As he pulled up in front of the apartment that had been assigned to Lacey for the duration of her recovery, Bucky couldn't help but to let out a sigh of relief. D.C. traffic had been worse than usual and it had taken all of his will power to not give in to his road rage. The suburb they were in now was much calmer and, because they were technically in a neighborhood completely owned by SHIELD, he was able to rest a little easier knowing that Lacy wasn't in as much danger here. He turned to speak to her, only to notice that she had fallen asleep at some point during their drive with her head lolling off to the side.

Bucky took a few minutes to really inspect any injuries that would limit her abilities. Aside from the many cuts and bruises, the worst seemed to be her weight. Lacey looked extremely unhealthy, and he decided that the first thing that she would do when he got her inside would be to eat. If she trusted him enough to eat something that he had made, that was. It had killed him at the hospital when she had so adamantly refused his protection. What he wouldn't do to go back the times when young women wanted to be around him. Hell, he'd be happy if anyone besides Steve wanted to be around him these days. The other Avengers were great, but he could tell they kept him at arm's length. You never knew when the brainwashed super-soldier assassin might snap and revert back to his old ways. Just once he wanted someone to believe in the man that he had become over the past year. The man he used to be only with a few more nightmares.

The sound of Lacey whimpering in her sleep brought Bucky out of his self-pitying thoughts. He needed to get her inside and worry about himself later. Or never. Never was easier. He went to the back of the vehicle to retrieve his go-bag before carefully opening the passenger side door and bending down to undo the seatbelt. It would be easier to wake Lacey up before carrying her inside but he didn't have the heart to ruin what little good sleep this girl would be getting in the coming months. He of all people knew how precious that was, so he reached down and picked her up, slamming the door with his foot as he went.

The apartment was nice, he had to hand it to SHIELD. They must have a great team who decorated and furnished these places. There was a huge sectional couch in the living room set right next to a recliner facing the biggest flat-screen television he had ever seen. From there he could see a decent sized kitchen and breakfast nook with a small table for four that had a vase of white flowers on it. Homey. It would probably make Lacey feel more at ease, he thought. Finding two bedrooms, one on either side of the living room, he picked the one with the more feminine touches to lay her down in. Bucky bent down to deposit her under the comforter before stopping to look at her face. Although sallow and pale, it startled him to realize that she was quite pretty. He tried to imagine what she might have looked like before this whole ordeal but stopped himself almost immediately after. Lacey was fragile, she had been traumatized, and to top it all off, she was already terrified of him. He wouldn't give her any more reason to be by acting like some woman-deprived soldier that he once had been. Bucky left her sleeping peacefully and slowly became acquainted with the house that was now his for time being. He didn't last long before exhaustion overcame him, as well, and he passed out on the couch.

He was awoken well after dark by screaming and he fought to get his bearings before running into Lacey's room. She was sitting straight up in bed looking around frantically before her eyes fell on Bucky and she gasped.

"Lacey, doll, calm down, you were having a nightmare. Are you okay?" He slowly walked towards her with his hands slightly raised to show her that he wasn't trying to hurt her.

She looked at him fearfully for only a second before tears began rolling down her face. "I…I think I'm ok," she whispered. "Where am I?"

"We're here at the apartment that Director Fury told you about," he explained to her slowly. "Do you remember who I am?"

Lacey fidgeted with the blankets for a few seconds before quietly saying, "James."

He laughed softly, remembering that only his mother and the Army had ever really called him that. But she could call him anything she wanted. "That's right, James. Can I get you anything to drink, Lacey? I'm going to make us some dinner here in a few minutes."

"Umm…some water would be nice. My throat feels so dry."

"Sure thing, doll. You want me to bring it back in here or do you want to look around your new place?"

Bucky could tell she was having an internal dialogue with herself but finally threw the covers off and attempted to get out of bed. He was by her side in an instant before realizing that his tall stature and scary metal arm might be off-putting, so he backed up slightly. "Can I help you stand? I promise I'm not going to hurt you."

"I think I'm having déjà vu," she said smiling shyly. "I never did thank you for helping me back there. You saved my life."

He carefully lifted her to a standing position before responding. "I'm just sorry I wasn't there earlier. You shouldn't have had to sit in that damn chair."

Lacey didn't say anything, grabbing onto his waist to help support herself before they slowly made their way to the rest of the apartment. She wasn't able to make it much further than the kitchen table so Bucky deposited her there before fetching her a glass of water.

"What do you like to eat?" He rummaged through the cabinets and refrigerator, seeing that whoever had gone grocery shopping seemed to have picked up one of everything.

Lacey was trying to pat down her hair that had somehow become more unruly from her nap when he looked back up at her. He smirked, thinking that she actually looked pretty adorable at the moment. "I'm actually not that hungry," she stated distractedly. "Maybe just a few crackers?"

"No way, sweetheart. You were locked up without proper meals for who knows how long and we're not going to continue that here. So...soup it is."

"Sir, yes, sir. Whatever you say," Lacey commented, mock-saluting him with an eye roll.

"That's what I like to hear, ma'am."

Bucky quickly prepared a can of tomato soup and brought two bowls of it, along with crackers to the table for them both to eat. Lacey took the first spoonful into her mouth and hesitated. He was about to ask what was wrong before she shut her eyes, moaned loudly, and proceeded to scarf down the entire bowl before he had even touched his. They were making progress.