Better Love || A Bucky Barnes Fanfiction

- Know Thy Enemy -

She was uncontrollable. Inconsolable. It wasn't like anyone was trying to sooth her pain, though. For days (was it days? It could've been weeks, or perhaps only hours), she had been stuck in a small, run-down cell of a room. She had burnt out her voice from screaming and yelling, had bloodied her knuckles from hitting the thick door, had brought on a headache that would not leave her alone. That wasn't the only thing on her mind though. She thought about Delilah, bleeding out on the bedroom floor. She thought about the other people who had been at the shelter when the attack had occurred. She thought about the people who had taken her hostage. 

She thought about Bucky.

Did he survive the attack? Did he get away? Was he still at the shelter, taking care of Delilah? Was he safe? Or did those men kill him? Gun him down like they had Delilah and whoever else was in the building at the time? She did not know, however the answers to those questions, whatever they ended up being, were all better than the one that - deep down - she thought may be true. 

She was sitting in a ball in the corner of the room when her door was opened. The sudden noise made her jump and slowly she lifted her head up to face the figure that had entered. Tall and brooding, wearing all black, the figure took several steps forward until they were standing directly in front of her. Without a word they squatted down and Elena's eyes locked onto their face. She couldn't help but inhale sharply, a sense of betrayal passing over her.

"Gideon," she breathed, eyebrows furrowed.

"Surprise," he replied, running a hand through his blonde hair. "I did say that I would see you later."

"How... Why??" she asked, watching as sat down in front of her, leaning back against the palm of his hands.

"How and why do you think, Elena?" he said. "The asset, of course. His trail had gone cold for a bit, but after your trial with Thomas and media being drawn to you, it was only a matter of time before some kind of image or video appeared featuring him. Even if it was brief, it was enough. Since then we've just been watching and waiting, setting up shop, all of that. I had to get intel, you see. Nice library, could pay better. But that doesn't matter anymore. The ball is rolling now."

"Where's Bucky?" Elena asked, feeling a flash of fire jump through her veins that made her push forward to jump at Gideon. However, the man was ready, holding out a hand that caught her by the throat. He didn't hold her there for too long, shoving her back against the wall before standing up.

"He's around," he answered, brushing himself off and watching as Elena got to her feet, her face drained of blood. The one thing she didn't want to be true, was. She had known, of course, that that is what they would have wanted. She had prayed that they hadn't achieved it, though, that he had escaped one way or another. Luck was not on their side tonight, though, it seemed.

"Can I ask you a question, Elena?" Gideon asked, examining her carefully. Elena scowled, meeting his eyes.

"I'm sure that if I said no you wouldn't give a damn," she spat. Gideon's lips quirked up in a quick smirk before freezing over once more.

"You haven't asked me what all this is. The men who stormed the shelter, why we want your friend, why we have you here, you haven't asked."

"I don't have to. I know who you are. I know this group. You can thank whoever leaked those files last year."

"Hmm," Gideon hummed, but Elena saw the dark glaze that passed across his eyes. "So you know the truth about him, then?"

"Of course."

"Has he told you anything about a red notebook?"

"What?" Elena exclaimed, the question taking her off guard. She hadn't expected something like that. Gideon waved a hand, scrunching up his nose.