Anlass

Bucky Barnes looked out of the window in his hospital room and down on the street below. He was scouting the area. Looking at threats. Possible exists. Potential dangers.

He had been doing that for most of the past couple of weeks. Years, actually. But now he was doing it from inside a magical hospital, so at least something was different.

His gaze turned back to the small table in the corner. Steve's letter was still openly lying there.

At first, Bucky hadn't been able to relax. Not really. Someone might walk in. Storm in. Anything. But the healers had assured him that NO ONE would enter his room without permission. Not even them. And slowly Bucky was trying to let go of some of his deeply ingrained habits.

That letter was the reason Bucky was now looking out the window. Again. It had been Steve's third letter and still Bucky hadn't managed to send an answer.

Thankfully that didn't seem to bother Steve, who send updates on what was happening outside. Apparently Steve had left his safe house in France to try and find more rogue Hydra agents. He was accompanied by Sam and (to Bucky's big surprise) Sirius.

And Bucky knew it was ridiculous. He knew it was stupid. But… it didn't exactly feel good.

Steve was out there fighting Hydra and he was seated comfortably in a warm, magical hospital room. His best friend, his captain, was in danger and Bucky was too bloody weak to protect him.

A soft knock interrupted Bucky's gloomy thoughts. He waited a moment to see, if the person would enter uninvited before shouting "Yes?"

"Hello? Oh, hi! Mr Barnes?"

"Bucky.", he answered instinctively, examining the woman in front of him. She had very long, brown hair pulled up in a messy bun, one of these crazy pants, that always make you look like you are wearing a skirt, and a tank top proudly declaring 'I am not completely useless. I can be used as a bad example' on it.

Bucky blinked at her in surprise.

"May I come in?", she asked from her place in the hall. There was a massive backpack slung across her shoulder.

She looked like the most non-threatening person Bucky had ever seen, but Bucky hadn't survived this long by being careless.

"Harry send me."

Bucky pretty much doubted that. He tensed, his left arm reflexively balling his metal fist. The strange woman seemed to notice that something about her had rang alarm bells. She frowned, then smiled. "Oh, sorry. Roonil Wazlib send me."

Bucky relaxed. At least a little.

"So can I come in? Maybe? I have cake in my backpack."

"Yes. Do sit.", Bucky replied carefully. Something about her seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint it.

She smiled happily and sat down on the chair opposite him.

"Hi! And sorry again, for forgetting the name thing. Running around the Wizarding World by myself always stresses me out. And then, of course, I don't know you and I didn't know, if you'd be happy to see me… Or if I would annoy you… or… you know? And then I just got nervous and anxious and then I keep forgetting stuff. I swear, the other day I was at the doctor's and they asked for my age and I really didn't know. Had to ask what year it was and then do the math. So embarrassing. Like when people ask me to spell my name, because it's weird, and I forget the bloody alphabet…"

"What IS your name?", Bucky hurried to ask, when she had to stop for breath.

She turned beet red immediately.

"Oh God. Sorry. It's Jo. Jo Schälchen."

"That is a weird name."

"It's German."

"I know some German. Even for a German name, it is weird."

"True. There is a story behind it, though."

"What is it?"

"You really want me to bore you with my family history?"

"I have nowhere else to be."

"Okay… But first… ", she reached into her massive backpack and pulled out two containers and a piece of cloth that turned out to hold two forks. She handed one of each to Bucky, then reached into her backpack again.

"Ahhhh, there it is: coffee!" She put a small cup in front of him and poured some steaming hot coffee from a can.

"You brought food.", Bucky stated disbelievingly.

"Well, yes. This is a hospital. Magical or not, I am guessing the food could be better."

Bucky raised an eyebrow and took a sip, choosing not to answer. It was good coffee. Jo opened her container with enthusiasm and took a fork of cake, before turning back to their previous conversation.

"So, my name. Ähm, my grandfather's family had to flee Schlesien after WWII, he was only three years old. Because he was so small, they put him and his grandma on one of the carts. My grandfather told me once, that he was sitting on her lap and his parents and four older siblings were walking around them. And then they weren't. It was so chaotic and horrible, in the middle of everything, they just lost sight of each other. My grandfather continued on with his grandmother, but… Well, it was a hard and horrible trip… She didn't make it. My Grandfather was lucky enough that another family picked him up and took him with them. Other kids weren't that lucky. In the end he got put with a family in Northern Germany. Officials had to put down his name and that's where Schälchen comes from. We don't really know, if his name was something similar sounding and someone misspelled it or if it was a nickname and my grandfather remembered it like this… to be fair, he was three, when he last saw his family. How was he supposed to remember that?"

"He never found them again?"

"No.", Jo shook her head, "He had no idea where they went or if they had made it. He didn't know their real names… And they didn't know his new one."

"That's… Poor kid."

"Sometimes I feel like it should put my own problems in perspective.", Jo shrugged, "I thought about trying to look for them now… But… I don't know. "

"Perspective?", Bucky frowned, "Why would it?"

Jo laughed suddenly. "Sorry, but you looked almost offended. I told Harry once, that considering what happened to my grandfather or Harry or… You know… So many people, my problems are rather small. And then he said something very poetic. "

"What was it?", Bucky asked, finally really relaxing with this strange woman.

"Life sucks for a myriad of people in a myriad of different ways. It's no contest."

Now even Bucky had to crack a little smile.

"That is rather poetic."

"I know, right? It's high up there with the reasons why I love that stupid man."

"He isn't necessarily wrong."

"I never said he was.", Jo shrugged, "I quite enjoy the fact, that he accepts other people's hardships without telling you how much worse he's had it. That's surprisingly rare."

Bucky thought back to his own tiny encounters with the man.

"How is he?", he asked carefully, finally taking his first piece of cake.

"Mh, he is Harry. Right now, he is… Making sure everyone is taken care of. He likes to keep busy."

"Will you tell him, that I am sorry for… All the trouble I am causing? Steve wrote to me. He said Harry and his brother… aren't okay."

"Why would you apologize for that?", Jo frowned at him.

"Because I am the reason they are fighting.", Bucky stated. Why did he even have to specify that?

Jo looked at him blankly, before putting down her fork and folding her arms.

"Let's be real here for a second. You are NOT the reason they are fighting, you are… How do I put that? I don't know how to say this in English… In German we have 'Grund' and 'Anlass'. 'Grund' is the underlying reason. The… root… basis… of the problem. The 'Anlass' is just… the reason why all the other stuff bubbled to the surface. Catalyst? I think that works…"

"So you are saying, I am 'Anlass', not 'Grund'."

"Exactly! Harry and Tony have been ignoring their problems for far too long. They have been growing bigger and bigger… And then you were just the spark to set it all aflame. Maybe that's even a good thing? It would have happened at some point. You can't bottle up things forever. It makes you sick. To just… Keep it all in."

Bucky took another bite. Was she right? Harry had hinted at something similar.

Still, he had trouble believing that it would have blown up in such spectacular fashion.

He was so deep in thought, it seemed to freak out Jo a little, who shook him out of his gloom by reaching back into her ominous backpack.

"Before I forget: I am NOT carrying these things back. They are heavy as fuck. Here."

She dropped a bunch of books on the table.

"Harry's Mum bought most of those, when Harry joined the Wizarding World. And I added some, later. I know it can all be a little overwhelming, when you have to come to grips with magic. So here is some history books and stuff…"

Bucky reached for the book on top. "Hogwarts. A history.", he read out loud.

"Yeah, that one is Harry's personal one, but I am sure he's okay with you borrowing it."

"He doesn't know?"

"He knows I am here… He dropped me off on his way to work.", she shrugged, "The library is my domain. He doesn't interfere there. Oh, I brought some other stuff, too. There is this. And this. And this. "

She just kept pulling packages of food out of that damn backpack. There were cookies and crackers. Lots of chocolate… Basically everything unhealthy.

"It was the one thing I HATED about the hospital. The food was way too healthy. Like… I'm in here, talking about the most painful parts of my life and you INSIST on feeding me semi-healthy stuff?! Comfort food. Comfort food is the answer. Oh, and this. Cards, so you can play some solitaire. It was the only thing I could think of this morning that one could play by themselves. "

Bucky decided to just give up on commenting on all the things she told him. Every time one of her statements warranted a question, she had moved on long before Bucky could get a word in.

"Thank you.", he told her instead, filing all that information away for later.

"You are very welcome. Do you have any more treatment today?"

"No. Not today.", Bucky admitted. He'd had a long talk with Healer Kremer this morning, now he knew they were discussing some more potions. He HATED knowing they were talking about him and he couldn't really take part.

"Do you feel like company?"

He considered that question for a second. Company. He hadn't really had that in… 70 years? Either he was alone, or fighting, or running… But just… Company? He considered Jo for a second, before giving her a rare smile.

"Yes, that would be nice."

"Oh great! I brought monopoly. At home, no one ever likes to play that with me. I thought you couldn't exactly say no, so…"

Bucky chuckled. The whole thing was so ridiculous, for a brief moment he had forgotten everything that had happened. He felt like that cheeky kid from Brooklyn again.

"Fair warning, though. I only found Lily's Disney edition."