As Bucky walked away from Sam's garden, he heard the steady sound of the shield bouncing against the trees in the distance and his friend's voice began to echo in his head.

"You gotta stop looking to other people to tell you who you are."

Bucky's throat tightened the same way it had when Sam had said those words to him.

Since he had come back and almost become himself again, no one, not even Steve, had said something like that to him.

In fact, since he had fallen off the train over 70 years ago, this was the first time anyone talked to him like that. He was so used to taking orders, going where he was told, fighting when he was told, that he didn't know what else to do.

Sam hadn't told him who to be, but thanks to him Bucky was beginning to see who he could be.

"You want to climb out of the hell you're in, do the work. Do it."

Sam hadn't given him an accusative look, hadn't judged him when he pointed out that Bucky wasn't making amends. That he was avenging his victims by catching the bad guys he'd enabled by being the Winter Soldier. Sam had just suggested another way, that Bucky's closure was possible through the closure of those he had harmed by taking the life of one of their own.

" I'm sure there's at least one person in that book who needs closure about something, and you're the only person who can give it to 'em."

When Bucky told him there were dozens of them, for a moment he didn't dare turn his head for fear of reading the blame in Sam's eyes. But the man had simply said that it was cool, that he should start with one. In his eyes, there was no judgment, just trust, the trust that he had had from the beginning and that had remained, unshakeable despite Steve's departure. Bucky decided that he would never do anything to break that trust.

So as he walked along, he opened his notebook and looked through the list of names. He was going to make amends, whatever it took. He would save the two hardest ones for last. He would go through with it.

Later, as he was on the plane waiting to leave, looking out the porthole in what seemed to be the direction of Sam's house, he picked up his phone.

He wrote just two word.

Thank you.

He was ready. And once he got to the end, then maybe he could ... he shook his head, it was way too early. He had to do everything first to be worthy of the trust Sam had in him.

Lulled by the hum of the plane's engine, he let his mind drift off to sleep.

Sam continued to throw the shield for an hour before deciding to go for a run.

The first few minutes were always the same, he always expected to hear "On your left." and get passed by Steve. He knew that would never happen again. Of course it made him a little nostalgic, but just like a memory of the good old days. Something good that one liked to reminisce about. He then thought of Bucky who had barely found his friend to see him off again, who had many more memories with Steve than he did.

Bucky. It had taken all the courage in the world to let him go. To keep the handshake casual. Sam knew he had to give the man time to fully liberate himself.

They were learning to relate to each other without the bond that had brought them together, without the shadow of Steve.

Sam was beginning to see the Bucky that Steve had told him about. Sure, Bucky would never go back to the way he was, who could after going through what he had, but he would get back to the part of himself that had been suppressed for so long.

"It's just, that shield's the closest thing I've got to left a family, so when you retired it, it made me feel like I had nothing left."

Sam realized at those words the impact his decision to retired the shield had had on Bucky. Now that he had more time to think about it, he realized the deeper implication of Bucky's words.

It was Steve who had made the connection between Sam and Bucky. Bucky must have thought that if the shield, what was left of Steve to bind them, was gone, then Sam would have no connection to him.

Everything in Bucky's words screamed that.

"It made me question everything. You, Steve, me"

Sam's heart began to beat faster, but he refused for the moment to determine if it was in reaction to what Bucky's words revealed or to the physical exertion. He didn't have time for that.

Sam was afraid he had been too tough on Bucky, when he had talked to him about making amends. But he had heard his nightmares last night, he had seen the pain in his eyes when he had asked if he was still having them. Bucky had a right to be free of that and if that meant Sam had to be the one to tell him the raw truth then he would. And so he had.

He stopped to catch his breath. His phone vibrated in his pocket, it was a message from Bucky.

B: Thank you.

He breathed a sigh of relief, releasing a tension he didn't think he had. It seemed that his attachment to Bucky was already much deeper than he thought.

Sam answered the message right away, although the man wouldn't be able to read it for a few hours.

S: I have only shown you the way, the rest is in your hands. I have faith in you.

He put the phone back in his pocket. He had to keep practicing if he wanted to live up to the shield.

Sam had been sitting for several minutes contemplating the suitcase that Bucky had brought him. He couldn't bring himself to open it. His cell phone screen lit up with a new message from Bucky.

B: First one, crossed out.

Sam figured if Bucky was working so hard, then he had to do the same. He stood up, opened the suitcase and contemplated his new armor for a few seconds.

He took a picture of it and sent it to Bucky with these words:

S: I'm ready.

He saw the dots dancing on the screen and waited for the answer, which was not long in coming.

B: I never doubted it.

S: Thank you.

B: For what?

S: For believing I was worthy of carrying the shield in my own way.

B: You said it yourself right ? It doesn't matter what Steve thought. You said it for me, but it's also true for you. The shield, Captain America, it's what YOU do with it that matters.

Sam had to restrain himself from calling Bucky, to hear him say it in person, to tell him in person, but he knew that if he did, the miss would be even worse. He shouldn't rush things, they were both on their own initiation path and they had to keep moving forward, each one separately for now.

S: I'll say it again, thank you. I don't know about you, but I'm tired. Good night Bucky.

His thumb danced over the sending button and then he added these last words.

S: Good luck for the next one.

The answer came back quickly.

B: Good night, Sam.

With each new name crossed out the notebook, Sam received a message and with each message he intensified his training.

Today after Karli and the GRC, as he was leaving the Smithsonian Air and Space museum with Isaiah and his grandson, his phone vibrated again. He opened it with anticipation.

B: Last name on my list, I'm at the door.

S: Where are you? I'll meet you there.

B: By Nakajima Yori, I'll send you the address.

S: Okay. I'll wait for you in front of his house.

B: Okay.

Sam turned to Isaiah and his grandson, "May I leave you here, I really need to see a friend."

He was starting to walk away not waiting for the answer when Isaiah held him by the arm and said simply, "He'll never forget, but he'll learn to live with what he did. It will take time, but with you around, I have no doubt he will. Tell him if he needs to talk, my door is open." and at Sam's surprised face -after all Sam knew Isaiah's feelings for Bucky - Isaiah continued, "I did get used to the idea that a black Captain America could make the difference. Things change."

Sam nodded and said simply, "Thank you."

Then he left for the address Bucky had just sent him.

Then, not waiting for the answer he left for the address Bucky had just sent him.

Bucky knew that he was about to break one of the few bonds he had managed to form since his return. That there would be no more Wednesday meetings. No more matchmaking advice.

And it is with a broken voice that he began, "I, uh, have to tell you something. About your Son."

Yori sat down as Bucky took off his gloves. He didn't have to hide anymore.

"He was murdered."

"What ?"

"By the Winter Soldier."

He paused for a moment before resuming in an even lower voice, "And that was me."

The old man began to cry and asked, "Wh-why?"

And Bucky gave him the only answer he knew to be true, which he had learned to accept but which did not make it any harder to say.

"I didn't have the choice."

As he closed the door, his throat tightened with tears he could not shed. Yori was the only person related to one of his victims that he had a personal connection to. Even though he knew he wasn't him when he did it, he knew that Yori would always see the face of the person who had taken his son from him. Bucky knew he had to remove himself from Yori's life. At least for now.

He walked downstairs and out the door, Sam was waiting for him leaning against his car.

He stopped, ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath. Sam approached him, and simply asked, "You did it man. Are you going to throw away that notebook now?"

"No, I think I'll send it to someone."

Seeing Sam raise an inquisitive eyebrow, he resumed, "To my shrink."

Bucky hesitated a bit before continuing, "I don't have any more names in the notebook, but uh... I need to go see one more person. Will you come with me?"

Sam looked at him a little surprised, before answering, "Sure, man. Come on. You can tell me where we're in the car."

"Actually we have to fly, it's pretty far."

"Good thing I'm on forced leave as there's no bad guys to catch. Where are we going?"

"Fairburn, Georgia."

"Fairb- Oh... okay... I see. Are you sure about this, man?"

"I have to... I have to go all the way."

"Okay." Sam hesitated for just a few seconds, but he couldn't help but squeeze Bucky's artificial hand briefly before saying, "I'll go with you Bucky." and then he started the car.

The next day, Sam was just a few steps behind Bucky as they walked through the garden of the Stark's cabin at Fairburn.

Bucky stopped as they approached the boardwalk by the lake and whispered,

"I'd like to go alone first if you don't mind Sam."

Sam moved closer, pressed the tensed man's shoulder without a word and let him walk forward.

He watched him walk to the end of the boardwalk. To the spot where Tony's ashes had been spread. He saw Bucky's lips move as if he were muttering a litany. Suddenly Sam saw him fall to his knees, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Sam couldn't stand by and watch him like that. He went to Bucky, knelt behind him and wrapped his arms around him. The man froze for a brief moment before letting go in the embrace. Sam whispered in his ear, "It's okay Bucky, you can let go, I've got you, I've got you. Let go."

And Bucky let go. Sam held him until the tears dried up, until Bucky's shoulders stopped shaking.

Then he stepped back a little, put his hands on Bucky's shoulders and helped the man up.

Bucky, embarrassed, did not dare to look at him, so Sam simply took his hand, "Come on, let's go sit on the bench." and he led him behind him to the bench under the porch of the uninhabited cabin.

They sat down, Sam did not let go of Bucky's hand, and they sat like that in silence for a long time until Bucky whispered in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry I put you through this."

Sam put a finger over his mouth to silence him. "I'm here because I want to be. I knew it wouldn't be easy."

"But why? Why would you want to be here?"

"Because I showed you this path, and you had the courage to follow it, and I wanted to be at the end with you. Because it's important to me, you are important to me. You're one of the bravest people I know and man, I'm an avenger, so I know a lot of brave people. You've done everything to free yourself. You took responsibility for things you did that weren't you. You took the opportunity to right a wrong you didn't consciously do. How could I not f-"

Sam paused, realizing what he was about to say.

Bucky had raised his head and Sam could read in the eyes, still blurred from the tears, a glimmer of hope.

Bucky whispered, "How could you not what?"

Sam knew this was one of those moments, like when he was about to spread his wings, just before he jumped. And he jumped.

"How could I not fall in love with you?"

He couldn't tell if it was him or Bucky who had moved forward, or both, but when his lips met Bucky's, he knew that he had made the right decision.

A feeling of joy seized him when he felt Bucky's fingers carding in his hair, pushing him to be even more closer. When the need to breathe made them separate a few minutes later, Sam could not help but stare at Bucky, who did the same.

He saw one last tear pearling at the corner of his eye and ran his thumb over it to wipe it away, and let his hand rest on Bucky's cheek who leaned in.

"I, too, I-" Bucky placed a kiss on his lips as if to build up his courage and continued, "I, too, fell in love with you."

Sam smiled at him and said, "Then everything is fine."

"If you don't mind a work in progress, then yes, everything is fine."

And for the first time since they had left New York, Sam saw the smile he liked best blossom on Bucky's lips. No, on second thought, it wasn't the same smile, on this smile, there was no longer a shadow , it was a smile that took its source in the eyes that shone with a new glow. The glow of someone who has freed himself from a weight that burdened his shoulders. Of a new or rather renewed man.

"We are all works in progress Bucky, that's what makes us human. And this may sound condescending to you, but I am proud of you James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes."

He placed a tender kiss on Bucky's lips, which the other man returned, then leaned against him again, wrapping his arms around his waist. Bucky put his arm around his shoulder.

They sat on the bench for a long time, watching the setting sun reflected on the lake, enjoying each other's presence and the fullness of being where you belong.