Demons ━ Bucky Barnes [1]

17 ━ TOO HUMAN

DEMONS.
( chapter seventeen. )

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Edited 12/25/2015 @8:44 PM
Edited 07/13/2016 @4:35 AM
Edited 11/28/2017 @1:38 AM

WHEN THE EXPLOSION HAD finished and Andrea was sure she wasn't dead, both her and Steve took to clearing a path in the rubble that was left. The world around her was hazy and she stood on shaking legs, but she was standing. That was the best she could hope for.

  Beside her, Steve picked up an unconscious Natasha and the three quickly made their escape. They wove between what was left of the building and managed to leave the area behind without getting caught. When Natasha came to and was deemed okay to walk, they were already halfway to their destination. The group stopped to rest, hidden in an allyway.

"So, what now?" Natasha asked, but Andy was too distracted to reply. Her mind was still struggling to process what Zola had said.

  It was surprising that it was Bucky who still undid her. She didn't know how to feel. They had been married. It was the one thought that overshadowed everything else going through Andrea's mind. There was a part of her that felt an uncertain joy, of course, but it wasn't long before she remembered that it wouldn't change anything.

  He was still gone— Bucky was still dead.

Nothing was going to bring him back. They might have been married, but what difference would it make? He was no longer here. Any happiness left in her seemed to die, replaced with a sharp pain that made it hard to breathe.

Yes, they had been married. Yes, she still loved him. But, the only thing it changed was the weight of her grief. It would never stop hurting.

"Andy?"

  Andy looked up at the sound of her name, frowning at the concerned expression of her friends. "I'm fine," she told them, "Let's keep moving." She knew what those gazes were asking.

  However, they didn't push her. For that, Andrea was grateful. Who in their right mind could possibly feel fine after finding out what she had? Natasha and Steve knew better than to unravel her while they still had a job to do.

And Andy had meant what she'd said. She was stronger now with the knowledge that the last few traces of Arnim Zola were gone— and, there she was, still standing. Still alive.

  It wasn't long afterwards that the group arrived at their destination. Steve knocked on the back door of the house and they waited in disquiet. Personally, she felt unsure about who they'd come to, but Andy also knew it was their only option.

  Sam opened up the door then, looking completely stunned as he stared at the disheveled faces standing before him. There was no doubt in Andy's mind that they all looked like they'd just been through hell and back. In truth, they definitely came close.