Hallowed (B. Barnes)

Chapter Three

Bucky walks Sydney's side this time as they head back towards her apartment. He'd eaten her bagel as instructed and she'd order him another two which he ate too. He's starving. She can see it in the way he carries himself, the way his clothes fit. He's been getting slimmer since she first saw him. And whilst she may be a monster in blood, she tries not to be a monster in person. And he needs help. Maybe that's why he followed her. He just wanted someone to see what he needed.

"Syd's a strange name" he comments out of the blue, he's been quiet since they left the cafe. She snorts a little and glances to him, his hair and hat hiding his face from her.

"Sydney" she alters. "My full name is Sydney" he turns to look down at her, his blue eyes seem brighter this close. He still appears tired though. Tired and lost.

"Isn't that a boys name?" he asks.

"Really?" she asks him, he shrugs a little.

"I'm still....getting used to things" he admits. "How long have you been here?" he asks her, she shrugs a little.

"In Romania or Bucharest?" she counters glancing up at him. "The world?" he shoots her a look at that.

"Both" he answers. "Any"

"I was born in '79" she answers, he does the math in his head....35, she's 35, and looks....actually she looks really good for it. "Well, Bucharest about 8 months now" she offers. "Romania...I've come and gone for about the last 8....9 years.....Traveled through Europe a bit" she admits.

"You're American, though?" she nods.

"Yep..." she admits. "I was born in Kansas so...long way from Romania"

"Brooklyn" he offers, she raises an eyebrow.

"You're an American too?" he nods. "Your accent is...harder to place, it seems to fluctuate" she takes a breath. "So why are you here?" she asks tucking her hands into her pocket.

"Escaping" he answers, she nods.

"Yeah, I get that" she agrees softly, understanding. He glances to her.

"Is that why you're here?" he asks her, she hums and looks to him.

"Family issues" she admits with a side shrug. "It's been...." she counts a little in her head and then scoffs. "14 years"

"You haven't seen your family in 14 years?" he asks her as he stops, she turns to him and nods. "Don't you miss them?" she sighs a little.

"It's complicated" she answers. "They had their chance to reach out...I'm not the one in the wrong for what happened there" she walks away, Bucky catches up to her.

"I never said you were" he assures her. "I'm just...asking"

"For someone to talk to, right?" she asks him, he nods. "Alright, well let's talk about you" he shakes his head.

"No" he answers.

"But it's okay to talk about me?" she raises an eyebrow. He realizes that he is being a little unfair.

"I just..." she tugs her jacket closer.

"Yeah" she agrees. "Been a while" she offers, he nods.

"I should go" he whispers and then clears his throat. "I should be getting back" he adds stronger as he motions behind him even though he lives across the road from her, he needs a walk, he needs to think this through, think her through.

"If you need someone to talk to" she starts. "You know where I'll be" she teases weakly. He nods and then backs away from her. She sighs and shakes her head heading onward. Bucky pauses in his steps to watch her. It's easy to talk to her. He wants to just....talk to her. But how can he break who and what he is to her and expect her to be okay with it? He's not okay with it and it happened to him. She's so nice. She has been nice. Considering he stalked her. She should have yelled. Chased him off. Called him a sick freak. But she fed him, walked with him, talked to him.....like a human being.

.............

Sydney stands in her apartment on the phone, pacing slightly in front of her bed. Her duffel and her weapons bag resting on the top. She glances out the window and sighs.

"I can be there in a few hours" She responds in Hungarian as she sets a couple of button-up shirts into the duffel. "Are you sure that's what it is?" she looks to her bag of weapons open on her bed. She listens to the response and nods before hanging up. She takes a breath and picks up an empty pistol from a case open on the bed. Sydney grabs the box marked silver and opens it. Clips of silver bullets sit all nice and neat and in a row. She grabs one and snaps it into her pistol with a determined look. Her hunter instincts kicking in.

..............

Bucky didn't keep much from Hydra. Other than his training and his....memories. He opens the weapon case on his bed and sighs seeing the pistol and assault rifle inside. This is it. Plus the knife he keeps in his boot. He has more to protect now. Because he will protect her now. His new friend. His hand hovers over the pistol. Unsure. He doesn't want to touch it. Doesn't want to pick it up. Sydney's face flashes in his mind and his hand is surer this time, fingers wrapping around the gun before he picks it up. He will keep them in working order. Keep them clean. Keep her safe. He looks up and ejects the clip with a heavy breath.

..............

Sydney unlocks the garage door and lifts it up revealing her car inside. She doesn't use it in the city, there is no need, but leaving to hunt she does need a ride. She smiles though. She loves this car. It's seen her from Paris to Riga to Palermo. Her old faithful. She opens the trunk and throws her bags into it before shutting it and moving to the driver's door.

................

The sound of the car engine is perfect, beautiful, rumbling through her. Reminding her of the Impala. It drives away from the garage, tires skidding and squealing a little before settling. Sydney sits behind the wheel, music blaring. This is something she loves. Driving in her beat-up car, on the way to a hunt.