𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒~ 𝐵.𝐵𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑠

T W E N T Y O N E

"No Steve I'm not going running with you." I say as he knocks on my door at the early hours of the morning. Steve and I were neighbours. "Please Rosie?" I open the door, "I'm tired Steve let me sleep I'll run with you next time." I mumble sleepily, "fine but you said that last time." He says before leaving.

I make my way back to into my apartment and just sigh for a second as I look around. I still hadn't even unpacked properly force of habit I guess. I never stayed anywhere too long so I didn't even have that many things. Shuffling over to my bags I pulled a box out. This small box held the most important things from my life.

I sat against the wall and opened it. I take a deep breath before I looked down to see the contents, I hadn't looked in this box for years. I shuffled through the pictures, I smiled down at the one in my hands, it was dean and I when we were a bit younger. I was on his back and he was smiling at the camera, mother took that picture, before we moved to Brooklyn. I close my eyes as I think of my brother, he told me that I was destined for great things, would he think that I had lived up to it?

I drop my hand back into the box ready to close it until I feel something cool hit my fingers. I pull out the chain and start to cry as it stares me in the face. Dangling before me were Bucky's dog tags they were one of the last things I had of him. I clutched it tightly in my hand as I began to sob. I missed him so much, I know that it had been decades but he never left my mind. He was the only man who ever truly had my heart and I don't think that would ever change regardless of how much time it had been.

Slipping the dog tags on so that they rested just under my engagement ring. I felt a sense of calm amidst the pain, I felt comforted knowing that a piece of Bucky rested on my heart as he should.

• • •

I wander around the museum intrigued I'd never been here, I was always too scared that someone would recognise me but now that the world knew that I wasn't dead I didn't care.

I smile at the pictures of pre-serum Steve on the wall as kids tried to see how tall they were compared to him. But my eyes stop on a certain display, it was stood there a few people gathered around, there was a picture of his face, that's what caught my attention with writing around it. I feel myself gravitating towards it until I'm stood right there my fingers inches from the glass. I pressed them down on the cold material feeling slightly disappointed, some foolish part of me had hoped it would feel like him. He looked so handsome just as he always did and then I notice the small screen beside it showing clips of him.

A small laugh leaves my lips as I see a clip of Bucky and Steve flash onto the screen they were laughing, they were happy. Watching these short clips felt like Bucky was still here, seeing him moving made me feel like he wasn't dead and so maybe that's why I stood there for hours watching the same clips show over and over again. There was even one of me, it was when Bucky and Steve had returned from a mission. I felt my eyes sting as I watched his face light up as he spotted me, he opened his arms instantly as I ran into them and then he closed his eyes as he held me, he held me like I was his whole world and the smile on his face making it look like I was all he needed in life.

Eventually I pull myself from Bucky's display and am surprised to find one of my own. I looked at my own smiling face in wonder, I looked so different, I looked happy. There were even clips of me down in the lab, laughing as I worked or with the boys, I laughed as I spotted one of Steve and I on stage from his captain America tour days. I reach for the dogtags as I watch a simple one of Bucky and I, I'm handing him a file our fingers brush against each other making the two of us smile. And then it shows me after the war, there was one clip of me from an awards show and I stare at myself in awe I looked so...so pretty. It was the first award I'd ever won, the spotlight lands on my face, my mouth parted slightly in shock before I smiled in joy.

• • •

Eventually I've walked around and looked at every display multiple times but I don't want to leave, I can't find it in me. Being here it felt like I was back when times were good, back where I belonged, but I knew that I had to leave, I couldn't stay here forever as much as I wanted to I couldn't I had to leave and so that's what I did.

• • •

"Steve?" He holds a finger to his lips as I stick my head out from my door, "what?" I whisper he pushes me inside, "there's someone in my apartment." He says making my brows furrow, "what?" I ask him, "Kate said I left my music playing, I didn't play any music, did you?" I shake my head, "I didn't go to your apartment." He nods, "ok I'm gonna go in from the window." I nod, "uh ok."

• • •

A short while after Steve leaves I go into his apartment through the front door, which was slightly stupid but I was curious and figured Steve should be in there by now.

"Didn't know you were married." I hear Steve say, "oh hey Nick, your wife kicked you out that's rough." I say as he and Steve turn to me, "A lot of things you don't about me." He says ignoring me and replying to Steve, "I know, Nick. That's the problem." As Steve turns on the light I notice Fury's injuries for the first time, but Fury indicates for us to be silent, he turns off the light and writes something on his phone and shows it to us, it says ears everywhere.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." writes another text and shows it to Steve; 'SHIELD compromised' Steve nods, damn I go on a break from shield for a while toxins out that it was compromised. "Who else knows about your wife?" Fury shows him another text, 'You and me' it says before he also points to me. "Just...my friends."

"Is that what we are?" Steve asks, "That's up to you." Suddenly Fury is shot three times from through the wall and collapses, Steve looks out the window for the shooter then he quickly drags Fury to the next room, I follow quickly, to see Fury hand him a flash drive. "Don't...trust anyone." He says before posing out.

I see the shooter out the window so as Steve deals with Fury I run and jump out running on a trail I make to join the masked man on the roof. I jump onto his back taking him down, wincing as we roll on the ground I get up as fast as possible and begin to trade blows with him. I feel like he was holding back as he fought me, like he was much stronger but wasn't using all that strength. I also noticed that he wasn't fighting to kill he was only fighting to defend himself and get rid of me.

He pushes me down and before I get back up I see Steve arrive, he throws his shield at the assassin, but he catches it with one swift move, then throws it back to Steve and then jumps down the building and disappears as Steve gets disoriented. I groan and roll over on the hard ground as I try to catch my breath.

"You good?" Steve asks helping me up, I nod, "I'm fine." I pant as he wraps an arm around me, "wait did you leave Nick alone?" I ask him, "no Kate's with him she called for backup."

"Backup?" I ask, "turns out she's a shield agent." Dang I did not expect that.