Carousel of Time - An Alternative Bucky Barnes Story

Chapter 28. Looking for Trouble (Sexual Content)

Two weeks after Bucky's hurried departure that fateful evening Kate rose early after hearing Frank's cries.  Before she could respond to him she heard Bucky's voice from the nursery as he picked up his son.  Running into the room she found him sitting on the rocking chair, holding Frank and patting his back.  Seeing her he smiled and stood up.

"I got in a little while ago but didn't want to wake you," he explained.  "So I just sat and watched him sleep.  I checked in on the other two as well."

"Oh Bucky," cried Gail, rushing to him. 

"Shh, baby, it's alright," he said soothingly, holding her with his free arm.  "Here, feed him and I'll sit with you."

She sat down and started nursing Frank.  Bucky sat on the floor resting his arm on her lap, watching her.  His soft look gave her no doubt that whatever had been in his system was gone.

"It was hard," he said.  "Like we were addicted to morphine.  The cravings were overwhelming.  Our emotions were all over the place, happy as anything one moment, then dark and disturbing the next.  We still had to take that poison but cut back about 20% per day so that our systems didn't shut down on us.  It's been five days since any of us have had any and it still took a day or two before we began to feel normal again.  The last few days we just wanted to get home."

"Is it completely gone now?" asked Kate.

"Yes," said Bucky.  "Dr. Strange came and took more blood.  He took it to the future to do a more thorough analysis of it.  It's all gone.  No permanent damage done to our organs.  Hopefully no permanent damage done to our marriages."

She reached out and caressed his face and he leaned into it.

"There's one more thing," he said, taking a deep breath.  "Dr. Strange did a more thorough analysis of the pills.  They came from your original timeline.  Someone followed you into this timeline and brought the drugs with them.  They had traces of organic matter in them from a place in Indonesia called Madripoor.  It's a port that has had smuggling issues in this timeline.  He said he knows they're from your timeline because of something at an atomic level that only you have in this timeline.  The pills have it too."

"Sharon," Kate whispered.  "Sharon Carter."

"Who?" asked Bucky.

"She was dark CIA and the apex criminal in Madripoor," said Kate.  "She went by the name of the Power Broker.  She was obsessed with James.  Romantically at first, then she wanted him as her personal Winter Soldier.  She kidnapped me while I was pregnant to get Steven and his umbilical cord.  Who knows what she got up to after I was stuck here."

"Is she related to Peggy?" he asked.

"Her great niece, I believe," said Kate.  "She didn't like Peggy either.  She loved Steve before James but he chose to go back in time to Peggy.  I think she started unraveling before that.  If she's in this timeline and was responsible for this we're all still in danger.  She won't stop."

"Can you paint a picture of her?" asked Bucky.  "We'll make her a person of interest."

He stopped for a moment then looked at Kate.  "How did she get to the same timeline as you?" he asked.  "Weren't the time portals random?"

"Howard said several opened around the time I appeared," replied Kate.  "It's possible she came in one of those but why would she go after us?   She doesn't know I'm here unless she saw me and planned this.  I hate time paradoxes."

He looked at her quizzically.  "Like you going back in time and killing your father before you were conceived," she said.  "Then you shouldn't exist but you do because you went back in time and killed your father.  Or saying I always tell the truth and the truth is, I'm a liar. A paradox."