Bucky was uncertain how there were now only two days until they were due to get married. He had been to Giovanni's, the restaurant where they were having the reception, to make sure that everything was still on schedule and deliver the final menu choices. The guest numbers were kept a minimum, the complete opposite to their engagement party. But they had both agreed that it would be for the best. Bucky had walked back from the restaurant and got into the apartment to find it empty. Evelyn was going out with her friends that night. She claimed that it would be her last night of freedom jokingly and Bucky had rolled his eyes at her, but his lips were still upturned.

Sam had insisted on taking him out for a beer the night before, the two of them sitting and drinking. Sam had commented how it was the most reserved bachelor party he had been to, but Bucky didn't care. He couldn't get drunk anyway. Besides, he was ready just to begin the rest of his life as a married man.

He spent the evening sat on the sofa while Evelyn was out, drinking a beer and watching some science programme about Mars. His gaze shifted to the door when he heard the scraping of something against wood and then a loud laugh. Bucky's brows arched on his forehead and his eyes widened. Placing his beer bottle down, he moved to his feet, hands dropping to his hips. Wandering over to the door at the same time it opened, he almost startled. And Bucky didn't startle. Evelyn practically feel through the door, the only thing keeping her up was her holding onto the door handle and a hand grabbing hold of her arm to steady her.

"Jesus, Evie," Rebecca complained and Bucky watched on as Evelyn straightened herself out.

Looking to Bucky, her gaze widened and she moved towards him. "There he is!" she exclaimed loudly.

She almost fell over again, unable to stay upright in her heels. But Bucky was in front of her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he took hold of her by the waist firmly. "You're wasted," Bucky spoke.

"No," Evelyn said with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head. "I'm fine…I just had a couple…"

"Uh-huh," Bucky said, but he was simply humouring her. He moved his eyes over to Rebecca. "It's only eleven. How is she this out of it already?"

Evelyn was still clinging onto his neck, playing with the hair on the back of it as she swayed in his grip and he kept her upright. Rebecca placed Evelyn's bag down onto the sideboard and shook her head. "Turned out that she didn't have dinner before we went out," she commented. "And by the time we got to the second bar, she was practically out of it. I figured I should bring her home…give her tomorrow to sleep it off before she gets married the day after."

"You smell good," Evelyn suddenly mumbled, her nose pressing against his shoulder and Bucky looked down at her, his eyes comically wide and full of entertainment. "You smell like…like pizza…have you ate pizza without me?"

"Do you think that I would dare do that?"

"I guess not," she responded and moved to kiss his neck. Rebecca laughed as Evelyn moved a hand to his cheek, trying to drag his face down to meet hers to kiss him. But Bucky pressed a finger to her lips. "Hold it," he urged her and then turned to Rebecca who held her hands up, backing out of the apartment.

"She's all yours," Rebecca said to him.

"God, I love you," Evelyn slurred against his finger.

"Alright, sweetheart," Bucky spoke down to her and then looked to Rebecca. "Thanks for bringing her back."

"No problem," Rebecca said. "Me, Maria and Lisa are heading onto another bar to finish off considering it's still early. Just…tell her to take it easy tomorrow…"

"I'll make sure of it," Bucky promised her and she closed the door as Evelyn finally kissed him. He kept her upright, her lips moving hungrily over his as he felt her move her hand to the hem of his shirt, her fingers running up his bare stomach. Pulling away then, she continued kissing at his cheek, her lips running down his neck.

"Sweetheart," Bucky tried again, "you're drunk."

"I'm not."

"Evie, you can barely stand up," he said to her.

"I can," she responded.

"No, you can't," he responded and she bit down on his neck and he rolled his eyes to the back of his head and moaned before she found his belt buckle. But her hand stilled and she pulled back, her lips moving from his skin and Bucky swore that she was trying to kill him. She slumped back in his grip before holding a finger up. He saw her move her other hand over her mouth and her throat began clenching.

"Oh no," he said. "Come on…bathroom now."

He practically picked her up, her heels falling from her feet as he dragged her to the bathroom. She got there just in time to lift the toilet seat up, collapsing to her knees and heaving over it. Bucky knelt behind her and picked her hair up from her cheeks as she vomited, the noise echoing in the toilet. Bucky wrinkled his nose, a hand holding her hair back and his other hand running down her back, stroking it softly. She continued retching for a good few minutes until she reached up and flushed the toilet. Closing her eyes, she swore that she had emptied the entire contents of her stomach. There had to be nothing left in it. Bucky continued running his hand along her back as she knelt away from the toilet and collapsed against him. He moved his arm, holding her around her waist as her back fell to rest against his front. He looked down onto her, seeing that she had paled and was sweating.

"Shit," she muttered and Bucky chuckled.

"Yeah," he agreed with her on that. "You'll be feeling this in the morning, sweetheart."

"I still feel sick," she complained.

"Then just sit here," Bucky said, "and if you're going to be sick again then you're next to the toilet. At least you made it here…I didn't fancy cleaning up the living room floor."

"I should have ate before I went out," she mumbled.

"Might have been for the best."

"You know," she said to him, closing her eyes as he let his free hand go to take hold of one of hers, his thumb running over her knuckles. "That night when we met at the bar…and I got drunk…I didn't eat before that. I was too nervous."

"Why were you nervous?" Bucky whispered down to her, lifting a hand up to keep her hair brushed from her face, her head lolling onto his shoulder.

"Because I fancied you," she admitted. "I mean…I really fancied you…and then I got drunk and I thought that you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me…most guys would have gone."

Bucky's lips quirked. "I'm not most guys," he responded, still stroking her hair softly from her face. "Besides, it seems fitting, right? The first time I flirted with you was at that bar but you were too wasted to see…and now…we're getting married. Almost seems like this is how it should be…"

She groaned. "Then you can have my hangover," she said to him, but he shook his head.

"I'm good, thanks for the offer," he responded.

"A good husband would."

"Not your husband yet, sweetheart," he responded.

"Hmm…husband…sounds weird," she said with a giggle and Bucky continued smiling. But then she reached for the toilet and continued vomiting. Bucky resumed his position behind her, tugging her hair out the way once more.

He waited until she was finished before he handled her gently, picking her up and carrying her to bed, flushing the toilet on the way. Sitting her down, he reached for the zip at the back of her dress and helped her out of her clothes as she let him manhandle her, head drooping and eyes closing. He tugged the dress down her waist, lifting her up to get it over her hips and down her legs before he helped her into the top she wore to bed.

"Come on," Bucky said to her, helping her to lay down. "Get some sleep, Evie."

"Hm," she only grunted back and Bucky tugged the duvet up and over her. He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her on the side of the head before moving back into the kitchen.

He turned the TV off and tided up his beer bottle before getting himself ready for bed. He left a glass of water on her bedside table before he changed and used the bathroom. Climbing into bed, he stayed awake for a while, listening to Evelyn's soft snores next to him. Turning his head to the side, he looked to her and his lips arched at the sight of her. Two more days and that woman was going to be his wife. He still couldn't quite believe it.

He slept pretty well, only waking when the clock struck seven. Evelyn was still sleeping soundly next to him and he got up, wondering what a good hangover cure would be for breakfast. Knowing Evelyn, the only thing she would want would be pancakes. He could do that. He waited until about eight before he started cooking them. He heard her move from the bedroom to the bathroom, no doubt wanting to brush her teeth after spending the entire evening vomiting.

He heard the shower turn on and it was another five minutes before she came out. She was still wearing the same top she had worn to bed, a pair of pyjama bottoms covering her legs. She brushed a hand through her hair, tossing it behind her shoulders and yawning loudly.

"I feel awful," she said.

"I'm not surprised," Bucky said and she sat down at the same time he put a mug of tea in front of her. "Drink this…I read that it should settle your stomach. Plus, I'm making pancakes and you can pour as much syrup as you want onto them and I won't make any comment."

She held the mug of tea in her hands, the steam rising up and hitting her face. "Hmm…that would make a change," she commented and Bucky smirked at that.

"Haven't lost your sass, I see," Bucky responded. "You know, they're going to rib you for this, right?"

"I…I don't even remember what the hell happened," Evelyn shook her head. "I remember going to a bar and ordering a cosmo…and then another."

"Then probably another and another after that," Bucky said with a scoff. "You were back home for eleven, Evie…and you gave Rebecca quite the show too. She dropped you off."

"What did I do?" she asked after taking a sip of her tea.

"Well," Bucky smirked, "proceeded to tell me how good I smelt…how much you love me…and tried to undress me before I then dragged you to the bathroom and you emptied the contents of your entire stomach into the toilet."

"Oh my God," Evelyn complained at that. "I…I don't even remember."

"Not surprised," Bucky said and he tossed a pancake out of the pan and flipped it, letting it land back perfectly. "I'm sure she's seen worse, but I knew you'd be embarrassed."

"Well, it is pretty embarrassing," she responded. "I'm nearly thirty. I should be able to handle my drink or at least know not to drink on an empty stomach."

"Lessons to be learned," he said and dished up the pancake, putting it in front of her. "Now try and eat that. You need to get something in your stomach."

Evelyn nodded and picked up the fork that he slid across to her. She squeezed the bottle of syrup over the pancake, watching it come out as Bucky went back to pour more mixture into the pan for his own breakfast. "What is the plan for today, anyway?" Evelyn asked, cutting into the pancake and taking a bite of it. She chewed a good while longer than she usually did, trying to convince herself that she could eat it.

"Well, Rebecca has warned me to make sure you rest," Bucky said to her. "And I think that might be for the best. I'm leaving tonight…I've got a room booked in the same hotel that Sam's staying in."

"You didn't need to," Evelyn responded, finally swallowing the piece of pancake and going to cut at another bit. "I don't mind you staying here."

"I thought you wanted things to be traditional," Bucky said to her.

"I just said that I didn't want you to see the dress before the wedding day," she replied. "I didn't mind if you stayed here and then left early."

"Nope," Bucky popped his lips, flipping the pancake once more. "If it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding day then I'm staying somewhere else tonight."

"I think we've already had our fair share of bad luck, Bucky," she said to him. "It couldn't get worse."

"I'd rather not test that theory," he said. "So…today, you're going to take it easy."

"I need to make sure that the cake is-"

"-Already on it," he interrupted her and looked down onto the piece of paper next to him where he had been making his list. "I'm going to make sure everything is fine with the cake," he said. "I went to the restaurant and everything there is fine for tomorrow afternoon…the vicar has everything under control…Sam is in charge of the rings, which, to be honest, I don't know if that is the best decision, but as best man it is his responsibility."

"He won't lose them."

"You have faith in him?"

"He knows that if he did lose them then he wouldn't just have you kicking his ass," she responded and Bucky dished up his pancake and moved to sit down next to her, taking his list with him.

"Good point," Bucky acknowledged. "So, that's under control. I've got my suit…and the flights to Louisiana are booked, plus, I was sorting out the suitcase for the trip to London next week. Everything has been washed, ironed and packed that needed to be."

"When did you do all of that?"

"While you were at work yesterday," Bucky said.

"God, I could get used to you being a house husband," she said to him.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Not sure that's a place for me," he admitted. "Besides, I've been thinking about what to do ever since the business with the Flag Smashers…Verity…and maybe I can see myself, you know, helping out when I'm needed…when Sam needs me, anyway."

"You mean…become an Avenger?"

"I wouldn't say that," he shook his head. "I don't know if I'll ever be an Avenger, but I can help people, Evie. It would make a difference compared to what I used to do."

Evelyn nodded her head. "You had no choice," she reminded him.

"I know," he said and bit into the pancake, "but I still like the idea of helping."

"Then go for it," she urged from him.

"You sure?"

"Bucky, I'm not going to stop you from doing what you want to do," she said to him. "Will I continue to worry? Yeah, definitely, because I always worry about you and you know that. But…you need to do what you want to do. You need to pave your own way because this is your life, Bucky. You need to decide what you want to do, no one else, just you."

Looking over to her, Bucky reached for her. He moved a hand out to her cheek and bent in, kissing her firmly once she had finished chewing on her pancake. He moved his mouth against hers, needing to show her how much what she had just said meant to him. He just needed her to understand that and sometimes this was the only way he knew how to say it. He pulled back after one final peck to her lips and continued peering over to her, unable to take his eyes off of her.

"God, I love you."

She smiled, hand resting on his chest. "Good job you're marrying me then, huh?"

"I don't know," he teased her, "after seeing you last night I might have changed my mind."

She balled her hand into a fist and hit him softly in the chest. He chuckled at the motion before standing up and reaching for her. He picked her up, holding onto her thighs as she wrapped them around his waist.

"What time are your parents flying in?"

"They get in at eleven."

"Still gives us time," Bucky responded and Evelyn laughed as he picked her up and she moved back to kiss his lips again.

….

Bucky was nervous. He didn't know if he had ever been this nervous before. He had been nervous, of course. He was nervous the first time he had been on a date in the 1930s. He had acted so cocky, but he had been a wreck inside. And then he had been nervous when he had taken Evelyn on their first date, wanting it to be perfect for her. He wanted to make everything perfect for her. But now, standing at the end of the aisle, he was unable to stand still, his leg bouncing up and down as Sam stood next to him.

Clasping his hand onto his shoulder, Sam chuckled. "You need to calm it down, man," he said to Bucky.

"Is it normal to be this nervous?" he wondered from Sam.

Sam shrugged. "Never been married before," he said to him with a shrug of his shoulders.

"It's not that I'm nervous as in I don't want to do this," Bucky explained, "but nervous as in…people are watching…I've got to speak…and she…I just want to see her."

"Not long to go now," Sam said to him.

The church was pretty empty, but there was a lot of chatter. Sarah, Sam's sister, had come along to the wedding with Cass and AJ. She was talking to Sarah, Evelyn's mother, who was sat in the front pew, but had turned around to talk to her. Daniel, Maria's husband, was sat with Martin and his wife who Evie knew from work. He was bouncing Lillie in his lap, the little girl gurgling loudly and laughing. Jennifer was sat with her husband and Charlie and Mary. The security guard had agreed to come to the wedding after Evelyn had practically begged him to forget what had happened, wanting him to move on with everything. She didn't want him to live in the past or feel guilt.

Bucky realised that he had no one there. There was no one from his family. There were no friends, except for Sam. Everyone he knew was dead. They were all gone. But he had a chance now. He had a new family who accepted him for who he was and that meant everything to him.

Keeping quiet, Bucky turned back to talk to the vicar, a kindly old man who had tried to put the couple at ease during the rehearsal, cracking jokes that made Evelyn laugh and Bucky smirk as she humoured him. He told her that she did that when she met new people, but she didn't believe him. Bucky kept his back turned on the aisle, only when Sam placed a hand onto his shoulder did he turn to look over at him.

"It's time, Buck."

Bucky took a deep breath as he heard the familiar tune of the wedding march start up. Sam moved to adjust the white flower buttonhole for him and Bucky turned to look down the aisle. Rebecca was the first one heading up it, dressed in a slinky blue dress that fitted her perfectly, her red bobbed hair neatly blow dried underneath her chin. Maria followed her, again in a blue dress, but this one had sleeves down to her wrists and flared out to her feet. She threw her husband a smile as she passed by and waved at Lillie who waved back. Lisa was the final bridesmaid, her dress coming down to her calves, fitted and sleeveless. They all wore blue, but Evelyn had told them that they could pick their own style of dress. She wasn't going to dictate what she wanted them in.

And then Bucky's eyes went to her. He swore that his mouth opened and Sam kept a hand on his shoulder, somehow grounding him. She was holding onto her father's arm, looking up at him and smiling. The dress flowed out to the ground, the white lace intricate and patterned. There was a small belt on the waist and the top of it was lace as well, the pattern coming up to her neckline. She had long, mesh sleeves down to her wrist, the locket he gave her sitting just on her chest. The veil was also long, trailing behind her and her hair was loose down her back in gentle waves. She didn't have her glasses on. No doubt she had picked up her contacts instead.

Evelyn moved her eyes from her father to see Bucky stood there. He was dressed in a smart, navy suit with a white shirt, a buttonhole with a white flower. He matched Sam, who was also wearing a similar suit. He hadn't even bothered with his gloves. He had no need to hide who he was. Evelyn swore that he looked good in anything, but seeing him in that suit was enough to make her stomach flip.

Once she was down the aisle, she handed her flowers over to Lisa who took hold of them and then turned to her father who bent down to kiss her on the cheek before looking to Bucky. He nodded once and Bucky nodded back, both men silently knowing what they were saying to each other. They didn't need words.

The vicar began speaking and Alistair finally moved his daughter's hand out towards Bucky's. She took hold of it and stepped closer to him, looking up to him as he managed to whisper down to her.

"You look stunning," he said and he saw her blush. He didn't tease her as the vicar continued speaking and Evelyn could only watch him.

She swore that her voice shook as she repeated the vows. She was just as nervous as Bucky was. She was excited, but it was still nerve wracking. Bucky's hands squeezed hers tightly as he repeated the vows himself and then the vicar asked Sam for the rings. Sam patted down his pockets and then pulled them out, mocking having lost them. People chuckled as he slapped Bucky on the back and held the rings out. Bucky shook his head at him before picking the ring out and slipping it onto her finger by her engagement ring. Evelyn did the same, slipping the ring onto Bucky's right hand considering the vibranium arm. The ceremony seemed to go quicker than Evelyn had ever anticipated.

Before she knew it, they were pronounced husband and wife and Bucky bent down, kissing her firmly as people clapped and cheered. He could feel her smiling into the kiss and his own lips arched up against hers. She pulled back after a moment and looked at the friends and family, still beaming widely as Bucky took hold of her hand and they walked down the aisle, passing everyone who congratulated them.

"Mr and Mrs Barnes-Morris, huh?" Bucky whispered down to her as they came to the outside of the church and Evelyn beamed up to him.

"Any regrets?"

"None at all," he bent down and kissed her again.

Evelyn hadn't bothered hiring a photographer, instead Maria's husband, Daniel, was quite the amateur photographer. They stood outside and Evelyn's mother directed people when and where to move to get the right photographs. Usually, Evelyn would complain about her mother's bossiness, but she didn't care. Besides, someone had to be organised. As Sam came for the photos, he moved a hand to Bucky's back.

"Look over there," he said in a whisper as Evelyn stood to Bucky's other side, her arm still around his waist and she spoke to Sarah who was commenting on her dress.

"What?" Bucky asked and he followed the direction of Sam's nod. He moved his gaze to the back of the churchyard, arm staying around Evelyn before he saw the man. Bucky's eyes widened and he swore that he was about to cry as Sam squeezed his shoulder.

"I gave him a call and told him about you," Sam said to him as Bucky continued to look at his oldest friend. "You might have had to move on…just like he did…but I thought he should at least see this."

Bucky nodded once and looked over to Sam. "Can you distract everyone for a minute?"

"You're talking to an expert in distraction techniques," Sam said.

Daniel finally took the photograph before Bucky looked to Evelyn. "I need a minute with you."

"Okay…but I don't think we're done…"

"Right! All the guests!" Sam shouted, providing the necessary distraction and giving Bucky time to pick up Evelyn's hand and drag her down the path of the churchyard towards the shaded tree area where he had walked off to. She looked up to him, but his gaze was set straight ahead.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"You'll see," he promised her.

They finally moved around the corner of the church where they were hidden from the view and he was sat on the bench beneath the trees. Bucky slowed his movements as he approached him and Evelyn moved her gaze from him to what he was staring at. Looking at him, Evelyn's eyes widened and Bucky felt her hand clamp down harder onto his.

"Oh…my…God…is that…"

"Even after all these years, people still get more starstruck around you than me," Bucky commented, looking to his friend whose lips arched, that mischievous glint clear in his eyes.

"You never did like being invisible," he responded.

"I don't mind it as much nowadays," Bucky responded and then looked down to Evelyn who was still gaping. "Evie, sweetheart, this is Steve…"

"I…well…I mean, I kind of guessed that," she responded to Bucky and he chuckled at hearing her while Steve nodded his head. "I just…so you're not on the moon?" was all she could manage to blurt out.

Steve chuckled and held his hand out for her. "Not on the moon," he confirmed. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too," Evelyn said, shaking his hand and looking at the man in front of her. "I mean, Bucky talks about you all of the time and he…well…he kind of met me at your exhibit."

"So I've heard," Steve said, turning his smirk to Bucky. "Glad to see that I'm the one that caused this union."

"Alright, punk," Bucky said to him and Steve chuckled.

"I'll be honest, Evelyn," Steve said to her. "Didn't think I'd really see the day when Bucky here decided to settle down. He was always too flighty for his own good…too reckless…but seems that he's found someone to keep him grounded at last."

"I do my best," Evelyn said and Bucky looked down to her, Steve noticing the smile that was stuck on his face. He could barely hide it. He didn't know if he had ever seen Bucky look so happy.

"I don't want to take you away from your day," Steve said, "but I just wanted to come and see my best friend…I just wanted to be here to see him."

"I appreciate that," Bucky said and he moved forwards, the two of them embracing. Steve wrapped his arms tightly around Bucky, clinging onto him. He missed him so much. He missed his best friend and he knew that he was going to move on. He was going to have his own life. And that was all Steve could ask for him. It was what he wanted for him. Pulling back, Bucky kept a hand clasped onto his shoulder. "You're not staying, are you?"

"We don't want people asking questions," Steve shook his head. "It's your day. Go and enjoy it."

"I intend to," Bucky assured him and stepped back.

"Look after him," Steve said to Evelyn. "Try to keep him out of trouble."

"I'll do what I can," Evelyn promised Steve, Bucky moving to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to him. He bent down and kissed the top of her head as Steve nodded. He walked by the pair of them, clasping Bucky on the shoulder one final time.

"You deserve to be happy, Buck," he said in a gentle voice. "And she seems far too good for you," he joked.

Bucky chuckled. "That she is," Bucky agreed, "but, still, I'm a lucky bastard."

"I can see that," Steve said and Bucky felt his eyes water. "Don't do anything stupid, Buck."

Bucky's lips quirked. "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you."

Steve smirked at hearing that and nodded his head. He began walking away. "Take care, buddy."

"You too, Steve."

They turned around and watched Steve retreat. Bucky moved his hand, running it up and down Evelyn's upper arm with the arm he had around her shoulders. Turning to look up to him, she moved her thumb and brushed a tear from his cheek. "Okay?" she asked from him as he reached Steve finally round the corner onto the main road and disappear from view.

"Yeah," Bucky nodded his head, his gaze peering down to his wife. "I'm good."

Evelyn smiled up to him and kissed him once more. He moved his own free hand to run over her cheekbone. "We should head back before your mum starts yelling for us. Sam can only distract her for so long."

Evelyn laughed at that, but nodded. They began walking back around the church, Bucky looking to Sam as they came back into view and he sent him an appreciative nod that he returned with a wide smile. They finished off with the photographs before beginning the walk to the restaurant considering it was just two blocks away. Evelyn knew people would stare at them, but she didn't care. She stayed behind with Bucky as everyone walked ahead, holding his hand and the train of her dress to stop her from tripping over it.

"I can't believe that happened," she whispered up to him.

"Neither can I."

"Did you know he would be there?"

"No clue," Bucky said. "Sam told him."

"I…it was sweet," Evelyn said. "Do you miss him?"

Bucky took a moment to think. "Yeah," he said. "He's my best friend. I wish that things had been different…that he could have gotten to know you…but he had his life. He had the life he wanted to live with the woman he loved and it was him who persuaded me to come back to D.C…all those months ago. He persuaded me to come back for you."

"You never told me."

"We don't talk about him. He deserves a quiet life," Bucky responded. "But, yeah, he was the one who helped talk sense into me…and I'm glad he did because…he had the life he wanted…and I think I get the life I want. I think it's my turn."

"Only think you want me?" she teased him.

"Depends on if you keep getting drunk and almost throwing up on me," he teased her and she nudged him in the ribs while he laughed. Shaking his head, he bent down and kissed her quickly. "Nah…I'll always want you, sweetheart. Always."

...

A/N: One more chapter to go and then everything is finished! Do let me know what you think, I've loved reading all your comments!