BONES EXPOSED | MARVEL (2)

FIFTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: SMALL WORLD

BUCKY BARNES HAD BEEN IN HIDING FOR ALMOST TWO MONTHS.

He hid in the shadows ever since Hydra was revealed in DC. Since he pulled Maggie and Steve Rogers out of the river. After that, he disappeared into the shadows and alleys of DC, changing out of his wet soldier gear. He snuck into a small thrift store and changed into a blue long-sleeved shirt, black heavy jacket, black boots, and a black glove for his left hand. He made sure all of his metal limb was covered and out of sight and kept his face hidden by a black baseball hat.

A couple days after, Bucky sneaked into the Smithsonian Museum to see the Captain America exhibition. The amnesiac was shocked to see a large memorial for James Buchanan Barnes in the exhibit. Even though they had the same face, Bucky knew that him and that man were two different people. He saw small flashes of a metal bar and of him falling from a far height.

Not only that but memories of him and a brunette exchanging rings in another life. He saw photos of Maggie at the Exhibit and he noticed they shared the same name. Some videos talked about her, saying that they married during the war. He had no recollection about Maggie or the fact she was his wife.

Bucky knew he couldn't stay in the United States to hide. The remnants of SHIELD and the U.S. government would be looking for him. They wanted him to answer for the crimes he committed under Hydra's control. The amnesiac doubted Hydra was easily destroyed, an they probably had a price on his head since he knew Hydra secrets. There was also one person, one man, who would've been persistent in finding him. Steve Rogers wanted to find him, and it would've been more difficult if Bucky left America.

So, the amnesiac slipped onto port ship headed back to Europe. The ship arrived to France and that's where Bucky was dropped off. The next couple of days, he slowly made his way to Austria, quietly hiding in the shadows. Austria was where Bucky fell from the train several decades prior, he finally remembered how it happened. Steve tried to grab him as the metal bar Bucky held onto broke and he fell into the icy ravine.

That's when he heard something in his head, a voice, a very kind voice. The voice had told the amnesiac to go to Bucharest and that he would be safe there. Though, the voice wasn't the only force, but Bucky felt a pull towards Bucharest. The amnesiac had been in Bucharest for two days when he spotted Maggie in the city's morning market.

When he saw her, he for some reason, had the urge to follow her and knew that she would've been able to help him. He remembered the strange things she did during their fight on the bridge and the Helicarrier. Bucky followed her, hiding in her shadow, seeing where she lived and worked.

He walked into the nightclub she worked at three nights later and watched her from afar and then followed her outside. He witnessed her kill whatever kind of creatures that were in the dark alley, and she knew he was there. Now there they were, standing feet away from each other. Neither of them said a word while Maggie smirked. The caster believed that he had come to kill her, like Hydra had sent him to find her.

"I know you've been watching me all night," Maggie started, her voice and face serious. "Have you come to kill me?"

"No, I'm not here to kill you," Bucky answered. "I'm not here to harm you in any way."

Maggie eyes widened in amusement as her smirk returned. She didn't expect the soldier to answer, since he never really spook when he was trying to kill her and her friends. The ex-agent soon returned to a more serious expression.

"Do you remember me?" Maggie asked, meaning if he remembered the first time they met. "Do you know who I am?"

"You're Maggie Barnes," Bucky answered her once more. "You're the woman I pulled out of the river."