Fire and Ice - (Bucky Barnes x OC) 18+

Chapter 44

Soft beige walls and bright coloured wallpaper surrounded Alex as she sat in a room on a blue couch facing a therapist. After months of being put under scrutiny, every mission was recon and if she wasn't on a recon mission, she was benched and confined within the many walls of the compound.

Despite the success with every single mission she was sent on, the government made the mandatory request that she be assessed by a therapist. If she decided against the idea of sitting through an assessment, then she'd have to attend therapy once a week for the foreseeable future and hell if she was going to do that.

Alex gazed out the floor to ceiling windows. The garden out there seemed to cry out for help, needing better care and pruning. The woman in front of her sat with one leg crossed over the other, note book on her lap and pen in hand. 

She looked middle aged with effects of her life showing on her face. As if she'd seen all sorts of things over the years. A few wrinkles showed up on the outer corners of her eyes and creased in her forehead. Though, her strong jaw clenched as she put her glasses on and inhaled before speaking.

"Hello Alexandra. My name's Dr. Christina Raynor."

Alex nodded her acknowledgement, bringing her gaze to meet the doctor and giving her a courteous smile.

"Hi,"

The doctor seemed kind but then again so did many people who turned out to be anything but that. Alex had a thing about strangers for good reason. She didn't need a psych to tell her which people were good or bad, her magic and intuition did that.

"How are you today?" Christina asked.

"Great."

"Do you know why you're here?"

"The government doesn't trust me to not turn on them." Alex answered honestly, it was the truth after all.

"Well, yes that is part of it however, they want me to see if you are mentally doing well," The doctor glanced between them at the dark blue carpet.

"I can assure you, i'm perfectly fine up here." Alex gestured with her index finger to her temple and then lowered her hand.

"Are you having any nightmares?" Christina asked.

"No."

"What about memory flashbacks?"

"No."

The doctor exhaled through her nose in annoyance. "I've been doing this for a really long time, i know when people are lying,"

"Oh do you now, wow, that's an amazing skillset to have doc, also—congratulations on your long career that i don't care about. But just to clarify, i'm not lying." Alex responded with her Stark sass dropping in for a visit. 

She knew a thing or two about how therapists, or rather, most of them worked. A rare few actually cared enough and wanted to help, didn't judge, didn't treat you like you were insane—but the majority...they always had the tendency to mind fuck you. Trip you up within your own story and make you feel worser than you did prior to stepping foot into their office.

Alex wasn't lying. She didn't have nightmares anymore thanks to Bucky because they healed each other. They shared their pain and talked about everything and anything together. Memory flashbacks—well...Alex didn't have them much anymore either but it all depended on triggers.

"Well, you seem a little off today, did something happen recently?"

"Yeah, i keep getting benched from actual missions because the government doesn't trust me," Alex stated casually but there was snark in her tone.