January 23 2026

The first week went by smoothly for Anne, At least for now. She's been focused on her work, finishing up tasks for the congressman and arranging meetings. Everything was going nicely, However the Congressman wasn't exactly talkative. In fact, he barely spoke unless it was necessary She didn't ask personal questions, and he didn't bother saying anything, Everything was respectful and professional between them.

Sydney had become a good friend of Anne, Always checking in and even hang out after work, Evan would also join them and even become a good friend to Anne. She always laughed at his jokes. Winters was happy to make friends on her first week.

Sydney: Really? You never made friends?

Anne: Honestly, I had a small group back at high school, But eventually everything changed, We went on our separate ways.

Sydney: Hmm, No wonder you don't talk much.

Anne: But it's not like I don't like making friends or such.

Sydney: *Chuckles* You're an anti social.

Anne: *Laughs* I don't know if I would say i am.

Sydney: Then what's wrong? What happened that made you sway away from making friends?. . . .Trust issues?

Anne was quiet for a moment, almost in deep thought about something before shaking her head.

Anne: Life just happened. . . People leave, things change. And somewhere along the way, I was focused on building my future.

Sydney's small smile faded away and looked a bit sad but understood what she meant.

Sydney: That's sad honestly.

Anne: Maybe. . . But it made me stronger. I learned how to rely on myself.

Sydney: Yeah, but even the strong ones need people too, you know?

Anne looked at her, surprised by her words but knew she had a point which made her smile a little, Sydney smiled again before nudging Anne with her elbow.

Sydney: And lucky for you, I'm persistent. So you're stuck with me now.

Anne: *Laughs a little* Thanks Sydney.

Sydney: What are office friends for?

Anne: It's only been a week since we met and your already acting like a sister.

Sydney: *Smiles* Oh of course and eventually, I'm gonna drag you out of the office so we can have a girls night out.

Anne: If its about partying, I'm not really into it.

Sydney: *Smirks deviously* Oh we'll see.

Anne laughed again and continued walking, passing by the metal detectors with Sydney, Soon, They were met by Evan who was using his phone before he closed it and put it back in his pocket, smiling at the girls.

Evan: Hey, It's gonna be another busy day.

Sydney: Obviously and Oh, I totally forgot I was supposed to check a few documents.

Anne: I'll need to see what I can do.

Evan: *Whispers* Hey, I wonder how Congressman Barnes walks through the metal detectors.

Winters looked at the metal detectors and realised what he meant, Evan gave a cheeky smile and Anne couldn't help but laugh while Sydney rolled her eyes but she was holding her laughter.

Sydney: You two are unbelievable. . . but that is a good question.

Anne: Now I'm starting to wonder as well.

Evan: Maybe the metal detector just gave up. Like, "Oh no, it's Vibranium again? I quit."

Sydney: *Laughs* Or maybe it starts beeping, and he just glares at it till it shuts off.

Anne couldn't help but laugh a little and looked back at the metal detectors before looking at them.

Anne: I shouldn't be laughing at this.

Evan: *Grins* Hold on, One more. Imagine the first time it happened. Security's like, "Sir, you're setting off the alarm"

Evan mimicked Bucky by raising his arm as Anne was holding her laughter while Sydney was already laughing.

Evan: "Never mind, go right ahead!"

Sydney: I'm telling you, that arm has more clearance than we do!

Anne: *Laughs* Or maybe they just turned them off for him?

Anne couldn't believe she was goofing around with them, But Sydney and Evan never failed to make her laugh and she tries to fit in with them, However she also didn't want to be caught making jokes about the person she's working with.

Sydney: Or maybe they beep and everyone just pretends not to hear it.

Suddenly a soft click from the metal detectors as both of them turned around and saw who it was.

???: Am I interrupting something?

Anne's eyes were widen while Sydney was quiet, trying not to smile, Evan cleared his throat and gave a smile.

Evan: Umm just morning chatter?

Barnes was looking at him before looking at Anne who didn't even share eye contact with, He raised an eyebrow and continued staring at them before walking away as Anne looked at both of them.

Sydney: He definitely heard us.

Evan: And he's not saying anything about it.

Anne: Oh goodness, I think you guys were trying to get me in trouble.

Sydney: Relax, I'm sure it's not bad. We didn't even say anything wrong.

Anne heard a beep on her phone as she opened it and saw a message.

Bucky: [Office]

Anne: Well, Its my cue to leave. . .

She bit her tongue, closing the phone as Sydney and Evan nodded.

Evan: Alright, Good luck. See you soon.

Sydney: Take care, Anne.

She just smiled and walked away as both of them were staring at her before Sydney said something.

Sydney: If she gets in trouble, You're taking the blame.

Evan: Aww man, I mean you're right.

Sydney laughed and kissed his cheek before walking away as Miles had a huge smile on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne walked in the office, fixing her hair and noticed Bucky was already sitting on his chair, looking at his phone before closing it once she entered the room, Both of them stared at each other until he said something.

Bucky: Sit down, Winters.

He sounded calm as Anne nodded, taking a seat as he looked at his phone again before looking back at Anne.

Bucky: I just wanted to ask, How's your first week been?

Anne: Settling in well. The team's been helpful, and the workflow's been steady. . . I can say it's been great.

Bucky continued staring at her and nodded before leaning back on his chair.

Bucky: You're always quiet.

His question surprised her for a moment as Winters glanced at the ground before looking back at him, chuckling.

Anne: I tend to listen more than I talk. . . . Helps me get a read on people.

Bucky: You got a read on me yet?

He tilted his head, smiling a little as Anne looked at him, shaking her head.

Anne: Not yet. . . Not enough data.

She joked as Barnes chuckled at her response which surprised her again and somewhat startled her.

Bucky: But seriously, I appreciate the work you're been doing so far. . . And do keep up with the. . . Steady presence. Not everyone around here is.

Anne had a small smile on her face and nodded, She was doing everything she could to do her job correctly.

Anne: I will, Thank you sir.

Bucky leaned forward, eyes lingering longer then it should as Winters stared back until he said something.

Bucky: Also. . . if anything starts to feel off, or if anyone steps out of line, Doesn't matter who. You come to me first, Don't hide it.

Anne noticed the sincerity and serious tone in his face, She was surprised that he had trust for her. Winters just nodded back.

Anne: Understood.

Bucky: Good. . . Now I'll need you to review the talking points for next week's press briefing. There's a draft in the shared folder, but I want your eyes on it. Cut through the fluff and sharpen what matters. You've got good instincts.

He opened the computer in front of him as Winters got up, walking to his seat and looked at the computer, Barnes was trying to look for the folder but felt confused for a second. Anne noticed his confusion and decided to help him as she opened the files and found the folder.

Bucky: Thank you for that.

Anne: *Smiles* No problem, I'll make sure to finish up soon.

She leaned closer to the computer as Barnes began staring at him, moving his chair to give her some space as he smiled a little before getting up.

Anne opened the file and was about to start reading until the congressman spoke to her.

Bucky: Oh and Anne, You can laugh at the vibranium jokes, I've heard worse.

Anne looked at him and noticed he was smiling at her, It made her crack a smile, remembering the jokes Sydney and Evan cracked.

Bucky: And yes, it sets off every metal detector in the building.

Anne: *Laughs* Noted.

He just nodded and mentioned that he needed to go and talk to someone, Once Barnes left the office, Winters decided to sit down and read the draft, thinking how to edit it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As time passed by, Anne continued working on the draft and was almost done, She looked at the clock and noticed it didn't take too long to finish, Suddenly she heard the door opening and expected the congressman to walk in, But instead, She saw a different person.

???: Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is a noblewoman and chairwoman of O.X.E. and the Director of the CIA. Interested in privatizing global security and gaining power within the United States government, Valentina also sought out to recruit or create powerful individuals to serve as her enforcers.

Valentina walked in confidently with a smirk on her face, Anne looked at her, getting up from her seat and seemed annoyed that she just walked in without knocking.

Anne: Excuse me, We don't have you down for a meeting.

Valentina: Oh, honey, I don't do scheduled.

Anne narrowed her eyes until she noticed a younger woman behind Valentina.

Melissa Joan "Mel" Gold, She is Valentina's assistant.

Mel: *Smiles* Uh Hi, Sorry about her.

Anne looked at Mel who seemed quieter and nicer, She didn't get any bad vibes from her, But for Valentina, It was a different story.

Anne: Well, Miss, You can't just walk into the Congressman's office like this. There's protocol.

Valentina: *Laughs* Protocol is for people without leverage.

Anne: *Annoyed* And disrupting government workspaces is for people who want trouble.

Mel: We really don't mean to cause trouble. She thought it was urgent.

Anne: Still doesn't give her the right to enter like this.

Valentina: It is. Trust me, sweetheart, if I'm here, it's not just for a social call.

She walked and grabbed a candy from the desk as Winters was glaring at her, Mel looked at them awkwardly as Anne took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

Valentina: Also you must be the congressman's new assistant, I'm been hearing the whispers.

Anne: Very "Early" to mention that.

Valentina: Better late then never. *Stares at Anne* Pretty face, nice posture and great dressing, Hmmm I can see why he hired you.

Anne narrowed her eyes again but didn't flinch, She stayed quiet until Mel cleared her throat.

Mel: Okay, okay. Look, We just needed a word with Congressman Barnes, Is he around

Anne: He's currently-

Suddenly they heard the door opening and Bucky walked in, He looked and saw Valentina as his eyes were widen before it narrowed, He looked at Anne and noticed how annoyed she seemed.

Valentina: *Chuckles* Speak of the devil.

Bucky: *Sighs* Val. You didn't mention you'd be dropping by.

Valentina: I'm full of surprises.

He seemed a bit annoyed by her presence as well as Barnes looked at Anne again, Soon, Winters and Mel left the office for a moment while Bucky and Valentina were talking to each other.

Anne stood outside the door, still feeling annoyed until Mel spoke to her.

Mel: So, How did you get into politics?

Anne glared at her which startled Mel, She awkwardly coughed and stared at Anne, knowing she was still angry.

Mel: I'm sorry.

Anne's gaze softened and realised she shouldn't be mad at Mel, She seemed the nicest. Winters shaked her and gave a faint smile.

Anne: It's okay, Sorry. I'm just annoyed at your boss.

Mel: I get it, I'm sorry, I really tried to warn her.

Anne: *Smiles* Its alright.

Mel immediately smiled back, Now Anne felt guilty for being mad at her as both of them continued to stand and even spoke to each other, Eventually after a few minutes, Valentina left the office as Winters stared at her again.

Valentina: It's great to meet you by the way.

Anne: "Pleasent" to meet you as well.

Valentina: *Chuckles* Also fair warning, Politics can get wild, Sweetie. Just hang in there.

She gave her a pat to the shoulder and walked away, Anne glared at her again before Mel smiled and said "Bye" to Winters, Anne's gaze softened and just smiled as she continued watching them before walking in the office.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and stay strong!!! :)