The Hurt And The Healing: Bucky X OC

Chapter Eighteen: The People vs. James Barnes

For the first time in a decade, Mara Anderson called in sick for work. When Nonna had come home in the wee hours of the morning Mara pretended to have a stomachache. Nonna fussed around her, making her soup and a cold compress despite Mara's insistence that she didn't have a fever. Mara finally convinced Nonna to take the daycare kids to the park that morning, leaving her alone in the apartment.

As soon as she saw Nonna cross the street with her flock of children behind her, Mara went downstairs to the second floor. As she drew closer to Apartment 10 the sound of classical music grew louder and louder. By the time she was knocking Mara wasn't sure how anyone inside would hear her. But she knew better than to enter without permission, so she continued to knock for three more minutes until the orchestra's playing dropped to pianissimo and her pounding could be heard over the music.

"Keep your panties on, I'm coming!" someone yelled. The door opened to reveal a short person with twists piled on top of their head and held up by a thick scrunchie covered in butterflies. Their glasses were pushed up on their nose and made their eyes look about twice their size. They squinted at Mara before exclaiming "Mara! Hey, long time no see!"

"Sia! How are you? How's your wrist?" Mara asked. Sia beamed and held up their wrists with splints on them.

"I wear them the whole time I'm working, the pain and tingling almost never happens anymore!" Sia answered. "Thank you again for all you did for me. If I couldn't type I don't know what I'd do..." They frowned at the thought before shaking their head. "Where are my manners? Come in!"

Sia led Mara through their apartment to the chintz and lace covered living room. They gestured for Mara to sit in an overstuffed armchair draped with doilies as they turned down the volume on their record player. Mara sat down as Sia went to their kitchenette and began to totter around, opening and closing cabinets with cheerey drive.

"Can I offer you tea? Cookies?" Sia called from behind the counter.

"Sure," Mara replied. Sia returned with a teapot shaped like a strawberry, two mismatched vintage teacups, and delicately iced cookies. They placed the platter down and sat across from Mara on the delicately carved loveseat.

"How's your Nonna?" Sia asked as they offered Mara her cup.

"She's good," Mara answered. "She keeps me on my toes and drives me to drink, but she's good."

Sia chuckled as they stirred their tea. "I always liked her. She has style." They leaned back and looked at Mara inquisitively. "I know you're not here to drink tea and chat, so what's up?

Mara sipped her tea before answering. "I need your help, Sia. I need your... skillset."

Sia nodded and drank their tea daintily. "What do you need me to find?"

"I need information on James Buchanan Barnes and the Hydra Winter Soldier program," Mara answered. Sia whistled.

"When you ask for help you aren't kidding around," they muttered, staring at their tea. "So you need me to access the files that were leaked when Hydra fell?"

"And everything about what happened to Barnes after he was captured in Germany," Mara said.

Sia grabbed a cookie and bit into it with a pensive look on their face.

"If this brings the FBI to my doorstep again, you're the one posting my bail."

"So that means you'll do it?" Mara asked eagerly.

"It means I can't resist a challenge," Sia replied. They balanced their cookie on the saucer gingerly and stood up. "Follow me," they commanded.

Mara did as they said and followed them to a back room. The ceiling was covered in fairy lights and the pink walls had framed pressed flowers. At the far end of the room was a desk with multiple monitors and keyboards. China figurines in the shape of woodland animals and mushrooms decorated the desk. Sia sat down at their computer and flexed their fingers and cracked their neck.