The House in the Field

"Still nothing." Sam spoke out with a frustrated groan as he slammed the door to the hospital room. They'd been trying for just under a week to try and get the Colonel to talk, but, even in a hospital bed he was still playing games.
"Let me try." Ava spoke out surprising them all as Bucky frowned from the side of her, all eyes on her as she continued to feed her little baby.
"Are you serious?" Bucky asked, "you were so against me capturing him now you want to talk to him?"
"We have a past, I'm not saying he's gonna trust me to talk to me, but, I'm the only one who hasn't tried." She shrugged. "Steve can come in with me." She offered as Steve eyed Bucky not wanting to go against his best friend. He could see the torn look on his face; he couldn't deny that they had all thought maybe it was Ava who could crack him, no one wanted her in there with him.
"If it goes south I'm coming in there to get you out." Bucky finally gave in.
"Nope Ida needs her bath and you can't come in you are sort of my plan." She smiled over at him and at that moment Bucky saw the real Ava.
"How long have you been planning this?" He asked her suspiciously.
"The minute you brought him in. I can't believe you all honestly thought you could crack him with words." She shook her head, placing the finished bottle on table and bringing Ida up to her chest to burp her.

An hour or so later Ava was grabbing her phone ready to go down to the hospital room to face her fears, she glanced over at a sleeping Ida with a small smile. "I love you baby." She whispered kissing her forehead gently as Bucky walked out of the bathroom.
"I don't like this idea. I can't protect you if I'm not with you." He whispered holding her tightly around the waist, she could see the panic in his eyes and stood on her tiptoes to peck his lips.
"Trust me I'll be okay. Besides I've got the next best thing in there with me. Captain America." She smirked up at him as he clenched his jaw. "I love you daddy." She whispered pecking his lips again before he released her from his grip just as Steve knocked on.
"Take care of her Steve, no matter what don't let him hurt her." Bucky spoke to Steve as Ava rolled her eyes at him.
"I'll be back soon." She whispered walking out of the room and leaving Bucky to panic on his own. They quickly reached the room Steve stopping when Ava put her arm in front of the door. "Do you remember last time we went into an interrogation together? Back when I first met you." Ava surprised Steve by asking him.
"Uh yeah, you told me not to stop you." Steve remembered, getting the hint that she was telling him the same thing again. "Okay I get it. You ready?" He asked as she nodded, Steve twisting the handle opening the door allowing Ava to walk in.

"Ahh my little pet I wondered how long it would take for them to bring you in, after all we go way back don't we. So, what you gonna do rip my heart out? Get in my head? Get Captain America to do it?" The smirk evident on his face and voice. Steve watched Ava closely as she calmly took the seat nearest to his bed with a small smile on her lips as she let him rattle on. "How is the killing machine? Rotting in a cell? With any luck he'll be back in the freezer in no time." He carried on trying to provoke her, Ava remaining calm.
"Are you finished?" She asked him finally as he chuckled. "Good. Now it's my turn." She smiled over at him. "You know normally I would have walked in here and slammed my hand into your chest and squeezed all the words out of you, but, I'm a changed woman now." She smiled looking proud.
"You mean you can't do it. Losing your powers. I heard you screaming at him to stop him, you would have been able to stop him. What is it the baby drain it all from you? You must be really pissed off about that, vulnerable and no way of protecting yourself. Protect yourself Ava." He spat out as Steve saw her jaw clench, her hands ball into fists.
"Okay enough!" She shouted. "You are going to start talking and you’re going to start talking now! I want names, I want dates and I want where they are!" She shouted her hands resting on either side of his head as she shoved the bed back so he was lying flat, the groan of pain escaping past his lips.
"No." His simple response came out and Steve was on standby just in case she went any further. Ava stepped back taking a deep breath grabbing her phone from her back pocket quickly bringing up something.
"You see like I said I was a changed woman. Having a child means you make sacrifices, you become a lot more protective. No one messes with your family. I came here because we have something in common believe it or not." She spoke holding the phone up so he could see the picture on the screen clearly. Steve saw his nostrils flare and his body tense. "You see back when you locked me down in your cellar, when you beat me, cut me and starved me; there was someone there who was my friend. Someone who was horrified and helped clean my wounds, who cried over my scars, who snuck food down to me when I hadn't had any for weeks. She asked me who was doing this to me and I knew the resemblance instantly, she has your eyes. She was so sweet and nurturing that at first I thought it was another one of your tests. I didn't have the heart to break hers so I didn't." She told him sitting down. "Funny story I was shopping the other day looking for a swing and slide for my baby you know so we can enjoy the sunshine, I saw a familiar face and she sure recognised me. We're meeting for coffee in about 2 hours. I bet once I ask her life is she's going to tell me her poor old dad is missing and I'll tense up and quickly say I have to leave and she'll ask what is wrong and how am I supposed to lie? I have to set an exceptional standard for my child, don't I?" She asked him with a smirk. "So, let's start again. I want names, dates and how to find them."
"You hurt her in anyway and I will do what I should have done all those years ago, I will kill you. I will kill you in the most brutal of ways." He spat out to her fighting against his restraints as she watched him.
"I would love to see you try. Do not underestimate me Thompson because a mother whose family life is threatened is a mother you don't want to piss off." She snarled in his face and for a moment the Colonel's eyes flashed with fear. "So, when you decide you want to tell us the information press this button, once we get it checked to see if it's legit I'll go see Amber and have a lovely catch up, hey I might even offer to help her find you." She smiled over at him patting his head. "You ready Steve?" She smiled over at her husband’s best friend heading for the door. "I hope Bucky has put up the swing and slide it's a glorious day for family time." She spoke loud enough for him to hear, she smirked when she heard him groan out when he realised Bucky was still free.

It had been an hour since they left the room and surprisingly it had only taken him half an hour to press the buzzer; Ava insisted on waiting to show him that he wasn't in control of the situation. "Once he gives up the information check to make sure it's good. Text me if it is and then we can get out of there." Ava spoke to Natasha and Tony who both nodded their understanding she wanted out as quick as possible. "Captain?" She looked over at him with a nod as he opened the door allowing her to enter the room.
"This little power game of yours isn't going to work!" The prisoner shouted at them as Ava cocked her eyebrow. "I buzzed half an hour ago what took you so long?" He shouted again, the anger clear in his voice.
"I was getting ready for my catch-up coffee that's what." She spoke out coolly, a snide reminder that she had the power of his daughter.
"I can't trust you. I want assurance that you won't hurt her." He told Ava as she frowned. "You sold me out once before." He smirked and Ava was over him in a flash.
"Keep pushing and soon it won't just be her life your begging for." She spat out at him, her eyes glaring at Steve not to move. "So, do you want to try that again?" Her eyes bore into his, the smirk dropping once her hand was wrapped around his throat.
"I thought you would want to know where you came from more, why I chose you." He spluttered out as her grip dropped, her eyes glossing over at the mention of her past. His smirk returned as Steve saw her control drop.
"Ava he's baiting you. He can't and won't tell you that." Steve spoke to her as her gaze shifted to the hero with a small nod.
"How about if I tell you the antidote for dear husband’s word problem." He offered and at that moment Ava was hopeless to stop the words from leaving her mouth.
"I'm listening."

Notes