Unchained Melody

Chapter 6

T'Challa, King of Wakanda, traveled back to the states to take Zemo and the files that I had collected to the government to decide what they wanted to do with them. By the time he had returned to Wakanda, Bucky and I had already settled into a little hut a little ways outside the city.
Steve had decided that he wanted to return home rather than stay with us. He wanted to get everything sorted out with Tony in hopes that we could come home and help out the Avengers. He came to visit a lot though. It was mildly irritating because he wouldn't try to contact us beforehand, just showing up out of nowhere.

I couldn't help but laugh as I walked into the little hut to see children huddled around Bucky's bed, watching him sleep. Walking over to a little counter to set down a basket of fruits. "Alright kids, let him get some rest. He will come out and play later on today."
The kids all got up to look over at me, nodding before running out the opening that was the doorway. They all ran around in the grass, laughing and playing games.
I walked over to move the curtain that blocks the opening to the hut. "Would you like something to eat, sleepyhead?"
Bucky groaned and rolled onto his side, facing away from me.
I nodded and grabbed an apple out of the basket and took a bite. Making my way over to the bed to sit down next to Bucky. The cloth that covered what was left of his mechanical arm fell enough for me to just see the star on his shoulder.
While Bucky and Steve were fighting Tony, his metal arm was damaged and ripped off. He doesn't remember how. He was in really bad shape when he got out of the base. T'Challa had agreed to help fix his arm, but for the time being, he was stuck with only one arm. Once they were able to build him a new arm they would replace it.
I slid down to lay on my side, facing him. Bringing my hand up to gently trace what was left of the star as I ate my apple. "Those kids are in love with you. It's adorable."
He didn't answer me. The only noise that came from him was subtle snoring. He was dead to the world, no way he could hear me.
I set my apple down on a little table that sat next to the bed before I wedged one arm underneath his body, the other draped over him and reaching up for his shoulder in front of him. I pressed my body up against his. Pressing my cheek against his back. Closing my eyes as I held him close to me, not wanting to let go.
I don't remember how close we were before we were taken. I honestly don't even remember being taken. But laying with him like this felt familiar. It felt perfect. If he remembered anything about how close we were he didn't tell me about it. He barely even told me about when we were taken.
His hand came up and held onto my wrist before he rolled onto his back. His head turned just enough to look at me. "You think I'm adorable?"
I giggled softly, shaking my head quickly. "I said the kids were adorable. It's cute how much they like you. You would probably make a great dad."
I leaned over to leave a soft peck on his nose before rolling away. Getting off the bed and standing up.
He huffed as he extended his arm out towards me. Giving me puppy eyes, begging me to crawl back into bed with him.
"It is time to get up, Bucky. I told them you would play with them. And I have things to do in the city." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit upright. "You can either go into the city with me or stay here and play with the kids... and I will make sure to let them know to keep you up."
He groaned and stood up. "Fine, fine, fine. I am up."
I giggled and gently placed a kiss on his forehead. Turning to make my way towards the door, I grabbed my backpack off of the chair next to it and threw it on my back. I pulled the curtains covering the doorway open to let some sun in, turning my head to look back at him. "Will you meet me for dinner? 7 O'clock?"
He nodded as he straightened up the blankets on the bed.
"Goodbye Bucky," I smiled and walked outside, yelling to the children out in the field. "He is all yours, kiddos."

I made my way into the city. It was about an hour-long walk from the hut to the city. The scenery in Wakanda was way too gorgeous to complain about it, though. I loved how beautiful it was, how nice all the people were. I loved the vibes it all gave off, overall how peaceful it was.
The market was fairly busy today. I had my earbuds in as I slipped past people, on my way to a little coffee shop that I found. T'Challa said it would be a good escape because it's hidden and no one really knows where it is. I found a seat in the corner of the shop, facing the door out of habit, before pulling a file packet out of my bag. I had looked over the file a couple of times already but I hadn't really read through it. It was mostly in Russian, which wasn't an issue for me but I still found it mildly inconvenient.

JAN 1945 - Subject Osiris was brought in with another candidate for the Winter Soldier project. The subject suffered from several broken bones, a concussion, and multiple internal injuries. Surgery will be attempted to fix the damages. The left arm and right leg were broken in multiple locations due to a fall from a train into the mountains where the subject was found. More information will be added before the entrance examination.
Osiris has been injected with the serum. No symptoms have been shown. The subject's memory has been wiped and will be returned to sleep after confirmation that the serum has begun to work.

I couldn't keep reading. I shut the file and leaned back, resting my head against the wall. My stomach started to turn, and trying to remember what they did to me made me nauseous. I, unlike Bucky, don't remember a single thing. Maybe I was able to repress the trauma. Maybe they just fucked my brain up horribly with the memory wiping. I opened the file again, flipping to a random page.

DEC 91 - During training the subject did sufficient damage to another Winter Soldier. One simple kick causes the wiring in the Soldier's mechanical arm to snap along with the arm.
Osiris was awoken for a mission. Once the subject was awake it began to scream and yell. Fighting against agents. It spoke of someone named Steve. The decision was made to wipe the subject's memory and put them back into their cryogenic chamber. One of the Winter Soldiers will be awoken to complete the assassination as a replacement.

I couldn't read anymore, and I mean it this time. My stomach couldn't handle it. I don't want to remember what I did. It would destroy me. That... That mission had to be the one we saw in the video. It was the last entry for December. If I had been ok I would have... I can't even think about it.
Before I knew it, it was 7 o'clock. I rushed to pack everything in my bags before heading back outside. I head back towards the market where Bucky and I always meet when we go to the city separately. An arm wrapped around my shoulders from behind as someone rested their chin on top of my head.
"Hello there, Doll," Bucky chuckled softly. "If you do that to me again you will regret it."
I couldn't help but laugh as I tilted my head back to look up at him, resting my head against his chest. "What? Leave you with children? They couldn't have been that bad."
"They wouldn't leave me alone for even five minutes. Just hours and hours of games and stuff."
"Awe, poor little Soldier. Had to occupy children for a few hours." I smiled as I turned around to look at him.
He rolled his eyes before taking my hand in his. He started to slowly walk, swinging our arms with each step. "What did you need to come into the city for today?"
"I found something at the base. I wanted to look into it by myself, before talking about it." I stared down at my feet while we walked.
His mood changed immediately as he slowed down. "Do you want to head home instead?"
I nodded, it was barely noticeable. "Ya. I don't feel too good. I'm sorry."
"No need to be sorry," he wrapped his arm around me as he pulled me closer. "What did you find, Mel?"
I stayed quiet until we got further out of the city. I finally broke through the silence when I didn't see anyone around us. "I found my file..."
He rubbed my shoulder with his arm. "Don't believe anything in there. You didn't know what you were doing. And you don't remember it. You don't have proof you did it."
"It says that around the time that you went on that mission to kill Tony's parents there was a mission I was supposed to do but when they woke me up I was frantic and screaming for Steve. I... I don't remember any of it..." Tears began to build up in my eyes before running down my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around him, hidding my face in his side. "What if you went for me Bucky? What if I was supposed to be the one to kill his parents?"
He sighed, shaking his head as his arm got tighter around me. "But you didn't. That mission is my burden to bear. Not yours Melody. You didn't do it. You didn't hurt them."
I stayed quiet for the rest of the walk. I know I didn't do it but it still hurts to know that I could have. If I didn't freak out and went, would Steve ever have forgiven me? What about Tony? He would have actually killed me. My head flooded with questions and emotions. Nothing but 'What If's flooded my mind.
When we got back to the hut I immediately crawled into my own bed, covering myself in my covers and not moving. I put my earbuds in to drown out any noises Bucky made. I couldn't help but just sit and cry. My blankets covered my head in hopes that Bucky didn't notice. The tears just kept coming, like I couldn't control myself.
The side of my bed dipped slightly as weight was put onto it. I pulled my blankets down enough to see Bucky lifting up my blanket, crawling under the covers. I picked myself up enough for him to slip his arm under my head as I wrapped my arms around him tight. His fingers gently combed through my hair in an attempt to calm me down.
What hurt the most about all of this was that I couldn't even remember. I don't know what I did there, but I know it was awful. And the fact that I don't even know the crimes that I committed before the last time they wiped my memory is haunting. I was a monster and I get to peacefully live while people are traumatized by the things I did? How was that fair?