Don't Let Me Go

Chapter Four

BUCKY'S POV

SHE SAID YES! My God, I feel like an excited little kid when my parents were able to get me a new toy back in the twenties. We left pretty quickly after that, heading out to a section of land I bought last month. Asking Clint to date Nat wasn't the only thing I had wanted to talk to him about, he's agreed to help me build a house here as well. I don't tell Natasha about the fact that I own this field, I just drive to the middle and turn off the truck.
"What are we doing out here?" Natasha asks as I start pulling blankets and pillows from the backseat.
"Getting away from the city for the night, to watch the stars." I grin, unclipping the back and jumping up, throwing the blankets and pillows to make a somewhat comfortable makeshift bed, the I grab the duffel I bought and start a little fire on the ground. I also have marshmallows to toast.
"You never cease to amaze me, Barnes." Natasha sits next to me by the fire. She changed from her gorgeous dress into a pair of sweats and a singlet, her hair is no longer done all fancy but I don't care, she's still the most beautiful person I've ever seen. I offer her a marshmallow, chuckling when she takes it from me using her mouth and hums as she eats it.
"You got a little..." I reach up and wipe a little powder from the edge of her mouth, being careful not to ruin her lipstick. "There."
"Dork." She rolls her eyes with a playful smirk and leaning forward.
Taking the hint, I lean to meet her and we kiss for a bit before she snuggles into my side and we toast marshmallows until they're all gone, then I put out the fire and we climb on the back of the truck. We don't bother climbing under any of the blankets because it's warm out, I just lay with her head on my chest and my arm wrapped around her and we stare up at the stars which are a lot different compared to a hundred years ago but still just as beautiful.
Tonight is the first time in a very, very long time since I've completely relaxed. I have the most amazing girlfriend and we're both in the middle of a field just watching the stars with no other person in sight. Tonight couldn't have gone any better than it has. I fall asleep with my heart full of joy and love for the girl I'm with.

I storm through the building, kicking down doors and punching my way through walls, looking for my target. I don't know my targets name but I know their face. That's all that matters, I have to take them down, no matter what because it's what the Red Guardian demands. I stop in my tracks when I hear a noise, panting maybe? I lift my gun, ready to fire at a seconds notice. I look around a corner and see my target at a dead end. I move away from the wall and walk around the corner, my assault rifle barrel pointed at their chest. I can see the fear in their green eyes as I've caught them off guard without a weapon. The fear in their eyes doesn't stop me from pulling the trigger but as soon as I do, as soon as the bullet pierces their chest, memories flood my mind, starting from where I first met this person. The Red Room, I had helped the KGB train this woman right in front of me and I fell in love which made Hydra take me away and put me back into cryo after tossing my brain through a blender for the millionth time.
"No, no, no! Natalia, I'm sorry!" I cradle her in my arms as she coughs up blood. I no longer see fear in her eyes, just forgiveness. "I'm so sorry! Please don't die! Natalia, please don't leave me to Hydra!"

"No!" I scream, sitting straight up. I look around to see I'm on the back of a pick up truck in the middle of the field I own with Natasha. I move myself so I'm sitting on the edge with my head in my hands.
Natasha doesn't say a thing, she just runs a hand up and down my back and rests her lips on my shoulder. I rub my face tiredly and pinch the bridge of my nose to block out that dream before sighing deeply and twisting my body and wrapping both my arms around Natasha. My girlfriend... wow, that's such a weird concept but man, it's amazing. I push my face into her neck, breathing in the scent of woodsmoke from last night's fire, it very much suits her.
Unfortunately, this is interrupted by both our phones going off with a mission alert. We quickly pack everything up and drive to the compound, neither of us wanting to work today but it's our job, and maybe it'll take my mind off my dream. We walk into the debriefing room and every single face in here looks grim and the room feels dark and worried. Something is up because of the fact Steve gives me a hug that doesn't feel like it usually does.
"I'm pretty sure I haven't killed anyone..." I try saying lightly but it flops as Nat and I sit at the last two seats at the table. Aside from the usual; Steve, Wanda, Vision, Clint and Bird boy, there is also Peter Parker, Stark and the Wizard guy (Doctor Strange?). "What's going on?"
"We received a message, it's directed at you." Tony finally tells me because no one else says a damn thing. I look at him confused and point to myself and he nods before pulling a video up on them big screen on the wall at the end of the table.
"Don't think we let you get away, our Winter Soldier. We aren't finished with you yet." The man on screen is wearing a full face mask that's red and black like his suit. I wince when I feel my hand basically being crushed by Natasha's grip and my heart drops into my stomach.
"That's the Red Guardian, the one who trained me and was betrothed to Natasha while I trained her all those years ago." My heart pounds in my chest, I can barely get my words out but the team needs to know. "No one knows who he is, not even me, not even Nat because the Red Guardian changes constantly. The one who trained me, isn't the exact person who was to marry Nat because he would've been seventy or so years old but they all have very similar skill sets which is why they're chosen."
No one says anything for awhile, and under the table, I'm rubbing Nat's knuckles to try calm her in the slightest.
"That sounded like him." Nat looks up at me, her voice wavers like it's threatening to shatter. I know exactly how she feels and exactly who she's talking about. "You need to run, Barnes. We both know what he's capable of if it is him."
"I can't keep running from my past, Natasha." I turn in my chair to look her directly in the eye, hating that I see so much worry behind them. "It's no way to live and if I run and get taken, I know exactly what he plans to make me do."
"How could you possibly know what he plans?" Nat's voice raises which is everyone's que to leave the conference room so their ears don't get bitten off.
"Because that's what my dreams are about! Me repeatedly killing you is what he wants because you left the KGB and I escaped Hydra." I rub my face and stand up, I stare at the image on the screen. Each Guardian is given the same armour but it's slightly different for each person, this armour is exactly the same as the one Natasha's former betrothal wore. "The Red Guardian was the one who ordered me to kill you in my dreams."
"You don't know that, James." Nat doesn't sound convinced by her words. She knows that he is capable of anything, including something like this.
"I don't want him to come after you, I will never let you get hurt by that ass and I sure as hell won't give him the chance for him to make me his bitch again." I promise Nat, placing a hand on each side of her face, lightly running my thumbs across her cheeks before moving my hands to her waist and lightly planting a kiss on her lips.
Nat wraps her arms around me, placing her head on my chest. Her heels only add a couple inches to her 5'3" height compared to my 6' stance. I rub her back and repeatedly kiss her hair until Steve comes back in and demands to know everything we know about the Red Guardian, so we tell him about their history, how it's never the same person and they have a tendency to be my 'handler' in a way, like Alexander Pierce but they're more hands on than Pierce. By the time we finish telling him, Steve is almost demanding me to run and hide but I know the this guy will find a way to get to me, even going as far as using who I care for.
Before Steve starts arguing, I kiss Nat and leave the room to head to my bedroom. Yes, I live on the compound, most Avengers do along with a few others who work here. It's not a bad place to live but I constantly feel like I'm on suicide watch by everyone, I can't wait to build my house and get out of here, though I'll miss being here constantly. In my room, I change into some shorts and a tank top and grab a couple things before heading to the dance room. Part of me being able to train KGB assassin's like Nat, meant I had to learn ballet and I still like to dance occasionally because I don't always want to fight.
I wrap my feet then start stretching because it has been a little while since the last time I had danced and I don't feel like pulling any muscles. I don't even notice Natasha walk in until she's facing me, also using the bar. She's dressed similar to me, probably borrowing clothes because she doesn't have any here since she moved out months ago to her apartment.
The next thing I know, we're gliding across the smoothe wooden floor, spinning and pirouetting. *I don't do ballet, so I apologise for the lack of terms as things* I barely even notice that FRIDAY had put on some classical music, I'm too emersed in dancing with Nat to notice something like that. It feels like time has stopped and that it's just us two in this world as we dance, none of us caring that a couple people come into the room. The music finishes and we're both bowing to each other but we are quickly snapped out of our trance by clapping coming from Tony and Steve. I roll my eyes at him and pull Nat in for a kiss, smirking into it as she kisses back.
"If Nikolai does come after me, we'll be ready. Hydra won't take me again." I mumble, pushing away a lock of hair that had escaped her bun. "It's not gonna happen."
"It better not or I'm gonna raise hell to kick every single persons ass from here to New Zealand." Natasha smiles softly but I can't help but laugh while knowing she can, try and will do exactly that. My heart flutters proudly at this former assassin in front of me.