Save Us First (Bucky)

26

James looked at Ivy again, trying to get an image into his head that he could try and remember, before they would turn him.
A glimpse of her face, the love of his life, and the pain of knowing he would forget her almost killed him, tears made it hard for him to see through.
He refused to close his eyes, wanted to soak up as much of her as he could.
The last thing he saw, was a single, last tear running over her face down to the corner of her mouth, before a sharp pain in his head knocked him out.

-
Ivy crawled over the floor, her phone in her hand, hoping someone would track her signal before Bucky found her.

"Loki...Steve...Tony...anyone. Please...I need help..."

She heard a noise behind her and squealed, when she felt a pull on her leg.
The winter soldier grabbed her and threw her into a corner of the room.
Her body hit a desk, she felt the wood breaking under her weight, a sharp pain robbed her breath.
She groaned in pain, closing her eyes for a second when suddenly the adrenaline kicked in.

She got up groaning and looked directly at Bucky.
"Bucky...it's me. It's me, please."
He grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up and pressing her against the wall.
The anger and hatred in his eyes scared her to death.
His worst fear had come true: she was scared of him.
She bucked her hips up, kicked him against the chest and let her fall back, his hand let go of her and she fell to the ground, desperately gasping for air.
"Bucky... Please. Please, Bucky, it's me..."
He just growled and started walking towards her.

She started crying as she realized this could only end one way: Either she killed him or he killed her.

"James, it's Ivy...I love you! James!", she said sobbing as she stumbled away from him.
He pulled one of his knives out of his jacket and she sniffed, trying to wipe away the tears blocking her sight.
"Fuck."

And then he started fighting.
His movements were so fast and precise, she could barely escape them. And he was way too fucking strong.
He grabbed her wrist, and his fist hit her face.
The force of his punch knocked her off her feet, she overturned and hit the ground so hard, she was almost sure she had broken her back.
But somehow she got up again, and then, in a desperate attempt to somehow save the situation she just ran straight at him, hitting him with all her bodyweight, and landed on top of him.
She wrapped her legs around his neck, trying to make him lose consciousness.
"Come on, pass out and we can go home!", she said through her teeth, but he just grabbed her by the hips and threw her into the corner of the room.
She hit the wall, fell to the ground and screamed in pain.
"James, please!"

Bucky walked over to her, his fist hit her face again and she could hear the breaking sound of her own nose.
She saw dark spots, there was throbbing, sharp, intense pain all over her body and she started sobbing.
Bucky grabbed his knife, which he had dropped earlier and crouched down in front of her.

His eyes looked empty. Like there was no soul left. It was the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen in her life. There was nothing left of the James she loved so much.

He grabbed her by the neck, the knife awfully close to her face.
"Buck...please, you know me..I know you're still in there. I know there's a heart, you just need to let it rule over your head.."

He stopped for a second, the cold steel just an inch away from her neck.
"What?"
"James.."
He looked at her confused, then the winter soldier took over again.
He lifted the knife up, ready to slit her throat, she closed her eyes, braced herself for death, when he was knocked off his feet.

"Bucky, stop!"
Steve's voice sounded desperate, begging.
He picked up his shield again, tried to pin Bucky to the ground.
Loki ran over to her.
"Ivy! Fuck, Ivy, are you okay?"
He grabbed her face, examining the bloody, swollen, broken parts of it, then he exhaled sharply.
"I-It's okay. We got you. You're gonna survive.."
"Loki", she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Behind...Behind you.."
"Wha-"
Bucky grabbed Loki by the neck, threw him through the whole room and turned to Ivy again.
Now there was anger in his face.
He needed to accomplish his mission.
"NO!"

She collected everything that had remained in her and punched him in the throat.
He gasped for air, and that brief second was enough for her to get on her feet.
She could barely stand, but she had a little bit of fight left in her.
And she wouldn't let him kill Loki and Steve.
She looked over at them, both groaning, but they both got up.
Lokis face was a little beaten up and Steve spit out blood but Loki had an expression of anger on his face, anger at Bucky and the world and himself. And anger meant he was still fighting.

He moved his hand and his spear appeared.
"Don't...kill him..", she whispered, but it was almost impossible to hear.
"Ivy, stay back."
He walked up to Bucky, while Steve tried to get her out of the room, when a sharp pain hit her back and she screamed.
Bucky had thrown something after them.
And hit her.
She stopped and sunk to her knees, coughing, crying, panting.

Bucky managed to wrestle the spear out of Loki's hands and kicked him through the next wall.
Ivy screamed, pressed her hand in front of her mouth and started sobbing again.
Steve threw his shield, knocked Bucky over for a second and then started fighting with him again.
Ivy tried to get up, but her legs seemed unable to carry her weight anymore.
It was like her whole body protested.
"It's too late. You have to go before you get killed!", her brain told her, but her love for Bucky kept her there.
"Bucky, stop! Please, Buck, that's not you", Steve said through his teeth, but Bucky just threw a brick after him.
It burst on Steve's shield and he groaned.

Ivy crawled over the floor, when suddenly she saw something.
Her dagger.
The one Loki had gotten her.
It was lying under the chair Bucky had been strapped to, somehow it apparently fell out of her inner jacket pocket. She hadn't even realized that it had been there.

She grabbed it, forced herself up and then basically fell into James's arms, the knife penetrating his shoulder - and just breaking off on his vibranium arm.
Bucky stared at her in disbelief for a second, then he kicked Steve away from him, he overturned and landed in a pile of stones and dirt.

James pulled her closer, holding her by the neck again and then she felt the cold steel of his knife cutting through her skin.
The pain was unlike anything she'd ever felt, she screamed louder than she'd ever screamed before and sunk to the ground, her hands pressed on the wound in her stomach.

Bucky let go off her and she fell to the side, tears running over her face.
That was it. Now she was gonna die. Either she would bleed out or he would finish it.
She would be killed by her own boyfriend and he wasn't even aware of it.
While her best friend was probably unconscious in another room.

Buck bowed down to her, grabbing her face to watch the life fade out of her eyes.
"James...", she whispered, when suddenly a bright ray of light knocked him off his feet.
Her vision was blurred, but she could see something red and gold standing a few feet away from her.
"Tony...", she whispered slowly and closed her eyes as she faded out.