Prologue

A/N: Hi hello. At this point this is just winging it and seeing how I go with this story. It will mostly take place during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier timeline, with some flashbacks. I only own Dulcinea and Teddy. I know this is a bit of a slow beginning but Dulcinea and Teddy's connection is integral to the story so...yeah.

Reviews are always appreciated.

2018, Madripoor

Dulcinea Rook was being watched.

The sensation was familiar. Hair prickling at the back of her neck, an alertness that made her body go rigid. Her hand slipped to her gun, nestled discreetly in her belt beneath the folds of her thick coat. She listened, but the warehouse was oddly silent.

It had been almost six months since the Snap, and she—like the rest of the world—was finally coming to terms with her new reality. Dulcinea had been flying under the radar for almost as long as she could remember in any case. The only people who might have missed her were gone, victims of the Snap. She didn't know how she felt about it, even after months with the weight of it sitting upon her shoulders.

She liked being alone. Dulcinea had grown comfortable with her own presence over the years, so when the Snap happened, she guessed she was coping better than most other people. She dealt in contracts and favours, cash-in-hand jobs and small crime. The warehouse was her haven, where most of the time, she was not bothered.

Danger was not unusual. There had been a few attempts from various petty thieves and criminals to target Dulcinea in the streets, and they had all been sorry for it. Something clanged down across the boxes in the warehouse where Dulcinea had holed herself up. Spinning around, she drew her gun from her belt and pointed it towards the source of the noise…

It was a kid. A boy, maybe nine or ten. He held his hands up in surrender, small chest heaving as he breathed rapidly in and out. His blue eyes were wide as saucers and filled with terror. Dulcinea cursed under her breath and stowed her gun, sweeping her honey blonde hair from her eyes.

"Jesus, kid." Her Southern drawl was full of wry amusement. "You scared the shit outta me."

"I just came for some food," he protested, "I...I was here the other day and no one was around. I didn't think anyone would be today either."

So that was where the box of muesli bars had gone. Dulcinea's makeshift home was not secure, and every now and again, things had a tendency to go missing. She kept her valuables on her wherever she went. Whatever she left in the warehouse, it wasn't anything she would miss if it was stolen.

"Well, come on. I'm not gonna shoot ya."

The boy tentatively made his way over to her, blue eyes wary. He'd probably been orphaned during the Snap. She'd seen it around a lot, kids his age on the streets. His slim form was tense as he sat down a few feet away from her. Dulcinea sighed dramatically and tossed him a can of baked beans and a spoon.

"Got a name, kid?"

He pried the lid of the can open. "No."

Dulcinea frowned. "What do you mean, no?"

"I have a number." He scratched at his arm. "190309."

A number? What kind of kid is this? Dulcinea was overcome with a wave of sympathy for the boy. Maybe he wasn't an orphan after all. Maybe he'd been alone for a long time, like her. She watched as he quietly set about eating the baked beans, shovelling them into his mouth with the insatiable hunger of a growing child.

"Well, my name's Dulcinea Rook."

"I know who you are." The boy set the empty can down, tugging his knees to his chest. "The Bone Lady."

"The Bone Lady?" Dulcinea repeated with a light laugh, though an unpleasant chill ran up her spine. "Who's going around calling me that?"

The boy shrugged. "People."

"I prefer Dulcinea. Dulcie, to my friends, but even that's cutting it fine and depends on the day."

"They say you don't have any friends."

Dulcinea blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Aren't you a cynic? I suppose I do have quite a few enemies. Friends, not so much these days."

A silence settled over the pair. Dulcinea tossed the kid a blanket and dragged out one of her portable heaters. The warehouse could get cold, but she hoped she'd be able to find herself some better accommodation soon. The boy inspected the blanket, old and well-worn. There was a restlessness about the kid, a sort of nervous energy that Dulcinea couldn't place. Had someone hurt him?

"If you want a safe place to stay, you're welcome to stay here."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," he murmured, picking at the edge of the blanket.

"I think it is. You're hungry, you look like you haven't been sleeping well. Is someone bothering you, kid?"

The boy stayed quiet. The warmth of the heater set off an orange glow through the warehouse as the sun set outside. There was a bit more colour in his cheeks, and he appeared a little less gaunt and pale than when she'd first found him. Dulcinea stirred hot water and instant coffee through with milk as she observed the kid.

"Can I give you a name?"

His head shot up. "You...you want to give me a name?"

"Only if that's okay with you."

He nodded slowly, expression suspicious. "Sure."

"How about Teddy?"

He thought about it for a moment, before a smile spread across his lips, a real one that stretched up to crinkle his blue eyes. A feeling of warmth slid over Dulcinea, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"I like that," he declared.

It was nice to have company, Dulcinea thought. She'd never really been much of a kid-friendly person. She'd grown up an only child in Texas, and that lonely childhood had stemmed into whatever she'd become now. The Bone Lady...were they really calling her that? She'd tried to keep her past under wraps, but 'Dulcinea' was hardly a common name. Things always came back to bite in the end.

As Teddy tossed in the blanket, mumbling in distress under his breath, Dulcinea wondered who had hurt him. This was a boy who went by a number, who stole food and barely slept. A deep unhappiness settled over her like a fog as she realised why she had connected with Teddy. She thought of a young teenage girl screaming at the top of her lungs, locked in a room by the family that failed her as the mist closed in around her.