When Darcy didn't show up for movie night three days in a row, Bucky felt a wave of relief. It meant not having to tell her why he'd snapped at her in the bathroom. It meant not having to explain that the reason he never asked her to move in full-time was because it outright terrified him. He was ok with her 'staying over' since it didn't mean commitment, but moving in? Moving in was serious in his mind.

He got to walk around in his boxers without thinking about it for three days. On the fourth day there was a knock on the door so he shoved on some sweatpants and found Sam standing outside.

"Where the heck have you been?" Sam says strolling in.

"Here?" Bucky replies.

Sam rolls his eyes, "It smells like a man cave, and that is not a compliment. You need to get out more, what happened to getting out more?"

Bucky shrugs, "I get out. I walk Yulia, we go to the dog park."

Sam rolls his eyes so hard Bucky can fully see the whites of his eyes, "Anyway, I came by because Mandy showed up in Tony's office and wanted to talk to you. Something about making amends, I don't know, we didn't really give her the time of day. But she left this for you. I figured I'd drop it off since apparently you're not leaving your apartment anymore. Plus if it's a bomb I guess I can scrape your guts off the floor after you open it."

"Thanks, Sam," Bucky says dryly, taking the box from him. He slices the tape open on it and sets the box down on the kitchen table before opening it. Inside is a folded piece of paper, the book Steve had left for him way back when, and a flash drive.

James,

I had a feeling they weren't going to let me talk to you. You have really over-protective friends, but that's not really a bad thing. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I am truly sorry for how things ended between us. I never got a chance to tell you that I really did like you, maybe as more than a friend. Undercover work sucks honestly. I mean, working at the movie theater was fun, but it got old not being able to be genuine with anyone there. I'm sorry for ending things how I did, but I was way over my deadline and needed a quick out, so we got the bright idea to try and stage a kidnapping. I thought you'd waste your time trying to find whoever kidnapped me and I'd be able to slip out of the city undetected. Guess I should have known Steve was going to put two-and-two together and not let you waste your time.

After you left I went back to my apartment. I wasn't really planning on going back, I was planning on having someone move all my stuff to Dallas and starting my next assignment. But plans changed. I walked in and all I could think about was the fact that I broke my promise to you. I had told you that you were welcome to stay with me as long as you wanted, and I would be up front if I wanted you to leave. But that wasn't what happened, I was callous and I pushed you out for my own benefit.

After all that, the exposé never even made it to distribution (thanks, Natasha), so basically everything I did was for nothing. I felt so stupid.

This is the flash drive with the article and all the info from our time together. The rest of my intel I think is floating in the ocean, thanks to your cleanup crew. And there won't be another Amanda Hawthorne exclusive, so don't worry about being bombarded by me again. I want you to know that I took a full time job at the crisis call center, and I'm getting my degree in social work now. This is all because of YOU.

Don't squander your second chance. You are one of the most genuine people I've met. You're true to yourself against all odds, and you're incredibly resilient. Thank you for changing my mind about what my future was supposed to look like.

-Mandy

Bucky doesn't hear what Sam is saying, he's distracted by Mandy's sudden and kind words scrawled out before him.

"Seriously, I'm dragging you out of here for some fresh air," Sam says, grabbing Bucky by the shoulder which snaps him back into the present.

"Yeah, ok," Bucky says, not really having any desire to go anywhere, but knowing Sam won't let up if he doesn't oblige. So that's how Bucky finds himself in the park with Yulia and Sam, tossing a Captain America frisbee back and forth. They don't say much other than 'heads up' and 'nice toss', and Bucky is appreciative that Sam must realize he doesn't feel like chatting.

"I take it you and Darcy broke up," Sam says, finally breaking the silence.

"We weren't dating, not officially."

"We weren't dating, not officially," Sam says back in a mocking tone, "She was sleeping at your place more than hers, that counts. And don't protest, we all know, none of us are blind."

Bucky rolls his eyes and tosses the frisbee, aiming for Sam's nose. Sam ducks and misses narrowly, Yulia scampers after it. Begrudgingly, Bucky goes after her to make sure she doesn't wander too far off. The frisbee landed close to the woods and Yulia likes to chase squirrels, something Bucky has yet to be able to teach her is a no-no. Bucky's back is to the pathway but he can see a group of kids on bicycles riding their way, so he steps a bit further from the sidewalk to make sure they have ample space to pass. As they draw nearer he can see one of them is holding a megaphone, and the others are all performing tricks and egging one another on. He sees Yulia start to come back toward him and grabs her collar before she can run into the path of the bikers, but that's when he hears what sounds like an air-raid siren.

And everything goes black…

Current Threat Level: unknown