The Soldier and the Waitress

Chapter One

 Sure, Bucky Barnes could be considered a war hero. Considering he fought alongside Captain America, he was a desirable man. But one thing Bucky did not want to admit is that his mind took the effects of the war pretty rough. His pride got the better of him as he refused to see a shrink for the time being. He had mourned the death of his best friend and was trying to adjust to a normal life. With the exception of celebrating with the Howling Commandos a couple days after the end of the war was announced, he stayed in his small apartment in New York for at least a week before he was able to brave going out into the real world. The first thing he did was he decided to stop at the L&L Automat. He had kept in brief contact with Peggy Carter and she insisted it was a very good place to ease back into a normal life.

He stepped into the diner and made his way to one of the back booths. He didn't want to be recognized as a hero. Everyone knew the man as Captain America's sidekick. That is not a legacy he wished to carry. He was James Buchanan Barnes. He was a simple man. He went in, he did his duty and he left. He left with scars and he had kept to himself in hopes that he would not have to deal with the mental distress it brought him.

"What can I get ya?" A young brunette came over with a fake customer service smile but if one didn't look close enough, they may miss it. Bucky glanced up at her and offered a gentle smile towards the woman and looked her over, studying her facial features and her delicate hourglass figure and his eyes wandered at the name tag over her right breast. Angie, it read. That was her name: Angie. Angie put a hand on her hip. "Hey, eyes up here," she told him as she snapped her fingers in front of his face. That reaction shocked Bucky out of his daze and he shook his head intensely.

"I'm sorry," he responded, "coffee, black," he offered the waitress an apologetic look and a tight smile. His fingers drummed on the table as Angie nodded and made her way to the back. He looked down at the table and pulled out a deck of cards and dealt himself a round of Solitaire. It wasn't much but it was a way to keep himself occupied mentally and physically as his hands made moves nearly as quick as a cheetah.

Angie came over with a mug and poured a cup of coffee for him, "you know, if you take that seven and put it over that eight, you can flip that card," she noted nonchalantly as she tilted her head and pointed the card out.

Bucky's eyes widened before he laughed a little as he moved the cards, "hey, that actually worked," he commented as Angie put a hand on her hip with a slight smirk.

"Of course I'm right. I usually am," she retorted with a chuckle, "Do you want anything to eat or just a coffee?" she asked, notepad in the hand on her hip and a pencil in her opposing hand.

"Just coffee for now," he told her, eyes never leaving the cards on the table as he focused on his game.

"Well, if you change your mind, my name's Angie," she smiled. "Just holler for me," she told him as she turned her back and went to tend to another customer.

It was that moment where Bucky glanced behind him and at Angie who was busying herself in taking care of another customer. He sipped his coffee and continued his game in silence, only the busyness of the diner providing a hearty sound of men bragging about their positions in the war to the beautiful petite women hanging on their arms with googly eyes. Angie stole a glance and rolled her eyes in response to the men to which Bucky responded with a low chuckle that merely vibrated in his vocal cords with hardly any sound.

He let out a slow breath as he moved the King of Hearts to complete his game of solitaire. He observed the four kings at the top of each of the four decks before moving each small deck of thirteen cards to twenty-six, to thirty-nine, to fifty-two. He placed the cards in the box before pulling out a one dollar bill and leaving it on the table. He stood up and slid the cards in the pocket of his dress pants before standing up and offered a small smile to Angie, who returned the smile quite fondly. He left the diner as quickly as he could to avoid causing any scene or commotion.

This was a routine he kept up for weeks. He'd walk in, claim the back booth, Angie would bring over his coffee, he would play a couple rounds of solitaire, then he'd leave a dollar and leave quietly.

"Don't you ever get tired of it?" Angie asked one day as she slid into the seat in front of Bucky one day, dressed in a lovely sleeveless sundress that complimented her complexion and hair perfectly.

"Well, when you've fought in a war, a routine is exactly what you need," he said absentmindedly as he moved a four onto a five and flipped the card, "So far, this diner is the thing that helps me start my day."

Angie gave him a compassionate look as she folded her arms on the table, "I see," she mused and traced spirals in front of her with a distant look, "I'm sorry, I should've known..."

Bucky shook his head as he started piling the cards in their respectful spots once all the cards had been flipped, "There's no way you could have known. Not with those men over there who live and breathe bragging about the war," he chuckled lowly as he collected the cards and started shuffling, "You play?"

Angie laughed a little, "A little. But I don't gamble," she told him before Bucky shook his head.

"Who said anything about gambling? This is just a simple game of Spades," he responded and set the deck down so they could self deal.

Angie shook her head and pulled a card off the top before setting it down and dealing the next card to herself, "I suppose so. My parents never let me play because I was a girl. But my brothers and I would play all the time. What did you do in the war?" she asked, desperate to turn the conversation around.

Bucky shook his head, "I fought. There's not much to it," he responded. "We won, that's that," he said, hoping she would pick up on the fact that he didn't want to converse about the subject any longer.

"I see," Angie glanced up a moment and for the first time didn't see a veteran. She saw someone who was afraid, broken. She reached across and put a hand on his, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend."

"You didn't know," he answered shortly and glanced up at her with a soft smile, "Most people don't understand if they didn't go through it. I consider myself lucky to be alive," he shrugged. Despite living in a tiny apartment, working long hours in construction and starting his mornings in a diner, he was still alive and he was able to live a half normal life. He lost his best friend and wasn't nearly close to Peggy Carter or Howard Stark.

Angie looked at him and shook her head. "War ain't fun," she mused with a slow exhale and set her cards down, "Well, now you've got me all sad and depressed. I ought to take you to do something fun." She stood up and folded her arms, "I hate being in this place more than I absolutely have to."

Bucky raised an eyebrow as he put his cards away and stood up, "So why did you come in here today?"

"Because I knew you'd be here," she told him with a slight chuckle, "I figured I oughta keep an eye on the man I've been serving coffee to for the past couple weeks. Besides, you've never given me your name," she put her hands on her hips.

"Bucky," he replied as he looked at her with a small smile, "and you're Angie, right?"

"He remembers," Angie teased slightly as she tilted her head at the door. "Would you like to change your routine up a bit?"

Bucky offered her a slight smile, "I suppose so," he agreed as he dropped his dollar on the table. "Where are you taking me?" he asked curiously.

Angie smiled a little and escorted him out of the diner, "You'll see."