𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐨|| 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 [𝟑]

Chapter Twenty-One

"See the thing is, you're an excellent lier, Elizabeth. But James, we've been doing this long enough that I know when your lying." Dr Raynor paused, looking between the two. "So you don't talk, I write." She shrugged simply, 

Bucky let out a deep sigh, "Okay, okay. I crossed a name of my list of amends yesterday." He admitted, but quickly added, "Don't worry, I used all of your three rules." Dr Raynor nodded for him to continue, "Senator Atwood. She was a HYDRA pawn for years, help her get into office when I was the Winter Soldier. But after HYDRA disbanded, she continued to abuse the power I gave her." Bucky looked over at the redhead who was beside him, she offered him a smile.

"So rule number one? You can't do anything illegal." 

"All we did was give some intel to the aide to convict her. And we weren't involved in anything else." Cassie would have smirked as Bucky spoke, but she had to suppress it, impressed with his lying skills.

"Rule number two?" Dr Raynor questioned, hoping the man would remember. 

Cassie shook her head with a sigh as her boyfriend played dumb, but she also couldn't help smile slightly. "What was rule number two?"

"Nobody gets hurt, it's a big one." Dr Raynor scoffed, like Cassie, she shook her head disappointed in the man who sat in front t of him.

"Then why isn't rule number one?" Bucky looked at Dr Raynor smartly, causing a disapproved look from Dr Raynor. "I didn't hurt anyone." He quickly responded to the therapist. "Promise."

"And what about rule number three?" Dr Raynor questioned, causing a baffled look from Bucky, "The whole point of making amends is to fulfil rule number three." 

"You know, you're a cynic, Doc." Bucky stated calmly, "Of course I fulfil rule number three. I'm no longer the Winter Soldier. I'm James Bucky Barnes." Bucky had a half-assed grin on his face. 

"So, you did it all right, but it didn't help with the nightmares." 

"Well, like I said, I didn't have any." Bucky shook his head in denial, he didn't want to admit he had one, much like Cassie.

Dr Raynor hesitated before she spoke to the man, "Look... one day, you're gonna have to open up and understand that some people really do want to help you and that they can be trusted."

"I trust people." Bucky griped Cassie's hand tighter as he grumbled. "I trust Cassie." 

"Yeah? Give me your phone." Dr Raynor placed her notebook and pencil on her table beside her chair before holding her hand out. Bucky groaned loudly, before moving to dig his hand into his pocket to get his phone and hand it to the woman. "You don't have ten phone numbers on this thing." Dr Raynor spoke after a few seconds of scrolling through the phone, "Oh, and you've been ignoring the texts from Sam." 

"Look, you've gotta nurture friendships. I am the only person you have called all week. That is so sad." She slammed the phone closed before tossing it back to Bucky, who caught it effortlessly. "You're alone. You're a hundred years old. You have no history, no family-" 

"Okay, I think that's enough." Cassie cut in mannerly, she could see how agitated Bucky was getting with Dr Raynor's words. 

"Are you lashing out at me, Doc? Because that's really unprofessional, you know? When did that start? Yelling at your clients?" Bucky cut himself off when Dr Raynor slammed her notebook back on her lap. "The notebook. That's great." Bucky sighed,