Lost and Found - Bucky Barnes x OC

Cat and Mouse

Frankie arrived at the shop early on Saturday morning. They closed at lunchtime on Saturdays, so it was a nice short day. Freddie had already opened up, it was just the two of them working as they didn't need a full team on Saturdays. She was greeted by the new motorcycle part delivery Freddie had left on the front desk. She picked it up and headed straight to the bike, let's just get this done, she thought.

An hour later the job was finished and James' bike was back to perfect working order. She hunted for the work phone throughout the garage so she could call him to let him know. As always, someone had taken it off the console and gone for a walk with it and dumped it somewhere, the bane of her existence.

'Freddie, I'm going to buy us an old school cord phone!' she shouted 'I swear to god! The only way we won't lose it!', as she frantically dug through a toolbox.

Freddie just shrugged sympathetically at her. He'd once found it under the closed hood of a Mercedes after they'd spent fifteen minutes calling it and trying to figure out where it was ringing from.

Huffing with annoyance, Frankie admitted defeat and pulled her personal cell from her overalls pocket. It would turn up eventually. She had a text from Dexter, confirming their date for the evening. She smiled, despite surviving on four hours sleep and dealing with all this, she was really looking forward to meeting him later.

She looked up James' information on their computer system, took a deep breath and called him.

'Hello? James Barnes speaking' came a voice, the same raspy baritone as always.

She felt her stomach flip like it had yesterday when he came in. Only now there was an added edge to it.

'Hi...Hey there James. Frankie here! Happy Saturday' she said a bit too enthusiastically. 'Just calling to let you know that your bike is ready and right as rain, can you collect by 12.30pm?' she was struck by how strange she sounded. Hey there? Right as rain?? She sounded like Dan.

Get it together, girl.

Bucky flinched. Did Francesca undergo a personality transplant overnight? She sounded...off.

'Hi Frankie. Sorry, didn't recognise your number. Yeah thanks, I can be there in 15.'

'Oh yeah sorry, I'm calling you from my own cell as we've uhh misplaced the shop's phone. Whoops!' she laughed nervously.

'So I have your phone number now I guess?' he said smugly.

Frankie froze. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What was she thinking?

'That's my number, don't wear it out!'.

She screamed internally and slapped her palm to her forehead. WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING??

'Uh..right. See you shortly.'

Frankie took a minute to compose herself. She didn't think she was in danger, but accidentally giving her private phone number to a famous murderer wasn't quite the clean break she wanted from him.

She then busied herself with the computer, pretending to be checking client details and trying to appear breezy for Freddie's sake. She knew he was also nervous about James.

Frankie kept an eye on the door for him to arrive, occasionally pacing up and down the shop floor. She knew she was a bit frightened now she knew who he was, but part of her anxiety also stemmed from some confusing feelings towards him. His story had moved her, she kept thinking about all he must have been through. Part of her was scared of him, and another wanted to scoop him up and protect him. Another tiny part wanted to touch him....but she was suppressing that, everything was confusing enough without it in the mix.