A/N: A special shoutout has to go to ZabuzasGirl for the magical and fantabulous Review #500! But really, it's all of you reviewers who got us to this milestone! I doff my cap at you all in respect and gratitude!

Chapter 25

James chuckled at her as the door clicked shut, his eyes twinkling at the surprised look she imagined was on her face at Captain America's word choice. Iris snorted in disbelief, an amused grin breaking through even as James' hand found its way back into her hair. But her grin faded as his steel-blue eyes grew serious. His fingers tangled themselves in her curls as his jaw alternatively tensed and relaxed. Her hand lifted to his face again, her thumb tracing over the clenched muscles of his jaw until they eased. He inhaled deeply before the words began spilling from his lips, his voice hoarse and anxious.

"You—you knew who I was, what I was—what I am and yet you—with me—" he faltered, still looking up at her with anxious disbelief.

"Yet I still wanted you," Iris finished for him, "still invited you into my bed? Still wanted you to touch me?" Her voice was soft and questioning as she finished his thought. He nodded stiffly, his gaze nearly dropping from hers. Iris sighed, her fingers carding through his hair as she watched the distressing play of emotions across his face; shame, self-reproach, guilt.

"Why?" He was pleading for an answer, to understand. She supposed it made sense that he still couldn't quite understand why she didn't think he'd used her, or taken advantage of her. She had at first, but those feelings were long gone, banished by the realization of why he'd done what he did. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea that she could possibly want him, could care for him, knowing the truth about him and his past as she did. He didn't believe he could deserve her, deserve this. She leaned in, resting her forehead against his.

"Why?" she repeated, her other hand rising to cup his jaw as well, tilting his face so she could meet his beautiful, conflicted gaze, "I love you." It was the simplest answer in the world, and Iris simply said it. His fingers tightened in her hair.

And he pressed his lips to hers.

Iris sighed, melting against him as he kissed her, his mouth warm and hesitant against hers, as though asking if this were alright. Her arms wound around him, pressing herself closer, deepening the kiss as her heart thundered happily in her chest, tracing his lips with her tongue until they parted for her, kissing her back almost desperately. It was more than alright.

He drew back with an erratic inhale, his fingertips loosening from her dark curls to trace along the sensitive skin of her neck before dropping to slip beneath her jacket and tighten around her waist. Another sigh escaped Iris as his face dipped to spot his fingers had ghosted over before nuzzling against the juncture of her neck. The sensation of his breath on her skin followed by the warm brush of his lips sent shivers through her.

"You're so soft," he murmured against her shoulder, "and too good for me." He raised his head, resting his forehead against hers again, his eyes simultaneously warm and reserved. "You kept me sane, Iris. You helped me keep my head. You were…you were my safe place. After I left you—" he faltered again, his eyes closing in pain. Her hand rubbed soothing circles against his back as she studied his face, taking in every flicker of gratitude and guilt and uncertainty. She smiled sadly, brushing her lips over his.

"You didn't have to, you know. I would have done anything. I could have come with you." His eyes opened to meet hers solemnly as he slowly shook his head.

"No. No, you couldn't have. I couldn't put you in that kind of danger." She sighed sadly.

"You would have kept me safe," she insisted with soft certainty. The grin that tugged at his mouth said that, while grateful for her trust, he didn't have the same faith she did.

"You were safe in DC. Safe away from me." A disagreeing sound caught in her throat, causing his brow to furrow with a silent plea for explanation. Her lip catching between her teeth, Iris hesitated, her fingers tracing her necklace where it hung at the base of his throat.

"You broke my heart when you left, James," she finally ventured quietly. "But I couldn't stop caring about you. I couldn't bring myself to hate you, or to let you go, to move on. Everything was different. I couldn't get back to where I was before you came into my life. Everything hurt. Everything reminded me of you. It got so bad that I couldn't bear to stay in the townhouse…so I sold it." He tensed at her confession, his eyes widening with guilty concern. A strained smile tugged at her lips before she continued, the memory of the early days after he'd left still too close and too painful. "I might have been safe, James. But I wasn't whole. Not without you." It was cliché and quite possibly overdramatic and it made the independent side of her roll its eyes with disparagement, but it didn't stop the quiet ring of truth that rang through Iris as she said it. James' hand tightened on her waist, fisting in the fabric of her shirt.

"If it wasn't for me—it's all my fault, Iris. I'm sorry. If I hadn't—" She sighed with exasperation, placing her fingers over his lips to silence him as he hung his head, refusing to look at her. That wasn't how she'd meant him to take it. She should have known better, she admitted to herself with frustration.

"I could have said no," she countered firmly, a smile playing around her lips. He looked up at that, confusion nearly outweighing the guilt and self-approbation on his face.

"What—"

"I could have said no," Iris repeated, placing her hand on his cheek again, her thumb grazing over one of the many pale scars she knew were written all over his body, forcing his distraught gaze up to meet hers. "I could have closed the door in your face like my common sense told me to. I didn't have to rent you that apartment. I didn't have to bring you food. I didn't have to do any of it. I could have saved myself so much heartache if I'd simply turned you away. But I didn't say no. Instead I gave you the key.

"And I'm glad I did." A shudder went through him, one that Iris couldn't decode. But he leaned toward her again, his forehead meeting hers as his arm curled tighter around her waist.

They stood like that for what felt like forever, his arm secure and warm around her waist, Iris' hand caressing his jaw as her other arm wound around his shoulders, fingers playing gently with his hair. Iris never wanted it to end.

But it had to end. With a disappointed sound rumbling in his chest, James glanced over toward the glass wall. "It's time," he murmured softly, "and there's so much—things I want to say, to tell you; things I have to tell you…secrets you deserve to know…" but her finger pressed against his lips, silencing him. Now wasn't the time for that. She hadn't bothered to look up, her focus solely on him. She could guess what he'd seen; someone—either a doctor or Steve or maybe even the King whose name had flown clear out of her head—had gestured that their moment had drawn to a close. She knew what was about to happen. It was one of the few things she remembered the Wakandan King saying in those brief moments before she'd caught sight of James through the glass.

Off on the other side of the room Iris heard the door open, several pairs of feet entering to disperse throughout the room. She drew back, studying James' familiar face, tracing the shape of his vibrant eyes, his full lips, the cleft in his chin, his dark brows, the strong set of his jaw.

"You're sure about this?" The smile he gave her was lighter than any she'd ever seen. It did more to allay her fears than anything he could have said. His thumb rose to trace over her cheek.

"Yeah. I'm sure…though, perhaps a little less so since you showed up," he quipped lightly. She couldn't help but giggle. After a moment she sobered, though a hint of a smile remained. Her own fingers moved to brush across his features, tracing the route her eyes had taken. He sighed softly at the contact, leaning into it, his eyes seeming to grow heavy. She nodded after a moment, inhaling deeply, the movement drawing his steel-blue gaze back to hers.

"Then—if you're at peace with it, so am I." Beside them one of the Wakandan doctors gestured quietly for James to stand. Nodding his understanding even as he didn't look away from Iris, he slid from the cot, straightening so that she had to look up to see his face. Grudgingly he lifted his hand from her waist, allowing the doctor to see to the IV. Her arms circling lightly around his waist, she tucked herself against his left side even as Steve approached.

"You ready, Buck," the Captain asked quietly. Taking a deep breath James nodded, a silent exchange passing between the two friends as each glanced back toward the windowed wall in turn. A small collection of people had gathered, but Iris paid them little mind, her attention reserved for James alone. Nothing and no one else mattered just then.

Finally, a deep breath sighing through him, James glanced down to Iris. Somehow she managed a reassuring smile. Nodding, Steve clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder before stepping to the side. Beyond him a technician was doing one final check on the cryostasis unit before giving the okay to the nearest doctor. And as soon as she had the confirmation, the doctor glanced over to James, telling him it was ready. A trace of trepidation flickered over his face as James looked to the doctor. Iris' fingers tightened, his white top bunching in her grip. And then James' hand settled over her hand, loosening her fingers before trailing up her arm.

"I'll be fine," he murmured, looking down at her again, his expression reassuring before it grew uncertain. "You'll—could you…" Iris' watched the emotions playing across his face. Reaching up she brushed back the strands of dark hair that had fallen into his face before leaning up to place a small kiss on his cheek. The corner of his lip tugged, his eyes warm as they scanned across her features, as though memorizing them. He leaned down, his forehead brushing against hers a final time, his eyes sliding shut.

"Iris," he breathed, "please stay." A sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob bubbled out of her as she nodded fervently. A relieved sigh eased from his chest as he leaned down the rest of the way, capturing her mouth in one last, poignant kiss.

Everything was in that kiss; hope, regret, grief, promise…love. He hadn't said it, but as his mouth moved with hers—their breath mingling as his lips tugged and melded with hers as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss, her tongue darting out for a quick, electric taste—she knew. He loved her too. As he pulled away, his breath coming in gentle pants, her arms circled around his neck, hugging him close.

"I'll be here when you wake up," she breathed against his cheek.

And then he was climbing into the unit. Iris wrapped her arms around herself, forcing herself to keep calm as the doctor and a technician fastened the pale grey strapping within the pod around James, ensuring he was as comfortable as possible. He watched them work with guarded eyes, nodding in answer to their questions before sighing heavily and willing himself to relax as the unit cycled on with a low hum behind him. His lip tugged as his steel-blue eyes found Iris'. Somehow, she wasn't quite sure how she managed it, but she somehow smiled reassuringly back even as the glass access panel slid into place.

With one last, deep sigh, his eyes slid shut even as the pod sealed with a faint, puffing hiss. Within seconds the unit had done its work, the glass frosting over as the pod was flooded with super-cooled gas. Even through the misted glass panel, he looked peaceful. He might as well have been asleep. Beside her, Iris could practically feel Steve Rogers tense, his eyes fixed on James just as hers were.

After a few moments and the doctors and technicians declaring he was stable and the cryostasis a success, Steve finally shifted, his observant eyes glancing over to Iris. She sucked in a shuddering breath, meeting the Captain's gaze for a moment before turning back to James. He reached out, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You coming," he asked softly, nodding in the general direction of the door. Iris spared him another glance, knowing her eyes were likely too bright and a sudden welling of vulnerability was written on her face for all to see, before silently shook her head.

"No," she said softly, absently surprised that her voice didn't tremble even as her chest felt tight, "I'm going to stay."

A/N: Well my lovelies, not exactly what I know most of you were hoping for, but it is what it is.

More than that, I'm afraid this was the last full chapter of our beloved Haven. I know. I'm sad about it too. But there's still one more post to hopefully cheer you all up a bit!

Questions, comments, concerns! Best way to get them to me is in a Review!

See you next time!

Since a couple of you have brought it up, I have a note about the potential for a sequel!

The plan is that there will ultimately be a continuation of Bucky and Iris' story. I only stopped where I did because I don't have the original material yet to build off of. But once a few more movies come out...ideally we'll be seeing Iris again! Whether it's a stand alone story as Haven is or an Avengers-esque amalgam that'll include a couple more of my MCU OCs is undecided as of yet….after all, I haven't written all of the other stand-alone stories at the time of this posting and I need a few more movies to come out so I know where the grander story is going!

As it is, I have several other OC-centric stories in the works that take place in the same story-verse as Iris. My second MCU story, The Ghost, is currently posting and I'm about 99.687% sure that Iris is going to make an appearance there! Bucky already has! And bonus, you've already met the OC, Nadine, from The Ghost in this story during the fight in Berlin. Did you spot her? ;)

So even if the next installment of Iris and Bucky's story is a long time coming, it's not the last we've seen of them! Not if I can help it!

Guest Reviews:

Guest: I'm glad they're finally back together too! And you'll have to keep reading to find out! Spoilers, I do not give ;)

Guest: I'm glad you liked it so much! It's pretty up there for me too as far as favourite chapters go. And you review has pushed us farther past 500! Yours was actually #516. But that doesn't mean I loved getting it any less! I hope you like the new chapter!

Guest: Well thank you. I don't really consider it anything special, just common courtesy. But I appreciate the compliment! :) As for sequel, I'm leaving a bit of a note at the bottom about that! But the short answer is eventually! Thanks again! Enjoy!

Hannah: Thanks! It was rather, wasn't it! It was time for a little fluff. ;)

Em: And I've been waiting to share it for a long time! I'm so glad you loved it! And no worries! Just about everyone who reviews regularly (and even sporadically) has been bugging me about it too! :P It was only natural, I think! I'm glad it lived up to your expectations!

Guest: I'm so glad! And I'm pretty happy they're together again too!

Li-kun: No, it's not quite it. But almost. As for what's going to happen, you're just going to have to keep reading ;) And yes, she does know why he was there. She figured out who he was before he even left and Sam filled her in about what happened after Berlin on the way to Wakanda. Thanks for reviewing! I hope you like the rest!