Hunting for a Speedster

My Past

It was another boring day in the Avenger's compound. Pretty much everyone was on a mission except for Bucky and I. The second Fury had heard I was pregnant, he put me on early maternity leave and said I better take care of myself or else.

"Hey Bucky." I said with a small smile as I knocked on the door frame to his room. He looked up from the show he was watching and smiled when he saw me.

"Hey Little Mouse." he said as he motioned for me to come sit by him. I scurried over and hopped on the bed. "What's up?" he asked curiously "Is something wrong?"

"No." I said quietly "I, I um... I wanted to ask you why you called me Mouse." I remembered what Rumlow had told me about it, but I wanted to see what Bucky had to say. Bucky paled and bit his lip nervously.

"I mean," he muttered "it's not really anything important. You know, you're just tiny and mice are tiny so..."

"You are a terrible liar." Bucky chuckled softly before turning to look at me.

"Well the first thing you have to understand," he said finally "is that I knew you way before Clint and Natasha adopted you." I nodded silently.

"Rumlow told me something like that." I said. Bucky's face cleared before he resumed talking.

"Well around the time you were born, your dad, Rumlow, had just joined HYDRA. They wanted to make sure he was devoted to the cause, so they sent the winter soldier to his house for a while to make sure that he wasn't going to spill their secrets. I stayed at his house with him and Aubrey, your mom, for a few months all the way up to a few days after your birth. The day you were born is probably going to haunt me forever."

"I didn't know you were so squeamish about babies." I muttered. Bucky didn't smile and just took a deep breath.

"It's not that." he said slowly "When you were born, you almost didn't make it. You were so tiny that you almost couldn't breathe and you couldn't maintain your body heat. Rumlow had to go run for a doctor because we didn't think you were going to live through the night. One minute he was wrapping you in a blanket, the next he had shoved you in my arms and sprinted out the door." My face was pale as I stared at him in shock. 

"Your mom was passed out on the couch and I'm standing there holding you and wondering what the hell is going on. Then you started crying. I don't know why, I don't know how, but something about you crying triggered something and I broke the mind control. I was standing there, back as original Bucky and freaking out about what to do with this small child who looks like she's going to die any second. I kind of just walked around the house with you, holding you close to me and just humming something under my breath. By the time Rumlow came back with the doctor, you were fast asleep in my arms with this adorable little smile on your face." I smiled softly and leaned against him.

"What did HYDRA do when they realized you were back?" I asked fearfully.

"Well, they wiped me. Only thing they didn't count on was me waking up and immediately asking about Rumlow's kid. They figured out pretty quick that I wasn't going to be much use if I didn't see you, so they let me go on small trips to his house to see you. The last time I saw you was your first birthday. You were already up and running, saying you wanted to find a mouse to be your friend. Rumlow's name for you had already stuck, but I liked the name Mouse also. Being the amazing person I am, I taught you Little Mouse in Russian and that became my name for you. Your name for me was actually the same as it is now. You'd asked me one day how to say big brother in Russian, and the second I told you, you looked up at me and said it before hugging me as tight as you could." Tears were welling up in my eyes, but I motioned for him to continue.

"When did you find out that I was gone?" I whispered.

"Two days after I left. I was getting ready for a mission I think, and they came in and told me about your mom selling you to them. I got angry and I tried to go after you. HYDRA caught me and they froze me for around nine years or so. Any memory that I had of you after that was barely there. When Steve brought me back after the Washington incident, I immediately remembered you. Only problem was that you were impossible to find."

"No regrets there." I muttered.

"Anyway, the second Pietro came back babbling about this fierce girl he met named Brooke, I immediately thought it was you. When you came to the tower for the first time I knew for sure, but I also knew that you had no idea who I was. I figured it was better to not tell you, and I'm sorry for that. Brooke I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. No one deserves anything you've gone through." I chuckled weakly and rested my head on his shoulder.

"What happened to my mom?" I asked hoarsely. Bucky sighed and set me in his lap so I was looking at him.

"She died about three years ago. There was a car accident and there were no survivors." I let out a stifled sob as I rested my head on his shoulder and tucked myself into a ball. "Shh, it's OK маленькая мышка. I'm right here." he whispered as he rocked me back and forth. "Please stop crying, I have to show you something." He gently brushed my tears away and carried me over to sit down on the ground in front of a book. "Look маленькая мышка." he said softly as he opened it to a picture of a strange woman holding a baby.

"Who is that?" I mumbled as I clung to Bucky.

"That's your mom Mouse." I smiled through my tears as I reached out and traced her face in wonder.

"Her eyes look like mine." I whispered, looking up at him.

"Yeah sweetheart, they do." he said with a small smile as he kissed my forehead.

"Thank you for showing me this." I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Anytime Little mouse. I love you."

"I love you too большой брат."