RAISON D'ÊTRE ( bucky barnes ) 一 under editing

TWENTY-EIGHTH

RAISON D'ÊTRE
TWENTY-EIGHTH

IT HAD BEEN SAM TO FIND her amidst the chaos, pulling her from the building and making sure to keep her face covered as they managed to escape. "C'mon," he had said to her, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her with him. His grip was tight, but not enough to harm her. "Steve's got your boyfriend. Let's go, we need to meet up with them." All she had done in response was nod her head and allow him to lead the way. That was all that was said 一 no other small talk or orders about where to go and what to do.

Rome had bit her lip as they walked down the streets, making sure to take shortcuts through alleyways to avoid the police and street cameras positioned around the city. She hadn't known what to say to Sam, and she awkwardly played with the hem of her shirt as they walked. From what she'd been able to tell, him and Steve had been searching for Bucky since the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA years ago, but Sam didn't personally know the brunet man. And yet Rome still wanted to ask him questions 一 about Bucky, about Steve, about Ianna. He had to know something about her cousin.

Before she could say something, Sam had roughly pushed her against the alley wall and placed a hand over her mouth. "There are some agents up ahead," he clarified, looking around the corner to get a better view. "Probably looking for us."

She slowly pulled away from Sam, doing the same as him and peeking her head just around the corner of the building. About twenty feet from them were two men dressed casually in jeans and jackets, black shades covering their eyes and small devices in their ears. They looked like any other guys, but Rome had spent her fair share around undercover agents and spies for decades. She thought she was rather good at spotting them in crowds, no matter how hard they tried to blend in, and these guys weren't exactly doing a great job. She huffed then pressed a hand against Sam's chest, shutting her eyes."Phasmatos sume nobis."

When she dropped her head, she watched as Sam's brows lift in surprise. He hadn't freaked out like she originally believed, instead just watched her in curiosity and confusion. "What the hell was that?"

"Simple disguise spell," Rome replied and stepped out of the alley into the open area. She shook her head as she walked, stuffing one of her hands in her pockets and the other moving to play with her necklace. "I've used this spell several times before, they won't know it's us. But it only lasts an hour, so we should go. You did say we were in a hurry."

Sam eyed her warily but still nodded, finally stepping out and keeping up with her pace. Once he noticed that the two agents hadn't even spared the duo a passing glance, he let out a sigh of relief. "Damn, Ianna wasn't kidding when she said you were good."

Hearing her cousin's name made Ianna freeze in her spot, and she suddenly grabbed at his elbow. "Ianna," she echoed, eyes growing wide and she pulled him to the side, moving them out of the way of people walking around them, "you've spoken with her? Is she here? Is she okay?"

"Yeah," he said with a slow nod. Again, Sam watched Rome carefully as she asked him. From what he'd heard of Rome, mostly from Ianna but sometimes from Steve, Rome Molstad was a powerful witch and Ianna's older cousin who'd abandoned her years ago. As far as he was aware, the two hadn't kept in contact, not even speaking with Ianna's older sister Renata. But hearing Rome's questions, it almost sounded like she was worried. "So you two really haven't talked in fifty years?"

Rome took a step back, letting go of Sam's arm. "Yes," she replied slowly. "Did she, did she tell you about what happened? About everything?"

"She's my teammate, but more importantly, she's my friend. I mean, she hasn't told me a lot about herself but she's told me enough 一 about what she is, who you are, that you two had a falling out." Sam never seemed to truly mind that Ianna didn't overly share her past with him; honestly it was enough that she trusted him with this much. He paused at seeing Rome's confused face, then asked, "What's wrong?"