Hell's Angel [Bucky Barnes]

18 - Surprise Visitors

18 – Surprise Visitors

Sleep eventually won, but it didn't beat James, it beat me.

And I hadn't rested for very long, because when I wake, it's still pitch dark out. I don't wake out of not being able to sleep, I wake because a sixth sense is sending all kinds of alarm bells my way.

My eyes are open, and I can see James' slumped figure in the dark. My ears are attuned to the squeaky hall on the other side of the door. I close my eyes. Deep breaths, Victoria. This won't be like the time HYDRA abducted you. You'll get the drop on them.

I open my eyes again and position myself, ready to throw myself over the couch and face HYDRA head on. I should wake James. But I know better. He needs the sleep, and besides, I can probably take anyone that walks in through that door.

I hear the lock being picked. My muscles tense, and I feel a shot of adrenaline working its way through my system.

When I feel the change in the room, I strike.

With a burst of speed and strength, I throw myself over the couch, and immediately I know I've made a big mistake. One, because I feel my stitches tear through the bandages, which causes me to buckle to the floor and cry out. Two, I hear James startle from behind me. Three, I could've nearly had my head blasted off by Natasha Romanoff.

I hear the light flick on, and I'm huddled in a ball on the floor, feeling the intense pain lick at my open wounds, which, now lifting my shirt up, I can see are bleeding through the patchwork.

"Steve," I hear James say. I hadn't seen Steve Rogers come in after Romanoff, probably because the pain hit me so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. "God damn it."

"Watch what you touch!" I screech as James tries to roll me over onto my back, trying to not aggravate my wounds.

"Hey, not my fault you decided to be stupid. Come on, sit up."

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't pull the trigger," Romanoff says bluntly.

"Yes, thank you for that," I snarl. "Crap." I've stained the floor with blood droplets.

"It's probably way worse than that," says James. "Natasha, help me for a second."

Once James gets me standing, I'm given to Romanoff. He runs into the bathroom, comes back out with a bunch of towels. He begins to set them along the couch. Rogers helps Romanoff to get me to the couch.

"The hell were you thinking?" James murmurs.

"Thought they were HYDRA. Wanted to get the jump on them."

"Good job. You could've clued me in."

"You were sleeping."

"Our damn lives could've been on the line! That's something worth waking me up over, Vick."

"Hey, look, if you guys want to continue this whole thing, we can just leave and wait it out," Romanoff jokes.

James pulls back the bandages, and once again, my body is colored in bright red. Some blots of dark are gushing out. "You ripped them, now I gotta redo them. Great work."

I roll my eyes, before looking towards Romanoff and Rogers. "How'd you find us?"

"We've got an excellent bloodhound," Romanoff jokes, throwing a thumb in Rogers' direction.