Winter & Summer: A Marvel Story in an Alternate Universe!

Chapter 7

Their ship landed in a hangar just outside the island, so Bucky and Summer needed to take a taxi into the city. Both were well disguised in innocuous civilian attire, jackets and pants - especially pants for Summer, who was advised to be cautious about revealing her identity during her first few days back in the states. Like Bucky, she received a pardon for the crimes she had committed under HYDRA's mind control, so long as she pledged to perform acts of service under S.H.I.E.L.D. Summer did them one better and expressed a desire to join the Avengers, and the group obliged.

So now, Bucky's mission was to get Summer to New York, help her get settled into her new apartment, and the next day, take her to S.H.I.E.L.D. for orientation.

The drive to Manhattan wasn't all that exciting. The highway was mostly flatland lined with dead trees and uninteresting buildings...

Until, finally, the skyline came into view - and Summer let out a gasp in awestruck delight.

"There it is!" she squealed, grasping Bucky's metal shoulder, shaking him.

"There it is!" Bucky repeated after her.

Song: "Something's Gotta Give" - Sammy Davis Jr.

Bucky never recalled being particularly enchanted by New York City. For Bucky, New York was simply home. He grew up in Brooklyn. He knew the streets by heart. The lights and high-rises were commonplace, everyday sights - hardly anything would ever make him look twice. If anything, New York for Bucky was mostly associated with bad attitudes and a ridiculously high cost of living.

But for Summer, everything glittered. Sitting in the backseat of the taxi, head tilted in unnatural ways as she peered out the window, her eyes sparkled in the city lights, caught in the spell of steel and concrete magic. Honking horns and the yells of angry commuters floated to her ears like a symphony; the smell of hotdogs and gasoline, like a rare perfume.

Bucky couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched her "ooh" and "ahh" at the city's every detail. Looking out his own side of the window, he lightly nodded. New York was pretty cool.

Suddenly, the taxi came to an abrupt halt in heavy traffic, and Summer gasped again. "Jeepers, is that Times Square? That's Times Square!"

Sure enough, if the traffic were any indication, they had arrived at the heart of New York City. Summer's eyes danced along with the video boards as they flashed colorful advertisements for the latest movies and Broadway shows, unbeknownst to the locals who simply hustled to and fro, caring only for their destinations. The energy of the Square was simply infectious; and Summer, staring at her surroundings from the confines of their vehicle, just had to be a part of it.

She leaned forward toward the driver. "Can...can we stop? Is that okay?" She turned to Bucky. "Is it okay if we stop?"

Bucky frowned, slightly concerned. "What for?"

Sheepishly, Summer pointed at the window. "To go see the Square?" She pouted, in a longing sort of way.

Bucky hesitated for a second, thinking of the task at hand. He knew Agent Scarborough was waiting for his call, to hear that Summer had been safely transported and settled into her new place.

But perhaps that could wait.

"Sure!" he replied. Slipping a payment to the driver, Bucky apologized for the trouble before stepping out of the car to join Summer on the Square.

He briefly panicked when he thought he had lost her in the crowd - until he found her by the sound of her voice calling "come on, come on, come on!" as she dashed toward the red staircase at the center. Her metal legs, though hidden under pants, allowed her to climb the steps with extraordinary quickness.