Outlaws

Chapter Seven

"How did it go..." Bucky was waiting in the garage the moment we opened it up, not even waiting for Steve to shut down the engine before he is opening my door for me. "Ayla, is everything okay?"

"It went fine, I need Stark, where is he?" I say as I push past him, hoping he hasn't had enough time to look too close at my eyes.

"Woah, slow down there for a second," Bucky gently places his hands on my shoulders and I look away as I try to shrug his hands off me. Taking his hands off of my shoulders he instead softly caresses a hand under my chin tilting my face up to look at him, "have you been crying?"

"I'll get the chips to Stark, Winters, I will let you brief Buck."

"Make sure Stark uses a self-isolated computer system, I am sure he will have one lying around somewhere or else those chips are just going to explode remember?"

"Got it." Steve says as he exits the garage leaving James and myself alone.

I finally look him in the eyes, but the way he is looking at me, with the concern and pity makes me feel like a child. I take a step back from him and lean casually against the warm engine of Steves car. James hides his metal hand in his jacket pocket and rests the other behind his neck, he looks at me patiently waiting for me to speak up. I can tell he is not worried about the chips with the information but more the story behind my current emotional state.

"I wasn't crying alright, I just... my eyes malfunctioned."

"Your eyes malfunctioned?" Bucky smiles at my response, laughing softly as his anxiety is almost lifted for a moment by my unexpected response.

"Shut up, do you want the details of the meeting or not?"

"I care more about why you are upset," he says softly taking a slight step towards her, "I am here for you Ayla, if there is anything I can-"

"You have known me for like two days, thank you but I don't really want to talk about it right now. Especially not with you after last night, okay just drop it." I feel bad, the words coming out of my mouth not matching up to the ones in my head. I want to tell him everything, I want to forget last night happened all together. I want to open up to him, the small amount I had before everything went wrong made me feel the best I had in a long time; but that terrifies me and so instead I throw venom at him.

"You're right, I am sorry, just... I am here if or when you want to talk about it."

"I don't, but thanks..." I say sharply even though all I want to do is lean into his body have him wrap his arms around me, "these Hydra people you mentioned, well they have been very active. Mackenzie has been tracking them with the rest of my old team, there was virtual silence until a sleeper agent purchased..."

I continue to brief James on the information I gathered from Mackie at the meeting. Walking out of the garage and into the main section of the compound. He listens to me intently, making his own mental notes as I tell him what little information I have without seeing what is on those chips. I can tell he picks up on my slight wavers in my voice as I list the names of the team members who have been wounded, missing and killed. He knows what has caused my eyes to look red and watery but he also seems to know better than to say anything at all. His brows pull together as I finish, mentally running back over his notes and coming to the same question I have had in my mind since leaving the meeting.

"If Mackenzie and the rest of your team were tracking Hydra all this time; how come you have never head of them?"

"Excellent question Mr. Barnes, the answer to which I do not know."