Denver gazed out the window with wide eyes as the quinjet approached a massive white building with an A plastered on the side of it. "What's this?"
"This is home." Steve told her. He held her shoulder, and she could feel him shaking ever so slightly. Natasha smiled, but Yelena kept a hard expression as they landed. Denver had stayed quiet for most of the trip, as had the others, but she was excited to see what this place held for her.
When the back door opened, Steve took the lead with Natasha at his side, while Yelena and Wanda helped Vision. The tall man was purple, but seemed very nice. Perhaps, before they left, Denver had known him. Now her life before hiding was a little hazy. She remembered flashes of the people she'd known, but now that everything was clearer, she was intimidated by the memories.
Her dad said her aunt might be here.
Denver brought up the rear as they strode towards two men having a conversation, but one looked like he wasn't real. Denver leaned around Wanda's legs to get a better view as her father said sternly, "Mr. Secretary."
"You've got some nerve; I'll give you that. The worlds on fire, and you think all if forgiven?"
"I'm not looking for forgiveness, and I'm way past asking for permission."
Steve's cold tone frightened Denver, but Wanda just dropped her free hand to the child's head to smooth back her hair, distracting her from the adult conversation. Wanda's long fingers stroked Denver's blonde hair until her eyes started to droop a little after the long night of flying.
Suddenly, the fake man disappeared and the real one seemed to sigh in relief before greeting Steve and Nat. Denver watched her father as Rhodey pulled Nat into a hug, but Steve just smiled and then shook his hand. After greeting her father, his eyes landed on Denver, "Denny?" She gave him the same weak smile she'd greeted Wanda with the night before. Everyone knew her, but it had been a long time since she'd seen these people. It was overwhelming, but she knew to be polite and offered up her hand for him to shake, causing him to chuckle.
The sound of deep barking caught Steve's attention and he turned in time to see Cupcake charging towards them, skidding to a stop and jumping up for attention from the man. "Cupcake?" Denver gasped, grabbing and squeezing the massive dog around the neck as Steve looked down in pride. The sound of footsteps was lost on him as he watched his daughter, but the hard slap across the face wasn't.
When he looked up, grabbing his cheek, he took a fist to the nose before he could even get a good look at the woman dishing out the hits. "How dare you?" When he finally met Dallas's eyes, he saw fat tears threatening to spill out of them. They were weary, and her face was more taught, similar to Brooklyn's. Her hair hit just past her shoulder blades and was a dark auburn color. She wound up to hit him again, but Steve caught her fist in midair and she began to sob.
"I'm sorry."
"You took her. You took all I had left of my sister."
"I know." Steve pulled Dallas to his chest and rested his cheek against her temple as she ducked her head, clenching to his tattered uniform. "I'm sorry. I couldn't leave my daughter."
Dallas sniffled and pulled away, but her jaw quivered as she looked Steve up and down with her bright hazel eyes. A tear finally slipped, and she wiped it away quickly before gasping in a shaky breath. She looked down at Cupcake, seeing the blonde child still holding him tightly with fear in her blue eyes.
The tears began to fall openly, "You don't even remember me, do you?"
"Auntie Dallas?" Denver croaked, and the tall woman collapsed onto the ground as the child ran into her arms, hugging her so tightly her back cracked. Dallas couldn't care less about the pain as she caressed the back of Denny's head, pressing desperate kisses to her cheeks in case Steve took her away again, "I've missed you so much. I love you, Baby."
"I love you, too." Denver murmured, remembering the feeling of her Aunt Dallas more than the woman herself. She remembered being safe and loved. She felt it right now in her arms.
Dallas hoisted her up and stood, glaring at Steve as she took a few steps away, and he allowed it. He deserved it, and with everything coming, it might be best for the two to become reacquainted. After seeing the damage caused to Wanda and Vision, and knowing they'd somehow managed to kill Thor, Steve wasn't so sure he'd have a better fate.
Sam quickly swept into the room behind Pietro, who grasped his sister in a tight hug, "You scared me. We didn't know where you were."
"We just wanted time." Wanda croaked as she held Vision's broken stomach, "He needs help."
Sam approached Steve and pulled him into a hug, "You look terrible."
"Well, we've been on the run, what do you expect?" Yelena snapped back as she wandered around the room, not bothering to introduce herself. She turned only when another figure entered the room and stammered, "I think you look great."
Steve swallowed as Bruce approached with his gaze locked onto Natasha. She smiled a little and greeted him, and they stared at each other for a few long moments before Yelena blurted, "This is awkward."
"My sister, Yelena Belova." Natasha gestured to the other blonde, who tossed her head up in a casual greeting as she poked at a cylinder on a table, "We took down the Red Room."
"We noticed." Dallas grumbled as she carried Denver to the sitting room, "After that, the trail went cold." She sat on a couch and ran her hand over Denver's hair, "Part of me wondered if you all were dead. It felt like you were."
"And we're all going to be if we don't figure out a plan." Bruce said sternly as Nat took a seat beside Dallas. They looked up at him as he paced the room, "Clearly they were able to overpower Vision, and they're gonna come back. Thanos has the biggest army in the galaxy, and he isn't gonna stop until he get's Vision's stone."
"Then we'll protect it." Natasha said, but Vision interrupted, "No, we have to destroy it."
Wanda shook her head, "No, we aren't having this conversation."
"Eliminating the stone is the only way we can ensure Thanos won't get it."
"We don't trade lives, Vision."
Dallas clicked her tongue to summon the dog, catching everyone's attention as she stood, "Let's get something to eat. Let the adults talk, okay?" She said to Denver, sparing a glance at Steve. For a moment, he wondered if she'd run away and take his daughter with her. If she did, he wasn't going to stop her.
She led the child into the kitchen and picked her up before sitting her down on a stool, "How you doing, kiddo? You alright? They been treating you good?"
She giggled, "Yes. We've been good."
Dallas nodded, wondering how much of all of this Denver understood, "So, do you remember Thor? Really big guy? Blonde hair like Daddy?" Denver nodded, so she continued, "He sent a message with us that a really bad man is coming, and he's going to try to hurt Vision. Daddy isn't going to let that happen. I know this is hard to understand, but maybe we need to go away for a while. Without him."
"I go where Dad goes." Denver told her aunt firmly, and Dallas chewed the inside of her cheek, trying to think of something else to say to convince the child to trust her. "Dad won't let anything happen to us. I promise. He's Captain America."
"He used to be." Dallas corrected darkly. She looked over her shoulder, seeing them arguing quietly in the other room, "Denny, do you trust me?"
"I don't believe we've met," an accented voice said from behind, "I'm Yelena."
Dallas turned slowly to the woman, seeing her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a white suit with a green vest over it, and Dallas could see the outline of several knives lining her pockets. "Dallas Wells. My sister was her mother."
"My sister is Natalia Romanova. She won't like you taking Denny away." Yelena took a step closer, gazing up darkly at Dallas, "And neither will I."
They stared at each other until Nat appeared and gently pulled Yelena back, "Нам нужно в Ваканду." She turned her attention to Dallas as she steered Yelena away, "Let's talk." Dallas narrowed her bright eyes, but Nat just brushed her off and knelt in front of Denver. Then, with more gentleness than Dallas had ever seen from the assassin, she told the child, "Go with Yelena, we'll be there in a moment."
Together they watched Denver and Yelena disappear around the corner, where Steve scooped up Denver and held her tightly against his chest. They could see he was worried, and that alarmed Dallas. Captain America faced every threat with a brave face and unwavering determination, meaning this Thanos person had him unnerved.
"He wants you two to come to Wakanda with us. Bruce thinks we can extract the stone, and the Wakandans have the technology to do that. They are friends."
"You think I'm going to take my niece to hide out from an alien invasion with a bunch of goat herders?"
"No, I'm asking you to bring your niece with us to the most technologically advanced and fortified country in the world." Natasha countered, and Dallas raised her brow skeptically. Nat sighed, "It's been a long time, Dee. A lot has changed, and there's a lot to catch you up on, but I swear on my life, we won't let anything happen to Denny. If I didn't think it was the safest place for her, I wouldn't let Steve bring her."
Dallas huffed, knowing Steve always put the fight above his family. Why should she think he'd changed now? But Nat wouldn't lie to Dallas. She'd always loved Denver, and that clearly hadn't changed since spending the past two years together. "Alright. I trust you."
Natasha motioned towards the others who were already packing up the jet, knowing she needed to warn Dallas of the man they left in Wakanda, "Dallas?"
"Hmm?"
"There's something you need to know."
"Sergeant Barnes." Shuri called softly as she approached the man's hut, "I need to speak to you."
Bucky peeked his head out, seeing the young woman gazing at him with a calm smile. "Princess."
She scoffed, "Shuri, and I wanted to warn you of impending visitors. My brother will be coming soon, but I wanted you to hear it from me. Your friends are coming. There is a threat to our world on its way, and we will need you to fight. Captain America says the fate of the universe is at stake."
He sighed, "If Steve's coming, I'm sure it'll be one hell of a battle."
"I made you a new arm," Shuri told him softly, "but I didn't have time to create a flesh covering."
"It doesn't matter anyway." Bucky grunted as he spared a glance at the piece of fabric hiding his stump of a shoulder, "They need a soldier. They know what I was."
Shuri sighed as she dropped her head, "You are free from Hydra's programming, and you've atoned for your sins. Perhaps its time to let the people you loved back in. They're on their way right now."
Bucky stood straighter at that, wondering if the one person he'd thought about day and night since coming out of cryo-freeze would be accompanying Steve. Shuri had been Bucky's confidante since he woke up, and he told her about his efforts to get back into the world as he recovered from the effects of Hydra's torture. He told her about Brooklyn, and Steve, and Denver… and Dallas. He told her a lot about Dallas.
He didn't ask, but Shuri didn't offer any more information. She just started walking away slowly, "T'Challa will be here soon. Come back with him to the palace to get cleaned up. You smell like livestock."
Bucky scoffed and turned back to his home. He didn't have any belongings from the outside world, but he had one thing that he'd kept in his pocket when he went under, and he kept close to his cot as he slept at night. Bucky picked up the tattered paper and unfolded it carefully, so he didn't rip it. It wasn't easy to handle such a delicate, precious thing with only one hand.
He never sent this letter to Dallas. He didn't send it back with Steve or ask King T'Challa or Shuri to make sure it reached her in New York. He held onto it, so Dallas could never know the things he'd meant to say. The only thing worse than hurting her would be knowing she'd never forgive him. If he disappeared and never told her why, she'd never get the chance.
Whether or not he'd see her again, the cows needed to be fed. Bucky shoved the letter into his pocket and stormed back into the yard to see two kids hanging from his tree. "Wenzantoni apha?"
What are you doing here?
They laughed, but continued to watch as he grabbed a haybale and tossed it closer to his livestock. He looked back to see T'Challa and Okoye appear over the hill. He sighed and approached as two soldiers sat a briefcase on a chunk of hay. When he got there, they opened it and walked away so the King could address the soldier.
The arm it held was beautiful. Black vibranium with gold accents. It was quite the upgrade from the metal arm the Soviets had given him to replace the one he'd lost in the fall. It was an undeserved gift for the Winter Soldier.
"Where's the fight?" He asked begrudgingly, knowing even if his mind was clear, he was still a weapon, and they'd use him accordingly.
T'Challa smiled weakly, "On it's way. We should get back to the palace. Shuri will install your arm. We have gear for you and will provide whatever weapons you desire. Captain Rogers should be here within the next few hours."
Bucky looked at Okoye, and she drew her lips into a thin line, a sign she wasn't happy about their impending fight either. Bucky nodded at T'Challa and murmured, "Then there's no time to lose."
Dallas twisted her hands in front of her black pantsuit as they approached the dense trees of Wakanda. She grit her teeth as Steve gave directions, knowing they'd be on the ground soon.
"Aunt Dallas?" Denver pulled lightly on her pant leg, and Dallas looked down, pretending not to hear the slight rip of the seam from the child's strength. "What's wrong?"
She knelt down, cupping both of the girl's cheeks to stare into her eyes. The first thing she'd said about Denver when she was born was that she had her father's eyes. She still wished she had Brooklyn's, so she could see part of her older sister in her child. "Nothing is wrong. We'll be alright."
"She's just nervous to see her boy toy after two years." Sam teased from the pilot's seat, and Dallas shot him a look so deadly she felt her own blood run cold. Sam slowly lowered the plane at Steve's direction, and Dallas gripped Denver's shoulder with one hand and the back of Nat's chair with the other.
The trees broke away and a magnificent city appeared at the edge of a shimmering river. Dallas gazed upon the lushest, greenest land she'd ever seen with wonder. Her world had never been so vast and beautiful. It seemed cruel to come here for the battle to end all battles, but Natasha was right, it was a fortress. If they weren't safe here, they wouldn't be safe anywhere.
When they finally landed, a man dressed in purple, flanked by a dozen soldiers and guards, approached their ship. Dallas held tightly to Denver to keep her from darting out, but Steve was ready to jog off the plank to greet the man.
"Is that the King?"
"Yes. Barnes killed his father." Natasha answered softly, and Dallas sucked in a sharp breath. Natasha noticed her hesitation, "The princess told Barnes she thought she could remove the programming from his mind. He stayed here to be healed. He wanted to be better… for you."
Dallas cleared her throat and tossed her head towards Steve, "You better go. I'll bring up the rear." Natasha nodded and quickly caught up with Steve and the others, leaving Dallas and Denver in the quinjet.
"I wanna see." Denver whined up at her aunt, but Dallas wasn't listening. Her pounding heart was louder than the child who wanted her attention. When she finally got close to her sister, she lost her. When she got close to her niece, she was taken away. And when she found love, he almost killed her. Now, in the face of global catastrophe, she wasn't scared of potentially dying, she was scared of Bucky.
"Aunt Dallas, they're leaving." Denver whispered as she tugged Dallas harshly, and suddenly they were walking down the plank. Dallas watched Denver sprint away, catching up to her father in time to come face to face with Bucky.
The little girl stared up at the Winter Soldier in fear for a moment, and he shifted uncomfortably, "Hey Denny."
"Uncle Bucky?" She asked quietly, and Dallas felt her heart break at the uncertainty in her voice. She could tell it affected Bucky too, because he just nodded and grumbled, "Yeah." She backed away slowly, and Dallas wondered if she remembered him losing himself in Vienna, or if she just found him intimidating with his long, shaggy hair and battle attire. This wasn't the quiet, lighthearted man she'd grown to know and love in Stark Tower. This was what was left after being arrested, abandoned, and isolated for two years.
Natasha pulled Denver to her side, and the girl curled into her as they followed King T'Challa into the palace. Bucky watched them go longingly, and Dallas knew she couldn't avoid him any longer.
"Hey." She murmured when she was behind him, "It's been a long time."
He shifted and turned his head slightly, not quite enough to look directly at Dallas, but enough to show he was listening. She saw him swallow, but he didn't say anything until she moved around him to meet his gaze, and he finally mumbled, "I'm so sorry."
Dallas sighed and shook her head, "We don't have time for that now. We both know it's complicated. We'll talk about it later." When he opened his mouth to argue, she boldly grabbed his cheek. Her eyes widened and he visibly deflated as they both realized how natural the gesture felt, and how inappropriate it was after everything they'd been through. "How are you feeling, Bucky?"
"So it's Bucky, now?" He grunted. Dallas could tell he was stiff, and he kept clenching his left hand, as if he wasn't comfortable with it. It clearly wasn't the one he'd had before. She wondered if it was new. As she stared at his dark, metal fingers, she slowly registered what he'd asked her and her head jolted up in time for him to add, "Perhaps you should just call me what I am: the Winter Soldier."
She groaned when he started walking away, then grabbed his left hand tightly in hers to show she wasn't afraid. At least she told herself she wasn't. When he looked at her hand gripping his, she trembled a little, then dropped it, remembering the way he pulled her hair until she thought he'd rip her head off. She blinked, then remembered his metal hand in her vision. He'd tried to kill her with his real hand.
Tears welled up in her eyes and she bit her bottom lip, remembering how much James Barnes loved her. It wasn't his fault. Logically, she knew it wasn't his fault, but he still did it. "I'm sorry. It's just… hard. It's been a hard two years. Steve took Denver. I didn't know if they were even alive."
Bucky furrowed his brows, but Yelena appeared from the glass doors of the palace and called, "Steve is asking for you!" Bucky pointed at himself, but she clarified, "No, her. Not you. Stand guard or whatever." She whipped around, her braid flinging over her shoulder as she stormed back inside.
"He took Denny?" Bucky croaked. Dallas nodded as she started to walk away. She looked to her left when she realized he was walking beside her. She wanted to talk to somebody about her pain, and it felt natural to open up to James. He knew her better than anybody. He had listened, learned, and comforted her, even before they were together. "He took her in the night. Shattered the window with his shield and we didn't hear from him again."
Bucky huffed when Sam appeared, motioning to him, "We're gonna stand watch. The Princess is getting to work on Vision. Steve wants to talk to Dallas."
"He can get in line." Bucky grumbled and Dallas smiled, reaching out just enough to bump her hand against his. He looked to her with a small, shy smile, and it took Dallas back to when they barely knew each other. When they were cautious. Maybe they could start over and find their way back to what they used to be. She missed him. "Later. We'll talk later," Dallas promised quietly. "Be safe, okay?"
He turned on his heel to walk alongside Sam, and Dallas looked over her shoulder for a minute. She hoped when the dust settled, she could let him back in again.