(Steve's POV)
"Fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four..." I grunted as I lifted the weights above my head. A noise in the room disrupted my concentration. Glancing around the room, my eyes finally landed on my ringing phone.
"Hello?" I said, answering the phone without looking at the caller ID.
"Hi, how are you?" A female Sokovian voice stated cheerily from the other end.
"Wanda, I'm good. How are you?" I replied, wiping the sweat off my brow with a towel.
"I'm fine, I guess. Are you busy right now?" She asked.
"No, not really, why?" I asked, glancing out of my window.
"I'll be over soon, bye." Wanda stated, hanging up before I had an opportunity to argue.
"I guess she'll be over soon." I muttered to myself, walking towards the bathroom. As I stepped into the shower, I began to wonder why she was coming over in the first place. Her tone of voice had seemed urgent towards the end of the conversation. Was something wrong? I finished showering quickly, changing into jeans and a shirt seconds before the doorbell rang.
"Hi." Wanda stated as I opened the door.
"Hello, come on in." I said, opening the door to allow her to enter. I shut the door behind her once she was inside, turning and leaning against it, watching her expectantly.
"I think I might have a way to fix your friend." She said matter-of-factly, glancing around my apartment slowly.
"What friend?" I asked, throwing her look of confusion.
"The Winter Soldier, James Buchannan Barnes." She said, turning and locking her eyes with mine. At the mention of the name, I froze. Surely it was impossible to fix what HYDRA had done to him. Surely what they'd done to him was irreversible.
"How?" I whispered, stepping closer to her. She looked away from me, wringing her hands nervously.
"It's only a possibility, but I'm pretty sure it will work." She said, playing with one of the many rings that adorned her fingers.
"How?" I asked again, stepping close to her. "I'm willing to try anything."
"I may be able to use my powers to, how do you say, rewire his brain, so to speak. It may stop those words triggering him." She said, offering me a hopeful smile.
"You really think you could do that?" I asked, resting my hand against her shoulder gently.
"I can certainly try." She replied, smiling softly at me.
"Then let's contact T'Challa. I'm sure he'd be up for the idea." I said, picking my phone up off the coffee table and handing it to her.
"Why are you handing it to me?" She asked, pushing the phone away.
"It's your idea, you'll be able to explain it better than I can." I said, holding the phone out to her again.
"Fine." She sighed, taking the phone off me and calling the number, drumming her fingers nervously on her knee. I stood up from the sofa, pacing nervously as I waited for her to finish on the phone. Stark would be mad, yes, but I was willing to risk anything for Bucky. I knew he'd do the same. Actually, he probably would have solved the problem already had our roles been reversed. Wanda's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"There will be a private jet picking us up tomorrow morning at 3am from the airport. We are to be there for half two." She said, handing me my phone back.
"Thank you, Wanda." I said, hugging the brunette gently.
"You're welcome, Steve. I just hope I can actually do it." She said, hugging me back and sighing quietly.
"You will be able to do it, I trust you and I believe you are capable of it." I said, holding her at arm's length. And honestly, I believed it. For the first time in a very long time, I actually stood a chance of having my childhood friend back. I certainly wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this just because of a little doubt.
"I'll pick you up in the morning, Steve." Wanda said, starting towards the door.
I lead her out, my mind whirring so fast I almost forgot to say goodbye. As I closed the door, I began to think about the following days. If it did work, what would happen? Would Tony be after us again? Would Bucky even be willing to give it a shot in the first place? What about his arm? Would T'Challa have gotten a replacement made? My mind continued to spin late into the night to the point where I realised, there was no point in sleeping. I'd only have to get up in an hour anyway and I wasn't even tired. But all those questions would have to wait, I'd just have to see what happens. I'd just have to take it one step at a time.
