𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕟 𝕚𝕤 𝔾𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕃𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣- completed but editing

Chapter 32

"I was hoping you'd say that," Steve took a sip of his coffee.

I smiled over the lip of my soup bowl sized mug. "Ok, shoot."

"Where were you taken when we got separated?"

Putting down my mug, I wrapped my sweatshirt tighter around me. "They took me to some facility. Somewhere in the city, I wasn't conscious so I'm not sure."

"But Bucky was somewhere there, right?"

"Bucky was in the room when they tortured me." I ripped my sleeve up, showing him the scar. "They were resetting his memory. He didn't remember you but it wasn't his fault."

"Did he-" Steve trailed off.

"He asked who you were. I heard him ask and he insisted he knew you. Then they started torturing me again and he was yelling at them to stop."

Steve flickered the smallest smile I'd ever seen. "He always loved justice."

"I know."

"I can't believe he knocked me out. And I couldn't save him. And I can't believe I let Hydra take him again."

"Steve," I looked up at him, swirling my latte around in my mug. "Hydra doesn't have him."

"What?"

Biting my lip, I opened my mouth, then closed it again. "You know how the EMT's found me with you?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't just magically show up there."

"Did he," Steve choked a little on his coffee. "Bring you there?"

"Steve, I need you to listen. I did what I had to do. I'm going to tell you everything I can. Ready?"

He nodded solemnly.

"I discovered a few weeks ago that I can manipulate more than just objects. When I woke up after they were torturing me, it was me and Bucky in a SHIELD closet.

"I, me and my powers, I'm one of the Hydra doctor's life studies. He made something that can literally make my powers not work. They put a patch on my arm filled with it.

"That was what made my blood poisoning worse because I used Bucky's knife to cut it off. When it was off, I could bring him back."

"You could fix his mind?"

"Sort of. He's been gone for over sixty years, Steve. The memories are there, it's just hard to find them again.

"The Bucky you fought in the helicarrier wasn't Bucky."

Steve dropped his mug onto the table with a crash. "I saw him! I fought him!"

I shook my head. "I made that illusion so Bucky and I could escape."

"Did he know you? Like recognize you or anything?"

"No," I took the last sip of my drink. "He doesn't have any memories of me. But he's free now."

Steve stood up. "Where is he? I have to find him!"

Pushing my mug toward the middle of the table, I stood up and took Steve's arm and steered him out of the coffee shop. "That's the thing. I can't tell you where he is. It's for his own good."

"Li Anne, he was my best friend, do you expect me to just leave that at that?" Steve's voice cracked at the end.

I squeezed his hand tighter. "No! You can find him on your own but I can't help you. I hid him well."

Steve cracked a smile. "I feel like we're starting a huge game of hide and seek."

He hugged me tightly, holding me close to his chest. "Thank you for keeping him safe for me. I probably won't always act like it but I am thankful."

"I didn't just do it for you," I smiled sheepishly.

Steve grinned. "I like it. Come to think of it, you remind me of him."

"You don't mind?" I asked, hopefully.

Steve took my hand and started to lead me down the street. "I just want you both to be happy. You know I care about you a lot. Sometimes, I feel like you're my niece or my adopted daughter too."

His words were sweet like sugar and calming like a sprig of fresh lavender. The only person I really cared about knowing and supporting whatever it was I had with Bucky was Steve. "Thank you, Steve."

We spent the rest of the day touring DC like we'd never been there before. Steve bought me a white baseball cap and took me to some of the big monuments. I got to see where he met Sam and his apartment where he saw Bucky again for the first time.

At 8 that evening, after our dinner at 2 Amys, Steve walked me to the train station. He waited until my train arrived, then walked me on and made sure my seat was secure and that I felt safe traveling at night. The sun had just set and the lights on the train made me tired. We hugged goodbye and Steve made me promise to call him as soon as I got home.

It wasn't a sad goodbye like most of our goodbyes. I would see him next week at G's party.

When I got home, she and Zander were cuddling on the couch watching a movie. They made room for me and I collapsed next to Georgia, immediately eating the popcorn and strawberry peach smoothie that Zander saved for me. He was staying the night in one of our guest rooms.

Tomorrow, we were cleaning the house and doing a bunch of laundry because I was making a huge deal out of GiGi's birthday and the party was an overnight affair.

Tony and Pepper were arriving the day after tomorrow, Clint was coming the same day, probably really late. Steve and Sam were coming the day after those three and Nat wasn't sure when she'd come yet.

As I fell asleep that night, Bucky's latest letter under my pillow, Georgia slipped into my room and crawled under my lavender comforter. "Thank you for keeping your promise."

We slept until nine the next morning when Zander woke us up. He had taken a bunch of photos of me and GiGi sleeping all curled up together and sent them to the "family group chat" with me, her, and Dad in it.

I screamed in my sleep again, I know I did. My dream was full of Hydra and tortured Bucky, trying to protect my sister. She was the newest addition to my fears list. Nothing could happen to her.