Date : 06.06.18

Title : Memory In My Heart

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 8 of ?

Rating : M

Pairings : Bucky/OC

Warnings : Some Sexual Content, Romance, Angst, Maybe Some Strong Language.

Spoilers and A/N: Possible references to The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Black Panther (I have not seen Black Panther or Infinity War, nor do I claim to be an expert on The Avengers so please forgive any discrepancies. I am working off of things I have read and movies and trailers that I have seen. Thank you.

Disclaimer : I do not own anything to do with the Marvel franchise. This plot and any O/C's are mine.

Summary : (AU) Can a memory from Bucky's time as The Winter Soldier save him from having to live that kind of life again or will the darkness consume him and lead him to kill everyone he now holds dear?

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A/N : I just wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone who has followed and favourited this story so far. I hope you're all enjoying it. Thanks for sticking with it :)

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The next morning could have been awkward; could have been, but strangely it wasn't and Bucky's only regret was that he could have hurt Molly badly, or worse killed her and as they sat down to breakfast he couldn't help but look at the fresh bruises that were blossoming on her neck amongst the ones she already had from the encounter with the other scientist in the lab.

"I'm fine…really…" Molly assured him as she caught him looking and Bucky offered her a small smile.

"That Scientist…back in the lab…" he began as he recalled a memory and Molly swallowed her bite of toast, instinctively knowing who he meant.

"Hanning," she supplied the man's name with barely concealed contempt.

"He was hassling you." Bucky stated the fact rather than asked the question and Molly shifted a little on her chair.

"He's a jerk, the kind of guy who doesn't take rejection well…I think that's why he started watching me…waiting for an excuse to blow the whistle…"

"Because you turned him down?" Bucky asked and Molly nodded and beneath the table, his metal fist clenched.

"He figured out what I was doing and I think he'd have tried to use it against me if we hadn't gotten out when we did," Molly said, watching the play of emotions on Bucky's face and when his expression turned thunderous she hoped to distract him by asking, "Would you like to go for a walk today? I could pack us some lunch. The woods would keep us covered…"

It took Bucky a moment or two to pull himself from his thoughts, but when he did he thought about what she'd asked, weighing up whether he thought it would be safe or not.

"Sure…" he eventually replied and Molly took in a breath to steady her own feelings. She didn't know why Bucky had brought up Hanning and she wondered if it had anything to do with his nightmare from the previous night. Whatever the reason was she hoped he didn't dwell upon it for too long.

A short while later they set off on their walk, heading across Steve's land and toward the cover of the nearby trees, Bucky carrying their lunch in a backpack where he had also hidden a gun beneath the picnic blanket that Molly had found in one of Steve's cupboards.

The air was heavy and close, almost unpleasantly warm and humid and Molly wondered if it would thunder later. They'd had a lot of very warm days just lately and that type of weather always resulted in a storm.

She glanced over at Bucky as they went deeper into the woods.

"Are you okay?" she asked and he turned his head to look at her. He still felt bad for what had happened the night before and though Molly hadn't held it against him, he felt it proved his point…that he was dangerous to be around whilst someone else had the ability to control his mind.

"Maybe Sam was right when he questioned whether I should be here alone with you," he eventually replied and Molly frowned. She hadn't known that Sam had said that.

Stepping closer to Bucky, she took his hand with hers.

"I trust you," she told him, holding his gaze. "I don't worry about you hurting me."

Bucky shook his head and Molly stopped walking, tugging on his hand to bring him around to face her and with her free hand she reached up and touched his cheek.

"It's the truth," she said and when Bucky saw the honesty in her eyes; it made tears gather in his own. He lowered his head and Molly stepped closer still, moving up onto her tiptoes to nuzzle softly, the soft skin of her cheek rubbing against the stubble on his.

Their mouths were millimetres apart when the sound of a twig snapping had Bucky reacting and he spun Molly around his body so that she was behind him and she was still trying to gather her wits when she saw as well as felt him relax and peeping around him, she couldn't help but let out a giggle when she saw two ducks with a family of ducklings strolling from one side of the pathway to the other before disappearing beneath some undergrowth.

"There must be water nearby," Molly said with a smile and taking Bucky's hand again she followed the ducks off of the beaten path, letting them lead until sure enough, the trees opened up to reveal a small pond and Molly grinned as the duck family plopped into the water one by one.

"Shall we sit here?" she asked and Bucky looked around, scanning the area before replying, "If you like."

He was still thinking about their near kiss and how he shouldn't let anything happen.

He shrugged the backpack off when Molly reached for it and watched as she took out the blanket and laid it down and if she knew or noticed that the gun was in there too, she didn't say anything.

They sat for a while in silence, sharing one of the bottles of water that Molly had packed as they watched the little duck family for a while until Bucky said, "I feel guilty sitting here like this, doing something…normal…whilst Steve is out there, trying to find us a way out of here."

Molly regarded him for a moment before she replied, "I know what you mean, but after everything that you've been through I doubt very much that Steve would begrudge you a moment like this…" and she nodded with her head toward the trees and the pond.

Bucky gave her an acknowledging smile.

"I doubt he would too. He's a good kid…the best friend a guy could ask for."

Molly smiled. It was funny to hear Bucky refer to Steve as a kid, but Bucky was a little older and even now she supposed he would speak of his friend as he always had. The time thing still blew her mind a little.

"What was it like, the forties?" she asked as she unpacked the sandwiches she had made. "I know of people that lived through the war and said that despite everything, it was an amazing time to be alive."

Bucky took a bite from a sandwich that she'd handed him and chewed as he considered his answer.

"It was dangerous, but exciting," he eventually replied, understanding what the people she'd referred to had meant. "You never knew what might happen from hour to hour sometimes, let alone day to day and so you lived as though every moment might be your last…."

Molly nodded, watching as he seemed to drift into a memory and after a moment she asked quietly, "Was there someone special back then?"

Bucky frowned as he tried to recall the name to a face that popped into his head.

"I…" he began and Molly said quickly, "It's okay…you don't have to answer…"

"Connie!" Bucky interrupted as he remembered the name, but his semi-triumphant smile wavered when he saw Molly look down.

"She and I went on a date once….she wasn't…" he paused as Molly looked up at him again.

"You don't have to explain. I'm sorry…I shouldn't have asked…" she trailed off as what bit of sunlight that was filtering through the treetops grew dim and the air around them seemed to become electrified.

"What about you?" Bucky asked, trying to ignore the shift in the atmosphere. "Do you have anyone?"

Molly opened her mouth, but before she could reply, a loud clap of thunder sounded, the following flash of lightening making her jump and she scrambled to her feet as they heard rain beginning to fall. They heard it before they felt it because of the thickness of the trees overhead and between them they managed to put their things into the backpack before the huge droplets began to break through.

Bucky took her hand as they began to make their way quickly back the way they had come, picking up their pace the harder the rain came, but by the time they broke clear of the woods, they were soaked and as lightening streaked through the sky above them and thunder rolled, Bucky headed in the direction of the barn.

"It's closer than the house!" he shouted in explanation as Molly let out a squeak of alarm as another lightening bolt illuminated everything around them.

As they burst into the barn, panting for breath and dripping wet, Bucky felt his feelings intensify when he looked at Molly and saw the way her dress clung to her curves and he dropped the backpack and reached for her, pulling her closer as he said in a voice that was low and husky, "You didn't answer my question. Do you have someone special?"

Molly, who was still struggling to breathe from their sprint from the woods, gave a little gasp of surprise as she found herself pulled against Bucky's body and she flattened her palms against his chest…not to push him away, more to steady herself… as the tone of his voice as he asked his question again made her entire body tingle.

"There is someone…" she began, her voice sounding as breathless as she felt and she bit her bottom lip as she felt Bucky's own hand tighten on her hip, her fingers flexing a little against the damp material of his jersey shirt before she added, "…and he's standing right in front of me…"

Bucky wasn't sure what had prompted this change of heart in him. Maybe it had been their talking about the past; the times he'd lived in the moment. Maybe the thunder had reminded him of danger…of wanting to survive, to feel alive…or maybe he'd just always known deep down that he wanted Molly, but whatever the reason was he welcomed it with open arms.

His mouth met hers and as she raised herself onto her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, he enfolded her in his, careful not to crush her as he held her against him. It became obvious pretty quickly that kissing Molly, as enjoyable as that was, was nowhere near enough and as he pulled her down onto the hay in the corner of the barn, he murmured against her lips, "You sure about this…about me?"

Molly moved his hair away from his forehead so that she could see his eyes and brushing a soft kiss against his mouth she replied, "Yes."

It was the simplest of words and yet it held so much meaning and it was all Bucky needed to hear.

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Long after the storm had passed and the rain had dried up, Bucky and Molly hunted through the straw and hay for various items of clothing, grinning at one another all the while. When they were dressed, Bucky picked up the backpack. They had eaten the remaining sandwiches sometime in between the second and third time that they'd made love, but now hunger of a different kind was forcing them to head back to the house where Bucky had promised to help Molly cook dinner and help her he did and when they decided to head to bed sometime later, Bucky swept her off of her feet and into his arms, nibbling at her neck as he took the stairs.

"You're insatiable James Barnes…" Molly said, only half teasing as he elbowed the door to her bedroom open.

"It's been a hell of a long time for me…" Bucky replied with a grin and Molly laughed, pushing the door closed behind them with her bare foot.

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US GOVERNMENT FACILITY LAB

"We have something!" Hanning reported to the new military Head of the project, almost giddy with glee at the prospect of finding Barnes and Molly.

Colonel Jones turned from his position by the large windows that overlooked the empty lab, the chair and the equipment that waited for the return of the Winter Soldier sitting dormant below.

"What is it?" he asked, finding the Scientist's eagerness to hunt down one of his own colleagues more than a little strange.

"Captain Rogers purchased a farmhouse," Hanning replied excitedly, sweat pouring from his forehead, his lank hair greasy and Jones grimaced as he waited for more. "The sale was kept well hidden, no papers filed or records kept…but he didn't hide it well enough. He could have taken Barnes and Doctor Evans there."

Jones nodded and turning to one of his men said, "Ready a team…" He was about to turn away when Hanning said, "I want to go too…"

Jones laughed and shook his head, about to deny the man's request when Hanning said, "I have unfinished business with that bitch…and I helped to locate them…"

Jones narrowed his eyes at the other man and considered him for a moment. Just what was his problem with the woman, aside from the fact that she had helped The Asset to escape? It somehow went deeper than that and Jones was intrigued enough to say, "Alright…it won't hurt to have one of you around in case the arm is damaged in any way. Bring some equipment."

Hanning nodded vigorously and rubbed his hands together as Jones turned away.

"You won't get away this time…" he muttered under his breath.

End of Chapter 8