Eyes of Winter

It was close to nine at night by the time Bucky turned off the two lane road they'd been traveling on.

Annie had fallen asleep at some point and the sudden rocking of the car as they headed off road woke her with a gasp.

"What is it?!" She asked, looking around in confusion.

Bucky smirked. "Relax. We've just turned onto a trail."

"As in off road?"

"As in dirt and trees. We're in the mountains, upstate."

Annie strained to see out the window. The shadow of a house appeared in the trees. "Is this some secret S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house?"

He pulled up to it and they sat looking at it. "No. I know this place..." He shook his head. "I don't remember how. But this is off the grid."

Annie stared at the cabin in distaste. "I'd say so..."

"Sorry it's not what you're used to, princess." He replied, turning off the car and getting out. She watched as he pushed the old door open and disappeared inside.

Suddenly very aware of the forest surrounding her, she jumped out of the car and hurried inside the cabin.

It had a musty, old smell to it. Annie sneezed loudly upon entering. "How old is this place?"

Bucky knelt in front of the fireplace. "Don't know." He stood up and walked back out to the car.

The moon was brightly shining through the single window, illuminating a small living area with two wooden chairs in front of the fireplace. A wooden table sat in the opposite corner, just across from what looked like a stove.

Leaves and dirt covered the wooden floor, crunching under her feet as she walked through a doorway to her left. Squinting in the dark, she could barely make out a dresser and bed.

"What's wrong?" Bucky suddenly appeared next to her, causing her to jump.

"Can you not do that?" She asked, swatting at his arm.

"This is going to have to be it for a while." He said.

"What do you mean 'it'?" She asked.

"I mean this is it. Our safe house until we can find a better one."

She looked around and shuddered, imagining all the unknown multi-legged or no-legged creatures that could be in there with them. "I am not sleeping in here."

Bucky dropped their supplies on the floor in front of the fireplace. He then stuck his head in the fireplace, looking up. "Well princess, it's not like we can just go stay at the Hilton. There's a price on our heads."

She crossed her arms, internally freaking out as she watched him. "I'll sleep in the car then."

"Suit yourself."

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Making sure the chimney isn't clogged."

"Why?"

"Why are you interrogating me? Why does anyone check to see if a chimney is clogged? I'm going to build a fire." He snapped, removing his hand as debris fell loose.

"At some point, I'll have to find a store. We need the basics of daily living." She said.

Bucky broke some sticks he'd apparently collected while he was outside. "It's too risky. The point of lying low, is to lie low. These guys aren't playing around."

He knelt by the brick hearth, arranging the sticks carefully, before pulling a book of matches from his pocket. He struck one, and tossed the whole book into the fireplace.

Annie watched as the small flame began to ignite the wood. He continued adding sticks until the fire was crackling with life.

Bucky stood up and removed his vest, hanging it on a hook next to the fireplace without looking. He paused and closed his eyes for a moment as memories tried to break through.

"Oh my God Bucky, you've been shot!" Annie cried, rushing to him.

He opened his eyes and glanced at his right arm where a wound to his bicep and shoulder bled freely. "It didn't hit anything important."

"Not those," she lifted his shirt. He tensed under her touch. "These."

He looked down. There were two bullet wounds. One in his right side by his ribs and another one in his right lower abdomen. "Good thing we stocked up at the hospital." He grumbled. "Did it go all the way through?"

"How would I know if it did?" She asked.

"Look for an exit wound. If there isn't one, you're going to have to go in and get it."

"As in-" she sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, kneeling in front of him. "Please be an exit wound...Please..." She whispered.

He pulled his shirt off, tossing it into one of the wooden chairs nearby. Annie was suddenly grateful for the darkness as she felt her face flush. Bucky turned his back to the fire. Her fingers trailed across his back, finding only one exit wound. She searched everywhere for the second one, but didn't see it.

"Damn." She said, pulling her hands away. He turned and looked down at her. She stood quickly, face flushing once more. "Are you ok?"

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Are you?"

She turned away from him quickly, squeezing her eyes shut with embarrassment as she backed away from him. "Yeah, all things considered."

"I'm going to need you to do this. I can't do it alone."

She ran her hands through her hair and turned to face him once more. His body glowed in the fire light, causing her heart rate to speed up. "I've never done anything like this before Bucky. I don't want to hurt you."

"I've been through worse. I'll walk you through it." He grabbed the blankets from the hospital bag and draped one on the floor in front of the fireplace. Throwing another branch on the fire, he laid down on his side, facing her. "Grab the antiseptic, forceps, and gauze."

Annie rummaged through the bags, returning to him only once she had found everything. She pulled her hair out of her face. "Ok, now what?"

"You're going to have to find the bullet and get it out."

She poured the antiseptic over her hands, rubbing them together before pouring it over the wound. "I'm sorry..."

He laid his head on his arm, watching the shadows on the wall. "You aren't going to hurt me. Just do it."

She hesitated, looking up at the cob web-covered ceiling. Taking in a breath, she eased her index finger into the wound in his side. She could feel him tense slightly.

"Oh gross..." She whispered.

"Do you feel anything?" He asked.

"Yea, I feel a lot of things...but not a bullet...How would I know?" She asked, pressing against his back with her free hand for stability.

"It'll be small, hard, and round."

She exhaled sharply, ready to give up, when her finger brushed the rough edge of something hard. "Oh God...is this you?" She poked further at the object. "Is it a bone..or something?"

He grunted. "Pull it out."

"What if it's a bone or some other important body part?"

"Annie!"

She forced her thumb into the wound and grabbed the object, removing it slowly. "I got it..." She held it out for Bucky to inspect. "Is this it?"

Bucky plucked it out of her hand and looked it over. "Good girl..."

She smiled to herself and poured antiseptic over the wound on his side. Grabbing a large syringe, she sucked up a large volume of sterile water. She sprayed the water directly into the wound, irrigating it.

"How'd you know to do that?"

"Grey's Anatomy." She replied quietly, holding gauze under the wound. They sat in silence for a moment, the crackling of the fire the only noise.

"I'm sorry that you've gotten caught up in all of this." He said quietly.

Annie bandaged the wound and cleaned around the second one, wiping the area carefully. "I'm not the only one who's been caught up in this."

"I've been a key player in all of this. I've killed...so many people..." He shook his head, remorseful.

"Not of your own accord. I saw what they did to you in that room...What my father did to you...No one should ever have to go through that...I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Let's agree to disagree." He pushed himself to a sitting position. "You might be the only friend I have."

She smiled, wiping the blood from her hands. "Well, whether you remember it or not, Steve knows you. Maybe I'm not your only friend."

Bucky stared at the flames. "I know him, I just don't know how."

"He's a really good guy. And as far as I can tell, so are you." She rubbed her nose with the base of her hand. "You let him live. More than that, you saved him when you could have let him die."

Bucky got up and walked to their loot from the hospital. He came back with a stack of blankets. He rolled them out on the floor, creating a makeshift pallet.

"You should sleep while you can." He said.

She took a blanket that he held out, pressing it to her chest. "What about you?"

He sat with his back against the wall. "Someone needs to keep watch. We don't want any other surprises."

She regarded him carefully for a moment before giving him a weak nod. She laid down, facing the flames that danced in the stone fireplace.

OoOoOo

Sometime during the night she heard a knock on the door. She pushed herself up on her elbows. The room was dark, but she could tell she wasn't where she'd fallen asleep.

"Who is it?"

The door cracked open and Brock poked his head in, giving her a sideways smile.

"What are you doing here?"

He entered fully, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "Did I wake you?"

"No." Her brow furrowed. "Where am I?"

"At GWU." He asked, closing the door behind him.

"Why am I in the hospital?" She felt thoroughly confused. "Where is Bucky?"

"Who?" He set her flowers on her bedside table.

"Come on Brock, you know exactly who I'm talking about. Bucky...the asset! You worked with him." She said.

"Sweetheart, I have no idea what you're talking about. There is no one at S.H.I.E.L.D. with that name."

"But you work for Hydra! He has a robotic arm! He's an assassin for God's sake." She cried.

"Sweetie are you feeling ok? Do you remember what happened?" He asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, scooting away from him.

"Last night? You were running across the street in during the storm?"

She shook her head. "No I wasn't-"

"You were hit by an SUV. You hit the windshield. Lost consciousness. You really don't remember any of it?"

She shook her head. "I remember the storm...and you and Jack tried to hurt me..." She looked down at her hands.

"Hurt you?" He reached out and cupped her cheek. "Sweetheart, I love you. You scared me to death. When I got the call..." huge shook his head. "I thought the worst."

Annie placed her hand over his, meeting his gaze. This was the Brock she'd fallen in love with. "I'm ok. At least I feel ok."

He grinned. "Good." He kissed her forehead. "Doc says you can leave tomorrow, they want to keep you for observation tonight."

"I hate hospitals.." She said.

"It's just for the night. I'll stay with you." He said.

She smiled and slid over, making room for him to lay next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes.

"Promise me something?" He said.

"Hmm?"

"Look both ways before you cross the street next time." He pressed a kiss to her head as she burst out laughing.

OoOoOo

Bucky walked in the shadows of the cabin, looking out each window, searching for any sign of danger. Annie's giggles immediately got his attention.

Quietly, he walked to her and knelt down. The fire had died down to a glowing red, giving off just enough light to see a faint smile on her face. He considered waking her, but thought better of it. One of them needed to rest, and he was used to going days without. He stood but as he did, he knocked over the iron poker.

It clattered to the ground and Annie jerked violently, eyes opening wide. "Brock!" She cried, pushing herself up.

"Easy princess, It's just me." Bucky said.

She looked around frantically for a moment before her wild gaze finally fell on Bucky. "Bucky?" She sighed, running her hands through her hair. "Oh.."

"Bad dream?" He asked.

"Not bad, no." She rested her arms on her knees and her chin on her arm. She was visibly upset.

Bucky watched her, unsure of what to say. He grabbed another log and tossed it onto the fire, poking it with the iron until it sparked a flame again. "Want to talk about it?" He eventually asked, secretly hoping she didn't.

"I dreamed about Brock..." She replied. He cursed silently.

When he finally turned, he could see the shimmer of tears on her cheeks. He set aside the poker and lowered himself next to her, leaning his back against the wall.

"I was in the hospital, and he was visiting me." She smiled slightly. "He'd brought me flowers...and he was so-normal. Everything was normal. It was a great dream."

"Why are you crying for him?"

"I'm not crying for him, I'm crying for who he used to be. He was very romantic when we first met. And I loved him. Who he used to be. Then something changed and he was completely different."

"He became a follower of Hydra."

"Maybe he was always one. I don't know...I guess I never really knew him?" She swallowed hard, trying to hold back her tears. It was no use. She hiccupped and began to sob, muttering incoherently into her hands.

He watched her, unsure of what to do as her shoulders shook with every wave of tears.

"This isn't what is supposed to happen in my life! I was supposed to be happy and in love. I was supposed to get married and have children! Not become a fugitive. I'm going to die..." She sobbed.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am. People like me don't survive shit like this!" She wailed.

Bucky was completely at a loss for what to do, so he reached out his hand and reluctantly patted her back, rubbing small circles. She fell against him and continued to cry until she cried herself to sleep.

OoOoOo

Annie woke the next morning to sunlight pouring in through the window. She held her hand up as a shield and glanced around. She was about to call out for Bucky when she spotted him, asleep in the chair, his head leaned back.

She looked around the room, noting the dust and dirt that covered nearly every inch of the floor. The windows she could see, were in tact but covered in a layer of grime and cobwebs. She stood up and stretched, careful not to wake him.

She slipped on her shoes and began to walk through the cabin. There were two rooms at the end of the hall, one on either side. The first one she entered was a tiny bathroom with an old cast iron bathtub. The room opposite the bathroom was a bedroom with a queen sized bed frame sans the mattress, a small bedside table, and a dresser. The furniture, despite not being used in years, looked to be in fairly decent condition.

She entered the room and began rifling through the drawers of the dresser, finding nothing. Walking around to the table, she opened the single drawer. There was an old newspaper dated February 14th, 1942. She lifted it gently and scanned the headlines. They were all about world war two. Beneath the paper were several tins that looked like altoid mints.

She picked one up. "Herules latex prophylactic sheaths..." She dropped the tin and rubbed her hands quickly on her shirt. "Oh gross!"

She closed the drawer and made her way back to the living room, taking a wad of cash from her bag as quietly add she could. Bucky was still sleeping when she slipped outside. The air was warm and muggy, but the breeze made it bearable.

By the angle of the sun shining through the trees, she assumed it was around noon. She found the trail they had apparently driven on the night before and set off following it.

The walk took about thirty minutes, but it was peaceful. The sound of the leaves rustling in the wind and the chirping of the birds was like a living lullaby. She broke through the woods, stepping out onto the side of a two lane road. She had no idea where they were, so she began walking north, and did so for another fifteen minutes behind she came to a small convenience store.

The bell jingled as she pushed the glass door open. A small elderly man stood behind the counter reading the newspaper. He glanced over the top and gave her a friendly smile.

"Afternoon."

She smiled. "Hello."

"Something I can help you find?"

"I'm just here to pick up a few things. Thanks." She began searching the aisles until she found travel sized soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. Grabbing one of each, she then found a razor, shaving cream and scissors. She turned the corner and was met by the old man, holding out a basket.

"For your few things." He replied.

She gave him a nervous laugh. "Thank you so much. I guess I needed more than I thought."

"No problem. Let me know if you need anymore help."

"Thanks again." She came to the drinks and grabbed two gallons of water. As she made her way to the register, she noticed an array of sandwiches in the cooler by the front counter. Her stomach lurched and grumbled loudly. She grabbed four sandwiches and two bags of chips and shoved it all onto the checkout counter.

"Will there be anything else?" He asked.

"I think that will be all."

The register beeped. "Forty two fifty."

She handed him the correct amount and smiled as he gave her the change. She grabbed her bags.

"Have a good day sweetheart." He said.

"Thanks! You too." She called over her shoulder as she shoved her way out of the store.

OoOoOo

She hiked back to the cabin, cursing herself for not thinking better of buying all that she had. The heat had intensified and she was pouring sweat by the time reached the front door-which was open.

She looked around and pushed the door open further with her foot. "Bucky?"

She entered the room cautiously. "Bucky? Helloooo?" She turned and screamed.

Bucky stood in the doorway she'd just entered.

"You scared the crap out of me!" She set the bags down. "What's wrong? You look mad." She pulled out a sandwich and held it out for him.

"Mad? That doesn't even begin to cover it. I'm furious. Where the hell have you been?" He asked, eyeing the bags.

"I was hungry! And I'm filthy. I need a shower." She snapped.

"I told you not to go anywhere!" He closed the space between them in three long strides, his face inches from hers. "Do you have any idea how much danger you've put us in? You're a lot of things but I didn't think you were stupid!"

Annie's mouth fell open, shocked by his words. "You Asshole!" She slammed the sandwich she'd bought him into his chest and shoved past him.

He tried to grab her arm, but she spun around quickly, slapping him across the face. "Fuck you!"

Annie stormed outside and began walking. She could hear Bucky's footsteps behind her. "Leave me alone!" She demanded.

"No." He grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?! Are you insane?!"

He walked around to the front of the cabin and set her down, keeping a firm grip on her arm. "Look at this!" He said, kneeling.

"They're my shoe prints, so what?!" She snapped.

"They're yours, yes. But whose are these?" He asked, pointing to a second, much larger set of prints that ran parallel to hers.

She looked around quickly, suddenly feeling very afraid.

"That's right. You were being followed. Now do you understand?!" He hissed.

"Who was it? Did you find him?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No." He led her back into the cabin, closing the door behind him. "Now do you understand?" He asked again, more gently. She refused to look at him, rubbing her arm.

"I woke up and you were gone. I found those tracks and thought the worst."

She glanced up at him. He rested his hand against the mantle of the fireplace, staring down into the ashes. He wasn't angry, she realized, he was worried. Suddenly she felt bad for her carelessness.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." She said quietly, placing a hand on his flesh arm. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. If there's one thing that I learned, it's that Hydra is relentless. If they want something, it's only a matter of time before they'll get it." He stared at the mantle,

Annie sat down in the chair, suddenly feeling very hopeless. "We can't just sit here and let them get us."

"We don't even know who they are." He replied, looking over at her. He ran his hands over the mantle until his fingers found a protrusion in the wood that was cold to the touch. He pressed it and a hatch in the fireplace popped open.

Annie stood. "What the hell is that?"

Bucky poured water over the fire. Pressing his hands against the cement of the fireplace wall. With a loud scraping of stone on stone, the wall retracted, revealing several thick canvas bags and a lever on the wall of the hidden chamber. He pulled the bags out and pulled the lever down.

"Bucky-"

"Quiet!" He hissed.

There was a low rumbling noise and the foundation began to quake.

"Bucky what the hell is going on?!" She cried.

The quaking stopped. Bucky immediately grabbed her arm and began to lead her out of the cabin. "We have to get out of here."

"Why?!"

"The cabin's going to self destruct." Bucky grabbed the bags.

She jerked her arm free and grabbed the bookbag and bags of medical supplies. When she stepped through the doorway, she froze in her tracks. "What the-where did that come from?!"

Bucky hurried to the platform with a quinjet that had risen from the earth. "Annie!" He punched in a code on the keypad and the door opened. He and Annie hurried inside, sitting in the two front pilot seats of the cockpit.

"Do you know how to fly this thing?" She asked, securing the harness.

He reached above his head and began flipping switches. "Guess we'll find out." He said, grabbing the yoke.

"That's not funny!" She cried, squeezing her eyes shut and bracing herself. "There's no runway! How are we-"

"Relax sweetheart. I've got this under control." He flipped a small plastic lid open and pressed the red button it protected.

The jet engines roared to life. With a small jolt, the jet began to hover off the platform. Once they were above the trees, he pulled the yolk towards his body and the jet began to ascend.

Annie opened her eyes and was shocked to see nothing but clouds. "Holy cow..." She looked out the window in time to see a plunge of black smoke rising from the trees. "How did you know about all of this?"

"That was a safe house. Your father had one built in every state in case a mission went wrong. That way he could ensure that I made it back without getting killed."

She leaned down and lifted the bags he'd pulled out of the cabin.

"It's money. A few grand in U.S. dollars." Bucky replied. "Sit back and relax."

Annie fell back into her seat, shocked. "Where are we going?"

"As far as this thing will get us." He replied.