LIGHTNING STORM |b. barnes| [2]

CHAPTER 18

ANA WOKE UP FEELING NUMB.

The monitor next to her beeped loudly and Ananya groaned.

"Glad to see you awake." Natasha stated, sitting next to her in the hospital bed, "You're lucky. They found you and Steve together on the bank of the Potomac."

"Steve?" Ana's eyes widened, "He's okay?"

"A bit banged up like you are, but yeah, he's gonna be fine." Nat smirked, "What happened up there?"

"The Winter Solider." Ana sighed, "Bucky. He was there. And he was starting to remember."

"How'd you know?" She asked,

"I saw it in his eyes." Ana answered, "He's remembering, Nat, I swear."

Nat sighed and sat back in her seat, "We didn't find him in the Potomac. But there were footsteps walking away from where you and Steve were on the bank."

"Because he saved us, Nat."

"He stabbed you in the stomach. He shot you and Steve. He kidnapped you. He killed your fiancé." Natasha argued,

"Bucky is a victim just as much as I am." Ana replied,

Nat looked out the window for a moment, "Authorities are ordered to shoot on sight."

"No one's going to catch him. He's a ghost, remember?" Ana sat up, wincing at the stitches pulling in her stomach.

Nat stood up, her lips pursed, "I'm going to check on Steve. Don't cause any trouble."

"No promises."

Once Natasha left the room, Ana sat back with a sigh. Bucky had saved them. Despite not knowing them. Or did he?

Soon, the sun had set. Ana had watched on the tv the chaos that had ensued because of what they had done.

SHIELD was buried. What was she going to do now?

She laid back in her bed and closed her eyes, trying to get some rest. Once the sun went down, she heard the window to her right open. Ana kept her eyes closed, absorbing the energy from the tv and ready to use it on whoever was trying to break into her room.

Their footsteps were silent. Ana held her breath, wanting to hear the attacker. Once she sensed them close, a ball of lightning formed in her hand and she opened her eyes, raising her hand to attack them.

She paused when her eyes met a pair of bright blue ones.

"Bucky." Ana whispered, the lightning disappearing, "You shouldn't be here, they're looking for you."

He took a moment to answer, "I needed to know you were okay."

"I'll be fine in time." Ananya observed his tired eyes, the way he carried his injured arm. She slowly sat up, holding her injured side. The Winter Soldier watched as the dark haired girl reached into the cabinet to grab a kit, setting it on the bed and opening it up.

"Sit." She ordered, standing up so he could sit on the bed.

She grabbed some bacterial wipes and began cleaning the cuts on his face. He sat there, his face stoic. Ana placed a bandaid over the cut on his forehead before moving to search for a sling for his arm. 

"I'm remembering." He whispered into the darkness.

Ana grabbed the sling she found in the closet and turned towards him, "How much?"

"Not much." He stated, "The man I fought... I knew him." Bucky's eyes moved to meet hers, "I knew you."

Ananya nodded, walking over to place the sling on him, "We've met." Once she put it on him, she searched his eyes, "Where will you go now?"

"I don't know." He whispered.

Ana's phone, which sat on the table beside the bed, buzzed loudly. The two stared at it for a moment before Ana reached for it.

'they're coming'

Ananya quickly grabbed her clothes from a bag by her bed and slipped her jeans on, "We need to go." She stated, turning her back to Bucky before slipping her hospital gown off and painfully pulling her shirt on,

"Who's the threat?" Bucky asked, standing and ripping the sling off.

Ana narrowed her eyes at him, stuffing her feet into her boots and grabbing the sling, "I don't know." She walked over to the window and glanced down. Her room was on the sixth floor. How did Bucky get in there in the first place?

A metal arm wrapped around her waist and Ana gasped as Bucky leaped from the window. She gripped onto his forearm as he landed on the ground, his boots creating an indentation in the grass.

Once his arm released her, Ana rushed over to the nearest car, using her electrokinesis to start the car and unlock the doors, "Get in." She ordered him.