One Chance (Bucky Barnes x TFAWS)

Chapter 16

"Bucky!" I yell again, this time catching his attention.

He turns around and sees me limping towards him. He breaks out in a run towards me and wraps his arms around me tightly, lifting me off the ground. "I was looking everywhere for you," he says with a worried tone in his voice.

I squeeze his neck tighter, desperately needing his embrace. I pull back and kiss him on the lips, craving them so badly. I had thought I lost him for just split second in there when I heard those gunshots. But here he is in front of me. A wave of comfort rushes over me, as I stand here in his arms.

"Are you alright?" He asks, pulling away and cupping my face.

"A little banged up, but I'll be fine. And what about you?" I ask, eyeing him up and down, "When I heard the gunshots, I thought-"

"I know," he says, pulling me back into his chest tightly, "I'm so glad you're okay."

But our moment is interrupted by the sound of Sam flying in with Karli. He lands on the ground and walks towards the ambulances, ignoring all the reporters in his face. He lays Karli on a gurney and walks over to the GRC council members.

Me and Bucky walk forward, his hand still on my back, keeping me steady.

The Senator approaches him. "Sincerely, thank you. You did your part dealing with these terrorists. Now, we'll do ours."

"Are you still going forward with resetting the borders?" Sam asks.

"Our peacekeeping troops will begin relocating people soon. The federalists only set us back a bit," a woman says.

Sam shakes his head, "You gotta stop calling them terrorists."

"What else would we call them?" the Senator says.

Sam turns to him, "Your peacekeeping troops carrying weapons, are forcing millions of people into settlements around the world, right? What do you think those people are gonna call you?"

Walker turns around and glances at Bucky and I, as we listen.

"These labels...Terrorists, refugees, thugs. They're often used to get around the question 'why?'," Sam continues.

"Those settlements happened five years ago. Do you think it is fair for governments to have to support it?" a woman says.

"And the people who reappeared only to find someone else living in their family home, they just end up homeless?" the man asks. Sam doesn't say anything back. "I get it. You just have no idea how complicated this situation really is."

Sam speaks up again, "You know what, you're right. And that's a good thing. We finally have a common struggle now. Think about that. For all the people that have been begging, and I mean literally begging, for you to feel how hard any given day is. Now you know... How did it feel to be helpless? How did it feel to be so helpless against a force that is powerful enough to erase half the planet? You should know that you're about to have the exact same impact."

The council members all look around at each other, as Sam continues, "This isn't about easy decisions, Senator."

"You just don't understand," the Senator says.

Sam scoffs, "I'm a black man carrying the stars and stripes. What don't I understand? Every time I pick this thing up, I know there are millions of people out there who are gonna hate me for it. Even right now. Right here. I feel it. And there's nothing I can do to change it. But I'm still here. No super soldier serum. No blonde hair or blue eyes...The only power I have is that I believe that we can do better."

I look up at Bucky and grin, him returning the smile, both of us proud of our friend.

"We can't demand that people step up and we don't meet them halfway. You control the banks! Shit, you can move borders. You can knock down a forest with an email. You can feed millions of people with a phone call. But the question is, who is in a room with you when you're making those decisions? Is it the people you're gonna impact? Or is it just more people like you?" Sam questions the councilwoman.