Project Muse < Bucky Barnes >

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Tara managed to successfully knock both swords from Heather's grasp leaving her defenseless besides her powers. "Give it up, Muse." Tara said, holding her sword level with Heather's heart. "Give me the Diamond and we can forget this whole thing ever happened." Heather didn't move. She stared dead into Tara's eyes. "Don't get coy with me." Tara continued, wicked smirk on her lips. "Where's your sweet Bucky now?" Just as the words left her mouth a gunshot rang out and Tara fell back. Heather looked up to see Bucky at the entrance to the exhibit, pistol in hand and a small smile delighted her lips. "See that's the thing," Heather began, it was now her turn to taunt, "My daddy's gotta gun." She said with almost a sing song tone. "And you better run." With her final words she used her power to send Tara flying back, stumbling limply at Bucky's feet.

There was an obvious wound in Tara's shoulder from Bucky's gunshot. Her fingers curled around the gash, her face contorted in pain. "So what now?" She hissed up at the man with a metal arm. "Are you just going to kill me? You may not be a part of HYDRA anymore but that would certainly be the HYDRA way of doing things."She said, heavy eyes on him. "Go ahead, kill me, strike me down and make HYDRA proud." She continued with a breathy laugh. "Where one head is cut off two more will take it's place." Tara seethed. "Hail HYDRA." She finally added in a dry breath. "Get up." Bucky said flatly, having none of her snake like speech. Slowly Tara stood, still clutching her shoulder. "I'm not going to do anything with you." Bucky replied. "Sadly that pleasure doesn't fall to me." He added and before Tara could reply to ask him what he meant, Heather's voice of confusion could be heard echoing off the museum walls. "Steve?"

"So you two managed to pull it off after all." Steve said as he walked over to Bucky and Heather. With Steve came law enforcement and government agents, here to clean up the mess made by the remains of HYDRA. "Was there ever any doubt?" Heather said with a grin as she handed the Hope Diamond back to captain America. "Maybe some." Steve replied to which Heather scoffed only playfully and Bucky chuckled. "C'mon Steve." He said with a grin. "Have a little faith, won't you?" He said proudly and Steve only shook his head with a grin to match theirs and the felicity of the situation. "You two are two halves of a whole disaster, you realize that right?" Steve said only to tease the two. Bucky looked over at Heather. "In a way, we have always been."

Tara had been escorted away by officers but not before she could hold eye contact with Heather one last time. "Где одна голова отрублена, ее место займут еще две" tara hissed at her in Russian but Heather knew what she meant. "Where one head is cut off two more shall take it's place." Bucky said, he too had heard the woman mutter before she was locked away and arrested for her crimes. "You know," Steve began as he stood by Bucky and looked to Heather. "If you were an Avenger you could really help us fight back against HYDRA and other oppressors of similar motives." Steve told her. "He's right." Bucky added. "You could join us, Heather. We could be partners again for a better cause." Heather didn't look at them. Her eyes stayed focused on Tara as she was taken away. Finally, she sighed, and looked up to them. "I appreciate your offer." She said, "But I don't really think being an Avenger is for me." She said softly. "There are more HYDRA agents out there, ready to steal priceless artifacts just like tonight. Someone has to stop them. And I don't think the Avengers want to be labeled as 'the one who stole it first'." "So what are you going to do then?" Bucky asked. "I'll stop them. Besides, I know Avengers have more important things to worry about like alien invasions." Heather said in reference to New York. Bucky would have been lying if he said he liked what he was hearing from Heather. He wanted to help her, to be there for her, but he couldn't do that if she wouldn't accept his help. He was the one person who could truly understand what she was going through, they had gone through much together and he wanted that tradition to continue. "But will you be okay?" Bucky finally asked and Heather smiled. "I'll be fine." Heather replied. "And if I ever need you, I'll know where to find you." Heather said, eyes looking to Steve who nodded. "Thank you Bucky." Heather finally said, stepping closer to him. There was much to see in her eyes, forgiveness, admiration, and over all love. "For what?" Bucky said, baffled by her words of thanks. "For everything." Heather added before leaning up to him and pressing a kiss to his cheek. And with that she was off. Off to stop HYDRA from stealing in the ways she saw fit.