My Heart's A Wall of Stone

Chapter Fourteen

"Are you ready to accomplish your mission for the good of HYDRA, soldier?" Jonathan Carver stood inside the lab facing his newest soldier, a 25-year-old man with a modified version of Captain America's serum in his bloodstream. Except not only did he inject that into his bloodstream, but he had also attached a tracking device to his neck so he could find him if needed. He was unstoppable. "What is your mission?"

"To terminate The Winter Soldier and bring back Alexia Carver." Jonathan circled his soldier, pulling out Alexia's senior photo from his lab coat. His heart pounded at the thought of his daughter finally fighting by his side again. He nodded firmly before motioning the soldier out of the room and turning back to the footage of Alexia and The Winter Soldier sparring months before.

"I will gain you back, Alexia. Even if it kills me."

***

Alexia tucked her knees against her soldier's narrow hips, laughing as he squirmed beneath her. They'd just finished watching Saving Private Ryan and he'd been on the verge of tears so she'd taken the initiative to cheer him up. "You know I'm ticklish!-" He froze as her fingers underneath the fabric of the flannel he wore and traced circles on the soft, supple skin above his heart. At least she's not touching scars. He watched in awe as her eyes filled with something he hadn't seen before and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Well then, you shouldn't have chosen me, James." She whispered, gently biting on his ear before digging her fingers into his sides and causing him to buck. "Wow. I'll have to remember that for the future." He blushed deeply, hiding his face with his hands as Steve exited the kitchen. "Oh, crap."

"Please tell me you two aren't trying to have sex on Tony's couch." The blonde groaned, glancing between his phone and his best friends sitting on the sofa. "He will kill you."

Alexia scoffed, picking up Bucky's hands and resting them on her hips. "Psh. I'm not afraid of some Tin Soldier." Bucky chuckled, rubbing circles on her hips as Steve stepped further into the living room. "What's up Sunshine?"

"Mags texted, said she wants to know if you're up for a day in the City tomorrow." Bucky frowned, sea foam eyes wide as she subtly glanced back down at him. "What do I tell her?"

"Meet me here at eleven tomorrow morning. I'll pay for lunch and shopping if she's up for it." He nodded, waving goodbye as he scurried from the top floor with the smell of an omelet lingering behind. She turned back around to her boyfriend and frowned at the look on his face. "Bucky?"

She was strapped to a table, screaming so loudly and so painfully it almost shattered his eardrums. They were poking and prodding at her with needles and once again, he was powerless to do anything.

He glanced at her with blurry eyes, removing his hands from her grasp and placing them somewhere they couldn't reach her. "I'm going to hurt you.." He muttered, shaking his head. "I killed The Stark family, and I wounded Tony more than I care to admit. I can't... I can't let myself hurt you." She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow as he glanced into the shadows where Alexander Pierce stood with his hands in his pockets, his suit covered in rich crimson.

"I always told you that you'd be the reason she died." He sneered, smiling viciously as he stepped back into the shadows of darkness.

"Bucky, Winter, James." He glanced up at her and inhaled sharply as the tears began trickling down his cheeks. "Awe sweetheart... I promise they're not going to touch you. Not now, and not ever again. I'd rather die before letting them hurt you. They'll never touch you, not while you're with me."

"I don't deserve you." He whimpered, closing his eyes as she wiped away the tears with her thumbs. "I've killed so many people.. I'm a monster drenched in blood.."

She laughed underneath her breath, sitting back in his lap. "See, that's what amazes me about you," She murmured, resting her head against his shoulder and picking up his metal hand, tracing words onto the cold metal. "No normal killing machine has remorse and guilt over killing someone. You, James Barnes, are as much of a human being as me or Steve. You're a man, and a remarkable one at that." She snatched her journal from underneath the sofa as he grabbed the blanket and spread it out over the two of them. "The best man I've ever known."

She laid the journal in his hand and curled on her side, pressing her nose into the sofa as his arm wrapped around her waist. "Goodnight doll."

****

His eyes ran over the sentence several times, but he just couldn't process it.

He saved me from being raped.

***

Tony entered the penthouse the next morning in complete disarray. His normally tamed brown hair was disheveled, just barely covering the hickey Pepper had left on the side of his neck. "Stark!" The weary billionaire glanced over to the sofa and found 2 assassins peering from behind it into the kitchen. "Freeze and listen."

"Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember.." Inside the kitchen, Bucky Barnes leaned against the countertop and watched his girlfriend cook the Avengers breakfast. "And a song, someone sings... Once upon a December.."

"You are adorable," He mused, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled and kissed his cheek briefly before sliding the pancake onto a stack beside her. "And a fantastic cook, may I add."

"And you're a sap, but a cute sap.," Alexia replied sarcastically. "Now please eat and go shower. I have to go get ready to meet Maggie." She began walking towards the elevator but was stopped by a muscular silver arm. "Bucky!"

"Stay safe." He whispered in her ear, gently rubbing his lips against the lobe before gently pushing her in and watching the door close sadly. Behind him, Tony groaned.

"YOU TWO ARE WORSE THAN CLINTASHA!"

***
"So is he going to take you out on a proper date?" Maggie mused, smiling at the cashier and grabbing her frappucino. Alexia stood behind her, scanning the glass counter full of food in deep thought.

"I hope so." She replied, pulling out a 10.00 bill and grabbing her bundle of cake pops and latte. "We've got quite a history, Mags. I've loved him for months. I'm just scared to tell him." The 25-year-old blonde sat down, her eyebrow quirked with curiosity. "What?"

"You make no sense to me." She murmured. "Why? You know he loves you back, Lex. The least you can do is tell him what he means to you." She took a sip of her Frappuccino, eyeing her friend across from her. "Does he scare you, Alexia?"

I just don't want him to die because of me.

"No. I just don't want him to die. I can't lose him. Not again." Before she could continue, the glass window several feet away shattered, causing shards of glass to fly everywhere.

A shrill chorus of screams filled the air as Alexia slowly lifted her head from where she now lay on the floor, making out Maggie pulling a handgun from her purse. "Stay still, you're bleeding."

She opened her mouth to reply but found her vision shrouded in darkness.