Come Back With Me

I Rather Skip The Pleasantries

They walk over to the booth and Bucky slides in first.

He doesn't want Lizzie trapped in if anything happens. If Royce tries anything, she is to run directly to the police station.

"Hi James, Elizabeth, how have you been?" Royce says nervously.

"I rather skip the pleasantries. Why are we here?" Bucky says harshly.

Royce looks uncomfortably at the pair. He knew not to expect a warm welcome but he did hope the years would dull the anger.

"First off, I'd like to apologize. I know I put the two of you through a lot. I've had a lot of time to reflect over the years about why I did what I did. I think I was jealous of you Elizabeth," Royce says.

This throws Lizzie for a loop. She has thought about why Royce picked on her for years but jealousy was never on the list.

"Jealous?" Lizzie asks.

"You were always so good and kind and smart. I never felt like I was any of those things and I resented you for it. I was a stupid kid which I know is no excuse, but that's why I think we both ended up how we did," Royce explains.

Bucky is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. There's a reason he is here other than to apologize.

"Anything else?" Bucky snaps.

He is trying to move this meeting along because he wants Lizzie as far away from here as quickly as possible.

"Yes, I know you may have been scared that I would retaliate in someway and I want you to know that isn't my intention. I know I've been a monster in both of your stories but if I can grant you some piece of mind, I want to do it," Royce says.

Lizzie can hear the honesty in his voice and she wants to believe him but she always wants to believe the best in people so she can't really trust her judgment.

She does trust Bucky's judgement though and if he believes him, so will she.

"You want to give us piece of mind? What you've done has mentally scarred us for the rest of our lives and you think an apology and a shaky promise will mean anything to us," Bucky asks.

Bucky is shaking with rage and Lizzie places her left hand on his on the table and the other on his shoulder. He relaxes slightly at her touch but he is still incredibly high strung.

Royce notices the ring on Lizzie's finger.

"Wow, I didn't know you were engaged, congratulations," he says.

Bucky glares at him and opens his mouth to snap again.

"Thank you. Thank you for the apology as well, maybe it will give us all some closure. Is there anything else you wanted to say?" Lizzie asks.

Lizzie was always the peace keeper.

She knew if she didn't move this along, Bucky was going to snap.

She didn't particularly want to bail her fiancé out of jail for assault charges.

"I'm leaving Brooklyn. Too many people know what I did and I need a fresh start. The center I was located at has a program to help relocate delinquent after they are released to assimilate them back into society. They found a job for me out in California," Royce says.

He pulls some papers from a folder next to him and presents it to them.

"This is a letter from my new employer approving the transfer and here is my plane ticket to California. Also, if you have any questions or wonder about the validity of what I am saying, here is the phone number of the man who handled my case," he says.

Lizzie and Bucky look over the papers and see that they are all what he says they are.

"Again, I just want to make amends for what I did. I don't know if what I did was forgivable but the least I can do is attempt to atone," he says.

Royce takes his plane ticket but leaves the other papers with them.

"Thank you, James. I can't forgive you for everything but what I can forgive, I do," Lizzie says.

She can't forgive him for the mental scars he left on Bucky but she can forgive him for the sins he committed towards her.

Royce looks towards Bucky but he already knows that Bucky will never forgive him.

Bucky looks at Royce for a second remembering their childhood together. They met when they were barely five years old and were friends for years. He's the reason everyone started calling him Bucky. It was too confusing to always have two James' together.

He wants to forgive him for the sake of the child he was but one look at Lizzie and he knows he never will. He will never forgive any man who dare to touch her.

"Go," Bucky demands emotionlessly.

Royce gives a sad nod and walks out of the diner.

"Do you believe him?" Bucky asks.

"Yes, but I always believe in the best of people. I think everyone is capable of redemption. What about you? Do you believe him?" Lizzie asks.

Bucky hasn't known Royce for five years but he still remembers that Royce was a horrible liar. He didn't see any of his old tells. Plus, he showed a lot of evidence. Bucky knew he would be doing thorough research on the card Royce gave them but he didn't need to mention that to Lizzie.

"Yeah, I believe him," Bucky says.

And for the first time since Royce was released, they felt safe.