Chapter Eight

Ella:

I was back home. Not home in my apartment, with Kibbles my kitten, but home. Home, where I grew up. Home, where Clint and I had spent many hours playing together as children, where he pulled countless pranks on me, where I broke my arm falling from the apple tree out front. Home, the giant white house in the country. Home, where our parents died.

I was standing in the middle of the kitchen, which had been the heart of our home. Our mother had stationed it that way; she always said food was able to bring people together. That was why she always had food on the table, and small, cozy decorations adorned throughout the whole room. "Makes everyone feel comfortable, even if they're strangers," she said.

But now there was nothing. No family pictures on the walls, no chipped bowl of red-delicious apples centered on the table. Everything was empty, desolate. There weren't even chairs at the table.

I turned on my heel, taking in my surroundings, trying to figure out what had happened. It didn't seem like anyone broke in; there were no signs of a struggle. Everything was just… gone.

I took a step, the old floorboards creaking under my weight. That was when I heard it. A muffled grunt come from upstairs, followed by a deep thud. My eyes widened.

There was someone else in the house.

My legs began to carry me towards the stairs, ever so hesitantly. Could it be my brother? An intruder? Or worse?

"Clint?" I called out, desperately hoping it was my brother. "Clint, it's Ella. Is that you?"

I began to climb the stairs, making an effort to keep my footfalls as quiet as possible. My hand glided up the smooth railing, slick with fresh paint.

Paint?

A shock ran through me. There was only one person who ever bothered to paint a railing, and that was my mother. I glanced down at my hand, now smeared with red. That wasn't paint. My heart sank. It was blood. Stripes upon stripes of the scarlet liquid, marring the walls, pooling on the wooden floor.

"Clint!" I called, my heart beating a frantic tattoo against my ribs. I raced up the stairs, not worrying about a perpetrator. "Clint! Where are you?"

Low, muted screams were coming from the room down the hall—my room. Blood was spilled in the doorway, a red handprint on the doorknob. I sprinted down the hall, calling for my brother.

"Clint! Clint!"

The door flew open, and I let out a choked scream. It wasn't Clint. It was Bucky, strung up by his wrists with thick rope. Blood and gore gushed from his shoulders, his chest, his abdomen. My eyes met his, bloodshot and wet with tears. His nose clearly cracked, one eye swollen shut, a red mixture of blood and spit dripping from his mouth. A whisper of a breath flew from his chest when he saw me.

"Ella.." he whimpered out. "Run…"

That was when a man, dressed in all black, moved out from behind Bucky. He placed a gun to the soldier's temple. I was ready to leap forward, fight the man for control of the weapon. My eyes met his, and every muscle in my body went numb. It was Clint.

"Hello, darling," he said, a smile twisting at this lips. I didn't even get a chance to take a breath.

He pulled the trigger. All I saw was blood.

I screamed.

A thundering crash tore me from sleep. I sat up, startled, to find three HYDRA agents in the doorway. Their expressions were hardened with anger, gleaming guns holstered to their hips. I fought the urge to swallow hard; this wasn't a promising wake-up call.

"Get up, girl," one of them ordered gruffly. I obeyed, scrambling from the bed and onto my feet. My nightmare still wracked through my brain, causing my hands to shake. I pushed them behind me, hiding them the best I could.

I glanced at Bucky from the corner of my eye. He was standing straight, as I was, eyes on me. His muscles were tensed, a panther ready to pounce.

"Sit down, soldier," said one of the men, coming further into the room. I recognized that it was Rumlow, eyes blazing, as his goonies shut the metal door behind him.

"Have fun, boss," one of them said before the door shut. There was a twisted snicker to his voice. I didn't like where this was headed. One HYDRA agents, one abused soldier, and one abducted nurse.

This did not look promising.

My eyes went to Bucky, who didn't so much as flinch at Rumlow's words, his blue eyes staring him down. Rumlow's lips curled over his teeth. "I said sit down. That's an order, soldier," he growled, shifting his jacket back to reveal a freshly sharpened blade. I could've sworn I saw a glint of fear shift through Bucky's eyes, but a second later, it vanished. He reluctantly sank back onto his mattress, eyes locked with mine.

That was when Rumlow turned his attention to me. "The boss wants more progress," he said, his voice rough.

"I gave you everything I had," I said. "The notebook had everything I know—"

I didn't get the words out before Rumlow's hand cracked across my cheek. I felt my head snap back, my cheek burning. For a moment, my eyes went foggy.

"Sit back down, soldier!" I heard Rumlow shout. My vision blurred back into focus, and I realized that Bucky had jumped to his feet, jaw clenched, eyes burning dangerously. Rumlow had a gun at his chest.

"I-I'm fine," I said in a whisper. Bucky's stance didn't relax, but he lowered onto the mattress once again. His hands were clenched into fists.

Rumlow turned his hardened gaze back to me. "I don't care what you gave us,
he said. "The boss said you're not moving fast enough. He wants more progress immediately. But he knows you, you little firecracker, and he thinks you need a little bit of incentive," His mouth, formerly in a hard line, turned into a Cheshire smile, one that sent coils of anxiety into my stomach. "I'm here to persuade you."

Like hell you are.

"Come here, sweetheart," he said in a dark, sickening tone. I glared at him. If only looks could kill…

"Stay away from me," I said. My voice sounded strong, fierce, but my my insides were that of a lamb. Fearful, frightened, desperate for safety.

Rumlow smiled, causing my stomach to twist into knots. "Scared, little Ella?" he said. "You shouldn't be. It'll only hurt if you struggle."

In a flash of black leather, Rumlow slammed into me, his weight knocking me back onto the bed. He was heavy, his body crushing the air from my lungs. I struggled against the agent as he attempted to rip my shirt open, hands desperately grabbing at the flesh of my breasts. I went to scream, only to have my mouth covered by Rumlow's in a sloppy, forceful kiss. My eyes clenched shut as I beat my fists against his hard chest. He seemed to enjoy my struggling, smirking into the bruising kiss. His weight pressed further against me, and fear shot up my spine. I could feel him rutting against me; he was already hard.

Rumlow gave a scream, and his body was torn from mine. I sucked in a sweet breath, his body no longer crushing my air supply. That was when I became aware of reality.

Bucky had ripped the agent off me, pinning him to the ground. He was speaking rapidly in Russian—probably cursing—pounding his fist into Rumlow's face. Blood spurted from the agent's nose and mouth, gushing over this black clothing.I never moved so fast in my life. I flew from the bed, latching onto Bucky's shoulders. I pulled him backwards, attempting to get him off of Rumlow.

"Stop it!" I yelled. "Stop! He's not worth it."

I pushed the soldier against the wall, my body blocking him from the HYDRA agent. Bucky's arms quickly wrapped around me, moving over my skin, making sure I wasn't hurt. I held onto him tightly, not for comfort, but so he wouldn't try to get at Rumlow again. I didn't want to know what the consequences would be if he killed a HYDRA agent.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rumlow get to his feet, his nose and mouth bloody. There was a glimmer of fear in his eyes, like he now understood that he wasn't a match for Bucky's rage. I expected him to pull his gun—or worse, call his goonies into the room. Instead, he snarled at us, nothing more, and then pounded on the door three times, signaling for his agents to open up. The door swung open and slammed shut before I could so much as blink, leaving Bucky and I in the room.

"Are you alright?" Bucky asked, his tone worried as he continued to look me over. "Are you hurt? Bruised? Bleeding?"

I sniffed, still sucking air desperately back into my lungs. Oxygen had never tasted so sweet. "My cheek might bruise," I said honestly, pressing my face into the warmth of his cotton shirt. "But overall, I'm fine."

"I should've killed him," Bucky said into my hair, holding me close. "I should've snapped his neck right there…"

I shook my head. "No," I said, my eyes going up to his. "Do you have any idea what they would do to you if you killed him, Bucky?"

"I don't care," he said, not missing a beat. "He hurt you, Ella." His voice lowered. "He tried to rape you."

A knot forged in my stomach at his words. "I know," I said quietly. "I know."

Bucky breathed heavily into my hair, arms still holding me close. A blanket of silence formed around us. In the distance, a pin dropped.

Then, without a word, Bucky shifted us onto the bed, all the while cradling me in his arms. I knew what he was trying to do. He was mimicking what I had done a day earlier. He was trying to make me feel safe, protected, just as I had done when his memories became too much.

"I couldn't let him do that to you," Bucky said, breaking the thick coat of silence. "I couldn't just stand by and watch. I heard you scream, and something inside me just…" he searched for the right word. "Snapped."

His eyes flickered to mine. The protective glint faded, replaced now with only worry. "Thank you," I found myself saying. "That's the second time you've risked your life for me."

"Well, you've finally given me something to risk my life for."

I don't think he meant to say it, but it had slipped out nonetheless. His eyes widened, like he was shocked by his own words. "I-I mean," he stuttered, swallowing hard. Who would've thought the Winter Soldier would stutter?

"Bucky," I said slowly, carefully. "I think maybe we should get to bed. This night has been far too eventful for the both of us."

Bucky gave a tired nod. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah. Alright."

I shifted out of his arms, the cold air immediately making me wish I was wrapped in his warmth again. I turned on my heel, heading back to my bed. An old pillow and lumpy mattress never looked so inviting.

Except for the fact that a man just tried to rape me on that very mattress.

I sucked a deep breath into my lungs. My bed didn't look so inviting anymore. I ran my fingers through my hair, turning back to the soldier. I could…

Don't do it, Ella. That is an absurd idea.

I bit my lip, chewing on the swollen flesh, debating. My cheek was still burning from Rumlow's well-aimed hit. He had protected me…

Are you honestly considering this? He nearly beat a man to death in front of you!

I wrapped my arms around myself, tiptoeing over to Bucky's bedside.

You're insane, Ella. You're a woman gone mad.

Perhaps. I slid into Bucky's bed, despite my conscience and instincts screaming for me to turn back. The soldier's muscles tensed, and he rolled onto his side to face me. His blue eyes were wide.

"I feel safe with you." Those were the only words I said. Apparently, those were the only words I had to say. With a nod, he slung his warm arm over my body, and I curled into his chest. His breath fanned over my forehead, a sigh coming from his lips. Despite everything that had happened, despite everything that Bucky had ever done, I felt safe—sheltered, secure—laying next to him. I closed my eyes, allowing the steady rise and fall of his chest to lull me to sleep.

That was the best night of sleep I had.

Hooray for steady updating! I'm going to try my hardest to get a chapter out once a week, but please don't hold me to it because sometimes homework runs my life. I hope you guys liked this chapter, and the little bit of Bucky and Ella fluff that went on. Let me know what you think! Thank you for reading, and as always, please continue to favorite/follow/review, you all know I love it. Love y'all, until next time!
-Charlotte NiQueen

In response to reviews...

Applejack456-Thank you, I'm glad I'm back to updating, too. I've missed writing this so much. Soo happy you caught onto the character dynamics, these characters are so difficult to write! Thanks for reviewing, I'll update soon.