Heart Strings

CHAPTER 6

In the wee hours of the morning, Bucky suddenly jerked awake. He held his breath for a moment as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings, trying to pinpoint where he was and what had awakened him. He exhaled slowly as he smiled into the darkness the memory clearing in his mind. Holly. He was in Holly's bed, his arm curled around her body, holding her close. They had been laughing and flirting after Eric and Jean had left, moving the chairs back in place from where they had set them up for practice the night before. Bucky was making a big show of preparing to leave when Holly had grabbed his arm and asked him sweetly if he HAD to go. Of course, he didn't.

He lay quietly, still unsure what had roused him from his slumber... there! That sound... What the hell? He eased himself free from Holly, left the bed and stepped to the window which had been left open. He parted the lacy curtains and pushed one to the side as he looked through the screen and across the yard and drive to the garage. His jaw clenched when he saw that the door had been raised enough for someone to slip under and get inside. He suspected he already knew who was behind it, although he doubted it would be Glen this time. Reaching for his jeans, his anger grew, as did his worry for Holly. Whatever this guy was looking for must be really important for him to send another thug to try and find it. He slipped on his shoes not taking time to lace them up, and left Holly sleeping as he descended the stairs, silently making his way to the front door and stepping outside.

Years of stealthy, late night encounters made approaching the garage quietly, even across the gravel drive an easy task. He stayed to one side and when he arrived at the door, he stooped down peeking around the corner to have a look inside. Only one man was visible. He was noticeably bigger than his predecessor Glen had been, and he seemed much more determined to find whatever he was searching for. Bucky guessed that the man had correctly assumed that the apartment that had been dark all evening was unoccupied for the night and that Holly would not hear him rummaging about in the garage. With his back to the entrance, deeply involved in his search, the man did not notice when Bucky rolled under the door and rose to a stand in the corner watching him.

Unfortunately, one of the boxes that had been shifted in the search was precariously perched on the edge of another and when the man bumped softly against the pile, it fell to the floor. There was nothing breakable inside, but his sudden intake of breath and the way he jumped as he turned to investigate prompted Bucky to quickly approach and grab the man by his throat. The intruder fought back and during the struggle managed to pull a small caliber weapon from the back of his pants.

"Fuck!" Bucky didn't want to make this encounter turn into something much worse than it needed to be, but the fact the this guy had brought a gun, meant he would probably have had no qualms about pointing it a Holly. With that thought, a red haze of anger filled his head and surprising the intruder, he reached out with his left hand, using it to deflect one shot from the gun before grabbing the man's wrist and snapping it in one smooth move. The burglar's yelp of pain filled the night air just moments before Bucky slammed his fist into his gut, making it impossible for the man to breath. Before he could hit the man again, Holly stood at the front of the garage screaming "Bucky, no!!"

He loosened his grip on the man but did not let go, holding him by his collar as he tried to catch his breath. "Holly it's okay. This guy was snooping around in here looking for God knows what. He pulled a gun on me, it could have been you. So I stopped him. Just call the police and we'll have him hauled off."

When Holly didn't move and instead kept her focus on the other man, Bucky gave her a quizzical look, "Holly? Call the police. Okay?"

The next word out of her mouth shocked Bucky to his core.