The Soldier and the Wolf

Chapter 17

Bucky decided that we would have three days to prepare, which was actually more than enough time. On the first day, while Bucky figured out a way to actually leave the country, I went out to run some errands. I first went to to the bank. I dug into my parents' emergency account. This originally would've been for emergencies like if they ever lost their job or a natural disaster or something like that. Thanks to my mom and dad both having have had well-paying jobs, I took out half a million dollars. That should be able to support me and Bucky for a long while. After the bank, I decided that I should buy some food for use when we actually leave. When I got home, Bucky told me that there was a port for cargo ships that head between America and Europe. He said that we could find a way for us to sneak onto the boat, and it'll take about two weeks until we arrive on land again.

The second day, we started to pack up. We decided that once suitcase each would be the best for light travel, plus a duffel bag for the food. Bucky packed the entire box of clothes that he had been wearing. I packed at least half of my closet. Bucky and I decided that we could always buy more clothes once we get to where we need to be. Along the lines of that, we also chose where we were going to be hiding. After lots of discussing, we decided that Romania would be the best bet. It wasn't a very known country and very low-key. Bucky also knew how to speak Romanian, apparently. He learned like ten different languages when with Hydra, and said he could teach me, so why not??

The third day was just to prepare some last minute stuff. We made sure we had everything we needed. Bucky packed his notebook underneath all his clothes and made sure he had a few extra pairs of gloves. I packed some hygienic items as well. I wasn't about to look like a homeless person when getting off that boat. I was able to shove toothbrushes and toothpaste, a hairbrush, and deodorant into my bag. It was like we were going on a cruise, only it wasn't going to be very luxurious. We put all of our luggage by the front door and double checked everything to see if we had everything we needed. When we did that, Bucky and I decided to spend our last night watching TV and movies.

The day came. It was time to leave. The cargo ship, according to Bucky, was hog in to leave at three in the afternoon. It was an hour drive, but we knew we had to get their early.

"You ready?" Bucky was at the front door and was holding his suitcase. I stood in the foyer and looked into the living room. It was like I was moving out, but every thing was still there. My bedroom still had my yearbooks and bed; the living room still had the TV and the couch; the kitchen still had pots and pans and food. Eventually someone was gonna come in and take this all out, and a new family was going to come in. I fiddled with the locket I used to wear in my hand, twirling the metal chain in between my fingers. Since I first transformed, the chain broke and I wasn't able to fix it, but I still carried it around. "Clara?"

"Huh?" I looked behind me, and Bucky was staring at me.

"You ready?" I swallowed down the tears that were coming up and nodded.

"Yeah, just uh...give me a second." I said this with a shaky voice and I often my hands up to look at the locket. I opened it up to look at the picture of me and my dad. I rubbed my finger along the glass and smiled. I stared at the picture. He was smiling at looking up at me while I was on his shoulders. I was wearing pigtails and holding onto my dad. I felt a tear roll down my cheek and I laughed a bit as I remembered that day all over again.

"Thanks for being there for me dad. I'll never forget you." I walked into the living room and placed the locket down gently on the coffee table. I wiped away another tear and looked down at the locket. "But I have to move on. You were there for me when I needed you, now I have to be there for Bucky because he needs me. I have a new life now. Goodbye daddy." I slowly backed away from the coffee table and met Bucky by the front doors. "Let's go."
I told him, and we silently left the house. We put the bags in the backseat and Bucky went into the passenger side while I went to the driver's seat. We buckled up and got settled. I turned on the and put my hands on the wheel, but I couldn't back out of the driveway. I was paralyzed, what if I was making a mistake? I looked back the house. The house I lived in for twenty two years. The only home I knew. Then I felt a coldness cover my hand and I looked down at the steering wheel to see that Bucky's metal hand was covering my hand. I looked him and he smiled at me. It was a small smile, but large enough for me to realize that he was gonna be there for me. I was gonna have to find a new home. I wasn't sure where it was gonna be, but it was out there somewhere.

"It's gonna be okay." Bucky reassured me. "We're a team now." I took in a deep breath and exhaled shakily, then pulled sour fo the driveway of my house for the last time.

It was the last time for a lot of things. Last time driving on a highway I drove several times; last time driving past Washington D.C and seeing the Washington Monument or the White House; last time being in America. I had a feeling we weren't leaving the U.S forever. It was only a matter of time before we could safely come back, but we didn't know how long that would take. But we were both prepared for what was ahead. Whatever we were gonna face, we were gonna face it together, as a team. As partners. As friends.

STUPID AUTHOR NOTE: Sorry this one is short. I didn't want to add a lot because I didn't want to include too much in it and take away from the sappy cringy part of it. It is an "emotional filler" in a way, just to move the story along.