Bucky sat, head hung, in the metal cell at the Hydra facility. His severed left arm was replaced with a red-starred metal one.

He shivered at times, but other than that, barely moved. He had hope that Steve would come for him, like he always did. Of course he would come for him, he always will.

He only looked up when the door to his cell creaked open and a man stepped inside, holding what looked like rough paper in his hand.

The man spoke something in Russian. Bucky understood though and met the man's eyes with a hardening glare.

"No way in hell," He spat defiantly. A small, bloodied smile snuck its way onto his face.

The man only smiled. "Really? Do you really thing someone's gonna come for you? That Captain America will rescue you?"

Bucky gave a weak laugh. "He always does. And I can't wait to see what he does to your stupid face when he gets here."

The man walked closer to him. "Well, sorry to break it to ya, pal," the man tossed the papers onto the ground a few inches in front of him, then left. The cell door shut with a silent click.

Bucky noticed that these were newspapers, all with similar headlines. He read the first and he felt his heart shatter.

Captain America: Presumed dead after plane crash in Arctic.

He swallowed, whispering a small and pitiful, "No.." as he pulled out the 2nd.

American Hero: Captain America being mourned by all after presumed death.

Then the next.

Captain America dies in Arctic plane crash.

Then, he read the last one, feeling as though all of his organs were being torn out of him.

Captain America killed in action: Being mourned by many.

"No.." He gasped. "No- This isn't- This isn't real.."

Soon, sobs began to wrack his body and he lowered his head. "Steve.." He cried. "Steve..I'm sorry..God damn it, I'm sorry!" His metal fingers dug into the ground.

"Why did it have to be you.." Bucky whispered miserably, tears flowing freely from his bruised and scarred face. "I should have- I was supposed to protect you..I wasn't supposed to let you die!"

"I broke our promise...that we'd be with each other til the end of the line..I broke it.."

He broke down into gut-wrenching sobs as his body trembled. He curled in on himself, but continued to stare at the pictures of both pre and post-serum Steve.

"I should have been there..should have been there for you...I'm sorry..If I could have just grabbed your hand..I would have been there with you..We could have at least faced the end together.." He shut his eyes and rocked himself back and forth while agents watched with smiles on their faces, satisfied that the Asset had no one looking for him.

Bucky turned the corner to see a small and frail blond-haired man on the ground. 2 larger men were standing over him, laughing at each other. He noticed the smaller man's bloodied nose as he struggled to get back up.

He ran over before they could throw another punch and kicked them both to the ground. "Hey! Leave 'em alone and pick on someone your own size."

The men stood up, looked at each other, and ran. The blonde-haired man slowly got up, wiping some blood from his mouth. "You alright?" Bucky asked.

He nodded. "Yea..Had 'em on the ropes.."

"Didn't look like you did," Bucky pointed out. "What's your name?"

"Steve. Steve Rogers."

Bucky grinned. "James Barnes, but you can just call me Bucky."

Steve looked toward the ground. "Thanks.."

James slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, no problem. I can take you home if you want."

"Okay.."

Both walked back to Steve's apartment. Steve opened the door and stepped in, followed by Bucky. "I'm home," He said.

A few seconds later, a woman walked in. She had wavy, blonde hair and looked extremely kind, Bucky guessing that this was Sarah Rogers. She noticed Steve's bruised and bloodied nose and rushed over. "Oh! Stevie, what happened?"

Steve shrugged. "Bullies.."

Sarah looked up and spotted Bucky and gave him a small smile. "I see you made a friend, too."

Steve nodded, turned back and smiled at Bucky. "Yea..Probably would have gotten' beat up worse if he didn't show up."

"Name's James, but I usually just go by Bucky," Bucky said with a small smile.

"It's so nice to meet you, James," She smiled. "You're welcome to stay for however long you need." She turned back to Steve. "I'll go get a rag and get you cleaned up."

Steve nodded. Bucky walked up to him. "Your ma's plenty nice," He grinned.

"Yea," Steve smiled. "Works at the hospital. She's usually away often..and ya know, I get sick real easy."

Bucky nodded and studied Steve's thin frame. "I can tell. You ain't lookin' too healthy either."

Steve laughed. "Well, maybe she can read off the list of my health problems, later."

Bucky's eyes widened slightly. "Geesh."

Sarah came back into the room with an ice-pack and a small rag. She wiped the blood off of his face and held the ice-pack against a couple bruises. Steve took over and sat down on the couch.

"Keep that there, Sweetie. It'll help. Unfortunately, I need to head back up to the hospital. Will you two be alright?"

Bucky smiled. "I can take care of 'im."

Steve frowned. "I do not need a babysitter."

Sarah Rogers seemed to completely ignore that and gave Bucky a small smile. "Thank you. Does your family know you're here?"

Bucky shook his head. "No, but I'll give 'em a call later. I told them I was headin' out for a bit anyway."

"Alright.." She turned and placed a soft kiss on Steve's forehead. "I'll see you later. Be careful," With that, she headed out the door. It clicked shut softly behind her.

"She really is somethin'," Bucky smiled.

Steve sighed. "Yea. She can get a bit crazy sometimes."

Bucky sighed and sat down next to him. "So, since we're friends now. What kind of health issues do you have exactly? Just so I don't think you're dying if you suddenly collapse or somethin',"

Steve snorted. "Okay. Prepare to be surprised.."

He began to list the ones he knows of.

Asthma

Rheumatic Fever

Scarlet Fever

Sinusitis

Chronic or frequent colds

High blood pressure

Palpitation or pounding in the heart

Easy fatigability

Heat trouble

Nervous trouble of any sort

Had household contact with tuberculosis

Parent/Sibling with diabetes

Bucky stared at him, mouth agape. "Holy cow.

"Yea," Steve laughed. "Not exactly a healthy life. My ma's always worried 'bout me. 'Specially when winter rolls around."

"I wouldn't exactly be surprised," Bucky laughed.

"I'm surprised anyone would want to be my friend..ya' know, likely having to deal with all my problems," Steve muttered.

Bucky slung an arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry, pal. I don't mind. I'll take care of ya no matter what happens."

Steve smiled. "Thanks."

That was the last memory Bucky had stuck in his mind before he was shoved into the chair.

"I'm sorry, Steve.." He whispered.

The metal plates clamped to the side of his head.

"I'm so sorry.."

Everything went dark.