I had so much fun with this one!
XxXxXxXx
The car ride was quiet. Amaryllis had fallen asleep in the back, Sam sat next to her but be made sure to sit behind Arianna, who was driving.
"Thanks for the ride home Aria." Bucky finally broke the silence after he looked out the passenger window.
"The only way to thank me is to not get arrested again." She said simply. "What were you two doing in Baltimore anyway? Having a toga party?"
"Touchy subject." Sam answered, making Bucky nod, still looking out the passenger window.
"Very touchy."
Arianna rolled her eyes. "I don't know what's worse. You two having short fuses about Walker or those Flag Smashers."
"Walker does not deserve Steve's shield." Bucky growled folding his arms.
"Bucky, it's only a matter of time till the Garage Sale Captain screws over and Sam gets the shield just like Steve wanted." Arianna said. "Sam, do you have a place to stay?"
"I've got a hotel." Sam answered then told her where it is. He looks over at Bucky in the dark. "So, what are you thinking?"
"Well I know what we have to do." Bucky sighed, leaning back in the passenger seat, not taking his eyes off the window. "Isaiah said 'my people'."
"Aw, don't take that to heart, that's not what he meant." Sam said, leaning forward as far as the seatbelt would let him as he looks at Bucky.
"No, HYDRA, HYDRA use to be my people."
Sam scuffs. "Not a chance."
"Walker doesn't have any leads."
"I know where you're going with this."
Arianna frowns. "What? What's going on?" She takes a glance at Bucky.
The former Winter Solider turns, but he looks at Sam. "He knows all of HYDRA's secrets. Remember Siberia?"
"So you're just going to sit in a room with this guy?" Sam counters.
The car becomes quiet for a short time. "Who are you talking about?" Arianna asks.
Bucky and Sam are still quiet as they continue to star at each other, making Arianna roll her eyes. "Are you two having a staring contest?" She asks. "Little hard to do in the dark."
Sam hangs his head before he leans back in his seat, not happy, and Bucky shifts to look ahead with a smirk.
"I win." He smiles cockily.
"What? Win what?" Arianna asks confused.
Sam folds his arms, looking out his own window. "Gonna see Zemo."
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
After Sam was dropped off, and Bucky takes a sleeping Amaryllis to her room, Arianna sat in the living room.
Bucky comes back down the stairs. "You're mad at me." He sits down on the couch. "I can tell."
"Why have you been staying here?" She wouldn't look at him.
He blinked. "You're letting me be in our daughter's life." He frowns when she shakes her head.
"Not what I meant."
Bucky leaned forwards, placing his arms on his knees and laced his fingers together. "I'm listening." He looks at her. "Talk to me."
Arianna sighs. "I don't know. You're gonna blow your top."
"Aria, please." He studies her. "I've had enough surprises for the night."
She took a deep breath. "Fine." She stood up and moved to a wall. "You mentioned you weren't interested in us picking up where we left off." She starts, hesitantly. "And, and that's ok … I guess."
Bucky frowns. "So you did move on." He nods. "I believe before I left to protect you. I believe I said for you to move on."
"I wasn't interested!" She rounded in hotly. "I never had the time or a moment to even think about it." Arianna points at him. "But you did. You moved on."
Bucky leaned back on the couch, feeling a new headache forming as he folds his arms. "What are you talking about?"
"I saw you Buck. I saw you on a date inside a closed bar." Arianna tried hard to not let her voice sound hurt.
Bucky blinked, confused for a moment. "Oh." He slowly nodded, he looks at her. "Aria, that was just one date. One date in 70 plus years that turned into a disaster."
Arianna laughed. "I find that hard to believe. Steve once told me you use to be a charmer with the ladies. He said you always had a date on a Friday or Saturday night."
"In the past." Bucky said simply. "A very long time ago. That part of me died after I fell from that moving train."
"I think that man is still alive." She whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Buried, deep in snow."
Bucky just sat there, slowly shaking his head. "I'm not that man anymore. Like I said before, I'm just too angry all the time."
Arianna shook her head, hoping he doesn't see her wiping her tears. "You can still see Amaryllis, you can have the couch for the night." She started to move towards the stairs, still wiping her tears.
"Aria." Bucky stood up, his flesh arm gently hooking around her waist, stopping her. She wouldn't look at him. Bucky pulled out his book and opened it. "Here." He holds it in front of her. "The name I circled." He reached over to turn on the lamp.
"Who is it?" She asks with a whisper.
"Someone who haunts me the most." He pulls away and plops back down on the couch, running both his hands through his hair.
Arianna stood there, holding the book in her hands looking at the circled name. She then moves to sit next to Bucky. "Now that you've been completely free, your guilt has taken over. Giving you those nightmares. And not talking about it makes it worse. It's eating at you! If you don't talk about it, then one day." She trailed off with a shrug. "One day, you're gonna snap and people are going to believe that you've become the Winter Solider again. And … and the government will use brute force to stop Steve from trying to save you again."
Bucky is quiet and he closes his book. "One of my neighbors is that man's father." He took a few deep breaths. "I befriended him. But I didn't know he was his father till later." His voice is quiet, lost look on his face. "I." He took another deep breath. "I don't have the guts to tell him the truth." Bucky hung his head. "He's a nice lonely old man, who cherishes his lost son." His voice shook a little. "I killed him, he tried to get into his room. He was so scared, so frightened and I."-
"Stop." Arianna whispered brokenly, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Just stop." She felt him shaking, Bucky wrapped his arms around her waist as he buried his face into her long hair, his face being hidden into her shoulder as she rocks him gently.
XxXxXxXx
A little later, Bucky and Arianna sat in the dining room. Bucky studying his hot coco. "Steve already did so much for me. I don't want to burden him."
"He's your best friend. You know each other, like your real brothers."
"Growing up, I've been rescuing Steve out of alleyways and finishing the fights the Punk doesn't know when to walk away."
Arianna pressed her lips together. "This Zeso guy, uh, I didn't say the name right."
"Close." Bucky smirks, taking some sips of his hot coco.
"In the car, you and Sam mentioned he's HYDRA?"
"He was the one who framed me." He turns to her. "Unless you know what we should do with the Flag Smashers."
Arianna shook her head. "No."
Bucky nods before downing the rest of his hot coco. "Should get some sleep, long day tomorrow."
XxXxXxXx
Upstairs in the master bedroom, Arianna laid on her left side in her bed and sighed. Then seeing a dark shadow from the hallway night light she sat up just as Bucky walked into the doorframe, he leans on the frame and folds his arms.
"You think the sparks between us is still there?" He asks.
"I don't know. But get over here and we'll find out together if the magic is still alive."
Bucky comes further into the bedroom and closes the door behind him. Moving to her, the kiss starts gently, then grows deep with hunger.
XxXxXxXxXx
The sun is barely up as Bucky stood in the kitchen, standing in front of the coffee pot. He turns when he hears the footsteps and Arianna walks into the kitchen. "Morning." He held up a coffee mug full of coffee and hands it to her.
She blushed as she accepted it. "Thanks."
Bucky smiles as he sips his own coffee. "Looks like our spark flared up last night." His comment had her blushing deeply.
"I hope you felt it. Cause I did."
"I sure as hell felt that old spark between us." Setting his mug down, Bucky approaches her and rests his hands on her waist as he rests his forehead on hers. "You won't be seeing me for awhile."
"You're going to go hunt down the Flag Smashers, aren't you?"
"We gotta get ahead on Walker with this."
"It's gonna irritate him."
"I don't care what he does to himself." Bucky gives Arianna a chaste kiss.
"While you're globe trotting, please be safe?" She asks.
He gives her another chaste kiss. "I promise." He pulls away and downs the rest of his coffee. "I gotta go." He kisses her cheek and he moves around her.
XxXxXxXxXxXx
Later in the day, Steve and Natasha had come to visit. Amaryllis was delighted to see them. Arianna had a show turned on, when suddenly breaking news interrupts the program.
Big bold capital letters flashed on the bottom of the screen.
BREAKING NEWS
Last evening while guards were occupied with a fight that broke out." The news anchor began. "During lunch. Baron Helmut Zemo escaped from his prison cell."
Arianna, Steve and Natasha sat there, staring at the screen, while Amaryllis frown at all three adults.
"As of right now, there is now, the whereabouts for Helmut Zemo are unknown." The reporter continued. "If you have any information on Helmet Zemo or you see him. Do not engage, stay away and call 911 or the German police immediately."
Natasha turns to Steve. "Steve. Did you know?" She asks her husband, who squirmed.
"I." Steve trailed off and his face starts turning red as both Natasha and Arianna look at him. "Yes, I knew." He sighs, hanging his head.
"How did you know?" Arianna asked.
"Bucky called me, he told me what his plan was." Steve admits.
"That HYDRA guy framed your best friend." Arianna reminded, a little hotly. "And you're ok with that?"
"No. But, everybody's out of leads." Steve replied. "Both Walker, and us. I already told Bucky I didn't like it. But he's right, Zemo is the best lead for us. Zemo knows HYDRA."
Arianna chewed on her lower lip. "I wonder how Sam took it."
"Probably not well." Natasha replied. "Steve and Tony co leadership with the Avengers. But when they butted heads." She shrugs. "I'm not sure who hit the hardest. I'm sure Barnes and Wilson hit heads just as hard since it's just the two of them working together."