Till Death Do Us Part

by Team Damon

She's a smart, ambitious young woman with her entire future at her fingertips. He's a man who's seen horrible things in his lifetime and has done even worse. She feels too much sometimes and he doesn't feel at all, but they can at least agree on one thing - they absolutely hate each other. Modern day arranged marriage/Bratva AU, Bucky/OC

7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey everybody! :D I honestly have no clue how Thursdays ended up being my update days, but hey, it's working so far lol and I am SO SO excited that you guys are still liking the story so far :D Last week's chapter was QUITE dark and kind of rough but we have a slight change of pace this week as we (well, Summer lol) deals with the aftermath. I loved writing this chapter and it's more fun than one might anticipate, so I hope you guys enjoy it too :D my huge and heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you and to midnightwings96 whom I adore and love and who is, as always, the best partner in crime that a writer could possibly ask for. Love you guys, and I'll see you next week! :D

When Summer awoke the following morning, it was to a headache and the smell of coffee wafting through her bedroom. The headache was courtesy of the previous day's events, and the coffee was from Sam, who had been given the task of waking her up at 8 so she could officially begin her "training" at 9.

Thinking back to what had very nearly happened to her at the hands of a disgusting predator and feeling the bruise on her face ache as if to confirm that it had all really happened, Summer sat still under her blankets and sipped her coffee as she asked Sam, "So... am I in for as much misery as I think I am with this training stuff?"

"Probably," Sam nodded, sympathetic grin on his face. "I can tell you right now, it ain't gonna be no walk in the park."

She sighed and took another sip. "Any idea who's gonna be training me?"

"That, I don't know," Sam shrugged. "Depends on who the boss thinks you'll learn easiest from."

Well, this should be fun. Summer drained the rest of the coffee and quickly ate the small little pastry that Sam had also brought her, God bless him, and then she jumped into the shower even though it was slightly pointless, since she'd be sweating up a storm soon anyway.

The hour passed by quickly, and Sam had left her room by the time she emerged from the bathroom and decided to start rummaging through her clothes looking for something to wear. She really didn't know what to choose, but a sports bra was probably a necessity, and since she wasn't looking to impress anyone, sweatpants and a comfy old concert t-shirt was what she settled on.

She'd just pulled the shirt over her head when there was a knock at the door. She quickly made her way there and opened it up, then paused in surprise to find a certain petite and unfairly beautiful redhead on the other side.

"Ready?" Natasha asked, looking much more put together with her neat ponytail, little black shorts and just a red and black sports bra on top. As if Summer already didn't feel woefully inadequate.

"... Oh," Summer blinked, having not even considered Natasha as a possibility as to who would train her. They rarely spoke or even saw one another, and since Summer had been under the impression that she and Bucky were probably still carrying on their affair until Bucky had convinced her otherwise the night before, she definitely hadn't gone out of her way to try to get to know Natasha. "Um... I think?"

Natasha just barely smirked in amusement, looking her over quickly and saying, "Well, you're dressed fine. Get some shoes on and meet me outside in five."

"Okay," Summer replied, the word barely out of her mouth before Natasha had turned and sauntered off.

... Wait, outside?

After throwing on a pair of worn-out runners that she'd been wearing to the gym for the last three years during her sporadic visits, she left her room and headed down the stairs. She walked out of the main entrance and found Natasha waiting on the top step, stretching a bit and chatting with Sam, who was also there in running gear. Summer eyed them both warily and said with no hidden amount of dread, "Oh God. You're gonna make me run, aren't you?"

Natasha turned around and grinned before nodding. "Well, I can't just take you into the training room and throw you in the middle of it and hope for the best. We have to build your strength and endurance first."

"Great," Summer deadpanned. She hated running. Hated it. "So, how far are we running?"

"Just around the property line," Natasha said, like it was no big deal.

Sam chuckled and said, "What she's not telling you is that it's about ten miles altogether."

Summer's eyes nearly fell out of her head. "Ten miles?!"

"It's not that bad," Natasha said, waving her off. "We'll be back before you know it."

Summer gulped, highly doubting that. "... And if I pass out around the five mile mark?"

"You won't," Natasha said with confidence that Summer didn't share. "Besides, just think of it this way. The sooner I whip you into shape, the sooner I can start showing you how to take down a room full of men who weigh twice as much as you."

Not sure if that was nearly as encouraging of a thought as Natasha meant it to be, Summer took a deep breath and nodded nonetheless. If this was how Natasha wanted to do it, Summer trusted her to know best. After all, she was absolutely terrifying and probably the most in-shape woman she'd ever seen in her life. Just her legs alone were absolutely breathtaking.

Before they got going, Summer had one question that she couldn't quite keep inside. As she quickly threw up her own hair into a messy ponytail, she fidgeted a little before asking the other woman, "So did you volunteer or did Bucky ask you to do this with me?"

"Last night, while you were with Banner," she replied, "I helped get Rumlow out of the building and into a car. We sent him back to Russia for Pierce and Strucker to deal with. And when I came back inside, Bucky pulled me aside and asked me to start training you today." She paused and then added, "He also made sure to tell me to let you sleep until at least 8."

Summer wasn't prepared for how much that little detail would touch her. It was so simple and seemingly insignificant, but the fact that Bucky wanted to make sure she got enough sleep to recover from her ordeal made Summer feel unexpectedly warm inside.

"He wouldn't have asked me if this wasn't extremely important to him," Natasha added. "Without trying to sound arrogant, I'm one of the best in the entire Bratva, American or otherwise. I was his main competition for Captain when Pierce retired. Any of the lower level guys could have taught you the basics. But they couldn't teach you what I can."

"Which is insane," Sam said. "She kicks my ass when we spar, and I know she's holding back. Woman's got thighs like a damn vise, almost took my head off last week."

Natasha smirked proudly. "It's my signature move. But we'll get to that later. For now, we run."

"Okay," Summer said, head spinning. Just the very suggestion of her one day being just half as badass as Natasha was so incredibly strange that she could barely wrap her mind around it. She'd never pictured herself learning how to fight beyond a simple self defense class here or there, and she wasn't entirely sure that she even could do it. Maybe she'd be horrible at it and never get anywhere beyond the beginner's stage. Then again, maybe she'd surprise herself and actually be pretty good at it.

She'd find out later either way. For now it was time to run.

As the girls began their ten mile track, Sam trailed behind them and kept an eye on them and their surroundings, clearly not willing to take anymore chances with Summer and her security. Natasha had to slow down quite a bit for Summer's sake, but she didn't complain or act at all impatient. She followed Summer's lead and only pushed her as far as she knew she could handle.

After they'd been running for what felt like forever, Summer asked Nat while huffing and puffing, "This has gotta be like mile 5, right?"

Natasha merely smiled and replied, "We just hit the two mile mark."

Summer groaned and kept going. She was might just die.

"So," she said, huffing and puffing, "did Aemilia get tortured like this too when she married Lukas?"

"Not sure," Natasha replied, breath much more steady. "He personally trained her, so I wasn't involved. She's good, though. They both are."

"Where are they, anyway?" Summer asked curiously. She hadn't seen them around the manor yet, and that was an occurrence.

"They left early this morning for some kind of appointment," Nat shrugged. "Aemilia checked in on you before they left. You were still sleeping."

That made Summer smile a little bit. She adored Aemilia so much. She'd gone from her idol to an irreplaceable friend and support system, and God Summer was grateful for her.

"All right," Nat said, zooming past her. "Time to speed up. Catch up with me."

Summer groaned and willed her very unhappy body to go faster. She took back what she said before - she was definitely gonna die.

On the bright side, it was a nice, cool morning outside and the views were nice most of the time. It was also very private and much better than running on a treadmill in a stuffy gym, so there was at least that. Natasha also didn't mind stopping occasionally so that Summer could take enormous gulps of water and try to catch her breath, but she didn't let Summer give up until they'd finished the entirety of their run. And while Summer's sides were on fire and her legs absolutely hated her by the time the manor's front doors came back into view, she survived the entire run and celebrating by collapsing into a wheezing pile of soreness on the steps just beneath the doors.

"Oh my God, I did it," she gasped, lying on her back and wondering if her lungs would ever forgive her for what she'd just done to them. She was covered with sweat, her entire shirt drenched, and her hair was just as damp as well. Natasha, on the other hand, seemed pretty dry overall, aside from her abs which were glistening in a way that was sexy instead of sloppy. Summer hated her a little for that.

"You did good," Natasha smiled, sitting next to her and handing her a bottle of water. "We'll do this again tomorrow and keep doing it until you can keep up with me. I'll also have you start weight training. Yoga's good too, especially for beginners. You'll need the flexibility for what's in store."

Summer groaned and drained half the bottle of water. "Oh God. You hate me."

Natasha chuckled. "No, I don't. Nobody does, as far as I know. Though to be honest," she added, "I didn't think you'd be okay with me training you."

"Why?" Summer asked, sitting up and leaning against the side railing. "I don't have anything against you."

Natasha shrugged. "I thought that it might be a little awkward."

"Oh. Because you and Bucky..." Summer gestured vaguely with her hand. "Yeah, no, I mean... maybe it would be if me and him were actually... together, but since we're not, I don't know. Doesn't bother me."

Natasha nodded. "You know, he told me what you said to him last night during the party, about how you thought he and I were still sleeping together. And it's true, what he told you. We haven't since we first got the news about you and the marriage."

Summer could still hardly believe that. "I just... assumed that since the marriage isn't real and you guys are obviously super close, that he wouldn't have much of a reason not to, you know? He's a guy and guys... have needs."

"We all have needs," Natasha wryly corrected her. "But he's not like that. And neither am I. And I wanted you to hear that from me, too."

"Well... thank you," Summer told her sincerely. "And I'm sorry for assuming otherwise. Wasn't fair of me."

"But understandable," Natasha assured her. "Most men I've met in my life are nothing like him. They wouldn't have cared, had it been them."

"I don't doubt that," Summer sighed. "So you guys really are as close as you seem, aren't you?"

Natasha answered that with a small smile and a brief story. "When I was first sent here from Russia, it was an experiment. Pierce wanted Bucky to take over for him when he retired. Strucker - who's in charge of everything - thought that I would be a better candidate. So they threw us together and figured whichever one of us who killed the other would get the job."

"... As in literally kill?" Summer asked.

Natasha nodded. "Officially, Bucky was meant to further train me and help me blend in here, lose my accent and think and act American. And he did those things very well. But the expectation was still there for one of us to eliminate the competition. We both certainly had the reputations to back it up."

"So what happened?" Summer asked. It wasn't often that she got detailed stories like this, and she was soaking up every word.

"... We're very alike," Natasha explained. "Instead of fighting to the death, we became partners. It was the last thing they expected, but we work very well together. And really, we were equally qualified for the job. He thought that I would get it, but I knew better. The old men back in Moscow aren't ready for a female Captain."

"... Oh," Summer said, mulling that over. "Wow. So then... if you had been made Captain instead, would I be married to you right now?"

Natasha laughed, and Summer grinned and laughed with her. "Well, isn't that a thought. But no, the leadership isn't nearly progressive enough for that. They probably would have given you to one of the higher ranked guys. Whoever expressed an interest and claimed you first."

Summer let out a deep breath. "Wow. That sounds... terrifying."

"Well, as you saw last night," Natasha replied, "Bucky is very protective of what's his. If you were going to be forced into a marriage with one of the single men in this organization... you were given to the best one by far."

"... I'm starting to see that now," Summer said, meaning those words. "At first I thought he wanted me dead and he was so rude and mean but... I think things are better now. Especially after last night."

"I hope so," Natasha told her, her tone genuine. "And by the way, I've never liked Rumlow. He once got drunk and begged me to sleep with him. Said all kinds of vile things when I told him to go to hell. I don't even think he wanted me. He just wanted it so he could taunt Bucky. I'm sorry you had to experience what you did."

Feeling a little colder at the mention of Rumlow's name, Summer nodded and looked down at her hands. "He actually told me while he was... um... he told me he was doing it to hurt him, not me."

Natasha shook her head, her eyes flashing before she said, "Well, not that much of anything will make you feel better, but just in case it helps... I saw what Bucky did to him. I have a very strong stomach and I've inflicted my fair share of violence, but I've never seen anything quite like that."

... Oh God. Suddenly, Summer had to know. "Did he cut it off?"

Natasha furrowed her brows and replied, "He sort of... sawed at it and... stabbed it down the middle through the head and... I'm fairly sure most if not all of the nerves were severed. It was still attached, but barely. If he survived the flight back to Russia, I would imagine he's probably in surgery right now. And I would wager that he'll be peeing into a bag for the rest of his life, unless a miracle happens."

"... Oh my God," Summer said, eyes wide and stomach turning a bit as she processed that description. It was so brutal and disgusting and disturbing but Rumlow had deserved it. And Bucky had done it for her, because she'd asked him to.

It certainly wasn't the conventional thing a husband would do for his wife, brutally disfigure and mutilate a man who had tried to attack her, but... she was grateful for it. At least now Rumlow couldn't hurt a woman like that ever again.

Not long after that, the conversation tapered off and Natasha suggested they head back inside. Summer nodded, head swimming still with disturbing images that she probably wouldn't be able to get out of her head for some time, and followed Natasha back through the front doors. What she found inside made her stop in her tracks and grow heavily confused.

Bucky was there in the foyer, talking to someone who Summer personally knew and hadn't seen in a few years. She had to blink a few times and stare before she actually believed what she was seeing, and once she did, the man in question glanced over and noticed her too.

Summer blinked. "... Scott?"

"Summer!" Scott smiled cheerfully, though his face immediately fell almost as soon as her name left his mouth. "Whoa! What happened to your face?"

"I... you should see the other guy," Summer shrugged. "I thought you were in jail. And why are you here? And talking to... him?" she asked, her eyes flickering over to Bucky.

"... You know Lang?" Bucky asked, clearly surprised by what he was seeing.

"Oh yeah!" Scott replied, turning back to Bucky. "We used to date a long time ago. Well, not that long ago. Before I went to jail. Which, again, sir, thank you for your help in getting me out. It was getting ridiculously boring in there. Nothing but Dr. Phil to watch during rec time."

Bucky fought a roll of his eyes, and Summer looked back and forth between the two men in utter bewilderment. "Wait, wait, hold on. He helped get you out? Like broke you out?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," Scott replied. "He got me a lawyer who worked his magic and got me out three years early."

Summer's eyes widened and she blurted, "You're in the mob?!"

Scott smiled and scratched at his neck. "You know, I always wanted to tell you, but then something else would come up and I'd lose my nerve and then the whole, uh... jail thing happened, so -"

"How long have you been in the mob?" Summer asked, everything making less sense the more that she heard.

Scott cringed and settled on, "... Awhile?"

"... So I dated a Bratva guy for a year, and then two years later, I married the fricking Captain," Summer surmised. "How is that even possible? Do I have a mob magnet on my head?"

"Oh, congratulations, by the way," Scott said, smiling at them both while Natasha watched in great amusement. "I would have come to the wedding, but I was... in jail, as I've already mentioned a couple times, so..."

Bucky raised an eyebrow and looked from his wife to Scott and back again. "You two actually dated."

"Yes," Summer groaned while Scott beamed, as if he was rather proud of that fact.

Then Bucky did something she'd never seen or heard him do before. He cracked a joke. "Are you sure you weren't separated at birth?"

Scott's expression grew comically horrified. "Well, I sure hope not, because that would make a lot of awesome things we did completely disgusting and unnatural."

"Scott," Summer hissed, eyes wide.

"What?" Scott said innocently, turning back to Bucky. "I'm just saying. We had sex. A lot. She's a tiger in bed. But you already knew that, because... you guys are married now, so I'm sure you've, uh... you know... a lot."

Summer wanted the ground to open her up and swallow her where she stood. Her ex-boyfriend was talking vaguely about the sex they'd had during their year together in front of her husband and his former lover, and she was fairly sure that the situation couldn't possibly get more awkward. But it did.

Scott leaned into Bucky and whispered proudly, "I taught her the reverse cowgirl thing."

"Scott!" Summer squeaked. "Oh my God, shut up!"

"I know, I know, I need to shut up but I can't," Scott said, then gestured to Bucky. "He makes me nervous. And when I get nervous I vord-womit - I mean word-vomit, you know that."

"Oh, you're definitely twins," Natasha grinned.

"I hope you two don't have kids," Bucky said, and Summer couldn't believe that he'd actually cracked a second joke. At her expense. Of course. It just figured.

"Oh no, no kids," Scott replied. "Though not for lack of trying. And there I go again, I literally can't stop. I am so sorry."

"Please tell me you just came by to thank him for getting you out and that you're leaving now," Summer said desperately, wishing she had a roll of duct tape on hand so she could silence him the best way she knew how.

"No, actually, since I lost my apartment and everything when I got convicted, Bucky here - I mean, Mr. Barnes, sir, can I call you Bucky?"

Bucky rolled his eyes. "I don't care."

"Bucky here offered to let me stay here awhile," Scott smiled. "In exchange for work, of course."

"... And by work you mean stealing things for him?" Summer guessed.

"... Well when you put it so crudely -"

Bucky's phone rang then, and he pulled it out and glanced at it before looking up and telling Scott, "I've gotta take this. Jarvis'll get you settled in."

He then turned and hurriedly walked away, putting his phone to his ear, and Scott continued to babble words of thanks before he disappeared from view. Then he turned to find Summer glaring at him and Natasha looking remarkably entertained.

"What?" Scott asked again before frowning. "Okay, that bruise is awful. Seriously, what happened?"

Summer froze before Natasha unexpectedly came to her rescue. "I've been training her. And I'm not known for being the most gentle instructor, as you know."

Scott seemed to buy that, eyes widening before he replied, "Yeah, I do know. It's a miracle I still have my head attached after that time you tried to kill me with your thighs."

"... Okay, how well do you know everyone?" Summer asked, still hardly believing all of this.

"Pretty well?" Scott replied. "I mean, I've been doing jobs off and on for the Bratva for awhile now. About five years, not counting the last two I spent locked up."

"... Unbelievable," Summer muttered. "See, this is why we never would have worked even if you hadn't gone to jail. We spent a whole year together and you never bothered to say hey, honey, guess what? I'm working for the Russian mob!"

"Okay, I'm insanely curious," Natasha said, unable to help but interrupt. "How did you two meet?"

"Funny story there," Scott grinned. "So I was trying to break into this old man's apartment. He was supposed to be gone for the weekend, so easy mark. But I got the numbers mixed up and I broke into her place instead."

Natasha raised an eyebrow and glanced at Summer. "... You dated your burglar?"

"I hit him over the head with a cast iron skillet," Summer said, recalling that night in great detail. "And when I went to call the cops he started apologizing profusely and giving me this sob story about how he had a daughter and lost his job, and that he was desperate because he couldn't pay child support and was going to lose visitation and eventually go to jail if he didn't figure something out."

"That was the truth, not a sob story," Scott said.

"So anyway, I felt bad for him - because I'm ridiculous - and then he started hitting on me extremely awkwardly and insisting that I let him take me to dinner to make up for the emotional trauma of breaking into my apartment."

"I thought he was broke and couldn't pay child support," Natasha said. "How could he pay for dinner?"

Summer sighed. "He took me to a restaurant his friend Luis worked at on $.50 taco night. He got them for $.25."

"... Smooth," Natasha remarked.

"Hey, those were some damn good tacos," Scott said, crossing his arms. "And four for a dollar? You can't argue with that. Besides, you agreed to go out with me again, didn't you?"

Summer scowled at him. "Maybe I wouldn't have if you'd bothered to mention your mob connections."

"You married a Bratva Captain!" Scott exclaimed. "It can't bother you that much!"

"My dad sold me to the mob!" Summer replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's an arranged marriage. Duh!"

Scott suddenly froze and deflated a bit. "Oh. Shit. That sucks. That's terrible. I probably really embarrassed you talking about sex positions in front of him, didn't I?"

"Yes, genius," Summer said angrily.

"So then... do you guys not... you know..." Scott wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"No!" Summer exclaimed, face red and burning. "Now stop asking me about it!"

"Fine! Calm down, geez."

"You two are adorable," Natasha grinned. "Though you probably should get a DNA test."

"Listen, at this point," Scott shrugged, "if she turned out to be my long lost sister, I'd just rather not know. I mean, I really can't stress enough just how much sex we had."

"... I'm going to kill you," Summer muttered.

"You already did kill me," Scott replied. "A lot. And don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You remember."

As Summer glared at hm, Sam came in from outside and walked past them, glancing at Scott and saying, "Hey, Tic Tac. Bust out of jail?"

"Early release!" Scott grinned. "You guys have awesome lawyers."

"I'm gonna go take a shower," Summer announced, trudging off towards the stairs. "I have to wash my latest humiliation away before it permanently sinks into my pores."

"Meet me in the training room when you're done!" Natasha called after her. "We're not done yet."

Summer groaned. What a day this was shaping up to be.

Meanwhile, Bucky was in his office, seething with anger. The call that he'd gotten and had stepped away to answer hadn't been a good one, and he was currently contemplating massacring half the men on his payroll when his phone rang again and he picked it up without glancing at the caller ID. "What?"

"... Well, good morning to you too," Steve replied dryly from the other line.

Bucky paused and blinked. "Oh. It's you."

"Sorry to disappoint," Steve chuckled. "I've got some good news."

"I could use some," Bucky admitted, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

"Bad day?"

Bucky sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Remember Brock Rumlow?"

"Yeah, you hate him," Steve replied. "What happened?"

"You don't wanna know," Bucky replied. "But I sent him back to Russia last night with about half of his dick cut off."

Steve was silent for a long moment. "Is... that a metaphor, or did you actually..."

"Not a metaphor," Bucky replied. "Fucker got what he deserved."

"... My God, Bucky. What did he do?"

"He did enough," Bucky replied. "And I had to stay here at the manor all night to take care of everything. We had a shipment coming in at 6 and I was gonna go, but... I stayed behind. Then I got a call this morning saying the shipment got fucking intercepted by the Triad. It was a huge cache of weapons, Steve."

Steve groaned. "Dammit. Your guys couldn't hold them off?"

"My guys are worthless pieces of shit," Bucky groaned. "I might kill them when they get back."

"Don't do that," Steve sighed, as if he was telling Bucky to refrain from eating an entire cake or impulse buying a new sportscar. "Besides, I haven't given you the good news yet."

"What is it?" Bucky asked, doubting anything could even mildly lift his mood.

"I got a lead on a guy who, if my intel is correct, is the closest known associate of the man you've been looking for."

Bucky paused and blinked, sitting up a little straighter in his seat. "You mean -"

"Yes," Steve confirmed. "And you know I wouldn't mention it if I didn't think it was legit."

"Give me his info," Bucky said, scrambling for a pen on the utter mess of papers and other junk that was his desk.

"I need a little bit longer," Steve said. "Maybe another week or two. Just give me a little longer to flesh it out and then he's all yours."

Bucky paused, wanting to object but knowing that Steve wouldn't budge on this. "... Fine. But tell me the minute you can."

"I will," Steve replied. "You know I will."

Bucky took a breath, slumping back into his seat and wincing a little bit. His left shoulder hurt like a bitch and his back had been killing him for a few days, but neither of those things were anything new. Cradling the phone on his right shoulder and working out the knots on his left with his right hand as best as he could, Bucky muttered, "How's the office?"

He listened to Steve take a deep breath and chuckle, "Oh, you know. Same, I guess."

"You and Carter still dancing around each other like idiots?"

He could almost hear Steve blushing on the other line. "Bucky, she's my boss."

"So? You say that like its a bad thing."

"It's not a bad thing, but... no. I don't think anything's ever gonna happen there."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Coward."

"Yeah?" Steve shot back. "How're things with your wife?"

Bucky frowned. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Coward," Steve repeated playfully.

Bucky glared at his desk in lieu of being able to glare at Steve himself. "Remember Scott Lang?"

"... Who?"

Bucky sighed. "Remember the Christmas dinner a few years back where one of my guys met you and grabbed your muscles and felt you up?"

"... Oh, him," Steve replied. "Right. I thought he was in prison."

"I got him out. And apparently him and Summer used to date."

Steve paused. "What?"

"Small fucking world, I guess," Bucky muttered.

"You don't sound too happy about it."

"It's not that. S'just weird. They're basically the same person."

"And now they're gonna be living under the same roof?" Steve asked. "Sure that's smart?"

"It's no different than Nat living here and me seeing her every day," Bucky pointed out.

"Except you and her never dated," Steve pointed out.

"It's fine. I tr-" Bucky paused mid-sentence and furrowed his brows. Had he really been about to say that he trusted Summer? Perhaps on the surface it wouldn't have been a strange remark, but considering their arrangement, maybe it was. Besides, there was no telling how long he and Summer would be married, and he didn't expect for them to ever be intimate. Could he really begrudge her if she decided she did want to occasionally hook up with an ex? She was a living, breathing woman, after all. She had needs like anyone else did.

Was it wrong that just the mere thought of that made him want to march out of his office and rip Scott's head off and shove it up his -

"I gotta go," Steve said, interrupting his train of thought. "Look, I'll call you as soon as I've got something concrete for you, okay?"

"Okay," Bucky nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Steve."

"See you later," Steve said before hanging up.

Bucky dropped his phone back to his desk and let out a deep breath, leaning back again and closing his eyes as his thoughts swirled disjointedly through his head.

He wanted that lead from Steve. He also wanted to personally slaughter his team when they came back from losing the weapons shipment. He wanted to go to his room and crawl into his bathtub with the jets turned on as hot as they could go, until some of the aches in his body were more bearable. He wanted to threaten Scott Lang's life and make sure that he knew that if he ever tried to touch his wife, he'd be back in prison and at the mercy of the biggest, burliest, sexually deprived cell mate that Bucky could find. He wanted to call Moscow and see if Rumlow was still alive or just short an appendage.

He was also extremely tired and extremely frustrated. Moods like these where he simultaneously wanted to kill someone, fuck someone, take a nap, and maybe drink half a bottle of whiskey were never easy. They used to be manageable when he had the equally restless Natasha at his disposal, but now that he only had two helpers - his right and left hand - it wasn't nearly as bearable.

Sighing, he glanced at the time on his phone and decided he'd take out his frustration on the team when they made their way back. He'd toss them around like ragdolls until there was no doubt left in their minds just how pissed at them he was. Then once that was taken care of, he'd go retreat to his bathtub and let it take care of the aches and pains. Then he'd take care of something else in the process.

The problem was, all of that would only pass the time until probably 3 in the afternoon. Then he'd be right back where he started and back to feeling restless and hopelessly frustrated in more ways than he could count.

Another day in the life, he supposed. At least he got to bask in the glow of knowing that wherever Brock Rumlow currently was, he was in excruciating pain and quite literally half the man he used to be.

---

Later that day, when Lizzie found out that Scott was apparently involved in the Bratva and would be staying in the manor for the time being, she was both in shock and incredibly happy. Scott was, hands down, her personal favorite when it came to Summer's list of previous boyfriends (which was an incredibly short list), and they greeted each other with great enthusiasm. Summer was too busy in the training room with Natasha to witness this, though Scott and Lizzie did make it a point to go in and watch her experience the joy of her first day of weight training. Summer might have flipped them both off at some point.

From that day forward, the structure of Summer's days changed. She had never been more busy in her life, waking up before the sun even rose to train with Nat, then get done in time to shower and dress and get to work at 9 every day. She was usually asleep by 10 every night, falling asleep the minute her head hit the pillow, and that alone made her rigorous new schedule worth it. She had no time to let anxiety get the best of her, no time to lay there in her bed and think about the attack that had caused her new training regimen to be necessary. It was still there in the back of her mind, and while she wasn't sure if she had really fully dealt with and processed it, her body and mind stayed occupied enough that she felt mostly okay during the aftermath.

Two weeks passed, and things were for the most part going pretty well, in Summer's view. Lizzie had calmed down following her own panic-fest following Rumlow's attack, and Summer and Bucky had thus far maintained their truce. He was always busy himself and often gone, but when their paths crossed they did so peacefully and without incident. Summer's bruise on her face faded, and her hard work with Natasha was paying off. The following week, they'd be able to start incorporating some actual basic defense lessons into their morning sessions, and Summer was actually looking forward to it.

But first, she had a weekend to enjoy. She was in her office Friday afternoon during that second week, wrapping up her work for the day when Aemilia poked her head through her open door and tossed her a big smile.

"Dinner tonight at 7," Aemilia announced happily. "Don't miss it."

"Oh, okay," Summer smiled back. "Wasn't planning on it."

"Oh, I'm sure, but this one's important," Aemilia grinned. "So whatever you do, be there and don't be a minute late."

Summer chuckled. "Okay, okay! What's the big occasion?"

Aemilia's smile widened but she played coy. "Oh, you'll see. And make sure Lizzie and Tony are there as well and not making out in his lab."

Summer's eyes widened. "... Wait, has someone caught them making out?"

"Well, not that I know of, but still," Aemilia shrugged. "I have to go! Remember, seven o'clock!"

"Will do!" Summer laughed as Aemilia disappeared from view. She turned back to her computer and hunkered back down, trying to get done a bit early so she could leave early and catch a short nap at home before it this Aemilia-mandated dinner would occur.

Meanwhile, Aemilia all but bounced to Lukas' office, where he and Bucky were currently talking. Bucky didn't often show his face at the office during normal operating hours, being a shadowy, scary figure and all, but sometimes he was forced to work a normal full workday, to his chagrin. This was one of those days.

Aemilia opened the door and peeked inside, grinning when the two men turned their heads to look her way. "Hello, boys! Dinner tonight at 7, don't be late."

Bucky looked up at her and frowned. "But... Steve just called me and has a lead for me that I've been waiting on for weeks. I was gonna go out tonight and -"

"Oh no, you can go and follow up tomorrow night," Aemilia decreed. "And call Steve back and tell him to come to dinner tonight too. Don't give him the option of saying no."

Bucky furrowed his brows. "But -"

"Dinner!" she snapped, still smiling. "No ifs, ands, or buts!"

"But this lead is..." Bucky fell silent when Aemilia narrowed her eyes at him and raised a single eyebrow, just daring him to challenge her. He stared at her for a moment, then glanced at Lukas, swallowed, and then turned back to Aemilia. "Fine."

She broke out into a silly, adorable smile and actually clapped a little bit. "Good! Don't forget to call Steve!"

She then bounded off with a visible spring in her step, and Bucky turned back to Loki with a bewildered look on his face. "What's gotten into her?"

"Well, I could answer that," Lukas replied with a devilish grin, "but I have a feeling you already know my answer."

Bucky stared back at him, unimpressed. "You disgust me."

"Yes, well, naturally," Lukas shrugged.

"Seriously though, what's the big deal with the dinner?" Bucky asked.

"No idea," Lukas lied, "but if I were you, I would make sure that you and Steve show up on time. You don't want to face her wrath."

Bucky definitely did not want to do that. For a woman who was kind of tiny and one of the cutest human beings anyone could ever encounter, to make her angry was to face the fiery flames of hell itself. And Bucky preferred his skin attached to his body and not incinerated, if he was being honest.

Back at the manor, the staff was already preparing for the big dinner. They'd been instructed to go all out, and Aemilia had specifically requested three homemade carrot cakes. The head chef and baker each had no clue why this particular day required such a fuss, but they filled the orders nonetheless and the other staff members got the dining room ready for a full house.

Summer, meanwhile, did get home in time for a nap. She hadn't even changed out of her dress or kicked off her heels before she collapsed on to her bed and fell asleep, and what she meant to be a thirty minute nap at most ended up spanning two full hours.

At 6:45, the dining room was filling up and Summer was nowhere to be found and not answering her texts. Not happy with this, Aemilia pulled Bucky aside and asked him, "Have you seen your wife?"

He furrowed his brows, as if him of all people knowing of her whereabouts was an absurd idea. "No."

She pursed her lips and checked her watch, then said, "She might have taken a nap. Can you go get her?"

His eyes widened like a deer in headlights. "Me? But -"

"Yes, you! Now go, it's almost time!" Aemilia said, shooing him away with her hands.

"Time for what?" Bucky asked, still bewildered as to what all of this was even for.

"For dinner, silly!" she grinned, looking entirely too excited about a simple meal for something to not be afoot. She ignored his suspicious gaze and gave his arm a slight push. "Go!"

He huffed but got moving anyway, mentally groaning and wondering why he had little to no ability to tell the woman no. It was quite annoying, if he was being honest, but he seemed to be helpless in the matter.

After the brief trip up the stairs and down the hallway that led to the wing that he shared with Summer, he quickly made his way to her door and knocked on it. It opened upon impact, and he furrowed his brows and peeked inside the room.

She was in the exact same position that she had fallen asleep in, face down on the bed with her high-heeled feet dangling off, arms spread limp over the mattress and hair covering some of her face. Bucky looked her over and sighed, glancing around as if someone might materialize and wake her up for him, but of course he had no such luck. There was only him, so he stepped closer and slid his hands into his pockets before sighing and muttering, "Summer."

She kept snoring. He repeated her name again, this time louder, and he still got nothing. Not even a twitch. He frowned and rolled his eyes, hesitating before leaning down and gently shaking her shoulder. "Summer. Wake up."

That did the trick. Her eyes flew open and she jolted up so fast that he actually jumped a little himself. She looked around the room wildly and exclaimed groggily, "I didn't eat the pickles! Don't fire me!"

He furrowed his brows and stared at her in bewilderment. "What?"

She blinked a few times and then focused on the man standing before her, her pickle-related dream fading from her consciousness. She realized that it was Bucky the very same moment that she realized she'd been drooling and that her cheek was sticky, and that her dress was slightly askew and the v-neckline had tugged to the left and was very inconveniently showing way more of her bra - and therefore boob - than she was comfortable with. And Bucky's eyes darted right down to her chest and then bounced back up and back down again before he finally just looked away.

Perfect. Tugging at the dress back to normal with one hand and wiping at her face with the other - and dying of slight mortification - Summer started babbling. "Oh God, I'm sorry. Is it - what time is it? Why are you... uh..."

"Aemilia sent me up here to wake you," Bucky explained, allowing himself to look at her again now that she'd fixed her dress. "It's almost seven."

"Oh crap," Summer groaned, finally kicking off her shoes and hurrying to her feet. Half of her makeup was smeared and she was a sleepy mess, and she looked up a bit nervously at Bucky as she attempted to smooth her hair down. "Thanks for uh... thanks for waking me."

Bucky nodded, and they stood there staring at each other for one painfully long awkward moment before Bucky twitched and said, "I'll... wait outside."

"Okay," she replied, furrowing her brows as he began to walk away and head back out of her door. Why was he waiting for her? She obviously knew her way around the manor quite well by now.

It hit her after she changed her clothes and cleaned her face of the smeared makeup. He was being protective, and even though that seemed ridiculous on the surface since she was in his own house, it wasn't ridiculous at all after what Rumlow had done to her.

Just the fact alone that he had come to her room to personally wake her up for the dinner was almost bizarre, but then again, he'd said that Aemilia had sent him. Summer shook her head and brushed her hair out, thinking to herself what a dangerous and cheeky woman Aemilia was.

With only two minutes to spare until 7, Summer was changed and ready to go. She grabbed her phone and walked out of her bedroom door to find Bucky waiting in the hallway just as he'd promised. But as soon as he glanced at her rather casual attire of jeans and a comfortable black top, he asked, "You're wearing that?"

She looked down at herself and then back up in confusion. "Um... yeah? Is... there a problem with that?"

Bucky shrugged. "No. Just a lot of people downstairs."

"... Am I supposed to be dolled up all the time?" she asked, genuinely confused. "I mean, it's just us down there, right? Should I change?"

He simply shrugged again and then started walking. She furrowed her brows and quickly shut her door, hurrying after him and asking, "No, seriously - should I change?"

"God, I don't care," he finally said with exasperation, keeping his eyes forward. "Wear fucking crocs if you want."

... Well, that was just uncalled for. Summer made a face and then started miming his words mockingly, and because her luck was just the greatest, that was the moment he decided to turn and glance back at her. She immediately stopped but it was too late - he'd caught her making fun of him.

She paused and stopped walking, face going red with embarrassment as he narrowed his eyes at her. The nice thing was, at least, that she was no longer afraid of him. She didn't have to worry about him snapping her neck like a twig in response to her mocking. Instead, she took a breath and made a decision. "I'll be down in a minute. Tell Aemilia I won't be long."

She then pivoted on her heel and started heading back to her room. Bucky watched in confusion, eventually shrugging and keeping on his way.

Whatever. He'd done what Aemilia asked, at least. She couldn't be mad at him.

After he made his way back to the dining room, everyone was seated with the exception of Aemilia, who immediately cornered him and asked, "Where is she?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, sliding into his seat. "Changing, I think."

"Why?"

"I don't know," he said helplessly. "I have no idea what's going on in that woman's head."

"You rarely have any idea what's going on in any woman's head," Aemilia remarked dryly.

Steve, sitting to Bucky's left, laughed. "Now if that's not the most accurate thing I've heard all day..."

Bucky glared at him, and Aemilia chuckled and put her hand on Steve's shoulder. "Thank you for coming again, Steve, especially on such short notice."

Blushing a little and tripping over his words for a moment, Steve smiled up at her and managed to reply, "No problem. And thanks for having me."

Aemilia smiled back and then walked away, and after she was out of earshot, Bucky shot Steve a look. "You're pathetic."

"What? Why?" Steve asked innocently, still blushing.

"She's been married three years now and you still have a crush on her," Bucky pointed out.

"Shut up," Steve hissed under his breath. "I don't have a crush."

"Right," Bucky deadpanned. "And you don't want to bend Carter over her desk, either."

Steve choked on nothing but the breath in his lungs and sputtered, "Bucky, God, stop."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Or maybe you want her to bend you over her desk and -"

"Whoa," Steve suddenly said very quietly, eyes somewhere beyond Bucky.

"No judgement, man. Whatever floats your boat."

"No, Bucky, behind you," Steve whispered, trying to be subtle but, as always, rather failing. Bucky rolled his eyes but glanced over his shoulder anyway, only to freeze where he sat and stare just as unsubtly as Steve had.

Heels clicking on the floor beneath her, Summer was at last making her entrance, looking at something on her phone as she walked. She'd ditched her jeans for a black cocktail dress, but the heels were the first thing he saw. They were a deep blood red color, high and simple and sexy as hell, and her dress was short but not too short and... well, tastefully revealing along the top.

Of course, those weren't the words that sprang to Bucky's mind. In fact, no words came to his mind at all, because while he was more than aware that she was quite busty, he'd never seen something quite so deliciously low cut on her.

And she didn't even know that those were his two great weaknesses. High heels and perfect, firm, shapely, smooth, big -

"You're staring," Steve whispered. Bucky blinked and whipped his head back around so fast he pulled a muscle and immediately winced in pain.

Then Summer plopped down in the seat to Bucky's right, tossing him a pointed smile as she set her phone down and asked, "Better?"

Bucky simply glared at her and then looked away, trying not to burst a blood vessel in his forehead.

"Oh finally," Lizzie smiled, scooting a few seats down to sit next to her daughter. "Wow, you look great! Holy crap, hello girls!"

Bucky's left eye twitched. Trying to distract himself, he looked to his left and ended up noticing that his newest guest, Scott Lang, was currently staring slightly open-mouthed at Summer's rather prominently displayed... assets.

If he didn't look away in exactly five seconds, Bucky was going to pick up the butter knife next to his plate and throw it between Scott's eyes. He stared at him hard, giving his best and most terrifying murder glare, but Scott was too hypnotized to notice. He was undoubtedly reliving memories related to what he was looking at, and that idea alone nearly made Bucky make good on his mental stabbing threat.

Instead, however, Bucky cleared his throat. Loudly. Scott's gaze flickered over to him, and he immediately stiffened and blinked rapidly, flushing and mouthing sorry as he openly cringed and sunk back into his seat, as if it would absorb him and save him from an untimely death. And for the rest of the dinner, Scott's eyes didn't wander back to Summer's chest once. He had good self-preservation instincts, at least.

Just about everyone had turned out for the dinner whom Aemilia had invited. The table was packed and lively, and Summer still had no clue why everybody was there and what the big deal was all about by the time the first course was halfway over. What she did know was that having everyone at the same table like that was a recipe for some rather entertaining conversation.

Also, everybody was beautiful and she couldn't take it. Steve in particular she found rather breathtaking; she'd only seen him once before at her wedding, and he had grown a quite impressive beard since then. He really was amazingly pretty, and she wondered if there was something in the water to thank for these people being so unfairly pretty.

Next to her, Lizzie was chatting with Tony and giggling at something that Bruce had just told them. She was in her element around these people in a way that frankly still amazed Summer, not because it surprised her but because it was such a huge change from how comparably stifled Lizzie had always been around Michael and his associates. She was so free and lighter now, and that made Summer incredibly happy for her. The Bratva certainly had its benefits, without a doubt.

"So," Steve said with a smile, breaking Summer out of her thoughts. "I hear you're a bigshot at Pierce now."

"Oh," Summer said with a small blush, "I don't know about that, but -"

"Don't listen to her," Lizzie chimed in, waving a hand Summer's way. "She's on the same floor as the CEOs and everything. She's a badass."

Steve grinned in amusement at Lizzie's enthusiastic description, and Summer sighed and shrugged, "I'm just the event planner."

"Well," Steve said, "considering Pierce Consolidated is one of the largest corporations in New York... that's a pretty big deal."

"Exactly!" Lizzie nodded. "See, Summer, you should listen to him. He's pretty and smart."

Steve, of course, grew flustered at that, but Summer did too, smiling all silly and blushing, and Bucky noticed. He shoved one of the small steamed vegetables on his plate into his mouth and scowled at her, and Summer looked at him and paled a little. She might not have been scared of him anymore, but it didn't mean he didn't make her nervous. He made her very nervous.

Then Bucky turned his glare on Steve, who only widened his eyes in a what did I do?! sort of way. Bucky merely groaned internally and reached for the glass of wine in front of him.

"Well anyway, it sounds like you're doing very well for yourself," a Steve added with a friendly smile to Summer.

"Well, I'm trying," Summer smiled back.

Natasha leaned forward from a few seats down, apparently listening in, and said, "It's true. She's even been training with me every day."

Steve's eyebrows lifted. "Really? Training?"

Summer shrugged and said, "It's... mostly just running and weight lifting and stuff right now, no big deal, but -"

"Oh dear God," Aemilia sighed, joining in the conversation. "Can you stop selling yourself short for five minutes?"

"Well, but it's true!" Summer argued. "It's very basic right now. No crazy ninja moves yet."

Steve chuckled. "Well, I know what that's like. When I joined SHIELD I could barely walk a block down the street without huffing and puffing a little."

Staring at the rather large man those words were coming from, Summer asked in disbelief, "Really?"

"Oh, it's true," Lukas interjected. "He was a scrawny little thing until he started working for the government. Then over the course of a year's worth of training, he suddenly sprouted more than half a foot and gained probably a hundred pounds of pure muscle."

Summer's eyes widened as she turned back to Steve. "Steroids?"

"It's classified," he tossed back with a grin. "But no. No steroids."

"I still don't buy it," Lukas replied, then glanced back to Summer. "This man used to get ragingly drunk off of one beer and a half and weigh less than the average Girl Scout."

"I did not get drunk that easily," Steve argued.

"Oh, really?" Lukas chuckled. "Have you forgotten that one weekend of debauchery you spent with James and myself in college?"

Summer's ears perked up instantly, and Lizzie asked the question on everyone's - well, Summer's - mind. "What kind of debauchery?"

"I'm guessing threesome," Tony said. "Who was the girl?"

"Oh my God," Steve groaned, and Bucky rolled his eyes.

"I'd have made them both my bitches, but that's beside the point," Lukas said smoothly, and Aemilia started giggling adorably next to him. He smiled at her and then explained, "No, it was your average drunken college weekend. And I specifically recall one night where you had one beer and two tequila shots and proceeded to challenge every man in the room to fight you."

Steve shrugged. "In my defense, I would have done that sober."

"Idiot," Bucky muttered. He said it with such affection though that Summer glanced at him and was surprised to see the unguarded sentiment in his eyes.

"Yes, well, after you managed to piss off bartender, we were thrown out and then had to drag you to the next bar, where half of the football team happened to be."

Steve furrowed his brows before his eyes widened and he groaned with dismay. "Oh God. Please don't make me remember what happened after that. I'd almost forgotten and now you just brought it up again."

Lukas laughed devilishly, reveling in Steve's discomfort, and Bucky told Lukas, "Go easy on him. He'd never walked in on two guys fucking before."

Summer choked on her wine and coughed out hoarsely, "What?!"

Down at the other end of the table, Frieda sighed and said, "Must I be subjected to such tales at the dinner table?"

"I'm sorry, mother," Lukas grinned, pointing to Bucky. "He said it, not me."

Bucky gave Frieda a contrite look, and Summer's eyes shot around the table wildly. She had to know this story. She looked at Lukas pleadingly and he sighed, leaning closer to her side of the table and speaking quietly enough so that his poor mother wouldn't be tortured with the details.

"A few of the football players came back to my apartment for more drinks after the bar closed down," Lukas said, Summer and Lizzie hanging on his words as Aemilia smiled and enjoyed hearing the familiar story. "It was probably nearly four in the morning when Steve, who as I mentioned was a ridiculous lightweight, began frantically looking for a bathroom to throw up in. He opened the wrong door and walked in on me fucking the supposedly straight quarterback."

Aemilia giggled again, and while Summer and Lizzie's jaws hit the floor, Steve groaned miserably, "The guy literally was saying 'oh yeah, give it to me, daddy'!"

"And I, being a polite and generous man, was giving it to him," Lukas grinned back. "What's so horrifying about that?"

"... It was just unexpected, that's all," Steve said, still a little flustered. "And it's an image I can't forget no matter how old it is."

"Glad to hear it was such a memorable experience," Lukas said cheekily.

"So," Natasha said, raising an eyebrow in Lukas' direction, "Daddy kink, huh?"

He shrugged and waved a hand. "Not me, not really. The quarterback was obviously another story."

"Kinda weird, isn't it?" Tony asked. "I mean, I don't judge, but I just don't wanna be going at it and then suddenly be reminded of my dad."

"I'm fairly sure that those with that particular kink find that it has nothing to do with their actual fathers," Lukas chuckled.

"Still weird," Tony shrugged.

"S'not weird."

Summer, whose eyes were possibly forever frozen in the wide-open expression they'd had for quite awhile now, felt an inexplicable jolt inside when she realized that Bucky had uttered that last sentence. All eyes shifted to him, in fact, and he simply flicked a brow up dismissively and said, "Kinks are harmless. Most of them, anyway. People like what they like."

He then took a drink of his wine, and Summer didn't realize that she was staring until his gaze flickered her way and caught her. She immediately looked away, cheeks catching fire, and she didn't understand why she suddenly felt like she was going to combust where she sat.

"... I hope that doesn't mean you get turned on when I call you Murder Daddy," Tony then said, "because I never meant to feed a secret kink of yours. Scout's honor."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Fuck off."

"Good, good, just making sure," Tony nodded.

Then Scott poked his head into the conversation and asked, "What's going on?"

Natasha sighed. "Steve once walked in on Lukas banging the star quarterback when they were in college, Tony does not have a Daddy kink, and Summer and Lizzie have both gone catatonic."

"What?" both women instantly squeaked, and everyone laughed save for Bucky, who possibly never laughed ever in his life.

Scott then nodded and said cheerfully, "Oh, okay. Thanks for the update, Nat."

Natasha nodded and sipped her drink. "Happy to help."

Summer was reeling for a number of reasons. Firstly there was Lukas, who apparently played for both teams and was quite gleeful about it, and that made him only more astonishingly perfect in Summer's eyes. Paired with the way that Aemilia laughed and seemed to love hearing about his old adventures, Summer was becoming so incredibly envious of them - in a good way - that she could hardly stand it.

And then there was Bucky, who continued to confound her and make her feel more strangely than any single person ever had before. He never said a lot, it seemed, but when he did speak, he spoke words that always left her feeling either off-kilter or surprised. But it was the way that their eyes had connected for that split second after the fact that made her entire body go up in flames.

She told herself to get over it and cool off before someone - like him - noticed how red she was. Luckily, the conversation turned to less threatening territory soon after, and then their dinner party gained its last invitee - Thor, who hurried into the room and apologized for being late, saying that his job as head of security for Pierce Consolidated had kept him held up.

Aemilia seemed to light up once he had arrived and sat down, and Summer noticed how she then turned to Lukas and began whispering excitedly to him. He smiled and whispered something back, kissing her forehead and sharing a secret little laugh with her, and Summer could have swooned watching them. She also couldn't help but wonder what had them so giggly and excited.

With Thor finally there and quickly scarfing down his portion of dinner as dessert was served, Summer and everyone else at the table took notice when Aemilia smiled and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. With Lukas' encouragement, she stood up and he followed suit, and Summer wasn't sure that she'd ever seen Aemilia look so nervous before.

"Um," she began quietly, looking all around the table and still smiling widely, "so... most of you are probably wondering why I was so adamant that you come here tonight for this particular dinner. I've been terribly mysterious about it all day, and I want to thank each of you for coming. It truly means a lot to me - to myself and Lukas both - and..." she paused and smiled, blushing a little bit as she nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and admitted, "My goodness, I hardly know what to say."

Lukas smiled and brought an arm around her shoulders, the encouraging touch prompting her to take a breath and go on. "The truth is, this dinner is quite a special occasion for us. We have a little bit of a secret that we've been keeping for some time now, but the truth is that neither of us can hold it in any longer. Every person at this table - each one of you - are our family, and..." She paused, tears stinging her eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled again, glancing up at Lukas.

He brushed a kiss on her forehead and smiled sweetly. "Just tell them, darling."

One more deep breath later, her eyes scanned over all of the faces before her before she exhaled and smiled, "I'm pregnant."

Summer's mouth fell open and she actually audibly gasped. For a moment, the table was quiet as those two little words settled into the atmosphere. Then, the best kind of chaos erupted.

Thor was the first one out of his seat, face lit up with absolute delight and boundless joy as his arms swallowed his sister-in-law up in one of the most intensely huge hugs of her life. He even spun her around a bit in mid-air, laughing and happily exclaiming that he was going to be an uncle at last as Lukas looked on with pride. Then Frieda got up and claimed Aemilia next while Thor crushed his brother's bones with his own hug. Frieda whispered to Aemilia that she'd known all along - a mother's intuition and all - and they

hugged for nearly a full minute.

The table was exploding in cheers and words of congratulations and smiles all around, and as the couple was mobbed, Summer stayed in her seat and waited for it all to die down before she got up to flail herself. After all, she was the newest addition to the family, so she figured it was fair if she went last.

They were having a baby. Summer was melting from the inside out, a sucker for babies and all baby-related things already, but this was just absolutely perfect. Lukas and Aemilia made such a remarkable couple, and they'd undoubtedly make equally successful parents. And clearly, this new little baby of theirs was already loved by a whole lot of people.

Summer looked away only when she noticed movement on her other side. It had been Bucky getting up and out of his seat, and Summer had a front row view as he then walked to Aemilia and tugged her away from Frieda.

What happened next stunned Summer into a shocked silence. Bucky smiled - he smiled, real and genuine and affectionate and beautiful - and as he pulled Aemilia into his arms, he told her quietly and sincerely, "Congratulations, Mia."

Mia. Summer thought that she might have heard him call her that once before, though she couldn't be sure, but there was no mistaking it now. Nobody else ever called her that, and clearly there was quite the bond between the two of them. It was obvious in how they hugged each other and then how Aemilia asked with a watery smile as she pulled away, "Ready to be an uncle?"

He smile grew bigger and he shook his head, briefly cupping her cheek in a familiar, friendly gesture. "God help that poor kid."

Aemilia giggled, and the way that Bucky smiled back at her left Summer utterly and completely stunned. His smile was so perfect and his sincerity without question, and he was like an entirely different person in those moments. He didn't look like a scary Bratva Captain or paid killer or intimidating corporate player - instead, he just looked like a mostly normal, young, caring man, unbelievably happy for two of his closest friends in the world and their good news.

Bucky hugged Lukas next, and Summer watched their little moment just as closely. Usually, in the past when she'd seen guys hug each other, it was a hyper-masculine display where there was less embracing and more a mutual harsh slapping of each other's backs, but these particular two men didn't hug like that. It was simply a normal, comfortable embrace, and Bucky murmured something in the middle of it that made Lukas grin and then laugh before they pulled apart.

That was when Summer looked away and let out a breath. Her thoughts were swirling through her head somewhat disjointedly and she was starting to feel increasingly like she was intruding on a private, happy moment when suddenly there was a tug on her arm and she was unexpectedly pulled to her feet.

Any thoughts of being the odd one out were obliterated as Aemilia squealed and pulled her into a hug, exclaiming happily, "I'm having a baby!"

Summer giggled with her clearly elated friend and she hugged her back, replying breathlessly, "My God, congratulations! I had no idea! It all makes sense now why you've been so excited all day."

Aemilia pulled away, that huge smile seemingly stuck to her face. "I've been going crazy all day! Lukas and I had our first ultrasound this morning, and we just couldn't hold it in any longer."

"Oh! How long have you known?"

"About a month," Aemilia grinned. "We just... wanted to wait to tell everyone until I was a little further along, and initially we thought 12 weeks would be a good time to tell, but then today once we saw the baby for the first time... we just couldn't hold back another minute."

"Oh my gosh," Summer smiled, tears nearly stinging her eyes. God, she loved babies. "So you're how far along?"

"8 weeks," Aemilia replied. "Oh! Hold on," she said, reaching for her phone and grabbing it from the table. "I took a picture of the ultrasound photos."

Word spread like wildfire, and suddenly Summer was being squished against Aemilia by Tony and Lizzie who were peering to get a look at the picture. Thor and Frieda was on Aemilia's other side, along with Lukas and Bucky, and there was a collective awww when Aemilia pulled up the picture of the little bun in her oven.

"Oh, how perfect," Frieda gasped with pride.

"It's an adorable little shrimp!" Thor laughed.

"Kinda looks like a lizard," Tony opined, and Lizzie smacked his shoulder.

"That's not a lizard," Lizzie said. "That is a sweet little baby."

"A baby shrimp!" Thor added with another booming laugh.

Natasha squeezed her way into the group next, and then Sam and a few others followed, all adding their own unique commentary, and the only one who remained silent was Bucky. But Summer looked his way more than once, and the way that he gazed at the picture was unreadable but... significant somehow. There was something almost sad in his eyes, and while she didn't know him nearly well enough to decipher that look or draw any conclusions, it served simply as confirmation that there was far, far more to him than she ever would have guessed.

As Lukas and Aemilia's little family grew, Summer found herself unexpectedly in the middle of a new one of her own. It became clearer than ever that night as everyone celebrated the happy news and included Summer and her mother both in the festivities - this truly was her life now, her world, and slowly but surely, these people were becoming her people.

And the longer that she spent with those people - including even her husband, as mystifying and closed off as he was - the less that such an idea frightened her. Maybe she was losing her mind or experiencing some odd form of Stockholm Syndrome, but maybe this was actually a place where she could belong. Maybe, in time, this could be a real home and a real family, in every way that counted.

For the first time, she truly wanted that.