guided by a beating heart.

Bucky had been through hell for what felt like forever. And honestly things were getting a bit better. He wouldn't stand around and say things were great, or that he was all fixed, or that he would ever really be 'fixed', but he could say that things were getting better. Steve Rogers, his best friend from childhood, had found him. He'd saved him from HYDRA, and he'd given Bucky the chance to redeem himself. Which was good because HYDRA had pretty much ruined him. Even knowing though that he was free from HYDRA and knowing that Steve had vouched for him and was doing all he could to help Bucky put his life back together Bucky still knew that no amount of time was going to take away the memories of what he did. No amount of time would allow him to forget what he'd pretty much been made to do. And the only thing he could really do was take it day by day and learn to breath and live with the memories and the pain.

---

Hayden tied her apron around her waist and pulled her hair up into a high pony before she grabbed her notepad off the counter, made sure she had a pen, then headed out onto the floor of the diner she worked at. Yea it wasn't some fancy job that made 15 bucks an hour or allowed her to buy expensive things, but she did the job anyways because it paid her bills and gave her the extra money to save for what she wanted in her future. Which she was working towards. What Hayden really wanted was to buy this building and open her business. And to do that she needed to save the money which she worked her ass off to do. "Nice to see you again Mrs. Lynch, I'm guessing you'll have your usual then?" She asked already starting to scribble down the woman's usual order. The woman just laughed a little before turning towards the younger boy she was with. "This is my grandson Hayden. And he's going to have the breakfast special with chocolate milk to drink." Hayden wrote down his order as well then nodded. "I'll go put this in right now," She told them smiling and walking away to put in her first order of the day.

[ I had no idea where to start this so I just kind of went with it ]

[Going with it is always the best ]

Allie had been shocked when the news of Cap being found in the ice came to her. She'd been there when Howard gave it his all and tried to find him to no avail. And she'd also been there for Peggy as the brunette mourned the death of the man she so clearly loved. They were both there for each other. It had taken Allie a while to come to terms with Bucky's death. The men had shown up at his mother's apartment one afternoon when she was over visiting, and in a matter of minutes, her whole world came crashing down around her. Most women tried moving on, but she couldn't. She ended up volunteering for a series of experiments the SSR were conducting as they attempted to recreate the super soldier serum. She was one of very few surviving test subjects. Of course, it took her a while to realize some of the less obvious side effects. Some were obvious from the get-go, strength, agility etc. But others, caused by her increased metabolism, were less obvious until twenty years had passed and she still didn't look a day over twenty five. To this day, she still looked the same. She watched countless people she cared about, both friends and family, grow old and eventually pass on. Steve's return had shocked her, but the news that Bucky, her Bucky, was still out there had taken the cake. She vowed to do everything and anything that she could to help Steve find him. She'd been working a mission with Agents May and Romanov one afternoon when she got the call. They were somewhere in South America, but she hopped on the next flight back to Brooklyn, where Steve's new apartment was, and where he'd found Bucky. She hadn't been this nervous in a really long time. She didn't know what to expect. Would he recognize her? He knew Steve, but did he remember her? She'd told Steve to feel it out, try to see what he did and didn't remember, just so as to not overwhelm Bucky too much. As she approached the apartment, she thought to herself, well, here goes nothing.

---

Peter had never pictured himself ever returning to Earth, or Terra as he had grown so used to calling it. Of course, he hadn't foreseen his damn spaceship breaking down either, leaving him stranded there for God knows how long until he could figure out how he was going to freaking get it fixed here of all places. He knew that Earth had changed a great deal since he had last been there, people were much more openminded now with the Avengers and that attack on New York a few years ago, but he was pretty damn sure that it was going to take him awhile to actually find someone who could help repair the ship, let alone tell him what was wrong with it. He was stuck, and he was extremely bitter about it too. He didn't really know where he was going, his pride wasn't allowing him to ask anyone for any sort of directions though, so he supposed he was just looking for the first thing that caught his eye. That's when he spotted the dingy little diner. It looked like it had been there for a while, and going off of the neon sign outside, it certainly had been. A pang of familiarity coursed through him as he took the sight in. Well, at least he knew that greasy diner food was still as popular today as it had been back then. Speaking of greasy diner food, he could really go for some right now, maybe a burger and some fries...ooh, and milkshake too. Definitely a milkshake. It was settled, he knew where he was going. Crossing the street, he walked through the door of the small establishment. Glancing around, he shrugged his shoulders and walked over to an empty both, sliding in.

Bucky wasn't sure that he would ever actually be okay. He was sure eventually the nightmares would go away, and if they didn't then he'd learn to live with them and maybe one day they wouldn't be as bad. One day Bucky had hope that he'd be able to forget all the terrible things he'd done, or rather been forced to do. He hoped that he could move forward and have at least a semi-normal life. Though he wasn't sure that was possible. For now though he was just glad that SHEILD didn't think of him as a total loss, he was glad they didn't think it'd be best to just get rid of him altogether, though he wasn't even sure if that was possible at this point. He was glad that even if he didn't remember everything about the past he'd finally remembered Steve, and he remembered Allie, and he remembered enough that he wouldn't have to be re-introduced to people. Didn't mean he remembered much about them. His head turned towards the door when he heard the door knock, and he kept his eyes glued on the door as Steve answered it. "Who's at the door?" Bucky asked wondering who was visiting them.

---

Hayden had just served a couple different people their food when she saw someone else walk through the doors. And what shocked her was it was someone she didn't know. They were in a relatively small town and it wasn't very often that non-regulars stopped in. Usually, they were just passing through and either friends taking a road trip, or families on vacation. Seeing just one stray person come in that she didn't know though was strange. "So are you ready to order?" She asked pulling her notebook and pen out of her apron. She wasn't sure if he was ready or not. Yea it was just a diner and a lot people even if it was their first time in this one knew what they wanted right away. Diners were kind of known for the greasy food so usually people got burgers, fries, and a milkshake. However there were always those few who liked chicken or were trying to diet and wanted a salad, it really just depended on the person. However, Hayden could promise anyone that they served more burgers than anything else.

Allie didn't know if Steve had told Bucky about her. He hadn't really given her many details when he called her this morning. All he'd really said was that he felt Bucky was ready to see her. If Steve hadn't told him yet, well, she was certain that this was going to be a bit of a shock. She was fiddling nervously with the hem of her shirt when the door opened. Looking up, she mustered a small smile when she saw Steve had answered it. "Hey, Al." He said quietly. "Cap." She mock-saluted him, causing the blonde to chuckle and pull her into a tight hug. Smiling, she reciprocated, pulling back a few moments later, her gaze shifting over the Captain's shoulder and into the apartment. She kind of froze up when she saw him, a lump seemingly forming in her throat. He really was alive. She knew that he was, but actually seeing him standing there made this moment seem all the more surreal. She felt like she was dreaming, and any second now she was going to wake up.

---

Peter could tell that he was in some sort of a small town. The moment he walked into the diner, all eyes were seemingly on him, and they all appeared shocked to see him standing there. Clearly they didn't get very many people passing through or just newcomers in general. Whatever. It didn't both him. Half of him wanted to make a snarky comment about how they should all take a picture because it would last longer, but he decided against it for the time being. That's when the waitress approached him. She was a pretty little thing, something he couldn't help noticing. Offering her his signature grin, he shrugged his shoulders. "What do you recommend...Hayden?" He asked, glancing at the nametag on her shirt briefly.

Bucky had been gone for a long time. And in the time he'd been gone a lot had happened. But luckily things were starting to get better. He'd found Steve, and had some things knocked back into him. He was also remembering more, not everything, and even a lot really but a little. And he wanted to believe that it was a good thing. He was still looking towards the door as Steve answered it and when whoever was on the other side hugged him. Whoever it was was clearly someone close to Steve, and Bucky was guessing that if they were there then it was someone from both of their pasts. When she stepped into Bucky's view though he recognized her. He wouldn't say he could remember every little detail of their past or even the exact relationship he had with her, but he did at least remember her name. "Allie?" He said not sure how she was there, but she was.

---

Hayden smiled back at the man in the booth tucking her hair behind her ear. Getting someone she didn't recognize wasn't an everyday occurrence, it was even less of an occurrence that whoever was passing through was an attractive man alone. She wasn't complaining, though. "Personally I'd recommend the bacon cheeseburger, a side of loaded fries, and a milkshake. The milkshake flavor though is totally up to you because there are so many flavors I've never been able to pick a favorite." She told him pretty sure if that was what he get that he'd get a chocolate milkshake. That was usually what everyone tended to get. Hayden had never been just a plain chocolate milkshake person herself, she'd always liked one of the mixed flavors like chocolate banana or birthday cake, but plain chocolate was for sure what they made the most of throughout the average day.

Allie was at a loss for words. She had absolutely no idea what to say or do. She didn't know how to go about this at all. At least she knew that he recognized her, that he knew who she was. That was a good sign right there. But that didn't mean she knew how to go about things right now, because that certainly wasn't the case. Not by a long-shot. Finally, after a few brief moments of silence, she swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke. "Hey there, Sarge." She finally said, mustering up a small smile. She didn't move from where she stood by Steve, unsure if she should or not. It took everything in her not to run over to him and pull him in for the first kiss they would share in seventy plus years. She couldn't do that though. Not now. She didn't want to make this situation anymore overwhelming than it already was.

---

"I'll take your word for it." Peter told her, sending her another wide-grin. "Oh, c'mon, you must have at least one favorite. You can tell me. I won't tell the other flavors you picked one over them." He punctuated his words with a slight chuckle. He kind of just wanted to keep her talking for a little while, if he was being completely honest here. What could he say? She was pretty, and he didn't really know a single straight man out there who wasn't at least somewhat of a sucker for a pretty face. It wasn't like he was looking for anything to come out of what could potentially be considered shameless flirting. He was only in town until he got his ship fixed. He'd never been much of a relationship guy either way, so even if he was in town longer, it wouldn't really matter. He wasn't looking for anything serious.

"Hey," Bucky said biting the inside of his lip. He didn't really know what to do in a situation like this one. It'd taken him a while to get used to not being under the control of Hydra after being controlled by them for so long. And not only that but just seeing these people that he could vaguely remember from his past and he knew he had a past with was hard on him. It sucked that he couldn't remember more about their past, but he couldn't. Most of his memories had been altered or forgotten over the time. He had been part of Hydra for nearly 70 years after all so it kind of made sense that everything other than them were a blur to him. There were some things that stood out more than others, but most things he honestly couldn't tell if it was an actual memory, if it was an altered memory, or if he'd just made it up to help him cope with things. Because well he had tried to find ways to cope and not let Hydra have complete control over him for like the first couple years or so he'd been with them. But after a while of everything they put him through it was easier to just give in.

---

Hayden smiled and shook her head. "Well I do really like the chocolate banana," she told him tucking her hair behind her ear. "But that doesn't mean it's for everyone." She told him positive there was at least one person out there who wouldn't like it. Though the way she looked at things like that was simple, if everyone like the same things it would be a rather boring world to live in. They also wouldn't need such a variety of things and a lot of people would be out of jobs. After all it wouldn't be hard to sell things if everyone like the same thing because well there would only be whatever everyone liked. "Is that the one you want?" She asked him with a slightly raised eyebrow, "or are you going to go with something else?" She asked not minding taking her time at this one table, they weren't super busy or anything. There was only one other table in the whole restaurant and well they'd already put in their order.

"Hey," Bucky said biting the inside of his lip. He didn't really know what to do in a situation like this one. It'd taken him a while to get used to not being under the control of Hydra after being controlled by them for so long. And not only that but just seeing these people that he could vaguely remember from his past and he knew he had a past with was hard on him. It sucked that he couldn't remember more about their past, but he couldn't. Most of his memories had been altered or forgotten over the time. He had been part of Hydra for nearly 70 years after all so it kind of made sense that everything other than them were a blur to him. There were some things that stood out more than others, but most things he honestly couldn't tell if it was an actual memory, if it was an altered memory, or if he'd just made it up to help him cope with things. Because well he had tried to find ways to cope and not let Hydra have complete control over him for like the first couple years or so he'd been with them. But after a while of everything they put him through it was easier to just give in.

---

Hayden smiled and shook her head. "Well I do really like the chocolate banana," she told him tucking her hair behind her ear. "But that doesn't mean it's for everyone." She told him positive there was at least one person out there who wouldn't like it. Though the way she looked at things like that was simple, if everyone like the same things it would be a rather boring world to live in. They also wouldn't need such a variety of things and a lot of people would be out of jobs. After all it wouldn't be hard to sell things if everyone like the same thing because well there would only be whatever everyone liked. "Is that the one you want?" She asked him with a slightly raised eyebrow, "or are you going to go with something else?" She asked not minding taking her time at this one table, they weren't super busy or anything. There was only one other table in the whole restaurant and well they'd already put in their order.

"I'll let you two talk." Steve said, walking off before Allie or Bucky could really say much of anything. Allie knew that this was probably overwhelming for him, and she also really didn't know much of what he remembered at all. Steve wouldn't have asked her to come over if he didn't at least know who she was though, so she at least knew that he remembered that much. With everything that Hydra had done to him over the years though, she wasn't all that sure if there was much of anything else though. "It's nice to see you." She said, albeit a bit awkwardly. She hated that she was being awkward around him, but she didn't know how else to act. She didn't know what to say or do around him anymore and she really just hated it.

]line]

"What the hell? Sure, I'll take a chocolate banana milkshake." Peter stated, that charming grin of his returning to his face. Realistically, it probably wouldn't have mattered what flavor she recommended to him, because he would have gone with whatever she suggested either way. Maybe he was laying the charm on a bit thicker than was necessary, but he really didn't know how long he was going to be stuck here on Terra. He figured that, until he figured out how he was going to fix his ship or who he was going to get to fix his ship, he might as well make the best of his time here. And what better way to spend it than with a gorgeous woman, right?

Bucky nodded his towards Steve glad he was going to let them talk alone, but at the same time Bucky wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. It'd been so long since he'd seen Allie that he didn't know how to react to seeing her now. Honestly, he would've thought she'd be dead by now. Though of course she wouldn't be, after all he wasn't, Steve wasn't, somehow they'd all made it through time without really aging. And though it sounded great, how he'd gotten to the point of not aging sucked. That wasn't the point though the point was he didn't know how to react to seeing Allie again. He didn't know what he was supposed to say to her, and he felt awful because he could only remember pieces of the past. And he couldn't remember the exact relationship he'd had with her. Kind of like how he knew that he and Steve had been friends in the past, but he couldn't remember how close they'd really been. He assumed though that it was super close with how Steve had reacted when they'd first ran into one another. And with the fact that Steve had taken him in basically. "It's nice to see you too," he told her. And it wasn't entirely a lie. He did think it was nice to see her, he just wasn't entirely sure why it was so nice to see her.

---

"Sounds good," Hayden said smiling at him while she scribbled it all down on the paper. "Well I'm going to go put in your order then and I'll bring it out when it's ready," She said walking away to go put in his order then check on the rest of the people in the diner. Even though it wasn't many. She couldn't be one of those waitresses who never checked up on people after they'd ordered then gotten their food. She was the type who needed to make sure everything was okay, that they didn't need anything else, she just had to do her job to the fullest. Which was something she'd honestly been doing her whole life. She'd always just cared about people fully and wasn't able to just let people into her life without caring about them on some level. And maybe that was weird or made her over sensitive or some bullshit excuse people would use to make her feel bad about caring so much, but she didn't care.

Allie really didn't know what to say after that. She hadn't expected him to remember her entirely or anything like that, but he clearly didn't remember much or she had a feeling that he would have reacted differently than he was right now. She knew that he'd been through a lot in the last seventy some-odd years, but the Bucky she remembered would have reacted much differently if he remembered more of who she'd been to him. "Look...I'm sure this is overwhelming for you, and I know that you don't remember much, you probably barely remember me, but Steve wouldn't have asked me to come here if he didn't think I could help...I really don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I'm here to help, okay?" She wasn't going to leave him, she wasn't going to let him do this all himself. He wasn't alone through this, and she wanted to make sure that he knew that.

---

Peter nodded, sending yet another charming smile her way. "Alright, thank you, Hayden." He said. He watched her walk off, unable to help letting his eyes wander for a moment as he did so. She really was quite attractive, and he supposed that, if there was anything that might be good that came out of this whole situation, it might be how he spent his time until his ship was fixed. Hopefully she could spend some of that time with him. He figured he could charm his way into convincing her. He was now stranger to doing so.

Allie really didn't know what to say after that. She hadn't expected him to remember her entirely or anything like that, but he clearly didn't remember much or she had a feeling that he would have reacted differently than he was right now. She knew that he'd been through a lot in the last seventy some-odd years, but the Bucky she remembered would have reacted much differently if he remembered more of who she'd been to him. "Look...I'm sure this is overwhelming for you, and I know that you don't remember much, you probably barely remember me, but Steve wouldn't have asked me to come here if he didn't think I could help...I really don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I'm here to help, okay?" She wasn't going to leave him, she wasn't going to let him do this all himself. He wasn't alone through this, and she wanted to make sure that he knew that.

---

Peter nodded, sending yet another charming smile her way. "Alright, thank you, Hayden." He said. He watched her walk off, unable to help letting his eyes wander for a moment as he did so. She really was quite attractive, and he supposed that, if there was anything that might be good that came out of this whole situation, it might be how he spent his time until his ship was fixed. Hopefully she could spend some of that time with him. He figured he could charm his way into convincing her. He was now stranger to doing so.

Bucky shook his head. "Okay," he told her. He'd figured of course that Steve had been the one who'd sent for her. After all, he hadn't done it, and well it wasn't likely that she'd just shown up on her own. Yea if they used to be involved, and she loved him and all then she might've come on her own. The thing about that was though that he didn't think Steve would let just anyone in here to see him even if they use to be important to Bucky. After all ever since he and Steve had been reunited all Steve had done was look after him and help him get through everything. "I'm sorry that I don't really remember much about our past," he said biting his lip. He was sure that saying he was sorry wasn't going to change anything, and it wasn't like this was his fault, but he felt like he owed it to he. After all she'd been important to him at one point in his life and clearly he was still important to her.

---

"Not a problem," Hayden called walked over to put his order in. And while she waited for that she went around and checked on everyone else. "Have a good day Mrs. Lynch," Hayden said when she woman finally finished was leaving with her grandson to do who knew what for the rest of the day. Then it was just her and the man who's name she didn't know. Which given that he wasn't a regular made sense. Really she didn't even know if he'd ever be back in the diner again. Usually, people who she didn't know only came in like once because they were passing through but she didn't know about this one. She supposed though that she'd figure soon, especially given now they were the only two in the diner, aside from the cook of course.

Allie shook her head. "You don't have to apologize." She told him. "I know that it's not something that you can control. I'm just glad that you recognize me." She felt as though that would have hurt more than anything else really. Not having him have any recollection of her whatsoever. Him not remembering much about their past was one thing, but it was a completely different thing altogether for him not to remember her at all. She didn't really know how she'd handle that, or if she'd be able to handle it at all. "What exactly do you remember?" She asked without even thinking twice about it before asking. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking of course. If you do, then just forget I said that altogether." She was rambling now. It was something that she did when she was nervous. She'd ramble on about anything and everything that she could. In fact, that was precisely what she'd done the first time Bucky had talked to her. They were in high school. She was two years younger than he was, a measly freshman at the time. He was a junior, played on the school's baseball team, a real hit among the ladies. Everyone knew who Bucky Barnes was. If it wasn't for his popularity with the female students, it was for his friendship with little Steve Rogers and the number of street scraps he'd gotten into for defending his friend. No matter the reason, people knew who he was. That wasn't the case with Allie. She was the oldest of three children. She had no older siblings. She was the first to enter high school. She was just a nervous, wide-eyed freshman at the time. She still sometimes wondered why he'd even talked to her in the first place.

---

Peter was ready to put his plan into action. Not that it was much of a plan considering he'd literally just come up with it a few seconds ago, but it was a plan nevertheless. He needed a distraction while he was stuck on Terra. He didn't know how long t was going to be before he got his ship back up and running, hopefully sooner rather than later, and he needed something, or someone to keep him busy in the meantime. That was where Hayden came in. He was going to work some of his charm on her, and hopefully she would be his distraction for the time being until he was able to get out of here. What better distraction than a beautiful woman? That was how he saw it anyway. And maybe his ways weren't the greatest, but it wasn't like he was looking for anything serious. He wasn't exactly one for relationships, and the ones that he'd had in the past, if you could even call them that, well, lets just say he didn't have the best track record when it came to his love life. Distractions though, his track record with those was pretty damn decent if he did say so himself.