Part Two
The Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian was the last place Bucky Barnes expected to be 11 months after the battle at the Triskelion. Yet, there he was, dressed in dark wash jeans, long sleeved Henley, and leather jacket (looking very much like a modern man), waiting for Captain America- no, his friend, Steve Rogers- to show up.
Skye was there with him as support, risking being seen on camera and being caught by Hydra rather than to let him go without backup. Plus, she really wanted to see Bucky's memorial and possibly learn more about the man she had slowly fell in love with. But she wouldn't tell him that.
Bucky smiled as he watched Skye as she read about him, trying to keep the hood of the oversized jacket she was wearing from falling and revealing herself. A sense of pride surged through Bucky as he realized it was his hoodie she was wearing, which she often 'borrowed' (Bucky called it stealing).
In the past 6 months that they have been traveling together, Bucky and Skye have grown to care for one another beyond friendship. Neither one has acted upon their feelings, but they were both aware. It didn't seem like the right time to start a romantic relationship while they were both evading the clutches of Hydra.
Hopefully that would all change with this meeting that Bucky has arranged with his former (maybe current) friend, Steve. If everything turns out as he planned, then Skye will be protected from the Clairvoyant and his right-hand man- Agent Grant Ward. Just thinking about the two Hydra Agents wanting to hurt Bucky's precious Skye made him want to punch something.
"Are you alright?" Skye asked him as she sat down next to him, noticing that his knuckles were white from clenching his fist tightly.
He nodded curtly, still fueled by the anger he felt towards the formerly mentioned Hydra Agents. "I'm fine."
She rolled her eyes at her companion's tough guy attitude as she takes his clenched hand into hers and uncurls his fingers, making it so that their fingers intertwine. "You can't lie to me, Bucky.” She rubbed her thumb over the top of his hand, comforting and soothing him. "Now, what are you thinking about?"
"You," he claimed, flashing her a smile that was reminiscent of the ladies' man he used to be back in the 1940s.
"Why, aren't you a charmer, Sergeant Barnes," Skye replied with fake flattery, playing along with Bucky's ruse to avoid talking about what was really wrong. "You must have been quite the ladies' man back in your time."
"He was. This one time, he convinced this one dame- Kelly, I think her name was- to sneak out and go dancing after her curfew even though her father hated him. Her father found the two of them alone in her room when they returned and chased him out with a frying pan."
Both Skye and Bucky looked up to see Steve Rogers, who was sporting a large grin, standing in front of them. He was dressed inconspicuously in a tight fitting white t-shirt, jeans, plain blue hoodie, and a hat in a similar shade of blue. Skye took a moment to collect herself (she didn't want to bring attention to them by squealing) before she grinned up at the man.
"Hmmm, that sounds like an interesting story." She purred mischievously. "Do you happen to have anymore?"
Bucky glared at Steve, hoping that his old pal would say no more. There was no way that Bucky wanted Skye to know about some of his most embarrassing moments. Unfortunately for him, Steve didn't receive the hint.
"Plenty. But I am afraid that they will have to wait for another time." Steve responded, switching into his Captain America mode. "I need to get you two out of here as quickly as possible. We don't know if Garrett has any more men out here despite the fact that he is gone, but I don't want to take a chance."
As soon as Steve said that Garrett was gone, Bucky internally began jumping for joy and rejoicing the fact that Skye was safe from the sick, twisted man and his team. His internal giddiness only ceased when he looked over at Skye and saw her blinking owlishly; looking dazed and confounded at the news. Seeing her look so completely lost like that made his stomach churn uncomfortably.
"What's wrong, Skye? I thought you would be happy to know that he is gone," Bucky questioned her, cupping her face so that her brown eyes meet his blue.
She sighed. "I will tell you later… when we are somewhere safe." Skye then removed herself from his grasp and begins talking to Steve as they walk away.
Bucky rubbed his face in his hands, frustrated with her vague response. How was he supposed to take care of his girl if she didn't tell him what was wrong?
The three adults are about an hour into their drive away from DC (to where, Bucky and Skye have no idea) when the truck they are in stopped abruptly in front of what looked to be a condemned house on the outskirts of a suburban neighborhood in Virginia. Peering out the window, Bucky saw that the house isn't too bad of shape. If someone repainted the siding, replaced the floorboards on the porch, and did some major landscaping out front, then it may actually look livable. But as a former super-spy (current, depending on who you asked), Bucky quickly noticed the footprints in the muddy front yard and the outline of a retractable driveway that obviously led to an underground base.
"Where do you think we are?" Skye whispered to Bucky, scanning the surrounding area looking for clues to their location.
"I believe that we are at one of S.H.I.E.L.D's new secret bases."
Skye looked up at the house skeptically. "It's not as cool as the playground, but I guess their options for super-secret government hideaways was limited. At least it has a spooky, haunted house feel to it."
Bucky smirked at her comment. Only she would be able to compare the feel of a secret government agency base to that of a haunted house. Together Steve, Bucky, and Skye exited the van and walked up to the front of the house. Steve knocked on the door to the tune of 'Star Spangled Man with a Plan', most likely signaling that he was a friend- not a foe. The door opened a smidgen, revealing the face of SHIELD Scientist, Jemma Simmons- who was also Skye's former team mate and friend. Her brown eyes dazzled with excitement when she sees Bucky and Skye- the former shielding the latter protectively. Surprisingly, Simmons didn’t squeal and break the code of conduct. Instead she continued to smile and comment to Captain Rogers on the nice weather (which is a total lie- it is raining). Steve then replies that he always carries an umbrella. Skye and Bucky glanced at each other in confusion but shrugged it off. It must be some new SHIELD safety protocol.
Once the fake pleasantries are traded, the trio was allowed entrance the secret base which did not match the usual description of super-secret spy bases. Rather than stainless steel walls, black marble flooring, and bulletproof glass enclosures that were in previous SHIELD regulated buildings, the Victorian era house remained true to its roots. The walls were covered with white shiplap, making the rooms feel light and airy. There were old fashioned photographs of events throughout SHIELD history hanging on the walls above the plush brown loveseat that was pushed against the wall besides the winding staircase. Mahogany square side tables flanked both sides- one contained various magazines and the other was home to a plain lamp with a gold base and a box of tissues. The floor was a nicely distressed wood that carried up the steps. A mahogany door on the left wall separated the main entrance from the rest of the house. The only thing modern about the entire room was the large glass door and keypad that restricted access to the upstairs.
"Not bad for a secret base. At least it doesn't match the rest of the creepy haunted house feel that the outside had," Skye joked before being brought into a crushing hug by Simmons.
"I missed you so much, Skye!" Jemma exclaimed to the young hackavist. "It has been very lackluster without you around to constantly make jokes. I think Agent- I mean Director - Coulson has even missed your pranks. What exactly have you been up to? Never mind, don't tell me. Based on the rumors, I don't think I want to know. Has it been exciting traveling the world? You must have seen so much! Unfortunately, I have been stuck here with-"
"Jemma!" Skye cuts of Simmons. "I missed you too. But can you please let me go so I can breathe again?"
Jemma released Skye reluctantly and smiled sheepishly. Skye goes back over to stand by the former Winter Soldier, who is tense from having someone other than him touch Skye. Skye realized this so she placed a hand on his bionic arm in order to calm him down. "Relax soldier. I told you about my team mate, Jemma Simmons, before."
The name clicks, memories of the funny anecdotes Skye has told him about Fitzsimmons rush to him, allowing him to relax. Despite the news that Garrett is dead, he couldn’t help but be overprotective. Jemma obviously noticed the affection between the two and looked at Skye quizzically, hoping for answers about the other agent’s time with the infamous Winter Soldier.
"Why don't you show us to Coulson, Agent Simmons? I am sure he realizes we are here by now," Steve interjected in order to keep Simmons from asking too many questions. Jemma nodded, swiped her ID card at the steps, then lead the group upstairs, all while spitting out random facts about the base. Since she leads, Skye and Bucky are corralled into the middle while Steve brought up the rear. The two dark haired adults tune out the talkative scientist as they take in their surroundings.
"Why weren't you happy earlier with the news of the Clairvoyant?" Bucky asked somberly to Skye. Skye looked him in the eyes and sighed, her head falling down so that her hair veiled her face.
"I was scared," she whispered.
The former soviet spy looks at the former agent with melancholy. All he needs is to hear her say those words for him to understand her previous reaction. He understands that she was scared that it would end up being a lie, and that the one moment of true happiness she had would be cruelly ripped away. James used to feel that way all the time until he met the brunette hacker.
"You don't need to be scared anymore, darling. You are free to be happy."
Skye stopped abruptly, causing Steve to bump into Bucky who also halted. Jemma continued to walk and prattle on; completely unaware of what was happening behind her.
"Do you mean that?" Skye asked Bucky with tears welling in her eyes.
Bucky- the tough Winter Soldier that could take on Captain America in a fight- nodded in response, seeing as he too was starting to choke up. Being at this base reminded Bucky that he too was not alone. He had a friend and beautiful dame that were in his corner. Without warning, Skye launched herself into his arms and began sobbing, letting out months- maybe years- of heartbreak and frustration. Jemma finally clued in to her surroundings and watched as the couple rocked back and forth; Bucky occasionally smoothing Skye's hair and pressing a kiss to her head. It was a heartwarming sight and in that very moment, the bio-chemist knew that the man with a turbulent history and the girl with an unknown past were meant to be together. Steve caught her eye and gestured for her to step away and give to two a moment to themselves.
The couple eventually broke apart, not noticing that their friends were no longer with them. All they did was stare into each other's eyes before leaning in for a soft kiss. It is not passionate and wild, but rather slow and sweet. Skye may be a hurricane of sarcasm and pop culture references, but she prefers to savor the kiss that she has been waiting months for. They can each feel the love that has been growing since their first meeting at Union Station finally spill out. In their minds, it was so worth the wait.
"I love you so much, Bucky."
He just smiled and kissed her again, finally happy to take the next step forward now that his girl was safe and sound.