Forever and Always

Chapter 37

         Bucky and Clara stared at the mini version of the time travel machine. Clara had spent the last few days helping Bruce set it up. Sam was helping, too. The odd thing was that Bucky was the one who agreed to help, but he sort of just stood there the entire time. He always looked sad or in a constant state of thinking. She got him involved a few times, but overall, he just observed.

Finally the day came to send the stones back. Clara arrived early with Bruce to set things up, and about fifteen minutes later, the other three showed up. Steve was in suit, Thor's hammer in one hand, and his broken shield in the other. Sam was on his left, wearing a brown leather jacket and black. And on Steve's right was Bucky, wearing the same clothes he wore at the funeral. She met them halfway, and she took Bucky's hand.

"I need to buy you more clothes," she joked with him. He lifted the corner of his mouth a bit, then dropped it. He looked past her and started walking.

"So this is it?" Bucky commented. Steve and Sam went over to where Bruce was setting everything up. By Bruce was an open briefcase.

"Yup. It's crazy, isn't it?"

"Yeah...it really is. I remember when hover cars were going to be the thing of the future." Clara looked at him with a funny look.

"Hover cars?" Bucky looked at her and smiled.

"I guess that never happened then? Huh?" Clara shook her head.

"Nope, but we had other accomplishments." Bucky sighed, and stared back at the time travel machine.

"I think...after this...I'm going to need a lot of history classes." Bucky gave a half-smile.

"I think after this, we are going to have to buy you some more clothes. Literally, you only have this and your uniform. Maybe Steve and can help." Bucky just chuckled nervously and locked his eyes on the machine. Did I say something wrong? Clara was about to ask him if something was going on with him, but she decided against it.

For the next few minutes, it was really silent between them. Every time she looked over at Bucky, his hands were in his pockets, his hair covering his face, and his head was tilted towards the ground. A few times, she tried thinking of a way to start a conversation, brought she wasn't sure what to say.

"Ummm...so...what was it like being snapped away and coming back?" She heard Bucky sigh quietly next to her, followed by a shrug.

"It was painless...but sudden. I don't know...it's like...you don't get time to realize what's happening, and when it finally hits you, you're basically already gone. The last thing I remember...it was seeing Steve in front of me. And ummm...Thor. And I remembered not seeing you. And I thought for a moment, I wasn't going to see you ever again, and that that moment in the bushes was the last interaction we would have." Clara leaned in close to him and rested her head on his bicep.

"Then what?" She was eager to know more.

"It didn't feel like dying. It just felt like I fainted or blacked out for about five seconds..."

"...when really it was five years." Bucky pressed his lips together and nodded.

"Yeah...I didn't realize that at first. I just thought it was odd how nobody was around. It was just me and my gun in the forest. Then the tree thing popped up followed by orange portals showed up, and next thing I know, I was leading a Wakandan Army into battle with a walking and sort of talking tree."

              "How did you realize it was five years?" Bucky sighed and looked down at her.

              "When I saw you. You looked so different. Your suit, your hair, the way you fought and moved. It looked so clean and efficient. Not that you weren't before, but the way you stood out of the battlefield, you looked experienced...much more than I was." Clara smiled, and in the corner of her eye, she saw movement from Steve and Sam. She looked behind her shoulder to them talking. Steve was holding the briefcase. Clara looked back at Bucky, but that bit of happiness in him was gone again. He was...almost frowning. She was about to force him to tell her what was wrong, but Steve came over just as she was about to ask. She didn't want to Steve to worry about him too. She stepped to the side as she watched Steve stand in front Bucky and pat him on the shoulder. She stood there, listening to their conversation.