The Winter Ghost

Part 15

There are moments in your life that define you. Moments you look back on after everything and wonder, if you had listened to your gut, maybe it would be different. This was one of those moments. Bucky's world shattered around him as Natasha's words rang through his comm.

"We've been compromised, Buck. I've been hit. They got Y/n." Her voice, broken and solemn.

No.

Dammit, NO.

This isn't how this was supposed to happen. This was an easy job. Only a few Hydra agents resided in this compound. The whole thing felt like a dream. One he was completely and utterly unprepared to handle. How could he let this happen. He should have been there.

"Dammit. What's your location? I'm coming to you." He shouted. His blood began to boil and he heard your heavy breathing on the other side. You were running. "Y/n, please come in. Please, doll. Where are you?" Bucky hated how broken he sounded. He knew the rest of the team could hear his begging, but he didnt care. He couldn't. He just needed to get to you.

"You always were a fighter. Right till the bitter end." A man's muffled voice came through his comm. He didn't recognize it as anyone he knew, but there was something familiar about it. A distant memory he couldn't quite piece together. Before he could speak, your voice broke though, a small whisper shattering his heart and sending him into a blind rage.

"Bucky" You breathed, choking on a cough.

"Y/n. I'm coming to you, doll. Don't worry, I've got you. I'm going to get you out of this. Don't worry, I'm coming." He pleaded, but was only met with static, and then finally silence. The rest of the team kept quiet, waiting for any kind of sign of life from you. When none came, Nat spoke up.

"Guys, we gotta get out of here. They've set off a security alert, this place is going to blow in three minutes." Her voice was now back to its usual tone, but Bucky knew better. She was scared, he could hear it. " There's no sign of her out here. She's just... gone." He could hear that she was running now.

"Bucky, we gotta go." Steve spoke from beside him. Bucky's head snapped to his friend, eyes wide and body still frozen.

"We can't leave. Not without her." He all but begged.

"You heard Natasha, she's on her way." He paused, "Nat, you got the files?" He spoke into his earpiece, motioning Bucky to follow him to the entrance they had come through.

"Yeah, I have them. Thanks for asking by the way. I'm great, two more bullet holes in my gut, but yeah, files are more important." She scoffed, causing Steve to roll his eyes. "I'm headed to the entrance right now."

"No, I'm not leaving without Y/n!" Bucky tried to pull away from Steve, but he was stronger. A fact he would never admit to the guy, his head was already big enough.

"She's not here Buck. They wouldn't blow the compound with her in it." He persisted.

Sam's voice interjected, "Jet's fired up, you guys better get the fuck outta there. We have less than a minute."

Bucky and Steve ran through the dark hallways together until they almost slammed into Nat's small frame. He gasped when she appeared in the hollow moonlight. Her face was contorted in pain, something he was all too familiar with. Guilt.

"I lost her. I'm so sorry, it was my job to-" She broke off into a sob. Bucky wanted to agree. Yell that if she was a better agent- a better person his girl would be coming home with them. But he couldn't... This was on him. He knew it was a bad idea to bring you on the mission. He deserved all the blame.