Pushing to her feet, Aubrey pulled on a black jacket, pulling the hood up onto her head before stashing throwing stars and knives into her combat boots. Poking her head into the living room, she waited until Bucky met her eyes
"I'm going to walk around...I need to"
Bucky shot to his feet, "I'll come too, in case you run into trouble."
She nodded, glad to have his company. Bucky strapped on knives and hid a pistol under his jean jacket. The house they were staying in was located in a small town and close to some sort of farmers market. Both Super Soldiers left the house in silence, briskly walking on the sidewalk until they reached the market. Aubrey's spine immediately stiffened as she took in the crowd. Her keen eyes scanned the crowd and she knew Bucky was doing the same beside her.
Lowering her voice, she murmured, "I don't see any threats but we should stay together and meet somewhere if we get split."
Bucky pointed to a larger building with red brick "Behind there, but if we see someone it would be better to follow whoever it is." She agreed with him before they launched into the crowd. All of her senses were on high alert, anyone could be an enemy but it was a comfort having Bucky there as another set of eyes. Two Super Soldiers are better than one.
A brightly colored stand caught Aubrey's eyes and she strode over, eyeing the fresh-looking Strawberries.
"How are you today Ma'am?" The vendor asked
"Good, Um-" Aubrey paused, her brain paralyzed, she didn't know what to say. What if she said the wrong thing and the lady got angry? Bucky sidled up beside Aubrey, speaking for her
"We would like some Strawberries, and some of those-" he pointed to Cherries and the vendor gave Aubrey an odd look before measuring out some Strawberries and Cherries.
"Ten dollars please-" the woman smiled as Bucky fished money out of his pocket and handed a ten over. "-Have a nice day!" she called after them as they left the stand. Aubrey puffed a breath out of her lips, glad the human interaction was over.
"You good?"
"Yeah...I don't know what happened. My brain froze I guess" she shrugged, taking the bag of fruit from Bucky. Aubrey continued to travel through the crowd but stopped so suddenly that Bucky ran into her, his "Oof" audible.
"Brie?" But her eyes were on a stand with all sorts of animals.
"Bucky-" she breathed, remembering something "- I used to have...a rabbit. And some dogs." Wiggling bundles of fur brought her out of her stupor and Aubrey rushed over to a crate with furry little puppies inside it. A squeak came out of her mouth and she froze, not really knowing what had just happened. Bucky was chuckling behind her but when she turned to look at him, his face froze. "No, uh uh, I know that look. Brie, we don't have the time or anything for it."
"Bucky, they are so cute" she turned back to the puppies and reached in to pet them, a chorus of yips answered her. The vendor had seen them and came over "These pups are of the Husky variety and make great pets" Aubrey looked at Bucky, a pleading look in her eyes and he groaned, coming over to kneel beside Aubrey. For several moments he played with the pups before standing and asking the vendor "Are these real active, or?"
"The father is a great guard dog, the mother is a real loyal dog so it could go either way." When Bucky looked at Aubrey he sighed, mumbling under his breath "I'm going to regret this..." before looking at the vendor "How much for one?" The vendor cleared his throat and softly spoke of the price of "thousand dollars." Aubrey's jaw dropped and she blatantly stared at the vendor and her Super Soldier hearing picked up some colorful words that Bucky was muttering under his breath.
"Are you serious?" maybe she had heard him wrong.. But when the vendor shook his head and said that Purebreed Huskies were hard to come by, Aubrey stood reluctantly and led Bucky away from the stand.
" Maybe it's better that way Brie-" but he was cut off by the vendor hurrying up behind them. Bucky frowned and Aubrey prepared to grab her knife until she noticed the vendor holding a small bundle of fur.
"This is the runt of the litter, no one will want it. If you can keep him alive then he's yours." he practically shoved the pup into Aubrey's hands, along with formula and a bottle. The vendor flashed a thin smile at Aubrey before disappearing into the crowd. Aubrey looked at Bucky and he held his hands up in defeat. They ventured back to the house quickly and once inside Aubrey took a cardboard box and several old blankets. After making a nest she settled the little puppy inside, clicking her tongue against her teeth happily. Bucky had grumbled the whole time and had plopped onto the couch, watching with furrowed brows. Aubrey jumped slightly when his voice filled the room
"The pup reminds you of something, or someone" she nodded and took a breath before speaking
"I..remember a dog I had...a Husky. But I… don't remember her name" Bucky nodded and came over to where Aubrey stood by the kitchen table and stroked the pup's head.
"What are you going to name him?"
"Oh um." Aubrey chewed her bottom lip, she couldn't remember the last time she named something. She remembered looking at pictures at the farmers market earlier and suddenly she had a name.
"Glacier."
He nodded thoughtfully "It fits him.-" reached over, Bucky grabbed the plastic bag of fruit and placed it beside Glacier's box, digging out the Strawberries and Cherries. Gently, Aubrey moved Glacier's box to the floor by the couch before sitting at the table and dividing the fruit between them on a paper plate. Aubrey and Bucky tried their first strawberries in many years. Aubrey immediately decided that they were delicious; Bucky looked unsure.
"I Love these!" She spoke around the food in her mouth.
"There are so many little seeds, but they have a nice flavor," Bucky concluded as they both tried the Cherries. Almost in unison, they spit the Cherry pits out onto their plates.
"Forgot about how annoying those are," Aubrey muttered under her breath. The Super Soldiers snacked on the fruits for the rest of the night. Several times Aubrey was roused by Glacier's hungry cries. Bucky growled every time the pup started to cry again, constantly muttering about how people would be able to hear its cries. By morning, Aubrey had settled on the couch after doing a perimeter. Bangs sounded from the bedroom and she was instantly awake, jumping to her feet, bow, and arrow in hand. Slowly creeping up to the doorway, she peeked inside. But the only person in the room was Bucky. His eyes were dark and he stumbled around. Immediately, Aubrey knew something was wrong….very wrong. His gaze snapped to Aubrey but he didn't seem to see her. He lunged and she barely scrambled out of his way as he went straight for the door.
"Bucky..?"
He whipped around, gaze hardening before launching at her. Aubrey stumbled back, blocking his punch and returning it to his stomach. His metal fist grazed the left side of her face and it stung painfully. An eerie calmness settled into her stomach as Aubrey slipped back into the familiar blackness of the Eagle. She pushed Bucky against the wall, pinning his metal arm to the plaster with her talons. It crumbled, falling to the ground as she hissed.
"Bucky, du heißt Bucky." [Bucky, your name is Bucky].
His body started to tremble as he blinked vigorously, giving her enough time to hit his head with her elbow, hard. A noise tore it's way out of his mouth as he winced, eyes rolling into his head. Bucky's head lolled to the side and his legs gave out. She caught him by the waist, trying her best to drag him to the couch. His body pulled taut before going slack and his eyes fluttered open. She backed off, hand tentatively going to her face to assess the wound. That was when she realized how hard she was shaking. Bucky's icy gaze snapped around the room, confused at first, but understanding dawned on his face. He stood swiftly, pushing past Aubrey, retrieving his journal before disappearing into the bedroom, the door slamming behind him.
Aubrey slid to the floor and crawled over to Glacier, transferring him from the box to her lap with shaky hands. The pup seemed to know that something was wrong as he nuzzled Aubrey's hand, whining pitifully. She smiled thinly and held the pup up to her face, not realizing that tears had started rolling down her cheeks until Glacier's pink tongue licked them off. Sniffling she whispered, "Hey there, little guy, everything's going to be okay now. I've got you." Hugging him to her chest Aubrey listened as the pup's breaths slowed and he fell asleep, snoring softly. The morning sun shone through the blinds as Aubrey took a deep breath, finally coming face-to-face with what she had been avoiding. She had been putting off her feelings, but now everything felt real. Yes, she was away from Hydra, but would either of them ever be truly free..?
"Is it even possible?" Aubrey murmured quietly, leaning her head back on the wall. Ugly doubts rose up in her mind and she felt like she was drowning. Putting Glacier back in his nest, Aubrey grabbed the blue leather journal and hurriedly started writing, feeling like the words were piling on too fast. Her eye continued to throb, but by now she was used to pain. Bucky emerged from the bathroom several hours later, finding Aubrey on the couch, her journal still in hand, along with a watery cup of coffee. She had calmed down but seeing Bucky, she didn't know how much more she could take. They both started at the same time.
"Brie, I'm-"
"I don't-"
Aubrey closed her journal and tried to start again but Bucky shook his head.
"Brie, I..got caught up and forgot where I was and...I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Buck, it sure as heck scared me, but..it's okay, I...I think I'm going to work on my wings." His only reply was a grunt as he started to make a coffee. The Soldiers cautiously danced around each other all day, both making sure to give the other space. Glacier started hobbling around and played tug-of-war with one of Aubrey's wing feathers. By nightfall, her wings were fixed and had morphed back into the tan backpack. Bucky took the first shift, doing perimeter and watching for anything suspicious. The next morning, Aubrey decided to go to the market again, Bucky became a silent guardian, trailing her through the crowds. It wasn't until she spotted someone in black for the third time that her hair started to stand on end.
"Bucky," she uttered, just loud enough for his Super Soldier hearing to pick up on. His eyes followed hers to the man, who stiffened when he noticed both Soldiers eyeing him suspiciously. The man backed out of the crowd and ran down an alleyway.
"Je vais suivre depuis le sol." [I'll track from the ground] Bucky's rapid French sounded in Aubrey's ears as she moved into an alleyway, glad she had brought her wings along. Tapping the backpack straps, she slipped back into The Eagle's icy calm as her wings extended and she took to the skies. She stayed low as they tracked the man. He entered an abandoned building. Bucky nodded to Aubrey, and they came in from a broken window. The man in a room typing on a computer. Bucky positioned himself on the right side of the door and Aubrey on the left. They crossed their arms and waited as the man sensed their presence and slowly turned around, his eyes widened in horror as he rapid-fired in German.
"Ahh, the Soldat and Adler have returned for a mission, Sp.-" the man started to say the trigger words but Bucky cut him off, his hand a blur as he grabbed the man by the throat. He struggled as Aubrey tied his hands with a rope.
"I don't want to kill anymore, Bucky" she murmured quietly.
"I know," he responded, letting the man fall to the ground. Aubrey sidled up to him and realized she recognized him, this had been one of the scientists who had worked on wiping her memory
" know you-." She hissed at the man "-You're lucky that I'm not in the killing business anymore. Otherwise, I would tear you limb from limb and hang you where everyone can see" The man trembled, eyes flashing with fear
"So..so you're not going to kill me?" he stuttered as she flashed him a wicked grin.
"No, we are going to drop you at the police's front door, and if you don't cooperate then I Will hunt you down and make you regret everything" taking several steps back, she motioned to Bucky, wanting to talk to him. He side-eyed the man whilst listening to her
"Buck, we have to split up."
"I know, I know. You have a burner on you?-" Aubrey nodded and Bucky continued, "-In a week text my number and we will meet up if anything goes south. Text firefly."
"I will fly him to the police station but what about our stuff, and Glacier?" Aubrey felt a pang in her chest at the thought of leaving him behind.
"Lay low tonight. Tomorrow I will leave a backpack on the porch.-" Bucky paused, the next words seemed to pain him "-and...I'll take your dog with me." Aubrey visibly relaxed and nodded, clearing her throat she whispered, "Is..it okay if I hug you?" Bucky grinned a real grin and pulled her into a hug which lasted for a few moments before both pulled away. Aubrey promised Bucky that she would wait until nightfall to drop the Hydra agent off. He nodded and disappeared out the door, metal arm flashing in the fading light.