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17. Laying Low

This is going to be our new location. In the middle of scenic nowhere.

From the time the announcement had been made at the base, Bucky and I had started to make preparations. We weren't ordered to go by new identities and everything, though I didn't understand why we didn't. We were technically fugitives, we needed to start over if we were to blend in. Didn't that require a clean slate, new name, new background, and everything else?

Now, here we are, just a few days later, standing before one of the most desolate places to hide. At least we are far away from main roads, but we are hidden deep in the woods. The cottage looks really small, as we haven't even stepped foot in it yet.

"I'm not about being a hermit," I say quietly as I lean against the car door. "I'd rather live with people around."

"But you know we can't," Bucky tells me. "Hydra is everywhere, we can't take any chances."

"You've got the phone, right?"

"You have yours?"

I pat my pocket to prove it. We were given disposable phones before departure as our only means of communication. They are the only way we'll know when it's safe to regroup with other S.H.I.E.L.D. members. "We might as well settle in," I huff. I take the lead, heading for the door.

I grab the key from under the doormat—as instructed—and unlock the door. We move ourselves in, with just us for now. We want to observe what we're staying in first.

The den room is massive, with a nice-looking fireplace. Above that fireplace is a rather nice plasma TV. I like this already, we've got entertainment.

A loveseat is to the left of the fireplace, and behind the loveseat is a window—a perfect view of the outside. The kitchen is open and sort of connected to the den room, but on the small side. As though it's only built for two people. S.H.I.E.L.D. did their research.

The floor is carpet and doesn't look half bad to sit on. I find a small hallway and go down it to find a few doors on each side. One is the bathroom, and the other is the master bedroom. My cheeks redden. I feel like I've been introduced to my honeymoon suite, with how the cottage is only made for two.

But I'm not on a honeymoon, I'm in the middle of the woods with Bucky. We're on the run since Hydra insists on pursuing us. This isn't a trip, we can't have fun here. Or can we? We can't confine ourselves to just the cottage, we'd run out of vital things, like food.

"It's simple," I murmur. "But it'll work." I venture out back to the den room to find Bucky standing guard at the window already. "I think we can rest easy, Buck. I don't think Hydra followed us here."

"You don't know that."

I walk to stand beside him, touching his arm. "You can play guard once we get our stuff inside. Come on." I have to pull him away from the window and back to the car so we can grab our things.

We never packed much, so it only took one trip from the car to the cottage.

"Where are we again?" I ask once I drop the baggage on the floor.

"Washington," Bucky states. "Some place deep in the woods, away from Hydra."

"More like away from all civilization as we know it," I scoff. "I bet the others aren't hidden in the woods like we are."

"They probably aren't even in the United States. I'm pretty sure Agents Barton and Romanoff aren't."

I shrug. I wouldn't remember anything about that, Bucky got the details from Agent Hill and Director Fury, not me. "Well, I guess we better start making this look homey."

We lug our baggage into the master bedroom and start tearing them apart. I've got more headbands and ponytail holders than I can count—I'm not a fan of having my hair down. I've got enough clothes, but they probably won't be enough for us if we're staying here a lot longer. We better have a washer and dryer here.

Bucky leaves at some point to discover the rest of the house.

"We've got a basement!" he calls out. "We'll be able to do laundry!"

"Thank God!" I breathe. "And I think you mean I'll be able to do laundry!"

"This place isn't too shabby." Bucky comes back into the bedroom. "So, what exactly are we doing?"

"Adjusting for right now. Am I calling the shots during our stay?"

"Some, yes." He smiles thinly. "But when it comes to protection, that's all me."

"You got it, Barnes."

"That's Sergeant Barnes to you."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh really? Sergeant huh?"

He nods. "Mhm."

"Do I get to hear that backstory or is it not important right now?"

He shrugs. Something rumbles nearby. "Either a storm's coming or someone's starving."

"Most likely starving," I mumble. "I didn't get to eat anything since you wanted to get here as soon as possible."

"Let's see what we've got in the kitchen."

Bucky and I investigate our kitchen's contents. There are the basics like bread, cereal, and water, cheese and such. I purse my lips. Looks like we'll have to go out and mingle.

"This isn't going to work," I huff. "We need to go out and get some things."

"We haven't even eaten anything!"

"Do you want to live off of basics?" I ask.

"I can for right now. We need to stay hidden, Dani."

"And we will," I assure him. "But we can't coop ourselves in here all the time! We'll need fresh air. And unless you want to hunt game outside of the cottage, we're going to the nearest town to get groceries."

Bucky scrunches his nose in irritation, realizing that I've won this argument. "Would you want to go now or wait a few days?"

"That's up to you."

He sighs. "Come on, then. Let's get it out of the way."

We drive into the nearest town, which is almost a half hour away. It's a cute little town, but the air is dismal over it. I can only blame it on the weather, it's been cloudy since we got here. Washington isn't well known for its sunny days.

Bucky takes his time getting us to where we need to go. He's startled, I can tell, from the way he grips the wheel and his overall posture. I touch his arm to settle him down. He looks at me from the corner of his eye.

"We're fine," I say gently. But I understand where his alertness is coming from. He's tackling the worrying for the both of us, as he's designated himself as my protection for this "trip".

Before long, we park in front of a grocery store. Bucky stares through the windshield, watching passersby.

"Do you want to stay in the car or come in with me?" I ask.

"I'll go in."

"Are you sure?"

"I can't exactly protect you from in here, now can I?" His lips twitch into a smile.

We both climb out and he locks the car. He nonchalantly grabs my hand, I don't question it. The automatic doors slide open, and food overwhelms my nose.

We start at one area and do a full aisle search through every one. We pick up what's most appealing and try not to blow out all our cash that we've got on hand. We need to conserve some for gas, just in case. Would it be worth it to try and get a job here too? Or would that be too much?

We take about an hour sifting through the entire store before checking out. I make sure to pay entirely in cash before we walk out with bags in our hands. We stuff them all in the trunk before getting back into the car.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" I tease Bucky.

"I guess not."

"Maybe we've found the one state Hydra isn't occupying."

Bucky kicks the car into gear, and we make our way back to the cottage.

* * *

We ended up heating up some TV dinners, as neither of us claimed to be good cooks. We weren't taking chances of giving each other food poisoning. We ate in the den room, turning on the news. I couldn't remember the last time I had watched TV. Had I watched any while with Hydra?

Once finished, I go back to unpacking my things while Bucky remains in the den room. I open the closet, realizing there are no hangars, only empty spaces. At least there's a dresser in the room that we can put our clothes in. I go through Bucky's things, not to snoop, but to organize them. Something catches my eye, I pick it up.

It's a very thin material, whatever it is. I scrunch my eyes and try to figure out what is.

"You found that, huh?"

I jump to see Bucky in the doorway. I nod, my eyes go back to the material. "What is it?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. technology." He enters the room, takes the material from me. "Watch." He drapes the material over his bionic arm. I blink widely as his bionic arm turns to flesh. "Kind of wish I had taken this inside the store earlier, but nobody freaked out."

I can't help but touch the newly transformed arm. It's still cold, but the detail is so real. "It's almost like having it back," I whisper.

"Almost," he agrees. I look up at him to see a forlorn look in his eyes. Blush creeps into my cheeks, making me wish I had taken back the comment about his arm. "I'll have to start wearing it if we're going places."

"It would help us lay low." I peel the material off of his arm. It's almost like pulling off a veil, his metal arm is back to normal. "I'll have to store this somewhere safe."

"I'll just keep it on me." He takes the material from me. "I won't lose this."

"I would hope you wouldn't, that's some nice tech." I yawn. "All right, I don't think we figured out sleeping arrangements..."

"I'll take the couch."

I stare at the bed before us. "Bucky, this thing is huge. There's more than enough space for two people."

"I get that, but I don't really sleep. When I do, I'm not peaceful." He frowns, his eyes downcast to the floor. "I'd rather spare you sleep deprivation."

"Buck—"

"I'll be fine, Dani, really," he waves my protest off. "Besides, one of us needs to stay up and take watch."

I shake my head. "You're taking this way too seriously."

"I don't see why you aren't. We're fugitives, Danielle. We can't afford to be reckless about this."

"We won't be," I assure him. "We'll treat this like we're undercover."

"I think we technically are."

I purse my lips. "Well, we'll try and blend in. Carefully mingle. Try and maybe build a temporary life here until we get orders from Fury or Hill, or someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm not about to sit around here and do nothing but eat, sleep, and watch TV."

His lips twitch upwards. "I don't remember you being so...commanding. I guess you and I weren't around each other enough for me to get that impression."

Right. Our Hydra days. Where I was an agent along with my Hydra sister, and where Bucky had been the Winter Soldier. I swallow, trying to not think about the dark past we both were enveloped in before.

"Well, goodnight," he says before lumbering out of the bedroom.

I sigh. "Goodnight." I stare at the bed.

I guess I get the luxury all to myself, whether I like it or not. 

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