The Long Nights of Winter - An Alternative Bucky Barnes Story

Afghan War army veteran Bucky Barnes has spent the last nine years working as a private investigator, the only job he could get after being found responsible for the deaths of two young boys in Afghanistan. After a year in military prison and a dishonourable discharge he struggled to sustain himself with the odd case tracking a cheating spouse or looking for a lost pet. When his friend, Detective Steve Rogers of the NYPD, asks him to protect Natalie Madison, who witnessed the death of her twin sister at the hands of her boyfriend, he jumps at the chance to show he's up for the job. The two discover evidence of a conspiracy that reached into the highest level of the American military during the Afghan war and still continues to the present day. As they try to uncover the truth that could also overturn Bucky's conviction, betrayals expose them to danger as the boyfriend, Brock Rumlow, and his associates hunt them down. Despite his attempts to keep it professional with his client, Bucky and Natalie find themselves becoming emotionally involved.

This is an original story in an alternate universe using MCU characters in non-MCU roles. All original characters are my own creations. This story has moments of PTSD, violence, and sexuality but focuses on the realities of the relationship between Bucky and Natalie.