THE FADING FALLEN ● Bucky Barnes X OC ● 18+ ● ENGLISH [COMPLETE]

Chapter 6

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What happened in Sokovia pushed everyone to their limits. It was a shock when Hulk also disappeared without a trace.

The team did everything to protect the city and its inhabitants. And although the surprise appearance of Fury and the new SHIELD unit meant Ultron's victims were far fewer, there were too many.

Among them was one of Strucker's talents. Emilia had already heard about the Maximoff siblings' abilities during the smashing of the last Hydra base.

While her twin brother Pietro seemed to be faster than sound, Wanda could manipulate people's minds. The idea of someone messing with her head was a horror to Emilia.

For once, she was glad she hadn't been around then, instead supporting the Avengers from afar. Nevertheless, she was looking forward to meeting Wanda. She had already joined the team during the fight with Ultron.

When Pietro was killed, Emilia thought of her own brother. She could only begin to imagine how immeasurably painful the loss must have been for Wanda.

Although she had some reservations, after her first encounter with Wanda, Emilia found it relatively easy to get on with her. However, not without taking one or two precautions.

After Wanda had already picked the brains of each of the Avengers, she tried it with Emilia as well. But it didn't work on her.

She couldn't blame Wanda for trying. After everything she had been through, there remained a certain distrust towards everyone she didn't know. And this Wanda could only either invalidate or confirm by a short glimpse into the thoughts and memories of her counterpart.

She was a bit surprised when Emilia told her that she had built a mental wall long before they met. But the explanation in response was clear to Wanda.

"These blackouts are doing something to me. Something I can't remember and I'm afraid of. I have no control over it, and I don't even know for sure if I've harmed anyone during them. Your mind games could bring out some stuff that might be better off left uncovered."

Just a few days later back in New York, Emilia experienced a nightmare that not only triggered another blackout, but also brought her closer to Wanda than she ever knew she could be.

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Budapest, 2016

He startled. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

His gaze roamed over the sparse furnishings as he sat up on the old mattress and propped himself up with one arm.

No one there, only the whirring of the refrigerator in his small 1-bedroom apartment could be heard.

Another one of the many nightmares that had plagued him since his last encounter with Steve.And underneath it all, the gleaming eyes of this woman.

The snippets of memories were coming and going as they pleased. He could never find any real connections in them. Everything confused him - what he knew and what he thought he knew.

For almost two years now, he had been staying in the old safe house in Romania, which was just as inconspicuous as he was.

Except for the one small detail: the silver shining metal arm with the red star on it.

He hid it under long sleeves and gloves. It wasn't easy doing his hard odd jobs as a warehouse worker like that, but he had to make a living somehow.

Sgt. James Bucky Barnes, born 1917, died 1944 on a Howling Commando mission fighting the Nazis and Hydra. Best friend of Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America.