Through the summer and the fall

We had each other that was all

Just she and I together

Like it was meant to be

Bucky's eyes snapped opened before the sun rose, and he propped himself up on the couch, his head whipping around. He began to panic; he did not recognize his surroundings. He ran a hand through his hair that had sprung free from its elastic and sat up further, reaching into his bag and yanking his journal out. He breathed harshly through his mouth as he frantically tried to find the last page he had written.

'Found Valencia. Staying at her house. She's kind.'

He blinked and sat the journal down with shaking hands. He put his head in his hands and concentrated on his breathing and relaying thoughts to himself. After a moment, he was calm. He laid back down on the couch, pulling his blanket over himself. He stared up at the stark white ceiling and willed himself to go back to sleep, but like most nights, he had already gotten his fill. Usually, he could only sleep for a few hours at a time without waking up. It seemed to be a side effect of the years he spent frozen.

The sound of the bedroom door opening made him close his eyes. Light foot falls padded behind the sofa and to the kitchen, and the refrigerator door was opened.

A raspy voiced mumbled out incoherent phrases, as things were moved around in the fridge. An item was selected and the sound of a water bottle opening followed behind the fridge closing. The footsteps came towards him but stopped behind the couch.

Bucky feigned sleep with such ease, his breaths deepening automatically. A shuffle sounded from above him and he felt the blanket that was bunched at his waist be pulled up to his shoulder.

"Sleep tight, Jamie." The woman's voice rasped lowly and her footsteps got farther away until the sound of the door closing halted them.

Bucky's eyes snapped open and he turned on his back, staring up at into the darkness. Why does she call him that? Is it out of habit? Does Darla refer to him as that so much, she thinks she can? He doesn't think he likes it; though it did sound familiar to him.

He wondered if Darla would like a girl calling him Jamie? Would she be upset? He doesn't think she would be. Though there was that time on Coney Island…

Bucky furrowed his brows; where did that come from? Coney Island? His eyes snapped shut as a memory revealed itself in his mind.

Oh.

If it were another time, Darla wouldn't like Valencia calling him Jamie.

Soon enough, the time on the clock read 4:56 and the sun was about to rise. Bucky got up from the couch and folded his blanket, neatly placing it over the back. He walked to the window of the apartment and opened it, climbing on to the fire escape. He moved up the ladder until he reached the roof, sitting on the edge as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

He liked to watch sunrises and sunsets. They reminded him of her, though before he knew there was a her, he watched them because they were the only thing that stayed the same for the decades he had been alive.

"Oh Jamie," a voice next to him sighed, "This is beautiful." He looked over to his side to see Darla looking over the horizon. Her face was glowing by the sun's setting rays and her eyes were wide. She was wearing a pretty red dress, so pretty it made her beauty outshine that of the sun.

"Pretty as a picture."

Bucky blinked, looking around his surroundings once more. The sun was now high in the sky, as he had gotten lost in his thoughts. He wiped the lone tear that fell from one of his eyes and climbed off the roof, going down the fire escape. He slipped back in the apartment window, landing on his feet and silently closing it. He softly padded to the couch and sat down, taking out his journal and writing the memory down.

The bedroom door opened behind him and Valencia walked out, speaking to someone on the phone. "Well you have to be patient with her, Nat. She's not trained, she can't just pick up on things like we do." Her voice was exasperated, and he continued to write as he listened.

Valencia clicked her teeth as the light in the kitchen was turned on, "The problem is you're too rough! Now I leave for a second and all of a sudden all hell breaks loose!" She sighed heavily, "You know what? Do whatever you want, I'm on vacation." The phone was slammed down on the counter and another sigh was heard.

The phone rang once more and it was answered with a snap, "What?" followed by a, "Steven…" The woman then walked out of the kitchen and back in her room, sparing him a glance on the couch.

Bucky looked up, seeing the Valencia had closed her bedroom door. She was obviously talking to Steve and she did not want him to hear. He quietly rose from the couch and moved over to her bedroom door, listening to her speak.

"Wanda's super sensitive! She can't be just hammered down like a nail, you have to be gentle with her. What? Yeah, just tell Nat to back off a bit." A pause, a voice coming through the receiver, "Everything else is fine. Darla's wonderful. Oh, and she gave me her recipe book yesterday!" A pause, "Apparently the pie I made her was up to par. She said-!" She stopped, seemingly interrupted by the captain on the other line.

Suddenly, the door opened, without any sound of footsteps and she was in front of him. His eyes widened just a tad but she did not look angry, instead she pressed her phone and lifted it up for him to hear.

"-I think I have a lead on him. One of Sam's sources says he has been spotted in New York. I think he's starting to remember, Lena."

"Maybe." The small woman replied, glancing at Bucky worriedly. "Have you had anyone to scope out the area? I don't want to put doubt in you Cap, but this has happened before."

"But in Brooklyn?" Steve countered quickly, "I don't think so. I think this is the real thing."

Bucky watched the woman chew on her lip nervously, though her tone stayed the same. She was smart. "Okay, but you meet him and then what?" She questioned, looking away from Bucky, "Steve there are people looking for him with intentions not as kind as yours, you finding him could put him in danger. I understand you need your friend, I do, but we need to think about this."

There was a long pause and Valencia closed her eyes. He did not even hear her breathing. Finally, after a minute, she weakly muttered, "Steve?"

"I thought you would understand."

Valencia finally exhaled and her face fell, she glanced up at Bucky before turning her back to him, pressing her phone and taking it off speaker, "Steve-!" The door was softly closed and he frowned at it. He took a step closer to listen before deciding against it, moving away from the door and sitting on the couch to wait for her.

Ten minutes later, Valencia was walking out of her room with a somber expression. When he looked at her over the couch, she managed a smile.

"He's headed to Brooklyn so I don't think he knows you're here, James." She slightly hesitated when she said his name, he wondered why but did not voice it. He just nodded to her.

Bucky hesitated himself before asking, "How long have you two…" He paused not finding the word.

"A year and some months." Valencia answered without care, she poured herself some milk from the carton and put it back in the fridge, "When you saw us on the bridge we had just met." He nodded, not asking her anymore about it. "D'you want breakfast? I make a mean omelette."

Without turning to her and he nodded again, opening his journal and writing what she just told him down. Soon the sound of a skillet sizzling and eggs cracking echoed through the apartment. Valencia hummed when she cooked, he thinks Darla did too.

A click was heard and then low music began to play from the kitchen. He ignored it, writing in his journal. The little woman was noisey, her voice didn't seem to belong in her body. But he could drone her out, he had dealt with worse.

"Wapapadodo wapadodo wapapado dadada." A voice crooned from the radio. Bucky's hand paused and he froze.

"Stars shining bright above you. Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you. Birds singing in the sycamore tree. Dream a little dream of me! Say nighty night and kiss me, just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me-!"

Bucky was suddenly not in the large apartment in DC; he was back on the streets of Brooklyn. Darla was in front of him singing instead of the radio, "Dream a little dream of me!" Her smile was so bright and he felt so warmed by it, like she was the sun. She was so happy and he felt happy too.

"Stars fading but I linger on dear, just craving your kiss. I'm longing to linger 'till dawn dear, just saying this." It was still Darla's voice, but it was deeper and he wasn't outside anymore, he was in that small apartment he barely remembers.

Darla was in front of him now, a white nightgown on her body and her hair down. Her eyes were shining still, though they weren't as bright. She was in his arms, standing on his feet as they swayed together. Something was wrong.

"Sweet dreams 'till sunbeams find you. Sweet dreams and leave all worries behind you, but in your dreams whatever they may be." She sung to him, clinging to every word like it was keeping her alive.

"Dream a little dream of me." He heard himself finish the song, though he doesn't know how he knew the words. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, his body warming again.

Darla smiled up at him, bright as the sun, until it faltered and her eyes filled with tears. Why was she crying? Had he done something wrong? He wrapped his arms around her and she sobbed into his chest.

"She was gonna be so pretty…" The copper girl muttered, "Everytime I see her face I think of yours."

"James? James!" He was brought out of his memory by a worried woman. Her hands were on his face, why was she touching him? She wasn't Darla. He yanked away from her and looked around in bewilderment, trying to remember where he was. He began to panic, his heartbeat speeding up and his breath becoming frantic. He gripped his head in his hands and clutched his eyes closed, rocking back and forth. "Where am I? Where am I?"

"Hey, hey!" He heard the woman's voice from far away. "I need you to listen to me, please, listen to me!"

He just shook his head, his hands moving from his head to grip his knees. He clenched his jaw and tried to breath but he felt as if he couldn't get enough air in his lungs.

"James, I need you to count backwards from ten. Outloud. Can you do that for me?"

"I can't breathe." He managed through his teeth. He heard her again, "I know, but just try please."

"Ten." He muttered, his whole body locking up, "Nine. Eight. Seven. Six." He paused, his throat opening, "Five. Four. Three. Two. One." When he got to one the grip he had on his knees wasn't as tight and he his breath was coming out easier.

"Good." He heard the woman's voice, a little closer than before. "Can you tell me your name?" She asked quietly.

He nodded, exhaling harshly. "James Buchanan Barnes." He answered surely, his eyes still closed tight.

"Good." The woman praised, her voice guiding him back like a light through a tunnel. "Can you tell me what year it is?"

Bucky wracked his brain for an answer, starting to get angry at himself for not knowing. His brow furrowed and his breathing picked up again. "Hey," He heard, further away than the last time. He felt hands on his fists, "It's okay." She cooed, "It's alright. Do you know where you are?"

His brow furrowed again and he clasped the hands on top of his. He didn't understand. "With you…?" He answered, uncertain. He expected her to laugh at him but she didn't.

"Good." She praised after a moment, "And what's my name?"

"Valencia." Bucky muttered, waiting for her to praise him once more.

"That's very good, James." Valencia spoke, her voice still soft.

Bucky slowly opened his eyes and was faced with a worried bronzed face and big brown eyes. She looked like a child, a baby that was helping him through a panic attack. He blinked and felt the tears on his face for the first time. He removed one of his hands from hers and wiped his face.

"James," Valencia started, her voice still soft. Her hand squeezed his slightly, "It's 2015, your in my apartment in DC, and people call you 'Bucky'."

Bucky blinked and nodded, his eyes now on his lap. "I'm sorry." He muttered.

"Hey," She called, putting a hand on his knee, "You're fine, it's okay." Valencia removed her hands from him and smiled, standing up from the ground. He gripped her arm before she could leave.

"I remembered something." Bucky whispered, watching her brow furrow. She sat next to him on the couch and waited patiently for him to continue. "Did... " He swallowed, biting his lip, "Did Darla and I have a baby?"

Valencia froze, he saw it with his own eyes and she chewed on her lip. She looked away from his eyes and nodded, her voice as quiet as a mouse as she responded, "She died at birth."

Bucky frowned and looked forward, his jaw clenching. His began to cry again, though this time the sobs were silent. "I'm sorry." Valencia choked out, but her voice was far away again. His head rolled to the side and fell on her shoulder as a pain filled grimace took over his face. He faintly heard her sigh above him and he felt a hand caress his cheek.

"It's okay." She uttered and he cried harder, burying his face in her chest and wrapping his arms around her. The woman being only a placeholder for who he really needed to embrace; and Valencia understood that, more than he would ever know.

Valencia Renee was kind, kinder than so many other people he had met during his decades. He didn't know that this kind of thing is just what Valencia did. She was maternal, she was always taking care of someone or something; she was like Darla in that aspect. It wasn't even odd to her that she had just met this man and he was crying on her. She had cried on Steve within days of knowing him and besides, with all the stories, she felt like she had known Bucky for years.

"Can we start tomorrow?" He croaked out, his throat dry.

"Yeah," She nodded above him, patting his head, "We can start tomorrow."