All I Want Is Everything

Confrontation

'Cos I remember all the times I tried so hard
And you laughed in my face 'cos you held all the cards.
I don't care anymore.
And I really ain't bothered what you think of me
'Cos all I want of you is just a let me be.
I don't care anymore, d'you hear? I don't care no more

Phil Collins, I Don't Care Anymore

"You think that you're prepared, but I'm not, actually," Ella said to Bucky as they closed the draperies over the windows that Friday. Bucky grunted.

"I expected some of it, but not to this extent," he admitted, turning from the views of reporters and on-lookers gathered at the gates and along the fencing. The phone had been off the hook for awhile. Loki had issued a statement that stated tersely that people had a right to their private lives even if they were public figures and that the reporter had not contacted either Ella or Bucky for comment prior to publication, which did not quell the uproar. There was a lot of salacious interest in the sex and drug portions of the article, and as predicted, the radio stations all had something to say. Some of it was barely-veiled excitement that Ella was no better than anyone else, and her feud with her twin was brought into the mix. Others honestly wondered why Bucky and Ella were together, given their history, whether he was just into her for her money, if he'd really gotten all his VD infections cleared up. Her abortion got a lot of play and caused an uproar in itself.

They'd alerted their friends and professional contacts ahead of time so that they could be prepared. When asked for a comment, Tony Stark gave a theatrical eye roll and sigh. "You don't have to be in the entertainment industry to do coke, although the pressures of the industry makes it a favorite tool to cope with the demands of the public. Who really cares, anyway? She's off it, she's living a good life, and she's a terrific person as well as a talented musician. She's a good friend of my wife's, and I've enjoyed working with her on her videos. You should all be ashamed of yourself. She doesn't owe anybody explanations; she's entitled to a private life. All she owes the public is her music recordings and performances, and if you think you're owed more than that, you're dead wrong. I don't know Bucky as well as her, but he's an amazing showman, easy to get along with, and all I care about is that they make each other happy. Why aren't you asking yourself the motivations of this reporter--Jack Rollins, wasn't it? Doesn't he have the chops to actually write something newsworthy rather than digging up dirt on people who just want to play music and connect with other people? And who's jealous enough of their success that they'd divulge all that crap? I caught their performance at Red Rocks, and I can honestly say that the crowd--a sell-out crowd--got their money's worth and then some. And that's all you need to know about Ella and Bucky." He huffed at the end of his indignant speech and turned on his heel to dismiss the reporters who'd interrupted his quest for lunch.

At dusk, the reporters started to leave their positions outside the house, much to the relief of Ella and Bucky. They came back the next day, but not in such numbers, and by the end of the next week, the coast was clear. Ella ventured out to do some grocery shopping, while Bucky went to a meeting with his agent. She caught some whispers and looks pointed her way, but mostly people kept their distance. She pulled up to her gate but stopped on the street at the sight of an unexpected visitor.

She slowly got out of her car to face her brother as he walked over. She hadn't seen or spoken to him in... well, she couldn't quite remember. "Ella--"

She slapped him, putting everything she had behind it. It cracked like a gunshot on the quiet street, forcing his head to the side, and he staggered back a pace or two, holding his jaw. Her hand hurt, but not as much as when she'd punched him. "How dare you?" she hissed, smacking his shoulder and arm too. "It's not enough that you put me down whenever you can, that you tried to torpedo my career, be the most unloving brother since Cain, you had to tell some reporter all that garbage? This is my life, idiot! And James, too? How petty are you?"

"Ella--" he tried again, but looked over to where a Porsche had stopped in the road, Bucky unfolding himself and stalking over. Bucky didn't have any hesitation and swung at Steve, who had the basic intelligence to duck.

"You asshole," Bucky seethed.

"I didn't do it," Steve said loudly. "I wouldn't." Ella rolled her eyes. "I'm not an assh-- well, I'm not that big a jerk-- Uhm. But I never spoke to a reporter. I swear it on Mom's grave."

"Whooptie shit. Mom's not here to give you a piece of her mind," she said acidly. "She's beyond caring."

"And she'd be right," Steve said rapidly.  "Dad would have kicked my ass. Metaphorically. Chris would have done it literally. Look, what anybody's done is their personal business. It shouldn't have been published. I didn't say anything. To anybody."

"Then who the hell did?" Ella spat. "Because all that were things that you knew. You knew what both of us had done. Nobody else knew all of it. Yet there it was, in that rag."

"I don't know, Ella," Steve said loudly. "I don't. I know that it wasn't me or Nat. That's it."

"I'd like to believe you, but I just can't quite manage it," she said brittlely.

"You don't have a lot of credibility," Bucky sneered at his former friend. "I never told people half what we got up to on tour. But you knew. The two of used to go to the doctor together to get antibiotics for the VD."

"Haven't you guys ever heard of condoms?" Ella asked incredulously, but subsided.

"We talked about the drugs, who to get the best stuff from, the groupies, the band," Bucky said hotly. "You knew everything from when we were all in SHIELD. Ella told you about other things, which you used against her. Who else could it be?"

"I don't know, Buck." Steve met his eyes squarely. "But I'm going to find out."

"Uh-huh," Bucky said, unimpressed. "IF you do, don't bother coming back unless you're also  prepared to give your sister a full apology for your actions. She deserves that. Come on, Bella. I'll bring in the groceries for you and put them away since you went shopping." He turned away, escorting Ella to her Corvette.

"Don't want the ice cream to melt," Ella said, finally smiling a little as she got into her car. Bucky walked back to his and they pulled up the driveway, leaving Steve behind on the street.