Silver Death

Attack and Pack

(Bucky's P.O.V.)

Five months and twenty-five days have passed and we still have no leads. I can tell that some if not most of us have given up, but Steve, Nat and I still think she's alive.  Steve thinks she's alive and fighting to get out even though she went back voluntarily.

Nat assumes she's in a base somewhere training others, and I, well I assume she's in Cryogenic freeze and that as soon as she got back to the base they wiped her of all of us.

But who knows, maybe she got away already, and is hiding until she can get back to us safely. Maybe she's been moved basses and we are making Tony and Bruce look in the wrong area.

Maria Hill even started helping us look for her, said it was a favour for Steve. He never asked her to do this. She did meet Aly once when she came by with some paper work for Pepper. She's been looking for Jess since.

Aly has adjusted well, and is helping Pepper out in her office most days. If she not with Pepper she's with Tony and Bruce in the lab. I barely see her unless I track her down, and take her from wherever she is or at bedtime. Even then she doesn't want to spend time with me. Since she came Tony has designed a room just the way she wanted it. Double bed with a red comforter and black pillow cases, dark wood dressers and white carpet, the floor to ceiling windows have red drapes matching the bed spread, walk in closet only a quarter full, the bathroom has a shower no bathtub- "I'm not three Tony, I can use a shower."- white sink with storage underneath for hair ties and her hair brush.

Every night when she decides she wants to go to sleep she finds me and holds my metal hand- never my right hand- as we walk to her room. I wait outside the door as she changes and listen to her shuffle around inside. One changed she opens the door I pick her up and tuck her in. Some days she asks if I can stay until she falls asleep, those nights she holds my hand. Other nights we do our routine and she says "okay. You can leave now." As soon as she's tucked in and her eyes are shut. When I was away for a minor mission with Wanda and Nat for two nights I was worried what she would do. She tracked down Steve. Both nights she asked him to stay until she fell asleep, held his hand and took longer than normal to sleep. She told Steve she was worried that we weren't coming back. He comforted her and hummed to help her sleep the second night. When we came back early in the morning probably around five only Steve and Sam were awake. Steve had the most goofy look on his face when he started telling me he was the one that tucked her in.

Every so often when I can't be found or in a meeting that Steve isn't in she finds him still. "If I can't have my dad tuck me in I'll have the next best thing. A step-dad do it." We have tried to explain that Steve isn't her step dad but she's not having any of it. -"You didn't see the way she looked when she talked about you. No one I know looked like that when talking about another human being. Well other than the way Tony and Pepper. But they're practically married already."- Steve always had to leave the room if a conversation like these arrises because 1. He's beat red and comments from the team aren't helping
or
2. He's starting to tear up because he lost the second love of his life. Peggy being the first, and he thought only.

When seven months with no leads on Jess I ask Fury to help look for her. "If I find anything I'll let you know Barnes." One scary guy with his one eyed glare.

He contacts us within two weeks, the same hour as Tony and Maria both burst into the gym where Steve, Sam, Nat, Wanda and I are training. "Meeting room. Now."  Maria and Stark manage to say this in sync. Creepier than anything I've seen or heard.

Either way we all race to get there, Fury is waiting for us. "Sit down. It's time we had a chat."

The five us sit down and everyone else including Thor who had gone back to Asgard earlier during the week and was not due back for two more, Fury starts.