Disclaimer: Everything belongs to The Marvel Universe except for my character Julie – she is my own creations and is not meant to resemble anyone else's OCs in any way.
A/N: Guys, it has been SOOO long since I've written anything! But I've been on a real Bucky/Winter Solider kick lately - Ok let's be real, more like for a few years now lol. But I've finally decided to put pen to paper again so to speak. I have several ideas so we'll see how this one goes and maybe I'll crank out one or two more stories. If you all want me to :)
There is a bit of a slow start before we get any Julie/Bucky interaction so just bear with me!
***EDITED! I may have been a bit overzealous in writing/posting and didn't give some of the chapters enough love and care. So Ch.1-4 have now been edited and some parts slightly re-written. All edited chapters have been reposted.
Chapter 1: Home
Julie sat at her desk, nervously biting the end of her pen between her front teeth. She stared at the paper in front of her as she stroked her cat's fluffy orange and white body.
"I should do this, right? This is the right decision, yeah?"
The large cat raised his head to look up at her before yawning and snuggling further into her lap. She let out a frustrated moan as her hand hovered over the paper, waiting for her signature.
"I know I need to do this. I'm so sick of this place. But I'm not going to lie, Watson, it feels a little bit like running away. That's what he's probably going to think, if he thinks of me at all," she trailed off.
Julie felt an angry fire surge through her. She shouldn't even care if he thought of her at all. But for some reason she did. She wanted him to think of her and long for what he ruined. She wanted to get away and rebuild and have him know what he missed out on. She wanted him to suffer the way he had made her suffer.
And she wanted to just forget it all. Move on and never look back.
Taking a deep breath, she signed the page with a flourish. Then she moved on to each flagged paper in the stack until the contract was complete. Before she could let herself dwell on what this really meant, she scanned the pages into her laptop, attached them into an email, typed out a few words and hit send.
Dr. Graves,
Please find the signed contract attached. I look forward to joining your team at Northridge Memorial Hospital.
Sincerely,
Dr. Julie Davis
"Well that's it Watson. It's all done. Tomorrow I'll put in my notice, and in a month we'll be moving back home."
She heaved out a sigh, unsure if having the contract signed calmed her nerves or made her more anxious. Julie looked down at the sleeping cat in her lap. She lifted her wine glass up in a salute.
"To new beginnings."
…
She stepped off the plane and walked down to the airport exit, pulling her carry on behind her. Rounding a corner, she was immediately met with a squeal of delight.
"JULIE!"
Sarah stood in the crowd of people waiting to pick up loved ones, waving her arms frantically. A giant smile was plastered to her face. Her boys stood beside her looking mildly embarrassed.
"Sarah!"
Julie made her way over to the little group and threw her arms around her best friend.
"I cannot believe you're actually here! And moving back home. My God it has been YEARS girl!"
"I know! I'm excited for this next chapter. I really need this."
She turned her attention to the boys.
"My goodness AJ, Cass! Look at you two! FaceTime doesn't do you justice. You boys have grown so much."
She gave each of them a squeeze before the group made their way outside and to Sarah's car.
Julie rolled the passenger window down and let the warm end of summer air caress her face. Closing her eyes she took in the sun and for the first time, felt certain of her decision.
She turned to Sarah, "So is Sam home?"
"No, he's out on a mission."
"With that Bucky guy?"
Sarah gave a little laugh, "No. They often take contracts together. But Bucky has been on some extended super secret mission for nearly a month now. No telling when he'll return."
"Bucky is awesome! He's so strong!"
"And with his arm! And he can…"
"Pew! Pew!"
"Hah! Hah!"
The boys were in the back seat excitedly throwing their arms around in karate chopping motions and screaming over each other. Julie watched as Sarah frowned, suddenly deep in thought.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know…I guess I'm just a little worried about him. They're not usually gone this long and there's been no word from him. I mean, if anyone can take care of themselves it's Bucky. But I still can't help but worry."
Julie continued to study her for a few moments.
"Soooo…are you guys…" she waggled her eyebrows at her friend, aware of the boys now listening to their conversation again.
Sarah started laughing.
"Oh my gosh, definitely not! I've known Bucky for several years now, Sam even longer. Honestly he's kinda like a stray cat we've taken in. You know, moody, comes around when he wants to be fed, lets you pet him only on his terms."
She laughed again before continuing, "I'm kidding…he's really become a part of the family. Like a second brother. And you can tell how much the boys love him."
"So you guys have never…"
"No. Not even kissed, not even dated, not even close. There was a little flirting in the beginning but that's just Bucky. Total ladies man. Why are you so interested?"
Julie gave a shrug.
"It's just been a while since, well, you know. I just didn't know if you'd finally dipped your toes in the water. You never really want to talk about it."
Sarah sighed, "I know. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. But I'm just not sure I'm ready. And between my boys and the business I'm pretty darn busy."
"I believe that!" Julie laughed.
…
She woke up the next day to a commotion in the kitchen. The boys were chatting animatedly as Sarah attempted to hush them.
"Shhh, you're going to wake her! My goodness!"
"Already awake," Julie announced as she entered the room.
"What's all the excitement about?"
"Sam called. He's doing a debriefing and then should be home soon."
"Right on time to babysit so we can go apartment hunting!" Julie laughed.
After breakfast and a shower, the crew started getting ready for the day. She had just finished lacing up her shoes when Sam walked in.
"Alright, where is she?!" He bellowed.
Julie stepped out into the hallway and into Sam's embrace. He hugged her tight, a big grin stretching his lips.
"It's great to have you home. How are you doing?" He asked warily.
"Good to be home. I'm excited for a fresh start. I just want to put it all behind me and move on."
He gave her a slow nod, not sure he believed her.
"Alright, so I'm taking Julie apartment hunting. That means you've got the boys for the day. Make sure they finish their homework and no video games!"
"Yes ma'am" Sam saluted her as the boys snorted in laughter behind him.
Sarah rolled her eyes before giving all three of them a kiss on the cheek.
"Behave," she warned her sons.
And with that they were off.
…
The two women stood outside of the row home and looked up at the end unit.
"It's beautiful."
"Let's look inside before you make up your mind," Sarah said.
They walked up the steps and entered the apartment, making their way through the short foyer. There was a small coat closet on the left, past which was the kitchen with peninsula. But the first thing they really noticed was the amazing light streaming in through the wall of windows in the living room. A little balcony just beyond beckoned to them.
"You could probably fit four bar stools here. And a little breakfast table in this nook," Sarah turned to the kitchen.
They proceeded down the hallway. On their left was a full bathroom, on the right was the bedroom.
"I wish the bathroom was attached, but honestly this bedroom makes up for it!"
The room was large with a huge wall of floor to ceiling windows on the far right. A decent sized walk in closet completed the room on the left.
"I like it. I'm feeling this. The rent isn't bad either and it's really the perfect location! I can literally walk to everything, including the hospital."
"Well alright! Let's walk back over to the leasing office. It's so beautiful outside, we can pick the car up later."
The two friends strolled down the tree lined street arm in arm as a cool early fall breeze blew through their hair. Julie looked all around what would soon be her new home. She smiled happily as the hustle and bustle of people filled her with renewed energy. After signing the lease they sat down at a little cafe, taking a table outside so they could people watch.
"Oh look," Julie exclaimed. "There's a gym just right there! It's only a 10 minute walk from my new place."
Sarah swiveled around in her chair to see where her friend was pointing.
"Oh yeah. That's the local boxing gym. Bucky and Sam both belong to it. Sometimes I think Bucky spends more time there than in his own apartment," she rolled her eyes before continuing. "Not that there's much reason to spend time in his apartment."
Julie watched as Sarah shook her head in dismay.
"What do you mean?"
"He lives in this crappy little place like right around the corner from here. Sam told me he had to basically strong arm him into furnishing it. I don't really get it. It's not like he's hurting for money. I know those contracts pay well and he never seems to buy anything."
"That's a little weird. And maybe a little like…serial killer." She finished with a whisper.
Sarah stared at her for a minute. Julie had no idea about Bucky's history or the fact that he was the former Winter Solider.
"I'm kidding…kind of," she said.
"Yeahhh…I asked Sam about it once. He said it had something to do with being in the army. That a lot of vets have a hard time adjusting to the 'luxuries' of civilian life." She gave a little shrug.
"He was in the army?"
"Mmmhm. Sergeant James 'Bucky' Buchanan Barnes. Army sniper. Special Ops Commando."
Julies eyebrows shot up, "Wow. Impressive."
"You have no idea."
…
A month later, after an uneventful move, Julie found herself falling into a nice rhythm as one of Northridge Memorial's ER doctors. She loved the hospital and her significantly more pleasant fellow doctors and coworkers. And by two months in, she felt like she was forming a nice work family. Her schedule was much better here as well. She worked 9 hour shifts 5 days a week rather than rotating 12 hour shifts like the nurses. With an earlier start and earlier end time it gave her a fairly free afternoon every day. Still, the work was hard and taxing and most evenings she found herself relaxing on her couch and watching tv.
She sat outside in the courtyard, picking at her lunch and thinking about how much she wanted to take a nap when her phone rang. She glanced down at the screen and saw it was Sarah. She hesitated picking up. The morning had been grueling and she was savoring the peaceful and quiet moment she had before heading back into the fray. The phone stopped ringing and Julie let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"I'll call you back later. I promise," she told her phone.
She put another forkful of her salad in her mouth when suddenly her phone rang again. Sarah. Frowning she picked it up. It must be something important to get a back to back call like that.
"Julie! I'm so glad you picked up!" Sarah sounded way too loud and way too excited for Julie's dour mood.
"Ok, let's take it down a notch and then tell me what's got you so hyped up."
"Woah, someone is cranky today!"
"I'm sorry. It's been one hell of a morning. And judging by what was going on when I left for lunch I don't think the afternoon will be much better," she let out a tired sigh.
"Well perk up! We're going out to dinner tonight at that lit-"
"No."
"No? What do you mean no? You didn't even let me finish!"
"Sarah," Julie whined, "I'm so exhausted, I'm not sure I'm going to make it to this afternoon, let alone all the way through dinner. All I want to do is go home, take a bubble bath and crash on the couch with pizza and tv."
"That sounds fantastic. Save it for tomorrow night. BUCKY IS BACK!"
A/N: Ok, I really hope you all stuck with me while I got some general character background stuff out of the way. I'm super excited to start on the next chapter where Julie and Bucky finally meet!
Please feed the hungry review monster :D