The Valentin Series, Book 1: The Valkyrie (Captain America fanfiction)

Chapter 19: Music

A/N: i am so sorry it took me this long to update. we had a power outage rpoblem. ugh. anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter! the song, by the way, is Winter Song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson.

Thanks again, loves! 700+ reads and counting! YAY!

Love love ~A2V~

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Sgt. James Buchanan Barnes woke up to an empty bed... again. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips as he looked around the room. It was 10 am, the longest he'd slept in a long time. Looking around Val's room, he noticed the shopping bags were empty and now lay neatly folded on her dresser. Running his hands through his bed hair to smooth it out, he walked out of the room and into the hallway, only to be greeted by the muffled chatter of female voices coming from the atrium down the hall. Tony Stark called it his "Music Room", it was really just a smaller version of his sitting room on the top floor, and the only difference was this one had a sleek black grand piano.

James followed the voices, recognizing Romanov's and Valkyrie's, but not the other two.

"Play us something, Val," he heard an unfamiliar voice request.

"Fine, fine," Val acquiesced, "Let me think..."

"When did you learn how to play?" Romanov's voice got louder as James neared the room.

"Some time after we disbanded, but before I got my first non-KGB kill," Val answered, he heard the tinkling of piano keys, "You get bored waiting for your next job, and besides, music has always helped keep me kind of sane."

"Hear, hear," a brunette, who had her hair pulled up in a tight bun, agreed just as James leaned his shoulder on the entrance archway. Val was facing the far window, the piano gleaming I the morning sun, her wavy hair down, and dressed in a blue tank top, denim shorts, and slippers. He looked at her audience. Romanov was there, dressed in her uniform, along with the brunette, who was also in SHIELD gear. There was another red-head, though; he assumed this was Stark's girl... Pepper, if he remembered correctly, and she was in a well-cut pantsuit, dressed head to toe in white.

"Okay, I know what to play," Val announced, and silence filled the room as she began playing.

This is my winter song to you, the storm is coming soon, it rolls in from the sea.

Bucky stared at Val's wavy hair, and the way it moved as she let her fingers dance across the piano keys. He knew she played the guitar, but seeing her play the piano and sing was a whole different thing altogether. She was beautiful, with her hair turning bronze every time the sun's rays would hit it, and her being so absorbed in the song. It tugged at his heartstrings, even if he was unfamiliar with the tune.

Is love alive? Is love alive?

He felt someone watching him and looked up.

Pepper glanced to the entrance of the Music Room, as Tony fondly called it, and she almost couldn't hold back her gasp. It was Sgt. Barnes; and the way he was watching Val made her skin erupt into goose bumps.

They say we're buried far, just like a distant star I simply cannot hold.

There was so much longing in his gaze. Like it was the first time he actually realized how it felt to want something; and, now that she thought about it, which might just be what was happening. Pepper kept watching him, studying how he studied Val. Then he looked at her.

December never felt so wrong, coz you're not where you belong, inside my arms.

He looked shocked to have been found out, so Pepper gave him a small, king smile, to which he replied with a nod and a finger to his lips. Then he went back to watching Val. Pepper hid her grin, if there was any sign that was needed to prove that Sgt. James Barnes was irrevocably in love with Camilla Valentin, this was it. If only she could get to her camera phone without anybody noticing.