Disruption. | Bucky Barnes

Chapter 39.

"He followed every lead, every bit of intel, I don't think there's a country he hasn't looked into."

I'm hanging off of Steve's every word as he tells me about Bucky, the truck ride bumpy as we go over god knows what type of terrain.

"But..?" I hesitate before asking, I can see the word on his lips.

"There was nothing, we expelled hydra but there was nothing, every building was empty to Bucky, he couldn't find you." He looks down at his hands and rubs them together slowly.

My eyes go uncomfortably to Peter and Sam, Peter gives me a caring smile and leans over to grab my hand, "it's gonna be okay."

But I know he's wrong, the gut feeling in my stomach has me wanting to kneel over and cry, there's more I'm to be told, and I don't know how prepared I am for what will inevitably be bad news.

Attention back to Steve as he tells me more, I can barely focus, my mind racing and spinning with nothing but Bucky.

"When Hydra sent us pictures of you about three months after they took you, well.. we encouraged him to get on with his life, move on."

I still feel sick that I was taken pictures of while unconscious, having no idea what they did to me when I was under their roof. But the more important thing Steve's said is nothing to do with Hydra, has Bucky truly moved on?

Encouraging myself, I have to ask the question rocking my brain, "with someone else?"

It's a shameful look that crosses my friends faces, and before I get the chance to say another word, the truck comes to a stop and the engine turns off. I look at the door as it opens and see familiar greenery and- the compound?

"We're home?" I'm confused, the journeys been barely thirty minutes, have I been in America, New York even, this entire time?

Everyone begins to climb off the truck and as Steve lifts my still weak body to the floor he answers my question, "all I know is I've not seen him in months, and last we heard he was seeing someone."

It's a good job his arms are holding me up, because my legs collapse beneath me, sobs wreck my entire body, Bucky with someone else, I can't even fathom it.

Steve helps me inside and I hear people running towards the foyer, Peter heading the crowd as my father, Pepper and Morgan quickly catch up to him.

Walking in slow steps towards me, his eyes scanning me in disbelief and then looking to Steve for confirmation it's truly me, his daughter, alive in front of him, his arms out stretch out as he makes his way to me, I see a tear roll from his face and I rush into his arms, allowing my own cries to spill against his chest, "I'm sorry dad! I'm so sorry!"

I realise I've never called him dad, not to his face, and the arms holding me tighten, he kisses the top of my head and his head rests on my shoulder, "I'm so sorry too kiddo, I can't believe you're okay?" He clearly has questions, no doubt they all do, but for this moment I need just my father to comfort me.

Everything in me pushes Bucky to the back of my head, I can't allow myself to think of him, especially not with someone else, I can't allow myself to believe he has moved on, the thought is simply not welcome in my head.

My dad holds my face in his hands, scanning me for signs of damage maybe? His hands go to my neck, shoulders, arms, he's looking over me for injury.

"How the hell are you alive?" He chokes back more tears and I feel more of my own sobs threatening me.

I shrug, nostrils flaring, lips pouted, I truly never thought I'd see him again.