Caretaker - What If...?

Part 5

||Two weeks later||

You stood next to Bucky as he picked through the pile of plums. He bought a few and motioned for you to follow him. You watched for a break in the traffic so the two of you could cross the street and go home. You looked across the street at the news stand to try and make out the front cover. It was really the only way that you could stay caught up on things anymore. Then you noticed the man in the newspaper stand was staring at you. Actually, he wasn't staring directly at you. He was staring at Bucky. Bucky seemed to notice this and you followed him across the street. The man in the stand ran from his seat as the two of you approached. Bucky picked up the paper on the counter that had a blurry picture of himself on the cover.

"What does it say?" you asked quietly.

He threw the paper back on the counter. "That I blew up the UN meeting in Vienna." He looked around again. No one else seemed to know that he was the Winter Soldier. "C'mon. We have to go home." he said. He took a hold of your hand and began to lead you back to the apartment.

"I still don't understand." you said as the two of you climbed the last two steps to your apartment door.

Bucky stopped.

"What?" you asked quietly.

He put his real pointer finger to his lips. He silently opened the door and slipped inside. You followed his example and quietly shut the door behind you. You stepped inside to see Captain America looking through one of Bucky's notebooks. It was something that you had suggested for Bucky to do to help his memories to return.

"Understood." Steve said, obviously talking to someone that was on the other end of an earpiece.

He looked back and saw you from the corner of his eye. He turned around to face you with a confused look. Then he spotted Bucky standing on the other side of the room.

"Do you know me?" he asked Bucky.

"You're Steve. I read about you at the museum." Bucky replied.

"I know you're nervous, and you have every reason to be, but your lying." he retaliated.

"It's true." you said. "He doesn't remember."

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Steve asked, slightly hostile as he moved in your direction.

"It's a long story." you said.

"Well you'd better start explaining cause we don't have very long."

Bucky stepped between you and Steve with his back to you. "That's enough. You're not here for her." he threatened.

Steve looked at him in defeat. "But you do know why I'm here." Steve said.

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore." Bucky replied.

"Well, the people who think you did are coming now, and they're not planning on taking you alive."

"That's smart. Good strategy."

"Bucky!" you scolded. He looked back at you, then moved over to the shelf on your right.

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck." Steve said.

"It always ends in a fight."