Recollection ★ Bucky Barnes

You're Worth It

Marlena closed her laptop and sat it down on the coffee table in front of her. She had been trying to locate Steve's apartment for the past fifteen minutes. Although she knew the name of it, she wasn't aware of its location, nor was she aware of the directions. Washington D.C. was a fairly enormous city, so there was never enough time to roam around, even for the residents. Luckily for her, she managed to find out exactly where it was, and she was more than eager to get there before Bucky returned back home with Mason.

She stood up and hurried up the stairs to retrieve her purse, her phone, and her keys before heading back down the stairs. She was excited that she was finally able to do this for Bucky—for Steve. The two hadn't seen each other in over seventy years (as far as Marlena knew, anyway), and she was more than thrilled that there was a possibility they would be able to see each other again.

She pulled the front door open and jumped back at the sight in front of her. Hallie stood in front of her with a startled expression on her face and her hand raised as if she were about to knock. Marlena raised a brow and stepped to the side, allowing her best friend to enter her home. She was rather annoyed with her, given the fact that she had left the previous day without even bothering to stick around for a little bit. All she left were a few words Bucky had been instructed to give her, yet they made her feel no better.

"Headed somewhere?" Hallie asked as she walked passed her to sit on the couch.

Marlena shut the door and walked over to sit down beside her. "I was," she murmured before sitting her stuff down on the coffee table. "So, what brings you here?"

Hallie let out a shaky breath and began to play with her hands. Marlena could easily tell that there was a difference in Hallie's demeanor, only she didn't know what the cause of it was. All she knew was that her friend was slightly frightened, seemingly nervous, not to mention a little upset. It worried her, but she didn't ask about it—she knew Hallie would tell her anyway, so there really was no use in asking.

"I have something I need to tell you—well, show you, really—but I'm not sure how you're gonna take it," Hallie told her.

The fear was evident in her voice, but at the moment it had nothing to do with Bucky. She was afraid of how Marlena would take the news; she was one of the most sensitive people in the world, so there was no doubt in her mind that she would become overwhelmed with several different emotions.

"Okay, what is it?"

Hallie looked around the room for a second before looking back at Marlena. "Is anyone else here?"

Marlena shook her head. "Mom's at work, and Mason is out with James."

Hallie swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded before pulling her phone out of her purse. She began her search for the newscast on YouTube, and Marlena watched with curious eyes as she pressed her fingers to the screen. Once Hallie had found it, she let out a sigh and pushed her phone towards Marlena. Marlena gave her a rather skeptical look before removing the device from her hands and focusing her attention on the small screen. 

Marlena watched the screen with a bored expression on her face but perked up when the Winter Soldier was mentioned. She listened as they claimed to have had a lead on him and paused the video before looking at Hallie.

"This is actually great news, Hal," Marlena laughed. "They finally have another lead—that's actually kinda fantastic."

Hallie frowned and shook her head. "It's great news to everyone else, Mar, but it's not for you." Marlena gave her a confused look, but Hallie just rolled her eyes and pressed play again. "Watch it."

Marlena sighed and placed her attention back on the screen. She listened for several seconds as the news reporter spoke, and before she knew it a sketch of a man who looked dangerously like Bucky popped up on the screen. She gasped and covered her mouth in shock. She didn't want to believe it—she didn't want to believe that Bucky was the one they were looking for; she wanted to believe that the sketch was merely some sort of coincidence or the result of some sort of descriptive mistake, but she couldn't, and the mention of a metal arm only further proved that they were in fact looking for Bucky Barnes.