Living Nightmare ~ (Bucky Barnes) COMPLETED

mission brief

In the kitchen, Maddie grabbed a bag of chips and a bottle of water and headed into the lounge. The rest of the team were already there talking amongst themselves. Maddie sat down beside Bucky and offered the bag out to him. He grabbed a few and leaned back into the sofa.

"so what's everyone waiting for?" she questioned munching her food

"Tony has the mission brief, he wants us all here for it"

Maddie nodded, too engrossed in eating to notice the worried undertone in Bucky's voice and the look of concern spread across the group. Before anyone could voice their concern Tony walked in holding a folder and the chatter faded away.

"right, SHIELD intelligence has alerted us to a situation in Europe" he began, passing out sheets of paper from the folder. "we've received word that a group with known ties to Hydra has resurfaced and set up shop in Romania. The mission is pretty simple. Get in, shut it down and get out. We'll split into two teams, cover both exits and make sure they don't get a chance to escape."

Maddie nodded along with the rest of the team waiting for a sheet to be passed to her so she could see the finer details and check who else was in her team. Her breath caught in her throat as she glanced down at the piece of paper and saw the face staring back at her. She hadn't thought about this man in years. In fact, she had believed him to be dead and that had given her no reason to dwell on the past. But now, looking at his photo, all the memories came flooding back and she jumped out of her chair. The others turned at her sudden movement and Bucky and Nat shared a look knowing what was happening to her.

"I - I need to go" she panted, not waiting for a response before rushing out the room and running towards the elevator. Bucky stood and turned to face Tony, anger sweeping his face.

"you could have warned her!" he exclaimed leaving the room to follow after Maddie. Natasha moved to follow him out, "that wasn't very nice Tony"

"what?" he said as the focus fell on him, "I thought she was over it, I was just leading the brief"

Wanda shook her head at his words and Steve spoke up, "did you not think ambushing her with her torturer would bring up some painful memories? we all thought he was dead for god's sake"

                               ***
In the safety of her room, Maddie allowed her tears to fall, collapsing on her bed and pulling her arms around her knees. That man - that man haunted her and she couldn't control the pain and guilt that threatened to overwhelm her. Even after all these years the pain hadn't numbed as much as she thought and she succumbed to her sobs not noticing the door softly creak open. Bucky hovered in the doorway, unsure of how to approach the sobbing girl but hating to see his friend hurting so much. Eventually his worry overpowered his caution and he rushed to Maddie's side, pulling her into his body and wrapping his arms around her. She tensed at the sudden contact but relaxed into the hug allowing herself to be held. Bucky gently rubbed her shoulders, whispering into her ear as he tried to calm her.

"it's okay, it's okay" he murmured, "you're okay, you're safe".

Maddie slowly sat up and wiped her tears, slightly embarrassed at her outburst. Natasha appeared in the doorway and gently smiled. "feel a bit better now?" she asked, coming to sit on the other side of Maddie. She nodded and took a deep breath. "I thought he was dead" she said softly, "I thought he was gone and that everyone was safe from him but he's not gone, he's here, he's with Hydra, he's gonna hurt more people" as she spoke her breathing quickened and she began to get more agitated. Nat took her arm and brought her back to the present, "hey, we're not gonna let him hurt anyone else okay? We're gonna get him and we're gonna stop him for good this time"

Maddie nodded, thankful for the two people by her side. They had both been there 7 years ago when Maddie was rescued and they both remembered all too well the horrors she had endured. Bucky cleared his throat and stood up, "I'll go talk to Stark, you can't do this mission, you shouldn't have to" Nat nodded and stood up too. "get some rest kid, everything will be sorted in the morning."

Maddie smiled at them and grabbed her pyjamas as she watched them leave closing the door as they disappeared down the hallway.

                             ***
Maddie sank into a restless sleep, thoughts whirring around in her mind as memories previously forgotten pushed their way to the surface. A sharp pain in her abdomen caused her to gasp and she was lost in flashes of memories of cruel torture, her body thrashing and turning under the sheets. She looked on in horror as a man approached her, holding a rod in front of him threateningly.

The man walked towards her, the rod in front of him glinting in the low light. She squirmed in the chains that bound her hands and feet, desperately trying to escape what she knew was coming but it was useless. The chains dug deep into her flesh and she whimpered, trying to prepare herself. The man grinned, seemingly pleased by her pain as he stepped even closer to the chair she was restrained in, his warm breath tickling her skin.

"it's no good trying to escape dear" he growled, sending shivers down her spine as she still tried to loosen the chains. "you won't get out of here" he chuckled, "no one's coming for you, you worthless brat". He lunged towards her, poking her with the rod and laughing as electricity jolted through her body. She cried out as the familiar pain ran through her body, eliciting more screams as the man simply grinned.

                               ***
"Maddie? Maddie come on, wake up. Maddie!" Bucky shook her gently. He had heard her screams from his own room and rushed in to see her writhing in pain, tears streaming down her face as she cried out. He was all too familiar with the nightmares she was trapped in and his own memories threatened him as her cries triggered a flashback. He shook his head, determined not to let himself be overwhelmed. Bucky gently poked Maddie's arm and she shot up, still lost in the dream as she shivered.

"hey, it's just a dream" Bucky said quietly, holding his hands up and backing away slightly to give her some space. "it's just a dream, Mad, you're safe I promise"

Maddie looked at him and finally pulled herself from the dream, her screams still echoing in her mind. "just a dream" she mumbled, relaxing slightly and pulling the duvet closer around her.

"just a dream" Bucky repeated as he slowly sat down next to her. Maddie buried her head in his shoulder and he instinctively wrapped his arm round her, slightly shocked she felt safe enough to be so close to him.

"I'm sorry I woke you up with my nightmare" she sighed, "I didn't think seeing his photo would affect me so badly" She wiggled her head slightly so she could look up at Bucky who sat smiling down at her with sad eyes. "don't worry about it" he said, moving his hand up and down her back, "I owe you after all the times I've ruined your sleep". Maddie gave a small smile knowing that they would both do anything to see the other happy.

"Can you stay till I fall asleep?" she asked

He nodded, "of course" repeating her words from yesterday, "for as long as you need me to"

Bucky looked over to say something but stopped when he saw Maddie already drifting off, her hair draped across her face as she snuggled deeper under the covers. He gently pushed the hair away from her face and pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head before closing his eyes and allowing himself to fall asleep.