[Virginia AU] we rose up from the falling waters

[nerves_of_ice]

A little over a week goes by, and as it does Bucky falls into a pattern, slow but sure. He wakes with Sharon in the mornings, shares coffee and something that suffices for breakfast, then works a little on searches and checking contacts and sources from other time zones and locations. Mid-morning finds him at the Task Force offices with Riley and his team. Early afternoon finds him meeting with Ross, if there's any reason to; mid-afternoon he checks in with Steve, with Tony, or with Natasha before he goes back to tracing rumors and hints.

Today's different, though. Today is Sharon's first day back at work after her suspension, and Bucky's determined not to do a single damn thing that might possibly make it difficult for her.

Comments

[from_the_outside]

She barely slept last night, her mind on everything she needs to do in the morning, and she'd only eaten breakfast because Bucky watches her like a hawk if she doesn't. For the first time since he'd arrived, she goes in with him to HQ, grimly pleased to think of getting her things back from HR.

"Do you know where my office is?" she asks him, as they head into the building. "I need to go get reinstated, and then I'll be heading up there until Ross calls me in."

[nerves_of_ice]

He nods. He'd had no official reason to know, but he'd ferreted the information out anyway.

"I'm working out of Riley's space," he reminds her. "I'm usually around there unless I'm called to a specific meeting somewhere."

It hasn't been long enough for people who specialize in terrorism response to forget the Winter Soldier. He's pretty sure that a hundred years won't be long enough. As a result, Bucky's trying to stay under the radar when he's not actively representing the Avengers in some way.

[from_the_outside]

She nods back. "Okay," she tells him, and smiles, bright and pleased and a little teasing. "Then have a good day, dear."

She won't lean in to kiss him here – they might be doing this aboveboard, finally, but there's a time and a place – but she reaches to squeeze his fingers, brief and fond. "See you later."

[nerves_of_ice]

He presses her fingers and gives her a small, quick flash of a smile before he lets go. "See you later, Agent Carter."

Bucky goes on in, heading for one of the strangely-laid-out staircases, the one near the food court which goes all the way to the roof and which also brings him out not far from the analyst team's workspace.

[from_the_outside]

Between her reinstatement and her relationship with Bucky, it takes an annoyingly long time to wade through the paperwork at HR. She does, however, get to watch that one HR clerk cringe every time Bucky's name is brought up.

Poor guy's probably having nightmares about Bucky's paperwork.

Finally, she makes it to her office and can open her laptop to start wading through emails. She skims most of them, filtering them for later, only paying attention to those from Ross, any of the Avengers, or Ingrid and Riley. She's on her second cup of coffee and her third round of email maintenance when a message pings onto her screen, from Ross.

Come see me. Details on new assignment.

He hadn't emailed them to her, which is interesting. Sharon gives her computer a last glance and shuts it down, then heads out the glass door of her office, heading for Ross's without delay.

[nerves_of_ice]

He's frowning over what looks like an emerging pattern in rumors of sales when his computer flashes at him. Report, says the message with Ross's ID. My office.

Bucky gives an internal shrug, closes operations, and heads out with a nod for Avis on the way. He thinks she appreciates it that he doesn't push her to talk, but of course asking would defeat the purpose.

[from_the_outside]

She greets Marta as she heads into Ross's office, and the woman waves her through with a smile. "Welcome back, Agent Carter," she says, and Sharon smiles back before knocking on Ross's door.

A terse "Come!" sounds from beyond it, and she rolls her eyes at Marta before pulling the door open and entering. "Sir," she says.

He glances up at her from his pile of paperwork. "Take a seat, Carter," he tells her. "We're waiting for one more."

[nerves_of_ice]

Nothing's on fire when he gets there, and no one's running around in the halls with more tension than usual, all of which he figures is a good sign. "Hi," he tells Marta, who smiles at him and waves him to the door.

Bucky raps on it, opens it at Ross's sharp response, and manages not to do a double-take or outwardly react as he spots Sharon sitting there, too. "Deputy Commander," he says, neutral, shutting the door behind him. "Agent Carter."

[from_the_outside]

"Sergeant," Ross says. He sounds annoyed, and Sharon pushes down a smile. Seems her gruff old boss still hasn't been won over by Bucky's charm. "Join us."

He looks at her and she lifts her eyebrows, keeping her expression neutral. "I invited Barnes here because I've had him chasing down some leads which pertain to your next mission."

"Cool," Sharon says, and ignores his exasperation. "What've we got?"

[from_the_outside]

Busan glitters like a disco ball in the night, and no one gives them a second glance as they stroll through the fish market, Sharon in her white dress on Ross's arm, the rest of the team behind them. "Sophia," she says, warmly, and exchanges air kisses with the woman, her pink visor and plastic apron both bright. She knows to expect them, and after she pats Sharon fondly on the cheek, she nods them through.

But not all of them. Bucky's somewhere, in the dark, watching and waiting, as are a few other agents. Sharon doesn't allow herself to glance in his direction before she goes in; she wouldn't be able to see him, anyway, and he'll be able to hear and speak to her easily enough.

The team spreads through the casino, voices low in her ear. She stays by Ross, playing the part of arm candy, applauding when he wins and consoling him when he loses.

There's no sign of Klaue yet, and the metal briefcase full of diamonds stays locked to the wrist of one of the other agents. "I'm going to get a drink," Sharon murmurs to Ross, and makes her way through the crowd to the bar.

The martinis here are fine, but not as good as Nat's.

[nerves_of_ice]

He has a good angle from the perch he's secured two floors above the street, hidden in the shadows. If Klaue comes out the front of the building, he'll be able to apprehend or to track him; if he goes out a different exit they'll have enough warning for him to go over the roof and still apprehend or track him. The hardest thing is to wait, but he's used to that.

So are the other agents Sharon's selected for this mission. It helps that he'd shared Tony's tech with them, he figures. The two in the van three streets away are quietly keeping the rest of the outside team updated on what they're seeing from the pin-sized camera embedded in one of Ross's shirt buttons.

A bitten-off oath from one of them rasps in his ear. "Is that the f-- freakin' king of Wakanda?"

Bucky comes to instant attention and focuses on the door with near-preternatural intensity.

[marvel_npc]

His father is dead.

His father, King T'Chaka, is dead, and all their intelligence points to Ulysses Klaue somehow being involved. The man will be here tonight, they have learned, to sell off his stolen goods and profit from Wakanda's mourning, and T'Challa will not allow it to happen.

"Eyes up," he hears Nakia whisper. "Americans."

It is not difficult to spot them - or one of them, at least. He knows this man, somewhat, having met him while on one or another diplomatic mission at his father's side, learning what he would eventually need to know to rule--

T'Challa fights off the wave of grief and rage that threatens to drown him and focuses on Everett Ross, instead. ""Just spotted an old friend who works for the CIA," he murmurs.

[from_the_outside]

She hears Ross's exasperated sigh at approximately the same moment as she locks eyes with Nakia.

"Not just the king," Sharon says, low. Their glances meet, then slide away from each other, and Nakia murmurs something of her own. "An old colleague of mine from Wakanda is here, too."

And it's probably not just the two of them, either. Somehow, they got wind of this deal, and she has the sinking suspicion they're not here to play nice about their stolen vibranium. "Eyes open. This might get messy."

Coming up to the bar, she smiles at the tender and orders a martini. Only then does she allow her glance to return to the woman in green sitting a seat away.

"What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" she asks, keeping her voice to a low murmur. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Prince – no, King T'Challa making his way toward Ross.

Nakia smiles. "I could ask you the same thing."

[marvel_npc]

He casts a dismissive glance over the table and the betting line as he moves up beside the other man. "Agent Ross."

"Your highness." Ross has the sense to keep it low, which he had figured; they are drawing no untoward attention. "What are you doing here?"

"You are buying from Klaue," T'Challa starts, only for Ross to interrupt him sharply.

"What I'm doing on behalf of the U.S. government is none of your concern. Now do me a favor and stay the hell out of my way."

[from_the_outside]

She doesn't let herself wince as Ross argues with the King – to her credit, Nakia doesn't, either, although her expression turns just a little wry. I heard good things about this place," she says, thanking the bartender with a smile and taking a sip of her drink. "But I think the tables are getting cold. You might have better luck somewhere else tonight."

"Oh, no, here is exactly where we need to be," Nakia tells her, lightly, and tips her head toward T'Challa. "But if the tables are not to your liking perhaps you should go. We could even meet later, to catch up."

"We do have a lot to catch up on," Sharon murmurs, listening as Ross and T'Challa argue. "But I really think you and your date would have a better night somewhere else."

[nerves_of_ice]

He listens silently as Ross warns them all of the presence of Wakanda's king - T'Challa, he remembers, that's the guy's name - and reiterates that he can't be allowed to leave with Klaue. From what he can hear, which he'd bet is more than the Task Force can with their more-standard earpieces, it doesn't sound like T'Challa's inclined to cooperate.

"I am not here to make a deal," comes through clear as day, and Bucky sighs. "On it," he murmurs. "If they come out with him, I'll pick Klaue up then."

[from_the_outside]

Things are going really well, she can tell. Even Nakia's gorgeous smile looks a little fixed. Sharon keeps her glance off Ross and the king – there's just nothing she can do about it right this second - and gives Nakia a slightly wry smile instead.

"But I have to say," she murmurs. "It's nice to see you again."

[marvel_npc]

Morning comes, and with it comes clarity on some things... but not enough on others. He watches once more the videos Shuri had sent him, then checks on the estimated arrival time for Tony Stark before leaving his chambers to make his way through the Citadel.

The question of what to do with the outsiders lays heavily on his mind as he strolls. They have saved the woman: does that call his debt to them repaid? But now an Avenger brings this Erik Stevens and Klaue's corpse to Wakanda's borders. Is there any hope now left of keeping Wakanda's secrets?

Is that even still the correct path to take?

He knocks quietly at the suite door on arrival, then clasps his hands behind his back and waits, expression mild, for someone to answer.

[nerves_of_ice]

Sharon and Ross have gone into the other room to discuss things pertinent to the current situation that affect the Task Force but not to the Avengers. Bucky didn't push. Liaison or not, he's not a Task Force agent... and he's beginning to think that Ross might be a decent enough guy, enough to cut him some slack.

When the soft knock sounds, Bucky eyes the door and goes to answer it, but doesn't pull it open yet, not without knowing who's outside.

"Yes?"

[marvel_npc]

"Good morning, Sergeant," T'Challa says, mild.

"Do you have a moment to speak with me?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He’s opening the door as soon as he recognizes the voice.

“Of course.” Bucky stands out of the way so the other man can enter. “Uh, good morning.”

[marvel_npc]

"Good morning," T'Challa says, again, as he comes into the room. His Dora escort stands well back, but casts a suspicious glance at the closing door.

"I hope you were comfortable here last night, Sergeant?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“Very,” he says, simply.

“Sharon’s in with Deputy Commander Ross. I can go get them.”

[marvel_npc]

"In a moment," T'Challa says, lifting one hand.

But his expressions softens when he adds: "I hope Agent Carter is feeling much better. Is she recuperating well?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“She is,” he confirms, even as misgiving sinks into his bones. “I’d have said it was impossible. You saved her life.”

Bucky draws a slow breath, then lets it out. “So, thank you. I owe you pretty much anything you want of me, for that.”