Chapter Thirty-Three

"Of course they'd get caught," Delaney muttered to herself, storming along the sidewalk. "Of course Rhodey would be there. Of course King T'Challa would have enhanced superhuman abilities. Of course nearly the entire bloody police force would surround them and go after Bucky. Of. Bloody. Course."

She spat out the words between her gritted teeth. People who passed her veered out of her way and anxious glances over their shoulders.

Let them. She wasn't happy, she would be the first to admit that.

She had thought Steve and Sam would be fast. But it hadn't been enough. It seemed everyone in the world was after Bucky Barnes – and now Steve and Sam were in hot water for breaking the Accords.

So Delaney was fulfilling her earlier promise, and was going to rescue her best friend, and her boyfriend.

She knew the place would be heavily guarded. Delaney had a small stunner on her, and a knife down her boot in case things turned ugly.

She hadn't expected to not even make it to the building.

So consumed in her own frustration, she hadn't paused to think, oh, hang on, they have the Winter Soldier locked up here, of course security won't even be remotely lax. She'd only been determined to reach the other two people within.

As soon as she saw Tony approach, Delaney knew there was no way she could fight.

Police officers? Sure. 

Tony Stark? That was an entirely different matter.

He raised his hand as she approached. "Hypnosis! I've been expecting you."

They came to a standstill in front of each other. Delaney raised an eyebrow.

"That easy to read, am I?" She glanced over her shoulder. "No back up?"

"No. I convinced Ross you wouldn't attack."

"Tony, did you borrow my power for a moment? Because I don't see how that could be possible."

"Ah, young Lane, when you have a silver tongue like I do, you can make many things go your way."

Delaney snorted and pressed her lips tightly together to prevent herself from dissolving into hysterics. She couldn't stop her shoulders shaking, however.

Tony folded his arms. "You don't believe me?"

Delaney somehow managed to straighten her features out somewhat. "'Course not."

Tony squinted at her. Delaney rolled her eyes, sighed, and hit him on the shoulder. "Tony, this is getting ridiculous."

"It is, isn't it? Especially when we have more serious matters on hand. Don't worry," he said, when Delaney opened her mouth, "Rogers and Wilson are fine. They're not even in a cell."

"Really?"

Delaney's eyes were wide. She'd thought that Ross would have ordered them both locked away at the earliest opportunity.

Tony nodded. "Yeah. Though in the case of Barnes..." He sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "To keep him out of too much trouble, it looks like the best we can do is get both Rogers and Wilson to sign the Accords, and Barnes gets sent to a ward."

Delaney's heart stilled. "No," she breathed.

Time slowed down. She groaned and held her face in her hands. She knew Steve would do anything for his best friend, even this, but he wouldn't even remotely like it. It was an arrangement that would make him miserable.

"I don't like it either," Tony said heavily. "But my hands are tied. This is the best solution I can conjure."

Delaney nodded. "I know." Her voice was thick. "Could I –"

"See them? I'm afraid not. Ross has given strict orders that you're not even to lay an eye on them, or step within the premises."

Delaney eyes fluttered closed.

"But -"

His voice made Delaney's eyes reopen. She gasped: he was holding a phone out to her.

He placed a finger on his lips. "I can allow you two to communicate for no more than five minutes."

Wordlessly, she took it. The phone was the weight of gold in her hands.

Delaney threw her arms around Tony. "Thank you."

He patted her awkwardly on the back. "Be quick about it, Junior. And bring that back when you've finished."

Delaney grinned and scampered off to an area that was out of sight from prying eyes, like a young child who had just snatched the last remaining cookie.

When she believed it safe she established a video contact. She could easily contact Steve whenever she wished, but she wanted to see him and make sure he was okay. She couldn't gather a visual image of him through their minds.

A screen flickered to life, revealing both Steve and Sam. Both their faces split into grins when they saw her.

"How are you?" Delaney asked frantically. She peered into both their faces, searching for cuts or bruises (there weren't any). She then studied their surrounds as best she could. They appeared comfortable: they sat in chairs, and she couldn't see any bars.

"We're fine," Sam said. "Barely a scratch. Though my suit was confiscated, as was Cap's shield."

"What?"

A pair of birds fluttered away in alarm at the volume of Delaney's shriek.

Steve didn't react – though she saw irritation flash in his eyes. "It's fine. At least Bucky's not dead."

"And that's all that matters, right?"

Delaney tried to keep her tone light, though it was hard when her body was so tense. She loved that Steve was so loyal, but it scared her, the lengths he was willing to go to for those he cared even the slightest about. She resolved not to get herself into such a situation so Steve wouldn't ever have to go to such lengths for her.

He always put himself before others. She shook her head.

"It does," Steve sighed. "Though the repercussions are – undesirable."

"I heard." Delaney frowned. "I see now why you didn't want me on this mission. How are you feeling?"

"Not very happy," Sam said brightly. "But we'll see how this unfolds. We'll make do, we always have."

"Mm."

Delaney checked the time.

"We'd better wrap up, Tony could only secure a connection for five minutes. I had to make sure you were okay, though."

"We'll be fine," Steve reassured. "Don't worry about us, just look after yourself. As Sam said, we'll make do."

Delaney smiled sadly and saluted. "Understood, Captain. Good luck fighting the justice system."

They all had to laugh at that. Final goodbyes were exchanged and then their connection terminated.

Delaney stared at the blank screen for a moment longer before she jogged back to where she'd left Tony. He was still waiting for her.

"Thank you so much for that," she said, placing the device back in his hand.

Tony winked. "No problem, Junior. I managed to book you a place nearby, by the way, so you're not doing too much constant travel. You should be comfortable."

Delaney's mouth dropped.

"You do too much." She hugged Tony once again. "Thank you so much. For everything."

"Hey, I'm a generous man. And besides, you look like death. If anyone needs a good night's sleep, you do."

+++

Tony was right. It had been more than a day since Delaney had slept. She just couldn't sleep on planes. When Delaney checked into her room, she collapsed on the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

She woke up hours later. Groggy as she was, she knew she'd appreciate that rest later in the day. She called for food to be brought to her room, as her clothes were wrinkled and her spares were still with Sharon. She couldn't present herself as a slob.

It arrived quickly: croissants, fruit, and orange juice. Delaney switched on the television and munched contentedly, feeling more alive with each mouthful.

She was just having her final sip of juice when breaking news cut across the current program. Delaney bolted upright, suddenly more alert than ever.

She didn't understand German, but her eyes worked. And they saw images of the building Bucky had been held in, as well as photos of the Winter Soldier, along with Steve and Sam. She could even make out their names amidst the torrent of German.

Instantly she was reaching out with her mind. Steve! I just woke up, and I'm seeing the news. What happened?

Lane, thank goodness. He relayed to her the day's events: Bucky was innocent. Someone had controlled him in the building and set him up for the bombing. So much destruction had been unleashed...

Delaney sank lower into the bed with every word she spoke.

What now?

I don't know. Stay where you are for now, I don't want you coming under suspicion unless absolutely necessary. I'll tell you more when Buck regains consciousness.

Okay. Stay safe. I love you.

As I love you.

Their connection broke. Delaney leaned back and stared blankly at the ceiling.

She just wanted to fall asleep again. Fall into her dreams and forget all the chaos surrounding her and the people she loved above all else.

Only problem?

She'd never felt more awake.