CHAPTER 1STRANGERS BY NATURE


Geraldine 'Jia' Mendoza had been known as many things in her life - a soldier, a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, an Avenger; but most of all, she had been known as 'Captain America's Girl'. Well, at least that's what everyone else referred to her as since her and Steve Rogers' relationship was publicised. They had been together for 7, going 8, years before he left.

When she stood at the clearing to see Steve return the Infinity Stones to their correct timelines and Bruce couldn't bring Steve back, Jia had been worried for her partner. That was until Bucky took her aside, handing her a letter addressed to her in Steve's handwriting. He told her to read it when she got home before motioning over to an older looking Steve talking to Sam.

Seeing the aged Steve, Jia put two and two together and without a second thought; she left. She knew that Steve had chosen to reclaim a life with Peggy Carter instead of staying in the one that he already had with her was crushing to say the least. Jia had always thought that Steve was her soulmate... and maybe he was hers, but she was not his.

Having left the US to avoid her heartbreak and to see her family in the Philippines, Jia had returned to the apartment that she previously shared with Steve after her short term vacation. Coming to her door, Jia hesitated as she reached into her pocket for her keys. Was she ready for this?

Shaking her head, Jia blocked out the memories that threatened to rise as she took her keys out and unlocked the door. Dragging her suitcase behind her, she walked into her apartment before she quickly stopped in her tracks as a familiar figure stood before her.

"I don't remember giving you a key." Jia stated, looking towards Bucky Barnes who now stood in her hallway - looking back at her with a look of anger mixed with disappointment.

"Where the hell have you been?" Bucky asked her, his tone almost demanding an answer from her.

Jia just let out a scoff as she began to move towards her living room. "Hello to you too, intimidating stranger." She greeted him nonchalantly. Bucky, not wanting to be easily dismissed, reached out and grabbed Jia's arm as she walked past him.

"Do better." He said as his steel blue eyes bore into hers. Jia scoffed at him before she pulled her arm out of his grip.

"Hi Bucky, how are you? Long time no see. I like your new haircut." She said sarcastically as she held Bucky stare, intent on not giving him a reason to think that he was having that much of an impact on her.

"You haven't been home since-" Bucky began to state but paused, not being able to bring himself to say what came next, "Since-" He stuttered again much to Jia's annoyance.

"Since Steve's funeral?" Jia said, her tone and expression deadpan because if she showed any emotion, she would break - and there was no way she was going to break so soon; especially not in front of Bucky. "Well, forgive me if I needed to take some time to myself after attending my ex-boyfriend's funeral whilst having delivering a eulogy about how great he was and how much I loved him in front of the family members that he created because he left me here alone." Jia said, her tone very matter of fact and her expression scarily okay - it scared Bucky that she could wear such a mask.

"You're not the only that misses him, Jia." Bucky said, causing Jia to scoff at him as her face contorted slightly to express her anger.

"And you don't get to come in here and say that to me. Steve isn't the only person I'm angry at, Bucky." She said, causing the male to sigh as he looked at her.

"He made me promise not to tell you, he wanted to talk to you himself." Bucky admitted softly but Jia scoffed at him once more as her face scrunched into a look of distaste with an air of disbelief.

"By telling me himself do you mean via a letter he wrote then got his best friend to give to me?" Jia the questioned as she shook her head as if she was responding to her own question.

"He wanted to see you that day!" Bucky exclaimed in defence of his best friend.

"And what made him think that I wanted to see him?!" Jia retorted, raising her voice as she looked at the former soldier. "What could Steve have possibly said to make me feel any better?" She added before turning away from Bucky, taking a few deep breaths as she looked down at her hands and noticed they were shaking. Her whole body was shaking as her eyes teared up at the thought of Steve Rogers.

"Steve said everything was all in the letter." Bucky said after a few moments of silence, softening his voice as he moved close to Jia but he stopped in his tracks as Jia scoffed at his words.

"The moment that I realised what he had done - those 7 years we spent together had been reduced to nothing." Jia spoke, her back still to Bucky as she clenched her hands into fists as her gaze focused on a framed picture of her and her ex-boyfriend hanging almost mockingly against the wall opposite her. "Do you think that anything he wrote could be enough to explain why he chose Peggy over me?" She then asked, her tone reflecting a quiet rage.

A tension rose between the two, the air becoming thick with silence as Bucky looked to Jia with a sense of pity and empathy in his eyes as Jia's body shook, tense with an anger and sadness that she refused to feel.

"Are we done here?" Jia asked, finally breaking the silence when it became too much for her to bare.

"No, we're not done here." Bucky stated, causing the female to roll her eyes before she reached up, took the framed photo down and turned back to the male who was taken aback by her sudden actions.

"Why are you even here, Bucky?" The woman then asked as she proceed to take down the other two framed pictures which had once been proudly displayed in the hallway, reflecting the happy relationship of the couple that cohabited in the quaint Brooklyn apartment to all that walked in. Now, the absence of the photos left the walls bare, as the abandoned half opened and drawer, placed the frames inside - face down - before she closed he drawer with a loud slam.

"Well, my state assigned shrink told me that I needed to make amends and nurture friendships." Bucky answered, watching Jia's every move - frowning when he noticed the effect of the removed photos and bare walls. He was worried to say the least.

"Why are you really here?" Jia then questioned again as she headed towards the kitchen, Bucky quick to follow the woman who was now hellbent on purging the apartment of anything to do about Steve Rogers.

"I promised him I would look after you." He told Jia as she went into the cupboard under the sink to pull out a roll of garbage bags, ripping one off to aid her in her mission.

"Thanks but I can look after myself." She stated before she took the bag and headed into the living room. Bucky stood in the doorway as he watch her swiftly take down anything and everything that reminded her of her past relationship, causing him to frown and his brow to furrow. He knew this wasn't good for Jia but he didn't know how to stop her.

"You don't have to." Bucky spoke up as Jia filled the black garbage bag with anything that made her heart twinge with ache.

"And you don't need to honour a stupid promise you made to your dead best friend but here you are." Jia stated, moving towards the bedroom - hoping that Bucky would just let up but he didn't. He followed right behind her as she walked up the stairs.

"That was uncalled for." He mused at her, in a way to joke as they had done before but Jia looked to him with a deadpan expression on his face.

"You being in my apartment is uncalled for yet here you are." She responded, her tongue as sharp and her wit just as quick. Jia paid Bucky no mind as her full frontal rejection of her own sadness continued to stimulate her to just throw everything that would bring a tear to her eye. "How did you know I was home anyways? Have you bugged me?" The brunette questioned the man who stood watching her.

"No, I just hacked into your security system so I knew if you came home." He informed her, causing her to let out a dry chuckle.

"Stalker. I reporting you to the police." Jia mused, a flash of her former personality showing for just a second before she remembered what she was doing.

"I wouldn't have had to if you just told me where you went. You've been off the radar for six months straight." Bucky said, as he watched her with a sadness that sunk his heart. Her pain was evident, he could feel it but he could see that she wasn't letting herself feel it.

"Well, now that you've seen I'm home, you can go." Jia mused as she stopped throwing things in the bag, tying it as if she was done before letting out a tired breath as she sat on her bed.

Taking a seat opposite her - making sure to leave some space between them - Bucky looked to Jia. "How do I know that once I go, you won't leave without a word of where you are again?" He asked her sincerely, his blue eyes meeting her dark brown as she looked back at him.

"Seriously, Bucky?" Jia questioned, clearly unamused by him. Bucky was afraid this was it - she was going to shut him out completely - but then, she said something that took him by surprise. "Fine. Stay the night. See that I'm not going anywhere." She told him before standing up and picking up the garbage bag filled with all her physical memories with Steve Rogers inside.

"Okay." Bucky told her simply, giving her a soft smile.

"Okay." Jia responded before responding to his smile with a mere nod, leaving Bucky in the bedroom, taking the garbage bag away with her.

Left alone in the bedroom, Bucky didn't follow after Jia this time. Instead, he left her with her memories to do whatever it was she needed to do with them. Bucky would let her keep that time - and leave those memories - between her and Steve forever.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: I can't get through typing up Chapter 5 of my first series 'Ensnared' because it's long and going to be great once I do, but I haven't yet. So in true fanfiction writer style, guess what I did do instead - started a new story that's what. Here's a piece of my always thinking mind and join me into welcoming 'Easy on Me' on to my list of stories! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1 and if you did, please let me know! The more people I know like it and are reading, the more motivated I am! x