After the events of D.C., The Winter Soldier escaped both HYDRA and SHIELD with barely his life and a mix of memories that he couldn't put back into place.
Boarding between the Winter Soldier and Bucky Barnes, he ends up in a small town that barely...
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chapter six Daybreak
Eventually Ray fell asleep and Bucky was left alone with his thoughts. Her small hand still held tightly onto his, and the Winter Soldier found it amusing how much larger his hand was to hers.
But even that wasn't enough to keep his mind at bay. He kept thinking of D.C. and the terrible events that followed. His thoughts were full of Steve Rogers and the things he saw at the museum before he skipped town.
He knew that he was Bucky Barnes. He read about it. He knew that he had been born nearly a hundred years ago. He knew he was Steve Rogers best friend and he served in the military in World War II. He knew it, but the memories were hard to put into place. He spent hours in the dark, putting memories into place the best he could.
The only ones he trusted for sure were the ones after he met Steve. And he couldn't go back to HYDRA after that. He needed to escape it, he needed to remember it. He didn't want to be violent anymore. He wanted to be good.
And of course he thought of Ray. He watched her in her sleep. He found comfort in the steady sound of her breathing, the soft sighs that would leave her mouth every so often. He kept an eye to make sure her chest still moved up and down with each breath, making sure that she was safe.
He also watched her to make sure it wasn't a dream or it wasn't his mind playing tricks.
Bucky liked being around her, he had realized. She understood him. She didn't ask questions or try to force him to be one thing. And she made him feel normal. She made fun of him, she didn't treat him like he was delicate. He liked that about her.
Hours later, the siren finally stopped and the rumble of thunder grew distant. Bucky realized it must have stopped, the warning was over.
He stood and went up the stairs, to the bunker. It was still cloudy and cool, and the sun had long since set. He didn't know what time it was and there was no way for him to know. The cloud covered the moon and stars.
But he felt relief in knowing that the storm had passed. Bucky thought about waking the girl, about bringing her back home. But in truth, he didn't want to wake her nor did he want to go back to his small bedroom and spend the rest of the night alone.
So he went back to the bed and sat down next to it. He carefully took Ray's hand again and watched as she stirred. Then he set his head down on the bumpy mattress and closed his eyes.
He tried to rest.
When Ray opened her eyes hours later, the silence was the first thing she noticed. She couldn't hear music playing from her sisters room, nor her grandparents downstairs. It was silent and peaceful. She realized that she liked it.
