Frost

Chapter 39

A threat

"She's a threat!"

"She's grieving!"

The discussion had been going on a little longer and a little louder than anyone would have liked to. It was largely between Colonel Phillips and Howard. Steve sat rather absently at the table, staring at his hands. Peggy stood by the doorframe, rubbing her forehead wearily, while Howard and Phillips continued to snap at each other.

"She froze a whole train" Phillips reminded him and Howard threw his hands up in the air. "That's what you wanted! She stopped the damn train! And she succeeded faster than Jones trying to stop the train!" he retorted, upset. After Ivy saw Bucky fall off the train, she had lost control. She didn't remember doing it, but she had. With a scream, she had turned the fast-moving train into a still standing ice culture. The team was lucky they hadn't got any injuries and the ice hadn't frozen them along with it. Phillips was not at all thrilled.

"She's a threat to my men and unstable," Phillips hissed, and Howard slammed his hands on the table, making Peggy wince. Ivy wasn't here. She was in her room. If Phillips had his way, he would have preferred to ship her off somewhere else. He had known of her abilities, but after today, he saw her as a threat, an unstable bomb that could blow everyone to their deaths at any second.

"She watched the man she had hoped to spend a lifetime with die! She's grieving, goddammit! And on top of that, she's one of our greatest assets!" Howard hissed back. He'd had enough of this conversation. He would much rather be with his sister right now, who needed him more than he needed this conversation. He himself was shocked and grieving. Yes, he wasn't Bucky's best friend, but he had respected him and had begun to see him as a part of the family, as he was especially important to Ivy. Ivy, who was now still alone in her room.

"I will not expose my men to any threat," "Touch my sister and I will make sure not a single weapon of mine is in your hands" Howard threatened and Phillips looked at him in shock. Peggy's eyes widened as well and she opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't know what. Steve continued to remain silent, still somewhere else in his thoughts.

"You're threatening me and you're willing to lose the war?" inquired Phillips in horror. Howard straightened up and took a few steps toward Phillips so that he was standing directly in front of him. "For my sister, without blinking," he hissed before angrily stalking out of the room, violently slamming the door behind him.

~°~

"I'm Bucky, and you, doll?"

"Why can't you just call me Ivy? Everyone does, don't they?" "I don't want to be like everyone else, though."

"And if you had a choice?" "Then I would live in this moment forever."

"Because I love you."

"I think I'm falling in love with you, Bucky Barnes."

"You're different, but there's nothing wrong with you."

"I love you."

"Keep it. I want you to have it."

"I'll always protect you."

"I only care about the way you look at me."

"I would rather die than live my life without you."