Bucky's POV

A week went by and she didn't move. Two more went by and she still refused to leave the bed. She got up to go to the bathroom, and laid back down to stare out the window. She didn't talk, look at the children, nor eat any of the food we brought her. Steve had taken to sleeping on the couch, as he hadn't forgiven her yet. I had a great time beating him up in training because he was being an ass. The SHIELD agents all took turns sitting with her. Wanda was by her side all day, every day.

Natasha had pleaded with us that she was telling the truth, even explaining the secret code they had to let the other know, they were planning an escape for the trapped. She said that she refused the escape, even when she knew Natasha could pull it off.

"It was an act of good will. If she stayed, it would cement the fact she was telling the truth." She explained after I left Sera. The X-Men pleaded on her behalf as well. Steve was starting to understand why she did what she did. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on her in Russia that she would be my salvation. She wasn't the type to turn against someone. She had one side and only one side in all of his.

"Sera, eat something. Please," I pleaded, as I set down a bowl of chicken soup. Simmons wasn't sure that solid food would be good after she starved herself for 3 weeks.

"Well, at least she's drinking a little water," She had offered with optimism.

"Sera. Eat."

"I told you to let me die." She said, speaking for the first time in three weeks.

"Like I said, not a chance in hell." I growled, "Now, eat the goddamn soup, or I'm going to force you to."

"Buck, stop." Steve said from the doorway

"Sera," He said, taking the seat beside me.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" She mumbled, staring blankly ahead.

"You want me to leave you alone?" He said, forcing her to look at him.

"You don't think I've thought about asking you to leave? You don't think I've thought about what all this is doing to the three of us? How are we going to explain this to the kids when they are old enough? Despite all of the lies you've told, I still love you."

"Then stop loving me." She said, her even tone cutting both of us.

"You want to show me you weren't lying to us? Get out of this bed, eat something, and play with our kids. Show me you can still be trusted." He yelled, anger leaking from every pore of his body.

"It would be easier for you if I left. Say it."

"Yes," He said harshly, but continued softly, "But I'm not in for easy. This, all of this, what we have, has never been easy Sera. It took me a long time to even tell you I loved you."

"Longer for me," She sighed.

"That is what made me love you more. Not because you hesitated, but because you waited until you felt open and heartfelt enough to mean it."

"If you want me to leave, ask."

"I don't want you to leave." He sighed.

"But you just said-"

"That it would be easier, but I don't want you to go. You are still my wife, our wife. No matter what, no matter who your great grandfather was, or what experimenting you did in college, I still love you. And that is why this was so hard for me. Because despite how angry, and betrayed I felt, you will always be the woman I love."

"A divorce would be messy anyways," I chuckled. She sat up, being mindful of her side, and leaned back against the headboard.

"Can someone carry me to the bathtub? I lost feeling in my legs a few days ago." She said, making us smile.

"Now why didn't you tell anyone?" Steve said, pulling the covers off her, and picking her up carefully. She looked too thin, and Steve's face showed how scared he was from seeing her frail body.

"Because I wanted to fade away." She cried, not looking at either one of us.

"Is that why you've been starving yourself?" I whispered.

"Another few weeks and I would have." She nodded.

"You don't get to just give up like that Sera. You have two children that need their mother." He said as I moved to turn on the water in the tub. She didn't fight us, as I helped Steve undress her.

"They would be better off without me," She sobbed, "I'm a monster."

"Stop saying that," Steve said sternly. Sitting her down, we both helped her wash. I worked on shampooing her hair and Steve shaved her legs, as she cried.

"I'm sorry you don't trust me anymore," She whimpered.

"We trust you, we are just hurt." He sighed.

"Speak for yourself. I trust her always, and I'm not hurt," I said, throwing a handful of bubbles at his face. She giggled as Steve moved to throw some water at me. We both paused, in awe of the long forgotten sound.

"I know I hurt you. I'm sorry that I did. I know it's going to take a lot of time for that to heal. And until then, I won't ask you two for anything." She said, gesturing to the bed in the other room.

"He can ignore you all he wants, I'm still going to want you," I said, kissing her neck softly, as she cried.

"I don't think, I'll be up for anything, is more what I meant." She looked down at the healed wound as she spoke.

"When you feel ready then," I said softly.

"Clint feels awful about what he did." Steve said, gently cleaning around the fresh pink scar.

"He was justified in his feelings."

"That doesn't mean he had the right to…" Steve started, and stopped.

"What? Make it harder for me to reproduce? Who in their right mind would want someone to have the ability to pop out little Hydra Nazi's?"

"That doesn't make it right. Laura's been calling to talk to you. She made Clint sleep on the front porch the first week. Now he's on the couch." Steve said, using a cloth to clean her torso, as I rinsed her hair.

"I thought that if I died, it would be easier on you all. Not feeling like you had to watch your backs, thinking I would turn on you. Death would be less painful than what I'm feeling."

"Stop, don't say another word." Steve said, clenching his fists. She was quiet, as Steve held her face in one hand. He leaned forward to kiss her, but she pulled back, fear written across her face.

"How do you know you still love me?"

"I know, because you are still Sera." He sighed, realizing she wasn't going to let either of us close. She brought her knees up to her chest, and rested her cheek on her knees.

"We'll give you a few minutes to yourself," I said, nudging Steve to get up.

"Okay." She whispered brokenly. Leaving the bathroom, I grabbed her new clothes and set them next to the tub with a fluffy towel. She smiled weakly at me, but hadn't moved. I sighed as Steve sat on the bed, running his hands over his face.

"You are an ass." I said softly, sitting beside him.

"The biggest." He agreed, smirking to himself.

"We shouldn't crowd her," He said, putting a hand on my knee.

"What should we do?" I asked, searching his face for an answer.

"I would like to check out this lead with Rumlow. See if it's going anywhere. Apparently un unknown number has been calling her phone for the last three weeks, every other day." He said, looking at me. I nodded, hearing the twins from down the hall.

"Is that Natasha?" He asked, confused as to who had the kids.

"No, Wanda. She's been entertaining them with her powers. Floating blocks and such," I chuckled as Wanda rounded the corner with the twins.

"I sensed she had moved." She said hopefully.

"She's in the bath. She seems lost. I just feel like there is a wall between us now." Steve said quietly, as he took Callie from her arms.

"I have an idea." She smiled.