Author's Note: I got this idea when I saw set photos of Sebastian Stan filming "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier" and thought of reasons why Bucky would cut his hair and boom, this fic was born. This fic takes place before "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier" so I'm sure this fic will become an AU once the show airs which I can't wait for!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sam Wilson or Bucky Barnes. They belong to Fiege and the MCU. I'm just playing in their sandbox for a while. All other original characters belong to me.


"I found it." Sam declared as he stood in the doorway.

Bucky slowly looked up from his journal and saw the piece of paper in Sam's hand. Goddamn it, he had hoped that Sam failed in his search, but he should have known that such information would be easy to find now. When Bucky first began to search his family, he had purposely taken his time and didn't look hard enough. He claimed that he couldn't navigate on the computer as an excuse to stop searching but he should have known better. One quick search on the computer with a name and last known address and you can get any piece of information out there. There really is no hiding anymore. It's a little frightening he thought but then again, he has seen worse. Hell, he's been worse. It still surprised Bucky how Sam still stuck around him after everything he has learned about the Winter Solider.

He annoyed Bucky at first. Sam was deliberate at being irritating towards Bucky despite having been together for such a short time in Germany. He didn't like Bucky at first. He made that clear. Sam had muttered a snarky comment at Bucky about the steering wheel while Steve drove the beetle. He certainly hasn't forgiven Bucky for pulling out the steering wheel of his car, it seemed. Clearly, he was still sore about that. Bucky had climbed into the backseat of the car without saying a word. It was such a small car, not made for someone of his size and shape. Not made for either of them, to be honest so it made the perfect cover. He felt cramped in the backseat; his knees were almost pressed into the front seat where Sam sat. As they drove, he noticed that every time he shifted, Sam's seat would recline back just a little more, trapping Bucky further into the backseat. But Bucky had to agree that when the going got tough, Sam was there. One hundred percent. He wasn't about to let personal feelings get in the way in doing what is right. He fought beside him at the airport, and he protected Sam from that Spider kid's hit. Bucky figured that he should be grateful that someone like Sam was there for Steve when he had disappeared to Romania. So even though they didn't get along at first and Sam didn't trust him, they came to respect each other and gradually earned that trust. And with that trust between them, Sam started to offer his help with his experience as a counselor for Bucky and eventually his help in locating his family. He didn't believe that Sam would accomplish that mission given the lack of information he had given him.

He couldn't seem to remember what his family looked like except for vague glimpses of dark hair and blue eyes. He didn't even remember how many siblings he had until he visited the Smithsonian website let alone any of their names or birthdates. However, there was one name he did remember.

"No." Bucky simply replied.

Sam sighed. He stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "You asked me to help you. To look into-"

"I asked for information. Not to set up a meet and greet."

"This is information. This is a chance to learn more about you and your family. Paperwork and records aren't going to help to answer any questions."

"Questions like what? I don't need to know any more than the basics."

"Yes, you do. You'll get more than the basics. You'll have stories. Personal, family stories that will help paint a picture of who these people were when you were- "

"Tortured? Brainwashed?" Bucky shot back hotly.

Sam looked at Bucky sadly for a moment until he quietly replied, "Missing."

Bucky scoffed. That was a delicate way of putting things. The Bucky that his family knew was gone. Never to come back.

"They are your family. They can…"

"They are not my family." Bucky hissed quietly at Sam, "Not anymore. I lost that privilege the moment the Winter Soldier came along." He doesn't want to think of them as family. The idea hurt too much.

"They are your family whether you want them to be or not. And they are out there. One day, they won't be there anymore, and you are going to regret it. Trust me."

Sam walked over to where Bucky sat on his bed. He placed the slip of paper on his nightstand, no less than an arm's length away.

"She lives in upstate New York. She moved out of the city about five years ago."

Bucky made no move towards the paper. Instead he stared at it as if it was going to bite him. He didn't hear Sam leave the room, leaving him alone with that piece of paper and his choice.

But he was right. Goddamn it. Sam was right and Bucky hated that he was right. It was the one step he needed to put the pieces of his past together and to be honest, it terrified him. How could he face them, his own flesh and blood after everything he had done? They don't deserve to meet someone like him. A man who has killed so many people over the past 50 years. He had caused death and destruction and pain to so many more. As far as he was concerned, he had sullied the Barnes name, debased it with the blood of the innocent people he had killed. He should separate himself from them. Stay away as far as he can.

But curiosity got the best of him. A small part of him had often wondered, even dreamed of those years he had missed with his family. Sam was right as much as he hated to admit it. He had questions and those questions can't be answered by archive records. He wanted to know what happened to them after the war. Did his sisters get married? His brother? Did they have kids of their own? What happened to his mother? His dad? And most importantly, were they happy?

Slowly with some trepidation, Bucky reached for the paper and carefully opened it. His breath hitched at the sight of the name he thought he had forgotten so long ago.

Rebecca Barnes Proctor.

tbc...