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The metal extremity reached down to the floor, picking up the iron and handing it back to Alex, who turned it off and returned it to it's holder. "Hi." He said meekly, bright blue eyes peeking through dark locks.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked when she was finally able to recover the gift of speech.

Bucky swallowed, "We need to talk."

Now? NOW we need to talk? "What needs saying now that wasn't said a year ago?"

"This isn't about us," he sighed. "Well, not completely." Alex just continued to stare at the man in her doorway, not quite able to believe that he was actually doing this now. "Can I just come in and talk to you?" Bucky continued, a little uncomfortable.

She ushered him inside just enough to be able to close the door. "I can't tonight, I've got a date." Alex spoke quickly, hoping somehow she'd feel better being able to get it over quickly.

"A date?" Bucky had to admit, it took him by surprise. He'd never thought about the fact she might have moved on. But now he realised how stupid that was - of course she'd moved on, it had been a long time. "Have you got...a boyfriend?" He asked, not particularly looking forward to the answer.

For some reason, the way he asked this served to make Alex want to slap him. She didn't, but it was close. "Okay, you don't get to come in here acting like the injured party you sent me away, remember? I haven't seen or heard from you in a year!" His eyes went to the floor so fast you would've thought he was a child being chastised.

Bucky wanted to know more, but he didn't want Alex to be mad at him. "So, erm, how long have you and..."

"Jake." She filled in the blank.

"...been dating?"

"A month."

"Oh, okay." Not long. The fact comforted him, if only a little. But, as much as he tried, he just couldn't stop himself. "And have you...y'know?"

Did he seriously just ask that? "I really don't think that's any of your business anymore." She said incredulously. She hadn't slept with Jake, (largely to do with her scar and the story that would explain it) but she wasn't about to tell Bucky that.

"No you're right, I'm sorry." Bucky shook his head, brushing some hair from his face and clearing his throat. "But I really have to talk to you."

"Then talk."

He leant against the kitchen counter, "It's not exactly a five minute kind of thing."

Alex sighed, "Well, then-" she was about to tell him that he'd have to come back when she heard her cell phone ring. "Hello?"

'Hey it's Jake. I was just calling to check if we were still on for tonight' Her eyes went to Bucky, still leaning on the counter and biting his thumbnail. She needed to get this over with or he'd keep coming back. And the shock of him turning up again like he had could kill her.

"I was just gonna call you - my dad's been rushed to hospital, they think it's his heart. So, y'know I really think I should be with family right now." Alex lied, careful not to make eye contact with the man in her kitchen as she spoke.

'Oh my god. Yeah, of course you should. We'll rain-check - do it when your dad's better.'

"Yeah, thanks for being so understanding. And I'm sorry it's such short notice."

'You don't have to apologise, it's not your fault. Look after yourself, Alex. I love you, babe.' Jake was sweet, and she didn't want to lie to him, but explaining would be a lot more complicated.

"Thanks, me too." Alex liked Jake, but she wasn't ready to drop the L-word in there yet. And okay, she'd known him a lot longer than she had Bucky - but it was different with them, they went through a lot. She hung up the phone only to look up and seeing Bucky smirking at the floor.

He brought his eyes up, "Cancelling plans with your boyfriend? Maybe you're not over me after all."

"Or maybe I'm just trying to get rid of you as fast as I can." Alex moved to the couch, motioning for Bucky to sit.

For a while they sat in silence, Alex waiting for Bucky to talk and him not wanting to rush into anything. "So I take it he doesn't know about your parents?" He asked

"I told you before, its not something I just tell people." Alex said quietly.

"You told me." Bucky said softly, with a smile that almost made Alex forget the last year.

Almost. "To stop you having a panic attack." She brushed it off. "Are you gonna tell me what you came here for?"

Bucky sighed heavily, he clearly hoped to find out more about what she had been doing for the past year. "You need to come with me."

"Hang on a second - I thought you just wanted to talk to me?"

"Fury needs to talk to you about something." He said, unable to look her in the eye.

But if anything, this just made Alex more confused. "Then why are you here and not him?"

He raised a brow, "Because he doesn't make house calls, Alex." Though she was a little baffled still, Alex couldn't ignore that hearing Bucky say her name again after all this time still made her heart skip a beat. "We have to go to him."

She stood, so as not to be taken in any more - the fact he referred to them as 'we' struck a nerve. "Seriously?! You're the one who sent me away - or have you forgotten that? After all, it has been a year."

"Don't be like that," He sighed, understanding that she must have been angry with him. "You're not safe here Alex."

Her eyes widened incredulously at his admission, "Really? Because we've been here before. I'm not safe with you, I'm not safe without you - what is it gonna take Bucky?"

"I don't know," he said honestly, standing and moving towards Alex. She stood, lips pursed, looking anywhere but at him. So, slowly Bucky reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers and though she left her hands in his for a moment, Alex pulled away when reality hit her. "I think you should leave." She murmured, turning away from Bucky's hurt eyes.

There was quiet behind her, "What about Fury?" He asked quietly.

Alex turned back when she was sure that she had regained her composure, "If Fury wants to talk to me, he can come here himself."

Bucky nodded, a tight smile flashing across his lips. They walked back to the door and before he left, Bucky turned back, "Goodbye Alex." He said, closing the door behind him.

"It was only then that Alex was hit by the crushing reality of the fact that that was the first time he had said 'goodbye' to her.

Description
The metal extremity reached down to the floor, picking up the iron and handing it back to Alex, who turned it off and returned it to it's holder. "Hi." He said meekly, bright blue eyes peeking through dark locks.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked when she was finally able to recover the gift of speech.

Bucky swallowed, "We need to talk."

Now? NOW we need to talk? "What needs saying now that wasn't said a year ago?"

"This isn't about us," he sighed. "Well, not completely." Alex just continued to stare at the man in her doorway, not quite able to believe that he was actually doing this now. "Can I just come in and talk to you?" Bucky continued, a little uncomfortable.

She ushered him inside just enough to be able to close the door. "I can't tonight, I've got a date." Alex spoke quickly, hoping somehow she'd feel better being able to get it over quickly.

"A date?" Bucky had to admit, it took him by surprise. He'd never thought about the fact she might have moved on. But now he realised how stupid that was - of course she'd moved on, it had been a long time. "Have you got...a boyfriend?" He asked, not particularly looking forward to the answer.

For some reason, the way he asked this served to make Alex want to slap him. She didn't, but it was close. "Okay, you don't get to come in here acting like the injured party you sent me away, remember? I haven't seen or heard from you in a year!" His eyes went to the floor so fast you would've thought he was a child being chastised.

Bucky wanted to know more, but he didn't want Alex to be mad at him. "So, erm, how long have you and..."

"Jake." She filled in the blank.

"...been dating?"

"A month."

"Oh, okay." Not long. The fact comforted him, if only a little. But, as much as he tried, he just couldn't stop himself. "And have you...y'know?"

Did he seriously just ask that? "I really don't think that's any of your business anymore." She said incredulously. She hadn't slept with Jake, (largely to do with her scar and the story that would explain it) but she wasn't about to tell Bucky that.

"No you're right, I'm sorry." Bucky shook his head, brushing some hair from his face and clearing his throat. "But I really have to talk to you."

"Then talk."

He leant against the kitchen counter, "It's not exactly a five minute kind of thing."

Alex sighed, "Well, then-" she was about to tell him that he'd have to come back when she heard her cell phone ring. "Hello?"

'Hey it's Jake. I was just calling to check if we were still on for tonight' Her eyes went to Bucky, still leaning on the counter and biting his thumbnail. She needed to get this over with or he'd keep coming back. And the shock of him turning up again like he had could kill her.

"I was just gonna call you - my dad's been rushed to hospital, they think it's his heart. So, y'know I really think I should be with family right now." Alex lied, careful not to make eye contact with the man in her kitchen as she spoke.

'Oh my god. Yeah, of course you should. We'll rain-check - do it when your dad's better.'

"Yeah, thanks for being so understanding. And I'm sorry it's such short notice."

'You don't have to apologise, it's not your fault. Look after yourself, Alex. I love you, babe.' Jake was sweet, and she didn't want to lie to him, but explaining would be a lot more complicated.

"Thanks, me too." Alex liked Jake, but she wasn't ready to drop the L-word in there yet. And okay, she'd known him a lot longer than she had Bucky - but it was different with them, they went through a lot. She hung up the phone only to look up and seeing Bucky smirking at the floor.

He brought his eyes up, "Cancelling plans with your boyfriend? Maybe you're not over me after all."

"Or maybe I'm just trying to get rid of you as fast as I can." Alex moved to the couch, motioning for Bucky to sit.

For a while they sat in silence, Alex waiting for Bucky to talk and him not wanting to rush into anything. "So I take it he doesn't know about your parents?" He asked

"I told you before, its not something I just tell people." Alex said quietly.

"You told me." Bucky said softly, with a smile that almost made Alex forget the last year.

Almost. "To stop you having a panic attack." She brushed it off. "Are you gonna tell me what you came here for?"

Bucky sighed heavily, he clearly hoped to find out more about what she had been doing for the past year. "You need to come with me."

"Hang on a second - I thought you just wanted to talk to me?"

"Fury needs to talk to you about something." He said, unable to look her in the eye.

But if anything, this just made Alex more confused. "Then why are you here and not him?"

He raised a brow, "Because he doesn't make house calls, Alex." Though she was a little baffled still, Alex couldn't ignore that hearing Bucky say her name again after all this time still made her heart skip a beat. "We have to go to him."

She stood, so as not to be taken in any more - the fact he referred to them as 'we' struck a nerve. "Seriously?! You're the one who sent me away - or have you forgotten that? After all, it has been a year."

"Don't be like that," He sighed, understanding that she must have been angry with him. "You're not safe here Alex."

Her eyes widened incredulously at his admission, "Really? Because we've been here before. I'm not safe with you, I'm not safe without you - what is it gonna take Bucky?"

"I don't know," he said honestly, standing and moving towards Alex. She stood, lips pursed, looking anywhere but at him. So, slowly Bucky reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers and though she left her hands in his for a moment, Alex pulled away when reality hit her. "I think you should leave." She murmured, turning away from Bucky's hurt eyes.

There was quiet behind her, "What about Fury?" He asked quietly.

Alex turned back when she was sure that she had regained her composure, "If Fury wants to talk to me, he can come here himself."

Bucky nodded, a tight smile flashing across his lips. They walked back to the door and before he left, Bucky turned back, "Goodbye Alex." He said, closing the door behind him.

"It was only then that Alex was hit by the crushing reality of the fact that that was the first time he had said 'goodbye' to her.