Till The End

Chapter 2

*two years later*

I wake up suddenly, sitting bolt upright in the double bed. The house is silent. Too silent.

Pulling off my duvet, I grab the t-shirt that is thrown on the back of the chair and yank it over my head. Padding to the door, I open it and walk down the hallway, stopping outside Bucky's door. I can hear the distant whimpering that I've grown used to.

Bucky ordered me to leave him alone if he's just whimpering and is quiet.

But then the shouting begins. Bucky starts to scream out and I can't handle hearing it. Slamming on the hall light, I shove open the door and race into his room, sitting on the end of his bed.

Bucky is tossing and turning in the bed, shouting for help and mumbling under his breath. He starts kicking his feet and punching out, fighting a ghost.

"It hurts! Make it stop hurting!" He screams.

"Bucky! Buck, calm down!" I order.

I place a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs me off.

Bucky's eyes suddenly spring open, his robot hand gripping the top of my arm tightly. The darkness burns in his eyes, tears swimming. I place my hand on top of his, he starts to hyperventilate. Bucky's breaths get shallow and fast, his chest rising far too quickly.

"Buck, calm. Watch me, breath with me."

I breath slowly, raising a hand to demonstrate how he should slow his breaths. Bucky copies me, until after about a minute his breathing returns to normal. He stares down, a few tears falling from his eyes that now stain the bed sheets.

"Hey, it's okay. I promise no one is going to hurt you, Bucky." I whisper.

Bucky fidgets forward until his left shoulder is lodged under my right arm and his head is resting on my chest. He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. He sniffs against me, his tears running down my t-shirt.

I hate seeing him like this.

Nearly every night.

It hurts me.

"Steve, can you stay with me please?" Bucky whispers, his voice muffled against my body.

"Of course I will. I always do." I reply.

I lie down in Bucky's bed, pulling him down beside me. I feel his breath against my neck, his damp cheeks brushing onto my skin. Tightening my arms around him, Bucky mumbles quietly to himself until I brush his hair back and he stops.

*

Wandering into SHIELD, I scan my badge at the barriers and am confused by what I see.

In the middle of the entrance hall, a crowd has formed and everyone is whispering. Curiosity takes over as I walk towards the group. Pushing through carefully, I stand at the front of the gathering and see in the middle is a child. She's little, sitting with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around her body tightly.

Agent Hill is knelt in front of her, trying to get her to talk. But the little girl cries when she reaches out to touch her. I step forward, placing a hand on Maria's shoulder and she turns to look at me.

"Let me try." I offer.

She nods, standing up and moving out of the way. I bend down slowly, kneeling on the white tiled floor like I did when I saw Bucky two years ago.

"Hey, kid. I'm Steve, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help you find your mummy and daddy." I whisper.

The little girl slowly raises her head, tears streaming down her pale but blushing cheeks. Her wavy brown hair sticks to her damp face and her eyes twinkle.