Requested by pers0n0naplanet

___________________

When Clint Barton, knocked on your apartment door and asked you to join the Avengers, you were dumbfounded. A small part of you knew he would ask you to join. When you first met him, it involved saving him, after all.

At first you were tempted to close the door on him, but since he had become a close friend, you decided against that. After letting him in, he spent the whole time trying to coax you to join. Out of all the extravagant, righteous, and quite ridiculous reasons to join, you firmly refused. Until, he said a name you hadn't heard in years.

Your reluctance to joining the Avengers stemmed from the fact that you preferred to work off the grid. You shied away from the limelight. Another important fact was that after your years kept as a Hydra experiment; you were not prepared to put yourself into a position where your powers could be used for the wrong. The fact that Hydra had infiltrated SHIELD did not help at all, despite Captain America's successful crusade of stopping them.

So as you stood outside the Avengers compound and stared at the looming A on the building, you reminded yourself that it would all be worth it in the end.

"Ready to go in?" Clint asked you. He gripped your suitcase to him and, with his free hand, gestured to the entrance. "Everyone's waiting for you."

You fidgeted with the silver band on your ring finger. It gave you comfort, and the strength you needed to take your first steps into a new life.

As Clint walked you to your room, he happily chatted on. "Who are you most excited to meet? Be honest."

You creased your eyebrows in thought. "Well... Thor. Can't blame me. He's a God."

Clint chuckled. "I made sure your room was far from his. He snores. A lot."

"My hero," you said. "Who are my neighbors?"

"Cap will be opposite your room, I'm down the hallway, and your room is flanked by Bucky and Sam."

You stilled. Trying your best not to give away anything, with the most uninterested voice you could muster, you asked, "Bucky, what's he like? You never told me much about him."

Clint gave you a small shrug. "He's a nice guy. But when he's not around Cap, or Sam, he gets pretty quiet sometimes."

"How's his memory? Has he remembered much of his past yet?"

Clint stopped outside a door that had "Welcome, ____" taped to it in bright, colorful cursive letters. You guessed that must be your room. He turned to you and raised a curious eyebrow. "He remembers most of when he and Cap were pals, but some of his time with Hydra is muddled up. You're oddly interested in him."

You shrugged your shoulders. "Just curious about my new team." You gestured to the door. "So, you going to show me my new room or what?"

He excitedly took out a key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and handed the key to you. Taking a few steps into your room he held out his arms. "Voila!"

Afterwards, Clint left, not before saying he'll be back to take you to the team. You were unpacking when you felt a presence. Not in the room, but in your mind. Someone was trying to poke around your head. Focusing on the presence, you narrowed in on it until a connection was formed. You felt surprise come from the person, and then embarrassment.

"Sorry," a woman's voice rang out in your mind. "I'm Wanda. Just wanted to make sure the newest member was trustworthy."

"The Scarlet Witch," you replied, amused. "Clint said your powers were strong. But, you still need to work on them before you go around snooping in people's minds."

"He said our powers are similar, but very different at the same time. I can sense that now. Perhaps you can teach me how to use mine?" she asked, hopefully. "I hope we can be friends."

An image of a little brown haired boy rang through your mind, followed by a family dinner, late nights of sneaking out, sibling rivalries, a destroyed building, two tombstones and many more flashes until the final one showed the same little boy, all grown up but with white hair. He was no longer breathing. Immense sadness and pain came afterwards, followed by hope and happiness that came with an image of the Avengers. Wanda was letting you into her mind. You did the same, showing her your time being captive at Hydra. The experiments, friends made and lost, and finally, a love started but left unfinished.

"Bucky?" she asked. "He's the reason you joined."

"As you saw, I hope our reunion goes well."

"I hope so too. Oh, Clint's on his way now. I'll see you soon." After those words, her presence disappeared. The connection, still there, was no longer active.

A few minutes later, Clint appeared and started leading you to the team. You followed him into a large room, with floor to ceiling windows. On plush couches, were seated the Avengers. Once they saw you, they immediately rose to their feet.

"Everyone, this is ____. The insanely badass friend of mine who saved my butt a handful of times," Clint announced.

Tony Stark walked up to you, smiling genuinely. "Welcome to the team, ____!" He shook your hand. "If any of these hooligans give you a problem, you let me know."

Captain America followed Tony's lead. His blue eyes shone bright with amusement. "If anyone gives you trouble, it'll probably be Tony." He grasped your hand. "Hello, ____. I'm Steve Rogers."

You shook his hand, somewhat awestruck. "I know who you are. It's an honor to meet you, sir."

A woman laughed beside you. Startled, you found Natasha Romanoff, the infamous Black Widow standing beside you. You didn't know how she snuck up next to you so quickly and quietly. "She sounds just like Scott," Natasha said. "Who sadly, couldn't be here today. His daughter is having a play." She eyed you intently, and her gaze softened. "It's nice to finally meet you, ____."

"I hope Clint has said nothing but good things about me," you told her.

A man suddenly pushed past Steve and stepped next to Natasha. He grinned at you. "Hi. I'm Sam Wilson. The Falcon. I'm sure you know me too."

"Hmmm," you said and looked away, deep in thought. "Sam? Never heard of you," you lied.

Sam faked an insulted look and pouted.

Tony chuckled. "I like her."

"Greetings, Lady ____! It is a pleasure to finally meet you," a tall, blond boomed. He approached you and scooped you up in his arms. "I am Thor! I hope we can become friends!"

"____ hasn't even been here for five minutes and Thor is already trying to hug her to death," Clint grumbled.

Still suspended in the air, Thor twirled you around and you laughed. "I don't mind! But Thor, could you, uh, put me down now?"

"Apologies!" he set you back down gently.

An android appeared next to him and looked you over speculatively. Beside him was Wanda. She gave you a hug as Vision eyed you suspiciously, until she shot him a glare, and he let down his guard, welcoming you as well.

Steve turned around, confused. "Bucky? He was right here. Where did he go?"

"He went to the bathroom a few minutes before ____ got here," Sam answered. "He's old, he can't control his bladder."

"Haha, very funny Sam," Bucky said as he entered the room. "I haven't heard that one before."

He looked almost the same from the last time you saw him. His hair was a bit shorter, and he looked happy. Much, much more happy. Mindlessly, you played with the silver band that you cherished so much, hoping to calm your nerves. Bucky walked up to you, his eyes guarded.

"Barnes, this is ____. ____ this is Bucky," Sam said.

Slowly, you held out your hand to him. He cautiously took your hand. "Have we met before?" he asked.

You nodded. "We have."

The world around you and him started to blur away, until it was nothing but darkness.

Startled, he tried to pull his hand away. "Don't let go. There's nothing to be afraid of," you told him softly.

Bucky looked around in shock. "What did you do? Where are we?"

"We're still in the compound, holding hands like two idiots," you laughed uneasily. "But, we're also in your memories. Specifically, lost memories."

Bucky gulped. "And what happens if I let go of your hand?"

"Nothing," you answered. "But I'd prefer if you didn't. I just want to help you remember. Remember me."

He remained silent, but still held your hand. You thought back to the day you last saw him. In the darkness, people emerged like ghosts, transparent and distant. A room reconstructed itself around you and him, until you were standing in a cell. Your cell.

A woman was lying on a cot, trying to block out the screams emitting from the others cells.

"That's... you." Bucky nodded towards her.

A man, clad in all black, ran up to the cell door and frantically opened it. "And that's you," you said.

The woman sat up in her cot. "James, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting you out of here," the man replied. He walked through Bucky and you, and held out his hand to the woman. "We don't have much time."

"This is too dangerous!" the woman scolded. Her skin was pale, and the clothes she wore hung loosely on her thin frame. Your heart dropped at the sight of you like that.

Ignoring her, the man pulled the woman up to her feet and ushered her out of the cell. "Nikolai is waiting outside for us. I disabled the system, but it will reboot in 5 minutes."

The memory changed to the man and woman hurriedly running down a flight of stairs as armed men shouted in their direction and pursued them.

"Don't let go of my hand," the man yelled out.

"I won't."

The walls around you and Bucky fell away, until the two of you were standing outside. It was dark, and snow was falling. The man and woman were huddled together behind a large tree. In the distance, torchlight's illuminated the dark.

She shivered, and he held her closer. "You can do this, ____. Just a few more steps and we're out of here. The car is not that far away."

She nodded.

Scooping her up in his arms, the man started walking out of the woods, the Hydra facility slowly disappearing in the background.

The memory changed again. The man and woman stood in front of a rushing river. On the other side was Nikolai, waiting for them to cross.

The woman turned to the man. "They're catching up to us. We'll never be able to cross in time."

"No," the man agreed sadly. "But you will. Nikolai will meet you halfway."

The woman stepped back. "No, James. We are both getting away from this hell!"

The man took the woman's hands. "_____, I will lead them away and come find you. Nikolai will keep you safe until I return." The man dropped to one knee, and fished out the ring that you now wore. "And when I do, we will get married."

Tears ran down the woman's face and she nodded. "Promise me you will come back to me?"

The man stood up and kissed away her tears. "I promise. I love you." The shouting in the distance grew louder. "Now go."

The memory faded, and you and Bucky were standing in the compound again.

You let go of his hand. "Do you remember me now?"

Bucky cupped your face, tears welled in his eyes. "How could I ever forget?"

Clint watched, confused, as Bucky pulled you in for a deep kiss. He looked at the faces of everyone else, who shared looks of bewilderment.

"They held hands, for 5 minutes and now they're kissing?" Tony asked, shocked. "Can someone explain what's going on right now?"

Steve scratched the back of his head. "I wish I knew."

"I know what's happening," Wanda spoke up with a sly smile. "I'll explain on the way out. Let's give them a moment."

When no one moved to leave, Wanda used her powers to give everyone a gentle nudge towards the door.

Once everyone was out, Thor stared at the closed door. "Is there some unknown mating ritual you midgardians have that I know nothing about? I have been shaking hands with many. Should I now be concerned?"