CHAPTER TWO —
( I don't think you're ready for Fifty Shades of Grey. )

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Money was slapped down onto the table, and Angelina let her eyes look down at the amount she was given. She looked back up at the man. "That's it? Really?"

Andrew Miller was one of the Captains of a Police Department in Manhattan, New York. He wasn't the man that decided Angelina's pay. That was whatever bail bondsman that would contact Captain Miller to use Angelina as their Bounty Hunter. Occasionally, Captain Miller would contact a bail bondsman he knew so that he could use Angelina and her skills to do the dirty work instead of getting his police department to do it. He didn't want a dirty reputation, and Angelina was okay with doing his dirty work instead.

"You injured your target, Wilson," he said as he leant back in his chair.

"He was trying to run away!" she exclaimed.

"And then you also stabbed two other people who weren't even on your contract," he added.

"It was self-defence," Angelina gave a dry laugh. "One of them had a knife."

Captain Miller shook his head. "I saw the footage, Wilson. You didn't need to stab them. You had the situation handled."

"Miller, come on," she said desperately. "I'm not like the rest of you; I don't get paid weekly and hourly. I get paid per contract, you know that. And that may be once a week or two, depending on how badly you need me."

"You decided to become a Bounty Hunter," he told her. "You had an excellent job as a CIA Agent, but you left that."

"I had to."

Captain Miller sighed and leant forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "It wasn't your fault that half the planet disappeared."

"I know, but..." she sighed. "I still blame myself."

Captain Miller shook his head and leant back. "Whatever you say, Wilson. I'll text you if someone contacts me with another contract, but until then, go home. Relax. Maybe even go socialise for once."

Angelina picked up the cash before her, put it into her bag, and then walked out of the office. She looked around at the busy police officers and the detectives, all working at their desks or standing aside, chatting to each other. Angelina sighed when she realised she'd be heading back to her apartment in Manhattan.

She made her way through the precinct, weaving past countless people, with a couple congratulating her on her recent contract when one of the officers fell into step with her.

"Good work on your recent contract, Wilson," he said.

"Thanks, Martin," Angelina replied. She continued to walk towards the elevator, noticing how he was following her.

"Look...Um, I was wondering if you'd like to go out and grab a coffee sometime?" he asked. "You don't have to, of course. I'm not much, I know. I just thought I should shoot my shot and go for it, y'know?"

Angelina reached the elevator and pushed the down button. "Look, Martin, you don't want to hang around me, alright? I bring bad luck."

"I think I should be the one to decide my luck for myself," he said.

The doors opened, and Angelina stepped in. She turned around to face him and gave him a small smile. "Martin, you're a good guy." He nodded with a small sigh, and at his defeated face, Angelina pointed over towards another person seated at a desk. "Go ask Melissa, she'll probably say yes. She's liked you for a while now."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

Angelina leaned over, pressed the 'ground' button, and nodded. "Yeah, go for it." And the doors closed.

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Angelina turned her key in the keyhole, opened the door, and entered her small yet comfortable apartment. After locking the door, she placed her keys in a small bowl on her kitchen countertop and headed towards her bedroom. She removed her boots, changed into track pants and a baggy shirt, and returned to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she realised she had few food options and mumbled, "I need to go grocery shopping." She grabbed a carton of pineapple juice and made her way to the couch.

As she settled into the couch's soft cushions, she stretched out her legs and let out a long, contented sigh as she sipped her refreshing juice. Without warning, she felt the couch dip slightly next to her and glanced down to see her small, grey Ragdoll cat, Lilo, snuggling up against her. Gently, she wrapped her arm around the cat, feeling its soft fur and hearing its comforting purr. Taking in the simple decor of her home, Angelina let out a wistful sigh and softly murmured, "Home, sweet home."

As she settled into a state of relaxation, her serenity was abruptly shattered by the piercing sound of her ringing phone. She let out a frustrated groan as she reluctantly rose from her comfortable spot to retrieve the phone resting on the kitchen counter. Despite her irritation, a faint smile graced her lips as she glanced at the caller ID and decided to answer the call, opting to use the speakerphone function.

"Hi, this is Bounty Hunter Angelina Wilson. How can I help you?"

Sarah chuckled on the other end. "Seriously, Ang? Is that how you answer the phone?"

"Only with my siblings," Angelina replied. "How're you doing?"

"I'm alright, still working out the boat. You?"

"I'm okay. Work is still eventful, so I still have things to do."

"Sounds good."

Lilo jumped onto the bench, and Angelina ran a hand through her fur. "Why'd you call? Is something up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the boat."

Angelina sighed. "Mom and Dad's boat?" Sarah hummed on the other end. "You can't sell it, you know that."

"I have to. The boat's broken and turned to trash. I need the cash," Sarah explained.

Angelina's brow furrowed in concern. "Are you seriously going to go through with it?"

She took a moment before responding. "Sam and I have discussed it. He doesn't want it gone, either, but I feel like I need to do this. I know you weren't as close to them, so you don't have the same attachment, but I just..." Her voice trailed off as she took a deep breath. "Do you think this is the right choice?"

"Perhaps you could consider fixing it up? You could ask Sam to come over and spend time with you and the kids and help out." Under her breath, she muttered, "'Bout time he visits his family."

"Are you saying you haven't seen him since he returned from the blip?" Sarah inquired, concern evident in her voice.

Angelina let out an exasperated sigh. "No, he hasn't reached out to me. That's on him. It's been over seven years since I last saw him. I think I can handle a little more waiting."

Sarah let out a weary sigh, opting not to argue with her younger sister, fully aware that Angelina could go on all night if provoked. "Okay, thank you, Ang. I'll see if Sam can drop by."

"Is that Aunt Ang?"

A warm smile brightened Angelina's face. "AJ? Cass? Is that you?"

"Aunt Angie!" AJ's voice exclaimed.

"When will you come to visit?" Cass inquired.

"Soon. I know how much you both adore spending time with Lilo." Lilo responded with a contented purr.

"And with you, of course."

Angelina chuckled softly. "Of course." A knock sounded on her front door, and Angelina frowned as she poked her head around the corner. The knock was quiet and sounded hesitant. She also noted that it was late at night and hadn't ordered food. "Aunt Angie has to go now, but I'll see you two soon."

"Love you, Aunt Ang!"

"Love you, guys! Love you, Sarah. Call or text me when Sam responds."

"Of course. Love you too, sis."

Angelina slammed the phone down, startled by another forceful knock at the door. "I'm coming!" she shouted, making her way to the door with a sigh. She unlocked it and swung the door open, expecting to see her neighbour standing there, but to her surprise, it was someone else.

The man cleared his throat and introduced himself in a rehearsed manner. "Hi, I am James 'Bucky' Barnes. I am no longer the Winter Soldier, and you're part of my efforts to make amends."

There was a moment of silence as Angelina gazed at the man before her, who appeared vulnerable and lost. Aware of her lack of reaction, he waited for her response. After a pause, he cleared his throat, seemingly unsure what to do next. "Umm, look. I just wanted to say that—"

Angelina threw her fist forward and punched his nose, then as he stumbled back, she stepped forward and grabbed onto his shoulders and kneed his stomach. Angelina jumped up and flipped Bucky's body over her own, and the two landed on the ground with a thud. Bucky didn't make any attempt to move as Angelina turned her body around and straddled his stomach, kicked one leg out to the side to pin his vibranium arm down, and used her left hand to pin his other arm while her right stayed prepared to punch him again if the time came to it.

"I promise I'm not here to kill you," he quickly told her, his blue eyes staring and pleading with Angelina's dark glare.

Lilo approached Bucky with a gentle, padded stride, her fluffy feet making almost no sound as she moved. Without a word, she leaned in and gave Bucky's nose a few delicate licks. Angelina, observing the scene, quietly shifted her position, moving her leg away from Bucky's arm. "I know," she said as she stood up and headed toward the fridge while Bucky slowly got to his feet. "Tissues are on the counter. Please clean up your nose before you bleed out on my floor."

Bucky observed the woman cautiously as she retrieved an ice pack from the freezer. She wrapped it in a tea towel and approached Bucky, handing it to him. "Thank you," he murmured, and she nodded in response.

Angelina gazed at Bucky, her elbows resting on the counter, while Bucky stood opposite, holding an ice pack against his broken nose. "Why are you here?" she inquired.

Bucky removed the ice pack and sighed. "I just wanted to apologise for what I did to you in 2012," he spoke, his eyes full of sadness and trauma. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about Tom Williams, and I'm sorry for attacking you."

"Why?"

He furrowed his brow. "Why am I sorry?"

"Why didn't you kill me? I should be dead," she insisted, her eyes searching his face for answers.

Bucky's expression darkened. "I don't remember."

"Yes, you do." Angelina rose from the bench just as Lilo leapt onto it. "I should be dead because the Winter Soldier never misses. He never leaves a target behind, no matter who he goes up against."

"I don't..." Bucky shook his head, looking down at his gloved hand as he breathed a deep, heavy sigh. "I don't remember. I'm sorry."

Angelina nodded and watched Lilo snuggle against Bucky, but he tried to keep his distance from her. "You can pat her. She doesn't bite," Angelina said. Bucky nodded and raised his hand, patting the very smitten cat. Angelina opened her top kitchen cabinet and turned to look at Bucky. "Coffee or tea?"

Bucky frowned. "Do I want coffee or tea?" he asked.

Angelina raised her eyebrows with an amused smirk. "Yes. Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?"

"Um, neither, thank you. But I am normally a coffee person," he replied.

"Okay, cool, because I don't have any tea," she said, closing the cabinet.

"Then why did you ask?" Bucky asked.

"To be polite," Angelina explained as she walked back to her bench and leaned against it. "Do you need me to snap your nose back into place?"

"Oh, ah, no, it's fine." Bucky raised his gloved vibranium hand, snapped his broken nose back into place, and then continued patting Lilo.

"Her name's Lilo."

"After the Disney movie? Um..."

Angelina watched Bucky in amusement as she said, "Lilo and Stitch?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Have you seen it?"

"No, it's not on my list."

Angelina frowned. "You have a list?"

"Yeah. My friend gave me his list of movies, singers and books that came out between 1945 and now," he replied, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small notebook.

"Well, you should add Lilo and Stitch to that list. It's a beautiful movie," Angelina told him. Bucky nodded, pulled out a pen and scribbled it down. "Do you have any other Disney movies?"

"No, umm... I don't think so. My friend's wife would've made him watch all the movies anyway, so he never added them to the list."

Angelina held her hand out. "May I?"

"Ahh, sure," Bucky hesitantly said, handing over the notebook.

Angelina looked down at what was scribbled down and immediately raised her eyebrows at one of the albums scribbled onto the page. "Trouble Man. Friend recommend it?"

"Yeah. Sam did."

Angelina hummed in response. "Star Wars is alright. You need to add Pulp Fiction. One of the best movies of all time."

"I've heard about it. Drugs, gangs... I'm not really into all of that."

Angelina took the pen from Bucky's hand. "You don't need to be into those things to watch it. I don't take drugs and am not in a gang, yet I think it's an incredible movie." She scribbled the movie onto the page. "Glad to see Queen and ABBA are on here. Steve has good taste. Should throw in Fleetwood Mac and Guns N' Roses. They're some of my favourites."

"I'm not really into today's music. I only really like forties music," Bucky admitted.

Angelina's eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "Forties music? So, swing music? Music you can slow dance with your partner to or throw them around?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I loved dancing back then, and I haven't danced since."

Angelina continued to jot down a few more suggestions in the book, including some timeless novels, classic movies, and iconic bands that she loved from when she was younger until now. "I've written down a couple more things and made sure to keep things more PG. I don't think you're ready for Fifty Shades of Grey."

"Fifty Shades of Grey?" he repeated curiously.

Angelina smirked a little. "Don't ask." She returned his notebook and then scooped up Lilo, cradling her in her arms. "I was right in the middle of something when you showed up."

"Yeah, I should probably get going," Bucky said, getting to his feet.

"I'll walk you out."

Leaving the ice pack on the counter, Bucky followed Angelina back to the front door, casting glances around her sparsely decorated apartment. Aside from essential furniture and a few cat-related items, there was little sign of personal belongings. It didn't even look like Angelina Wilson lived there.

When Angelina opened her door and turned to face Bucky, they locked eyes, and in that moment, it felt as if an unspoken connection had passed between them. Angelina's deep, rich, chocolate-coloured eyes reflected an understanding of Bucky's pain and suffering. Bucky could sense that Angelina recognised his own struggles mirrored in her gaze.

Bucky made his way through the doorway, but Angelina halted him with a gentle touch. "You need to go easy on yourself," she told him, making him turn back around. "It wasn't your fault, and it was beyond your control. You're not the Winter Soldier; you're Bucky," she reminded him. "Also, if you ever need more movie and music recommendations, you know where to find me."

Bucky managed a small smile. "Okay. Thank you, Angel."

Angelina returned the smile. "See you around, Bucky."

AUTHORS NOTES
My babies :') So smol, already in love (kind of, not really)
Let me know what you think!! And don't forget to like and comment <3
Pheebs/-rosepetal