Date : 21.06.18
Title : Memory In My Heart
Author : ElaineDex
Chapter : 10 of ?
Rating : M
Pairings : Bucky/OC
Warnings : Some Sexual Content, Romance, Angst, Maybe Some Strong Language.
Spoilers and A/N: Possible references to The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Black Panther (I have not seen Black Panther or Infinity War, nor do I claim to be an expert on The Avengers so please forgive any discrepancies. I am working off of things I have read and movies and trailers that I have seen. Thank you.
Disclaimer : I do not own anything to do with the Marvel franchise. This plot and any O/C's are mine.
Summary : (AU) Can a memory from Bucky's time as The Winter Soldier save him from having to live that kind of life again or will the darkness consume him and lead him to kill everyone he now holds dear?
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Bucky stared at the woman, the buzz of the prospect of completing his mission zinging through his veins. He didn't know why they wanted her dead, but that was not his problem. This would be easy…probably too easy…maybe he'd string it out a little bit…but then, that wasn't really his style.
"James…"
She spoke so softly that he barely heard the name she whispered, but heard it he had and he frowned and narrowed his eyes at her.
He expected her to try and run, they always did and so he was more than a little surprised when she took a step toward him instead. He remained where he was, watching her closely though he was more than confident that she posed no threat.
"Do you know why they sent you here?" she asked, her voice not much louder than it had been when she'd said the name.
"I don't care," Bucky replied, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side as the breeze caught her hair and he watched as an auburn curl danced, the sun highlighting the red and unbidden an image appeared in his mind…the same hair tumbling around him as the same woman leaned over him, laughing as he reached up to touch her….
What was this?
Molly tried not to blanch as he told her he didn't care. This wasn't the Bucky she knew…she had to remember that. She also had to remember that she was on borrowed time. They'd be expecting the Soldier to return to them soon, wherever they were hiding, waiting for him.
She hated the cold, unfeeling look he gave her as his eyes returned to hers and taking a deep breath she took another step closer, so close now that she could reach out and touch him and she tentatively lifted a hand and when he did nothing to stop her, rested it upon his chest.
Still Bucky made no move, merely continued to look at her, his lack of recognition giving Molly a strange sense of finality despite the futile nagging hope that he would remember her. He had once…
She knew she couldn't outrun him and she couldn't fight him, all she could do was try and get him to remember…
"You might not care…" she said, "…but I do, so I'll tell you. They sent you here because I helped you to get away from them. They want me gone so that I can't help you again…"
Bucky remained impassive though her words had a ring of truth to them that he couldn't quite understand. He had found it odd when he'd seen her as to why they would need someone like him for this mission. The woman clearly had no chance against him and anyone could have carried out the orders to snuff her out…so why him?
"Look around," she said then, "Do you not recognise this house? The barn?"
Bucky's eyes flicked to the house behind her and the sense of familiarity that went through him made him react and he wrapped his metal fingers around her wrist and pulled her hand from his chest, preparing to haul her toward the house.
"I don't have time for this…" he told her and Molly winced as his grip tightened.
"Bucky….does the name Bucky mean anything to you?"
He paused and looked down at her.
"Should it?" he asked, his face betraying little of the fact that she was starting to unnerve him.
Molly's breath caught as he began to pull her toward the house, batting the sheets on the washing line out of the way and fear began to creep its way up her spine.
"It's your name…" she told him, stumbling up the steps to the back porch where Bucky spun her around in front of him and backed her up against the wall of the house.
"My name is…." he bit out, pausing as his mind failed to come up with anything other than the two names she had used thus far.
"It's Bucky," Molly murmured, "James…Bucky…Barnes…."
Bucky let out a growl of pure frustration, tired now of the woman's games.
"You're wrong Molly," he said through gritted teeth, pulling back his metal arm, fist clenched and Molly cowered, then realised something.
"You called me Molly!" she said, her jubilation short lived and she cried out in alarm as he buried his fist in the wooden wall slats to the side of her head.
Bucky looked at her and she could clearly see the confusion in his eyes as he took a step back from her, confusion that turned to anguish as he gripped his head in his hands.
"What the fuck is wrong with me?!" he growled as his seeming inability to hurt this woman and not complete his mission warred within him.
Molly was about to try and explain to him when a voice from the garden called out, "Hey!" and she slumped in relief as she saw Sam. Bucky turned sharply and immediately went for the other man and as a fist fight ensued, Steve appeared at Molly's side, his hand at her elbow steadying her.
"What happened?" he asked, one eye on her and one monitoring Sam and Bucky's fight.
"They got to us…to him…they drugged me…I…" she shook her head, angry at herself for not realising the neighbour with the pie had been a trick. "It's my fault…"
Steve squeezed her shoulder just as Sam called out, "A little help here!" as Bucky sent him flying halfway across the garden.
"Get your things…" Steve said as he went to help Sam and for a moment Molly watched as he too battled with Bucky until, no longer able to watch she headed into the house, hoping that between them Sam and Steve would be able to knock Bucky out…it would be the only way to bring him back to himself again.
Heading upstairs she saw that the bag she had packed had been gone through and she shivered, her hands shaking as she realised that someone had been in the house whilst she was 'sleeping' and had taken the red book. Feeling sick she hastily shoved her things back into the bag and picked it up along with the one she had packed for Bucky and turning to leave she gasped as she found the bedroom doorway blocked by an all too familiar figure.
"Hello Molly," Hanning said, giving her a smile that made her insides churn.
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Pretty much evenly matched it was a tough fight between Steve and Bucky and it was only when Sam managed to get behind Bucky and hit him over the head with a piece of wood that he'd found lying around did it come to an abrupt end.
"God-dammit I hate that son of a bitch!" Sam said, trying to get his breath back and Steve rolled his eyes and tipped his head back as he took a moment to gather himself.
"We need to get him to the car, I told Molly to get their stuff," he said, nodding toward Bucky's crumpled form.
"Yeah…give me a sec…" Sam replied.
"We don't have a sec," Steve replied and Sam pulled a disgruntled face at him.
They had seen the government vehicle hiding a mile or so from Steve's farm as they'd approached from a higher vantage point and they'd doubled back to come in a different way so that they wouldn't be seen.
Steve knew it would only be a matter of time before they came to see what was keeping Bucky from returning and they had to get going. Between them they carried Bucky to their car, which was at the side of the house and put him on the back seat and then he said to Sam, "Get it started, I'll go get Molly…."
Sam nodded and got into the drivers' seat, keeping an eye on Bucky in the rear view mirror.
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"What does it feel like to have the Soldier hunting you?" Hanning asked Molly and she glared at him.
"You should already know the answer to that," she replied, "The last time I saw you he was flinging you across the lab."
Hanning's smug smile wavered and his face grew serious as he said, "It's time to go…"
"If you think I'd go anywhere with you…" Molly began then paused as he produced a gun from behind his back.
"Drop the bags. Let's go," he said and for now, Molly had no option but to do as he said.
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Steve took the stairs two at a time, but found no sign of Molly upstairs, only the two bags that she had obviously gotten ready. Frowning he picked them up and headed back down, calling out her name as he reached the lounge…and then, through the window he saw Molly being dragged toward a waiting black SUV that was parked out front and he dropped the bags and headed for the front door, flinging it open and clearing the porch in one stride.
"Hey!" he called, out, ducking as Molly's kidnapper turned and fired off a shot.
Molly struggled against Hanning's hold on her arm, trying to break free, but he held her fast and as another shot was fired at Steve she found herself being bundled into the back of he SUV, Hanning getting in beside her and instructing the driver, "Go!"
As the SUV screeched away, Steve turned just as Sam brought the car around.
"What happened?" he asked as Steve got in.
"They took Molly…I shouldn't have sent her back into the house alone…"
As Sam floored it and took off after the SUV, Bucky began to come around on the back seat and Steve twisted to look at him as his old friend rubbed the back of his head.
"About that…I'd like to say I'm sorry…." Sam began, glancing in the rear view mirror as Bucky finished, "But you're not, right."
Sam nodded and Steve knew then that Bucky, his Bucky, was back.
Squinting a little bit, Bucky looked ahead to the cloud of dust that a vehicle ahead was leaving in its wake and Steve said, "They got Molly…"
Memories suddenly assaulted Bucky's mind and everything rushed back in, his emotions going into overdrive as he realised what had just happened and what he could have done.
"God-dammit!" he swore, punching the door and leaving a large dent in it.
"Whoa! Bucky…" Steve began, but Bucky cut him off.
"I have to get her back…they'll kill her; that's what they sent me to do. I should never have gotten her involved in this…should never have let her close…I knew this would happen…"
At that Steve and Sam exchanged a wordless look and Sam pushed the car harder, trying to catch up to the SUV.
"She's in that car," Steve said as Sam began to gain some ground.
"Get me as close as you can…" Bucky said, opening the back window and Sam ground out, "What do you think I'm trying to do?"
Bucky gave him a dirty look in response and proceeded to climb out of the car and onto the roof, clinging on as they bounced their way down the country lane.
"Good job you picked a faster car this time," Sam said.
"Yeah…" replied Steve, giving Sam a look of his own.
When they were close enough, Bucky stood, crouching to get his balance before waiting until just the right time and jumping onto the SUV's roof.
As the roof crunched above them, Hanning flinched and both he and Molly turned to look out of the back window and Molly took a breath as she saw Sam and Steve in the car behind, which meant that Bucky was on the roof of the SUV.
Turning to Hanning she couldn't resist saying, "So…how does it feel to have the Soldier hunting you?"
End of Chapter 10