Bucky was falling and he couldn't breathe. Everything was dark around him, but he could hear people screaming – it was the screams of his victims. Then he saw Steve's bruised face in front of him, begging him to stop but he wouldn't listen so he kept on hitting him. Lastly, he saw the lifeless body of Emma on the floor and the minute after, he jolted awake.

Bucky sat on his couch, his head in his hands. He looked around him, relieved that it was just a nightmare. The first daylights embraced his room, almost blinding him. His body was covered in sweat as he tried to calm his breathing down. It was the first time that Emma was part of one of his nightmares. He looked at the time – it was seven in the morning – and laid back.

Being the Winter Soldier had left a permanent mark on him, and the path to redemption would not be an easy one. He was lost and still traumatized by all the things he had been through. He wouldn't risk to put anyone else through this as well.

Being unable to sleep anymore, the man decided to go for an early walk. There was a park nearby where people could enjoy a breath of air in the morning and he thought that he needed that right now. And since it was early in the morning, it meant less people in the streets as well.

After washing up, he got dressed and left the apartment.

(******)

Selene stopped running to catch her breath. Then she looked at her watch, it was almost eight in the morning and the park was starting to be full of people. She started to stretch out when something caught her attention. She noticed the stranger, from the night before, sitting on one of the bench. She got nervous when the man raised his head to look right at her, she gulped when he gestured her to come close. So she did.

"Are you following me?" she asked, right away and he smirked.

"Good morning to you too miss. Please sit down."

Selene said nothing but sat next to the man, at a safe distance.

"Believe me or not, I'm not a threat." he told her.

"You said that we've met before, but I don't remember you. And now you're in the same place as me, I'm starting to get a little suspicious."

"It's a free country, miss Smith."

Blood drained from her face as she heard her family name. There was no way someone had managed to track her down to Romania. Her brain was on alert as she stared at the man with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I'm not here to cause you trouble. I'm Elijah."

She refused to shake the hand he was offering, instead she got up.

"Well Elijah, could you please leave me alone? Thank you."

Now it was his time to stand up and she took a step back, peering at him through her green eyes.

"You don't under-"

"You said that you won't cause me trouble, right?" he nodded. "Then leave me alone."

Selene didn't wait for an answer and resumed her jog. She was worried, worried that she might leave this country very soon. For years, she had thought that she would always be able to hide but now she had the feeling that it would not be that easy.

(******)

Bucky returned a while later. He greeted David quickly before walking up the stairs. As he walked to his apartment, he noticed Emma's door open. At first he didn't mind but as he reached her flat, he noticed the mess, like someone had turned the apartment upside down. Bucky slowly approached the door and knocked on it.

"Emma?"

There was no response, so he got inside and looked around him.

"Emma?" he tried again but still got no response. She wasn't home and he was relieved, because the ones who had turned her house upside down would have probably hurt her too. He didn't understand why this simple thought was making him angry.

'Because you care.' He shook his head.

The ex-soldier noticed something on the floor and realized that it was a photo album. He picked it off the floor and swiped the dust off the cover before he opened it.

"To our beloved daughter, hope you'll live a very long life and find the one who is meant for you. Happy 26th Birthday (again) sweetheart. Love you, mom and dad" was written of the first page.

His curiousness got the best of him and he flipped through the pages: there were pictures of a young couple and a baby, then with a small child – Bucky froze as he scanned the last pages, there were pictures of a woman that was looking exactly like Emma but what struck Bucky the most was the date: 28 May 2000. He wondered if that was that her mom, the resemblance was surprising.

He was so absorbed in the pictures that he didn't notice someone coming behind him.

"James?"

Bucky turned around, the photo album still in his hands, to stare at a shocked Emma.

"What happened?" she exclaimed, looking at her apartment and then her eyes landed on the item in his hands and he could swear he saw blood drained from her face.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have entered your place but I thought something had happened to you. It was already like this." he told her as he handed her the album. "Here."

Selene almost tore it off his hands as she was trying to not freak out. It was obvious that someone was after her, it couldn't be Elijah since she had just left him but someone didn't rip her apartment apart for nothing. It seemed like a threat.

"Are you ok?" Bucky asked her. He noticed the way her fingers were shaking and she looked at him.

"Yeah I'm fine. I think you can leave now. I'm just gonna shower and then take care of this mess."

"I can clean it for you while you go shower if you want…"

She frowned, feeling her cheeks warming up. "I don't want to bother you-"

"I don't mind, don't worry. Go."

Selene hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Fine. I'll be there in a minute, thanks James."

(******)

What was stopping her from fleeing this town? She was crazy, but inside she already knew the answer.

'You know why...' her mind told her and she sighed as she put her shorts on. She quickly checked her appearance in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. As she reached her living room, she saw that all of her stuff was now in order. To her relief, some of her furniture was unscathed – the damages were superficial but she didn't mind.

Selene had hidden the photo album in her bedroom which had been surprisingly untouched. She was under the impression that James had gone through the pages, and she hoped that he didn't pay attention to the last ones. If he were to ask some questions, she could tell him that she looked exactly like her mother. But he didn't seem the type of person to mind other people's businesses.

He turned around when he heard her entered the room and she smiled at him.

"Thank you. You shouldn't have, but I appreciate it. I hope I can make it up to you someday."

"No problem." he seemed to hesitate for a moment, before he spoke again. "Do you know who could have done this?"

Selene shook her head, he didn't need to know – at least for now.

"I don't know, and I think it's better if it stays that way. I'm gonna ask David to change the lock.." the woman told him.

"You were lucky that you weren't home. I don't think they found what they were looking for –."

"There is nothing to look for here, trust me." Selene interrupted him.

She took the two trash bags that were on the floor before looking back at James, who was still staring at her. She blushed.

"You don't look scared." he noted and she laughed, which at his ears sounded like a beautiful melody.

"I'm trying to not show it, that's all. I thought this was a quiet place." she said, almost like a whisper and he could swear he saw her eyes shine with tears. She quickly pulled herself together and took a deep breathe, before looking at him. "Thank you again." she told him, gesturing at her apartment before she suddenly stood still.

"You ok?" Bucky asked her, but she didn't answer as she looked confused, still staring at a particular spot. "What is it?"

"I think something is missing."

She threw the trash bags on the floor and managed to open them, before casting a look inside.

"Yeah, it's not there." she stated, as she closed the bags. "There was a piece of china in my kitchen counter, a little cat but it's gone now. I guess they took it, but I don't see why...it was a gift from Mrs Luis."

"Is this person trustworthy?" James asked her.

"Well, I don't think an 80 year old woman had orchestrated the burglary of my place James. Don't worry, I'll speak with her later at work."

"Oh." he simply responded, but he didn't seem convinced. "I'll let you handle it then. I'm going back now. Have a nice day Emma."

Selene watched as he turned around to leave her flat. She felt like this wasn't going anywhere, why didn't he want to be her friend? What was he hiding? James was her soulmate, he was the one who could save her from this curse and even though, she didn't want to be selfish, she really wanted to live a happy life. She deserved it.

Screw it.

"Hey!" she called him back.

He was opening his door and he looked at her.

"What are you doing tonight?" she asked him as she joined him.

He seemed at loss for words, so she repeated the question.

"Nothing. Why?"

"There's this restaurant, down the streets, who made delicious food and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" She noticed that he was hesitating. "Come on, it can be fun and I'm the one paying."

"I thought the man was the one who paid."

The young woman raised an eyebrow at him, trying not to smile. He didn't refuse her offer yet, she was hopeful.

"This is old fashioned. Also it's not a date, right?" she teased him and his eyes went hide. "Relax, it's just a joke James. Listen, I know you said you're not looking for a friend but I think you could use some company. It's better than staying alone, don't you think?"

"OK"

"Ok as in you accept my invite?" he nodded and she gave him a big smile. "Fine, see you later then? At 7 pm, in the lobby. I'm going to work now, have a nice day as well, James."

'She's not worth the risk," Paranoia told him. "Not only you're endangering yourself, but her as well." He shrugged, refusing to listen to his inner voice this time. Bucky was used to see fear on people's faces but now he was the one making another person smile, and he really liked the feeling this was giving him.

Screw it.

(******)

Author note:

Hi everyone!

Thank you for reading my fanfiction, and a big thank you to all of you who had followed the story.

Firstly, some clarification: I know that Bucky stayed in Bucharest for two years, but for the sake of my story, I messed up the timeline. This story is set a few months before CW and then through it.

The first chapters are a little cheesy but don't worry, it's not going to be like that during the whole story. I love a little pain.

So I hope you liked it and see you next time for the next chapter.