Frostbite |The Alternate Timeline

The Tables Turn

We got inside and Bucky immediately led me into one of the rooms to relax. Sam and Zemo stayed in the living room as the door shut behind us. I rolled my eyes as I sat down on the bed, half tempted to snap at him for babying me. It was excessive.

"It's just a headache, Buck. It will go away," I reminded him once it was clear he planned on hovering there. I had never wanted a drink so bad in my life.

He scoffed and replied, "You probably have a concussion. I just-"

"You know I'm half super soldier right?" I chuckled, smirking up at him, "I can take a few hard hits."

"I know that."

He moved his hand as if to move my hair out of the way to examine my forehead, kneeling down in front of me.

"Then quit being-" I swatted his hand away, "-a mother hen."

He laughed, a rare sound from him, and just resumed what he was doing. Bucky tucked the strand of hair behind my ear, gently moving my head with his fingers. He tsked at whatever he saw, but finally let go. Our eyes met and my body froze.

Why was he staring at me like that? His eyes drifted down to my lips, and he leaned forward slowly, cautiously. I held my breath in anticipation, and finally, our lips met. Soft and unsure. Bucky had reiterated time and time again that this couldn't happen, yet here he was kissing me- again. Though, I did enjoy these momentary judgment lapses on his part.

He suddenly jerked back as if he'd been unaware of what he was doing. I let out a dramatic sigh and jerked myself off the bed, knocking him away from me. I should have known better. He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't want to hear his lame excuses.

"Seriously, I don't want to hear it. You know, its one thing when you say you don't want this and that's fine and dandy. But then you turn around and kiss me; then you regret it. So figure out what the hell it is you want, Bucky. I'm sick of this game," I ranted, crossing my arms as I spoke.

He got to his feet and took a deep breath, but kept his distance.

"Mel, I- I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

I scoffed, "Well, you were. Just not with your brain."

He turned slightly red in the cheeks and frowned at me, "Seriously?"

"Am I wrong?"

"I'm not doing this right now."

"Fine. I'll see you later," I snapped, ripping the door open and grabbing my bag. I wasn't dealing with his back and forth anymore.

Sam and Zemo snapped their head around as I stormed through the room. Bucky trailed behind me, asking what the hell I was doing. I ignored him.

"Melanie, where are you going?" Sam sighed in exasperation. I stopped just at the front door and turned to look at him.

"Home I guess. You don't need me. I can't deal with certain people, anymore. I'm sorry, Sam," I told him apologetically. It wasn't his fault that Bucky got on my very last nerve.

"You don't need to go," he told me, rising from his seat, "Just stay, please. I don't know what he did to piss you off this time, but stay. We can just kick him to the curb."

I smiled as Bucky protested to that idea.

"No, I really need to go, Sam. I'll call you later."

He nodded in understanding, not wanting to push it. I grabbed the door handle, but Bucky's arm quickly blocked my path. I glanced at him, eyes narrowed.

"Don't go."

"Move."

"No."

I inhaled slowly, keeping my temper in control. I knocked his arm from the door and shoved it open, forcing him to stumble back. Before he could try anything else, I slid into the hallway and slammed the door shut behind me. He didn't follow me.

My eyes squinted as I stepped outside and into the afternoon sun. I didn't know where I was going yet. I told them home, but the guilt I felt prevented me from following through on that. What if they did end up needing me? My feet carried me through the streets aimlessly.

Time passed, but I wasn't aware of how much. Hours at least. Eventually, I plopped down onto a bench and zoned out. This was crazy. I should just go back. There was no reason that I should have let Bucky drive me away like that. I groaned and let my head fall back against the wood.

Someone tapped my shoe with their foot to get my attention. I snapped my head up in surprise, displeased with the sight in front of me. Could today get any worse?

"What are you doing here, John?" I sighed, spotting Lemar a few yards away.

"Honestly, we just happened to see you as we were passing by. What, the dream team didn't work out?" he asked. Something was off about him, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I rolled my eyes, "Don't start with me. I'm still pissed about the knot on my head."

"I'm sorry about that, really. Zemo got away when the Dora Milaje showed up, which you missed. We have a lead on him now. Would it be crazy to ask for your help? We'll probably need the backup."

"Zemo got away?" I demanded incredulously, "Great. That's just... icing on the cake."

There was a moment of silence as he let me think. Why did he want my help? We'd been at each other's throats this entire time. There was no fiber in my being that wanted to work with this man. Not one- but if he was right and they possibly had a lead on Zemo... I needed to go. To make sure he went straight back to prison. Screw finding Karli and the others. Zemo should have never been broken out in the first place. It was now my responsibility to fix this mess.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but yeah. Let me change and I'll help you."

He nodded in pleasant surprise and said, "Yeah, sure. No problem."

My phone rang, catching my attention. I pulled it out and snorted. It was Bucky. I immediately rejected the call and shoved it back into my pocket. I had nothing to say to him right now. God, how the tables had turned. Now I was working with the enemy.