The first two months of the new year, passed in a hectic haze. Jackie was either swamped with work, or celebrating her friend's engagement, or she was recovering from a flu. During this time, Bucky and her occasionally kept in touch over text.

Although a concise texter, Bucky was pretty easy to converse with. He even sent her a few photographs of couches to choose from, for his apartment. Jackie once met him briefly for coffee, after work – where she learnt that since the attack on S.H.I.E.L.D., he had left his job teaching self-defence. People were becoming more suspicious of him there, and so he had started working at a warehouse, instead, where he felt more concealed from the public eye. Bucky also spent most of his free time at the library, catching up on modern history and literature. Thus, each of them went forward with their respective lives.

On a stormy Thursday on March 10th, Bucky Barnes turned 107 years old. Jackie made sure to keep her schedule free after lunch that weekend, so she could take Bucky to the American Museum of Natural History. Jackie didn't trust him to celebrate it on his own.

However, the weather was anything but celebratory. A cold storm brewed overhead, blocking all traffic. Cold winds blew through the city, warning citizens to stay home, where it was safe and warm. Jackie was grateful the museum was still open through the storm.

Bucky met her at the covered steps of the museum, and after a greeting him with a quick and timid hug, Jackie presented him his birthday gift. It was a hardcover book on a brief history of everything, which covered all the topics from science and technological advancements, to pop culture and socio-political history. She had also bought him a gift card from the record store; because Jackie couldn't imagine how he navigated the iTunes music library, for 1930's classics. Beaming, Bucky thanked her profusely, even if he was still shy with accepting the gifts.

Inside, the atmosphere was serene and quiet – a stark contrast to the traffic and hailstorm outside. Jackie immediately felt warmer, safer and at ease, as they strolled through the museum displays, and the sound of thunder gently muffled by the exquisite building. The museum was fairly spacious, and there weren't many visitors left.

Jackie herself wasn't too fond of museums. As a child, she had visited many with her mother, but by her college days, they had lost their appeal. However, it had been years since she had visited one, and she enjoyed Bucky's authentic interest in every exhibit. Seeing everything for the first time and taking it all in with genuine wonder and curiosity, Bucky was in heaven. Although his own knowledge was vast, he eagerly compared it with the information from the panels and what it entailed, so Jackie didn't have to do anything much besides trail along as a listening ear.

As they neared the end of their tour, Jackie observed that the sky outside had turned dark grey, and the looming thunderclouds were showing no signs of passing them by. Even the roads had scarcely any cars left on them, and paper bags and newspapers flew with the gushing wind. It was probably best that they reschedule their coffee for another time and call it a day. Jackie mentioned this to Bucky, but he already seemed distracted by something, as he scanned his surroundings avidly. He agreed and Jackie quickly bought something from the museum bakery stand.

Clad in her favourite white, 'Letters to Cleo' t-shirt, brown, loose high-waist woollen shorts and a matching blazer, along with stockings and a navy-blue puffer jacket on top, Jackie prepared herself for a taxi run; but there were none to be seen on the road, as she and Bucky stood in the veranda outside the museum. He wore a thin, black puffer jacket with a navy-blue jumper and black pants. Bucky seemed rigid and perturbed but Jackie couldn't figure out why or focus on it for long. As she brought her phone out to call an uber, he gently nudged her arm.

"Let's make a run for the station,"

Jackie scowled at him, barely making out his words through the sound of torrential rain and fiery winds. She could barely hear her own voice.

"Bucky, the subway is two whole blocks away. It probably won't be running!"

Bucky's stare was fixed at the dark sky above, he frowned knowingly and nodded at Jackie, without meeting her eyes. However, he then yelled: "Come on!", gently prodding her along and swiftly moved down the large steps that led up to the museum building.

Purely on instinct, Jackie followed him into the rain, and he didn't stop to let her argue with him. On the sidewalk, Bucky kept a fast pace, but he was careful to avoid any slips. He was stern and upright, his gaze flickering over his surroundings in a calculated way, as he hurried Jackie along with a hand on her elbow.

Jackie knew now that they were on the road, they had no choice but to take shelter at the subway station, and with their hoods pulled low, they pushed through the downpour until they finally reached the station.

As predicted, the underground station was sloppy and wet, and the overhead lights flickered ominously. People had gathered there for shelter, but otherwise there was no sound of incoming trains. Bucky tugged at Jackie's jacket sleeve again to direct her to hallway parallel to the trains and running deeper into the station. There were barriers in place which Bucky pushed away without a second glance. Their boots sloshed through the standing puddles underground.

"Bucky, where the hell are we going?"

The clamour outside was muffled underground, and Jackie's voice echoed in the hallway chambers, as they left the crowds behind and weaved into a low-lit, empty hallway. It stretched straight onwards, as far as Jackie could see.

Bucky finally met her concerned and inquiring stare, and his face finally opened to reveal a determined look. The clatter of their footsteps on marble echoed around them.

"We're being followed," his voice was stable, as he prodded her along.

"What?"

"Yeah, since the museum. But don't worry,"

Jackie wasn't sure if her ears were ringing or she was hallucinating the sound, but she stopped in her tracks and stared at Bucky, wide-eyed and bewildered.

"No. No, no, no…"

Bucky made a move to nudge her along, but she defensively shoved his hand away.

"They want you, right?" she could feel her heartbeat rising and Jackie struggled to maintain composure, which was especially difficult considering how nonchalant and calm Bucky looked. He kept a cautious eye on the tunnel entrance which they had entered from, but no one came after them.

"Yeah, they've been after me for a while. Keeping their distance. It's good though, because now's the perfect chance to deal with them, and end this,"

Once more, Bucky managed to gently hurry Jackie along with him while he answered, so she didn't even notice she was walking with him again.

"No!" she suddenly stopped again, much to Bucky's agitation. "There is no this! They want you, not me. I'm not a fucking super soldier! I'm out of here,"

With that emphatic statement, Jackie turned back around but Bucky managed to swiftly swerve her into an adjoining tunnel. He easily grabbed her shoulders and stared into her eyes with a grave expression. His blue eyes sparkled with an anticipated danger. Jackie couldn't be sure if he looked concerned over the upcoming danger, or excited.

"These guys have seen you. You get on a taxi or a train home – even if it's crowded, it's gonna start a chase. And you know the police are never on time. So, these guys will divide and scatter, and I can't have that – "

"And I can't risk my life for this!" Jackie pushed his hands away and glared at him daringly.

It seemed to take Bucky by surprise because he stepped back. He seemed almost impressed by her resolve for self-preservation – which was clearly something that superhero companions didn't exercise for themselves, but Jackie couldn't care less.

She was on the verge of erupting again when suddenly, they heard a metal clanging echo through the adjoining tunnel, and both of them quickly snuck deeper into maze that was the metropolitan subway system.

However, Jackie wasn't done yet. She could feel herself warming up with hyperventilation and a surge of anger towards Bucky.

"Why do you have people trying to kill you all the time? Why did you meet me if you already had fights lined up for today? I would have understood if you cancelled!"

"Jesus," Bucky whispered, gesturing Jackie to also keep her voice down, as he stared at her incredulously while they weaved through the tunnels. "I promise everything will be fine, just hide as soon as I tell you, and I'll take care of the rest,"

Jackie didn't believe him in the slightest, as her heart beat frantically against her chest. She and Bucky were still alone as they walked aimlessly onwards. If she kept herself distracted by reproaching and channelling her anger towards Bucky, maybe Jackie could forget her fear.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of multiple footsteps approaching. Neither she, nor Bucky looked back as they walked along hurriedly. Bucky's countenance was firm but expressionless, as if he really wasn't bothered by anything at all. As if this really was a casual, Thursday afternoon for him.

The sound of footsteps grew louder, and closer. Barely breathing, Jackie looked up at Bucky expectantly and as they turned a corner, and with a stoic look, he whispered: "Now."

She darted towards the gap within the wall and the engine room, as Bucky turned and flung his metal fist straight into the stomach of a stranger. The man yelled in pain as he fell backwards, but three more accomplices appeared out of two separate intersecting tunnels, each of them throwing themselves at Bucky with full force.

He easily missed a punch and kicked one in the shin, and the man yelled in pain. Bucky pulled the man's arm over his own body and threw him across the marble floor. He ducked against another punch by the second man and grabbed his face, bringing it down to collide with his knee – hard. Jackie flinched at the crunching sound of a nose breaking, which echoed through the building. Holding his stomach, the first attacker pulled out his gun, but Bucky swiftly grabbed his wrist with his metal hand and with a quick squeeze of Bucky's fist, the man screamed in pain and the gun dropped from his limp hand. Bucky swerved back to throw another strong kick at the man who attempted to attack him from behind and Bucky flung himself at his torso and the man's body collided hard against the wall.

Bucky slipped out of his puffer jacket, and although his shirt concealed most of his arm, as his fingers stretched and clenched, the metal clicked threateningly. With a mechanical reflex, he grabbed another gun the was pointed his way, and pushed the man's wrist back up into his elbow, easily breaking the arm entirely, with a disturbing crunch. Taking him by his jacket collar, Bucky effortlessly threw the man into the wall, using only his metal arm. He elbowed the other attacker in his eye and brought him over his head and down onto the ground, stamping aggressively into his stomach. With another rapid manoeuvre, he grabbed the other attacker – Bucky's metal fingers clamped into his shoulder, breaking it with a single clench, and with his right hand: punched him right in his gut.

Jackie held her breath throughout, but everything unfolded in a matter of seconds. She wasn't too obscured from view, in her little corner in the shadows, but she didn't feel any fear – only shock as her eyes darted from one body to another. She couldn't yell, move or think, and neither did she try to. She simply held her breath. Directly a few feet in front of her, lay the handgun, which one of the attacker's had dropped when Bucky broke his wrist.

With all five men collapsed on the ground, Bucky heaved while his cold gaze passed over each of them, to assess any incoming threat. The man with the bleeding nose, sat upright with his back against the wall and his arm around his stomach. The blood from his face had trickled down to his shirt, and his knee was bent at an awkward angle. He stared at Bucky with eye-eyed amazement, or wonder. He smiled morbidly as he coughed up more blood. A few feet away, Bucky stared at him fiercely.

"We just wanted to see if you're really as strong as they say," the man's voice was low and gritty. His speech was slightly slurred as he coughed up more blood. Jackie could see him from her hiding spot, but she didn't know if he could see her.

The man looked up at Bucky and with fiery eyes, he muttered: "Lock on Target B8,"

Suddenly, the gun in front of Jackie, flew up into the air and pointed straight at Bucky. The attacker brought out his own.

Within a blink of an eye, both guns went off at the same time and multiple shots blared through the tunnel, echoing loudly against the walls. Jackie instinctively covered her ears, but her eyes were fixed at the gun floating in the air by itself, in front of her.

Without taking time to think, Jackie ran and grabbed hold of it. She pointed it towards the man on the ground, but the gun continuing going off automatically on its own. She squinted as it jerked wildly in her hand and the bleeding attacker pointed his at Jackie. Shards of glass erupted from the tube light behind her, and suddenly, everything went quiet.

The gun in Jackie's hand suddenly dropped to the ground on its own. The attacker lay slouched against the wall in the same position, except his eyes slowly drooped down and closed. There was a bloodstain on his stomach from where he had been shot, and it grew larger. Blood seeped through his clothes and onto the ground.

With a ringing in her ears, Jackie looked down at the body that lay a few feet ahead. It was Bucky's. He had two gunshot wounds in his stomach and one in his right flesh-shoulder. His ear was also bleeding from where a bullet had grazed it. There was sweat on his brow and his eyes were barely open, and glassy. Jackie shakily dropped down to her knees in front of him as she tried to catch her breath.

Jackie gently laid a shaky hand on Bucky's shoulder as his chest heaved up and down. His eyes opened a little wider as they focused on Jackie. He squinted in pain and to Jackie's disbelief, he sat up.

"That didn't go as planned," he mumbled, clutching his bleeding abdomen, with his metal arm.

"Jesus Christ," was all Jackie could manage to whisper as Bucky wrapped his arm around her neck and stood up. Heat escaped his body and he leaned heavily on Jackie, who urged him to sit back down while she called the ambulance, but he retorted by simply pushing himself towards the tunnel which they came from.

So, Jackie trudged along, with one arm around Bucky's waist and bearing the heavy weight of his vibranium arm around her neck, as she struggled to stay balanced. He didn't say a word besides the occasional grunt of pain, and his breaths came out jagged and sharp. He was weary with sweat and exhaustion, while his bleeding shoulder hung loosely at his side and his fingers curled loosely around his puffer jacket. Despite everything, he remembered to grab his jacket.

How they managed to reach the entrance of the subway station, Jackie couldn't say for sure. The station had begun working again, and the crowd of people awaiting the first train, gasped when they caught sight of them.

Bucky began losing consciousness and Jackie had no choice but to let him gently slip down onto the ground, now that it was impossible to hold him up any longer. Her shoulder ached and she looked at the people around her expectantly, as they snapped back to reality and started calling for help. A couple of them approached, but some moved further back. Jackie didn't notice any of this.

Bucky's head lay near her lap as she wearily sat down in the puddle or rainwater from the stairs, which mixed with Bucky's blood to turn a muddy shade of red. Jackie delicately laid her hand on his temple, which glistened with sweat, and she could only watch mutely and in shock, as Bucky slowly closed his eyes.

"Where is that son of a bitch?"

Jackie's eyes snapped open, and it was immediately followed by a shooting pain in her forehead. She blinked a few times to adjust to the strong white light around her. By standing up on command, she felt a rush of dizziness, but after a few seconds, her eyesight returned to normal. In a distance, stood Sam.

As soon as he caught sight of her, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Jackie? Please don't tell me..."

"Hey Sam," Jackie's voice was hoarse from dehydration and napping on the sofa. She rubbed her eyes and ran a finger through her now-frizzy hair. Her puffer jacket was largely stained with Bucky's blood, but thankfully, that could easily be wiped off, but there were small scrapes and bruises on her knees, from where her stockings were torn. She had no memory of how that happened. Jackie had a gauge on her cheek, from where a shard of glass from the tube light, had grazed her face. "Came to check up on your best friend?"

Sam's face relaxed only slightly at the obvious joke as he looked around the empty hallway. It had been four hours since Bucky had gotten shot at the subway station. Outside, the night had settled in, and the rain had stopped, leaving behind a gripping cold.

"Is he asleep?"

"Probably. I don't know,"

"Wanna grab a coffee?"

Jackie hadn't been to a hospital since the day her mother died, and she hated being there. It reminded her of her mother's passing, and of illness and uncertainty. Tears and whispers of consolation. Arguments and hugs. However, getting hot coffee from the vending with Sam, proved distracting and easy.

"I'm sorry you were involved,"

"Weren't you the one who told me not to apologise for other people's problems?" Jackie could barely keep her eyes open from a dull ache in her body, and pure exhaustion. It slowly faded as she took a warm sip of coffee.

Sam chuckled lightly. "Touché,"

After a pause he added: "Those guys… they were part of the group that attacked S.H.I.E.L.D., and they were still after me and my family, back in Delacroix. Bucky apparently derailed their plan and drew their attention off of me, and onto himself instead."

"Naturally," Jackie mumbled as she sipped.

"So, I owe that piece of shit, for saving me and my family without my knowledge. And taking on my enemies. But God, is basic communication too much to ask for, with this guy?"

"It is," Jackie hummed back.

They returned back to the sofas in front of Bucky's room, and Jackie heard a faint voice coming from the inside. Her coffee cup froze at her lips.

"You hear something?" Sam's eyes were full of mischief and Jackie found herself returning a weary smile.

"No, not at all," she joined in, aware that Bucky could probably make out their conversation, through the walls.

"Funny. I feel like I heard someone, but it's hard to tell when this person never talks to you at the right time,"

Inside, Bucky went quiet, and Sam and Jackie gave each other a knowing smile. "After you," he gestured Jackie inside and she entered Bucky's hospital room.

The room was dimly lit, with monitors beeping rhythmically next to Bucky's bed, and tubes attached to his right arm. He lay there in a hospital gown and a white sheet covering his torso. His ear was covered in bandages. In the dim light, his face looked exceptionally pale and dark circles surrounded his eyes. Jackie had never seen him look this worn out and pale.

His eyes opened slowly to watch Jackie and Sam stand on either side of him. The three of them were quiet for a moment, when finally, Bucky spoke up in a hushed and hoarse tone of voice.

"I'm sorry,"

He stared straight ahead so Jackie couldn't tell if the apology was directed towards Sam or her. However, as they stood in silence, she came to realise that it was probably meant for both.

Sam looked down solemnly at the floor. "Thank you, for protecting my family, and me. I hate that you did it without telling me, or even asking me. But thank you,"

Bucky didn't smile or meet Sam's eyes. If anything, his face looked darker than before. His eyes low and fixed at the door. His forehead furrowed slightly, as he blinked a few times and swallowed uncomfortably.

"Oh hey," Jackie spoke up instinctively to cut through the air that was thick with unspoken distress. From inside her crossbody bag, she brought out a small, cardboard box. She handed it to Sam as she dug into her bag again.

Sam opened it hesitantly and looked at Bucky curiously and then back at Jackie – who pulled out a single candle and a lighter. Sam's expression relaxed, and he unfolded the box with a sigh.

"Of course, I forgot," he smiled warmly. His posture softened and he pulled up a chair towards Bucky's bed.

Jackie did the same and she carefully placed the flaming candle on top of the dark chocolate cupcake, that she had bought at the museum bakery – in case Bucky didn't get to celebrate his birthday with a cake.

Which he clearly didn't.

Jackie brought the cupcake towards Bucky, who looked at it with an empty expression. His eyes shifted from her to Sam, and he looked puzzled and unsure. As if they were both aliens descended from another planet, here to trick him into go back to space with them. As much as Bucky loved space, he wasn't eager to visit. He could barely get along with human race on Earth; the last thing he wanted was to interact with another species.

"Happy 107th Birthday, Bucky," Jackie softly wished. Both she and Sam smiled at him reassuringly and knowing that the two visitors wouldn't back down, Bucky finally gave a resigned sigh, and mustered up the strength to blow the candle out. There were no claps or celebratory wishes.

Bucky rested his head back on the pillows and closed his eyes. Jackie couldn't fathom what was going on in his mind, or how he felt. Whether he felt sorrow or resentment. She laid the cupcake down on his bedside table.

"Hey Sam?" Bucky's eyes remained closed. "Those guys had these guns…"

"I know," Sam interjected. "Those were prototypes made by S.H.I.E.L.D., that HYDRA had been smuggling out. They were self-operating and hadn't been launched yet. But I took care of it… and I took care of them, Bucky,"

The last sentence was emphasized, and Bucky opened his eyes to meet Sam's gaze. They shared a knowing look between them, and Bucky nodded resolutely to let him know that he believed him. He finally believed him. Sam curtly smiled back, with a hint of relief on his face.

Bucky then looked back at Jackie with a frown, and there was a gleam in his exhausted eyes.

"I really appreciate you not risking your life for me,"

"Oh, shut up,"

"No, I really do. Your survival instincts are admirable,"

"Thank you. You're paying for my trauma therapy after this,"

"Oh hey," Sam piped up, with a spirited energy. However, his gaze dropped down to the floor, in a uncharacteristically shy manner. "Now's probably the best time to tell you, that you're both invited to my wedding next month,"

"What?!"

Disclaimer: I realised I use the word "metal" when referring to Bucky's vibranium arm, so I hope that's not misleading. There's only a couple more chapters to go, so I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Thank you so much for faves/reviews/reading!