?
"I don't know what we're going to find, Stevie. But I promise if I didn't feel capable of doing this, I wouldn't offer. Sam has some experience talking me down from crisis mode, too."
Bucky kept talking through it - his fears and expectations, the worst case scenarios and contingency plans he would go over with Sam. They were operating on their own accord here. Involving any higher powers seemed like a future need. The research investigation was to be managed on their own. If they were feeling out of their element, they knew calling in the big guns would be possible.
Sleep didn't come for either of them, though. Mainly because they knew Avery was still sitting downstairs teetering on edge between distracted and sick with worry. As the early morning hours approached, Bucky sighed and pushed back the covers.
"Tough love time, I guess." Bucky squeezed Steve's hand and moved to stand, stepping over Rocky at the door and heading downstairs. He called out Avery's name but gathered no response. When he made it back to the living room, he looked towards the kitchen table and found her slumped over her laptop. Asleep.
"Avery, baby.." Bucky gently put his hand on her shoulder, trying to stir her awake. A low grumbly noise escaped her and he couldn't help but smile. Though she'd hate to hear it, even half asleep on her computer, Bucky still found the sight of her so completely endearing. He saw her go through the motions through the night - worried, reserved, sad, distracted. "Time for bed, doll."
"I finished this dumb paper," she mumbled out through a yawn, though she stayed halfway laying on the table. "Now it's just me and my thoughts."
"C'mon." Bucky helped her stand up and clean up her things into a neater pile on the table. Then he nudged her along to the staircase, following the gentle steps of Alpine as she trotted ahead of them. After brushing her teeth and changing into someone's old t-shirt with her pajama shorts, Avery finally crawled into bed between Bucky and Steve.
They laid in silence for a few moments. Steve grabbed Avery's hand and Bucky turned onto his side, bringing his hand up to brush his hand across her forehead.
"When my life was a big mess and nothing made sense and I felt so alone, me and Bea found each other. The first time she knocked on my door - she needed help figuring out something with her TV - she made me stay for dinner, mainly because she noticed I ordered a lot of delivery." Avery paused to let out a soft laugh. "We just always looked out for each other and I hate to think there will be a time she won't be in my life."
Bucky and Steve had both experienced their share of grief and loss before. Avery too. But knowing these thoughts and doubts and fears were coursing through her was still difficult for them to think about.
"Beatrice is one of the most resilient people I've ever met," Bucky spoke slowly, letting his lips curl into a small half smile. "We know you want to help her through whatever this is and we're here to help too, Ave."
"I don't know what that is yet but.." Avery took a deep breath then squeezed her eyes. "Augh. Lora did one of her clinical internships in a neurology lab, she might have some helpful advice when it comes to head injuries and memory loss. But that means I'll have to call her and -" She cut herself off and let out a dramatic groan.
Steve winced. "Still no contact?"
"She texted me on my birthday. I suppose the ball is in my court here but I'd love for her to apologize to me for once. Especially after what she said."
"You're still not going to tell us about that one?" Bucky knew better than to press about things when it came to Avery and her little sister. But in all the time he had known Avery, this was certainly the longest she had gone without communication with Lora.
Avery sighed. "I'd like to change the subject now." Another yawn escaped her. "Oh. I meant to ask - I got invited to some fundraiser night for the Engineering and Sciences departments in a few weeks - some fancy cocktail party where we try to win over new donors. Who wants to be my arm candy?"
Bucky chuckled, leaning over to press a kiss against Steve. "I'll be on another continent so you're up, Stevie."
"If it helps, Bruce will probably be attending too," Avery turned her head to smile sweetly at Steve, who was faking a disappointed frown.
"Sure. Sounds like a nice opportunity to see you all dressed up, sweetheart."
"Thank you." Avery couldn't fight back yet another yawn. "Okay, sleep. Do we have plans tomorrow?"
Bucky shrugged. "I would love to do nothing at all, if possible." He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Avery smiled, tightly squeezing Steve's hand as it remained tangled with hers. "Maybe we can just stay in bed, if Stevie can ignore his renovations and grading for a day."
Steve contemplated for half a millisecond then nodded in agreement with their plan. Nothing seemed more appealing than staying hidden under the blankets with the two people he loved. "A day in bed it is."
A/N: hey everyone! I so hope you're healthy, doing well and enjoying your summer - I've been working full time and fighting through a dreadful creative drought paired with severe lack of motivation to do anything #SadBrain. But I think I'm past the worst of it and have been finally getting back into writing. I have some big plans for this story with some exciting things coming up in the next few chapters. Thanks for sticking around and being here and cheering for this trio.
Thank you again and always to everyone who reads, favourites, follows and reviews. It means the world to me that you're interested and invested in these characters and the world I'm building for them. As a long time fanfic writer, I know having a place to escape to is nice as a reader and I'm happy to provide some of that distraction and solace for you. A very big thank you to my last few reviewers: Katie MacAlpine, MesmerizingMermaid, AllTheSaintsAreMadeOfGold, KEZZ 1, Winchestergurl4life, and tigerstar. Hearing your thoughts and feedback really means the world to me!
I know I've talked about her before but we will see my friend EirlysLavellan's OC Alice in my universe again - I did mention her once in here. I will forever shamelessly plug her story 'As The Sky May Fall' - it's a slow burn epic and I love Alice.
Next up: boots on the ground exploring in Europe and heels on the floor at the NYU gala night. And a few ripples along the way.