No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor)
Chapter 52: Chaos Control (Part 2)
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Soooo… Loup County was definitely something to see.
….
Just kidding. It was barely a "County" at all. In fact, the only hotel was in a town called "Taylor" and it had been permanently closed for a long time.
Donna Strange and Bucky Barnes had to find another place to stay, somewhere off the beaten path. The somber brunette looked down a dusty road that stretched far off in one direction, then he smiled at his lovely tour guide as she unpacked one of her bags from the car.
Well, Donna triedto unpack one of her bags from the car, but the not-so-winter soldier took over all of that.
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"I could spit farther than this town you know.."
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Hah. Donna heard what James had to say about Loup County, and she gave him a charmed smile. Oh, he smiled right back… and he followed her around like a puppy dog, or whatever.
Bucky didn't care. Donna was leading the show. She booked them a solo room too, since they were pretending to be engaged, and the brunette was just about to ask her a thing or two about that.
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It all felt way too…
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Easy? Natural? Already a thing? Bucky didn't want to jump to any conclusions or assumptions, but…
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His heart felt better in that moment, but he didn't want to say something to kill the vibe. He helped his "fiancé" bring her stuff into the room they booked, and Donna seemed quiet about the whole thing.
Actually, she seemed very professional about it, and that's why "James" was hesitant to say something. Call it having advanced PTSD after trying to build a basic relationship with someone known as a Black Widow.
Bucky was still in recovery mode from all that shit, so…
Donna made her way into the tiny hotel. It wasn't to her standard at all, but she said nothing about it. She glanced behind her when James walked into the room. He set her belongings on the bed, then he started looking around the cute little room.
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"Rae-Ann said the church runs everything around this county, in some shape or form. I thought there would be more to look at out here, but… this is what we've got to work with."
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"I saw the gun shop before we got here, and a sign that said the Lazy D Restaurant and Lounge. That's just your style Donna.."
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Bucky had to laugh, and he had to tease Miss Donna Strange a little bit as she looked over their amazing accommodations. The first motel they stayed at was much nicer, but that was a long time ago, so…
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Donna recalled her behavior with James, then all of a sudden a river of thoughts filled her mind about what she was actually doing. I mean, she told him the plan about "getting married", and now they've booked one bed, and she didn't hesitate with any of it.
It was all for show, and it needed to be done in order to infiltrate some super cult, so…
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"I'm gunna get my stuff."
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James had a duffle bag's worth of clothes and stuff to retrieve from the car, and he noticed that he pulled Donna out of her thought when she spoke. The gravity of everything was kinda catching up for both of them in that moment, so…
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"Yes. Ok, sounds good."
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Donna was a space case. She glanced down at her hand, at her aunt's wedding ring, then she looked off toward the person who was following along. He was wearing the opposite ring, the one her uncle Walter stopped wearing after she died.
Her aunt, she drowned in the lake with her brother… She drowned just like her.
Holy shit. A reality bubble was about to burst or something. Donna took in a slow breath and she started focusing on unpacking her things. Being there in Nebraska was doing something to her soul too, and Donna started feeling like she was in a daze..
It wasn't a bad daze, or, whatever. Donna felt good about all of it, just more or less, surprised?
She wasn't sure, but she knew that James Buchanan Barnes, AKA "Bucky" was a handsome man when he walked back into the room. His hair was cut closer to his ears on the sides, and it looked like he'd been working for her father for a long time…
Donna wasn't sure how long he'd been staying in Nebraska, but his skin was warmer, it held a darker shade.
James asked her if she was doing ok. He said something else too. He said that he didn't mind the two of them sharing a room, or pretending to be engaged.
James said he wanted that, more than anything, but it was her show. He said he also didn't mind if they wanted to find another place to stay.
Donna didn't want to find another place to stay. She was firm with her decisions, but the woman was currently piecing together what those decisions actually meant.
Absentmindedly, Donna gently touched the sides of his hands. That gave "Bucky Barnes" some much needed confirmation, so he said nothing further about the room and he stepped in close.
He only said that he actually wanted to be "engaged" with someone, was that crazy? The word was on his mind a lot, and he felt safe saying that to Donna.
Chapter: END
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