Winter Soldier's Soulmate Ch. 07

When Lucy had said she trusted Bucky she did not expect that would mean walking down the streets of Atlanta at eleven o'clock at night carrying all their stuff. Bucky had his backpack on his back and his rifle bag shrugged onto his right shoulder. Lucy carried her own stuff in her backpack suitcase. They had stored the sleeping bags and other camping gear in a bag in a storage locker that Bucky had broken into.

Lucy wasn't sure how she felt about the illegal things they were doing. At the same time, she hadn't had time to process everything that had happened over the last three days. She was still running on adrenaline and survival.

She was trudging behind him and looking down at her feet feeling pretty tired of walking when Bucky stopped suddenly and Lucy walked right into his backpack-covered back and bounced off. She would have fallen if Bucky's left arm hadn't shot out and caught her, pulling her into his side.

He then turned them and walked them to the main doors of a highrise building guarded by a man in a security uniform. Bucky reached for the door handle but was stopped by a hand on his arm. He froze, and she could feel his muscles bunching from where he still held her against his left side.

Lucy placed a hand on his chest, hoping that they could avoid a physical confrontation.

"State your business here." The security guard demanded. He had a bit of a beer belly and looked to be older, in his late 40s. He had a gold wedding band on the left hand that gripped Bucky's arm and his other hand was placed on his gun.

"I am here to speak to Mr. Petrov." Bucky's voice came out casually but he was still tense and ready for a fight.

"Mr. Petrov?" The security guard sounded surprised then his face turned stony and his fingers tightened on both the gun and Bucky's arm.

"Mr. Petrov would have told me if he had an appointment; since you don't, you're trespassing and must leave."

"We don't have an appointment, but Mr. Petrov will want to see me. Tell him Ivan Smirkoff is here."

Lucy gave Bucky a questioning look but stayed silent. She trusted Bucky to keep her alive.

The security guard didn't let go of Bucky's arm but his hand did move off his gun and up to the walkie-talkie on his shoulder as he spoke into it.

"There's an Ivan Smirkoff and guest here to see Mr. Petrov."

Static was heard on the other side followed by a distorted voice coming through. "Send them up."

The security guard removed his hand and allowed Bucky to open the door and enter. Lucy followed, feeling very unsure about what was happening.

After entering the building Bucky made a beeline for the elevators with his flesh hand on Lucy's lower back. They entered and a man stood in the elevator. Lucy felt like she had been thrown back into the 1980s. She had never been in a building that still had someone operating the elevator.

She took a closer look at him. He didn't look like a bellhop. He wasn't wearing a uniform or anything, and she was pretty sure that was a gun stuck in his jeans peeking out from underneath his leather jacket when he reached up his arm to hit the button for the top floor. Who the hell were they going to meet that everyone had guns? Lucy was feeling a little underdressed without a weapon. Then again, Bucky was a weapon in himself even without all his knives and guns.

Lucy moved closer to him until she was leaning up against his side and his left arm was now draped across her shoulders and down so her back was against his side and his hand was hovering over her belly. At any other moment, Lucy would be uncomfortable about the position they were in, but right now it was nice to have the possessive gesture. It kept her safe from anyone trying to get anywhere near her.

The ride up to the top was awkwardly quiet, at least for Lucy. The man hadn't even asked them what floor they were headed to, he just hit the button and they rode up the twenty-something floors in silence.

The elevator finally dinged, signaling that they had reached the top. The doors slid open to reveal a hallway with one door. Bucky moved confidently towards it, guiding Lucy in front of him with a hand on her lower back.

Bucky walked them up to the door and knocked three times. Silence engulfed the two of them as they stood and waited.

There was a click at the door as someone turned the lock and opened the door. An older gentleman with silver-white hair, bright blue eyes, and handsome features.

"Ivan!" The man's face broke into a wide smile as he reached forward and pulled Bucky into a kiss on each cheek. Lucy was shocked. She took a step back, surprised at this sudden act of affection.

She always considered Bucky to be someone that was not touchy-feely and that she was a special circumstance. She had thought that she was special, but it looked like she was just another person to Bucky. That was a hard hit for Lucy to take. She shook it off as well as she could and returned her mind to the present moment.

Bucky pulled back, but there was a smile dancing across his lips. "Mister Petrov, kak dela? Proshlo mnogo vremeni." Bucky spoke in what sounded like Russian.

"YA ochen' khorosh, no udivlen, uvidev tebya zdes', osobenno v etot chas. Chto ya mogu sdelat' dlya tebya, Ivan? A kto eta krasavitsa?" the man replied.

Lucy shrank in on herself a little bit when the man's eyes turned to scrutinize her. He looked more curious than anything else, which made her feel a little better, but she didn't like not being able to understand what was being said.

Bucky turned and put an arm around Lucy's waist and moved her forward before gesturing with his hand and firing off some more things in Russian. "Eto Lucy, i nam nuzhna pomoshch'. My stolknulis' s nekotorymi trudnostyami. Nekotoryye lyudi ishchut Lucy, a mne nuzhny dokumenty."

A frown creased the older man's brow, but then he turned and ushered them both with hand movements and words to come inside.

He closed the door behind them and guided them through his beautiful penthouse apartment to a picturesque living room overlooking the city through floor to ceiling windows.

A white L-shaped sectional couch took up the bulk of the space with a glass coffee table sitting in front of it.

The man gestured for Lucy and Bucky to take a seat on the couch. Bucky moved Lucy toward the corner and crowded her in. They both set their things at their feet and sat down. Lucy ended up with her left side pressed up against Bucky's side and her right was against the armrest.

Lucy was definitely feeling a little squished but also a little bit happy with how physically pushy Bucky was being. She could tell he was doing it because he wasn't exactly comfortable here and trying to protect her with his body. He had done the same thing when they were in Walmart. It helped remind her that she probably knew him the best. This other person didn't even know his true name.

Lucy listened as more Russian was spoken from the older man, Mr. Petrov. "Yey nuzhny bumagi? Kak skoro?"

"Nemedlenno.." Bucky responded.

"Khmmm, eto opredelenno budet boleye slozhnym, no ne nevozmozhnym, moy drug. Day mne posmotret', chto ya mogu sdelat'." Mr. Petrov responded before he pulled out his phone.

He turned and walked away from Bucky and Lucy as he spoke more Russian into the phone. Bucky leaned back in his seat and put his arm around Lucy, pulling her into a cuddled position at his side. Lucy was surprised at how physically affectionate Bucky was being, especially after this morning. She thought he wouldn't want to be anywhere near her, but he seemed to want her glued to his side, not that she was complaining. Bucky was comfortable to be around and just the right kind of body type to snuggle with. He was tall, broad, and all muscle.

This whole situation made it too easy to forget the man's name written on her skin and desperately wish that it was Bucky's name. Whoever this James Barnes was, he wasn't here to protect her, or keep her safe. He wasn't here, defending her from bad guys, holding her when she slept or telling her that it was all going to be ok. Bucky was doing that. When she did find this James person, he better have a really good reason for not being here for her when her whole world fell apart.

Another more horrifying thought crossed Lucy's mind. What if fate had gotten it wrong. What if James wasn't her soulmate, what if she wasn't meant to have one and she got the name by mistake?

A hand was placed underneath her hair and on the back of her neck. Lucy looked up at Bucky. He wasn't looking at her, he was scanning the room, but she felt him gently squeeze in reassurance before letting go.

"Ivan?" A female voice spoke from somewhere. Lucy looked up to see an older woman descend the open staircase.

She wore what appeared to be a nightgown with a shawl over top. Her hair was silver and curled around her head. Her eyes were a moss green that seemed to sparkle. The way she moved down the steps was graceful and precise, belying her age. She finished descending and moved toward them.

Bucky had risen when she first called his "name" and greeted her with a kiss on each cheek. More Russian was spoken, but by now Lucy just tuned it out. Bucky would tell her later what they were talking about if it was important.

"-I kto eto?"

Lucy tuned back in when she felt the woman's eyes on her. Bucky placed a hand on her shoulder and said her name.

«Akh, priyatno vstretit' zhenshchinu, kotoraya, kazhetsya, privlekla vnimaniye Ivana." More Russian from the woman.

Lucy just shook her head and gave the woman an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Russian," Lucy said, looking down at her hands in embarrassment.

She was startled when two wrinkled hands entered her vision and clasped her own.

"It is I who should be apologizing. I know what it is like to walk in a land and not understand what is being said." The woman had the most beautiful Russian accent that put a floating lilt to her English. "My name is Katarina Petrov. I assume you have already met my husband, Nicoli."

Lucy nodded and allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

"I think I did but B-Ivan and he were speaking in Russian the whole time so we never got formally introduced." Lucy had almost said Bucky instead of Ivan but caught herself at the last minute. Even if these people were nice, Bucky was still lying to them for some reason.

"Isn't that just like a man, no courtesy." Katarina shook her head, with a fond smile on her lips.

"I honestly wouldn't know," Lucy replied with a slight frown. "Besides my brothers and dad, Ivan is the first man I've really been around for longer than a few hours alone."

"Well, that's what happens when you find your other half." Katarina smiled as she looked towards where they could hear her husband talking on the phone in Russian.

"Oh no we're not. I mean he's not. I have someone else's name on my skin." Lucy finished lamely and looked down at her hands, blushing and looking rather pathetic.

Katarina sat down next to Lucy and wrapped her arm around the girl "No I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. I've just never seen Ivan so comfortable with another person. From what I've seen of him he hates being touched and yet he looked so comfortable with his arm wrapped around you and holding you so close. I just thought the only thing that would make him act that way would be his soulmate."

Katarina squeezed Lucy's shoulder and pulled her into a tighter hug so that Lucy's head was resting on the older woman's shoulder. A sniff escaped out of Lucy and suddenly Bucky was there.

He was kneeling in front of Lucy and his hands were holding hers.

"What's wrong Lucy?" Bucky looked worried. "Are you hurt?"

Lucy just shook her head. "No, I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed. It's been a long two days." Lucy gave a little half-smile, trying to reassure him.

"And my husband didn't even offer you anything to eat or drink, did he." Katarina sighed dramatically and got up from the couch, patting Lucy's shoulder as she went.

"What can I get you two? Tea, coffee, water, juice, food?" Katarina asked as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Ummm some food would be nice, there wasn't time for dinner," Lucy said, unsure of herself.

"Ivan! You didn't feed the poor girl dinner?! I'm sure you were taught better manners than that." Katarina scolded, brandishing a wooden spoon at Bucky before turning and opening the fridge.

Bucky had the decency to look sheepish, but also tried to defend himself: "I was more worried about our safety."

"And what good is safety if you're starving?" Katarina shot back as she continued to pull things out of the fridge.

Bucky ducked his head and rubbed at a stain on his jeans. Lucy had never seen Bucky being so fidgety. It was a new look for him, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"It's not his fault, I wasn't feeling very hungry anyways until just now." Lucy said, trying to defend Bucky.

"Don't you start young lady. Ivan should know better. Even if he forgot what his mama taught him. I know that I drilled manners into him myself." Katarina replied pointing at Lucy with the wooden spoon she was using to scoop food onto two plates.

"Ivan never told me how he met you." Lucy said, changing the subject, hoping to distract Katarina.

"Oh he worked for us, dear," Katarina answered.

"You did?" Lucy asked looking to Bucky for confirmation.

He nodded but didn't elaborate beyond that.

"What did you do?" Lucy pressed hoping to learn more about Bucky.

Bucky shrugged."I was Mr. Petrov's bodyguard."

"You're not a good storyteller Ivan," Katarina said from the kitchen. "He forgot to mention that he saved my husband's and son's lives."

Lucy looked up at Bucky, but he just raised an eyebrow at her and remained silent. It drove her nuts how mysterious he could be. She turned back to Katarina, who was walking back towards them with two plates, piled high with food, silverware, and napkins.

"What happened, Katarina?" Lucy asked curiosity burning inside of her.

"Oh, some people were angry about this or that and thought they could take it out on my family and Ivan stopped them." Katarina said flippantly as she placed the plates covered with food on the coffee table.

Lucy decided not to push for anymore information. From the few hints she had picked up, it sounded like these people were involved in some illegal things.

Not that she was complaining. Lucy's views on morality were the last thing on her mind. First and foremost was survival.

"Now eat, you two; I won't see you starving in my house." Katarina spoke in a very no nonsense tone as she sat gracefully on the other side of the couch.

Bucky immediately dug in, eating like a starving wolf. Before this they had been snacking on granola bars and cans of fruit. It satisfied the hunger cravings, but not much else.

Lucy more gracefully took a bite and couldn't help the little groan of pleasure that escaped her lips. The food was delicious, it seemed to be some form of cabbage dish full of meat and other veggies.

'Whaa ith thish?" Lucy spoke her mouth full of the amazing food.

Katarina threw her head back and let out a tinkling laugh. "I'm glad you enjoy my cooking. It is an old family dish called solyanka. My mother taught me how to make it many years ago."

Lucy swallowed. "Thank you so much for sharing. If we weren't on the run I would totally ask you for the recipe."

"Oh nonsense," Katarina scoffed. "It doesn't matter if you're on the run or not. You must take every opportunity available to do things you want. Nicoli and I have been on the run for as long as I can remember and we still managed to have three children and create an empire to support them."

Lucy felt in awe of this woman. She was incredible.

"Really?! How in the world did you manage that?" Lily asked before taking another bite of food.

"Honestly I'm not sure, but what got me through it were the little moments. Like a good morning kiss from my husband, making a home cooked meal. When my son lost his first tooth and it accidentally ended up in the garbage disposal so Nicoli had to do some plumbing to rescue it. It's those moments that make life worth living." Katarina spoke.

Lucy couldn't help the swelling of emotion she felt at those words. Katarina reminded her so much of her mother, Sarah. Sarah always spoke about those little moments, and cherished them.

Lucy couldn't stop the little hiccup of breath that escaped her, nor the one after that. She felt the tears well in her eyes and start to fall. She tried her best to keep it in, but the more she fought, the harder she cried.

"Luce! Lucy."

Lucy heard Bucky's voice but couldn't respond through her hyperventilating breathes. She always did this when she cried, and her face got all red.

Bucky wrapped her in his arms and pulled her into his lap. All Lucy could do was clutch at his shirt in a death grip and try and muffle her sobs.

She could hear Bucky murmuring something but wasn't cognizant enough to understand what he was saying.

There was nothing Lucy could do at this point but ride out the wave of emotions.

*******

Bucky was terrified. He had no idea how to handle this situation. Flying bullets? No problem. Killing someone? Easy. Dangerous car chases? A breeze. A crying woman? He was way out of his depth.

Bucky did the only thing he could think of: he picked Lucy up and put her on his lap and held on for the ride. He tried whispering to her, rocking her, soothing her, but the tears kept coming. Finally he ended up just holding her close.

Katarina had stepped back politely, grabbed a box of tissues from a bathroom, deposited it on the coffee table in front of Bucky and Lucy, then left the couple alone so they could have some privacy.

Bucky wasn't sure how long they sat there before Lucy started to slow her crying and catch her breath.

Another few minutes passed before Lucy's last hiccup, then silence.

Lucy's death grip eased and she shifted in Bucky's lap to get more comfortable. Bucky allowed his head to rest against the back of the sofa and sighed in relief.

"Sorry about that." Lucy said after another moment of silence.

Bucky just grunted in response, too emotionally worn out to respond any other way.

"Katarina just reminds me a lot of my mom, and how much I miss her. I bet she heard about what happened at my apartment. Is there any way I can call her?"

Bucky thought about that; as long as she used a burner phone that they tossed immediately, he didn't see why she couldn't reassure her family.

"Possibly." He responded "I'll see what I can do."

Lucy threw her arms around Bucky's neck and hugged him.

"I haven't told you yet how thankful I am for what you've done for me. The last three days I've been on survival mode and unable to process anything. And it kinda all just hit at once."

Bucky lifted his right hand and gently cupped Luce's face. He was utterly entranced by this conundrum of a woman. She was beautiful.

Lucy lifted her own hand and cupped Bucky's, pressing his palm more firmly to her cheek.

Bucky looked at Lucy's lips then back up to meet her eyes; there was something there that he hadn't seen before, a level of intensity, or maybe heat. He licked his lips.

Bucky couldn't have stopped himself, even if he had wanted to. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Lucy's.

Lucy was still for an instant before her arms wrapped around Bucky's neck once more and she tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

Bucky moaned in pleasure and brought his left hand up so he could cup the back of Lucy's neck and take control of the kiss.

Bucky opened his mouth and nipped lightly at Lucy's bottom lip. Lucy responded with a gasp, allowing Bucky to make a tentative foray with his tongue.

Lucy responded in kind with her own tongue. The kiss grew deeper and more intense as their tongues tangled and detangled.