Wham! Bucky's flesh arm hit me—hard—in the chest, at about three in the morning. He cried out in his sleep and thrashed, successfully waking me up but not him. I grabbed his shoulders and tried to pin him down. "Bucky! Bucky! Wake up!" I hissed, trying to make sure he wouldn't wake Gramma Howell on the other side of the wall. "Bucky!"

He gasped and his eyes flew open, sitting up so fast he almost bashed foreheads with me. I held him tightly around his shoulders and held his head against my chest. He was panting and sweaty, his cool metal arm pressed against my torso.

"Shh. Shh. Shh," I soothed gently, cradling the side of his head and rubbing his back. "It's okay. I'm here. It was just a dream. You're alright. Nothing's going to hurt you here." I rested my chin on the top of his head and gave him a kiss. "I've got you. You're okay. I'm here."

He was shaking and trembling fiercely. "D-d-did I hurt you?" he asked, stuttering a bit.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "You gave me a good whack in the chest but otherwise I'm fine."

"Oh, Cass, I'm so sorry!" he murmured desolately.

I stroked his hair. "It's fine. It didn't hurt. Scared the living daylights outta me but it didn't hurt," I lied. I could feel it throbbing—it'd probably form a bruise later.

"No I… I never wanted to hurt you. I knew this would happen! I—"

"Bucky! It's okay. It was just a nightmare. You're safe right here. I've got you. Safe and sound." I rubbed his bare back, up and down his spine, and started to trace patterns over his tense shoulders. "Do you want to tell me about it? If not that's okay. But do you?" I asked softly, twisting some of his hair around my fingers as the trembling and shaking decreased and his breathing slowed. He shook his head against my chest. "That's okay too. Just know that you can talk to me if you need to." I kissed the top of his head again and traced circles between his shoulder blades. "Relax, Buck. Relax," I whispered.

He took a shuddering breath and sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry, Cass. I'm so sorry! I knew this would happen and I got in bed anyway," he muttered. His flesh arm reached up and draped over my shoulder, holding onto my back like I was his anchor in reality—and maybe at the moment I was. "I'm so sorry!" I shushed him again and toyed with his hair.

"It's okay. It was just a bad dream. But that's all it was—a dream."

"I knew this was gonna happen!" he lamented, half angry and half devastated. "We got home from the park and I got this dark foreboding feeling like I knew I was gonna have a nightmare. And then I hurt you!" I rubbed his back again.

"Hey, it's okay. It didn't hurt, remember? We're both fine. It was just a bad dream. I've got you. You're okay. I'm safe. You're safe. We're safe. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you," I whispered.

"Shouldn't I be telling you that?" he muttered, half-jokingly.

I smiled. "I'm not the one plagued by nightmares," I countered.

"Fair enough," he commented. He sighed and most of the tension between his flesh shoulder and the seam where metal met skin eased out as his back muscles finally relaxed. "It was a dream… about you. And Steve." He lifted his head from my chest and looked me in the eyes. "Someone got control of me—of my mind. You and Steve were tied up on chairs—and Sam was unconscious on the floor, probably bleeding out. I had a gun in my good hand and a knife in my prosthetic one. I heard the voice of whoever took over my mind order me to terminate." He took a shuddering breath and let out a solitary sob. "I killed both of you without hesitating," he finished.

I shook my head and put my hands on either side of his face. "Well lucky us your abilities don't include precognition," I remarked with an attempt at a lighthearted grin. His eyebrows twitched downward, like he didn't know what the word meant. "You don't dream about the future." He nodded in understanding. "That was just a nightmare about what you're afraid of. But you don't have to be afraid. That's never going to happen." Probably, I added silently. Hopefully.

He sighed. "I watched the light leave your eyes. And Steve's. I never want to see that in real life—especially not by my hand."

"You won't, Bucky. I promise." I kissed his forehead. "Think you can go back to sleep?"

He glanced down at the pillows and held me in a crushing embrace to his bare, sweaty chest. It was a little slick but I didn't mind. "I can try," he relented. I smiled as he leaned back down, pulling me with him. "As long as I know you're alive, I think I'll be okay."

He pressed his forehead against mine, gave me a desperate kiss, and then sighed.

"I won't lose you," he breathed, probably not even intending for me to hear—but I did.

Bucky dropped back off before I could reply.

I caressed the side of his face softly for a moment with the backs of my fingers trailing down his jawline soothingly. The poor man had seen and done so much against his own will—and yet he did it anyway. It was like he had a nightmare about killing someone and then woke up and realized he'd actually done it in his sleep.

No wonder he was so terrified.

I stared at him wistfully, the spot where his fist hit the right side of my chest just below my collarbone throbbing dully. I winced as his metal arm tightened around my back and one of the plates shifted, pinching my skin through my T-shirt. I squirmed just enough to release it and then relaxed.

"Oh, Bucky, you'll be healed one day," I whispered as his eyes started to flick under closed lids.

At least, I hoped he would.

I sighed and went back to sleep, exhausted from the dancing and the day, the dull pulsing of my chest lulling me back to my dreams—which were nowhere near as terrifying as Bucky's.

End Note: So this one is a little shorter than usual, but I apologize for nothing. That's not true. I apologize for how long it took me to put this up. In my defense, I was swamped because of finals week. I'm sorry for that.

To "BallroomGlitz (Guest)": Don't worry, your reviews don't show up at first because they have to be moderated by me since they're guest reviews. I do see them and they always come through! And yes, it is going to be good. I'm just as excited as the rest of you! And thank you so much! I never considered this a masterpiece! I consider this a one-shot that got WAY out of hand! XD To "Maddy (Guest)": Welcome back! I'm happy you're here! To "Guest": Well... you might? I'm not omnipotent, so I can't say for sure... XD To "Drean (Guest)": Thank you!

Thanks for reading guys! Leave any questions or comments you may have!