Heart and Soul [Bucky Barnes]

1

"There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue. And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."
— Judy Garland

Chapter One

Claire LeRue places a warm hand to her forehead. Every bit of her aches in pain, but she keeps a brave face the best that she can. It is no use though; everyone in the room knows that she's dying.

Her heartbeat thumps lowly in her chest. The thought of sleep is becoming more satisfactory by the second. Her eyes flutter closed, and with a long and shaky breath, Claire LeRue dies.

Not even a second passes before she awakens again in the same room. However, this time she is standing above her family and her cold body. The pain that was once haunting her every thought has faded into nothing but numbness.

"Mother?" She calls out, the sound of her voice startling her. It's rhythmic and beautiful, even to her. The slight echo that comes from the words should frighten her, but it all just seems so normal.

"She cannot hear you anymore," A voice says from behind her, and she spins around with more agility than she's had in months.

Claire looks down at her clothes. She's dressed in her favorite parlor dress, though that is definitely not what she was wearing just a few moments ago.

"I am dead," she realizes, turning back to her sobbing family. Their voices are barely audible to her now, "This must mean..."

"No, not exactly," the unusual man interrupts her. "Heaven is... eternal peace. Where we are now is simply the place between life and death. This realm is mine to rule."

Claire has lived a religious life up to this point, for the most part. Her mother was adamant about it, though that was the standard of the time. She has prayed to the being that she calls God countless times. This man is not exactly what she pictured.

"I am Azrael, the Angel of Death," he corrects her, though she doesn't remember saying her concerns out loud. "Your thoughts come freely to me. When you find your unfinished business, you will be thankful that they do."

"My unfinished...?" She trails off.

The angel explains instantly, "Unfinished business, my child. Each soul has a purpose on the physical world. Unfortunately for you, yours has not been accomplished. When it is, you will find peace."

Claire looks around, confused, "How?"

"I have many lost souls to attend to, surely you can find out for yourself." He turns to leave but stops when the girl turns back to her mother. Claire lifts her hand to touch the living woman's face, but it goes right through her. Azrael sighs, "Every year, you are granted a full day on Earth. The people you knew when you were alive will not know who you are, and you mustn't tell them. Claire—"

He uses her name in a way that frightens her. His expression is hard and cautionary, which makes her give him her full attention.

"Allow me to formally warn you," he continues. "Spirits are forbidden from disrupting the natural flow of time, or from revealing their true identity during their time on Earth. Though you may not believe it in the years to come, I hereby tell you now that there is a place worse than here. I beg of you, do not make me send you there."

She nods once to certify that she understands. The next time that she turns back to him, the Angel of Death is gone.

His warning sits firmly in the back of her mind for the next few decades. Being able to see her family once a year has been a blessing to her, even if they will never know who she truly is. But soon, being near them becomes a burden as she watches them move on without her.