chapter twenty: "are you okay?" & "we need to talk." 

        IT TOOK HOURS FOR TONY AND BRUCE TO EXPLAIN TO ZANDER and the French family what happened to their son, and even longer to figure out how to get Zander to no longer be invisible. By the time the family went home -with promises from Kat that she would come over later today-, the sun was just starting to peak over the tops of the high-rise buildings, and the whole group was sagging from tiredness, including Kat, who hadn't even taken her dress off yet, and had been exhausted from the get go, and as they finally sent the girl off to her room, they were in the midst of debating how they should break the news to Fury, if he didn't already know that is. 

Bucky followed the girl up to her room, he had been noting her downfall since she'd gotten back with Zander, and it was most prominent to him in the way she was ignoring Logan's calls and text messages. He knew the girl was worried, and Kat was making her worry harder, but he didn't care, he was only worried about the girl in front of him. 

He stayed in her doorway silently, watching as she wiped her makeup off and let her hair down, not bothering to brush it out as she grabbed the pajamas off of her bed and drug her feet to the bathroom. It took her only a few moments before she was out again, and trudging her way towards the door. He was about to say something, his mouth opening as she drew closer, when all of a sudden she had her arms wrapped around her middle and her face buried in his chest. He didn't have to ask to know the answer, but he did it anyway. "Are you okay?"

Who knew that three little words was all it would take to break her? To collapse her flood gates like they'd been blown to bits by a bomb? She probably should have seen it coming, with the things she'd learned recently, and the memories that tonight had brought back, not to mention the fear..it was a wonder how she didn't break earlier. 

At his words, everything in Katherine broke, everything that she'd been holding together these past few weeks, everything she'd been holding together these past hours, it all came crashing down, and unfortunately for both of them, nothing could stop the flood of tears. The girl couldn't even speak for how much she was sobbing, couldn't even breathe really. The tears came hard and fast, and shocked the both of them. She had not been prepared to be emotional, and had only given the man a hug because she wanted some form of comfort after her long night. 

Bucky was stuck, he wasn't sure what to do, or how to handle it, and almost told FRIDAY to get Tony or Steve up here but couldnt get the words out of his mouth, instead, instinct took over and he found himself wrapping his arms around her, pulling her tighter against him. "It's okay," He murmured, rubbing her back as he held her. 

He was aware that they were still in the doorway of her bedroom, and wasn't sure whether or not he should move her backwards, or just take her to his room. He decided against doing anything besides stand there, he didn't want to freak her out, and so, for a good fifteen minuets as she cried, and cried and cried, he held her, unmoving, his grip unwavering, hoping that he could make her feel the least bit safe. 

After the sobbing subsided to hiccupping, and he was somewhat sure that the tears had stopped flowing, he gently pushed her back, leading her towards her bed. "Come on, you need to lay down." He says, but the girl shook her head. She was tired, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, not like this. So instead, as he went to shut her door, she took her place on the floor beside her bed, closest to the window, and waited impatiently for him to join her. 

"I am so screwed, aren't I?" She asks, looking over at him as he sat down next to her. His legs were splayed out in front of him, his thigh touching hers as they sat close together. She never thought in a million years that this is where she'd be, sitting on a floor, still sniffling, after her first highschool dance with a man who wasn't her boyfriend, that made her feel things that her boyfriend should've been making her feel too. Not that she would tell either of them that though. "They're looking for me, and they want me back..and it's HYDRA, they'll stop at nothing to get me.." This was something she had been worried about for weeks now. 

Bucky says nothing for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "I don't think you're screwed." He says, looking at her, he found that she was already staring at him though, with those damn eyes of hers. "I think you're very loved by the people in this building, and I think that because of that, they would do anything and everything in their power to make sure that you're safe and secure, and protected." He says, trying to give her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Between them and Fury, I think you're kind of the most well protected person on earth." He tries to joke, but it does nothing to ease her worry. He sighs. "As for the HYDRA thing, you're right, they'll probably stop at nothing..but the odds are, they weren't expecting you to know how to use your powers, and they definitely weren't expecting Zander." As much as he disliked the kid, he had to admit that he had probably saved her life tonight, and the fact that he took that injection for her said something too. "Which means they've encountered a setback, a major one, and it's going to take them awhile to recuperate. So, for now at least, you're safe." 

"Yeah," She scoffs, looking away. "but for how long?" She asks, drawing her knees up to her chest. "And what about Zander? They're not safe now that he's going to be on their radar. And who knows what could happen to Logan and her father!" She was worried about everyone, the stress of what and who she was weighing on her now more than it ever had before. 

Bucky put a hand on her shoulder, using his other one to turn her head towards him, their eyes meeting. "Katherine, relax..Fury will take care of everything..and you know Tony would too." He says, he knew she worried about too much in that head of hers, always overthinking the worst things, like what had happened with the file. "I promise you, that everything will be fine." 

Her eyes were still watery, and the pair went silent, neither realizing just how close they were, but neither wanting to move away either. Bucky had just gotten in his head that he could stay like that forever, just looking at her when she pulled away, looking out the window. "Don't make promises you might not be able to keep, Bucky." She says. 

  IT WAS LATE IN THE DAY WHEN KATHERINE WAS FINALLY able to make her way to the French family's penthouse near central park. She had managed to take an hours nap, and woke up slightly refreshed, hoping that the previous nights events had all been a nightmare -even though she knew it wasn't- as she trudged her way to the kitchen, where the rest of the Avengers sat with Fury at the kitchen table, having a conference of sorts. Fury had zoned in on her instantly, questioning and questioning and questioning again, for hours on end before he finally pulled her into a hug and told her that she needed to go to Zander's, the best way he could think to explain to them what was going on was to have someone with first hand knowledge talk them through it. He gave her a file on what was going to happen to Zander and his family, and was about to send her on her way when Clint stepped in, the fatherly look about him as he forced to eat a plate of waffles -even though it was well past lunch time by that point- and some toast. 

By the time Happy had gotten there to pick her up, it was close to sun set, and despite the waffles she had eaten, her stomach was rumbling and she forced him to stop for fast food on the way, making sure she ordered enough for herself, Zander and Logan, who she had instructed to come to Zander's a few hours later, after she had had time to brief the whole family. It didn't take too long for Happy to get her there, or at least it seemed like it didn't in her mind, and once he pulled up outside of their building, he turned to look at her. "Are you sure you don't want me to come up there with you?" He asks, his softening as he looked her over. She looked like she had been through an ordeal, and even though he hadn't been told the whole event of last night, he knew she had taken it rough. 

Kat looks at him and smiles, a soft one. Despite his hardness, he was a caring man and he was only trying to make sure she was okay, something she still wasn't used to everyone doing. "I'll be okay, Happy, I promise." She says, before telling him not to stick around, she was going to be there for a while, especially once Logan got there. She knew the girl was going to give her the third degree, the first and only time shed texted her back since last night had been to tell her to come to Zanders, and she just knew her bestfriend was not happy with her about it. 

She got out, bags of greasy food in hand, and closes the door before heading straight for the doorman, who smiled at her. She had been here a couple times, enough for him to recognize her and not question as she went past him. She made her way through the mostly deserted lobby and hit the button for the elevator, the doors opened almost immediately and she stepped in, thanking god she wouldn't have to wait any longer than the ride up there. 

Their Penthouse was one of the top floors of the building, the top six of which housed three penthouses, and the ride up felt more slow going than it had before, and made her antsy. She let out a breath as the elevator came up to theirs, and held up the food bags as the doors slid open, knowing fully well that Zander would be standing there waiting for her. 

"Hey," She says, he looked worse for wear, but had at least brought himself to put on jeans and a clean t-shirt. She was still wearing her pajamas, not wanting to even bother getting dressed. She was too much of a mess. She had barely even stepped off the elevator when he had pulled her in for a deep kiss, barely giving her time to breathe before wrapping her up in a big hug. "I'm sorry.." She says, awkwardly wrapping her arms around him. "I brought unhealthy food!" She figured she would save the news about the file for later. 

Once they pulled away, he lead her to his room, which was on the second floor, and always a lot cleaner than she imagined it would be. "So, I suppose we need to talk more about what happened?" He asks, sitting down on his desk chair while she took the bed. He was always respectful about giving her space, only being close when she wanted him too. 

Katherine nods. "Yes, we do.." She sighs. She let him ask the first question, launching into a full on backstory of herself and who those people were, and why they wanted her in particular. She explained with more detail who were parents were, and that she was infact not Tony Stark's daughter, but a ward of SHIELD and a product of HYDRA. He listened, and let her explain, and asked more questions, which lead to more in depth explanations. After a while he noticed that talking about he subject of HYDRA  made her emotional and nervous and he decided to stop, only asking her one more questions -most of what he was curious about had been answered last night anyway. 

"Is my family in harms way?" He asks, delving into one of the bags she had brought with her. They were cold after them having talked for several hours, but he didn't mind, he was too hungry to wait for Logan, even though he knew she would be there at any minuet. 

Katherine take a moment before answering, pulling the file out of her bag. "Yes." She says, pursing her lips. "Once HYDRA figures out who you guys are, and what you mean to me..they'll try to use you as leverage. But, SHIELD has a plan for that. And from what I understand, you guys will be virtually untouchable by everyone." She says. 

Zander nods. "Good." He says, about to question what SHIELD had planned for his family and himself when his bedroom door was thrown open. Logan launched herself in a purple mess across the room, tackling his girlfriend off of the bed and onto the floor, causing the girl to scream and start attacking, wrapping her arms several times around her. "Girls, girls, stop!" He says, trying to break them up. He wasn't sure if Logan was angry, or just trying to give her friend a hug. 

"I thought you were dead, you whore!" Logan shouts, calling her bestfriend a rude name for lack of a better word in that moment. "I thought both of you were goners! How could you not text me back until three hours ago, you fucking assholes!" Kat, realizing that it was just Logan, relaxes her self, unwrapped her friend and hugging her back. 

"I'm sorry, Logan." She says, hoping that the girl would get off of her, it was a rather uncomfortable position they were in. "I brought...food.." She says, which does the trick as the girl bounces off of her and spots the bags on the bed. 

"Goodie!" Logan says. "This doesn't make up for anything though." She ads, helping Kat up and taking a spot next to her on the bed. She looks at her two friends, her eyes narrowing as she digs into the burger and fries Kat had gotten for her. "I feel like I interrupted something." 

"That's because you did." Both teens say, looking at the girl pointedly before continuing on. "Anyway," Kat says, "SHIELD can only protect you if you agree to be protected, so, show this to your family, convince them that it's the right thing to do..although, I imagine that won't be hard." She hands the file to Zander, who sets it on his desk. Once the girls were gone, it would be his main priority. "As for you, Fury will want you to be some kind of trained, he'll want you to know how to use it, and he'll want tests done on you, all of which can be done at the tower..so, be prepared for a break from school. I already know i'll be on one too, and be prepared to spend a majority of your day at the tower with Tony, Bruce and the others."

Logan looks between the two, coming to the realization that she had missed something big. "Hold on, what did I miss?" She asks, her eyes narrowed accusingly. There was nothing that Logan Killian hated more than being left out of the loop. 

Kat and Zander share a smirk before turning to their friend. "I have a superpower." Zander says, causing his friend to choke on her burger, before looking at him with wide, excited eyes. 

"How come this wasn't the first thing mentioned to me?!" She practically screams, jumping up and down on the bed, causing her friends to laugh and shake their heads. "Oh my god, is it cool?" 

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hello my loves! this is just a little filler chapter to bridge us into what's going to be happening next! also, if you haven't read the kat stark imagines, go check them out now bc i've posted the first one, and for all you bucky and kat stans out there, you'll love it! 

Also, in lieu of my pregnancy, i've decided that i'd like to see this book through to it's ending, hopefully before I give birth, so as long as the writers block keeps away, expect more frequent updates! 

and, to all of those who live in affected areas, know someone infected or are currently in quarantine due to infection from COVID-19, I hope y'all are staying safe, staying healthy, and getting better! 

please be sure to leave me comments, because I really do love them!!

xxo, kara!