Title: The Lucky Ones

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes & Loki aka Lucky

Captain America/Thor crossover, though it takes place during the Captain America timeline, so before the events in Thor. We'll get to those at some point.

Rated M for later slash

A/N - Long time reader, first time writer. I don't own the characters, just the plot.

-The Lucky Ones- Chapter 1

The snow was falling, too, on the day he fell. He wished he could be as graceful, but grace was not a virtue James "Bucky" Barnes possessed. Bravery, loyalty, charisma, yes. But not grace. Sadly, he also did not possess the ability to fly, so he did what any normal man would do when falling to their death. He screamed. He flailed. He did these for longer than he had expected. Just how far down was it? When he agreed to join his best friend Steve, now known as Captain America, waging war against the Nazis and Hydra, he knew it would be dangerous. He had come to terms with the likelihood of getting shot, being blown up, and many of other ways of dying. Falling from a train after trying to take on a Hydra robot was not a death he had considered. It was a shame really. This was turning out to be a long fall, but it wasn't going to be nearly long enough for Bucky to accept this fate.

As luck would have it, Bucky hit some fairly pliable tree branches before slamming into the snow. They hurt like hell, but the fact he was still hurting, laying there in the cold, meant he was alive. Inexplicably, miraculously, alive. Bucky laid still, afraid to move. Afraid he was really dead and this is where he'd be spending eternity. No, he had to still be alive. He could hear the rumble of the train fading away, that had to mean something, right? Shit! He remembered Steve and the men up there, fighting without him. He tried to sit up, but the pain blazed inside him, he cried out and fell back. The cold was beginning to seep into his wet clothes, and he wondered vaguely if he was bleeding somewhere. Shivering, trying desperately to hang onto consciousness, he did not hear the soft crunch of approaching footsteps. Just before the cold and the pain and the blackness overtook him, Bucky heard a gasp. He opened his eyes and saw a man kneeling above him. As Bucky looked up into the unfamiliar face, and his blue eyes met with intense green ones. The word "beautiful" flashed through his head, then nothing more.

-oooooooooooo-

"Loki, wait!"

Loki stopped in his tracks and sighed.

"I do not wish to watch you spar today, brother," the raven haired god said.

Thor caught up with him in the hall and pulled Loki's arm gently, turning him.

"You haven't in weeks," Thor said to his younger brother. "What can I do to convince you to stop isolating yourself. Your friends miss you."

Loki laughed inwardly at this. Friends, he scoffed. Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun were not his friends. They tolerated him because he was Thor's brother. The Lady Sif did not even go so far as to tolerate him. She was very up front with her thoughts on Loki. No, these people were not friends. And Loki doubted it was them who missed his company. That thought softened Loki's expression and he smiled at Thor.

"I am sorry Thor, I want to spend time with everyone, but I am working on an important spell, and I need to continue my research." He placed a hand at the back of Thor's head and met his eyes. "You will do well in your practice today, I have no doubt. But I must go. I will see you at dinner." With that he walked away, leaving a frowning Thor behind.

Loki found no sense in burdening his doting brother with his true feelings. He'd had them for as long as he could remember. The feeling of not fitting in, being an outsider, being different. He could scarcely believe he came from the same stock as Thor. Though the brothers were both tall, where Thor was brawny, Loki was slight. Thor was outgoing and gregarious, Loki was quiet and preferred solitude. Thor, the warrior, and Loki, the spell-caster. Thor embodied warmth and sunshine and Loki, cool moonlight. Despite their differences, they were close. No one besides his brother ever bothered to try to understand him. Sure, the Warriors Three and even Sif were there. But they were there because of Thor, because they had always been, not because they wanted to be. Loki was okay with this. He didn't need people meddling in his life. He was happiest alone, with his thoughts, his magic, and his books.

Loki pushed these thoughts from his head as he entered the palace library. This was one of Loki's favorite places in all the realms. It was seldom crowded, and the few who frequented it as much as he did, knew to leave him be. He went directly to the shelf where he knew he would find the book he wanted. Taking it to a table near the back of the library, he opened it to where he had left off the day before and lost himself in it.

A few hours later, Loki felt confident enough to attempt the spell on his own. He closed the book, replaced it on the shelf, and headed to the outskirts of the palace. He made sure he was truly alone, then sat down under a tree, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Summoning all his strength, he began to mutter under his breath. He felt the ground shift beneath him, but he held his focus. Speaking louder now, afraid to open his eyes, he kept going even as the dizziness threatened to undo him. Loki continued reciting the magical words until the stillness returned and he felt a sudden coldness on his skin. He fell silent and opened his eyes slowly. Looking around, he no longer saw the golden Asgardian sunlight. Instead there was white everywhere, and the landscape was bathed in silvered light. He wondered briefly if he had aimed incorrectly and transported himself to Jotunheim, but this world was brighter, and the trees everywhere told him he was indeed on Midgard.

Perfect, he thought. Loki stood, brushing the falling snow from his leather tunic. Finally, he had a way to escape the clutches of his well-meaning, but overbearing brother. There was no way Thor could track him down all the way to Midgard, and he doubted even the gatekeeper Heimdall knew there was a way to travel between the realms without using the Bifrost. Loki began to walk, aimlessly really, since he had no idea where in this realm he was. On all sides of him, sheer snowcapped mountains rose high into the sky, over the treetops. He heard nothing except his boots on the snow as he walked. It was very peaceful, this place. The cold didn't bother him at all. In fact, it was a nice change from the constant warmth of Asgard.

He wandered, lost in his thoughts for some time, until a strange sound made him stop and take notice. Coming from up on the cliff, he heard a faint rumbling. As he gazed up at the sheer face of the mountain, the sound grew louder and louder, until Loki spied a Midgardian machine he knew was called a train. He was close to the base of the mountain and he could see the sleek, black machine quite clearly. Suddenly, there was an explosion in one of the cars, and Loki watched with interest as the train grew nearer. He could now make out a gaping hole in the side of the car, no doubt left by the blast. It looked as if there were two males hanging from the side. Loki had no idea what was going on, and he didn't much care for the fate of mortals, but he was curious. As he watched, a piece of the train fell away, taking one of the men with it. He heard both men cry out, and then the unlucky one fell some distance away, into the trees.

So much for peace and quiet, Loki thought to himself. He debated whether he should look for the human man. No doubt the mortal would not survive the fall, and Loki wasn't sure if he was up for witnessing the gore of what was left of the body. He started off anyway, toward the direction the man fell, walking at a brisk pace, but not really hurrying. When he heard an anguished cry, however, he began to run in spite of himself.

Finally, when he came across the man lying in the snow, Loki stopped in his tracks. He approached quietly, the crunching of his boots unable to be heard over the ragged breathing of the injured and shivering male. Loki knelt next to the man and gasped softly as he really looked at him. This mortal man was beautiful. When the human's eyes caught his, Loki felt his whole world shift. This was different than the dizzying unbalance of his trip to this realm. In fact, for the first time in as long as he could remember, his world felt more balanced than he thought possible. A thousand questions ran through Loki's head in those too few seconds. But before he could voice anything, the man's eyes closed and he lost consciousness. Loki found himself breathing heavily, panting even though the run hadn't winded him. Why was he so affected? He blinked a few times, clearing his head, willing the unfamiliar feelings to leave his mind. He stood, took another look at the unconscious man, and turned to walk away. He felt foolish now, and wished for nothing more than to forget this ever happened.

He got no more than twenty steps away when Loki felt himself begin to panic. The thought of walking away from this stranger and never knowing who he was or seeing those eyes again terrified him. Before he knew what he was doing, he was back at the man's side. The human's rough breathing assured Loki that he was still alive, but for how long? Loki didn't know, but he suspected it would not be for long. He needed to do something. He believed the healers of Asgard could help, but Loki did not trust himself to use magic to bring them back. He doubted his strength, and he knew he wouldn't be able to focus right now. Cursing himself for being weak, and feeling desperate, he looked up to the sky.

"Heimdall!" Loki cried, "Open the bifrost!"

It took a few moments, but Loki finally saw the colored clouds begin to form. Easily, yet gently, he picked up the man. Loki clutched the frail body securely and both god and mortal disappeared into the light.

-To Be Continued-

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