Infatuation | Bucky Barnes

Chapter Forty Two

Catherine had been to Paris a few times in her life, mostly with SHIELD. She had never been there for leisure reasons though. She found it to be a strange spot for Steve, Natasha, Wanda and Sam to be laying low, but she didn't question it. It had been three months without the world even seeing a glimpse of them, so their plan must have been working. She landed the quinjet at a private airspace and when they asked her why she was there, she'd lied and said it was for work.

She pulled her hair back into a low bun and slipped on a pair of sunglasses before exiting the quinjet. Steve had sent her some coordinates that lead to a meeting point. She entered it into her phone and cursed Steve mentally for choosing a spot out in the open. It was at a cafe near the Eiffel Tower. She supposed maybe he thought she would enjoy seeing a few sights on her short visit.

She had about a mile walk. Granted she could have taken a cab, but she was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. The last thing she needed was for Tony to find out. She knew she could lie and say that she was just traveling, but she also didn't know if he would believe her or not. At least the weather was nice which made her walk more leisurely.

She suppose she could spot Steve Rogers anywhere even with him attempting to hide his identity. She had only known the man for almost four years. He sat at a small table outside a cafe with a dark blue hat pulled over his face. She stopped in front of him and looked around at the crowd to make sure she wasn't being watched.

"Is this seat taken?" She asked.

Steve looked up at the sound of Catherine's voice. He had not heard it in three months and he would never admit it to her, but he had missed her. He motioned for her to sit down. He could see the tension in her shoulders which worried him. Had she not forgiven him for what happened yet?

Catherine looked at the waiter that stopped at their table. "Puis-je obtenir un cappuccino, du fromage et une planche à craquelins? (Can I get a cappuccino and cheese and cracker board?)"

"You speak French?" Steve said. "I didn't know that."

"Not very well." She tried to sound humble which earned a laugh from Steve.

"Catherine-" Steve tried to speak, but she stopped him.

"If you're about to apologize, don't. I...I forgave you finally a few days ago. It was difficult, but I did. I do have one question, were you ever going to tell me?" She asked.

Steve sighed deeply. "I wanted too, badly. It's just kind of a hard conversation to have with a person. I didn't know when or how I would tell you. I knew that either way, it was going to sound bad."

"I understand." She told him. "Just promise me you'll never lie to me again?"

"I promise, Catherine."

"Anyways, how have you been? And everyone else? I miss having you guys at the compound."

"We're hanging in there. Trying to blend in." Steve answered.

"I saw him. Bucky." She told him.

Steve looked at her surprised. "I told you you would see him again. How is he?"

"He's good. Very good actually. T'Challa's sister, Shuri, she used Hydra's technology to reverse its affects on him. He's still not 100% there, but it's okay." She explained. "He misses you."

"I miss him too, but it's the best place for him. It's better then a prison."

Catherine handed him an envelope. He looked at her confused for a second before opening it. Inside was $10,000 cash. He looked back at her shocked.

"Catherine...I can't take this."

She shook her head. "Yes you can. Use it for hotels, food, anything you guys need."

"Does Tony know about this?" He asked.

"No. It doesn't matter anyways. It's my money." She told him.

"Where did you get this kind of money?"

"I have inheritance from my parents. I haven't really found a reason to use it until now. I just want to make sure you guys are taken care of. You're my friends and I feel bad that I got off easy while you guys are having to run. Please take it."

"Thank you Catherine. It means a lot."

She smiled at him. "You're welcome. I have to go. Tony is expecting me soon. He needs to talk to me about something. Please be careful Steve."

"I will. Hopefully we'll see you again soon."

Avengers Compound

Catherine was exhausted by the time she got back in New York. She didn't really sleep on the plane and the time change was affecting her. As she walked inside the compound, she could see Tony pacing nervously.

"There you are!" He yelled.

"Are you okay?" She asked curiously.

"Not really, but first, how was your trip?" He asked.

She smiled. "Really good and much needed."

Tony kept pacing which was making her nervous. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box. He messed with the box for a couple of seconds and handed it to her. She looked at is suspiciously. She opened it and saw what she assumed was an engagement ring. It was beautiful. It had one big stone in the middle and two on the side.

"Is this-are you proposing to Pepper?" Catherine asked.

"Yes. Hopefully. Maybe. I know we just got back together, but I don't want to lose her again." Tony spat out. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful Tony. I think she'll love it." She told him. "Plus, I would love a sister. Maybe a niece or nephew too."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. What about you? When are you going to settle down?" Tony asked as the two of them sat on the couch.

Catherine looked down at her lap and then back at him. "I-I'm not sure."

She truly didn't know what her future with Bucky held. She loved him, but could she really convince the government to let him back in the US? Could they ever have a normal life?