John Walker had intended to call Evelyn and find out if she was doing okay. But then he had seen the news first. He had looked to the screen and he had seen the news as he sat with his morning breakfast before he went out to train. He was an army man through and through, but when the U.S. Government had come to him with their proposal, he had been unable to turn it down. He had been in numerous discussions with the government and of course with Olivia. He wondered if it was the right thing to do. But he had finally agreed.
He had agreed and they had told him that he had a year or so before they went public. Besides, he had to learn everything about Steve Rogers. He had to study him and know what it was about him that made him Captain America. He had to do that to deserve to take up his mantel. And that was where Evelyn came in. They had searched for the right person to teach him and they had found Evelyn.
And now she was missing.
"Hey," Olivia's voice entered the kitchen. He looked to her as she wandered over to the coffee machine, but he only managed a nod before turning his attention back to the TV. Olivia frowned and finished pouring herself her coffee. She tossed her hair behind her shoulders and went to stand behind his chair. She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked to the TV, seeing a photomontage of a young woman with brown hair. "Is that…is that the Evelyn Morris?" she asked, seeing her name at the bottom of the screen. "The woman you were supposed to work with to help you with your research?"
"Yeah," John said with a nod of his head. "She's gone missing. They think it was a home invasion."
"Gosh," Olivia said and took a sip of her coffee. "What do you think?"
"I don't know," John admitted, sitting back and folding his arms over his chest. "I only met her once."
"But you were dragged into that investigation the other day," Olivia said. "Her boss was a creep. You said it yourself. You don't think that he has had anything to do with her going missing, do you?"
"I don't know," John admitted to her.
"Should you call someone?" Olivia wondered, squeezing onto his shoulder tightly. "I mean, I am sure the police are looking into her boss, right? If they knew he was harassing her then he should be one of their number one suspects."
"I would have thought so."
"Go," Olivia said to him, sensing that he wouldn't rest. "We both know who you are going to become in another year or so. He wouldn't just sit back, would he? He would do what he could to help."
"I'll give them a call," John agreed with her, turning to look up at her. "I just don't want to sit by idly if I could help her. She seemed nice, Liv. She was sweet and her boss…it didn't sit right with me."
"Then go," Olivia urged, bending down to kiss the top of his head. "Go and save the day."
….
Andrew had managed to divert the police. They had been to ask him if there would be any reason why one of his employees would be involved in the kidnapping of Evelyn Morris. And they were treating it as a kidnapping. He let them look around his base and into his personnel files. But there was no one who matched the description of the man who had taken Evelyn. Andrew suggested that it could be a former employee and had let them look, being as charming as he possibly could be.
"Where's Dominic?" he demanded as he walked with Matty down to the hidden lab where they were keeping Bucky.
"He's gone on the run," Matty said, chewing on his gum. "I sent someone to his apartment but he had gone."
"Find him," Andrew demanded, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "We need him for when we dispose of Evelyn. He was already subject to an investigation. We plant evidence, make it look like he was the one who kidnapped her because of his infatuation. Her body is then found buried in his backyard and we have gotten rid of the problem."
"Don't you think he might talk?" Matty asked again, their footsteps the only noise in the corridor.
"No," Andrew shook his head. "He'll be silent unless he wants us to finish him off for good. He'll take time in jail alive over being six feet under. Men like him are too weak to do anything else."
Matty nodded again and Dominic pulled his pass card from his pocket. He scanned it on the pad at the door they came to at the end of the corridor. He pulled the steel door open once the green light flashed on the pad and stepped inside. He looked around and saw only one person in the room, the radio humming softly in the background.
The woman stood up straight and looked over to the man who had entered. She wore a long, white lab coat over a fitted black dress. She had trainers on her feet, preferring to work in comfort over style considering she was the only one down there. She tucked her long, red hair behind her ears and arched an expectant brow at the two men.
"Any news on Marcel?" she enquired.
"We sent a message telling him to get on the first flight here," Andrew said. "He should be here in just over a day or so. Have you made any progress so far?"
"I've taken his blood," she said. "It is fascinating, really, it is. I've never quite seen anything like it."
Andrew smiled and stepped forwards, hand going to the woman's back as she bent over her microscope and peered into the lens, looking at the sample of blood. Matty moved around the lab, hand skimming over the equipment he saw as he went.
"How long do you think it will take to get the serum?" he wondered.
She stood up and looked over her shoulder to Andrew as he allowed her to turn, draping his arm over her shoulders. She leant against his side and shrugged.
"It depends," she said. "Marcel tried it with the blood of another super soldier, but he lost it when the blip happened. Hopefully it won't take too long. Why? Are our friends from upstairs getting anxious?"
Andrew chuckled and Matty smirked.
"I think every day on this planet with the world back to normal is one day too long for them," Andrew said, kissing the woman on top of her head and moving around the lab, hands going back into his pockets. "But they helped us locate Barnes. They can do what they want, we have guaranteed safety from them."
"I'm not bothered about what they want," the woman responded. "I kind of liked life during the blip as well. But I don't want him kept alive for any longer than he has to be."
"And he won't be, dear sister," Andrew promised her. "We'll be rid of him before you know it. I trust he is cooperating well?"
"As well as we could hope," she said.
"You know if he gives you any grief then just come to me, Verity," Matty said and Andrew watched him give his sister a smirk and a wink. He frowned, not entirely enjoying seeing some man flirt with his sister. But his sister gave as good as any man got. She was tough, much tougher than everyone gave her credit for.
"Don't worry, if he gives me grief then I just show him this," Verity said and held up her iPad, the live stream of Evelyn coming through. "He's been on the phone with her ever since you gave him the phone. I've kept listening in, but they're talking utter shit. It's real Romeo and Juliet crap."
"Similar endings, as well," Andrew said.
"He still thinks that we will let her go once this is done," Verity said and moved around her lab, tidying some things up as she moved around. "She isn't as foolish. She knows that we're going to kill her, but he…well…he really does believe that we'll let her go. Don't you find that odd?"
"Not really," Matty said, "I've seen men do stupid things for women before. They lose all rational thought when it comes to women and clearly Evelyn is his pressure point. You saw how he reacted to her…if you really want to hurt him…there are ways."
"Such as?" Verity asked.
"Killing her before you kill him," Matty responded. "Can you imagine the turmoil he will feel then?"
"You're sick," Verity said, her own lips curling.
"You love it," Matty said.
"Enough," Andrew warned. "Both of you. I don't need to see this or hear it."
They went silent then and Matty nodded before Andrew spoke. "When the time comes bring her here. Shoot her in front of him…break him to the point where he is begging for us to kill him."
…
"Marcel is on a flight over to Dulles," Torres said to Sam on the phone.
Sam had tried to work out how far away Evelyn could be from Washington D.C. centre. She couldn't have gotten far, not really. There was not enough time for her to have been taken from the area. She needed to be close. Besides, he doubted they would have sent her too far. They just needed somewhere remote to hold her. Sam had narrowed down his research to four possible sites of demolition where an abandoned building could be.
He had sent Redwing ahead to scout out the areas, driving down the highway towards one of them where cars had been parked. It looked suspicious and Sam had done his best to hope that was the place. He could still hear Bucky. He knew that Bucky's blood had been taken. He had gone back to talking to Evelyn after that, almost trying to make light conversation with her to keep her mind on anything but what was going on.
"How long do we have before he lands?" Sam wondered.
"About six hours," Torres said. "I can be at the airport waiting for him."
"You have to be," Sam said. "He can't get anywhere near Bucky's blood. What did you find out about him? Anything else?"
"Yeah," Torres said. "He's a sympathiser with the Flag Smashers. He's been on a number of online sites sympathising with them and agreeing that the world would be better without half the population."
"Ironic considering he went in the blip," Sam commented.
"I know," Torres agreed. "Are you any closer to finding Evelyn? This has become big, Sam. Her going missing…now the US Army is involved."
"Why?" Sam wondered.
"Some guy in the Army who is high up called John Walker said that he had seen Evelyn being harassed by her boss," Torres said. "Apparently he was supposed to do research with her and came forward to say that he wanted to help try and find her…wondered if her boss might have anything to do with her disappearance."
"Her boss? Bucky said something about him bugging her phone to get information…about how he harassed her," Sam said, recalling Bucky's comments about him when they were on the way to the rental car. "So this Walker thinks that he might be the one who took her? He's pretty far off the mark."
"We both know that," Torres responded, "but the police and the army are running with it. They have no other leads because you won't let me tell them about Andrew Mardox yet."
"Not until Evelyn is safe," Sam said. "Bucky was clear on that."
"And why are we listening to Bucky?" Torres wondered.
Sam sighed and turned off the highway. "Because he is a pain in the ass, but he…he's serious about this girl and as much as he winds me up, he really cares for her. If Mardox gets wind of anyone being onto him then I don't know what he will do to Evelyn. As soon as we have her and Bucky has word that she's safe then we move. I take Mardox in and you get the doctor."
"And her boss?"
"Sounds like a leech, but isn't dangerous. We'll find him and bring him in too," Sam said with a nod. "I know that this is off the books, Torres, and I might get in trouble for it, but I promised to look out for Bucky. And if it takes us going off the books to stop his blood from being used then so be it."
"Alright," Torres said. "You know I've got your back."
"Thanks, man."
"Keep me posted."
Sam hung up and finally arrived at the place where he thought Evelyn was being held. A scan of the building told him that there were five people in there. They were sat around in one room. As the scan continued, he saw one other figure in the basement. It looked like a woman and it had to be her. Sam let out a deep breath and nodded his head.
He climbed from the car and adjusted the goggles on his eyes, preparing for battle.
….
"They said that you thought I was being followed," Evelyn said. She had managed to sit up, one hand grabbing her side as she kept hold of the phone. "You camped outside my building to make sure I was safe."
"Yeah," Bucky admitted to her. "I was worried, but it turns out they were following me."
"They'd been trailing you a while."
"I should have noticed," Bucky said to her, "but I was in a world of my own…going through life in a daze and on autopilot until I met you. It was then when I felt more alive than I have done in a very long time."
"You didn't need to do any of that," Evelyn said to him. "You mustn't have gotten much sleep."
"I try to avoid sleep when possible," Bucky said.
"I know," she said before she heard a sudden banging noise.
"What was that?" Bucky asked from her.
"I don't know," she responded. "Maybe it was the demolition works?"
But this time there were screams. Bucky stayed on the line as Evelyn took deep breaths and felt a sense of fear inside of her. The yells continued, followed by gunfire as she placed a hand over her mouth.
"It's okay," Bucky tried to assure, hoping that the commotion was Sam. Had he found her?
"What the…" Evelyn trailed off.
The door just outside of the room was ripped off its hinges and Evelyn couldn't make out who it was without her glasses. She let out a shaky sob as the figure approached her.
"Evelyn, it's good to meet you," he said. He reached for the key card he had stolen from one of her guards and pressed it to the door to her cell. Entering the space, he saw that she had begun shaking as she kept holding the phone in her hand. "You alright?" he asked from her. His face was finally close enough for her to make out that he was the Falcon.
"I am now," she responded.
"Evelyn…it's Sam…tell me it's Sam…" Bucky pleaded with her.
He longed for her just to confirm it. He needed to hear it from her own lips.
"It's Sam," she said to him, confirming it. "Well…Falcon…"
"May I?" Sam asked, motioning to the phone. She nodded and let him take it from her hands. He pressed it to his ear and spoke quickly. "She was being held in some abandoned warehouse. I knocked her guards out, but I need to get her to a hospital. She has some deep cuts and bruises…listen, I can call for backup to help you, but you need to get out of there, man. You need to get any blood and just get out of there."
"Promise me she's safe," Bucky said. "Sam, promise me that before I leave here."
"I promise," Sam said.
And then Bucky hung up. Sam didn't want to know what was going to happen. Instead he tossed the phone to the side and looked to Evelyn.
"This might hurt slightly, but I need to pick you up, okay?"
"Yeah," Evelyn said to him.
She moved her arm up, allowing it to slip over his broad shoulders. Bending down, he managed to pick her up, holding onto her tightly as he carried her in his arms. She winced, but did her best not to groan in pain. Sam carried her out of the building slowly, talking to her as they went.
"So…you and Bucky, huh?"
"Well…there's not really an us," Evelyn said to him, knowing that he was trying to distract her. She didn't mind so much. She quite liked the distraction. "He never got to take me out on a date."
"You know, I've known Bucky a while and I can't imagine him taking anyone out on a date," Sam said to her.
"Why's that?"
"He's too miserable," Sam said and Evelyn smiled at that. "He's always brooding. Do girls really go for that? I mean, you seem sane."
"He does have that aura," Evelyn admitted as they entered the fresh air, "but he's not like that, not really. He's…there's more to him and he's always been kind to me. Is he going to be okay? Tell me that he's going to be okay?"
"He could've broken out of there in minutes," Sam promised her. "He was only playing along with them until you were freed. He was doing all of this to keep you safe."
"You're sure?"
"Trust me," Sam said to her, "let's just focus on getting you cleaned up, okay?"
"Okay," Evelyn said as Sam opened the car door and helped her in. Closing it, he only hoped that Bucky hadn't overstepped the mark.
….
Sam knew that he was facing a complete shambles when he got to the hospital. An operative of S.H.I.E.L.D. had been waiting to find out what had gone on. He explained himself entirely, telling them everything that he knew. The police had gone to Mardox HQ and had found Bucky there. He had told them that he had left the three of them who had been held him captive in their lab, tied together so that they could be apprehended.
Bucky hadn't killed them. There had been a moment when he had thought about it as he kept Andrew pinned to the wall, his hand squeezing his neck. He had beaten Andrew and Matty easily, the other woman trying to flee but Bucky knocking her out before she could get far. Bucky had enjoyed taking his revenge, wanting to hurt them for what they had done to Evelyn. But that wasn't him anymore. He wasn't that man.
"Where is she?"
Bucky's voice was soon in Sam's ears. He had stayed at the hospital, waiting for Bucky to come to him.
"She's in there with a doctor," Sam said, hand going to Bucky's chest to stop him from storming into the room. "But we need to talk first. The Army are all over this…so are the Air Force and S.H.I.E.L.D. This is big, Buck."
"I don't care-"
"-Well you should," Sam interrupted him. "Because you're supposed to be a normal civilian. You're not supposed to be running round on missions. Now I think you'll be fine. I explained why you didn't tell anyone but me, but there are other people who know Evelyn was taken and it wasn't a simple home invasion."
"So what?"
"So, you know what optics are like," Sam said. "Everyone wants to keep this under wraps. No one wants to cause panic or chaos. Can you imagine the headlines if it is discovered that you handed yourself in and this terrorist group were planning on creating an army of super soldiers to help take us back to the time before the blip?"
Bucky shook his head. "So what's happening?" he asked.
"Andrew and his associates will be interrogated," Sam said. "Your blood will be destroyed. The scientist who was flying out is being apprehended and will also be interrogated. As far as anyone will know publicly, Evelyn was abducted and found in a warehouse safe and sound…the culprit having gotten away."
"Bullshit," Bucky snapped.
"Optics," Sam retorted.
"And her friends?" Bucky asked. "They knew who had taken her and no doubt they have told her parents."
"They're all currently being debriefed by S.H.I.E.L.D. They'll know that she was taken to get to you, but that is about it."
Bucky shook his head. "They'll want to know why."
"Because someone had a vendetta against you," Sam said. "They're not going to mention the doctor or your blood. Everything is staying under wraps so no one else gets any other ideas. Listen, her parents are here in D.C. and her friend Maria is with them. They know Evelyn is safe and are coming up later to see her. Her other friend, Lisa, is being debriefed by the London branch. They'll all be required to sign NDAs so they don't speak of this to anyone."
Bucky dropped his hips to his hands. "And her boss?" he asked. "Where is he?"
"We're still looking for him," Sam said. "It seems he went off grid as soon as you were done with him. Turns out he'll be off to jail for embezzlement as well. But there's this other guy who is looking for him. He thought that Dominic might have taken Evelyn because he saw him with her…some John Walker."
"Evelyn mentioned him. He's doing research with her."
"Well, he works for the U.S. Army," Sam shrugged. "But he's been given permission to find Dominic. Apparently he's good. He knows Evelyn is safe and he knows the full story. His access clearance is higher than mine."
"Must be good," Bucky said, not concerning himself with this John Walker. "So is that it?"
"You know that they need to debrief you too," Sam said, arms folded. "You've stopped a potential crisis, Bucky, but you did it when you were supposed to be a normal civilian."
"They can debrief me after I have seen her," Bucky responded, pointing to the door.
"Knew you'd say that," Sam muttered.
They lapsed into silence and waited until the door to her room opened. A doctor stepped out and looked between the two men. They must have looked a sight dressed in their tactical gear. They were certainly out of place. The doctor moved a weary hand to her cheek and rubbed it before looking to her clipboard. She had already dealt with Sam and no doubt the man next to him was another one from the government who was involved in this secret.
"She's got three broken ribs," the doctor spoke, "her eye is swollen and her lip split. She is bruised beyond belief, but she should be fine. She just needs time to heal."
"Thanks, doc," Sam said.
"Can I see her?"
"Be gentle with her," the woman said to him. "She's already seen those suits today and I don't want her exerting herself."
Bucky nodded and stepped into the room. It was quite dark, the blind closed and the room large. The bed was in the middle with a tray at the end of it, a pitcher of untouched water sat on it. There were two chairs next to the bed and a chart above it with her patient information.
"Hey," Evelyn managed to say to him.
"Hey," Bucky responded, moving forwards and standing by her bed. He moved his fingers to her cheek, brushing her hair away from her face as he saw her swollen eye and split lip. He was gentle as he moved the back of his hand down her hair, his eyes raking over the bare skin that her gown didn't cover, seeing the bruises.
"Were you hurt?" Evelyn asked him.
His lips tugged up in disbelief as a sigh left his lips and he shook his head. "You're the one laid here in a hospital bed and you're asking me if I'm hurt," Bucky informed her. "Evelyn, this is all my fault."
"No, it's not."
"Yes it is," he retorted. "When I found out they had you…I felt sick…I felt this feeling that I'd never had before. And look at you."
"I am alive because of you," Evelyn said forcefully, managing to reach out and take his hand in hers, just about making out where it was with her blurred vision.
"No, you were taken because of me," Bucky responded to her. "And now your name is plastered everywhere, Evelyn. Your…your friends…parents…I mean, you parents are being told that you were kidnapped because of me. They haven't even met me. Do they even know that you were seeing me? Do your friends?"
"Lisa and Maria knew. I told them that night," she nodded her head. "And my parents are my parents. They know me and they know that if I trust you then that is all that matters."
Bucky shook his head. "But it isn't about trusting me, Evelyn," he responded. "You can trust me, but they will know that I was the man who put them through two days of turmoil while you were gone. What parent wants their child to be with someone like me?"
Evelyn squeezed his hand. "My parents don't make decisions for me, Bucky," she said forcefully. "Neither do Lisa or Maria. I make my own decisions."
"I don't want you to fall out with them over me."
"Who is saying I would?"
"We need to be honest, Evelyn," Bucky said. "And they wouldn't want you to be with someone like me."
"Stop it," Evelyn demanded from him, knowing what he was doing. She had expected this. Of course she had expected this. She had heard it from him before, but he had made a deal with her not to push her away. But that was what he was trying to do. "I don't want to do this, Bucky, not now…I just…I just want you to be here. Please."
"Evelyn-"
"-You told me that I should always tell you what I want, right?" she interrupted him. "Well I want you to stay with me. I don't want to be alone right now."
Bucky sighed, but nodded. He could do that for the time being. He unzipped his jacket and shrugged out of it, leaving him in his turtleneck jumper. He placed the jacket on one chair and was about to sit in another when Evelyn squeezed his hand and stopped him from moving. He saw her move up on the bed and he shook his head.
"You've been injured," he said to her.
"I don't care," Evelyn said. "I've had a lot of painkillers so I can take it."
"But-"
"-Would you stop arguing with me?" she demanded.
Bucky's lips quirked and he climbed onto the bed gently. He moved his arm up, allowing her to rest against his side as he draped it over her shoulders. He felt her hair tickle the side of his neck and he bent down, allowing his cheek to rest in her hair.
"You really are bossy," he said in a whisper.
"Shut up," she said.
"Point proven," he responded. "Try and get some sleep."
"I will," Evelyn promised him.
He kept her in his hold, hearing her sighing before she fell to sleep. He didn't move for a while, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before she woke up and her parents and friends arrived. And Bucky knew he couldn't be there when they got there. He couldn't face them and tell them that this had happened because of him. He had made his mind up as soon as she had been taken that he couldn't have this life. There would always be another threat. There would always be someone who would either want his blood or want revenge on him for what he had done. Who was to say they wouldn't get to Evelyn again?
No. He wasn't going to do that to her. He couldn't do that to her.
He slipped from her grip and stood up. Moving into the corridor, he was grateful it was empty. He didn't know where Sam had gone, but he moved quickly before he returned. He asked a nurse for some paper and a pen. She told him to wait a moment before returning on her way to check on a patient. He thanked her and returned to the room, sitting in the chair as Evelyn slept. He pulled his leather glove off so that he could grip the pen easier. He didn't know what to put. What did he say to her? How did he apologise in words to fit on one sheet of paper?
And so he wrote what felt right. He wrote and folded the sheet in half. Standing up, he placed it on the bedside table before bending over. He moved his hand to her cheek, stroking it softly before dropping his lips to the top of her head. He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there before pulling back, closing his eyes and trying not to let his emotions take over.
"It's for the best, sweetheart," he said in a whisper, his breath against her forehead. "You'll see that one day."
Kissing her once more, he stood up and shrugged his glove back on before leaving the hospital room. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and knew that this would hurt Evelyn. It had hurt him more than he had thought it would. But it was for the best. It had to be for the best.
….
"Mum, I'm fine," Evelyn promised her mother as soon as she entered the hospital room. She had woken Evelyn from her sleep with her shrieking and cries. Bucky had gone, but no doubt Evelyn suspected he wasn't the meet-the-parents type of guy after their daughter had just been kidnapped for revenge on him. "I promise."
"Evelyn, we were so scared," her mother said in her English accent, the tone cutting through her. "We had no idea where you had gone and then we found out that you'd been taken by someone who wanted revenge on the Winter Soldier."
"Don't call him that," Evelyn said as her mother pulled back and sat down in the empty seat. Her father bent over her, leaning down so that he could kiss his daughter on the cheek softly. Evelyn smiled up to him before he sat next to her mother.
"But that is who he is."
"No," Evelyn shook her head, "that was who he was brainwashed to be. You know that."
"What are you doing getting involved with a man like that?" her mother continued to push her.
"Sarah," her father warned her mother, not wanting to see his daughter get even more upset. "Come on, this isn't Evelyn's fault."
"I know," Sarah said, shaking her head. "But she is our daughter, Alistair. She is our daughter who was kidnapped and we had no idea what was going on. All we knew was that someone had broken in…someone had taken her…and we didn't know."
Alistair moved a hand to his wife's back as she held back her tears and he stroked it slowly, looking to his daughter with a sad smile.
"I know that this must have been hard," Evelyn promised her parents, "but Bucky isn't the man who you read about. You know that. He wouldn't have been pardoned by the President otherwise and I like him, mum…dad…" Evelyn said to her parents. "He's torn up over what happened and blaming himself. I know that this must be weird and I know that you're scared and upset and you probably don't want me to see someone like him…but…but that's not fair. It's not fair to punish him for crimes that he didn't commit, not really. And if you met him then you would see that."
"A man like that is dangerous, Evie," Alistair said. "I don't doubt that he is a good man. If you say he is then we know he must be…but who is to say that this won't happen again? Who is to say that he doesn't have enemies who would want to hurt him by getting to you? We're your parents. We look out for you."
"I know," Evelyn sighed, "but who is to say that it will happen again? Who is to say that for certain? And so…what? He lives his life in fear of getting close to someone? That's not fair on him."
Sarah sighed and shook her head. "No offence, darling, but we're not concerned with what is fair to him."
"Then it's not fair to me," Evelyn responded. "Because I like him and I…I haven't liked anyone like this before…"
Her parents exchanged brief glances between each other and Evelyn watched them for a few seconds before shaking her head. They weren't going to see her point on this and she could understand why. But that didn't mean she accepted it. Instead she looked to them and shook her head.
"Is Maria here?" she wondered.
"She's outside. You can only have two visitors at a time."
"Can I see her? I'd love a cup of herbal tea or something if you could give us a minute?"
"Don't push us away." Alistair urged his daughter.
"I'm not," she said. "I just need some tea. Please?"
Her parents sighed and stood up, moving over to embrace their daughter once more before leaving her alone and fetching Maria.
….
Sam had seen Alistair and Sarah Morris leave their daughter's room and ask for her friend to go in. Maria entered, cradling her stomach as Sam kept watch. He was waiting for Bucky to come back, but he hadn't seen any sign of him just yet. He figured that he was giving Evelyn time with her family and friends. Sam continued to pace the corridor, hands in his pockets. It was five minutes later when the door to Evelyn's room snapped open. Maria exited and looked down the corridor, her gaze full of anger and a hand pointing to him.
"Where is he?" she demanded from him.
"Bucky?" Sam asked.
"Yes, Bucky," she snapped, moving closer to him and Sam swore he had never seen something as scary as an angry pregnant woman. "Where the hell has he gone?"
"I thought that he was just giving Evelyn some time," Sam said.
"Well he left her a letter," Maria said, arms flapping around. "He left her a letter telling her that he was leaving her…that he's gone…and now she is in there in bits because of him. So where has he gone?"
"I don't know," Sam said honestly.
"You're his friend."
"I would say acquaintance."
Maria threw him a look warning him not to challenge her at that moment in time. He held his hands up and began defending himself.
"I swear I don't know. I went for a quick walk and her parents were here," Sam said to her. "I don't know where he has gone."
"Then you'd better find him," Maria said and Sam's eyes widened. She really was quite terrifying. "Because she has just been through hell and back because of him and she deserves better than some shitty letter telling her that he is gone. She…she cares for him…and I wish she could have met someone normal. It would make all our lives easier, but Evelyn…she's never cried over a guy. And now she's hysterical. And I don't think he really wants to leave her, but if he does then she deserves him to come back here and to tell her to her face. She deserves that much respect."
Sam could agree with that. He nodded slowly. "I'll see if I can find him."
She pointed to him one more time. "You better," she warned him and returned to the room.
Sam turned on his heel and reached for his phone. He knew Bucky wouldn't pick up, but it was worth a try. He ended the call when the phone kept ringing with no answer. "What have you done, Bucky?" he sighed and left, ready to find the brooding super soldier.
…
A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews and comments! I love reading what you think about the story. If you have any suggestions or anything you'd like to see then just let me know. Look forward to hearing from you - next chapter coming soon!