When You Were Never Mine: Part 2

Unlikely Partners

It didn't make any sense, any of it. Tony had no love for Bucky, and no reason to try to find him on his own; if he had his way, Barnes would be either on the other side of the planet from you at any given moment, or preferably dead, or so you had thought. Steve and Tony were standing statuesque as they watched the scene unfold in front of them, waiting for something to happen, and you still weren't sure what that was supposed to be. The only thing you were sure of was that whatever it was you needed to do, if it would make the piercing screams stop echoing through your skull, you'd do anything they wanted.

"We can't risk having you two together out in the open until we know how you'll react, honey," Tony explained carefully. "The last time he was like this and you connected, it didn't end so well."

"Tony, I don't understand, how did you get him here? How did you find him?"

"I called Steve."

"Like hell," you huffed in disbelief, "there's no way that he'd give Bucky up to you."

"I didn't give him up," Steve joined in. "I needed Tony to help me get Buck away from Hydra, and he needed Buck to bring you home. We compromised."

Tony nodded along as Steve explained, but his gaze never once strayed from you. He was watching for the connection to be made, waiting for the woman he loved to be washed away and replaced with the hints of a soldier that turned his stomach as much as yours was right now. He was beginning to understand, once and for all, that to have you in his life meant that he would have to set his feelings for Bucky aside, and when compared to losing you, the decision was an easy one. So long as this actually worked. "There's no way that I'm letting him out of that cage until I'm completely convinced that you're not getting hurt, (Y/N). If this ends with Barnes back in his brain and you staying in yours, then the locks open, I promise."

"You won't turn him in?"

"I won't."

"And what about Hydra?" you continued. "They'll come for him again."

"We...w-we took care of that," Steve added hesitantly. For the first time, his eyes darted to Tony for just a second before returning back to Bucky. "No one is going to get close to either of you again."

"What? You killed all of Hydra?"

"Pretty much," Tony said. "Whatever is left, we'll deal with it."

The dizziness hadn't settled at all, and the twist and churn of your gut was made worse with each attempt at talking. You sat yourself on the floor slowly, seeing Tony's hand reach out as if he could actually touch you to help; he pulled it back just as quickly, thrusting both hands into his pockets to avoid the temptation of finding their way to opening the lock just to be at your side. "Buck," you tried again, pushing a hand to the glass between you, "do you know me?"

"No."

"Will you try? I'm (Y/N). I'm your soulmate. You know me."

You could hear Tony's discomfort with the term as he coughed away his nerves, and you could see him turning away with a shake of his head in either disgust or fear. You couldn't see his face, but if you were the betting type, he was mad at himself for letting this get so far along. Beyond that interruption of barely even a sound, everyone else was frozen in silence, waiting for Bucky to say anything at all. When he finally did, you could see the twisting, painful confusion swirling in his mind through his contorted expression.

"(Y/N)?" he finally jarred to awareness. His eyes widened in a flash of excitement, but it didn't hold. "(Y/N)? That...that can't be right," he continued, with a shake of his head as if it might clear up the haze that enveloped it. "No, (Y/N)'s dead. I killed her. You're not her. You're lying."