Till The End Of The Line

Frankie sat on her couch, overlooking the first floor of her two-floor apartment. The wooden door lead to her living room, which connected to the dining room and kitchen. Down the small hallway, was her little study, which held and stored all her grandfather’s things. Two small sets of stairs with a little platform lead you up to the spare bedroom and master bedroom.

She’d only lived in D.C for about over a year. After losing her grandfather a few years back, she relocated from Boston to start a new life. Her world revolved around her grandfather. After losing her parents in a car accident, Jim ‘Dum Dum’ Dugan took on the role of her guardian. Having an ex-army Sergeant as your guardian wasn’t always the easiest while growing up. ‘Francesca isn’t the name of an agent’ he used to say, ‘Frankie is more like it’

Becoming impatient, Frankie got up and started making herself some tea. Continuing to look at the clock and knowing he was never late, she was starting to worry. A frown formed on her forehead as she heard the lock click and door slowly open.

“I’m sorry. I really am Dum Dum” Frankie saw the dried blood on the side of his cheek and without question ran over to him. “it’s just a scratch”

She took him into a big hug. Two months was long enough without seeing her best friend. He stood there, arms wrapped tightly around her.

“you didn’t even call Steve. I didn’t know if you were dead or not”

Frankie worked for SHIELD. Well, until a few weeks ago she did anyway. SHIELD fell once everything had been leaked, that they were infiltrated by HYDRA. The Triskelion had been destroyed. She had no where to work anymore. Her days now consisted of workouts and training.

“I have to go Francesca” he mumbled, looking down at her. “I have to find Bucky”

“Steve, he just nearly killed you a few months ago” he looked at her, keeping his hands on her hips as he looked down at her. She remembered coming home that night from a run, Steve sprawled on her bed after being released from the hospital. They’d laid in that bed for two days before he got back up and left for another mission. Worry and fear were written all over both their faces. He leaned down, pressing his lips against her forehead and finally let go of her. “Steve”

“I love you Dum Dum, I’ll be back” he told her, giving her that Captain America smile.

He opened the door and she stood there, giving a little smile to Sam who stood against the car. He blew her a kiss, nodding to her that he’d protect the one person she cared about anymore. With her own nod, she closed the door.

After they found Steve in the ice, Frankie’s grandfather got a phone call to let him know. Before he passed, Steve made his way to Boston to say goodbye to his last living friend from the war. A spark flew when Frankie had finally met Steve. She’d heard stories of him her entire life. Pictures always hung around the house. The Howling Commandos were royalty to her. At a young age, she learned to shoot as Granddad and Uncle Pinky once did. From then on, they were nearly inseparable.

“take care of him Frankie, he’ll take care of you. He’s a good friend to have”

Not being able to relax, Frankie changed into her workout clothes and slipped on her sneakers. Though it was nearly midnight, she put her headphones in and began her run. Making her way down the street, she ended up near the Smithsonian. She smiled, seeing Steve’s face on the side of the building promoting the exhibit.

Continuing down the street she stopped near the constitution gardens. Looking down at her watch, she saw it was nearly 1 a.m. Turning on her heels, she looked up as she began her slow walk back towards the apartment. Catching her breathe, she noticed someone standing near the tree line. Ignoring it, she began a slow jog. The air was getting crisp as the season changes from summer to fall.

Running quickly up the steps, she started peeling the tight sweater off her body, throwing it in the hamper. Exiting the shower, wrapping the towel tightly around her small, muscular body, she rummaged through the draws in her dresser throwing on an old sweater and a pair of shorts.

Knowing she wasn’t going to sleep tonight, she walked down the stairs and noticed the light in the study. Opening the door and switching the light off, looking up before closing the door she saw the man standing there, gun raised and pointed at her face.

She switched the light back on, staring at the man. His long hair and scruff covered most of his face. His sweatshirt hood pulled closely to his face, his all black clothing making him disappear in the night. She wouldn't have noticed he was standing there if she hadn't seen the white of his eyes.

He lowered the gun.

“Dum Dum?” he asked, pushing some of his hair from his face. He lowered his hood, revealing his face. It was hard to tell, but beneath all the scruff and roughness she recognized him.

“Bucky” Frankie breathed.

“you look just like someone I used to know” he mumbled.

Steve always said Frankie’s biggest flaw was not seeing danger. Knowing who he was and what he could do, she stood there without a single fear. Staring at an assassin, who had almost killed her best friend a few month ago, she walked over to him and looked him in the eyes.

“am I talking to the Winter Solider or am I talking to Bucky Barnes?” she asked, staring deep into the blue orbs that were his perfect eyes.

With a ping in her stomach, she moved a little closer to him. Her heart was racing, hands shaking a little bit. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in weeks, nor had he eaten. The dark circles under his eyes were prominent. The scruff on his face covered his strong cheek bones and jaw line. For some reason, without a thought, she couldn’t stop staring at his features.

“you look like you haven’t aged a single day”

“my name is Bucky. I followed Steve here earlier. I saw you running before. You look so familiar”

“my grandfather was Dum Dum Dugan” she told him, ripping her eyes from him and turning, walking into the kitchen. Without asking, she began making some breakfast. “Steve tells me all the time I look like him, I don’t see it though”

“I need your help” he took a seat at her table, staring at her as she continued to fry up some eggs.

“I started to remember some things” he was very blunt. Got right to the point of his unwanted visit. He wasn't wasting any time.

“Steve told me you lost all your memories, that you didn’t know who he was” she mumbled, mostly to herself. She placed the eggs and potatoes on a plate, handing it to him. he looked bewildered, stumbled that someone would do something nice for him.

“um, thank you?” he basically asked, taking the fork and forcefully shoving the extremely hot food into his mouth, burning it for sure.

While Frankie ate, she saw Bucky staring at her. Her long blonde hair starting to fall out of the messy bun she’d thrown it in after her shower. Her bright blue eyes reflecting the dim light from above. She had a few features of Jim, but she was all beauty. Jim always joked with the Howling Commandos, saying he was the best looking of the group. He chuckled to himself at the memory.

“your grandfather used to say he was the best looking”

“yeah, that self-confidence never went away” she joined in the chuckling. “always said he was the best looking until the day he died”

“I’m sorry, about losing your grandfather”

“there is a bunch of his old stuff in the study down the hall. You’re welcome to stay here and look through it”

“thank you, for helping me” Bucky tried his best to smile. Like it’d been a foreign to him.

“Steve would be the best person to help you” she mumbled, walking up the stairs.

Frankie woke up to a piercing scream coming from downstairs. Brushing the tiredness from her eyes, she ran down the stairs, nearly falling on her ass, and saw Bucky laying there, squirming on the floor, shrill screams coming from his lips. In a second, Frankie was sitting next to him, raising his head and placing it on her lap.

“Bucky” she yelled, brushing some of his hair off his sweaty face. His hand swung up, grabbing her wrist and twisting it, she let out a nearly silent yell, flipping to the side to try and relief the pressure of her twisting limb. “Bucky, please”

Finally opening his eyes, he realized what he was doing and let go. Sitting up quickly, he rubbed his hands down his face. Regret written all over his face.

“Frankie, I’m so sorry” he whispered. She looked at him, the pain and hurt featuring on his face.

Though her wrist was slowly swelling and turning black and blue, she turned back towards him and placed her one hand on his metal arm.

“it’s okay, Bucky, it’s fine” she smiled at him. “are you okay? Were you having a nightmare?”

“I don’t sleep much, because of that reason”

“hopefully, we can get Bucky back, fully” she smiled at him, pressing away the frown on his forehead. “it’ll be okay, Bucky. I’ll be here to help you”

“thank you, Frankie” for the first time, she saw a genuine smile form on his face. One that wasn’t forced or looked fake. For the first time in seventy years, he had a friend.