Chapter Text
Bucky and Steve were eating lunch when Steve started talking about Sharon, his soulmate from the modern world, and her cousin. Apparently Steve felt like matchmaking today. Bucky wasn’t sure if he was ready for that, no matter Steve’s good intentions.
“You really should meet Darcy,” Steve said. “You’d like her, Buck. She’s a ball of sass who’s not bad on the eyes.”
Bucky rolled his eyes. “I’m not willing to meet anyone new. I left my soulmate behind in the forties. You know best how that feels, Steve.”
“Yeah, I do, Bucky, but you know that my mark adjusted and I have another soulmate. It’s not that unfeasible that it could have happened to you, too.”
A feeling of discouragement shot through Bucky. Even if that had happened for him, how was he to know? His soul mark had been on his left wrist, which had been conveniently left behind somewhere in the Alps. And the soulmate Bucky had? She’d died not less than ten years after the war ended. So he hadn’t been able to say goodbye like Steve had with Peggy. While Bucky was happy Steve had gotten a new soulmate in Sharon, it didn’t feel right that he could have a new soulmate in these modern times. He’d done so much bad in the seventy years since he’d last seen Elizabeth Carter. While it had been because he was tortured and brainwashed by evil men, Bucky still felt guilty for all the things he’d done.
“You don’t know that, Steve. There’s no way we can know that, considering… this!” Bucky waves his left arm.
Steve sighed and gave Bucky his best eyebrows of disappointment. “Even if we don’t know that for sure, you could still use a friend. One that’s not me or Sam. Besides, I don’t think Darcy has your name as her soul mark anyway. Though I can never really tell since she always hides it.”
Bucky tilted his head at that. “Does she have a reason for that?”
“None that I’ve been told,” Steve said. “But if you become her friend maybe you’ll find out.”
With that, Bucky agreed to meet Darcy. If only to have another friend. And definitely not to satisfy his own curiosity.
—————————————————————
Darcy stared at the soul mark on her wrist as she finished getting ready. She never understood it. Usually soul marks were names or a word or two that meant something to your soulmate, but Darcy’s was two words in a language she didn’t recognize. In elementary school, kids made fun of her soul mark, and not wanting to draw any attention to herself, Darcy got used to hiding her soul mark underneath long sleeves in the fall and winter and an array of bracelets in the spring and summer. She’d yet to find someone with her name on their wrist, nor anyone who might recognize the words. It made dating extremely difficult, especially when Darcy didn’t trust the people she dated to show them what was on her wrist.
Besides, working for Jane and then SHIELD didn’t exactly give Darcy time to date. So she left things up to fate and had frequent ice cream and Netflix nights with her cousin and roommate Sharon. Granted, they were second or third cousins, with Darcy being Peggy Carter’s granddaughter and Sharon Peggy’s grandniece, but they were practically sisters with how close they were. And Darcy was happy when it was found out that Sharon’s soulmate was none other than Captain America, but it made her ache to find her own soulmate.
Checking her phone, Darcy jumped at the realization that she was running late. Hurriedly, she finished getting ready, putting her bracelets on and putting on lipstick before running out the door to meet Sharon. Once at the café, Darcy saw her cousin and immediately went over to their table.
“Sorry I’m late, I just…”
“Was looking at your soul mark again?” Sharon interrupted before Darcy could make up an excuse. The downside to being so close? They knew each other all too well so lying wasn’t an option.
Darcy sighed. “Yeah. I just wonder sometimes, you know? At least yours makes sense and is in English!”
“It didn’t always make sense,” Sharon replied. “Shield could’ve meant someone who worked where we do. For all I knew it could’ve been Director Fury!”
“Ha!” Darcy barked out a laugh. “Now that would be interesting!”
“Right? But anyways, it makes more sense now that I’ve found Steve. Or at least, now that he’s found me. I’m sure yours will make sense once your soulmate finds you.”
Darcy shook her head. “If I haven’t found the one by now, I’m not sure if I ever will.”
Sharon took Darcy’s hand. “As long as you have that mark on your wrist, there’s always hope. Who knows, maybe your soulmate is some foreign prince!”
A laugh escaped Darcy. “Considering I’ve worked with Jane, it could be somebody from Asgard. But how would I relate to someone from a different planet?”
“Somehow I relate to a man from a different time period. How hard could it be?” Sharon grinned.
“True, true. But how would I start even trying to meet my soulmate?” Darcy asked. “I doubt I could go to a coffee shop and suddenly my soulmate’s there.”
“You could start by just meeting people.”
“And how do I do that, exactly?”
Sharon laughed. “You’ve been hanging out with the science nerds for too long. Get out of the lab, for one thing. And for another, Steve’s got a friend who needs to meet more people, just like you do.”
Darcy rolled her eyes. “You’re setting me up. Are things really that desperate that my best friend and her boyfriend have to find me somebody?”
“Hey, if it doesn’t work out and he’s not your soulmate, you have a friend who doesn’t spend most of their time in a lab. And someone who isn’t me or Steve.”
“Fine,” Darcy replied. “Who is it?”
“You’ve heard about him…” Sharon hesitated.
“It’s Bucky Barnes.”
A flash of memory went through Darcy’s brain. There was a smile, a kiss that led to something more. Silver blue eyes that radiated a love Darcy had never felt before, not in this life. Wait, what? She blinked, unsure of what just happened.
“As in metal armed, best friend turned assassin Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes?” Darcy asked, a slight high pitch to her voice.
“Don’t look so worried, Darcy,” Sharon said. “He’s a good guy who went through hell for seventy years.”
Darcy shook her head. “I’m not worried about that! It’s just that… he’s Steve’s best friend. What would I even talk about with him?”
“Bucky likes science, you could tell him about what you do with Jane. Or you could talk about how hard it is to wrangle your friends to do anything fun. You know what Steve’s like when he’s on a mission, it’s just like Jane when she’s science-ing.”
“That’s not even a word,” Darcy laughed. “But I get your point.”
If Sharon could actually vibrate, that’s what she’d be doing. “Great! So you’ll meet Bucky?”
Darcy nodded in agreement. She didn’t understand why, but she felt a pull the moment she heard the name Bucky Barnes. And the only way to figure that pull (and the flash of memory) out was to meet him.
—————————————————————
Bucky was nervous. He knew he shouldn’t be, but he hadn’t met anyone new, at least not without fighting them first, in a long time. Thankfully Steve was there with him, and Sharon was coming. Apparently this Darcy girl was Sharon’s cousin, so she could be a buffer in case of any awkwardness happening.
He felt something in the air changed the moment the women entered. Bucky didn’t know why until he saw Darcy. A gasp escaped his lips. Steve looked at him in surprise.
“You didn’t tell me Darcy looked exactly like Elizabeth!” Bucky hissed.
Steve shrugged. “I didn’t realize she did. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a picture of your soulmate. They could be related.”
Bucky stared at his best friend. “You said Darcy and Sharon were cousins…”
It was at that moment the women were close enough to enter the conversation. Darcy gave him a little wave while Sharon started talking. Bucky couldn’t help but give her a little smile. After all, they were here to meet each other and make a new friend, if nothing else. It was just a little unnerving to see a familiar face on someone he didn’t know.
“Right you are, Bucky. Meet my cousin and best friend, Darcy Lewis.”
Bucky deflated a little hearing Darcy’s last name. If she were related to Elizabeth, would she have had the same last name? Then again, Darcy’s mother could’ve been Peggy's daughter or niece via the brother Bucky had never met and taken her husband’s last name when she married. And Peggy had gotten married, so she likely would’ve taken her husband’s last name, at least legally.
“Pretty sure we almost gave Grandma Peggy a few heart attacks with some of the shenanigans we got up to,” Darcy chuckled as Sharon had finished a story. “But then again, they weren’t anything like what she got up to in her prime. Or the stuff she did after her prime.”
His heart skipped a beat. Grandma Peggy. Darcy was Elizabeth’s grandniece through Peggy. Bucky wanted to pump Darcy for more information, but knew that now was not the time for an interrogation. He would likely scare her off if he did that.
“Knowing Peggy, she would’ve encouraged those shenanigans,” Steve said. “Even if they later almost gave her a heart attack. Please, go ahead and sit. Do you two know what you want to order?”
Bucky was unable to join the conversation flowing around him. All he could do was try and keep from staring at Darcy the whole time. Even her littlest mannerisms were just like Elizabeth’s. Nothing could have prepared him for something like that. Bucky’s heart ached at seeing Darcy and remembering someone else. But the modern woman didn’t deserve to be compared to the woman he once knew and loved. Even if they seemed remarkably similar.
He listened intently as Darcy talked about her work with Jane Foster. While he didn’t understand everything, Bucky enjoyed hearing about the science that explained Thor. And finding out that Darcy had become the unofficial Science Wrangler whenever Jane, Tony, and Bruce were together and doing their science-ing thing in the lab got Bucky to chuckle. It made him wonder what would happen if Shuri ever became a part of that circus. There would likely be a sass off if Darcy and Shuri were ever to meet. Which made Bucky think that Elizabeth would’ve gotten on well with the science minded princess as well.
It was far too soon in Bucky’s opinion before Sharon and Darcy had to leave- and he’d hardly spoken a word. Well, Crap.
“Can I see you again, Darcy?” Bucky asked before he lost his nerve. She looked a little surprised, but nodded.
“I’m free tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to come back here, around four?”
Bucky nodded eagerly. “That sounds great! See you tomorrow, then!”
Darcy grinned. “See you tomorrow.”
And then she was gone.
—————————————————————-
Darcy wasn’t sure what to make of Bucky. The moment she saw him, he was familiar- and not just from the pictures in her history textbooks, or the ones on the internet from after finding out Bucky was the Winter Soldier. It was like her soul knew him intimately, though Darcy had never actually met the man before.
But he’d stayed quiet. Bucky hadn’t asked any questions, though Darcy could tell he listened by how he seemed to hang on to every word she said. Darcy wanted to know more about Bucky, though, so she was glad he asked if they could see each other again. She knew nothing would feel right until she figured things out.
That night, Darcy had a dream. It didn’t feel like a dream, but more like a memory. Bucky was there, holding her tight and kissing her senseless. It wasn’t the Bucky Darcy had met earlier, though. This Bucky was from the forties, in his Howling Commandos uniform. Goodness, did the uniform do something for his eyes. They looked even more beautiful. And Darcy could see such love and tenderness in Bucky’s eyes that she wanted to cry. Nobody had ever looked at her that way, nor kissed her the way Bucky was in this dream- as if he stopped nothing in the world would ever be right.
“I love you so much, Elizabeth Carter.”
Darcy woke up as the whispered words echoed in her ear. Elizabeth Carter? As in the great aunt she’d never met whom Darcy’s middle name came from? Had Bucky known her? She’d have to ask him when they met later. And… Why did that dream happen? Was it a dream?
Maybe later, Darcy would have to look into it. But for now, she had a date to get ready for. Or, well, at least a meet up with a new friend. So she got ready for the day, making sure to look a little more put together than usual. If Darcy wanted to impress Bucky a little, that was only for her to know.
——————————————————
Bucky was all nerves again. It didn’t help that Steve wasn’t there with him to help keep his anxiety away. Would Darcy be willing to be his friend? Would they become something more than that? Bucky wondered if Darcy had already met her soulmate. Maybe that was why she hid her soulmark? If she had met her soulmate, would Darcy’s soulmate appreciate her meeting Bucky? How would she react to hearing stories about her grandma’s sister?
“Hey, Bucky!”
Darcy sat down across from Bucky, her grin calming his nerves. His smile felt far more natural than he expected, and he leaned back in his chair. It felt like it did with Elizabeth….
But he couldn’t think about Elizabeth. Bucky needed to focus on Darcy, on the here and now.
“How’re you doing, doll?” He asked.
“About the same as yesterday,” Darcy said. “What about you?”
Bucky shrugged. “Just wanting to get to know more about you.”
Darcy laughed. Her laugh even sounded the same… no. Don’t think about Elizabeth. Focus on Darcy. Though she may look the same, Darcy was a different person.
“I like the honesty here, Bucky,” Darcy chuckled. “We should get along just fine, I think!”
“Considering who you’re related to, it’s probably in my best interests to stay on your good side,” Bucky laughed.
“Not a bad idea. Let me tell you about the first time I met Thor…”
With that, they fell into easy conversation. Getting to know Darcy felt like the best thing to happen to Bucky since before he fell from the train. And telling her stories from his childhood, at least that he could remember, felt right. Even if they weren’t soulmates, Bucky knew that he’d have a friend for life in the sassy brunette. It just felt good to know someone who was at least a little outside of the Avengers team, someone who was just normal. Bucky could feel broken pieces of his heart and mind starting to mend, just from this one conversation with Darcy.
But too soon, it was time to say goodbye. Bucky was disappointed, to say the least, to have to get up from the table and escort Darcy out. What he didn’t expect, though, was the question she asked as they left the café.
“You knew Grandma Peggy during the war, right?”
Bucky nodded, confirming that he did. Darcy smiled a bit, making Bucky wonder why she asked. Maybe she wanted to hear stories of Steve and Peggy’s romance. He didn’t have to wonder long, though.
“Did you know her sister, Elizabeth?”
A shocked breath escaped Bucky. Was he ready to talk about Elizabeth? Although if he was going to tell someone about his soulmate, who better than her grandniece who’d never met her?
“I did,” Bucky said. “Rather well, actually. She was my soulmate.”
Darcy’s breath hitched. “I didn’t know… it’s probably hard to talk about her, I’m sure. Especially after everything that’s happened.”
Bucky smiled softly. “It is, a bit. I don’t think many people knew, outside of Peggy, Steve, and the Commandos, that me and Elizabeth were soulmates. And then losing the arm that had my soul mark on it before basically dying for seventy years… after regaining my memories and learning that she died too early, it’s something I hardly talk about, even with Steve.”
A small tear ran down Darcy’s cheek before she wiped it away. “I wish I had something like that. A love that lasts multiple lifetimes. But I don’t even know what my soul mark means and I have a lost hope in fairy tales.”
Bucky’s heart ached for Darcy. Even if he’d lost his soulmate, he wanted others to have the love he’d once had. Especially Darcy, even though they’d just met. He did wonder about her mark and if she’d ever show him what it was, but he wasn’t going to press.
“Maybe next time we hang out, I’ll tell you about Elizabeth and some of the shenanigans we got up to during the war.”
Darcy brightened up at that. “Would you really? I barely know anything about Aunt Elizabeth and I’d love to hear your stories!”
“Of course,” Bucky grinned. “You and Sharon don’t live far from Avengers Tower, right?”
“We actually live in the Tower, on the same floor as Jane and Thor.”
Bucky was kind of shocked. “Then how on earth have we never met before yesterday?
Darcy shrugged. “I spend most of my time in the lab with Jane. And from what I’ve heard from Sharon, you’ve become more of an introvert than you used to be.”
A chuckle escaped Bucky. “I think history painted me to be more outgoing than I really ever was. The main reason I went on dates and all that was so that Steve could have more of a normal life. Although he never really was destined for normal, was he?”
This time Darcy laughed. “Steve? Normal? When have those two words ever been in the same realm?”
“Steve certainly keeps things from being boring, that’s for sure!”
Bucky and Darcy continued talking as they walked to the tower. He told her a funny story about a prank war between the Howling Commandos and the Carter women. The Carters had won, of course, Bucky had told Darcy with a nostalgic smile.
“You’re related to some pretty great women,” Bucky said. “I’m glad that I knew them.”
Darcy grinned at him. “Well, I certainly inherited my pranking skills from them, so if you ever need someone to help you with a prank war, just let me know.”
Bucky chuckled, liking Darcy more and more as they continued getting to know each other. Unfortunately, they had to part as Darcy had to go help Jane with something in the lab. With a promise of another lunch together, Bucky said goodbye and let Darcy go do her thing.