"Why did you have to work against me?"
Walker kept hold of Bucky, pushing him up against a steel beam, the shield against his neck as he spoke, his teeth bared. Bucky looked at the wild gaze in Walker's eye and he realised that he was almost as strong as he was. Both of them were fighters. But Bucky wouldn't let him get away with this. He wouldn't let Walker win.
"Why could you not work with me? Why could Evelyn not persuade you?"
It was at the sound of her name when Bucky yelled loudly, the noise helping him to regain his senses, pushing against Walker as Sam helped him pull him off, knocking Walker to the floor for a moment.
"Earth to Bucky?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Bucky did all that he could not to look troubled, his gaze meeting Evelyn's. They were due to meet Torres later back at the camp where Karli had been based, but until then, Bucky had insisted on getting something to eat with Evelyn, needing some time to be with her after everything that had happened. Evelyn had told Sam that he was welcome to join, but he had smiled, squeezing her on the shoulder and slapping Bucky on the back before heading off, saying that he would go and meet Torres early. He had taken his wings and the shield with him and Evelyn had felt her eyes widen at the sight of the broken wings.
"Sorry," Bucky said to her, taking a sip of the whiskey that he had ordered.
Evelyn had opted for a cola, drinking the fizzy drink through a straw as they sat outside together in a busy square. The afternoon sun was slowly setting and the evening was coming. Evelyn was struggling to believe how much had happened in one day. She had only touched down in Riga that morning and already so much had changed.
"It's fine," Evelyn said to him. "What were you thinking about?"
"Walker," Bucky admitted to her.
Walker had been apprehended by the Army in the warehouse and was due to return home the following morning. Evelyn had managed to look at the news on her iPhone before her battery gave out and she saw that Walker was everywhere. He was news in a number of countries, the video of what he had done to that kid going viral. Evelyn had turned her phone off, preserving the battery in case she needed it later. She was still wrapped up in Bucky's jacket, knowing that she must like a sight with her messy hair and her blotchy face from all of her crying. But she didn't care. She was just thankful that the shield was back where it belonged, but that didn't solve the problem of Karli.
"What about him?" Evelyn wondered, watching Bucky as he took another sip of his drink.
"The way he killed that kid," Bucky said to her. "The way he used that shield for revenge. I remember what Steve did…in Siberia when Tony was coming after us, there was a moment when Steve could have done some serious damage to him with his shield, but he never did. He tossed it off to the side instead and came for me. No matter what he was up against, he never went after revenge."
Evelyn remained silent, uncertain of what she should say in response to him. Truth be told, she was struggling with words. She was struggling with the events of the entire day. Bucky shook his head and held his glass, his elbow resting on the table and the glass dangling by his chin, his other arm resting in front of him on the table.
"I guess I just never thought I'd see the shield used like that," Bucky finished his drink off and Evelyn tried to search for words.
"I don't think you'll have to again," she said to him.
Shaking his head, he placed the glass down. "I hope not," he said to her.
"He'll be disgraced, you know that? Even if that boy did kill Lemar, there is no way that he can get his reputation back to what it was."
"That boy didn't kill Lemar," Bucky said to her and her eyes widened. "Walker knew who killed Lemar, but it wasn't that kid...it was Karli."
"Shit," Evelyn said, shaking her head and running a hand through her hair, tossing it over her shoulders. "Poor Lemar."
"Yeah," Bucky could agree with that. Out of both Lemar and Walker, it was clear that the former was the more rational and willing to think about things before acting. Evelyn had seen that too when they had been on the flight together to Riga.
"He seemed like a nice guy," Evelyn said to Bucky.
"Agreed," Bucky said and raised a hand to the waiter, ordering himself another drink and Evelyn another cola considering she was nearly at the bottom of the one that she was drinking. "Karli should never have gone after Walker."
"And now?" Evelyn wondered from him. "Where do you think she is? If she had any sense then she would lay low, wouldn't she?"
"I would say so," Bucky nodded his head, agreeing with her on that point, remembering his time being on the run. He had done everything that he could to lay low and he would have stayed hidden if it hadn't of been for Zemo. But Karli was not him. "But I think the problem is that the more time you give her then the longer she will have to regroup…come back stronger."
"Regroup underground?" Evelyn checked.
"Exactly that," Bucky said.
"And you?" Evelyn wondered, sitting back as the waiter brought their drinks out to them, setting them on the table and Bucky thanked him. He picked up the whiskey and took another sip of it before looking over to Evelyn.
"What about me?"
"I know that you're going to find Zemo," Evelyn said to him. "But what are you going to do after that? Are you going to try and find Karli?"
Bucky shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he said to her. "It depends on what happens and…well…if Sam wants me to help him find her. But if she has gone underground then sometimes the only thing that you can do when someone does that is just wait for them to reappear."
"I think the scary part is they usually only reappear when they make the news for doing something…well…bad," Evelyn said and Bucky could agree with that point of view.
Evelyn finished the end of her first drink and grabbed the second one, taking another sip of it.
"Usually is the case," Bucky admitted. "But until then I don't know what more I can do, Evie. I think that…well…until Sam needs my help, I can't do anything. I am supposed to be a civilian, aren't I? I think it is about time I went back to that and figured out what it is I want to do in my life."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you know, thinking about what I want from the future."
"Like career wise?"
"Amongst other things," Bucky said, remaining coy. "But that's for me to think about when I come home."
Evelyn nodded, wondering what he meant. He sounded particularly cryptic. She didn't push him on it. Instead she kept silent, biting down on the inside of her cheek and watching him. He smiled over to her, moving to take hold of her hand and hold it in his grip tightly.
"But for tonight…I think I'd quite like to deal with Sam and Torres before getting an early night," he said to her and Evelyn smiled at that, nodding her head profusely. She could agree with that point entirely.
"And there's no chance I can persuade you to take me to Sokovia with you?"
"I have a history with Zemo," Bucky said to her. "I want to finish this with him, Evie. I have told Ayo to meet me there and she will take him. But you should be on the first flight out of here tomorrow with Sam from the military airbase. I've asked him to make sure you get home safely."
"I can make it home, Bucky," she said. "You don't need to trouble Sam."
Bucky shook his head. "I think he might need a favour anyway," he said to her. "He is on about heading to Baltimore before he goes back home."
Evelyn arched a brow. "To see Isaiah?" she checked with him.
Bucky nodded. "So he might need a place to crash."
"He's more than welcome to stay the night," Evelyn said and Bucky nodded. She quirked a brow, her lips staying upturned at the corner as she toyed with Bucky's fingers inside of hers. "No sarcastic comment?" she asked from Bucky. He chuckled at her and shook his head back and forth.
"Not today," he said back to her.
"Wow, you must really be tired," she said and Bucky chuckled at her. He didn't want to tell her that maybe, just maybe, he could see himself getting on with Sam. He wasn't quite ready to admit that to her just yet, knowing that she would just tell Sam as soon as they were alone.
"Guess I am," Bucky said. "And Sam did tell me that you should prepare yourself when you return as well."
"Me?"
"Someone got a picture of Walker carrying you out of the apartment," Bucky said to her. "People have been speculating about why you were taken according to the news. I saw it on my iPhone while you were in the bathroom."
"Why did you not tell me sooner?" she snapped at him, sounding horrified at this piece of information. "I seriously hate this age of technology."
"Says the woman who spent the past year trying to convince me to get an iPhone," Bucky responded. "Don't worry, you'll soon be yesterday's news once Walker comes before a committee for what he has done."
"I'm not even going to look online," Evelyn said with a shake of her head. "Besides, my phone is on its last legs battery wise. I just managed to send a text to my parents to tell them I was fine and that I would explain everything when I get back home. I imagine they are freaking out."
"I would say they most certainly are," Bucky agreed with that point, knowing just how much her parents cared about her. They loved her more than anything. And Bucky could understand why. He could understand it so well that he was preparing himself to have a conversation with her father when they next met.
"We should get going soon," Evelyn said, picking up Bucky's wrist and turning it over so that she could see the time on his watch. "Do we have somewhere to stay tonight or do we still have to find somewhere?"
"We have to find somewhere, but I can look online for availability," Bucky told her and he saw her eye him with suspicion, a smile remaining on her face. His own lips pricked upwards and he shrugged. "What?"
"You can look online on your new, sparkling iPhone. They come in handy for something, huh?" she checked with him.
"Do you want me to tell you that you were right?"
"You know I quite like hearing you say those words," she joked with him.
"Hmm," Bucky hummed, toying with her fingers, holding them in mid-air, both their elbows bent on the table as he leant forwards, his forehead near hers. "I think there are some words you like better than those."
"Oh?" she asked, still smiling at him.
"Yeah," Bucky confirmed.
"And what are those?" she wondered.
Leaning in closer, his lips were inches from hers. "Evelyn," he spoke her name, "sweetheart…" He wasn't going to do it here, was he? He wasn't going to actually propose. No. It wasn't the right time. "Would you like to get pizza tonight?"
He finally kissed her quickly, pulling back as she gave his hand a firm squeeze and laughed. "My favourite words," she confirmed to him.
"I know," Bucky said. "Come on, let's go see what Sam and Torres have to say and then we can call it a night."
"And get pizza?"
Bucky chuckled, helping her from the chair. He used his free hand to pull out some money and drop it down onto the table. Nodding his head, he kept hold of her hand and moved his arm around her shoulders. "And then we can get pizza."
….
Evelyn slept peacefully that night in the hotel bed. Bucky had chosen one of the nicest hotels with availability and Evelyn had to admit that it was rather plush. Sam was booked into a room down the corridor and he had told Evelyn that he would knock on the door in the morning for them to head back to the States, Bucky heading off his own way to deal with Zemo.
While Evelyn had been in the bath, Bucky had asked for her clothes to be dry-cleaned, knowing that she would appreciate them feeling clean. He had leant her one of his tops to wear that night considering he still had his duffle bag. They ate pizza in bed that night, just talking about what they would do when they were both back in D.C.
The next morning, Evelyn's clothes were back on the doorstep and she changed quickly, spending as much time in bed with Bucky before Sam turned up. Bucky was due to fly out to Sokovia later on in the day and so he would check out later and deal with the bill. He had told Evelyn to keep hold of his jacket, helping her shrug into it and holding the lapels of it, bringing her forwards and pressing his lips to hers until Sam knocked on the door and she had to go.
She told Bucky to be careful and tell her when he was on the way home. He said that he should only be a couple of days and he was looking forward to going home. He was looking forward to not worrying about something for a while, or so he hoped. He watched Evelyn walk down the corridor with Sam, the other man promising Bucky that he would take care of her.
The flight back to D.C. was tedious, Evelyn trying to sleep for the majority of it. She had taken a cab back to her apartment with Sam, the two of them talking about the first thing they would do when they go back. Evelyn had insisted on showering after a long flight and Sam had told her that he was going to order in food from this delicious restaurant he knew that he swore did the best burgers.
But as Evelyn opened the door to her apartment, she was bombarded with voices.
"Evelyn, what the hell has happened?"
"Sweetie, where have you been?"
She startled as she saw her parents move up from the sofa, hands on their hips as they looked to her. She entered the apartment, Sam following behind her and dropping his bag down by the door.
"I'm fine," Evelyn promised them.
"Boris told us that Captain America had arrested you. Whatever for? And why were you in Riga?"
"Mum, it's a long story," Evelyn informed her mother. She intended to discuss it with them, but she didn't know if she had the energy to do it right now. She stepped forwards and Sarah embraced her daughter, squeezing the life out of her before Alistair took his turn, both of them fussing around her and asking her if she was okay. She insisted she was fine before Sarah turned her attention to the man by the door.
"Oh my God," she exclaimed loudly.
"I wish that was the usual reaction I received, but have to say it is quite rare," Sam chuckled and he stepped forwards, offering his hand out to Sarah. "Sam Wilson," he spoke his name softly.
"Oh…yes…I mean, I know who you are," Sarah said, shaking his hand. "And I shouldn't have sounded too shocked. Evelyn mentioned that she knew you. I guess I'm just shocked that you're here…in her apartment…"
"Sam is spending the night on the sofa before he heads off," Evelyn said to her mother as Sam took hold of Alistair's hand and shook it too. "Sam, this is my mum, Sarah, and my dad, Alistair."
"Nice to meet you. And yeah, Evelyn's been nice enough to let me crash here before," Sam said. "But if I am intruding then I am happy to go and find a hotel."
"No, of course not," Alistair said with a shake of his head. "We have booked out a hotel. We've been spending the past few days here waiting for you to get back after we struggled to work out what had happened. And where is Bucky?"
"Is he okay?" Sarah chimed in.
"He's fine," Evelyn assured her parents. "He's just had to go and take care of something. Listen, what happened…I think we're all trying to get our heads around it still. It's been a hectic few days."
"Was it do with the serum?" Alistair asked and Evelyn shot her dad a look. He wasn't supposed to know about that. Looking to Sam, Evelyn bit down on her lip and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't hear anything," he promised her.
"Oh, shit, sorry," Alistair exclaimed. "I know it's supposed to be confidential."
"Luckily for you Sam isn't some evil enemy, but good to know you spill secrets easily, dad," Evelyn said to him with a quirk of her lips and her father looked sheepish, his hand scratching at the back of his neck as he shrugged his shoulders in her direction. "But yes, it was to do with the serum, but it got bigger than that…Karli…the leader of the Flag Smashers…she's taken the serum, her and some of the other Flag Smashers and Sam and Bucky were trying to find them."
"And did you catch her?"
"Not yet," Sam was the one to speak.
"But the serum was destroyed, just not before John took it."
"We saw that," Sarah said. "That poor boy being killed…and Walker…the look on his face…"
"I know," Evelyn said to her parents.
"He isn't fit to hold that shield," Alistair said firmly, but Evelyn remained silent, knowing that the shield was currently in that massive bag that Sam was carrying. But that was for him to disclose when he wanted to, not Evelyn.
"Well, he doesn't have it now," Sam said. "It's somewhere safe, not with Walker."
"As it should be," Sarah agreed with that point. "And we saw on the news what happened in Germany, Evie. Is it just a coincidence that Helmut Zemo escapes jail at the same time you tell your father on your run that Bucky is in Germany visiting him?"
"Technically he freed himself," Evelyn said, looking to Sam. "Isn't that right?"
"From what I recall," Sam nodded, hands dropping to his hips.
"Oh my God," Sarah mumbled.
"It's fine," Evelyn promised them and Alistair's eyes widened.
"Evelyn, please tell us you have not been running around Riga with an escaped convict!" Alistair snapped at his daughter.
"I haven't been running around Riga with an escaped convict," she said, but this time her tone went sheepish as she spoke and her mother's eyes widened as her father's expression grew stern, something that took her back to her childhood. "In my defence, I never want to go to Riga! I was forced there to find Sam and Bucky because Walker knew that Zemo was with them and I wouldn't tell him anything."
"But why Zemo?"
"He knows everything about super soldiers," Sam stepped in. "We figured that it would be good to have him on side to narrow down our search to find out who had created the serum. He proved himself useful."
"And now?"
"And now Bucky has gone to find him and return him to jail," Evelyn said.
"Bucky has gone after him?" Sarah exclaimed. "What if he gets hurt?"
"Mum, Bucky is a super soldier. Zemo isn't," she responded and went into the kitchen and reached for a glass. She pulled two out and filled them with water, handing one to Sam and looking to her parents. "Do you guys want a drink?"
"You're asking us if we want a drink moments after informing us that your boyfriend has gone to track down one of the world's most notorious criminals," Alistair informed his daughter and she took a sip of her water, Sam doing the same.
Evelyn shrugged. "So is that a yes or a no?" she questioned.
"Evelyn!" Alistair snapped loudly at his daughter.
She sighed and placed her glass down, shrugging out of Bucky's jacket that she had worn the entire time. She rested it on the worktop and then leant on it, her hair falling down her cheeks. "I know that this is a lot to take in," she told her parents. "And I know that I might seem unusually calm about it all, but it's only because I was there and I've had some time to process it."
"And I can assure you that Evelyn was well protected and away from anything dangerous," Sam said to her parents, knowing that was a slight lie as she looked to him sceptically with a side glance that her parents didn't notice. It was best not to tell them that she had stood in front of a gun and gotten in a car with Zemo. "Trust me, Bucky would do nothing to endanger her. He was beyond angry when he discovered that Walker had dragged her into this mess."
Alistair and Sarah exchanged a wary glance between each other and then Alistair nodded. "So that's it?" Alistair checked with his daughter. "You're okay?"
"I'm okay," she promised with a nod, looking between them again. "And I'm sorry I put you through so much."
Sarah sighed, finally managing to gather her thoughts. "We're just glad you're home," she said to her daughter. "And we would prefer it if you didn't run off half way across the world with escaped convicts and terrorists."
"I'd prefer that too," Evelyn promised her mother.
"Right," Sarah said firmly. "Well, if you're sure you're okay then we'll leave you to get some sleep. We'll be back in the morning to check on you, okay?"
"Yes, of course," Evelyn said with a nod of her head.
She moved forwards to embrace her mother before reaching up for her father. Alistair whispered into her ear as he ran his hand up and down her back.
"I put your bedframe together and your mother made the bed with fresh bedding," he said to her and her lips quirked and her eyes closed as she held her father tightly.
"Thank you," she said.
He pulled back and managed a small smile to her. She could see the exhaustion on his face as her mother bid a goodnight to Sam and then Alistair did the same. Evelyn walked them to the door and saw them off down the corridor to the elevator before coming back into the apartment and leaning against the door, closing her eyes again as Sam sipped on his water.
"Sorry about that," she said to him and he shook his head.
"Nah," he said, "it was sweet and nice to meet your parents."
"Well, in that case I'm sorry that my mum was fawning all over you," Evelyn said and Sam chuckled.
"Don't apologise for that," he said to her. "Listen, why don't you jump in the shower and I'll order us some food."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"You're the best," Evelyn said to him, touching his arm for a moment before she grabbed Bucky's jacket and moved on into the bedroom. She pulled her phone out before she did anything, plugging it into the charger in the wall. It sprung to life and she perched on the edge of her new bouncy mattress with a floral duvet cover on it. She scrolled through all of her messages briefly, only quickly texting Lisa and Maria to tell them she was home. She had wondered if there would be word from Bucky, but there was nothing as of yet.
…
Bucky knew where Zemo would be. He had mentioned the memorial in Sokovia while they had been in Riga and as soon as he disappeared Bucky knew that was where he had to have gone. Zemo was stood in front of it, clearly having expected Bucky to come for him. He was dressed in a long coat, a fur collar around his neck. His gaze was set on the memorial and his face was almost stoic as Bucky stood to the side of him, simply watching him and wondering what was going through his mind. The air had a chill in it, Bucky wearing his own coat as the night threatened to fall. The two men remained silent and Bucky waited for Zemo to make the first move.
"I thought that you would be here soon," Zemo said. "Don't worry, I've decided I'm not going to kill you."
Bucky kept the gun dangling in his hand and shrugged his shoulders. "Imagine my relief," he called over to him, voice laden with sarcasm. Zemo finally turned, moving toward Bucky and the elder man could see that he looked exhausted. He looked as though he just wanted things to come to a close.
"The girl has been radicalised beyond salvation," Zemo spoke. "I warned Sam, but he didn't listen to me. He's as stubborn as Steve Rogers before him. But you," Zemo hissed, "they literally programmed you to kill. Do what needs to be done. Karli has people everywhere and there is only one way to make sure she cannot continue her mission."
Bucky continued staring at Zemo. "I appreciate your advice," he said, "but we're going to do it our own way."
Zemo chuckled once and looked down, head to the side. "Yeah," he said. "I was afraid you would say that."
Bucky raised the gun then, removing the safety lock and aiming it at Zemo. But the man simply nodded. That was all that he could do. And when Bucky pulled the trigger and nothing happened, he swore that he saw disappointment etch across his face. He dropped the bullets from his vibranium hand, letting them fall to the floor and clatter around him. Lowering the gun, Zema nodded his head.
"Perhaps she was right," he said and Bucky wondered what he was talking about before Ayo approached. Bucky had stuck to his word. The Dora Milaje could have Zemo. He owed the Wakandans that much after everything they had done for him.
"Ladies," Zemo said in greeting as they stood behind him, but he kept his eyes on Bucky. "I took the liberty of removing my name from your book. I hold no grudges for what you thought you had to do."
Bucky nodded once.
"And one final piece of advice," Zemo spoke. "If you truly do love her then you'll never let her go. The pain you feel at such a loss is," he looked back to the memorial for a moment, "indescribable."
Again, Zemo looked back to him and Bucky just nodded once. "Goodbye, James."
Zemo was led away then and Bucky watched him go, Ayo coming to stand next to him instead. She looked across to him and he moved his eyes to her.
"We will take him to the Raft where he will live the rest of his days," she told Bucky. "For the meantime, it would prudent if you were to make yourself scarce in Wakanda, White Wolf."
"Fair enough," Bucky agreed before Ayo reached out to hand him something.
He looked to the piece of paper and took it from her extended fingers. Looking down at it, he saw that the photo was slightly crumpled and his brow furrowed at it. "How…" he trailed off.
"You dropped it when we were fighting," Ayo said to him. "I suspected it was important to you."
"Yeah," was all that Bucky could offer her.
"She's the girl who was there, isn't she?"
"Evelyn," Bucky spoke her name, looking down at the image he kept of her. It must have fallen out of his pocket when they had been fighting. He remembered stuffing it in there after looking at it that morning when his mind had been racing.
"Take care, White Wolf," Ayo simply said and began walking away.
Bucky placed the image back into his jacket pocket and he knew that he had to call after Ayo. He still had one favour that he had to ask from her.
….
Standing outside of the arrivals gate, Evelyn looked at the board of flights that told her which flight had landed and at what gate. Bucky had called her the night before to say that he would be landing in Dulles at half past two in the afternoon. Evelyn had caught the metro there, dressed in a grey jumpsuit with a sweatshirt over it. Her red bag hung across her body and her glasses sat on her nose that she kept wrinkling whenever she noted that Bucky's flight was even more delayed. She hoped he didn't have long to go through security, but she had gotten there early, needing to make sure that she didn't miss him. He had just told her that he would see her at home, but she quite liked the idea of meeting him at the airport.
After almost an hour, he came through, a bag slung over his shoulder and sunglasses on his face. Evelyn almost wanted to roll her eyes at that. Why wear sunglasses inside? She smirked, holding up the piece of paper she had dangled by her side. Standing in a line of other people who were holding signs up, she waited for him to spot her.
Bucky was in a world of his own, looking around for the sign to tell him how to get to the metro so that he could get back to the city centre. His eyes scanned around and he had to a double take before he realised that it was her. She was standing amongst other people, hair hanging loosely around her and white trainers on her feet. She had on that grey jumpsuit she loved to wear for comfort and the sweatshirt she always lounged around in. Her big blue framed glasses were on her face and her eyes were set firmly on him.
His lips arched as he noted she had a piece of A4 paper with his name scrawled on it. It looked anything but professional next to the other signs people were holding, but he didn't care. Instead he advanced towards her, pushing his sunglasses from his eyes and folding them up, dropping them into his pocket.
"Hi," she said to him.
"Hey," he responded.
"So…you're back," she commented.
"I am," he confirmed with a nod of his head. "And you're here."
"Well, I thought that I would surprise you," she shrugged. "Besides, I made a sign and everything."
"How long did that take you?" he joked with her.
"Oh, I was working on it late into the night," she responded, her voice dripping with sarcasm and her eyes widening, nodding her head furiously. "I barely slept because of it. Impressive, isn't it?"
"Sounds like a lot of effort," Bucky continued joking with her.
"If only you knew," she said to him. "I mean, it was either this or a fifteen-foot banner with a red carpet, but I figured that might be a bit too extravagant."
Bucky chuckled then, shaking his head. "You're unbelievable," he said to her.
"Still love me though?"
"Come here and I'll let you know," he said, reaching out and taking her hand, almost sending her stumbling towards him as he dropped his bag, his other arm securing around her waist to stop her from falling before he bent down, his lips pressing to hers. Evelyn reached up, her arms around his neck and still holding the sign in her fingertips.
Pulling back from her after a moment, he looked down to her, seeing that she had turned red as he kept his arm around her waist. She tangled a hand into his hair, stroking it softly. "I don't know," she said to him. "That didn't really answer my question."
"Well, let me get you home and then I'll really answer it. Sound good?"
"Sounds good," she confirmed.
Nodding, Bucky managed to bend down, picking his bag back up and flinging it onto his shoulder. He moved both arms around her waist, picking her up from the floor as her arms wrapped around his neck and her feet dangled from the ground. She laughed in surprise at the movement as Bucky began walking forwards, carrying her with no effort as he ignored people's stares. He couldn't care less about what people thought, he only had eyes on the smiling girl he held.
…..
"My parents absolutely freaked out when I got back," Evelyn said to Bucky.
She was sat cross legged on the bed under the duvet, chewing down on the pancake that Bucky had made her the following morning. She was due back at work the following day, having booked another few days off since she got back home. Rebecca had told her to take as long as she needed, insisting that they were fine and could cover her.
"I imagine they did," Bucky agreed with that, laid on his side, head propped up in his hand with his elbow bent. He moved his fork into the pancake and took another bite. "Have they gone back to Florida?"
"Tomorrow," Evelyn said with a nod. "I think they were hoping that we would get dinner with them tonight. You up for it?"
"Yeah, of course," Bucky nodded his head. "Besides, I guess I owe them another apology for getting you involved in my business again."
Evelyn shook her head, chewing down on another piece of the pancake. "No," she said to him. "It was Walker who was the one who dragged me into this. Besides, he proved who he was…he showed his true colours."
"I'm just glad I never have to deal with him again," Bucky muttered. "Besides, got to admit, it felt slightly therapeutic giving him a piece of my mind."
"That's maybe not something you want to disclose to our therapist, Bucky," she said to him. "Remember rule number two?"
"Rule number two meant shit as soon as Walker did what he did," Bucky said to her. "Besides, the shield is back where it should be. Speaking of, have you heard from Sam?"
Evelyn shook her head. "He left yesterday morning for Baltimore and then I think he was heading back home straight to his sister," she said to Bucky.
"Well…I might have to go out and see him at some stage in the future," Bucky told her and she reached for her orange juice on the bedside table next to her, taking a sip of it and then holding it in a hand, her brow furrowing.
"Why?" she wondered from him.
"I asked the Wakandans to make him something…something to go with the shield," Bucky admitted to her.
Her eyes widened at that. "What did you ask them to make?"
"A suit," he said to her. "In case he decides that he does want to take up the shield. He can't exactly do it wearing the same suit that Steve did. Besides, that would mean taking it from your exhibit and I imagine that wouldn't go down too well."
"The paperwork would be a nightmare," Evelyn agreed on that point, putting her orange juice back. He chuckled and she smiled at seeing his lips arch. "So you did that for him?"
"I did," Bucky confirmed. "And when it gets here then I'll have to travel and take it to him. It might be a couple of day's away if you fancy it?"
"Definitely," Evelyn said. "But can we go on a weekend? I've taken too many days off work."
"Having withdrawal symptoms?" Bucky joked and took another bite of pancake as Evelyn nudged him in the arm and he laughed again.
"No," she said to him with a roll of her eyes. "I just think I've pushed my luck recently. You know, I had only missed one day at work because of illness before you came into my life."
"Then I do apologise. I know how much you love your work…almost as much as you love me."
"You think I love you more than my job? That's adorable," she teased him.
Bucky remained still for a second, a mischievous glint in his eye. Evelyn wondered what he was doing before he moved quickly, pushing the plate of food to the side as she laughed loudly, feeling him grab her and push her underneath his body, his hands holding her wrists down on the bed as she continued laughing at him and he bent down, his nose brushing hers.
"I think someone might be telling lies," he said, breath warm against her face.
"Really?" she questioned.
"Really," he confirmed, bending down and finally kissing her. He bit down on her bottom lip, teasing her before pulling back from her. "But if you insist, I guess I'll just get up and leave you with your history books instead."
He began to climb off of her, but she reached for his neck, arms linking around it and pulling him back down. He continued smirking as she toyed with the ends of his hair. "I could be persuaded otherwise," she teased him.
"Well, I guess that's a challenge I'll have to accept then," he said and continued smiling as he kissed her once more.
…
Sitting across from Evelyn's parents in the busy restaurant, Bucky was nursing a beer following their meal. Once again, her parents had picked a great place. They might not live in D.C., but they knew where to go for food thanks to Alistair's friends' recommendations from the university. Evelyn had to admit that she felt they picked better places than she did. The restaurant was fancy, white washed walls with expensive artwork hanging on them. Low lights hung over each table to give a sense of intimacy, the light bouncing off the tables. The bar was humming with activity, people sat drinking and waiting for a table to become free.
Bucky had joined in on conversation when he needed to, but there was a thought that was loitering in the back of his mind that he couldn't shake. He didn't know how to approach it or even if tonight would be the right time. But he wanted to do it. He just needed Evelyn to leave the table for a few moments. That was all of the time that he needed. He wondered if this was still the done thing? Did he need to ask her father? He didn't know All he knew was that it felt like the right thing to him and that was why he was going to do it.
"I'm just going to pop to the bathroom," Evelyn said as their dishes were cleared away.
"Do you want to see the dessert menu, honey?" Alistair asked his daughter.
"I don't know…I mean I could always eat tiramisu," she said and Alistair chuckled.
"I'll ask for it," he said to her.
"Thanks," she smiled and stood up, hand going to Bucky's shoulder as he looked up to her and returned her smile.
"I'll join you," Sarah said to her daughter. "I could do to freshen up."
The two women walked away to the bathroom and Bucky realised it was now or never. Alistair was already taking hold of his own beer, sipping on it from the glass. "So, Bucky, Evelyn tells us that you were away dealing with business."
"I was," Bucky confirmed.
"I assume it's been taken care of?"
"It has," Bucky said. "Listen, Mr...Dr Morris," he said, "I don't mean to be rude, but if I don't do this now then I don't know when I'll do it. I've been trying to find the right moment to get you alone."
"I wondered why you looked slightly on edge," Alistair admitted, his own lips arching.
Bucky's brow furrowed. "So…you know?" he asked from him.
Alistair shrugged. "I had suspicions," he admitted to him.
"I don't even know if this is how things go nowadays," Bucky admitted to Alistair, leaning forwards slightly, almost scared that someone was listening in. "Because I know that Evelyn is a strong woman who makes her own decisions anyway…more often than not regardless of anyone's approval."
Alistair chuckled. "You really do know Evelyn," he said with a nod.
"But I'm from the 1940s and so far everything in our relationship hasn't entirely been conventional by my standards…moving in together before marriage…I mean, we didn't even have a first date until after we'd split up," Bucky continued talking. "But this is the one thing that I want to do that resembles something that feels…well…traditional. And so I do want your permission to ask your daughter to marry me."
Alistair leant back and said nothing. Bucky felt his throat dry up and his leg began tapping nervously under the table. Alistair looked around for a moment before Bucky noticed him reach for his eye, dabbing at it for a moment and then glancing back to him.
"I knew that this would happen eventually," Alistair said. "I just…well…she's my only daughter, Bucky. She means a great deal to me."
"I know," Bucky nodded at him.
"And she does love you," Alistair said. "And it would break her heart if I said no because you know that she wanted me and her mother to approve of you…she's admitted that."
"You mean the world to her."
"And she means the world to us," Alistair said. "And you're a good man. You love her and we can see that. And we can't imagine her with anyone else, not now. Just promise me that you'll keep looking out for her…but most importantly, keep making her happy."
Bucky nodded his head, gulping as he spoke, his voice slightly hoarse. "I want that," he said to him.
"Then yes," Alistair said.
"Thank you," Bucky said.
"You can relax now," Alistair joked with him. "Well, until you decide to propose because that will almost be as terrifying as this was."
"Really?" Bucky asked.
Alistair laughed once. "Oh yeah," he said with a nod. "I remember when I proposed to Sarah. I could hardly get my words out and started crying before I had even asked her. She was the one who had to try and calm me down."
Bucky smiled at that as Alistair rolled his eyes. "I haven't really thought about when or how to do it."
"You'll know the right time," he said to him. "But thank you for asking for my…shall we say approval? Like you said, Evelyn doesn't seek anyone's permission for anything."
"Approval is good," Bucky said. "And I guess I should thank you for your blessing."
"Just make her happy," was all Alistair had chance to say before Evelyn and Maria approached, laughing about something. They sunk back into their seats, Evelyn reaching for Bucky's arm and squeezing it.
"You okay?" she asked him.
"Just fine."
….
"Jeez, Bucky," Evelyn said when she got back from work last night to see a large, grey box on the worktop. She shut the door with her foot before kicking off her heels to the side by the sideboard. "To quote Se7en, "what's in the box"?" she asked from him, dropping her bag on the floor and hanging her coat up. Bucky stood up from where he had been sat on the sofa, his mind completely elsewhere.
Evelyn headed to the box and ran a hand over it.
"That would be for Sam's eyes only," he informed her.
Her brows rose on her forehead. "It came?" she checked with him.
"It came," he confirmed to her. "I was thinking of flying out to Louisiana on Saturday morning. There are cheap flights going, but it does mean getting up at four a.m."
"Four a.m.?" Evelyn snapped the time back, tugging her lanyard off and tossing it down next to the box. "We have to get up that early? Are you sure that you don't have another hidden superpower? Like, can't you fly or something?"
Bucky chuckled at her, moving to the fridge and tugging out a bottle of wine. "Not that I'm aware of," he said to her, shaking his head. "You'd have to talk to Doctor Strange about that teleportation stuff."
"Ah, the wizard," she said and Bucky poured her a glass of wine, eyes rolling as he turned back to look at her.
"He's a sorcerer," Bucky responded.
"Wizard," she retorted.
"We never did settle this debate," Bucky recalled, handing her the glass of wine. She took hold of it and sipped on it, the taste fruity and sweet on her tongue.
"Because you know I'm right," Evelyn responded.
"Not on this," he said with a shake of his head.
"Definitely am," she responded. "Anyway, what are we doing for dinner? I'm starving."
"There's a pasta bake in the oven," Bucky said to her. "And that wasn't me forfeiting that argument, by the way. Good change of topic there."
"You are looking at the master of not backing down in arguments," Evelyn responded and she went to sit down on the stool on the other side of the island at the breakfast bar. "Anyway, thanks for cooking dinner. I didn't think we had enough food in. Did you go to the store?"
"Yeah," Bucky said to her. "I went this morning and then that box arrived this afternoon. I'll go put it in the bedroom out the way."
"You know you're never going to get that thing checked in as a carry on, right?" she asked him.
Bucky chuckled and nodded, lips remaining quirked as he took the box into the bedroom. He came back out, arms folded over his chest as he went to sit down on the stool next to hers, moving to peck her quickly on the lips after she had finished taking another sip of wine.
"So… there's something that's been playing on my mind," Bucky admitted to her.
"What is it?" she asked, putting the wine glass down onto the worktop.
Bucky took a moment to consider if he wanted to ask her, but he had been thinking about it for a while. He just wanted to know. "When I was in Sokovia, Zemo said something when I refused to shoot him," he said to her. "He said "perhaps she was right"…what did he mean by that? I assume he was talking about something you had said to him."
Evelyn shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe," she responded to him. "We debated you a bit. I mean…I only think he could mean it in relation to one thing he asked me."
"What was that?"
"He asked me if you were capable of love…capable of being a good man…of being reformed," Evelyn recalled something along those lines. "I told him that you were and he was pretty impressed that I answered with no hesitation for some reason."
"Because usually there's some hesitation involved, especially when it comes to me," Bucky said and Evelyn moved out to grab his arm.
"Zemo was wrong about you," she said to him. "And don't let him inside your head. He's gone. You don't need to worry about him."
"I don't," Bucky said. "I just wondered what you two had been discussing."
"Well, don't dwell on it. All you need to know is that I defended you."
"You always do."
"Always will," she responded to him.
Bucky watched her move to kiss him then and she jumped down from the stool as he thought about what Zemo had said to him before they had parted. He didn't like to admit that someone like Zemo had a point, but perhaps his final words did have just that. He watched her move around the kitchen, checking on the pasta in the oven, crouching down by it, her glasses steaming up as she opened it. As he watched her, he felt that aching in his chest as he thought about spending the rest of his life with her. He thought about the ring he was still hiding and wondered if now was the right moment. Standing back up straight, she looked to Bucky expectantly.
"Were you listening to anything I was saying?" she questioned him.
"No," he admitted honestly and instead of getting annoyed, she simply smirked and he noted her turn slightly red.
"Stop staring at me like that," she said.
"Like what?"
"Like…that intense stare I know you sometimes do when you think I'm not watching."
"I have no idea what you mean, sweetheart."
"You know the one," she responded. "The one which is enough to make anyone swoon."
"Ah, you said that you weren't the swooning type," he reminded her, thinking back to their conversation from a few weeks ago. She pointed at him as he moved around the island to her, taking hold of her sides as she shook her head.
"I never said it made me swoon," she retorted to him. "I just said that was what…oh…shit…" she trailed off. "I've got nothing."
"Well, that does make a change," he joked with her.
"Shut up," she said, nudging his chest with her fist as his grip on her increased and he bent down, kissing her chastely on the lips. He had been so close to asking her that night as he watched her. He had been so close to asking her to marry him. But he hadn't. Alistair had told him that he would know when the time felt right. He would wait for that moment to come back.
….
A/N: Slowly nearing the end - still a few more chapters to come. As always, would love to hear your comments/thoughts/suggestions. Let me know what you think!