Barnes Imagines (Requests are Acceptable)

James Buchanan Barnes do you know him?

The war was over. The people of Brooklyn were out on the streets dancing and cheering.
Soldiers came home to their families and paraded the streets. I had to be the only one on my street not celebrating.
Cause my husband James Buchanan Barnes was nowhere to be seen. I was starting to panic. I was shaking and on the verge of tears.
Hell be here. He promised he always keeps his promises. I told myself this over and over. But I was starting to disbelieve it.
I knew I was being selfish. There were others who had soldiers not come home but Bucky.. he had to come home. He told me he would. He had to.
I also couldn't find my best friend Steve Rogers anywhere either which only made me feel worse. I stood on my porch trying to smile at the passing soldiers but I couldn't.
We won. The nazis are gone. I should've been happy. But I wasn't. I was shaking uncontrollably. I felt sick. It was getting harder and harder not to cry. My throat burned.
Bucky will come Steve too. Of course they will. Especially Bucky he'll get them home. It was getting harder to believe this. I wanted to ask someone if they knew what happened.
That's when a a young solider not much younger than me came up to me. He had a letter in his hands.
"Are you Edith Barnes?" He asked.
All I could do was nod. He handed me the letter.
"I'm so sorry." He said sincerely.
"What do you mean?" I asked. Though I think I knew. I tasted bile.
"It's a condolence letter. I'm so so sorry. He was a great man. Saved my life." The boy said.
"This isn't for Sergeant James Barnes is it?" I asked. Tears welled in my eyes.
The boy looked at the ground. My question was answered. It was.
He looked up with a tear running down his cheek.
"I'm so sorry." He said again.
He stared to walk off.
"Wait!" I called. He turned and stopped. "What about Private Steve Rogers?" I asked.
The boy shrugged. "Don't know him."
Then he was gone. I fumbled to open the letter.
Dear Mrs. Edith Barnes,
We are terribly sorry to inform you that your husband Sergeant James Barnes has been killed in action. We believe he fell from a train somewhere in Germany. We are terribly sorry. We send our condolences in this letter. Sergeant Barnes was a great soldier and an even better man. May he Rest In Peace.
Singed
The United States Army
Enclosed in the letter was Bucky's dog tags. I fell to my knees. The tears came. I truly wanted to die.
I screamed. The loudest I ever have. Pure agony that's all I felt. He's gone. He's gone.
People stopped and stared and gave sympathetic looks and moved on.
Nothing nothing could be worse than this. Memories flooded back.
When he first asked me on a date. Our first kiss. When he left for the army. When he came back for a few days from training. It was heartbreaking.
Flashback
I stood in the kitchen. Waiting to hear the door bell. Or a knock. Anything.
Finally five minutes later a knock came. I ran to the door. There he was in his new uniform. Standing there with that stupid smile on his face. That stupid smile I loved.
"I'm home doll just like I said I would be." He said.
I ran into his arms. He kissed the top of my head.
"I love you. I love you. I've missed you so so much." I told him.
He pecked me on the lips. "I know doll."
Bucky smiled. "But hey I'm Sergeant Barnes now."
I took his hat off his head and kissed him. "God boy." I said ruffling his hair.
"Hey." Bucky protested trying to fix it.
I ran inside.
"Hey can I have my hat!" Bucky called after me.
"You gotta catch me first!"
I heard him sigh and he started to chase me.
*************************************
Few weeks later
"Edith doll have you seen my hat?" Bucky called. I smirked holding it behind my back.
  "No!" I called back innocently.
Bucky appeared in the kitchen. He gave me a small slightly disapproving look.
"Can I have my hat please?" He asked slightly annoyed.
"Can you stay here with me?" I asked in return.
He gave a sad look. And came up to me. "You know I have to do this doll."
I surrendered his hat. He put it on.
"I know I'm just worried for you." I mumbled.
Bucky hugged me. "Look at me."
I looked into his beautiful blue eyes.
"I swear on my life I'll come back for you." He said.
A tear trickled down my cheek. I managed a small smile. "I know."
He returned my smile. "Good. Now turn that frown upside down." Bucky said.
He twirled me. And then we kissed. Bucky always knew how to make me happy.
"You should go so you aren't late." I told him.
"I'm never late." Bucky insisted. "I've been trained never to be late in the army. Cause after all I've had the best trainer there is."
I smiled remembering when I used to be an agent who trained the troops. I just so happened to have trained Bucky.
That is till we were caught in my tent eating chocolates. I was sent back to a Brooklyn to do recruiting.
"Then you better get moving Private Barnes."
I walked out to the porch with him.
"I'll miss you so much." I told him.
Without saying anything he hugged me tightly then kissed me.
"I love you more than anything." And with that he began to walk off. But he soon turned and came back. His confidence had diminished.
Bucky thrust me in a hug. And he began kissing me all over.
"I'm going to miss you so so much. I love you. Have I told you that? I don't think I did. I love you." He sobbed into my chest.
I stroked and caressed him. "Hey, hey Bucky. Calm down. I love you too."
It was my turn to comfort him. A few tears fell from his eyes.
"You'll be back in no time. Okay and when you come back I'll have a deer pot pie or something for you with a nice cake." I told him.
He calmed a little. "No green beans?" He asked. For some odd reason Bucky hated them.
"No green beans as long as you come back." I assured him.
I wiped his tears away with my thumb gently. He hugged me again.
I patted him on the back. "There's no crying in the army Private Barnes." I joked in my drill voice.
Bucky made a noise like a cross between a chuckle and a sob.
"One last kiss?" He begged.
"Of course." He gave me a passionate and kinda sloppy wet kiss.
I didn't mind though. When we broke away he was very flustered and was breathing heavy.
"Deep breaths." I told him. "It's okay."
He nodded. "Edith don't tell Steve I cried and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid and don't do anything stupid yourself."
I giggled. "Buck, no one can do anything stupid now. Cause you're taking all the stupid with you."
He laughed a little. "Funny he said something similar last night."
"Bye Bucky." I said.
He began to walk off again. But then soon came back.
Bucky hugged me tightly again. And gave me another sloppy kiss. I didn't mind. I wish he didn't have to leave. I had to be strong though for him.
"I guess I have to go now." He said. "I'll make you proud."
"Bucky you've already made me proud it's time you teach the rest of the world not to mess with Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes."
Bucky nodded. "I will."
"And you promise you'll come back?"
"I swear on it."
Bucky kissed me one last time before finally walking away.
"Sergeant Barnes go kick some nazi ass!" I called after him.
He saluted me. I saluted back.
And then he was gone. I watched him till he was out of sight.
I then went inside. I sat on his side of the bed and held his pillow. It smelled so much like him. It hurt so much.
Realization settled in. Bucky went into combat. This wasn't training it was real.
I'd never let anyone not even Bucky see me cry. He's only seen a few tears here and there. Nothing like how I cried now.
I cried my heart out.
Flashback ends

Bucky's last words for me played through my head.
"And you'll come back right?" I had asked.
He replied with "I swear on it."
And here I was with his condolence letter and dog tags in my hands.
Bucky was dead. And Steve might as well be too. A week after Bucky had left for Europe Steve came and told me he was accepted into the army.
I felt so empty so I don't even know.
The world was so cruel. It took my father, my best friend and now my Bucky.
Words couldn't describe how much I loved him.
We were high school sweet hearts. And he's gone. Dead.
Fell off a train.
I'd never get to hold him again.
That's when a thought crept into my head. It didn't seem accurate or even real but I went with it.
I picked myself off the ground and went around Brooklyn.
I asked every person I could if they knew Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.
Cause he wasn't dead. He couldn't be. He was just probably playing a cruel horrible joke on me. Or maybe he was hurt somewhere and the army didn't know.
Maybe when I got home he'd be standing in the kitchen and he'd ask what's for dinner.
Most people didn't know him. The ones that did gave a sad look and told me he's dead.
I decided to go straight to the army office in Brooklyn. I waited patiently in line for ages.
Finally I got to the front.
The man at the desk grinned. Colonel Simon.
"Well if isn't Edith Barnes." He greeted. "Can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes." I said sternly.
Colonel Simon gave me a look like I was nuts. "You didn't get the letter?" He asked.
I held it up. "No I did. Have it right here."
"Then why are you looking for him? I'm sorry Edith but he's dead."
"No he isn't. He's out there and I intend to find him." I insisted.
"Edith look I know it's hard but he's gone. I know it's so hard. But you'll get over it." Colonel Simon said.
"Colonel I'm telling you Bucky is not dead!" I snapped.
"How do you know?"
"He promised he'd come home! So it's either he's lost, hurt, or in trouble or all of the above. Or who knows maybe you're playing games with me!" I was starting to get frustrated.
"Edith lots of men promise their families they'll come back but that's a hard promise to keep. And many don't."
"I'm telling you he isn't dead! Bucky is always true to his word! He must be hurt!" I pleaded.
"Agent Barnes he's gone! He won't come back he's dead! Don't you get that? People don't come back from the dead I can't help that!" Colonel Simon raised his voice.
"Well James Barnes isn't dead! How do you know he is? You didn't find his body did you? Lots of people are incorrectly pronounced dead! But Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes is not dead! And of course you wouldn't know cause you didn't bother to look!" I screamed.
"Steve Rogers saw him fall from the train. Into a chasm. He's gone no one can live from that. I'm sorry he's dead." Colonel Simon said.
I calmed a little. "What happened to Steve?"
Colonel shrugged. "Don't know."
"Well do you look for him or did you just pronounce him dead automatically dead too?" I screamed.
"Will you just drop it! Barnes is dead! I don't see the problem you're a good looking gal just find another man."
Tears spilled. "BUCKY ISNT DEAD!" I screamed.
"Just get out Edith you're making a scene." Colonel snapped.
"Fine I'll find him myself. Maybe even Steve too." I snapped.