Chapter One: The Chain

"That concludes my press conference. Thank you for your time." Donatella nodded towards the crowd of reporters. She walked off the stage, escorted by a member of Stark's security detail, and climbed into a limousine, also a part of Stark's security.

"There she is, the woman that cured cancer!" Tony whooped, popping open a bottle of champagne and pouring it into two glasses. She thanked him, taking her own glass and swirling the golden liquid inside, watching the bubbles stream to the top with disinterest.

"It's not a cure, Tony. It's a treatment." she sighed, taking a sip, relishing in the sweet flavor.

"A treatment with zero side effects and a 99% effectiveness rate." he raised his glass in a mock toast before downing the flute in one go. "I'd say it's a cure."

"It's 98.6% actually, please don't flub the numbers." she corrected him as he poured another glass.

"Tomato tomato." Tony waved her corrections off. "Might I add, I love the new look. That orangey-copper is a good color on you." he motioned towards her new hair. She'd gotten it cut into a new style, parted down the middle with some curtain bangs, the ends going just past her collarbones and curling slightly. Plus, obviously, the new color.

"I figured I needed a change." she sighed, leaning back. She had let the stylist do what she wanted, within reason of course, as long as it was kept appropriate for business.

"I'm really getting a Daphne from Scooby-Doo vibe." he mentioned with a grin, glancing down at her monochrome lavender dress suit. She frowned at the color, reminiscing about the last time her shirt had been so lilac. Bucharest with Buck.

"Jeepers." she muttered sarcastically, taking another swig of her champagne. "I'll really miss this banter while I'm in Wakanda." she smiled at him.

"I can't believe you're ditching me for that furry. It wounds me. And Peter too, you know." he pouted, pouring more into their glasses.

"I'm not ditching you! I'll be gone for two months, max." she rolled her eyes. He sighed, raising his glass again.

"To your new super secret project." he frowned.

"I wish I knew what I agreed to." she laughed, clinking her champagne flute against his.

"I still can't believe you said yes to that crazy proposal." Tony sighed, shaking his head at her. "They wouldn't even tell you anything about what you were going to do there."

"I'm okay with that." she shrugged. "It's better than sitting here, torturing myself because of…" she trailed off, staring back into her glass.

"Listen." Tony leaned forwards, putting his hand on her knee comfortingly. "The man has obviously made his choice. Same as Steve. If he doesn't think you're worth coming back for, then forget about him. He doesn't deserve you." she swallowed, hard.

"I know, Tony." she replied quietly. "I know." he had walked in on her sobbing far too many times to want to support her and Bucky anymore. She had lost all hope for any sort of reunion between them. Almost six months had gone by without any sign of him. And she was past the mourning stage. She was angry. Angry that he'd abandoned her without a second thought. She was angry that she wasted so much goddamn time on him, fought with him, and then he had the audacity to decide she wasn't worth it. What happened to being in this together? Apparently once he got what he needed from her, that sentiment flew out the window. She didn't expect him to choose between her and Steve. But for fucks sake, she wasn't even a blip on his radar. Not even an after-thought. And she swore if she never saw him again it'd be too soon. She needed to stop her track record of bad breakups.

"The kid is waiting for you back at the compound. He's insisted on seeing you off." Tony checked his phone as the limo approached the maximum security gates.

"He'd better not cry." she grumbled, reaching for her door handle as they pulled into the parking garage.

"Donnie!" she heard a shout as she stepped out, a figure speeding up to meet her in a hug. "Do you have to go?" the kid was taller than he had been the first time they'd met, his head over the top of hers by at least a full inch now.

"I mean, yeah. Wouldn't you kill for this opportunity, kid?" she asked, patting him on the back.

"You're right, I would. Instead of going by yourself, take me with you? Please?" he pulled back, clutching his hands like he was praying.

"Peter, I'd love to have my number one assistant with me, but I kind of wasn't allowed to bring anyone." she shrugged, stepping backwards and smoothing her suit out.

"You can smuggle me." he offered.

"Kid, you have school." She reminded him. "I need you to actually graduate so you can work with me at Stark industries, remember? I thought we had big plans for that."

"Yeah, yeah, okay Donnie. Whatever you say." He rolled his eyes, stepping forward to wrap her in another hug. "Just FaceTime me every day, okay?"

"Of course. Tell May I say hi. And let me know if you need anything. Anything at all, okay? I'll even let you throw a rager at my house as long as you help Janita clean up. Actually, no please don't go to any raging parties. It's not worth it, you'll regret it!" She called out behind her as she headed towards the quinjet that would take her to Wakanda.

"Listen to her kid, she knows what's best for you!" She heard Tony laugh, and an annoyed whine from Peter was the last thing she heard before she got too close to the engines of the jet, successfully blocking any more noise. She turned, waving at the two men who had become huge pieces of her life over the past few months, her heart sinking as she realized she wouldn't see them for the foreseeable future.

"Goodbye!" she shouted, hoping her words reached them. She saw them waving, Peter jumping while flapping both arms around, their mouths moving with their goodbyes. She climbed inside the jet, sighing to herself as she pulled her phone from her pocket. No messages. She had drifted apart from Karina after her disappearance and subsequent house arrest, which was really not a surprise. What was more surprising was that she hadn't received a text back from Pepper, whom she had been helping out with wedding dress shopping. The engagement between Tony and Pepper was to be a long one, but the women had been bouncing ideas off each other in preparation for the important event. It was nice to have a female friend that she didn't have to keep secrets from.

Once she was in her seat, strapped down tightly, the pilot took off, letting her know it would be around five hours before they landed in Wakanda. The speed that the quinjet could go at was much faster than commercial flights, which she was very grateful for. It would be hard to spend ten hours in the sky alone. And she really was alone, she realized. Nobody was around her. She no longer had Bucky. Sure, she constantly thought of him. Her heart ached at her memories of the time they shared together. When they first met. Of course, it was different then, they hadn't been so…

She would say close for lack of a better word. After that, it was hard to imagine life without him. Especially after they'd gotten together. But none of that… none of it was really real. She was sure that if they hadn't been isolated, if they had known each other in any other situation, then they would not have been together. Probably wouldn't have glanced at each other twice. But there was something… real, very real that she couldn't deny transpired between them. It was a true dependence, a true sense of love and trust. She'd gone through hell for him, and he left her stranded. What kind of person did that? Said they loved someone and then forgot about them. Was it possible he'd played her? That he'd… he'd just planned the whole thing to use her?

It hurt, but it was possible. She squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath. It hurt, it really hurt to think that he'd done that to her, but it could be true. He was an assassin, nothing that transpired between them could have been legitimate. He knew how to keep deep cover. He knew how to get what he wanted, how to get people to trust him. And she trusted him so much, so deeply, so irrevocably so that she still doubted he could do something like that to her. But she had to move on. It was the only way to survive. Eat or be eaten. Kill or be killed. That would be something Bucky would say. Use others before they can use you. She pursed her lips, sniffling as she realized she was tearing up. She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to diminish the tears as to not ruin her makeup. It would be nice to look at least presentable for her first visit to Wakanda.

A nervous feeling fluttered deep in her stomach. She was about to work on a top secret project with the princess of Wakanda. What if Princess Shuri despised her after meeting her? She was really nothing special. She bit her lip, looking down into her purse to check to see if her pink lipstick was inside. It was. She pulled the tube out with shaking hands, using a pocket mirror to apply the color to her pale lips. She pressed them together, checking herself in the mirror before glancing down at her watch. She'd spent two hours lost in her thoughts. Only three to go. She glanced down at her reflection again, smoothing her hair, checking to make sure her eyebrows were in place. She was as good as she'd ever get. When she noticed that there was a small screen, she boredly unlocked it, excited to realize there were dumb, time-wasting games on it that would keep her mind occupied.

After many, many levels of Candy Crush later, the pilot's voice crackled to life through the speakers.

"We will be descending in fifteen minutes. King T'Challa and Princess Shuri will meet you in the courtyard." he announced, and she took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves. Seeing T'Challa again would be awkward, it was hard to get over the fact that he wanted to kill her boyfriend… ex-boyfriend. It hurt to remind herself of that fact. And meeting Shuri for the first time would be nerve wracking. The woman was a genius, young and intelligent, much like Tony Stark to the extreme. When the jet touched the ground she sucked in a breath nervously. She stood, gripping her purse tightly in both hands as the hatch opened, revealing the stylish footwear of two people waiting for her in the courtyard. She stepped out, her purple pumps clacking across the metal of the hatch.

"Dr. Belucci!" King T'Challa's voice rang out as he stepped forward to greet her.

"Your highnesses." She nodded her head, hoping to show the proper respect.

"Please, call me Shuri." The girl stepped forwards, her hair pulled back into a sensible, yet stylish coif. "It's a pleasure to meet you Doctor, I'm very impressed with your work."

"Thank you, Shuri. You can call me Don." She held out a hand to shake the girl's. She was younger, not by a whole lot, but she was still a girl in her eyes.

"Now that we've all become acquainted, I feel as if I should show you our workspace. Your rooms will be located in the palace for the time being, your things have already been taken there." Shuri explained, leading her towards a grand entrance that somehow dwarfed the surrounding trees. "We will be working underground in the heart of the lab." She explained as she veered towards an elevator.

"How many labs are there in the palace?" She asked the princess, glancing around at the gleaming interior of the palace. She didn't get much of a look as she had to get in the elevator, but she was extremely impressed.

"The main laboratory is underground, but our observatory, medical lab, training grounds, and experimental wing are all located in this area. I will have an escort give you a full tour in due time, but for now we will just need to show you a few key areas." Shuri explained, the elevator doors opening. Donatella stepped out and gasped, staring up at her high tech surroundings.

"Oh wow, this puts Starks labs to shame." She murmured, stepping towards a table to hesitantly glance over the digital plans for some sort of weapon. She frowned. "Am I to be working on weaponry? I feel as if I'm not the best person for that sort of job…" she trailed off as Shuri moved ahead.

"Working with weapons would be a waste of your talents. No, we are working on artificial limb implants and paralysis treatment using vibranium. We have some plans started for artificial hearts, but there is one special project we would like to go over with you tomorrow." Shuri called as she walked through a pair of sliding glass doors.

"Artificial hearts? That's ambitious." She replied as she followed the princess.

"Ambition is the key to creating success. We will not wait around for advancements. We seek it out." Shuri smiles at her.

"I respect that, Shuri." Donatella laughed as she approached a wall filled with plans, seemingly for the artificial hearts. "This is amazing. Vibranium is precious in more ways than one, it seems. No other element could perform this way in the body without risk of rejection." She felt awe shine in her voice, and felt slightly embarrassed.

"Now that you have seen the most important part of the palace, I have something to show you. This may be even more important to you." Shuri smiled coyly, leading her back to the elevator.

"Even more important?" Don echoed. Shuri just smiled back, not disclosing any more information. She frowned, following the princess as she led her back out of the palace. "Where are we going?" She asked as they approached a small lake, or river? Donatella wasn't sure, she couldn't see the end of it. It was quite beautiful, she had to admit. The sun was beginning to go down, casting rich red and orange hues over the lush landscape. She glanced at her reflection in the water, and the golden glow from the sun was causing her hair to gleam like bright copper. The new color was quite pretty, she had to admit.

"Come this way, I would like to show you someone." Shuri tugged her arm, bringing her close to a small hut near the edge of the water. Birds chirped nearby, a few buzzing gnats making a noise but they didn't come near enough to bother her.

"Who is it?" She began to feel dread pooling in her stomach. Some person who needed medical attention? She wasn't sure what to expect, and she'd only known the princess for a few minutes.

"You'll see. Wait right here." She grinned, planting her just outside the hut. She sat there, fidgeting with the strap on her purse and nibbling on her lip. It really was quite beautiful out here. The temperature was perfect, only a touch too warm as it neared nighttime. She heard rustling inside the hut, murmuring voices before Shuri appeared, a shadowed figure behind her. "Come on out, Mr. White Wolf." She grinned, stepping aside to reveal…

"Donatella." Bucky breathed. Her breath stuttered in her throat and she swore her heart stopped for a minute. She looked over him. He was wearing a red sort of robe with a tied neck, exposing one golden muscled arm while covering the other. She realized with a jolt that his metal arm was missing. She was slightly dazed for only a moment longer, until he said her name again and stepped towards her. He looked absolutely glorious, her heart wrenched at the sight of his face. He looked healthy, happy, his eyes lit up at her...

She balled up her fist, reeling back and punching him in the jaw. Hard.

"Eat shit!" She snarled, whirling on her heel and pushing past Shuri, rushing past the way she came. Her blood was boiling as she stomped over the beaten dirt path. She heard footsteps approaching behind her, and she clenched her fists.

"Donnie, what are you-" Shuri asked, confusion and worry clear in her tone.

"Did you seriously bring me here to work with that bastard?" She spat, not slowing down.

"I-I don't understand, Mr. Barnes explained to me that you two were-"

"We were what? Together? Before he abandoned me for months without even letting me know he was alive?" Donatella finally stopped, turning to face the princess. "If I'd have known that you wanted me to come here to fix him I'd have told you to find someone else."

"I did not realize that the two of you had parted on bad terms. The way Bucky had explained it to me was that he had to leave you behind with Mr. Stark. Was that inaccurate?" Confusion shone clearly on her chiseled face, and Donatella felt a little bad for causing her to be in the middle of this.

"He had to leave. I got that. And when he never came back, I got that too. I don't have time for people who refuse to acknowledge that I deserve more than complete abandonment. And you can quote me on that." Donatella sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "I-I need to go lie down. I don't know where my room is…" she felt her eyes welling up with tears again.

"I am so sorry, Donatella. I honestly thought it would be a good surprise for you…" the girl looked defeated.

"It's fine, princess, I just… this is a lot." She sniffled, her voice cracking embarrassingly. Shuri waved over a member of the Dora Milaje, speaking to her quickly with a nod.

"I will come and retrieve you personally tomorrow morning to begin our work. I cannot apologize enough for this situation. I hope you can forgive me." Shuri spoke sincerely, and the soldier glanced between the two women with confusion.

"It's okay, I'll be okay. I will see you tomorrow." Donatella nodded to the woman, and Shuri spoke once more to the spear-wielding woman before walking back outside.

"This way, Doctor Belucci." The woman nodded to her. She followed her to the elevator, which brought her up two floors before stopping. They got out and headed towards the end of the hall, and the woman stopped in front of a door. "This is your room. Your dinner will be sent up in a few minutes. Have a good night." Donatella thanked the woman before pushing open the door. It was gorgeous inside, but she didn't have time to admire the buttery yellow walls and clay colored furniture. She collapsed into an armchair in a small seating area of the room, gripping the leather armrests tightly. He had been fucking here the whole time. T'Challa knew where he was and neglected to even mention that the man she had loved was alright? She was pissed. No, not pissed, she was irate. What the fuck did he think was going to happen when she found out he was alive? She would let him swoop her feet and everything would be perfect? There was a knock on the door, and she stood up quickly, heading over to it to let the person in.

"Donatella." Shuri stood on the other side.

"Princess, I thought you said you'd come back tomorrow?" She asked. The girl pushed her way inside, holding a tray of food. She brought it over to the table and set it down before taking a seat. Seemed she was making herself at home.

"I thought you might like someone to talk to. I feel terrible about the situation." Shuri sighed, leaning down to pick up a bowl of some sort of rice dish. It had chicken and vegetables and looked mouth wateringly delicious.

"Thank you, I kind of do. I don't want to intrude on your time, though, you don't have to listen to me vent." She chuckled dryly.

"I'd like to hear your side of the story. So far all I have is the White Wolf's experience, and he really wanted you to come here from what he told me. But now you're here and you want nothing to do with him." Shuri began eating, and Don hesitated before sitting across from her, picking up her own food. "So tell me what happened?"

"Well, we were kind of in a face-off with the avengers-"

"No. I want to know everything that happened between you two." Shuri cut her off. Donatella blinked, slowly chewing.

"Okay. Well, I was still a student at the time…" she began her story, telling Shuri about how they'd first met, how they lived together for awhile before escaping to Bucharest. She told her about how she realized she'd loved him before they even kissed the first time. She skimmed over the details of their sexscapades, not going too deep into that but letting her know that it had happened. The girl wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as she told her about it, and she rolled her eyes with a flush before continuing. She told her about trying to escape Bucharest. She told her about her run in with the Winter Soldier, and how he'd actually recognized her. It hurt to talk about that. But it was important to her, she realized. It was important that even if everything had been fake there was something real that bloomed between them.

"And then at the airport, when he and Steve escaped?" Shuri asked as she trailed off.

"I told them to go. They had to go finish what the doctor started. There was no time." She laughed hollowly. "But I told him to come back to me. I told him to. I didn't ask. And he disappeared off the face of the earth, if I didn't know any better I'd have thought he was dead. But Tony knew he was alive. He wasn't happy about it, but he knew that he was somewhere hiding out."

"I'm sorry." Shuri replied quietly, putting her empty dish on the table.

"The thing is, I feel like I don't have the right to be mad. He was my person, yes of course, but I should be used to getting left behind. I should just stop loving people, it doesn't seem to work out well for me." She spat bitterly. Shuri leaned forwards with a sigh.

"I don't think Bucky meant to abandon you." The princess looked serious. She sighed, leaning back and gripping the armrests again.

"Whether or not he meant to, he tossed me aside. It's hard not to feel used when the person won't make the same effort to find you as you are with them. Hell, he didn't even have to make an effort to find me. I wasn't exactly hiding out. My life has been more public than ever!" She exploded, standing and pacing the room. "The fact is that Bucky didn't even try. And I don't think I can forgive him for that." Her voice broke again. It was embarrassing how worked up she'd become over this.

"I understand." Shuri stood, smoothing her clothes down as she approached Don. "But I believe you should at least talk to him before you make that decision."

"I don't know if I can." She whispered. "I'm not strong enough to face him down after this." She shook her head.

"I don't know much about you, but I think you are strong. You're intelligent and you follow your heart. That is important." Shuri smiled at her.

"Thank you." Donatella smiled as the girl squeezed her hand.

"Tomorrow we will be in the lab. Hopefully it will help you to clear your head." The girl mentioned as she headed back towards the door. "Make sure to get some rest. You will need it." She nodded back to the princess as she left, shutting the door quietly behind her. She looked at the walk-in closet, where apparently all of her clothes had already been unpacked for her.

She glanced at the bed, noticing there was a nightgown waiting for her. Maybe she'd wear that instead of the cotton t-shirt and shorts she brought. Reaching over to pick it up, she almost moaned at the feeling of silk under her fingers. The fabric was glistening white and light, and she greedily stripped out of her suit and let the fabric settle over her. It felt heavenly. She sighed as she slid into bed, the sheets similar to the nightgown.

She could get used to this.

Thanks so much for everyone who liked the first part of this story so much! Here's the first chapter of part two, and I just want to say that the journey so far has been awesome writing this and coming up with the plot. There's around ten chapters to part two, and I'll be updating this about every third day! Don't forget to favorite this story so you get emails for when I update!