Disclaimer: Just for fun, not for profit. Bucky Barnes, Wanda Maximoff and Steve Rogers are property of Marvel. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Day 164

Bucky stared down at the piece of paper on this desk, Cyrillic letters marching neatly across it. He was mostly sure that the Winter Soldier was gone for good, and he mostly trusted that Chloe was correct in her assessment. But he had to be sure. In the stillness of his room, he read aloud the words on the paper. Nothing happened.

He wasn't really sure what he expected. He couldn't necessarily trust it, though, since he had never attempted to trigger himself and wasn't certain it was possible. He would have to have someone else's help. He couldn't ask Chloe; he didn't want her thinking he didn't believe she had done what she said she did. Folding up the piece of paper, he shoved it in his pocket and paced out on the unit. The others were watching an educational film on anger and icebergs, but Laura had excused him because he had seen it three times already. Some of the groups were starting to become a bit repetitive. The curriculum seemed to be set up for someone staying for a month or two, or even four, but Bucky seemed to be hitting the upper limit on what they had to offer. He walked past the group room and approached the desk. Reyna was sitting behind the nursing station, bent over a chart. Bucky pulled the paper out of his pocket and smoothed the wrinkles out of it atop the nursing station. Reyna glanced up at him.

"Could you do me a favor?" he asked her quietly in Russian. She blinked at him in surprise.

"What do you need?" she answered. He slid the paper across the desk to her.

"Read these slowly, out loud?" he requested. She frowned slightly, but reached out and took the paper. She smoothed it before her and read it silently to herself, then looked up at him.

"Longing. Rusted. Seventeen. Daybreak. Furnace. Nine. Benign. Homecoming. One. Freight Car." She frowned again and handed the list back to him. "What is this?" Bucky took the paper back with a deep breath and crumpled it into a ball.

"Nothing. It's nothing at all," he replied with a relieved grin. He threw the wad of paper into the garbage can behind her. "Thank you."

They finally had completed work on the Sensory Room that was replacing the visitor's room that Tony had destroyed. Bucky signed up to use it, more out of curiosity than anything else. Sarah unlocked the door to let him in. He walked in to find a room that he scarcely recognized. The walls had turned from hospital off-white to a relaxing shade of blue, with clouds painted on the ceiling. The windows were no longer transparent, but covered with lifelike scenes of a tropical paradise. Set into the wall was a large television screen behind some plexiglass. The images were of tropical fish swimming around, with quiet music playing in the background. There were comfortable chairs, ranging from a rocking chair to some kind of stuffed cushion that sat directly on the floor. Tucked into a corner was an overstuffed grey chair that was honestly kind of ugly, but looked comfortable and inviting. Bucky took a deep breath in and sank down in the well-padded chair. He stretched, and the back moved behind him, as if it were about to spill him out onto the floor. He sat up straight abruptly, clutching the arms of the chair to keep from falling out. As his weight shifted, the back of the chair snapped back up. He frowned, turning to look at it. It didn't appear to be broken. Cautiously, he shifted his weight back again. The chair slowly moved with him, and as he leaned back, the cushion beneath his legs rose as well. The padding beneath him was supportive, but so soft that it cradled his body. He wasn't sure he had ever experienced anything quite as comfortable. Raising his arms, he put his hands behind his head and settled back into the recliner. He felt tension leave his body as he watched the fish on the screen swim back and forth. He could tell he would be using this room frequently in the time he had left.

That evening, Steve came for a visit, and Bucky was surprised to see Wanda was with him. She seemed slightly intimidated by their surroundings, looking around her with wide eyes. It wasn't her first time there, but they had been on a mission last time. Wanda's expression was an odd mix of sorrow, sympathy and alarm as she passed by other patients and other rooms. She trailed behind Steve and Bucky as they followed Tammy down the hall to the visitor's room. They let Wanda choose a seat to settle herself into before they sat down.

"How are you holding up, Buck?" Steve asked. "Only sixteen days left."

"If the judge decides to let me go," Bucky said glumly, then shrugged. "I'm okay."

"Well, I have a bit of news that might cheer you up a little," Steve said with a hesitant grin. "I signed a lease on a two-bedroom apartment today. Guess you won't be stuck with the couch after all." Bucky's eyes widened in surprise.

"Steve, you don't have to do that. I'm fine with the couch," he protested.

"You're saying you wouldn't like to have your own space?" Steve asked pointedly.

"Well, no," Bucky admitted with a chuckle. "I'm just… you've already done a lot for me, Steve. I can get back on my feet fast. I wasn't planning to impose for long."

"It's not an imposition," Steve insisted. "My home is yours, Buck. For as long as you want it." He shrugged and shifted in his chair. "Having you there might actually help it feel like home. Like back in Brooklyn." Bucky felt that desperate guilt knotting in his stomach begin to ease, and a half-smile crept across his face. Perhaps the friendship hadn't become as one-sided as he had been feeling it was.

"I guess we'll see how it goes," he allowed. He looked over at Wanda, who was watching them with eyes alight and a little smile curving her lips, and back at Steve. "How have the patrols been going? Has HYDRA tried to get in here again?" Steve and Wanda exchanged a look, and Bucky could read from their expressions that there had been a non-zero number of attempts.

"There's been a few bids to get in," Steve admitted. "Nothing we couldn't handle." Bucky nodded slowly, then sat back, staring out the window as if he could almost see the shadowy HYDRA figures hiding in the bushes and behind the trees.

"I wonder if it would make any difference if they knew they couldn't control me anymore?" he wondered out loud. "They don't really want me. They want the Winter Soldier. But… I got rid of him." Steve frowned at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Wanda leaned forward, watching him intently. She hadn't been at his original hearing, so she hadn't heard most of the messy details of his treatment at HYDRA's hands. He didn't really feel like going into specifics for her benefit.

"The way they controlled me was through a bunch of words," he summarized instead. "They took away my will and put the Soldier in control. He did what they commanded. But now, he's gone. The words don't do anything anymore. It's just me. And I won't do their bidding." Wanda frowned slightly, tilting her head, and her eyes seemed to glow red for a moment. He felt an odd, ticklish pressure inside his head, as if someone were running fingers through his brain. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry," Wanda said, her eyes dimming and reverting back to a normal green. "You have a, a wound in your mind. Not a physical one, but I can sense it."

"I'm sure it will heal," Bucky muttered, running a hand self-consciously through his hair. That did explain the persistent, intermittent headaches he'd been getting, and the dramatic return of his vivid and disturbing nightmares at night.

"Buck, what did you do?" Steve asked, a shocked note of warning in his voice. Bucky sighed.

"There's a girl here," he began hesitantly. "She has powers, kind of like you, Wanda. She can read minds. She could sense the Soldier as separate from me. She thought she could… remove him. She's completely untrained, so I wasn't going to let her try, but…" He licked his lips as Steve gave him a hard look and Wanda's expression turned thoughtful. "The day that the HYDRA agent went after me, he had the words. I was just a couple syllables away from losing control and becoming the Winter Soldier again. They were going to make me kill everyone in the building. So after I knocked him out, I found her and told her to do it. And she did. She did it." Wanda's face brightened in recognition.

"Was she the one I was trying to get to see that day? Back in the little room on the other side of the big desk?" she asked abruptly. Bucky confirmed with a nod.

"After she pulled him out of me, apparently he put up a fight," he admitted. Wanda nodded eagerly.

"It was a war. I could scarcely concentrate on anything else once I got in proximity. I couldn't get close enough to have any major influence, but I tried to draw her attention to some of his weaknesses," she confessed. "I didn't realize what she was fighting was part of you."

"A part I'm glad to be rid of," Bucky reassured her. Now that she mentioned it, there was a sense of emptiness, as if there was something missing. He was so relieved to be rid of the lurking Winter Soldier presence, he didn't mind the hollow vacancy that was left behind.

"What is her name?" Wanda asked. Bucky glanced out into the hallway, but didn't see her there.

"Chloe," he replied. He frowned down at the floor. "She kind of reminds me of my kid sister. Steve, you remember Lily?" Steve nodded. Bucky stared off into space for a moment, memories of the last time he had seen his youngest sister flickering through his mind's eye. "I wish there was something I could do to repay the favor. She isn't trained enough to be an Avenger, but maybe there's someplace she could go, someplace safe where she could learn to use it…"

"Nothing immediately comes to mind, but maybe I'll mention it to Fury," Steve said thoughtfully. "Seems like if there's anyone who could help, he would know." Bucky nodded.

"Thanks," he replied.

They chatted about Steve's plans for the move, odd habits of the other Avengers, and places Steve thought Bucky should see after he left the hospital. Both Steve and Wanda refused to tell him any more details about what HYDRA agents they had caught trying to get to Bucky. The hour they had for visiting never seemed quite long enough. It seemed to him that they had just arrived when the overhead announcement that visiting hours had finished came over the loudspeaker. With a sigh, Bucky stood and opened the door for Steve and Wanda to exit, then followed them down the hallway back to the desk so staff could escort them back upstairs.

"Bucky!" He turned at the familiar voice as Chloe ran up to him. "Here's that book you lent me. I finished it." He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Already?" he asked, impressed. Chloe shrugged.

"You were right, I couldn't put it down," she confessed with a grin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wanda nudge Steve and gesture towards the girl.

"Chloe, I don't know if you've met my friend Steve before," Bucky said, stepping back from in between them.

"Not formally, no. But I've seen him around." She extended her hand towards him. "Very pleased to meet you." Steve smiled at her warmly and shook her hand.

"Likewise. Chloe, was it?" he repeated, glancing at Bucky significantly. "Any friend of Buck's is a friend of mine." Chloe's grin broadened, and she giggled. She seemed a little… star-struck? She tilted her head to glance behind Steve, and the starry-eyed expression only increased.

"I know I haven't seen you here before," she said to Wanda. "I would remember that." Wanda smiled at her and clasped Chloe's hand in both of hers.

"I was here once before," she said impishly. "You were… otherwise occupied at the time." Bucky raised an eyebrow at her word choice. Chloe's eyes widened, and her cheeks turned pink. "I'm glad to see you're doing better now," Wanda continued.

"Th- thanks, Wanda," Chloe stammered, the pink in her cheeks deepening to red. "I'm a big fan of yours." Wanda looked surprised, and her smile widened.

"Thank you," she replied. "I'm a fan of yours as well." Bucky hadn't thought that Chloe's eyes could get any larger, but he had been wrong. Chloe's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

"I can walk you guys back upstairs," Tammy offered, breaking the spell.

"See you later, Buck," Steve said. Wanda waved at Bucky and the still-speechless Chloe. She stared at the doors long after they had disappeared through them. Bucky watched her with amusement. After a moment, she shook herself and turned back towards Bucky, leaning nonchalantly on the nursing station.

"Your friends seem nice," she commented. The pink hadn't entirely left her cheeks. Bucky grinned at her.

"Yeah," he concurred. "I'm lucky to have such good friends." His inflection let her know he included her in that, too. He wasn't entirely sure she picked up on it, though, as she still looked a bit dazed.

"Yes," she agreed. "You are." She glanced towards the unit doors once more, then took a deep breath and turned her attention back to Bucky. "I gave you your book back, right?" Bucky held it up and nodded. She nodded distractedly. "Good."

"I think Wanda is seeing someone already," Bucky said gently. Chloe gave him a sharp look.

"I didn't ask about that," she said pointedly, but the pink in her cheeks was already turning crimson. She put a hand to her cheek, feeling the heat. "Shit, was it that obvious?" Bucky shrugged.

"Yeah, kinda," he admitted, and watched the crimson creep towards maroon. Chloe sheepishly shoved her hands in her pockets.

"Well, I'll be hiding in my room, then," she announced. "If you don't see me again, it's because I became the first person in history to actually die of embarrassment."

Thanks to DarylDixon'sLover, karina001, MewWinx96, Qweb, CTpoetgirl63, Brendan Wolff and guest for your reviews! They feed a writer's soul.

Brendan, I meant honey as a term of endearment, such as one might use between a writer and a loyal reader. If it bothers you, I won't use it again. My apologies, I meant no offense. As far as "mostly" right, there are some details that don't match what I'm envisioning while I'm writing, such as the fact that the visiting rooms are right on the unit, not in a separate wing. But they are pretty minor.

It's been about a month since Tony's attack. I don't know how familiar you are with the court system, but it moves slow. Cases take weeks or months to come before a judge, and even longer if it's a trial. There will be more updates on what happens with Tony, but not quite yet.