Trying Your Luck - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 25: Kansas

The week after the party, Bucky is packing a suitcase while Shannon is herding Alpine into her crate so that she can fly with them. They weren't going to take the animals originally, but Shannon insisted that both of them would have a blast on a farm. The moment Shannon mentions Kansas, Ace's eyes light up and he gets very excited. Alpine seems confused as to why they're packing everything, including her.

He sighs, basically packing everything that he owns. He doesn't have a lot of clothes. The phone call to Dr. Raynor was easy. She asked where he was going, the address, and how long he would be there. At first, it was irritating, but it's for his pardon. They agree to have three weekly sessions over the phone, possibly more if Shannon needed to be there for her dad. He slips a note underneath Yori's door early in the morning that reads:

Have to miss the next three Wednesdays. Heading to Kansas with Shannon. I'll fill you in when I get back.

Don't get into too much trouble without me.

- JBB

There's a sense of grief that takes over when he begins to walk away from Yori's door. He's stalling on telling him the truth and he knows it. As he closes his suitcase, he hears Shannon approach the doorway.

"Ready?"

"One second."

He picks up his phone and sends Sam a text.

Heading to Kansas. Have to turn my phone off on the plane.

She double-checks to make sure the stove is turned off and shuts off all of the lights and unplugs anything that could start a fire. She's holding her suitcase in one hand and grabs Ace. They head to the large van that Shannon rented and put him inside in the backseat. She rolls down the window for him so that he can stick his head out and bark at passing cars.

Bucky takes Alpine out of her small crate and sets her on his lap while Shannon starts up the van and they head for the airport. He notices that Shannon is quiet. Pensive. He can see her pulse quickening as they get closer and closer to their destination. Shannon's eyes dart all over the road as she drives and she's taking deeper and deeper breaths. Bucky reaches over and puts a hand on her thigh, squeezing it gently. She smiles at him and looks over.

"What's up?"

"You look nervous," he says.

"How do you know?"

Bucky smirks.

"Trained assassin, remember? I can sense these things."

Shannon sighs and he can feel her relax a little.

"Yeah. I'm nervous. Every time I go back there, I'm never sure what I'm walking into with my dad and everything."

Bucky nods.

"It'll be okay."

"I hope so."

"I'm here."

She smiles. Bucky grabs his Tinder phone out of his pocket and opens Spotify. He finds the search function and puts on some 40s music. Shannon laughs.

"My mom loves this stuff, you know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe I'll have a new dance partner," Bucky teases.

"Don't you go flirting with my mother," she laughs. "I already know she's going to fall in love with you the moment she sees you."

"Why's that?"

"You're a little bit like my dad when he was in Vietnam — not completely because that would be a weird creepy Electra complex thing that Freud was definitely wrong about, but you guys have the same attitude. Stoic, strong, but there's a gentleness underneath it all."