AN: Here it is! If you have not read Ember In Darkness, I suggest you read that before this one... Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated. Happy reading everyone!

CHAPTER 1

"Your life's mission is to protect her," a voice said in his head as he bore into her amber colored eyes.

He remembered watching her, guarding her, and finding her when his handler informed him that she'd gone missing. He even remembered a kiss... But, he couldn't recall her name.

Worried that the two of them would draw attention, his grip on her elbow tighten as he pulled her out of sight and into a dark hallway.

"Hey, what the fu-" she was cut off by a hand covering her mouth and felt her body press up against a wall.

He raised a finger to his lips in distress as he scanned their perimeter. When no one seemed to notice them, he removed his hand away from her mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you I wasn't going to leave town without you," she replied.

As he peered down at her, there was a flutter in the pit of his stomach. He did remember her saying this, however, he felt guilty for not knowing her name. "Who are you?" He snapped with a hint of agitation.

"You - you don't remember me?" The hurt expression of her face caused his chest to tighten. "In time, maybe you will start to remember. But, for now, come with me. I have a place we can stay for the time being." She continued as she forced a smile on her face.

He looked at her, hesitant. Allie noticed this and cautiously reached out for his gloved hand. Curious, he watched her grab his hand. Although it was his metal arm, warmth spread through his body by her gentle touch. He glanced back at her. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," she said, softly.

'How can she be so sure?' he questioned himself.

"Come on," she tugged his hand with a smile. "We don't have much time."

"What do you remember?" she asked him as they walked through the woods.

"I only remember your face, but," he sighed. "I don't remember your name."

"It's Allie," she replied.

'Allie,' he mentally noted.

"What should I call you?" she asked him.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her in surprise. What should she call him?

"Should I call you James? Since that's your name," she suggested as they looked at each other

"What's your name?"

"Bucky?" the sound of Steve's voice said. "Bucky, no!"

Allie watched the solemn expression appear on his face. When he didn't respond in what seemed like minutes, she spoke up to grab his attention. "Soldier?"

"My name is Bucky," he said as he tightened his jaw and continued his way through the woods.

It was evening when they finally reached the closest motel outside of Washington, D.C. She only had another twenty-four hours before SHIELD come looking for them. As they hid behind the trees in the dark, Allie took off her black backpack and handed it to Bucky. He grabbed the backpack from her hand, as though he read her mind.

"I'll get us a room and I'll come back for you," she said before she headed to the entrance of the motel.

The inside of the lobby had an odor that shouldn't quite place at first. It was musky, dirty, and the carpet was stained in multiple areas. She shuddered and forced her legs to keep walking until she reached the counter. An elderly woman stood on the other side, reading a romance novel with a picture of a couple looking deep into each others eyes.

The older woman took off her reading glass and smiled kindly to Allie. "Good evening, dear. Do you need a room for the night?"

"Yes ma'am," Allie smiled back. "Anything that's available."

"Of course, I have nine more rooms left," the older lady replied as she took out a pencil and wrote something in her black notebook. "Okay, and how long will you be staying?"

"Just for the night. We will be gone by the morning," Allie answered.

The white haired woman looked up from her notebook, "We?"

'Oh, shit.' Her heart jumped in her chest. "My - um - my husband and I. We just got hitched and we can't afford a ring yet. Well, we can't afford anything actually," she acted ashamed and bowed her head to the side. "This is actually our honeymoon."

"Oh," the woman gave Allie a sympathetic look. "You poor dears. When my husband and I married, it was 1952 and I just turned twenty. My husband was a butcher and I worked at an ice cream shop. We didn't make much, but we always made it work."

Allie smiled widely. 'How sweet.'

"Where is your husband, dear? I'd love to meet him," the woman clapped her hands together.

"Oh," she tried to come up with an excuse. "He's, well - you see - we had a very long trip and he's still sleeping in the car. I didn't want to wake him until we got to the room."

"I don't mind going out there with you," she said as she inched herself toward the door of the counter to get to the other side.

Allie panicked. "He's sick!" She startled the other woman by her sudden tone. Allie's eyes widened when she realized her outburst and forced a sweet smile. "I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to catch whatever he has. You know," she laughed nervously.

The older woman looked at the girl, suspiciously but let it go. "That'll be forty-eight dollars and twenty cents." She handed Allie the key to the room after she paid. "I hope he feels better tomorrow."

Allie took the keys. "Thank you so much. If he feels better, I will bring him over for you to meet."

The older lady's smile returned. "That sounds wonderful, dear. Have a good night."