A few days passed during which Bucky and Gwen were scarcely ever apart. They were getting to know each other, flirting too much, and annoying everyone who just wanted them to kiss already. Seriously, there were bets going on about how long it would take for the two of them to finally get together.

They all knew that she wasn't going to be moving out of the tower, even when she was cleared by medical. After Gwen had settled in a little bit and had gotten comfortable, she was called to the medical bay for her physical.

Bucky was waiting for her nearby. He couldn't get his mind off of her and was trying to come up with a plan for courting her. He was trying to give her space, to let her be a person now that she was free from Hydra, but they kept ending up together. She kept insisting that omegas liked being around people. He'd have to figure out what that meant at some point. He didn't mind, though. He enjoyed her company.

His thoughts were interrupted by a scream of fear and pain coming from the medical room he was sitting outside of. Gwen's fear and pain. He jumped to his feet and started for the door, only to have a petrified panicked, mostly naked, little werewolf fling herself into his arms. Bucky's arms wrapped around her, holding her safe and wanting nothing more than to kill whoever had upset her enough to run out of the room sobbing while wearing nothing but a sheet. She sobbed and trembled in his arms.

A man in a white lab coat followed her out of the room, clutching a bleeding, broken noise. That told Bucky more about her personality and temperament than anything else could have. She was beyond terrified and had still only struck out just enough to get away. She could benchpress a bus and still hadn't fought. She wasn't a fighter by nature and Hydra hadn't beaten it into her.

Somehow Hydra hadn't ruined her gentle spirit.

"Shhhhh. Gwenie, what happened?" Bucky asked her gently as he held her in his arms. He glared over her head at the doctor, demanding an explanation, though he knew all he would get out of the doctor was a lie.

"She went crazy" the doctor insisted, growling through his pain.

The others had come running at Gwen's shriek and Stark wondered what the hell kind of doctor had been sent by the service he bought when he arrived at the scene. He thought they needed a physician instead of relying on Banner, but he'd apparently been wrong. Nat stomped in all five feet of tiny rage and decked the doctor in the face. No one tried to stop her "We told you she's a rape victim," she snarled at him while Gwen clutched onto Bucky, sobbing into his chest.

Stark was pissed and made a few calls. He didn't know what happened in that room and wasn't sure he wanted the details. Steve restrained the doctor while Friday did a bit of research. It turned out that the 'doctor' was a former Hydra associate. "Nat, take him to the interrogation room. He has some talking to do," Stark said when that information was disclosed. He turned to Bucky and Gwen. "A female doctor is on her way now, one who Friday vetted. She'll meet you in the other med room,"

Nat and Steve made sure the 'doctor' made it to the interrogation room with way more bruises than he started the day with. Way, way more bruises.

Bucky half-carried Gwen into the exam room and tried to set her on the bed. It was difficult since she was shaking so badly. A line of fur had sprouted down her spine, clearly an indicator of distress. It took effort on her part and being surrounded by Bucky's scent for her tears to slow. Bucky noticed the line of fur along her spine and petted it and smoothed it down, soothing her.

She looked up at him, her eyes finally clear of panic. "James? You came?" she asked him softly. Her years of abuse at Hydra had told her that no one would come help her if she screamed.

Bucky wished that question had come in a private setting in a different circumstance. He kept that information to himself, not wanting to scare her away. "Of course I came, doll. I was waiting just outside the room as promised," he reminded her.

"Thank you," she said softly, curling herself in his arms. He let her, willing to do anything to help her.

Which didn't help the new doctor perform any kind of exam when she arrived.

Bucky looked up when the female doctor arrived. She had been warned about what happened and looked over the pair appraisingly. She didn't want to deal with a panicked werewolf if she didn't have to. She was used to working with the team and their strange abilities. She should've been called in the first place.

It seemed the wolf had calmed so she spoke to her. "Gwen, dear, you need to let Sergeant Barnes go so I can examine you. You'll come to no harm, but he cannot be in the room," the doctor told her gently. Gwen's fear spiked again and she whined like a kicked puppy. Bucky got brave and kissed the top of her head between her wolf ears.

"It will be alright, darlin'," Bucky told her. "I'll be right outside the door," he promised. Gwen nodded and stepped out of his arms, extremely reluctantly. Bucky left her to wait impatiently outside the door. He knew she'd be back in his arms the second the exam was over, but that didn't make him any easier about leaving her when she was so afraid. So he sat in the chair outside the door and tried to be patient for the long wait until Gwen's exam was over.

She escaped the room the moment her exam was over and she was dressed again. Well, mostly dressed. She was only wearing jeans and the tank top she wore under her shirt. Bucky couldn't help noticing her lack of attire, even as she curled herself in his lap and clung onto him like a lifeline. Bucky focused on comforting her.

Not on how her tank top clung to her body.

Not how her nipples could be seen through her thin tank top.

Not how her chest felt pressed against him.

Not how his pants had become uncomfortably tight.

He focused on comforting her instead.

He cuddled her in his arms and soothed her, stroking the line of fur down her spine as her tail swished over his legs. He held her like that until the line of fur receded and she got the wolf under control.

"Sergeant Barnes, Captain Rogers wishes to know if you would like to help with the interrogation," Friday announced, interrupting their tender moment in the hallway.

Bucky nearly growled at the interruption. He wanted nothing more than to beat the shit out of the asshole who had hurt and terrified his Gwen, but she needed him more. So he finally replied. ""No, but thank you." He was always best to be polite to the AI.

Gwen looked up at him confused. "You don't?" that didn't seem like him. He was so protective of her, she didn't think he'd give up the opportunity to hurt the man who had hurt her.

"I'd rather be with you. You need me more. They can handle it," he reassured her. "Besides, I might accidentally kill the scum," his words ended with a growl worthy of a wolf.

She nodded and cuddled back in his arms contently. That sounded much more like her Bucky. "Protective alpha," she purred fondly.

Bucky smirked and stood, lifting her in his arms as he did, to carry her to their floor. He was conflicted, though, to take her to his room or hers? He smiled warmly at the small, surprised, noise she made at being lifted into his arms. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder, content and trusting him. He swore never to do anything to break that trust. He finally decided that she'd feel safer in her own room and carried her there. He sat on the bed with her still in his arms. She didn't even try to move off his lap, content to stay curled in his safe, warm arms. She shifted to snuggled better, her head on his chest, her arms wrapping around him.

Bucky couldn't help noticing his pants getting tighter by the movement she made. He let out a strangled groan, though he tried to fight it.

She looked up at him concerned. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you? Or am I too heavy?" she asked quickly and started to move to climb off his lap.

He groaned again. "No, you're not hurting me. I'm..." he was afraid of scaring her. He hadn't told her about her effect on him, or about how much he wanted her.

Before he finished that sentence she was off of his lap and she saw the issue, his pants were straining against the bulge in them. "Oh.." she said softly, pulling her eyes away from the impressive-looking bulge in his pants.

Great, Bucky's secret was out.

She was going to run from him.

What was he going to do?