Relapse ★ Bucky Barnes

You're Gonna Pay For That

THREE WEEKS LATER

★ ★ ★

It was the first day of the two-day trial. The courtroom was filled with a copious amount of people, most of whom were reporters and anyone looking for Bucky to remain behind bars.

There was quite an abundance of chatter floating throughout the room, though Marlena couldn't bring herself to pay attention to it; her focus remained on the carpeted floor of the courtroom. They were speaking with Bucky, just as they had been for what felt like the past three hours or so. They were talking about his past, which was a conversation Marlena didn't want to hear. She didn't want to hear the pain or the regret or the guilt in his voice as he spoke about it, nor did she want to feel it, so she blocked it all out.

Bucky was doing less than okay since he had turned himself in. He was so used to being around Marlena and Wanda and Steve and Sam all the time that he found himself at a crossroads. He didn't like being alone—he didn't like being confined to a small jail cell—but the longer he remained concealed from the world, the more he allowed his thoughts and the voices inside his head to torture him.

He thought about Marlena quite a lot, and he thought about Steve, both of whom were without a doubt the two most important people in his life. He loved them more than he loved his own self, which meant a lot for Bucky, as he didn't really possess even the smallest amount of love for himself—he didn't think he ever would. Everything he had done over the years—every life he had taken and negatively affected—wouldn't permit him to feel such a thing about himself. It was beyond him how anyone could love him, especially someone like Marlena. She was so pure and innocent in his eyes, whereas he was just. . .him.

Bucky was a burden, a dangerous burden that he now regretted bestowing upon the people he claimed to love. He wondered just how different the lives around him could have been had he never made an appearance; he wondered just how wonderful the lives around him could have been had he never made an appearance. It was something he thought about often during his time inside his lonely jail cell. The scenarios his mind conjured up were scenarios he wished to be a reality, but he knew they never would be as long as he was in the picture. It was something he despised—something he regretted deeply. He hated that the people he loved the most couldn't be happy the way they wanted to because of him, and if he was presented the opportunity to change it, he would take it without so much as hesitating. He believed they deserved better—so much better than him.

"Sergeant Barnes," Secretary Ross's voice sounded, ripping Bucky from his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"If we're done here, I have something that I need to show you, so if you could just remain seated that would be fantastic," he said to the soldier with a snide smirk on his face.

A few confused expressions fell upon the faces of the audience members, but no one was given the chance to question Ross's intentions before he fixed his gaze upon Wanda and Marlena.

"Wanda and Marlena," he started, folding his hands behind his back. "If you two could make your way up and have a seat at the left-hand table, that would be lovely."

"What exactly are you doing?" Steve questioned Ross as both Marlena and Wanda made their way to the front of the courtroom.

Ross sent Steve a snide smirk. "You'll see," he answered as the two girls took their seats, both paying no mind at all to the television monitor sitting only a few feet away from them.

What bothered the two girls about Ross was the fact that he seemed so willing and so determined. He wanted what he wanted when he wanted it, and he was willing to do whatever it took in order to get it. They knew he hated Bucky, and they knew that he hated the idea of him being free more. The two weren't sure what he had planned for them, nor were they all too sure they wanted to know, but for the sake of Bucky and for the sake of protecting Bucky they were given no choice in the matter.