Branded For Ruin

Part 13

Bucky scouted the area before he entered the hallway to his apartment. Alpine was curled around his shoulders and Bucky hand his apartment keys already in hand to unlock his door. He had just dropped you off at your house, checking the area before leaving you alone. He was just coming back to his apartment to grab some clothes and essentials, and then he was rushing back to your house. Bucky was still wary about Mark, so he offered to stay with you at your house in the guest bedroom. You agreed.

"Alright, Alpine." Bucky said zipping up his backpack. "You ready to go?"

Alpine meowed in response as Bucky slipped on his backpack. He locked the door to his apartment and turned around to see Dot.

"Jamie, hi. It's been a while." She said walking dangerously close to him.

Bucky swallowed down a nervous lump. "Uh huh. Sorry, Dot, but I really have to get going."

She placed a hand on his chest. "Why?"

Bucky gently grabbed Dot's hand and pulled it off of him. "Classified. Anyway, I think you're a nice person, but I've met someone else, a-and—"

Dot took a few steps back. "Oh, I see. I wasn't good enough for you. Was it my hair? I can change it if that's what you don't like."

He sighed. "No, Dot. That wasn't it. You're just not what I need in a partner. I'm sure you'll find someone though."

"She's not going to be there, you know."

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked narrowing his eyes.

"That girl you've spent all last week with. She's probably with him right now."

"Who?"

"Mark."

Dot was against the wall in an instant. Bucky was seething with anger and had both hands on either side of Dot's head.

"What did you do?" It came out in a growl.

"I was just supposed to tell him when I saw you enter the apartment building. What? Are you going to hurt me now, like you did with all your other targets?"

Bucky stepped away from Dot and clenched his fists tightly. He then began to run out of the apartment building and hopped on his bike, Alpine settled in his jacket. He burst through the front door of your house hoping what Dot said wasn't true.

"Y/n?" Bucky called as he looked through the rooms. "Y/n!"

Frantically searching the house, you weren't there. His eyes landed on a note pinned to the fridge with a magnet. He hastily plucked the note off the fridge and read through the horribly scrawled message.

Hello there, Barnes. You didn't really think you could keep her away from me, did you? You'll never find her, trust me. And even if you did, I'll make sure she doesn't remember you, you can count on that. Who knows? Maybe I'll send you the wedding photos. I bet therapy won't be able to help with that nagging guilt that will build up when you can't find her. Better yet, you'll turn into the raging monster I know you are. Oh, and one more thing, your old Hydra colleagues make excellent kidnapping partners.

-Mark

Bucky crumpled the paper and yelled out some curses before pulling at his hair. Mark had you and there was no telling what he was going to do to you. Grabbing a sad water bottle on the counter, Bucky threw it across the room in a huff. It exploded when it came in contact with the ground, and Bucky yelled again. His breathing began to get uneven, and his vision was starting to get blurry. He tried to make it go away, but he couldn't. A panic attack was swelling in his chest, and he couldn't stop it. He fell to the ground and grasped his chest. It hurt. You were gone and he wasn't there to protect you.

~~~~~

"Wake up sleepy head."

You were tired and your limbs felt heavy.

"Come on princess, wake up."

Your eyes snapped open when your brain recognized the slimy voice of your captor. You sprang up to attack him, but your legs failed you. Mark caught you and laid you back on a small bed.

"Easy there, killer." He said with a disgustingly happy smile.

"What did you do to me?!" You growled.

Mark pet your head before grabbing a glass of water. "Just a bit of drugs to help weaken your state. Nothing too strong, though."

"You're a sick monster!"

Mark laughed, his eyes crinkling slightly. "I think you have me mistaken with that metal armed weirdo you were handing out with."

You really wanted to punch Mark in his annoying face, but you felt too weak. "Don't talk about Bucky like that! He's one of the sweetest men I've ever met. And why do you want me so bad?!"

Mark sat beside you on the bed and looked at you softly. "You really don't know, do you?"

You scoffed. "No, I don't, so if you would enlighten me, that would be fantastic."

Mark nodded. "We were in the Air Force together, not that you noticed me much. I was absolutely taken with you the first day I saw you, and I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. I wanted you to be mine, but David swooped in before I could. I was overcome with rage and jealousy, but now that he's dead, you can be mine. I wasn't trying to kill you that day in the forest, I just wanted to have you for myself. On top of that, you survived the Snap, which means you're special, just like me."

"Just stay away from me!" You screamed. "Bucky will come for me. He won't rest until he finds me."

Mark smiled and squeezed your knee affectionately. "You will forget about Bucky soon enough. And please, cheer up. You will be my wife soon, and we will be very happy together. I can't wait to start our new life together."

Mark pressed a kiss to your forehead, causing you to jerk away from him angrily. He left the room you were in before locking the door.

"Sir, the machine is ready for memory removal."

Mark clapped his hands together in excitement. "Perfect. When she is a bit stronger, we will hook her up. She'll completely forget about the life she had before, and she will only know me."

"Sir, the house is also finished. It will be ready for you two to move in any day."

"Thank you. In the meantime, I'm going to go get tailored for my wedding suit. Keep an eye on the girl. And you took care of Barnes?"

The man nodded. "Affirmative. He and his super friends will never be able to locate you guys."