Hello! So I must admit that the first couple chapters are kind of slow but I didn't want to write their story from the very beginning. So this chapter is mostly setting up How their relationship is and what they had to deal with to get to that point. I really like to think about Bucky having a happy, healthy relationship. Anywho, please enjoy and let me know what you think. :D

"I can't wait for you to meet her. She's such a joy to be around. Finds the humor in literally everything. She'll be a bit mean to at first but give her some time…she'll warm up to you," Julie muttered into Bucky's shirt. She was fighting the exhaustion, but the warmth of his embrace wasn't helping much. "I…I miss her…a lot."

Bucky hugged her closer, resting his hand on the back of her head. He had his right leg around her legs, bringing her as close as possible. He whispered an apology.

He felt guilty. When was brought up, Julie always reassured him that it wasn't his fault. Yet, he couldn't help but to point his finger back to himself. Julie was always close to her family, especially her younger sister. She used to talk to them almost everyday. But, after she announced she was dating Bucky, her parents and sister were strongly against it.

Her parents didn't know much about Bucky's past. It was mostly Sonny who was against the relationship for obvious reasons. After a surprise visit, Sonny found it who was the mystery man. She rushed home and told her family that Julie was in a dangerous relationship. She held back the details that he used to be apart of Hydra and that he killed dozens of people. Bucky never understood why she didn't tell them the full truth.

After finding out about the dangerous relationship, everybody tried to stop Julie. But by this point, she was already too deep.

"Are you really willing to give up everything for this boy?" Her father yelled over the phone.

"Yes! And if you can't respect that…then…then…goodbye." Julie hung up the phone and turned to Bucky, eyes filled with tears.

"Julie…why did you do that?" Bucky asked as he held her. He felt his shirt damp from her tears.

"I don't know! That was so stupid! And really cheesy," Julie cringed as she wiped her tears and tore apart from Bucky. She looked at him as he reached down and wiped away the wet streaks on her cheeks. Their lips met. Once they broke away from the short kiss, Bucky her in for another hug.

"I love you. That's why." Bucky stared at her, trying to find any hint of a lie. Yet, her eyes were filled with so much honesty. He felt a lump in the back of his throat. Did he even know what that consisted of? Love was foreign to him. He couldn't remember the actual feeling. He knew there were people that loved him; his mom, his dad, his siblings, and Steve. But he couldn't remember what the actual emotion felt like. Did he love her too?

Yes. A small voice in the back of his head answered. It gradually got louder and louder. Why wouldn't he?

"J-Julie..." He stammered. A smile grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I love you too."

That was the first time they told each other that they loved each other. That was when Bucky decided he was going to take care of her and never leave her side. In return, he was going to allow himself to be vulnerable and love her.

He felt his eyelids becoming more and more heavy as Julie incoherently mumbled about Sonny and the rest of her family. He suggested that they went to visit her family before the baby arrived. He wanted Julie to be close to her family again. Even if that meant awkward silences and uncomfortable questions. Julie called them and suggested coming to visit and they quickly agreed on a date.

They only had a few days before the trip out to Chicago, where Julie was from. Bucky wanted to fall asleep so he could wake up and finish work and be one day closer to their trip. Yet, he wanted to keep listening to Julie as she explained her family. Despite trying to fight it, he couldn't help but drift off as he listened to her.

"I hate bills," Bucky muttered as he tore himself from Julie. "If it wasn't for them, I would still be asleep." Julie stirred awake and chuckled. She reached out for him and he bent down to kiss the top of her head.

She mumbled something but he couldn't understand fully. Her eyes were already closed again and her hands resting on her belly.

"Love you babe. I'll call you at lunch," He stood up and headed to the bathroom to finish getting dressed.

The mirror was a sign of his progress. When he first saw himself after the fight in D.C. he wanted to punch the mirror. He was disgusted with the reflection. It was a clear reminder of who he was and what he did. He never stood in front of the mirror without a shirt. That was highlighting his scars and the stories behind them. The red scarring around his arm brought him physical pain. His mind would flood with memories of how he got his metal arm. hat would lead to episodes of the treatment he received with Hydra.

Slowly, he learned to look at himself and not hate himself. It took some time and a new haircut to feel a bit like Bucky and not like the Winter Soldier. He couldn't change the past but he could decide his future. And it had to start with him having a healthy view of himself. He couldn't be half the man Julie deserved if he hated himself. She couldn't bare his burdens all the time. That thought caused him to try hard to focus on the present and future and not dwell too much on the past mistakes.

Bucky watched himself as he brushed his teeth, thinking about how he would explain the scars and arm to his kids. How would they react? He chuckled at the thought of kids wanting to bring his arm to show-and-tell. He quickly washed his face and threw on a shirt before heading out.

It was a blessing he had work. It was construction but this particular company didn't ask too many questions. They usually hire ex-convicts or people that didn't have citizenship. The boss, a stern man, often reassured the men that he won't ask questions in exchange for hard work and no drama. Drama, to him, meant no fighting, arguing, or having any shady side business.

Most of the men Bucky worked with kept to themselves and they all had a common respect for each other. The were just men who had some questionable pasts and wanted to provide for themselves and families. Bucky worked hard, but tried to hold himself back so nobody would asked questions. Could he lift the steel beams with just one hand? Yeah, but should he? Plus, they weren't paying him to show off his strength.

Lunch came around and Bucky pulled out his phone. One hand held his sandwich as the other held his phone up to his ear. Usually Julie had her phone on her and picked up quickly. But oddly, she wasn't picking up. He tried again and again before finally leaving a message after the fourth try.

"Hey honey. I'm on break. Wanted to talk for a bit. Um…call me back as soon as you can. You know, before one. Uh…hope you had a good morning. Love you." He tried to stay calm, but his mind immediately went into overdrive. Was she okay? Was she still asleep? Cooking? Cleaning? Did she injure herself?

Then, the thought came across his mind. He tried to shake it away but it was always a big concern. He was thinking of excuses for leaving when he received a text.

MY LOVE: Hey honey. I'm ok :) just resting. See u when u get home.

His stomach did a flip. Something was wrong.