The Hero And The Thief [[Bucky Barnes]]

Why Is He Here?

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I decided to not say anything as Bucky practically dragged me to where his friends were. They looked up at us as he pointed to the empty sofa. I rolled my eyes and dropped onto it folding my arms.

"Tell them," Bucky said, "Now,"

"Fine, but firstly," I said, watching the man stroll into the room like it was his house, "Why is he still here?"

"Ah, Angel," Aiden smirked, "It is good to see you, mi amore,"

"Answer me," I said through gritted teeth.

"It's harder to get rid of him than we thought," Steve said, "He has a target on him and it's dangerous to let him leave,"

"The man is dangerous himself," I said, "How many hits have you had on you, Aiden?"

"From this year?" He sat down, making himself comfortable, "More than 100,"

"There you have it. He can look after himself,"

"You were so adamant that I not work for Hydra. You still love me,"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, "I don't know how many times I have to tell you this...I do not love you,"

"Then why not let me die, mi amore?"

"Because I'm not a cold-hearted bitch. I didn't want you to die. Why do I have to have a reason?"

"I'm interested in your reasoning,"

I looked at Bucky for help and he placed his hand on my thigh, "You saved me from a life of fear. A life where I didn't have to worry about finding a place to stay. You may have kidnapped me and forced me into that life, but I'm still grateful. There. That is why I didn't want you to die,"

"Ah. There we have it," Aiden said, "But you said didn't. So, what is it? You want me to die or-"

"Don't push your luck," Bucky said, his hand squeezing my thigh slightly, "She may not want you to die, but I have no problem with killing you,"

Tony cleared his throat, "Not to be the party pooper, but you said she has something to tell us. So, get on with it,"

"Go on," Bucky said, in a softer tone, "You don't have to tell them why he is there,"

I nodded, "I have a Hydra operative locked away in a safe house in New York. He has been there for a little while,"

"What?" Everyone said.

"Two years ago, I was hired to steal a picture from a house," I said, "Didn't care what it was. I only knew where it was and the basics of it. I managed to get into the house and into the room where it was being kept. The person who hired me told me it was in a safe under the fourth floorboard from the window. Blah, blah, blah. I broke into the safe and pulled out a picture than made my blood run cold,"

No one said anything as I let out a shaky breath. It was becoming easier to talk about what Hydra had done or anything related to them. I guess Bucky made it easier for me.

"The photo was of the man who took something very precious to me," I said and I stared at Bucky's hand holding me. I pulled my sleeves to cover my hands and he moved his arm around my shoulders, "It was him with his wife and three children. He had hired me to get something personal for him while he was obviously in hiding. And it was obvious he didn't know that he had hired me. The one girl he couldn't break or control,"

"What happened?" Nat asked softly.

"I delivered his photo," I said quietly, "Alongside..."

"No one is going to say anything about what you did," Bucky said, kissing the side of my head, "I know that everyone in this room has done something they regret,"

"That's the thing," I said, "I don't regret it. I feel bad but I don't regret doing it,"

"Just tell us. Please," Tony said, "You have my word that I won't judge you,"

I let out a shaky breath, "So, I delivered his picture to where I had to drop it off and I waited for him in the shadows. I can still remember his scream of pain when he saw the photos of his family laying dead with bullet holes in the back of their heads,"

There was a collective gasp and I felt tears burning my eyes.

"They all worked for Hydra. His three children were grown men who preyed on the innocent, young and weak. Moreso than a few beatings," I said, closing my eyes, "I stepped out of the shadow and he saw me. I let him throw one punch and I took him down. I stabbed him in the neck with a horse tranquiliser and my friend came with his car. I stuffed the man into the boot and drove him to a safe house. He has been there ever since,"

"Wow," Tony breathed heavily, "I'm...I'm not sure what to say about that,"

"I do," Nat said, "Good for you. I would have done the exact same thing as you. But you did it in style,"

"I'm not sure what I would have done," Steve said, "But then again, I've never been in that situation. I'm sorry that you've had to live with that,"

I laughed bitterly and shook my head, looking at everyone, "The bad thing is, I enjoyed ending them. I felt nothing but hatred towards the family. They were surprised to see me turn up on their doorstep but they knew why I had come. That bitch of a wife was the one to stab me over and over again to see how fast I healed. Her sons, well, you don't want me to get started on them. I felt bad for the housekeeper who found them. She's probably still receiving therapy,"

"And what of the man?" Thor asked, "Is he still living?"

"Yup," I said, leaning into Bucky, "He's still living,"

"Why?" Sam asked, "I would have thought you'd kill him as well,"

"I want him to live knowing that he has no family. That I was the one to take that from him. Just like he took my family from me," I said, "Aiden, you might be right,"

"About what?" He frowned.

"Maybe I am just a cold-hearted bitch," I said.

"Meh," Aiden said, "I don't believe that anymore, mi amore. That man seems to have melted your ice walls,"

"Ok, gross," I said, "Could you get any more cheesy? Melt my ice walls? Do you want me to throw up in front of everyone?"

"And there she is," Aiden winked at me, "Take them to him,"

"No. He is mine to deal with,"

"That isn't a bad idea, Doll," Bucky said, "He might be able to tell us where other Hydra operatives are,"

I laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, that might be a problem,"

"Why is that?" Clint asked.

"Because I may or may not have...taken his tongue?" I winced as I said it.

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