How do you heal?

Chapter 4: It's No Big Deal

Annie sat awake only half paying attention to the captions on the muted tv. Her tea had long since gone cold and her phone had died but she couldn't move. About an hour after she had put on her favorite movie, and after a few brief exchanges to describe the plot, Bucky had fallen asleep. At some point, after that, while she had been playing solitaire on her phone he had leaned over and put his head on her lap. That had been three hours ago. He looked so peaceful she didn't have the heart to wake him and knowing how precious restful sleep was for those who struggled to get it she didn't dare try and move him. It's not like she would be doing anything differently if he weren't here although it was almost 5:30 and Captain Rogers would be down soon, also...she really had to pee. When she thought his name, almost like it had summoned him, she heard the Captain's footsteps coming down the hall. As he entered the kitchen and reached for the light switch Annie let out a soft 'psst'.

Steve turned his head toward the sound and saw Annie on the couch with her finger to her lips and...feet...that were obviously not hers laying on the other end. A little confused, he began to walk towards her. He had come downstairs to find her asleep on the couch quite a few times since her arrival a few months ago but never anyone else. He had asked her about it once and she just shrugged and said she slept better out here. When he was a few steps away he saw that Bucky was the owner of the feet and he was asleep with his head on Annie's lap, long hair smoothed back from his face as if she had been brushing her fingers through it.

"Nightmares." Annie whispered looking down at Bucky. "He came out here around one and looked a mess. I think he only meant to sit here and calm down for a bit but when he fell asleep..." She trailed off and shrugged her shoulders looking back at the Captain. "I figured I'd let him get as much sleep as he could. I'll probably wake him a little before Nat comes down but I didn't think he'd mind if you saw him."

Steve just stared at her for a minute. He knew Bucky hadn't been settling in here but he wasn't sure exactly how to help his friend. At first he had tried to get Bucky to join in his routine, spend time with the other Avengers, and venture out into the city. But when he saw how on edge and jumpy Buck still seemed he had decided to just let him decompress. Now laying on the couch in the open was the most at ease Steve had seen Bucky in...well, in a very long time. "Right, Thank you." He mumbled softly, coming back to the present moment. "Uh, I'm sure a few solid hours of sleep will do him good but did you sleep at all, are you okay?"

Annie smiled up at him, that same warm, pleasant smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. "I'm fine. My bladder feels like it's going to explode but I can make it another thirty minutes. Sorry there is no coffee ready for you but I will have your shake when you come back from your workout."

Steve didn't miss that she avoided the question about sleep. "It's fine, honestly, I appreciate you letting him sleep. He obviously needed it."

At that Bucky stirred a little and without looking down Annie began stroking his hair softly as if it were a reflex. "I'm here to do whatever I have to for you guys. You better head down if you want to stay on schedule, you have some morning meetings today." Steve just nodded his head and began to head to the gym.