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It was late summer 1941 and for the first time in her long life y/n was truly happy. The sun stood bright and high in the afternoon sky. Everywhere around her where happy faces, no traces of the war to be seen. A war that was coming closer with each day. After what happened at Pearl Harbor Bucky Barnes, y/n boyfriend, enlisted for war. He wanted to do what he could for his country; he wanted people to be proud of who he was and what he did in life. He was a real charmer; his blue gray eyes could light up the world when he smiled. He was the sun and the stars in her life, he made her truly happy. She could never imagine a life without him. But eventually she had to, she would one day lose him and nothing could ever prepare her for the rest of eternity without him.
Y/n was born in a small town near Boston in 1830. She should be death by now; nobody could ever be more than 100 years old and still be alive. But here she was, 111 years old looking like someone in their mid-twenties. Nobody knows how it’s even possible but once y/n reached the age of 24 her body stopped aging. She was forever stuck in her own body. Doctors tried everything but didn’t find a thing, they called it a miracle. When everyone she cared about died y/n became reckless in everything she did. She tried to end her life cutting her wrists, but seconds after she made the cut it closed itself before she even lost a glass full of blood. She couldn’t kill herself. But she never stopped trying till one day in 1939; y/n found herself in Brooklyn on the side of a bridge ready to jump in the freezing water below. She took the first step closer to the edge, her heart beating faster and harder than normal, she could feel it in her throat. But other than that she felt nothing, her whole world was cold in her eyes; she had nothing to live for. Just when she moved to make her finale step she felt 2 strong arms wrapping around her waist. Everything after that happened so fast, the strong arms pulled her from her spot on the edge of the bridge. With a smack she landed on top of a hard body away from the edge. At first she didn’t apprehended what just had happened. The 2 arms still wrapped around her waist, she was well aware of the rise and fall of the chest she laid on top of. Once her first shock was over she started to break from the hold the 2 arms had around her.
“Calm down doll, I’m not gonna hurt you, you’re safe.” She heard a warm and deep voice whisper in her ear which instantly made her relax in the stranger’s arms. That never happened before, nobody’s voice had ever the effect to calm her instantly.
When the stranger felt the woman’s body relax in his arms he pulled both their bodies to stand on their feet. Y/n looked up to the face of her savior, the first thing she noticed were 2 blue gray eyes looking back at her. His eyes looked right through her giving her a calm and warm feeling, like she was safe and belonged there.
“I’m not gonna ask you if you’re ok cuz you clearly aren’t but let me tell you, you can find new things to live for. I don’t know what made you do this but you look like a strong woman, you may just need that spark of live again to fight for. I may not know you ma’am but I already believe in you, please don’t give up.”
That day was the day Bucky Barnes saved more than Y/n’s live, he saved her soul and he became the spark she needed to go on, to keep fighting. After his speech on the bridge he took her around the city and showed her the small things she could find a good time in. There wasn’t a day after that without them meeting. And soon enough they fell in love.
“When are they shipping you out?” y/n asked with her head resting on his shoulder. They spent the day at Coney Island where Bucky won her the biggest teddy bear at the shooting booth. Something to keep her company when he was overseas. Later they would go to the Stark expo and then go dancing. Bucky had asked her if she knew someone to come along for Steve, so it would be a double date.
“First thing in the morning Doll.”
“Can I come and see you off?”
“Don’t know if that would be a good idea, I don’t wanna cry in front of my teammates and I know I will cry when we say our goodbyes.” Bucky giggled
“Oh you big baby. Will you at least spend the night with me?”
“I thought you wanted to wait till we’re married?” Bucky asked her while putting a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I keep thinking what if you don’t come back to me when the war is over. I can stand the thought of losing you before I had my chance of proving my love for you and I love you so much.”
“sweetheart you got nothing to prove, I know you love me and I love you so much that I can’t imagine a future without you as my wife. So what if we go to the city hall and get married right away?”
“James are you serious, you want to marry me now?”
“Yes doll it would be an honor if you would marry me. And let’s face it I would hate it if someone else would sweep you of your feet when I’m out there.”
“I would never even look in the direction of another man. I only love you for the rest of my live.”
If only Bucky knew how long that truly was.
But so that’s how they found themselves in the city hall signing a marriage certificate, marrying y/n to Bucky.
“I love you so much Mrs. Barnes” Bucky said before kissing his wife sweetly.
“I love you Mr. Barnes”
It was winter 1944 when suddenly there was a knock on the front door of Bucky’s and y/n’s apartment. Y/n was busy with working in the kitchen on one of the favorite dishes from Bucky. She knew he was too far from home to taste it but making it made her feel closer with him. When she heard the knock on the door she turned off the stove before cleaning her hands on the dish towel and walk to the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone today but before she even reached her door she was overwhelmed with a bad feeling. It was a feeling she felt a lot over the last couple days. Like she just lost everything, she couldn’t stop thinking that something happened to Bucky. Oh she hoped that wasn’t true. But once she opened her front door all hopes were crushed. In front of her stood 2 military officers in there official uniforms. She knew what this meant but she didn’t want to accept it. Tears already burning behind her eyes. It was the look on one of the officers face that made her break. It was the look of compassion, something she didn’t like. Tears started to roll over her cheeks. The officer held an envelope in front of him for her to take.
“my deepest condolences ma’am” he said with his head down when she took the envelope from him.
She closed her door and let herself fall against it. She didn’t dare to open it knowing very well what it would say. Hoping that if she didn’t open it the content wouldn’t be true.
She didn’t know how long she sat there crying against her front door until she finally found the courage to open the envelope reading the words she hoped never to read.
“With our deepest sympathies we have to inform you that James Buchanan Barnes was killed in action.”
She couldn’t understand, she didn’t want to understand. She didn’t want to understand that her husband was death. Her spark was gone. They even didn’t have the time to really live as husband and wife because he left for war the day after their wedding. First she kept her hopes up that it was all just a bad dream, he would still come home to her. But then the news reached her that Captain America went missing after a plane crash and was presumably death. Bucky’s best friend was death, Bucky is death. She had nothing to live for; Bucky was her reason to keep fighting. How could she, she had nothing anymore. She felt like her soul died with him. She was just an empty body who couldn’t even end her own live.
For years she tried to find a way to finally kill herself. She tried everything: she took pills, cut her wrists, jump of a building, she even shot herself in the head. Nothing killed her. She only became colder and more depressed. She couldn’t handle live without him. It was in the year 2000 an organization found her, claiming they knew of her immortality and offered her to train her so she could learn to use her healing abilities on others.
Having no other purpose in live she went with them.
It was years later somewhere in the lab of king T’Challa in Wakanda. Steve Rogers just said goodbye again to his best friend promising him he would find a way to release him from his trigger words. Watching his friend in the cyro he couldn’t stop thinking what a different life they would’ve had if his friend didn’t fell from that train and if he never crashed that plain in the ice. He would’ve probably married Peggy but kept fighting for the army. His friend would’ve finally lived the life he always wanted with his beautiful wife, got a few kids and grew old together. He knew what happened with Peggy in the time he was frozen, she died not that long ago in that nursing home. But he couldn’t stop to wonder what happened to his friend’s wife. Did she remarry, did she have kids and was she still alive in a nursing home or did she already die. He knew Bucky would ask himself the same thing but wouldn’t ever talk about it. It killed him to miss her so much and knowing he lost her. He only went on because it would be what she have wanted, to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves. Be the hero and chance his wrongs in the world. He would do it for her.
“Steve I think we found something.”
Steve looked up from his notebook and looked at the direction the voice came. It was king T’Challa himself who was standing in the door opening. Steve stood quickly from the chair and followed him to one of the meeting rooms where the rest of his team was sitting at the round table.
It was Sam Willson who broke the silence and throws a folder in the middle of the table.
“We found a group of people who maybe can help. There mutants and the most of them are immortal.” Sam explained
“How can they help? What’s so special about these mutants?” Steve asked while picking up the folder.
“Well that’s what’s in the folder. One of them a woman they call Barney has healing powers. But they speak of mind healing. She can restore parts of the brain that have been messed with. And I think that’s exactly what Barnes needs.”
“That would be amazing. Where can we find this woman?”
This time it was Wanda who spoke up.
“The group would be in an isolated part of Tibet. But the hardest part would be getting her to talk with us and convincing her to help us. Apparently she only talks with her group or sick people.”
“We have to try. Right now she’s the only hope Buck has. Maybe it’s best you go Wanda, you take Sam with you?”
It was close to sundown when there was a knock on y/n bedroom door. She wasn’t the same person anymore. Y/n was gone, that’s why they all called her Barney. Barney was a very closed person, was always alone except for the moments she trained or when sick people needed healing. Other than that she wanted to be left alone, even from the people she lived with. It was nice to know she wasn’t the only immortal person and that she had a sort of family.
“Who is it?” she called from her spot on the floor.
“It’s me Lizella, can I come in please?”
“You can come in.” Y/n said and closed the book she was reading. Not much later the older blond woman came in and took place next to her on one of the cushions in the corner of the room.
“What’s wrong Liz? You look worried.” Noticing the dark colors under the woman’s eyes and the sad look in them.
“The time for you to leave us draws near my dear.” Before Y/n could ask what she meant the old woman started to talk again.
“In a few moments there will be 2 people here who are looking for you. They need your help and you will give them what they want. You’ll go with them and you’ll find more than you ever hoped for.”
“What, I don’t want to leave. You’re my family now, my purpose in live. I promised if I couldn’t have my life with James I would stay with you guys. Please don’t make me do this, I don’t know, did I do something wrong. Is it something I mess up in the future that you’re asking me to leave?”
Lizella was someone who could see the future. It was how she could see the 2 figures approaching.
“Oh my dear Barney, no you will never do something wrong. It is just time you became y/n again. You’ll have a better future if you go with these 2. They’ll be a part of your new family.” She said while hugging y/n close.
“We’ll never forget you and maybe one day we’ll meet again. Never forget you’re a strong person. Now pack your things and say goodbye to the others. Our visitors will be here any minute.”
At that same moment Wanda and Sam stood in front of a temple like building. It looked old but the vibes the place sent out where calming and serenity. Wanda looked up at Sam and asked “you sure this is the place?”
“yes, the address is right and even the villagers led us to this place. So just knock.”
But just when Wanda raised her fist to knock on the heavy doors it swung open. Startled by the sudden movement both Wanda and Sam took a step back. In the door opening stood and older woman greeting them with one of the biggest smiles they had seen.
“Welcome my friends, Mrs. Barney will see you in a minute she is still gathering her stuff for the trip. Please do come in and I’ll show you where you can wait for her.”
Sam looked at Wanda confused. In which she shrugged and followed the old woman inside the hallway.
“You can wait here, I’ll go look if she’s ready.” The woman said and pointed to and old sofa in the corner of the room.
“She creeps me out. How did she know we are here for Barney?” Sam mutters.
“Sam they’re mutants, it’s possible one of them has the ability to see us coming. If so it makes it a lot easier explaining why we’re here.”
“Well I hope so, I want to get home as soon as possible. I don’t wanna miss the super bowl game.”
“Oh Sam is that all you care about? Cap counts on us.”
It was at that exact moment a loud thump sound sounded through the room. In the door opening stood a young woman who looked like she was in her mid-twenties, but they know better that she probably was much older than she looked. She had a cold look on her face but Wanda could feel that behind it was a lot of pain. When she didn’t spoke Wanda started to introduce herself.
“You must be Mrs. Barney, nice to finally meet you. My Name is Wanda and this is Sam. We came a long way to find you. We really need your help, we heard of what you can do.”
“What do you want of me?” y/n asked coldly.
“Well we have a friend who needs your help actually. He used to be a prisoner of Hydra. They brainwashed him, ripped him from his memory and putt a series of words in his head. When they would say those trigger words he would be under their control. Now he is back save with us and has most of his memories back but those trigger words are still in his head. So who ever uses those words has control over him again. So we would ask if you could help us getting these words out.” Sam tried to explain.
“Where is this person? Couldn’t he come to me?”
“He’s in Wakanda currently in a cyro freeze to prevent that someone can use those words against him.”
“Okay, Lizella already told me to go with you guys. So how long is it traveling?”
The moment they arrived in Wakanda y/n was showed a room where she would be staying the following days. The room was basic, just a single bed and nightstand and a small sofa. No one could say how long she would be needed here or if it was a 100% certain she could help the man. She didn’t knew who he was, only what Sam and Wanda had told her on the plane, nothing personal. But the least she could do was try. She had nothing to lose anymore. They had given her the rest of the day to settle in and the next day they would start.
A soft knock sounded on the door of Steve Rogers’s temporary office door the next morning.
“Come in.”
It was one of the lab techs.
“Mr Barnes is awake and ready for treatment sir.” He said.
“Thank you I’ll be there right away. You can send Barney there to but I’ll need to speak to her before we start.”
y/n was led to a small room to wait for the person who would give her more information on her patient. She wasn’t gonna lie she was panicking. She never did this before, not this big. She was picking at her fingers when the door opened and she heard someone coming in the room with her. Still looking at her hand she could feel the gaze of the person on her.
“Good morning Mrs. Barney, thank you for helping us. My name is Steve and I’ll give you some more info before we start.”
Steve? That voice? It sounded so familiar, where did she hear it before? Steve? That was also the name of Bucky’s best friend. Lots of people named Steve, but that voice, it sounded like him? It sounded like Steve, Bucky’s Steve. Little Steve from Brooklyn.
Could it be? No, he should be long death; he died back in 1944 when that plane crashed.
Slowly she lifted her gaze from her hands to the man standing at the other side of the room. The man even looked like him. This was impossible. He had the same shocked face as her.
“Steve? Steve Rogers? How… How is this possible? You’re death, they told me you where death.”
“Y/n?” Steve said almost like a whisper.
“My god Steve.” Before she knew it Steve had pulled her by her arm right against his chest in a bone crushing hug.
After the first shock passed they both went to sit down and he explained her how it was that he was still alive. And she told him in return how she was still alive.
“Why do they call you Barney? Didn’t they know your name?” Steve asked her.
“Well it’s from Barnes, and because I’m not the same person anymore that’s why they decided I needed another name. But this person that I need to help is a teammate of yours?”
“Well he once was and will be again once you helped him.”
“What you mean he once was? From what Wanda and Sam told me you only found him a few months ago.”
Steve took her both hands in his and took a deep breath.
“Y/n, what I’m gonna tell you will sound crazy but you’ll have to believe me. Just like it’s crazy I’m alive, but did you remember how Bucky died?”
Bucky what had this to do with Bucky and the way he died?
“What has that to do with it? But yes Bucky fell from that train.”
“Everything! y/n Bucky nor me every told you back in 1943 that during of the 107
th
fights a big part of their team was captured by hydra. Including Bucky. They experimented on him. So when he fell from the train he survived the fall. We all thought he was death, but hydra found him barely alive and captured him, turned him in a brainwashed super soldier without a memory of his past live.”
She didn’t understand what he was saying, her heart started to beat heavily and irregularly in her chest. She couldn’t breathe, he was alive, her husband was after all this time alive? But if what Steve said was true, he’d been through hell and worse. Was he even the same Bucky, was she still her Bucky.
“He’s alive?”
Steve could see the panic in her eyes.
“Yes he is and he’s here, he’s your patient y/n. And before you ask yes his memory is almost completely restored, he remembers you and he still loves you. He loves you so much.”
“Where is he? Can I see him?” y/n said while she got up on her feet ready to run where her husband was unknowingly waiting for her.
Her heart ached for him, after all those years she thought he was death. Now knowing he was alive and at the same place as her she had to see him, hold him. It was like for the first time in 70 years she felt hope again.
“Just through that door, but Y/n he doesn’t know you’re alive, nobody did. I don’t know how he’ll react, but if there is one person he’ll want to see it’d be you.”
Before Steve even could finish Y/n already made her way through the door.
The room was a lab like room surrounded by glass panels. In the middle of the room stood a treatment chair. When she looked closer she saw a broad man with dark shoulder length hair sitting in the chair with his back at her. He was dressed in with clothes but what she noticed was his left arm. His complete left arm was made of dark metal. Even with his back at her she could see it was Bucky even if he looked so different and held himself like a wounded animal. But he still had the same comforting and calming aura around him. She only could stare at him, her love, her husband, her Bucky was alive and in front of him.
It was the feeling of a hand on her shoulder that snapped her out of her trance. Looking up she saw Steve smiling at her.
“Hey Buck, that Lady who can help you is here.”
Bucky didn’t turn at the sound of his voice; instead he just kept staring in front of him.
“You really think this woman can do this?”
You could hear the hurt and doubt in his voice. Her heart broke at his voice she wanted nothing more that heal him, hold him.
“I’m sure and if she can’t get out the trigger words, she surely can make you happy.”
“Oh Steve you know that’s shit, only…” Bucky started to say while turning his head in Steve’s direction. But when his eye’s met with the woman standing beside him he couldn’t finish his sentence.
She had tears in her eyes but they had jet to break through.
“Hey James.” y/n whispered like she still couldn’t believe he stood there in the middle of the room.
Bucky stood quickly to his feet, he didn’t trust his eyes. It couldn’t be, she was really here.
“y/n? how? Is it really you?”
Before they both knew it they started to run to each other. y/n ran as fast she could, once they were close enough she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. It was his smell that made her realize it was really him. She found her spark again and he was holding her like he never wanted to let go. She buried her face deeper in the crook of his neck. Without her even knowing her mind started to connect with his. Calming waves started to flow from her mind to his. Finding every spot in his brain that was messed with and like an eraser erased pencil lines she did it for everything she found that didn’t belong there.
It was when the both felt weaker the pulled back and stared in each other’s eyes.
“I love you Mrs. Barnes” Bucky whispered placing his forehead against hers.
“I love you Mr. Barnes.”