Author's Note: I had some good laughs with this chapter and I hope you will too. Enjoy!

"Mom, wherever you are, I met this guy. He's a former assassin, but he's really sweet. I know you'd make fun of his name if you were here: Bucky. I wish you could meet him because I really like him, but I don't know where you are. I'll never stop trying to find you. Until then, give Dad a hug for me and ground Joey. I love you guys so much."

With Whitney Houston perfectly setting the mood, Carrie couldn't deny that these strange feelings were occurring. Like a buzzing sensation in her chest. Whenever he looked at her with those icy blue hypnotist eyes. Whenever she managed to make him grin or weakly chuckle. Whenever he ran his hand through those perfect flowing dark locks. Whenever he touched her to wake her, flesh hand or metal. He never actively tried to make himself more appealing, but that made the buzzing sensation all the more potent. She hoped he hadn't noticed how nervous she'd grown to be around him. She was an expert at masking her feelings, but he was professionally trained at reading people.

Another evening cooped up in a hotel room (not that she minded being so close to him). Hundreds of miles closer to New York to hopefully find the elusive Captain America at the Avengers Tower or Avengers Facility. Nowhere closer to Carrie's family and no leads on their location. She'd just have to make the best of it. Bucky was certainly helpful with that.

Let's just state the obvious here: any idiot with vision can see that Bucky is a babe, but Carrie had no idea how to act around him or how to deal with her newfound feelings. She had been locked away from the world in the prime of her youth- she'd never even had a boyfriend. She knew absolutely nothing about love; all she had to base her idea of love on were the little displays of affection she saw between her parents and the stupid Twilight movies. Was she supposed to tell him how she felt? Would he be uncomfortable? Would he just laugh her advances off as a little girl's fantasies? Or was he so traumatized by war and brainwashing that he had no capacity for romance any longer? From what she'd seen of his past from history lessons and exploring his mind, he'd been a bit of a ladies' man in his day, but he'd have a lot of trouble bouncing back to his old self, if such a thing was even possible. And with everything going on now, a relationship should be the last thing on his mind. He didn't need the added pressure of impressing a girl.

OH MY GOD BUCKY'S STEPPING OUT OF THE BATHROOM IN A TOWEL! HOLY MOTHER OF GOD HIS ABS! AAAAAHHHHH! I'M NOT READY FOR THIS! I CAN'T EVEN. OH GOD, AM I DROOLING? NO. OKAY, THANK GOD. AAAAAAAHHHHH! THE STEAM IS DRIFTING OUT THE BATHROOM DOOR AND HIS BODY IS SHINY FROM THE WATER! WHAT IS LIFE?! ASDFGHJKLKJHGFDSAAAAAAAAA!

Bucky is calm and collected and doesn't even notice Carrie's internal turmoil. Actually, he suddenly realizes that he should have been more considerate. He doesn't want to make her uncomfortable. He hurriedly grabs some clothes and dresses in the bathroom.

...

...

...

After Carrie's brain functions revived, she knew she had to do something. She had no clue what, but this state of wanting something she couldn't quite fathom, not knowing if whatever it was could be attainable, looking at Bucky almost every minute of every day, starving for something and never being able to satisfy that hunger-had to stop.

Hey! Duh. Why hadn't she thought of it sooner? She's a telepath. If she wanted to know Bucky's feelings for her (if any), she could just look into his head herself and find out. Just one little peek.

Invasion of privacy? He'd be fine. What was the point of being a telepath if you couldn't make your life easier once in a while? She'd have to be careful, though. She didn't want this slipping into his conscious mind. That could get awkward.

When it came time for her to delve into his mind, she took a quick detour.

She shouldn't have gotten so excited- she knew that, but she just couldn't help it. She also shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. She couldn't help that either. Butterflies flitted around her stomach with anxiety. He couldn't completely loathe her, right? Okay let's just get this over with before she accidentally wakes him up.

All the way back to their first encounter at the Hydra base, he was initially afraid of her. Everyone had wanted to hurt him back then. But when she worked her magic on him, he relaxed. Granted, she had forced him to feel that way, but she was still the first person he'd gotten anything but misery from. Even as she was erasing his memory, he perceived her like a mother lulling him to sleep.

When they next met, all the mayhem- his gut told him she was a frien-ally. Conflicting thoughts, threats everywhere, he knew she was his only chance. - And she didn't disappoint. He was no exception to the shock that came upon witnessing her wrath and brutality, yet a flicker of awe also stirred inside him.

And going on the road together- Well, there was a goldmine of different feelings there. Her attempts at humor went all but ignored in the beginning, but her later appreciated them for keeping him mind off... The things he didn't want on his mind. If the music was just right, it helped push the soldier back and bring back glimpses of old Bucky.

Here's the part Carrie was especially excited for: the moments when he let himself fall asleep beside her. He had to trust her then. Like she'd said- they needed each other, in more ways than one. He wondered if she knew how soft her hands were. Her voice wasn't like the pitch-perfect sounds that emitted from the car, but it was a blessing when in a nightmare all he knew was pain. She was a comfort to him, even if he didn't know it yet.

Whoa.

She released him of the telepathic search. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards. So there was a heart in Tin Man. Not quite the heart she had hoped for, but she could work with it. It was a miracle in itself that he wasn't just an empty shell after the work Hydra had done on him. She found herself unwilling to stop holding him even after the night's mind investigating had been done. Very very lightly she ran her hand over his shoulder. The slightest motion could wake the trained light sleeper, but she couldn't resist stealing these brief moments when she could express her affection without fear.

It was bound to happen sometime. Young girl. Attractive man who was also her salvation from a life of misery. He had pulled on her heartstrings from the very beginning, when he was just a pitiful animal they abused. Compassion was inevitable for anyone with a shred of decency. Studies show that people who share traumatic experiences often bond with one another. She just hoped that Bucky wasn't too much of a machine to shake off that bond.

This was like junior high all over again. Oh please oh please oh please let him notice me. Please let him like me.

Resources were limited and there was little she could do to try and "woo" him, not that she thought he'd notice anyway.

Oh God, listen to her. You want to be seen as an adult, but you can't let go of your childish mindset. How is he ever going to love you now?

Eh! Now she's worried about gaining his love when there are so many more important things to be doing like finding your family, or helping him get his memories back, or helping him adjust to his new life, or staying away from Hydra, or trying to bring them down.

Quiet down, brain!

She went into the bathroom and splashed cool water on her face. Shut up, brain. You're just tired; that's all. This will all blow over in the morning.

When she returned, she was jolted by the sight of Bucky sitting up with the lamp on. He was squinting in the light.

"There you are," he said, "You know, whatever you've been doing to my head, I think it's working. I had a dream about Steve from a long time ago. I was sleeping like a baby a minute ago. Now I'm wondering if I could even fall asleep with out you."

Another Author's Note: In case you haven't done so already, I recommend you look up on YouTube Sebastian Stan singing "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." It's exactly as amazing as you would think it would be. Have a nice day and thank you for reading.