MONTHS LATER - 2015
Many months had passed since Bethany had last seen The Winter Soldier. She couldn't exactly determine if that was a good thing or not.
The everlasting memory of his glassy eyes continued to appear each time she tried to sleep, chaining bountiful restless nights. After a while, she eventually stopped counting. Steve and Sam made it their duty to track the traceless Bucky down, as Nat had provided all of the information towards the The Winter Soldier Project when she infamously leaked Hydra's files to the public. When invited to help search for their missing comrade, Bethany had immediately declined with no apparent explanation. Steve didn't need to beg her for help, much to her relief, as he understood the irreplaceable pain Bucky had dealt to her mind and body. But that was only half the reason.
Finding his personal vibration somewhere in Washington was nearly as easy as breathing, but she couldn't conjure the strength to inform Steve of his whereabouts. She definitely wasn't prepared to face the consequences if they managed to encounter him again, let alone enduring Steve's patriotic attitude towards the whole dilemma. He would instantaneously try to find a valid reason for everything he had done over the long 70 years of being indoctrinated. It wasn't his fault, she knew, but it was a constant struggle trying to grasp at the impossible concept, as she was one of his many victims.
Nevertheless, she had eventually tried to locate his footprint a couple of days after the events at the river. It was a risk she was secretly willing to take. Surprisingly, she had discovered his presence at the Smithsonian, standing unnervingly still. That brief second of observing his movements was all her broken heart could take, and had immediately stopped. She had never uttered a word about what she had seen. It was safer not knowing where exactly James Buchanan Barnes had escaped to.
For all of their sake.
Bethany forced herself to concentrate on more important things, like magnifying her powers, adjusting to the new age, and indulging the Internet. Each day, Bucky's mesmerizing snowy eyes gradually faded from her nightmares, and soon, days turned into weeks, then months. For now, Bethany was finally at peace with the world, focusing on new problems and affairs. For instance, meeting the famous 'Avengers' for the first time.
"Rogers this isn't exactly necessary..."
"I beg to differ, Summers. They've been dying to meet you."
"I think I might die myself, to be completely honest."
Bethany's heart pulsated rapidly against her chest as the duo entered the polished elevator, her thoughts buzzing wildly inside her claustrophobic head. Steve had coaxed her into it after Thor, the God of Thunder, asked for his needed help to retrieve 'Loki's Scepter' from the newly weakened Hydra. Spontaneously accepting Steve's proposal seemed like a good idea at the time, but arriving at the intimidating Stark tower quickly diminished every inch of her confidence.
"Jeez, you haven't been this nervous since 1943." he teased, looking down at her frightened figure with a sly smirk.
"I hate you." she sighed, rolling her eyes at his playful sarcasm.
At that moment the elevator doors opened with a tiny ding, welcoming the pair into a expansive futuristic penthouse. Bethany's old-fashioned perception quickly expanded at the sight of the room surrounding her, filled to the brim with modern technology and classy furniture. New-new York City glistened from the windows, shining beautifully below the skyscraper, creating the perfect skyline for Bethany to gaze at.
"This place is-"
"Amazing? Fantastic? Tacky? I agree with all of the above." an unfamiliar snarky voice interrupted.
Bethany frowned, and quickly turned her attention towards the balcony on the second floor of the penthouse. A middle-aged, well-dressed man smirked down at her, causally leaning over the expensive railing with obvious cockiness. He wore sunglasses, much to Bethany's confusion, as they were inside.
"It's nice to see you too, Tony. Beth, this is Tony Stark." Steve introduced with slight exasperation.
"Wow, hi. Steve's told me all about you..."
"Hopefully the good stuff?" Tony quipped, raising his eyebrow in apprehension.
"Of course." Steve intervened, flashing Bethany a minuscule look of warning.
"Mostly about the flying suits. And that you're a smartarse from time to time." she blurted innocently, ignoring Steve's weary sigh beside her.
"I like her already, Cap." Tony smiled teasingly, and continued to make his way down the fancy glass staircase.
"Is the new recruit here yet?" another voice piped from the conjoining room, immediately revealing themselves to be another middle-aged man with short, dirty blonde hair and clear blue eyes.
He looked somehow experienced, his sharp eyes carefully examining Bethany's profile, causing her to frown in slight discouragement.
"Clint! I didn't think you'd be able to make it." Steve exclaimed excitedly, walking towards Clint to tenderly shake his large hand.
"You know littl' ol' me. Never missing a chance to get back into the action." he replied with an appreciative nod.
He was slightly shorter than Steve, Bethany observed, but his presence was extremely persistent. He turned to her with an encouraging smile, extending his hand welcomingly.
"I'm Clint. You might know me as "Birdman" or "Normal Human Being"." he chuckled as she shook his rough hand.
"She should know. Steve's been backstabbing us behind the scenes." Tony playfully pointed out, joining the small group at the bottom of the stairs.
"Oh really?"
"C'mon Stark I didn't mean it like that-"
"Bethany, my dear, would you kindly do the honors to repeat what exactly our beloved friend Captain America told you-"
"Are you boys already fighting?" Natasha piercing voice cut through the air as she sauntered from the elevator doors, approaching her fellow Avengers with a slight smirk.
"Romanoff? What gives us the delightful pleasure-"
"Save it Stark. But it's good to see you too." she said, watching their surprised faces observe her with caution.
"I thought you were in hiding." Steve asked with concern, watching her with reproachful eyes.
"Thor needs our help. And I think we have enough protection here for me to stay-"
"To stay?! In my tower?!" Tony gasped with immense exaggeration, dramatically putting his hand to his mouth.
Bethany couldn't help but observe the Avengers converse causally with one another, catching up and discussing plans for their future en devours. They all looked focused and happy together, as she could feel their tremendous power vibrate in the area around them. She admired their respect for one another, as they saw each-other as equals, even with their different power levels. A small sensation of longing immediately throbbed in her chest, as she regrettably remembered her original group, The Howling Commandos, so many years ago.
"Beth? You okay?" Steve worryingly whispered below the conversations, frowning at her introverted attitude.
She automatically snapped herself out of her reverie, quickly gazing up at him with a progressive smile.
"Yeah. I think i'll be okay."
"Thor's so...he's so..."
"Godly?" Steve intervened teasingly, flashing her 'the look'.
She scrunched up her nose and slapped his shoulder, blushing ever so slightly from his truthful words.
"Yeah. That's exactly what I was going for."
The day had been full of gods and 'superheros' as Bethany was introduced to the many personalities consisting of the Avengers. It was extremely daunting, but a nice change of pace from her usual grovelling training to harness the elements. Thor and Bruce Banner had joined the small welcoming party later that day, surprising Bethany with their unexpected attitudes. Bruce was quite and polite, completely contradicting his famous "Hulk"she had heard so much about, while Thor was strong and literal, charming her with his bold demeanor. At the end of the day, each Avenger surprised her to an extent, as there were countless clashing personalities inside the power group that made her slightly nervous.
"Thanks for the ride and introducing me to your posse, Rogers. Very entertaining." she joked, embracing his large figure with genuine appreciation.
He returned her sentiment, squeezing her small frame on the steps of her new apartment.
"It could be your 'posse' as well, Beth. You could save countless lives-"
"And also endanger them. When I fully harness my abilities, I'll know who to call. Goodnight Steve." she sighed, planting a gentle kiss on his soft cheek.
His large blue eyes filled with apprehension, but he eventually nodded, bidding her a warm farewell as he descended the steps towards his purring motorcycle. She continued to wave until his glowing headlights turned the nearest corner, prompting her to sag her tense shoulders in slight relief.
It's definitely been a long day, she thought with exhaustion, prepared to collapse onto her soft bed as soon as she was able.
Eventually unlocking her front door, she stepped inside her cosy apartment to immediately sense an unfamiliar presence residing within. Her tired demeanor quickly dispersed, instantaneously replaced with alertness as she hastily turned on the blinding lights in the entryway. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of her messy living room; books were scattered in numerous places around the tiny coffee table Steve had given her as a house warming gift. The drawers and cupboard doors were slammed wide open with brute force, making the scene immensely worse. But out of all the chaos, Bucky standing among the mess undeniably terrified her the most.
Her heart pounded wildly inside her aching chest as she stood completely frozen in the entryway, stunned by his unprecedented appearance. He looked nearly exactly the same since the last time she had encountered him; mid-length messy chestnut hair covered portions of his disturbed expression. He wore casual clothes, softening his hard exterior immensely, also fashioning a navy blue baseball cap to presumably hide his features to the prying eye. Stubble had formed around his chiseled cheekbones, maturing his handsome face to an extent. His glowing blue eyes widened at the slight of her, obviously taken aback with her arrival.
"What are you doing here." she echoed, her head spinning with conflicting emotions.
"I...I needed to see you." he replied in monotone, staring at her quivering figure solemnly.
She gazed at him in astonishment, completely incapable to accept his presence along with his answer.
"Needed to see me? Do you understand how much shit you're in?" she blurted out, unable to predict where her unknown strength was residing from.
"I need help." he answered, ignoring her warnings with a stern frown.
She huffed at his brashness, immediately taken aback with his imposing attitude.
"So you casually decided to break into MY HOME, ruin my stuff, and expect me to help you without consequence?" she scoffed with growing impatience, crossing her arms over her chest in an effort to hide her trembling hands.
He averted his intense gaze to the floor, frustrating Bethany further.
"I know."
"You don't know shit Barnes. If Steve ever found out about you being here..." her words slowly drifted from the edge of her tongue as Bucky raised his head, frowning at the mention of Steve's name.
He doesn't remember anything.
"Do you even know who I am?"
There was a painfully long silence as Bucky stood unnervingly still, staring at her with immense concentration.
"I saw you. Next to my name at the Smithsonian. It said we were...close." he continued carefully, his slow words causing her heart to throb loudly against her unprepared ears.
"The papers said where you lived. I came here for answers."
"Oh." she whispered, unable to raise her voice any louder.
Her heart felt constricted inside her dry mouth as her conflicting thoughts danced wildly inside her claustrophobic head.
What the fuck do I do?
"The only think you'll find here is pain. You need to leave the country as soon as possible. I can't help you." she murmured, struggling to keep the tears at bay.
After another painful silence, Bucky stalked briskly past her and out the front door without another word. He slammed the door in his wake, causing her to flinch from the heavy impact. Sagging to her weak knees in despair, Bethany silently whimpered, completely alone in the destroyed living room, overcome with remorse and confusion from the sight of her complicated love.