Sorry it's been taking me so much longer to post! I've been really trying to revise the rest of this into the story I want to make sure I'm telling. Just as a heads up, I'm going to change the rating on this to M soon. Just a warning for sexual content. If you'd like to make sure you read, please be sure to follow the story so you can find it once I change the rating. I'll give you ample warning before :) Happy reading, and thanks for the reviews! They give me such a lovely dopamine hit when I get one ;)
Once back inside the ship, Bucky pulled down a table from the wall. He opened the Styrofoam container and tore the top off, dividing the meal inside into two.
He handed one to Jenny and sat on the other side of the ship. "Figured you'd be hungry," he said, biting into the fish, as the breading crunched in his mouth.
"I am," she said. She took her makeshift plate and popped a hush puppy in her mouth. It was sweet and spicy and still warm. Her stomach groaned again. She picked up the fish and took a bite. Maybe it was how hungry she was, but it tasted like the best thing she'd ever eaten. It flaked delicately and melted in her mouth, the cayenne making her tongue tingle.
"Mm," she let out appreciatively.
"Best fish in the county. And from a convenience store," said Bucky, already licking his fingers, starting on his corn.
She swallowed her bite. "There was a tiny Szechuan place by my apartment. Little hole in the wall. But everything was covered in Szechuan peppers and their green beans were the most amazing texture. I still miss it."
Bucky nodded and ate his last hushpuppy.
"Sometimes the best comes from the places you least expect," she said, her mouth half full.
She looked up and met his eyes. "Mm," he said.
Jenny cleared her throat. He stood up and took her Styrofoam half from her and opened a drawer, throwing the garbage inside, then sat down at the helm again.
"We'll be there in 5 minutes."
Jenny stared at the back of Bucky's head as he turned on the engine and they rose into the sky. She licked her lips and sat down next to him in the cockpit.
It took only two minutes before he began their descent into a clearing beside an orchard of oaks. A beautiful two story blue house stood in the middle with white pillars. He turned off the cloaking device and the doors opened. Bucky grabbed the cake and motioned for her to follow. Yelling came from the house, and before she knew it, two kids came careening out the front door making a hard left toward them. These must be Cass and AJ.
"Uncle Bucky!"
Bucky handed Jenny the cake before the two boys tackled him, grabbing his arm. He growled playfully as they pinned him to the ground. Laughing, he pretended to struggle to get up, his grin taking up his whole face.
Jenny's heart pounded as she watched, completely transfixed.
They pulled him up off the grass and he slung his arms around their shoulders kissing the tops of their heads. "Missed you guys," he said.
"We missed you!" said the oldest one.
"Will you get on the headset when we play Call of Duty? Ryan doesn't believe that it's you," said the younger.
"Can we play right now?"
"Come inside, come inside!"
They started dragging him by the hands toward the house.
"Boys, wait…" he said.
"No, no, uh uh."
Jenny looked up at the new female voice that joined them. The boy's mother walked toward them over the grass, her long braids back in a pony tail, and a look of annoyance on her face. Regardless, she was lovely with deep brown eyes.
"Take whatever superhero-ing you're doing and do it somewhere else," she said.
"Hi Sarah," said Bucky looking sheepish.
"Bucky," she said. She crossed her arms in front of her. "Like I told you, you're welcome any time when you're not avenging."
"We uh," said Jenny. "We brought you this." She held out the cake. Was this some sort of ritual?
Sarah looked Jenny up and down, then shook her head at the ground with a chuckle. "You don't always have to bring something when you come," said Sarah to Bucky.
"I need to talk to Sam," he said taking the cake from Jenny. "Then we'll be out of your hair. Promise."
She took the container from Bucky and held it aloft while Cass and AJ tried to grab it from her. A stern glance at them made them stop bouncing so they started pulling on Bucky's arms again.
"He's not here," said Sarah. "On a mission. I thought you'd know."
"I've been on one of my own. I thought he just got back," said Bucky.
"He did. But there's no rest for the new Cap."
Bucky sighed. "That's why he's not answering my texts. Listen, I need him. Is there any way to contact him? You know, sister/brother stuff?"
"You know, this is exactly why…"
"I know."
Sarah looked like she was struggling to decide something. Finally she groaned. "Yeah, there might be. Come inside, I'll hook you up."
"Yeah!" cried the boys. They pulled him across the grass to the house.
Sarah turned to Jenny and narrowed her eyes at her bandage.
"I'm Jenny," she said, holding out her hand.
"Sarah."
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know we'd be intruding like this."
"When you're involved with Avengers, you always get sucked into the fray."
"I'm learning that."
"Come inside and let me change that bandage and you can tell me why you're here."
Jenny swallowed hard, discomfort creeping up her back and followed Sarah into the house.
While Sarah helped Bucky with contacting Sam in the basement, she set the boys to work on the dishes in the kitchen. They had ignored her however and gathered around Jenny.
"How did you get hurt?" asked the younger who turned out to be AJ. "Your wound is badass."
"Are you an Avenger?" asked Cass.
"What powers do you have?"
Jenny laughed. "No powers, not an Avenger, and it doesn't feel badass, it feels pretty painful actually."
"Have you ever played Call of Duty?"
"Or Grand Theft Auto?"
"Wanna play? It's easy."
"You know, Uncle Bucky dated mom. They were together a long time."
"Are you Uncle Bucky's girlfriend?"
As the words escaped AJ's lips, Bucky and Sarah walked back into the living room. They caught each other's gazes, and Jenny's face flamed red.
"Boys! What I say?" said Sarah.
They ran into the kitchen and started to unload the dishwasher.
"We should go," said Bucky to Jenny. "It might be a while until Sam can get back to me. There's blankets on the ship."
Jenny started to get up when Sarah interrupted with a deep breath. "How you gonna do me like that? You know I can't resist your sad puppy dog eyes. 'Sleep on the ship…' She can take Sam's room." She poked Bucky in the chest. "And you…"
"I know. Couch." He held up his hands in surrender. "Thanks Sarah."
"Yeah well, you're family and whatnot."
"Yes, thank you," said Jenny.
Sarah turned her attention to Jenny and her eyes fell on her ear. "Come with me," she said.
She led her to the bathroom and put both the seat and the lid down so Jenny could sit. "Living with boys," she said. "The seat will never be down in this house."
Jenny chuckled. "I lived with all girls, so I have no idea what that must be like."
Sarah pulled out a bandage roll from the cupboard. "It's not for the faint of heart."
"I can see that," said Jenny. "You're a great mom. Cass and AJ are special."
"Thank you," said Sarah. "They take too much after their Uncle sometimes."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Not bad, just, I worry. All his daring-do takes a toll on him."
"I'm sure you worry about your brother."
Sarah nodded. "It hasn't been easy," she said unrolling the bandage.
"He's a great Cap."
"So what's up with you and Buck?"
Jenny startled at the question. "We- we work together. We were on a PR tour and we got attacked. So now we're here."
Sarah gazed shrewdly at her in the mirror.
"Pardon my asking," said Jenny. "But you know him better than I do…"
"You mean we dated?"
"It's none of my business…"
"Seems like you want to know."
"I just can't figure him out."
Sarah took some ointment out of a drawer but didn't say anything.
"Do you trust him?" asked Jenny.
Sarah started unwinding the old bandage from around Jenny's head. "People always want to put folks like us in boxes. Him, me, Sam. We're a lot alike in a lotta ways."
"What do you mean?"
"They see him on TV, hear about him on the news."
See them in their kitchen when they're eight, Jenny thought.
"They get used to one way," continued Sarah. "They don't want to see who someone really is because then they'd be the ones who have to change."
Jenny thought about their conversation when they'd danced in Symkaria. How broken he felt when she kept thinking of him as The Winter Soldier. But he was wasn't he?
"Thing is, it doesn't matter what I think about him," said Sarah. "You have to make your own decision."
Jenny nodded in the mirror as she kept unwinding the bandage.
"But for what it's worth," said Sarah. "Sam trusts him with his life. So did Steve Rogers. And I do too."
"Why did you two, I mean how did… Do you still…"
"I thought it was none of your business?"
"It's not, I'm sorry…"
Sarah snickered. "Relax. I'm the one who broke it off."
"Why?"
"Because I can only handle worrying about one Avenger at a time. My life is here, and I've got my boys to think of. They've already lost a father and Bucky was never going to stop avenging. They can't stop, him or Sam. Anyway, I'm seeing someone new. Down to earth. Real." Sarah got the bandage off and looked at Jenny's ear. "Huh," she said.
"What?"
"Your ear. There's a piece missing, but it's healed over."
"It just happened this morning."
"Well, he must have done some kind of Wakandan magic, because there's no blood." She put the fresh bandages away and shut the drawer.
"I've always been a fast healer."
"I'll get you settled in upstairs," said Sarah.
"Can I help?"
"You can cut the cake. That man and his sugar. I swear he brings it over just so he can eat it. Make sure you save half for him."
Jenny smirked despite herself. Sarah walked up the stairs and Jenny made her way to the kitchen. She passed Cass, AJ and Bucky shouting in the living room on the couch while playing Call of Duty. She tried not to smile, but nonetheless, one pushed at the corners of her mouth.
She opened a drawer and took out a knife and some plates from a cupboard. She cut it down the middle, and started slicing some for her, Sarah, Cass and AJ.
What if Sarah was right? Bucky had done nothing over their trip to make her doubt him. The only person she felt any true unease around was Max. But he had proof of Bucky's betrayal. Photos of him and Limka. But photos could be doctored couldn't they?
She looked over at him smiling as wide as she'd ever seen, playing beside the two boys. They flanked him on either side, as close as they could get. Suddenly he looked up and caught her eye. She turned her head down quickly and served the slices onto the plates and grabbed some forks. When she dared a glance back at him, he was smirking.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Cass asked Bucky in the living room.
Jenny froze pretending not to hear.
"Are you going to get back together with mom?" asked AJ.
"That girl doesn't seem very nice to you," said Cass.
"Guys, let's just play," said Bucky.
Jenny bit her lips, her face hot again.
Sarah came into the kitchen followed by Cass and AJ careening in their socks, sliding along the floor. Bucky followed slowly. They avoided each other's eyes.
As they ate they all chatted, mostly Cass and AJ telling her about their school, fishing, bragging about Sam. Sarah told them a story about Sam and her as kids and a prank she'd played on him when he wouldn't let her tag along to the movies with him and his friends. Jenny laughed like she hadn't in years, her abs flexing painfully. It was familiar being in a kitchen like this, surrounded by family. Well, a family, not hers. She wouldn't allow herself to miss her sisters, it was too tender.
After dinner, Sarah refused to let Jenny do the dishes, and Bucky was dragged back to gaming, so Jenny escaped outside to the end of the dock that stretched out over the bayou. The boys had unnerved her. Sweet, but truthful.
The sky was peach and yellow, the sun just over the trees on the other side of the water that sparkled with light. The air was still hot, but not as muggy, and it made the sweet grass give off a summery smell. An unfamiliar bird called over the water, and Jenny took a deep breath.
"Hey," said a voice behind her. Sarah sat on the bench beside her with two tin cups. She handed one to Jenny and took a sip.
Jenny sniffed it, and alcohol went right up her nose. "Whoa," she said.
Sarah laughed. "Rum. Thought we could use a shot."
"You have no idea how right you are." Jenny threw it back and coughed, but it burned just right in her throat.
"So what's your story?" asked Sarah. "I like to know the strange women my ex brings over before I feel comfortable."
A warm breeze drifted over Jenny's face, and she leaned away unnerved. She didn't know how to feel in this place. Part of it felt like home, but it wasn't her home. It was Sarah's, and she had no right to be here. She had to fight the urge to make herself comfortable since the moment she'd arrived. "Not much to tell. I work at the GRC. I got blipped, and I live alone."
"So, not that it's any of my business…" said Sarah.
"But you're going to ask anyway."
Sarah smirked and took a sip off her cup. "Seems like you're running from something. I know what that looks like. Both Sam and I have in our own ways."
"What was your way?"
"I buried my life in responsibility. Kept my head down. It's easier than feeling the grief."
Jenny looked out over the bayou. She didn't like to be read this close. "Yeah," she said finally. "It's easier to be less."
Sarah finished the rest of her rum and sighed. "That's how the world gets fucked up. Women being less. I chose me, not some fantasy."
Jenny looked at Sarah, admiring the strength of her brow. Her feet planted on the ground. She had a place. Jenny had nothing.
"I really don't mean to make you uncomfortable with my being here," said Jenny. "There's nothing going on between him and me if that's what you're worried about."
"There is. Though, I'm guessing you're both denying in. Listen, it's your business but for what it's worth, I love the man, but I was never going to be number one. You need to know what you're getting into before you jump in. But maybe you like the deep end."
Jenny felt heat color her cheeks.
"Hey," said a male voice.
She jumped and turned as Bucky joined them, leaning his arms on the wooden railing between them.
Sarah stood and took Jenny's cup giving her a sly look. She walked up the dock back to the house, and Jenny turned her whole body toward the water.
"Hey," she answered. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she willed it to slow.
"It's perfect isn't it?" he asked.
"What is?"
"The view. This place."
"Yeah. I love it."
He turned around and placed his back against the rail, draping himself over it, making his back pop. She averted her eyes from where his shirt rode up over his stomach.
"What can you tell me about those men?" she asked. "The orange and white men."
Bucky straightened, turned around again and leaned over the water. "Not a lot."
"I thought we were partners."
He whipped his head toward her. He stared at her for a few beats making her squirm under his gaze. "You're giving me whiplash," he said finally.
The truth of his words hit her. She was giving herself whiplash.
"What do you want Jenny?" he asked. "Partners? Or to keep hating me?"
She stared at him, her mouth dry. He took a step closer. "You said you wanted to come here instead of going home, but you still act like I'm the villain. You treat me like I'm a pariah in front of the kids, yet you want to be partners? Do you trust me or not? Because I can't keep doing this."
"Doing what?" she croaked.
"Waiting for you to make a decision."
Jenny bit her lip and looked down at boards on the dock. He stepped closer so she had to look him in the eyes. She could see the little lines around his eyes etched in sorrow, the scar on his cheek, the one on the bridge of his nose. She gave a small nod.
"Ok then," he said. He pulled away and she let out the breath she was holding. "I think it's Leviathan," he said.