To Have and to Hold - Bucky Barnes (TFATWS)

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They didn't see it happen, only the aftermath. And the aftermath was bad enough.

By the time they got there, by the time they reached the scene, they were too late, the damage had already been done.  They had to push their way past the shocked crowd to see what had happened in the aftermath of Hoskins's death.  

The young man's broken, bloody body - one of Karli's followers - lay across the cobblestones, people surrounding the scene, phones out, recording. 

And the shield itself was splattered in the young man's blood, still strapped to Walker's arm who gazed distantly into the heavy crowd staring horrified back at him. 

Steve's prized shield, tainted by the actions of its new bearer. 

"Ay Dios Mio," Carina cried.  

Ay Dios Mio was right. 

Walker took off running, leaving the young man's body behind. The three took off after him. Luckily, in his colourful suit and with the equally-noticeable shield, he was easy to follow.

They followed him to an abandoned warehouse where they found him kneeling, head bent low, his whole form shaking. He looked so broken.

"Walker-"

"You guys should see a medic, you don't look so good."

"Stop Walker," Sam told him.

Walker was on his feet now, pacing before them, restless.  "What? You saw what happened. You know what I had to do. I killed him because I had to!  He killed Lemar!" His shouts echoed throughout the vast empty building.

"He didn't kill Lemar, John," Bucky reminded him. The kid's blood still dripped down the front of the shield. "Don't go down that road - believe me, it doesn't end well."

"I'm not like you."

"Hey!" Carina snapped back.

"Listen," stepped in Sam, trying to stop this before it got any more out of hand than it already was. "It was the heat of battle, okay. If you explain what happened, they may consider your record. We don't want anyone else to get hurt. John - you gotta give me the shield, man."

Walker scoffed.  "Oh." Then he smirked, shaking his head at Sam.  "So that's what this is. You almost got me."

"You made a mistake."

"You don't want to do this."

Bucky nodded.  "Yeah, we do."

The three jumped in at the same time, three verses one. 

"Why are you making me do this?!" Walker yelled as they fought.  "WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME DO THIS?!"

"This isn't you, John," Sam insisted.

"We could've been a team-" Walker smashed Bucky back, sending him crashing into an electrical outlet. Bucky collapsed, his metal arm bent at a strange angle and zapping with electricity. 

Carina saw red, and that was it.

She didn't even realize she had approached Walker until she stood before him, having charged over to him, now yelling in his face.  "DON'T TOUCH HIM AGAIN! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU!!!"

Sam had to step in and pull her away from Walker just so she would stop pummeling him. "Carina - Carina stop! Stop! That's enough! That's enough - hey!" Finally, he managed to pull her away.  "This isn't you, either."

Bucky had somewhat recovered and charged at Walker again, Sam coming at him from the opposite side.  They ripped the shield off his arm - literally - and breaking his arm in the process. 

Walker cried out, all three men and the shield dropping to the ground. 

"It's mine-" Walker, now helmetless, stumbled towards the shield.

"It's over, John," Sam told him.

Bucky was the first to retrieve the shield.  He threw it down  so that it landed at Sam's side before stalking out of the warehouse. Sam immediately began attempting to wipe away the blood that marred the stars and stripes of the shield. Carina stayed behind and helped him to his feet.

Back on the scene of the encounter, the GRC was already on site, clearing this resettlement camp and others to try and find Karli, so far with no luck. No Karli, only her followers. 

"You went pretty apeshit on Walker back there," Sam remarked to her. When she said nothing, he continued. "He's not trying to take Bucky away from you."

"Maybe not him exactly. But someone's going to always try to.  I'm worried about him," she said, speaking of her husband. "I don't know where he went."

"Probably to deal with Zemo."

"Yeah, which isn't reassuring. You know what he said about not leaving his work unfinished. That includes Bucky." Zemo's words haunted her, but he was a good place to start. 

What had been the Sokovian border was where the memorial stood. 

"Bucky!" She reached him just in time to find him facing down Zemo, gun to the man's head. 

"Ah, look who it is," remarked Zemo with a smirk.  "She followed you again." 

"Buck, don't do this," she begged. "Don't be what he still thinks you are that you know you're not. Don't prove him right, prove him wrong."

Bucky continued to hold the gun up to Zemo's head, his hand trembling. Then he smirked himself, holding out his other hand, the bullets spilling from his outstretched palm and clattering to the ground. 

Carina jumped as Ayo and a few of her fellow Dora emerged from the trees. 

A relieved sigh escaped her - it had all been a ruse.

"Ladies," Zemo greeted them. Then he turned and addressed Bucky again. "I took the liberty of crossing off my name in your book. I hold no grudges for what you thought you had to do. Goodbye James."

Bucky let the Dora take it from there, leading Zemo off to their ship. 

"We will take him to the Raft," Ayo told them.  "Where he will live out his days. It would be prudent to make yourself scarce in Wakanda for the time being, White Wolf."

Bucky nodded, sadly but in understanding.  "Fair enough."

"And about what you asked for  - it will be ready soon."

"Thanks."

With that, Ayo went to join the others aboard the ship so they could drop Zemo off at the Raft and then return home to Wakanda. 

"What was Ayo talking about?" Carina asked. 

"I called in a favour. Come on-" Bucky put an arm around her.  "Let's go home."

--------------------------------

Carina was very distracted upon returning to work at the lab. Everyone was going on and on about Walker killing the Flag Smasher. The reminder was everywhere.  

"Agent, you have a visitor," a fellow agent alerted her.

Setting aside her work for now she went to go greet her visitor, who was an unfamiliar dark-haired woman. 

"Hi, Mrs. Granado-Barnes? I'm Olivia Walker - wife of John Walker."

(Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed as always! :))