★ ★ ★

The large house was quiet, giving Marlena a strong sense of comfort, as well as relief. Miranda was at work as usual, she hadn't heard from Hallie since yesterday's incident, and Mason had dragged Bucky away from the house. He claimed that the two of them deserved some more "guy time" together, despite the large age gap between the two of them. Bucky was babysitting Mason more than anything else, but he had left the house earlier that morning feeling rather ecstatic that Mason had actually wanted to hang out with him again. There was no telling when the two would be back, but Marlena hoped it wouldn't be for a while.

Although she enjoyed Bucky's company and wanted nothing more than to be with him, she couldn't help but take advantage of the alone time. She had been dealing with so much during the past several days and was more than relieved to be able to have some time to herself. It had been so long since she was able to just sit in her room and eat a copious amount of junk food while watching movies without needing to do something around the house or needing to do something for her brother. It was relaxing, and she was going to enjoy the time while it lasted, no matter how long or short it was.

Marlena's television screen lit up with images from Tarzan, and she smiled in content before snuggling into her blanket. Tarzan was one of Marlena's favorite movies, aside from Star Wars and Transformers, and it was also her favorite Disney movie next to Brother Bear.

As Marlena watched the movie, she began to recognize similarities between the character Tarzan and Bucky. Obviously, Bucky hadn't been raised in the jungle by gorillas, but there was something deeper behind the meaning of it all; Tarzan had met the leading lady, Jane, knowing that he was somehow different from his family. They were from two different worlds—just like Marlena and Bucky were from two different eras. And in the movie, Jane helped Tarzan come to an understanding of who and what he truly was—human. After meeting Bucky, Marlena had shown him everything the modern world had to offer him, as well as a glimpse into the past of the person he used to be, and in doing so, he found something within her that could come from her and only her—stability and a sense of comfort and belonging.

It was a beautiful symmetry to Marlena, and thinking about it only made Marlena's love for the movie grow.

As Marlena munched on the bag of Doritos in her hand, her phone began to ring. She let out a groan and sat the bag aside before picking it up and answering it. She assumed it to be her mom or even Hallie, so she didn't even bother checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" she chimed as she shoved another Dorito into her mouth.

"Hi, is this Marlena Claire?" the voice on the opposite line spoke. Marlena recognized it almost immediately and nearly choked on the chip in her mouth. Steve Rogers had finally called her after she spent two days convinced that he wouldn't.

"Yes, oh my gosh," Marlena responded. "I can't believe you actually called me. I honestly didn't think you would."

Steve chuckled. "Well, Sharon made it a point to make sure that I called you. She told me you were Jo's great granddaughter and that you needed to talk to me about something important. It isn't very often that my old friends' descendants attempt to communicate with me, so I figured that I might as well see what was up. . .so, what is up, exactly?"

It took Marlena a good ten seconds to compose herself. She was still in shock over the fact that Steve Rogers had actually called her and was genuinely curious about what she supposedly needed to say to him. It made her appreciate Sharon for helping her more than she already did.

"Okay, so, there's a situation," Marlena started.

"Is it financial?" Steve asked warily. "Because I can't help you with that. I'm the wrong Avenger for that type of situation."

Marlena chuckled and grabbed the remote to pause the movie. "No, no—it's nothing financial. But I assume you're familiar with Bucky Barnes, are you not? The Winter Soldier?"

Steve coughed before answering her. "Yes." Marlena could hear the sadness in his tone. She assumed the situation was just as sensitive for him as it was for Bucky.

"Well, he's the reason I'm calling you," she sighed, "You see, I went to the Smithsonian over a month ago and I found him looking at his memorial plaque in your exhibit. He was so lost and so broken, and the only thing he wanted was to find himself again, so he asked me to help him. I accepted, and he's been here at my house ever since."

The line went silent for several seconds before Steve finally spoke again.

"Bucky is with you? He's here? He's here in Washington?" Steve questioned, his voice shaky.

"Yeah, Steve. . .he's here. And he wants to see you, but he told me he couldn't find you, so I've been trying to find you for him," Marlena explained.

"Oh my goodness," Steve spoke quietly. He was busy trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. He and Sam Wilson had been working on trying to find Bucky for the past month, yet there had been no leads on his possible whereabouts. He couldn't seem to grasp the fact that Bucky had been under his nose the whole time, hiding in plain sight, yet hiding where no one would even think to look for him.

"I know this is a lot of information for you to take in, but—"

"Can I come see him? Please?" Steve cut her off. The tone of his voice was laced with desperation and a hint of excitement. He wanted to see Bucky, he needed to see Bucky. He'd been wanting to see Bucky since the day he fell off the train in the Alps, as well as the day Steve woke up from being thawed. He'd only seen him twice after that, and neither of those times had been on good terms. He wanted this time to be different, and with the information Marlena was providing him with he believed it would be different.

"He isn't exactly here at the moment; he's out with my brother, but he should be back before long. You're more than welcome to come over and wait for him, Steve. I could tell you everything that's happened since the helicarrier accident and the progress he's made since then," Marlena chuckled, "It's a very entertaining story, if I do say so myself."

"What's your address?" he inquired.

Marlena laughed silently to herself as she listened to his words. She should have known he wouldn't deny her offer. "Do you remember where Jo used to live? Where he would bring you guys when you had some time off?"

"It's still standing?" he asked, seeming immensely astounded.

"Yes," Marlena laughed.

"Wow," Steve whispered. "But yes, I do remember. I have several things I need to take care of first, so I should be there in about forty-five minutes."

Marlena smiled and pulled her jacket over her chest. "Okay, Steve, that sounds great. He's going to be so happy to see you."

"Thank you for this, Marlena—thank you so much," Steve said to her.

"It's not a problem."

"I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Yes, of course."

"Again, thank you," was the last thing he said before hanging up the phone.

Marlena squealed and threw her phone beside her onto the bed. She was ecstatic, more than ecstatic, really. Bucky had so desperately been wanting to see Steve, and the fact that Marlena was able to make that happen made her immensely happy. She was glad that they were both finally going to see each other after being apart for so many years. It made her anxious, and she wanted Bucky to come home now more than ever, but for now she would have to be patient, at least until Steve arrived.

She grabbed the remote from in front of her and pressed play, allowing the Disney movie to once again move across her television screen.

She removed herself from the comfort of her queen-sized bed and headed over to her closet to see if she could find something decent to wear for when Steve arrived. She had put on sweatpants and a t-shirt the moment she got out of the shower that morning, and she didn't exactly want to officially meet Steve dressed like that. She believed that meeting one of Earth's mightiest heroes should be done wearing suitable attire. They could even end up going out for dinner for all she knew, and if she had anything to do with it they would end up going to eat, so she needed to be ready regardless.

Marlena didn't own very many articles of fancy clothing, as she never really liked dressing up, so it took her about ten minutes of rummaging through her closet to find something appropriate enough to wear. Soon enough, she was changing into a pair of medium-wash skinny jeans, a flowy white shirt, and her nicest black leather jacket. It was her normal, casual attire, but it seemed to be the best she could do.

A glance at the clock on her bedside table revealed that Steve's estimated time of arrival would be in less than thirty minutes, so she pulled on her black ankle boots and rushed over to the opposite side of the room to put on a little bit of makeup.

Before she could even pick up her mascara tube, the door bell rang, sending a wave of confusion into her body. She glanced at the clock again, and only a minute had passed since she last checked. She highly doubted it was Steve, Mason had a key, as did Miranda, and she doubted Hallie would be making an appearance any time soon.

She let out a sigh and hurried out of her room. She hoped that she could get rid of whoever it was before Steve or Bucky arrived.

She pulled the front door open, expecting to be met with the face of a rather friendly neighbor or Washington D.C. resident, but instead she was met with the faces of three men dressed in nothing but black. Bullet proof vests covered their torsos, and Marlena noticed the pistols the men had sitting in holsters on their waists, as well as the larger guns protruding from behind their shoulders. She assumed these men to be law enforcement of some kind, but the demeanor they held informed her otherwise, and she became wary of them almost immediately.

"Hi, can I help you with something?" Marlena asked sweetly as she tried to force a smile. She was feeling rather intimidated by the men, and that only made it harder for her to act the part of an innocent neighborhood girl.

"Yes, ma'am," the man closest to the threshold spoke. "We've received intel that one of America's most wanted criminals has been hiding out in this house. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Marlena tried her best to keep her composure, and fortunately for her she succeeded. These men were here for Bucky, that much she knew, but how they knew he had been hiding out here was beyond her knowledge.

"I'm sorry," she said with a frown. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." She mentally scolded herself for even uttering those words. That was the typical response for those who were attempting to cover something up. If they caught her in her lie, then there was no doubt she would be taken away in handcuffs.

The man in front narrowed his eyes at Marlena. He could see right through her, all three of them could—they were trained for this sort of thing. But the man in front didn't want to make a scene because of it. . .at least not right yet he didn't.

"Are you sure, miss?" he asked her.

Marlena shrugged and closed the door slightly. "I'm sure. Maybe you have the wrong house?"

The man let out a breath before taking a step back and nodding, silently gesturing for his men to fall back for the time being. "Thank you. I do apologize for bothering you," he told her before retreating with his men.

Marlena shut and locked the door behind her, breathing out a sigh of relief when she realized that had worked.

She hurried back up the stairs to finish getting ready for Steve's arrival.

She was about five minutes into doing her makeup when she heard a startling noise coming from downstairs. She slowly placed her mascara tube back down onto the table in front of her and inched her way towards her bedroom door. A loud bang could be heard coming from her front door, and she ran to the stairs, stopping only when she noticed her front door burst open. Wood splinters flew everywhere, and her eyes widened in fear when she noticed the three men from earlier, as well as a whole squadron behind them, bursting into her home.

"Search the house! I want the assassin found and apprehended," the man from the porch yelled to his men. "His work for Hydra is yet to be completed!"

It took Marlena a fraction of a second to realize who these men were, and in a flash she was away from the staircase and back in her room. She ran over to her bed and grabbed her phone before squeezing herself underneath her bed, trying her best to ignore the heavy amount of footsteps echoing through the hallways of her home as she tinkered with the device. She only hoped that her long comforter would be able to conceal her from the intruders.

Marlena was more frightened now than she had been when they were only standing on the porch. She was trembling with fear. Had these people been only police officers, she would be perfectly okay, but they weren't, and that scared her to death.

She managed to unlock her phone throughout all of the trembling, and she soon found her way into her recent call log, pressing her finger to the number at the top. There were only two people she knew that knew how to deal with a situation such as this one: Bucky and Steve. Bucky was without a phone, though, as was Mason, so Steve seemed to be her only hope at this point. Marlena made a mental note, though, to buy Bucky a phone as soon as possible and hopefully teach him how to use it in case something like this were to ever happen again.

She pressed the phone to her ear, listening as it rang and as the men scurried through her house. They were getting closer and closer to her room, and that frightened her even more. She was sure they would do whatever it took to get information from her about Bucky's whereabouts and they wouldn't care one bit. She just hoped the sound of the television was loud enough to cover her as she spoke, if she even got the chance to speak.

What seemed like an eternity later, Steve finally answered the phone, and Marlena was filled with slight relief at the sound of his voice. She didn't allow him much of a greeting, though, as she cut him off with her pleas for help.

"They're in my house, Steve," she said quietly, her voice shaking with fear. "Hydra is in my house—they're looking for Bucky."

"What? Are you serious?" Steve asked, his tone urgent. She didn't even need to answer him, as the sound of men yelling and her bedroom door opening answered his question for her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched the phone tighter in her hand. They were in her room, which meant that they could find her, and the thought of that only made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Please help me, Steve," Marlena said as quietly as she could. Fearful tears were burning in her eyes, and the closer the footsteps got to her bed, the harder it was to hold them in. "Please help me!"

The footsteps halted in front of the bed, and Marlena stopped breathing out of fear of being detected by one of the men.

"I'm on my way! Just stay—"

The sound of Marlena's screams cut him off.

The same Hydra agent Marlena had spoken to at the front door had grabbed her by the ankle and forcefully yanked her out from under the bed. He looked down at Marlena's fearful eyes and watched as she slowly backed away from him. He didn't care about her feelings at all; he only cared about finding his assassin and bringing him back to finish the work he had started. If he wasn't able to do that. . .well, things would not end well for Marlena Claire.

"Please don't hurt me," Marlena pleaded with him as she backed into the wall, ignoring the slight pain that had erupted in her spine from the small actions.

"Tell me where the soldier is and I might consider allowing you to walk away from this," he spat, removing his pistol from his holster and twirling it around in his hands.

Marlena gulped at the sight of the weapon and focused her attention back up at him. "I don't know where he is, I swear."

The man growled in response to Marlena's lie, and yanked her off of the floor by her jacket, slightly choking her in the process. "Tell me where he is or so help me god this will be the end of you, little girl!"

Marlena's face contorted in pain as she struggled in the man's grip. She would rather die than let them take Bucky away. She refused to let them take his life away from him again; he deserved none of it and deserved only to live his life in peace without the fear of hurting people.

"No," she said back to him, her voice strained.

He narrowed his eyes at her and threw her back down to the floor. It was in that moment something sparked inside of him—an idea, perhaps. He could tell just by the way she was resisting him that she cared about the assassin, and if his assumptions were correct he could only further begin to believe that the assassin cared about her as well. He decided he would use that to his advantage—he would consider doing anything if that meant getting the soldier back, and if he had to torture the small brunette to do it, he would.

"I've got a better idea, little one," the man grumbled before taking his gun and slamming it into the side of Marlena's head. She collapsed to the floor and the man smirked down at her unconscious body, placing his gun back in its holster and moving towards her, throwing her over his shoulder with ease.

"If we can't have him, we'll just take you instead," the man muttered as he and his men began making their way out of the house. "Hail Hydra."