|1| Promise Me ✦ {Bucky Barnes}

Chapter 16: Someone You Loved

A/N: Hey guys! You've made it this far! 

For those of you who actually read my author's notes, I'm going to keep this one short, since I have a longer one for you in a separate part after this one. 

I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Promise Me!

- Harper E. Pierce

BRIAR:

Four days ago:

My body ached. Bruises were forming all over it. But they felt completely numb compared to the pain I was going to face the moment we got back to the tower. We were only minutes from home, and I was dreading it.

I knew he was gone. I hadn't heard from him in days. It didn't take Maria telling me he disappeared to know he was gone. But because of Ultron, I blocked it out. I had to block out the entire data leak. People's lives were at stake. That was more important. Or at least that was what everyone was telling me to get me to calm down the night my file came out.

I knew it was Ultron. And I knew why he did it. The Avengers destroyed the reputation of Ultron by fighting with him in so many different places already. He needed to damage our reputation. And what better way to do that than release my file, and show the world what the Avengers were hiding?

"Alright everyone, home sweet home," Clint parked the jet on the landing of the tower. The doors opened, and we all began heading out to see that it was still daylight in New York.

"Not for much longer though," Tony stated, "the new place upstate is almost ready."

"What time is it?" Steve asked.

"Unfortunately, it's only five o'clock. We've got a ways away from bedtime," said Clint. They all let out a groan as we got into the party deck, "and someone's gotta order dinner."

"Chinese, anyone?" Thor suggested.

"Thor we had that last week," Bruce replied, "what about Olive Garden?"

"Ooh, I could go for some Italian right about now," Nat stated.

"Alright... all in favour of Olive Garden?" Steve asked. Almost everyone put their hands up, except me, who began heading toward the elevator. "Maddie, where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm just going to have a shower. Have whatever you want, guys, I'm not picky." I forced a smile, and let the elevator doors close. I sighed out, finally able to let my guard down now that I was alone. I pressed the button for my floor, then thought for a moment and pressed the button for Thor and Bruce's, which was two above mine and Nat's.

I wasn't surprised when the elevator doors opened, considering neither of them ever activated the elevator lock for their floor. But I immediately went to the kitchen and opened a cupboard on the top shelf. Found it. I took the mostly full bottle of Asgardian mead and went for the stairs. It was only two flights of stairs, no point in using the elevator.

I walked past Bucky's floor, noticing the door open, but not daring to look inside. One of the new recruits would take his room for the week and a half we had left here before we moved. Likely the humanoid robot thing Tony and Bruce created- Vision, I think his name was. It creeped me out how he sounded like JARVIS. Did he even need to sleep?

When I got down to my door on the stairs, I noticed it was completely broken in half. As if someone really strong kicked it in. I walked through the door, and found everything in the kitchen and living room to be where it was supposed to be. Not a thing was out of place. I grabbed a couple of whiskey glasses from the kitchen and headed toward my bedroom door, which was cracked open. I always shut that door. But when I pushed it open, what I saw was like something out of a crime scene.