Shadows of the past

A Trip to Jersey

2014, Country Road, New Jersey

The three continued down the road to ' Wheaton, New Jersey', hoping to gain information that they didn't already know - or at least find out who was orchestrating every event that's happened so far. A nice thing to know was who wanted them dead, or was it just SHIELD themselves?

Natasha glanced at the two heroes," So, where did Captain and Lieutenant America learn how to steal a car?" She questioned, shocked - well, Barnes, she would expect that from, but Steve.

Steve let out a small chuckle, "Nazi Germany." He began, "Marni, my sister - she taught us a lot of things before -" words caught in his throat as his mind thought about his sister. Bucky leaned against the windowpane with a small smile, "Marni would call it borrowing, though." He turned to see Natasha, her feet up on the dashboard. He smirked as he brought his head back up, "Nat, you should take your feet off the dash." He chuckled under his breath.

The redhead turned to Steve, who raised an eyebrow, confirming what the other man had said. She rolled her eyes and put them back in the footwell, her back still leaning against the chair lazily. "Okay, I have a question for you, Steve." She turned her head to the lighter-haired soldier. "Which you do not have to answer - but I feel like if you don't answer it - "

"What!" Steve impatiently said, but a smile was set on his face.

Natasha's lips turned into a teasing smirk, "Was that your first kiss since 1945?" Bucky immediately let out an amused laugh, Steve's face turning slightly red at the question. The silence answered the question, "That bad, huh?"

Natasha held her hands up in surrender, "I didn't say that." She protested, the smile not leaving her face - she found it easy to tease him. She left Bucky alone though; from what she had read, he doesn't take it kindly when his relationships were asked about - it was best to say nothing unless you wanted to be injured badly.

"It kind of sounds like it." Bucky pitched in, now leaning forwards so his head was in between the two - not liking the feel of the seatbelts that cross your body, he wore one that went across your waist; if there were a car crash, the serum would protect him enough.

"No-" Natasha denied, "I just wondered how much practice you've had." The man scoffed at the question, "You don't need practice." Bucky pursed his lips, "You do, Steve. Why don't you practice with Nat here?" He suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at him.

Steve ignored his comment, glancing at the woman beside him, "It was not my first kiss since 1945." He lied, but Bucky looked at him with scepticism - not believing him, "I'm 95, not dead." Steve gestured his head to Bucky, " He's 96 and alive, too."

Bucky tuned out the rest of the conversation, thinking back to a moment he spent with Marni in 1945.

______________________

Bucky and Marni sat opposite each other in a diner, holding hands underneath the table. They had been dating for almost three months now; they had secretly started seeing each other more and more when Marni was 18 and Bucky was 20.

"Bucky," Marni said, her lips forming the pout he loved, "I'm tired. Can we go now?" She asked. Bucky had taken her out later than usual, waiting for Steve to be asleep before they left, not willing to alert the neighbours to the pair's shenanigans.

Bucky smiled at her, "Soon, I promise." He assured her, squeezing her hand, comforting her as usual. Marni sighed, her eyes drooping slightly, sleep slowly making its way into her body. Her head fell to the side a little.

The two of them left after another five minutes, heading back to her house and conversing with each other. The house appeared in front of them, walking up the stairs; Bucky held her wrist gently, pulling her back before she walked through the door, "Night." He whispered to her, his chin on her head, "Goodnight, Buck." She replied. Bucky removed his head from her, pulling her back slightly, looking deep into her piercing blue eyes.

He placed one of his hands on the back of her neck, pulling her in slowly. Their breaths caught in their throats as they connected their lips for the first time, sparks flying inside both bodies. Pulling away, they both let out a light chuckle before, "Night." Marni said, turning around and heading inside the house.

______________________

The memories tugged at Bucky's consciousness as he gazed out of the window, his eyes fixated on the rundown facility where he and Steve had undergone their training. The passage of time had left its mark on the once-familiar grounds, and a flood of memories from the war surged within him.

Steve's concerned voice brought him back to the present. "Buck, we're here," Steve said, his eyes reflecting worry as he regarded his friend.

Bucky refocused on the present, acknowledging Steve with a nod. The sight of the training facility had stirred a complex mix of emotions within him, but they were here for a reason – to uncover the truth behind the events that had unravelled in their lives.

______________________

2014, Pierce's house, Washington D.C

The Winter Soldier sat in the kitchen of Alexander Pierce's house. She had been waiting for about an hour. Pierce had asked her to come to him earlier that day - she waited for him to arrive and start this meeting. She kept her body in the shadows, a shimmer of light reflecting off her hair.

Her head snapped up when she saw a familiar male figure walk into the kitchen, going to the fridge, Alexander Pierce. He got out a carton of milk and placed it on the counter, but when he looked up, he saw the assassin sitting there silently - just staring at him, waiting for him to speak. The man looked like he was about to speak when a high-pitched female voice filled the room, "I'm going to go, Mr. Pierce." An accent was prominent in her voice. "Do you need anything before I leave?"

"No," He denied immediately with a call, " I should be fine, Renata, you can go home."

"Okay," her voice started to fade, "Night-night." She called before Pierce heard the front door shut. The man turned his attention back to Winter again, "Want some milk?" He asked, turning back to his cupboard to grab a glass for himself. He got no reply." The timetable has moved," Pierce continued, his tone business-like. "Our window is limited." He took a sip from his milk-filled glass, then moved over to sit across from the assassin he had created. "The two targets we talked about," he smirked, "It is your time to shine, Winter."

Winter nodded, her body radiating confidence, knowing it would be relatively easy for her to complete. Pierce, pleased with her answer, nodded. "I want confirmed death in ten hours," he told her, the gravity of his words hanging in the air.

Both heads turned to the doorway when the maid entered again, holding her bag and keys. "Sorry, Mr. Pierce, I... I forgot my-" She halted in her speech when she realized the other person sitting opposite Pierce, wearing all black clothing like an assassin would. "-Phone."

"Oh, Renata," Pierce sighed, closing his eyes in exasperation. He reached for the handgun he had left on the table earlier. "I wish you would have knocked." He lifted the gun before the woman, two bullets hitting her chest. She fell to the floor dead, silence filling the air once again.

______________________

A/n

I hope to see you in the next part when the boys meet The Winter Soldier again and find out her identity. Please feel free to vote, follow, and leave feedback in the comments as it would help me make the story better.💕

Word count:1308