One-shots/Short Stories

Bucky Barnes - Part III

His Mission - Part III
Young kids ran around the museum, some gasping in awe at the artefacts, some measuring themselves to the old Steve that was small and skinny.
But Grace ignored them all, and immediately went to the plaque that had Bucky's face on it. Her parents followed closely, Bucky himself making sure he was disguised well.
He smiled at the look of awe on his daughter's face, reading the information on him. Emilia soon joined her, reading it as well. "Papa, who's Steve?" Grace asked innocently. Bucky tensed, mind going blank. Who is Steve? Does he know it himself?
"He's an. . .old friend of mine." he said slowly. "He's Captain America." he nodded to the large picture of Steve in the middle, the Howling Commandos behind him including Bucky.
"That's you, Papa!" Grabbing her parents' hand, she led them to the large picture. While the girls merely read the information, Bucky made sure to remember them, in an attempt to gain his memories back. It's only been a couple of weeks since the DC incident, and so far nothing bad has happened to them. . .yet.
"This is so cool!" Grace breathed out. She noticed a dark room. "Let's go in there!"
In the dark room were old black and white videos from back in the days, Grace sitting at the front eagerly with Emilia while Bucky decided to stay at the back. He watched them with a smile of adoration on his face, how they loved to get to know the old Bucky with him and still accept the new him. He didn't know what he would do without his girls.

***

When Everett Ross finished explaining to them what was going on, he finally noticed the look on Bucky's face when they were leaving. "Why is he looking all sad and traumatised?" he asked them. "What, never thought he'd get caught?"
"I'd be like that too if I watched my daughter and wife get shot in front of my eyes." Steve said bitterly while walking with them, hating the government more.
Everett, Sharon, and Natasha stopped in their tracks. "What did you just say?" Natasha asked him in disbelief. "Wife and daughter?"
"Yeah, wife and daughter." Steve nodded. "Your government people shot them. They shot my best friend's wife and child - who are possibly the only people that could tame the bad side of him." They stayed quiet at his words. "Oh yeah, you definitely care about the civilians' safety."
"Ooh, that burn. . ." Sam whistled, following after the retreating patriot. While the other three watched them walk away, a soldier came to Everett.
   "Sir, this was found in his bag." The soldier handed him a bunny doll, proving Steve's statement. "Do we bring it with his other stuff?"
   "I'm sure Steve wouldn't mind holding on to it." Natasha told them, grabbing the bunny.

***

"I can't help you if you don't speak up, James." the 'doctor' told him.
"My name's Bucky." he eventually rasped out. Steve stared at the screen sadly. "Where's Emilia? Where's my Grace? Are they alive?"
"Let's talk about them two, yes? When and where did you meet Emilia, your. . ."
"Wife. She's my wife."
"Wife." Steve mumbled. "Knew it. . ."
"And when did you meet her? Did you take her away from somewhere, or. . ."
"I didn't kidnap her." Bucky snapped. "HYDRA did. We met in January, 2008. Alexander Pierce brought her in all dirty and injured, and told me that we needed to create a child."
"And why is that?"
"Because Emilia had mutant genes in her. If she conceived a child with me, there's a high chance of the child gaining an ability that would help HYDRA. They wanted to use our child for their own selfishness."
"That is just disgusting." Sam stated, glaring at the screen. Steve agreed silently, noticing Stark, Natasha, and the other officials staring at the screen shocked.
"And I presume Grace is. . ."
"My daughter." Bucky glared at him. Steve stared at the doll on the table momentarily. "That the government shot. You shot the most important girls in my life."
"When did you and the girls escape -"
"After the DC incident." he cut him off. "I went back to the base and got them out of their cell. We've been hiding ever since. I did not do the bombing at Vienna. Not when I needed to look after them. Hide them from HYDRA." Bucky glared straight ahead. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. They're innocent. Where are they?"
"Where are they?" Steve asked Sharon. "Are they alive?"
"I don't know." Sharon revealed. "Nothing has been told yet -"
All lights turned off, a flashing red light coming up. Steve turned to the screen to see it was off. Oh no, he thought glumly.

***

While grabbing their equipment, Sharon grabbed Steve's arm to get his attention. "Barnes' girls," she nodded to the sad man, "they're okay."
"They are?" Steve asked hopefully. She gave him a small smile, handing him the familiar doll.
"They are." she confirmed. "I checked in on them and they are stable, but still asleep. They're also pardoned from interfering in official business. They'll soon be out of the hospital."
"That's great news, Sharon." he smiled. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." she nodded. "Just. . .make sure they have someone to look after them. Don't let the girls down by not bringing their husband and father back to them."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Walking back to the car, the first thing he said when hopping in was, "Emilia and Grace are okay and alive."
"Really?" Bucky asked hopefully, a smile lighting up on his face.
"Really." Steve nodded. He noticed that his smile was much like the old Bucky's smile. He was getting there. "Let's get this mission over with so we can bring you back to your girls." He chucked to him the doll. "You can give that to Grace yourself when we get them back."

***

"Papa!" Bucky's head snapped up at the sound of his daughter. Looking to the entrance, he saw Grace being carried by Steve, smiling widely.
"Grace!" he breathed out in relief, tears gathering at his eyes. "You're alive!" Steve placed her on his lap, Bucky wrapping his flesh arm around her and pulling her close to him. "Thank God you're alive. . ."
"I missed you, Papa." she said against his chest.
"I missed you too." Bucky choked out, blinking away his tears. "W-Where's your mother?"
"Right here." Emilia walked in with T'Challa at her side, her arm looped around his to help her walk. She wore a light shirt that showed a bit of her stomach which was covered in bandages. A surge of pain went through him. Is that also why Grace was carried to him?
Peering down at his daughter, he lifted her shirt lightly and saw bandages around her stomach as well. He felt his breath hitch at his throat.
"Bucky. . ." He looked up at his wife with more tears in his eyes, lips wobbling. "Baby, we're okay. . ."
"You got hurt because of me." he whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, we're fine -"
"You two could have died." he whispered harshly. "Do you know how that felt when I held your bleeding bodies?" He tightened his hold on Grace.
Emilia pulled away from T'Challa and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling their family close together. Bucky buried his face in her neck. "I love you." he croaked out.
"I love you too."
"Me too!" The two laughed, each planting a kiss on their daughter's head. "Papa, is it true? You're going back to cryo?"
They turned to the white chamber. Bucky nodded his head, wiping away a stray tear that fell from his daughter's eye. "It's for the best."
"Why?"
"My mind isn't stable at the moment." he sighed. "Even you and your mother's presence doesn't stop it. While these nice people try and find a cure, I'll be sleeping so no harm comes to anyone. Especially you two."
"Do you know how long it will be?" Emilia asked him. He shrugged lightly.
"Could be months, weeks, years. . ."
"I love you." she wrapped her arms around him again.
"I love you too. Both of you." He personally handed his daughter the worn out doll, before being escorted to the chamber.
When he was safely in the chamber, he watched the three most important people in his life; Steve, Emilia, and Grace. He gave them one last smile, before he closed his eyes for the last time until a cure was found.

The End

A/N: Crappy ending, but yolo.