Bucky sat at the front of the jet next to Steve as they flew toward DC where Fury was holding Liam. Luna was in the seat behind Steve. She had argued with Bucky all weekend about coming with him. He finally gave in, but not without setting some ground rules first.
First, she had to let Bucky talk to him before she spoke to Liam. She could watch from a different room, but she wasn't talking to him until Bucky had gotten what they needed. Second, she wasn't allowed to be alone with him. Luna tried to fight him on that condition, but it was the one thing Bucky wouldn't cave on. Lastly, if Bucky felt that Liam was starting to get inside her head even the slightest bit, he was going to pull her out of the room and drag her to the jet. He wouldn't let that asshole undo all the progress she had made with her mental health.
Luna fidgeted the whole way to DC. She had begged Bucky to let her come. If he was going to face Liam, so was she. He'd held power over her for too long and it was time to show him that he hadn't broken her. Deep down, though, she still felt that scared and hopeless part of herself clinging on for dear life.
She felt Bucky looking back at her every little bit. He was probably making sure that she wasn't on the verge of a mental breakdown. After her less extensive wounds healed, Luna began making regular appointments with Bucky's therapist. It was a condition of her reinstatement after she was shot, so she knew it was coming, but it still didn't prepare her for the sessions.
Sam told her how well Dr. Raynor had worked out for Bucky and that she should talk to the therapist, not only about getting shot, but also about everything else that happened. She had become comfortable enough with Sam that she told him what happened the last time she tried seeing a therapist and that she was afraid it would happen again. He promised that Raynor was trustworthy and wouldn't trivialize the trauma Luna had experienced. With his background in counseling, Luna trusted Sam's judgement about the doctor and, with tremendous hesitation and fear, began seeing the woman every few days.
Luna had a lot to work through and it would probably take years to unload every single event, feeling, and regret that she had. Dr. Raynor was patient though. She listened intently when Luna spoke and offered insight where necessary. Her presence could be intimidating at times, but she never made Luna feel as if her experiences were anything other than scarring and terrifying. She was still lost in her own thoughts when Bucky gently rested his hand on her shoulder. He was crouched next to her with a soft smile on his face.
"We're here, doll. Are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Luna said softly.
"You know you don't have to do this right now, LuLu. Liam is never going to see the light of day again. You can confront him when you're ready."
His calm, reassuring voice sent warmth flowing through her. She wasn't just doing this for herself, she was doing it for him too. Until she fully let go, she wouldn't be able to move on. Bucky deserved all of her and that wasn't something she could give him if there was still a part of her attached to Liam.
"No, I'm doing this now. I want...no, I deserve closure from that part of my past. I can't move on until I've closed that chapter of my life." Luna rested her hand on Bucky's face and smoothed her thumb over his cheek. "I want this not just for me, but for us. I don't want anything hanging over our relationship."
"Okay, doll." He covered her hand with his. "Just remember, I'm here for you if you need me."
"Fury has Liam in an interrogation room already. Are you both sure this is what you want to do?" Steve asked as Luna and Bucky stood up.
They both nodded and Steve's lips stretched into a tight smile.
"Then let's get this over with." He said and walked to the back of the jet.
Fury met them as they walked off the elevator. Luna's eyes narrowed to slits as she looked at him. The team may have accepted her, broken pieces and all, but that didn't mean she wasn't still angry with Fury. He took away her right to choose when to tell them about her past.
"Agent Woods, glad to have you back." Fury greeted her.
"Up yours, Fury." She growled.
"I can see you're still upset."
"No shit! I wouldn't have run off in the first place if you hadn't tried to force me into telling everyone about my connection to Liam. And then to tell them anyway, knowing that I took off because I didn't want them to know, that was a bitch move." Luna scowled and crossed her arms across her chest.
"No one thought any less of you, so I fail to see the problem."
"Of course you don't see the problem! It doesn't have anything to do with you, so why should you give a shit, right?" Luna yelled.
"Doll, as much as I enjoy watching you take shots at Fury, we need to stay focused on why we came here. Okay?" Bucky rubbed his hand along the small of her back and stepped closer to her side.
"Fine, but keep him away from me." Luna said through gritted teeth.
She stalked past Fury towards the interrogation rooms, only stopping to let Fury walk ahead of her once she reached the hallway where the interrogation rooms were. He led Bucky, Steve, and Luna halfway down the hallway before stopping and pointing to a door on his left.
"He's in here. Rogers, Woods, we can watch from this room." He pointed to a door to the right of the other.
Steve opened the door and allowed Luna to walk in first. Her heart pounded in her chest as her eyes fell on Liam. He was reclined in the hard plastic seat, staring at the tabletop. Even from a side profile, she could see that the usual styled coif and well dressed man was gone. In its place was a dishevelled looking man in a white jumpsuit and shiny silver cuffs clasped around his wrists.
Bucky stepped into the room, a hard glare on his face, as he took the unoccupied seat. Liam looked at him and his expression changed. A cocky smirk titled his lips and his eyes shone as if he had just been given a new play thing. Bucky, on the other hand, looked unfazed. He reclined back in his seat and rested his hands on his thighs, staring Liam down.
"They think I'm enough of a threat to send the Winter Soldier? I gotta say, I'm flattered." Liam chuckled.
Bucky remained silent.
"Mmm, the silent broody type." He clicked his tongue and then smirked. "How's my Lu doing? Better I hope. Not too much permanent damage...physically and mentally of course."
Bucky tensed at the mention of her name, but only enough for Steve and Luna to notice.
"If you're so hellbent on having my leftovers, I have a few tips I'd be willing to share on how to keep her in line." Liam smirked.
Bucky's jaw clenched and Luna saw his hands ball into fists, but he kept his cool and let Liam talk himself into a deeper hole.
"She's a mouthy bitch, so make sure you show her who's in charge. After a few hits she'll become a scared, submissive little thing. A healthy dose of fear every now and then is good for her. See, Luna's like a wild horse, she has to be broken. She's too independent and hard headed to be of any use otherwise."
Liam leaned forward with a menacing smile stretching across his face.
"Seeing her beg you to stop, to show her mercy, it's fucking exciting. She'll do whatever you tell her to afterwards—and I do mean anything." Liam wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Bucky almost reached out and wrapped his hand around Liam's throat to stop him from talking. With Luna listening in the next room, he could only imagine the pain that the prick's words were causing her. He had to end this conversation quickly before Luna began collapsing in on herself again and shut him out.
"Stop talking." Bucky growled. "You are nothing to Luna anymore. Just a bad fucking memory that I'm erasing from her mind piece by piece. She'll forget all about you and what you've done."
"Oh, she'll never forget about me." Liam laughed loudly. "Her father may have broken her as a child, but I destroyed her as a woman. In every way possible. She may lie to you and tell you that she hated it, but I know the truth. She fucking loved it."
Luna dropped her head as she listened to Liam speak. He was so deluded that he thought she wanted him to assault her. Shame washed over her and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. Liam did so many horrible things and she had to fight tooth and nail to get to the point where she felt like she could stand up to him. Why couldn't she have been stronger? Why didn't she fight against him sooner?
She felt Steve place his hand on her shoulder and she fought the urge to shake it off. He was just trying to comfort her like a friend would. She gave him a small smile of thanks and he returned it with one of his own.
"Is Lu here?" She heard Liam say and saw him turn to look at the two way mirror. "You there, Lu? Be a good girl and come on in, sweetie pie."
"We aren't here to talk about Luna. We're here to talk about your connection to Wagner." Bucky finally said in a biting tone.
"I'm his assistant. That's it." Liam sighed as he leaned back in his chair again, his now bored expression matched his tone.
"That's a lie and we both know it. Wagner made you the middleman for his plan to bomb the UN meeting, killing both the president and vice president. You were the one contacting Thomas and Megan. We have a picture proving that you were in contact with him and Megan has identified you as the man who approached her about posing as Thomas's wife.
We've searched your computer and found plenty of incriminating evidence showing that Wagner was offering you a fresh start with the CIA in return for completing a special project for him, but he was smart enough to never say exactly what that project was or how he was planning on getting you reinstated."
Bucky listed off the facts, but Liam never faltered.
"Sounds like you got a whole lot of nothing to me. Everything you just said is circumstantial at best. Thomas is dead and poor Megan went through something traumatizing. There are probably hundreds of other men who look similar to me in this city. As for the project I was working on, Wagner was planning on making a bid in the next presidential election.
He wanted me to gather information regarding the public's opinions on the current administration and some hot button issues. Maybe do a little digging into any hidden secrets that he could turn into a scandal. I can assure you that he didn't ask anyone to build a bomb."
Liam chuckled lightly and scooted further down in his seat, getting more and more comfortable with the lies he was telling.
"He could always lie as if he was telling the God's honest truth." Luna murmured to Steve and Fury, shaking her head.
"Lying for him won't save you." Bucky said darkly, his eyes turning colder the longer he stared at the man across from him.
Bucky wanted to lash out. He wanted to beat Liam until he was unrecognizable for what he did to Luna. The son of a bitch wasn't going to crack just because Bucky was listing off all the evidence they had against him. He was going to have to intimidate him. Scare him enough to make him give them the information they wanted. Liam was egotistical enough to give up Wagner if he thought his life was in danger.
"You're a loose end, Liam. It doesn't matter if you turn on him or not, you're as good as dead." Bucky smirked. "Not that I'd be sad to see someone rip your arms from your body or gouge your eyes out, but unfortunately you have information that we need.
Liam's jaw ticked and his eyes narrowed a fraction at Bucky's words.
"That bullshit intimidation technique won't work on me." He seethed.
"But it's the truth. Wagner is a man with pull in the United States government. Do you really think he's going to let you live out the rest of your life knowing what you know? It's a bit surprising at how näive and just plain stupid you are." Bucky shrugged and rested his elbows on the table.
Liam's relaxed demeanor was vanishing second by second as Bucky's words took root in his mind. He could be loyal until his dying breath, but with Wagner's reputation and freedom at stake Liam knew that he wouldn't take any chances.
"Tell me what you think is going to happen if we request that SHIELD put you into general population in a minimum security prison? Wagner has money, influence, power. He could have you killed in front of the guards and warden and no one would say a word."
Bucky went silent again, letting Liam paint the scene in his own head. His face contorted into realization and then fear. He may be willing to lie for his boss, but he didn't have a death wish.
"I'll offer you a deal here, pal. You tell us everything we need to put Wagner away and SHIELD will make sure to keep you safe until you ultimately die in prison." A wide smile spread across Bucky's face as he finished.
"If you can promise me that I'll be kept out of harm's way, I'll give you everything I have." Liam grimaced.
Luna almost scoffed at how quickly he gave up Wagner. He was more of a coward than she remembered.
"The exact details of the deal depends on the information you can deliver." Bucky said calmly.
"I have a flash drive and files regarding his involvement. They're in a safety deposit box at Liberty Bank in Georgetown. I'll give you all the information to access it."
Bucky nodded and stood looking down at the now terrified man.
"I'll relay the information to Fury and let him know you're willing to help. I'd say it's been a pleasure, but you're a dick, so..."
Bucky turned to leave, but Liam stopped him.
"There's one other thing I want besides assurance that I'll be kept safe." Liam paused a moment before the cocky tone in his voice was back. "I want to see Luna."
Bucky gritted his teeth once again. He hated the idea of Luna being in the same room with Liam, but she was determined to confront him. Bucky relaxed his jaw and spoke without turning to look at Liam.
"Luna is here and wants to speak with you. However, you won't be alone with her and when she speaks, you'll listen. If you don't, I'll fucking cut your tongue out after you've spilled your guts about Wagner."
Bucky walked out and went to the viewing room before Liam could protest.
"Just for the record, I hate this goddamn idea." Bucky grumbled as soon as the door was shut behind him. "That little prick is just going to try and fuck with your head, LuLu. I don't want him tearing you down anymore. Are you sure that you want to do this, doll?"
Luna stepped up to Bucky and wrapped her arms around his neck. She placed a light kiss on his lips and forced herself to smile with more confidence than she was feeling.
"I'm sure. You'll be with me, so I'll be fine." Luna turned and faced Steve and Fury. "However, I don't want the two of you listening and I want the camera and mic turned off."
"You know I can't do that Woods. If something happens in there and we don't have a record of it..."
"Everything will be fine. He's cuffed and we can manage our tempers. After all, I get to move on with my life after this, he's going to be stuck in prison for the rest of his life. That'll be enough to keep me grounded."
Fury scowled and thought about her request before hesitantly agreeing to her request. Once the camera and microphone was turned off, Bucky and Luna walked to the interrogation room and stood outside the door before entering. Steve nodded at them as he walked past with Fury. Luna took a deep breath and grabbed the knob to open the door. Her face twisted into cool indifference as she stepped into the room with Bucky right behind her. Luna sat down in front of a grinning Liam and Bucky leaned on the wall behind his chair.
"I knew you'd come to see me, Lu."
Liam reached his cuffed hands forward and tried to take her hand in his, but she jerked her hand away from him.
"I'm not here because I care about you, asshole. I'm here to let you know that I'm moving on." Luna seethed, but then glanced at Bucky with a fond look. "I'm finally going to be happy with the man I love and I'm not letting you hold me back anymore."
"Fucking whore! You think you can get rid of me that easily?" Liam yelled as his face began reddening with anger. He shot to his feet, but half-way up, Bucky's hand landed on his shoulder and roughly pushed him back into the chair.
"Sit the hell down if you don't want to walk out of here with a permanent limp!" Bucky growled.
Liam huffed and returned his dark gaze back to Luna.
"You beat me, forced me to have sex with you, and tore down my confidence with your words and your mental games for the majority of our relationship. You stole years of my life, Liam, and I'm done letting your actions hold me back. All I ever did was love and support you."
"Support me?! You made me look like a fucking joke! Everyone compared me to the amazing Luna Woods. The girl that could do no wrong. Why couldn't you just pull back and let me look good every once in a while?!" Liam lunged forward and slammed his hands on the table.
"Because you still would've been a shit agent! There would've been another person behind me making you look just as bad because you didn't have what it took!" Luna yelled at him. "You couldn't hack it in the field because you couldn't strategize worth a damn and were always looking for the easy way out, Liam."
Bucky stepped forward expecting Liam to lash out at Luna and he was right. Liam jolted up from the chair and threw himself over the table at Luna, knocking her backwards. He was able to clasp his hands around her throat, but only for a second. Bucky ran forward, but Luna was quicker. Her fist connected with Liam's ear and knocked him to the side. She quickly stood and glared down at him.
"I told myself that everything was my fault. That I was weak and I deserved everything you did, but it was all bullshit. You are the one that's weak. You couldn't control your anger and took it out on me like a toddler throwing a goddamn tantrum!"
Bucky pulled her back to his chest and slid his hands up and down her arms to calm her. Liam rolled onto his side, rubbing at the side of his head, and looked between Luna and Bucky. A smile grew on his face before he began laughing maniacally.
"You think the fucking Winter Soldier is going to be any better than me? He's done worse things than I ever have. And you really think that he's going to love you and take care of you? Fucking pathetic." Liam spat.
"Bucky has helped repair all the pieces you broke. He loves me regardless of who I am. He is nothing like you." Luna crouched in front of Liam and dropped her voice to an emotionless whisper. "After today, I'll never think of you again. I'll never utter your name or let what you did to me become anything other than a distant memory. You mean nothing to me, Liam. I can only hope that what you did to me comes back around to bite you in the ass."
Luna stood up and walked backwards as she held Liam's eyes. She grabbed Bucky's hand and finally turned around, pulling him to the door.
"Luna!" Liam yelled and tried to scramble to his feet. "Luna get back here you fucking cunt!"
Bucky slammed the door behind him and a moment later they heard Liam pounding on the door as he screamed for Luna to come back. They walked down the hallway until the pounding faded away and then Luna slumped against the wall, slipping down it until she sat on the floor with her head in her hands. A rough breath parted her lips and her hands trembled with the adrenaline coursing through her body.
"Are you okay, Luna?" Bucky asked, sitting down next to her and rubbing his hand across her upper back.
"I feel a little sick." She choked out. "I can't believe I did that."
"That took a lot of courage. I'm proud of you, doll."
Bucky's soft voice eased Luna's nerves and she let her hands fall to her lap. She twisted her body to face him and rested her hand on his thigh.
"Thank you for being there with me. I don't think I could have done this without you."
Bucky faced Luna and took her face in his hands.
"I told you, I'm here for you. I always will be."
"I meant what I said, Bucky. You've pieced me back together until the cracks are barely noticeable. The first time I told you that I love you, I was terrified. I'm not anymore." Luna gripped his forearms and leaned into his touch. "I love you so fucking much."
Bucky chuckled and quickly leaned forward to capture her lips in a soft kiss.
"I love you too, doll." Bucky smiled. "Let's go home. I've got a surprise waiting for you."
"What is it?" Luna asked skeptically.
"That's not how surprises work, Luna."
"I hate surprises, Bucky. You know that." Luna groaned.
"You're going to love this one. Just trust me."
Bucky pulled her up and steered her to the jet. He pulled out his phone and discreetly sent a text to Nat before slipping his phone back in his pocket. Before they left, Bucky was able to convince Wanda and Nat to help him set up his surprise by the time they got back to the city. He knew that today would be hard for Luna and he wanted to put a smile on her face. If he knew Luna as well as he thought he did, she was going to love what he had planned.
A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting! I hope the longer chapter makes up for it a bit. Next part coming soon (I promise 😬). Enjoy!