Revenge Turned Sweet

Chapter 50: Enough is Enough

"And you believe her?" Sam scoffs.

"What, you don't?" Bucky retorts.

I can tell the tension is growing in the room. I can feel it. It's uncomfortable. This is not going to be the cause of an argument. This is not going to cause a rift in their friendship. That's why I haven't told Bucky about what happened just a few days ago. As much of a cliche as it is, Bucky is a bit overly protective, even if the person he's protecting me from is Sam. I push a breath out and listen in to their argument before I decide to intervene.

"When has she given you a reason not to trust her?" Bucky seethes. He's beyond angry, the vein in his forehead is protruding, and his jaw is set tight.

Sam looks around the room as if searching for the answer to Bucky's question. "When has she given us a reason to trust her?" Bucky falls silent at his question, his eyes softening when they glance at me for a brief second. Sam then begins to laugh, ironically. "I see now," Sam says through his laughter, and my brows come together as I look between the two of them, "it's blind trust."

"Is that right?" Bucky grumbles.

Sam shakes his head, trying to dissuade his laughter. "Man, do I need to remind you that she has tried to kill you? More than once?" Sam raises his eyebrows but continues when only silence comes from Bucky. "And almost succeeded?"

Before Bucky can respond, I decide to finally speak up. "Stephen Strange," I mumble.

"What?" They both ask in unison.

I shrug as I stand from my bed. "The friend that needed my help was Stephen Strange." Sam still looks like he doesn't believe me. "Remember how he helped me?"

They both nod with wide eyes but still remain stoic.

"Well, I returned the favor," I finish my sentence with a calm voice, knowing I'm telling the truth.

"Yeah?" Sam crosses his arms over his chest, looking defensive. "What'd he need help with?"

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to come up with a lie that could be as convincing as the truth. "Some creatures had been trying to kill a girl, he needed some help, and I helped."

"Why were they going after her?" He asks.

More damn questions. "That's all the information I have for you, Sam."

"Is the girl okay?" Bucky asks, and I nod at him.

At least I hope she and Strange are okay.

"You're telling me you believe this shit?" Sam asks Bucky, pointing to me.

"Yeah, I do."

"You don't feel like she's not telling the whole truth? Not keeping anything from us at all?" Sam's voice is growing angrier and louder.

Bucky hesitates to answer his question, and my heart sinks even lower than it has before. They begin to argue, but I tune them out. My brain begins to run through every single lie I've told them. Every half-truth, every excuse, everything that has been kept from them. My role in HYDRA, the darkhold, the fact that I'm a variant, that Sharon's the powerbroker.

The list goes on and on. I never intended to lie to anybody. I never wanted to. But some of these things are bigger than others and harder to explain. So, I permit myself to say the one thing that's been eating at me since I learned about it.

Enough is enough.

"I let them in," I mumble, though they can't hear me through their own argument. I wait for them to acknowledge what I said, but it's as if I hadn't said anything.