Sign of the Times

An Awakening First Meeting

[Pic above. Name revealed shortly]

Connie, who'd gotten word that her husband was awake, picked up her daughter and smiled as she said, "We're gonna see Daddy."

"Dada?" she replied in a confused tone.

"That's right, Dada."

Bucky walked out of the medical room with a smile and it widened when he saw his wife. "Hey, doll. Who's the little lady with you?"

"This is Ella," Connie told him. "Ella, this is Daddy."

Ella buried her face in her mother's arms as she said, "No Dada."

Bucky's smile dropped and he stepped closer, masking the hurt he felt. "Hi, Ella. It's okay to be scared right now, but you're already the most important thing to me, just like Mommy is." He turned to Connie. "How old is she?"

"Almost 18 months. Are the words gone?"

He nodded as the smile returned to his face. "Yeah, they're gone. Shuri could probably remove yours as well. Now that Ella is here-"

"Would she be able to do it with me awake?"

"I think so, since she figured it out for me, I can't imagine it'll be much different for you."

She let out a breath. "Let's end this." She handed him Ella as she said, "Daddy's gonna watch you while Mommy sees someone."

Connie walked into the building, ready to be free of HYDRA once and for all. She'd initially refused because she wanted to know if it worked with Bucky before subjecting herself to the process. And now that she knew it was possible, it was time to be free of the decades of torture.

Ella screamed as she reached for her mother. "Mama!"

Bucky bounced her and noticed animals in the distance. "Ella, do you want to see some animals?"

Ella stopped screaming and nodded. Bucky smiled as he wiped her eyes and walked over to a field where animals were grazing.

"Moo!" Ella cried, seeing a cow. "Moo moo, Dada."

Bucky chuckled. "That's right. And small ones with the horns are called goats. They say maa."

"Maa! Maa!"

Ella reached out to the goats and Bucky moved her closer, still holding her. "Be careful, Ella."

The little girl babbled to herself as she watched the animals.

Bucky didn't know how long they'd been there, but he felt a tap on his right shoulder and saw Connie walk up next to him.

"So?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled. "I suppose since she knew what she was doing as you and I had similar programming, it didn't take her long. Though, she had been researching for me already. I see you and Ella are bonding."

A light smile crossed his face. "Once she saw the animals, the tears stopped."

"She loves animals. Chickens, for some reason, are her favorite."

"Bawck-bawck!" Ella said, noticing her mother. "Mama!"

Connie smiled. "Hi, sweetie. You do love bawck-bawcks, don't you?"

Ella began flapping her arms like a chicken and Bucky and Connie laughed.

Bucky turned to his wife and said, "I'm glad you're free, Connie."

"I am too. For the first time in years, we can have peace."

His gaze turned to the little girl who had turned back to the animals and nodded. "Peace."