Bucky gently sat Evelyn down on the sofa, letting her rest against the back of it. She winced with the movement and Bucky hovered over her, seeing her grit her teeth together and let out a gentle hiss. She moved a hand to her hip and pressed down, causing her to wince again.
"Shit," she muttered. "I'll give John something, that serum clearly worked."
"I swear to God that Walker had no right to lay a hand on you," Bucky said to her and she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm almost tempted to go back and give him a piece of my mind."
"It was an accident," Evelyn said and Bucky blinked profusely at hearing her. Looking at her in utter disbelief, he did his best to comprehend what she had just said. She sighed and continued watching him. "Bucky, come on, he didn't mean to do it. I'm not going to say it didn't hurt like hell, but I'm fine."
"Evie, are you serious?"
"Yes," Evelyn said sternly to him and he sat down on the chair by the side of the sofa, hands clasped together in his lap. Evelyn did her best not to get too animated, her hip hurting her and her arm strained as well. "Listen, Bucky, we both know that John…he…he's made mistakes. We know that. But I still don't think he's a bad man or wants to do the wrong thing, deep down, anyway."
"Are you seriously defending him?" Bucky demanded from her.
"No," Evelyn said. "What he did to that kid is indefensible, but I think there is a lot going on inside of his brain…"
"I can't believe we're having this conversation," he responded with a shake of his head.
"We're not," Evelyn said. "Because we're just going to forget this happened, okay? Walker has no idea where the shield is and it's going to stay that way. And if he comes back to bother me then I will call the police."
"I'd rather you call me," Bucky muttered.
"What? So you can beat him to a pulp? I don't think so," Evelyn said. "Now can you do me a favour and grab me some ice or some painkillers?"
Bucky huffed, but nodded his head. Moving to his feet, he wandered into the kitchen and dug around in the freezer, finding some ice cubes and wrapping the packet in a towel. He poured a glass of water and grabbed the painkillers from the cabinet in the corner. He handed her the water as he sat down on the sofa next to her. She held onto it and Bucky popped out two of the pills, Evelyn's lips quirking upwards.
"I can get them out of the packet," she said to him.
"Just let me look after you," Bucky said to her with a stern expression.
"When have you done anything other than that?" she asked from him, managing to kick her heels from her feet and flick them under the coffee table. She downed the pills with one gulp of water before Bucky looked over her.
"It's the least you deserve," he responded and she moved a hand to his, squeezing it tightly for a moment. "Anyway, where do you want this ice?"
"On my hip," Evelyn said.
"Right…come on, let me see the damage," Bucky said to her.
She managed to move so that he could reach the back of her dress. Tugging the zip down, he helped peel her dress from her shoulders, pulling it down to her waist. She peered down at her side and her eyes widened. "Shit," she said again at seeing the massive bruise sat there. "Well, that's going to take a while to heal."
"Here," Bucky said, moving to grab hold of his sweatshirt he had left over the end of the sofa. "Can you lift your arms?"
"Just about," she said and moved her arms upwards.
Bucky helped pull the sweatshirt over her to cover her up. She let it sit just above her hip, her dress staying bunched at her waist. Holding the ice against the bruise, Bucky felt her tense under the movement.
"Okay?" he checked with her.
"Yeah," she said with a nod of her head. "That just hurt for a moment."
"Pretty sure it will hurt for a while, sweetheart," Bucky said to her. "Do you want anything else?"
"Not at the moment," Evelyn said with a shake of her head. "But we should call the restaurant and tell them that we can't make the reservation, which I'm really annoyed over because all day I have been saving myself for that cheesy pasta dish."
Bucky's lips arched at hearing that. "Not the fact that you wanted to celebrate?"
"No, definitely the pasta dish," she taunted him.
"Well, let me cancel it and I'll go and pick something else up for dinner, okay?" Bucky checked with her. "Head to the store or something."
"You sure?"
"Positive," he said with a nod of his head.
Standing up, he kissed the top of her head for a moment before he went into the bedroom. He made the call, but instead of cancelling he asked if he could get food to takeout. He'd go and pick it up and he'd be quick enough to get back without it going cold. "Listen, I'll be back in a bit," Bucky said to her. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
"Yes, I'll be fine," she said. "I'm just going to get changed into my pyjama bottoms though. This dress and sweatshirt combo aren't doing me any favours whatsoever."
"I don't know," Bucky taunted her. "I think it looks quite fetching."
"Ah, you charmer," she waved him off and tried to move, hissing in pain as she did so. Bucky held a hand up.
"Stay there, I'll fetch them," he said.
He grabbed the pyjama bottoms from the end of her bed and went back to help her shimmy her dress off of her legs, pushing the pyjama bottoms on instead. Once he was sure she was settled, he stood up and handed her the remote to the TV. He kissed her quickly before he left her alone to go and get the food. He must have been gone for only five minutes before there was a knock on the door. Evelyn groaned, leaving the ice on the sofa. Standing up, Evelyn managed to plod over to the door, wincing with every movement she made. Pulling it open, her eyes widened as she saw John stood there. He held his hands up defensively in front of her.
"I just want to talk," he said to her.
She nodded her head and stepped back into the apartment, letting John in. He watched her hobble back to the sofa and collapse down on it, turning the volume on the TV down. John closed the door as Evelyn spoke, picking the ice back up and placing it on her hip underneath the sweatshirt.
"Bucky's gone out," Evelyn said to him. "But he won't be long."
"I'll be gone before he comes back," John told her.
"He's…you know Bucky," Evelyn said with a shrug of her shoulders. "He's protective, John. The things we've gone through have made him like that and I get it. I totally get it."
"So do I," John said to her with a nod of his head. "Listen, Evelyn, I owe you an apology not just for that," he said with a motion to her hip, "but for everything that I did."
Evelyn's eyes widened at hearing that. She remained silent, her lips pursed as John sat down in the chair, hands clasped together in between his thighs. Bowing his head, he looked down to the ground and spoke, his voice earnest and honest. "I shouldn't have dragged you into things," he said. "I just…things were intense. Things were really intense and I just want to be the best Captain America that I can be…well, could be," John said with a scoff, knowing that his title had been stripped from him.
"I know," Evelyn responded to him with a nod of her head. "And being Captain America isn't easy. You've seen that. You've seen what happened."
"I did."
"And I think that you just need time, John. I think that you need time to adjust," Evelyn said to him. "And I accept your apology. Let's just…move on, okay? But you need to move on."
"Easier said than done," he muttered.
"I get that," she said, "but you need to try."
There was a moment of silence before John stood up, knowing that he shouldn't be sticking around for too long. "I should get going," he said to her. "Thanks, Evelyn, for everything. I mean it."
"Take care, John," Evelyn said to him and he nodded before heading out of the door. Sinking back down further into the cushions, Evelyn closed her eyes and nodded her head. She went back to watching the TV, wondering exactly what John had been thinking. Did she even want to know?
It was another twenty minutes before Bucky returned, a brown paper bag in his hands. He tossed his keys down onto the sideboard before moving into the kitchen, Evelyn sniffing the air. "That smells amazing," she said to him. "What did you get?"
"Well, I went to the restaurant and got the food to takeout instead," Bucky said to her. "I figured that I would order what I suspected you would get…so we have that cheesy pasta dish…we have garlic bread…pizza…because I really wanted pizza…tiramisu because I know that it's your favourite. But I also went with profiteroles too."
"You shouldn't have," Evelyn said to him.
"Well, I wasn't going to let this ruin things," Bucky said to her. "So I'll dish up and then you can decide-"
"-He was just here," Evelyn interrupted him, knowing that it would be best to get this out of the way. He stopped dishing the food up and Evelyn looked at him as he frowned over to her. "Before you get angry, he came to apologise and that was it," she said to him. "He has a lot of things going on, Bucky, and he said that he wouldn't bother us again. Just…let him move on…okay? Let him move on and do what he has to do."
"He was here?"
"Yes," Evelyn retorted. "So that's it, Bucky, we're done, okay? He can go his own way and we can go our own way."
"Still not happy about it," Bucky muttered and she rolled her eyes.
"You don't need to be happy about it, just accept it," Evelyn retorted to him. "Come on, I thought you said that nothing was going to ruin tonight? Besides, it's not like you get engaged every day, is it? So isn't this cause for celebration?"
Bucky's gaze softened then and he nodded his head. He dished up the food on plates, heading into the living room and placing them on the coffee table. He handed Evelyn her main dish first and she began stabbing at the pasta with her fork, humming in appreciation at the taste of the sauce while Bucky ate a slice of his pizza.
"Anyway," Evelyn said to him, "everyone at work knows about our engagement. I had no other option but to tell them considering Rebecca spotted the ring instantly and it isn't like I'm ever taking it off either."
"How did she react?" Bucky asked.
"Well," Evelyn said, in between bites of her food, "she did tell me to warn you that she will still have your balls if you do anything to hurt me, so there's that."
"Consider me, and my balls, warned," Bucky said with a nod.
"Apart from that, they were happy," Evelyn said with a smile on her face. "It was nice…we went for lunch…and we just talked about it. I swear that I haven't stopped smiling all day or even been able to concentrate. I just keep staring down at it. It feels so weird."
"A good weird?"
"The best weird," Evelyn said with a nod of her head to him.
"Well, I'm glad," Bucky said, "because that's there for life now, got it?"
"Unless you give me a reason to divorce you," she teased him and he chuckled as she took a slice of his pizza from the plate he had put it on.
"I doubt I could do that, sweetheart," he responded. "And don't you have your own food?"
"I do," Evelyn said, "but also if we're going to get married then we share everything."
"I'll let you off then."
"Because you love me?"
"Because I love you," he confirmed with a nod of his head. "Always will, sweetheart."
"Glad to hear it," she responded, "because my mum and dad are insisting that we fly out to Florida. Mum wants to throw an engagement party because I warned her that we were only going to have a small wedding."
Bucky took another bite on his pizza as Evelyn finished off the slice she had taken from his plate. "How did she take it?"
"She was fine," Evelyn said. "She said that it's our day so we have to do what we want. I think with her and dad having such a big family she had always expected me to have a big wedding, but I honestly can't think of anything worse. Besides, have you seen how much they cost?"
"Haven't done any research into it," he said with a shake of his head.
"Well, I did," Evelyn said. "And it's ridiculous. The dress alone can be...like...the same amount as three or four month's rent."
"You know that you don't need to worry about the money, right?" Bucky checked with her and she shook her head.
"Not the point," she said to him. "And dad already said that anything we want he would get, but you know what I'm like. I don't want to put them out…or spend a fortune…besides, I'd rather use our money for other things too."
"What like?" Bucky enquired, reaching for his drink and taking a sip of it. Evelyn reached for her own drink, but she couldn't move too far. Bucky rolled his eyes and grabbed the glass from the coffee table. "Evie, just let me get it, don't strain yourself."
"I could have gotten it," she said, taking a sip and then handing the glass back to Bucky to put back down on the table.
"Well, you didn't need to," he said to her. "So go on, what do you want to spend money on?"
"You know," Evelyn said with a shrug, "I just figured if we were going to get married then it might be nice to have a place of our own, right?"
Bucky's brow furrowed at hearing her, seeing her tuck her hair behind her ear and place her empty dish down on the arm of the chair next to her. Looking over to him, he saw her demurely watch him and he wondered how long she had been thinking about this stuff. He had only proposed to her the other day. But it sounded like she already had ideas.
"We have a place, don't we?" Bucky checked with her.
"Yeah," Evelyn said, agreeing with him. "But it's not somewhere we both picked, is it? Don't you want somewhere else? You know…somewhere we can start a fresh chapter?"
"You mean the house with the white picket fence and the green lawn?" he asked her and she shrugged.
"I don't know if we're ready for that," she said to him. "But it would be nice to buy something, wouldn't it? We could start small…another apartment…a fresh place…and then see what happens."
"You not ready to leave the city just yet?" he asked from her.
"Would you hate me if I said no?" she asked him.
"Evie, why would I hate you?" he asked her.
"Because you haven't exactly said what you want."
Bucky chuckled at her and shrugged his shoulders, putting his own dish down on the coffee table in front of him before turning his gaze onto her again. Looking over her, he did his best to comprehend what it was he was feeling. For the first time in a long time, it was hope.
"I want to be with you," Bucky said. "We could live here…we could live in the middle of nowhere, I don't care, Evie. None of that matters to me."
"And that is really sweet and obviously romantic," she responded, "but you can tell me what you want."
He shrugged again and leant back on the sofa, hesitantly moving his arm around her shoulders. She moved to rest against his side, her head falling down to rest on top of his shoulder. Placing his chin on the top of her head, he let his fingers tickle over her shoulder, his other hand going across to rest on her knee.
"One day I want that," Bucky said to her. "One day I want the house…you know…the quiet life…but right now? Right now I kind of just want it to be us two. I want us to enjoy what we have and just be us and think about everything else later. Besides, there's so much I still have to do in that book."
"I know," she agreed with him. "And I'm with you every step of the way."
"You're too good for me," he muttered. "But if you want to find a place then I would be happy with that, Evie. I quite like the idea."
"You do?"
"Yeah," he said. "A new place, a fresh start. Somewhere we can call home and have for our own…decorate…"
"So you wouldn't mind?" Evelyn asked him. "If we had a small wedding and just used our money for that? Buying a place together?"
"Evie, you could walk down the aisle in a bin bag and I'd still think you were the most beautiful girl in the church," he said to her and she laughed, feeling her cheeks redden as Bucky moved slightly, lifting his head from hers and moving his hand to her chin, tilting her gaze up to his. "But I want you to have the day that you want."
"That's the thing," she responded. "I just want to get married, Bucky. I don't care about flowers…a fancy dress…a big reception…I just want to marry you."
"Then that's what we'll do," Bucky said to her. "But we've got plenty of time to work things out. I only asked you two days ago. How long have you been thinking about this?"
"My mind drifts," she said to him, not wanting to tell him that this was all she had been thinking about since she had found the ring in his bedside drawer. No, that was not a conversation she was going to have with him. Instead she simply shrugged her shoulders and Bucky seemed content with her answer. "So can I have my tiramisu now?"
Bucky chuckled and nodded his head. "Anything for you," he responded and went to grab the dessert, leaving Evelyn to continue staring down at the ring sat on her finger.
….
"Hey!"
Evelyn beamed widely as she saw Sam enter the museum. He headed on over to her after Bert had called her in the office to tell her that she had a visitor. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Sam, counting him as one of her good friends now. It had been over a week since the incident with Walker and Evelyn had tried to put it out of her mind, but her side occasionally ached when she made a sudden jolting movement.
"Hey to you," Sam responded, embracing her tightly. "How's life as an engaged woman?"
Evelyn laughed and pulled back from him, holding the hand up with the ring on it, still smiling. "Pretty good," she said with a nod of her head. "We're already thinking about dates for some time next year."
"Still struggling to get my head around Bucky planning a wedding," Sam said with a chuckle.
"Well, he's definitely trying to leave as much decision making as possible down to me," Evelyn said. "The only thing we've agreed on is that it's going to be a really small wedding…I mean…hardly anyone there."
"Well, do I hold my breath for an invite or what?"
"Of course you're invited," Evelyn said to him, moving a hand to his arm and giving it a quick squeeze. "But you have to promise not to tease Bucky too much."
"I will do my upmost, but no promises," Sam said to her and she gave him a soft smile.
"Anyway, our wedding aside, what brings you out here? Is it to do with Karli?"
"No," Sam said with a shake of his head. "We haven't heard anything in a few weeks, but we're keeping our eyes and ears out for any movement. This is about something else that I need to talk to you about. Have you got ten minutes or so?"
"Of course," Evelyn said with a nod. "Listen, I just need to print something out for Rebecca and then it's my lunch hour. Do you want to grab a drink and we can talk?"
"Sounds good," Sam said. "Tea, right?"
"You know me so well," Evelyn replied. "Tell Bob behind the cart that I'll reimburse him later."
"I got these," Sam said to her, finding his wallet out. "Don't protest," he said once she had opened her mouth. "The least I can do is grab you a cup of tea. I'll meet you on the usual bench."
"Back in a minute or so," Evelyn said.
She rushed back to the office, her long floral skirt flowing behind her as she moved. Adjusting the white shirt in the waistband of the skirt, she opened the door to the office and printed out the documents for Rebecca, leaving them on her desk for when she returned from her own lunch break. Evelyn checked her phone quickly, seeing that she had no messages. Leaving it in her bag under her desk, she went back out, walking down the hall and avoiding the hustle and bustle. Sam was sat on the bench by the end of the hall, the quietest spot in the museum. Settling down next to him, Evelyn thanked him for the hot drink, holding it in her two hands.
"So," she said, taking a sip of the tea, "what's up?"
"I figured that you would be the best person to talk to about this," Sam said, "but it's about Isaiah."
Nodding her head, Evelyn folded one leg over the other. "I'd been thinking about this too," she said to Sam.
"You have?"
"Yeah," she said, "but I figured it would be best to talk to you first considering you've met Isaiah."
"It's not right that he doesn't have a place here," Sam said to her. "Steve was Captain America and he deserves all of the praise…everything inside of the exhibit should be there to honour everything he did for our country, but Isaiah should be there beside him. It's wrong that history has forgotten him after everything he did for us."
"I agree," Evelyn said with a nod.
"He should have his own place in the exhibit," Sam said to her.
"I can arrange for that to happen," she confirmed.
"You have that power?"
"Well, not entirely," Evelyn said, her lips tugging upwards. "But I have connections and luckily I haven't pissed off the right people to make it happen so it should be fine. Leave it with me and I can arrange something. I'll keep you updated, of course."
"Thanks, Evie," Sam sipped his coffee.
"You don't need to thank me," she promised him, "this is the right thing to do. It should have been done years ago, if only we knew."
"Yeah," Sam agreed with her on that point.
"And you can bring him here when it's done or he can be involved in the process," Evelyn said. "I'm going to leave that down to you and your judgement."
Sam thought for a moment. "I think it would be a nice surprise," he said to her. "But I'm happy to work with you on this."
"Well, we do work quite well together," Evelyn said to him. "We've been dragged into each other's mess enough times to know that by now."
Sam chuckled at that point. He could agree with her whole heartedly on that. She switched one leg over the other before sitting back on the bench, leaning back on it. Sam kept on perched on the edge, his cup in between his thighs in both hands before he spoke. "How's Bucky been doing?" he enquired.
"He's…he's going to be fine," Evelyn decided on saying to Sam. "Ever since you had that talk with him he's been planning to go and give people closure for what happened when he was the Winter Soldier. He's got all of these plans set out and he's already crossed a few names off of the list."
Sam's eyes widened at that piece of news. "He's already seen a couple of people? What? In a week?"
"I know," Evelyn said, taking in his expression.
"That's quicker progress than I had thought," Sam said.
"Well, they both lived in D.C.," Evelyn responded. "And he went and he did it."
"I don't want to pry, Evie…but…how is he?"
Evelyn sighed and nodded her head thoughtfully. "He feels a sense of closure," she said to Sam. "He's pretty quiet about what he said specifically to them and I don't want to push him on it. But he crosses the names out and I can see it is like a weight is lifted with each one he strikes out. It is like he truly believes that he can move on and I think that's what he wants now. It's what he deserves anyway. What he did...well…it wasn't him, was it? He had no control over anything."
"It wasn't," Sam agreed with that point. "But I'm glad that he took my advice."
"So is he," Evelyn said. "Although he might not openly admit that to you himself."
Sam chuckled at that, his eyes glancing down to the floor and Evelyn continued to smile, watching him as his chuckles died down and his head nodded profusely. "Yeah," he agreed with her. "But this is what he needs."
"It is," Evelyn said. "So, how long are you in town for?"
"Only another few hours," he said. "I'm flying back to Louisiana. We've still got the boat to fix up."
"How's that going?"
"Well enough," he replied. "We're still deciding what to do for the best, but we'll work it out. I was only out here because I came to see Torres. He had some intel on a mission we worked back a few months ago."
"Let us know next time you're in town and we can grab dinner." Evelyn said.
"Of course," Sam said, "and you know you're welcome back in Louisiana at any time."
"We might take you up on that," she replied.
"Do," Sam said and drained the rest of his coffee. "I best head off."
"Okay," Evelyn said.
Sam tossed his coffee cup into the trash can, Evelyn still nursing hers in her hands. She walked him to the exit and gave him a final hug before she watched him head off onto the Mall and she went back to work. Heading into the exhibit, she looked around as the laughter of children echoed in her ears as they pretended to be Captain America, looking in the mirror that showed their face in the costume instead of his. Wandering further into the exhibit, she looked around and realised exactly where Isaiah's place belonged. Smiling, she nodded her head and finished off her tea. She had work that needed to be done.
…
"You can back out of this."
"Why is your house so big?"
"What?"
"This house is massive," Bucky said, motioning to the large house in front of him. "You never told me that your house was so big."
Evelyn shrugged. "It's the house I grew up in," she responded to him. "And I just gave you a chance to back out of this entire thing. We can turn back around and we can go back to the airport."
Holding onto the suitcase in his hand, Bucky peered down to Evelyn. They stood at the end of the pathway leading up to the double fronted house with intricate brickwork. The double door entrance was framed by two pillars, plants potted all the way around the house that was closed off with a large, perfectly trimmed hedge.
"We can hardly turn around," Bucky responded to her with a shake of his head. "Your parents are inside waiting for us. Besides, I want to see more of this house."
"Just…promise me that you'll let me know if it gets too much," Evelyn said Bucky. "I should have told mum that we didn't want an engagement party or any fuss. I should have put my foot down."
Bucky shook his head. "It'll be fine," he promised her with a gentle smile. "Just don't leave me alone, okay?"
"Scared of meeting the family?" she asked him.
"Terrified," Bucky admitted.
"Don't worry," Evelyn retorted. "We can get through this and then we can just go and hide in my bedroom."
"So I get to see your childhood bedroom?" he asked from her.
"Don't tease," she demanded, moving to push a hand against his chest. He chuckled, catching her wrist before she could retract it. He bent down, his lips landing on top of hers and kissing her chastely. She moaned slightly against his mouth when she felt him bite down on her bottom lip and she reached a hand up, taking hold of his shoulder as she bent back slightly.
"Are you two coming in or do you intend on just kissing in broad daylight on the street?"
Evelyn pulled back as she heard her mother's shrill voice and instantly felt the embarrassment rise up to her cheeks. Bucky stood up straight and sniffed, his free hand going to scratch the back of his neck. Evelyn stepped forwards, seeing her mother's amused expression. She was dressed in a white linen pantsuit, her hair neatly curled down to her shoulders.
"You're lucky your father didn't catch you," Sarah joked with her daughter.
Evelyn groaned. "Nice to see you too, mum," she responded.
"Oh, darling, I'm joking," she said, pulling back and pinching Evelyn's cheeks in her fingertips. "You don't need to look so horrified. I've seen much worse before and-"
"-That's enough of that," Evelyn interrupted her mother firmly as Bucky continued loitering behind her on the doorstep.
"I guess I'll be quiet otherwise you'll look like a beetroot," Sarah said and then looked over to Bucky. "And Bucky, it's so good to see you."
"You too, Mrs Morris."
"Please, I think you can call me Sarah if you intend to make an honest woman out of my daughter," Sarah said and leaned forwards, kissing Bucky on the cheek as he remained stood by Evelyn's side.
"Mum," Evelyn complained.
"Oh, come on, Evie," Sarah said. "You need to loosen up. Let's go inside and get you a drink. Everyone is already in the garden and waiting. The catering is divine. Your father was recommended this company who caters for the university soirees."
"You got catering?"
"Of course," Sarah responded. "Your father is down by the jetty…well, he was the last time I saw him. He was talking to Geoff about going golfing this weekend."
"I'll go see him in a minute," Evelyn said. "We should just take our case upstairs and maybe freshen up."
"Don't be ridiculous, you look perfect," Sarah said, taking in the dark fitted sleeveless orange dress Evelyn was wearing with her brown brogues. "But your hair could do with some brushing."
Sarah moved a hand out and adjusted it, brushing her fingers through her daughter's locks and pulling it over her shoulders. Bucky watched the exchange, knowing that Evelyn was biting down on her tongue. She was nervous as it was about having to see all of her family. Sarah adjusted the thin black belt around Evelyn's waist and gave her another look up and down.
"There, perfect," Sarah said. "And Bucky, you look as handsome as ever."
"Well, I try to scrub up well," Bucky merely said. He wore a smart black suit with trousers, a jacket on top of it and his gloves on his fingertips.
"Come along then," Sarah said, holding the front door open.
Bucky stepped in, seeing a staircase in the centre of the hallway, branching off in two different directions leading to a landing that went all the way around the house, rooms off from it. The rooms were decorated in soft pastel colours, rugs laid on wooden floors and expensive looking furniture also dotted around. Bucky's mouth almost dropped open at the sight of it, but he kept himself composed as Sarah shut the door behind them.
"Bucky, leave the case just in the corner," Sarah pointed to the corner by the coat rack and he did as he was instructed. "And let me have a look. I want to see it before everyone else."
"See what?"
"The ring, Evie," Sarah responded as if it were the most obvious thing. Evelyn nodded her head and picked her hand up, letting her mother peer down at the ring. "Oh, that is lovely, and such a nice shade of blue too. It looks quite old…so much character...nothing like that big diamond ring that Daniella has on her finger."
"Daniella is my cousin," Evelyn said to Bucky for his own purpose. "She's engaged to some guy who works in finance…Mark…he's really boring."
"Evelyn!" Sarah scolded her daughter and Bucky refrained from smiling. Evelyn shrugged her shoulders and shot her mother a look.
"What?" she asked. "You know that Mark is boring. You've said it yourself."
"Well, they're outside," Sarah said to her daughter.
Evelyn frowned. "How many people are outside?" she demanded from her mother.
"Just friends and family," Sarah shrugged.
"Mum," Evelyn warned her. "I told you to keep the guest list as low as possible."
"Only about a hundred and ten."
"A hundred and ten!" Evelyn snapped back loudly as Bucky's eyes widened. Would he be expected to remember a hundred and ten people's names? Would that even be possible? "Do we even know that many people?"
"Of course we do," Sarah rolled her eyes. "And your grandmother sends her best too. You haven't met my mother, Bucky, but you will when we go to England later in the summer."
"I look forward to it," Bucky said.
"Don't change the subject," Evelyn warned her mother, dropping the bag on her shoulder down to the floor by the suitcase. "Mum, how did this happen?"
"Well…I just invited people…is it so wrong to want to celebrate the fact that my only daughter is getting married?"
Evelyn sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling her mother reach out and squeeze her upper arm. "It'll be fine, Evie," Sarah said. "You can do the rounds and then if you really want you can go and hide…just show your face for a few hours."
"Promise?"
"I promise," Sarah said and looked to Bucky. "I don't know how you cope with her. She's so anti-social."
"I just don't like having attention on me," she complained to her mother.
"Well, for a few hours you'll be fine," Sarah waved nonchalantly. "Now come on, people are waiting, Evelyn."
"Just a minute," Evelyn said. "We'll be there in a minute."
"I'll be in the kitchen," Sarah called out and moved to the end of the entranceway through another wooden double door that led to a room with white tiles that were glimmering in the light.
Bucky turned to look to Evelyn as she tossed a hand through her hair, messing it up on top of her head. He took hold of her wrists in his hands, moving them to her side. "It'll be fine," he said to her. "And if you go in there after messing your hair up then I don't want to know your mother's reaction," he responded and adjusted the wisps of flyaway hairs back into their place.
"A hundred and ten," was all that Evelyn could whisper. "You know, if you give me a piggyback then we can just run out of here. She'd never catch us."
Bucky's lips arched at hearing her say that and he had to admit that he did find the idea quite appealing. But he knew that they had to do this. Shaking his head, he moved his hands to her cheeks, holding onto them softly, his thumbs roaming over her cheekbones. "A couple of hours and then we can hide," he promised her. "We can do this, okay?"
"Fine," Evelyn grumbled.
"Evie, come on!" Sarah called back down the hallway.
"Coming," Evelyn responded and looked Bucky in the eye. "Ready?"
He wanted to say no, but he knew that wouldn't be the right answer. "Ready," he replied to her.
"Okay," she inhaled a sharp breath and took hold of Bucky's hand. He could feel her grip tighten on his fingers, but he was glad about that. It might stop him from squeezing the life out of her.
"And did your mum say that your dad was on the jetty?" Bucky asked as they moved down the hallway.
"Oh, yeah…the house backs onto a lake."
"Right," Bucky mumbled, unable to comprehend waking up to the view of a lake. Stepping into the kitchen, Bucky let his eyes scan over the sleek black units with the large island in the middle of it. There was a table for ten people on the other end of the kitchen and four ovens in the units on the wall. He wondered why someone would even need four ovens. The entire back wall was made of sliding doors that had been pushed back and led onto a sloping lawn down to the river. There were trees dotted around at one end of the garden and flowerbeds with colourful flowers on each corner too. But the thing that caught Bucky's attention was the number of people on the lawn. The fact it was big enough to hold so many people, plus a long table full of food and drink, was enough to make Bucky begin to freak out.
"Sure I'm worth this?" Evelyn checked as her mother stood at the top of the lawn.
"This…and a lot more," Bucky promised her.
"Everyone…they're here!" Sarah exclaimed. Her voice didn't carry far, but people began to turn around in waves as Evelyn stood by her mother, Bucky to her other side. People began cheering and clapping as Evelyn held a hand up in a shy wave over to them and Bucky could only smile, feeling frozen to the spot.
Before he knew what was happening, people were coming up and greeting them, congratulating them on their engagement. Evelyn introduced Bucky to them and in turn she introduced Bucky to her family and family friends. Bucky tried to remember as many names as possible, but it was becoming nigh on impossible. People fawned over the ring on her finger, asking how the two of them had met and Evelyn swore that she had never told the story so many times.
She didn't know how long it was before she finally saw her father making his way forward, pushing through the crowd and clasping people on the back as he did so. He was wearing a white shirt tucked into blue trousers, his jacket long gone and a bottle of beer in his hands. His cheeks were red from talking to so many people and his smile fixed in place.
"Evie," he greeted his daughter as she stood with Jared and Patricia, her father's brother's son and his wife. "Jared, good to see you…and Patricia too…"
"Alistair," Jared said, "how are things?"
"Good…pretty good…do you mind if I grab a minute with my daughter?"
"Be my guest," Jared said.
"We'll go and find something to eat," Patricia added on. "And lovely ring, Evie, truly."
"Thanks," Evelyn said, not certain if Patricia was being completely genuine, but failing to care. She knew what her family could be like. She had grown up with her parents, not really involving herself in the extended family that much. Her father's work also kept him busy and it was only when his mother died did he begin reaching out more to his siblings, but families were complicated. People joined the family through marriage and it grew. People changed as well.
"Hi, sweetie," Alistair finally greeted his daughter, hugging her tightly.
"Hey, dad," she responded and he turned to Bucky, shaking his hand.
"Bucky," he said. "How are you? Was it a good flight over here?"
"As good as can be," Bucky answered. "Good to see you again."
Alistair chuckled and arched a brow. "Wish it was under different circumstances?" he teased.
"No," Bucky said, being polite, "this is great…Mrs Morris…she really outdid herself."
"You don't need to be polite," Alistair said. "Sarah's gone completely overboard and I couldn't rein her in. Come on, we can grab a drink and try and escape for a few moments."
"You're literally a saviour," Evelyn said to her father.
He wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders and Bucky walked by her other side. Alistair guided them down the lawn, brushing off people with 'hellos' and 'good to see yous'. Once they were by the empty jetty, Evelyn stepped onto the wooden decking, Bucky following and Alistair picking up two glasses of champagne from a passing waitress holding a tray. Handing a glass each to Evelyn and Bucky, the couple breathed freely for a moment.
"Thanks, dad," Evelyn said.
"Anytime," Alistair said. "She gets her anti-social attitude from me, Bucky."
"Really?" Bucky questioned. "I can't imagine you being anti-social, sir."
Alistair chuckled and shrugged. "I am good with people," he said. "You have to be working in a university, but if you gave me the option of either staying in with a good film and bottle of wine or going to a party…well, the former wins every time."
"Wow, you really are your father's daughter," Bucky commented to Evelyn and she shrugged her shoulders.
"So do I want to know how quickly she organised this?" Evelyn dared to wonder from her father.
"Well…as soon as I told her that Bucky had asked my approval…she kind of started putting together the guest list and looking for caterers," Alistair admitted. "I tried to tell her that you might not want this, but she was already planning. She's been telling everyone she meets about you getting engaged."
"I can imagine," Evelyn retorted, sipping on her champagne.
"Look, I'll leave you two here for a few moments and try and find your mother," Alistair said. "Try and hide if you want to."
"Thanks, dad," Evelyn said, pecking him on the cheek before he gave her a wink and Bucky a smirk. He left the two of them alone on the jetty, Bucky peering behind him and out over the water as he did his best to comprehend this party, still feeling overwhelmed with everything going on.
"You know," Bucky drawled out to her, "I don't remember everyone's names. Is that going to be an issue?"
Evelyn scoffed, folding an arm over her waist and holding the champagne to her lips. "I'd be amazed if you could remember over a hundred names in a day," she said to him and downed the champagne as Bucky took a sip of his drink, looking to the sky and making an appreciative face.
"Evelyn! Oh, Evie!"
Turning around, Evelyn almost felt her face drop as she saw a tall, brunette woman approaching. She was wearing a patterned dress that came to her calves and her hair was hanging straight down her back. "Oh God," Evelyn mumbled. "Catherine Donna…one of my dad's friend's daughters. She's the same age as me."
"Why do I get the sense we don't like her?" Bucky asked and Evelyn's lips arched.
"We don't like her?" she questioned as Catherine spoke to someone as she passed by on her way to the jetty.
"I'm on your side, sweetheart," he responded.
"We grew up at the same time, but she always had to do things better than me…better grades…better birthday parties…she never grew out of it even when we were at college."
"Too late to escape then?"
"Looks like it," Evelyn said as Catherine stood in front of them.
"Hi," she beamed, her voice high and her smile bright. She had a look on her face that Evelyn recognised. It was the face she had whenever she was being overly nice. It always felt fake to Evelyn. "It's been such a long time, Evie. How have you been? Are you still working at that museum?"
"Still a curator at the Smithsonian," she responded. "And how about you, Catherine?"
"Oh, you know," she shrugged. "I'm on the partner track at the law firm, which means I might make named partner in a few more years."
"Sounds exciting," Evelyn responded.
"Well, it's more money," Catherine laughed shrilly. "And this must be James?"
"Bucky," he responded, offering her his free hand. She shook it tightly.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Bucky," Catherine said, dropping his hand and picking up a glass of champagne. "I have to say, we were all very shocked when we found out that Evelyn was engaged. None of us saw it coming!"
Evelyn's brows furrowed, the smile still on her face. "Why's that?"
"Well, you know," Catherine shrugged. "When my mom told me that your parents had said you were dating…Bucky," she tested his name on her lips, "we didn't think it would be possible for it to last…what with him being from the 1940s and his past."
Evelyn felt her stomach churn and a sense of anger took hold of her. Bucky simply sipped his drink. He wasn't getting involved in this. It was almost as though she was goading Evelyn.
"Well, we all have a past," Evelyn simply said.
"Not as assassins," Catherine laughed.
Evelyn's smile fell and she frowned. "That's not Bucky," she replied.
"Oh no, of course not," Catherine said, but her tone held one of disbelief. "Either way, I have to say I am shocked that this day has come…you never really seriously dated anyone before, did you? I have to say that marrying your first serious boyfriend is intense."
"Well, I guess you just know when the right one comes along," Evelyn declared, looking up to Bucky as he turned his stare down to her, sensing that Evelyn was on the verge of becoming angry. Bucky's gaze softened as he watched her, moving his arm out to rest his hand on the small of her back.
"How adorable," Catherine said. "And let's see the ring…"
Evelyn held her hand up and Catherine peered down at it, wrinkling her nose.
"How…cute," she chose her word carefully. "And how many carats is it?"
"I…well…no idea," Bucky said. He hadn't really thought about it when he saw it.
"Oh, not to worry," Catherine said. "It's sweet. You know, this thing," she held her hand up and her large diamond engagement ring underneath her wedding ring glimmered in the light, "it's solid diamond, but honestly I sometimes think that it might be too big. But yours is just cute, Evie, and a lovely shade of blue. I suppose it doesn't matter how expensive it was, if you're not bothered by that kind of thing."
"I'm not," Evelyn deadpanned.
"Well, that's good," Catherine said. "And Marcus is sorry that he couldn't be here. He's in Berlin on business…you know he got a promotion at the bank, don't you?"
"No," Evelyn said and Catherine almost looked put out at that piece of news.
"Well, yes," she continued. "So we were thinking about moving again. We only just finished decorating, but the house isn't big enough if we want to start a family. Are you still living in D.C.? Your dad said that you were quite central in a one-bed apartment…and both of you live there?"
"It's close to work and we like living centrally, don't we?" Evelyn said and looked up to Bucky.
"Yeah," he agreed with her, "it's all we need."
"So modest," Catherine laughed and Evelyn really felt the urge to roll her eyes at her. "And your mum said that you met at the museum? She's always been a history geek, Bucky. Even when we were kids she would rather have her nose buried in some book than come to parties. Then again, you were always quite socially awkward, weren't you, Evie?"
"Nothing's changed," Evelyn said, raising her glass and taking a sip.
"I don't know," Bucky stepped in then. "I don't think you're socially awkward."
"Oh, he's so sweet," Catherine said, a hand going to Evelyn's arm. "I can't imagine how strange it must be to date someone so old fashioned."
"Not strange at all," Evelyn retorted.
"Perhaps not," she responded. "Anyway, I should go and socialise with others. I heard that Jackie is here too."
"She is," Evelyn said, realising that she should be the one who should be socialising. This was her party, not Catherine's. But Evelyn didn't care.
"I'll see you later, Evie…Bucky," Catherine said and walked away in her wedged heels, hips swaying and hand going through her hair.
Evelyn watched the back of her before speaking. "Hope not," she muttered and Bucky's lips quirked.
"That was interesting," he commented.
Evelyn scoffed. "She's just a bitch," she responded.
"I mean, I didn't know I was supposed to find out how many carats were in a ring. Is that a bad thing?"
"Hey," Evelyn said, placing her glass down onto a passing tray, thanking the waiter as he went by. She moved her hands to his shoulders as Bucky placed his glass down too. "I don't care about carats in rings…or how much it cost…the fact that you even chose this because you thought of me means more than any of that."
Bucky's lips picked up as he moved his arms around her waist. "I'm glad," Bucky said with a nod of his head, "because your friend…Evie…she's horrible."
Evelyn laughed, moving a hand to rest on his chest as she leant back, laughing loudly. "She's not my friend," she responded, "but yes, you're right. She is horrible."
"I just can't believe how rude she was," Bucky responded.
"Most of the people here are like that," Evelyn said. "The thing with family is that they might be blood…but that doesn't mean they're not mean behind your back."
"Well, it'll be over soon," Bucky promised her. "But I really do need to use the bathroom. Do I need a map or will I be able to find it?"
"Funny," Evelyn commented, prodding him in the chest before shaking her head. "You can use the en suite in my bedroom. If you go up the stairs and turn left it's the last door on the right."
"You going to be okay if I go?"
"I'll manage," she said to him. "Just don't be long."
"Promise," he said and bent down, kissing her chastely before moving off.
Evelyn watched him head off on the lawn, moving through people and awkwardly smiling at them as he passed. Bucky could hear Evelyn's mother calling after her as he finally made it to the kitchen and then headed to the staircase. It was on his way into the hallway when he heard her familiar voice.
"Have you seen her ring?"
"Yes…not exactly much, is it?"
"Sarah must be gutted to have her daughter marrying someone like him."
"But when has Evelyn ever done anything conventional?"
"She did date Carl for a while. I had thought that they might last, but she insisted on running off to D.C. to become a curator of all things. I can't believe she's still there…and only just engaged. Have you spoken to him yet?"
"Not yet. I have to say, I am slightly apprehensive. I mean, he was the Winter Soldier, wasn't he? The fact that he was brainwashed…I mean…could he not fight it? Could he not have fought harder? Or do you think he just enjoys killing?"
"I don't know. He's handsome. I will give Evie that…but marrying him? I think it's the biggest mistake she will make. A man like him has a history that can't be erased and she clearly doesn't know what she's let herself in for."
"And do you think he will be content with her? I mean, she is quite dull, isn't she?"
Bucky moved from the shadows then, tired of listening to them talk about Evie. He walked by Catherine and Patricia, the two women instantly going quiet. He didn't look at them or even acknowledge their existence. Instead, he went up the stairs, grabbing the suitcase on his way and heading to Evelyn's bedroom. Once inside, he closed the door and leant back against it, exhaling a sharp breath.
Looking around her bedroom, he dropped the case by the door and walked around. The walls were painted in a cream colour and a large double bed with an intricate metal headboard sat against one wall. On the other wall there were built-in wardrobes and a dressing table in the middle of them. Bookshelves lined the other wall by her window and he walked over to it, peering at her books as he heard the laughter and chatter from the lawn beneath her window. He saw a stuffed bear on her bed that was made up with a pastel bedspread. The bear had a cap and gown on it, holding a degree in its hands. He chuckled at it and continued moving around, seeing everything in her childhood bedroom. She had a frame of her and Maria and Lisa at college, the three of them looking like they were in a club drinking.
Heading into the bathroom, Bucky looked around and was amazed it was bigger than her bedroom in her apartment. He looked in the mirror and splashed cold water on his face. He was exhausted. He was struggling to comprehend what was going on outside. He spent more time sat on the end of her bed, thinking about the conversation he had overheard. He didn't know how long he had been gone but it must have been a while because Evelyn soon entered the room.
"You promised you wouldn't be long," Evelyn said to him, closing the door and moving further into the room, eyeing Bucky suspiciously as she saw his face. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
"Just needed a minute."
"No, I know that face," she said and went to sit down next to him. "That's your broody, 'I have something on my mind that I should tell Evelyn but don't want to upset her face'."
Bucky's lips quirked. "I didn't know that was even a face."
"I know it when I see it," she responded with a shrug of her shoulders. "So, come on."
He sighed. "I heard Catherine and Patricia talking about us," he said. "About the ring…how your mother must be disappointed you are marrying someone like me…questioning the man I am."
Evelyn ground her teeth together and clenched her fists. "Right, that's it," she said and made a move to stand, but Bucky grabbed hold of her wrist, hauling her back down and trapping her in his lap as he shook his head. "Bucky, I'm not putting up with this."
"They're not worth it," Bucky promised her. "Seriously, Evie, don't let them get inside of your head…"
"But they have no right to stand there and talk about us as if they even know us," Evelyn said, "or even to question you. No one has the right to question you."
"And I really love you fighting for my honour," Bucky promised her. "But they're not worth it. What I did as the Winter Soldier was horrific…but it wasn't me. I had no control over what HYDRA did to me."
Shaking his head, he peered down for a moment. It was only when he lifted his gaze did he see Evelyn staring at him, her eyes wide and wet, a small smile on her lips. Looking at him tenderly, Bucky's brow furrowed as she reached out to stroke along his stubble covered cheek.
"What?" he asked from her. "Why you looking at me like that?"
"Because I think this is the first time I've heard you admit that you weren't in control of what happened to you," Evelyn whispered to him. "It's the first time you haven't blamed yourself."
Bucky shrugged his shoulders, not sure what he could say to her. Instead, she moved towards him and kissed him slowly, shifting slightly on his lap as both of her arms dangled around his neck and she kept him tight against her body. Bucky slipped his arms around her waist, enjoying the feeling of her perched there. He pulled away after a few moments.
"I'm trying to move on," he whispered to her.
"Good," she responded. "As you should…I'm really proud of you, Bucky."
"Evie," he moaned and looked away.
But she took hold of his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "No, I'm serious. I'm so proud of everything that you've been doing because I know that it can't be easy for you. I know that, but you're still doing it. You're still pushing on. You…I just want you to know that, okay?"
"Thanks, Evie."
"Don't need to thank me," she said with a shake of her head and kissed him once more. "But we should go back out there because my mum will come looking for us eventually."
"Yeah," Bucky nodded at her. "But I have to say this…your parents are great, Evie…I mean seriously great…but your family and family friends…well…they're horrible."
Evelyn laughed at that, but nodded her head. "And believe me, we can come back up here in another hour or so and hide away. I'll grab a bottle of champagne…take some of the food…and we can just lay here and talk about horrible it has been."
Bucky's lips arched. "I like that idea," he said to her with a nod of his head.
"Come on then," she climbed away from him and reached for his hand. Taking hold of it, she left the bedroom with Bucky by his side, moving down the stairs to find Catherine stood there.
"Oh, Evelyn, I should apologise," she said, hand on her chest. "I know that not every relationship can be like mine and Marcus's."
"How is that an apology?" Evelyn asked from her.
"Well, I mean it-"
"-Save it," Evelyn interrupted her. "And why would I want a relationship like yours? Marcus is always working away…never at home…ever wonder if he goes away so often because he can't stand you? I wouldn't blame him."
Catherine stammered then while Evelyn stood firm, Bucky's lips arching as he watched his fiancée and he did his best not to look too entertained.
"Evelyn, that's quite rude," Catherine managed to spit out.
"I'd say sorry, but I wouldn't mean it," Evelyn retorted. "So, stay for the party if you want, Catherine, but just stay out of our way."
Evelyn moved then, Bucky following after her, his grip still tight inside of her hand. As they moved back over to the kitchen and he bent down. "God, that was amazing," he muttered into her ear and she smirked up to him. "Are you sure we have to go back out there?"
"Calm it," she joked with him. "One more hour and then we're done."
He kissed her on the top of her head then, prepared for one more hour before he could be back with the only person he wanted to be with. That was all that mattered to him at that moment in time.
...
A/N: Not that many chapters left to go now! Again, I've been loving reading all of your comments and reviews. Do let me know what you think!