“…suddenly there came a tapping…” by @tllgrrl aka nefertiri jones
Sarah Wilson/Bucky Barnes, Valentina de la Fontaine | <500 Words | SFW
Summary: After dinner, an unexpected visitor shows up on Sarah’s porch.
* * * * *
Post-dinner clean-up is done, Cass and AJ have commandeered the dining room table with homework, and Bucky is also there on his laptop, offering assistance when needed while he’s doing some preliminary research for Sam’s upcoming mission with Team Cap.
Sarah is in the mudroom taking a load of towels out of the dryer when a tapping is heard at the front screen door.
“I’ll get it,” she says softly, gently squeezing Bucky’s shoulder as she walks past him.
He catches her hand, and kisses it.
“Alright now,” she giggles.
He looks over his shoulder, watching her walk away before turning back to his laptop. He continues studying the maps and notes, but he also listens.
Stepping up to the door, Sarah’s smile fades a little as she sees a short, very well tailored White woman standing there, typing something into an impressive cellphone.
It’s the latest model with a lot of camera lenses on it.
“Hello,” Sarah says, trying not to stare at the large streak of purple in the woman’s otherwise black, highly coiffed hair. “May I help you?“
Quickly glancing over the tiny woman’s shoulder, she sees a black SUV parked at the end of the walkway, and an also very-well-tailored (and serious-looking) black-suited White man standing next to it.
There’s another one in the driver’s seat.
The woman on the other side of the screen door looks up from her phone, smiles an overly bright smile that stops at her eyes, and introduces herself as “Director Valentina de la Fontaine” as if it was supposed to mean something.
“Is Sergeant Barnes in? Sergeant James Barnes.”
The Director looks past Sarah, and on a wall she sees a photo hanging in the middle of a bunch of what looks like family pictures that span several decades.
That center photo, though in an old frame, is very new and immediately catches her eye.
It’s Barnes in a suit and tie, smiling broadly, standing just behind a radiant Black woman who is wearing a pretty yellow dress. She’s holding a bouquet of yellow and blue flowers. His arms are wrapped around her.
Standing in front of them are two young Black boys also in suits but wearing low top Chucks sneakers. Like the happy couple, they’re also grinning ear to ear.
The woman in that photo is the tall, frankly stunning Black woman that’s now standing in front of her. The photo pictured on the fancy cell phone screen identifies her as Sarah Wilson, recently having become Sarah Wilson-Barnes, which now makes this Retrieval even more complicated.
Director de la Fontaine has no patience for complications.
12 hours later…
On a private jet to Langley, Bucky Barnes is not a happy man.
* * * * *
After seeing the Thunderbolts* teaser trailer that Marvel dropped, I’m still thinking that Bucky is going to be tasked with babysitting, and finally joining up to work beside, the Messy Avengers. But how did all that happen? I got some Thoughts that start with this little ficlet that’s been on my mind for a minute, ever since the lineup was announced.
Thanks for indulging me and giving it a read. Feel free to let me know how you think it all went down.
(ADDENDUM: A little flash-forward is HERE in a moodboard drabble.)
