Dedicated to lucidhalos for not only creating such a beautiful cover, but also making my day with your wonderful comments. Also, if you liked wetsuit Bucky... :)

Enjoy!

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"Trusting you was the last thing I expected to do."

NADINE

If Nadine'd had a chance at a normal life, she probably would've become an architect. Anywhere she went, one of the first things she'd look at was the architecture. The colors, the pavements, the arches, everything. She was obsessed with the landscape. No matter the place, she'd find beauty in anything.

Unfortunately, Nadine was never destined to live a normal life. At twenty-five years old, she wasn't prepared in anything but combat, weaponry, and other things someone in the intelligence world would know. The young woman didn't even have a permanent home; she only had Maricota, where she would rest after missions. And because of how she'd been forced into bloodshed at just 8 years old, she'd have to conform with admiring the architecture from afar.

Of course, when you visit a city like Bordeaux, it's incredibly difficult to do. She needed to focus. To help Kaia, they needed to be prepared.

She was now putting the finishing touches on her cover for the night. Emilia, with the help of a contact they'd be using for the night, told Nadine that she'd take care of everything about their identities, and she did. That's how Nadine ended up dressed in a gown that looked like she was wrapped in the night sky. Well, it was more of a comfortable jumpsuit (she did request for something that gave her enough mobility to move, if necessary) but the skirt gave it the illusion of a dress. It was v-neck, exposed her mid-driff, and was long enough for her to hide a handgun in a thigh holster without looking too crazy. Emilia was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Dark hair braided down her back, wine colored lipstick lining her lips, intricate eyeliner that made her eyes look fierce, she silently thanked the celestial powers for Emilia. The woman could transform anyone into any type of person that a mission needed. All she needed were shapeshifting powers and her abilities would be complete.

"How's the bruise?" Emilia questioned, grabbing a golden colored ear cuff and placing it on Nadine's ear. "Built-in earpiece."

She touched the delicate rhinestones on it, eyes drifting towards her covered wrist for a second. "The one I had on my ribs hurt a lot more, trust me."

"Guess it looks worse than it seems. Thank God for long sleeves." Emilia clapped her hands together in pride, her eyes glinting with excitement. "It's official, I'm a miracle worker."

"I'd pinch you if it wasn't for the fact that I love this dress." Motioning for her to turn, Nadine zipped up the side of her teal gown, watching as the simple movement made it compliment her petite frame. Emilia's dress was long as well, but that's where the similarities stopped. It was like teal colored silk, and while the off the shoulder bodice was tight, the skirt cascaded down her legs like an elegant curtain. It also had a slit, so her leg was exposed if she stood a certain way. With her slicked back hair and makeup that made her cheekbones pop, the look had every bit of the glamorous sex appeal Emilia relished to portray.

She was a chameleon, after all.

"Emmi, how do you expect to hide a gun in that dress?"

"I don't," she said simply, giving her friend a shrug. The movement made the dimple on her shoulder visible.

"That's impractical." Nadine pointed out.

"Hasn't stopped me before," Emilia retorted, giving the woman a smirk at seeing her concerned gaze. "Dina, relax. I've got some tricks up my sleeve. Besides, don't think that there won't be guns at that gala. Men always have guns on them."

She had a point, but Nadine didn't like going anywhere unprepared. Yes, she'd improvise if needed be, but she always made sure to be prepared. "But-"

"-No buts." Emilia handed her a black and gold purse, and the side eye she gave Nadine was enough to make her avert her gaze. "I appreciate your paranoia because it shows that you care, but I can take care of myself. Now go check on Muscles and make sure he's properly dressed. And  give him these."

She handed her a small box, and Nadine didn't realize what it was until she opened them. Contact lenses, colored contact lenses. "I don't know how you two ended up together," Emilia muttered, eliciting a snort from her friend. "And Dante's right, it's better that I don't know, but that man's reputation and glorious eyes could get us in trouble. I'd switch his handsome face too if I could, but since it's such short notice..."

"I'll make sure he knows you think he's pretty," Nadine drawled, heading towards the door. "He'll love that."

"Don't worry, you can have him all to yourself!"

She decided to ignore that and left the room, heading into the one next door. When the young woman entered, she's met with an empty one that looked just like the one she was staying at. "Bucky?" she called curiously, almost convinced that he'd run off.

But he didn't, he walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed in a tailored black suit. Emilia had cut and slicked his hair back so it wasn't in his face, and trimmed his facial hair. He looked handsome, though Nadine thought he did from the second he'd smiled the other day. Of course, she wouldn't say it out loud.

In all her thinking, she hadn't realized she was staring, again.

"What?" he inquired, tilting his head to study her with calculating eyes, which snapped her out of her daze. "I look ridiculous, don't I?"

Oh, if only he knew she was thanking Emilia once again. "No, you don't," she replied, awkwardly smoothing her skirt to distract herself from the fact that she had trouble averting her gaze. "You clean up nice."

"Thanks, but I feel ridiculous," he stated, struggling with getting the tie in its place. "And I can't put this fucking thing on."

She chuckled and placed the purse on the bed. The Winter Soldier, one of the world's most notorious assassins, was losing a battle to a necktie. "May I?"

He nodded, taking a few steps towards her to close the space a bit. Nadine could smell some type of cologne on him as she tied it. Was that cinnamon? "There," she whispered, and when she looked up, she found him staring at her. She frowned, suddenly wondering if she had something on her face. "What?"

"Nothing." It's his turn to avert his gaze, and she could've sworn that the tips of his ears looked pink. "I just get whiplash with how much you change your look."

"It's part of the job, Bucky." She teased, grabbing the little box in her purse and handing it to him. "Here, we can't change your face, but at least the eye color will be a distraction. Don't worry, it'll feel like you've got nothing on."

Bucky seemed unsure, but nevertheless he went to the bathroom anyway, Nadine following just to make sure he didn't poke an eye out. It took a few tries, but finally he was able to put them on. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, she was thrown off by how different they looked, and how she didn't like it at all. "How do they look?"

Bland. Ordinary. Nothing like the real ones. "They look real."

Really, that's it? Nice one, Nadine.

He snorted, the corner of his lips turning upwards in a smirk. "James."

"What?"

"My name." His grin widened ever so slightly. "If we're gonna keep getting into some deep shit, might as well..."

"Hilarious," Nadine drawled with an eye roll, but she couldn't hide the smile that threatened to appear. "Well, James, I think we're all set."

• • •

The art gala wasn't any different from all the other events she'd gone to. It was the same pompous extravagance that accompanied the wealthy and the well connected. The venue, which was situated in an old, but incredibly big mansion that reminded her of a castle, was a ballroom that had rich oak paneling, bright red carpeting, intricate golden moldings, and shimmering crystal chandeliers. For tonight, it'd been transformed, so it had a temporary bar in one corner with tables placed near it, while on the other side there were panels depicting the art. In the center of the room there was a space to dance to the band's classical music. The place was impressive, she had to admit that.

But the art wasn't even that good, in her opinion, though that was the point. Overpriced pieces of nothing being sold to people who were looking for ways to spend their vast amount of money. Still, Nadine marked the observation down on her mental list of evidence that confirmed that this wasn't just an ordinary art gala.

Always the same thing, just a different host.

"Do you want anything?" Nadine asked Bucky, her eyes watching the bartender pour champagne in her glass. She wanted to make sure he didn't drug her.

"No, thanks," Bucky replied, studying Emilia from where they stood. The woman was mingling with the guests as part of her act for the night as Henri Delacroix's date. She blended in well. "She's good at that."

"Yeah, she is." Thanking the bartender, she steered Bucky towards a corner where they could look at the crowd. By the way they stood next to each other, to the public eye, it looked like they were flirting with each other. "She enjoys this."

"And what about you?"

"Me?" Nadine didn't need to think about her answer. "I prefer to get my answers differently. These things are always suffoca-shit. No way."

"What?"

"Okay, do you see that man over there, tanned skin, greyish dark hair, looks like a leader of a nation?" Bucky nodded, still confused. "That's François Gauthier. Just inherited his father's company. Now he can add it to the underground business he has."

"What does he sell?"

Nadine was sorting through the file cabinets inside her brain as she thought about François. "High-tech prosthetics, for example. If he's the host, then that means this isn't an art gala at all."

Bucky nodded in understanding, his eyes trained on the man until he disappeared from their line of sight. Suddenly, he looked shellshocked, like he'd been sucker punched. His head quickly turned towards the band, his face pale and looking like he'd seen a ghost. "I know this song."

Nadine turned her head in order to hear. She didn't recognize the song, really. She'd been to so many fancy parties that the music sounded the same to her. Nevertheless, she downed her champagne, extending her hand towards him. "Want to dance?"

He looked surprised, looking at her incredulously. "You're kidding, right?"

"I need a better view of the guests," she replied in a matter of fact tone as she lowered her hand, hiding the pang of annoyance at his rejection. "Maybe I'll finally see Kaia."

Bucky considered her for a second, and she forced herself to keep a straight face as he did so. Finally, he grabbed her glass and discarded it. He slowly brushed her hand with his fingers, as if she'd pull back at the last minute. When she didn't, he grabbed her hand, and started steering her towards the dance-floor. The contact left an unidentifiable sensation in her gut, but she let it go.

Nadine placed a hand on his shoulder, the other intertwining with his gloved, metal hand. His other hand, his flesh hand, rested on the middle of her back, which meant that she became very aware at the feeling of his fingers brushing against her skin in such a soft manner. It gave her goosebumps, though not in the same way as when some stranger would touch her. It was, well, different. It floored her, truly, how handsome he was, especially in the close distance. There was a soft kindness behind his apprehension that she never expected to see and made her stomach flutter.

And she didn't know if that was good or bad.

Though she really needed to get her shit together, she couldn't help but smile. "We're dancing."

"We're swaying," he corrected, his eyes flickering towards her own, lips quirking into a smile. She hated brown eyes on him. "I think that's as far as my dancing abilities can go."

"Did you sway with all the girls back in the forties?"

A flicker of sadness crossed his features as he seemed to get lost in the memories. Nice one, Nadine. "I... I-uh, I did, I guess."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, her tone softer than she realized. "You miss it and I just reminded you of it."

"No, it's fine. Missing it means that at one point it was real. It's not something my head made up, and I'm glad."

She couldn't imagine what it must've been like to have your psyche tortured to the point of not being able to know what's real and what's not. She didn't know what to say, "I'm sorry for the pain you've been through" was never genuine. So, she chose not to say anything at all, just a quiet, "Do you ever wish to be that person again?"

"I'd rather spend time figuring out who I am now," he responded, swallowing hard as his gaze flickered towards lips. "Who I'm going to be."

Nadine didn't respond. A flash of gold had captured her attention before she could. She turned her head slightly, and immediately she locked eyes with the one person she'd been looking for.

Kaia.

She stopped dancing and steered them towards where Kaia was sitting. It's about damn time, she thought, but she wasn't surprised the woman was fashionably late. Kaia Labonair had never been ordinary. She hailed from Amiens, France, her parents having migrated from Guadeloupe, and had been graced with a considerably privileged life. She had a pristine education, a glorious home, and a loving, economically stable family. You'd think she'd be normal with that background, but her family kept many secrets, and those secrets ended up getting her sister killed. It's the reason why she joined SHIELD, even if it went to shit two years after she became an agent.

Now that she was loose, Kaia's living mostly involved trading secrets. Her expertise, after all? Gathering intelligence. She was an expert cipher, with a right hook to match her sharp tongue.

The french woman smiled at Nadine immediately, and she bid farewell to the men that were trying woo her. They gave one look at Bucky and Nadine's general direction and shrank back, letting Kaia go in peace. Must've been their super soldier radar or something.

Kaia finally stood in front of them, looking like she was the latest reincarnation of Aphrodite herself. The gold of her pleated gown and delicate makeup complimented her dark, umber skin beautifully, while her brown, curly hair was in three buns, going vertically down the middle of her head. She was striking, there's no doubt about that, but while she caught Nadine's attention really quickly, it also meant she put a golden target on her back for anyone to take her out.

"Ma chère Nadine," Kaia greeted, her french accent as distinct as ever, and enveloped Nadine in a warm hug. "Did you miss me?"

"Toujours," she replied, but her demeanor turned serious as she looked at the guests over her friend's shoulder. "We need to talk."

"Ah, always business with you, Dina." Kaia let her go, but quickly linked her arms together, motioning for her to follow her to their potential deaths, if they weren't careful. "Never just some fun and drinks. Let's talk."

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WORD TRANSLATION:
1) Ma chère (french)- my dear
2) toujours (french)- always
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A/N: Gala Bucky is such a look

Kaia's look was inspired by:

Because why not

And Emilia's dress was inspired by:

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I definitely enjoyed writing it:)