Red Winter: Timeline

Chapter One: Painting

The sun was rising, casting shadows around the kitchen. The large building felt eerie with only three people living in it. Sam, Bruce, and Bucky all joked about moving out and getting their own places, but they knew it wouldn't happen. Someone had to be here, Tony always had rooms for them, there was always somewhere to call home when they needed it. So when the three of them sat in the kitchen as the sun was rising they all froze as an image was projected on the wall, motion sensor from the front walk was activated.

"Too early for Pepper to be here, she would call." Bruce held his spoon up, milk dripping off and falling back into his bowl of Cheerios.

Sam glared at the camera's projection and shook his head, "Anyone of them would call first." He clenched his fists.

"Hey, how would they have gotten in the gate?" Bucky looked over to Sam, they locked eyes for a moment, then immediately got up and began to run out of the room leaving Bruce to watch the footage play out.

"Hey...guys?" Bruce called out, "Guys I wouldn't..."

They were always gone, out of the room and down the hall, Sam grabbing the shield that rested against the wall and Bucky clenching his fists as they closed in on the front door. As the sound of the pin pad beeped and the door opened slowly they readied themselves. The moment there was enough room Sam threw the shield at the door, it smacked it closed. After a moment the door popped open again, but this time before either of them could move they were thrown back against the far wall by a strong force. Both of them grunting as they sat back up, a picture slid down the wall and smashed onto the floor. Looking up, they watched as a woman entered, red eyes staring back at them.

"What was that for?" Wanda's eyes dimmed back to her natural hues.

"Wanda." Sam laughed, shaking his head at their stupidity, "I am truly sorry."

"Need some action that bad huh?" She smiled back at them and closed the door behind her, "Don't you think if I got through the gate I must not be here to kill you?"

"Well..." Bucky looked over to Sam who nodded as he spoke, "That is...very true..." He up to his feet and brushed off his pants, "Bucky really thought someone was going to attack us."

"What?" Bucky stood up as well, shooting Sam a look, "You got up first!"

"I mean...once a hot head always a hot head." Sam shrugged, Bucky punched him in the arm.

Wanda watched as they bickered back and forth for a moment before speaking up, "Well I'm just going to my room and going back to bed." She began to walk away.

"Good to have you home!!" Sam called out before turning to Bucky, "I mean...you got up first."

Bucky shook his head and they both turned to see the holes in the wall, "Pepper's gonna kill us."

"Oh yeah."

A couple hours and one bucket of taping compound later there was a new wall and another body roaming the building. The sun had set in the sky just as quickly as it had risen. Besides Wanda showing up, the day had flown by. Bucky found himself back in his room doing what he had been doing every night since the war, researching himself. Researching HYDRA, everything they had done, everything he had done. Papers of notes, photos, screenshots were scattered around his desk. Bucky was determined to erase The Winter Soldier, he wanted to get rid of it for good. So far though there were things missing, things he either couldn't remember or was never told. Things he needed in order to erase The Winter Soldier. The reflection of the webpages in his eyes made him look mad, he scrolled and read until his eyes hurt. Arnim Zola's name passed by on the screen, Bucky quickly shut his laptop and leaned forward, elbows on his desk he held his head in his hands. Another night without any new information. It felt like he had hit a fall going full speed and there was nothing on the other side. An idea sparked in his mind as he just began to feel utterly defeated, Wanda.

"I don't mean to bother you." Bucky stood outside of Wanda's door which was only down the hall from his own room. Wanda had opened the door in complete shock, not use to night visitors. From the looks of it she had been painting, there was a brush in her hand and if he angled himself just right, he could see an easel in her room with the shape of a man painted on it. There was silver hair on top of the head, sad eyes, whoever it was she was painting Bucky knew it was emotional, he could tell just from how she painted it. "I need to ask you something."

Wanda crooked her head to the side, a curious expression on her face. The last time she had contact with Bucky was at Tony's funeral, they stood beside one another and Wanda had taking hold if his arm to steady herself as she felt like she could have buckled over and cried, though not so much over Stark as she was heartbroken. After that they had a simple 'goodbye' they had passed one another when she left the compound that same day. Wanda always knew though that her and the soldier were alike, though there was more than she knew. "Do you want to come in?" She shrugged softly, pushing the door open more to make space incase he did want to enter.

"Sure." He nodded, then awkwardly made his way through the door and stepped around her as to not bump into her. Wanda's room was warm and smelled of cinnamon, he noted an incense she had burning near the window. Shoving his hands in his pockets he turned to see her still standing by the door, he took a deep breath. "I'd like to ask for your help." He nodded, watching her cross her arms lightly in front of her. "You see...I don't want," He pointed to his head, "the soldier inside me anymore. I never feel like I can trust myself..." He stopped, letting too much slip out of his mouth. Bucky wasn't one to speak about his thoughts and emotions, he sucked it all in. "I just...I need get rid of it, for good." Wanda didn't speak right away, he watched as she seemed to be studying his face. It was obvious she was thinking, but it lasted so long he began to feel as though this had been a mistake. "I'm sorry...that's a lot to ask of you." He shrugged and started to walk toward the door.

"James." He stopped, only about a foot away from her and the door. Bucky looked up to see she was smiling, it wasn't a big smile, but soft and gentle. "You haven't even asked of me what you need." Wanda shrugged, "Help? I can do that. But what do you mean when you ask for help?"

"You can...you can get inside my head...right?" He watched her nod, "Can you help me remember? You see," He walked over to her window where there was a seat built into the wall below it, Wanda watched as he walked over and sat down, "There are things that I need to remember, things that will help me piece together the puzzle. But I can't see them, or maybe I've never seen them, maybe I've heard them but I wasn't...me when I did." Wanda nodded, listening as she walked over to sit across from him on her bed. "I need to see, hear these things. I need to remember."

Wanda tucked her legs underneath her bottom and looked down at the floor as her mind wandered, "I can do that." She found her eyes shifting back toward him, locking into his as he too looked toward her, "But you will need to let me."

"I'm asking you to." He rubbed his hands together, "Of course I'll let you."

"No," Wanda shook her head, her red hair shook lightly as she did, "There are walls we build around ourselves, sometimes without knowing it. If I am to help you with this, you need to break down these walls. For me at least. I cannot fight you, I'm afraid I would hurt you if I had to fight my way into your mind."

Bucky nodded, he understood this. Although he hated to admit it he was a lonely person. There hadn't been a single soul besides Steve that Bucky had opened up to. It would be hard to let someone in, but having it be Wanda, someone who wouldn't run away from things she may see because she understands what he had gone through. "Will I see them? What you see?"

"I can bring forward the things you've suppressed. Yes, you'll see them too." Wanda watched as he began to take deep breaths. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Bucky looked at her, "There are things...things I've done...that HYDRA made me do..." Suddenly Wanda was leaning forward, her soft hand touched his knee as he trailed his eyes up her arm to find her eyes.

"Me too." They starred at one another for a long moment, a moment of understanding, of compassion, of knowing what the other was thinking. Wanda pulled her hand back, "I know these things. I too did them. Only...I was consciously aware."

"You were young." He suddenly knew who was in the painting. "You and your brother."

"We both did things we are not proud of." Wanda nodded, looking over at the painting of Pietro. "I'll help you." They looked back to one another, "I need to."