A/N: This is my first fanfiction! I've been holding on to this for a while (kept it to myself as more of a guilty pleasure, really) and I've now decided to share it. This fanfiction tends to follow its own timeline, however, I've tried to stick close to the movie timeline as much as possible.
It must be noted that this story is rated M as there will be some explicit content mentioned later in the story (depictions of sexual intimacy, and also mentions of rape and abuse) but forewarnings will be provided at the beginning of the respective chapter.
DISCLAIMER: It must be noted that I don't own any of the Marvel characters or anything affiliated with the Marvel Universe. However, all OC and content have been created by me.
CHAPTER ONE
"The One where it Starts"
Delilah Kiran Novak walked out of the BridgePoint hospital and into the struggling light of the setting sun. Although it had been a long and dreary day filled with appointments, fussy parents, and completing endless reams of paperwork for the admin department, she loved her job as a pediatrician. At the age of 28, Lilah knew that nothing else brought her more joy and comfort than knowing that she could change a child's life for the better. Glancing down at her watch, Lilah quickly debated with herself and eventually decided to ditch going home early and pop by her favorite bookstore down the street. Her haven away from home.
As she opened the door, the familiar cheerful ring from the bell on the doorframe echoed through the store. From the raised teller point to the far right of the small shop, Mrs. MacMillan peered through her glasses to see the visitor.
"Lilah! Oh darling, where have you been? I haven't seen you here for ages!" she exclaimed in her accent of old English poise.
"Hi, Mrs. MacMillan," Lilah replied with a smile while walking over to the elderly lady's desk, "It's just been really busy at the hospital. I haven't had a proper moment to myself for about two solid weeks now," she informed her.
Mrs. MacMillan's jaw dropped in shock, "Two weeks?! Darling, either they're working you too hard or people just can't keep their damn hands off each other anymore!" she returned.
Lilah laughed. She loved chatting with Mrs. MacMillan. It made her reminisce about her Grandmother, Karina Novak. Tall and skinny as a twig but full of spunk, love, laughter, and the uncouth manners of a trooper. After talking with her, Lilah browsed the shelves for a while, selected two books, paid for them, and then said a quick goodbye to Mrs. MacMillan, promising to make another visit soon.
Darkness had quickly fallen over the Washington D.C. sky by the time Lilah had stepped out of the store, yet the roads were still busy and bustling with people under the bright glow of the street lights. While Lilah had initially decided to enjoy some fresh air and stroll home, the digital destination status of a bus pulling over at the upcoming bus stop flickered and grabbed her attention, bringing her to a standstill outside its doors. Without giving it a second thought, Lilah got on to the bus, found a seat and settled in for the ride to the Smithsonian Museum.
The bus had made a few stops before it finally arrived at the Smithsonian Institution. The building towered over her, but she shook off the shivers that rolled down her spine and walked in. Gliding passed most of the exhibits, Lilah knew exactly which display she was heading to. She remembered so clearly how she had held off coming to the institution once it opened… because it meant that she still needed him. However, that willpower broke after 3 days and now, she's here almost once every month.
Lilah turned the corner and walked into the "Howling Commandos" exhibit. Holding her breath while passing by the motorbike that belonged to Captain Rogers, the images and running videos of the team lit up the surrounding walls. Lilah exhaled with relief when she finally saw the image she was looking for. There he was…
James Buchanan Barnes.
Lilah moved to the side of the room without taking her eyes off the memorial screen and sat on the wooden bench for a direct view. She could stare at him for hours, especially the still in the video where James smiles shyly at the floor. It made her heart flutter every time. Seeing James with short hair was different for her though. Lilah only ever knew James to have long hair, like how he was during his days as The Winter Soldier.
Silently leaning backward and letting the cold from the concrete wall behind her seep through her jersey, Lilah watched the memorial screen for almost half an hour until the indistinguishable conversations around fizzled out and she realised that she was alone in the room. Slowly, she got up from her seat, strolled right up to the screen and stood in front of James' photo. Lilah cautiously lifted her hand, always wary that she might set off an alarm of some kind, and gently ran her fingers over James' cheek in the photo.
Closing her eyes tight, she could still remember the icy roughness of his skin and his short uneven and unshaven beard under her fingers. Lilah's eyes closed even tighter as she felt the tears starting to swell. She wanted him here and she hated it! Hated that she still needed him after all these years. Hated that she still felt safe with him, even if it was just seeing him in a photo and a few looped videos. Immediately upset with herself, Lilah turned away from the screen and briskly walked out of the exhibit while wiping away tears that she could not keep in anymore.
Unfortunately, in her state, Lilah failed to notice the shadows of two men lurking in the corridor at the far end of the exhibit. She might not have seen them, but they saw her.
"So that's her," sighed Sam, as he turned over to the passenger. "Yeah, that's her," mumbled Steve as he looked at the file on his lap. "I dunno man, she just doesn't look like the type of girl that would have contact with Barnes-," Sam breathed. "Sam, you saw what she did at the museum just as well as I did," Steve interrupted. "Yes, but I mean, a children's doctor? A bookworm? To me she just doesn't fit the profile of someone Barnes would actually go looking for," Sam said. Steve took a deep breath and looked back out at the block of apartments Lilah had walked into, "I know, but according to her file her Grandmother was a nurse who worked closely with Zola and the people of Hydra who were responsible for keeping Bucky under cryo-sleep and that alone makes me think that she - just maybe - might know something about Bucky's whereabouts,".
Sam took a deep breath through his nose. So far their search for Bucky wasn't going great and this was their first lead in months so he understood Steve's need to pull at every thread possible in their search for Bucky Barnes and tried not to question it. So without further discussion, Sam gave Steve a slight nod of agreement, "Its a shot; let's take it and hope it pays off then." He started the car and drove away from the young lady's apartment, knowing that tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.