Not Over, Not Yet

Prologue

"Hey stranger," Natasha teased as Bucky answered her call. "You doing okay?"

"Hey, Nat." Bucky greeted as he reached for a bottle of beer from inside the fridge. He plucked a bag of chips from the counter, and made his way over to the couch. He placed his goodies on the coffee table before him, shifted the phone to his other hand, and picked up the television remote. "Why wouldn't I be okay? I saw you, like, two hours ago!" Bucky furrowed his brow in worry.

"Oh, so then I'm guessing you haven't heard?" Bucky could practically hear her wince on the other line.

"Heard what?" No answer. "Nat, what's going on? Why are you calling?" He asked, anxiety building in his chest.

"Turn on the TV." She stated simply. "Local news." With a grunt, Bucky powered on the television and his eyes instantly widened at what he discovered.

"As you all know the world premiere of "Captain America: Civil War" was last night." The news woman smiled falsely at the camera. "Where small town hero turned Hollywood superstar, Steve Rogers made yet another appearance on the red carpet."

"Nat, why am I watching this crap?" Bucky sighed and Natasha encouraged him to keep watching and to be quiet.

"There, our town's favorite heartthrob revealed shocking news. This here is footage from an interview for Entertainment Tonight. Check it out!"

The screen cut to the red carpet from last night in which a woman in a far too tight and revealing red dress approached Steve with a microphone. Steve. Bucky sighed bitterly when he caught sight of him. He looked gorgeous, as always. His blonde hair was styled upwards neatly, and his smile was just as charming and endearing as ever. He wore a smart black suit as he pretended to actually care about the questions this woman was asking him.

"What can fans expect from you next? Perhaps another Cap movie?" She pried, and Steve sighed and sent her a sympathetic little smile.

"Nah. I'm not sure what comes next for Cap, but I do know that I plan to spend the next couple of months back home with my family and friends." Steve flashed his signature movie star smile, but the interviewer was still taken aback by his response.

"Is this the start of retirement?" She quizzed and Steve shook his head.

"No, I wouldn't say I'm retiring. More like, I'm going home to do some soul searching, get my ducks in a row, and uh.. maybe build back some of the bridges I burned on my out."

"Steve, are you hoping to rekindle an old flame?" A different interviewer asked, over hearing the news.

"Or maybe ignite a new one?" Someone else offered.

"Does this have anything to do with your ex, Bucky Barnes?" Another shouted.

"Does he know you're coming home?"

Bucky turned off the TV. He had heard enough. "He's coming home?" He asked in bewilderment. His jaw was slack, and his mouth was agape. "H-how? Why-"

"Bucky, stay calm. Okay? Don't freak out." Natasha instructed from the other line. "I'm on my way to your apartment. Bucky, don't do anything until I get there!"

"He's coming home." He repeated to himself even after Natasha hung up. "I- I can't. Why?" Suddenly, everything went black.