Red

Part 2

Bucky

"Uncle Bucky!" The kid comes tearing out through the front door and leaps into my arms, barely giving me a chance to drop my bags and catch him.

"Hey, squirt." I laugh as he squeezes my neck and presses a sloppy kiss to my cheek. When he pulls away, I give him a stern look. "Where're your parents? You know you're not supposed to open the door by yourself."

"I'm right here, Buck." Steve is leaning on the doorjamb and smiling at the scene. "Grant, why don't you run out back with your mom and aunt while I get Bucky settled."

I set the squirming kid down, and he tears off back into the house, and I look warily at my oldest and closest friend. "She's here? What is it now?"

"It's not like that, Bucky."

"I know you said she was different, but it's always something, isn't it? So, what is it? Drugs? Alcohol? Or another get rich quick scheme? How long has she been here?" I run a hand over my face in frustration. I love Steve; I always have. Once upon a time, I would have done the exact same for her, but I grew up when she broke me.

She's always been a little wild, a little reckless. She'd get herself into trouble, and Steve would always bail her out. It frustrated me to no end.

"She's been at the same job for eighteen months now, and she left her apartment because her boyfriend has been knocking her around," Steve says, and I can see how red in the face he is.

"Wait, seriously? Is she okay?" I want to run to her, to gather her in my arms; ignore the past between us and hide her, protect her. I can feel the light closing in on me, red tinges the edges of my vision, and my breathing becomes shallow.

"She wouldn't tell me all of it, but I know she told Natasha. I think she's all right, but she's gonna stay with us while she tries to get a transfer at work."

"I'm ... I'm sorry. I can go, stay in a hotel or something."

"Nah, it's fine." He stoops and picks up one of my bags. "She's out in the pool house, and you're in the guest room here in the house with us. Everything's fine. Just ..."

"Be nice?" I offer.

"Be gentle."

I follow him in, and we get my stuff settled in the guest room, and he tells me to change into my swim trunks and join everyone outside. After unpacking a few things, I change and head downstairs and out to the back yard where I can hear splashing. The idea of walking out and seeing her, especially now, when she's not how I remember, good or bad, makes me anxious and angry. The Mallery I used to know would never put up with this sort of thing before. Did this guy break her so thoroughly? I wanted to know everything.

Steve is in the pool playing with his son, Nat is lounging at the table under the umbrella, and Mallery is sitting on the edge of the pool with her legs in the water. She's got this light, wispy, almost see-through dress over her swimsuit, and I can see deep brown and disgusting green colors mixed with bright blue and purples. She turns her head and offers a small smile from under a wide-brimmed hat.

She's got a fat lip, and there's a black eye in some stage of healing, but she still looks like the beautiful girl I fell in love with when I was on the cusp of being an adult. Her willowy frame looks smaller, more slender than I remember. Even under the hat, I can see her once vibrant hair has lost some of its luster. Instead of the vivid red I remember, it's now a dull orange that hangs limply around her shoulders.

I smile back and lean down to press a kiss on Natasha's cheek. "Good to see you, stranger." She smiles as I take the seat across from her and laugh.

"Well, I hoped I'd be seeing you guys in my new place, but with everything going on ..." I trail off and shrug. "I'll be out of your hair soon."