DESTRUCTION.
( chapter six. )

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Edited 04/29/2018

  ANDREA HEAVED AN EXHAUSTED sigh, kicking the door of her apartment closed behind her. She didn't care for the police tape anymore, she wanted to be somewhere she could think without being nagged. A frown was prominent on the female's lips as she then dropped her keys onto a nearby stand.

  Now that she'd walked off a good majority of her anger, she felt some-what ashamed and guilty for how she'd reacted.

  She knew that she wasn't neccessarily at fault. But, to imagine that one of her teammates─ one of her friends─ could get injured or, in the worst case scenario, killed, made her feel horrible. The words she'd spoken could've possibly been the last she would ever say to one of them.

  The brunette groaned, turning and pressing the back of legs against the arm of the couch before falling backwards onto the cushions. She stared up at the ceiling, thoughts firing every which way. She didn't want to think about Strucker or the serum, but they seemed to be the only matter on the female's mind.

  The entire situation was so confusing that it made her level of comprehension feel almost nonexistent. Her train of thought was mud and it left her unable to properly think about the ordeal. Andrea pressed the heels of her palms against her closed eyes, another sigh escaping her lips.

  She was thoroughly done with the events of the day.

  The Jones woman turned her head as the sound of the house phone ringing suddenly came from her right. She reached over to grab the device from her coffee table, not bothering to check the caller ID as she answered. Bucky didn't have one and, even despite her guilt, Andy was still hoping that Steve wouldn't call.

  "Hello?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side so that she could fit the phone between her shoulder and ear. For a moment, there was only silence, before a breathy chuckle was heard on the other line. "I was trying to think of something charming to say but nothing came to mind." Bucky admitted, his tone almost sheepish.

  Andy bit her lip, a weak attempt to keep the smile on her lips from forming into a grin. "That sentence in itself was charming enough." She replied, her own chuckle escaping. Bucky laughed along with her for a moment before the line fell into a comfortable silence between the two.

  "How are you?" The female finally questioned, turning on her side to face the TV. She kicked off her shoes, pulling the blanket she'd abandoned on the couch over her body. The brunette sighed pleasantly as she then curled up comfortably on the cushions, completely content.

  "I've been... okay. I'm managing." The Barnes man admitted softly. Andrea could see him ducking his head as he said the words. "The pills have been helping. But, it's still strange. I don't entirely feel like myself and this time, this world... it's different from what I'm used to. I think." Another breathy laugh was heard, though, this time it sounded nervous.

  Andrea frowned, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, I wish there was more I could do to help." The brunette offered, her voice so gentle it was almost a whisper. There was nothing she wanted more than to be able aid Bucky through this time.

  She couldn't pretend as if she completely understood what he was going through because she truly didn't. It had been easier for her to sort through her memories because she'd already adjusted to this time and her personality still felt the same(ish) as it had before HYDRA.

  It also didn't hurt to have friends (old and new) by her side.

  Bucky, on the other hand, didn't have that kind of luxury. But, he did have her. "It's fine, I don't blame you. I'm thankful for all the help you've given me, Andy." The Barnes man told her, his tone kind. Andrea felt a half-hearted smile form on her lips and her heart ached in one, small moment of loneliness. She missed him.

  Or, rather, she missed the man she'd once loved.

  Everything was different now, Andy understood this. But, there was a part of her that struggled to let go of that bond. How could something she'd once felt so strongly be erased from her past─ from herself? Was she sure she even still felt the same? The female closed her eyes, lips pressed tightly together.

  She may have been unsure about her feelings, but if there was one thing that Andrea understood it was that it hurt. To think about letting Bucky go made her heart writhe in an emotion that Andy didn't truly understand. She liked to take that as a sign that, yes, there was still a part of her that deeply loved him. But, how could she be sure when there was never a right time to confirm it?

  Would there ever be?

  "Andy?" Bucky questioned tentatively, his tone sounding concerned. Andy assumed it was because of her silence. "Sorry, I got lost in thought." She admitted, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Originally, she'd thought short hair would be less of a hassle. But, on one particular windy day she found that nothing had really changed.

  As it would seem, tangles and being whipped by her own strands of hair were still inevitable.

  "No, it's alright. I just-" Bucky paused, seeming unsure of himself. "I wanted to ask you something." At the words, Andrea felt her heartbeat kick up in pace. "How much do you remember─ about us I mean." Bucky quickly added and Andrea smiled softly. He sounded nervous.

  "Are you asking about a particular part, Mr. Barnes?" Andrea was unable to help her teasing. Though, she would be lying if she said she didn't feel nervous with the direction this conversation was going. In the midst of her own confusion about her feelings, she wasn't quite ready to talk about their past relationship.

  "I think you know which part I'm talking about... Mrs. Barnes." Andrea felt as though her heart had stopped. She bit her lip, helpless to the way her face suddenly warmed. She didn't know what to say in reply, but hearing Bucky call her by his last name spread a certain feeling through her she couldn't quite place.

  God, I feel like a teenage kid with a crush all over again, the brunette thought to herself.

  Maybe she wasn't as confused about her emotions as she'd originally thought. Though, that didn't mean Bucky felt the same and Andrea refused to force her feelings onto him. Now wasn't the time to think about bringing a past relationship back to life. Especially not with Bucky's state. She wanted him to be able to make the decision in his right mind, not while he was on the run.

  Andy inhaled sharply. "You know, I still have the ring if you want it. I know it's a heirloom in your family." She told him, though there was a part of her that was hesitant in offering the piece of jewelry back. However, it wasn't really hers anymore and Bucky deserved to have this piece of his past returned to him.

  "No, I want you to have it." He said, the words spoken softly. Andrea was stunned into silence, unsure of what to say all over again. She couldn't accept this from him, no matter how much she didn't want to let it go. The ring he'd given her when they were married may have been a part of her past, but it played an even bigger part in the Barnes man's.

  "Bucky..." Andy began to say, but no other words seemed to form. She was truly speechless, something the Jones woman wasn't quite used to being. The female closed her eyes, rubbing at them with her free hand. "I can't do that, you know I can't." She finally said.

  It was silent for a moment, but then a chuckle was heard. Though, it didn't quite sound right; as if the person was anything but humored. Andy frowned. "It's alright, I didn't think you'd still feel the same. But, you'll keep it safe until I get back, right?" Andrea heaved a sigh.

  Her chest felt tight as she suddenly became overwhelmed with the complicated workings of this relationship. But, she didn't want to cry, no matter how much her eyes stung with unshed tears. "That's not what I meant, Buck. It's just... this isn't the right time." She tried to explain.

  "I know... I know it isn't." He replied and the line fell into silence once more. It stayed that way for a while, neither of them saying anything. There didn't seem to be much else to talk about anymore. The brunette closed her eyes, a wave of exhaustion washing over her and drawing out a yawn.

  Though she tried to stifle it, Andy knew Bucky had heard. "Are you tired? You can go to sleep if you want." He insisted and the female shook her head before realizing he couldn't see her. "No, it's fine. Was there any other reason you called? This is the second night in a row." She pointed out as she got up off the couch and made her way towards the bedroom.

  She tried to ignore the blood on the floor as she did so, but it felt nearly impossible. Andrea shivered at the recollection of the attack. She was struggling to find a new apartment. Steve had offered to be roommates, but Andy refused. Staying with Steve was definitely a no-go, especially not while she was receiving calls from the very person he was so desperately searching for.

  Andy still felt guilty about keeping Bucky a secret from the Rogers man, but she didn't want to do anything that might make the Bucky uncomfortable. "Yeah, actaully. You said that there was something you wanted to tell me yesterday?" Andrea furrowed her brow before realization quickly dawned on her; the serum. She'd wanted to tell him about the serum.

  "Right. Well, I'm back on the team. But, something's happened." She began to say, pausing for a moment as she tried to figure out how to explain her newfound abilities. "When I was in the hospital after the fight on the heli-carrier, someone came into my room. It was a HYDRA agent. While I was asleep, they injected a serum into my blood." Andy bit her lip, pausing for another moment to see if Bucky would reply.

  When there was only silence, she continued on. "It's changed things, but instead of benefiting them it benefits me. I can withstand using my powers for a longer amount of time, I can create telekinetic blasts, and I can use telekinesis. I don't even know if that's all I can do, there might be more." The female said as she opened the door to her bedroom and entered.

  "Wow... are you sure there isn't any negative side effects? That doesn't sound right, especially if the serum came from HYDRA." Bucky's tone was full of concern and Andy couldn't help but smile softly. "No, as far as I can tell there hasn't been any side effects. If there were they would've shown by now." She told him.

  "My theory is that they gave me the serum in order to make my powers unstable, but it backfired and strengthened my abilities instead." Andrea wished she had a better explanation. But, even as she said it, her current theory just didn't feel quite right. There were still so many aspects of this situation that confused her to no end.

  "But..." Bucky urged her to continue on. Andy rose her eyebrows in surprise, mildly shocked that the Barnes man had been able to pick up on her wariness. "But, they must have known that this was a possibility. If they wanted to weaken me, but risked so much in doing so, then they wouldn't have given me the serum in the first place. So, I've got nothing left to explain this and it's driving me insane." Andrea admitted, heaving a sigh afterwards as if to emphasize her exasperation.

  The brunette carried the phone between her ear and shoulder again as she took off her jacket and stripped to her workout shorts and tank. She was far too tired to change into more comfortable pajamas. Once she was done, Andy quickly got into bed, curling up into the blankets and sheets with a sigh of complete comfort.

  Andrea picked up the phone in her hand. "Maybe it's not an attempt to sabotage your powers... maybe it's a threat; no matter how strong you are you won't be able to stop them. You don't think they created any more enhanced do you? You're proof that their serum works, so they must've done something with it." Bucky replied, though it was something he didn't sound quite comfortable pointing out.

  It was a possibility that Andrea hadn't even thought of─ didn't want to think of. The female closed her eyes, biting down hard on her lip as the memories of all the experiments she'd been through sprang to mind. Her life had changed so much since the day HYDRA had successfully produced an enhanced serum.

  She became something dangerous and deadly. The Jones woman was never the same after what HYDRA did to her. But, when she escaped she'd made sure to erase and eradicate any possible way the serum might be reproduced. At least she'd managed to do one thing right in her time with the organization.

  "Well, they have a pretty idiotic way of threatening people if that's what their intentions were. Enhanced or not, this fight is going to end. After that, HYDRA will have no place left to hide." The brunette tried to keep the venom out of her tone, but it was a useless effort. Talking about the very people who stole years of life away from her always brought out a hatred she hadn't known she could ever feel.

  "Just... stay safe. Okay?" Andrea picked at the threads of her knitted blanket. It had been a gift from Clint and his family on her birthday. "I will, goodnight Bucky." She said softly. She could tell that the conversation was coming to a close and she was ready to finally sleep.

  "Goodnight, Andy." He replied and for a moment, there was only silence before the line finally went dead. Andrea sighed, hanging up the phone and setting it down on the nightstand beside her bed. She stared up at her ceiling in the darkness of her room, mind running through the possibility of there being more enhanced beings.

  The brunette closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than for it not to be true. HYDRA had destroyed enough lives and she refused to see anyone else suffer. She wouldn't let anyone else suffer. Andrea turned over in her bed, forcing these thoughts from her mind. She knew worrying over it now would do nothing; she needed rest.

  Unbeknownst to her, though, it was the last good rest she'd get for a long while.