Frostbite

Five

Steve wanted to talk to Sharon about Peggy, so I reluctantly went back to the hotel where Sam was waiting to give him some space. I plopped on one of the beds when I arrived and ignored the way Sam was looking at me. I turned the tv on to a random channel as I continued to avert my eyes from him.

"Who pissed you off?" he chuckled finally, shaking his head in amusement.

"No one. I'm not pissed."

"Your face says otherwise."

"Maybe that's just my face, Sam."

"If you say so," he shrugged, still smirking. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone, fiddling with it. I could still feel his gaze and my brow arched as I turned my head to slowly look at him until he spoke again. "You know he loves you. You shouldn't worry about Sharon."

I snorted. "I'm not worried about her. I trust Steve, doesn't mean I appreciate her... interest in him," I emphasized the word like it was dirty. I knew I sounded jealous, but I didn't care. His brow shot up and the amused look came back. I went back to ignoring him before I antagonized him with my powers, again.

It seemed like we sat there for ages before something on the news caught my attention. Sam glanced up as well and we both stared in horror at the scene unfolding in front of our eyes. Live footage was being captured of a bombing in Vienna. It was the same building that the UN was meeting in for the accords. Natasha.

"Go find Steve," I ordered Sam while dialing Natasha's number. He bolted from the room and the door closed with a loud thud. I got her voicemail. I cussed and dialed again. This time it only rang three times before she answered.

"Melanie?"

"Natasha! Oh my god, are you alright?! We saw the explosion on tv. I thought maybe you..." I started rambling frantically.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I promise. Everything's crazy here. I'll call you back later," she promised over the sound of more sirens approaching in the background.

"Alright. Be careful," I replied, hanging up the phone in relief. The door opened, and Sam, Steve, and Sharon poured into the room. Steve came and pecked me on the cheek before turning the volume of the tv up.

"Natasha's okay," I informed them, pointedly ignoring Sharon. Her phone rang and she quickly became preoccupied.

"More than seventy people have been injured. At least twelve are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous Hydra agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations," the news reporter relayed, a blurry image of Bucky appearing on the screen. I glanced nervously at Steve and then Sam.

"I have to go to work," Sharon told us, turning to leave. Good.

"Keep us updated?" Steve requested. She nodded and opened the door.

"By Shannon!" I called, more than happy to see her leaving. Steve's brows furrowed at my name confusion, but Sam bit back a grin while shaking his head.

Steve stared at the image of Bucky on the screen again. "I'm going to Vienna."

"You know I'm in," Sam told him almost instantly. A ball of nervous energy grew in the pit of my stomach. This is what we were supposed to be avoiding. But I glanced between the two of them and I knew I couldn't send them off alone. Someone would have to try and keep an eye on them, so things didn't escalate. Steve's eyes met mine hesitantly, unsure how I'd respond.

"You know I won't let you two go alone," I told him softly, gifting a small smile. His shoulders relaxed and he looked relieved, like he had expected a fight. I still had this nagging feeling that this wasn't going to end how we expected.

          ——————————————————

We arrived in Vienna hours later, but we didn't stay long at all. As soon as she was able, Sharon met us to give whatever info she could. It wasn't much, and anything helped at this point; they had orders to shoot on site. I had to give her props for that.

The information she handed over led us to Romania where Bucky had probably been for a while now. It would be a race against the clock to get to him before the authorities. It would destroy Steve if something happened to Bucky.

Steve came up with most of the plan, but I was sure it would be a fifty-fifty on anything good coming from it. Last time we saw Bucky he'd almost killed Steve. How could we be sure he wouldn't immediately attack us even if we were trying to help? I didn't voice my concerns, though, and I rubbed my temples, trying to concentrate on preventing the incoming headache. Today would be long.