Torn

-|MEMORY|-

Katia didn't go to bed until 3 AM that night. She was on the roof with Peter until about 11 PM. When she went back inside she sat on her bed, still afraid to sleep. She didn't want to call Peter. It was late and he was probably already asleep. So Katia just sat there in dismal silence.

Bucky lies awkwardly on the bed in the guest room. Steve and Sam had each agreed to sleep in the basement so that Bucky could sleep on a soft bed. In all honesty, he wasn't very used to the hospitality. Even in Wakanda, he was on the ice for most of his time there. He thought of the girl, Katia that he met today. It was pretty crazy that Natasha had a daughter, even if the relationship wasn't biological. While he did remember her being in the Red Room, there was some other memory there that he just couldn't pinpoint. He shrugged away the thought and went to sleep.

Natasha sat up in her bed, in deep thought. Katia's reaction to Bucky wasn't normal. Of course, Katia was not a normal kid, but this was different. She tried to hide it, but Natasha knew better than to fall for that. There was something off, and she knew it.

Katia was pulled out of her imagination by violent screams. She ran out into the hallway to see Natasha doing the same and Steve and Sam running up the stairs. The only one of them who wasn't up was Bucky. They all rushed to the guest room where Bucky's eyes were clamped shut but he was screaming in pain.

"What's happening?!" Katia asked. Sure she had a bit of a grudge but anyone would be worried.

"He's either having a nightmare or a memory." Steve answered. "Either way, it's dangerous to wake him up."

"But he's in pain! Those kinds of nightmares hurt, okay?!" Katia said, speaking from experience. She wouldn't wish the kinds of night terrors she had on her worst enemy.

Steve froze. How would a 15 year old kid know- oh... He remembered Natasha telling him about how traumatic her childhood had been. It must be horrible for her to watch someone go through the same thing. "Look, I know you wanna help. Trust me, I wish I could too, but-"

"Oh my god, you don't have to treat me like a child!" Katia fired back. She walked over to the bed and grabbed Bucky's wrist, hoping the human contact would break him out of his horrible dream.

His eyes opened, but it was not Bucky who woke. The winter Soldier shot up immediately pulling away from the teen. He looked around and saw the familiar faces from 2014. He saw one of his past missions. He stood in the middle of the room in utter confusion. He was definitely not in Hydra.

Katia noticed something odd about Bucky. The other adults in the room just stood there, also examining him. Katia gasped when she realised she knew what was wrong. Then he lept into action.

It was a blur since it was so late at night. Most of them ended up unconscious. Buck- the Soldier was currently in a fist fight with Katia. He was definitely winning. Katia's mistake was not paying attention to both of is arms. She blocked a punch from the right arm but failed to dodge the left arm when she got a punch to the throat. She fell to the ground, dissoriented and weak. She knew what she had to do. She started focusing electricity just like she had the day she escaped the Hydra base. He fell to his knees in pain, clutching his head.

"Holy shit..." Bucky looked around the room. His friends were groaning in pain and Katia (a literal child) was leaving the room with tears in her eyes. His breath was shaky and his head was pounding for some reason. "What did I do?"

"It wasn't you, Buck." Steve said, trying to condone his friend.

"This is a normal reaction to flashbacks, believe it or not." Sam added on.

Bucky shook his head. He knew his friends were trying to make him feel better but nothing was really helping.

Natasha got up and walked over to Bucky. "Come on, I'll get you some coffee."

Bucky smiled just the slightest bit and walked with Natasha to the kitchen. When they got there, Katia was sitting at the counter with a mug in her hand and the pot of coffee next to her. She looked like she had been sulking.

"Oh, hi... um, I guess I'll go..." Katia noticed the two come into the kitchen. She got up, mug in hand.

Natasha noticed Katia's obvious need to stay in the kitchen, with the coffee, and snacks. "No, you stay. I was getting tired anyway." She turned to Bucky. "Well, uh... the coffee's right there, so I'm gonna get to bed..."

Natasha walks back to her room leaving Bucky standing there in the kitchen awkwardly. "Uh... I think I'm just gonna go..."

"No, it's fine. You came here for coffee, so come and get some coffee." Katia said.

Bucky awkwardly makes his way to the kitchen counter, where the coffee pot is. Katia gets a mug from the cabinet. He utters out a quiet "Thanks." Katia nods in response. Bucky pours the coffee, stealing a glance at Katia. He sees her eyes filled with unspilt tears. "A-are you okay?"

"I'm never okay, Bucky..." Katia said without thinking. She instantly regretted it, remembering that she wasn't just having a sarcastic conversation with MJ, she was talking to an adult. There was a long pause. "So, uh... what was your nightmare about?"

"Um... It was a memory... you were there." Bucky said slowly.

"Oh. Where was it?" Katia asked.

"The National Reserve Bank in 2014." Bucky said, his voice breaking as he looked down at his coffee.

Katia's breath caught in her throat. She nodded in understanding.

"You... you said that you 'never touched the terrigen crystals'. What was that supposed to mean?" Bucky asked cautiously.

"It's nothing... I'm gonna go to sleep now... please don't tell anyone by the way." Katia walked away to her room, to try to sleep.

Bucky was left utterly confused. What is terrigen? He would have to find out. He would also have to get over himself and try to figure out his feelings for Natasha.