Bucky Barnes: A Smile

Chapter 5

While Leo and Pepper were away, Tony looked around in Leo's information files trying to find something that would interest him. After hours of searching, something finally caught his eye. A small folder. He opened it and saw it empty. But what did interest him was a blue flash drive attached at the corner of the folder with a scotch tape. He yanked it off and headed towards his computer.

He opened the file and saw different S.H.I.E.L.D. files. One caught his eye and he had to do a double take to make sure it was real. In that file he saw the top S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that had worked for Fury.

Top S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents:

1. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna
2. Barton, Clinton
3. Blake, Leona Hilldraux
4. Hill, Maria
5. Carter, Sharon
6. Martin, John
7. Lopez, Emmanuel
8. Cross, Paul Alexander
9. Williams, Joshua
10. Stone, Maurice Khate

Tony couldn't take his eyes off the one name he didn't think would be there. Leo's. And she was the third. She was even higher than Agent Hill. She never told him about her being part of Fury's disciples.

Tony shook his head trying to understand the information he just read. "Why the hell are you with S.H.I.E.L.D.?," he mumbled.

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"Mama, por favor!," Leo pleaded at her Spanish mother who was ranting Spanish words at her face. While Pepper, who was sitting silently on the couch with her hands clasped together on her lap.

Her mother shouted something in Spanish and Leo shouted back. There was a long time of angry war when Emily, Pepper had to guess was Leo's sister in law, appeared in the living room hushing the outraged mother and frustrated daughter.

"The baby is asleep," Emily said with an accent. "You two do not want to wake him up, do you?"

Her mother, who Pepper found out was Rosita, turned to her. "I am sorry you had to see me angry. My English is a bit rusty," She smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Oh its okay, really. I don't mind," Pepper said. Rosita smiled and turned to glare at her daughter.

"How long before you told me?," She asked, her voice deadly calm. "How long before this madness destructed your mind? You have not called me in months. I didn't know I have a grandson. Do you realize how much trouble you have your mother in? Have I been a bad mother to you? I can not sleep properly not knowing you are already in danger. And I found out that you are with a child. I worry about you day and night thinking you were in trouble. And yet here you are"-she spread her hands around the room-"in my house. Asking me to take care of your son."

Leo just stared past her mother sinking in her thoughts. "He's not safe in New York, Mama. My son is safer here where you can take good care of him."

Rosita looked at her with disbelief. "Why can't you just race him yourself?"

God, she was just like Tony. But she couldn't tell her mother and Emily. It would be too risky to even try and show them what she can do. What she was capable of. She couldn't tell them the golden glow that comes out of her hands when she thrusts them open. She couldn't tell them that her teeth was starting to get sharp. She'd put glamour on her hair so they wouldn't see the purest of gold in her hair. The red streaks that made it glimmer in the sun. When she looks at herself in the mirror she'd see the pride of the pack. The king's mate. "She was the queen of the wild," Leo once heard Tony say. Because of her golden capabilities, she'd look like the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet the lion goddess. Except she was gold. If people saw her hair they mistaken it for money. She hadn't told Tony and the others that her canine teeth grew at least millimeters longer. It was starting to hurt her lips. The sharp edgy point was piercing her lips. She was starting to go feral. She didn't know what she was. Except thinking she was a lion.

She licked her teeth trying to hide the sharp fangs that are starting to show.

Rosita caught her. "What is that?"
She tried to touch her daughter's mouth but Leo pry her hand away.

"Its nothing, Mama."

"What do you mean it is nothing, what is that on your teeth?," Rosita snapped and started speak in Spanish. Her voice rising but lowered it down again. Leo dissmissed the subject by cutting her off.

"Look, Mama. Please. I need you. You're the only one I can trust with my son. I am a danger to everyone. If they found out my son is alive they will kill him and me. I have already put myself in trouble. I don't want my son to be in that position too. Please, Mama," She wrapped her arms around her, Rosita doing the same back. She buried her face in her hair hearing her daughter the words: "I need you."

Rosita pulled away. "Okay. I will help."

She smiled at her. But she held up a finger and added, "Only if you promise that you will not put yourself in harm's way."

Leo smiled wider. "Yes, I promise. Gracias, mama. Muchas Gracias." She hugged her again. Emily who was sitting beside Pepper stood up and the three hugged all together. Pepper stood up smiling at them.

Rosita pulled away and cleared her throat. There were tears in her eyes and Leo wiped them away. "We should get going, Mama. I will call you when I get home."

"Be sure to call every hour, Alena," Rosita warned her. Leo laughed.

"Are you sure you won't get tired calling me, Alena?," she said. "My birth name is Leona."

"But I always wanted to call you Alena."

She laughed and shook her head. She turned to Pepper. "We should go."

Pepper nodded.

"Say hi, to my little baby for me," Leo started for the door before Emily called out.

"What's his name?," Emily asked.

She turned to look at her and smiled. Pepper was now beside her ready to go.

"His name is Jace."

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On the way home, Leo and Pepper stayed quiet the whole time. While Leo was flying, the quinjet suddenly rocked violently. Pepper grabbed on to the railing.

"What's happening?!," Pepper shouted behind her.

The jet shook more and there was an explosion behind. Leo saw three jets flying both on her side and at the back. They kept firing. Leo started to contact Tony. Fortunately, they were nearing New York so it was easy for Tony to get to them.

"Leo!"

"Hold on!"

Just then Tony answered the call and said, "Hey, Kitty, how are ya'?"

"TONY!," Leo shrieked on the speaker. "GET YOUR METAL ASS HERE NOW!"

"What's wrong?!," said Tony in a panicked voice.

Just then, one of the jets flew by in front of them, and Leo saw a familiar symbol plastered on the jet's side. A symbol that brought her into trauma. A symbol that made her a monster. She spat the word like it was pest that was trying to invade her house.

"HYDRA..."