Chapter 10:

Wanda sat on the couch, her feet curled up underneath her to make room for Vision, who sat at the opposite end of the sofa, intently watching a movie that Wanda had picked out. He had analyzed every bit of it, which sort of ruined the movie entirely, but Wanda didn't really mind. She just stared at his focused eyes, watching him as he watched the movie.

The credits started to roll, and Vision sat back, then turned his attention to Wanda, who was all too amused by Visions commitment to understand everything about the movie and the characters involved. She chuckled,

"It's hard to enjoy it when you look into it too much," she commented, stretching her legs out and resting her heels on the coffee table Vision frowned,

"Did I ruin it for you?"

"No, Vis, you ruined it for yourself. I was having fun," she smiled over at him. She paused for a moment, tucked her hair behind her ear, then reached over to lay her hand over his. "You worry too much. There's no reason to. I always have fun with you." Vision stared down at their overlapping hands for a moment, then turned his over so he could hold hers properly.

"I feel the same way, Wanda," he said softly, eyes never leaving their now interlocked fingers. Wanda started to blush, which made Vision grin. "I enjoy every moment I spend with you, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Your presence is enough to satisfy me."

"Vision, there's so much for you to still learn about satisfaction..." Wanda bit into her lip, leaning closer to him. She was ready to break that boundary that kept them from being what they both wanted to be. Vision wasn't entirely human, although he was trying to do everything right. However, he didn't get that she wanted more than just movie nights and ice cream dates.

"I've researched what you're referring to," Vision said, cupping her face in his hands and bringing her closer. "I'm certain I can provide for you the satisfaction that you desire." She sat up, face inching towards his. They were just about to lock lips when Steve came into the room. Wanda backed away, and they both turned to look at the clearly agitated Captain.

"What's wrong?" Wanda asked him.

"This," he sighed, holding up a little piece of paper. "Grace wanted to go find her ex fiance and figure out who she was. She remembered where she lived before, and she asked me to take her there. I said no because it didn't matter. She wasn't the same person. I thought she agreed, but I just found this on her bed saying she got Bucky to take her in my car."

"Do you know where they went?"

"Yes, she told me before where it was. And the fiance's name." He crumbled up the piece of paper and tossed it into the trash angrily. "I cant believe Bucky would do this. He should know better than anyone that your past doesn't define you. She doesn't need to know."

"Take my car," Wanda told Steve. "Just go after him. Vision and i will hold down the fort. You should be there anyways, just in case she needs comforting. Unless you want to leave Bucky to it."

"Thanks, Wanda. I owe you one." Steve snatched up the keys and practically ran out of the compound. Wanda chuckled a little, then turned back to Vision, grinning.

"Now, where were we?"

Bucky looked over at Grace as he drove, wishing she'd say something to break the uncomfortably solemn silence between them. He'd gone against what Steve wanted for her, the least she could do was tell him why it was so important to go back to her home town in the first place. What exactly was she going back for anyways?

"Grace, what's the plan when we get there?" He finally asked, forcing his attention to stay focused on the road. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"My ex fiance." She didn't remove her gaze from the window and the world passing outside of it. Bucky wanted to slam on the breaks, to turn the car around, but he didn't. Some part of him knew she'd be angry if he did, so he kept driving. His teeth started gritting together.

"Why the hell would you want to see that slimy bastard?"

"Because he's the only name I remember and I know where he is. I want to know my past, Bucky. I want to know who I was and why he did what he did." She finally turned to look at him, a mixture of anger, sorrow, and determination in her gaze. "He's in prison because of me. At the very least, he owes me some answers."

"Was it because of the abuse?" Bucky asked. Grace's gaze immediately dropped at she thought back to the random, horrific memory that drove her to make this trip. She shook her head then turned back to the window. Bucky raised an eyebrow. "No? Then how did you cause him to go to prison, exactly?"

"I left him. I went to stay with a friend, where I thought he wouldn't find me. But he did. And he did far worse than just beat me." Grace tried not to let the images and memory run through her head, but it was hard to stop.

"What did he do?" There was poison in his voice, and Grace knew better than to go into detail with Bucky. However, her silence only made him more upset. "Grace, what the hell did he do to you? What is he in prison for?"

"Bucky, please..."

"Did he... force himself on you?"

She was silent, water pooling in the bottom of her eyes for a moment before she forced them back. She wasnt a victim anymore, wasn't a weak, sad, beaten person anymore. Grace had her strength, and she was going to use it to gather the courage to face her ex fiance and find our who she was and how she ended up a Winter Soldier.

"Grace, tell me!"

"Why?" She snapped. Her eyes lifted to him, and he could see the pain behind her facade even if she was doing her best to hide it. "Why does it matter to you? It's in the past. You and Steve said it yourselves, that isn't me anymore. He didn't do anything to me, nothing. What he did to her... it doesn't matter anymore. But he never laid a finger on me as far as I'm concerned."

"That's not how that works, Grace, he still..." Bucky trailed off, not wanting to think of her like that, scared and crying, screaming out in pain and begging for mercy. His jaw visibly tightened. "It does matter to me. It matters to me because you matter to me, and that's how it works."

"He didn't touch me," Grace said, trying to convince herself at the same time as Bucky. "I'm not that Grace anymore. My body is mine, and it has never been touched by anyone. It's isn't and never was his." She wondered what scars were caused by him, and was marks were left by his abuse. It didnt matter either way. It couldn't matter.

Bucky was the first to get out of the car when they arrived at the prison. Grace hesitated, but after taking a deep, preparatory breath, she climbed out and joined Bucky's side. He looked down at her, sympathy more evident than any other emotion.

"Are you still sure you want to do this?" He asked her. She nodded, but she immediately reached over to grab his arm. Bucky led the way inside, talking for Grace as they met each guard. After the proper paperwork was filled out, Grace and Bucky were led back to the room where people could talk on the phone through the glass.

Grace sat down, hands gripping the fabric of her dress over her knees in anticipation as she waited for her ex fiance to be brought out. Finally, after a few minutes of anxiety, the door buzzed and he was led out in cuffs. He was tall, and admittedly handsome. His eyes were a piercing blue and his unkempt blonde shaggy hair stopped just above his eyes. He was forced down into the chair, and it was obvious that he was surprised to see her.

She reached out with a shaky hand and grabbed the phone hanging on the wall beside her. She stared into his wife eyes for a moment, then put the phone to her ear. The man on the other side stared at Bucky leaning on the wall behind her, then grabbed the phone and brought his attention her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked her.

"There's so many things I need to know. You're the only thing I can remember, so I need you to answer some questions for me." She tried to keep her voice steady, but it wasnt easy at all. Seeing him in front of her made her remember that terror more than ever.

"What do you mean?"

"Your name is William Allen, but you go by Will. Correct? We were engaged once, and I'm the reason you're in here. Because you beat me, and you attacked me after our separation. That's all I know. And i know my name is Grace. Fill in the blanks."

"What did they do to you? You really don't remember anything?"

"They?"

"I sold you," he scoffed. "A man approached me in prison and asked if I wanted revenge. Of course I did. Im going to be in here for another twenty years thanks to you. He said he'd set up an account with twenty grand in it and he'd shorten my sentence if I told him where you were and everything he needed to know. And if I'd keep my mouth shut. He said he was a scientist. Some Russian doctor that wanted human experiments."

"You sold me?" She asked, somehow angrier than she was already. She knew he'd done awful things to her, but selling her out for twenty grand knowing she'd be kidnapped and experimented on was awful. "What's my full name?"

"Sarah Grace. Your name is Sarah. Grace is your last name. You were born and raised here. We met in high school, got engaged two years after graduation. What else do you want to know?" He was clearly a cold hearted individual. He was uncaring, and his eyes held nothing but anger towards her. Grace took a deep breath.

"I had a dream. I thought it was a memory. And in it, we were happy. And i was taken from you. Did that happen?" She remembered the first dream she had about him. He seemed to love her, and she was forcefully taken from him.

"No, it was a reoccurring nightmare you had. You were kidnapped when you were little, but the guy was caught trying to cross state lines before he could get away with you. It was annoying. You'd scream in your sleep."

"So you never loved me?"

"I thought I did, but hey. You were a good lay. I fell in love with the things that pretty little mouth of yours could do if that means anything." Bucky pushed off the wall, walking forwards to stand by her side. Will chuckled. "Is this your boyfriend? So you're into the big beefy jock type now, Hm? You always did like being dominated. You liked it when I forced you."

"Stop it," Grace said, her voice low and shaky.

"Even though you screamed, you got so turned on. There's a little fun fact for you, buddy," Will looked up at Bucky, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms cockily. "She likes it rough. She used to fight and cry and scream, but in the end she'd just take it like a good little whore. That's all she was good for anyways. So needy and clingy all the time. At least you don't have to worry about knocking her up. I got an extra ten years because the doctors say I made it to where she cant have kids anymore. I don't know if I believe that, but I'm not a doctor."

Bucky snatched the phone from Grace.

"You sick son of a bitch, I hope you rot in here for the rest of your life." His whole body was trembling in anger. "Grace is and always was too good for you. She didn't deserve what you did to her, and i hope you get it back ten fold while you're locked up in here."

"Oh, I'll be fine. I have twenty grand waiting on me when I get out. To be honest, I was hoping she was gone for good. She never brought anything but trouble. To think I was going to marry her. What a riot. She couldn't even clean up after herself." Will smirked up at Bucky. "Here's another fun fact. Just for you, buddy. She isn't good at much, but she gives good head." Will stood and leaned closer to the glass. "And she makes the sweetest little sounds when she's crying during sex."

Bucky lost it. He couldn't stand it anymore, and his fury boiled over into an uncontrollable rage. With his metal arm, he slammed his fist into the glass, shattering it despite how thick and strong it was. He grabbed Will by the throat, then dragged him across the counter. Grace fell to the side, watching in horror as Bucky violently beat the man pinned underneath him.

"Bucky stop! Stop it!" She screamed frantically, tears streaming down her face. Bucky ignored her, continuing his brutal rampage on Wills face and torso. Blood poured from the man's nose and mouth, s few of his teeth falling to the floor beneath his face.

"BUCKY STOP!" She cried out desperately, rushing over to grab Bucky's arm. She pulled it back, and he finally stood up, looking down at the bruised and bloody mess of a man on the floor, still handcuffed and in an orange jumpsuit. He kicked him in the ribs one last time and spit down at him. Grace tugged harder, but Bucky lingered for a moment longer.

"She'll be fine. Dont worry about her, she's loved and appreciated. If she wasn't here, you'd be dead. Remember that the next time you talk about her like that. I could kill you if I wanted. And i really really do." He took off running, dragging Grace behind him as they booked it to the car. He sped off before anyone could get to him, and he drove them back to the motel.

Grace practically ran out of the car, bursting through the motel door and immediately beginning the process of repacking the clothes she'd brought with her. Bucky came in behind her, blood staining his jacket. He walked to her, and he reached out to touch her arm but she flinched away. Her eyes shot up to his, a glare digging into his gaze harshly.

"Don't touch me. Grab your stuff. We have to go."

"Grace, I'm sorry. I just lost it. The things he was saying about you, I couldn't just sit there and take it anymore. It was wrong. What did you want me to do?" He grabbed her arm, but she immediately jerked it away from him.

"You're just as bad as he is. You could've killed him, Bucky. You almost did."

"That's not fair," he frowned. "I would never do the things he did to you, and he fucking deserved to die. Scum like that shouldn't get away Scot free."

"Hes in prison, Bucky! He didnt get away with anything!"

"He gets a bed, a roof over his head, two meals a day, and everything else a person needs. How is that fair? He's perfectly fine, while he ruined your life. Sold you to the people that made you a Winter Soldier. Did you even hear what he said?! Because of him, you'll never have a family! You dont even have the option anymore!"

"I heard it. I heard everything he said, Bucky," she seethed. "I wanted so badly to reach across the counter and bash his face in, but there's something called self control. We're not killers, Bucky. We dont kill people. What would Steve say? Hm? What you did makes you no better than him."

"Don't say that to me. Not after everything he said to you."

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. You're obviously capable of the same brutality he was," she zipped up her suitcase. "I don't see how that's different." She started towards the door, but he grabbed her wrist, knocking her suitcase out of her hand. He yanked her back, forcing her to spin and look at him.

"I would never hurt you, Grace, first of all. I'm not Steve. Im not ever going to be him, and if you want will always take the high road and be the bigger person, then you should just stick with him. Ive killed onnocent people before, and I live with that guilty. I remember each and every one of them. But I do not feel bad, and i will not feel bad, for hurting someone like him. For giving him what he deserved. The justice system doesn't work. There's no justice until someone feels the pain they caused others."

"It was my pain. Not yours. My justice. It should've been my decision."

"When are you going to realize that your pain is my pain? That seeing you hurting hurts me, too. Damn it, Grace. Steve isn't the only person falling for you!" He pulled her to him suddenly, holding her small frame against his and planting a firm, desperate kiss on her lips. Grace stayed there, stunned, then she let out a small gasp and she was suddenly pushed back onto the bed.

Bucky was there on top of her in an instant, placing himself between her knees and kissing her passionately, hands gripping her hips tightly. Grace was stiff at first, caught off guard by his sudden show of affection. Then, she sank into his touch, into his kiss, letting herself enjoy the feeling of his lips on hers, the warmth of him engulfing her. She was just about to give in completely when she heard the door slam shut.

"Steve," Grace , pushing back on Bucky's chest to pull her legs out so she could stand. "Steve, what're you doing here?"

"I was worried about you," he sighed, looking back at Bucky. "Guess I shouldn't have come." He turned around to open the door again, but Grace ran to him, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her chest into his back and hugging him tightly.

"No, please, Steve, don't go. Please... Stay."

"You don't need me, Grace."

"His name is Will," she told him. "He went to prison for beating me and raping me after I broke off our engagement. Because of him... I'll never have kids of my own. My real name is Sarah Grace. As far as I know, I was never loved, never cared about, never wanted... not until you two found me. I do need you. I need both of you." She laid her head on his back, and Steve gently closed the door again. "Don't hate me. Please."

"I couldn't hate you," he told her, turning around to hold her tightly. "Forget about him and forget about who you used to be. You're Grace now, our Grace. We all need you, we all care about you, and we all want you around. You don't have to be afraid anymore. We're not going anywhere." He held her close and rubbed her back as she cried on him. Bucky sat on the edge of the bed, hands buried in his hair. But neither of them were ever going to leave her, and it was becoming obvious to both of them that she was their weakness.