Second Sphere

Not now

"Hey." Bucky puts his hand on my arm and tugs at it gently.

I shoot Walker one last glare and back off. Zemo starts groaning on the ground as he regains consciousness.

Sam tugs him to his feet. "Come on let's go."

"Hey! We're not done here!" Walker calls out.

I swing back around and Bucky grips my arm again, "Birdy not now." He whispers in my ear. "Not now."

I take a deep breath and we turn leaving Walker and Lemar behind. Sam and Zemo go back to the flat while Bucky and I walk around a bit longer, giving me time to blow off some steam.

"We should have taken the shield from the very beginning." I look up at Bucky, his arm is wrapped around my shoulders as we walk.

He sighs, "Believe me Birdy I want to. But Sam was right we can't just take it." We walk a bit longer before he speaks again "So how did you and Zemo end up there anyways?"

I cringe internally, "Zemo...was persuasive. I let him get to me." I frown. "And the worst part is I don't know if he's right or wrong."

"You know he's just trying to get under your skin, Birdy." Bucky says softly.

"I know. But what if he is right. When he handed me the gun... Buck, I'm still not sure if I would have pulled the trigger or not. I want to say I wouldn't but I hesitated. For so long killing was just what we did, and I went back to it so easily during the blip." I look down at my hands, "I've been corrupted by the serum, by what hydra has done with me. And whatever is within me, that's not something that is just going away. I'm still a killer."

Bucky turns me to face him his hands on my cheeks, "Magdalene, look at me. You and I both, we've made a lot of mistakes. There's a lot of red in our ledgers. But we're trying to fix that, it's not going to be easy. Whatever Zemo said you are, you're not. None of that matters."

He pulls me into a hug and we stay there for a few moments before having to return to apartment where Sam and Zemo are waiting. Zemo is laying on the couch, a glass of whisper in hand and a cloth over his eyes while Sam sits at a table.

"Something's not right about Walker." Bucky says taking off his jacket.

"You don't say." Sam responds, sarcastically.

"Well, I know a crazy when I see one. Because I am crazy." Bucky says as he pours a drink.

I sit down next to Sam.

"Well I can't deny that." Sam says.

"Shouldn't have given him the shield." Bucky tells him.

"I didn't give him the shield." Sam responds, standing up to look at Bucky.

"Well, Steve definitely didn't." Bucky takes a sip of his drink.

The door busts open as Walker kicks in the door. "I'm gonna kick his ass." I mutter as I stand up, my chair screeching on the floor as it slides against the tile. I make my way next to Bucky, trusting he will stop me if I step out of line.

"All right. That's it. Let's go. I'm now ordering you to turn him over." Walker gestures to Zemo.

"Hey slow your roll. Let's be clear. Shield or no shield, the only thing you're running in here is your mouth. Now I had Karli and you overstepped." Sam gestures to Zemo as well, "He's actually proven himself useful today. We're gonna need all hands on deck for whatever's coming next."

"How do you want the rest of this conversation to go Sam, huh?" Walker asks lowly. "Yeah." He chuckles softly, "Should I put down the shield? Make it fair?"