The Winter Soldier and the Waitress

Chapter 4

Bucky was in love. It was a new emotion for him. Not love. He loved a lot of people. He loved his parents, his brothers and sister. He would even go as far as to say that he loved Steve. But this love for Grace—it was different. He feels as if it snuck up on him, but that wouldn't be completely true. This feeling in his gut when he's with her, how her smile just takes his breath away, or how the sound of her laughter seems to bring him unexpected joy—it's been there for as long he can remember. He can't pin point the moment it happened, can't give a specific date and time the switch flipped within himself. It just happened.

"How long do you plan on hiding from her?" Steve asked, pulling Bucky from his thoughts. He lifted his eyes, once again focused on the night sky. They were currently flying back to the compound in the quinjet. Tony had found some information of a possible link to the people who were after him and who setup the attack at the diner, but it was a bust. They arrived in a small town just outside of Mexico, but there was nothing there. "For the longest time,  you didn't want to be a part of these, what did you call them?" Steve turned away. "That's right, you didn't want to be a part of these pointless missions based on spotty clues that just lead no where." Steve looked back over to Bucky. "You're going to have to talk to her."

"I will. I just—I don't even know how that conversation would even start." Bucky sighed dropping his head back against the seat.

"How about, 'Hey Gray, sorry for totally disappearing on you, but I realized that I was in love with you and didn't know how to tell you'" Bucky looked over to him with a quirked brow. "I mean you can paraphrase." Steve chuckled before turning back to look out to the sky. "Look, Buck, I get this is new to you and you don't know how to handle it, but you have to tell her." Steve shook his head. "Trust me, there's nothing like that feeling of regret for not telling the woman you're crazy about just how you feel." Bucky looked over to Steve, knowing he was thinking about Peggy. "And then losing that chance and never getting it back."

"Steve,"

Steve shook his head before turning back to Bucky. "I'm just saying, time is precious. Me and you know that more than anyone. Don't waste it because of fear or nervousness. Just tell her."

Bucky let out a sigh before turning back to the clouds ahead. His mind once again ventured back to Grace as he tried coming up with a way to even start this conversation.

When they arrived at the hangar, Bucky didn't move right away. Steve glanced over to him and just laughed.

"You know you don't have to try to fix everything right this moment." he lets out through his laughter. Steve unstraps himself from his seat and stands to his feet, giving Bucky a pat on the shoulder as he heads off the jet.

Bucky sits there a moment longer. He could wait until morning, show up at their door with donuts and a winning smile that will make her roll her eyes. He lets out a huff before unstrapping his seat belt and heading off into the hangar. He spots Steve talking to Tony, but he turns his eyes in hopes of making a clean getaway.

"Hey Barnes and Noble, a word!" Tony calls and Bucky sighs before turning and heading over.

"You know what Tony, I'm not in the mood. Following these bogus leads is not getting us any closer to who is targeting to me.

"I thought the same until I happened upon this." Tony held up his tablet that showed a woman surrounded by large guys stepping into a car. "Meet 'The Lady'. I know, not the cleverest code name, but that's not the kicker."  Steve and Bucky looked at the man waiting for him to continue, Tony slid a finger across the screen to reveal a CIA profile.

"Faith Harris." Steve said taking the tablet from Tony's hand as he read the profile. "Mother, Camille Harris, Father General—"

"Nathaniel Lane Harris." Bucky said with a furrowed brow that he turned to Tony. "That's Grace's sister. What is this?"