November 2023

San Fansico - USA

Garish lights curled around the window, the harsh reds and greens reflected back into the room back; making it nearly impossible to see out into the street. The glass was already steamed up from the warm bodies and the continuous use of the coffee machines. Not that it mattered. Her job was inside the shop not outside, she had only picked the window seat because she could see the entire shop. Pulling her eyes back towards her client she gestured for the woman to continue.

Ex Congress woman, Sofia Mendoza let her lips curl in distaste as she continued retelling her story. It sounded eerily similar to the previous clients Cece had seen in the week. Each one removed from a place or position they had worked hard to find. Survivors who were being punished for thriving when half the population vanished. Ms Mendoza was just one more person whose life had been ruined by the GRC. At first it had surprised Cece when the ex-politician had seeked her out. The woman looked put together, in control. Her caramel hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, professional but still stylish. Tailored dress and unscuffed heels, she was the visual opposite to Cece, whose oversized shirt engulfed her.

Sofia had almost laughed when the woman had waved her over. Bright floral leggings covered her legs, which she had tucked up onto her chair awkwardly. Three intricate braids curled down the side of her head revealing a large selection of silver earrings. As she dipped her head to nod at her guest the rest of her hair bounced freely in tight black coils. It was only now as she sat across from her that Sofia finally noticed the pair of silver ball bearings that sat either side of her unkempt eyebrow. Even with their tarnished surface the silver stood out against her skin.

But Sofia knew better than to judge someone who was willing to help. So she continued to explain her predicament. Cece grimaced as her client's voice grew louder with each word. "I can't believe I'm having to do this, I was practically running this city but as soon as they came back I was ousted, how is this fair?"

"Least you have kept your home," Cece quipped. Her dark eyes scanned the shop around them out of habit before returning her attention to her tea.

Two employees, neither of them over 20. One couple, on a first date that definitely wasn't going to lead to a second and a single dad trying desperately to rock his fussing baby back to sleep. No threats. Cece stretched out one leg and rested her foot on the edge of the table. Her glowing tablet rested precariously on her curled knee, her fingers continued to tap away at the screen despite the movement. Sofia glanced down, frowning at the yellow trainer that was resting next to her coffee on the low surface between them. She bit her tongue and kept her opinions of table etiquette to herself.

"Small miracles I suppose," replied the older woman.

Cece paused briefly at the answer. A Small Miracle? Part of her began to regret taking in the politicians' case. Hundreds of people tried to make contact with her every week, but she couldn't see them all and unfortunately she needed to see the ones who could pay. Part of it made her feel dirty, she was no better than the GRC. Putting a price on someone's life. Part of her wanted to see just how well this woman would do if she was forced to leave her home and live in squalor. Like so many others. But that wasn't Cece's job. No, her current job was to help find a place in the world for people who paid her. It was as simple as that. Looking up from her screen Cece nodded towards Sofia's phone, which let off two sharp rings before falling silent. Even her ringtones were uptight.

"I've sent you the documents you needed, I hope it helps if you…" Cece fell silent as she caught sight of a figure on the street. It was obscured by the light and the fog but she knew it. Sofia frowned and shook her head as the woman in front of her got up. Without another word, Cece slid from her seat and strolled towards the door, doing her absolute best to keep her movements natural. Even though her heart was pounding wildly against her ribs.

Exiting the coffee shop she paused and looked down at her tablet, as if looking at directions. She lifted her head and glanced around making a point to look at the road names around her. She didn't stop to hold the gaze of the man across the round. She had been right, it was him. Instead she nodded down at the screen and turned in the opposite direction. Continuing to play the lost tourist card, even though she had been in the city for over a year.

She had lost sight of the figure but that didn't mean much. If he wanted to find her he would. Turning into the lobby of a hotel, she smiled at the receptionist and waved a key card front of the elevators. She made sure to close the doors behind her. One floor up she exited the metal box and started to weave her way through the hotel. She only stopped when she reached the roof's access door. A large 'employee only' sign daring her to go further.

Once on the roof, she moved towards the edge. Her pace quickened until she was in a full sprint. One foot pushed off against the concrete rim of the roof sending her into the air and across the smallest gap between the two parallel buildings with practised ease. She stopped at the water tank and pulled out a waterproof duffel bag from underneath it. Scanning through the contents of the bag she found everything she had expected. Cash, passports and a handgun. Shouldering the bag, she made her way off the roof and worked her way down the staff stairs. Before moving out onto the street and hailing a cab. It was time to move on.

January 2024

New York City- USA

Legs aloft, Cece gazed back at the screen behind her not once letting her gaze flicker back to the keyboard in her lap. As her fingers danced across the keys, her head lolled back further until it was hanging off the sofa completely. She made for a strange sight; bare legs, oversized tie dye top and woolen socks. She continued to work away in her upside down position until a light chime pulled her attention away from the large screen. Glancing to the side, she eyed her phone suspiciously. Even on the clearest days it was unlikely that her pizza would arrive this quickly. New York traffic was notoriously bad. Snatching the phone from its spot on the floor, she pulled up images of the security stream. To her surprise, there outside her door was a familiar red cap.

A giddy smile slipped onto her lips as she pulled herself up and over the back of the sofa in one fluent motion. Her keyboard and phone were left abandoned at the thought of food. With a slight skip she moved towards the door, not bothering to take the time to check the monitors that littered the hallway. If she had she would have noticed that Mike's scooter wasn't bumped up on the path like usual. In fact there wasn't a delivery scooter in sight. She didn't even pause to peer through the spyhole in the door, instead she swung the door open with a flourish ready to praise her regular pizza boy for his speedy delivery but the words died in her throat. Sharp eye blues stared back at her from under the rim of the cap.

"I just want to talk."

His voice sent her into a frenzy. With lightning reflexes she tried to slam the door shut, key word being tried. A heavy black boot was kicked forward and wedged itself between the door and its frame. Knowing that there was nothing she could do to physically force the man backwards, she jerked away from the door. She heard the door slam against the wall but she didn't stop, her only aim was the get to her gun. Unsurprisingly, she didn't get to it. A hand grabbed her shoulder, jolting her body to a sudden stop before spinning her backwards. She was shoved harshly into the wall by such an inhuman strength she was left gasping for breath. A gloved hand pressing down on her mouth prevented her from calling for help. Not that anyone would come. She had chosen this building and this particular flat for privacy. No neighbours on her floor, deaf veteran below and a collection of shady individuals with no interest in saving anyone.

Trying to catch her breath and assess her situation simultaneously, Cece let her eyes roam over the intruder. The contrast between them was comical, his all black get up looked dull against the myriad of colours on her top. His hair was shorter then she remembered, the red cap he had hid behind lay discarded on the floor, and he seemed to be holding himself differently. He seemed softer. Though that didn't mean she was going to let him kill her without a fight! Biting down hard Cece clammed her teeth around his hand and shook. Grateful that he hadn't been using his other arm. A low string of curses leapt from her assailants mouth as he tugged his hand away. Using this brief distraction to her advantage she darted past him. Sliding across the wooden floor, she wretched her gun from its holster, which had been taped to the underside of her breakfast counter, and flung it backwards without aiming. The distinct sound of a bullet hitting metal echoed through the flat.

A gloved hand curled around the barrel of her gun as smoke escaped through his fingers. He didn't look impressed, "Would you stop, I just want to talk."

Cece let go of the gun the moment she felt him pull. The crumpled bullet fell to the ground before the others joined it. Once the weapon was empty it was placed on the counter with a surprising amount of care. Not that Cece had stuck around to watch. The moment the gun left her hand she had shot backwards, scrambling to remove a second hidden weapon from its spot under the kitchen stool. Knife raised she went on the offensive. While each of her attacks was blocked with relative ease, she did manage to nick the intruders cheek before he disarmed her. As he slammed her hand into the wooden countertop, her knuckles hit the surface awkwardly and hiss of pain escaped her. The knife was pushed out of her reach and an apology tumbled out almost instantly. Cece paused. Eyeing the man before her in a new light. He followed the movement of her hand as she pulled it closer to cradle it. The dark rings under his eyes were only made more prominent as his face paled slightly. A frown etched its way onto his face as she began to chuckle. Her shoulders bouncing with the noise.

"If you wanted to talk you could have just called," she told him as she moved around the kitchen island and toward the fridge. Just like that her desperate need to escape was eased, though it was never completely gone.

His frown deepened. Her voice was softer than he remembered, less confident or perhaps more solemn, whatever had changed he couldn't quite place it. He watched her move across the kitchen, his body going rigid at the sight of another hidden gun tucked away between the top of the wooden cupboard and the roof of the fridge. Though she didn't take it, instead she pulled out two beers and a bag of frozen carrots. Throwing one beer across to him, knowing he would catch it with ease, she opened the other for herself before settling on the island's countertop. Her legs folder under her and the frozen vegetables pressed against her throbbing knuckles.

"You do realise that storming into my home isn't the best way to start a conversation right?" she chastised him.

Her mind trying to piece it all together as Bucky, James? Soldier? She wasn't sure what to call him anymore, shrugged back, "you would have just skipped town again."

"So it was you in San Francisco."

"Yeah, you got out of town quick."

"I pack light."

There was a pause in the conversation as Bucky let his eyes scan the flat. The kitchen sides were bare and the walls had little to no decoration. Tatty magnolia wallpaper hid most of the brickwork. The kitchen stools didn't match and the sofa looked like it had seen better days. The only item of value was an oversized screen that was bolted to the far wall and the handful of security monitors scattered around the place. His eyes stopped at the house plant in the corner, it's leaves were starting to turn a concerning shade of brown. Behind it was a small duffel bag, a go bag. Right by the window that led out into the fire escape.

"You're running from someone?" He questioned, although it sounded like he had already worked out the answer.

She scoffed, "you mean apart from you, right?"

He didn't seem to find her comment as funny as she did. Instead the ex-hydra soldier moved towards her. Cece had to force herself not to bolt as he reached out and placed his beer bottle beside her on the counter. Her brain had already worked out six different ways of using his discarded bottle as a means of escape but she didn't move. Instead she let him lift her hand from her lap. Pulling the ice from her knuckles he sighed, clearly disappointed with himself for hurting her. Cece stretched out her fingers testing their mobility. Nothing broken, just a nasty bruise. The skin was already turning purple.

"What trouble have you got yourself into this time kid?"

In the past she would have bristled at the nickname. Shouted and screamed. Demanding that she wasn't a child and should be treated like the adult that she was. This time she didn't even reprimand him for using it. Glancing away from her bruised hand and up at her, he realised that she probably didn't feel the need to defend herself against the name anymore. She had grown up a lot since he had last seen her. He imagined people would assume they were similar ages if they were seen on the street together.

"This time? As if you know me that well," she paused, blinking several times before pressing on, "wait do you remember?"

"Yeah I remember." He didn't sound pleased about it.

"Everything?"

"Give or take a few details. You didn't answer my question, what trouble did you get yourself into? I can help."

She laughed at that last comment. Unfolding her legs she slid from the countertop with ease, her feet barely making a noise as they made contact with the floor. Reaching around the man in front of her she plucked her beer from the side and headed out into the lounge. Not before slapping his metallic arm a little harder than necessary.

It took Cece less than a week to find the location of Bucky's apartment. He hadn't hung around long at hers. She had refused to give more information on why she had a go bag ready and he seemed reluctant to spit out whatever it was he had come to say. So much for just wanting to talk. Maneuvering her way down the corridor, she stopped outside his door. Three quick raps on the wood were swiftly followed by the sound of heavy footsteps against the carpeted floor. The door opened. He didn't say anything as she thrust a paper bag full of take out into his arms and sidestepped her way into his home, if it could be called that.

"Man I thought my place was a dive but this, this is ridiculous, you don't even have a TV! Why don't you have a TV? You had a TV in Bucharest and you were on the run," her words carried through the small apartment.

Groaning he closed the door, with a bit too much force, "I've managed."

"I've managed," she mimicked back playfully before continuing her self-guided tour. "Seriously, how do you even function old man. What! You haven't even got a bed?"

A hand caught the back of her collar as he barked out an order, "Get out of there!"

He dragged her back into what should have been the living room area. Although it really couldn't be called a living anything. One lone blanket was bundled up on the floor and a single chair was placed at the edge of the room. She didn't wait for an invitation, instead she settled onto the floor. Her legs stretched in a wide v and lent forwards onto her elbows.

"You know you'll never get used to a mattress again if you don't use one."

"I just don't like the.."

She cut him off with a wave of her hand before he could explain, "Yeah yeah I've heard it all before, I guess it's better than the bath. I bet you don't even have any plates."

As if to prove her wrong, he disappeared briefly before returning with the Chinese boxes placed awkwardly on one slightly cracked plate. She grinned up at him as he placed it on the ground in front of her. She wondered if he only had the one plate but kept the comment to herself. Plucking on the boxes from the plate she started to eat, knowing he wouldn't until she had. He was too much of a gentleman for that.

With a mouthful of noodles, she finally got round to asking her burning questions, "Why were you looking for me in San Francisco."

"I wasn't looking for you, I.."

Bucky stopped mid sentence as if trying to find the right words to explain. Cece didn't push for more, instead she just continued to eat. Her eyes dancing across the silent man in front of her. He had joined her on the floor instead of taking the seat she had purposefully left empty. One leg out straight while the other was bent upward. Cece's eyes stopped at the arm that was draped across his knee. He was wearing a short sleeve top, unlike when he had visited her, leaving the robotic feature completely visible. It had changed a lot since the last time she had seen it. The gaudy silver arm had been replaced with a sleeker model. It's colour was now closer to a gun metal, with several dark metallic sections interlocking together.

A deep sigh pulled her attention away from his arm. He started to talk. His words were hesitant, "I have to see this therapist, court ordered. She says I should make amends with people I hurt, I'm working through the list."

"Bet it's a bloody long list," she cringed as the words slipped out. Placing the food down she gave him a sheepish grin and an apology.

"Don't apologise, it's the truth." A wry grin curled the corner of his lips.

He slid a small leather notebook toward her. Bucky nodded, encouraging her to pick the book up. Gingerly, Cece started to inspect it. The cover was a tan brown, worn but not ancient. It was well used and had had more than one owner. The handwriting at the front of the book was clearly different to the pieces later on. She let out a dry chuckle as she came to the last few entries. A list, a long bloody list. Some of the names were scarily familiar.

"So SanFan, let me guess was it Harper, oh no it was Schmidt right. God she was an arse. So you were in town and you just happened to see me."

"Didn't realise it was you at first, you grew up. And you never used to wear glasses"

"Yeah 7 years is a long time, I'm practically an old woman now. Though I'll let you in on a secret, I don't actually need these," she gestured to the large red frames balancing on the bridge of her nose. "Why haven't you tried to make amends with me yet, I mean you definitely tried to kill me and essentially ruined my life." She turned the last page over and then flipped back through the list. Her mouth fell open. A look of pure horror covered her face. "Oh my god, I'm not even on your little bucket list! I'm not having that!"

Bucky shot forward trying to pull the notebook away from her before she could deface it. Instead of handing it back she tucked and rolled backwards laughing as she did. With acrobatic skills he had forgotten she possessed, Cece came full circle into a standing position. Bucky swung his arm out half heartedly to try and stop her from leaving the room but she skipped over it with a gleeful squeal. They both knew if he had wanted to stop her she wouldn't have gotten past him. Once in the kitchen she started rummaging for a pen.

"Seriously though this is a lot of people, how do you expect to get through them all?"

"Well that was actually why I searched for you after San Francisco," he confessed as he leant against the frame of the kitchen door. His arms folded across his chest as he watched her pull open draw after draw in search of something to write with. She let out a triumphant noise and held the pen up to show him her prize. It didn't take her long to sign her name at the top of his list finishing with a flourished X before tossing the book back at him.

"Oh really, no apology? Just demands I see how it is. Luckily for you I haven't got much else going on." The playful tone dropped as she asked, "why was one of those names circled?"

"I've found him,"

Another silence settled between though this time it was heavier and Cece decided to push. "But?"

"But nothing, just try looking for names you know. I imagine they'll be the easiest to find."

"I imagine I've already got tabs on most of them, hey pass me your phone, god seriously a flip phone. It's like you're doing this on purpose." She entered her number into the phone with ease, taking note of the other contacts he had saved. One was obviously his therapist and the only one he seemed to ring. The other number was saved but rarely replied to. "Whose Sam? Should I be jealous?"

"Shut up."

"Watch the tone I'm trying to be nice here. You know respect your elders and all that crap."

"Funny."

"I thought so," she shot back with a grin. It had been so long since she had joked like this with someone, she had been surprised by how quickly they had fallen back into old habits.

January 2016

Bucharest- Romania

Cece gulped away at her electric blue energy drink, knowing full well that the mere smell of the sickly liquid irritated her companion greatly. His nose crinkled at the smell as he leant over her shoulder to see the screen. Even though the pair were on multiple watch lists around the world neither of them stood out at the moment. It was cold, even inside the cafe, so no one thought twice about his oversized jacket, which was hiding his weaponised arm. Or his cap which was doing little to keep the longer strands of dark hair out of his eyes but he couldn't risk removing it.

Pulling a chair closer, he tried to make sense of the flashing symbols and fast moving script on the screen but he wasn't having any luck. Instead of asking for clarification he let out a frustrated sigh, "you're good with computers."

"That seems like an oversimplification but yeah I'm good with computers," she bit back without having to pull her eyes away from the screen. Several minutes of silence passed before she let out a groan of defeat. "Can you stop with the staring, You might as well just ask what I'm doing, no nothing. Fine, Currently I'm updating Argus, it's a program I created that links camera together. Think government level facial scans but better. Most of the time it works well enough without manual input but occasionally I need to make repairs."

He frowned at her words, her confidence in herself was staggering and he hoped well place. "You have cameras around the world?"

"No," she laughed lightly at his question before pausing to think about how to word her reply, "I just, borrow other people's systems."

"Do they know you're borrowing these systems, you can find anyone with this program?"

Her eyes lit up at the possibility of a challenge. A coy smile pulled at her lips like a cat that had caught the canary. "I found you, didn't I."

February 2024

New York City- USA

Bucky had known that Cece would be able to help but he hadn't realised how much help she would be able to give. In three weeks they had crossed two more people off his list. She would turn up regularly with food and had started organising his home for him. She had started small, some matching plates and a few extra towels. Though she soon gave up trying to be subtle, on her last visit she had brought round an obnoxiously large TV for the lounge. Her presence had even gotten Doctor Raynor off his back about dodging Sam's calls. Though that was short lived when he had accidentally let slip that Cece was an acquaintance from before.

Bucky didn't even question it when she had arrived, through the fire exit, with a pizza box and beanbag. Instead he had merely gotten two plates from the kitchen and settled down in his chair. The late night visits were a pleasant reminder from the past. One of the few things from before that didn't trigger nightmares or fill him with guilt. The use of the fire escape was a new thing though but he didn't pull her up on it. If it had been important she would have explained.

As the two settled into their spots, the empty pizza box tossed to one side and some show she had insisted on watching playing in the background, he found himself asking a question he'd been holding back for a while, "What was it like?"

"You'll have to be a bit more specific," she replied, lifting her head up to look at him. At some point during the show she had tucked herself into a tight ball sunken into the centre of the beanbag like a small child.

"Afterwards, when everyone was gone. What was it like?"

"For me personally, it was great. Hey don't look so offended you're the one that asked. Half the people I was running from had vanished overnight. Empty houses, unused cars, forgotten bank accounts. It was like Christmas had some early. I mean seriously I didn't have any loved ones to lose so my opinion is a little biased. I bet you ask someone else it was hell. It's all subjective really."

"So some people enjoyed it," he asked, trying to sort through the information she had just given him.

"Oh yeah, I mean the lucky ones, people who didn't lose loved ones, thrived. More jobs, more chances to better themselves. Highest rates of political diversity within congress ever! Open border policies, If you could do the job you could get into any country you wanted. What was it like being gone?"

Bucky pulled his gaze away from her and tried focusing on the TV, though it didn't help. A cold sense of dread watched over him as he thought back to it. Reappearing in Wakanda in the middle of a war for the planet, how could he possibly explain that. She had been honest with him though so he tried, "It was like being in ice again. One moment I was there and the next it was five years later."

The pair fell silent. They both knew the feeling of losing time, whether it was the removal of memories or from being forced into Cryo.

Firstly sorry if you are waiting for an update on picture perfect! I think I might need to get this out my system first. I promise I will get on with finishing!

Tell me what you think, good bad anything really. All feedback is appreciated. Also If you have any recommendations for good winter soldiers Fics i'd love to hear them! Fingers crossed chapter two should be up soon. I am currently obsessed with this show! I mean episode 4 was bloody crazy! Obviously please be aware of spoilers in this story do not read if you are not up to date.

Thanks xx