As I Was

Twenty Seven

Silence echoed all around him as he slowly came to, his eyes blinking furiously in an attempt to get used to the lighting. He frowned as he tried to move but was unable to, still squinting he glanced to his left to see his arm encased in a vice.

Before he could begin to panic, to fight, he spotted a familiar figure in front of him and he relaxed a little. The black spot in his memory hadn't ended with him in custody.

Not of the authorities anyway.

"Hey, Cap!" a voice to his right called and a person he didn't quite recognise stepped from out of his line of vision.

Across the room Steve was turning away from where he had been peering up through a gap in the wall, a concerned look on his face as he folded his arms over his chest.

Apart from the three of them it seemed as though the warehouse they were hiding him in was empty and, despite the stab of pain at not seeing her familiar features, Bucky was happy Harper hadn't been brought into this mess "Steve..." he began, about to ask what had happened to her to make sure she was safe.

"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve cut across him and Bucky couldn't blame him. As much as he tried he couldn't remember the moments, hours or even days between being sat in that glass box and being holed up in the warehouse.

"Your mom's name was Sarah," he began, slowly lifting his head so he was able to look his former best friend in the eye. Ever since Ange had warned Harper Captain America was after them his dreams had been plagued with memories from their friendship back in the forties "You used to wear newspapers in your shoes," he added, unable to stop the chuckle from leaving his lips. It was hard to think that the man standing in front of him ever had to pack his shoes with newspapers.

Steve shifted on the spot slightly, exchanging a glance with the man now standing beside him "Can't read that in a museum," he said, though his tone came across a lot lighter and a smile even dared to tug at the corners of his mouth.

Sam, Bucky's memory of the man chasing him through the underpass with Steve and Harper shouting after them was slowly coming back, scowled "Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?"

Before either Steve or Bucky could answer there was a loud and echoing creaking sound followed by footsteps. Glancing around in confusion Bucky felt his heart skip with slight anxiety; maybe Steve and Sam had brought him here to hand him over to the authorities and whoever was currently making their way through the warehouse was coming to ensure he was captured.

"The perimeter is clear," an all too familiar tone hit his ears and he straightened up. Harper entered the room wrapped in a jacket much too big for her, her blonde hair had been tugged up into a messy bun and though her skin was already pale with worry she managed to lose even more colour as she turned and their eyes locked "Hey. You're awake!"

Bucky's eyes narrowed "And you were supposed to run."

Harper's eyes rolled "Are you saying you really expected me to run off after spending two whole years with you?" she asked, that edge to her tone which told him he wasn't to argue "We can let him out of that now right?" she continued with another question, this time aiming it toward Steve and Sam.

"No?" Sam answered in a snap "After what he did out there?"

Bucky groaned "What did I do?"

"Nothing that was your fault," Harper said with a rebellious tilt to her chin at the same time Steve answered with "Enough."

"Oh, God, I knew this would happen," he said with a sigh, watching as Harper crossed the room to hand him a bottle of water "How long have I been out?"