Chapter 1
“Sharon?”
Her name almost caught in his throat. His ears still rang with gunfire as the adrenaline pumped through him. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The one person they - he - had been searching for was suddenly right in front of him. How many months had they - he - spent looking for her and here she was pointing a gun at him after saving his life.
If anything was being said, he didn’t hear it. All he could see was her. She was different now. This wasn’t Steve’s Sharon. This Sharon was older, rougher around the edges. But still beautiful. And deadly.
“Come on. I have a place in High Town.”
SIX MONTHS EARLIER
Bucky watched as Steve handed the shield over to Sam and, even though he was slightly turned away from him, Bucky could see the disbelief on Sam’s face. He gave them a few more moments together before walking over and sitting on the bench next to Steve.
Steve smiled as Bucky gently placed a hand on his back.
“Give us a few minutes, will you, Sam?”
“Sure. I’ll just be over there trying to figure out how to hold this thing.”
Steve waited for Sam to be out of earshot before he turned to Bucky. He reached in his pocket and removed an envelope with Bucky’s name written across it, turning it over nervously in his hands a few times. Bucky interrupted him before he could speak.
“I see you did something stupid.”
Steve smiled and laughed, nodding along to the 80-year-old joke between friends.
“More than one thing, I’m sure.” Steve took a deep breath and paused. “It’s good to see you, Buck. It’s been a while.”
Bucky smiled. “Has it? Feels like 5 minutes.”
“It’s amazing how 50 years can sometimes feel like 5 minutes.”
Bucky glanced down at Steve’s wedding ring and pointed.
“Anything you want to tell me?”
Steve smirked. “You already know.”
Bucky laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I figured.”
Steve’s smile waned as he handed Bucky the envelope. “I do have something I need your help with though.” Bucky opened the envelope. In it was a piece of paper with the words FIND SHARON. Bucky, confused, shifted in his seat and faced Steve.
“What is this?”
“We - I - should’ve done that before I left. I should’ve made sure she was okay. We weren’t…anything. But we weren’t nothing either.” Bucky nodded in understanding. Steve never talked about Sharon but he knew about her. He knew they met up from time to time. He knew it was briefly serious or, rather, as serious as it could be considering their jobs and lives. “I’ve had a long time to think about this, Buck.” Steve shook his head. “I can’t imagine what she thinks of me.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out another envelope. “If - when - you find her, give her this.” He handed Bucky the envelope with Sharon’s name scrawled across it.
Bucky shook his head and scoffed. “Does any of this even matter now?”
Steve nodded and took a breath. “Maybe. Maybe not. But I’m trying to do what I should’ve done to begin with.”
Bucky smiled slightly and turned to look at the water. “You know she’s a master spy. If she doesn’t want to be found —“
“I know. I’m just asking you to try.”
Bucky nodded. “I’ll do my best.” Steve reached to shake his hand, which Bucky grasped and pulled him in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, too, old man.”