Summary: After a tense meeting with the man who wants to control Belle’s life, the bond between her and Bucky gets even stronger, as they both admit their attraction to the other.
Warnings and other notes: My family immigrated to Canada from England and one of the traditions that my parents shared with me was the pantomime, a family-friendly form of entertainment offered during the Christmas season that was usually based on a traditional folk or fairy tale. It involved music, humour and cross dressing, as well as having a villain that threatened the romance of the young couple in love. The title of this part - Enter the Villain - is a tip of the hat to that tradition. Google the term and you are likely to be directed to several YouTube videos from Sponge Bob Square Pants. Do what you want with that information.
<<Part 2
In the week since Belle moved into the Tower, she had become as familiar to the regular occupants of that building as any one of them who lived or worked there. Her presence at the breakfast table was readily accepted by the others, as her usually sunny disposition seemed to set the tone for the day. Bucky still got up early, went to work out, then met her for breakfast. They rehearsed every day, taking over the yoga studio, during the times when she wasn't working or auditioning. Natasha sometimes joined them, using her own dance knowledge to help them learn the special dance from the movie. She even brought Steve in to dance with her, which brought Bucky a fair amount of amusement, having tried to teach his best friend to dance often when they were much younger.
After rehearsing Bucky and Belle spent much of their time together, becoming closer in a way that had the others watching them with soft smiles. If Belle had an audition or was scheduled to work at the restaurant, Bucky drove her, then hung around, keeping an eye on her surroundings. His diligence paid off several times as he noticed several individuals who seemed to pop up near her more than once. He took photos of them, sending the images to Happy Hogan for identification. One of the individuals was also seen in the background of a photo posted on social media, that was taken outside the building where her old flat was located on the same day it was broken into. He doubted it was a coincidence but Happy couldn't prove the man had anything to do with the break-in.
There had been no sign of the stolen jewelry, lending strength to the belief that they were taken for a specific reason and not by thieves looking to cash in. With a lawyer now retained on Belle's behalf to investigate and formally challenge the expected guardianship application by her mother's cousin, Fraser Whitmore, attention was turned towards finding out more about him. By most accounts, he was a successful businessman, president of a corporation that brokered mergers and takeover deals. Tony had even met him many years before, when Whitmore brought him an offer from an unknown buyer to purchase Stark's robotic weapons division, which was rejected when his own investigations determined the buyer was a shell company for a foreign investor with connections to terrorist organizations. The most revealing part of their investigation of the man's current activities was that he was deeply involved with some foreign oligarch types. There were rumours that his own money was tied up in their financial activities.
"He needs your money," said Tony, who sat in on the latest update from Pepper. "That's what this is, an attempt to get control of your inheritance to use as leverage in his business." Before either Pepper or Belle could protest he beat them to it. "Highly irregular and illegal, which means he's desperate and that means dangerous."
"Would my money make that much difference?" asked Belle. "I mean, aren't oligarchs billionaires?"
"True, but so am I," answered Tony. "They always want more money, more control, and more power. I know how they think because I used to think the same way until I found myself the prisoner of a terrorist group who wanted me to make a bomb. They didn't care that I had money. They wanted my knowledge, and someone I trusted wanted me dead so that he could have control of Stark Industries." Pepper put her hand on his, sympathetically, which made him smile at her. "Took me a while longer to become the person I am now and I still have moments where I guard my possessions like I'm a dragon guarding its hoard." He looked sympathetically at Bucky, then Belle. "I'm so sorry I snapped at you both that morning he moved you in. Barnes was thinking of your safety, and I was thinking that my good nature was being taken advantage of."
"It's okay," said Bucky. "You had no reason to trust my judgement. But what difference does having control of Belle's money make to him? It's a drop in the bucket compared to the fortunes of these oligarchs and even his own fortune."
"Maybe it has to do with the building that the co-op is in," said Tony. "It's a prime location, worth a lot more if it is redeveloped. Or maybe, everything he owns is leveraged to the hilt and he's run out of spending money. I can't help but feel there is something about the whole thing that we're not seeing."
"It was once a bank owned by the Goldsmith family," said Pepper, scanning over a file on her tablet. "Built in the 1830s, it was a reserve bank before the Civil War but when the reserve charters weren't renewed by order of President Andrew Jackson it became a national bank." She stopped briefly, reading some more then resumed. "They became an investment bank after the war, made a fortune in investing in telegraph companies, the railroads, and utility companies." Quickly scanning through the notes, Pepper frowned a little then looked up at Belle. "Your grandmother inherited the building and changed its purpose from a place of business to a residence. It was left to her by her great grandmother, who inherited it from her aunt, who never married." She looked up once more from where she was reading. "She was the last Goldsmith; no male relatives carried on the name. As far as I can tell, ownership of the building since then has always been limited to a female relative. There must be a reason it's always been left to the women."
"Goldsmith?" Tony thought for some time. "Never heard of them."
"Me either," said Pepper. She sighed. "Looks like I've got some more digging to do. Friday? Find out everything about the Goldsmith family and their connection with the National Securities Bank of New York. Prepare a report of the history of the bank from its incorporation, as well as a line of succession in the Goldsmith family, including marriages and associations."
"Yes, Mrs. Stark," replied the female voice of the AI. "There is an incoming call from Miss Martin's attorney, shall I forward it here?"
"Yes, please." It took a moment to hear the lawyer say hello. "Pepper Stark here. You're on speaker with Tony Stark, Belle Martin, and Bucky Barnes. What can I do for you, Mr. Graham?"
"I have received a request from the lawyer of Fraser Whitmore. He wishes to come to Avengers Tower and meet with Miss Martin."
"Why?" Tony blurted it out. "He already decided that she can't take care of her own matters without even meeting her before."
"Officially it is to assess whether his concerns about Miss Martin's current living arrangements can be alleviated with a personal visit." They looked at each other, wondering if Whitmore was on the level. Mr. Graham's next words gave them no doubt about the man's intentions. "Unofficially, my guess is that he wants to size up the competition. He seems to be under the impression that your intentions are the same as his; to control her assets."
"You tell that man that he isn't welcome here," retorted Tony as he began a tirade against Whitmore.
Pepper and the lawyer both tried to reason with him, with the tone become increasingly hostile. Bucky watched Belle carefully, noticing how distressed it was making her. Placing his hand on hers, he looked her in the eyes.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to meet him," said Belle, quietly. She looked at the others then spoke louder, getting their attention. "I want to meet him, and I would rather meet him here than elsewhere. I feel safer here than I do anywhere else."
"I'll be with her," offered Bucky. "We don't let him meet her alone."
"We can make that a condition of the meeting," agreed Mr. Graham. "When would you like the meeting to happen?"
"Tomorrow," answered Belle. "I think the sooner we confront him the better."
It was agreed and Mr. Graham hung up to make the arrangements. Tony tried to talk to Belle about it, but she suddenly stood up and looked at Bucky. He took her hand, as he rose from his chair.
"We're going for a walk," he announced, "in the building."
Pepper smiled at the couple. "Go ahead. I'm sure Tony has something to work on in his lab, while I continue my research into the Goldsmith family and the bank building." She watched as the pair left. "Friday, ask Mr. Hogan to assign more people in accompanying Sergeant Barnes when he escorts Miss Martin off the property. Let's keep it to ourselves and make sure they are discreet. We don't want him to think he's not capable."
As Bucky and Belle took the elevator up to the top of the building, she kept her hand in his, then stepped closer to the glass wall as they rose above the city. In the week that she had been there, she had overcome her discomfort at the expansive view.
"Friday, stop," she said, just before they got to the top.
"What is it?" he asked.
"May I ask you something?" He nodded. "Do you like me?"
"Of course, I like you," he answered. "What's not to like?"
"You didn't when you first met me."
He breathed out, then turned her so that she was facing him. "It wasn't you that I didn't like; it was being pushed into something I wasn't ready for; the charity ball. There was so much I didn't have control over when I was a prisoner of HYDRA. After I was treated to undo the programming that still made me dangerous, I didn't want to fight anymore, then Thanos invaded and I had no choice. If I wanted to come back home, I had to stay here in the Tower and agree to certain conditions, even though Tony didn't want me here at first. Again, I really had no other option."
"Why didn't he want you here?"
It wasn't something that had been publicized when Bucky was finally arrested in Europe, although it would have been found once all the HYDRA files were decrypted. Even in Bucky's legal hearings, they had kept what he did as quiet as possible.
"When I was the Winter Soldier, I killed his parents," he answered. "Even though it's been proven that I had no way to stop them from forcing me, Tony found it hard to forgive me. I can't blame him. I knew his father, was friendly with him, but when HYDRA ordered me to kill him and his wife, I didn't hesitate, as I couldn't disobey the order."
She looked up at the tall, handsome man who looked so sad, while he told her about this. Even though she had sensed he wasn't happy with her when they first met, since then he had been nothing but kind and understanding. In her mind, that was the real Bucky Barnes, not the assassin that HYDRA made.
"I like you," she stated, "very much. With you, I feel safe and that you care."
"I do care." Swallowing, he stepped closer, then he brushed some hair off her cheek. "If I had met you before the war, I might have asked you to be my girl."
"Even if you thought I was weird then?"
"I think if I had spent time with you, I would have thought you were simply different, not weird."
That made her smile, and they both looked at each other's lips, shyly wondering if they should kiss. Slowly, Bucky lowered his head towards Belle's face, until a disembodied voice interrupted them.
"Sergeant Barnes?"
He straightened up. "Yes, Friday?"
"Captain Rogers is wondering where you are. Apparently, you are supposed to be in a mission briefing with him, Agents Romanov, Barton, and Wilson."
Closing his eyes briefly, he breathed out in mild exasperation. "Tell him I forgot. I will be there shortly." Instead of kissing Belle, he raised her hands to his lips, pressing them gently against the back of her fingers. "I'm sorry. There's a reconnaissance mission in a few days to check a suspected HYDRA base and confirm whether it's still operational. I shouldn't tell you that, but I don't want to lie to you."
"I can keep a secret," she smiled. "It's only a short mission, right? It won't interfere with the winter costume ball?"
"That's what they tell me. I promise that I'll do everything possible to be back in time for it."
The doors opened and she walked out, leaving him to get to the briefing on another level. He found it hard to keep his mind on the briefing, as he kept seeing Belle's lips. Holding her while they were dancing was becoming the highlight of his day. He wondered what it would be like to hold her while they were kissing. It took Steve several attempts to get Bucky's attention when he asked him a question about the base layout before he finally snapped out of his reverie and answered. The rest of the briefing wasn't much better as it was obvious he wanted to be elsewhere.
"Friday, where is Miss Martin?" he asked once the briefing was over as he headed for the elevator.
"She's trying on shoes with Maria and Wanda," said Natasha, beating the AI to the answer. "They don't make glass slippers but there are several options."
"They didn't take her out, did they?"
"No, they brought the shoes in. They're in the common room."
Exiting the elevator, they could hear laughter. In the common area were several dozen boxes of dressy shoes and sandals with decorative accents ranging from ribbons to silver cording to crystals. Belle beamed when she saw him, approaching while wearing a see-through pair of pumps adorned with crystals.
"What do you think?" she asked, posing with them. "These are the ones that look most like glass but there is a Jimmy Choo pair covered in crystals that are incredibly beautiful."
"These are very pretty," he answered. "Are they comfortable?"
That brought more laughter from all the women.
"Women's shoes are rarely comfortable," grinned Natasha.
"These aren't bad," admitted Belle. "These are probably the best for dancing. I'm afraid of getting blisters or breaking an ankle if I wore any of the ones with 5-inch heels, although there is a kitten heel option, but it doesn't look as good."
"I wouldn't let you fall," he replied. "We could try dancing with you wearing the higher heels. That way you would know for sure how they feel."
"He's not wrong," said Maria. "Friday, play some waltzing music."
The three women watched as Bucky and Belle assumed the correct position, then started to dance. Even in regular clothes, they looked wonderful together, as he moved her around the furniture. When she switched to the Jimmy Choo pair, they knew those ones would be incredibly beautiful on the dance floor once matched with the dress. She tried one more pair, looking up at his face as they danced. Natasha nudged Wanda and smiled, as Maria leaned closer to murmur that they gave off incredible couple vibes.
All three of them straightened up when the music ended and Bucky offered Belle his arm to return to the seating area. Sitting on the couch, Belle slipped the third pair off and looked carefully at all three pairs that she tried out.
"Well?" asked Natasha. "Can you decide?"
"These are the most comfortable," she answered, picking up the first pair, "but the Jimmy Choos were more comfortable than I thought they would be. How did they look?"
"The Jimmy Choos go best with that dress," said Maria, "as they have the blue toned crystals in them. These first pair have a touch of gold tone in the crystals which wouldn't go with the dress as well."
The other two agreed. Looking closely at all three pairs again, Belle chose the Jimmy Choo pair, looking very satisfied with her choice.
"What about you, Barnes?" asked Natasha. "Do you have to go through this with your costume?"
"No, I tried the boots on at the tailors. They had to adjust the hem of the pants, so they didn't bunch up at the ankle inside the boot, but they had an assortment of boots there for me to try on for the best fit."
With Belle's shoes chosen, the couple returned to rehearsal with her wearing them for their signature dance. She would wear them more in the days to come, so that on the evening of the dance she could wear them for the whole event.
The meeting with Fraser Whitmore was set for eleven in the morning, in a reception room on a lower floor, not wanting to give him access to the residential part of the building. With Belle sharing Bucky's suite, they didn't want to risk Whitmore reading too much into the platonic setup. They followed their usual routine that morning, except for dance rehearsal, but as it got closer to the designated time, Bucky noticed that she was getting anxious.
"You won't let him take me away, will you?"
"No, I won't," he answered, gently taking her hand. "Neither will Pepper. Just breathe with me. You'll be fine."
He led her through several calm, rhythmic breaths, after asking Friday to play some of the calming music he used after having a nightmare. By the time the elevator doors opened, and Pepper and Tony arrived with Fraser Whitmore, Belle was ready to receive him. The other man's behaviour set off all sorts of red flags in Bucky. He had the same type of confidence that Alexander Pierce had, a belief in his own superiority that was more arrogant than anything. Drawing on his ability to keep a neutral attitude he said nothing as Whitmore shook Belle's hand.
"Well, you are the spitting image of your late mother," he said with enough condescension to turn Bucky's stomach. "No wonder Aunt Miranda insisted on taking you in. You must have reminded her so much of Elizabeth."
"Thank you," answered Belle, stiffly. "Granny took me in because she loved me and we were very happy."
"I'm sure you were, but it would have been better if you had gone to private schools that could handle you during difficult times. I remember you as a child acting up inappropriately during many occasions."
"I didn't need handling. I needed understanding and I got that with Granny. I don't remember you at all."
He wasn't expecting Belle to push back. "Well, we can agree to disagree." He looked at Bucky, expectantly. "And you are?"
"James Buchanan Barnes," he replied, shaking the man's hand firmly enough that he winced. "I am Belle's friend. I helped her move out of that illegal flat that she was forced into after she was told she had to move out of the co-op."
"Barnes, is it? Are you insinuating I had anything to do with that decision?"
"It's documented that you objected to her living there."
"I did no such thing." His face reddened. "I won't be insulted like that."
"It's no insult Whitmore," interrupted Tony. "It's a matter of public record. We found out within hours that you objected to her living there and to using her trust fund to pay rent for another place. Your outrage is only because Barnes called you out on it."
"Well, if it's going to be like that, then you might as well know that I will formally apply for conservatorship over Belle. It's obvious that she can't live on her own."
"I did for six months," she declared. "I would have been in that apartment still, paying for it on my own, but someone broke into it and stole Granny's bracelet and earrings, Mom's locket, and chain, and all my cash tips. The police advised me to move, so I did and was fortunate enough to be offered a place here where I am perfectly safe."
"Where you are exposed to a killer on a daily basis? I don't see that as safe."
Bucky's face hardened but Belle put her hand in his and looked defiantly at her mother's cousin.
"He's a much better man than you."
Whitmore took a step towards her, raising his hand part way. Immediately Bucky stepped in front of her while Tony pulled the other man back.
"I wouldn't do that, Fraser. He's very protective of the people in this building and that includes Belle. In fact, we're all protective of her."
"Since you've declared your intentions, I think it only fair to declare ours," said Pepper. "We've retained legal counsel for Belle and once you file your application, he will be requesting all your documentation that forms the basis of it. Since you've made it obvious that you have hostile intentions towards Belle, we'll make sure to file a complaint with the courts that you made a threatening gesture to her."
"It's your word against mine," he answered, smugly.
"We record everything," smiled Tony, just as smugly, "and the recordings are legally admissible. It's on the back of your visitor pass so you can't claim ignorance. By the way, you might want to do a better job with your finances. It's obvious you need Belle's inheritance for your own use. Conservatorship isn't supposed to work that way and if you do get it approved, we will make sure that you aren't appointed to that role."
"I've never felt so insulted," snarled Whitmore, as he shrugged off Tony's hold on him. "You'll regret antagonizing me. I can make life very difficult for all of you."
"Get used to it," said Bucky. "You're just another bully in an expensive suit. Go back to the oligarchs who have control of your finances and hope they don't make you disappear."
Breathing heavily, Whitmore glared at all of them and stomped away. Hogan was already waiting for him in the foyer and made sure he got on the elevator. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Bucky turned around to check on Belle. She wrapped her arms around him, relieved that the encounter was over. Tony and Pepper smiled warmly at the display, then waited until she was ready to talk.
"It's not over, is it?"
"No, we called him out and he's going to double down," said Tony. He looked at Bucky. "I expect that he's going to drag your name through the mud."
"I'm expecting it."
"Still, you held back really well. I was impressed." He reached out and patted Bucky's arm. "We'll stand with you on this. He's still as shady as he was when he tried to broker a deal for our robotic weapons division, back when we still made weapons." He looked at Pepper. "Let's get on the horn to the lawyer and send him the recording of Whitmore raising his hand to Belle."
They left Bucky and Belle alone in the large space. She wrapped herself up in her arms, looking down at the floor.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"A little. Could you hug me?"
He opened his arms again, holding her as she snuggled into him. They stood like that for some time, then she extracted herself and looked up at him.
"Thank you for being here with me. I didn't like him."
"I didn't either. He seemed like a man who is used to getting his own way." Gently, he brushed the back of his fingers against her jaw. "You stood up to him like a champ. I think you surprised him."
"I made him angry." Her eyes became glassy. "He'll say terrible things about you."
"I've heard them before." Leaning down he kissed her forehead. "Don't cry, pretty girl. He doesn't deserve your tears."
"They're for you, Bucky." She placed her palm on his cheek. "You've been through enough."
"I would go through fire for you, Belle. That's the honest truth."
The kiss happened mutually, starting out gently, then became infused with a passion that surprised both of them. For Bucky, it was proof that HYDRA hadn't destroyed the part of him that enjoyed holding a woman in his arms. Kissing her was as good as he imagined it would be. His offer to go through fire for her was sincere and for the first time since the war, Bucky Barnes thought he was in love.
It meant as much to Belle. Even though she had dated and had been with a few men, there had always been an element of detachment in those relationships. A part of her always seemed to hold back and be an observer rather than a full participant. She was fully committed to this moment, allowing herself the experience of being completely engaged with this man. He was her replacement prince and dance partner who had become her champion. It was an almost overwhelming feeling for her, but Belle Martin thought she might be in love for the first time in her life.
Part 4>>
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“Shh, shh. It’s alright, friend. You’re safe. You don’t need to be afraid of anything anymore. No one will yell at you here. No one will scold or shame or subdue you. No one will try to make you feel like you don’t belong. This is my tower, and the other animals can convince you, hopefully, that it’s not so bad, being trapped with me.”
