A/N: Thanks to CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur for the Beta, and the brainstorming. And to Lady Pandora for additional brainstorming.

Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage we did not take,

towards the door we never opened, into the rose garden.
― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Namaste,

Sunny

Captain America

Echoes in the Memory

Chapter 26

Nocturnal Diversions Studio

Noon the Next Day

Joi hobbled into the lobby followed closely by Elyse DeWitt holding the door, and carrying her tote bag. "Thanks so much for the ride, Elyse."

"No problem, Joi. My girlfriend lives a few miles up the street. I had to come right past your place to get here anyway." Elyse had the classic look of a 1940s movie star. Wavy ash blonde hair, an hourglass figure, smooth skin with just a few freckles, eyes the color of jade, and legs that went from here to eternity. Of the men on the set, only Vanya and Simon didn't stare. The Russian transplant to D.C. had been married to his wife for twenty-two years, and Simon just didn't care one way or the other as long as the show got made. "How'd you get hurt in the first place?"

"I wasn't beaten up by my boyfriend, if that's what you were thinking."

Elyse snorted. "I wasn't thinking that. So?"

"Playing volleyball at my grandfather's annual Fourth of July barbecue. My brother and I went for the ball at the same time, and whamo!" Joi mimed two people butting heads.

Elyse winced. "Ouch! At least you didn't get a concussion."

"Yeah." She indicated the crutches. "Small favors, and all that."

When they reached the studio, only Simon had yet to arrive. Frank rushed forward to help her into a chair, and she gave him a grateful smile. He turned around and found the rest of the group staring at him. "I'm not always a jackass. So sue me."

Apparently Joi was the only one who knew that Frank's jackass-y-ness was all a put-on. But then, she knew him better than the rest.

Rolling their eyes, the group dispersed back to their jobs. Elyse set Joi's bag next to her on the floor. "I'm off to make-up and hair."

Elyse glared at Frank as if to say he'd better be nice for a change, and stalked away. Frank watched her disappear around the corner then dropped into the seat next to Joi. "Let's hear it."

That's how it went for the rest of the day. The only member of the cast and crew who didn't ask about her injury was Simon. She knew he cared, but only as far as her lack of mobility impacted the show. To his credit, he did have the stage crew alter the set to help.

And Joi decided to have a little fun with her predicament.

"…rollerblading."

"…kickboxing."

"…skydiving."

"…running of the bulls in Pamplona."

"…football with Captain America."

"…training to be a master spy."

"…ninjas."

"…attacked by an Inhuman."

"…fighting with the Avengers."

While the last two were close to the truth, everyone believed that the real story was more embarrassing than anything Joi had told them, and so, decided to just let it ride. It was a good thing Simon had divided the contestants into teams of two for this episode, giving her someone to rely on to do the running around. To stir the drama, Simon put her with Frank, knowing that they would eventually get into a shouting match. They did, but just to make Simon happy, and to quell any rumors of Frank being a nice guy.

Two days later, thanks to inheriting her grandfather's ability to heal quickly, the crutches were discarded, and her life was back to what passed for normal, except for the black eye. That took four long days, and lots of make-up to get rid of it.

Another contestant had been eliminated at the end of last week, Gabe Moreno. This week, her comment about getting into a fight with a mutant, their word, not hers, caused a heated debate regarding the regulation of people with powers, driving the tension on the set even higher for realsies. Some thought the government should register all mutants, and the rest were of the opinion that it sounded like the Nazi persecution of the Jews during WWII.

Standing up for her grandfather, Steve and Mia, Joi told them all to go to hell, and walked off the set. A few minutes later, just as she suspected, Amalie was there to sooth her ruffled feathers, and talk her into coming back, which she did, albeit grudgingly. And the show continued.

The next day, celebrity chefs took the place of the previous judges. Peeking through the curtains, she spied a specific one sitting at the table looking bored. The world knew him as a loudmouth with a volatile temper. Crossing her fingers, she hoped that was only a façade.

The music started. Joi took a deep breath, and when it was her turn, she swept the curtains aside, and marched confidently across the stage to stand between Frank and Dominic Hyde, with Elyse on Frank's other side. On the table off to one side, Joi spotted the usual covered baskets containing that episode's secret ingredients. At least it's not moving. She shuddered, remembering the episode where they'd been given a live octopus to prepare. That was the day she almost quit. But Frank talked her out of it.

Another addition was the studio audience. Joi knew she was an excellent chef, and calm in a crisis. Steve told her she was a star, and she believed it because he wouldn't lie. She could do this.

SHIELD Helicarrier

Quantico

After nearly seventy-two hours without a repeat of the original incident, Steve asked for and received permission to spend some time inside the chamber with Bucky. They ate together, worked out, and talked. At the moment, they were playing Gin.

Every few seconds, Bucky would flash a contemplative look at Steve then go back to his cards. It was annoying to say the least. Steve took a card from the stack, placed it in his hand, and lay down a run of three, four and five of clubs. He discarded, and waited for Bucky to take his turn.

His friend picked up the discard, and lay it down on a set of three kings, all the time looking at Steve.

"What?"

"What what?" Bucky was never good at faking innocence, and nothing had changed since the forties.

"If there's something you want to say, Buck, say it."

He took from the stack, placed it in his hand, and lay down his discard. "Did you and Peggy really…?"

Uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation, Steve broke eye contact, and cleared his throat. "Unlike you, I don't kiss and tell."

"That sounds like a yes." He waited for Steve to finish his turn, and made a show of thinking over his next move. "You know all those women I told you I was with before and during the war?"

Steve slid his cards together and held them in one hand, the other resting on his upraised knee. "What of it?"

"I lied." Apparently tiring of the game, he tossed his cards on the floor and stretched his legs out in front. "I've only been with four women in my entire life." He ticked them off on his right hand. "Mary Lou Sorrento, Connie, Natasha, and…"

"I don't need to know her name."

Bucky shrugged. "Wouldn't mean anything to you anyway. It was after Connie died, and before I met Natasha."

There was nothing Steve could say to that. If Bucky was hoping his confession would encourage reciprocity, he'd be waiting a long time. As he said before, he didn't kiss and tell. Well, except for Maria, and that was just to clear his conscience. It hadn't worked. He felt even worse after talking to Bucky about it. Probably because he'd kissed Maria on more than one occasion after that. The only salve to his annoying inner voice was the fact that he and Joi hadn't been a couple at the time.

Bucky's foot tapped his. "I told you the truth. Now it's your turn."

Exhaling loudly to show his frustration with Bucky's persistence, Steve gathered up the cards and slid them into the box. "Leave it alone, Buck."

Raising his hands in surrender, Bucky sat cross-legged. "Fine. Don't tell me. I'll just make something up."

Whether he intended it or not, his friend's tone and expression made Steve chuckle, and shake his head. "Jerk."

Bucky lay down on the floor, pillowing his head on this folded hands. "Punk."

Discount Mart

The Next Day

The store was busy, but not so much that Justin couldn't easily navigate the aisles to find everything he needed. It was his turn on the supply run. Clint had given him a short list for the hardware store. And now he was working on food and drinks.

As he passed the toy department, a display for a kids' karaoke machine caught his eye. He wondered if Gracie would like it for her birthday. He switched it on, and picked up the mic. "Testing, testing."

Not a bad sound for a toy. Justin turned around to move his cart out of the way, and ran into a woman laden with packages, spilling them on the floor. "My bad." He bent down to help her pick them up, trying to work out how she'd been holding them all in the first place. "Why didn't you get a cart?"

"Because I only came in for a few things. Thought if I didn't get a cart, I wouldn't overspend. Didn't work out."

"Never does. Now me, I'm the opposite. I don't like carrying stuff, so a cart is mandatory, even if I'm only getting one thing." She snickered as he plucked a package of mozzarella cheese from her arms before it fell. Not the hard, yellow kind, but the white, creamy, melt-in-your mouth kind. His salivary glands went into overdrive just thinking about it. "I'm almost ready to go. We can share mine." Justin moved the items in the cart around to make room for hers, and together they stacked them at the end. She had a badge clipped to her lapel with her name, Reya, and the name of her company, Sunshine Pilates Studio.

She saw where he was looking, and smiled. "You can call me Rey."

Justin smiled back. "It must be fate that brought us together because my name is Justin, but you can call me Jay. Rey and Jay has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Rey crossed her arms, one eyebrow inching upward. "Is that your idea of a pick-up line?"

He shrugging self-deprecatingly. "Lame, huh? Guess I'm out of practice. Been working too much, and my grandfather hasn't been well." He pretended to scratch his stomach with both hands. "Plus I've got this weird rash that keeps me up at night, and has the doctors stumped. Wanna see it?"

She laughed as he intended. "No. What do you do, Jay?"

Placing his hand on the karaoke machine, he indicated the photos of kids on the box. "Oh, a little singing, a little dancing." He did a dance step. "Even play the piano now and then. Was about to try this out, see if it's something my cousin's kid might like."

"Well, let's hear what you've got."

Justin scanned through the songs until he came to one he liked. "How about a duet?"

"Um…" Rey looked around, but no one was paying them any mind. "Okay." She moved around to stand next to him so they could share the mic.

"You be Kiki. I'll be Elton."

With a grin, Rey nodded.

Justin pressed play, and the lead-in to Don't Go Breaking My Heart came out of the speakers. To him, the music sounded a little tinny, but it would sound like heaven to a four-year-old.

Don't go breaking my heart
I couldn't if I tried
Honey if I get restless
Baby you're not that kind

At first her voice was tentative, gaining confidence as the song progressed.

Don't go breaking my heart
You take the weight off me
Honey when you knock on my door
Oh, I gave you my key

Nobody knows it
When I was down
I was your clown
Nobody knows it
Right from the start
I gave you my heart
I gave you my heart

So don't go breaking my heart
I won't go breaking your heart
Don't go breaking my heart
I won't go breaking your heart

Don't go breaking my heart
I won't go breaking your heart
Don't go breaking my heart
I won't go breaking your heart

A few people stopped to listen, applauding politely.

Justin grinned. "One more?"

Rey made a show of checking the time. "Okay. Then I really have to go."

They looked over the list, and settled on Daydream Believer by The Monkees.

"Want me to start, and you join in?"

One shoulder went up and down. "Sure."

Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings
The six o'clock alarm would never ring
But it rings and I rise wipe the sleep out of my eyes
The shavin' razor's cold, and it stings

Cheer up, sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean
To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?

You once thought of me as a white knight on his steed
Now you know how happy I can be
Oh, and our good times start and end without dollar one to spend
But how much baby do we really need?

Cheer up, sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean
To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?

Cheer up, sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean
To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?

Cheer up, sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean
To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?

The song ended, and they received resounding applause from the group that had gathered. Justin laid the mic aside, winked at Rey, and took her hand. "Thank you for watching the Rey…" he indicated his companion.

She waved at him, "…and Jay show."

Together they said, "We'll be here all week." Store security came by, and didn't have to say a word. Everyone scattered.

To their surprise, someone had placed a hat on the floor, and the audience had filled it with change and a few dollar bills. Justin counted it out at just over ten bucks. "What say we drop it in the box for the children's charity at the front of the store?"

"I say let's do it."

Justin's phone beeped. He looked it, cringing at the text message from Clint. "I gotta go. Ready to check out?"

"Absolutely."

He pushed the cart through the aisle with all the stuffed animals, skidding to a stop when he saw a particular one. He picked it up so he could examine it closer, jumping when Rey touched him on the arm.

"You okay? You've been staring at that thing for a while."

"Uh…" There was something about this one that struck a chord, something inside that Justin couldn't identify. To explain his behavior, he said, "My grandfather's in the hospital. This might cheer him up."

Rey looked from the stuffed animal to Justin and back. "It's a little creepy, but if you think he'll like it…"

Justin snorted as he dropped it in the basket. "He's no ordinary grandfather. He'll love it."

~~O~~

Rey and Justin went through the check-out line together, loaded up the cart and left the store. As it turned out, they were parked across from each other in the same aisle. He helped with her bags, though there was no need; she only had two. They stood there in awkward silence afterward, until Rey's phone beeped, reminding her of an appointment. "I gotta go. Would you like to get coffee sometime?"

At first, she thought he would say no. Then he smiled, and took out his phone. "Put your number in there, and I'll give you a call. Or you could call me." She handed over her phone.

They traded phones back, and he watched as she got in her car and drove away. The last thing she saw in her rear view mirror was Justin was waving. She just hoped he didn't realize who she was until later.

The idea of being set up on a blind date by a friend made her jittery. Running into Justin had been serendipitous. A happy accident. Now that first awkward meeting was out of the way, and they could move forward to the actual date without too much stress. Hopefully.

~~O~~

In the front seat of Bucky's SUV, Justin sat there with his hands on the steering wheel, thinking about Rey. He'd always been good at reading people. You had to be in order to succeed in the business world.

In spite of what he told Chase, the first thing he noticed about people he was attracted to, about anyone really, were the eyes. Blue eyes were predominant in his family. Maybe that's why he was attracted to almost any other color. Truth be told, hazel was his favorite.

Rey's eyes were big, and round, with an almost childlike innocence, green and honey brown melding under long dark lashes that he swore were real, and perfectly matched the sable brown of her shoulder length hair. And when the sunlight hit her eyes just right, flecks of orange and yellow sparkled like fairy lights on a Christmas tree. Those eyes reflected the child she once was, the woman she was now, and the old woman she would be, past, present, and future merging into one.

The tiny lines at the corners told her life story, though she would probably deny it. Rey not only loved life, she rejoiced in it. Every day was new and filled with adventure, whether teaching a Pilates class, hiking in the mountains, or singing karaoke with a man she'd just met. To her, living was the biggest adventure of all. She seemed like the kind of woman who would dance like no one was watching, then blush from embarrassment at getting caught.

Justin judged her height at around five-five to his six-one. In heels she'd come up to his nose. The perfect height for slow dancing, or sneaking a kiss or two. His fingers flexed on the steering wheel as he imagined holding her body close, feeling her curves pressed against his chest, her warm breath whispering over the skin of his neck.

That he was attracted to her surprised him, yet it didn't. His door swung both ways, and right now, it was swinging in her direction, and only partly because she had the most amazing breasts he'd seen in a long time. Hers ranked right up there with Natasha's, though he'd never say so out loud to either of them, and especially not to Gramps.

Thinking of his grandfather reminded him of the stuffed animal. He pulled it out of the bag, and sat there staring at it wondering why he bought it in the first place. Gramps wasn't a stuffed animal kind of guy, and it wasn't especially attractive. In fact, Rey was right. It was a bit creepy. Long fangs, a feral gleam in its black plastic eyes that were sewn unevenly on the face, and a long snout set in a snarl that made it look like it'd had bad plastic surgery. The tip of one pointy ear was bent, giving it a preposterous expression.

Natasha had arranged for the family to visit Gramps. They couldn't all go at once though, so it was decided that Joi would go first to let him know she didn't hold his actions against him. He'd let her give it to Gramps, and hope it made him feel better.

Justin wasn't sure how that would work. Deep inside, he felt as if this particular animal had some meaning beyond that of comfort or amusement. Shaking his head, he shoved the animal in the bag, started the engine, and headed back to the house.

The Barnes Residence

Washington D.C.

Ice tinkled in the glass as Clint finished off the unsweetened iced tea. Serenity was there to take it, and as she'd been doing all morning, it was refilled and placed on the picnic table where it was out of the way, yet was readily accessible. He touched his hand to mouth, moving it forward and down, the ASL sign for thank you. She flashed NP, her version of "no problem."

He picked up the reciprocating saw, and thumbed the button to test it, but nothing happened. Muttering damn under his breath, he tapped Serenity on the shoulder. Where's Mia?

Upstairs playing with the cats. They don't like the noise.

Don't blame them. Ask her to come down, please.

As her footsteps climbed the stairs, Clint received a text from Justin telling him he was on the way back. "It's about damn time," he said out loud instead of replying directly.

Taking out the tape measure, he went over his measurements one more time to be certain they were correct. They were.

Mia breezed onto the patio, her short hair fluttering in the gentle wind. "Whatcha need?"

Clint held up the saw. "It didn't charge. Do you mind?" With a grin, Mia pointed a finger, and a small arc of electricity strung itself between them, stopping after several seconds. Clint tried the saw again, and this time it worked. "Thanks."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah." He put on his safety glasses, and grinned. "You do birthday parties and Mitzvahs?"

Pursing her lips, Mia watched him with an unblinking stare for a few seconds. "I was raised to respect my elders. But in your case," she zapped him in the backside, making him yelp, "I'll make an exception."

He held the saw like a machinegun, revving it a few times. "Be careful how you treat an old man."

Mia snorted. "Old man, my ass. I saw you fighting those aliens. You're no more an old man than my Gramps is."

With that parting shot, the young woman went back inside. Through the hole in the wall, he watched her adjust the tarps they'd draped over the furniture, piano and electronic equipment until she was satisfied they were fully covered, then ambled into the kitchen. Just before he started drilling, the sound of cabinets opening and closing told Clint she was deciding what to make for dinner. He chuckled to himself, and got back to work.

SHIELD Helicarrier

Quantico

The quinjet landed with a mild thump, startling Joi. She'd already left when Bucky had been taken to a secret jail cell to be studied, poked and prodded like a laboratory animal. Or so said the picture in her head. What the reality was, she would soon find out. Though if Natasha were involved, there was no way scientists and researchers would experiment on him.

The whine of the engines stopped, and Natasha came to her side. "Before you can see James, we need you to sign one of our standard non-disclosure agreements. Anything you see, from the time you stepped into this ship, until you return home can't be discussed with anyone without similar access."

Joi took the tablet she held out, wondering, not for the first time, if everyone had gone mad but her. She quickly scanned through the legalese of the document, and while she didn't quite understand it all, she got the gist. "First rule of Fight Club: You don't talk about Fight Club. Got it."

Using her finger, Joi sketched her signature at the bottom, and handed the tablet back. Natasha tapped the screen, making the document official. If she violated the terms of the agreement, Joi would go to jail for a very long time. She had a show to win, a business to run, and a man she cared deeply about. No way she'd risk her freedom, her livelihood, or a chance at love just because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. "Now what?"

Natasha stood, and held out her hand. "Let's go see James."

Joi picked up her bag, and took Natasha's hand as if she were a child, when the truth was Joi was three years older than Natasha. "What about my bag? Don't you want to scan it or something?"

"Did that when you came on board. If you were smuggling weapons, drugs or chemicals, an alarm would've gone off." Natasha nodded. "Come on. He's anxious to see you."

They stepped out onto the deck of what looked like a huge aircraft carrier. Planes like the one she arrived in were anchored to the deck. Maintenance workers, and soldiers were running or walking from one place to the other, doing things that Joi could only guess at. "Is he still beating himself up over what happened?"

"He is. Talk to him. He didn't know what he was doing, but he still feels responsible."

The roar of another aircraft landing interrupted their conversation. Joi pulled Natasha to a stop so she could watch, fascinated by the craft's ability to land and take off vertically. Natasha tugged, and she stumbled along behind her until she caught up again. There was so much to see, that Joi couldn't take it all in. Right now, she had to focus on Bucky.

Up ahead, the lift doors opened, and a man dressed in black with an eye patch gave her a curious glance, then dismissed her presence as not important to the boat's operation. Though Natasha didn't say, Joi got the feeling that he was in charge. The BMOC, big man on the carrier. It was the air of confidence that surrounded him. Or it could've been the way everyone deferred to him as he strode purposely down the hall way, his boot heels ringing on the deck.

It didn't take long to reach what Natasha had called the detention level. And when she saw Bucky sitting in the middle of the cell, she ran forward, stopping at the barrier. "Gramps!"

Bucky scrambled to his feet, and rushed to her. "Joi! I'm so glad to see you, baby girl." He looked her over. "How do you feel?"

Tears welled up, but didn't fall. "Better now."

"I am so, so sorry I hurt you. Can you forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive. You weren't yourself."

He sagged in relief, noticing the bag she dropped at her feet. "You bring me something?"

"Yeah. It was Justin's idea." Joi touched the barrier, saying over her shoulder, "Can I go inside, Nat? Please?"

Though Joi couldn't see them, she sensed that there were armed men and women lurking about. Understandable, given the reason Bucky was brought here. For an answer, Natasha went to a large control panel, and the door slid open just long enough for her to step inside, then closed again.

She and Bucky hugged for a long time. Then Joi pushed out of his arms, and held up the bag. "It's from all of us. Justin chose it. Next time, I'll buy the gift. His taste in gifts sucks." She pulled the toy out, and shook it at him. "I think it's supposed to be a wolf. You wanna see it?"

Immediately, Bucky's features went slack. His eyes lost all expression, as though he'd been emptied of everything that made him who he was. He took the wolf in his arms, holding it close, reminding Joi of Gracie and her stuffed bear, Horatio.

"Gramps?" He stared straight ahead, unseeing, and unresponsive. "Gramps?"

TBC

Don't Go Breaking My Heart is a duet by Elton John and Kiki Dee. It was written by Elton John with Bernie Taupin, released June 1976.

Daydream Believer is a song composed by John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. The song was originally recorded by The Monkees, with Davy Jones singing lead vocals.

Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher, and stars Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter. But you're not supposed to talk about it. ;-)