Fireworks: A Bucky Barnes Romance

Chapter 1

Yeah, she was a decent portion of his equanimity.

He glanced at the old-fashioned digital clock on the night table. It was nearly 6am now. Plenty late enough.

Bucky rose, shaved, and hit the shower, keeping the water cool since the air was already warming up. Then he got some of Nate's Bisquik out of the fridge and made pancakes for the both of them. The older man usually woke up around six, couldn't sleep in if he wanted to, he'd told Bucky. But sometimes he was slow to rise or just chose to read in bed. When Bucky didn't see him, he put Nate's pancakes on a plate and left them in the microwave so no flies could get to them.

He grabbed his phone and wallet and carefully closed the screen door after himself so it wouldn't slam.

He'd bought a truck for himself. He might have gotten a motorcycle, but you couldn't carry much in a motorcycle. No room for tools, groceries, kids, Sarah...

It was a green Ford from the '90s, an old truck, apparently, but not old enough for him, since he still couldn't always figure out how to fix it. And not new enough for Sam, who'd groaned, "You can run faster than this thing, Bucky."

Bucky slid behind the wheel and headed for the illegal firework place south of town. He'd glanced at the map on Sam's phone yesterday and memorized where it was. The boys kept trying to get him used to Google Maps, but Bucky had already learned the general area pretty well. A few minutes studying the location of a new place was enough to lock it in. And he didn't even have to kill anyone when he got there.

He wished he could tell his therapist he was edging into assassin-related humor.

But before he made it, his phone buzzed. It was Sarah.

Bucky grabbed it. "Sarah. Everything okay?"

"No, it's Cass." The boy was breathless. "They took mom. Two guys in brown jumpsuits, but not military, I don't think. They just... She went out to the mailbox. A van screeched up and these two guys dragged her in and pulled away. It was so fast! I only saw 'cause I was trying to open the bathroom window and it got stuck—"

Bucky spun his truck on the empty three lane road. The tires skidded for a second, but he turned into it and the tires bit when he wanted them to. He hit the gas going the opposite direction, back toward Delacroix. "Cass, the van: what color? What'd it look like?"

"Um... tan, kinda boxy. I didn't see the plate or anything. I'm so stupid! I should've—"

"It's okay, Cass. I'm so glad you saw anything. Tinted windows? Bumper sticker? Anything else?"

"No windows in the back, just the front. Had some words and a stripe painted on the side. Some kind of logo with an M."

"Good boy. Which direction did they go?"

"Took a right at the end of our street, but past that I couldn't see. I should've run after them, but I couldn't think..."

"You did think. You got her phone and called me. How long ago you think this happened. Five minutes? Ten minutes? Did it take you a while to find the phone?"

"No, she left it by the kitchen sink. Maybe five minutes?"

"Did you try Sam first?"

"N-no." He sounded a little surprised as he said it. Maybe apologetic.

Bucky felt a tightening in his chest; he'd been the first call Cass made. "That was a good idea, since I'm closer. But now, you call Sam, and I'll call the police."

"Okay. AJ is here."

"Good. Hold him close and call Sam. I'll call you back after I get the police."

Bucky continued flying down the road, his old truck rattling unhappily around him as he dialed 911 and told the local police of the abduction. He didn't immediately identify himself, but he did say that it was Captain America's sister and they transferred him to the police chief.

Little Delacroix didn't have a police chopper or anything like that, more's the pity, but the chief—a guy Bucky and Sam had spoken with several times about security—immediately ordered officers to the Delacroix freeway that led to New Orleans, looking for the van Cass described. He sent others to crisscross the town.

The police chief was already sending extra patrols down Sarah's road whenever Sam was out of town, which Sarah didn't know. He was a good guy, though both he and Sam somehow couldn't picture violence reaching into their little town for one of their citizens. Even Sam, despite Karli Morgenthau's threats about Sarah last year, didn't really picture her being at risk.

Bucky could see it. The longer he'd spent with Sarah, the more he'd wanted to make sure she was safe. He'd changed her locks. He'd replaced the upper window that couldn't be locked, even though she'd said it didn't really matter.

But now it had happened anyway. Bucky cursed his own complacency, that he'd chosen to rent Nate's room instead of staying on her couch. So what if it was a little awkward? If he'd been there...

Bucky stopped that train of thought. Not productive.

He sped through the town, running red lights when he could get away with it. It helped that it was barely seven in the morning and most people were sleeping in for the holiday.

It was only half a mile on the north side of town that he saw the van. It was a dirty khaki color and said Mike's Extermination on the side. It sat off to the side, back hanging open.

Bucky skidded to a stop on the gravel shoulder of the highway and threw himself out of the truck at a run.