A/N: sorry for the delay in posting! Enjoy -Cat

Chapter Thirty-Five

Madeline sat in her office reading over Bucky's dream journal. She looked at the clock on the wall, he would be out for a run, so she had some more time before she had to leave work. He had started going out in the evening for a run as well, especially since his run with her in the morning was basically a jog for him. Though five miles every morning was nothing to sneeze at as far as Madeline was concerned, but evidently for some, it was.

His dreams had mellowed out extraordinarily. Dr. Sandra was thrilled with his progress. Madeline had instructed Bucky to tell the good doctor that he had started seeing someone but not to say it was with her. It would be far to complicated to have Sandra know intimate details of Madeline's life. Having been not only her previous psychologist, but also one of her mother's best friends.

His dreams now seemed to focus on people more than flashbacks, both herself and Steve Rogers were reappearing themes. Most of his dreams took place in the context of the forties, which Madeline enjoyed, as she got to picture herself in retro hair dos and dresses. Steve, however, he was a different story. He appeared erratically, and from Bucky's writing, he was never completely sure how to feel about Steve's presence. The only time Steve was a completely positive force was when he appeared as himself before the serum, before the war.

Madeline had asked Dr. Lang, if they should be delving more into Steve and Bucky's relationship but Sandra assured her that Bucky was working towards that point and would start to verbalized when he was ready to start discussing Rogers.

Madeline's cell phone rang beside her right hand and in an instant she answered, "Hi dad!"

"Hello beautiful, how's my girl?"

"Great, busy. I'm just working on Bucky's dream journal."

"Ah, and how is your case study boy wonder?"

"Good, doing well. Adjusting slowly, I mean it's really hard, he has so much to overcome. But he is doing really well. It's good. Good to see." She realised to her horror she was rambling, "God, never mind, how are you and Alfred?"

Her dad chuckled, "Oh we are fine, in Greece, weather is beautiful." He sounded vague.

"Well, that sounds boring. Have you done any cave diving, remember that place off of Capri?"

"Ahh, right. That was a good spot. Well, no haven't done much of that. I am getting old Madeline."

Madeline's brow furrowed, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, why would you ask that?" He sounded weird again.

"I don't know. You sound ...different."

"Well, I have been busy, bumped into an old friend."

"You don't have friends."

"Yes I do," her father scoffed.

"Ok, So your friends are my friends, Alfred and Lucius. Who did you bump in to?"

Her father evaded the question perfectly by asking, "So, just how long have you been in love with this Bucky?"

Madeline opened her mouth to argue but snapped it shut as soon as he finished his sentence. "Umm,..." Her mind was totally blank. She sat back in her office chair. "How did you know?"

"Well, you are my daughter, I did spend most of my life, actually doing detective work, and Lucius said you haven't been in the office later then eight for the past nearly four weeks. So does he know how you feel?"

Madeline suddenly very much wished her father was simply sitting across from her on the other side of her desk, having this conversation in person, not half way around the world, "Um, yes he does."

"And does he feel the same way?"

Madeline felt her heart double in size in her chest, "Yes, yes he does."

"Good, that's good." Her father sounded genuine, "Is he good to you?"

Madeline thought about Bucky, how he makes her dinners, seems to think the world will stop spinning if she gets as much as a paper cut, how he looked after her when she was concussed, "He really is."

"You don't deserve anything less Madeline." Her father said, his voice got husky, "I'm glad you have someone. I don't like to think of you all alone."

Madeline bit her lip, "I was fine before you know dad,"

"I know, but still." He cleared his throat. Madeline opened her mouth to ask him, if he had known right away if he was in love with her mother but choked on the words as the hard reality that her parents situation was far from hers and Bucky's. Once again a wave of guilt washed over Madeline regarding her mother. She didn't mention it to her dad though. What could he do? "Do you have any plans for your birthday?"

Madeline looked at the calendar on the wall, four days away was the day. "No," She had never been a fan of her birthday. First off she couldn't understand people's obsession with celebrating the fact they were one year closer to death and she had really started detesting them when Tony had turned her birthday into the social event of the year in LA, she never had the heart to tell him that, he used to get so excited. But she hated all the fake people fawning all over her.

"Bucky isn't planning on taking you out on the town?"

Madeline suddenly felt concern, she didn't want her father to think less of him, "He doesn't know,"

"He loves you and he doesn't know when your birthday is?"

"Dad, the mental health mountain he has had to climb? He's lucky he knows his own birthday. I don't want him to be stressing about what to do or get me, he has enough on his plate. All I want for my birthday is for him to focus on his own recovery."

"Mmmhmm, how is that all working, being his doctor?"

Madeline shrugged, even though she knew he couldn't her, "So far, so good. We haven't had any problems so far. I think it might be helping us actually."

"That's good Maddy. Your like your mom. You're strong, you'll help him."

Madeline felt her throat tighten, and the backs of her eyes started to tingle, "Thanks dad, I hope so. He deserves it."

"I love you, beautiful," He said.

Madeline took a deep breath, "I love you too dad." With that they both hung up the phone.

Bucky stood in the kitchen, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, staring at the white envelope on the counter. Was it a good idea? Was it stupid? He stepped forward and grabbed the envelope. It was stupid, she would think he was being ridiculous. He took a deep breath. He put the envelope back down and backed up to lean against the counter again.

She would be home soon. Then it would be over. One way or another.

"Bucky," Bucky looked up towards the doorway in time to see Madeline come to stand in it. She rested her hands on the doorway and smiled at him, "Hi,"

"Hi," He said standing up, he sent her a quick smile. It still felt... strange, to smile. Like his face had forgotten how too. Madeline's brow furrowed a little, it was obvious she could tell he was uncomfortable. She walked into the kitchen.

"Everything ok?" She asked leaning against the newly replaced counter top. This one was butcher block. Madeline thought it would be more homey.

"Yeah," Bucky said, his eyes dropped to the floor as Madeline's eyes fell on the envelope. He glanced up through his hair. She was looking at the envelope .

"Is this yours?" She asked glancing at him.

"No, pretty sure it's yours." He said watching her.

Madeline tore open the back and looked in the envelope. She slowly took the tickets out, reading the fronts. Her expression went from slight curiousity to completely ... blank. Her eyes seemed to unfocus, her mouth opened slightly, forming a small 'oh'. She looked up at Bucky, "Bucky? What is this?"

Bucky took a deep breath, "Well, I thought, since your night in DC was, well, a disaster. I thought you might want a do over."

Madeline looked back down at the tickets in her hands. She was holding them like they might burst into flames. "Do you know..."

"That your mother was on the board of directors for the original gala?" Bucky walked over to stand beside her in the kitchen, "Oh the fact that is now called the Adriana Stark Mercy Memorial Gala helped." Madeline looked up at Bucky. He was beginning to worry, he couldn't tell if she was happy or upset. Madeline had started mentioning her mother more and more. Since she had read the letter. Madeline seemed happier. Bucky sincerly hoped he hadn't ruined that for her. "I mean, you did get me a tux."

"It's this Saturday," Madeline said, "In four days," She blinked and looked at Bucky, "That's my-"

"Birthday? Yeah, I know. Lucius may have helped me a bit." Madeline looked up at Bucky. She had tears in her eyes and Bucky felt his heart clench, "Oh god, Maddy, we don't have..."

"No," Maddy shook her head looking back at the tickets, "No...this is perfect." In an instant her arms were around his neck. Slowly, Bucky wrapped his arms around her. He could hold her perfectly to him, like she had always belonged there. He could smell the rose from her shampoo in her hair. In that moment he knew he was happy. Genuinely happy. In spite of everything else, Bucky Barnes felt almost whole.