Relapse ★ Bucky Barnes

Somewhere Far Away

WARNING: Intense Bucklena fluff towards the end of the chapter

★ ★ ★

Marlena ran as fast as her petite legs would allow her to, though the bleeding wound at her side slowed her retreat drastically. Her breathing was ragged and she struggled to remain on her feet. She knew he was close behind, but she didn't dare turn around for confirmation. He had just about laid waste to everyone inside the building, including her family and friends, and if she couldn't find her escape he would undoubtedly do the same to her.

The alarms echoed loudly; thick smoke from various explosions moved throughout the building, threatening to suffocate any unfortunate human in the building he had left alive. Marlena tried to hold her breath, but it was nearly impossible to do so as she ran.

She turned the corner, coming into a large corridor. A breath of relief left her body as she took notice of the slightly broken glass door at the end of the hall, and she started forward. She was barely able to get five feet before a shot rang out and a searing pain in her leg sent her falling to the floor. She let out a shaky breath, ignoring the pain, and turned her body around. Her breath caught in her throat as she met the cold, distant blue eyes of the Winter Soldier.

He threw his gun to the floor and walked toward her, wrapping his metal hand around the base of her throat and pulling her up. He slammed Marlena into the wall, eliciting a strangled cry from the small girl.

"Please," she struggled as she fought for air. "Don't do this to me, Bucky."

An unreadable expression flashed across the soldier's face, but disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Who the hell is Bucky?" he questioned her as he tightened his grip around her throat.

"I know you're. . .still in. . .there," Marlena struggled with tears burning in her eyes. "I can hear. . .you struggling to. . .break free. You can fight him. . .please. I need you back. . .Bucky. Don't let him. . .win."

The soldier's face contorted in anger and slight confusion at the sound of her words. He let out a growl and roughly threw Marlena back to the floor, leaving her gasping for air. She looked up to see the soldier trapped in what seemed to be an internal battle with himself, and she wondered whether or not Bucky was attempting to make an appearance. She pulled herself off of the ground, using the wall to keep herself steady due to both of the wounds attempting to heal themselves on the left side of her body.

"B-Bucky," Marlena started quietly, inching toward him as slow as she possibly could.

His head snapped over to her, the anger once again appearing on his face. He couldn't begin to understand why she kept calling him Bucky, although he wanted to. However, the part of him that wanted to understand was buried far too deep inside him; the part of him on the surface simply wanted to kill the small girl—to silence the name forever.

"Stop calling me that," he exclaimed angrily as he made a move toward her.

Marlena's eyes widened in fear, and she acted instinctively, throwing her hands toward him despite the amount of pain her body was enduring. A wave of her psionic energy shot toward the soldier, sending him flying back down the corridor. Marlena watched with pained eyes as he hit the ground; she had never wanted to use her powers on Bucky, but the man she was fighting was not Bucky, no matter how desperately she wished him to be.

The soldier let out a growl as he got back up. He met Marlena's frightened hazel eyes and pulled out a knife, wasting no time at all in running at her. It was stupid on his part—he knew she was more powerful than he was—but his determination to eliminate her was too great to stop him. If he could defeat her cousin, who was just as powerful as she was, then he could definitely defeat her, too. She was injured as well, which would make the process much easier.