After Winter

Chapter 10
Words: 1 853

"I miss my friend," the man in the window said. He sounded like he meant it. A sad note to the timbre of his voice. There was something more to that voice and the sadness in it. He couldn't put his finger on it.

"What would you tell him if he was here now?" Fury. What were they babbling about? They knew he was there. They must suspect it. Why would they talk about something so inane?

"I would tell him that all the time in the world couldn't separate us. Actions couldn't either. Friendship is about acceptance, not blame."

It could be a stalling technique. A bad one if so. It didn't matter. Soon one of those men would be dead. Possibly both of them. He would listen, see if they would say anything that could interest Pierce. Many things interested Pierce, better to tell him everything than try to select it.

"I'd tell him to think for himself. I'd tell him that orders aren't everything. I'd remind him that he has a son, a son who desperately wants to get to know him."

He twitched. His fingers that were still of flesh and bone clenching. A kid? Kids always complicated things. He didn't like hurting children. Their parents were bad enough. The adults usually had it coming, he didn't care about them. Their children hadn't lived long enough to deserve a visit from him though and the emotional scarring from losing a parents, sometimes right before their eyes... it… it wasn't right.

If the boy was around he'd head back for the base, taking a long route to make the time pass so that he arrived when he was ordered to. Deciding that he would leave rather than unnecessarily harm a child relaxed the rising tension in his muscles. The very momentary distraction falling away, leaving sharp focus.

"I'd repeat those words until they got through his thick skull. Chanting the names of his dead wife and son if need be."

"What were their names?" Fury again. Prompting the man by the window when the silence grew prolonged. "Steve?"

"Their names are Lily and Harry."

Steve. Lily and Harry

He twitched again. Why did the names make him react? Why did they elicit an ache in his body? His solar plexus felt tight. Cramped. Breathing was difficult. Why did hearing the names make him want to run? He could run up the wall. Jump into the window. Confront the man who'd said the names. Demand to know what they meant. He shifted his weight.

The watch on his person that counted down the hours beeped, insisting on his immediate attention and breaking the spell. He clicked on the number. 69. Three hours to go. Plenty of time to complete the mission. If only... It would have been done already were it not for the order to stay away from that apartment. Why was he ordered away from this place anyway? What was the point? Did it fit together with the lingering ache in his chest? He rubbed at it with his metal hand. It made no difference.

Don't question it! Just do. Wait silently. Observe. The mission is all that matters.

"Harry's a good kid, or a good man perhaps I should say," the man rambled on. More emotional while the Soldier closed himself off. "I never met Lily myself, but all I've heard about her makes her sound like a wonderful person and I'm more grateful to her than I imagined I could be to someone. I've been told what she meant for my friend, what others could see when the two of them were together. Lily was good to him. They were good for each other. I wish I could have seen that."

"Perhaps you never will, but the father and son can be re-united and that you can witness."

"I certainly hope so. If only I could see how."

There was a silence. A silence that felt disapproving. "Close the window, it's getting a bit chilly. Winter seems to be coming early this year."

"I rather it didn't come at all, but I'll face it." The man, Steve, closed the window. Had they been making fun of him? Challenging him? His codename was the Winter Soldier. If it was a challenge he would answer. If only he hadn't been told to stay out of that apartment. Steve has said that orders weren't everything. Perhaps they weren't.

ooooo

"What was that about, Fury?" Steve asked. Speaking like that, out into the night, wondering if Bucky could hear him had made him feel silly and determined at the same time. It was a conflicting set of emotions, not helped by the silly codewords Fury had decided on.

"We don't know exactly what triggered his memory in New York. I thought we'd try if names would be enough. If we could plant a seed in his mind he might stop himself, rather than forcing us to do it."

"Do you truly believe that? I've done my research on the Soldier. What Romanoff told me sounded more like horror stories than anything real and I know how good Bucky was. I wouldn't want to put the lives of civilians on the line with a mere guess as an excuse when the public demand answers after something goes wrong."

"Civilians are hardly at risk from the Soldier. He has a target. He goes for the target, no one else. And he doesn't miss." With those words the Director of SHIELD pointed to a bullet hole in his coat. It was a large rip in the leather, right over his heart. "Luckily for me, I have something sturdier underneath, technology that isn't public. Neither he nor the people using him could have known of it, which is the sole reason I'm still alive." He rapped his knuckles against the spot that was revealed by the tear. A strange, muted, metallic sound followed.

"Then let's keep it that way." Steve walked to where he kept his shield, grabbed it and was down the stairs before Fury could get a chance to protest. He was going to confront his friend. Leaving things be and hoping for the best wasn't the way to get Bucky back. He didn't want to fight, but he'd sat back for too long already. He'd lost his friend once because of inaction. He wouldn't let it happen again. He had promised Harry to call as soon as something happened. When he called he would have good news.

ooooo

The Soldier had reviewed his memory, had forced it open, had seen target details that Pierce had been hesitant to show him. The owner of the apartment, Steve, was none other than Captain America. A war hero from times past. A national monument made into a human being. A symbol for everything the United States of America wanted to be. Strong. Honest. Free. He was a man who would actually be a challenge for him if not taken by surprise. The element of surprise was already lost. He had concluded that this was the reason for the prohibition against entering the apartment three floors up. They didn't want to risk involving the Captain. Perhaps they wanted the national symbol alive. It wasn't his job to question. It was his job to act on orders and deal with them however needed. He could always fall back on If not possible, by any means necessary. It gave him some leeway to decide. His rational mind was still hedging at what was possible. Planning was possible. Coming out on top was possible. Waiting was possible.

No. Observed. Waiting no longer possible. The Captain had taken the first step. He was out on the street now. Shield held at the ready. Eyes scanning his surroundings. He would be discovered momentarily.

Escape or engage. Flee or agree to the challenge. That was what he had to chose between. It wasn't a difficult decision. He moved.

ooooo

Harry knew he shouldn't bother Steve with another phone call. It was night as much in Washington as it was in Scotland. He'd woken up from a dream. Not a nightmare though. Probably. He couldn't remember what it was about. He only knew that it'd made him think of his father and Steve.

Ever since he left the United States he'd felt as if he'd made a mistake. A big one. Remus and Hermione had both been at him, convincing him that his education was important. He'd only relented after learning full well that his father would be kept from him for the foreseeable future. There was no use in him sitting in Washington waiting when he could as well do the waiting at Hogwarts.

Talking to Steve helped. If his father was anything like what Steve described, or anything like Steve himself, Harry would be happy. The great Captain America, an idol so large that even some wizards knew of him, was more than a hero. He was a person. A person Harry was coming to like. The man was dependable, honest and upfront. That he was unreachable from time to time did nothing to diminish the impression. Harry had discovered that he needed someone like that in his life.

When Voldemort was dead and Remus remained standing, he'd tried to become closer to the man. Much of what they'd built over the summer months had crumbled as the truth about his father got out. Harry didn't want to feel betrayed. He didn't want to hate or even dislike Remus. Being angry and carrying around dark emotions was draining and unproductive. He wanted his life to be different. He wanted to forgive and move on. It wasn't as easy as that. Not even with magic.

He'd yelled that first night in New York and not a single time since. He'd concentrated on asking Remus to tell him what he did know of his parents rather than why he hadn't said anything before. These story sessions had grown less frequent and now he only saw the man in class.

As if all of that wasn't enough, the news that his father was a muggle had made its way into the Daily Prophet. An onslaught of letters had followed. Howlers that screamed out in rage, exploding when not attended to. Also a few sympathetic letters.

And then another letter. A letter that he had yet to tell Steve about. He knew that he should. He wanted to. He wanted to tell anyone about it. Hermione. Ron. Remus. McGonagall. He'd settle for one of the paintings. But he couldn't. There was a compulsion on it, holding his silence. It has passed through the careful inspection all his mail went through before he received it. Once he discovered that he couldn't speak about it he had therefore despaired. Giving the sender too much credit. He'd found one loop hole. The compulsion didn't stop him from researching a way to break it. He had to break it. The taunting watermark at the top of the page told him as much. A scull and six curling tentacles. HYDRA.

End Chapter 10

AN 31st October 2015

This update came a bit quicker, just over a week. I'm pleased with that. I hope you're pleased to, with the speed and with the content of the chapter. Let me know your thoughts and thanks for reading!

[Last Edited February 2016]