Winter Love || Bucky Barnes

6: Dinner

I quietly crept back to my room. When I got there, I stopped. Something was different. The door was ajar. I had closed it earlier; I was sure of it. Goose bumps spread across my arms as I carefully drew my gun and entered. I quickly searched the room when suddenly a person stood in front of me. I raised the gun higher and...

"Hey, doll. Please don't shoot me."

I lowered the gun and sighed. "James, what are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

"I just wanted to check on you."

"Tony has forbidden it, don't you remember. No night visits."

He took my hand. "I don't care. He's not your father."

"I know. But he lets me live here for free. I owe him something. He's just trying to protect me."

"From what? Me?"

"Well, yeah." He let go of my hand.

"James, please."

"Well, somehow he's right. I've done bad things and it's a miracle that you still trust me."

"He doesn't know you as well as I do and that you are a good person. I know the real you. The James from the 40's."

"I don't know if this version still exists, doll."

I stroked my hair and then took a step towards him. I hated arguing.

"Let's not argue, okay? It's late. Let's go to sleep."

"Together?"

I had to laugh. "Was that the real reason you came here?"

"No, actually I have a present for you." He ran to my wardrobe and opened the door to reveal a red dress.

"Wow, it's beautiful. What do I get this for?"

"I was thinking that we could go to dinner tomorrow." My mouth twisted into a smile. He was so cute. "Are you asking me out on a date, Mr. Barnes?"

"Yes, ma'am, absolutely. Is that a yes?"

I nodded. "Definitely."

He pulled me to his body. "But James. Many eyes will be on me in this dress. You sure you can handle it?"

He ran his hand through my hair. "Of course. And if anyone even dares to look at you the wrong way, I'll take care of it."

I laughed and laid my head against his chest. "I love you, James. So damn much."

"Love you too, doll."

***

"She'll be back before midnight, understand?" Tony said to Bucky in a serious tone.

"Understood," he replied just as serious and held out his arm to me. "May I?"

I had to giggle and quickly hooked my arm in his with a big smile. "Of course, Mr. Barnes."

***

We walked into a fancy restaurant. It looked so expensive and luxurious that I already felt guilty just standing there.

"Wow, James. Where did you get so much money? Did you rob a bank?" I joked and he looked to the ground. "Well, it wasn't really a robbery. It's more like a loan."

"What?" I looked at him open-mouthed, but then he started laughing. I poked him lightly in the side. "Damn it James, that's not funny."

"Yeah, it is. Your face was priceless. And so cute."

"Stop it," I giggled and he gave me a small kiss on the forehead.

"But you know, nothing is too expensive for you. You only deserve the best, doll."

I stood on tiptoe and gently pressed my lips to his.

"You, James. That's all I need."

He smiled, took my hand and led me to our table. Then he pulled the chair back so I could sit down. "Wow, such a gentleman."

"Only for you, doll."
I looked at him with shining eyes. Damn, this man was perfect.

The evening went by like in a dream. The food was delicious and we talked the whole time. I had never laughed so much in my life and I couldn't help but fall more and more in love with him.

When we finally left the restaurant, it was dark outside and we took a walk.

"Thanks, doll. It was a wonderful evening."

"I have to thank you. It was perfect. You are perfect."

"Hardly," he muttered and I turned him to me.

"You are. I've never met a person like you. You are so sweet and caring and... protective and damn handsome."

He laughed.

"No seriously, you are. You make my life so much better."

"But on the other hand, there are many lives I destroyed when I was the Winter Soldier."

I looked at him sympathetically and reached for his hand. It hurt me to see him so sad. "James, if you want to talk about it, just let me know, okay? I still don't know what happened, how you're still alive."

He took a deep breath and looked me in the eye. "They did a lot of experiments and froze me. They only let me out when they had jobs for me."

"Jobs?"

"Targets. Assassinations."

I swallowed.

"They brainwashed me. Wiped out my memories. Every time."

I looked at him in shock and a tear fell down my cheek. "Oh my god, James. I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what that must have been like."

"It was terrible. Sometimes the memories came back and I was so afraid that I'd never see you again." I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close. I never wanted to let go of him again. How much pain can a person endure before being broken? Had Bucky already reached that limit?

He had many bad experiences and was forced to do terrible things that I didn't know whether he could handle it.

When he continued, I let go of him. "You know, doll, it's still inside me. The super soldier serum. I can become the Winter Soldier again at any time. That's my biggest fear. That I won't be able to stop myself and hurt you."
"James, I've already made sure you remember once. I'm sure I can also do it a second time. You don't need to be afraid. I will always stand by your side. Always."
Bucky was about to reply when his cell phone rang.

He took it out of his pocket, looked at it and gave me a little smile. "Sorry, I have to take it. It's Tony."

Right at that moment, I realized that I had forgotten my jacket. It was still relatively warm, so I hadn't noticed straight away.

I looked at Bucky, who was still on the phone, and decided to get my jacket myself. The restaurant was just around the corner, so I would manage.

As I turned off, I suddenly felt something. A cloth was pressed to my mouth and nose and a sweet smell came into my nose. When I looked around, everything was a blur...

Bucky's pov

"What's wrong?"
"Remember. She'll be home in two hours at the latest." I tried to stop myself from sighing. "Yeah, don't worry. We're already on our way."
"Good," I heard his voice. "I want to talk to her for a minute. Can I?"
"Sure." I turned around, but Connie had disappeared. I looked around frantically. Where was she? I ran back to the restaurant but there was no sign of her there either. "Tony... I'll call you back. She's in the bathroom right now."
A waiter approached me and handed me her small, white jacket. "Your girlfriend forgot this."
"Thank you," I mumbled. Was that why Connie had left? To get her jacket? But then she should have been here by now, shouldn't she? Or was she really in the bathroom? "Excuse me, did she come back here after we left?" "No, I don't think so. Why? Did something happen?" I quickly assured him, "No, she's probably at home. Thank you." But I knew she wasn't. Something had happened.