Touch in the Dark - Bucky Barnes

Chapter 4

* For once, I felt safe. *

I sat with Pepper after Tony had left the office to go work in his lab. He promised that we would get more acquainted later on. Pepper went over everything with me, making it easier for me to understand what exactly my responsibilities were.

"I know these expectations aren't entirely specific, but we need a fresh face that is an ally of us. Not necessarily the company, but myself and Tony. That means more than hiring all these big shots that are already rich." I nodded to her explanation.

"So...I guess, I'll just come to work and either follow you or Tony around and help out with business meetings, or technology or...any of that?" I asked, wrapping my head around how simple it actually seems.

She nodded. "Yeah. I believe that Tony may need you more than myself. There is a lot going on with the Avengers that no one knows about. One of the biggest reasons we were looking for someone like you, was because we wanted someone who wasn't from SHIELD and was someone who didn't answer to anyone else."

I nodded as I fully understood. I knew that my job here was to be honest and was to help in any way that I could. I couldn't disclose my job to anyone else for fear that Tony, Pepper, or the Avengers would be hurt. The pay for this job was actually quite generous. Tony and Pepper both wanted to talk about other aspects of the job on a later date, once I had been with the company for a bit.

"Would you be willing to maybe come in on weekends?" Pepper asked softly. I knew Pepper wasn't trying to push, but she was trying to get my schedule planned out. I knew that this was something I wanted to do, no matter the consequences.

I nodded quickly. "Sure, yes. That sounds great. I don't do much anyways so working will definitely take away the boredom."

Pepper didn't miss the comment.

"Do you have a boyfriend or family around? We would like to allow you vacation time to see them." She looked back at me from her computer.

I closed my eyes as I sunk back into the chair. I only really had my boyfriend, and yet, we didn't do much vacationing. I figured having this job would give me the opportunity to do something different. To step away from my life at home, to see the world before it was too late. I wanted to be honest with Pepper, I just didn't want to go too far and have them become curious.

"I don't have any family. I do have a boyfriend though." I stopped my sentence.

Pepper shot up with a grin. "Maybe at some point, Tony and I could invite him over for dinner. We won't do it now, just a suggestion if you are going to be spending a lot of time with us."

I had spent the rest of the afternoon discussing with Pepper simple things about my life. She continued to ask general questions that they needed to know for my work file. It wasn't hard to give up that information. I trusted Pepper and Tony already. Sometimes, I had an overwhelming gut feeling with people that was never wrong. It came up with most people, but there were times when it didn't. I knew I could trust them both with my life. I still treaded lightly, knowing just how smart and meticulous Stark could be.

Around 4:00 o'clock, my phone started buzzing. I reached into my bag and pulled it out, noticing the countless missed text messages and calls from Daniel. Another call was coming through, and I jolted in my seat. I looked at Pepper and pointed at my phone.