The Assassin Shadow - Bucky Barnes

Chapter 30

2023. It's been 5 years. I don't even know why I still care, there's no way of bringing them back. I'm going into 9th grade this year. I can't believe I'll be graduating in a few years. But my father won't see me in a graduation gown or with my diploma in my hands. I would just want one more minute with him. Just one more hug, that's all I would want. No, I can't let myself live in the past. I have to keep going and move forward without looking back even once. Since last year, Rhodes found a place not far from here but he's also traveling around the world a lot. He said he needed to be somewhere else than here. Same thing for Steve. So now it's really just Nat and me. Anyway, I get up and get dressed because it's already 1 p.m. I walk in my mom's office and see her getting ready for the weekly meeting with Nebula, Rocket, Rhodey, Okoye and Carol.

"Well, good morning sleeping beauty." She says when she sees me.

"Hey mama."

"Are you hungry, sweetie?" She asked.

"Hum, no. But thanks." We hear signals that other participants are joining the meeting. "I'll leave you to your appointment." I turn around and start to leave the room.

"Lyly?" I turn back. "Would you mind staying with me? Pretty sure it would help me stay calm."

I nod while I sit in one of the chairs around her desk. She joins the call and they start to debrief about everything happening in the universe. I prefer to look at my phone than listen. I don't really understand anyway. All I know is that the things that happen here on Earth, like violent earthquakes, floods and all the like, also happen on other planets and that we have to help them. After a while, I realize that only Rhodey is left in the call. I put my phone away and do something I haven't done much of lately. I listen.

"Where are you?" Mama asks him.

"Mexico. The Federales found a room full of bodies. Looks like a bunch of cartel guys never even had a chance to get their guns off."

You know what, I shouldn't be listening. But I'm just too curious. That's a flaw of mine.

"It's probably a rival gang." She replies.

"Except it isn't." Rhodes answers quickly. "It's definitely Barton." Natasha lowers her head and looks down. Oh yeah, Clint. He lost his family. I feel so bad for him. Imagine losing your wife and your kids, it must be so hard. Mom has been trying to find him ever since but every time, it's a dead end. "What he's done here, what he's been doing for the last few years. I mean, the scene that he left. I gotta tell you, there's a part of me that doesn't even want to find him."

Nat clicks her tongue. I know this is hurting her. Seeing what her best friend has been up to. How the blip destroyed him. "Will you find out where he's going next?" She reaches for her sandwich, finally looking up again. I see the tears in her eyes and it breaks me. I mean, seeing your mom on the verge of crying is always so heartbreaking.

"Nat?"

"Please?"

Rhodey thinks a little before replying back. "Okay." He disconnects from the call and now we're just two in the room. I watch her as she puts her head in her hands and breathes shakily. I go closer to her and wrap my arms around her. A few tears well up in my eyes. We both need this hug so much. We stay like that for a little while before we're interrupted.

"You know, I'd offer to cook you dinner but you two seem pretty miserable already." We hear Steve voice say. We separate from each other, both looking at the unexpected voice.

"You here to do your laundry?" I say teasing him a little.

"And to see my friends."

"Clearly, your friends are fine." She says sarcastically.

Uncle Steve keeps leaning on the shelf, fiddling with his keys. "You know, I saw a pod of whales when I was coming over the bridge."

"In the Hudson?"

"There's fewer ships, cleaner water." That's great to hear. At least animals can now live happily without humans destroying their lives.

"You know, if you're about to tell me to look on the bright side, I'm about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich." She says, causing me to chuckle a bit.

"Hm, sorry. Force of habit." Steve says, finally taking a seat with us around mama's desk. "You know I keep telling everybody that they should move on and grow. Some do. But not us." He says slowly.

"If I move on, who does this?" Nat says.

"Maybe it doesn't need to be done." I shake my head a little at his statement. How could he say that? How could he just give up on everything? How could he give up on papa? I look at Natasha and she has the same reaction as me.

"I used to have nothing. And then I got this. This job. This family." She says taking my hand in hers. I give her a small smile. "And I was- I was better because of it. and even though some of them are gone, I'm still trying to be better." A tear falls down on her cheek and it hurts me to see her like that.

"I think we all need to get a life."

"You first." She tells him. He smiles softly but shyly. I forgot about that, they had a thing going on between them but they both decided that they couldn't continue anymore. I don't know why, they were so cute together. My thoughts are interrupted when a device chimes. It's the front door camera. Nat answers and we see the guy on our doorstep.

"Oh, hi, hi! Is anyone home?" My eyes widened at the sight. I don't know if I'm dreaming but I see Scott Lang on the screen. I don't understand, he disappeared in the blip, right? "This is Scott Lang." Steve turns around at the name. "We met a few years ago at the airport in Germany?" Cap stands up, probably trying to process it. "I was the guy that got really big. I was wearing a mask, you wouldn't recognize me."

"Is this an old message?" Stevie asks. Scott continues his speech but we're all too shocked to listen.

"It's the front gate." She answers.