Betrayal - A Bucky Barnes Fanfic

Chapter 52

CW: describtion of violence, stalking

08:20 am

James's POV

James had been restless all night. Natasha might have wanted to jump down his throat a couple of times when he only half-heartedly participated in her briefing on the case. Natasha had brought James up to speed on what IT had been able to find out – which wasn't much. They knew Loki was behind the art forgeries. But their captain insisted that the why should be found out first before they were to arrest Loki. For James, that meant continuing to work undercover for Loki.

He hated it. Every time he looked at Loki, he had to think about what that bastard had done to Ava. All the time he was working, his thoughts circled around Ava – around her safety, around her stubbornness. He was worried.

Last night, too, he had had to think about Ava again and again. It had been indescribable to be physically and emotionally connected to her again. It still took his breath away what just the smallest of Ava's touches triggered in him. Natasha showed no understanding of him, nor did she inquire further about what had happened between him and Ava that night. She would certainly prefer to hear it from Ava. And what would Ava tell Natasha?

James couldn't take it any longer. He had to talk to Ava again, hear her voice, talk about last night. It was unbearable not to fall asleep every night with Ava in his arms. She was everything to him and returning to his empty flat every night brought him physical pain. Nervously, he dialled her number, fervently hoping she would give him a chance to explain himself.

Ava's POV

Ava was about to slip into her Doc Martens when her phone started vibrating. Annoyed, she hobbled back to her kitchen table with half a foot in her boot to look at her phone screen. James was calling her. Exasperated, she rolled her eyes.

"Yes?" she asked in what she hoped was an indifferent voice. Her rapid heartbeat betrayed her, though, and her gaze inevitably wandered to James' shirt on her bed, the one she'd left his flat in last night.

"Are you free right now? I wanted to talk to you about last night," James asked in a soft voice.

Ava's heartbeat picked up pace once more. Last night had been so confusing – first she had had incredible sex with James and then she had found out that Loki was the criminal she was investigating for her research. And James shutting her out of the case didn't help bury the hatchet. It was one thing that Natasha didn't want Ava involved in the case – she was her best friend and more like a big sister whose rules you had to abide by from time to time. But James? James was ... he was ... exactly, what was he anyway? Would he want to talk about their incredible and at least for a few hours carefree night together? Or the thing with Loki?

"I'm on my way to work, we can meet in front of the editorial building in 20 minutes," Ava replied. It was no use worrying about James' intentions – only he could provide clarity.

"Alright, see you then," was all James said before hanging up again.

Ava's thoughts were racing. All of a sudden she was incredibly nervous. He probably just wants to talk about Loki, her subconscious reminded her. Still, Ava couldn't shake the feeling of hope that was spreading through her heart. Did she even want to talk to James about anything other than Loki? Was she ready to forgive James for his betrayal? Her heart answered the question for her.

James's POV

James exhaled. He hadn't even realised he'd been holding his breath. Just hearing Ava's voice through the phone made his heart race. He could literally see her rolling her eyes as she answered the phone. His heart was still pounding wildly in his chest. Hastily he reached for his wallet and his keys. He had to get to the New York Times editorial building as quickly as possible. Just the prospect of seeing Ava caused a comforting feeling in his chest.