I Believe in You

05

BUCHAREST

Bucky was in civvies at a fruit store. He bought some plums and spoke in Romanian.

(assumed translation: How are they? Are they good? Give me six, thank you.)

Rori was looking at green apples and looked up with a smile. She spoke in Romanian.

(May I have ten, please? I know it's a lot. Thank you.)

In a black cap and casual jacket, Bucky walked along, scanning around. Rori was wearing a pink floral sundress. Across the street, they spotted a twenty-something vender at a news-stand watching them, mainly focused on Bucky. Bucky glanced away, then looked back at the vender who was still watching him. The vender ran from his kiosk. Bucky went over and picked up a paper. On the front page there was surveillance-photos of a man and the headline: 'Winter Soldier cautat pentru Bombardmentul din Viena'. Bucky glanced around tensely.

Rori frowned. "This wasn't you, right?"

Bucky shook his head. "No, it wasn't. We gotta get back to the apartment."

"Bucky, I have my bakery to get back to."

"Rori, if they come after me, they might come after you, and I would go near mental if you got hurt, or worse. I can at least try to protect you."

She nodded slowly. "Okay, but the apples."

"You can put them in the fridge at your apartment or my apartment, whichever you choose."

---

In his dark blue armored suit with his shield on his arm, Steve was in a small apartment. He looked around. There was a mattress with disheveled covers and various bits of cheap looking furniture. The kitchen and bedroom were in the same room. Steve found a notebook on top of the fridge. He picked it up and opened it. There were tabs of varying colors sticking out from amongst the pages.

Sam over the radio said, "Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces, approaching from the south."

"Understood," Steve replied. Bucky was standing behind him, Rori behind him.

Steve slowly turned to face him and asked, "Do you know me? Who's the girl?"

Bucky stared at him as he replied, "You're Steve. I read about you in a museum. Rori Matei; my girlfriend."

"They've set the perimeter," Sam warned.

"I know you're nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying."

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore."

"They're entering the building," Sam informed.

"Well, the people who think you did are coming here now," Steve said. "And they're not planning on taking you alive."

"That's smart," Bucky said. "Good strategy."

"They're on the roof," Sam informed. "I'm compromised."

Armed cops ran upstairs.

Steve shook his head and said, "This doesn't have end in a fight, Buck."

Outside the door, a cop readied a battering ram.

"It always ends in a fight," Bucky replied in a tired tone.

"Five seconds," Sam warned.

"You pulled me from the river. Why?" Steve asked.

"I don't know," Bucky answered.

"Three seconds!" Sam cried.

"Yes, you do," Steve said.