Betrayal - A Bucky Barnes Fanfic

Chapter 26

Ava slid out of her bed and looked for something to wear. Her pulse was still racing and adrenaline was rushing through her veins.

"I can't believe she did it," Ava said more to herself than to James. She didn't notice how he also slid out of bed and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Doll, tell me what's going on," he said with a serious expression. He looked worried.

Ava paused in her movement, threatening to melt again at the sight of his steel blue eyes. "Wanda, an acquaintance of mine, was able to enhance the photo of my stranger and now you can finally make out the man in it." Ava decided not to tell James that Wanda was a hacker. Firstly, she didn't know what James did for a living – after all, he might work for the police or some other government agency – and secondly, she didn't want to give away too many of Wanda's secrets, that seemed unfair.

James continued to look at her anxiously. It was a moment before he said anything back. "I'd better be on my way then." He let go of her shoulders and slipped into his jeans. Ava seemed unable to move. She felt like the temperature in the room had just dropped into a bottomless pit. What was his problem? Puzzled, she watched him put on his jeans. Then he turned back to her.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need that back," James breathed towards her and slowly pulled his shirt over her head. Immediately her body began to heat up again. She wondered how James could go from freezing cold to incredibly hot, all her senses focused on him. She stood before him completely exposed and he glared at her with his crooked grin.

"Your beauty is breathtaking," James said in a whisper. He placed a kiss on her mouth, which Ava returned passionately. Before things could get too heated, James removed his lips with a soft moan.

"While I'd love to see you under me right now, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, for dinner."

"Okay," Ava replied meekly. Her knees were soft and her lips slightly swollen. The whole thing still seemed like a dream to her. Still puzzled, she looked after James as he walked through her door and didn't turn back. As her front door slammed shut, she seemed to finally regain her senses and made her way to the bathroom. Her heart was hammering madly. Not only was she mercilessly nervous about the breakthrough Wanda had achieved, but also about the upcoming 4th of July dinner. Would James and Natasha finally get along? Ava would love to know what had happened between the two of them to make Natasha so sensitive towards James. For now, though, she had to concentrate on her research. She would worry about everything else later.

An hour later, Ava knocked at Wanda's door.

"Come in," Vision beamed at her. He had a mug in his hand and stepped aside to let Ava into the flat.

"It looks like your research is going well," Vision remarked as they walked into the living room together. Wanda looked strained at her laptop and paid no attention to Ava's presence.

"Yes, I hope so. At least with the photo we have a first clue," Ava replied and sat down at the small dining table opposite Wanda.

"So, can I see it?" asked Ava excitedly, addressing Wanda. She could hardly stand the tension. She felt like a real detective. She was so close to finally proving that she was a good journalist with the right instinct for good stories after all.

Wanda looked up from her laptop, staring at Ava with an unreadable expression. Her eyes were wide and Ava could see dark circles under her eyes. Wanda looked as if she hadn't slept properly for days. Wanda remained silent and bit her lip, which unsettled Ava. James was already doing enough staring, she didn't need Wanda to do that too.

"Tea, anyone?", Vision's voice pierced the silence.

"Those fuckers ..." began Wanda and Ava froze. What was her problem now? Vision also seemed alarmed and took a seat next to Wanda. In a reassuring gesture, he put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her with concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding as if he had had to deal with quite a few such situations.

"Those fuckers hacked my goddamn laptop!", Wanda pressed out through clenched teeth. Ava could see her struggling to keep her anger under control. Her face almost turned the colour of her copper-red hair.

"What do you mean? I don't understand-," Ava started, but Wanda interrupted her.

"Those fucking guys from the NYPD or whatever fucking agency hacked into my laptop and now all my data is gone," Wanda screamed as she jumped out of her chair in anger and leaned on the back of the chair in frustration. Ava's heart sank to the bottom, all colour drained from her face. Was this really happening right now?

"Does that mean the photo is gone?" asked Ava cautiously. She was a little afraid of Wanda, her harsh manner and momentary outburst of anger were scary.

"Fuck yeah! Are you dumb or just pretending to be? It's all gone. Goddamnit!" Wanda paced back and forth along the dining table, burying her face in her hands.

"Didn't you make any backups?" asked Vision, standing up as well. Carefully, he put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from pacing around. At his touch Wanda looked up and for a brief moment Ava could see admiration and affection in her gaze.

"I always make backups. But I made the last one three hours ago. The picture is gone. All that work for nothing." Wanda let Vision pull her into a hug. Ava felt sorry for her and even though the situation was incredibly frustrating for her as well, she found it hard to imagine what was going on inside Wanda. She was hoping, after all, to track down her brother's killer, and the fact that she had invested so much time alongside her studies to improve that image, only for it all to be for nothing in the end, made Ava feel remorseful. She should have been less distracted by James and put more time into her own research, but there was no time for regrets now.

"Listen Wanda, take a break. You look tired and exhausted. Let me spend the next week seeing what other information I can get my hands on and then we'll sit down again, okay?" Ava tried to salvage the situation, even though she didn't yet know where to look further or how to get information. Wanda looked over at her, her previously wide eyes now seeming to struggle against heavy eyelids.

"Yeah, I think that sounds good," she replied, wriggling out of Vision's arms. Without another word she walked past Ava and through a door next to the kitchen, what Ava assumed to be her room. Vision looked at her pityingly.

"I'm sorry you didn't get anywhere after all," he said in a low voice.

"I'll figure something out." With that, Ava wanted to cheer up not only to Vision, but also herself.

On the subway, she thought about today. It had started so well, with James in her bed and Wanda's good news. And then – bang! – all that confidence was just taken away from her. Instead, the thought of the evening ahead cheered her up. She was very happy to have Nat and Steve visit her in her flat. Most of all, however, she was looking forward to James coming to dinner as well. It felt like a couples' night out and gave her hope that James saw them as just that – a couple.

At her stop, she picked up the two tote bags full of groceries and got out. She had gone straight to the shops after her visit with Wanda. For one thing, she desperately wanted to distract herself and for another, time was racing at the speed of light and she still had a whole dinner to prepare.

When she got home, she realised how exhausted she was. Ava put away her shopping and made herself comfortable on her bed with an episode of Law & Order. Still, she couldn't switch off. All evening her thoughts circled around her research, which was progressing far too slowly, and how much time she had wasted waiting around. She finally had to take action, but her thoughts soon drifted off into dreamlike worlds. I can always search the internet tomorrow, were her last thoughts before she fell into a restless sleep, plagued by blurred faces and abandoned warehouses.