The Red Star

Chapter 8

Jay rolled over in bed and sighed. Her body was tired, but her brain refused to sleep. she sat up as a shiver ran through her.

"Well," she began as she stumbled out of bed, " I guess I'll stay up then."

She grumbled angrily at herself as she shuffled her feet along out of her room. When she arrived in the kitchen she yawned, rubbing the back of her neck. She made herself a cup of hot cocoa and sat down across from the fire, grabbing the Lord of the Rings book and opening it.

She had finished her cocoa sooner than she had expected and she set the mug on the floor. She pulled the blanket from off the back of the chair, over her and she read in silence.

She had fallen asleep within ten minutes and could be seen curled up in the chair, with the book on the floor. However, she had woke up around three in the morning because her body felt cramped. Almost unconsciously she moved about, the light of the seemingly eternal fire, made the room glow. Jay yawned again and began to dose when she heard something thud on the floor in Bucky's room. This noise made her jump and she sat up quickly, looking about the room frantically. The thud came again and Jay slipped off her blanket, officially awake.

She slowly tip toed her way to his door and listened, her breathing the loudest thing there was at the moment. The next thud made her jump and she looked at the door. She quietly opened the door and peered in. A wave of cold air rushed over her so suddenly that she had to blink. the room was a bit larger than her own, but the bed was in the center of the room and there were no night stands.

Jay's eyes rested on the muscular and shirtless form on the bed and she stared. The skin around the metal of his arm was scarred and looked painful. His sudden jolt to the right made her jump and she saw his light glow a blood red. He was having a nightmare and it wasn't a pathetic nightmare either.

Bucky felt his stomach turn as his dreams twisted into a mass of horror and blood. However, none of the faces or sights of his victims moved him as much as the girl. The young girl with caramel hair, stairing down at her dead family, executed before her innocent eyes. Those dark eyes looked into his as she sobbed.

"Don't cry." he said to her from across the room. Or at least that was what he was trying to say.

"You killed them!" the girl sobbed.

"No. Please. It wasn't my fault. I would never...."

"YOU killed them!!" the girl screamed.

"That wasn't me!" Bucky tried to say, ache tearing at his heart. "It wasn't me. Please." tears warmed his cheeks as he looked down at the girl.

Suddenly her countenance changed and she frowned. Two long blades appeared from each of her arms and she ran forward at him. Bucky put out his arms to grab her, but she passed through him as if he was a ghost. Confused, he turned around and saw the girl standing before him again. This time he groaned with horror.

Her hands were dripping with blood and her pale face was smeared crimson. Her shirt and skirt were red, soaked in blood. There was a noise behind her and she spun around to see Bucky. His weapon was drawn and pointed at her.

"No." Bucky moaned as he tried to stop it from happening. However, he seemed to be held stationary by some invisible chains.

"Please God, no."

Bucky looked over the girl then, without hesitation, he fired. The girl stumbled back, tripping and falling in front of him as he struggled to move. He fell to his knees, looking down into the girl's tearful brown eyes.

Bucky looked up to see himself pointing the weapon at the girl.

"Please." the girl sobbed, her dark eyes full of tears and realization.

She screamed before Bucky shouted,

"Stop! No! Please!"

The shot was fired and Bucky saw through his blurred vision, himself walking out the back of the house. He looked down at the girl and saw her stare at the celing. She was still alive, but she was in shock.

"I'm sorry." Bucky whispered through his tears. "It wasn't my fault." he let out a sob as he fell back from on his knees to sitting on the floor, his legs out in front of him. "It wasn't my fault." he said again. "I swear."

Suddenly he felt a hard slap in the face and he blinked to see Alexander Pearce before him.

"A gift to mankind." Pearce said.

Then his own screams filled his head as his memory faded to pain.

With a shout, Bucky sprung up, cold darkness around him. His chest heaved as he took deap breaths into his lungs.

"I know." he heard a voice.

He looked up to see Jay standing beside him. "None of what you did was your fault. I know."

For a split second, Bucky thought she knew his thoughts then realized she couldn't read his mind. Jay slowly made her way beside him, kneeling on the mattress. He looked at her through the darkness a moment before she slipped her arms around his neck.

Slowly but surely he responded. He pulled her in tighter as he thought.

"She can never know."