One-shots/Short Stories

Bucky Barnes - Part I

The Past Catching Up To You - Part I
"Promise me you will come back to me?" Her lips wobbled in an attempt to hold back her tears. Bucky gave her a small smile, planting a quick kiss to her lips.
   "I promise." he assured her. "I'll be back before you know it." The train whistled telling the two it was time for Bucky to leave Brooklyn to defend his country. Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, reporting for his first duty overseas. Sure he was proud of it, but it was sad because he was leaving his best gal and his best friend.
   Bucky nodded to Steve; his skinny, tiny fragile friend, leading his gal to his friend's side. "Look after each other, will you?" Bucky told them. "You know how tiring it is for me to look out for both of you already." In response to his words the two glared at him. Bucky chuckled, bringing the two into a hug. "I love you two." Bucky murmured to them.
   "We love you too, Jerk." Steve mumbled. They pulled away when the last warning whistle came again. Bucky gave them a mock salute.
   "Until next time." Bucky told them.
   "Until next time." the two said back with a sad smile.
***
Steve helped Bucky out of the HYDRA base, explosions going off behind them. They collapsed on the outskirts of the base in relief, catching their breath. "It's good to see you alive, Bucky." Steve panted. Bucky nodded, trying to catch his own breath.
   "I thought I was done for when we were under attack." Bucky revealed. He turned to his friend in worry. "How is she? Does she know?"
   "We all thought you were dead." Steve said sadly. "She didn't take it well."
   Bucky got up from the ground despite his body screaming in pain. He needed to see her. He needed to comfort her. He needed to propose to her.
   During his capture, his mind flitted to his gal everyday. How her eyes seemed to lighten up whenever their eyes connect, her smile brightening the room up immediately, how she seems to be the only one that can calm him down instantly. How she meant so much to him.
   He remembered seeing her for the first time. They were at a bar, and for him, it was love at first sight. He saw her sitting alone at the bar, drinking her martini. Their eyes connected, and he felt that special pull from her. He also happened to be her knight in shining armour when a man tried to get his way with her. After that, they were inseparable - it was the three musketeers; him, Steve, and her.
   "I love her, Steve." Bucky told him earnestly. "I love her. And I need to propose to her. I want to start a family with her."
   Steve stared at him shocked, but then it melted into a fond smile. "You've been thinking a lot more recently than acting on impulse." Steve clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Kinda like it. Sure, I'll help you. She just so happens to be back at base. After losing you, she didn't want to lose me as well and helps around at base."
***
Her and Peggy walked out of the tent when they heard a ruckus outside and were amazed at what they saw. Prisoners from the 107th were walking into base tired, some injured, with Steve leading them in. And who was beside him made a certain woman's heart leap in joy.
   "Bucky!" she yelled, running to him. Bucky snapped his head up at the sound of a familiar voice, shoving his gun to a random soldier, meeting her halfway.
   "Hope!" Bucky yelled, tears of relief and joy clouding his vision. She jumped into his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck and his around her waist. The two shared a passionate kiss, their salty tears combined in their kiss. Cheers and whoops came from around them, happy to see their Sergeant reunite with his lover. Dugan remembered the times when Bucky wasn't in a bad state and would tell his friends about her, his gal, and how he wanted to marry her. Dugan knew that that woman meant a lot to his friend, and was happy to see them finally reunite.
   "I thought you were dead!" Hope sniffed, burying her face in his neck. Bucky merely sighed in bliss, hugging her tightly to him.
   "I'm not dead, I'm okay." he breathed to her. "I'm right here, Doll."
   "Good." Hope sniffed. "Do something like that again and you will pay the consequences." Laughter came from all around them.
   "Better keep a good hold on her!" a soldier yelled out. "She's a keeper!"
   "Oh I know she is." Bucky smiled lovingly. "That's why. . ." Bucky knelt down on one knee, causing cheers and whoops to come again. "Hope Mary Samuels, will you do me the honours of marrying me?"
   "Yes!"
***
"Steve, I have a bad feeling about this mission." Bucky suddenly blurted out. Steve sent a confused look to him.
   "Why's that?"
   "I don't know, just. . .if anything goes wrong, protect Hope for me, yeah? Protect my wife." Bucky and Hope had gotten married a week after their reunion, not having the patience to wait months for the day. They were ready, and they wanted it as soon as possible. And now, they were expecting a child. After this mission, Bucky was going to retire so he could look after his family.
   "Promise me you will look after them?" Bucky told Steve. His friend stared at him with a frown, but nodded nonetheless.
   "I promise to look after your wife and child." Steve vowed. "But Bucky, that won't be necessary. You will return after this mission." The train they were waiting for came to view. "Come on, we got a scientist to catch."
***
Steve stood in front of his friend's wife, tears falling down his face. Hope stared at him scared, hand on stomach protectively. Steve huffed out a shaky breath, sniffing. "Bucky. . ." he choked out. "He. . .he didn't make it. He f-fell off the train. We can't find the body."

***

"Look after each other, will you?"

"I love her, Steve."

"I love her. And I need to propose to her. I want to start a family with her."

"Hope Mary Samuels, will you do me the honours of marrying me?"

"Steve, I have a bad feeling about this mission."

"Promise me you will look after them?"

Steve punched his punching bag angrily, memories from the past coming into his mind. His punches got more sloppy when memories of his friend -who was like a sister to him- collapsed to the ground in agony, having received the news of her husband's death. He failed the two. His promises were broken. He didn't keep them safe. He didn't protect Bucky. He didn't protect her or the child.
   The pain was too much for Hope, and she had gotten a miscarriage. After that she fell into a heavy state of depression, before being shot with a chemical from HYDRA that didn't have a cure. And in an attempt to keep her alive until they got the cure, they had put her in a cryogenic chamber to slow down the chemical from killing her. That was the last time he ever saw her before he went after Schmidt.
   The punching bag flew across the room, the only sound in the gym was his heavy breathing. He had asked Fury about her, only to be told that the cryo chamber that was keeping her alive went missing when where she was held got caught on fire. She was claimed dead when they didn't find a body.
   He sat down on a bench, taking a drink of water. His wallet fell out of his duffle bag, opening to show an old photo of Hope and Bucky smiling widely at the camera because it was their small wedding. Steve picked it up gently, staring at the photo sadly. He knew that for the rest of his life he was going to live with guilt because of his two friends being gone. It was just him and Peggy - though she was soon to leave the world, he could tell. But then, Bucky was still alive as well but just didn't know him. . .
   He was pulled out of his thoughts when running footsteps came to him.
   Tony came to him panting, a crazed look on his face. "You -" he panted. "You gotta come - now!"
   "Why?" Steve stood, furrowing his brows at him.
   "It's-it's about Bucky!" Tony panted. "He's here!"
   "What?" The last time Steve saw Bucky, he was falling from the Hellicarrier.
   "Yeah, he's here!" Tony nodded quickly. "Here's the plot twist. . .he has a cryogenic chamber with him. It's her, Steve. He has Hope."