Date : 13.06.18
Title : Memory In My Heart
Author : ElaineDex
Chapter : 9 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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Molly smiled as she felt Bucky's arms slip around her waist and she let him pull her back against him even as she continued to butter the toast she had made.
"You mind if I finish off working on Steve's bike this morning?" Bucky asked, pressing open-mouthed kisses to her neck and Molly tilted her head to one side to give him better access, closing her eyes as memories of the night before flooded her mind.
They had gotten very little sleep, talking and making love well into the early hours before finally falling asleep wrapped around one another and after waking and taking a shower together they had made their way downstairs to get breakfast.
"No…I don't mind," Molly eventually replied, sighing almost dreamily as Bucky lifted his lips from her skin and caressed her hips before he moved away to pour them some coffee.
They ate and when Bucky moved out to the barn, Molly decided to do some laundry and tidying. She wanted to keep Steve's place nice for him and since she had little else to keep her occupied it seemed like the right thing to do…not to mention she was quite enjoying playing housewife for a while.
She smiled as she stripped the bedding and changed it for clean, thinking of her and Bucky and what they'd gotten up to and what they might get up to that night under the crisp sheets.
She forced the nagging issue of their impending future to the back of her mind, unwilling to face it and all it entailed. She headed downstairs and was loading the washing machine when the communication device that Steve had told her to keep close went off and she picked it up from the kitchen table and pressed it into her ear.
"Bucky? Molly?" Steve's voice sounded loud and clear.
"It's Molly…is everything alright?" she replied.
"Yeah….you and Buck okay?" came his reply.
"Yes, we're fine," she answered, feeling her cheeks blush for no apparent reason and added, "He's in your barn…tidying…I think he's bored…" She didn't want to tell Steve about the bike. It was meant to be a surprise after all.
"Steve let out a soft chuckle and said, "Well, tell him to leave my stuff alone…and get ready, Sam and I will be there in a few hours. T'Challa managed to arrange a business trip to the US that hasn't aroused any suspicions so we'll pick you both up and you can head to Wakanda with him tonight."
"King T'Challa …and…both of us…?" Molly asked uncertainly. She hadn't given much thought to what would happen to her once Bucky was safely away or what would happen now that things were different between them.
"Yes, T'Challa has offered to let you stay too, his sister Shuri is a scientist and is eager to meet you. It's not safe for you here either Molly…" Steve reminded her and an involuntary shiver went down her spine despite the warmth of the day.
"That's…thank you…" she replied, feeling a little shell-shocked. It wasn't that she had any real issue with leaving, it was just that she had loose ends…her home for one.
Sensing her hesitancy, Steve said, "Everything will be sorted out for you…please don't worry."
Molly had no idea who would sort it all out or how they would do it, but for now she just had to concentrate on staying alive and from the sounds of it they were close to being successful. Almost as if reading her mind again, Steve added, "Don't do anything different today than what you've been doing already and we'll see you soon."
"Okay…" Molly replied. They said their goodbyes and she was just about to head out back to the barn to tell Bucky the news when a knock came to the front door. Frowning, Molly peeked around the hallway door and could make out a small, but plump figure through the diaphanous curtain that hung over the glass to the side of the door.
"Anyone home?" came a friendly sounding female voice. "I'm from the neighbouring farm a few miles up the road…"
Molly felt her tension lift slightly, but staying on her guard she crossed to the door and put the chain on before opening it to see a robust looking woman in maybe her late sixties holding what looked like and smelled like a home-made plate pie covered with a cloth.
"Hello dear…" the woman said, nodding to the chain, "…no need to be afraid. Your husband not around?"
Molly tried not to blush and remembered not to correct the woman's incorrect assumption about hers and Bucky's marital statues and replied, "He's in the barn out back…"
The woman nodded and offered up the plate with the delicious smelling pie.
"I'm Joanie. We noticed someone had moved in here; just wanted to introduce ourselves and make you aware we're around…well…as around as you can be as a neighbour from over yonder…" and she indicated with a nod of her head in the direction of the road that lead away from Steve's place.
Not wanting to be rude, Molly slipped the chain off of the door and took the plate.
"Thank you. This is very kind of you…and you said 'we'?" she queried, her mouth watering at the smell coming from beneath the cloth.
"Me and old Bert, my other half…" Joanie replied and Molly glanced around but could see no sign of anyone else. Seeing her curious gaze, the older woman added, "…he dropped me off and went back home. I like to walk some days…"
She smiled at Molly who said, "I can understand why…it's beautiful around here."
"Indeed it is, err….?" Joanie replied, obviously wanting her name and thinking quickly she said, "Emma…and my husband is Jack."
Joanie nodded and Molly added quickly, "I'd ask you in for some coffee, but I'm in the middle of some housework…still trying to get the place right, you know how it is…"
Joanie nodded again and just when it looked like she might say something she turned and headed down the porch steps.
"Nice to meet you…enjoy the pie won't you…try a piece before you carry on with your chores, you won't regret it!"
"Thanks again!" Molly called after her, watching as the woman walked away, watching until she was out of view before turning and heading back inside. She placed the plate down onto the kitchen table and took the cloth off, breathing in the scent of what was no obviously a home baked apple pie.
Closing her eyes, Molly enjoyed the aroma for a couple of moments more, tempted to have some, but she wanted to carry on and so she finished loading the washer and set it going before heading back upstairs to pack a their things. She would tell Bucky about Steve's call when he came in for lunch.
A while later, with everything in order upstairs…the red book safely stored in her hold-all…Molly headed back downstairs, the smell of the apple pie driving her to distraction and so as she waited for the washing machine to finish it's final cycle, she cut a small piece and ate it, unable to stop the "Mmmmm…" that escaped her at its taste. Bucky would devour it whole if she let him; it was so good.
She thought no more of it and when the washing machine finally stopped, she emptied it and took the sheets outside to hang them on the line and it was all she could do to get the job done as waves of tiredness swept over her.
"That's what you get for staying up half the night with a gorgeous, insatiable man…" she murmured to herself and heading back inside she barely made it to the couch before she fell into a dreamless sleep…..
OoO
Joanie walked a mile down the road before a military vehicle appeared along the track and she stopped as it came to a halt beside her.
The window rolled down and the man inside said, "Was it them?"
"I only saw the woman from the pictures you showed me…but she said the man was in the barn out back," Joanie replied.
The man nodded and held out an envelope, but before Joanie could take it he said, "Did she take the food?"
Joanie nodded, feeling bad for the young couple and whatever it was that they had done to warrant military types coming in like this and bribing civilians to trick folks - not that the money wouldn't come in useful, but she hoped they'd be alright nonetheless.
"I told her to try some soon. It smelled real good so she might do," she said and the man regarded her before he let her take the envelope.
"You never saw us," he instructed and Joanie swallowed hard and said, "I understand."
They let her walk away and she waddled faster than she had in many a long year.
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Bucky set down the tools he'd been using and sat back on his heels, looking at Steve's bike with a satisfied grin. It should run now…theoretically. Standing he crossed to where there was a petrol canister and already knowing it had some in, he moved back to the bike and removed the tank cap and using a funnel he poured the fuel into the bike.
After a little more tinkering he tried to fire the bike up and after two or three false starts it roared into life and then sat rumbling. Bucky laughed out loud, pleased that he had been able to do this for his friend. He couldn't wait to see Steve's face.
He turned from the bike, his intent to tidy away the tools and then go fetch Molly to look at his handiwork. He didn't see the blow to the side of his head with the butt of a gun coming and unprepared he fell to the floor out cold.
"Thank you for the noise distraction Sergeant Barnes…" Jones said, eyeing Bucky's crumpled figure, then to two of his men he instructed, "Tie him up and make sure there's no chance of him breaking free in a hurry…he won't be happy when he comes to."
As they moved to do his bidding, another soldier entered the barn, Hanning behind him.
"The woman is out of it in the house…" he told Jones who nodded and asked, "Any sign of the book?" and Hanning held it up.
"Good…."Jones said, turning back to where his men now had Bucky as secured as they could get him. They all knew it wouldn't take him long to break free of the shackles they had brought from the facility and so when he awoke, they would need to act quickly.
Jones turned the bike engine off and took a moment to admire the vintage model.
"Nice…" he murmured and Hanning snarled behind his back. He was eager to get on with things.
Just then Bucky began to come to and Jones held his hand out for the book, turning to the pages that held the words that would turn Barnes back into the Winter Soldier.
As soon as Bucky had his wits back, he began to struggle against the steel bands around his ankles and wrists, quickly grasping the situation he found himself in and he cursed himself a thousand times over for letting his guard down. How could he have let this happen? How had he not realised that they had tracked them down?
Molly?!
Bucky looked up as a shadow fell over him and he all but snarled as he recognised Hanning stood behind whoever the military guy in charge was. He also noticed then the other soldiers all with their weapons trained upon him.
"Sergeant Barnes….nice of you to rejoin us. I am Colonel Jones and I'm sure this little vacation of yours has been charming, but I must insist that you return to your duties now…"
Bucky's eyes left Hanning and he glared up at Jones.
"Where is she?" he asked, confident that the other man would know who he meant.
"Oh she's safe…" Jones replied.
"Let her go," Bucky said, "I'll do what you want…just let her go, don't hurt her…"
"Oh we won't…" Hanning said, his voice making even Bucky's skin crawl and he looked at the Scientist as he added, "…you, on the other hand….imagine what damage you could do…"
Bucky struggled against his restraints with new vigour despite the guns that were aimed his way, determined that Hanning would be the first one that he'd kill and he grit his teeth, growling as the first word made his brain begin to ache.
"Zhelaniye…"
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Molly woke with a bit of a start and sat up, immediately feeling dizzy and she lifted a hand to her forehead to try to stop her head from spinning.
For a moment she wondered what on earth had happened. Why would she feel so rotten after a much needed nap? She moved to the edge of the couch and risked opening her eyes, blinking as the sunlight streaming through the lounge windows made her head hurt.
She almost felt like she'd been drugged….
"Oh God…" she murmured, her head turning toward the kitchen doorway where she could see the pie that Joanie had brought still sitting innocently upon the table.
As realisation dawned on her, she struggled to her feet, staggering toward the back door of the house, clinging on to every piece of furniture as she passed it. Fear for Bucky clawed at her stomach and when she finally reached the door she yanked it open and stumbled onto the back porch, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight.
The bed sheets that she had hung out to dry flapped lightly in the soft breeze, the whiteness of them dazzlingly bright and Molly could barely look at them as she stepped down off of the porch and onto the grass, moving among them as a sudden gust whipped them into the air like the sails of a ship.
Her steps faltered then as the skin on the back of her neck prickled and every sense in her body told her that something was wrong.
The sheet in front of her blew one way and then another…and then she saw him.
Bucky stood just a few feet away, at the end of the garden and Molly's breath caught in her throat. She froze, standing as still as he and even as she whispered his name she knew that the man before her was no longer the man she was in love with, but the deadly assassin she had wanted so badly to save.
End of Chapter 9