Your Ivy Grows

Chapter 4

I'm proven wrong in my assumption that I'll never see Barnes again just a week after our encounter in the garden. I'm attempting to put on the diamond necklace that was gifted to me for tonight's ball, having no success. A frustrated sigh slips out as I once again fail to put it on correctly.

"Here," John says, walking into the bathroom in his formal uniform. I remember when the sight of him in that used to give me butterflies. The days when I'd attend these balls and want nothing more than to go home and peel it off him. Now he's looking at me in the brand new bathroom mirror and I feel nothing. "Let me do that."

Begrudgingly, I hand him the necklace, turning around and holding up my hair to make it easier for him. The necklace is beautiful, although I know it draws attention to the generous amount of cleavage that this dress is showing. Not my first choice for tonight, but its off the shoulder sleeves fall perfectly across my upper arms and hide the bruises from the week before. I'd hoped they'd have faded by now, but they've proven stubborn.

John fastens the necklace before spinning me around and looking down at me. My skin crawls at the way his eyes slowly travel down my body. I know this dress accentuates every curve I have, something John obviously approves of.

"Red always looked good on you." He says to me. "You look incredible."

I don't respond, turning back to the mirror to check my reflection. I'm unsure what tonight's ball is even in honor of. All I know is that they expect us to be there.

"I need you to do me a favour tonight." John tells me.

Now he has my attention. What more could John possibly want from me? Isn't it enough that I play their stupid games and allow John to treat me like some prized possession he wants to show off?

"What?" I ask nervously.

"Sergeant Barnes will be there tonight. I convinced them to get him there by any means necessary. Seems that was pretty easy to do when they are the reason he has his pardon." He says it like it is a good thing that the government keeps using that pardon to control the guy. "I'm going to need you to play nice with him."

I lock eyes with John in the mirror, nervous that he somehow knows about our moment in the garden. I've not mentioned it, it didn't seem important. Plus, I know John well enough to know exactly what kind of paranoid images his mind would conjure up about it.

"Play nice?" I question, not really understanding what he means. Has he not figured out that Barnes seems to hate us both? I'm not sure any amount of playing nice would change that.

"Look, Lamar and I have had no luck getting him and Sam Wilson to work with us. They're looking into the Flag Smashers, I know they are. Neither seems willing to work with us, although we could take them down quicker if we did. I'm hoping you might be able to warm him up to the idea."

"Me? What can I do?" I'm utterly perplexed by the very idea. Why would he think Barnes would give a shit about anything I have to say? The man seems to think I'm some pampered Princess, some trophy wife and nothing more.

"Charm him." John says simply. "Should be easy in that dress."

"Excuse me." I can't have heard him correctly. "What exactly do you want me to do, John?"

"Don't look so horrified, Alex." He laughs at the expression on my face. "I said charm the man, not seduce him. Talk to him, laugh at his jokes, flirt a little, dance with him."

Not sure they'll be a scenario tonight where Sergeant Barnes will make jokes for me to laugh at. I'm not entirely convinced the guy knows what laughing is. But John has to be truly desperate if he's asking me to flirt with the guy. He's always loved the way other men would watch me, as long as they made no attempt to do more than that.

"I'm not sure that's going to work on Barnes. He doesn't seem the dancing, flirty type." I say, trying to dismiss the idea. That man has already occupied too many of my thoughts since that night in the garden. I'd hate to give the smug, judgemental bastard the satisfaction of thinking I'm genuinely flirting with him.

"Maybe not now, but you must have heard the stories about him back in the 40s. You know, Cap's oldest friend and total ladies' man. But I doubt women are lining up for him now, given his past. The guy would probably enjoy having a beautiful woman show an interest in him for once."

"Are you and Lamar that in need of their help?" He must be if he is asking this of me. John's the guy who knocked out a man in a bar for daring to touch my arm and ask me to dance.

"I'm not stupid, they've both made it clear they hate that I'm the new Captain America. But they're not the only ones. Rogers is a hero, people love him. They're not all that receptive to someone new taking his place. If me and Lamar can help take down the Flag Smashers, it will help them see me as the right person for the job. Barnes and Wilson are our best shot at that. So, please, could you just help me out tonight?"

I sigh but nod, uneasy about my willingness to help him. I tell myself I'm just in a generous mood, that I am just too tired to bother arguing with him about it. It can't possibly be because there might be a part of me, no matter how small, that wants to talk to Barnes again.

I finish getting ready, ignoring the nervous flutters in my stomach. This is fine, it's going to be fine. I can do this. How hard could it be?