InsaneJournal

Who: Bucky Barnes and Sharon Carter
When: Backdated to Monday, Jan 11, 2016
Where: Out
What: Date Number 3 gets interrupted by some bad news
Ratings/Warnings: Medium to High / discussions of parental death
Status: Complete



So, this was technically Sharon and Bucky’s third date. Big things happened on third dates, right? Not that Sharon was expecting anything to happen on this third date, it was just something to consider. Something to keep in mind. Something to weigh on her mind while she was getting ready for Bucky to come and pick her up. She’d dressed nice, having no idea what their plans were this evening, and was ready to go as soon as he knocked on the door.

Bucky still hadn’t met Viv. Sharon wasn’t sure she was ready for that step--and she knew that Aramis would want to meet Bucky, too, before she introduced him to the little one. But that was probably next on the to-do list. After their mistletoe kiss, blizzard date, and Star Wars date, Sharon had a really good feeling about this guy. Really good. The only thing that made her even remotely nervous was… Dreams. If he started to Dream… would that change things? She didn’t think so, but… it lingered in the back of her mind.

After climbing gently into the passenger seat of his car and settling her little purse in her lap, Sharon waited for Bucky to climb in on his side, then leaned over to sneak a kiss against his cheek. She’d been wanting to do that pretty much ever since they said goodnight after Star Wars.

~*~

"Hello, beautiful. You sure you're in the right car?"

Bucky felt as if he were underdressed for the evening in spite of the fact Sharon wasn't quite prepared for a Black Tie Affair. She looked put together in a way he couldn't manage in his dress suit. If he weren't disabled now, Bucky thought he could have kept up with her to a certain degree. He knew his competency level in the field; his uniform reflected the service he'd been to his country which went above and beyond the call of duty.

Some days he was able to do better than others.

Confidence was questionable for him depending on his mood.

Looking at the woman whose lips had warmed his face only moments before, Bucky felt as if he were on top of the world.

"I can honestly say I have never been more glad of a mistake if this is one for you. You are breathtaking."

~*~

Sharon laughed softly, but couldn’t stop grinning at him. Her cheeks flushed at his compliments and his attention, and she settled back in her chair. “You’re not too bad yourself.” That part was absolutely honest. Sharon thought Bucky was incredibly handsome, pretty much no matter what he was wearing. She had no doubt that he could clean up nice, but she didn’t mind him casual, either.

“Where are we headed tonight?” She asked as she settled her seatbelt across her chest. Of course, anywhere they wanted to go would be good with Sharon. She dressed nice, as this was, after all, a third date, but she was still ready for anything. It wasn’t a ballgown.

~*~

Few places had become local haunts for Bucky. He was too much a Brooklyn boy still to have developed a taste for California. The only reason he was trying the West Coast was the thought he couldn't go home again.

He wasn't that man and wouldn't ever be that man again.

For Bucky, there was only the possibility of a new home, no chance of ever going back to the old one.

"I was thinking we'd try something a little more---like a date. I feel too old to say it that way. I just don't have any other words to hand. How do you feel about doing the tourist thing with me? I may have booked us a gondola tour. They tell me it's supposed to be very old Hollywood."

That was way outside of Bucky's comfort zone, but he liked old-fashioned things and there was a quality to Sharon which reminded him of the Golden Age. She was classy. He loved the idea of treating her to something suitable even if it was a little cliched. Cliches existed for a reason, right? They were popular enough to get recognized since they worked. Bucky was willing to go with tried-and-true over new-and-unexpected any day.

~*~

Sharon beamed brightly at the idea. An old-fashioned, romantic, gondola tour sounded like the perfect way to spend an evening with Bucky. This was their third date, the date that was the gateway to deeper meanings and more intimate relationships. If things went well, it meant moving forward together, growing closer. Sharon was excited that she’d found someone she wanted all of that with. It was exciting, sure, but also a little terrifying. Kept her on the edge of her seat.

“I would love to do the tourist thing with you, Bucky,” she said, and gave him a warm smile. Her phone buzzed in her purse, vibrating against her lap. She jumped a little at the sudden movement, then went red as she dug the thing out. “Sorry, if that’s Veronica…” It could have been about Viv.

But it wasn’t about Viv. It was her mother’s best friend, texting her with an “URGENT, Call me.” And that didn’t bode well. Sharon’s face fell into a frown as she read the words.

~*~

Mood swings were something Bucky Barnes was all too familiar with courtesy of being a brother to three sisters. He could tell when a woman was having a momentary lapse as a result of the heat of passion or having some sort of actual crisis; Sharon looked as if she'd been dealt the kind of blow most didn't get back up after receiving. Bucky held his tongue until he realized she wasn't going to say anything.

"You need to get that? It looks serious. The tourist thing can wait."

Some women were worth waiting on.

Sharon Carter was one of those women.

Bucky was certainly happy enough to be given the opportunity to spend time with her, much less try to start something more than friendship with her. He was a good man in his way. He tried. Steve would always be the better man of the pair of them, but Bucky was working on being better. The world had seen some of him at his worst. There didn't seem anything to gain by keeping on that way.

He might as well try to be the best he could be since reputation was about all he had left.

~*~

A big rule in Sharon's house growing up had been that one never cried out 'help' in a game because it could confuse the adults nearby. The only time words like 'help' and 'emergency' and 'urgent' should be used were actual emergencies. So the use of the word 'urgent' made Sharon pause. She glanced over at Bucky, thankful that he was being so understanding. Really, how'd she luck out with him?

"It's probably nothing," she said, though she dialed her mother's best friend's number and waited while it rang. She didn't have to wait long, as the woman's voice came on harried and gravelly after only two rings.

The words came out and jumped into Sharon's ear without mercy. 'Sharon, your father had a heart attack this morning. He didn't survive.' It felt like all the air rushed out of the car. Sharon's head was in a bubble--like a goldfish bowl was dropped down to her shoulders. The phone slipped from her hand. Luckily she caught it, and raised it back up again. 'You'll need to come out as soon as you can, Shar. Your mother needs you.'

Sharon's tongue was dry and sticky. "Yes, I'm... Oh my God. I'm coming. Tell M-" her voice cracked. She cleared her throat. "Tell Mom I'll be there as soon as I can. Let me call you back." She hung up the phone, her nose burning, her eyes itching.

Sharon turned to Bucky. "...can you please take me back home?"

~*~

Bucky was already taking the first exit before Sharon had finished asking. He didn't need to be a mindreader to know she was in no place to take a gondola ride with him. They could do the tourist thing any time. Sharon was having a crisis which couldn't wait. There were some things which could not wait, not for anything or anyone. Chaos had a way of making itself known when a person least expected it.

"On it."

There was a turn around on the exit -unsurprising considering where Sharon's house was located and how the roads were designed in Orange County- to take them back the same way they'd came. It was similar to how Bucky's life felt lately: living in reverse. Every action was the result of going backwards in time to another era, a time before, a whole man's life instead of the crippled life Bucky lived now.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or is it better if I just shut up and drive?"

He could offer. Listening was something Bucky could still do well.

~*~

There were no words to describe how relieved Sharon was that she didn’t have to explain--didn’t have to relate the shocking news she’d just heard to Bucky. He was willing to trust her, willing to turn around without any additional information. The easiest thing to think for the moment was how guilty she felt that he’d gone to the trouble for their third date, and she was ruining it all.

But it wasn’t her fault. And if she could change it, she absolutely would.

When he asked her if she wanted to talk, Sharon’s immediate response was yes. She held it back, though, giving herself a chance to consider his question. In the end, she figured speaking it aloud would make it more true, would make it more real. Right now she could just pretend it was a bad dream. After all, she didn’t want to break down in front of the guy she was dating. It was only their third date. Not exactly the best time for him to see her sobbing uncontrollably.

“My dad--” No, that was not the best way to start. She swallowed and started again. “My mother’s best friend just told me my father had… had a heart attack.” Her throat felt like it was going to close. “He didn’t…. She said he’s…”

~*~

Disabled veterans were given more consideration lately than they had been in the past. Vietnam had taught many harsh lessons; America was more interested in caring for her men and women in uniform than she'd been back in the day. Bucky had gotten rehab which had allowed him to get a Guidosimplex steering stick with infrared controls he could work with his dominant left hand even though the arm was virtually useless.

He was never so grateful for that as he used his good arm to lift the left onto the wheel, anchoring his fingers around the stick in the proper position before taking Sharon's left hand with his right. It was a simple gesture which meant more than words. Bucky didn't have words for how it felt to lose a parent. He'd lost his father to the service; his sisters barely remembered his old man. The youngest? She didn't remember him at all.

Bucky didn't have more to offer Sharon than his only good hand as he rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.

Sometimes saying 'I'm sorry' simply wasn't enough.

~*~

Bucky was shocking. Not shocking in a bad way, but shocking in one of the best ways possible. He seemed to know instinctively what to do, the perfect thing to do, to comfort Sharon. She felt his warm hand wrap around her own, and the burning in her nose took over. Big, crocodile tears started to slide down her face, and she prayed that she wouldn’t break down until she was home with Veronica. Not here with Bucky.

She squeezed his hand, lifting her other to wipe at her cheeks. Nothing more needed to be said really.