Infatuation | Bucky Barnes

Chapter Thirty Six

Siberia

The last place on Earth Catherine ever wanted to go to again was Siberia. It was a hellhole. A reminder of all the lies and trauma she went through. However, they needed to get to the five super soldiers before someone else did. She was confident that Bucky and Steve could handle them on their own, but a little back up never hurt. For most of the flight to Siberia she remained quiet. Memories kept surfacing and she kept trying to get them to go away. It also didn't help that she was terrified of betraying her brother.

Bucky would glance back at Catherine occasionally as they rode in the quinjet. She had a distant look in her eyes that he knew all too well. She was fighting with her mind. She was wondering if she was doing the right thing. He wanted desperately to unbuckle, sit next to her and pull her into him, but he didn't for some reason. He supposed he didn't want to make Steve uncomfortable. He knew a different version of Bucky. He didn't know the one that truly loved a woman.

When they landed, both Catherine and Bucky had a sinking feeling in their stomachs. It had been years since they had been to base. For Catherine it was even longer. She didn't exactly have the best memories of it either. She took one look at the barren wasteland before walking to the back of the quinjet to retrieve a weapon. She glanced up at Bucky who stood just over her shoulder.

"You can use one of my guns or Nat's." She told him.

He didn't respond. He just gently touched her bicep and took a step closer leaving only inches between the two of them. "You okay?"

"It's just...hard being back." She admitted.

"Hey," he reached down to gently cup her cheek. "It's going to be okay. I've got you and so does Steve."

Steve barely acknowledged the affection between the two of them as he opened the hatch. A burst of ice, cold air flew into the quinjet causing all of them to shiver.

"You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?" Steve asked Bucky.

"Was that the time we used our train money to buy hot dogs?" Bucky asked.

Steve smiled. "You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead."

Catherine cocked an eyebrow at the mention of one of Bucky's old flames.

"What was her name again?" Bucky asked.

"Does it matter?" Catherine asked with a teasing tone and walked past the two of them.

Bucky chuckled. He had never seen Catherine jealous before and he had to admit that it was slightly cute. The two of them caught up with her as she marched towards the entrance of the base.

"If it means anything," Bucky leaned down and whispered into her ear. "She's got nothing on you."

"You grew up here?" Steve asked as eyed the doors carved into the side of the mountain

She nodded her head. "Yep. Charming little place, don't you think?"

"Not the exact words I use." Steve mumbled, but stopped when he noticed the doors were already opened. "He hasn't been here long."

"Long enough to wake them up." Bucky told him.

Catherine's grip on her gun tightened as they walked in. She knew it would take more than a bullet to take down the super soldiers, but it still offered her some protection. With every step she took the more sick she felt. She never wanted to return to her personal prison. They found an elevator that she had ridden on a thousand times and rode it down to the main level. Bucky and her both traded unsure looks as the elevator stopped.