Winter Soldier's Soulmate Ch. 05

Bucky pulled into the motel parking lot and looked over at Lucy sound asleep. He had taken some back roads as well as the highway, trying to both find and lose any pursuers. There had been one car that seemed pretty determined to follow him, but they pulled off and a family stepped out to hug some grandparents out at a farmhouse.

It was now past 10 pm and he had located a run down looking motel on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. About three hours into the five hour drive, Lucy had conked out, exhausted.

Bucky quietly turned off the car and pulled the key from the ignition. It would be safer if he woke her while he went in and got them a room for the night, but he couldn't bring himself to disturb her sleeping form. He popped the car door open and exited the vehicle as silently as he could. He walked in and got them a room for the night. He paid in cash and left the office as quickly as he arrived.

He quickly got back in the car and moved the vehicle a few spots down from their room. He didn't want to be parked in front of it if he could help it. Bucky looked over to see Lucy still sleeping soundly. He turned off the car again and made his way to the trunk. He grabbed his two bags as well as hers and flung them over his shoulder. He didn't bother grabbing their camping gear. They would probably have to dump it anyways.

Bucky shut the trunk and made his way to the front passenger side. He opened the door and looked down at a still sleeping Lucy. He gently unclicked her seatbelt, and slid his arms carefully underneath her legs and back, lifting her effortlessly into his arms. Even with the three bags and Lucy cradled in his arms he could have carried another person before he would feel bogged down by the weight. He made his way on sure feet to their motel room. He propped Lucy up on his knee when he got to the door, using his right hand to support her and his left hand to unlock the door and then open it.

The motel room looked run down with a full bed in the center pushed against a wall, facing a small TV. There was a door in the back leading to a bathroom, and a small mini fridge that looked thirty years old. The whole room was done in a sickly yellow coloring that came right out of the 80s.

Bucky walked into the room, then used his back to push the door closed. Lucy hadn't stirred throughout the whole process. He walked over to the bed and set Lucy down onto it. He then set their stuff down in the corner. He walked back towards Lucy and gently pulled her shoes off her feet. Once that was done he tugged the covers on the bed down on the side Lucy wasn't lying on until it was far enough down that he could gently roll Lucy over and tuck her in. She stirred slightly, but only enough to mumble something incoherent and curl into a tight ball under the covers.

Bucky looked down at Lucy all curled up and smiled. He couldn't help himself and leaned down to place a chaste kiss onto the top of her head. He knew Lucy wasn't his soulmate; she had another name tattooed on her inner thigh, and Bucky's own soulmate had been ripped from him. But he couldn't help but cherish the precious, innocent soul lying in front of him.

Bucky made himself back up from temptation. He went to his bag and grabbed out his tools to make a wire trap on the door. It wouldn't kill anyone but it would trigger a sound that would have Bucky up in an instant with a gun trained at the door.

Once that was done, Bucky took the opportunity to go use the restroom and take a shower. He hadn't had one in almost a week. He didn't like being naked and vulnerable, so he took them as little as possible.

He made it quick and was in and out under five minutes. He quickly donned some pants then lay down on the ground between the bed and the door. He would have preferred the bed. But he didn't trust himself with Lucy. He had to keep reminding himself that she wasn't his. That she belonged to another man. If he needed reminding he could just look at the name on her thigh. James Bucanen Barnes. Bucky wondered what kind of man James was. Would he be able to protect Lucy from whatever danger was tracking her? Was he good enough for her? Strong enough?

Lucy was such a kind-hearted and beautiful person. She seemed to make it her mission to get him to smile or engage with her. The game of twenty questions they had played earlier was a perfect example. She had been determined to challenge them both, even though it was painfully obvious Lucy was ten times better at the game than he was. She had guessed his pitifully easy animals like dog, cat, elephant, and so on, while he struggled with hers. She had picked a whale and that had stumped him for far more than twenty questions, but she had been beyond helpful with hints and so on.

And that song Lucy had been singing before he had switched off the radio. Something about not being able to keep your hands to yourself had nearly stolen his breath from jealousy. Just the thought of someone else's hands on her, or her hands on someone else, had made his blood boil. He had no right to feel that way. She belonged to James Bucanen Barnes, not Bucky the Winter Soldier. Barnes had better be good enough for her, otherwise Bucky might have commit another murder.

Bucky allowed his thoughts to drift, his left hand holding a loose grip on a handgun he had slid part way under the bed. Sleep took him with ease, and he slipped into a dreamless slumber.

*******

Lucy woke slowly, blinking her eyes blearily. She felt a bed underneath her, and blankets wrapped up to her chin. She shifted her body from her left side to her right and looked around the room with a sleep fuddled brain.

She was in a motel room that looked like it was straight out of the 80s. She saw their bags piled in a corner and tripwire on the door. The one thing she didn't see was Bucky.

Her heart rate increased. Where was he? Was he ok? What if something had happened to him? Lucy was suddenly wide awake and panicky. She moved the covers and maneuvered her body towards the right edge of the bed, the one closer to the door. She was about to put her feet on the ground when she looked down and saw Bucky lying on the floor, shirtless and asleep.

It was definitely an odd location for him to be. She had expected him to sleep on the bed, not the floor, but that was only a fleeting thought. The thing that caught her attention was his bare torso.

His muscles were beautiful and rock hard from years of using them, but what made her breath catch were the scars that riddled his form. All down his front, she saw bullet scars, stab wounds, and any other kind of scar you could imagine from battle. The scars were the worst on his lower abdomen where his soul mark had once been and around his left shoulder where the metal arm was attached. Her heart ached for Bucky. How could someone go through so much and survive?

Lucy moved as stealthily as she could and got off the bed on the other side from Bucky. She then tiptoed around the bed, dragging the comforter and pillow with her. She oh so gently draped the comforter over Bucky's sleeping form. She thought about attempting to lift Bucky's head and sliding the pillow behind it, but was too afraid it would wake him. Instead she tossed the pillow back on the bed and laid down beside Bucky, scooching herself under the comforter to snuggle against him.

She felt him jerk awake and froze, terrified she had made the wrong decision. They both stayed frozen for five seconds before she heard Bucky sigh and felt an arm wrap around her and pull her more securely into his side. Lucy relaxed and snuggled more comfortably into Bucky's warmth. His chest made the perfect spot to rest her head. His firm muscles and steady heartbeat comforted her like nothing else could.

She knew implicitly that Bucky would keep her safe no matter what. He had proven it, time and time again. It made her want to do the same for him.

Lucy lay comfortably in Bucky's arms, but she wasn't sleepy. She was that happy content, like when you get a long needed hug from a family member or a dear friend. It wrapped you up in not only a physical feeling of warmth and comfort but an emotional one as well.

If Lucy were a cat, she would be purring.

*******

Bucky stared at the ceiling, his right, flesh, arm wrapped around Lucy and his left still lightly gripping the handgun. He knew what he should do. He should put distance between himself and Lucy. Remind her she had a soul mate, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. The physical touch they shared was too important and rare for him to let it go.

Bucky craved physical touch, he had always been that way:

"Bucky! Bucky! Up! Up!"

Bucky looked down to see a little girl, maybe aged three reaching up with tiny hands, insisting he pick her up. He grinned and bent down, swooping her up onto his own small, child-like hip. She was a little heavy, but he didn't mind. He loved holding her.

"Bucky, Mama is making chichen an noobles." The little girl said excitedly right by his ear, bouncing and wiggling with excitement on his hip.

"Chicken and noodle soup, Becca." Bucky heard himself correct as he snuggled the toddler closer.

"Yea, That!" She shouted in his ear, making him wince.

He looked up to see a woman standing by an old stove stirring something. The apartment itself was pretty much one giant room with a bed in one corner and two doors leading off from it. The woman was average height at 5 foot 4 inches. She had dark brown hair that curled around her head just like the little girl in Bucky's arms did. They had the same blue eyes, and open smile.

This must be his family, Bucky realized passively as he walked towards the woman, stood on his tiptoes and dropped a kiss on his mother's cheek. He then looked into the pot she was stirring. It was full of delicious looking broth, large chunks of chicken, noodles, carrots, and celery. It smelled divine.

"Is it ok if Steve comes over for dinner?" he heard himself ask.

"Of course, Bucky, you know he is always welcome." His mother responded still stirring the soup.

"Good, because he's waiting outside the apartment door." His voice came out cheeky.

He looked up at his mother to see her turn and give him a stern look, even though her eyes were twinkling.

"Well don't just stand there, young man, go let your guest in. I raised you to have better manners than that." She scolded, giving a playful swat to his behind as he turned.

He heard himself giggle while he raced to the door still holding his sister close. She had cuddled in, resting her head against his shoulder contentedly.

He opened the door to see the scrawny kid from his previous flashbacks. The boy, Steve, gave a sheepish grin and walked in. Steve quickly made his way over to Bucky's mother and also placed a quick kiss on her cheek. His mother obligingly bent down so it was easier for the small boy to reach.

Bucky felt a rich bubbling sensation of happiness fill his stomach at the sight. He loved these people, he would do anything for them, and they loved him too.

Bucky snapped himself back to reality. He turned his head to confirm that Lucy was the one he was holding to his chest. He checked the room to confirm that they were indeed in an old motel room and that they were safe for now.

He allowed his head to thunk back on the ground and he stared at the ceiling where an old white plastic fan and light hung. He was slowly remembering more and more about who he once was. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

****

Steve banged his fist against the kitchen counter in frustration, causing the granite to crack. He looked up guiltily around the room. Natasha sat on the couch, reading a book and looking bored. Tony on the other hand, was glaring at him.

"Really, Steve! Really!?" Tony yelled as he stalked over to examine the damage done to the Avengers communal kitchen. "We have a whole floor that is designed to be broken by your super soldier strength! Go break something down there! Don't take it out on my nice granite counters!"

"Sorry, Tony." Steve said contritely as he rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment.

"You have been on edge for the last three days. First it was the coffee mug, then it was the remote, followed by the bathroom sink, and now it's the counter. What's up?" Tony demanded folding his arms across his torso, just below the glowing circle in his chest.

Steve sighed and ran a hand down his face. "We found Bucky's soulmate." He said.

"WHAT" came Tony's shout as Bruce and Thor entered the room, talking about something or another. Both men stopped talking and looked at Tony.

"Where is she? Or he?" Tony said, as he started pulling out his phone. "They need a room in the tower, obviously. I've got a few empty ro-"

"Tony, stop." Steve said sighing as he put a hand on the man's shoulder, stilling all that rapid energy from building up anymore. "We lost her."

"What do you mean lost her?" Tony said looking up at Steve confused.

"Her apartment was attacked. We think Bucky was there and intervened, but since then we've had no word. And that was three days ago." Steve said, leaning back against the counter and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Jarvis?" Tony asked the empty air.

"I have already been scanning for both Mr. Barnes and Ms. Elliot for the last three days with only one sighting of Mr. Barnes at a Walmart in Jackson, Mississippi two days ago. Since then, nothing. I cannot confirm whether Ms. Elliot and Mr. Barnes are traveling together or not." Jarvis replied.

Tony's brow had furrowed and he started pacing the communal living area that included a kitchen and living area. Everyone stayed silent while Tony paced.

Steve watched with fascination; he could almost see the wheels turning in Tony's brain. Tony stopped abruptly and snapped his fingers.

"Jarvis, search for any police reports of any crimes or incidents in the south eastern part of the United States that have occurred over the last week." Tony said.

There was a pause of roughly two seconds, then Jarvis replied:

"I have found 54,326 reports sir." Jarvis replied.

"Narrow them down based on distance from Jackson, Mississippi and time allowed to travel that far based on crime. Put in a three hour margin of error."

Another pause, this time slightly longer, then:

"Based on your new criteria, sir. I have narrowed down the number of reports to 1,595 reports." Jarvis said.

"Do any of those reports entail odd occurrences, such as an unusual theft or car chase or anything like that?" Tony asked pacing again.

"41 thefts, 4 car chases, and 123 other police reports match your criteria, sir." Jarvis replied.

Tony stopped pacing and looked over at Steve.

"This is all a long shot, but if they are on the run they probably had to steal stuff, and if they are being followed, they could have been chased. But I can't really narrow this further without a direction. So, where do you think he's headed, Steve." Tony asked.

Steve looked down at his socked feet. He wore black Nike socks that came up to mid calf. They were mostly covered by his grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips. He thought about Bucky and what he might do.

When they had explored the rest of the apartment building yesterday they had found a room that Bucky must have been squatting in. The door had been rigged to explode. If it weren't for Steve's shield, Sam and Clint would probably be sporting some pretty severe burns. Even with all of that, the Avengers would be paying for not only the broken door, but also the hole in the wall of another apartment that Steve's back had been blasted through by the power of the explosion. He still felt guilty about that.

The biggest thing to figure out was if Lucy was with Bucky. That would change everything if she was. Two people traveling together, especially someone as inexperienced in the art of hiding as Lucy, would be much easier to track and find. But on the other hand, Bucky and Lucy might each be traveling alone. If Lucy were traveling alone, where would she go? The answer clicked in Steve's head. Home.

Bucky on his own could take care of himself. And if they were traveling together then the Avengers would just have to get lucky, and get to them before anyone else could.

"If Lucy is traveling alone, I think she would go home." Steve answered slowly, feeling the words in his mouth before letting them be voiced. "But I'm not sure which direction they would go traveling together." He finished.

"Has anyone made contact with her family?" Natasha asked, contributing to the conversation for the first time.

Steve shook his head in response. Natasha set her book down on the couch, stood up and stretched her lithe body to the ceiling.

"Jarvis, send me all the information on Ms. Elliot's parents." Natasha said to the ceiling.

"Of course Agent Romanov, it has been downloaded to your phone." Jarvis answered.

Natasha turned her head and met Steve's eyes. "I'll make sure her family is ok." She looked down at her phone. "I'll need a lift though. I'll have Clint take me on the quinjet. They live in Virginia, so that should take me about an hour and a half to get there with Clint piloting." She smiled up at them all and glided out of the room on light feet.

Tony turned back to Steve. "So that takes care of the parents; what about Bucky?"

Steve sighed again. "I'll take a look at the police reports Jarvis gathered and see if anything catches my eye. Other than that all we can do is wait and hope."

Tony nodded and started heading out of the room. "Oh and I'm taking the price of replacing that counter out of your paycheck." Tony called back as he left.

Steve just shook his head at Tony's antics. He didn't even know he got a paycheck. A meaty hand slapped Steve on the back, making his knees buckle slightly from the weight. It was small enough that no one noticed, but it reminded Steve that he definitely was not the strongest member of the Avengers team. He looked up into Thor's face.

"We will find your friend and his mate, have no fear, my friend," Thor said in his booming voice.

After another strong clap on his back, Thor wandered off to the couch and picked up the book that Nat had left. A much gentler, lighter hand was placed on Steve's forearm. He looked down to see Bruce's worried face. "We'll find them, Steve."

Steve nodded in gratitude for Bruce's words. With the whole team supporting him, he had no doubt they would succeed.