Red Winter [Bucky Barnes]

Chapter Fourteen: The Bolshoi

The next few hours seems to fly by in a blur, and before I knew it, I was standing backstage at the Bolshoi again. I had the worst case of deja vu, like I had lived this day before a thousand times. Everyone rushes past me in a hurry, and I try to ignore their stares and whispers. They all surely had to have known who I was and what I had become. 

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn my head, hoping to see Barnes to be standing beside me, but it was only Nikolai. "How does it feel to be back home, Katerina," he asks me cooly, his hand sliding down to the swell of my back. I bite down on my tongue as I try to hold back my shiver of disgust. I notice people walking by stealing short glances, smart enough to know what would happen to them if they stared for too long. 

"It's always good to be home in Moscow," I answer through gritted teeth, trying to block out the feeling of his skin against mine. "You have a wonderful group of girls in the program as well. They should all make accomplished agents someday," I continue, stroking his ego in hopes of keeping him on my good side. I was staring to worried that I was becoming too much of a headache for him, especially with what had just happened. 

He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "You don't have to lie to me, Katerina," he whispers into my ear, and I have to stop myself from gagging. "We both know that this place held you back. Look at all that you've accomplished since you left. And after tonight," he pauses as he slides his hand a little lower, "you will be the most valuable asset Hydra has." 

I keep my head held forward, "What about Barnes," I question, wondering what would happen if what he said was true. I thought that he had been the most valuable asset, what would happen to him if he wasn't. I had seen before what happened to people who were no longer useful to him. My heart sinks to my stomach as I remember Alexei's fate; a image of his lifeless body burning in my mind. What if that happened to him?

Nikolai shrugs as his hand moves up my spine, "Barnes will always be an essential asset, but you can get into places that he cannot." His hand pauses at the nape of my neck, "Most people don't look at you and see a threat, Katerina. But we all know what a mistake that is," he chuckles as he pulls his hand away and I notice Dr. Ivan walking in from the corner of my mind, Barnes walking behind him. 

"Glad to see you on your feet, Katerina," Ivan greets me as he eyes me up and down and I felt sick when a familiar emotion began to flood his eyes. He motions for me to turn, and I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. "You'd never know that she was dead just a few hours ago," I overhear Ivan comment to Nikolai, who had now moved to stand beside him. 

They begin to whisper amongst themselves, and out of the corner of my eye I glance up to look at Barnes, trying to suppress a smile when our eyes meet. He looks back at me, his eyes dark with longing, and I watch his body twitch, like he was holding himself back. I wished that I could run into his arms, I wanted so desperately to be back in the safety of our apartment. 

Nikolai opens his mouth as if to say something, but before he could, Vera comes storming in, her cane clutched tightly in her hands. "All of you out," she hisses as she motions for the door, "we have a show to put on and I cannot do it with all of you standing back here." For an extra good measure she slams her cane against the ground, causing everyone to fall silent. 

Both Ivan and Nikolai groan and roll  their eyes, obviously annoyed at being told what to do. Ivan raises his hand in defeat as he heads towards the door, but Nikolai lingers a little longer. He smiles wickedly as he pulls me closer to him. "I left a gift for you in your dressing room," he whispers into my ear before slinking away, "make sure to wear it when you're done."

That's when I notice Barnes standing right behind him and my heart breaks when I see the hurt in his eyes. I knew what he had seen and heard, and I knew how he would perceive it. I step forward and open my mouth to try to explain, but he merely shakes his head as he walks away. My heart sinks low in my chest and I try to ignoring the pricking of tears in my eyes.