Grace awoke early the next morning. She had slept on the sofa and it took her a few moments to remember why – of course, she had the Winter Soldier lying injured in her room. Approaching the door, she quietly opened it to check on her guest. He was awake, sitting up in the bed, staring out of the window.
"Hey" Grace said softly, not wanting to break the peacefulness in his face.
"Is this what heaven looks like? Am I free?" he replied, his gaze did not move an inch from the window.
"No, this isn't heaven. This is my home. But you are free. I think. HYDRA have been pretty much taken out, they don't control you anymore. Can I get you anything?"
"No. But you can tell me something" he turned and looked at Grace, no change in his face – "How are you still alive?"
"Long story" Grace replied.
"I think I've got time" he said with a small laugh, looking at the condition he was in he had nowhere to go anytime soon.
Grace moved over to the bed and sat herself on the end, too nervous to get close to him – "Well, they made the mistake of thinking Blake was good with a gun for a start. He fired it yes but it didn't kill me. Almost, but not quite. They also didn't bother to check he'd finished the job, they just assumed I had been 'taken care of'. At this point Grace revealed a scar just below her shoulder where the badly aimed bullet had hit her. "The bullet ended up just missing somewhere which would've done a lot more damage, I lost a hell of a lot of blood and my heart slowed enough to make me seem…gone. Living in an apartment, after the gunshot it didn't take long for the police and ambulance teams to be on the scene and luckily, they got to me in time. It took a while, but I came round and well, here I am. Alive, happy enough and well"
"And they never found out? You've never been…hurt since?"
"Nope, I was starting at SHIELD the next day; turns out they get worried when a new recruit doesn't turn up for their first day! They came looking for me, found me in the hospital and I told them what I could remember – now this is my safe house. No one really knows I'm here except the agent who visits every few days, and Tony who pays me a visit now and then, but no one else"
"Who's Tony?" the solider asked, a slight hint of nerves in his voice.
"Out of everything I just told you, you're worried about Tony? That's sweet. Tony Stark, we met a few years ago, he's just a friend" she said through a smile, this comment of his allowed her to hope the way she was starting to feel about this man was mutual. "So, my turn to ask a question. Why didn't you kill me when you should have done?"
"I don't know" he lowered his eyes. This person in front of him was so good and innocent, talking about death around her made him uncomfortable.
"Blake told me nobody ever escapes you…so why did you just let me go?" she had to know, it had been the one thing on her mind since she awoke from her ordeal.
"I just…I couldn't harm you. Your eyes seemed familiar. I recognised something, but I don't know what, I don't remember anything more" there was sadness in his voice once more.
"What happened to you?" Grace asked, Blake had made it clear to her at the time that he would be made to suffer.
"They wiped my memory. I think they've done it before, I don't know how many times. It's like I've only been alive since yesterday when I got my new mission. It was always just about the missions"
"Then how did you recognise me?"
"I don't know. You're the only thing I remember completely. But there was someone in thse fight yesterday, a man. He called me something, and it felt familiar…"
"Bucky?" Grace said instinctively. "Does that mean anything to you?"
His eyes lit up "Yes, that's what he called me, the man in the suit, he called that, what does it mean?"
"I think…I think it's your name" she knew it had to be. Captain America, Bucky's best friend had recognised him and called him by that name, it confirmed beyond all doubt that was who was sitting in front of her.
"My name…I have a name!" the joy in his soft voice was growing, for the first time in what seemed like forever, The Winter Soldier had a name, and that meant he had an identity. He was no longer just an asset for HYDRA to use as they please. "But the man, I feel like I knew him? Do you know who he is?"
"I'm no expert, but from what I know his name is Steve Rogers. You two were childhood friends, then there was a war and you – " she stopped. She knew what came next but she didn't have the heart to tell him. She couldn't say that he fell from the train, was thought to be dead by everyone who held him dear but was actually taken and turned into the killing machine he knew himself to be.
"You know what Bucky – you don't mind if I call you Bucky? I know it's strange but I need something to call you…"
"It's fine, it seems almost normal hearing you say it. It's strange."
"Okay, once you've regained your strength and we've got you completely patched up, we're going to take a trip. I think it will help you understand who you are." Better for history to do the talking. She put her hand on his and smiled. There was this connection between them whenever they touched, they felt completely at ease with each other as if they had spent a lifetime together.
"Well, I'll leave you to rest for a while. If you need anything, just shout" Grace rose from the bed and moved round to the side of Bucky to grab an empty glass she had left him the night before. As she turned to leave, he grabbed her wrist with his metal arm –
"Why are you doing this?" he asked, not understanding why anyone would want to offer him help.
"Because you saved me once and I have never for one moment stopped thinking about that day. This is me repaying you for that kindness" she had never sounded more serious. She meant every word. With this, Bucky released her wrist and lowered his eyes. As Grace moved towards the door, he called after her –
"Wait! I don't…know your name" he said rather embarrassed, it hadn't mattered to him but he suddenly realised he needed to know what to call her.
"It's Grace. Grace Mills" she responded with a smile. Then having left the room and closed the door behind her, she stopped for a moment to take in the direction her life had suddenly jolted in. Bucky on the other side of the door, stayed with his eyes fixed on where Grace had just been standing.
"Grace…" he said quietly to himself. He smiled. It was the first moment of genuine happiness he could recall ever experiencing.
