Chapter Five

Old Friends

I wake up in the morning to find Barnes sitting on the end of the bed putting on his shoes. Slipping out of the covers, I don't look at him as I put on long johns and a sweater dress complete with red snow boots. I tighten the thigh holster I have on and slip my small gun in place. Smelling breakfast, I head downstairs without a word. Across from the concierge desk and behind a wall is the dining room where breakfast is laid out buffet style. I wave at Lidia as I grab a plate and fill it with eggs and bacon. Hotel sausage is always shit. Steve, Natasha, and Bucky walk in just as I sit down. Once they have their food they sit with me, James opposite me to put the most distance between us.

"You two might want to act a little warmer towards one another and not fight audibly." Natasha advises in a light voice, happily plucking grapes off Steve's plate.

"Is everything alright?" Steve asks, looking between the two of us.

"Fine." James and I answer simultaneously then look each other bitterly.

"Then I agree. You two need to shape up." Steve scolds with a warning in his eyes. I purse my lips, but stand and walk around the table, sitting beside James. He slips his hand under my chair and tugs me close to him, but doesn't look at me. "Yes, much better." Steve says sarcastically and Bucky shoots daggers at him.

"Concierge is flighty. Red shirt watches him a little to closely as well. Nothing else out of ordinary." Natasha reports as she takes a sip of her coffee to conceal her lips.

"Same conclusion." I respond and continue nibbling at my food. "Check the concierge desk?" I question.

"On it." Bucky stands and leaves. I sigh and shrug at Natasha and Steve. Nat's eyes are on Eric, so he doesn't bust Bucky while Steve just looks at me.

"Don't." I murmur and his brows furrow a little at me.

"Let's take a walk." He says and stands, but Natasha drags him back down to peck his cheek like a good fake wife. We walk outside and I instantly cross my arms to ward off the cold. Steve and I keep to the street until we're meters away from the house. I speak before he does.

"Look, don't start with a sanctimonious speech. Barnes and I are working on it, alright? We'll do better." I assure him sincerely, although I've no clue where Bucky's thoughts are. Steve is silent for a couple steps.

"You're her, aren't you? The woman who left him." I flinch at the label and snap my eyes up to look at him. His blue eyes are already on me and they're harder than I've seen them be. Seems even he has a darker side. "He never told me your name." He tells me and his voice is a little softer than his eyes.

"He doesn't know my name." I tell him and he blinks in shock. "But yeah. I left him." My words and voice are sharp from the ball of emotion in my chest. "Don't bother chastising me, Captain. I've had years to reflect and I'm doubtful you'll tell me anything new." Suddenly he grabs my arm and makes me face him, but blocks my body from view of the house. No one can see our mouths to see what we're saying.

"Get out of your own head. You don't know what that did to him. After everything, after all of it, the person he trusted most betrayed him. And he never even learned your name so he could find you." Steve's mouth is set in a line after he tries enlightening me. I rip my arm from his grasp and go up on my tip toes to look in his eyes.

"You think I didn't realize all of that? You think I didn't want to hunt him down afterwards like you did all that time ago? Just remember what you brought with you. Soldiers with guns to kill him and a country screaming for his blood to wash away the blood on his hands. Whatever followed me would have been much worse. So, don't talk to me about his feelings and how he was hurt. I protected him for years." I reply with bite and dare him with my eyes to say something else. Instead, he seems to calm slightly.

"And does he know that? Did you bother telling him why you left and never came back?" He asks softly and I rock back on my heels before relaxing back on my feet.

"It doesn't matter anymore. It was years ago." I dismiss the idea and step around him to go back to the inn.

"I think it still matters...to both of you." Steve adds just as Natasha and James duck out of the house. One look at Natasha and I know we're in deep shit. We look at Bucky and my eyes are called to a quick movement he makes with his hand. A shining gold and red pin is sitting between his fingers, the letters KGB sparkling brightly at us. My eyes flick up to Bucky's in panic.

"We should leave now." I whisper and he nods once.

"You all are not going anywhere." A voice speaks up just inside and we all stiffen at the cocking of a gun. I grab Bucky's hand and step in front of him instantly. "Come back inside, or get shot." Eric tells us and we walk in slowly. Seems the rest of the guests have guns as well and all their fingers hover over the triggers. We look up when we hear footsteps coming down the stairs, heavy and rhythmic. My breath leaves me when I see his face, now covered in salt and pepper scruff, but recognizable. I'd never forget that sharp smile and dead black eyes anyway.

"Aw, sweethearts. I knew this little trap would get the Captain and the Soldier, but you two gems are the cherries on top." Cramer steps towards me and grabs my chin with his hand, letting his other hand skim across my neck. "Never thought I'd get the pleasure of seeing you again, Siren. Famous for leading men to their deaths. Usually under the guise of sleeping with them, naughty girl." He shakes my chin and my head follows. I'm putty in his hands. His thumb runs across my lips as he continues staring in my eyes. "I never got to taste your forbidden fruit, sweetheart."

"Hands off." James shocks me by slapping his hand away and stepping in front of me. Guns are instantly aimed at his head, but his eyes are on Cramer.

"You don't own me, Barnes. Back. Up." I slip in front of him as Cramer watches, an amused smile on his face.

"Never thought I'd see you two side by side again. Seems you both never got over what happened in France?" He phrases it like a question as he looks between the two of us.

"That doesn't matter. You know that never mattered. I came right back to you, didn't I?" I tell him, slipping between him and James. Cramer grasps my chin again and wraps his other arm around my waist.

"Yes, you did. Only to disappear a year later. Slick little minx, aren't you?" He chuckles and pecks the corner of my mouth. "I went back to that little cottage in France, you know. I looked into every file in your case, little whore. You called the Americans to protect your boy toy from us, then ran so we couldn't track him through you." Tears press at the back of my eyes as he spins me around to face James who's looking at me like the lost toy he found after years of looking. "Ah, you never told him? How selfless of her!" Cramer announces and the room laughs, excepting the team. "That's right, Soldier. We were hot on your tail. Days from catching you. The only way to prevent that was to turn you into your own government and eventually to your Captain. A tragic love story if I've ever heard one." Cramer mocks, but I'm just watching Bucky take all of this in. His hands turn into fists as he stares at Cramer.

"You motherfucker." Bucky curses and takes a threatening step forward. Natasha grabs him by his belt loop and tugs him back before the people holding guns to his head decide to shoot. I push Cramer away and turn around.

"What do you want?" I ask, my mind still scrambling to think of something to do. Cramer smiles and shakes his head.

"I already have everything I want right here. Except one thing. You're living." He tells us and takes a couple steps back. I stiffen when I feel a cold hand on my back. Bucky has taken his glove off. Two taps are my signal and I take a deep breath as I focus on Cramer. The second he makes the move for the others to kill us I'm running forward and flipping over him, using his body as a shield from the shooters. My arm wraps around his neck as I grab my gun from my thigh holster and take out those not already incapacitated. After the flurry of action, we're all breathing hard and the only enemy still standing is Cramer. I toss his bleeding body to the ground and instantly dig my heel into a gun wound on his hip.

"Siren, no." Steve commands as I raise my gun. I look up at Bucky, then at Steve.

"You don't know what you're saying, Captain. All your monsters are dead." I tell him and turn back to the worm under my boot. I don't hesitate, I empty my clip into his head. After, I holster my gun and turn back to Bucky. His expression is pensive and not even I can tell what he's thinking. Steve sighs, but doesn't scold me this time.

"Grab your things and let's go. Two minutes." He tells us all and leads the charge up the stairs and into our rooms. I'm quick to grab my bag and walk back to the door, but James grabs my arm and pins me to the door before I could leave. One look in his eyes tells me the question he wants to ask.

"Yes." I nod, "Yes, everything he said is true." I try not to wince at the pain in his eyes as he opens his mouth, then closes it when he reconsiders his words.

"Why didn't you ever come find me? We both know you could have. You could have found me and told me the truth." He searches for another reason to stay angry at me and I don't blame him.

"You never would have believed me, James." I whisper his name like a secret and watch his blue eyes widen when I do. "The girl that left...you never would have let her in the door. Besides, I obviously still had people looking for me. People I never even thought about." I explain, then hesitantly run my fingers through his hair to tuck it behind his ear. He swallows and I shiver. It's been ages since we've been close like this. That metal hand I know so well lands just below my jaw, tracing the bone as if remembering how well it always fit there.

"You don't know that." James insists. A condescending smile appears on my face and I shake my head slightly.

"We both know that." I correct him softly. Even so, I rest my hand on his to keep it close. My eyes shut a moment at the feeling.

"Let's go!" My eyes snap open when I hear Steve yell. Bucky frowns, but allows his thumb one more swipe over my cheek.

"We're not done." He assures me before opening the door and walking through it. I follow with anxiety steadily building in my chest.