A Game Of Hide and Seek - A Bucky Barnes Short story

Chapter 17

Cassidy was moved to Bucky's room the next day, seeing as that they seemed to be attached to the hip. Cassidy felt herself drifting to sleep already as Bucky went to take his shower.

Sprawled on the blankets she closed her eyes and fell deep asleep. But it was not to last.

Images flooded before her. Yakken torturing her, her screaming, Bucky laying in a pool of blood, Avengers wounded and looking at her with disappointment, fear, and rage. Cassidy was thrust into image after image.

"You really think you can escape?" Yakken's voice taunted her from the dark, "You never left your cage, soldier. Just give me what I want or I can make it worse for you."

"No," Cassidy whimpered.

Cassidy flinched as pain rippled across her body and she stumbled back, falling over something. Cassidy twisted and found Bucky's blue eyes staring at her, lifeless and dead.

She screeched as she crawled away from the corpse, mutilated by burns and drenched in blood. Her breath became labored and she could not seem to even scream.

But someone yanked on her hair and she was thrown to the side, Yakken standing before her.

He strode toward her and tried to scramble away, but her body felt like concrete, unable to move. Yakken punched Cassidy in the mouth and kicked her.

"No one is coming," Yakken smirked, "You are all alone. Not even your family wants you after what you did. They will never want you."

Yakken disappeared and Cassidy blinked to find her family, her Avengers circled around her.

Cassidy stood up, clutching her stomach from the pain, and reached out to Steve.

"Stevie," Cassidy cried in relief, "I-"

"How could you?" Steve's eyes narrowed, "Why did you do it?"

"I-What?" Cassidy froze.

"You killed your boyfriend!" Steve screamed at her, making her step back, "You killed Bucky in the most despicable way possible! You killed my best friend!"

"But-"

"You are a traitor!" Tony screeched from behind her and Cassidy turned to see him ready to shoot her.

"No! I didn't kill him!" Cassidy cried out, suddenly feeling like she could not breathe.

"You are such a disappointment," Natasha seethed, "I can't believe we ever trusted you."

"You need to be put down," Sam pointed a pistol at her, "like the rabid dog you are."

Cassidy sank to her knees as the lies and insults were thrown at her, gasping for breath as she whimpered. She tucked herself into a ball, wanting out.

Meanwhile, Bucky had been taking a shower when he heard an almost inhuman screech. He bolted out of the shower, furiously drying off and pulling on his clothes. Wrenching open the door, nearly breaking it, he froze at the sight before him.

Cassidy was tossing and turning on the bed, breathing heavy, crying, and whimpering. She suddenly let out a scream and violently jerked in her sleep, and Bucky rushed to her side. She soon tucked herself into a ball, gasping for breath. Bucky climbed up on the bed, hovering over her.

"No! I didn't kill him!" Cassidy yelled in her sleep.

Bucky started to gently rub her arms as he tried to wake her up.

"Sunflower, it's just a nightmare," He whispered, "It's not real. Come back to me doll, come back to me."

For a few minutes he steadily coaxed her to awake, knowing that she could be a very deep sleeper. She kept whimpering and crying, and Bucky was worried.

Cassidy woke up with a whimper. When she saw Bucky sitting right next to her, she launched her thin body at him and cried into his shoulder.

"I thought I was back there," Cassidy sobbed, "I thought I really killed you! I thought he was there! I-I thought you disappeared again. I t-thought you were gone because of me!"

"I'm right here sweetheart," Bucky kissed her head and tightly hugged her, "It's not real, you are safe here, that was just a nightmare. I have you. I'm not leaving anytime soon, or ever."

It broke Bucky's heart to see her so upset, and he held her as she cried for a while. She later calmed down and relaxed her grip on him.

"Will you hold me as I sleep?" Cassidy whispered.

"Always," Bucky murmured, "Let me go get you a glass of water, okay?"

"NO! DON'T LEAVE AGAIN! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" Cassidy couldn't help but wail as she desperately clung to him. Bucky felt his heart shatter seeing her so scared of being alone.

"Okay darling, I'm not...I'm not leaving you, ever," Bucky wrapped his arms around her and turned so he was laying on top of her, snuggling against her. After a few minutes Cassidy calmed down some more, knowing that he was not leaving her alone.

"You're heavy," Cassidy mumbled.

"But you don't want me to move," Bucky stated as he kissed her.

"No," Cassidy sighed.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Bucky asked carefully, regarding Cassidy's nightmare.

"Yakken was torturing me," Cassidy sniffed, "And then I...I-I tripped over your dead body."

Tears came again as she thought about it, that horribly mutilated corpse.

"Doll?" Bucky looked at her and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Bucky it was so horrible," Cassidy closed her eyes as she took in a stuttering breath, "There was so much blood and burned flesh. I'm a monster. What if I actually did that? To innocent lives?"

"Look at me," Bucky cupped her face as his voice was threaded with emotion, knees straddling her to not crush her, "We both probably did some bad things, but you know what? We get through it, we push through and decide who we get to be. You told me that," tears fell down his face, "You are so beautiful, funny, brave, stubborn, smart, and so good. I feel like you could do better than me. Who would want a depressed and psycho assassin? But you wanted me! Time and time again you continued to choose me. You love me with all of my faults and problems. You light up my whole world sweetheart! You make me smile when you steal my hoodies. I love your laugh when you hear a joke. I can't get enough of your cuddles and kisses because they are addicting. I laugh to myself when you banter with people because you can make anyone smile, you made me smile, darling. I can't help but stare at you because your eyes are so pretty with those flecks of gold and silver you used to hate. I can't help but kiss the freckles across your nose. I love dancing with you because it makes me forget the things around me, because you are my world! I love you so much and it killed me when they took you! I was a walking mess, Doll, I could barely do anything except find you. My heart broke seeing you tied to a chair and almost dead. It hurts me now to see you like this, I wish I could take it all away for you. Sunflower...I love you."

"I-," Cassidy cuddled against him as she cried, "I just-I missed you so much."

Bucky wrapped his arms tighter around her as he kissed her head.

"I love you," Cassidy whispered as she tucked herself under him, "I love your eyes because they are like the sea. I love when you cuddle, kiss, or hug me. I love your voice because it calms me. I love how you help me when I am scared. I love how you smile just for me. I love your hair because it's so soft. I just love you so much."

Bucky kissed her slowly before kissing her forehead, "Go to sleep sweetheart. I am not going anywhere. I'm your teddy bear forever."

That got a giggle out of Cassidy before she slowly fell asleep, with Bucky running his fingers through her hair.