Steve Rogers went back to the past to reconnect with his true love, Peggy Carter. That's what everyone in 2023 thought. The truth is he went back to right a wrong, several of them in fact. He went back to save his friend, James Buchanan "Bucky" B...
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Lots of dialogue in this chapter as Bucky demands Steven Grant come completely clean.
The first thing Dr. Erskine did when he arrived at Howard Stark's penthouse was to apologize to Bucky for not letting him know in advance about the misinformation campaign on Steve's recovery, nor about the rumours about him that were coming. The younger man accepted the apology but by the way he held his jaw tightly and the flicker of a muscle on the side of his cheek, the doctor knew he had likely undone some or all of the trust he had built with the young sergeant. All through the radio meeting with Howard Stark, and with the addition of General Phillips using a secure telephone line connected to a speaker, Bucky glowered. It was only after the meeting ended and Bucky went out onto the terrace to get some fresh air did he finally get an official explanation from one of two men who was behind it all.
A glass of scotch was placed on a table beside Bucky where he was leaning against the terrace railing, looking out over the view of Manhattan that had so impressed him upon his arrival at the penthouse. He looked up from the hand holding it to see Steven Grant.
"Don't be angry at Dr. Erskine," he said bluntly. "It was my decision not to fill you in. General Phillips concurred."
"Why?" Bucky didn't touch the glass. "After all we went through in Austria, you think I'm a security risk?"
"No, not at all," replied Grant, emphatically. "Are you going to drink that? It's 30-year-old scotch and meant as a peace offering."
"Haven't decided," answered Bucky, looking back over the skyline. "So, once again. Why was I kept in the dark?"
"For your own protection. I know it's not much of an answer. We wanted you to focus on getting better, not worrying about the search for Steve."
"He's my friend," answered Bucky. "I worry about him often. You knew this would happen."
"So did he," said Grant. "He was prepared for it and Howard was as close as he could be to the site. Besides, I was a bit worried about you."
"Me," smirked Bucky. "I'm fine."
"Buck, something I never really understood in my timeline after you were a prisoner in the Austrian factory was that the experience changed you. It messed with your head, affected your confidence, made you more reckless."
Bucky snorted. "Says the pot calling the kettle black. I just followed Steve, because he was still the guy sticking his nose into the thick of the fight and I still felt protective enough over him to try and keep him out of trouble. Tell me something, Grant. Why did you really come back in time? The me in your time wouldn't be affected by what you're doing now, right? I've read enough science fiction to know that you can't change the past to change your present because when you do that starts a new timeline. The old one still goes on, just without you in it. So, we're in a new timeline, while your friend Bucky in 2023, still has a metal arm, still was the HYDRA assassin trying to forget what he once was, and he's living in a new century without his supposed best friend by his side. The Steve I grew up with wouldn't have left me on my own."
