And we're back! We had quite a share of drama last chapter, right? The heroes made a plan and seems they'll stick to it, but before they get to play, they have to deal with a recent development, and it's Bucky's nightmares. How will Scarlet Witch help him out? Here's the answer!
Enjoy the reading!
SCARLET WINTER
Chapter 9: Connections and Explanations, Part 3 – Mending Two Broken Souls
Bucky Barnes has dealt with many bizarre and uncomfortable situations in his life, before and after he spent his time in cryogenic conservation during his days as an agent of the Soviets, but he has never dealt with such an awkward scenario as the one he just got in.
Barely few people know about the nightmares he constantly suffers, Steve Rogers is one since he is his best friend and they can hardly hide anything from each other, the other one is Natasha Romanoff, since she was there when he has suffered them due to all those years as lovers, but he never could have imagined that Wanda Maximoff, someone he barely has interacted with, discovers one of his greatest burdens.
"That was…quite a nightmare" Wanda comments, still a bit in shock of what she just saw.
"I…I'm sorry you had to see that" Bucky replies, feeling embarrassed about it while he stands from the bed "Is…something I always had to deal with..." he comments, feeling bad about scaring Wanda, however, she steps towards him, showing concern about him.
"Always had to deal with?" Wanda asks him "Do you…constantly have nightmares?" she poses another question, while Bucky takes a deep breath so he could respond.
"What I'm about to tell you…very few people know about it" Bucky replies "Not because I'm afraid of saying but…because I choose to carry the burden, for this is my responsibility" he says, lowering his head "You know my story, right?"
"You mean the story that you were Steve's partner in World War II, then you became an assassin?" Wanda poses the question, to which Bucky nods in response "Sorry if it sounded bluntly"
"When the Soviets found me, they used me as their personal assassin, they gave me the targets and I executed them" Bucky starts to tell the story "No remorse, no mercy, no quarters, nothing…" he closes his eyes as he keeps telling the story, not seeing how Wanda's concern grows, even silently gasping "But when I regained my memories, that's when I knew what I have done, and that's when the guilt and the remorse kicked in"
"You were brainwashed Bucky, you had no control of what you did" Wanda comments, but Bucky sighs, feeling like he should scold her, but he remembers that she does not see the whole picture.
"Is easy to say that being brainwashed makes someone lose control of oneself, but…the thing about me is that I knew what I was doing, I knew I was killing all those people" Bucky replies "So when I regained my memories, that's when the phrase 'Dear God, What Have I Done' drills inside your brain and realize the atrocities you committed" he replies, feeling more tense as he speaks "And ever since then…I still see them…" he adds, slowly sighing.
"You see them? The people you killed?" Wanda asks, with her concern growing further.
"Every single one of them" Bucky responds "Were they innocent? That part's debatable, since some of them were doing questionable activities…but most of them, they were people who could've changed the world for the good, and the few truly innocent were just pawns targeted for a bigger threat" he comments, remembering when he killed Wolverine's wife Itsu.
"Bucky…" Wanda whispers as she hears his story unfold.
"At first it was every night, but there are times when I didn't see them, sadly…those are the times when I'm not asleep" Bucky comments "Every other night, I still hear them…I can still see them, their faces, their voices, begging for the mercy I never gave them, reminding me of all the blood in my hands…reminding me of a redemption that's still too damn far…" he feels like tears are about to leave his eyes, but to his surprise, he feels the touch of Wanda's hands over his face, gently lifting him so he could look into her eyes.
"This is why you do this, don't you? So you could atone for the greatest sin you've committed…" Wanda comments, keeping her eyes locked on his "That's a feeling I know too perfectly…for I am walking down that path as well"
"You told me before…about the revival of Genosha's mutants" Bucky replies, recalling their prior conversation when she told him about how she tried to resurrect the dead mutants of Genosha.
"When I made that 'No More Mutants' spell, I did more than took away their powers, I took away their lives…" Wanda starts to tell her story "Lots of mutants died after that spell, some because their powers were what kept them alive, some because they didn't have them to defend themselves from the threats that always loomed against them, and I'm the culprit of that…" she adds, remembering the pain she goes through with that ordeal "So in a way, I'm like you, I try to atone for that sin, trying to do something better, trying to outlive that pain…" she then holds his hands with the same kindness.
"I never thought you'd feel it that way" Bucky replies, feeling surprised at the empathy showed by Wanda "Seems that we both carry our sins, and feel responsible for what we have done, but I guess that now there's a great difference…"
"What's that difference?" Wanda asks out of curiosity.
"Now…we won't have to walk that path on our own, knowing that someone else is at your side, and maybe that way, it becomes easier to help each other" Bucky replies, bringing a smile on Wanda's face.
"It really does" Wanda comments "You think you'll be OK to sleep?" she asks him, but Bucky shakes his head in denial.
"I don't know, I'll try" Bucky replies, slowly sighing.
"Maybe you could try something…you told me you practice meditation, right?" Wanda asks him, hoping to be able to help him.
"Yes, as often as I can…I have a journal actually" Bucky replies, genuinely surprising Wanda about the part of the journal, since is not often to keep up what can be seen during meditation sessions.
"Never thought you'd keep record of your meditations, but that can actually help" Wanda comments "We could practice one session right now, although…it would have to be 'Off the Record' since I assume you didn't bring that journal with you" she adds, to which Bucky nods in response.
"You're right, I didn't bring it with me but…" Bucky replies, but Wanda interrupts him by holding his hands.
"That's settled then, let's take a seat" Wanda comments, guiding him to the floor, both sitting down face to face, assuming the lotus position "Now close your eyes…and relax" Bucky follows her indications and takes a deep breath "What is the purpose of your meditation sessions?" she asks him.
"Recollection of memories, missing pieces" Bucky replies, still with his eyes closed.
"This will be a different session then, for here, we'll build a zone of peace, a 'Happy Zone', if you could call it like that" Wanda explains her intentions "For that, I want you to clear your mind and follow the indications of my voice" she starts to guide him as they work together "Clear your mind, everything is pitch black"
"Yes…it is" Bucky replies in a lower tone of voice.
"Now picture a bright light above you…a light that glows greater with each second" she keeps guiding him, with Bucky vividly seeing that light enveloping all around him "And now…you're in a field, a large green field, acres and acres of pastures around you" she describes him the scenery, with each detail being visualized in his mind "Now feel the breeze of the wind flowing in front of you" she whispers, as if it were an ASMR session, speaking in a soothing voice as she keeps guiding him "Sense the flowers floating through, feel the sun shining above you…follow my voice as it guides you to your peace" she speaks, guiding him through a very vivid manifestation of everything she is describing him, giving him the peace he just needed.
"It feels…nice…" Bucky whispers while in his mind he is marching peacefully, just as Wanda described him, away from the chaos that his life built.
Wanda smiles when she hears him say those words and she slowly opens her eyes, looking at him in peace, away from the pain brought by those constant nightmares, a view that has become quite pleasant and very appealing to her. That motivates her to crawl towards him, keeping her eyes fixed on his face, gently caressing his natural arm, slowly going up to his shoulder.
"Feel how the warm touches you" Wanda whispers as she draws a little bit closer while she moves her had towards his face "Feel how it caresses you" she whispers as she starts to caress his face and slowly gets closer to him "Feel…how it kisses you…" she then gives a peck on his lips, followed by a second one, and then she gives him a slow, soft kiss, savoring his lips until she slowly steps away, allowing him to catch his breath.
"Wow…" Bucky whispers, slowly opening his eyes, only to see Wanda mere inches of distance of him.
"How do you feel?" Wanda asks him, keeping her eyes on his.
"I feel…much better…" Bucky replies, smiling at her while he wonders if she actually kissed him "Wanda, did you…?"
"Sorry if I was too bold…" Wanda whispers as she steps away "But I wanted you to feel better" she adds, starting to feel a bit disappointed at her actions, fearing that Bucky might have felt offended by them.
"I do" Bucky whispers, surprising Wanda with his reaction, but then he holds her hand and stands up alongside her "This was…very helpful" he comments, gently smiling at her, a sign that he actually liked that kiss, however, Wanda still feels that it s best to leave Bucky to rest.
"I'm glad I could be able to help you Bucky…" Wanda kindly replies "Have a good night" she says, but when she walks to leave, Bucky gently grabs her arm.
"Wanda…" Bucky turns his sights to her "Is it wrong to ask…to stay and expand what we just experienced?" he asks her, stunning her with those words.
"Bucky…I-I'd love to…" Wanda manages to reply those words, but before she could even complete the sentence, Bucky pulls her towards him and embraces her, looking at her eyes until he gives her a kiss, a slow kiss that she returns with the same affection, holding the embrace while they both fall back on the bed with her on top of him. They both slightly pull away to gaze into each other's eyes, smiling at the moment until they retake the kiss and let their hands flow over each other's bodies, leading to a major improvement on this encounter.
THE NEXT MORNING
The sun shines through the window, slightly aiming at Anna's face to wake her up, followed by the sound of the trumpet's call that the military use every morning at the first hour of the day, prompting Anna to slowly react and wake up.
"Hnnghn, I forgot that I'm dealing with military people" Anna murmurs while she stretches her arms and yawns "Mornin' Wanda" she mutters but when she does not hear a response, she notices the empty bed next to her "Wanda?" she asks for her name, wondering if she woke up earlier than her. She steps out of the bed and heads to the bathroom to freshen up and be ready to leave but she decides to check on Bucky's room and ask if he saw her, assuming that since Bucky is also military, he must be awake "Hey Bucky, have you seen Wand-DOOOAH!" she exclaims as she quickly shuts the door to assimilate the image she just saw: Wanda and Bucky in the same bed, snuggling to each other under the sheets "I knew she was into Bucky but damn, she couldn't wait until we were done with the danger?" she wonders in her mind.
"Huh? What happened?" Bucky asks, sounding startled while Wanda also starts to wake up.
"There's a reason people lock the doors, you know?" Anna comments, jokingly complaining about what she just saw.
"There's also a reason why people knock on the door before entering a room!" Bucky replies with a mix of annoyance and sarcasm. Wanda just quietly giggles, finding the situation both amusing and embarrassing.
"Is everything OK, Anna?" Wanda asks, hoping to avoid further trouble.
"I was just looking for you Wanda, but I got my answer" Anna replies through the door "So I'm just gonna freshen up, get the breakfast and, you know, get ready to leave the city as we planned" she adds "You two keep doing your thing…and please lock the door until you're done" she concludes, leaving the room while Wanda laughs but Bucky sighs, yet he turns his sights at Wanda and cannot help but smile.
"Feeling better?" Wanda asks him, gently caressing his face.
"Much better" Bucky replies, holding her hand and kissing it "Being honest, didn't expect to have it this way but…it felt good"
"It really did" Wanda comments "But the question is…where do we go from here?" she poses the big question about this, will it be simply a 'One Night Stand' or will it grow further into something else?
"If the decision was mine only, I'd keep it going" Bucky replies, showing interest into a further development "But we have pressing issues right here, and we have to solve them" he points out about the work they have to do about Anna and the Dark Magic Cult.
"You're right" Wanda nods in response "And you know? I'd really like to keep it going too" she adds, stealing a peck of his lips, giggling as she stands up and uses her magic to dress up and head to the bathroom, hoping that Anna is done so she could freshen up as well.
HOURS LATER
After a good meal and packing up everything, the group was ready and determined to follow through their new plan of heading to New Orleans and get the help from Doctor Strange, and hopefully also Daimon Hellstrom, at the Strange Academy. The group started to bid their farewells to Lieutenant Salt and Sergeant Pepper, thanking them for their hospitality and their assistance in this ordeal.
"I wish I was back in my prime to assist you in the frontline" Lt. Salt told Bucky, prompting him to laugh a bit "But I do hope you fellas find the help you need and if there's anything we can do to help, let us know" he adds.
"There might be the chance that one of our allies, Sharon Carter, will be in contact with you" Bucky replies, recalling the promise he made to Anna about helping her settle in Battle Creek with them "Still, we're very grateful for your help"
"Semper Fi, Bucky" Salt replies, giving him the military salute.
"Hey, one quick question and sorry for bringing it up" Anna comments to Sgt. Pepper "I know that you're a Sergeant but, why 'Sergeant Pepper'?" she asks out of curiosity, prompting Pepper to laugh.
"I know it'll sound ridiculous but an African-American woman with a Caucasian man, it was just so simple" Pepper replies to her question "Besides, he always says that I 'spiced' up his life" she jokingly adds.
"Huh, I thought it was because of, well, of being a Beatles fan" Wanda comments, assuming her nickname came from the popular album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' from the Beatles.
"Oh, I got that a lot, but no, and frankly, I'm more of a 'Stones' gal" Pepper replies, showing her musical preferences.
With those comments, the trio boarded the fixed pick-up ad head up back on the road, preparing themselves for the next step of their plan and end this threat once and for all, thankful for the help of the seniors and blessed that their lives were not endangered, but they both know that in spite of the calm, they must remain alert until they reach their destination, for Mordo is waiting, ready to make his move when the time comes.
Seems that Love is in the Air! Bucky and Wanda are now growing closer but now they're on the move, since they still have to complete their mission. However, while he was absent in this chapter, you can mark my words that Mordo will make his presence felt next time and things will be further complicated for our heroes, so Stay Tuned for what's coming for them and how will they fare against him!
NEXT CHAPTER: CLASH OF DARK AND CHAOTIC MAGIC!