DEMONS.
( chapter fifteen. )

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Edited 12/25/2015 @8:18 PM
Edited 07/11/2016 @5:27 AM

THE DRIVE TO THE COORDINATES was peaceful. Beautiful, in a way that felt too good to be true. With the sun out and the fields of farmland around them, it would have been easy to forget that they were fugitives on the run.

  However, rather than enjoy it, Andy found herself put off by the stillness and silence. Her thoughts were no escape, either. So, her fingers held her focus as she toyed with a loose thread on her jeans. Not even the passing scenery could comfort her. 

  With everything going on around them, it was hard. Andy bit down on her lip, struggling beneath the weight of her thoughts. She worried about everything; from Fury, to the assassin, and the world so unaware of what a compromised S.H.I.E.L.D. meant.

  And then, beneath all that worry was anger and grief.

  It was a wonder how Natasha could sleep. But, with her skill, compartmentalization likely came easy. Still, it was a wonder how any of them could keep moving. Moments of peace like this only made rest look easy.

However, Andy found herself proven wrong when a voice spoke up from the backseat, "Can I ask you both a question?" In response, Andy turned her head to look at Nat.

"Which, you don't have to answer," the Romanoff woman continued. "But, if you don't, it's kind-of like you're still answering—" Andy smiled at her rambling.

  It was cute to see Nat hesitant to ask them something. She simply wasn't the type to skirt around conversation. Which, also made Andrea mildly suspicious.

  But, before she could question Nat, Steve cut in. "What is it?" He asked, giving her a look that said, 'get to the point.'

  Natasha grinned, "Was that your guys' first kiss since 1945?" She glanced between the pair with little-to-no shame in her eyes. Rather, she seemed amused by the conversation.

Andy couldn't help but gasp. "I'm insulted," she replied, pouting. She would've liked to think that Nat had a little more faith in her experience. After all, it wasn't as if Andy was totally unfeeling.

It was just that, with their jobs, it was hard to work a love-life into the equation— and she wasn't exactly interested in starting either. Sure, she'd dated here and there. But, none of them had ever been anything serious.

  As Andy turned back to the window, she couldn't help but frown as she realized how lonely that sounded. Though, with her memory flickering back to her past love, she felt her heart falter. Of all her recollections, both past and present, she knew that she had never loved anyone as much as she loved Bucky. She never would.

  He was her first everything. Andy couldn't help but wonder if she would only feel this way for him. A part of her knew that, for the most part, it was true. She would never love anyone as deeply as she loved him.

However, loneliness was likely the last thing Bucky would've wanted for her. There would always be a special place in her heart for the love she'd lost. But, that didn't mean Andy would completely close herself off.

  At some point, when this grief was done with her, she would find happiness again. For him. For what he would've wanted; that Andy live her life well, unweighed by the memory of them.

Andrea glanced back at her two friends, "I'm going to try sleep. Wake me when we get there." She offered a faint smile before turning to lay back.

She hoped to find a distraction in her sleep. The memory of Bucky always made her heart hurt. Andy closed her eyes to ward away the tears. It wasn't long before she drifted off.

With her consciousness fading, there came the familiar ache in her mind. Though, rather than waking in discomfort, Andrea allowed her exhaustion to take over.

[ MEMORY. ]

The Jones woman heaved a sigh, frustrated as she picked at her half-finished blanket. So far, she had to admit, it wasn't looking too good. She'd never been adept at knitting, but Andy figured she'd give it a try. Her parents had gifted her all the necessary items, mostly on her mothers part.

According to Cora Jones, 'her daughter was going to learn one skill suited to being a wife, if it was the last thing she ever did.'

Andy hadn't bothered to dwell on what her mother meant. She already knew. The entire town was alive with wedding after wedding. She wasn't in school anymore and therefore, no excuse was suitable enough to explain why she couldn't just 'get hitched.'

Andrea scowled at the thought. Every person stupid enough to marry in these times was an idiot. Love and loss were in far too much abundance for Andy to even linger on the thought.

She sighed, worn out and irritated as she flexed her fingers. All day there had been, quite literally, nothing to do. Her mother had taken her to visit family for the evening, leaving her no time to spend with Bucky and Steve.

Both of which she still hadn't seen, despite arriving home.

Andrea rose from her bed and walked over to her gas lamp, turning it on as the sun's light began to fade. It was one of her more favoured items. She liked to turn it on at night and study the shadows it cast around the room.

Steve thought it made her poetic. Especially when she told him about the stories she would give the shadows. Meanwhile, Bucky thought it was a waste of time.

Andy had fixed him with a pointed look, "Maybe to you, but everything has a story to tell." It also helped lull Andrea to sleep, but she had never told anyone that.

Bucky had smiled and laughed, though not out of mockery. He was always adoring of everything Andrea did. He'd told her that she never ceased to amaze him.

Andy smiled softly at the memory, but was roused from her thoughts as a sound caught her attention. It was a relentless half-tapping, half-knocking. It was annoying more than anything.

She dimmed the light of her lamp and looked to the source, her gaze landing on the window. She watched, brow furrowed as something small hit the glass. Andrea slowly made her way over, opening it up and peering down at the moonlit ground below.

She could faintly make out the shadows of two figures. One small and frail. The other tall and strong. Steve and Bucky.

"What're you two idiots doing!" Andy called out, struggling to keep her voice down.

"Well I couldn't just miss my best girl's birthday," Bucky replied, his voice carrying up to her window. Andy could just make out the faint grin adorning his lips. She couldn't resist her own smile.

"Come sneak out, we're going to a bonfire."

Andy scoffed, "You don't need to tell me twice." She was thankful for the distraction. Hearing her relatives discuss town gossip annoyed her to no end. Not to mention the questions of marriage.

Andy quickly changed before making her way downstairs. She tried to be quiet. It wasn't exactly like she needed permission, but Andrea also didn't need her parents spontaneously waking up either. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 9:00 PM. An hour of fun wouldn't hurt.

She crept out into the cool night, wrapping her jacket just a little tighter around herself. The door closed softly behind her. Andy wandered down the porch steps to her friends, who'd been waiting by the front.

"Who's hosting?" She asked as they began their walk towards the lake, where the fire was taking place.

"I am," Bucky replied, his smile coy.

Andy rose an eyebrow in response. "Yeah? What's the occasion?" She teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Though, if she were honest, she was brimming with excitement. The fact that the boys had gone out of their way to set this up for her made her feel eternally grateful. They were the greatest friends she could've asked for.

Bucky scoffed, almost as if he couldn't believe she'd asked. "Your birthday, of course. We weren't going to let you spend the day with just your relatives." He nudged her slightly, as if to knock some sense into her.

  Andy laughed, but she didn't shy away from the comfort of his presence. Her smile split into a grin, "You both know me so well." She leaned into the Barnes man as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"What're friends for?" Steve spoke up, shooting the brunette a smile. Andrea giggled, ruffling Steve's hair as he huffed at her.

When they arrived, the entirety of their youth seemed to be there. Which shocked Andy, given that not many people knew her well. If they came for the party alone, it wouldn't be entirely surprising. After all, the place was alive with noise— and people looked to be having fun.

Andrea studied the scene, smiling softly. The fire was huge, surrounded by small crowds of dancing bodies. Music drifted out from someone's car radio.

Andy turned to Bucky just as he looked to her. He held out his hand, a charming smile on his features. She bit back a laugh at the dramatics.

"May I have this dance?" He asked her, but she was already taking his hand.

"Do you even have to ask?" She laughed, grinning wildly. Bucky chuckled before leading her towards the fire. Andrea looked back at Steve, who smiled and mouthed the words, 'have fun.'

Andy waved at him before Bucky laced his fingers with hers. His arms wrapped around her waist and she settled her free hand on his shoulder. It was as if they'd been doing this for years.

It was a fair statement, since it was Bucky himself who'd taught her how to dance.

  "So, you're finally twenty," Bucky began, looking down at her in fondness. The look he held just for her could only be described as love. He wasn't going to deny how he felt for Andrea, simply because it was impossible to ignore.

She, of course, was completely oblivious to this and he hoped it would remain that way. Bucky didn't know what he would do if their friendship was ruined by his own, simple feelings. As if there were anything simple about what he felt.

There were no words to describe it, or even begin to express his emotions. It was a multitude of different things. It was happiness, and joy, and pain.

It was complete euphoria to look at someone and think, 'they're actually real. This person, this amazing and astounding person is right here, and I get to love them with every bit of my being until the day I die.'

And she could never know. Not like this; when he was set to be drafted, and she refused to marry a soldier.

But, she was in his arms. Andy was smiling up at him. That was all that he needed.

"Happy birthday, Andy," Bucky whispered, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

Her eyes closed involuntarily at the affectionate contact and when she reopened them she found her gaze meeting his. In the light of the fire, his eyes were still a beautiful blue. They captivated her, overwhelming in that single moment.

He could never know how much his gestures and those beautiful blue eyes meant to her. He could never know just how much she loved him.

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Feeding you gremlins some BuckyAndy content, with a side dish of angst hehehe.