Chapter twenty two
Bucky looked around him. He was in a dimly lit room with concrete walls. There were no windows, only a metal door on one side of the room. He saw a chair in one corner. The Winter Soldier's chair. The chair he despised sitting in. His brow furrowed and his mouth was set in a snarl. He went to go tear it apart, but his fee wouldn't move. He struggled, but to no avail. His attention then turned to a small metal chair that stood in front of him. It looked familiar. This situation was familiar to him. He couldn't figure it out.
His head whipped around when he heard the creaking of metal come from behind him. It was a man, the same man he had beaten up when he, Steve, and Barry rescued Tracey, walking through the door. Following behind the man were the two other agents. They each had a hold on a person's arm as the person struggled to break free.
His breath hitched. He saw a head of blonde hair and then saw their face. Tracey's face.
His eyes grew wide as he watched her fight to get away and watched as they tied her down to the chair. He struggled to move his feet. He had to get to her! He had to!
"Move damn it!" he yelled.
"Winter Soldier."
His eyes shot up to the leader of the three. A smirk was on the man's face as he stared at Bucky. The super soldier's eyes showed rage and hatred as he stared back.
"Winter Soldier," the man repeated. "We've been looking for you for some time now. Now that you're here we can use your help. Miss Madison here has been a nuisance to HYDRA. She has taken some files that don't belong to her, but she won't tell us where they are. We need you to get that information from her."
Bucky glared at the man. "Like hell I'll help you," he spat. "Let her go!" he screamed. "Tracey!"
She didn't look at him. She didn't even look like she heard him. She kept glaring up at the two who had put her in the chair. Bucky struggled some more.
"Tracey!"
He desperately called out to her, but still no reaction from her. He watched as the men questioned her. He watched as they attacked her. He watched as Tracey screamed in pain as one broke her arm. Bucky struggled some more. He couldn't do anything but watch.
"Pity," the leader said.
In the blink of an eye Bucky found himself strapped into the chair he knew all too well. He struggled, trying to break the restraints on his arms and legs. His heart hammered in his chest. He looked at Tracey. She wasn't moving and blood dripped down her face. He looked up at the head clamp. He watched as it buzzed and lit up. No, this wasn't happening. The headpiece began to lower. He squeezed his eyes shut. Tears rolled down his face.
Don't let me forget. Please! I don't want to forget again! I don't want to forget Steve again! I don't want to forget Tracey! Please!
It lowered onto his head and he braced himself for the shocks.
Bucky screamed as he shot up. Sweat covered his body and he was panting; tears rolled down his cheeks. He looked around his surroundings. He was in bed (the sheets were tangled around his legs). He was in his room. He was in the tower. He was safe.
He breathed heavily as he closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands. He wiped the tears from his eyes, taking a deep breath. His head shot up.
Tracey.
He bolted out of his room. He skipped the elevator and headed straight for the stairs, taking two at a time. He burst through the door once he reached her floor. He ran down the hall to her room. Bucky stood in the door way painting. He closed his eyes, running a hand through his already messy hair as he sighed. Tracey was alright. She was sound asleep with Dexter curled up at her feet. Bucky stayed a moment, staring at her. She looked peaceful. Thinking back to the nightmare he clenched his hands. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. Never again.
His eyes widened when he heard growling. Looking back up, he saw Dexter looking straight at him. His teeth were bared as he slowly stood up.
"Dexter," Bucky hissed. "It's me, shh."
He froze when he heard Tracey shift. The blonde woman sat up and looked around as she quieted the dog. Her eyes landed on Bucky. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Bucky?" she said as she turned the lamp next to her bed on.
He shifted from one foot to the other. He attempted to smile only to purse his lips. "Hey…"
"Are you okay? Did something happen?" she asked.
"Uh yeah yeah… I was uh…just checking on you…" He mentally groaned. What else could he have said? Something else besides that, that's for sure.
Tracey's brow arched up in concern. "Bucky…did you have a nightmare?" Steve had mentioned a few months ago he had nightmares still.
Bucky looked down. Never had he felt more embarrassed or ashamed. Steve was the only one who knew about his nightmares. The last time Tracey knew of any was when they first met and that wasn't the best situation.
He felt a hand grab his metal one and looked up quickly. When did she move? He stared down at Tracey as she smiled up at him. He could feel the warmth from her hand on his.
"It's okay, sweetie," she said, squeezing his hand and placing a hand on his face. She wiped the tears from his eyes with her thumb. She looked behind her at her bed where Dexter started circling a spot before flopping right back down. "Do you want to stay with me?"
Bucky quickly shook his head, his eyes wide. "No, it's alright. I'm sorry I woke you up. I was about to head to my room." Stay the night with Tracey? It had only been two months since they started to date. Spending the night with her never crossed his mind, even when dating back in the forties he never did that.
Tracey smiled and stood on her toes. She leaned up and kissed him. "It's alright. You can spend the night here. I'll be here if you have another nightmare."
Bucky smiled as he looked down at her, placing his hands on her waist. She was too perfect. She sacrificed time to make sure he was alright and never complained. He smiled and kissed her.
"Alright…"
"Fair warning," Tracey started as they climbed into the bed, "I tend to cocoon myself in my blankets." She laughed lightly. "I hate being cold."
He chuckled. "Yeah…me too…" he said quietly.
Tracey stared at him for a second with a frown. She knew what he had gone through with HYDRA. She couldn't blame him if he hated being cold.
She smiled and threw the comforter over him, covering him all the way to his chin. "There." She kissed his cheek, laying down and facing him.
He smiled. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close to him and wrapped both of them in the blanket. "I think this is better," he said and kissed her nose.
She giggled as she looked up at him. "Agreed," she said as she laid her head against his chest. "Goodnight, Bucky. I'm right here."
He kissed her hair as he pulled her a little closer. She was right here. No one had her but him. He was going to protect her for as long as he lived.
ooOOoo
Sun shone through the curtained window in the room. Bucky's eyes squinted as the light landed on them. He shifted in the bed, feeling the blankets wrapped around him. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked when he felt something touch his shoulder. It was light, but he stiffened none the less. It was the shoulder where his metal arm met his flesh. He looked down and saw Tracey staring at the spot where the arm fused with him and left ugly scares. Her fingers lightly traced the scars, staring solemnly at them. He forgot he had gone to sleep without a shirt last night. Nobody had seen his scars, not even Steve. He cleared his throat making her jump in his arms.
She smiled at him, but it fell when she saw the look on his face as he stared at her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she said, removing her hand. "I uh…never realized that it reached to your shoulder." She paused before saying "I'm sorry" again.
Bucky continued to stare at the scars and metal. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the pillow. "Yeah…it does…"
Tracey leaned her head up and kissed his jaw. "They make you stronger."
He blinked down at the blonde haired woman. "What?"
"Your scars make you stronger," she stated. "They show that you've survived what gave them to you. It shows you're stronger than you already are. They make you you." She kissed his shoulder, feeling him stiffen. "You're still you, sweetie. Don't feel ashamed. My scar shows that I'm with you no matter what," she said, lifting her shirt up a bit, revealing the scar on her abdomen.
Bucky ran his hand over her scar, smiling lightly when he looked up at her. He cupped her face and kissed her. "Thank you, for everything you do."
"I'll always be here, Bucky. Don't worry," she said, kissing him again.
He pulled her closer to him, burying his face in her hair. "You know," he started, kissing her head, "I could get used to waking up next to you."
Tracey smiled up at him and ran a hand through his hair. "Well what do you think of moving in together?"
"What?" he said, blinking. "Trace, are you serious?"
"Why not?" she said with a small laugh. "We already live in the same building and have been dating for some time now. I know it's only been a few months, but I think it'd be nice. Plus I'd be here if you have another nightmare."
Bucky smiled down at her, shaking his head. "You're serious." He sighed as he ran a hand through her hair, staring at her. "Alright." Tracey grinned up at him, making him grin at her as well.
The blonde's smile fell a moment after as a thought occurred to her. "Bucky…what was your nightmare about? There was a reason why you ran to my room, isn't there?"
Bucky sighed and closed his eyes. He thought back to the nightmare. He remembered being in the chair and the head clamp lowering down before he woke up. He remembered seeing Tracey being tortured in front of him and he wasn't able to do anything, but watch. He remembered hearing her scream in pain. His grip around her tightened subconsciously.
Tracey looked up at him as he stared off into space. She placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb across it. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"I saw you," Bucky said, making her blink. He stared down at her brown eyes as they stared up at him in curiosity and worry. "I was in the room where we found you when you were kidnapped. I saw them bring you in and torture you. I couldn't move. I only watched as they hurt you. Next thing I knew I was in the chair again, about to get my memory wiped. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't save you…"
"Oh, Bucky…" Tracey ran a hand through his hair and kissed his forehead. "I'm right here. No one is going to hurt me and no one is going to use you again. You're too tough to let anything happen. I need you to keep me out of trouble," she said with a smile.
He chuckled. "You do seem to get in trouble all the time," he commented, resting his forehead against hers. "Maybe that's why Tony calls you the child out of the group."
"He said what?" Tracey said, her smile falling and a serious tone taking over.
"He said it not me," her boyfriend defended.
"How am I the child? Barry's more of the child than me."
Bucky laughed and kissed her. "Are you sure? You seem to be complaining a lot about this."
"Oh shut it, Sergeant."
"Sorry, doll," he laughed. He looked down at her as he held her, smiling at her as she rolled her eyes. "You know we'll have to get up soon, right?"
Tracey groaned, resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't remind me. I still have a few more files to get I think."
"Just take a break then. You work too much."
"And you guys don't?" she said, raising a brow. "You've been helping around the city for the last few months now. You look dead when you come home."
"Well thanks for the compliment," Bucky laughed. He stretched his arms out behind Tracey, before wrapping them around her again. "I think we should get up now."
Tracey rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. "I don't want to," she whined, her voice muffled.
Bucky chuckled, running a hand up and down her back. "Sorry, darling, but you're gonna have to."
And as if to prove a point, Dexter jumped onto the bed and bounced from one to the other, licking their faces. Tracey swatted her hand at the dog as she kept her face buried in the pillow. Bucky laughed and scratched the dog's head as he licked the man's hand and face.
"Down, boy," Bucky said, lightly pushing the dog off the bed. He turned back to Tracey, smiling as she didn't try and make a move. He rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Come on," he said, poking her sides.
"Alright, alright," Tracey said at last. "Just stop poking me." She laughed, rolling her eyes at his grin. "You're annoying, you know that?"
"You're dating me," he grinned, receiving a light punch to the chest.
ooOOoo
"Barry's out on a mission with Sam and Bruce?" Tracey asked as she and Bucky sat at the top floor kitchen counter. She had her laptop out in front of her, files pulled up all over the screen.
"Yeah," Tony said, nodding his head. "Sorry, Techie, he didn't have time to say goodbye. He left early this morning."
Tracey bit her cheek, but nodded. "It's fine."
Bucky placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. "He'll be fine, Tracey. It's Barry. He's trained for this."
"I know…" Tracey said, staring down at her keyboard. She sighed and pushed her computer away and got up. She walked around the kitchen, gathering up the needed items for a sandwich. "So how's locating the bases going?" she asked Tony.
"It's going well thanks to you. I don't think we would have found them as fast as we have without you gathering up the files," the billionaire said, giving the blonde a smile.
Tracey chuckled. "Yeah that's what I'm here for."
Tony looked from Tracey to Bucky, a smirk forming. "So how are you two love birds doing? Did you finally kiss her, Barney?"
Tracey raised a brow. "Did you just call him a purple dinosaur?"
"Yep!"
"He called me a what?" Bucky asked, giving the two a strange look.
"A singing, purple dinosaur," Tony said nonchalantly.
Bucky gave him a look, an eyebrow raised. He turned to Tracey, who giggled at his perplexed expression. "Care to explain."
"Barney's this purple dinosaur from a children's TV show."
He turned back to the scientist. "Thanks, Stark."
"Not a problem. You didn't answer my question," Tony said, crossing his arms. "Have you kissed?"
"I don't think it's any of your business," Tracey said with a roll of her eyes when she saw the expectant grin on the bearded man's face.
"Yes, we've kissed," Bucky said, a smirk when he heard Tracey's complained shout of "Bucky!" He turned back to Tony. "I kissed her a month ago."
"And you didn't tell me?" Tony said, a mock hurt expression on his face as he placed a hand over his heart.
"I'm surprised you didn't have JARVIS show you a video or something. You practically know everything that goes on in everyone's lives," Tracey said, sitting back down at her spot next to Bucky.
Tony pouted. "I'm not allowed to do that anymore."
"Pepper?" Bucky asked.
"Shut it, Frosty," Tony said just as Steve walked off the elevator.
"What's going on?" Steve asked, looking at Tony's sullen face and Bucky and Tracey's smirks.
"Tony's trying to pry into our lives and we just learned that he's been banned from looking at footage of everyone around the tower," Tracey answered.
"I knew he did that," Steve laughed.
"I only did it once or twice. You three act like I do it as a hobbie," the billionaire said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"That's because I thought it was," Steve said with a smirk.
"Oh shut up, Captain Fuddy Duddy."
Steve rolled his eyes, chuckling. He turned to Bucky, who was getting his hand swatted at by Tracey as he tried to steal her sandwich. "Hey, Buck. I'm about to hit the gym. Want to come? You too, Tony."
"Sure." He turned to Tracey. "Want to come, doll?"
"Nah, I'm good. I've gotta finish this," she answered, gesturing to her computer. "Go have some manly fun without me," she teased.
Bucky rolled his eyes and pecked her lips. "See you later."
He got up and followed Steve and Tony to the elevator. Bucky shoved Steve's shoulder when the blonde soldier said something to him. Tracey laughed when she saw it, shaking her head before turning back to her work.
ooOOoo
Bucky walked off the elevator, a bag on his shoulder and a box in hand. He had spent the day at the gym and then went to his room to gather his things. Steve wouldn't stop teasing him when he had told his friend that he was moving in with Tracey. He knew that Steve was happy for him and he only retorted with comments asking when Sharon would move in with him. He snickered when he remembered the blush on the man's face. Unfortunately, when he started packing he and Steve were called out to go take care of a distress call out in the city. That took a few hours. Now it was quarter to one in the morning. He was exhausted.
Looking around the main area it was dark. However, there was a faint glow coming from the living room. Walking over he spotted Tracey laying on her stomach across the couch with her computer laying open in front of her face. The glow from the screen shone on her face showing off that she was in fact asleep. Her breathing came in slow breaths as she had her head resting on her arms.
Bucky shook his head, chuckling. He set his stuff down and shook her shoulder. "Trace. Baby. Wake up."
Tracey jerked awake, her head shooting up. "What?"
Bucky laughed. "Baby, you need to go to bed."
"No, I still have more to do," she said, sitting up and gesturing to her computer. She grabbed and placed it on her lap and began typing away at the keyboard. "I need to finish this. Then I'll go to bed."
He crossed his arms as he watched the blonde work. He shook his head for a third time. "Okay," he said, closing her laptop, "you're done."
Tracey looked up at him as he took the laptop. "What? No, I need to finish that"
Bucky placed the laptop on the kitchen counter before walking back over to the couch and grabbing Tracey, hoisting her over his shoulder.
"Hey!" she yelled. "Bucky, put me down!" She began to kick his chest only to have him hold her legs still with his other hand. "Bucky, I swear to god! If you don't put me down right now!" she continued to yell, punching his back.
"I hope you realize that doesn't even hurt," he said with a laugh. "Nice try though, darling."
"Bucky!" she yelled as he walked through the bedroom door. She yelped as he swung her onto the bed.
"Go to sleep," he said, pointing a finger at her. She glared up at him, crossing her arms over her chest. He rolled his eyes and leaned over her, giving her a kiss. "Go to sleep, baby," he said with a soft smile.
"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes and pulling the blankets over her.
Bucky smiled and quickly went to the bathroom to change. Walking back out he couldn't help but laugh. Tracey was already dead asleep under the covers. Climbing in, he pulled her to him and kissed her temple.
"Goodnight, Tracey," he whispered, pulling the blankets around them.
Woo another chapter done. I honestly had written the nightmare section a few days ago intending on using it for some other part of this chapter or the next, but felt that it fit. I honestly couldn't think of what this chapter would be about, so sorry it's a filler. I guess it's just further developing Bucky and Tracey's relationship.
Well, I just got home from my friend's dorm and found a note on my apartment door with my room number on it saying that apparently I didn't pay my rent or something. I actually paid it last week, the exact amount that I know is what I have to pay every month. But the letter states that I owe at least forty more dollars. What the hell! So far I had a crappy weekend and to top it off I have that letter show up – on a Monday no less – and it just helped make the weekend crappier. So much is going on right now. My friend/roommate who wanted to get the apartment together (and talked about how we would do all this stuff like movie nights and cooking and baking and decorating the place) is always with her boyfriend and I never see her. I am currently TERRIFIED of Econ. Not gonna lie. And now this stupid rent problem I seriously feel like Tracey from the beginning of this story with her own rent problem. Ugh.
Sorry about my depressing ramble. Onto happier notes: I am getting excited at the prospect of ending the story soon since it will be the very first story I actually complete. And like my sister pointed out in her recent review I literally had NO idea what I was going to be doing with this story. Honestly, after posting the first chapter then the second I wasn't sure if I'd continue. Every single story I start I lose interest in so I am BEYOND happy that this story is actually going to be completed!
Which brings me to my next bit of this author's note. After this story (or maybe now, depending on what you guys want) I'm going to start a oneshot series where it will just be the daily lives of the Avengers, Madison twins, and Trucky. I have a few ideas, but I would seriously LOVE to get prompts from you guys. It can be about anyone. It can be about Steve and Sharon, Tracey and Barry, Bucky and Tracey, Tony and Pepper, or Steve and Bucky. Anybody. It can be happy, funny, angst, whatever you guys want. I literally only have a few ideas in mind and would love to have you guys send some prompts. You can either message me here or on tumblr. Or if you don't have a tumblr or fanfiction account and are a guest you can leave a review with a prompt if you have one.
You can look me up on tumblr with my Ask the Avengers/this story's blog under
Winter-is-ending
I would seriously love love LOVE to hear from you guys! Even if its just a message from you wanting to chat, I would love that. I have in a bad mood lately and would love to hear from some of you whether it's prompts/imagines, questions for the twins and Avengers, or just wanting to talk.
Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed. Seeing the emails about follows and favorites and reading reviews honestly makes me smile and brightens my day. You guys are amazing and I love you guys!