Finding Our Way

Frying Pans...Who Knew, Right?

Shortly before the sun starts to rise, Jill wakes up. She's surprised to see Bucky is asleep in her bed next to her. His left arm is wrapped around her and she's curled up into him.

Before she can even move, Bucky says," Go back to sleep, doll."

"Can't. Got to get ready to run," she says.

"Sam cancelled running today. Go back to sleep," he says.

Jill mumbles okay and closes her eyes and goes back to sleep. They both wake up a couple of hours later.

"Good morning, doll," he says.

"Good morning, Buck. You stayed," she says.

"Of course I stayed."

"Buck, I-."

"Don't apologize. You needed to let that out. Sam and I needed to hear it. You have spent the last several months bottling everything in. Take it from someone who is the king of bottling things in, it's not healthy."

"I didn't want you guys to feel bad about how I was feeling. It's not your fault that you were victims of The Blip," she says.

"True. It's also not your fault that you were here for five years and we weren't."

"Our lives are so crazy and messed up."

"That they are doll."

They lay there for a few minutes before she says, "I'm glad I nearly hit Steve with a frying pan. If I hadn't then I wouldn't have had you guys in my life."

"Wait, you almost hit Steve with a frying pan," Bucky exclaims, sitting up in bed.

"He didn't tell you how we met? He broke into the apartment across the hall from me. I heard a noise and went to investigate. On my way out of the apartment I grabbed a frying pan. I saw a man standing in the living room and started swinging the frying pan. Luckily, Steve and I both have quick reflexes. He turned around as I started the swing and once I saw his face I was able to change where the swing was going so I didn't hit him."

Bucky starts howling with laughter.

"So a couple of months later I discovered Steve really, really likes Disney movies so we were watching my favorite, Tangled. The heroine is a girl named Rapunzel who protects herself from a man who climbed into her tower with a frying pan. So whenever Steve and I were alone, he called me Rapunzel," Jill tells him.

"That's probably the best story I have ever heard. Why is Tangled your favorite Disney movie?"

"Because while she and Flynn Ryder work together through the movie, she ultimately doesn't need him to save the day. In fact, at the end of the day, she saves him."

"I can definitely see why you connect with her then. You don't need saving."

"You saved me three times at the GRC."

"No, that was us working together."

Before she can respond, Sam's knocking on her door asking, "Are you two ready for breakfast?"

"Um, yeah, we'll be right down," she replies.

She and Bucky get out of bed and Bucky goes to leave. However, before he leaves he walks over to her and takes her hand in his right hand.

"Just so you know you saved me. Before I met you, I couldn't be myself around other people. That includes Steve. With you I am not pre-HYDRA Bucky or The Winter Soldier, I am just me," he says before dropping her hand and leaving her room.