Leave This Town (Mechanic!Bucky AU)

Part 10

"I'm still not sold on the ending," your agent stated as he dropped your manuscript on his desk with a thump. He sat back in his chair while drumming fingers on the desktop next to his computer. "Casting is almost finished, they start filming in two weeks, and I don't have a finished script."

"You DO have a finished script, Tony. Just not the conclusion you want. I tried other endings and none of them seemed genuine. This ending is the most organic and it's where the characters took me. You know how it is, sometimes they have a mind of their own," you replied with a shrug.

He narrowed his eyes, stroking his well-manicured goatee. "You know you sound like a crazy person when you talk like that, right?"

You laughed. "Not to my fellow writers."

"Didn't you get my notes on the last edits?"

You looked away from the screen, lost in thought. "Hmm...the last edit email I got was from Pepper and there was nothing in there about altering the ending," you said with a smirk.

"That sneaky little..." he trailed off with a shake of his head.

Another chuckle escaped you. "She liked the ending, didn't she? That's why she didn't add your note," you smiled triumphantly.

Tony shifted in his chair, hesitating. "That remains irrelevant. I am your agent and I say..."

"Please trust me on this, Tony," you said quickly, interrupting him. "Using the sort of ending you want would mean a total rewrite and it would suck because I would hate it. This script is important to me and I don't want to ruin it just because you want a predictable ending all tied up in a bow," you said with conviction, standing your ground.

He leveled you with a supposedly intimidating gaze before slipping off his tinted glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine. You win. I'll send it through to the director and producers, BUT...if they have a problem with it, we're revisiting the subject," he threatened through your iPad's screen.

You beamed with a grateful smile. "You're the best, you know that?"

"Yeah, whatever, just go be with your family. We'll talk in a few days," he replied, waving off your praise.

"Thanks, Tony," you said, about to end the Skype call when Tony noticed something, leaning closer to the screen.

"Does Rogers know you had a poster of him in your room?" he teased, pointing to something behind you.

You paled slightly. "Goodbye, Tony," you said forcefully before ending the call and setting your iPad aside.

Dropping your head in your hands, you slowly turned around and dared to look up only to see Steve Rogers in a superhero stance staring back at you. You'd forgotten all about it. Your childhood room was basically the same as it had been when you left two years ago. Now you were faced with Steve, along with several other movie star crushes plastered upon your walls, some of whom you had now met in person. Your first instinct was to be embarrassed, but honestly, they'd probably find it funny.

Glancing around the room, you took in all the small mementos and photos with memories tied to each one. It was a strange feeling to be back, but not a bad one. You never imagined you'd be having a conversation with your editor of two years in the room where back then your current reality was merely a pipe dream. It goes to show how far you had come.

Shaking your head, you climbed off the twin bed and got to your feet, straightening your skirt. You had settled on a black pencil skirt and a cream-colored blouse. Family was beginning to arrive, you gathered, hearing the murmurs of conversation below you. You stepped down the hall and descended the stairs to see faces turning your way. There were exclamations of "welcome home" and "you look great" and "I saw that movie of yours, it was way too violent". You just smiled kindly and offered hugs. Family is family, no matter what.