Embered Coal ° BUCKY BARNES | VOL. 3

four; the mattress

On the ride to Vienna, after each other them changed to look less suspicious, Steve told Lara all about how Hydra use Bucky as their slave. How he assassinated people, the Starks to be more specific, and Lara starred at him dumbfounded. Obviously, Bucky had been under the influence of Hydra when he had killed the Starks, because Howard had been a friend of Bucky's, but it still hurt to hear about it.

Howard had helped Lara so much.

When she got out of her shock, Lara starred out the window of the quin-jet, thinking about it. Her heart hurt thinking about Bucky, and all the pain and misery that he had been through. But then, she realized, that everyone was given their lives because they were strong enough to live them.

Lara and Sam, decked out in their baseball caps and sunglasses as well as jeans, shirts, and jackets, were sitting in a café while Steve called Natasha. Lara had ordered a drink so they looked less suspicious, and smiled cheerfully as the hot chocolate was placed in front of her.

"So you like hot cocoa?" Sam asked, staring at the cup that was in Lara's hands.

"Yeah. My mom used to make it whenever I was sad. And when my father decided that his life wasn't worth living anymore in the period you know as The Great Depression, I drank hot chocolate for a month. My sister had her first child on the way. Wesley is still one of the most attractive men I know," Lara explained. She had cried too much over her father, and a long time ago had decided that she wasn't going to cry about it anymore. Hell, after she had started working with the children, and teaching, her father had completely left her mind until that happened.

Though, she did remember crying the one night she had wrote James about not twirling around on her father's feet as a little girl. Her father had died when she was in her teenage years, but he had been very busy trying to bring capital into the house. Don't get me wrong, he was a very happy man. Just busy. And when poverty struck the family, well, he blamed himself.

"I'm sor-" Lara gave Sam a look, telling him not to finish that sentence. She didn't need his sympathy. Lara had gotten enough of that when her father had first died way back then.

Sam called the barista back, ordering a small snack as Lara took another sip out of her cup. The chocolate flavour tickled her taste buds, making her smile. There was even a hint of cinnamon in the cocoa, making Lara smile. She had ordered it specifically, and missed the taste. The last time she had some hot chocolate was... Well, she couldn't remember.

Sam was almost done eating when Steve walked back into the café. Lara's empty cup sat in front of her, looking small. When the tall man was beside them, Sam glanced over, as did Lara. "She tell you to stay out of it?" When Steve didn't answer him, Sam gave Lara a little smirk as if saying called it. "Might have a point."

"He'd do it for me," Steve argued, looking around the shop. They were waiting on whatever information that Sharon could get them.

"1945, maybe. I just wanna make sure we consider all our options," Sam said, and Lara rolled her eyes. "The people that shoot at you usually wind up shooting at me."

"We're going to get him," Lara told Sam. "I can help him. He needs us."

Steve gave Sam a smirk for his comment, before Lara noticed that Sharon had joined the trio. "Ever since that footage went live tips have been pouring in. Everyone thinks The Winter Soldier goes to their gym. Most of it's noise," Sharon slid a thin document to Steve. "Except for this." When it was safely in Steve's hands, Sharon spoke up again, "My boss expects a briefing pretty much right now, so that's all of the story you're gonna get."

"Thank you," Steve told the blonde woman.

"And you're gonna have to hurry, we have orders to shoot on sight," with that, Sharon walked away from the counter, making her way out of the café.