Chapter 22

Flashback-1944

Bucky was lying on his bed, waiting for the lights to go out. After supper each night he was escorted back to his tiny room and locked in. Usually within 30 minutes they turned off the lights and left him in the dark. That was his cue to go to sleep, but tonight it seemed longer than usual.

When he heard hurried footfalls in the hall, he sat up. What's going on?

He heard the lock click on his door and he started to get up. 4 Nazi soldiers burst in and before he could say a word, he was zapped with the stun gun. Bucky's body stiffened, and then collapsed to the floor as the charge faded. Then something really unusual happened….they caught him before he could crash to the floor!

"What's.….. going…... on? What...… did…... I..…. do?" Bucky chattered out between gritted teeth.

"Remain silent. Your life is in danger."

Bucky was rolled onto his stomach and his hands were tied behind his back tightly. His feet were tied and he was gagged. As Bucky was still feeling the stun gun effects, he offered no resistance. They picked him up and carried him out the door. A black bag was shoved onto his head so he couldn't see and he felt himself being carried up and down unfamiliar hallways. He was totally helpless. It was a terrifying feeling.

They stopped and Bucky heard a metallic grating sound, like a rusty door on a ship. He felt his body being swung and then he felt zero gravity as they tossed him into the air. Panic gripped him for the two seconds it took for him to land. As he landed on his stomach, the impact knocked some of the wind out of him.

"We will come back when the danger has passed."

And then Bucky heard the door creak closed until the clang told him he was locked in.

He was engulfed in the blackness.

At least before, he could see pinpricks of light seeping thru the fabric, but now there was nothing.

He struggled against his bindings, but the Nazi's were too good at their jobs, and Bucky couldn't get free. He strained to hear something, anything, but there was hardly a sound to be heard. In the distance he thought he heard something, and to quell his rising panic, he latched onto it.

He felt an occasional vibration, like a bomb had exploded off in the distance. He didn't know what else to do, so he tried squirming around to find out if he could determine where he was at least.

The space was small, really small, and it did nothing to quiet Bucky's fear. It felt like a coffin.

As the time ticked by, his mind began playing tricks on him. What if they get hurt and they don't or can't come back for me? How will I get out? Am I going to die here? He squirmed some more.

More time ticked by, and Bucky started to feel his shoulders ache and burn from being pulled behind him. Please don't leave me here. Please come back! Why haven't they come back?

Hours had passed before Bucky heard a click. He struggled and moaned, desperate to be let out. The door opened and he was pulled from the dark space he'd been locked into.

He was carried back to his room and released from his bonds. She was there.

"I am so sorry, James. I told them to hide you, and keep you quiet. This is not what I had intended, but you had to be hidden away."

"What happened?" He blurted out, his voice shaky.

"They are looking for you. They will stop at nothing to find you."

She traced her fingers along the edge of his jawline gently. "I will not let them hurt you, I promise."

Then she stood up and Bucky was left alone in his room.

Bucky sat up in bed with a start, shaking and sweating. Mary was jolted awake by his sudden movement.

"What is it Bucky?"

"I felt something….I think." He was jolted awake by his dream of the past, but there was something else…or was it only his imagination? He slipped off the bed and before he could open the bedroom door he heard a soft knocking.

When he opened it, he saw Pepper. Clutching her robe tightly, she asked if he had felt something.

"Downstairs."

"Oh my God, Tony!"

They both ran downstairs and found Steve hovering over Tony, who was dazed and lying on the floor.

"Ok, not doing that again!"

Mary now joined them. "What happened?"

"I couldn't sleep so I came down to tinker with this thing. I touched something the wrong way and it sent out a shockwave; knocked me to the floor."

Mary clapped a hand over her mouth. Tony was going to get hurt tinkering around with this thing, and who knows what the results would be. "Are you ok? Maybe we shouldn't mess with this anymore."

"I've suffered worse trying to get my Iron Man suit developed, it's okay."

Mary just shook her head, turned to leave and was overheard muttering to herself. "I need a drink."

In the morning as they gathered for breakfast, Mary began passing out coffee. "I don't know about anybody else but I had a hard time going back to sleep after that."

"Me too." Pepper sighed.

Tony just had a half-apologetic expression on his face. "Sorry about that."

"Whatever you do, please don't blow up my house!"

"Whenever I want to clear my head, I go run my obstacle course in the back. Maybe it'll help you."

"I'll think about it." He glanced at Bucky and Steve for a moment and then reconsidered. "Ok, let's do it, after breakfast."

Mary and Pepper made and served breakfast. She gave Mary a questioning look at the amount of food the boys were consuming. Mary just smiled and shook her head.

The boys went to play while the women cleaned up.

When they got back Tony looked a little miffed, and he went straight back to the basement.

Mary, Bucky and Steve sat in the living room and began re-reading every passage from the composition book and discussing it, with Pepper giving an occasional opinion.

"My mother was always secretive, but I never knew why. It frustrated the heck out of me then, but now I know what she was hiding." She glanced at Bucky. "I don't know why she didn't…." Mary trailed off.

Steve perked up. "Did you think of something?"

"Mom was always trying to get me to do these classes with her. When I was younger I joined in, but as I got older, I stopped. I just wanted to do my own thing, you know? People were different, the times were different. I guess she felt rejected. Our relationship was difficult, especially right after daddy died."

"When was that?" Steve prodded.

"1974. Grandma had died and we were coming home from the funeral…." She paused as the memory of that day resurfaced. Tears started falling down her cheeks as the past came hurtling at her. "OhmyGod!"

Bucky pulled her close as wracking sobs overwhelmed her.

When she was able to pull herself together, she finished the story.

"I remember that day so vividly now. I had forgotten it for so long. A car had crashed into us on the way home. Daddy died on impact, and mama was badly hurt. I was on the floor trying to get my teddy bear. I went to stay with daddy's' family until mama got out of the hospital. Once mama got better, she sold the house and we moved out of Orangeburg."

"Orangeburg? Orangeburg, NY?" Bucky asked her.

"Yes. We were living in a house that had been built after Shanks Village was closed."

"Wait! Shanks… Village?"

"Yeah, Shanks Village. It was built from the remains of Camp Shanks for the soldiers returning from WWII and their families. It was part of the GI Bill. Any returning soldier going to continue their education at college would be given priority for cheap housing while he attended. Mama taught me all about the history of Camp Shanks; she said it was important to remember our history. It closed down in 1954 or '55 and parcels were sold off to area residents. Grandma had also lived in the area."

"So, your mother lost her husband and her mother within days of each other." Steve asked.

Mary nodded. "When she got out of the hospital, she was really uptight, and insisted we move straight away. She was always yelling at me until we sold the house. I cried a lot. I heard her cry a lot too."

"I can't imagine why." Steve supplied.

"Anyway, the day we moved Mama wore Grandma's orange necklace. She rarely wore it, that's why I remember it."

"Where is the necklace now, Mary?" Bucky asked.

"I left it in the compartment downstairs. Why?"

"Maybe we should take another look at it."

Mary retrieved it from its' secret hideaway in the blue room, much to Tony's surprise at the secret compartments and brought it back upstairs.

"May I see it?" Mary nodded and handed it to Steve.

He looked all over it, but saw nothing unusual. When he handed it to Bucky the stone began to glow. Surprised, they dropped it and the glow faded. "What the hell was that?" Bucky jumped up.

Mary's eyes got big. "Holy Cow!"

Steve ushered everyone out of the room, and ordered Bucky to stay with the women. He cautiously made his way back and picked up the necklace. Nothing happened. He was totally puzzled. "Mary, are you sure this is the necklace your mother wore?"

"Yes."

"Has it ever glowed like this?"

"Once that I can remember."

"When was that?"

"The day we buried Grandma."