And just say the word
We'll take on the world
And just say you're hurt
We'll face the worst
Nobody knows you the way that I know you
Look in my eyes, I will never desert you
And just say the word
We'll take on the world
And it's the fight, the fight of our lives
You and I, we were made to thrive
And I am your future, I am your past
Never forget we were built to last
Step out of the shadows and into my life
Silence the voices that haunt you inside
- "Take on the World" by You Me At Six
Though winter clung to the mountains with a greater tenacity than down in the valleys, eventually warmer breezes and budding greenery found their way to the cabin on the mountainside. It felt as though they had been here for a lifetime, confined mostly to the area around the cabin by the harsh weather and their focus on rehabilitating Winter. Steve began to feel restless, like he always did this time of year. It wasn't that he particularly disliked the winter, but once he caught the first glimpse of spring, he felt like he needed to go out and do something.
Unfortunately, day after day of rain put a damper on any outdoor plans they made, and they had to stay cooped up inside unless they wanted to get cold and soaked. Winter avoided going out in the rain as much as he'd avoided the snow, but Steve could tell he was getting just as stir-crazy as he was. Steve kept a careful eye on him, but the amazing thing was that no matter how restless Winter became, he never went back to his knives. Steve had been worried he would fall back into that habit out of sheer boredom.
After a solid week of nothing but rainy, overcast days, the three of them found themselves standing on the porch one morning, looking out gloomily at the steady downpour. The front yard was starting to look like a swamp. The trickling stream in the back was twice its usual size, rushing past loud enough to hear even from where they stood. The air was chilly, but not so cold they would be uncomfortable going for a walk, it if weren't for the rain. But it looked like it was going to be another day stuck inside.
Suddenly, Sam kicked off his shoes, yanked off his socks, and leapt off the porch with a loud whoop and an enormous, muddy splash. He whirled around, arms outstretched, grinning face turned up to the sky. He spun like a top until he'd reached the middle of the yard.
"I used to do this with my brother and sister when we were kids!" Sam cried, laughing as the rain poured over his face and down his arms. Then he lowered his arms and yelled, "Come on, you old fogies! Jump in a puddle! Feel the mud between your toes!"
He demonstrated with such enthusiasm that Steve couldn't help laughing. "You're going to catch your death," he said, but he pulled off his shoes and socks anyway.
"And you're not?" Sam asked skeptically when Steve joined him in the rain.
Steve drew himself up in mock indignation. "I have the immune system of ten men," he said. "You, my friend, do not."
"Yeah, yeah, we'll see who's laughing when you get a cold."
He nudged Steve sharply in the ribs, catching him by surprise and almost making him lose his footing on the slippery ground. In retaliation, Steve yanked on Sam's arm hard enough that he ended up flat on his back. But Sam grabbed Steve's leg on the way down, and Steve found himself sitting in a cold puddle of mud next to him. They burst out laughing, knowing how ridiculous they must look, and not caring in the slightest.
Sam cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "Hey, Winter, come on down here! You haven't lived until you've run around barefoot in the rain!"
"It's all right," Steve added when he could see, even from a distance, that Winter was unsure. "It's not that cold once you get used to it. I think you'll like it."
Winter inched over to the edge of the porch and stepped down onto the top step, but stopped before leaving the shelter of the roof. It had been a while since they'd introduced him to any new experiences. He'd had time to get used to the things he encountered in his daily routine, but there was so much more to the world than what their tiny, secluded life had to offer.
For a moment, as Steve coaxed Winter to take off his shoes and socks, he was reminded of someone who used to do that with him. A boy who convinced him to jump barefoot into puddles even though he knew he would catch a cold. Who urged him to ride the roller coaster even though he was scared. Who taught him how to play ball and practiced with him every day even though he couldn't run very far before he'd have to stop and catch his breath, and no one ever wanted him on their team.
He could hear an echo of Bucky in his voice as he got squelchily to his feet and said, "Come on—it's fun! Just try it!"
Winter shifted his weight uncertainly from one bare foot to the other, peering down at the muddy ground like it was a storm-tossed ocean that he was considering skinny-dipping in. "I...I don't want to fall down..."
"Here." Steve walked up to the steps and held out his hand. "Just hang onto me; I won't let you fall."
Winter hesitated, then reached out with his right hand, stepping down to the bottom stair before he could grab Steve's hand. He hunched his shoulders as the rain fell on his head, quickly plastering his hair flat on his scalp.
"Can...Can I hold onto Sam too?" he asked, not looking up from his toes curling over the edge of the step.
Sam looked a little surprised, but he wiped his muddy hand on his shirt and came over agreeably. "Sure thing, man," he said, taking Winter's metal hand in his.
As Winter slowly lowered one foot, then the other to the ground, clinging to the men on either side, Steve felt like he was assisting an old man unsure of his balance. And from what little Steve knew, Winter was an old man. An old man in a young body, who had seen so much darkness that the light was frightening.
They took a few cautious steps forward, Winter focusing on his feet and the mud squishing between his toes. Then he slowly let go of Sam's hand, holding his metal hand out in front of him and watching the water run off it in rivulets. The rain made cheerful little tinkling sounds on his fingertips.
Winter's right hand clenched painfully around Steve's, as though he were steeling himself, and then he let go of that hand as well. Steve took a step back, though he stayed within easy reach. Winter cupped his hands together, letting rainwater collect in them, then cascade to the ground.
Slowly, as the rain continued to fall, Winter straightened up. His shoulders lowered, his head raised, and he looked around at the rain-drenched yard. Closing his eyes, he tipped his head back and turned his face to the sky.
The rain smoothed his hair back from his face. Water washed over his forehead, streamed across his mask, and dripped from his hair and his chin. Moisture beaded on his eyelashes like pearls. Then, moving as smoothly and gracefully as a dancer, he raised his arms over his head and slowly began to spin in a circle like Sam had done.
Steve and Sam both backed up, giving him room. Winter spun in a dizzy circle—not because they'd told him to, but because they had introduced him to an experience, and he'd decided he wanted to try it for himself.
Steve probably should have seen it coming, but he was so enraptured by Winter's carefree spinning that he forgot how slippery the ground was. Winter's foot landed on a slick patch of grass, and before Steve could even gasp, he fell flat on his back with his arms outstretched like he was trying to make a snow angel.
Steve hurried to Winter's side, mindful of how nervous he'd been about falling. "Winter, are you o—"
But then his own feet slipped out from under him, and he skidded on his face until he came to rest by Winter's side.
As Steve hurriedly wiped mud out of his eyes, he heard a kind of snort from somewhere close by. Then...was that laughter? He quickly looked over at Winter, still sprawled on his back. The soft chuckling died away as suddenly as it had started, and Winter looked back at him, eyes as wide as Steve's probably were.
Winter's eyes narrowed slightly and he began to shake. Steve was worried for a moment, until he heard more soft chuckles. Steve grinned and started laughing too, even if it was at his own expense. Winter's laughter was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
The weather grew warmer and sunnier towards the middle of April, and they were all glad for a chance to see something other than the view from the windows. One afternoon, while jotting down a list of the things they would need from the grocery store the next day, Steve got an idea. A crazy idea, but one he couldn't shake.
"Winter," he said slowly, looking up from his list on the kitchen table, "what would you say...if you went into town with me tomorrow?"
Winter looked up in surprise from where he was playing chess with Sam in the living room. They'd never replaced the coffee table Winter had unintentionally broken, so they'd set up the board on an end table instead. Sam had been teaching him how to play, though Winter must have learned at some point in his life; he was improving so quickly it was more like he was remembering rusty skills than developing completely new ones.
"Go...into town?" Winter echoed, as if he'd forgotten there was a world outside the narrow confines of their current life.
"Yeah," Steve said brightly, warming up to his own idea. "We could walk around the shops, take in the view, stretch our legs... It's up to you," he hastily added, when he saw the uncertainty clouding Winter's expression. "It's fine if you don't think you're ready. Just thought you might like a little change of scenery."
Winter's eyes darted around nervously, his forehead knotted with worry. Then he took a deep breath and visibly calmed himself, rubbing his right hand up and down his leg as if it was sweating. He nodded once and mumbled, "Okay. If we can all go together."
"Of course."
So the next day, for the first time in seven months, Winter left the cabin behind. He'd ventured onto the mostly deserted mountain roads while going for a run or a ride on the motorcycle, but he hadn't been in the vicinity of strangers for such a long time. Steve hoped the variety would do him some good.
Even though it was much warmer than it had been for a long time, Winter wrapped his scarf around his face to hide his mask. He ended up looking slightly overheated, but not so strange that he attracted looks from the people they passed. Steve and Sam walked on either side of him, almost like bodyguards, and that seemed to give Winter an extra sense of security.
Before heading to the grocery store, they strolled around the tiny downtown of Silver Pines. They stopped by a few stores to do some window shopping, admired the smells coming from the bakery and the pizzeria, and returned the casual greetings everyone who passed by gave them. There was an overlook just past the laundromat, an area right off the main street that afforded a breathtaking view of the valley below. Coin-operated binoculars were set up along the railing, and they stopped next to one to look out across the mountain range.
Steve loved observing Winter as they explored this little town. He intently watched everyone in sight—not as though he were suspicious or afraid, but almost like he was...curious. Like he was watching to see how other people interacted, measuring what he saw against what he'd experienced, both with Hydra and with Steve and Sam.
It wasn't that Winter had never been out in the world, of course. But this was probably the first time he hadn't been looking at everyone as potential targets or potential threats. Now, he could finally relax and see what normal human interaction was like. An old couple tottering across the street. A man greeting his wife or girlfriend at the pizzeria with a kiss and a bouquet of roses. A group of college kids, probably here for spring break, laughing and chattering as they passed on the sidewalk.
Steve smiled and breathed deeply of the cool mountain air. Life had been so strange for the last several months; it was soothing just to be around ordinary people with ordinary concerns. Especially in a serene place like this where nothing much ever happens, he thought.
They continued their walk, circling around to head back to the grocery store, when they noticed a large group of people gathered around outside the electronics store. Several TVs were displayed in the front window, usually tuned in to the news or some nature channel that would show off the crystal-clear resolution of the screens. Steve was about to lead the way across the street so they could avoid the crowd, but then he caught sight of what they were all watching.
On the largest screen, which rose above the cluster of heads, they could see a firefighter up on a ladder, valiantly battling the flames that gushed out the second-story window of a house in a Silver Pines neighborhood.
The image switched to the newscaster for a moment, then an overhead view of the area. The fire had spread to several neighboring houses, catching trees on fire and showering embers on nearby roofs. One thing Steve could say for that TV was that it certainly had a quality display; it looked so vivid he could almost smell the smoke.
Wait. He could smell smoke.
Steve looked around in surprise. He'd recognized the area from the aerial view; it was at the other end of town. Silver Pines was small, to be sure, but not so small that they should actually be able to smell it yet.
Then he saw smoke trailing into the air close by, in the exact opposite direction from where the fire was supposed to be. Far too much smoke to simply be from someone's chimney. He turned to the others, who had turned to the column of smoke and seemed to come to the same conclusion he had.
"Let's go."
Over the past several months, Steve had explored every inch of Silver Pines, so it didn't take him long to drive to the source of the smoke. His heart sank to his toes as they turned the final bend and saw bright, crackling flames engulfing the elementary school. The fire was spreading fast, and even if the firefighters had heard about the situation, it would take them far too long to get anyone here. If there were people stuck inside the building, it would soon be too late for them.
Steve pulled the car to a screeching halt in the school bus parking lot across the street from the school. Sheets of flame licked hungrily up the sides of the building and began to nibble at the roof. Children and staff were clustered in the empty parking spots, watching the fire devour the building. The fearful cries of children and agitated voices of adults on their phones did nothing to cover up the roar of the fire.
Hopping out of the car, Steve quickly grabbed his shield from the trunk before heading over to the fearful cluster of people. He'd kept his shield in the car all this time just in case, hidden underneath a blanket. He hadn't intended to use it, since it would immediately break their cover even if no one had recognized him before. But for him, the shield was almost like a police badge: an immediately recognizable symbol that would tell people he had the ability and desire to help. It would get people to cooperate quickly, and right now they had very little time to waste.
As he ran towards them, some of the children began pointing excitedly. Steve made a beeline for a middle-aged man in a suit, who looked like he might be in a position of some authority.
"Is everyone out of the building?" Steve demanded, keeping his shield in plain sight so no one could mistake his identity.
"Um, ah, no," the man stammered, gaping between the shield and Steve's face. "We're still missing—Linda?"
A frazzled-looking woman whose blonde hair was escaping the bun at the back of her head consulted the clipboard in her hands. "The fourth grade class hasn't shown up, and some of the kindergartners are missing. A few of the kitchen staff..."
But that was all Steve needed to hear. He turned to Sam and Winter, who were close behind him. Sam had already strapped on his Falcon wings, and Winter had taken off his scarf and bulky coat. They both looked to him expectantly.
"Okay, there's three floors," Steve said swiftly, taking in the burning building at a glance. "Sam, you take the top floor; I'll take the second. Winter, the ground floor. Sweep every room for stragglers, even the bathrooms. Stay out front when you're done; I don't want you getting trapped."
"On it," Sam said, whipping out his wings and soaring towards one of the windows on the top floor, well away from the portion of the roof that was burning.
Winter started running for the school as soon as Steve stopped talking, not even taking the time to nod. Later, when he had time to think about it, Steve would wonder at this. Did Winter feel the same urgency as the others to rescue those who were trapped in the school, or was he just so used to following orders that he didn't question it?
As he followed Winter across the street, Steve scanned the windows on the second floor. One was open with a crowd of children leaning out, some of them screaming, others waving frantically at him. A large woman who appeared to be their teacher was attempting to pull them back from the window.
"Ma'am, are you trapped?" Steve called up to her when he reached the building.
"Y-Yes," the teacher called down shakily. "The door handle is hot, so I think the fire's in the hallway..."
"All right." Steve slung his shield on his back and held his arms up to the window. "Pass the children down to me; I'll catch them. It's all right, son," he added to the boy who stood closest to the window. "You're safe with me."
The boy peered down uncertainly. "Are you really Captain America?"
"I really am," Steve said, trying not to let his impatience show. They were wasting valuable time, but he had to keep everyone as calm as possible. Panicking would only make things worse. "Didn't you see my shield?"
That seemed to convince the boy, who sat on the windowsill, swung his legs over the side, and fell into Steve's waiting arms. "Atta boy," Steve said, setting him on his feet. "Now step back out of the way, all right?"
The teacher helped the rest of the children climb out the window and drop into Steve's arms. Some only went reluctantly, crying or screaming on the way down, while others just seemed eager to get away from the fire. A few clutched at Steve when he tried to put them down, too frozen with fear to let go until he spoke softly to them and pried their fingers away.
But soon, the only one left was the teacher herself. She stared down at Steve from the window, unmoving. She swayed as though she might faint, the whites of her eyes stark against her dark skin. "Your turn, ma'am!" he called up to her, bracing himself for her extra weight.
"Are you sure you can catch me?" she yelled doubtfully.
"Positive. Please, ma'am, it's not safe..."
Her students chimed in, shouting encouragement at her.
"C'mon, Miss Upton! Jump!"
"You can do it!"
"It's not even scary!"
Slowly, Miss Upton squeezed out the window, clutching to the frame with all her might. Then something exploded in a different part of the building, her hands slipped, and she fell with a bloodcurdling scream into Steve's arms. He staggered back a step, then put the heavyset woman back on her feet. The children crowded around them, cheering, but Steve quickly extricated himself from the crowd and directed them to cross the street before he turned back to the burning building.
He briefly considered going through the front door and up the stairs to the second floor, but the fire was spreading too fast. Smoke already poured out of half the windows on the east side of the building. So instead he took the direct route. He tossed his shield through a window with no smoke billowing out of it, then used the drainpipe and the cracks between the bricks to climb up to the second floor.
After retrieving his shield from where it had become lodged in a whiteboard, Steve quickly began looking through the rooms on that floor. All of the rooms the fire hadn't reached were empty, so he turned his attention to the harder task of searching the burning section of the building.
The heat, which he'd been able to ignore so far, hit him like a physical force when he turned to face the fire. He thought longingly of the flame-retardant uniforms S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided for him, but the best he could do for now was hold his shield up in front of his face so he could at least breathe.
The fire completely blocked off the way to the stairs, and he could tell at a glance there was no way he could reach the farthest couple of rooms, including the classroom the students had just escaped. There was no way anyone could survive that inferno now, so he hoped everyone had managed to get out. He carefully peeked inside a couple classrooms, where desks were catching on fire and papers were curling into blackened piles of ash.
Coughing, he returned to the hallway, ready to give up and leave before the fire spread any more and he was trapped. But then he saw a man lying on the floor in the hallway. For now, he was protected from the advancing flames by a large puddle of water surrounding an overturned bucket. This and the mop still clutched in the man's hand suggested he was the janitor. Probably passed out because of the smoke.
Steve rushed to the man's side. Though he didn't respond to Steve's touch, his pulse beat faintly in his neck. He lay flat on his face, and when Steve quickly inspected him for injuries, the only one he found was a bloody lump on the back of his head. Steve glanced around as he strapped his shield onto his back again and carefully lifted the janitor into his arms. He didn't see any fallen debris nearby that might have landed on this man's head. And it obviously hadn't come from the fall; he'd fallen forward... It was almost as though someone had deliberately knocked him out.
But there was no time to think about that. A support beam crashed onto the floor at the far end of the hall, and another wave of heat washed over him. It was hard to breathe in the clouds of smoke filling the air, but Steve crouched as low as he could with the janitor in his arms and picked his way back to a window at the other end of the hall. He moved as quickly as he could, all too aware of the fire greedily eating up the hallway behind him.
But the window only seemed to be getting farther away. Steve struggled on, gasping and coughing, sweat pouring down his face, hoping there was still a chance for this man. He hadn't found it so hard to breathe since before he'd gained a body without asthma.
When Sam suddenly appeared at the window, Steve was happier than he'd ever been to have someone disobey his orders. Sam kicked the window in and carefully knocked shards of glass out of the way as Steve struggled up to him.
"Take him," Steve coughed, handing over the janitor's limp body.
Sam sped away with the janitor, and Steve only allowed himself a moment to catch his breath before following. It was an easy drop to the ground for him, but he was so exhausted he stumbled and dropped to one knee.
As he wearily pushed himself back onto his feet and started across the road, he saw that emergency vehicles had finally begun to show up. Paramedics were bustling around Sam and the janitor, and several others were seeing to the various burns and injuries of other people who had been rescued. The firefighters were busily trying to put out the fire, sending white clouds of smoke and steam into the air as they doused the flames.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Steve waved off a paramedic and scanned the crowd for Winter. He found him in the last place he'd expected: sitting on the tailgate of someone's pickup, surrounded by children.
Steve stopped, unable to suppress a fond smile. Winter looked completely bewildered, even a little frightened, to be surrounded by clamoring five-year-olds. He was as soot-streaked and sweaty as Steve was, completing his intimidating appearance with the black mask. His left sleeve was torn and scorched up to his elbow, exposing his metal arm.
None of this seemed to daunt the children, who chattered away and hung off him like they'd known him all their lives. One girl leaned up against his knee, sucking her thumb and absently stroking his metal arm. Winter sat very still, his eyes darting around as he tried to keep them all in view. He looked as though he was afraid they would scatter like sparrows if he so much as twitched.
"An assassin babysitter," Sam said, coming to stand next to Steve. "That's a new one."
Steve grinned and was about to reply when he spotted a van pulling into the parking lot. Emblazoned on the side was the logo of a local news channel—the same one that had been reporting on the other fire. As soon as the van pulled to a halt, a camera crew got out and began preparing to film the school.
"Sam, Winter—we need to leave. Now."
Both of them turned to see what he was looking at, and seemed to understand what he meant right away. Winter quickly stood up, pulling away from the children who cheerfully waved goodbye. Steve hurriedly led the way back to their car. He knew he'd blown their cover the instant he brought out the shield, but he didn't regret it. If they'd been delayed even just a few minutes, they might not have been able to rescue all those people.
"Well," Sam said as they drove back to the cabin, "now it'll be all over the news that Captain America was here. And this place is pretty small. They'll figure out where we are by the end of the day."
Steve nodded grimly. "And once word of that gets out, anyone still loyal to Hydra will probably come after me. After what I did in September, they'll want revenge at the very least." He glanced in the rearview mirror at Winter, who was staring down at his knees. "And we need to be far away when that happens."
They drove in silence for a while, each lost in his own thoughts. Steve ran through the other safe houses Natasha had directed him to, trying to decide which would be the best one to disappear to next. Then Sam broke the silence. "You know...there's something that's been bothering me. Two fires. Same time. One at each end of the town. And this isn't a big town."
Steve frowned thoughtfully. He thought he knew where Sam was going with this. "What are you saying? That it's...arson?"
"Either that, or the worst coincidence I've ever seen. And that fire spread really fast. Like someone helped it along. Maybe tampered with the sprinkler system or something."
"I don't think we'll know for sure unless we get a chance to investigate...and that's not going to happen. Still...I was starting to wonder too." He briefly told Sam about the suspicious nature of the janitor's injury.
"Why would someone do that?" Sam asked, shaking his head in disgust. "Burning down a school...endangering kids' lives..."
"I don't know."
Steve pulled up to the cabin then, so there was no time for further talk. They needed to get back on the road as soon as possible. Steve bustled around, packing up their belongings as quickly as he could, not pausing to clean himself up even though he felt grimy and disgusting after the fire. He also kept the shield close by at all times—just in case.
A quiet but insistent "Psst!" broke through Steve's worried catalog of everything they would have to do to be sure no one would follow them. He looked up to find Sam standing in the doorway to his room.
Sam stepped in and took the duffel bag from Steve's hands. "Winter," he whispered, tilting his head in the direction of the room next door. "You need to talk to him; I'll finish up here."
Steve was confused and a little irritated to be interrupted when they had so little time to spare, but all of that faded away when he looked into Winter's room and saw him standing in the middle of the floor, staring straight ahead at nothing. His fists were clenched by his sides, and the suitcase they'd given him sat empty on his bed.
"Winter?" he said as he stepped into the room, forcing his voice to gentleness though he wanted to shout that they needed to hurry up.
As he drew closer, Steve realized Winter was trembling. "Hey," he said, shaking Winter's shoulder slightly. "You okay?"
His touch seemed to rouse Winter from his trance. He blinked, focused on Steve, then let out a groan and covered his face with both hands. "It's happening," he muttered. "I knew it would, and now it's finally happening." He lowered his hands, hugging himself as though cold even after fighting through a raging inferno.
"They're coming for me," he said, sinking down onto the edge of his bed. "They'll find me. They'll...They'll take me back." He gave a sudden, desperate gasp and scraped his fingers up his scalp to tangle in his hair. "I can't, I-I-I can't can't go back. Not now. Not...a-after this. They'll h-hurt me...I-I don't..."
"Hey, hey, shhh..." Steve sat down next to him and turned Winter's head to face him, using his hands like blinders so Winter couldn't see anything else. "Listen to me. You're not going anywhere without us, understand? Hydra's not taking you away."
Steve could feel Winter's pulse pounding away in his temples. "But...l-last time..."
"It's not going to be like last time." He remembered Winter telling them, so long ago it seemed, what had happened when he'd tried to run away before. His heart ached to think of Winter out on the road all alone, trembling and pleading as Hydra agents closed in and dragged him away to that dreadful chair again.
"Sam and I are going to be right beside you every step of the way," he said as Winter blinked rapidly, as if to keep tears back. "Don't you remember what I promised you when we first met? I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe from them, to make sure they don't lay a finger on you ever again."
"But it's Hydra," Winter said in a desperate whisper, as if afraid they were listening through the walls. "Even if you say that..."
"Winter," he said firmly, looking right into the frightened blue eyes that stared back at him. "Do you trust me?"
Slowly, the furrows in Winter's brow smoothed out and his pulse slowed down beneath Steve's fingertips. He drew in a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly. "Yes."
Steve couldn't help smiling at the confidence in Winter's voice. "Then let me worry about Hydra. All you have to worry about right now is putting your things in this suitcase. Can you do that for me?"
Winter sat a little straighter and nodded. The fear was past.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
- Psalm 56:3
Author's Note: While I was first outlining this story, I got a little stuck at this part. I knew none of the characters were quite ready for the ending yet, but I wasn't sure what should happen between now and then. I sensed that I needed some new stressor to bring them closer together and develop them a little more. But what? As usual, NewMoonFlicker came to the rescue and suggested this little story arc. Though I still think of the events in this chapter as the beginning of the climax, when I look at the story as a whole, I just have to laugh, because it takes up almost half the story XD
A minor detail that stood out to me as I was giving this one last look before posting: I love imagining Winter/Bucky interacting with children. I think he'd be one of those people who gruffly says they're no good with kids, yet inexplicably kids just love him. Looking back on this chapter, I think the little moment with Winter and the kindergartners might have been the initial seed of inspiration for my fic "Honey, I've Been There."
/shameless self-plug