A Lonely Soldier No More
Prologue: Month before My Wedding to James
"Valerie, you have to tell us how you two met and how long it took before one of you spoke to the other," Natasha said with a smile even though she was starting to get a buzz going on.
"Yeah, Valerie. Who spoke to who first?"
"Well, it is a story that will definitely keep us entertained for the rest of the night, but I know we are going to need a bit more in the snack department."
We headed to the kitchen to get the snacks we needed for the story I was about to tell the rest of the girls. We laughed and talked as we gathered the snacks, which included popcorn, chips, bottles of water to counter the chance of hangovers, and pretzels to give us a bit of a saltiness. Once we went back to the living room, we took our former positions on the sofas and chairs that were in the room.
"Now, you have to remember that this began a few months before Loki's attack on Manhattan, okay," I said as I began to tell the whole story behind the way we met.
It had started quite innocently enough when I moved into my first apartment on the eastside of Manhattan. It was a very nice building and the way it was built, everyone could see the awesome skyline, the courtyard down below, or across the bay at New York City. I had gotten myself an apartment that was on the inside of the building because I was more of a night owl that stayed up late into the night and prefered to sleep late. It had been about two weeks after I had moved in when I finally caught the eye of the mysterious man across the way from my apartment. In fact, his apartment was directly across from mine and I could look right towards his living room window from my dining room, which, was a great sight to see in the morning. I finally went out onto my balcony, and waved at him only to have him waved back with a shy smile and pink blush gracing his cheeks. Finally, a month later we were in the laundry room at the same time and we began to talk about what our lives were like only to find out that he was in fact the man once known as the Winter Soldier. He also told me about how he had helped the Avengers and his best friend since childhood Steve Rogers, who had been his commanding officer in the second World War.
"That is why I had to go through a court procedure like I did and then I had to go before the Congressional Inquiry to tell them everything that I had been put through by the now dead Secretary of Defense Alexander Pierce. In fact, my last handler or should I say person in charge of my well being was his lap dog. His name was Brock Rumlow, he is dead as far as I am concerned. After the proceedings, Steve and the other Avengers took me in for a while, but I just really needed to get away from them for a short time."
"Do you plan on staying in touch with them? I mean they have done so much to help you regain your life and identity, James."
"I would never stop talking with them, because to me they are my family."
"Did the fact that Hydra had gotten its hands on the blood sample that your friend Steve had given after the murder of Dr. Erskine and gave it to you so they could make you a super soldier just like him make you more like half brothers?"
"On the genetic level yes, but in our hearts we have always been like that. I have always treated him like my younger brother. I am just glad that we have patched everything up between us so that we aren't on opposite sides of any battlefields anymore."
"I know that is right. I mean, you two are all that you two have left in this world."
"You don't know how true that statement really is, Valerie, because all of our lines are basically strangers to us."
"How truly sad is that?"
"You have no idea just how sad that really is, but there is a very silver lining to this situation because Steve is a great younger brother and an awesome commanding officer. I would jump into the trenches all over again with him because I have already been to hell with him."
"I know that you and Steve went to hell together back in the late forties, but then you spent most of the last seventy years in hell by yourself only because of Hydra and their agents. I know that you and Steve are finally getting to a point where you two are able to talk about what happened to you during his long sleep. Yes, I have watched you and him while you guys were sitting in your living room. Another yes, my apartment is right across the courtyard from yours."
"I know because I accidentally saw you in your pink bra and matching panties running from your kitchen back to your bedroom. I will say that I was very shocked yet I loved it because I had always wondered if below my waistline still worked at all. I mean I had not used it in a very long time."
"You got confirmation that your equipment still worked from those few brief minutes?"
"You have no idea how well it worked to give me hope that I could still have kids if the future gave me a chance. The joy in my heart was unimaginable to anyone that does not know about what I have gone through in the last seven decades. To me, feeling my body respond to seeing you like that was like having the last seven decades disappear all together."
"Then I am glad to be of a helping hand in that department."
"I am just glad that I am working at full go again and for that I am eternally grateful. You know what, maybe we should try dating. What do you think about the idea?"
"Well, I was wondering when you were going to get the guts to ask me out on a date, soldier boy. My answer is a definite yes, James. So, what kind of date are we going on first?"
"Well, back in the days before all hell broke loose for Steve and I, I was well known treating my dates very romantically. Now, I think I am going to stick to what worked for me in the past, but with a twist because I am going to do the cooking for you. What tempts your taste buds?"
"I happen to love Italiano, think you can impress me."
"I know I can, doll, because not only can I speak several different languages fluently, but I can cook in the style of six different world countries. Italy happens to be one of them."
"Oh, okay. We shall see just how good of a chef you really are. I think you are really going to enjoy impressing me with your cooking skills, Brooklyn boy."
"Okay, you need to tell me more about yourself because I am so intrigued with you already. I mean we are going to try dating so I might as well get to know you a little better and see what kind of things we might have in common with each other."
"Well, I have an older twin brother named Clint and our grandfather was in the army, but he was not in the U.S. army. He was in the allies mixed group called The Howling Commandos. From what I have heard, they had a black guy that could speak both French and Deautch. From what I have learned, you know who I am talking about."
"Of course, I was their commander before Steve was. In fact, I gave him the commander stop after he saved the captured half of the 107th, which was the unit that claimed to be our home unit, and myself from Dr. Zola. Who was your grandfather?"
"Dum-Dum Dugan."
"You have got to be kidding me, because I used to drink with him until I was too drunk to stay on my feet."
"I have heard stories from grandpa about how you were a big flirt when you would get drunk. He said that you even tried flirting with Agent Carter only to have her to totally ignore you and you were really bummed out about it. He said that you and Steve were talking, but he was able to tell that Steve was trying to cheer you up, but he also said that it looked like he was failing badly by the way you held your shoulders."
"Leave it to Dum-Dum to try and ruin my reputation even with me out of commission. I can't believe he said that about me, but yeah he was right. I was one hell of a flirt when I was drunk. Now, I can't get drunk and that takes my fun away."
"Well, I don't think it has affected your fun at all because you flirted with me and look what it got you, soldier boy."
"I guess you are right because tonight I am going to make you an Italian feast. How about we also watch a movie?"
"I think that would be an awesome thing. What kind of movies do you like?"
"I am a big fan of action, comedy, sci-fi, and believe it or not romance."
Taking a break to refill my glass, I could tell the rest of the gals were getting restless about what happened the night of our first date. I could not help the smile that crossed my face because I knew that they were wanting to know how soon it was till I was able to see what James had hidden in his jeans or any pants that he wore. The one that was literally on the edge of her seat was Natasha.
"Calm down, Natasha. It took four dates before we got to that point."
"So, what did he cook for your dinner on the first date?"
"Shrimp Alfredo with penne pasta, and for dessert, he made a chocolate Italian Cream cake that is to absolutely die for. We drank a red wine that shocked me because there was no bitter aftertaste. Although, when I first showed up at his door, all I could hear was Brooks and Dunn's song 'Brand New Man' blaring through his door. I just called his phone to let him know that I was just outside of his door and when he got the message the door flew open only to show that he had stepped out of the shower. He was in nothing, but a towel around his waist and I was fighting to keep the drool off of my chin. What he did next did not help me at all because he dropped the towel that covered what his daddy gave him in the way bodywise. He hollered at me to make myself at home and that dinner was almost done."
"That little shitass dropped his towel in front of you just after you walked in the door. I think I need to tell Steve about this because I doubt that Bucky ever told him about this," Natasha said with a slight chuckle as she put her cell to her ear. "Hey, Steve. Ask Bucky
about his first date dinner with Valerie because it is going to make him turn so red it will make you laugh."
"I will ask him, thanks. I think we need something to entertain us because he just told the stripper to leave in no uncertain terms."
"Damn. He definitely has himself marked as off-limits to one and all."
"All I can say, is that he was not wanting any other females here at the tower because he had no intentions of having any kind of temptation around. Well, I am going to go for now and you gals enjoy your party. Oh, don't do anything that none of us guys would not do and yes, I know that it is a very short list when it came to that. Night, Natasha and yes, Bruce is having a very good time. He is staying very calm, which is a good thing, because it is getting a little crazy here at the tower."
"Just don't let him get too upset over anything because if he gets upset and he is drunk, the only one that might be able to get him back under control is Thor."
"Oh, don't worry your pretty little red-head, Nat. There is no alcohol here upon Tony's request, which, was scary enough in itself because he is Mr. Alcohol himself."
"Oh, that is a little bit nerve wracking," Natasha said as she began laughing at the laugh that came from the other end of the phone. "See you guys tomorrow at the ceremony."
After hanging up her phone, Natasha told us what she had been told by Steve and we all began to laugh. That was until she told us that there was no alcohol under the request of none other than Tony himself. Then we all became nervous because we knew that Tony did not do non-alcoholic parties well. As our party was really getting started with our movie selections of the night and most of them were either action or humor. We watched the movie called 'Pretty Woman' only to be followed by 'Magic Mike'.
"The guys said that they were going to do a dance routine at the reception tomorrow and Sam told me that the song was from this very movie," Pepper said while trying to stifle a giggle as the anticipation of what the guys were going to do.
"All I can hope for is that they don't do the song 'It's Raining Men' because I would most likely jump his bones the first chance I could get."
"Damn, Valerie. You must want to have his baby very soon."
"You got that right."
"Why are you so obsessed with having a baby so soon after your wedding day?"
"Because we only have a limit amount of time and it is not for the good of us having a multi-child family."
"Why not be happy with what you can have in the time you do have?"
"Because we both were in single child homes. Just like the good captain. That is why both Bucky and Steve want more than a single child, fathered by them."
"Okay, enough with the heavy. Let's get back to the story."
We all laughed and I began telling the story that was the way that Bucky and I got together only to be ripped apart by the second attack on Manhattan Island by Thanos and a brainwashed Loki. I told them about how our apartment building was the first to be destroyed by the aliens and how we got split up during the evacuation by the police and the military. I told them about how sad it made me to leave the area that I knew he would come back to. I could tell that the partying mood had just been killed by the fact that all of the girls were sitting there with a sad look in their eyes. I knew that if I was to tell them everything then they would know just how important we are to each other and just how that plays such a part in our relationship. So, I continued with our story and the girls kept quiet as the story deepened.
I told them about how we had been dating for a few months when all hell broke loose with the second attack from the Chitauri army, who was actually looking for Loki. I ran over to the other side to see if I could find my beloved Bucky. I had to fight my way as far as I could before I was forcefully removed from the area, but I did not go quietly because I screamed Bucky's name at the top of my lungs hoping that he could hear me.
CHAPTER ONE: A FEW MONTHS AGO
Valerie's POV:
I had been in my apartment for a few years when I noticed that a very handsome stranger had moved into the empty apartment across the courtyard from me and I made it my mission to find out everything about him. Then it hit me as to who he was because of the news broadcast. I caught him watching me one morning while I was doing yoga in my living room. When I noticed that he was watching, I waved at him while smiling friendly like at him only to have him wave and blushed at the fact that I smiled at him. Soon though, we were talking in either the laundry room or at one another's apartment. We found that even though we were born ages apart, we had a lot in common in the way of our likes and dislikes. His favorite thing to eat was none other than New York hot dogs and I was a fan of New York hot dog except for the mustard. He had to laugh at the fact that I did not like mustard on my hot dogs, but then I explained that I was allergic to mustard and then he stopped laughing at the thought that he may have offended me by laughing before getting the whole story behind me hating mustard.
"I told him not to be all that upset because up until just then that he did not know about my allergy."
"Well, Bucky always did seem to be a sensitive soul."
We continued this way until the attack that left both of us homeless until we became residents of the tower, but before that I ended up at my brother's farm, which, very few know about it. This farm is just outside of Syracuse and to the northeast, which, made it hard to get to if you don't know about it or where to look for it. As I continued with my story about how we got together, the girls were silently listening to the tale as if it was the greatest romance story ever written. As I told them everything, Natasha was secretly taping every word that was spoken. What I didn't know was that she and the others in the tower were going to put our story together as the theme of our wedding.
"So, when you first got him to talk to you, was his hair in a man-bun or was it hanging all down in his face?"
"Actually, it was up in a low pony tail, although, part of it was out of the tail and framed the right side of his face quite nicely. He also had a very shy smile that made me think of a little boy full of mischief and curiosity. I think that is what made my heart do back flips over him every time that I looked into his eyes."
"Well, Bucky does have that effect on anyone he meets. Except for maybe Steve, who has known him since what, childhood. He can't pull the puppy eye routine on someone who is immune to them," Pepper said as we all broke out giggling and laughing at the very thought of Bucky trying to pull the puppy eyes maneuver on Steve. "Hell, he tried pulling it on Tony to get him to do him a huge favor for the wedding."
"What did he want Tony to do for him?"
"He wanted him to make him a new arm that looked more like his right arm rather than just a hunk of metal hanging from his left shoulder. I think he just wants to look normal for a change at his to you, Valerie. I think he is very sweet on you, girl," Pepper said as she gave a very thoughtful to me.
"I guess he still thinks that he feels he has to prove to himself that he deserves to be loved as himself. Or at least, he doesn't think that the Winter Soldier does because of all of the hell he has put everyone through in the last five or six decades after all of the experiments that Zola had planned for him were done. I think the reason why he is doing this is to get as much distance, mentally, between him and the persona of the Winter Soldier. Who can blame him for that really. Bucky, he has a heart of gold when he is under his own will, but due to his skills as a sniper, he is very fucking dangerous when he is under someone else's will. Even Steve will tell you that and that is why he was trying so hard to stay away from anything that would bring out the Winter Soldier again. He dearly loves you, Valerie, and he does not want Winter to come out again no matter what. Remember that time when you had been abducted by Fandral because he thought that the two of you were meant for each other only to be rescued by Loki? He was livid with the fact that Thor's jackass of a friend thought he could put his hands on you. Remember what he tried to do to Loki only to have Thor get him to spare Loki of his wrath by telling who had truly abducted you. When Thor pushed the chained and muzzled Fandral before him to deal any way he saw fit, he looked at Thor as if to say 'Take him back your realm and cast judgement on him for me and Valerie, please, or I might kill him'."
"You are right, girls. He does fight hard to keep Winter at bay everyday and everyday he is just so grateful that he didn't lose control over that side of himself."
"The only thing that he has ever wanted was to be loved as much as he loves you. Do you think you can do that for the rest of your life with him, girl."
"That is my only mission in life and it is the best mission I could ever have."
"I think you two deserve to be with each other and you both have went through hell only to come back stronger than before. I mean it took you a few months to find each after the attack, but I have to say that the love that you share is so much stronger than anything I have ever seen."
"Boy, that is so true," Pepper said in agreement with Natasha while Maria and the other ladies nodded in agreement over what had just been said about the love that Bucky and I share. "I remember when Steve first brought in a very ragged looking and weary of people Bucky. When Steve explained to us all everything that his brother in every way except blood had went through during his years as a P.O.W. within Hydra. I have to say that Bucky was so shy around females in general and Steve had told us that he was the one that was always the outgoing lady's man."
"Being very observant of everything, I noticed that there was no way that the man that was standing in front of me was the same man. I could see that the years of forced imprisonment had really done to him, but then when he moved into that apartment across the courtyard from you. He became a brand new man after a few weeks of constant contact with you. You should have seen him after the attack and destruction of your old building. He was inconsolable and falling apart after he had manage to get himself back together. I thought we were going to see the Winter Soldier come back out at any moment. Which, I have to say, scared the hell out of us because we did not want to see that side of Bucky ever again."
"That is an understatement and a half, Natasha. That side of him is a nightmare for anyone and everyone that had ever found themselves in the crosshairs of his sniper rifle."
"Yeah, and when he found out that he wasn't the one that took out Tony's parents
, you could see just how relieved he was because he did not want to have it awkward around the tower for everyone."
"I am glad that Fury was able to find the true report for the accident and it proved Howard had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit of law. Plus, he had enough enemies that wanted the man and apparently one had managed to hire someone to cut the brake lines to his car. It didn't take the cops long to find the guy because whoever hired him also double-crossed him by giving the cops the heads up about him for a lighter sentence,"Pepper said with a look of sobering reality.
"It has made it easier for Tony and Bucky to get to know each other. Hell, Tony even began helping Bucky with his nightmares because Jarvis is always letting him know when either Steve or Bucky are up."
"Remember the morning when we found Tony and Steve curled up together on the couch, just because Tony had had a very bad nightmare and needed to be comforted for once. It was how they were wrapped up in each other's arms and legs."
"How can we forget how cute they looked when we all started busting up at them?"
"Remember how Steve got so mad that he started growling at us like an alpha animal protecting its beta mate. Then when we started asking them why were they acting like that only to have Thor explained as just that, no thanks to the curse of Loki's that had hit them full blast. Thor explained that Steve was in fact a very strong alpha in the way of humans while Tony is a very nurturing beta. Remembering the look on Tony's face still makes me laugh, but then he told them about the resulting effect on poor Tony's body. Loki had also made it were the beta would end up showing the fact that they were now a hermaphrodite and able to do three things that they could not do before."
"Remember how pale Tony became when the word children was spoken. I think he had given up on ever having a special someone to love him, give him a chance to be himself, and to have a family with."
"And took you and Bucky getting back together at the end of three months worth of separation due to Loki and his stupid antics."
"Can you imagine what their children are going to look like? They are going to be as smart as Tony while having Steve's good looks. The children are going to have it all and are going to be slightly spoiled no thanks to Tony's want to give everyone whatever they want. I mean, did you see the watch he gave Steve. I mean, that thing had enough bling on it to be seen from space."
"I know, but the message on the back of the face is what made poor Steve cry. Tony called him his 'Forever Love' and the kiss that Steve gave Tony was one for the record books because of how long they kissed."
"They went on for a good strong five minutes. I thought I saw Tony's cheeks gain a healthy shade of pink to them."
"Yeah, everyone thought about laughing at the fact that Tony knew how to blush. Hell, who would have thought that Steve would have been Tony's alpha mate and how they are such equals in the relationship."
"That is the main reason why their relationship and mine to Bucky are going to last through everything that comes our way."