Bucky strolled down the street where the market had been yesterday. He kicked a pebble ahead of him as he looked around, hoping to see Anna again. Or Alina, as she apparently called herself now.
He couldn't believe he had already found her. He expected it to take months if not years to even find a trace of her, but fate brought her to him, and he was over the moon. Even if she didn't remember him.
Maybe she had vanished already. Maybe she thought he was a threat.
He hated that he didn't speak any Romanian, because it would've looked less suspicious if he talked to her in Romanian. He just understood a tiny bit from those months he spent preparing for his trip.
At the end of the road, he saw a young woman with brown hair. Her face was too far for him to see, but her build reminded him of Anna. He quickened his step as he chased after her. He pushed people aside, apologising as he did so. The girl turned around. It was Anna.
Bucky tried to wave, but as he pushed past a tall man, she disappeared. Bucky turned around, trying to find her.
The next second, a hand wrapped itself around his throat as Anna pushed him harshly against the wall.
"Anna! Anna, it's me! It's Bucky!" he rambled, struggling to breathe.
"I don't care. Why are you following me? And who's Anna?" she snarled, squeezing her hand closed around his throat.
"You're Anna Rogers, my name's Bucky Barnes. You've known me all your life," he told her, and she loosened her grip. He slowly took her hand and pried it away from his neck.
She stepped back, narrowing her eyes. "What's my birthday?" she asked.
"December 28," Bucky answered without having to think.
"Year?"
"1922. You hated how you were younger than your brother even though you spent most of your time being taller and wiser than him."
Anna squinted. "Give me your phone," she said, holding out her gloved hand.
"Why-"
"Just give it to me," she ordered.
He slowly retracted the device from his pocket and placed it in her palm. She crushed it in her left hand without breaking a sweat. Bucky winced. "Why did you do that?" he asked.
Anna dropped the pieces to the ground. "I can't risk anyone finding me. If HYDRA knows where I am, they'll come for me. I can't go back there," she answered.
Bucky nodded. "I understand."
"Good," she stated. "Have a nice day."
She turned around but Bucky grabbed her wrist. She swiftly pulled the knife from her boot and held the tip at his throat. "Don't grab me," she warned.
"I-I'm sorry." He held up his hands. "Just... You can't leave me like this."
"Why not?"
"I finally found you again. Can't we go somewhere to talk?" he asked.
Anna didn't reply. Her blue eyes were cold, empty. She blinked once before stepping back. "No," she said before turning around and blending into the crowd that passed the alley.
Bucky chased after her, but she was gone. He grumbled frustratedly before heading back to his hotel. He cursed himself for possibly scaring her off. This could've been the last time he ever saw her and he messed it up. And he couldn't even call Steve to let him know he had found her.
***
Days passed, and every time Bucky went outside, he looked for her. He looked in every alley, every store, every park, every market. He could swear he saw her every day, but that could've just been his eyes playing tricks on him. He saw whims of brown hair. He locked eyes with blue ones.
It was Wednesday morning, and Bucky was on his way to the cafe that he loved to visit. He ordered a coffee with cream before sitting down in the booth near the window. He took a notebook from his pocket and flipped it open.
Day one: Market
Day five: Street
Day six: Grocery store
Day eight: Library
Day eleven: Street
Day fifteen: Market
Bucky sighed, taking a sip from his coffee. He heard the door being opened behind him but he didn't react. He tried to read the newspaper in front of him, but his Romanian was about as good as that of a two-year-old, so he gave up.
Someone slid into the booth across from him and he glanced up. His heart dropped at the sight before him. It was Anna again. Her piercing blue eyes looked at him, but it wasn't the same pair of eyes he had once known. These eyes were emptier, colder.
"You're James Buchanan Barnes. Bucky. Born on March 10, 1917. American. Is this true?" she asked.
Bucky was left speechless so he nodded before finding his voice again. "Y-Yeah, that's true," he muttered.
"Tell me about your family," she said.
"I had a mom and dad. And a sister," he answered.
"Did I know them?"
"Yeah, you did. You hung out with my sister a lot. You once said you went to her whenever you got tired of me and Steve."
"And Steve? Steven Grant Rogers. Born July 4, 1918. Also American. Alias Captain America. Is that true?"
"Yes, that's all true."
"How do I know if I can trust you?"
Bucky smiled softly. "You don't," he said and she narrowed her eyes. "But I'm the only one who knows the real you."
"Where did we live?"
"Brooklyn, New York. You lived with Steve at your tiny apartment while I lived with my family. I didn't have my own apartment because I was in the army. And so were you and Steve in the end."
"What regiment was I in?" she asked.
"You weren't in any. You trained the new soldiers with Peggy Carter. I was in the 107th and after the others and I were captured, you came after me to save me. You got captured too and HYDRA experimented on the two of us. Steve rescued us both and we defeated HYDRA after, or so we thought. You fell from the train and we thought you died. Apparently, HYDRA got you and turned you into their killing machine," he told her.
"And how did I get here?"
Bucky stared at her for a second. "What is the earliest thing you remember?"
Her brows etched into a frown as she dug in her cloudy mind. "Seeing you at the grocery store yesterday. You bought plums, bread, and a jug of milk."
His eyes softened. "Anna... That was two weeks ago."
She shook her head. "No, it's not. I remember it. You bought all that stuff. The plums, milk, bread. And a magazine."
"I'm sorry but that really was two weeks ago," he told her.
She stared at the table in front of her and blinked. Bucky could swear the colour of her eyes changed. "Anna?" he asked softly and she shot up.
"Who is Anna?" she asked. "Who are you?"
Bucky could feel his heart break into a million pieces. Anna stared at him before she jumped up and rushed out of the cafe, knocking over a young man on her way out. Bucky wanted to go after her, but he knew it was useless.
Anna entered her apartment and slammed the door shut. She locked it and tossed the key on the table while she paced through the room. She repeatedly ran her hands through her hair as her mind flashed with memories. Her head pounded and she had trouble breathing. What was her name? Where was she? How did she get here? Where did she come from?
With heavily trembling hands, she took her notebook and flipped to the page that was most important. She sat down on the couch and repeated three words over and over until they started to make sense again.
Anna. Steve. Bucky.
Bucky. Anna. Steve.
Steve. Bucky. Anna.
Feeling utterly exhausted, her eyes drooped shut and her head fell to the side as she was pulled to sleep.