I woke up to F.R.I.D.A.Y, "Ema, Mr. Barns has asked you to come to his room." I looked at the clock 2:30AM. "Ya ok tell him I'm on my way." Short PJ's and a tank, great Ema, I thought to myself, give him ideas. . . . In two minutes I was standing outside his door. Walking in I saw he was asleep having a nightmare. What did F.R.I.D.A.Y mean when she said he had asked for me, I thought. Then I heard him.
"EMA! EMA!"
I jumped at the sound of his scream and ran to his bed shaking him. "Buck. Buck. Bucky!" Thank God that woke him. He looked at me puzzled for a moment, like he was making sure I was real.
"Hey Doll." His voice husky from sleep.
"Hey, yourself." I said with a cocky smile, shaking my head. "Nightmare?" He just shook his head yes, while sitting up against the head board. "I'll let you get back to sleep. You seem ok now."
"Wait. Sit with me a while," he said.
"Sure, move over." He scooted over and I sat on the bed beside him. "So what was it about?"
"Don't want to talk about it."
"Oh, ok so it's normal for you to scream out my name in the middle of the night?" I gave him a smirk with one eyebrow raised. He knew I wasn't going to let this go.
"You're not going to let this go until I tell you huh?" I just rolled my eyes. "Flirt," he mumbled.
"Tease," I smarted right back at him. This was going to take a while. He was in a playing mood.
"So, sergeant are we going to sit here all night or you. . .," before I could get my the rest of my sentence out Bucky game me a half grin and then snaked his hands around my waist. He pulled me onto his lap, so he could look into my eyes.
"You know when you call me Sergeant like that it has an intoxicating effect on me," he chuckled.
"Buck!" I teased trying to wiggle free. It was no use so I decided the best thing to do was to change the subject. "Tell me about your dream," I demanded.
"I'll tell you if you promise no interruptions." I just rolled my eyes. His body relaxed, as he began to talk. "It started out as a really, really good dream," he chuckled, "We had gone out dancing, and then we come back here. I finally told you that I loved you and,"
"Hold up you, you what. . ." I stammered, hoping it was true.
"No interruptions remember." He sighed and went back to his story as I sat there gaping at him. "Anyway, you said you loved me too and then I showed you over and over and over again how I felt about you Doll. Afterwards I stabbed you in the heart."
"Oh" was the only thing I could muster out.
I let out the breath I didn't know I has holding. His eyes right on mine. "Well, you wanted to know," he said husky. I had asked him. I just shook my head. I couldn't believe what I just heard. He had kept telling me that he had something to tell me on our date, and now he just had or was it just a dream for him. I had to find out.
"You know I'm not some pinup girl you can have your way with and toss aside," I said flatly crossing my arms.
"Never said that and I would never treat you like one" Bucky replied. "You are better than that and more special to me than anyone I have known since the 40's.
"You know I've been through hell and back, we both have," I said, "The last thing I can take is another broken heart. . . . I don't want to lose the woman that I am now. It took me too long to get back to the old me." I knew I was rambling and he was letting me. "So, please Bucky, I just need to know where you stand. Not in a dream but in real life. Here and now. . . "My answer was a soft kiss to my lips that deepen.
"I think you know where I stand, моя любовь (my love), Bucky said as he moved his hand up and down my back. I sat there frozen for a moment. He had just called me his love. He knew…he knew I loved him and now I knew for sure that he loved me too.
"Ema, please say something, I can't fight a ghost. You loved him and lost him. We both deserve happiness. . . I love you. I will protect you until my last breath." Tears began to fill my eyes. I looked down and tried to blink them away. I didn't think it was possible for me to find true love again. "Hey Doll, please don't." He lifted up my chin and wiped the tears from by cheeks. The look of longing he gave me caused my body to feel things I hadn't in a long time.
"Я тоже тебя люблю, Баки, (I love you too, Bucky.) I said as I looked deep into his eyes.
"Ema. . ," he said but I cut him off before he could finish by crashing my lips unto his.
I woke the next morning wrapped in the arms of the man I loved feeling small kisses down my neck and shoulders. Turning to face him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. "Good morning Doll. What you want to do today? I've got the whole day off." He said with warmth in his voice.
"I want to practice a Russian phrase, I haven't used before." He raised a curious eyebrow to me.
"And what might that be?"
"ребенок, пожалуйста, не останавливайтесь." (baby please don't stop)
Bucky smiled and continued what he had started.