Julia pulled into the covered parking garage of her high rise condo and parked in her spot. She looked at Jasper in his cat carrier and stuck a finger in that he rubbed against. She wasn't going to miss this drive, or the traffic in San Francisco. When she first fled to Lake Tahoe after her divorce was granted it was just to get away from anything that reminded her of Mason. There had been no plans to find someone else. All she wanted was some peace and quiet and a chance to think of what she would do next. Then she met Bucky and it was like a different path had suddenly appeared. After a disastrous beginning she saw qualities in him that Mason never had. Bucky's emotions had been under tight control and his stoic nature could be mistaken for indifference but he had a strong core of decency that shone through, once they got past each other's defences. His own introverted nature had helped him respect her boundaries until she was ready to open herself up to him. That first kiss, then their first night together had proved to her that this was a man to hold onto. But that meant sharing him with the Avengers and letting him go when he had to leave for a mission. That he would come back was certain and she looked at the pictures in her phone of them together, smiling at the memories they evoked. Taking a deep breath she opened her car door and pulled Jasper's case through from the passenger seat. Time to begin letting go of her life before Bucky.
After picking up her mail and sorting through it as she stood waiting for the elevator Julia realized someone was talking to her. Looking up she was startled to see Rick Garcia, Mason's former partner. "Hey, Julia, you okay?" he asked. "I've been trying to get a hold of you but I never had your cell number. Did Mason hurt you in Lake Tahoe?"
Julia smiled. "Hi, no he didn't," she said. "A couple of friends took care of him and got him under control before phoning the police."
"So, the rumours are true?" he asked. "Captain America and Bucky Barnes were the friends, weren't they?"
Julia coloured. "Yeah, they were staying next door and we became friends," she replied. "They had been out fishing and Bucky heard my cries. Why don't you come up and I'll tell you everything while we have a coffee."
Rick picked up Jasper's cat carrier and together they went up in the elevator to her condo. She unlocked the door and began to make a pot of coffee. Jasper was let out of his carrier and made a beeline for the litter box. As they waited for the coffee Julia told him what happened with Mason. Continually shaking his head in disgust at his former partner's behaviour Rick took a deep breath when Julia handed him a mug of coffee.
"One of the reasons I've been trying to get a hold of you is that the Captain wants you back as a consultant, working cold cases, and reviewing evidence on current cases we're having trouble with," he said. "You've been missed and in retrospect, it seems you were the much better detective."
She smiled. "I would like to but I'm leaving San Francisco," she said. "I like the peace and quiet of Lake Tahoe. I'm living at my parent's place until I sell my condo and buy my own place there. Plus, I kind of fell in love with a guy and he moved to Tahoe to be with me."
Rick's eyebrows went up. "Not one of the Avengers?" he asked.
She nodded with a soft smile. "Bucky Barnes," she said. "He wouldn't like it here. I know that for a fact. So, unless the Captain is willing to ship me the evidence boxes of cold cases or send me digital files of ongoing cases I'm going to have to decline."
A big sigh escaped Rick's lips. "Well I'm happy you found someone," he said. "But dammit, we need you. I'll talk to the Cap and see if he'll go for it. You're never coming back?"
"I might visit when Bucky's on mission, like now," she replied. "As devastated as I was when I lost all my contracts being with Bucky just put things into perspective. I can take it or leave it now. I'll give you my cell number so you can phone when you find out."
"Okay," said Rick. "By the way, do you know a police officer named Jim Paxton?"
"No," she replied. "He might be friends with one of the Avengers. Bucky and Sam had someone shadowing Mason because he lives here in San Francisco, Scott Lang. They said something about him mentioning my contracts to an acquaintance."
"Well, he's the one who really got things going," said Rick. "I guess when he heard you had lost your contracts he made a bit of a stink about it. Made some people in IA sit up and take notice. Did you know Mason did falsify some evidence? I guess he planted some incriminating things at a few crime scenes. The convictions on those cases have been overturned because of it. Never thought the guy would stoop that low."
"Never thought he would cheat on me either but he did and it turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to me," said Julia. "Rick, I'm so happy in Lake Tahoe. Bucky is a good man and he makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world."
Rick smiled again. "Well he's a very lucky man," he replied. "You are a good person and deserve the best. I better be going. I'll get back to you when I can. Good luck."
Julia saw him out and went to the window of her condo, looking out over the busy streets and tall buildings. Nope, she wasn't going to miss this view. She phoned the realtor who promised to come by in the morning. Then she phoned her parents to say she was in town to put her condo on the market. Finally, she began packing her suitcases with all of her clothes. She pulled out the bedding and towels she wanted to take with her plus some of her own book collection to add to Bucky's bookcases. Since she was going to the market to pick up some dinner and breakfast items she would grab some boxes for the things she was taking back with her.
In the morning she had a good visit with the realtor who agreed to stage the place for Julia. She was of the opinion that an offer would be tendered quickly once the listing was posted. Her parents came over for a while and brought her some boxes, offering to store some things at their place. They took her out for lunch where they all enjoyed a good meal while noticing how happy Julia seemed to be. Bucky came up in the conversation and she told them he was on a classified mission but would call her once he was on the way back. Noticing the look on their faces she smiled.
"I'm okay, really," she said. "I know he's coming back to me. It's like all the years with Mason was a pretend relationship. Bucky is the real thing. He makes me feel loved, safe, and beautiful. All of his things are now at the Tahoe house. Once I sell the condo we're going to buy our own place there so we don't have to depend on your generosity. Oh, and San Francisco PD wants me to be a consultant again. I said no, unless they are willing to ship me the files that they want me to examine."
"Okay," said her dad, putting his hand on hers. "Bucky's the real deal and we'll help you if you need us."
By the time her parents dropped her off it was mid-afternoon. She walked to the market and picked up some food then packed up some more things in the apartment. Flicking the TV on there was mention of a hostage situation in a remote resort in Indonesia. Sitting up, she turned up the volume and listened carefully. Jasper jumped up on the couch and rubbed against her so she stroked his fur as the news report continued. Then she looked at the orange cat.
"I think that's where he's heading," she said to Jasper. "He's going to rescue a bunch of people from terrorists."
There was no mention of the Avengers in the news report but deep inside she knew that Bucky, and the other Avengers, were willingly placing themselves in the line of fire to help complete strangers. A strange mixture of concern, pride, and love filled her and she realized that it would always be that way when he went on a mission. But it didn't matter. He had survived years of torture, then endured more years of isolation all to end up an Avenger, a protector. When he was with her he said he felt normal being around her, a most not-normal person. Julia began to laugh realizing she was his lifeline to a normal life and he chose her because of that.
"Well, James Buchanan Barnes," she said out loud. "I'll be your anchor because I know I can do that. We'll get married, have kids and have the most normal life you could ever hope for. All I want is for you to love me and just me."
She laid back onto the couch, placing her hands behind her head and began to imagine married life with Bucky. Later when she went to bed she had a smile on her face and slept well. For her, the future looked bright.
Bucky landed the quinjet at the landing site the Indonesian military directed him to. Even before the ramp was opened they could all feel the change in humidity and he personally was glad he changed into the wicking uniform before he began his stint as pilot. As he went through the checklist to power down the quinjet Barton reminded him to keep the external camouflage on so that the true nature of the aircraft was hidden from prying eyes. They unloaded their equipment into a large military truck then were spread between several jeeps for the trip to their next staging area. Once they arrived there both Sam and Torres put their flying suits on, even though they would travel the next stage in a boat. As the boat approached a narrow strip of beach Barton looked at the boat captain.
"Where's our contacts?" he asked. "I don't see anyone."
Sam checked the landing zone through the infra red setting on his glasses. "They're in the vegetation," he said out loud. "That's some good camouflage."
The boat captain smiled at Sam's remarks and gave the signal to a recipient on shore. Suddenly the landing zone came alive with about a dozen men suddenly appearing out of nowhere. The boat grounded itself allowing the Avengers a short jump to the shore then the Indonesian special forces took possession of several crates of supplies before helping push the boat off the beach. Their commander, Major Nur, stepped forward and introduced himself to all the team, shaking hands with each of them in turn. Following him back into the vegetation they were led to a small clearing filled with tents. That would be home for the foreseeable future. They sat on the ground to listen to the Major give them the full situation and what he said gave them pause.
The resort, a fully sustainable eco-resort, was powered completely by wind and solar power. Water was provided by a huge cistern refilled nightly by the rain generated by thunderstorms. With the resort's location between a carefully planned garden of fruit trees and the ocean, food was not an issue. Although the special forces had managed to get some observations of the terrorists they still didn't have an accurate number of how many were there. Nor did they know exactly where the hostages were being held. What was certain was that when they did take them on it had to be an all out attack. There were no doubts that if any of the terrorists were left in play they would kill the hostages without hesitation. The decision was made for Sam and Torres to send out their mini drones to spy on the resort. Both Red Wing units could hover in stealth mode and scan the area in infra red mode to get an accurate count of people. Scott would also go, hitching a ride on one of the drones. They just had to wait for the thunderstorms to clear out before they did it which would be about midnight. Everyone was assigned a tent and advised to stay in them during the thunderstorm. If they got wet the lower air temperature after the thunderstorm would chill them easily. Major Nur barked out an order and several of his men disappeared into the jungle returning later with small game and began preparing them to roast over a fire. When the food was cooked it was distributed to everyone and they sat on the ground eating. Shaun sat next to Bucky.
"Is this usual eating fare on a mission?" he asked.
"It is when you're in the middle of a jungle," replied Bucky. "You get used to it. Sometimes you end up in a little village and they feed you like royalty. I need a lot of calories because of my high metabolism so I never turn down food."
Shaun nodded and tentatively tasted it, shrugging slightly and eating more of the mystery meat. "Not bad," he said. "Not much different than some things in Chinatown."
Bucky smiled slightly. As they ate the darkness descended upon them pretty quickly. Major Nur advised them to eat up quickly as a thunderstorm was approaching. They would get very little time between the first sounds of thunder and when the hard rain began. Within 15 minutes of Major Nur's warning they could hear the thunder approaching and everyone got into their tents, staying well away from the opening although the Major assured them the rain was heavy enough to fall straight down. Sure enough it started to rain lightly at first then it came down hard as the lightning flashed and the thunder roared around them. Bucky had brought rain proof bags to store his weapons in and he made sure they were protected before settling down and closing his eyes. It would be several hours before they could do any reconnaissance and he planned to take advantage of it. Shaun noticed most of the others doing the same and laid back closing his eyes as well. He was surprised when he woke up several hours later after hearing voices outside his tent.
"You're sure you can hang on, Tic Tac?" Sam asked Scott who was in his gear.
"I've hung on to a flying ant," said Scott. "I think I can hang on to a drone. If I fall off I can always try communicating with the local ant species and get them to bring me back. If I'm successful with that we may be able to use them against the terrorists."
Sam nodded and Shaun watched from his tent as Scott suddenly disappeared. A drone hovered near the ground and Scott must have said he was on it because Sam sent it off towards the resort. Bucky was standing there so Shaun stood next to him.
"How are your stealth skills?" asked Bucky. "I'm pretty good but I'm guessing you're much better."
"You ever hear of a nightingale floor?" asked Shaun. "I can cross one without making a sound."
Bucky nodded, impressed. "Silent and deadly," he stated. "Good. Depending on what we find out you and I are probably the first wave of attack. If they're holding the hostages in one location we're going to infiltrate that building, take out the terrorists and keep the others from entering the building. We'll be more defensive at that point but it's still important. The others can handle the battle with the rest of the terrorists."
For the next half hour they waited as Sam and Torres monitored the drones and Red Wing footage. Scott was also on comms with both men and confirmed that all the hostages were being held in the dining hall. He jumped off the drone at one point to get inside and counted a dozen terrorists inside. Sam relayed the count to Bucky and Shaun. Then Scott advised them he could communicate with the local ant population. If they were needed they could swarm the terrorists. Everyone grinned at that revelation. Sam told Scott he was sending a drone to a certain location and to get there as soon as possible as they were pulling all drones in. About three minutes later Scott confirmed he was on it and he was soon back in the camp, restoring himself to his usual size. Taking his helmet off he had a huge grin on his face.
"For an eco-resort they're not very friendly to the local insect population," he said to everyone there. "The ants have been itching to swarm over everything. They just want the word."
"Then you're in on the first wave," replied Bucky. "Make sure they know not to come after us or the hostages – just the terrorists."
Scott nodded and the decision was made to go through with the attack immediately before the terrorists had a chance to change their guard structure. Everyone geared up and Scott went ahead on a drone to get the ant population ready for the attack. Bucky and Shaun disappeared into the jungle with a drone leading the way to the resort, warning them when a terrorist was nearby so they could sneak through unheard. When they arrived at the edge the two men split up so they would be entering from two different entrances at the dining hall. Bucky would shoot out the knees with silencers on his handguns, while Shaun would take out his guys manually. Then they would defend the building from any attempts to get to the hostages. The word was given and both men stealthily entered the dining hall. Bucky took out four terrorists before one of them cried out. Running through the hall he yelled at the hostages to stay down while he took his shots on the fly. Shaun mowed through his four men then helped Bucky take out the remaining four. By then everyone was awake and either yelling or screaming.
"Everyone, quiet!" yelled Bucky. "We're the Avengers. Now that we've taken out your guards this is the safest place for you. Is there duct tape here or zip ties?"
"Duct tape," yelled one of the staff who ran into the kitchen to get it.
"Tape up the terrorists," said Shaun. "We'll keep any others from getting in. The rest of you take cover and stay away from the windows."
Outside they could hear the sounds of yelling and shooting as the rest of the Avengers and the Indonesian special forces began their attack. They could also hear screams just moments before Scott appeared at the door.
"The ants are attacking," he said, taking a breath. "Cap and Falcon are firing at anything that moves. Hawkeye just keeps sending out flares on arrows then blowing up the ground in front of those who are still standing. Thor ... well he's just like a bull in a china shop. Won't be long."
Fifteen minutes later it was all over and the lights were turned on. The kitchen staff began making coffee and snacks for everyone who milled about the Avengers as they drifted in. Scott talked one of the cooks into giving him a pound of sugar that he poured outside for the ants, communicating that this was their reward from the resort. He asked what else they wanted to leave the resort alone and relayed the message to the kitchen staff who agreed to put a pound of sugar in an accessible spot every week for the ants who helped in the attack. Major Nur sent word to his superiors that the resort had been liberated and was advised that a boat would be sent for the visitors to evacuate. Their boat would also come to the dock to return the Avengers to their first staging area for transport back to the quinjet. As the seven men stood around Shaun looked at all of them.
"This isn't a usual mission, is it?" he asked.
"No," replied Sam. "We got lucky with the intel and decided to act quickly before we lost the advantage. Having you and Bucky use your stealth skills to get in here made a difference as well. We didn't have to worry about trying to guard them and attack the others. We'll do a quick debrief at the quinjet then one with all the analysts at the compound. Good job everyone."
They went back to their tent city once it began to get light in the jungle and collect their possessions then went back to the resort. An hour after sunrise a large boat appeared for the tourists who had been able to pack their bags. They all boarded after thanking the Avengers and the special forces soldiers for the rescue. Ninety minutes later the familiar boat captain appeared with his smaller craft and welcomed them all back on. He brought a unit of regular soldiers who were staying behind to make sure there were no more terrorists lingering in the bushes. A separate boat was being sent for the terrorists who would then be transported to a secure facility for prosecution.
On the ride back to their staging area Bucky tried to call Julia but there was no signal. He would have to wait until they got back to the quinjet. Quietly he cleaned his handguns on the boat, making sure no sand or grit had got inside of them. Then he cleaned the magazines for the same reason. He likely would do it again at the compound but he disliked taking dirty firearms onto the quinjet. His knives were inspected and wiped for dampness then resheathed and put into their container. By the time they got to the staging area all of his equipment was clean. A couple of times he looked up and noticed Shaun watching him.
"They're my tools," he said finally. "I always make sure they're in spotless condition. Don't want them jamming up when I need them the most."
"Were you like this when you were the Winter Soldier?" he asked.
"No, I had handlers who took care of my firearms," replied Bucky looking directly at him. "I wasn't permitted to carry a weapon unless I was on mission. They never trusted me, ever. I could kill any of them with one hand but they kept a muzzle on me that they could activate with an electrical charge that was fucking painful. It reinforced that I couldn't make a move without my handlers say so."
"How did you ever break free?" he asked, his face full of concern.
"Steve Rogers," answered Bucky. "He said my name and it started a revolution in my head. I was still their killer but the more he talked to me the more I remembered. I pulled him out of the water near the Triskelion so he wouldn't drown and I ran. For two years I wrote down every memory that came to me, trying to make sense of it all. He found me again and this time he saved me for real, got me to Wakanda and they sorted me out."
Sam was listening nearby. "Do you know he tried to kill me the first time we met?" he said to Shaun. "The guy was scary but Steve had a plan and I believed in Steve so I had to believe in the plan. Now we're good friends."
"Co-workers," smiled Bucky and Sam grinned back at him.
"Co-workers," he repeated, patting Bucky on the shoulder.
Shaun figured it was a private joke between them and let it go. He looked at the others who were also talking quietly and for the first time in a long time he felt like he was part of something good.
"You guys like karaoke?" he asked.
They all looked at him as if he were crazy then started laughing. "I do," said Scott. "We could meet up some time in San Francisco if you want."
"I'll pass," said Bucky. "I prefer dancing." There was no conversation for a few minutes then Bucky looked at Shaun again. "So, am I safe to be around?"
"It wasn't that obvious, was it?" asked Shaun, making a face. "I'm sorry. I only knew about you when you were the other guy. After dealing with the criminal that my father was I have some trust issues when it comes to people with a bad reputation. Not that you have one anymore. It's evident the others here have no problem with you and you've been very honest with me, which I appreciate. I hope we work together again soon. I also hope we can spar sometime as well."
"Shaun, you talk too much," said Bucky, with a grin. "You have nothing to prove. None of us here do. You have a girl?"
"My best friend is a girl, but I wouldn't say she's my girl," said Shaun, wincing slightly. "She's training in archery. Found out she's good at it so Mr. Wong suggested she keep it up."
Hawkeye perked up at the word archery. Bucky grinned again, looking sideways at Sam. It was going to be so much fun teasing Shaun. But he was alright and had skills they needed. He took a deep breath. Between this slow boat ride, the bone jarring jeep ride then the 14 hour flight back to the Avengers compound, the debriefing and the flight back to Reno it would be a while before he got home. He savoured the word. Home, where Julia was. It felt good to think that way and he pulled his cell phone out to look at her picture again. He was hers; hook, line and sinker, and he didn't mind one bit.