Finding Jade - A Bucky Barnes Story

Chapter 6. Finding Jade (Sexual Content)

It's so cold. The fall should have killed him but somehow he's still alive. His left arm hurts so much and he tries to lift it but it won't move. Painfully he turns his head to his side and sees a bloody mess where his arm used to be.

"No, no, no...," he whispers. "My arm, I've lost my arm."

He takes stock of where he is now, at the bottom of a chasm between the mountains. How did he get here? His arm hurts again and he screams at the pain. He fell, that's right, he fell from the train. Steve tried to reach him but he fell before they could touch hands.

"Steve...Steve...I'm sorry pal. This is the end of the line for me."

He looks to the other side and sees he's on a ridge. There is a sound of water past the ridge. If he can just get there he can end it. End the pain. End the certainty of freezing to death. He's tries to move but all he feels is pain. He's broken, too broken to end things on his terms.

"FUCK!" he screams, over and over again.

A few minutes later he is calmer, more accepting of how he will die, the slow descent into darkness. He thinks of his parents and his sister. He thinks of all the women he slept with starting at the beginning. He was 17, she was 19 and fast. Cora thought he was pretty and he took advantage of it. But she taught him a lot so that the next one, a few months later, Jean was her name... she was so pretty and willing, he made her come first and discovered women liked that, made them feel he was taking care of them. He was sleepy and it was hard to remember the next one. Beatrice, that was it. Catholic, had gone to school in a convent. She was wild for him. They almost got caught by her dad as he fucked her in her parent's garage, in the back seat of her dad's car. He wasn't cold anymore, in fact he felt warm and using his right hand he slowly, painfully unbuttoned his jacket. The effort exhausted him and he forgot where he was in remembering all the women. It didn't matter, there were so many and they all mixed together into one image. A strange but compelling face, blonde, almost white hair. Who was she? He didn't remember her. He would have....

"Jade," Bucky whispered, stroking her hair. "Sweetheart, you're dreaming. Wake up."

She opened her eyes, confused at first that she wasn't on the snowy ridge anymore. Raising her left hand she was surprised to see her arm was still there. Bucky stroked her hair again and she realized she had been in his memories, the ones she had stored during their mental connection. She touched his face and he kissed her gently, asked if she was okay.

"I'm alright," she said. "Bad dream but I'm back here with you now. Can you hold me until I fall asleep again?"

She nestled her head into his arms and he pulled her body closer to him. His hand found its way to her hair, her soft silky hair that he couldn't touch enough. Making her feel safe was good, good for him as well. It calmed him and made him feel needed.

Now I look into your eyes
I can see forever
The search is over
You were with me all the while
The Search is Over by Survivor

The word was out about the gemstone finds on the brief search of the wash where the rain had stirred up the old waterway. A few days after finishing building up the roadway almost everyone wanted to try their hand at finding a treasure in the flotsam left behind in the wash. Both Jade and Ma instructed people on what to look for. The best moment was when Ma found gold, a small scattering in a pocket gouged out by the rain. The metal, being heavy, stayed at the bottom of the pocket in little flakes that most people would overlook. But Ma had noticed a glint and investigated further, finding the little bonanza. There wasn't a lot, but it was enough to melt into a tiny rough bar that could go a long way on the next provision trip. There were even some pieces of driftwood that must have floated on top of the water flow for miles to reach them. Ma had the guys drag them back to the Bunker, said they could be used for carving, burning in a bonfire or leaving as is for a rustic but meaningful piece of natural art.