Winter Soldier's Soulmate Ch. 02

Author's Note: PLEASE COMMENT!! I live for them. I want to know what you all think. Both good and bad. My only request is if it is negative please make it constructive so I can improve!!

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The soldier watched the woman curiously as she assessed her surroundings. He had known the second she awoke, but had not wanted to frighten her by moving. He wasn't sure why it was so important that he didn't scare her, just that it was. He didn't bother trying to decipher the emotion. That always led to a headache, and very occasionally flashbacks. The flashbacks, however, were usually blurry, and unhelpful, just leaving the soldier drained and with more questions than answers.

He slowly sat up, catching the woman's attention as she backed up, pressing herself against the opposite side of the vehicle. She said something, but it took the soldier a second to click in on actually listening and understanding what she was saying.

"Who are you?" she had asked. The soldier didn't have an answer for her, so he just shrugged his shoulders at her.

"Where are we?" that one was easier.

"Somewhere in rural northern Louisiana." His voice came out scratchy from lack of use. He didn't talk to people very often. He found it much simpler to communicate through actions, rather than words.

"What are we doing here?"

The soldier thought about that one for a minute before answering. "Staying safe."

"How long are we staying here? I want to go home." She seemed to be getting more and more upset with each question.

"Not long. You can't go home. Home is not safe." He was growling now. She would be in danger if she went home. He couldn't allow that. He needed to keep her safe.

She was silent for a few minutes staring down at the blankets wrapped around her.

"Where are we going?" She finally asked in a weak voice.

"New York."

"Why? What's in New York?" She looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

"Answers," he replied gruffly before getting out of the car and hopping into the driver's seat.

He could just see the light of dawn sneaking in; meaning they needed to get back on the road. He started the engine with her still huddled in the back, covered in blankets. He turned on the heat and aimed vents her way, hoping to help warm her up. She needed clothes and a fake I.D.

He would stop somewhere in Mississippi at a Target or Walmart. But for now, he was itching to get moving again. Being in one place like this, after last night, made him nervous.

He made his way onto Interstate 20 headed east. It wasn't as safe as being on the back roads, but he wanted to put some miles between them and Dallas, while being as inconspicuous as possible. It was much easier to go 80 miles-per-hour on the interstate than on a back road highway.

She stayed silent and in the back for the first two hours. The soldier didn't mind. He liked the quiet. It gave him time to plan. The group was just amateur enough that they probably had a good day or two's head start from them. The soldier's main concern was Hydra picking up on where he was. Once they reached Georgia, they could disappear for a few days and check to see if anyone had picked up on their trail.

He heard her clear her throat from behind him. He looked in his rearview mirror to meet her eyes.

"I need to use the bathroom." she practically whimpered. He looked more closely to see her fidgeting uncomfortably.

He nodded his head, to show he had heard her. He pulled off the interstate around Delhi Louisiana. He spotted a dollar general and pulled in.

"Stay here. I'm going to get you some shoes." She nodded still squirming.

"I wear size 7s."

He nodded, grabbed a ball cap and a pair of sunglasses from his glove compartment. Made sure most of his weapons were hidden and made his way inside. He found some flip flops for a dollar, paid for them and quickly returned. He tossed them to her before pulling out and stopped at the Chevron just down the street, that had an outdoor bathroom. He parked the car, and before he could move, she was out the door and sprinting for the bathroom. He moved almost as quickly to flank her. She was in the bathroom, closing and locking the door in a blink. He waited patiently outside while she used the necessary.

He clocked the area with his sweeping gaze. It was around nine thirty in the morning, so it was relatively busy with commuters stopping for gas on their way to work. He saw a few families leave, while a few more pulled up. He heard the tell-tale sign of the door unlocking behind him, and he turned to meet the woman's eyes. He led her back to the car, which still had three-quarters of a tank. She climbed into the passenger seat closing the door behind her.

"Thanks." She mumbled.

He nodded his head in response. He pulled back onto the interstate headed east towards Georgia. He saw her in the corner of his eye snatching glances at him.

"My name's Lucy, by the way," she said.

A shiver ran down the soldier's spine at the sound of her name. His eyes lost focus, the only thing that kept him from running the car off the road was his inhuman reflexes and his need to keep her safe. He would probably be able to walk away from an eighty mile-per-hour crash, but she wouldn't.

The name Lucy jarred something in him, and he staved off the flashback by shoving back all his emotions and focusing on just being a soldier. He had done it enough times over the last 70 years. It helped keep him away from the chair. Every time he tried to remember they would shove him in the chair, so he stopped bothering to remember.

He pulled off at the next exit and drove blindly down the road until he found a pull off point where he could stop the car without putting the woman, Lucy, at risk. He shoved the door open and bent over his knees, breathing hard. He finally allowed himself to feel all those emotions in a relatively safe place. He let his mind be dragged back:

"Hey, Bucky you gonna show me or what?"

A small boy stood in front of him with brilliant blue eyes and blond hair. He looked like a single strong gust could send him keeling over backward. He heard himself chuckle.

"Cool it, Punk. It's in a personal place I don't show off all that much." He said to the boy.

"Jerk. Come on Buck. You got yours before mine. I wanna see." There was a whining note that had entered the kid's tone.

He heard himself sigh then looked down to lift his shirt and pull his pants down ever so slightly to reveal a mark. A name. It was right above his penis between his obleques and could be hidden mostly by the waistband of his pants. He couldn't make out what it said just that it was there and he knew it was a name.

He looked up to see the kid staring at it in awe. The kid opened his mouth to speak-

Bucky was jerked back to the present by a hand on his right shoulder. From his bent over position, he looked up to see Lucy staring at him with worry in her eyes. He stumbled to the left away from her touch. He frantically lifted his shirt and pushed down his pants enough to stare at where the mark had been in his flashback. Where the mark had been, there was now a jagged scar cut into his flesh that obscured it. He could see the dark smudges that hinted at a name but were now unreadable. They had stolen his mark. Ripped the name of his soul mate from him and buried it in pain and scars. He was broken.

He heard a gasp and looked up to see Lucy covering her mouth with shock.

"How... how did this happen?" She almost whispered.

The soldier just shook his head and re-covered his skin. He had forgotten that they had stolen his soul mate's mark from him, and then they had tortured him with the chair until he forgot his soul mate's name. They had destroyed not just his mind and body but also his soul.

He couldn't take all these emotions he had to shut them off. He flipped the switch in his brain and allowed the soldier to take full control of his mind once more, burying the man he once was back down. It was too painful.

He focused back on the crucial things. They needed to get out of here. He had to protect Lucy. Answers could wait until they reached New York.

He looked over at Lucy and gestured for her to get back in the car so they could get back on the road. She climbed in, and he got them back on the interstate. About ten minutes after they had gotten on the interstate, Lucy reached over and fiddled with the radio.

Soon he could hear the sounds of music filling the car. He grunted in surprise when she started to sing along.

"But this ain't my first rodeo someone's gonna get hurt-"

She looked over at his expression and grinned. She reached over and turned down the dial to the music.

"Bucked off by Brad Paisley," she said as if that was an explanation.

He grunted back.

"I'm guessing you don't listen to country." She said.

"I don't listen to music." He replied.

She looked at him, aghast, then started sputtering "but-but music is wonderful, how could you not?"

He shrugged again. "I wasn't allowed to. It would distract from the mission, so I don't."

"Allowed by whom?" She asked curiosity entering her voice.

"My handlers."

"Well, are you on a mission now?"

The soldier had to think about that one. Yes, he was on a mission. But not one that had been assigned to him by any handler. He had left that life behind, but it was still hard to think about that. It had only been three months.

"No" he finally replied.

"Great." He glanced over to see her beaming at him.

She turned the radio back up and started singing along again but to a different song.

He listened to her voice. She sang slightly off-key, but her voice was still beautiful and captivating. It helped pass the time. She sang along for the next thirty minutes before she turned the radio down once more and glanced over at him.

He met her eyes before flicking them back to the road.

"Do you have a favorite genre of music?"

He grunted back.

"You should. Let's find you one. I'll keep switching the stations until you hear something you like."

She turned the radio up and started flipping while she talked.

"I was listening to country, this station sounds like pop."

The soldier listened for a second before shaking his head. He didn't like the sounds. She flipped it again.

"Oh, this is gospel."

He shook his head almost immediately. He didn't want anything church-related. He didn't deserve it.

The station changed again. The lilting sound of flutes and other wind instruments filled the vehicle. It was followed by strong percussion.

He could feel Lucy staring at him, waiting for him to nod or shake his head. He didn't do either just listened. It sounded familiar, like something from long ago.

A smile seemed to tug at the corner of his mouth with the familiar sounds. He could almost picture being wrapped in a warm hug in a beat up old apartment that smelled of delicious food and the constant strain of classical music crackling from the radio.

"So you're a classical fan. That's good to know."

He just shrugged. He didn't think he was a fan as much as it was familiar to him. It reminded him of a better time even though the memories were covered in a black haze of pain. The feelings still occasionally came through especially when there was a trigger. This was one of the better triggers, producing a happy thought rather than a knock-down-drag-out flashback, that left him soaked in sweat and shivering.

Lucy left the radio on as they drove the rest of the way to Jackson, Mississippi. They made it there around 10:00 A.M.

Once they got there, the soldier made his way to a Walmart so they could pick up some clothes for Lucy and some food for the road. He wanted to get to Georgia and hidden somewhere where he could keep an eye out for anyone following them.

Lucy had fallen asleep at some point in the last thirty minutes. She blinked her eyes open slowly and looked around.

"Sooooo what are we doing in the parking lot of a Walmart?" She asked.

"Supplies," he grunted at her before opening the car door and getting out. She followed sluggishly behind in her booty shorts, flip-flops, and his long sleeve shirt that hid her shorts when she stood up.

When she got up, she tucked the shirt into the front of her shorts, then walked beside him into Walmart.

The soldier hated being around this many people, but they needed supplies, and this was the easiest and cheapest way to do it. It was also good to blend into a large crowd when they were in public.

They entered the super Walmart on the grocery side. The soldier placed a hand on the small of Lucy's back and guided her towards women's clothing.

"You need clothes," he said when she gave him a questioning look.

She nodded at him then asked. "What are the limits?" The soldier was pleased she didn't argue.

"The minimum you can get by with for three weeks. If we need more, we will stop later. Don't worry about the price. Stay safe, I'm going to get other supplies."

The soldier was loathed to leave Lucy on her own, but he was more concerned about getting out of there as quickly as possible. He made his way around the store picking up camping bedding, toiletries, food, and other little necessities.

In the end, the cart was filled with:

Two sleeping bags

Ground Mat

Two camp pillows

A towel

A washcloth

A toothbrush (for Lucy, he had one stashed in his travel bag)

Toothpaste

A bar of soap

Female supplies (he wasn't sure what to get, so he grabbed a random pack of pads and one of tampons)

Women's deodorant

Canned fruit

Box of granola bars

Water bottles

A soft suitcase

And a 6 pack of toilet paper

He made his way back to the women's clothing section to find Lucy. He located her looking at socks. She had a group of clothing draped over her left arm as she grabbed a pack and turned around almost running into him. He instinctively reached out his hands and grabbed her upper arms to steady her. She made a squeaking noise and looked up at him.

"Oh, it's you." She said relieved. She looked past him to see the cart he had filled with their supplies. "That's a lot of stuff." She finally commented.

He grunted in acknowledgment before grabbing the items out of her arms and tossing them into the cart. He cataloged the items she had grabbed they included:

3 pairs of jeans

5 t-shirts

A sweatshirt

3 pairs of black leggings

2 packs of underwear (6 pairs in each)

4 sports bras

3 pairs of shorts

3 tank tops

A rain jacket

And the bag of socks she had just grabbed (8 pairs)

He nodded his head in satisfaction at her choices. Good clothing for travel. She still needed shoes and a winter coat, and a reliable pair of sweatpants wouldn't go amiss. He wasn't sure why he cared so much about her comfort, just that he did. If it was just him, he could get by on one pair of clothing and sleeping on the ground, but he wanted better for her.

He couldn't spoil her, not with them being on the run, but he could do better than just the bare minimum.

They moved quickly through the store, grabbing her a pair of running shoes, a winter coat, and a pair of sweatpants before checking out. He paid with cash and moved them to the car as quickly as possible.

They packed her clothing in the bag, except for a pair of jeans, t-shirt, sports bra, pair of socks, pair of undies, and the running shoes. They didn't have time for her to change now, but later down the road they would. They climbed in and got back on the road. They were at half a tank, but that could wait until they were farther down the road. The Walmart had cameras, and he was sure there was facial recognition software searching for his face everywhere, Hydra was relentless. He needed to get them as far away as possible and into a rural area where they could lay low and set up a protective perimeter to catch anyone tracking them.

He got them away from Jackson before backtracking down a side road or two before he got them somewhere in Alabama on a dirt back road before parking the car. In the middle of the woods by a creek.

It was around 7 pm by the time they stopped. About an hour after they had left Walmart, Lucy had fallen asleep. When the soldier turned off the car, the lack of noise must have disturbed her, because she slowly blinked her eyes open and sat up to look around.

"Where are we?" she asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.

"Somewhere near the Alabama and Georgia border. I'm not sure which side." He spoke as he rolled his neck to get the kinks out of it after so much driving.

"Soooo I was thinking about this earlier but forgot to ask. Do you have a name or something I should call you by?" Lucy sounded hesitant.

He leaned back and thought about that. All he could remember being called was either the asset, the soldier, or the weapon. None of which he wanted to go by anymore. In the flashback he had had, the kid had called him Bucky. He rolled the name around his brain and sounded it out silently. He liked it. He wasn't sure if it was a nickname he had had or his actual name, but it felt right.

"Bucky." He rasped out finally. "I think I used to go by Bucky."

"Bucky," she repeated slowly testing it out as he had. She finally smiled and nodded. "I like it. It suits you."

He wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he didn't. Instead, he focused on their surroundings and where he would set up some traps. Here was as good a place as any to catch anyone following them.

Bucky got out of the car and moved around it until he could open up the trunk. He pulled out the other bag in the car that he had left there weeks ago. He hadn't needed to use it since moving into the apartment in Dallas, but it looked like he would need to now. He rummaged inside and pulled out the trip wire. He moved about 50 yards away from the car and started laying traps around the area. Some were made to trap while others would just set off a warning. They would only be staying the night, so he wasn't too worried, but he'd preferred to be prepared. There was no one around for miles, meaning it would be challenging for them to sneak in the number of men they would need to take him down.

The whole process took him about thirty minutes, then he headed back to the car and Lucy. He found her sitting in the open trunk with her feet dangling about 4 inches from the ground. She had changed into jeans and a t-shirt, but her feet were still bare. She didn't seem to notice him until he was about 3 feet away. She looked up with a blank expression, which was unusual for her. She always seemed so expressive. The blank look was more his thing than hers.

He wasn't sure what to do, so he just stood uncertainly about a foot away from her. She gave him a weary smile and patted the trunk next to her. He moved awkwardly toward her and sat beside her, causing the whole car to shift under his weight.

He stiffened ever so slightly when she leaned her head against his left shoulder. No one did this. No one actively showed any form of physical contact that did not result in pain. He was used to the pain, knew how to process it. He didn't know how to process this.

"I feel like I don't know you very well Bucky. Can you tell me more about yourself?" She asked quietly.

He didn't know how to respond to that, so he just stayed silent. She didn't seem to mind though. Instead, she asked:

"Like how old are you?"

He didn't actually know. He knew he was older than he looked if you ignored the scars riddling his body. But he didn't know how old.

"Old." He finally decided to say.

She snorted. "That's not a good answer. I'm 21."

He stayed silent. He was very confused by this female. She asked about strange things and did strange things. Didn't she realize he was a monster?

"Ok how about an easier one. What's your favorite color?"

That was an odd question to ask. Why did that even matter? Did he even have one? He liked blue.