From The Ashes

Another two weeks had passed by, with Rocky remaining behind to monitor Anwyn’s recovery and Eira just happy to be near her only living relative for a while. There had been episodes where she lost control and set things on fire, migraines and vomiting. Days where she slept for fourteen hours. Days where she was irrationally angry, unable to control her body temperature. Bucky fretted and worried but was waved off. “Not half as bad as the procedure itself, I’ll be ok.” She’d groaned at him from the cold, dark shower as she tried to cool herself off.

By the end of the first week, she was fully recovered. Beyond his worry for her, he had felt much better about life in general. He just needed a job and he’d be a happy man. Sitting idle gave him too much time to think, and even with careful dosing of mild sedatives from Rocky…his anxiety still ran high. The most effective release for all his nervous energy was, ironically, a very physical one.

After that first morning together, the two of them had been inseparable. Insatiable. Even after he and Anwyn had tired themselves out, screwing the worry out of one another every night before bed…he found himself still rousing her with soft kisses to have her again in the wee hours. Losing himself in her body made him feel more human, took the tight knot of worry from his stomach for a while.

Bucky got closer to his wish for a job one morning when Rocky pounded on their door, demanding they both be in the lab downstairs in fifteen minutes.
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“Feels ok then? Gunner had to go off of measurements alone, which pissed him off. Not to worry, that man is perpetually pissed off.” Rocky observed as Bucky shifted in the new suit, testing the weight. It was all black, thick leather. Woven metal encased the chest and torso for added protection. It was lighter than he expected. He had matching pants, new boots that helped muffle movement and plenty of pockets. Practical, durable and aesthetically pleasing.

“Fits perfect. I like it.” Bucky replied as he scooped up the belt weighed down with several knives and examined it before lifting the M16. He smirked, knowing Anwyn had chosen this for him. Decent range, military grade and effective. Familiar. Rocky nodded and smiled at him. “Looks like you’ll be ready to go when needed then.”

“You dunno the half of it, pal…” Bucky thought. Combat was one situation where he knew he’d feel comfortable; he’d been doing it longer than most people had been alive. And the chance to be a very angry, well-armed bee in Hydra’s bonnet? Even better. He set his weapons back down and found himself staring at what looked like a spear with blades on both ends that lay on the table in Rocky’s part of the lab. The color was unique but familiar, and it had been etched with knot patterns. The middle was wrapped with leather. He nodded towards it. “That vibranium?”

Rocky grinned at him. “Anwyn’s. She likes to hit things. Or skewer them. If she can’t roast them.” “Thought that was supposed to be pretty rare…That big Frisbee that Howard Stark made for Steve was supposedly all there was.” Bucky picked the staff up and tested the weight. Lighter than it looked, and incredibly sharp. “Howard Stark may have been a genius, but he didn’t know everything. He also didn’t have access to resources like we do.”

Anwyn entered behind Bucky and took her spear out of his hands. “Oooooh Gunner out-did himself this time. Lookit this thing!” Both men leapt back as she went through a few fluid combat motions, finishing with a smile. She squeezed the wrapped section of the weapon and it retracted into a tube of metal as long as her forearm. “Perfect, easier to move around with something like this.”

She examined Bucky and ran her hands over the chest piece. “Lookit you. Better armor than mine, all new an’ shiny.” Soft lips pressed into his jaw as he wrapped his arms over her shoulders. Rocky coughed uncomfortably and was pointedly ignored. “Yeah, I should send this Gunner fella a fruit basket.” She giggled and pulled free. “He got paid, an’ you’d have better luck sendin’ a bottle of good scotch.”

Smiling, she handed him an envelope she pulled from her back pocket. “New suit, new life, new identity. Driver’s license, Social Security card, passport, birth certificate, bank account information.” Bucky took the packet gingerly, hardly daring to believe it. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Thank you.”

The new documents had been requested just days after she located him, and she was thrilled to have them this quickly. Only a week prior, she’d sent a request for gear for Bucky and was surprised at how quickly Gunner had put it all together. The tactical suit was supposed to have dampeners in it to protect his arm from interference caused by jumps, but she wasn’t sure how well it would ultimately work. It had been eating at her nerves that Bucky had no suit, no weapons and was unprepared to respond to a threat if they needed to move.

Rocky interrupted, clearing his throat. “Eira is going to get me sent back to Tegucigalpa this afternoon, and return to Philadelphia herself.” Anwyn looked disappointed, it was rare to have more than two Sentinels in any one place at a time. Rocky rambled on, ignoring her pouting. “We have friends in the field gathering info, we’ll all be back to work soon.”
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The big house felt empty with both Eira and Rocky gone. Bucky had been more than a little surprised to see Anwyn wiping tears off her face as she hugged her sister goodbye. She had leveled a finger at his chest and prodded him, smiling warmly. “You, take care of yourself. Get ahold of Rocky if that skin simulator starts actin’ funny. An’ keep an eye the old man. He’ll get ya into trouble.” She jerked her head at Vinnie, who rolled his eyes.

Vinnie slapped Rocky on the back and pulled Eira into a hug. “I am the very definition of good behavior, it’s her ya need to worry ‘bout.” He pointed to Anwyn who raised an eyebrow at him before returning her attention to her little sister.

“Go on then, get outta here. Before we show ya what trouble really is.” Anwyn quipped. Rocky snickered and tried to straighten his face as both women turned to look at him. Bucky held his hand out to their resident genius, who shook it warmly. “Thank you, for everything…I can’t begin to repay you for all of this…” Eira scooped Bucky into a hug. “Seein’ her happy is all the payment I need. It’s good ta see ya well, an’ ya better KEEP it that way.” She released him and nodded at her sister. “We’ll be in touch when we have some work.”

For the first time, Bucky saw rather than experienced a jump point being opened and couldn’t help but gawk. It looked like a mirage, a mirror to another place that rippled and shifted, colors made more vibrant and contrasting. It vanished as quickly as Eira and Rocky, leaving behind the faintest scent that reminded him of ozone. Vinnie made tracks back to the guest house, grumbling about being ready for a nap.

Anwyn nudged Bucky and he looked won into her smiling face. “Wanna go for a drive? Or order take out?” He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck, nipping lightly. “Whatever you want, doll.” Her fingers dug into his back. “Food or entertainment is quickly slippin’ down the list with ya doin’ that.” She breathed. They were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing and she pulled free of him with an annoyed groan.

She pulled the phone out of her back pocket and stared at it. “You’ve gotta be shittin’ me…” she breathed and held it up for Bucky to see. STEVEN ROGERS was the name that was in bold font across the illuminated screen. Bucky felt his heart drop to his stomach as she turned the device back towards her. “Don’t worry, can’t be tracked. Rocky made sure of that...”

Anwyn stepped away a few paces and answered the call. Bucky slumped down on the sofa, trying to control the whirlwind of emotions that assaulted him. Parts of the conversation filtered back to him as he cleared his head and listened.

“Glad to hear you’re well. But you wanna tell me what you’re callin’ about? I assume this isn’t a social call.”

“I wondered if you could meet for coffee somewhere? I wanted to talk to you about Bucky.”

Her face went rigid and Bucky stiffened on the sofa, staring at her with wide eyes as she paced in front of him.

“What about him, Steve?” Her voice was soft, filled with apprehension and sorrow.

“About finding him. He’s out there somewhere still, don’t you want to know where? Nat got her hands on some information…Honestly, I could use a little help.”

She sighed into the phone and ran her hand over her face.

“Why me, Steve? You’ve a dozen other people ya could ask. People who aren’t at risk of exposin’ delicate operations ta go on a wild goose chase.”

“Because he remembered you. Just…give me an hour? I’ve pulled strings to prevent a man hunt for you, can you at least hear me out?”

Bucky saw her lips quirk, amusement, knowing she could stay hidden even if they tried it.

“Alright. Send me an address an’ date an’ I’ll be there.”

As soon as she ended the call, Bucky was yanking the phone from her hand. “Buck, what are-“ he threw it across the room with his left arm and it shattered apart against the wall. “You can’t go! You CAN’T meet him!” His face was full of panic and he was breathing hard. Anwyn placed her hand on his chest to stop him in his tracks.

“First of all, you are gonna clean THAT up.” Her other hand waved toward the broken phone. “Second of all, if I don’t go…it looks suspicious. Third of all, we needta know what they know so we can keep ya outta reach.” His eyes were wide, wild as he stared at her, searching for any sign of deception. He found none. Her arms went around his neck and pulled him to her, kissing his cheek as her face slid past his.

“Shhh. I’m on your side, love.” Bucky hugged her back, mumbling into her hair. “M’sorry, I know. I just…” He trailed off but she knew. She knew how anxious he was about being found. “You’ll be ok here with Vinnie, order a few pizzas an’ hang tight. I’ll be gone a day at most.”