xxx: Darcy, 1942

Her body hurt. It was a bone deep, throbbing pain. Darcy thought she was screaming; it felt like steel fingers wrapped around her throat, squeezing. God, how it burned as she tried to bring herself to consciousness. She opened her mouth to moan, feeling the vibrations in her throat but no sound escaped her throat.

"Darc…" the words around her seemed to fade out like a radio losing reception. "...re you…"

Hands seemed to gently touch her face but each touch was a moment of blistering of agony. She couldn't move her limbs without the searing pain; her mouth frozen in rictus of pain, her lungs struggled to breathe oxygen into her body.

"Dar…" The same hand laid on her body and she felt the vibrations subsiding within her. Her mind shimmied, slowing. Darcy found she could finally breathe, taking a long breath and then the sounds and sensations slammed her back: the coarse cloth that covered her, the cool towel on her forehead, the sounds of a mechanical fan, the clacking of heels down a hallway, the quiet murmuring beside her.

She blinked, her vision swimming for a moment then stabilizing. A man in khaki army uniform sat beside her, the dark hair brushed neatly across his forehead. He looked up, blue eyes caught hers, a crinkle split across his face in a way Darcy had never seen before. "Hello there baby-doll, I'm James Barnes but you can call me Bucky," he winked and placed the newspaper down onto the table. Carefully, he placed a cup of water in her hands and helped her take eager sips from it.

"I'm Darcy," she croaked after the second cup.

"So you're the legendary Darcy," he drawled and pulled her blanket up a little higher. "Are you feeling better?"

Better was relative; she hadn't felt good for a long while but she was definitely better than just moments ago. "Better than just now that's for sure." She squared her jaw, eyes taking in the room. It was a small bedroom that barely look lived in, her haversack was on the small study table along with the pistols and knives. Hadn't she heard clacking heels and stuff?

"I'll get Skye, she's exhausted after last night."

"Last night?"

"After you appeared in the middle of the room, Skye said that it might be because you're a normal human which is quite you suffered more than she did. She made me carry you back to our apartment despite the doctor's orders. Then she did something..." He frowned as though the words left a nasty aftertaste. Bucky eyed her, tapping his finger on his knee.

Used to waiting it out from stoic Bucky, Darcy merely looked down and picked up the newspaper that he had been reading. September 14, 1942. She thumbed the date on the newspaper, aware of his keen eyes picking up all the microexpressions that she must have allowed to show. How long had Skye been stuck here? From the way Bucky referred to her, it seemed like she had been here for awhile.

"Why did Skye refer to you as normal human?"

She chuckled. "Are you not going to ask why I appeared in the middle of the room?" She tilted her head at him and he rolled his shoulders, leaning back onto the chair, the very model example of a laconic posture.

"I already figured you two are from the future." His lips twitched at her look of disbelief. "It's not that hard, you know." Bucky reached for the pistols and her haversack. "Skye was wearing things she called skinny jeans when she first came and her watch. Then there's your supplies, and your weaponry is unlike anything I've ever seen-"

"All this time you knew and you didn't say a word?" An annoyed voice broke in. Skye folded her arms from her position at the doorway and levelled him a look. Darcy would have never believed that Bucky could express such an emotion, but at that moment he looked very much like an admonished puppy. Skye on the other hand looked… different. There was something that Darcy couldn't put her finger on.

"How long have you been here?" Darcy breathed, not really sure if she wanted the answer.

"One year." Skye crossed the room and sat in the seat that Bucky vacated, resting her hand on Bucky's bicep. A silent conversation took place between them and Bucky sighed, exited the room with a frown. "You're too early," she said quietly to Darcy.

Darcy shook her head, her lips quivered as she replied, "one year too late Skye." Taking Skye's hand she squeezed it, pushing the nausea down. "The date. You arrived in 1941? I could-"

Her fingers were trembling when she tried to open the bracelet. How had the date setting been? She should have read it properly. She could go back, right? Then this Skye wouldn't be here-

Skye's hand tightened over hers, jerking Darcy out of her mental babble. "I have… things to do before I can go back, if that's even possible."

Her brown eyes were bitter, her hands were calloused in places that Darcy didn't remember her ever having. She turned Skye's hand over, running her fingers over the callouses. Two years. How things had changed her. This Skye wasn't the same that left her. Something had happened to her that changed her. 1942. Had it been Steve? Had their presence in the past changed the future so drastically?

"You say things…" Darcy said after a moment and she glanced at the door where Bucky was likely to be. "You don't actually mean… those kind of things… do you?" Her unsaid meaning seemed to weigh heavily in the air, the tension was so thick and oppressing that Darcy fought for a breath. Was Skye really trying to change the past? Wasn't there that thing about the Back to the Future or the Doctor Who? What if there really was reapers? What if- what if they never met in her past? Would Darcy still remember her Skye? What about Bucky? Was she going to abandon their Bucky for this Bucky?

Skye didn't answer. She didn't have to.

She watched Skye draw herself back into the seat, looping an arm across her chest. "Skye…" Darcy pried Skye's fingers from her chest and slid her fingers through Skye's. Carefully, she questioned Skye, "what happens if what you're doing will change the entire course of our future?" And continued when Skye refused to answer. "You know how they say, the single butterfly flaps its wings-"

"I know!" Skye tugged her fingers from her grasp, running them over her neat braid before steepling them, her elbows digging into her thighs as she sighed. "I know something… lots of things might change. But you don't seriously think I could.. just walk away, did you?" she asked, her voice taking on a savage tone.

"Skye-"

"I can't- I won't." Skye stood up, tugging the lapels of her khaki army uniform. So preoccupied with seeing her sister at long last, Darcy had not registered that Skye wearing an army uniform. The pencil skirt hugged Skye's figure and the curves that Darcy was familiar with even when Skye was an agent were gone; she was lean and lithely muscular, even her eyes were harder.

Skye stared at her, her eyes unwavering as she said evenly. "Go home, Darcy. Go home and forget me."

Author's note

I'm afraid this is the last chapter for this story. I looked at it once over from the beginning and I hated how much the story had convoluted into. If I had to write a review for myself it'd be "Great story. Has potential but failed to reach the potential." and I'm afraid no matter how much chapters I write, it'd be a utter piece of crap. Rather than forcing myself to finish a piece that I do not think is worth any salt, I've decided to end it.

So here, I've posted the last piece that I have on this story and I'll probably start rewriting from the beginning and the new rewritten piece would probably be rather different barring the plot points. I won't be replacing the chapters (for Ao3 and FFN) as I know some people do like this story (this version rather). I will post a chp to this if and when the rewrite is ready.

What's next?

For those who read this for Darcy/Steve, there's new one in the works where Darcy's a teenage vigilante.

For those who read this for Darcy & Skye best buds, there's one in the works where Skye & Darcy are blood sisters.

For those who read this for Skye/Bucky, there's uhhhhhhh nothing. There's still Hello from the other side! That's still being worked on on and off.

And if anything else, these are the previous (current?) WIPs that are floating about on my tumblr, you can find me at luna-orlha