Author's Note: Hello and greetings to all who are reading this!

Bucky and Alexis are back. (Hooray!) I couldn't stay away for long from these two, and in the past several weeks my mind has been churning out ideas that are exciting, naughty, and just plain FUN to write. As usual with my stories, this will be a plot heavy slow burn full of fluff, sex (some of it deliciously rough), angst, and adventure in a whole new setting. I'm trying a new setting for this story, and I hope it results in an enjoyable story for you all to read as much as it is for me to write.

I will try and update as often as possible, but I've got a lot of out-of-state trips coming up (for both work and play), so keep this in mind if I do not post very regularly. I will leave you with this little teaser of a prologue first, then begin posting chapters once the first few are written and I feel good about them.

NOTE: Please read "Lonesome No More" before reading this story, if you have not already. None of this will make any sense if you have not read that story first.

Thank you all for reading!

"Hypothetically speaking, if you could go anywhere in the world for a week, where would you go?"

"Anywhere?"

"Anywhere."

Alex thought Bucky's question over carefully. She lay cuddled against him in bed, her fingers idly playing along the waistband of his boxer briefs. They'd been lying together for some time, talking lightly while listening as large snowflakes pattered against the bedroom window. It was cozy and warm inside, which made the perfect abode to watch the beginnings of a snowstorm whipping up outside. Swirls of white danced along the windowpane, catching Alex's attention even though her mind was very much on the question her boyfriend just posed.

"I have to say, this is pretty random for..." She eyed the clock on the bedside table. "...almost midnight." Her gaze shifted upwards. "What gives?"

Bucky casually shrugged the shoulder her head lay against. His eyes had that playful, curious glint; the one that made their blue shade dance, even in the low light of the bedroom. "General curiosity, mostly." His smile appeared, as did his high-set dimples.

"You've been way more places than I have" Alex admitted, her fingers trailing upward from the waistband to the pane of muscle below his bellybutton.

"True, but none of those have very good memories attached to them."

Alex felt his large hand move from her hair down to her cheek, stroking softly. His touch was so tender and light that it made her sleepy. He had a way of coaxing her into a state of ridiculous comfort with just a brush of his hand. Maybe it was the roughness of his flesh hand against the smoothness of her own skin that made it desirable. Or maybe it was because Bucky could literally palm almost her whole face with how big his hands were, and yet, his touch was as light as a feather. She wondered just how many times she'd silently thanked the universe for all these little talents of his she'd grown to love over the months.

Looking up again, Alex's eyes warmed to the sight of him. "We need to change that."

"We do." Bucky's thumb grazed her bottom lip. "So... where would we go?"

Alex propped herself up on one hand, her other still draped lazily over his abs. She craved Bucky's closeness in these late hours, wanting his strong body snug around hers, his hands in her hair, his eyes gazing up at hers as they were now. "Somewhere warm, maybe?" She nodded towards the snowy conditions beyond the window with a smirk.

"Hmmm...with a beach?"

"Preferably a deserted beach."

"And you in a bikini all day in the sand?" The blue of his eyes flared. "I like that idea very much."

Alex pondered the idea of being alone on some exotic island beach where it was just her and Bucky and the breeze against their skin. Without a soul in the world to disturb them, they could swim and sun themselves and fuck all day if they wanted. She could almost see Bucky's naturally tan skin glistening in the sun, the salty air creating waves in his hair, the blue-gray shades of his eyes shining in the brightness of the sun.

"Or..." Alex walked her index and middle fingers up the center of Bucky's stomach, considering another alternative. "Maybe someplace cozy and private, like a cabin in the mountains?"

One of Bucky's eyebrows ticked upward. "Fireplace and all?"

"I'm not going unless there's a fireplace."

He let out a soft chuckle, watching Alex's fingers move up to his chest to draw lazy circles around his nipples. He inhaled deeply. "The picture I have in my mind is pretty romantic."

"Care to share?" she asked, her smile growing.

"I see us in a pretty nice cabin. Nothing beat up or small. Something with room enough for us to move around, with a big bedroom done in some woodsy looking theme." Bucky saw Alex start to laugh, which made his own smile appear as a reflex.

"This is very detailed, James."

"I'm not done yet" he told her, tapping her on the tip of her nose. "Downstairs in a fireplace...a big one. And a real one. With real wood."

"Oh it has to be real wood."

"Exactly. Not that kind you flip a switch to turn on."

Alex was loving this. She settled onto her side, her eyes never leaving Bucky's. They were so alive and animated as he talked about this make-believe cabin. He was so genuinely into what he was telling her that it made her wish she could see this place for real.

"Now, in front of this real fireplace is a big cushy white rug..."

Alex giggled. "Of course there is!"

Bucky cautioned her with a smirk. "Now, this isn't just any ordinary rug. This is a rug we're going to sleep on, totally naked, with only our body heat and the heat of the fireplace to warm us."

"Mmm...I like where this is going."

Rolling onto his side so he could face her, Bucky's expression brightened with mischief. "And on this rug...alongside your utterly gorgeous body..." He leaned in until his mouth was just a whisper away from hers and paused.

Alex glanced down at his perfect lips, wetting her own in anticipation. "Yes?"

His smirk grew devilish. "Will be two airplane tickets to a beach."

Alex exhaled a surprised laugh. "You are such a jerk!" She pushed him in the shoulder until Bucky fell onto his back, the laughter rolling from him as much as it was from Alex. She slid over his body, covering his with her smaller frame, their noses almost touching.

"So which is it going to be?" Alex asked him, settling comfortably onto his chest. "Beach or Chalet? Warm sand or a warm fireplace?"

Bucky cocked his his head, studying her expression. He wrapped his arms around her back, clasping them just above the curve of her bottom where the ends of her dark hair reached. He gave a playful little tug. "You tell me, princess."

Alex's smile grew. She leaned her head to the side, kissing along Bucky's jaw until she reached his ear. She whispered her choice, and Bucky raised his fist in celebration. "YES." He grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her, their laughter and smiles mixing.

The trip was on.