Winter Soldier's Soulmate Ch. 13

It was a week later when Lucy woke up feeling wrong. That wasn't the best way to describe it. She hadn't felt right since Bucky left, but this was different, worse. Something was very wrong, Bucky was...hurt, maybe more.

Lucy had no idea how she knew just that she did. The woman didn't question it, she launched from her bed, sprinted out of her apartment and banged frantically at Steve's door with all she had.

She didn't stop to think that it was 5:13 in the morning, and that she was wearing bikini panties and a tank top that left nothing to the imagination.

The door opened so suddenly that Lucy beaned Steve in the nose with her fist. She heard a sickening crunch and the side of her hand ached from the impact.

Lucy pulled her hand to her chest and rubbed it, while Steve lifted a hand to his bleeding and broken nose.

"Ok was not expecting to get a broken nose from a civie at.." Steve looked at the watch on his wrist "5:14 in the morning. What can I do for you Lucy."

If things hadn't been so urgent with Bucky the situation would have been a hell of a lot more awkward.

"Bucky." Lucy whimpered. "something's wrong."

Steve changed in an instant. He went from the sweet puppy dog Steve to Captain America. It was like a whole different person stood in front of her. If it weren't for the nose bleed that still dripped down onto Steve's white tank top then Lucy would have sworn an alien abduction and switchero had taken place in front of her.

"What happened." Steve demanded reaching out and grabbing her shoulders.

"I don't know, there's just something... I feel it here." Lucy said frustrated at not being able to articulate it and pointing at the center of her chest.

"Ok it's ok." Steve said, but Lucy wasn't sure if he was saying it to her or himself.

"I'll try calling him," Steve said, turning and disappearing into his apartment.

It took Lucy half a second to process that statement before rage flowed out of her belly. She stomped after Steve.

When she located him he was standing by the counter with a phone pressed against his ear.

"Are you telling me, you have contact info for Bucky and you didn't share it with me?" Lucy asked, shaking.

Steve wasn't paying attention to her, he was tapping his finger impatiently and holding the phone in a white knuckled grip.

Lucy could hear the sound of faint ringing on the line, but no response. Steve slowly lowered the phone to the counter.

"No answer." He rasped out.

"Steve you have two seconds to hopefully correct what I just heard and saw. Because you can't be telling me that you have had Bucky's number and you didn't give it to me."

Steve must have finally clued into her presence and temper because when he turned, his eyes were big and he took a hesitant step back from her.

"I want an answer."

"Umm maybe"

"Ok, that's it. You're dead. He is dead. He better wish he is in life threatening peril because if he is not I'll kill him myself."

"Look.." Steve said, raising his hands toward Lucy in a placating manner.

"Don't even think about justifying this. He is my soulmate. For the last 14 days I have wanted to tell him how I feel, and haven't been able to and now he's hurt or worse. So you can either help me or fuck off." Lucy said then stomped out of Steve's room and to her own.

She could feel him trailing after her like the lost puppy dog he could be. Lucy rolled her eyes but ignored him. She went to her bedroom and started digging through the pile that was mailed to her by Bucky.

She finally found what she was looking for and pulled out a slip of paper with a number written on it.

"What's that?" Steve asked, curiously as she passed him in the hall headed back to her kitchen.

"None of your damn business Rogers, since we're obviously keeping secrets from each other." Lucy snapped.

The woman caught Steve's wounded look out of the corner of her eye, but she was too pissed to care.

She grabbed her new stark phone off the counter and opened it with her thumb. She punched in the number and pressed the phone to her ear.

It rang.

"Hello." The female voice answered on the other side of the line.

"Hey Katerina, it's Lucy. I'm so sorry to disturb you at this hour, but it looks like Ivan managed to get himself in trouble without me."

She heard a soft chuckle on the other side of the line. "Of course he did, the fool. Doesn't he know by now that it's better to take your soulmate with you."

"About that, how did you know that he was my other half?" Lucy asked conversationally, hopping up on the counter and getting comfortable.

A full blown tinkling laugh came from the other side of the phone. "Oh honey, We knew his name wasn't Ivan. The poor boy is a terrible liar. But we also understand the need to protect one's identity. It's hard to miss the scars and the look he gets in his eyes. We knew he was hurting, but when we saw him with you he looked so at peace. Nicholas and I may be old but we can still put two and two together."

Lucy couldn't help the laugh she let out at that.

"So what can I do for you Lucy? Our entire empire is at your disposal so you can bring that boy home."

"Oh Katerina this is why I love you. Honestly I'm not sure. I figured you guys would be better at finding missing people then I would be. For one Bucky, that's Ivan's real name, took the gun you gave me. Told me he didn't trust me with it or something."

Katerina gave an elegant snort at that. "He would. That boy needs to get his head out of his ass, and realize that you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself with a little bit of training."

"That's what I keep saying, but he stuck me with some friend of his, and I've been treated with nothing but kid gloves since I got here."

"Well that will never do. Where are you Lucy darling, I'll send a car, with an Arsenal just for you. Plus I'll get Nicolas on the search as soon as I coax the man out of bed. He never was a morning person."

"Great. I'm sure it won't hurt if I give you some of Bucky's real information."

"Of course not. You know we consider you both family."

"Great. His full name is James Buchanen Barnes. He's best friends with Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. Hydra had him for roughly 70 years and he's probably with them now, and they're doing god knows what to him."

She heard Katerina hmmm on the other side of the line. "Got it, it's all written down. We've unfortunately had dealings with Hydra in the past, never was a fan. But I'm sure Nic still has contacts he can reach out to. Tell that captain Rogers he better keep out of your way. Knowing Bucky he probably mother hens just as badly."

Lucy laughed at that. "You got em both pegged." She responded, staring Steve in the eyes as he stood there listening to both sides of the conversation.

"I'll call you when I have the info. Where am I sending the car? Avenger's tower I presume."

"You always were the smartest woman I ever met Katerina. And yes."

"Great it will be there in an hour or so. You take care, Lucy. Call me if anything else comes up."

"Will do. Bye Katerina." With that Lucy hung up the phone and gave Steve a look.

"You heard Katerina, and trust me, you don't want to go against what she says. She may sound like a nice old lady but she controls a giant illegal Russian empire, and has for the last 50 years or so with her husband."

Steve cleared his throat then again. "Do I want to know how you two met?"

"Nope." Lucy said popping the "p" and smiling mischievously. "Just know she considers me family."

Steve just stared at her with a look that Lucy couldn't fully decipher. "I was gonna ask more questions but I think I don't want to know the answers."

Lucy shrugged "probably not."

She hopped off the counter and brushed by the super soldier, heading back to her room.

She dug through the closet and pulled on a pair of fitted black pants that hugged her legs but allowed full range of motion. She followed that up with a sports bra that kept her breasts tight to her chest so they wouldn't bounce around. A black tank top, then a black long sleeve shirt was added to the ensemble. Lastly she pulled on socks and her black running shoes that Jarvis has gotten for her. She grabbed a leather jacket and her pepper spray to finish the look. She checked herself in the mirror.

Lucy could admit to herself that she looked and felt bad ass. The last thing she did was put her hair up, grabbed a dark baseball cap and sunglasses before she walked out of the bedroom.

She ignored Steve once again, snatching her phone off the counter and heading out of the door to her apartment.

"Jarvis?" She asked the ceiling as she made her way to the elevator.

"Yes, Ms. Elliot."

"Can you tell me if Natasha is back from my parent's house yet?"

"She is in the training room for her morning run." Jarvis replied.

"Excellent."

Lucy pressed the button for the training room, ignoring the fact that Steve was still following her around.

They rode the elevator down in silence. The doors folded open and Lucy immediately spotted Natasha getting off the treadmill and wiping her face of sweat as she made her way towards them.

"What's up Lucy?" The Widow asked as she looked over Lucy's ensemble.

Lucy gave her a smile. "Bucky got himself in trouble, and I'm going to go save his stupid ass. Want to come?"

The widow blinked, then smiled like the Cheshire Cat. "It would be my pleasure."

"Oh good. I just spoke with a friend of mine, Katerina, and she's going to send a car for us soon."

"Katerina? Do you mean Katerina Petrov?" Nat asked.

"Yes, do you know her?"

Nat shook her head. "Only ever heard of her. I was never able to meet the tiger lady in person. But she and her husband are legends in the crime world. The better question is how do you know the tiger lady?"

Steve let out an intelligible gargling sound. Both of the women ignored him.

"Oh Bucky worked for her. We're considered family." Lucy replied, hiding the butterflies in her stomach from that revelation.

She had known that Katerina and Nicholas were powerful. And had thought she was embellishing for Steve's sake. But it looked like she hadn't been. The Petrov's were really that bad or maybe good?

The widow gave her a look. "I hope you realize what an honor that is."

"I'm well aware. When Katerina gives you condoms it's nothing to sneeze at."

"She gave you the condoms?" Steve choked out.

Lucy flushed and glared at Steve.

"Among other things. She wanted us to be protected, even from an unplanned pregnancy." She snapped, before realizing what she had just said.

Steve choked on air and Nat let out a snort of laughter.

"Shut up. Both of you." Lucy said blushing tomato red.

"Jarvis, wake up the rest of the Avengers, we're going to want the rest of the team for this." Nat said to the ceiling.

"Only if they don't get in my way. He's my soulmate. It's my job to rescue his stupid ass." Lucy said not backing down from her new badass persona.

She was tired of being treated like an invalid by everyone around here including Bucky. She was his soulmate, his equal. The universe put them together for a reason, and if people thought she was just gonna roll over and let them do her job then they had another thing coming. Bucky would figure out that she was no damsel in distress, not anymore.

She was his other half, in everything, and he should never have left her. She was going to prove it to him as well as herself that she deserved to be by his side. Through thick and thin. Good and bad. It didn't matter.

Nat looked at her then gave her a rare true smile "I would never let them leave you behind Lucy. You're his other half. And sooner or later everyone, including Bucky, is going to have to realize that they can't wrap you in bubble wrap. You're not that kind of woman."

It was like the Widow had read her mind. Lucy nodded, afraid if she tried to speak, an emotional flood would pour out.

"Meet in the kitchen in 20?" Steve finally said, seeming to have gotten himself under control finally.

Lucy and Nat both nodded.

"I have informed the rest of the team." Jarvis replied from the ceiling.

********

Lucy stood in the kitchen waiting with Steve while the rest of the Avengers funneled in.

Sam walked in first, looking alert and ready to go. Tony rubbed at his blood shot eyes, carrying a cup of coffee. Bruce followed looking relatively alert, Thor walked in swinging his hammer lazily. Nat brought up the rear, hair damp from a shower. The only one not there was Clint because he was hanging out with Lucy's parents this week.

They all gathered around the kitchen table and looked at Steve expectantly.

But it was Lucy that spoke.

"I know this is a little unorthodox, but this is actually my mission."

She got a couple of raised eyebrows but everyone seemed to be patiently waiting for her to go on.

She cleared her throat and continued. "Bucky managed to get himself in trouble, and I'm going to go rescue him."

"You?" Tony interrupted looking more alert now.

"Yes me." Lucy replied, straightening her spine and staring down Tony.

"How do you plan to do that?" Sam piped up. "No offense but you are a civie. No background in any form of combat. No resources beyond us. We can easily keep you here and out of harm's way while we take care of this. You would be a more of a risk in the field while the rest of us try to keep you safe anyways."

Lucy moved her gaze and stared down Sam. "You're right I am a civie, you're also right that I have had zero combat training except for what I got with Bucky over those three days. However you're wrong about resources. Have you ever heard of the tiger lady?"

"You mean that Russian mob couple the tigers? Yea who hasn't?" Sam replied leaning back and crossing his arms.

Lucy gave him a slow, devilish, smile. "She's a personal friend of mine, actually more like family. The tiger's entire empire is at my disposal to use as I see fit to get Bucky back. So you're wrong, I do have resources, just as much if not more than the Avengers do. Sure you can try and lock me up in the tower but then I'd just call Katerina and she'd send an army here to get me out. And wouldn't that just be a waste of resources. I also know that Nat here wouldn't let that happen. She believes in me. The question is, do you?"

Sam had sat up as she talked. He looked two parts disconcerted and one part shocked.

Tony picked up the conversation. "Now how did you manage that? Lucy you're like a little angel. I did the background check myself. There's nothing in your file anywhere that says you have those kinds of connections. How do we know you're not bluffing?"

"She's not." Steve interrupted. "I heard her with Katerina on the phone myself. She's family to the Petrov's."

"Even if you didn't believe Steve I can always call her up and she will tell you herself. Now let's get back to your other concerns. You're also right that I won't be the best in combat zones. Which is why I'm asking you all if you want to help me. But either way I'm going. You can either help me or get in my way. Doesn't matter to me. But if you do get in my way I'll go through you."

"You're serious about this." Bruce said quietly.

"Very." Lucy confirmed.

"The Captain's friend picked well in his choice of mates. She has the fire of a bilgesnipe in her heart. You will have my hammer in your quest." Thor boomed out as he stood and banged said hammer on the table, causing the whole thing to tremble and crack.

All the avengers and Lucy took a hasty step back from the dining table as it collapsed to the floor.

Tony let out an exasperated groan. "Really?! Are you serious, Thor. Between you and the Cap I can't keep anything nice in this tower. Even Bruce doesn't break as much as you two and he turns into the Hulk!"

"I apologize that my enthusiasm got the better of me. I keep forgetting that Midgard is more delicate than Asgard." Thor replied.

Tony just let out another exasperated groan.

"Can we focus back on the problem at hand? The table can wait." Nat said.

"Right" Lucy agreed.

"So what's the plan then, Lucy? You're leading this." Sam asked.

Lucy took a deep breath then started to talk.