I had fun with this chapter! Maybe a little too much fun.
XxXxXxX
A few days later. Connie, Steve and Sam fly out to London for Peggy's service. Once the funeral was finished the church was empty. Steve stood in the middle of the isle alone in his thoughts. He looks up when he hears footsteps coming to find Natasha approaching him.
"When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone." Steve starts. "And then I find Connie. And I didn't feel alone anymore, and now Bucky is somewhere out there and feeling the same way I felt when I first awoke."
"You'll find each other again." Natasha told him gently.
Steve leaned back on a pew, folding his arms. "Who signed?"
"Tony, Rhodes, Vision."
"Clint?"
"Says he's retired."
"Wanda ok?"
"She's fairing. Considering what's happening. I'm off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There's plenty of room on the jet for you."
"I'm sorry Nat." Steve shook his head. "I can't sign it."
"I know."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I didn't want you to be alone."
Steve looked at her as he's ready to break down, Natasha moves closer to him.
"Come here." She pulls him to her and they hug, her hands gently rub his back and arms in comfort.
XxXxXxXxX
Across the street. Connie sat at a table, working on a Smirnoff and looking out the window.
"What color is that?" Sam's question had her turn and look up to see him standing by her table. "May I join you?" He asks.
"Of course." Connie nods and gestures to across her table. He soon joins her. "This is ice grape." She shows him the half drank vodka. "It's good."
"So, did you know Peggy like Steve?" He asks, looking towards the bar area where Steve and Sharon are talking.
"No, not like Steve. He spent more time with Peggy then I did."
"I'm sorry she's gone." Sam apologized with symphony. "She sounds like she was a good woman."
"I never really noticed he was developing a crush on her." Connie said gently. "I was in the aftermath of a miscarriage." She reveals and looks down at the table, then looks towards Steve again. "If I'd known about the crush, I'd defiantly would've helped Steve."
Sam was quiet as he stared at her. "I'm sorry about your miscarriage." He tells her, and she smiles a little.
"Thanks. A few days after Bucky left for the war, I found out I was pregnant. I immediately wrote to him telling him of the news. And in the meantime his family showered me with what I needed to keep the baby healthy." Connie took a deep shaky breath. "After I never got a letter back, doubt emotions were starting to hit me, and then we got a letter saying that Bucky was either dead or MIA." She quickly whipped the tear off her cheek. "I busied myself with cleaning, and extra cleaning. Bucky's ma said I was starting to overdue it. I was working my job, taking overtime and then coming home and just clean. Anything to keep my mind occupied and praying that Bucky would come home."
"But he never came home." Sam could stop his whisper.
Connie nods. "Yeah. One day, I collapsed in the kitchen, I barely heard Bucky's ma screaming my name, when I woke up I was in the hospital. The doctor said I was putting too much stress on myself … and, that's when he told me I lost the baby."
Steve suddenly walked up to them. "We've got a problem." He said hurriedly and with worry and Connie quickly wiped her eyes, while Sam straightened in his chair.
"What's going on Cap?"
"That." Steve points to the TV in a corner.
"A bomb hidden in a news can ripped through the UN building in Vienna." A news reporter informs. "More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect, identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Solider."
Connie gasped, her vodka shattered on the floor when it slipped through her numb hand. Tears spring to her eyes as she shakes her head with denial. Steve wrapped his arm around her pulling her for a hug.
"That's not true! I don't believe it! Steve, you told me that as the Winter Solider, Bucky stays as a ghost." Connie tries, looking up at him.
"I have to go to work." Sharon said as she walks over to them. "They want me on a jet to Vienna ASAP."
Connie's eyes darkened as she narrows his eyes. "Stay away from him." She snarls at Sharon.
"I have to do my job."
"Stay away from him." Connie again repeated. Steve turns to Sharon.
"You need to go." He told her. "Don't make this worse then it already is."
With a nod, Sharon leaves with Steve and Sam watching her.
"That was a little cold." Sam comments.
"I don't care." Connie huffs, moving towards the bar. "May I please borrow your broom?" She asks the bartender. "My glass broke on the floor."
"Sure." He moves to the disappear behind a swinging door and returns with a broom and dustpan, handing them over to her.
"Thank you. I promise to return them."
XxXxXxXxXxXx
Steve and Sam suited up before the three quickly take a Quinjet heading as fast as the turbo inside the jets let towards Bucharest. Bucky's last location.
And once landing, they head to an apartment building.
XxXxXxXxXx
Connie's heart races as she climbs the stairs, Steve behind. She freezes at the door and Steve bumps into her from behind. He looks down at her seeing her frightened face. "I know it's been 70 plus years." Her voice shaking. "And I'm going to get my wish about seeing him again." Her eyes are locked on the door. "I don't know if I can." She finished with a whisper.
Steve rests a hand on her shoulder. "You can wait with Sam." He offers, she shook her head.
"No … I need to do this. Maybe." Her voice is still in a whisper. "Maybe on some level I'll finally get closure." She looks up at Steve and he wraps his arm around her pulling her into a big hug.
"Need to warn you, he's not gonna remember us, but if we keep trying to bring out what we've done in the past."
"Ever since you freed him from HYDRA his memories are like puzzles right now." She nods, her voice is soft and filled with hurt. "And this is not Sailor Moon where she saves Darrien my making him touch a special locket."
"I do like that part." Steve nods. "But you're right. That's a cartoon and this is real."
"And in the show Charmed where Piper kisses Leo to unlock a memory of her in season 2." Connie added. "I highly doubt Bucky will let me near him for that." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm ready." But she didn't move. Steve tightened his arm around her.
"It's ok. He's my friend too."
Connie slowly smiled. "He was your friend first." She took another deep breath. "It's time to bring James home."
Steve then picks the lock and pushes open the door. "Come on." He whispered, looking over his shoulder his shoulder, stepping to the side for her to go in first then he followed and closed the door, quickly locking it again.
"It's dark in here." She comments, looking at the windows that have been covered with newspapers to prevent people from looking inside. Connie sees the mattress on the floor with a sleeping bag half open.
"I think Bucky did that on purpose." Steve said as he moves to the fridge and finds a journal on the top, the journal has sticky notes sticking of it. Opening the book he recognizes Bucky hand writing as memories had resurfaced. The sticky notes are color coded for different events.
Connie kneels down to sit on the mattress, she finds newspaper clippings of both her and Steve. Picking up the pillow, she lifts it to sniff it. It had a different scent but it still smelt like Bucky. Lowering the pillow to her lap, she saw a picture that was under the picture. Picking up the picture she lifts it and smiles. The picture is the same one she has on her wall in her living room.
The picture is of a 1940's Bucky and Connie with Bucky in his uniform. The couple is in Central Park and the two are smiling at each other and hugging each other's waists. Steve had taken the picture.
"Connie." Steve turns to her. "We don't have a lot of time." He warns gently.
She stood up and moves over to him. "He kept the picture." She shows her old friend the picture with a watery smile.
Steve heard the soft footsteps first thanks to his enhanced hearing. He turned sharply, and Connie slowly turned.
"James." Connie breathed, he didn't look like he aged a day. His hair is long brushing his shoulders and he's more muscular then he was in the 1940's.
Bucky's pained and lost eyes roamed over Connie. She still looked beautiful, her hair is longer too.
Steve took in the former couple. Instead of love, devotion, steamy and serious between the couple. Steve saw loss and pain.
"Bucky." Connie whispered, she moved around Steve and moved closer to Bucky.
He stepped backwards and she stopped in her tracks with hurt clouding her eyes.
"Bucky, it's me! It's Connie." She tried to step closer, but he held up his gloved left hand to stop her.
Bucky shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't. I've never met you before."
That was stab to the heart. Tears glittered in Connie's eyes. "You remember me, I know you do!" One hesitant step closer. "Everything we've been through." Another hesitant step. "What you and I have done together." Another hesitant step. "What you and Steve have done together." Finally she was now right in front of him, looking up at him. "And what the three of us have done together."
Connie lifts a shaking hand and gently rests her hand on his chest.
"Connie, we don't have time for you and Buck to make out." Steve said and feeling slightly annoyed, and Bucky's eyes finally tore from Connie to Steve, his eyes go back to Connie.
"I, I don't."
"Please stop lying."
"Why are you here?" Bucky asks, his eyes locked with Connie. "You, you're supposed." He trailed off.
"If you come home with us, Steve and I will answer your questions." Her hand grips the side of his open coat. "Please come home, and we'll work on your memories." She begs hopefully. "Just." She chokes on a sob. "Together. The three of us, like before, we'll work on your memories."
Bucky shook his head.
"Heads up Cap. German Special Forces, approaching from the south." Sam's voice came through Steve's earpiece.
Steve moved forward, gently placing a hand on Connie's shoulder and pulled her back and took a step forward.
"Do you remember me?"
"You're Steve. I read about you in a museum." Bucky said, his focus on Connie even when Steve shielded her, Connie's looking down with tears steaming down her cheeks.
"They've set the perimeter." Sam warns.
"Eyes on me, not her." Steve said calmly as he gives Connie the journal, and she hugs it like a lifeline. "I know you're nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying."
"I wasn't in Vienna." Bucky shakes his head. "I don't do that anymore."
Connie moves to him, her hands held up to her chest innocently as she slowly moves to him. "We believe you Buck."
"And the people who think you did are coming here now." Steve warns. "And they're not planning on taking you alive."
"That's smart. Good strategy." Bucky nods. "She should go." His eyes land on Connie just as they hear footsteps on the roof cause the three to look up. Knowing law enforcement is closing in fast.
"They're on the roof, I'm compromised."
"I'm not leaving without out James." Connie argued.
"This doesn't have to end in a fight Buck." Steve tried, and Bucky slowly walks over to a table on his right, Connie follows as he places a plastic bag of plums and he removes he glove from his left hand to reveal his metal hand, Bucky looks at Connie when he hears her gasp, he turns to look back at Steve.
"It always ends in a fight."
"Three seconds."
"You pulled me from the river!" Steve's voice grew. "Why?" He demands.
"I don't know." Bucky answered.
"Yes, you do." Steve presses, just as Connie felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
Bucky noticed her shiver and pulled off his jacket, moves it and gently drapes it over her shoulders then took off his cap and gingerly places it on her head.
"Breach! Breach! Breach!"
Suddenly a flash bang is thrown through one of the windows, Steve swats it away swiftly with his shield. An actual grenade is thrown through another window, it bounced and rolled to a stop at Connie's right foot causing her to freeze in fright. Bucky snakes his arm around his former lover's waist, yanking her to his chest and kicks the grenade towards Steve who uses his shield slam down on top of the grenade just as it went off. Yelling is heard outside before the windows the grenade came from shatters as a man leaps through and starts shooting.
Bucky pulls Connie closer to his chest, turns sideways and holds up his metal arm to block the bullets. Steve holds up his shield and the bullets bounce off. An officer comes tries to sneak up on the former couple, Connie turns just in time for him to raise his gun, she high kicks the gun out of the man's hands before she uses Bucky's journal to hit the officer in the face.
Another officer comes up behind Connie and grabs her and quickly restrained her, she screams and struggles as her arms are forced behind her back.
"Connie!" Bucky yells, filled with rage he grabs a cinder block with his metal hand and swings slamming it into the officer, forcing him to let go and Connie falls to her side in a corner. Bucky sharply turns to her. "Connie?" His voice is gentle as he concentrates on her. When she looks at him in the eyes she saw recollection.
"You do recognize me!" She accuses but is beaming like a brand new lightbulb.
"Course I do sweetheart." The corner of his mouth twitches up. It fades as he turns back to the fight.
"Buck, stop!" Steve grabs his best friend's arm. "You're gonna kill someone."
Connie quickly picks up Bucky's journal and looks up just to witness Bucky spinning out of the grip, reversing the hold and slams Steve onto his back, before he punches a hole in the floor right next to Steve's head.
"I'm not gonna kill anyone." Bucky yanks out a black backpack and tosses it onto the rooftop across the street.
"Bucky!" Connie cried as he leaves.
Steve shoves himself back to his feet. "I got him." He turns to her. "Stay here ok?" He didn't wait for an answer as he turns to help Bucky.
Connie waits for long while, until she runs out of the apartment. Bucky's journal clutched tightly in her grasp as she runs out after her boys.
XxXxXxXxX
Outside, Connie rushes for one of the officers SUV's and jumping in. With the SVU still running all she had to do was put the vehicle into drive and slam her foot on the gas, she quickly follows the chase into a tunnel an quickly coming up to Captain America, she rolls the window down and slams on the breaks, jerking herself forward and her forehead slammed into the steering wheel. "STEVE!" She screams, ignoring her injury and quickly getting into the passenger seat.
Captain America slowed down to look, he jumps for the driver seat and does a double take. "Shit! Connie!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine, just concentrate on Bucky." She opens the glovebox where the contents fall out, she grabs some napkins to concentrate on the wound on her forehead.
"Shit!" Steve yells as in front of them. "Connie, get ready to jump from the driver seat!"
"What?" She asks, and her eyes widen as the tunnel is collapsing. "When?" She grabs Bucky's journal just as Steve yanks the SVU to the side through the smoke and he grabs her hand.
"Now!" Steve yanks her out of the SUV as it flips backwards.
Just ahead of them a man in a black leather suit takes a swipe at Buck, but Steve tackles him. Getting to his feet, the man moves back to stand at Bucky's left. Connie runs up and thrusts both hands forward sending the man flying backwards.
"Get away from him!" She seethed.
Sirens are heard and suddenly cop cars are surrounding them and screeching to a stop, they soon surround them with their guns aimed. And Iron Patriate lands between them, his repulsers raised at both parties is shoulder cannon aimed on Bucky.
"Stand down, now." Rhodey orders. Connie is hugging Bucky's left arm tightly, holding him close to her, with Steve holding an arm out in front of Bucky to shield him. The air is tense before Steve slowly stands and hesitantly puts his shield on his back, Connie still clutching Bucky's arm and keeping him close. "I said now!" Rhodes orders.
Bucky continues to glare at Rhodey and the officers, he turns to look down at Connie, then leans down to kiss her cheek, his lips linger before pulling away.
Connie lets go of Bucky's arm, and as soon as she let's him go, a group of officers come in the force him to his knees then his stomach as he's restrained.
"Don't hurt him!" Connie cried, watching as some officers place their knees on Bucky's back to keep him restrained.
"Congratulations Captain." Rhodey's voice is cold. "Your a criminal."
"Coming from someone who's supposed to be his friend, that's cold and a stab in the back!" Connie snarls as more as Sam is lead to them at gunpoint. As Steve, Connie and Sam are placed in handcuffs, the man in the black suit takes off his helmet revealing the Prince of Wakanda, and now the new King of Wakanda.
Surprising the Avengers. "Whoa!" Connie gasped.
"Your Highness." Rhodey greets, he then turns and moves towards Connie, and without a word he places a collar. As soon as the collar is on, she felt an instant drain and collapses.
"Connie!" Both Bucky and Steve instantly are frantic at her as they struggle against their restrains.
"What the hell Rhodes!?" Sam yells as he too struggles against his restrains, but not as savage as Bucky and Steve.
"Orders." All Rhodes said. "Take them." He orders.
As she's picked up from the ground, Connie looks towards Bucky as he's being taken away. "Bucky!" She cried as she's yanked to her feet. She, Steve, Sam an T'Challa are pushed in one direction, while Bucky is taken in another direction. "Bucky!" She cries.