Romanogers// The Spy&The Solider

Chapter 19

ANASTASIA POV//
I stand in front of a swinging punching bag. It begins to swing slightly in my direction and I right hook it sending it to the side. I throw more punches, feeling my knuckles ache a bit but ignore the pain and continue. I feel drops of sweat roll of my forehead as I kick the bag with my thigh. BANG! In the back of my mind I hear a gunshot. I shake my head. It's not real. I throw my fists into the bag as hard as I can. The image of a girl my age standing in front of me appears in my mind. I stop, placing my wrapped hands on the bag to stop it and take a step back breathing heavily. "Not real." I say shaking the pain from my hands. I kick the bag hard, sending it far sideways. I hear a scream, and kick the bag again as it falls towards me. "P-Please." I hear a voice begging. I punch the bag harder, wanting the voices and memory's to stop. "Don't hurt me." I hear someone cry out. I wait until the bag is close to me before letting out a hard punch sending pain through out my hand. I back away, "SHIT!" I shout at myself looking down at the tape wrapped around my hand now slowly turning red. I hear footsteps behind me and it takes me a few seconds to realize they're actually there. I turn and see a tall man with shoulder length hair stepping out from the doorway. "C'mere." He says, directing me to a bench behind his as he walks over to a locker. I sit down on the bench and he heads back my way holding a first aid kit in his hand. He kneels in front of me and places the box to his side. "I'm James." He says looking at my hand. "But people tend to call me Bucky-" he starts "-or at least your punk ass Dad does." I can't help but let out a small laugh. "Ana." I say back and he nods his head. He takes my hand and begins to carefully unwrap the tape to reveal a black and blue hand covered in cuts, one freshly opened and bleeding. "You're going too hard." He says examining my hand. "Its the only thing that clears my mind." I say back. He takes a swab with some alcohol from the kit and wets it. He places it up against the cut and I grit my teeth together from the stinging. "It's weird right?" He asks and I give him a look. "Coming back...living day to day." He says still looking down at my hand. "It's weird." He adds. I take a long second to reply, "I see happiness, everywhere." I begin to say and a small smile appears on my face. "At first I didn't know exactly how to react or even what it looked like. I had never experienced true happiness or even really seen it. But I remember watching Natasha with Steve, and there were just together, not talking, not even looking at each other, but then Steve turned his head...for no reason. And the way he looked at her...he was happy...he was truly happy." I pause and Bucky looks up at me. "It's weird to see people other than hurt." I say and he nods his head. "I feel ya kiddo." He says as he begins to re-wrap my hand with clean white tape. "It begins to feel normal, happiness." Bucky says standing up closing the kit. "And after some time it doesn't feel so weird." He says as he nods and closes the locker door.

STEVE POV//
I sit on a large couch in the middle of the living room switching through channels. I look down at the clock and read 3:27AM. I let out a sigh realizing how late it is. Just as I'm about to stand up I see a small shadow figure to my right standing in a door way. At first I think it's Natasha until the shadow steps a little more into the light then I realize it Ana. "Hey." She says rubbing her eyes, slowly walking over to me. I straighten up a bit as she sits down next to me. "Couldn't sleep?" I ask seeing her tired eyes as she leans her head back looking up at the ceiling. "Nightmares." She says and I can tell by her voice it was a bad one. I wrap my arm around her a pull her in a little closer to me. She doesn't resist and leans her head on my shoulder. "Natasha gets them, every since I can remember. Some aren't as bad, but others..." I say looking down at Ana. I realize this is the first time I've ever held her in my arms. The first time I've ever held my daughter in 16 years. I look down at her "But you're strong, you're like your mother." I say and I watch her smile and her rosy cheeks become pinker. And I remember holding her in that hospital, 16 years ago, before my world went to shit, and her small red fuzz on top of her head, and her bright green and blue eyes paired with her pink cheeks. "Ste--Dad?" she begins and I snap back looking down at her again. "I-I love you." She looks up at me, her eyes glistening in the dark. I smile, feeling my body go warm all over. I wrap my arm around her a little tighter pulling her in even closer. "I love you too."