The Clone

12.

Steve stands in the debriefing room with the Avengers, except for Tony and Bucky, he takes a breath and looks to his watch.

"Who are we waiting for?" Wanda asks, Steve sighs.

"Bucky, but I can tell him later" Steve then paces a little, hands clasped behind his back. "Okay...." He then starts telling them about the whole cloning thing, and Sara. Everyone but Thor looks surprised, shocked, he looks confused.

..............

Bucky sits on the floor near the labs clenching and unfurling his metal fingers on his knee. Steve knew that Bucky likes Sara, that he wanted to get to know her better, that he's working out whether she is another obsession or whether this is something more, Bucky believes it is something more. And Steve....Steve did...that. Bucky growls. Bucky hangs his head and clenches his fist.

"Hey" Sara states approaching him. He should have gone somewhere private, somewhere hidden but he just couldn't move past this point. "Steve's looking for you" Sara tells him, Bucky is staring at her from under his hair. "He has something to tell all of you" Bucky is still just....staring. "Bucky?" she asks. "Is everything okay?" she asks, and then he is pretty much launching himself at her. The fingers of his metal arm wrapping around her neck. Sara gasps clawing at the metal arm. "Bucky" she begs trying to push his hand off of her. "Bucky...stop" he lifts her up, her feet trying to get purchase on the floor. "Please" she whispers trying to grab at his fingers trying to pry them off of her. She lifts a leg and presses her knee into his chest trying to push him off of her, but she doesn't want to hurt him, he slams her back against the wall and she cries out a little, pushes her leg up higher and wraps it around his metal arm while pulling his fingers, one by one from her throat, she sucks in air when she can before his flesh hand grabs her leg and pulls it from him, his metal fingers tightening again. "Bucky!!" she snaps, black spots appearing in the corners of her eyes, as she becomes light headed and dizzy.

"Buck!" Steve snaps pulling Bucky off of Sara who falls to her knees gasping for air, Steve throws Bucky down the corridor and away from her and stands in front of her protectively, Bucky looks down at Sara who coughs and looks up at him, his eyes slowly softening, realisation washing over him.

"I'm sorry" Bucky tells her. "I'm so sorry" he turns and hurries away. Steve turns to Sara and helps her to her feet.

"Go" she pushes Steve. "Make sure he's okay"

"I've got her" Tony states with a glare moving to his sister. "We'll talk about this later" he adds to Steve who nods and runs off after Bucky, Tony lifts Sara's chin and touches her neck.

....................

Bucky paces his bedroom, his mind and arm whirling away. He had his fingers around her neck, he was actually squeezing the life out of her and he wasn't going to stop. Sara. He closes his eyes. Steve enters the room and closes the door behind him.

"Bucky" Steve starts. "What happened?" Bucky's arm whirls and he turns to Steve.

"I heard you....the two of you talking, you were holding hands and talking about telling the team.....you know that I..." Bucky turns away. "I like her"

"I know" Steve assures him.

"But you....you and...her" Bucky adds, Steve frowns at him.

"You think me and.....Sara?" Steve asks.

"What other explanation is there?!" Bucky snaps. "How could you do this to me?"

"She's my clone" Steve corrects Bucky who looks up at him.

"A clone?" Bucky asks. Steve crosses his arms over his chest.

"She was created to be me" Steve explains. "To be an exact copy of me.....It makes her...." Steve sighs and shakes his head. "It means she's pretty much my sister" Bucky looks away and frowns before his eyes widen.