A/N: Hello all my lovely readers and welcome to the second instalment in Maddy and Bucky's adventures. Just for clarification: I'm sorry I messed up a bit and didn't write it clearly - Maddy did NOT get stabbed with the needle at the end of 'Stay' by Wyndham. I thought that it was implied but then I re-read it and realised it wasn't quite clear enough - sorry for the confusion! Also, I just want to say that no matter what happens in this book, this story always has been and ALWAYS will be a Bucky/OC fanfic. Just wanted to make that clear.

'Let Go' is rather different from the first story and there is a bit of a time jump further down, although the start of this chapter is set not long after the end of 'Stay'. It may seem a little confusing at first after the time jump, however I promise that everything will be explained in due time. Without further ado, here is the prologue!

~O~

The apartment wasn't exactly luxurious - it was certainly no mansion in the Italian countryside - but it was cosy and relatively modern and, most importantly, it had Bucky in it. Maddy thought that she could live in squalor with him and somehow still manage to be happy, simply because he was by her side.

Besides, the flat was only a few streets away from Steve's place, which meant he could come over all the time. The three had spent so much time together in Italy that it seemed weird to be apart for too long - separation anxiety or something of the sort. Quite possibly, they were a bit codependent on each other, but Maddy figured that after everything they had experienced together, it was probably pretty normal. This meant that Steve stayed over a lot, on the fold out mattress in the sofa. This was one of those nights.

Maddy had gone out for take away, burgers and soft drink (and she really did mean plural burgers; those super soldiers went through so much food it was ridiculous), and when she got home her boys were sitting on the couch, watching a baseball match with only half of their attention.

"Finally!" Bucky jumped up when she opened the door and took the brown paper bag from her hands. "I thought these joints were supposed to serve 'fast' food."

"Yeah well when you have to order half the bloody menu because you two eat such ridiculous amounts, it's gonna take a little long-" She was cut off when Bucky swooped down to kiss her, pressing his lips against her own in what was supposed to be a simple kiss, but, as always, turned into something more. Maddy however, conscious of Steve's presence and now enlightened to his true feelings for her since her conversation with Ellie back in Italy, quickly pulled back. Bucky didn't seem to mind, oblivious as he was to his best friend's feelings. Maddy glanced self-consciously at Steve but he didn't seem to be paying attention, pulling plates out of the cupboard for them to eat off of.

"At least Steve's actually useful," she joked in an attempt to break the tension that only she could feel, as she began pulling the food out of the bag and putting it on the plates. "I got the mail too." She dumped a small bundle of letters onto the kitchen counter before popping a chip into her mouth and beginning to sort through them. "Jeez, we got a bunch of bills already and we haven't even been here a month," she muttered, before one particular envelope caught her eye. That's weird, she thought. The envelope was emblazoned with the Stark Industries logo and addressed to her specifically. She turned it over and peeled it open before pulling out the letter inside.

"What's that?" Bucky questioned around a mouthful of food. She would have shot him a dirty look for speaking whilst eating, but she was too busy reading the letter.

"Um…It's a job offer," she said in disbelief. "From Stark Industries."

Both of the super soldiers froze. "Wait what?" Steve straightened up, leaning over in an attempt to peer at the letter. Bucky's gaze darkened considerably. Although the two super soldiers were on slightly better terms with Stark (read: now, more than likely, if they were put in a room together it was probable - although not definite - that no one would be killed), it still didn't mean that all of their issues were solved. In fact, far from it, Bucky still harboured a lot of guilt over the murder of Stark's parents and Stark was, undoubtedly, still furious. He probably always would be.

"They want to offer me a position as...Head Engineer of Stark's new clean energy division," she still could barely believe what she was reading. "Maybe.. Maybe he doesn't realise who I am, you know? Maybe he doesn't realise I'm the same girl he met in Germany," she suggested.

Steve immediately shook his head. "No, trust me Stark doesn't do things without a specific purpose. He definitely knows. Maybe it's...some kind of olive branch?" Steve suggested, ever the optimist.

Working at Stark Industries would have practically been a dream come true for Maddy, but seeing the look on Bucky's face immediately made Maddy's mind up for her. She could tell that her working for Stark would be a complete conflict of interest and clearly it would make Bucky uncomfortable. She'd sacrificed a lot more for him with a lot less thought before, so really this wasn't even that big of a deal. She tucked the letter back into the envelope and dropped it into the trash. "It doesn't matter. I already have a job lined up and I don't want to work for him anyway."

"You said yourself that the job you have lined up isn't even close to being as highly ranked as your last one and you clearly have way more potential," Bucky muttered darkly.

"Yes.." Maddy admitted, seeing that he felt guilty for taking the opportunity away from her. "But my job in Bucharest was also really full on. It'll be nice to have a change of pace, to be able to relax a little." It was a lie - Maddy liked the hard work, the keeping busy, especially if Bucky was going to be frequently away on missions - but it didn't matter. Maddy just wanted to make Buck feel better. "C'mon, forget about the letter," she bumped her shoulder against her boyfriend's. "Let's just eat."

They spent the rest of the night on the couch, watching shitty TV and laughing at Bucky's jokes after he managed to lighten back up. Maddy fell asleep with her head in Bucky's lap and feet on Steve, around midnight after they'd turned the volume down. Bucky carried her to bed and kissed her on the cheek as he pulled the covers up around her shoulders.

"I love you," he whispered, even though she was asleep. Her eyes stayed closed and her hand fisted into the sheet, but other than that she did not stir. That was ok though; he could always tell her tomorrow.

~O~

1 Year Later

Her blood was everywhere. It had drenched through her pyjamas and was matting in her long hair. The crimson substance slithered between his metallic fingers and stuck uncomfortably to his flesh ones. It pooled on the hard concrete floor beneath him, where he was kneeling over her shaking body. Her eyes were glassy and flitted around, unfocused. He didn't realise it but he was chanting her name, over and over again, like a hymn to a God that he actually believed in.

"Bucky…" She breathed, so quiet it was barely a word. He saw hot tears splattering down onto her neck and realised that they were coming from his face. They mingled with all the blood, diluting it slightly but ultimately only adding to the mess. He put more pressure onto her wound, desperately trying to make the bleeding stop.

He wanted to scream, to scream, to scream.

He did. He screamed himself awake, gasping in oxygen as he sat bolt-upright and glanced wildly around the slowly brightening room. Dawn had broken and soft sunlight filtered in through the window. He looked beside him, half expecting Maddy to be there, with a soothing voice and calming hand. But she wasn't there. She hadn't been there for over 8 months and, more than likely, she would never sleep by his side again. He looked over at the time and realised that if he left now, he would be able to make it just in time to his little morning ritual. Besides, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again after reliving that particular, horrid memory, even if he was exhausted from getting in late from a mission the night before. The nightmares from his time with HYDRA had, for the most part, subsided. But the wound from Maddy's near death experience felt fresher, even if it had been 8 months ago.

He rolled out of bed on feet too light for a man of his build and quickly pulled on some clothes.

Half an hour later he was crouched on the roof of a low, old brick building, watching the busy New York sidewalk across the street. He waited only five minutes before he caught sight of her. Even though he did this most mornings he was at home, she still managed to take his breath away every time. She was wearing a long tan trench coat that was very 'New York' and carrying two Starbucks cups in her hands. She weaved through the crowds expertly - she really had adjusted to America brilliantly. He supposed realistically she didn't look that different in comparison to when he and her were together; she still had the same confident walk and friendly smile. She had the same pretty face and to-die-for body, the same rosy cheeks and glinting eyes. What was most different about her was her hair, cut short so it just brushed her collar bones. It made the strands look darker somehow and framed her face elegantly. She had to have a lot of it cut off after The Incident - the same incident that Bucky had been dreaming of only hours earlier - because her hair had been so matted with blood. But even then it had still come down to below her breasts. She had cut the remainder off, to leave it at the length that it now resided, just days later, after she and Bucky had split up.

He watched her walk past the building he was hidden atop before nimbly jumping onto the rooftop beside it and then to the next when she passed that one and so on until he reached the end of the street. He watched her turn the corner, away from him, and walk until she was out of sight. He sighed and stood up. That was the only, albeit small, amount of 'contact' that he got with Maddy now. He knew that he shouldn't watch her like this, that it would probably be classed as stalking through the eyes of a police officer. But he couldn't just give her up completely. He was an addict and she was his drug, and the withdrawals from not being able to touch her alone were bad enough. He wouldn't be able to survive without at least seeing her most days.

He needed to get back before Steve showed up at his apartment, as he did most mornings, and discovered him not there. He couldn't let Steve know about his morning activities - he knew that his long-time best friend would not approve of his little watching routine.

With a final, longing glance at where the love of his life had disappeared, he began to make his way back to the empty, sad apartment he called home. A lot had changed in the year since he, Steve and Maddy had sat in their brand new apartment together, watching baseball and eating cheap food. He wished, for the millionth time, that he could just go back. But he could never, ever erase what had transpired in that short, little year.

~O~

A/N: Hello my chickens! I hope you guys enjoyed the very first chapter of Let Go! Don't worry - everything will be explained…eventually. I'll try and get the next chapter up ASAP my lovelies.

PLEASE leave a review and tell me what you think! It would mean so very much.

Love you all x