Relentless

Much to Zara's surprise she slept the best she had in months, sleeping through the night with only a couple of interruptions. When her eyes creaked open, the room was still fairly dark, she guessed it must be very early. She'd pulled her arm back when she felt the restraint of metal encasing her forearm, only to realize it was Bucky holding onto her in her sleep. She let out a sigh of relief.
"It's only me..." Came his tired, husky voice as he stirred.
"Sorry... Go back to sleep" She said softly, looking up at him. She put her head back on his chest where it had been for much of the night, his metal hand releasing her arm, his fingers stroking it gently now.
Zara explored the dark room with her eyes, having forgotten for a moment where she was. Bucky's flesh arm tightened around her after feeling her body tense a little and Zara found herself stifling a giggle when she realized his eyes had closed again.

Always looking after me, even in your sleep...

She woke again a couple of hours later to Bucky getting out of bed, kissing her lightly before he stood up and sauntered over to the coffee machine. It was like the last 72 hours never happened, things seemed normal. That is until she went to sit up and she felt the aches that had stayed dormant during the night.
"Jesus Christ..." She mumbled to herself, looking up to see Bucky watching her through the crack in the door. She raised a hand as if to tell him it was fine and she even managed a smile as she swung her legs off the bed and stood, holding onto the headboard for support. She mentally gave herself a high five, managing a few steps and as she straightened up she let a breath, smiling at her own personal victory. She made her way to the bedroom door, leaning on the doorframe as he made his way over to her.
"Hey there..." He said, his voice still husky.
"Hey..." She said, reaching up to kiss him.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, concern crossing his face as he ran a thumb over her cheek. She winced a little, not realizing that it was a tender spot.
"Never been better" She joked. Bucky cocked a smile, stepping back to have a look at her thigh, raising the hem of her shirt as he crouched down.
"I bet Simmons has some concoction that will help that heal." He said, frowning a little as he traced over the bruise with his fingertips.
"Concoctions are what got me into this mess..." She said, gritting her teeth as his eyes looked up and met hers. Bucky stood, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Zara, you don't have super soldier serum in you..."
"We don't know that for sure"
"You were tested."
"Yeah, by Shield. Who are full of Hydra. There's something in me that they want, and it may not be the super soldier serum, but there's definitely something in there... They were willing to lay their lives down to get to me. If you had of seen the lengths some of them went to..."
"Come here" He uttered, standing and pulling her into a hug. "If you're worried, we'll get Simmons to take your bloods again and do a full screening. Hydra must be pretty desperate if they're willing to take you from me, on the odd chance there's a chemical they need in your blood. I'm sure they're quite aware on the hell I'd unleash on them, and for it to be worth that chance, things must be pretty dire for them" He reassured her. She nodded against his chest, knowing he was right as usual.
"Do you trust Simmons?" She said after a few moments silence. Bucky bit his lip as he smiled and thought about how to word his answer...
"I don't trust anybody... But I trust myself to keep us safe if I have to"
"So you'd unleash hell for me, huh?"
"You don't even wanna know the things I'd do for you" He chuckled, lifting her chin to kiss her, making her smile.



True to his word after they'd had showers, coffee and something to eat they ended up back in Simmons office. Under Bucky's watchful eye, she gave Zara the check over that she was meant to do the day before, and sure enough she had just the thing to clear the bruise up. It involved a cream to be rubbed in three times a day and a few injections into the muscle which made her want to throw up. It would shorten the healing time from a few weeks to a few days with any luck, a week at the most. Zara grit her teeth through the procedure, anything was worse than hobbling around and she wanted to be back to her fighting fit self as soon as possible.



"Got somewhere to be?" Bucky asked her as she looked at her watch for the third time as they strolled down the corridor. Zara chuckled and shook her head.
"Do you ever look at the face of your watch, but not actually read the time?" She asked. Bucky raised a brow, his face blank still. "Of course not, Mr 'take in your surroundings and stay focused at all times'" She said, imitating him in a very stern, serious voice before breaking into laughter again.
"Are you making fun of me Miss Jones?"
"Me? No, I'd never..."
Bucky smirked and fondly put an arm around her shoulders, looking up ahead at the recreation room door and holding it open for them as they stepped in.

"Sam!" Zara called out excitedly when she spotted his familiar face. He beamed a huge smile at her and jogged over to give her a hug, lifting her off the ground as he did.
"Hey, hands off my girl" Bucky scolded him, mock stern.
"SHE hugged ME, Barnes" He joked back, giving Bucky a wink as he set her back down again.
"Thank you so much for everything yesterday, I don't know what I would have done without your help" She said, her serious face back on for a few moment, broken only by a genuine smile.
"Don't mention it. I'm just glad you're okay. Couldn't imagine putting up with THIS ONE otherwise" He laughed, gesturing at Bucky who was not so amused by his joke.

"So what happened with Ward?" She asked as if she'd been dying to spit the words out. Bucky's eyes shot over to hers and then to Sam's as he considered what she'd asked. Sam shook his head and sucked in a breath as he shrugged his shoulders.
"He had a major arterial bleed, they know that much as the water was full of it. He wouldn't have survived. We have divers in the water looking for him now, but he's probably at the bottom of the Potomac" Sam said. Zara looked at each of them and let a breath out.
"Until we have a body, we don't assume anything." Bucky said, as if reading her thoughts. "We've made that mistake before, and we won't be making it again" He added, giving Zara's shoulder a squeeze. She looked down, rubbing his hand with hers.

The door latch clicked loudly making Zara jump, Bucky's grip tightening around her instinctively as she backed herself into his chest. Sam cocked a smile and the three of them watched as Coulson strode over to them, Bucky and Zara letting out a breath of relief.
"Relax, you two..." Sam chuckled, earning an un-amused look from them both, Zara giving him a playful shove at the same time.

"It's good to see you, Zara. How are you feeling?" Coulson asked, pulling her in for a hug. Zara clenched her jaw, worried she might unravel being reunited with everyone. She cleared her throat and nodded.
"I'm great now that I'm home" She said with a convincing smile, Coulson beaming at her in return.
"It's great to have you home. Now, I have the others on their way, I suppose you're all wondering what's going on..."

Sam, Bucky and Zara all nodded in agreeance, eager to be filled in. Coulson gestured for them to head over to the corner of the room where there was a large U-shaped red couch they could all sit at. Sam lead the way, the door behind them bursting open as Stark and Rogers walked in, joining them.
"Zeejay..." Stark said with a grin, walking at her with outstretched arms. Steve chuckled at him, it was well known that Tony wasn't overly sentimental or affectionate but for some reason he'd taken a real shine to Zara. He gave her a tight squeeze like a big brother would, and blinked away glazed eyes.
"Glad you're back, kid" He said, letting her go long enough for Steve to plant a gentlemanly kiss on her cheek and give her a hug, the three of them chuckling to themselves. Steve turned to give Bucky a bro-hug and a friendly slap on the back as they made their way over to the lounge.

"Guys?" Came Coulson's slightly impatient voice. "Sorry to break up the reunion, but we're on a bit of a time schedule here"
"Sorry Coulson." Tony called back from his end of the room as he made his way over with Zara in tow. "Is there anyone who hasn't hugged Zara Jones? Anyone? Are we good?" He quipped back, making her flush red.
"I'd like another" Bucky piped up from his spot on the couch. Zara blew her fringe off her face, trying her hardest not to smile which was clearly not working. She made a mental note to get them both back for that.
"I'm so sorry, Coulson" She said as she sat herself down between Tony and Bucky, Coulson waving his hand at them, feigning patience.

"Okay, now that we're all settled..." Coulson started, "As you all know, D.C was attacked again. We managed to cover it up as a terrorist attack, and contain it, but clearly, we know that wasn't the case. There's a whole lot we don't know yet, which we're working on, but what we do know is that it was a was a warning shot from Hydra."
"How can it be a warning, if they have nothing to back it up with? We just about wiped them out, didn't we?" Steve asked, confused.
"Yes, we did. Which is why they've changed their approach. We took out their technology, their labs, a huge percentage of their soldiers and weapons... What do they have left?" He said, looking around the room.
"Inhumans..." Zara said, thinking aloud. "They're recruiting inhumans to use as weapons"
"Exactly. They won't willingly fight against Shield though. We pose no threat to them. Shield are here to protect them, to nurture them" Coulson said. "They're controlling them somehow, and because they don't have the tech to do it, we have reason to believe they're using telepathic inhumans..."

Bucky and Zara exchanged a worried look before he reached down to take her hand, his fingers interlocking with hers.

"Sorry, but where's your proof? We all know inhumans have just as much capability to do things like this as regular old-fashioned humans. It's too easy to suggest that they're being controlled. Maybe they're just power hungry and out to prove a point?" Tony piped up casually.
"Because one of our own has been controlled..."
"Who? Barnes? Jones? ...That was with tech. Cold, hard machinery, which they don't HAVE anymore. It's in pieces in my lab" Tony argued.
"No, one of our doctors was controlled" Coulson said, his eyes landing on Zara's.
"Not Reeves?" She asked.
"Hall. Thomas Hall. He's been loyal to us until now, he was sent in to capture you, and kill anyone who got in his way. They needed someone we trusted, so they took him, got in his head and sent him in."
"Holy shit... So where is he now? Where's Reeves?" She asked, worried.
"Reeves is fine, she took a bullet but it didn't kill her. She stuck him with a tube of Propofol and he went down like a bag of soup. Woke up aggressive, so he was locked in isolation till it wore off. He doesn't remember much, so I have an old friend coming in to check him out."
"Check him out how?" Steve asked, arching a brow.
"Have you ever heard of Charles Xavier?" He asked, looking around the room.
"Xavier's dead" Came Tony's monotone voice, annoyance shining through. Coulson chuckled and nodded.
"Unfortunately you're right, but he did train up a protégé. She was only young when Charles died, I helped her hide out and we've been in touch over the years. She's a good kid."

"You're bringing someone that can control minds into a building full of super soldiers and inhumans?" Tony snapped, rising to his feet.
"Tony, she poses no threat-"
"No, this is absolute bullshit." He said, waving his hand as he turned to leave. Bucky looked over at Steve, clearly wanting to leave as well but not so sure if he should or not. His hand was already tightened around Zara's, ready to pull her to her feet, the tension rippling through him sending a shiver up her spine. Coulson let out an exasperated sigh, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I don't know what else to do. We can't take out anyone without doing everything in our power to find out the whole truth. Candice has helped me out before, and she wouldn't be coming here if I didn't trust her. It's no different to any of you guys here in front of me. You all have the capability to do catastrophic damage, but you're here because I trust you." Coulson said, loudly enough to reach Tony, who stopped in his tracks to turn and face him.

"When's she coming?" Tony asked with venom still in his voice, his arms crossed angrily.
"She won't be here for a couple of weeks at least. You don't have to be here if you don't want to be, and Thomas Hall will stay in lockup until then. Maybe if you work with her, you can come up with a device that blocks telepathy out?" He asked, knowing that asking Tony to invent something to protect them was just as good as dangling a carrot in front of a horse. Tony let a breath out.
"Maybe I could come up with something..."
"We'd all appreciate your help, Tony" Coulson said, his friendly smile returning.

"So how long's she staying for?" Steve asked cautiously, breaking the silence again.
"She'll be welcome to stay as long as she needs. She's been targeted as well, Hydra have been looking for people with her abilities to help their cause. She's been on the run for some time, and I think most of us here know how exhausting that can be." Coulson said, lowering himself onto the couch opposite them. "She's more of a 'reader' than anything else. She didn't get much further with her training because Charles wasn't there to help her, but she's good at unlocking forgotten memories and she's also an unbeatable lie detector" He said with a smile. "We'll see everything that he saw, we'll know who's responsible for what, and we'll also have a good idea of why they're doing what they're doing."

"How far back will she look? Into his memories I mean?" Zara piped up, her voice hesitant.
"As far back as his involvement with Hydra goes, so we'll get a pretty good idea of what chemicals they're talking about and why you were targeted... Ideally if she could sit down with you separately we'd get an even better idea, but that's something for you to think about. If you're not comfortable with that, then that's fine"
Zara felt Bucky shift beside her, his tension matching hers. She nodded back to Coulson in acknowledgement and promised she'd think about it, despite everything inside her screaming 'hell no'...



"I don't know how I feel about someone poking around in your head" Bucky said, leaning against the counter, one hand either side of her. "It just doesn't feel right..."
Zara nodded, her hands holding either side of his face as he leaned in to kiss her. She brushed a loose strand of his hair back, her expression softening as her body relaxed.
"I feel the same way. I figured I'd see how things went with Thomas, and make a decision based on that" She shrugged, "If she's going to be here a while I guess we have plenty of time to figure out if she can be trusted. You're a pretty good judge of character, I'll wait and see if you hate her instantly or not" She chuckled, making him laugh too.
"I'm not that cut and dry am I?"
"Well, yeah, you kinda are" She said, still laughing. "Although you learned to like me so I guess there's hope for you yet" she said, raising her hand to tap him on the nose playfully, Bucky catching her around the wrist before she could. He grinned, knowing he had her cornered, leaning over to kiss her again. She reached up and gripped his side with her free hand as he kissed her, pressing herself against him intentionally as he pulled her closer. She let her fingertips sink into him, applying more pressure as she pushed against him, feeling his grip around her wrist loosen. Zara smiled against his lips as she pulled her hand free, only for him to tighten his grip on her again.
"You honestly thought that would work?" He chuckled fondly as she pouted at him, planting a kiss on her forehead and releasing her wrist. She smiled and bit her bottom lip, not being able to fake a pout for long.
"Okay fine..." He said, rolling his eyes. "You almost had me" He confessed, "almost". Zara giggled and cocked her head in a smug, knowing way.
"And just so you know, I always liked you"
"No you didn't, you thought I was a pain in the ass."
"I did so, and I STILL think you're a pain in the ass" He laughed, dramatically shielding himself as she gave him a playful shove.
"You hated me"
"Zara, I really didn't. Honest" He said, his tone going from playful to semi-serious. "I don't know what it was, but there was always this feeling of familiarity around you. Maybe because we were so alike, who knows? I just always felt like it was my job to keep you safe, to make sure you were okay - even when you were driving me nuts" He said, cocking a sideways smile. "Weird, huh?"
"No, it's not weird," She said, stepping back over to him and resting her head against his chest as he put his arms around her again. "It's actually kind of sweet, in a very YOU kind of way" she chuckled, "I wish I remembered more of those early days... I guess this 'Candice' chick will be able to shed some light on all that, huh?"

Bucky exhaled, Zara chuckling again at his frustration.

"I guess we never got to have the 'honeymoon period' thing like most couples do. We've always been locked up or running for our lives, I often wonder what it would be like, just us, free. Not a worry in the world..." She mused aloud.
"Well, I did promise you..." He said after a few moments silence.
"What?"
"Let's do it. After Tony's 'base warming' party next week we'll go away somewhere off the grid. Somewhere warm by the ocean..."
"Bucky, don't tease me" She scolded, pulling away from him a little annoyed.
"No, Zara I'm being serious. No phones, no tracking, no tech. We'll stay off the radar. I'll okay it by Coulson and we'll go" He said, looking into her eyes, his face genuine.

Zara grinned, nodding her head excitedly as she jumped into his arms and he spun her around. She let out a laugh, thinking that she may cry otherwise.
"We'll laze around in the sun on the beach, we'll drink expensive cocktails and I'll teach you to swim... Oh and we'll go out for dinner every night, have breakfast in bed every morning" He said, closing his eyes as if he was already there. Zara wiped her eyes, happy tears leaking out despite her best efforts to hold them in.
"Bucky that sounds amazing..."
"I'll speak to Stark and Coulson today and make it happen. Why don't you go see how Jess is in the meantime?" He asked, kissing her lips gently, making her smile. Zara nodded, wiping her eyes again.
"I love you so much, Bucky Barnes. I seriously do..."
"I love you too" He smiled, cupping her face as he leaned in to kiss her again. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and slid his finger across the screen, unlocking it.

"Go on, get going. I have calls to make and you have a friend to visit"

He gave her a friendly slap on the butt as she turned to leave, making her gasp. She turned around to flash him a smile and waved as she stepped out the door, Bucky waving back as he put the phone to his ear.

"Yeah Stark? You have a private tropical island don't you? ... Yeah, yeah, sounds great... Zee and I need a favor..."