The Red Star

Chapter 53

"Now what?" Jay asked as she leaned her back against the bright walls of their underground halls. Crys was across from her, rubbing her hands over her arms and staring at the floor. Jay looked at her and asked,

"What's wrong ?"

Crys looked up quickly, as if she was startled and then blinked before adding,

"Oh, nothing."

"Right." Jay said, crossing her arms. "Spit it out, what's up?"

Crys shrugged and answered,

"I don't know ." she swallowed and added, "I really, don't know."

Jay sighed and stepped away from the wall, making her way to her sister. Crys shifted on her feet when Jay stood next to her.

"Is it because of Doom's clone?" Jay asked.

"What do you think?" Crys replied, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Okay, there's no need to go on the defensive." Jay replied quickly

Jay frowned in a concerned manner then sighed saying,

"I won't pressure you if you're uncomfortable."

Crys nodded slowly and then paused in her agitation just as Steve, Bucky and Charles came out of the interrogation room. She made eye contact with Steve before walking away quickly, her slippers scraping lightly on the floor. Steve watched her walk away, with a sort of sadness in his eyes before turning back to Jay and saying,

"He is a cyborg, that we know for sure."

"Okay, but why is he here?" Jay asked.

"Well, as he puts it, Doom was going to have him executed because he apparently began to 'grow' a consciousness of his own." Bucky added.

"And this consciousness wasn't as sadistic as his own right?" Jay said.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Steve asked.

"Well it's obvious, he doesn't need someone with equal power near him that isn't of the same mindset as himself." Jay said, "I know I wouldn't. He probably questioned everything Doom was doing and then began to retaliate, resulting in his termination."

"That was oddly professional and logical sounding." Bucky said.

Jay shook her head and said,

"Yeah.......that was a little different."

"We are going to continue with our plan for the ball." Charles cut in.

"Doesn't this change things?" Steve asked.

"No." Charles said, "Not at all."
They all watched him walk away in the same direction as Crys before vanishing into the elevator . Steve followed slowly, leaving Bucky and Jay alone in the hallway , the lights giving off a throbbing hum.
"How are you feeling ?" Bucky asked, finally breaking the silence.
"I'm okay.....considering the circumstances ......" Jay replied .
Bucky put his hand on her shoulder and she smiled , when his hand slid softly down her arm to her wrist she looked up at him . His hand slipped into hers and she gripped his fingers tightly .
"I'm always here for you ." He said to her, stepping forward a little bit. She looked up at him with a weary smile and said,
"I know."
Bucky smiled brightly and leaned forward , placing a soft kiss on her lips. Her arms wrapped around him and they stood there, alone, holding one another as if they were never going to see each other again. Bucky laid his cheek on her head and closed his eyes as his hands dropped down to the small of her back.
Jay then pulled away lightly saying,
"We should get back."
Bucky cleared his throat,
"You're right, we have a big night ahead of us."
Meanwhile, in her room, Crystal was slipping on her gown which was a black satin material with a v neck and back line reaching the middle of her back. The sleeves reached here wrists and were of a sheer material which was black as well, and once she fixed her gown she stopped and stared at her reflection. Her hair was done up and her makeup was stunning but something about her didn't seem right. She didn't recognize herself as she would have a year ago and that fact made her scared. She didn't know what was different and that also made her nervous..... If she could see it then Steve could very well see it too, and Jay and Bucky.
Her mind stopped when he came into it and an unwanted and very odd sense of worry and affection came over her. She blinked it away as a knock on her door startled her from her train of thought .
"Who is it?" She called out.
"Just me." She recognized the voice as Steve's and she hurried to put her shoes on before allowing him to enter.
When he saw her name when she saw him in his suit , they both had to take a minute and admire one another, until they both began to blush. No words were spoken in the following few minutes as she simply hurried to his arms and held him tight while he returned the embrace .
"Hey love birds . " they heard Matthew say from the doorway behind them. They turned and saw him in a very expensive suit adding, " Time to go."

"Do I get to drive the Mustang ?" Jay asked eagerly as they made there way to the garage. She had to lift her dress a bit in order to keep the navy blue gown from getting dirty. The color of her hair and the sparkling of her accessories accented the dress well and Bucky couldn't help but stare most of the time.
"No. Sorry Bluejay ." Charles replied, smoothing back his hair almost habitually .
"Then what are we taking?" Jay asked.
"Well I'm going in a limo." Matthew said. "And the rest of you can chose between the Jaguar , Lamborghini, Corvette and Bugatti Veyron."
"Bugatti!" Jay and Bucky said quickly .
"We'll take the Jaguar." Steve said, glancing at Crys who had her arm wrapped around his.
"And I'll choose from the leftovers." Charles said.
They all chuckled as they retrieved their keys and slipped themselves into their respective vehicles.
"I really like this car right now." Jay said as she admired the new fangled look and futuristic technologies .
"And I really like that dress." Bucky added casually as he started up the engine .
Jay blushed and said,
"Oh really?"
"Yes, and very much so." He replied.
Jay laughed and looked back at him to see him smiling.
"What?" She asked.
"I love hearing you laugh." Bucky said. "And you look beautiful , so I'm kind of overwhelmed at the moment."
"Well as long as it doesn't impede your driving skills ." Jay chuckled. "Old man." She added under her breath sarcastically.
"Old man huh ?" Bucky said as they all started off.
"Maybe haha." Jay laughed once again and as she did so Bucky couldn't help but stare at her for as long as he could , wondering sorrowfully how something so beautiful could have been through so much pain and still manage to smile . Her strength baffled him but he was in love with her so everything she did was a work of art .....except her tempter, that was just something to be avoided and disliked very much. He grinned as he followed Matthew's limousine thinking of how much more beautiful she would look in a wedding dress.