GROW (BUCKY BARNES x OC)

33

Bucky woke up on his birthday feeling very far from anywhere near the partying mood. He worried about his girlfriend and needed to get through watching the interrogation before he could even start to relax a bit.

Aurora woke up not long after, and despite sleeping in a bit longer than him, she looked tired. He cursed himself for listening to her and falling asleep without waiting for her to. She seemed to read his mind though, and commanded him to not feel guilty. It was a Saturday, so Olivia would be home, but Wanda and Vision promised to look after her while they were gone. This probably meant discussing wedding venues and ideas with the little girl, but Olivia was happy to talk about it, excited that she would get to attend her first wedding.

Bucky and Aurora arrived on the floor that the woman was being held. Steve and Natasha were there already, Clint decided to sit this one out. Steve and Natasha were planning on planning good cop bad cop while Bucky and Aurora watched through the camera.

When Aurora saw the woman on the screen, she didn't seem like an evil woman. There was almost something familiar about her, but Aurora was pretty sure she'd never seen the woman before, unless she had been a face in a crowd stalking her when she was unsuspecting. The thought made her shiver as she took a seat in a chair by the screen. Bucky took the other chair and kept looking at Aurora to assess what she needed, how she was feeling, and if she was okay.

Steve starts off the interrogation.

"I don't understand what's going on." The woman frowned, "Are you the one's who took Aurora?"

The question made said woman freeze. Did Chris think that the Avenger's took her? Did he never consider she left of her own free will?

"I'll be asking the questions first, ma'am." Steve said, kindly but firmly, "What's your name?"

"Saige. Saige Veronica Payne."

These name seemed vague y familiar, but Aurora couldn't place when or where she'd heard it before.

"You're from England, Ms. Payne?"

She nodded and Aurora realized that detail made her accent make sense.

"And how old are you, Ms. Payne?" Steve questioned.

"I'm thirty seven, born on August 16th, 1978." Saige sighed.

"You seem a bit familiar with interrogations." Steve noted casually.

"Well it is my second on in the past week." Saige said dryly.

"Your second one? When was your first?"

"Tuesday morning. He broke into my house, much like you guys did, and put me to sleep somehow. When I woke up I was tied to my kitchen chair and he had questions for me... are you with that guy?" Saige frowned cautiously.

"This is the first interrogation our organization has had with you." Steve informed her.

That seemed to make her relax a bit.

"Good. I didn't like that guy." She said.

"Do you remember this man's name?"

She paused as she thought about it.

"Uh, something like Charles? No, Chris. It was Chris, I believe." Saige told him.

Aurora's body tensed up, but this wasn't making sense. If this woman was working with Chris for HYDRA, why was she giving up so much information about him. When she tuned back into the conversation, the topic had shifted.

"Can you tell me about why you are searching for Aurora Stone?"

"...no..." Saige said slowly, as if unsure.