And We Go On

Jealous

"So all this time you've just been rich?"
"I'm a Baron, Sam. My family came from royalty. Until your friends destroyed it."
We all walk around to enter this small plane and I see Zemo greet an older gentleman. He speaks in a language I don't understand. Once the greeting is done, he turns to me and offers his hand. I stare at him confused but he says, "Please. Ladies first. I am here to assist." He smiles. Deciding nothing wrong with that, I take his offered hand and get myself up the stairs.

Once we are on the plane there are four seats. Since I am first in, I pick one at random. Since Zemo was next, he decided to sit across from me. Then Sam picked diagonal, then Bucky across the aisle.

"Why don't you tell us where we're going?" Bucky comments after some time.
"Yes I'm sorry. It's just, I'm very interested in this. It seems very important. Who is Nakajima?" He barely finishes his sentence and Bucky launches across the way and grabs Zemo by the collar.
"You touch that again I'll kill you." He threatens.
Once Bucky sits down, they get quiet. Then I sit and listen as they discuss the notebook, what that list is, and Zemo comments on Steve. Some of the comments of Marvin Gaye make me smile. Then Zemo makes a point of saying the problem is that when people become symbols, we no longer see their flaws.
He might be crazy, but he kind of had a point, I have to admit.
Then they explain where we are going; magripoor.
"But we cannot simply walk in as ourselves. James, you will have to be someone you claim is gone." I can see the muscles in Bucky's jaw tighten but he makes no disagreement.
Could he really handle acting like the winter soldier again?
"And you my dear," I jumped a little at Zemo referring directly to me. "You are gorgeous enough to fit in fine. With a more appropriate set of clothes, that is." I stare at him confused and see fire ignite in Bucky's eyes.

We say nothing else until we land just outside of the city, right by the bridge that crosses into it. Zemo assigns Sam his new identity and he changes into the clothes provided. When I see him, I laugh because it looks so unlike him. Then Zemo instructs him and Bucky to wait outside while he gets me ready.
"Now dear. How is that leg of yours? Would you be able to go on without that brace?" Zemo asks. I'm a little suspicious of his kindness but answer, "I can walk on it as needed. I'd just be a little wobbly sometimes."
"Ah, not a problem because we can manage that. In that room is a dress and shoes exactly for the occasion, if you would be so kind." He does not wait for me to answer but instead walks to the other end of the plane.
I enter the room he motioned to and find one of the most gorgeous blue dresses I've ever seen. It has small straps, fitted top and then a little flair at the bottom. Honestly, it's something I would love to wear if I ever wore dresses. Some blue shoes matched them, and he was gracious enough to not give me high heels.
I change into everything, find a brush to run through my hair and exit the room. I'm instructed to meet everyone outside by the older gentleman.
Zemo is waiting with a coat slung over his arm.
"Ah. Absolutely stunning." He comments while I slowly make my way down the stairs, brace fully off his time. Okay, a little tougher than expected it but I can do this.
When I reach the bottom Zemo smiles and wraps the coat around me. As he does, I look at Sam who seems very impressed, an endearing smile on his face. There I look at Bucky and have to fight back grinning ear to ear. I swear if Zemo wasn't here his jaw would have literally dropped open. I took that as a huge ego boost.
"Alright now we go." Zemo begins to walk and I follow behind a bit more slowly. When they notice I'm not quite keeping pace, Buck stops and starts to walk back to me. But Zemo is faster.
"Forgive me my dear. I did not mean to be so hasty." Zemo apologized as he offered me his arm. I wrapped my arm through his, honestly thankful for the assist, and we continued walking. As we passed Bucky who hadn't moved from his spot, I could see a glint of annoyance on him. And what was that emotion? Jealousy?

We finally reach the bar and as we make our way through the dance floor to the bar, Zemo speaks to Bucky in Russian. He doesn't reply, but I have a feeling he's speaking about the winter soldier. People around us murmur about it as we reach the bar. Zemo requests a meeting with Selby while I take a seat at the bar. I let out an internal sigh of relief. Man, my leg was killing me. But we had to keep up our characters.

After several more interactions with people, I finally hear Zemo speak to Bucky in Russian again. Without hesitation, Bucky begins attacking the men that have just walked up to us. His movements are smooth and methodical and he takes them down one after another easily.
"Didn't take much for him to fall back into form." Zemo comments to me. When Bucky gets the last guy, the bartender says that Selby will see us now. Zemo thanks him, and offers his arm to me again as I make my way off the chair and follow them.

When we finally reach the room, we see Selby.
"You should know baron. No one walks into my bar and demands anything."
"Not a demand. An offer."
Bucky stands to the right, Sam to the left. Zemo and I are offered a spot on the couch. When we sit, he gently puts his arm around me. Nothing overly sexual or anything else, just protective and playing the part.
In the corner of my eye I can see Bucky struggling so hard to keep his composure.
I don't like making people jealous, but I also liked doing this and see how much he wanted me to be only his.
They talk a bit more back and forth, Selby makes a comment to Sam, and asks Zemo what the offer is.
As Zemo gets up and walks away, leaving me on the couch alone, he goes to stand by Bucky.
"Tell us about the super-serum being made. And I will give you him. Along with the code words to activate him." Zemo promises as he walks around Bucky. Bucky was doing amazing, just standing there totally silent. "He will do anything you want." Zemo adds.
"Now that's the Zemo I remember. I'm glad I didn't kill you immediately."
Zemo sits next to me again as she begins to talk.
Selby then gives us a good amount of information. The serum is here. We have a name. But she won't give us anything else. She wants more.
As she gets up to walk around, Sam's phone rings. My heart drops into my stomach.
"Answer it," Selby says. She looks around at her men, and I feel one get closer behind me, the gun getting closer too. "On speaker." She demands.
It's Sarah. She's trying to talk to Sam about the boat. We almost get away with it, but then she says Sam.
"Sam? Who's Sam? Kill them!" Then before we know it she's dead, shot by none of us. Zemo quickly pulls me down lower onto the couch enough to keep covered while Bucky and Sam take out the rest of them.
Oh man. We were in hot water now.
_____
Zemo said it pretty well. We had a guardian angel.
Who just so happened to be Sharon, living off the grid after being exiled. She takes us to her place in the high town where we'll be safe.
She offered me some normal clothes; jeans, boots and a shirt with a jacket similar to Buckys. I always loved that kind of jacket. She also gives me some painkillers to take as needed for my leg. I gratefully down two before we both go back out into the room with everyone.

I sit on the couch opposite Bucky and lay my head back, letting out a barely audible sigh. What a crazy few days it has been. I turn my head slightly to the now changed Sam, who's commenting on being much happier in normal clothes. Then I pick my head up and look at Zemo, who's rifling through something on the desk. Then my gaze finally lands on Bucky. He's doing that staring thing again. This time though, I can't tell what he's thinking or feeling. But he doesn't take his eyes off me. My heart flutters a little as it always did with him.

We finally get Sharon to agree to help us and we just have to get through this party she is having. The party is intense. Sam and Bucky roam around, unsure what to do with themselves. Zemo stands by the bar for a while, then decides he wants to dance. He offers me to come with him and rather than stand alone, better to blend in, I follow him out there.
I actually have a lot of fun. Zemo isn’t a great dancer but he makes me laugh. The painkillers are working wonders. And for once I don't have to think or worry about anything else than just this.

As I look around once in a while, I see Bucky eyeing me. Is he angry? Jealous? Or just being protective? It's hard to know. Finally at some point Zemo and I exit the floor. I'm laughing and having a lot of fun, and he gets me some water from the bar. As I greedily drink it down, he comments, "You truly are remarkable. I hope the man in your life takes notice before it's too late." As I'm about to reply, Sam comes over and pulls us away towards Sharon. She says she's found the guy. Bucky gives me some sort of look that I can’t discern. But as we walk out, I feel him close to me as he brushes the back of my hand with his. I have to put my head down a little to stop my smile from showing.