the dark sapphire -Bucky Barnes-

2

"So tell us what you want here!" Sam glared at the woman sitting across from Bucky and him. She had by now removed her hood and cap and was eyeing them both with interest. "I was coming to see you guys" she said, crossing her arms. "You were going to break in here, we saw that" Sam leaned over the table and his eyes narrowed. "Yeah, because no one was in the apartment" "normal people wait outside the door or come back" Sam was still glaring at her. "why were you looking for us? And who are you anyway?" Bucky asked. She sighed "my name is Alison Taylor. I need your help, that's why I'm here"

"And what makes you think we would help you after you tried to break in here?" Sam leaned her back and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Alison sighed "Because my grandfather said you would if I came to you" "and your grandfather is who?" Bucky asked. Alison sighed again. "Apparently Steve Rogers" she said and lowered her eyes.

Sam jumped up. "now you're going too far, breaking in here is one thing, but dragging Steve into this is INHUMANE. That's no way to talk about dead people. He didn't deserve that" he yelled at Alison who looked at him startled. "It's true...I...I swear" she said shocked and grabbed her backpack where she rummaged for something for a moment.

She pulled out an envelope which she handed to Bucky. "I received a letter about two weeks after he died. There was one for you too" she said and Bucky hesitantly took the envelope. Slowly he opened the letter and immediately recognized Steve's handwriting, although it looked a little more shaky than usual.

Bucky,
If you are reading these lines, it means that I am no longer with you. But that is not a bad thing! I wanted it that way because now I am finally back with Peggy, with Nat, with Tony and most importantly with my son.
I knew that when we said goodbye before my mission to bring back the stones, you remarked that I would not be back right away and you were right.
I never told you about my life back in the past, that is why I am writing you this letter.
After returning all the stones to their place and time, I felt an insatiable urge to return to Peggy. We had just saved the world from the impossible, lost our best fighters, and I felt the present no longer needed me as Captain America.
I knew that my decision had the consequences of living a life with Peggy but without you and Sam, but at that moment I was willing to take the risk.
I traveled to the year 1949 and looked for Peggy. Of course it was strange to explain to her what had happened, why I was suddenly standing in front of her after all these years, but I explained everything to her and she had to promise me that she would keep it to herself, that even if I knew what was going to happen in the future, we would not interfere.
We got married and had a son. Yes, Bucky, I became a father! In 1952, my son James Samuel Rogers came into the world and Peggy and I couldn't be prouder. Of course, when James was old enough, we had to let him in on the secrets, after all, he had to understand why his father wasn't actually recovered until 2011. He took it confused but pretty well, at first anyway.
When he was 23, he suddenly felt the need to save the world, just as his father had done once. He wanted to avoid disaster with the information I had about the future, and neither Peggy nor I could stop him. But I refused to help, which led to him leaving us and ending contact, he just couldn't understand how I could live with knowing that tomorrow a great tragedy could be prevented. I didn't have an answer to that myself. For one thing, I didn't know if we should do it, because while Bruce was sure we wouldn't change the future by doing it, I didn't want to take the chance that he was wrong. Secondly, I was content with my life and didn't want to put that at risk. I was finally married to the love of my life!
It broke Peggy's heart that James was no longer in contact with us and so it was not until after my return to the present that I learned that he had married and had a child. I traveled back from the year 1993. I was in bad health, but I did not want to die in the past. Not without handing Sam the shield, and not without seeing you one more time, Buck.
As it turned out, it wouldn't have been necessary to tell my son that I was found in 2011, because he didn't live to see it. His wife Lilly and he lost their lives fatally in 2005, leaving their daughter Alison, just 16 years old, alone in the world. I was devastated when I heard this. I had hoped to reconcile with my son after all these years.
I looked for my granddaughter and wanted to contact her, but somehow my conscience prevented me from doing so. I blamed myself for the death of her parents. Maybe if I had tried to contact James earlier, things would have been different.
If this letter reaches you, Bucky, it means that I had the courage to write to my granddaughter, even though I never got to hold her to tell her how sorry I am for everything. It also means that Alison found you and gave you this letter.
Bucky, I hereby ask that you watch out for her. The world is still dangerous and Alison has been through too much already. I want her to have someone she can trust, someone she can come to, someone who will protect her. There is no one in this world I trust with my granddaughter's life more than Sam and you. So please promise that you will do everything you can to be the protector to her that I could never be.
I know I can count on you!
I'm with you till the end of the line, pal!
Steve

LOVE YOUUUUUUU ♥️