Chapter 4
She talked to him more after they left Brazil, crossing the ocean on a fishing boat in exchange for help around the ship. She cleaned the cabins and things while Bucky helped with harder tasks. They shared a room down below, and that was when they spoke to each other. She told him that she was eleven, and that the people he had found her with (he remembered that part) were not her parents. “Who were they, myshka?” She shrugged a bit.
“I’m not sure,” she said quietly. She talked quietly, as if she wasn’t sure that they were entirely alone and didn’t want to be heard. He hadn’t heard her raise her voice once. “Scientists, I think. My parents needed money and sold me to them, I think. I don’t really remember. I was very young.” Bucky clenched his metal hand tightly.
“What did they do to you, printsessa?”
“Poked and prodded, for the most part of what I remember. They gave me some sort of shot, and those burned my insides, but that went away after a while. I don’t know what they did to me. We went to that cabin soon after the final shots, and then you arrived, and the rest, as they say, is history.” Bucky felt anger flare up in his chest. How could someone sell their child? How could someone experiment on her? She was just a little girl! Bucky pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
“I’m sorry, kotenok. I’m sorry they did that to you. I won’t let that happen to you ever again. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”
“I know you will. I trust you.” Bucky decided now was a good time as any to bring it up.
“Zvezdnyy svet, do you remember when you were sick?” She nodded slightly. “Do you remember much of what happened?” She shook her head. (starlight)
“Not really. I remember hearing your voice, and I wanted to tell you to help me, but I don’t remember if I could or not.”
“You did say something, but it wasn’t for help. Do you remember that?” She thought for a moment before shaking her head.
“You said ‘pita.’ You said that to me after I came back from getting the doctor.” She flushed from the neck up. “Do you know what that means?” She nodded a bit, her ears even tinged pink at the tips.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “If I made you uncomfort—”
“No, myshka, no. Don’t think I’m upset. I wanted to know why.” She got so very quiet for so long that Bucky thought she had gone to sleep. “Vozlyublennaya?”
“You’re the only person who ever treated me like a daughter,” she finally whispered. “Nikto bol'she nikogda ne zabotilsya.” Bucky’s metal fist clenched again. How could anyone not want to care for this little child who was only kind and gentle? (Nobody ever cared.)
“I’m so sorry, angel. I do not know why someone would not take care of you. Ty moy malen'kiy sharik solnechnogo sveta. I’ll take care of you, I promise. Ne volnuysya, malen'kaya zvezda, ya nikogda ne budu ostavlyat' Vas.” He held her tightly and kissed the top of her head, just letting her know he was there. (You’re my little ball of sunshine. / Do not worry, little star, I will never leave you.)
“YA lyublyu tebya papochka,” she said quietly. He stiffened for only a split second before a smile spread across his face. (I love you, Daddy.)
“YA tozhe lyublyu tebya, kotenok.” (I love you too, kitten.)
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“Adelaide,” she said suddenly one night while they were laying in the dark.
“What?” Bucky asked, looking down at where she was using his chest as a pillow. They shared a bed now, since it was either that or one of them slept on the floor.
“That’s my name,” she clarified. “Adelaide.” He smiled.
“It’s beautiful.” He felt more than saw her smile.
“Thank you. My mother was a bit old-fashioned.”
“Well, I’m a bit old fashioned, too. I was born in the twenties.” She sat up and looked at him.
“What?” Bucky nodded and sat up.
“Yep. Actually, it was more of 1917, but I lived through the twenties. Fought in World War II.” She tilted her head.
“What year is it now?”
“Umm.” They both had to stop and think. “2015, I think.” Her eyes widened.
“You’re almost 100!” Bucky laughed.
“So I am. You’re eleven though.” Adelaide was quiet for a moment, then shook her head.
“No, I’m not.” She said it so matter-of-factly that Bucky was taken aback for a second.
“What do you mean? That’s what you told me.”
“I didn’t know what year it was. Now I do.”
“How old are you then, doll?”
“Thirty two.” Bucky nearly fell off the bed.
“What?”
“I was born in 1983, I know that for sure. Did I not do my math right?”
“No, no, you did it right, doll. How is that possible?”
“You found me when I was six, right?” Bucky nodded. “That was 1989. I stayed with you until 1991. After the last mission, they froze both of us. You might not remember. I think they wiped you before and after.”
“Why would they do that?”
“They were training me to be the next Winter Soldier. When you were out on missions, they trained me. They taught me all the languages and trained me to fight and put up with extreme conditions. Two days before you came back, they’d make sure I looked fed and well-cared for and explained away any lasting injuries when you got back.”
“Why would they use you as a motive for me? They were just going to wipe me anyway. Why keep you around?”
“Even in Winter Soldier mode, you protected me. Somewhere in there, you cared before you knew what that was, I guess. They called me the Soldier’s Pet. Eventually, they wanted me to be your equal, I suppose. When I went under in 1991, I was eight. We’ve been out of cryo for three years, or around there now. I’m eleven, physically. Everyone else who was born in 1983 in probably around thirty two now.” Bucky shook his head sadly.
“I’m sorry. If I hadn’t brought you with me—”
“I’d be dead. I would have starved or frozen to death in that cabin. You saved me, Daddy, whether you think you did or not.”
“Land ho!” the call came from above. They had talked all through the night. Bucky got up and kissed the top of her head.
“I love you, myshka. I’ll come get you when it’s time to go. Make sure everything is ready.”
“Da, papa.”
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“Stay here while I look around,” Bucky said to her. Adelaide nodded and waited by the door, looking into the dark interior of the run-down apartment. He came back not five minutes later and nodded at her. “Eto bezopasno, svet zvezdy. Vy mozhete voyti.” She smiled and followed him into the room. “Hand me the newspapers and tape, kotenok.” She did and handed him pages one by one as he covered up most of the windows of the room. (It’s safe, starlight. You can enter.)
“My budem ostavat'sya zdes' dolgo, papa?” she asked quietly. (How long will we stay here, Daddy?)
“Do tekh por, kak my mozhem, vozlyublennym.” There was a bitter smile on his face when he said that, though. (As long as we can, sweetheart.)
“I don’t mind, Daddy. As long as I don’t get left behind, I don’t mind how long we stay or where we go.” He smiled a gentle smile at her and scooped her up into his arms. She was still frightfully small for a girl of twelve, but she was the perfect size to hold in a hug, so Bucky didn’t mind too much. At least she was getting semi-regular meals and gaining a bit of weight to her now.
“Vy prekrasny, angel. Ya ne znayu, kak na zemle, ya zasluzhivayu tebya v moyey zhizni.” She squeezed his neck in response and kissed his cheek. (You are beautiful, angel. I do not know how on earth I deserve you in my life.)
“Ya lyublyu tebya papochka.”
“Ya tozhe lyublyu tebya, printsessa. Now, come on. We need to get settled in, then I’m going to the market.”
“Can’t I come with you this time?” she asked as he put her down.
“No, myshka. You have to stay here. I need to scope out the best places. Maybe next time, alright?” Adelaide nodded sullenly.
“Alright, Daddy.”
“You have your things?”
“Yes, sir. And I’ll follow the escape plan you made up, I promise.”
“And then?”
“I’ll use my burner phone to text you and let you know where I am.”
“Good girl. I’ll be back soon, doll. Be good.”
“I will.” Bucky kissed her cheek and left, closing the door soundly behind him. Adelaide sighed and looked at the pitiful room. Of course, they weren’t actually renting the place. It was more of squatting, as they usually did. This building was very run-down, though, and the manager never checked the rooms because the faucets all leaked and electricity was spotty at best. It was like all the other places they had stayed upon reaching the shore eight months ago, only the water actually worked in this one. She knew better than to get in the shower right now, though. She wouldn’t be able to hear if anyone came in. Instead, she hurriedly changed into her other pair of clothes and put the old ones in a plastic bag. She or Bucky would wash them later. Then, she set about making the place a bit easier to navigate. She kicked the trash littering the floor into a corner and checked the lumpy mattress on the floor for bugs and such. For an abandoned room, it was actually kind of cozy. By the time Bucky came back, she was passed out on the mattress, using her jacket as a pillow. He gave her a small smile and covered her up with his own jacket.
“Spokoynoy nochi dorogaya moya.” After securing the room, he lay down next to her and went to sleep. (Good night, my darling.)
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“Papa!” Adelaide cried happily, jumping into his arms. Bucky picked her up and spun her around once before simply holding her. “I missed you.”
“I was only gone for an hour, printsessa.”
“I know, but it got lonely here.” Bucky felt a pang in his chest. He set her down, then crouched to get eye-level with her.
“I’m sorry, kotenok. I wish we could stay long enough for you to make friends, but it’s just not safe. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”
“I know, Papa. I don’t mind. I don’t know how to make friends anyway. I can’t remember having any.”
“Oh, myshka,” Bucky said, his eyes full of sadness. “I wish I could give you the life you deserve.”
“It’s okay, Pita. I have you. That’s all I need.” She put her small hands on both sides of his face and smiled at him with a loving smile. He smiled back at her, his eyes glistening slightly.
“Ya lyublyu tebya, moya dorogaya malen'kaya devochka.” (I love you, my dear little girl.)
“Ya tozhe lyublyu tebya, moy samyy dorogoy otets.” (I love you too, my dearest father.)
“I got you something,” Bucky said after he had composed himself. Adelaide’s eyes lit up.
“What? What is it?” She was practically shaking with excitement.
“Today is a very special day,” he said, smiling at her as he looked in the bags he had brought home.
“Really? What is it?”
“You don’t know?” Adelaide stopped and thought for a moment.
“Today is November 15.” she said. Bucky nodded and put a white box down on the counter. She tried to climb up onto the little barstool Bucky had put there, but she wasn’t tall enough. Bucky picked her up and placed her on the counter next to the box.
“Open the box, and maybe you’ll understand,” he said, eyes shining with happiness. With nervous, but excited hands, Adelaide pulled open the lid of the box, and her eyes widened with surprise.
“You remembered,” she said quietly, looking down at what was in the box.
“You didn’t think I’d forget the day my little kotenok came into my life, did you?”
“I—I had hoped—well, I thought that—”
“I just thought that, since we didn’t know when your real birthday was, we’d celebrate when we found each other. Did I—I mean, do you like it?” He looked at her nervously.
“I love it,” she said, smiling up at him with shining eyes. “Thank you, Daddy.” She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and held him tightly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
“Well, go on,” he said, pulling away and motioning to the box. “Do I need to light a candle, or can you just make a wish?”
“Why don’t we split it, and we’ll both make a wish?” she suggested, cutting the small cupcake in half with a butter knife.
“All right then. We’ll do that.” Touching their cupcakes together, they both took large bites, grinning when icing got all over their faces and turned their teeth blue. They had both long-since finished their cupcakes and were simply just sitting, or in Bucky’s case, standing, at the island in companionable silence.
“What’re you humming?” Adelaide asked suddenly. Bucky started. He hadn’t even realized he was humming.
“I—I don’t know. I didn’t even know I was.”
“It was very nice. Do you think you could remember what it was?”
“Do you?” he asked. She thought hard for a moment before humming a slow, easy tune. (A/N: “Moonlight Serenade” by Glen Miller Band) Bucky listened long and hard before starting to recognize the tune. “Yeah. Yeah, I remember that,” he said. “I danced to it, I think, back in my time.”
“I like it,” Adelaide said.
“Do you now?” She nodded. “What if I taught you how to dance to it?” She stiffened a bit before shaking her head.
“No, I don’t think so,” she said quietly.
“Why not, doll? It’ll be fun.”
“I—I don’t know how,” she whispered, ducking her head.
“That’s why I’ll teach you, doll. Come on. There’s no one here but us. Please? Consider it a bit more of your birthday present. Whaddya say?” She thought about it, then nodded hesitantly.
“Okay,” she said nervously.
“Great!” Adelaide didn’t think that she had ever seen him smile so brightly. “C’mon then.” He helped her down, then moved the couch and mattress to the side, leaving an open space on the floor. “It’s not very hard, if my feet will remember how to dance. Just follow my lead.” Adelaide nodded, then took his hands as he began to hum again. They rocked and shuffled around gently to the tune that Bucky hummed. He noticed that her eyes began to droop. “Up here, kiddo,” he said, picked her up and holding her, humming again as he continued to dance. He finally felt her breathing even out, and he laid the two of them down onto the mattress. As the song finished in his head, he kissed the top of her head gently and whispered to her, “Night, doll.”