The Winter Soldier

Bucky nodded at that part of the plan; it made sense. They'd both have to be careful with communicating and keeping each other up to date with the right number for their burner phones would be important if and when they would need help again. When she asked when he wanted to leave, he hesitated. They would need to plan things out but the last thing he wanted was to draw any more attention...from both sides...to her town. "Depending on how fast we can get everything together. A day...maybe two?"

Sara nodded, treading carefully with what she said next, “I can handle everything on my own, but the majority of the gear I use is made by someone else because they do it better. They keep me buried. With the understanding that I have zero intention of mentioning you to anyone, we have a better chance of doing this without interruption if I request enough gear for both of us.” A beat passed before she continued, “I will have to check in, though. Again, completely under the radar but - long story short - I died. Everyone is still on edge, and I promised I wouldn’t go dark on them.”

Bucky paused, listening as she mentioned they'd have a better chance at leaving without interruption if she got enough gear for the both of them. All of his gear had been HYDRA issue and he'd abandoned it where he could; there had been no telling if they could've tracked him with it. "Would your person be able to track us with the gear they make?" When she mentioned needing to check in and explained why, he was shocked then recalled the museum plaque. "It's okay, so did I."

“Deal,” Sara instantly replied. “Never hurts to have another person I can trust to watch my back. But I’m assuming you switch out your phone regularly? Just don’t forget to send me the number of the new phone before you swap it out, and I’ll do the same.” She wasn’t saying that because she didn’t think he was intelligent enough to figure it out on his own, but because... He didn’t strike her as someone who, at least currently, had anyone in his corner. And developing habits like that took time, something she knew from experience. “...Gonna take a little bit to plan things out, but when do you want to leave?”

Bucky nodded at that part of the plan; it made sense. They'd both have to be careful with communicating and keeping each other up to date with the right number for their burner phones would be important if and when they would need help again. When she asked when he wanted to leave, he hesitated. They would need to plan things out but the last thing he wanted was to draw any more attention...from both sides...to her town. "Depending on how fast we can get everything together. A day...maybe two?"

Bucky merely returned her grin with one of his own and another shrug. When she explained that the city had enough people looking out for it and she had ways to contact her friends and family, his reluctance to accept her offer started to fade. "Just a break...then we go our separate ways," him to wherever he felt comfortable and her back to her home town and family, "we both enjoy some time not having to look over our shoulders. Then back to business?"

“Oh, really? I thought we’d stop in Vegas on the way back and get married,” Sara shot back with a smirk, which faded as she more seriously added, “We go. I do my job, and I watch your back - this is about you getting downtime, not me. Then it’s back to business for both of us. Just one caveat: moving forward, you come to me if you need help. Whether it’s a place to lay low, or backup in the field, I’m a phone call away. We may go our separate ways, but that doesn’t mean we have to separate for good. Deal?” She held out her hand to shake his.

Bucky returned her smirk with one of his own before she turned serious. He considered what she was offering. Being his back up so he could have some peace and downtime with the ability to call if...when...he needed help again. It wasn't a bad deal and he could offer a caveat of his own. "Deal. As long as if you need something, you call me."

“A little,” Sara echoed, her smirk growing into a grin, “Which is why you had to put them out of reach just like I did, right?” As for Bucky talking about her being needed here, and about her friends and family, and about not asking her to give it all up, she replied, “Starling has more than enough people looking out for it, and I have untraceable ways of checking in with my family and friends so they won’t worry. This isn’t a permanent solution. It’s a break. It’s a chance to come up for air, to breathe. And, frankly, I’ve never been great at staying in one place for too long. So what do you say? Random, off the grid, and preferably somewhere with really good food if this is all about you not having to look over your shoulder while you eat...” Her smirk reappeared at that.

Bucky merely returned her grin with one of his own and another shrug. When she explained that the city had enough people looking out for it and she had ways to contact her friends and family, his reluctance to accept her offer started to fade. "Just a break...then we go our separate ways," him to wherever he felt comfortable and her back to her home town and family, "we both enjoy some time not having to look over our shoulders. Then back to business?"