Chapter 7

Tony had given Brooke all the files he had pulled about her, Daniel, and her family. Daniel, that was the boy's name, the one Hydra and her father were trying to hook her up with. The more she sat in that conference room and looked over their files, the more Brooke understood why.

When comparing her DNA against his, all the markers were lining up where it mattered. The more Brooke looked at the information, the angrier she got. Tony had handed over her sister's file as well. Brooke kept that one closed, it would only reflect what she had already seen.

Bucky had left that morning, giving her the free time to go over everything. Not just her files, but Bucky's.

He was sweet and Brooke could see why all the girls swooned over him back in the day. Growing up she had a crush on him, he was her version of crushing on your uncle or cousin while growing up. After learning about him, she did not think she was his type. He was from a different time, systematic values were different now.

She was outspoken, and a feminist, she was not a housewife or a pinup girl. She did not come from a good family, but a one of horrors. She was nothing like what he should want. Bucky sure seemed to think she was, he had made his interest very well known.

When he left, he had come to her room and kissed her on the forehead. Told her to take care of herself and that he would be back in a couple of days.

Bucky was charming, and kind and he was a protector. Brooke remembered how he hovered over her when she would make breakfast for them at her mom's place. Saw the unease in his eyes when she would slip around on the kitchen counter in her fuzzy socks. It made sense, he was a big brother to his sisters. There are some things Hydra could not beat out of him, the essence of who he was at his core.

Was he what she wanted? It was clear he wanted more from her than just sex. Did she want a relationship, and with him? She had never let someone know her, not the way you are supposed to let a partner in.

Brooke groaned dropping her head onto the conference table.

"That doesn't sound good." Clint pulled up a chair next to her. "You missed lunch, maybe your frustration is a sign to take a break."

There is that dad energy. "I always thought my mom was being overly dramatic when it came to my father. I never realized all the shit she must have gone through with him, how much she probably saved me from. I look at this and I think about Bucky, and all the others I don't even know about, I want them all to burn for this."

"If it makes you feel any better, that's what Steve, Sam and Bucky have been doing this past year. Blowing up Hydra bases, tracking down everyone they can find."

"They are too big a cooperation. All they are going to do is find better labs and resources. Those guys have been at this since the Second World War, I don't know how the guys haven't pulled their hair out by now. Thank you for coming to check on me, but I only just started on these files. I'll give this a few hours then we could make dinner together?"

Clint looked her over, in the end deciding to go do his own thing. "I'm going to expect you in the kitchen at six young lady."

"Yes Sir." Brooke saluted him before turning back to the files. "Daniel Case, why don't I remember you?"

.

"Another two bases down and two middlemen in our custody, not bad." Sam smiled climbing up the ramp of the jet.

"We'll take them to the cells, and start interrogation in the morning, I think we've done enough damage for one day." Steve acknowledged.

Bucky clenched his jaw, steering both men toward the cells at the back of the sitting area. He had been rougher with these guys than with previous takedowns, three-year-old Brooke's face occupying his mind. The tears on her face as she clung to him after her mom died as men like these ones came to take her away.

"Excited to get back to Brooke?" Steve asked him. "Tony says she's been busy reading over files in the briefing room."

Bucky sighed, "Of course she is. Everyone deserves to know their past, but you didn't see her when I took her to my apartment. The vacant look in her eyes, the way she dropped agent-"

"Oh," Sam chuckled. "It was on YouTube, we all saw how she fed that guy his own ass. Saw the way he held his gun to her head too."

Bucky felt his anger flair, oh he had seen it too, live and in person. It still pissed him off. He was very aware that Steve and Sharon had been keeping that guy away from him.

"She trained in the red room like Romanoff." Bucky offered up in defence. "It was instinct."

At least for a moment in time she had, enough to learn the basics, clearly.

"I'm not saying anything bad man, I'm saying she could be out here with us if her sitting going over files with Tony is putting your panties into a twist."

"She's a vet." Bucky's jaw clenched.

"Not for the next few months she's not, why not put her skills to use."

"They will be, in the lab with Banner."

Sam shook his head but conceded, Bucky was getting a little too riled up. "You didn't even want her near the lab two days ago."

"You both giving me a headache."

Sam squinted, looking between the two soldiers, "You get headaches?"

Bucky rolled his eyes and Steve just chuckled, "Our pasts make us who we are, more than anyone you know what Brooke is going through. You said you met her when she was still a toddler, there's got to be a lot of holes those files can fill for her."

"I've never met someone who's gone through as much as she had and is still as pure as she is. I'm worried uncovering all this is going to wreck her, she found out she has a sister for Christ's sake, and that Hydra planned to pimp her out." Bucky shook his head. "Hell, I wish I didn't remember half the shit I did."

"Are you worried if she does change, it will change the way you feel about her?"

"No." Bucky's answer was immediate, certain.

"Everyone has suffering Buck, it's life. Some lives are just more dramatic than others."

"Are you calling us dramatic?"

"More you than me."

"Wilsion's got us both beat."

"You two whispering about me huh?" Sam crossed his arms and leaned back. "Fine, two best friends since before soap was invented."

"We had soap, Sam."

"It's an expression, Steve."

Bucky frowned, "No it's not. Shut up so I can get some sleep. It's a long flight."

"Got to be fresh for the girlfriend." Sam mocked, closing his own eyes.

.

"Thank you for supper Clint."

The blonde man raised his eyebrow. "You aren't going back to re-read those files are you?"

"I didn't get through them all yet."

"They'll be there tomorrow, you were in there all day."

"It's a lot of information to go through."

Clint huffed, "Natasha was a graduate of the red room."

"I wasn't there long enough to graduate."

"But you can fight, the footage of your takedown was all over the web before Tony had it whipped."

Brooke cleared her throat, "He had it coming."

"I'm not bringing it up to scold you. I'm sure the bosses have done enough of that, I just thought you may want to expel some of that pent up energy in the gym."

"You want to spar?"

"Are you up for it?"

Brooke chuckled, "Are you sure you want to risk breaking a hip? I heard you were retired."

"I can keep up with Nat-"

"I'm not Natasha."

"No, you're Brooke and I can sense that fire burning in your belly from over here. Suit up, I'll meet you downstairs in ten... If you can find the gym."

"Bucky told me about FRIDAY, I think I'll find it just fine." Brooke sassed putting her plate and cup in the dishwasher.

Her body hummed at the thought of expelling some of her restless energy. This could be good for her.

.

"What happened to your face?"

Brooke looked up from the files she was reading over. She'd heard someone open the glass door but figured it was Clint coming to apologize again.

"You're late you know, your ETA was this morning." Brooke joked, closing the file.

Bucky rounded the table, crouching in front of her he turned Brooke to face him. He could have told her about the third Hydra base they discovered and rerouted to blow up, but the bruise on her jaw was suddenly all he could think about. He clenched his teeth together, containing his anger at whoever bruised her skin.

"Brooke."

"It's just a little bruise, Clint wanted to take my mind off these files and took me to the gym. It's been a while since I spared and I let myself get distracted."

Bucky shook his head, red room agents do not get distracted, "That's a solid shot to the jaw."

"I figured as much, Clint felt pretty bad about it. It was just an accident."

"Mhmm." Bucky huffed. "How many times have you gone over these?"

Brooke turned away from him, letting her hair fall over her shoulder. "My sister's was beaten to death and Daniel, we'll they drained him of all his blood and basically took all his organs for research. I'm not sure which one is worse."

"I'm sorry, Brooke."

"Yeah." She perked up a little, sliding a crumpled paper out in front of them. "Apparently, I drew this for you, they said they found it in your right boot and confiscated it."

Bucky touched the worn paper, he did not remember it, but it made his chest feel warm.

"What is it?"

Brooke smacked her lips together, "Clearly it's an elephant."

Bucky raised his brows at her, "It looks like a mouldy pancake with arms."

"Don't be mean. I had an obsession with elephants for a while, you're lucky you got one of my elephant pictures."

The couple smiled, lost in separate memories. Pushing their trauma to the back of their minds for a moment.

"I'm going to go shower, I just wanted to see you first, let you know I was back."

The smell of explosives and smoke was still heavy on his clothes. Bucky usually headed directly to the shower after returning from a mission, liking the ritual of washing Hydra off of him. But all he wanted to do this time was set his eyes on Brooke. He for sure did not plan on seeing bruising on her jaw, but he did expect her to still be reviewing her files.

She had three days with them and here she still was. A notepad beside her for her to catalogue all her findings. Piles of paper and photos spread out on the table.

"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Bucky licked his bottom lip. "See you tomorrow."

He wanted to tell her to go to bed, that she needed some sleep. The dark circles under her eyes gave her away that she had not gotten much, if any rest since he left. But they were in a weird stage of whatever they were and both exhausted. If Brooke wanted to stay up all night going over files, she was a big girl, that was her right.

.

"It's seven in the morning." Bucky placed his hands on the back of Brooke's chair.

"It's a never-ending rabbit hole." Her voice monotone.

Bucky shook his head, taking the seat next to her, "What do you plan to do once you've finished with all these files?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're staying up all night researching. When you've learned all there is to know, what are you going to do with that information?"

Brooke shrugged, flustered by the question. "I texted Tony to meet after breakfast, I was planning to help Doctor Banner in the lab, but I think I can be useful elsewhere."

"Doing what?" He almost did not want to ask.

"The red room is off-grid, they took a big hit a couple of years ago and no one has been able to find them since. I think I can."

Bucky's heart dropped. "You wanted to engage the red room."

"I want to take down the red room and in relation, Hydra. They are different organizations but they have things connecting them. I'm a big get. Besides, I never graduated and I think it's about time I did."

"You don't need to work in the lab, there are plenty of other things you could do. You've been off their radar for years, throwing yourself into something like this-"

"I infiltrated Hydra just fine to get you out, didn't I? The red room is a smaller fish."

"Not by much. Listen to me." Bucky took her hands forcing Brooke to face him head-on. "I understand this stage, this feeling you are having right now. I had it several months ago, if Steve had let me just run off I don't know where I would be. I know you might not see it right now, but you aren't in a position to be infiltrating anyone. Let alone an organization as dangerous as the red room."

"I'm not going to run in there half-cocked, I don't even know where they are operating out of anymore. I told you, I was going to talk to Tony, I had all night to think about things. I have a plan."

"Let's hear it."

Brooke shook her head turning away from him. Bucky's blue eyes were wide and his jaw was clenched to physically hold himself back from saying more. His hands let go of hers to clench into fists on his legs, if he held her any longer he would have crushed her fingers.

"I need clearance, and access to more files and information, once I have that, I can figure out the best place to start."

"Your plan is to make a plan?"

Brooke stood up, putting some distance between them. "You said you understood. Why are you being like this?"

"Because I don't want you anywhere near them." Bucky stood up, "Hydra, the KBG, either of them! You aren't going to find the answers you are looking for. I do understand you, more than most people can. Which is how I know that this is not going to end the way you think it will. There won't be answers tied up in a pretty bow. There will be pain, and you could get yourself killed while trying to kill them."

"Maybe I'm willing to risk all that at the chance at them."

"It's not worth it Brooke."

"How can you say it's not worth it when it's literally what you've been doing for the last year!? It's worth everything, our lives, Natasha, my sister, Daniel, and Steve. Justice for all the people who have been hurt and preyed upon for decades. We can end this, I can end this. Four weeks before I ran away, my father and Kai were teaching Daniel how to please a woman, please me. Do you understand that I want to boil my skin off after learning that? If my own father was capable of something like this... I was complicit for so many years. I am not going to bury my head in the sand anymore!"

"You were a child."

"But I'm not anymore!" Brooke yelled, tears of frustration springing to her eyes.

She started grabbing files and closing the laptop Tony had lent her, she would need all the data when she met with him. She felt Bucky step closer to her, the heat from his body soaking into her back. He was being a hypocrite, he was doing the thing she wanted to be doing, why was it crazy for her to want to get involved but not him?

"Tony doesn't care about you." A weak attempt to persuade her.

"I don't need him too, I just need him to convince Fury to give me access to the files I need."

Bucky snapped, he needed to change his approach.

"Let's get out of here, you and me."

"What?" The change of conversation threw her off.

"I have no missions lined up, let me take you away from here."

Brooke scoffed, "We are their two biggest targets, you think that's going to end well?"

"I think you were manipulated and tortured for years, then forced to give up your home to live with a bunch of strangers. When you took me away from Hydra, I had a whole week away from prying eyes, time to figure out who the hell I was anymore. We can be at my apartment in an hour."

Brooke took a shaky breath and placed the folders back onto the desk and dropped into an empty seat. Bringing her hands up to hide her face, she did not want him to see her crumble. She wanted to lock herself away, she wanted to be left alone but he refused to leave her be.

Bucky sat in his own chair and spread his legs pulling Brooke's chair as close to his as possible.

"Sweetheart, this ache you're feeling in your chest, that's heartbreak. The panic that's causing your heart to race and the insomnia, that is from the fear that they'll always be out there. Always a chance they can reach out and crush us. You've latched onto a project, something to distract your mind from all the things it's trying to push down. It's very common in people who have CPTSD like we do. Our brains dissociate and have us focus on something else instead of our trauma."

"But here is the thing, I have no doubt Tony will provide you with those files you want. The girl I met a year ago, the one who makes my heart race. She is selfless and brave, and if I had to guess, she is doing all this because she feels guilty sitting in safety while others are suffering. She may even be wrongly accepting the blame for what was done to me, which is why she threw away her own life to reengage Hydra at the possibility she could pull me out."

Brooke leaned forward till her head connected with Bucky's chest. He dropped a kiss to her head, listening to her hitched breaths as she tried to control the emotions bubbling inside her chest.

"I hate myself for dropping Beckett, hurting someone with the skills they taught me."

The dick had deserved it, though Bucky kept that thought to himself for now.

"I don't want more people to suffer, how am I supposed to go back to being a vet after all this? How can I not invest in something more important than myself when I have the skills to weaken them? I lived a normal life for a decade, but I was always watching over my shoulder, waiting for my father to send someone for me. That life I was living, it wasn't mine, this is where I'm supposed to be."

He and Steve were doing the same thing, going after Hydra because what the hell else were they supposed to do? But he was falling in love with her which was turning him into a hypocrite. To tell her she did not belong here, that would make him a bigger dick than Beckett.

"Then be here." With me.

"And do what?"

"Ask Tony for those files, find out everything you can about your past, Your dad and Kai's project. Do it so you can get the closer you need. Ask Romanoff to cycle you in on her training, and freshen up on your combat skills so you know how to best defend yourself. If your end goal is to take them down, you'll need more than your anger to see you though."

Brooke offered him a tired smirk, "You just want to see me in a workout bra and leggings, huh?"

"I want to see you happy, and your workout outfit." Brooke snorted, the tension ebbing from the room.

"I should probably have more to say but if I'm honest I'm so unbelievably tired. I'm pretty sure I was having micronaps during my dinner with Clint and Bruce the other night, I don't even remember coming back up here."

Bucky stood and took Brooke's hands, pulling her up onto her feet. "Let's get you to bed."

Brooke tried not to but she threw away her stubbornness and leaned heavily into Bucky's side. He was the only thing keeping her up right at the moment. She had been awake for days with minimal rest, and she was about ready to collapse. She did not realize how beyond exhausted she was until now.

Bucky had just come back from a mission, shouldn't he be the one she was worried about getting rest? They got back so late, how was he up, he said it was six in the morning right? Or maybe he said seven. God, she did not care what time it was, she wanted her bed.

Walking her into her apartment and then her room, Bucky had planned to say goodbye and leave her to rest but Brooke seemed to be on autopilot as she stepped away from him.

Bucky turned his back as Brooke started shedding her clothes haphazardly. She managed to pull a shit on before fumbling to get under the covers. Once he heard her go still Bucky turned back around.

"You've already seen me naked." Brooke's eyes were closed as she teased him.

"That doesn't mean I have unrestricted access to your body." He told her softly.

Brooke snorted and muttered something about chivalry and the great depression into her pillow.

Slowly crossing the room he turned the lamp off on her bedside table. He hoped if he made the room dark like it was nighttime, she would sleep for the better part of the day.

"Why were you up so early?"

"I wanted to check on you and I had a feeling you would be where I left you last night."

"There you go again Sargent, worrying about me." Her words were drawn out and sleepy.

Bucky sighed, looking at the tired girl snuggled in her bed, "You are worth worrying about."

"Are you going back to bed?" before he could answer she added, "You should sleep with me."

She patted the bed next to her with one uncoordinated movement. Bucky thought about it for a moment, he was tired and a couple more hours in bed would not kill him. So he stepped out of his shoes and slid into bed beside her.

Brooke's breath evened out as she fell into sleep quickly. Bucky got comfortable, while he did not fall asleep, he spent the next couple of hours counting Brooke's breaths and thinking about their mini argument that morning.

He could see the pain, guilt and lost girl in her. The same look he had seen when he arrived at her apartment after she found Jessie's body. She wanted to make a difference, make up for the pain her father caused. Much like himself, Bucky was trying to atone for all the pain he caused, even though he had no choice in the matter.

He did not think Brooke understood just how much his first week of freedom with her had meant to him, had mended him. Being with someone caring and accepting of him, someone who treated him like a person and not something to use. Did more for him than even he was able to realize back them.

It was his turn now, to keep her safe while she figured out what her next move was going to be. Make sure she knew he was as much here for her as she had been for him.

Steve pulled him from her bed a couple of hours later. Brooke stayed asleep during his gentle exidious. He hoped she would continue to sleep, she needed the rest.

"Hey, everything ok?"

Bucky sighed, "She's sad and angry. If we hadn't come home this morning I think Brooke woulda been outta here, off on a KBG hunt."

Steve frowned, the KBG were well hidden and they had been trying to get word on them for months and nothing.

"We'll keep her safe Buck, I'm here for you both."

"Thanks, man. We headed to debrief?"

"Yep, FRIDAY said both you and Sam were up. I figured we could get this done early and then relax the rest of the day."

.

Bucky went to check on Brooke after FRIDAY told him she was awake.

He knocked on the door as he opened it, and stepped inside to see her sitting at her kitchen island. She looked over her shoulder at him before turning back.

"Hi." She offered.

He thought she was back to looking at her files, but when he got closer he saw she was looking at old pictures on her phone. She was smiling in groups of people, making silly faces.

"How'd you sleep?" He leaned beside her, body facing hers.

"Not bad, I didn't want to sleep too long or else I'd end up being awake half the night tonight."

"Who are they?"

Brooke turned her phone off and placed it face down on the kitchen table.

"Some people from Vet school, and the clinic, friends. I have so many texts from them waiting for me. When I left, I called the clinic. I explained I had a family emergency out of town and did not know how long I would be gone. I've been thinking about reaching out all morning, I was really close with a couple of these people, but what would I say? I can't exactly tell them the truth and if I did, it doesn't change anything."

"The public knows about the Avengers, I don't think it would be too out there to tell the truth, or keep it simple and go with kidnapping."

Brooke chuckled turning to him. "I think it's called abduction if you are over the age of eighteen. I'll figure it out, it might be best to leave it how it is."

"If you want to see them, I can go with you."

"Nah, they're people who can be used against me. I don't want to put them in that position." Brooke huffed throwing a smile onto her face. "Besides, that's not my life anymore."

"It can be." Brooke shook her head.

"No. Besides, I kinda went crazy these last couple of days, full-on spiralled. I still feel guilty and I still want to do something, but I'm not looking to run off anytime soon." Brooke eyed him. "You don't need to babysit me."

"I'm not babysitting you, I'm checking in. I was worried about you going through all those files because I knew the information had to be hard to learn. I promised you I wouldn't hover and I'm trying not to break that promise."

Brooke's smile was bright, "And it's killing you, admit it, you can't help yourself, Sargent. You are a worrier."

"With you and Steve willing to run off and face up to bullies ten times your size, how can I not be?"

"I can't speak for Steve but you don't have to worry about me, I'm fine. I know last night was intense, I know I freaked you out."

"You did not freak me out. We have a dinner date coming up, I was worried you'd run off and miss it." Bucky joked.

Brooke shook her head, "Why would I miss our dinner when the promise of dessert has been a very distracting thought these last few days."

"Oh yeah?" Bucky cocked his brow, his eyes dropped to where Brooke pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

She nodded, her fingers playing with the slack on his belt, "Yeah, but you know, I've always been a big fan of dessert before my dinner."

Bucky licked his lips, god she was gorgeous. He was of two minds. The proper thing to do would be to wait until he took her out to have sex with her again. But with his blood rushing to his dick and the sexy bedroom eyes she was throwing his way, his mind suddenly could not remember what he was trying to decide.

"You've got a mouth on you," Bucky muttered his breath catching as he leaned closer to her.

Brooke brushed her lips against his, "I like your mouth on me."

A deep moan sounded in the back of his throat, Bucky brought his lips down on hers. Something he had been thinking of doing since she came back into his life. Fuck, she was so different from the girls back in his day, they were controlled by society's rules. They were proper and shy with their advances. Brooke was confident and bold and it was sexy as hell.

She slid her bare foot up and down the back of his calf. Her hands pulled him closer by his shoulders and her nails gently ran over her scalp. He shuttered at the feeling, goose bumps rising over his warmed skin. His hands grabbed her hips, god he wanted to leave bruises on her flesh while he filled her with his dick.

Brooke pulled back when her phone went off, "I have that meeting with Tony."

Bucky ran his nose up hers before letting her go, "Are you guys going to talk about uncovering more classified files?"

"I'll want to read through them eventually, but I think I've done enough diving into my past for now. I'll leave that to whoever does the research around here. Clint mentioned that there are recruits that train here daily, I thought I'd ask Tony if I could join them." Bucky frowned. "What is that look for? You're the one who suggested it."

"I said you should train with Romanoff."

"She's busy actually kicking ass and I'm more at a recruit level. It'll be good to start a routine, joining the recruits in the morning and helping Bruce in the lab during the afternoon." Brooke stood up collected her phone and slipped into her boots, she had ten minutes to find Tony's office, with the help of FRIDAY.

The recruits were idiots. Half of them were in the infirmary every other day, and the other half were try-hards and did not care about inflicting pain if it meant impressing their instructors and possibly getting to work with an important client or assisting the Avengers. Either way, he did not like the idea of her training with them.

It was not till she stood up that Bucky realized Brooke was wearing skinny jeans that fit her curves like a glove and a tank top that was missing half its back. The frilly bra she wore was decorative and on full display.

He saw a peak of her rib tattoo as she bent down, it looked like a sentence but he could not make it out. He wanted to run his tongue over it, taste the skin there. Then down her curves till he ended up with her legs thrown over his shoulders and his mouth-.

"What are you up to for the rest of the day?"

"I'm free until the next mission comes up, we debriefed this morning while you were sleeping."

"Did you want to watch a movie later? I might fall asleep in the middle of it, so you can pick."

He remembered taking girls to the movies back in his day. Dinner and movies, it was pretty standard, sometimes if you sat in the back and the girl was curious enough, you would make out.

"After dinner?"

Brooke nodded, "Clint and I are making some pasta thing, it apparently slaps, but we'll see. I'm going to be late, lock the door on your way out."

Stumbling as she put on her shoes, Brooke jogged out the door calling to FRIDAY for assistance.