Whiskey | 18+ {Bucky Barnes}

Chapter One

Hey loves! This is my first fanfic, be easy on me, yeah? lol
I don't have a beta at this time, sooooo all the mistakes are my own; I'm sorry :)
-Sif

Erica Walsh considered herself a sane, practical woman. She has never been one to act first and think later, which is why she made a fantastic Agent and climbed the ranks with S.H.I.E.L.D quickly. She was meticulous and quick on her feet, she considered herself an intelligent woman, or so she thought. Now she is questioning why she decided to spend her weeklong vacation in the South... Louisiana, to be exact, is in the middle of summer. She hummed along to AC/DC's Back in Black, her thumbs drumming on the steering wheel.

A warm thick morning breeze crept through the windows, pushing her short dirty blonde hair. It was already too hot. And she was almost positive there was already a heat advisory, and the sun hadn't even been up that long, and of course, her a/c in the rental had to crap out. This vacation was already starting ideally.

She approached a long gravel driveway hidden amongst the trees; you wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it. The sound of gravel crunching under the tires was almost therapeutic. A beautiful light blue, two-story farmhouse came into view, surrounded by trees. A lake nestled behind the house; a long dock reaches out into it with a bit of a charter boat tied up.

Erica took several minutes to appreciate the simplicity of the view before pulling her aching body out of the vehicle. The flight wasn't but four hours and then the hour or so drive from New Orleans, but just the hustle and bustle took so much out of her. Grabbing her duffle bag from the backseat, Erica made her way into the house. The welcoming smell of coffee and vanilla beans instantly soothed her as she dropped her purse on the bench by the door littered with backpacks and shoes. She made her way further into the house.

"Sarah?" she hollered, walking through the living room. "Sam?"

Eric turned to see Sarah sliding into the door frame, laundry basket in hand. She was out of breath from running up the steps. Sarah dropped the basket and ran at Erica with an excited squeal, wrapping her best friend up in a huge hug.

"Lord, tell me I'm not dreaming!" Sarah held Erica tighter, bouncing back and forth.

"You're not dreaming.", Erica gasped, "Sarah, air. Release."

"Oh, right." She laughed, letting go, "I thought you would be in later. I haven't even been to the store yet."

"Honey, it's eight-thirty in the morning." Erica held her shoulder, "I just need coffee."

The two women laughed as they walked to the kitchen.

Erica sat in one of the old wooden chairs, pulling her right leg up. "Where are Cass and AJ?"

Sarah walked over with two red mugs of coffee in hand. "With Sam. He ran an errand with a friend, and I don't know if they are friends or just co-workers who hang out." she shrugged, handing Erica a mug.

Erica laughed, shaking her head, "Oh, you mean Barnes?" She chuckled again, remembering a phone conversation with Sam not too long ago. He was arguing with Bucky about where was the best place to sit for their recon mission; Erica was thankful for the laugh. Working for Nick Fury was less entertaining than working with the Avengers.

A sense of peace and being truly at home sank in as Erica took her first drink of coffee; she didn't realize how much she had truly missed her best friend. Sure, they spoke daily via text, calls, and Facetime. But sitting in front of her, Erica was able to relax genuinely.

Sarah reached over and grabbed her hand, "I am so happy you're here." Her smile was just as Erica remembered, bright and happy.

"I am too." she smiled fondly, then laughed, "I don't miss the heat."