Otherwise Known As... | Bucky Barnes

Chapter (49) Fourty Nine ~ ...the girl on the farm

"The news is loving you guys. Nobody else is. There's been no official call for Banner's arrest, but it's in the air." Maria Hill's voice came threw the jet's speakers.

Clit was flying the thing while the rest of us rested. Thor had been pacing since we stepped onto the aircraft, Bruce was sitting on the floor near my feet, wrapped up in a blanket, and Steve and Natasha sat close by, neither of them saying anything. Tony had been staring down at his phone, probably wanting to call Avery.

"Stark Releafe Foundation?" Tony asked.

"Already on the scene. How's the team?"

"Everyone's..." He started, looking around at all of us. "We took a hit. We'll shake it off."

"Well, for now, I'd stay in stealth mode. And stay away from here."

"So, run and hide?" Tony walked up to the screen showing Maria.

"Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer."

"Neither do we." My nephew sighed. He hung up the phone, then walked up to the pilot's seat. "Hey, you wanna switch out?" He asked Clint.

"No, I'm good. If you wanna get some kip, or call your girl, now's a good time because we're still a few hours out."

"Few hours from where?"

"A safe house." Clint vaguely told him.

"Tony, go call Avery. Tell her what's going on." I jumped in, my voice horse as I changed the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah I'll do that." He agreed, though I could tell there were a million questions he wanted to ask.

I watched as Tony walked to the other end of the jet, typing into his phone before bringing it up to his ear. I watched for a little while as he talked to his partner, a smile coming across his face the longer the two talked.

"I saw Peggy," Steve said, so quietly I thought I misheard him. "The war had just ended, and we were about to have our dance that I owed her."

I took Steve's hand, squeezing it tightly as he talked.

"I saw Bucky." I weekly smiled. "He was making breakfast, and told me I needed to get ready cause we were meeting Howard and his "new girl" for lunch. It was so... domestic. Something I never got with him."

"Who do you think the girl was?" Natasha asked. I could tell she didn't want to talk about what she saw, at least not with Steve and Bruce right there, so she distracted herself with our visions.

"Honestly," I started, looking back toward Tony. "I think it would have been Maria."

"Tony's mother?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. I don't know, I think it's just 'cause the only other time I've ever met one of Howies "partners" it's because they haven't left the house fast enough." I smirked. "Meeting one of them because he actually wants me to... It's different. It's special."

"She must have been if she put up with Howard for as long as she did." Natasha piped in, the smallest hint of a smirk on her lips.

"Yeah. I think the same thing with Avery. I have nothing against Pepper, but from the few times I've met her, I never understood how she and Tony stayed together romantically for as long as they did."

"They thought they were in love," Steve said like it was the most simple explanation in the world.

And I guess in a way, it was.

~~

"We're here," Clint said, starting to land the jet in a clearing amongst the trees.