Captain America Bucky Barnes Winter Soldier Steve Rogers Fan Fic - The Constant

Chapter Eighty-Nine: Bringing Her Home

Bringing Her Home

You have not been in work long as you are working through to the late shift and the diner is beginning to fill up with regulars. You know in several hours time it will be mad. You had passed your weeks' probation despite breaking three plates and backing into a customer so that his entire order ended up decorating your uniform. You were employed for a certain shift but often now your shift is whichever one they need you on and you are as flexible as you can be, you never turn anything down. You do not keep up with dates, simply going from week to week so you cannot say for sure how long you have been here. You do not need to know. Years of living at the bases have left you with a sketchy memory for even knowing where in the year you are.

You are helping George in the kitchen. You don't mind the work, peeling potatoes, washing up, keeping everything going, it keeps you busy, keeps you active.

Honey spikes an order and dings the bell and George goes to fetch it from the hatch. When he comes back to start the food he is excited about something. He is an easy person to work with, pleasant, normally quiet and shy, a bit simple-minded but, whatever has got to him has him besides himself and under his breath he is murmuring.

"Oh my god,...ohmygod...ohmygod..." it sounds like a chant.

You take no notice and he is used to that; you are never rude but you never offer for anyone to unload on you and you do not unload on them. They are used to you by now and no one takes offence at your isolation. They need only take a long look into your eyes to see it is nothing personal.

He bustles around and ten minutes later calls your name.

"Sarah."

Then he calls you again. "Sarah...." What ever it is, he just needs to tell someone.

You look up. The food is ready but George still has hold of it at the kitchen hatch. "Sarah!" You smile at him and he beckons you over to the hatch. "Do you think Honey will let me take this out...ooh I can't believe it.... I'm sure I'm right." You can see he is so nervous, so fidgety he can't stand still. "Can I?" he asks eagerly.

George does not normally leave the kitchen and never delivers the food to the tables. He usually leaves it at the hatch, rings the bell for the waitress to come and fetch it. So for him to ask is amazing, but he seems so excited by something. You like George and you cannot see a problem with him carrying the food out and you say so. He is so much like a puppy and for a moment you almost feel infected by whatever it is that is making him happy.

Then he shows you what exactly it is.

His voice is telling you but your eyes cannot believe the truth.

"See over there. Table Eleven...those two men? The blond one is Steven Rogers....you know, Captain America...the Captain America and the man with him....well you know who he is, it's in all the news. He's that Winter Soldier. Everyone is talking about him. They say he's Russian and a nasty bit of work, kill you soon as look at you, killed lots of people. I can't believe the Cap is here in our diner and I've cooked his meal!"

You do not know he has been in the news. You do not watch the news. You rarely have the TV on and they do not have one in the diner. You never talk about the outside world to anyone. Thankfully George doesn't see the look on your face, the way your eyes widen, the sheer shock of seeing them again, of seeing James again.

"Ohmygod. I'm going to meet him....the Cap, he's my hero...." George is bubbling and without you realising you put the plates on a tray and pass it to him, your hands are shaking, your mind scrabbling.

If they are here, then you are not allowed to be.

George looks at you as he straightens his apron. "Do I look all right...Sarah? Do I look okay?" he pats his hair down.