Bullets past the armor
Bobbi hadn't seen Sharon Carter in about 3 years, she'd never met Steve Rogers or Sam Wilson and she sure as hell had never met their assassin friend. She found herself somewhat edgy about the whole thing but she maintained her cool on the outside; spies were trained better than to let their emotions get the best of them and she was very well trained indeed. She was slightly dubious about the whole assassin-thing though.
By this point she was aware of who The Winter Soldier was because it was utterly impossible not to and she was aware of his connections to HYDRA and most people for that reason would consider him a house guest that they did not want but Bobbi wasn't most people.
Former connections; she reminded herself that it was his former connections. She was also aware that it was what he'd done that had been instrumental in bringing down SHIELD but she knew that needed to happen too, the corruptions ran too deep and now all of them were left to wonder who the hell they'd been working for all along and who they'd killed for because at some point or another each one of them had... Even her. Kill missions were rare but if you were considered one of their top agents at some point you'd done it.
She worried too though that what she was wasn't as much of a secret as she hoped it was. So far no one had said anything or tried to use it against her though so that was good. It was still relatively early days though so she really didn't know whether to strike that off of her list of worries.
Cue the whole reason that she was hiding out in a snow covered mountain house with her ex husband playing apparent hostess now to wayward heroes, assassins and agents. See? It all came around in one big circle of what the hell! She glanced toward the monitors in her security room (Yes it was smart to have one of those even all the way out here, it had cost her a pretty penny upping the security on this place) and she watched the approaching crowd with a gentle sigh as she made her way out and into the living room again in time to hear someone knock at the door, she looked toward Clint who shrugged his shoulder silently telling her that it was her house.
She was never good at playing hostess not even back at her apartment. She shot him a glare but walked over to open the door anyway making a mental note to kick his ass for that later. Jerk. Her eyes fell on Sharon and Steve first and she offered her friend a warm smile as Sharon stepped forward and hugged her. If it were anyone but someone she actually liked she might have told them to go away but she actually happened to like Sharon Carter. She wasn't usually a hugger.
"It's good to see you, Bobbi." Sharon spoke softly as she stepped back and studied her.
Sharon seemed altogether relieved that she didn't look hurt or like she'd gotten hurt but then again they'd had a little while to heal while being holed up out here which was good. Here was safe. Bobbi looked altogether relaxed in a pair of jogging pants, a tank top - which she'd have thought was strange given the weather out here but it was Bobbi and she'd seen her do far weirder things than this - and a pair of socks, Sharon took her casual attire as a good thing. She looked just like she had at her apartment back in New York when she'd stopped by once or twice. It had been years ago though.
"You too, stranger." Bobbi responded with an easy smile as she stepped back and opened the door properly.
"C'mon, get inside before you freeze your asses off." She studied each person as they walked past her.
The last one in was who she guessed was the aforementioned former assassin. He seemed wary of everyone even Steve, the man that she'd been informed had been to great lengths to save his life and had been his best friend since childhood and she felt sympathy for him in that moment. She could tell he was lost. She could tell that everything he'd known was starting to crumble away and he was starting to realise that the falsehoods that had made up decades of his life had been hell and he'd lost more than just himself at that. They'd robbed him of all sense of identity.
He looked at her and assessed her carefully as he walked inside and she did nothing but keep a relaxed posture and a calm smile on her features. She shut the door once everyone was inside though and studied them all one by one. Everyone - aside from looking tired and cold - looked alive and well enough so that was good.
"There are enough rooms for everyone, go get showered and out of your wet clothes and we'll whip up food and hot drinks." She could tell the offer of kindness shocked Bucky.
He recoiled a little. Steve noticed immediately because he offered him a warm smile.
"It's okay, you're safe here." He was trying to be soothing.
Bobbi however knew from years of extensive training in watching peoples body language that it hadn't worked. She knew it'd take time though. He seemed at the very least to trust Steve ever so slightly. Steve Rogers turned then to really look at her for the first time since he'd gotten inside minutes ago and Clint stood up and walked over to stand beside her almost like he felt like she needed protecting, she glanced briefly sideways at him and offered him a questioning look before Steve held out a hand to her.
"I'm Steve Rogers, it's nice to meet you. Thank you for letting us-" He was cut off by Bobbi shaking her head as she took his hand and shook it.
"Bobbi Morse, and you don't have to thank me. Sharon is my friend and Clint vouched for you so... You're good. Mi casa and all that stuff. Here is safe, it looks like you guys need safe. Him especially..." She inclined her head to Bucky who'd taken to looking around.
From the look on Steve's face she guessed he was thinking the same thing as she was: When was the last time he was in a place that looked even remotely like a home without being there to kill someone or be used? The thought brought a sadness to her features. From behind Steve, Sam offered her a smile and a wave.
"Sam Wilson, hey."
"Hi Sam." Bobbi smiled. "Seriously though, shower, change your clothes and we'll get all of you fed."
She sounded too much like a mom and she hated it. She cringed at the thought. Sharon looked at her and released a small chuckle.
"C'mon, we better move before she starts threatening to kick everyone's butt."
"Hey! You know I'll do it too, Carter." Bobbi retorted playfully.
"Yeah... she's not kidding." Clint spoke for the first time drawing Steve's eyes to him.
"It's nice to see you again, Clint. Thanks for this."
"O'course." He replied. "Go! Seriously. Bobs is scary when she gets all grumpy and starts giving orders."
He grinned at Bobbi playfully then who - naturally - rolled her eyes at him.
"I'll kick your ass in a minute if you don't shut up, idiot."
She turned to walk toward the kitchen then and everyone split off with Clint showing them to varying rooms, she heard him inform Steve and Sharon that they could have separate rooms if they wanted and he sounded awkward while doing it too but both refused and that brought a soft smile to Bobbi's lips. Good. Carter deserved to be happy, she was a good person. Clint walked back to her clearly baffled and he shook his head.
"All of this is nuts. We've got three Super soldiers, two assassins, three SHIELD agents, three random heroes and that is literally just among the six of us." He looked confused.
Bobbi made her way over and placed her hand on his cheek, she knew how he felt. It was overwhelming and it was a cocktail of crazy that she never thought she'd find herself in. She, Clint and Sharon all worked for SHIELD, Clint and Bucky were assassins and both reformed or working their way to it, she, Steve and Barnes were all Super Soldiers, not that she ever talked about it. She preferred to think about herself as a normal person, it was way less of a headache and she supposed the random heroes were him, Steve and Sam.
It was a hell of a lot to wrap your head around that was for sure. She gave him a gentle kiss and glanced back to the soup she'd set on the stove.
"Less worrying about crap we can't change and more helping me cook, move your butt there handsome. I can't cook for six people on my own without setting something on fire." Probably herself knowing her luck.
Clint seemed happy at having something to busy himself with though. It didn't take them long to have everything ready and he was impressed that in such a short space of time she'd managed to whip up a homemade chicken soup. He'd always liked Bobbi's cooking. He remembered when she'd first decided to learn things beyond the basics and there had been plenty of disasters but he'd always found it cute and endearing. He didn't dare tell her that after the first time though because she'd literally threatened to shoot him. Repeatedly.
The first person to emerge was Barnes and immediately Clint appeared protective. She elbowed him in the ribs as she came to stand beside him and shot him a scornful look.
"We're here to help remember? You got us into this so be nice." She reminded him scornfully
Okay she had him there, he had gotten them into this. He'd been the one that had told people out here was safe and while he had asked her permission for it, it had been his choice to do it.
"Thanks for the uh..." Bucky was nervous.
Bobbi made her way over to him and held out her hand with a gentle smile on her features in an effort to show him that he really was safe here and that no one here was going to hurt him. He was going through hell and she had no interest in making it any worse for him.
"I'm Bobbi, that idiot is Clint. It's nice to meet you." She watched Bucky's eyes move to her hand before he studied her carefully.
When he'd determined that she didn't have any weapons on her at all he took her hand.
"Bucky, I guess. Bucky Barnes." He took her outstretched hand then and shook it with his normal hand. She seemed nice, he thought.
She didn't seem at all phased by his metal arm or whatever else she must have been told. She released his hand and inclined her head to the table. She couldn't imagine how weird this must be for him but it was better for him to be around people that weren't dangerous to him or going to use him, at least that was her theory. She hadn't been around when Clint had helped Natasha out of her programming but she knew it was similar to Bucky's. At least from what she'd been able to determine so far.
"Well Bucky Barnes, lets get you all fed. You look like you haven't had a home cooked meal in a while and I haven't killed anyone with my cooking yet so!" Bobbi grinned.
Bucky fought back a laugh but shook his head anyway, she noted the amusement on his expression and she gave a triumphant smile. At least she'd managed to make him smile no matter how much he might have been resistant to the idea.
"You can't be grumpy forever, she'll literally bug the heck out of you until she makes you smile. It's what she does." Clint stated, brushing Bobbi's arm as he walked over to hand Bucky a bowl of soup.
"She's actually a pretty good person no matter how much she says she ain't."
Bobbi offered Clint an appreciative smile, at least that's what he'd have described it as. She was probably secretly thinking up a million ways in her head to kill him without making too much of a mess, who knew with her. She was an enigma that woman.
Bucky - clearly not knowing what to make of either of them - made his way over to the table and seemed to look relieved when Steve and Sharon joined them. Sam - he noticed - kept a safe distance and that made him smirk slightly. Everyone against the odds seemed relaxed as they sat down to eat, trading quips, stories and discussions of how they'd all ended up out here and notably Steve and Sharon both laughed at the fact that Bobbi had bust Clint's nose for him being a dumbass. So did Bucky which had everyone shocked.
Even he fell into an easy trade of conversation as people tried their best to explain pop culture and movies and Steve sat there explaining that he'd been at it for months and he still had no idea what most of it was. Bobbi though piped up that she had a few collections on DVD out here that they could watch. It'd give them something to do for the next few nights at the very least. Days would likely be spent with them trying to work out what the hell they did next and where they went.
Step one was helping Bucky. Bobbi had made that perfectly clear. He didn't have to feel alone.
He hadn't understood it and he'd asked her a thousand questions but she'd simply smiled and explained to him that sometimes you just needed to hold out a hand to someone whether they think that they deserve it or not even if it was unexpected. She'd want someone to help her if she'd been the one lost. Clint had explained he'd helped one assassin out of their crap before and he'd be happy to do whatever he could do. That had been a story Bucky wanted to hear.
Clint explained that once upon a time, he'd been assigned to protect a diplomat which wasn't strictly true. Romanoff had always been his mission but he'd feigned something else at first. She was smart though and she'd figured it out. She'd figured out that she was his mission and she'd been so sure that he wouldn't kill her that she'd actually dared him to. He liked the fire inside of her, it reminded him of himself when he'd been something else back before he'd joined SHIELD.
She was rough around the edges, she was arrogant and reckless but she was deadly. Lethal. He could see it in her eyes though that she didn't know what kindness was and she didn't have anyone that'd offered her a hand or a way out and so he'd refused then and there to kill her, he'd told her that she could kill him if she wanted to but it wouldn't accomplish anything. He'd told her that he could get her out, that he could find a better way for her if she just trusted him and she had. She'd taken his chance and she'd let him help her.
In truth he was glad for it or he'd have died that night and things would be incredibly different for Bobbi Morse now, he knew she was glad for it too. He remembered when he'd first told her that story and she'd told him he was a complete idiot but he'd explained that someone needed to offer her a way out. Steve had done it for Bucky, he'd done it for Natasha.
Sometimes someone just had to reach out.
"So, you people just make a habit of trying to save people?" Bucky rose a brow as he spoke. "Why?"
Bobbi shrugged to ignore the fact that she could see there was something in Barnes's eyes that he wanted to say only he couldn't. She found it curious but she wouldn't ask him because it wasn't her place to do it and she didn't know him well enough; Clint just looked like he genuinely had no idea.
"I don't wanna find a hobby?" Clint offered.
"We do the right thing." Steve amended. "We help people because we care. Because they need someone and because we can't stand by and let someone stay lost, especially not if we care. I care about you, Buck. I wanna help you and so does everyone else here."
Sharon squeezed his hand as he spoke and she looked proud.
"Speak for yourself!" Sam spoke, studying them all. "You literally showed up at my house and dragged me into this."
Both Bobbi and Clint looked toward Sam and then Clint shot a questioning look toward Steve.
"Seriously?"
"No, no, he's right. We uh- We did. We kinda showed up after everything and he kinda got roped into it all that way." Steve sounded sheepish as he spoke.
Sam burst out laughing. Clearly he'd only said anything at all to lighten the mood which had Sharon offer him a thankful smile and he nodded his head silently telling her she was welcome. Everyone looked exhausted though and so, Bobbi offered everyone a calm smile.
"Okay, I think everyone needs to sleep or y'know... Rest. Rest is good. You guys have had a long travel we'll clean up just... Rest." She cringed again.
Sharon smirked.
"I'm gonna hit you, Carter." Bobbi warned playfully.
"Bring it on, pretty lady." Sharon grinned. "But thank you, thank you for all of this. It means a lot."
Steve glanced between them and Clint just shook his head at him and smiled. He knew that the two of them were friends and honestly, it was kind of nice to see Bobbi just get to relax. He already felt bad enough that he was her only company out here until now... He was sure he still annoyed the crap out of her even if she wouldn't admit it. Bucky seemed altogether confused and Sam just seemed amused at the fact that Steve looked thoroughly confused just like Bucky. This was a side to Sharon he hadn't seen yet clearly.
"Your girl actually has friends, this is a good thing buddy." He poked playfully as he patted Steve's arm.
Steve glared at the fact that he was clearly being patronised and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah alright, I think she's right and we all need to rest."
"Oh, pops has spoken!" Sam announced as he stood up.
"Just shut up and move your ass." Sharon shot back with a smirk.
And with everyone dismissed, Bobbi and Clint stood and looked at one another and Bobbi shook her head. It was going to be a hell of a weird few... Uh... However long this was going to take to straighten out. It was a good job she was no stranger to weird.