Chapter 6: Light at the End of the Tunnel
Natasha, Bucky, and Sam entered a large underground bunker that looked like it hadn't been used in decades. They had taken the long way around throwing off anyone who may have been following them. Bucky looked around the place, finding Steve at the very end.
Steve waved him over. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that we'd all end up here. We couldn't be seen together. It was safer that way. Bucky…there's a problem,"
Steve led Bucky behind a door that led into the medical wing. Sam and Nat followed behind them, heading into the surgical room where Bella was being sedated.
"This is Bruce Banner. He's a scientist," Bucky just nodded, his eyes going to Bella's still form. "I've been taking a few blood samples, just analyzing her cells. I've never seen it before, it's like her cells are I don't know how to explain it…" Bucky frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why isn't that…can you fix her?" He motioned towards her injury.
Bruce sighed heavily. "If we remove the wood, there is a 90% chance that it'll kill her,"
Bucky's face fell, and he wrinkled his nose. "Is there anything we can do?" Steve asked, his heart breaking all over again for his best friend. Bruce waved Steve and Bucky forward. "There's a possibility that if she receives a blood transfusion, we can remove the wood and her body will accept it and heal. Problem is, nobody has the blood type except Steve, and the problem with that is, he has super serum running through his veins. This has never been done before and I assume that her body would not be on super Soldier scale, she'd be a bit more durable and her aging process will be incredibly slowed, maybe not like the two of you, but slow. There's also a 54% chance this may or may not work,"
Bucky turned to Bella's still form, caressing her cheek. "So…either there's nothing we can do, or try and hope that she comes out okay?"
Bruce nodded.
"It's your call Bucky. There's no one here to speak on her behalf except you. What do you want? What would she want?" Steve asked, looking to him for the next move.
Bucky sighed, closing his eyes tightly.
'Question is, if I deserve you. We've got to at least live through this shit storm first'
'I'm with you till the end of the line'
'I know I'm a little drunk, but I'm in love with you, and I thought you should know,'
'You're more than just a hero Bucky. You're my hero. My warrior.'
'I feel safe with you Bucky,'
'In your heart and soul, you're a good man, and no matter what they've done to your mind, they can't take that from you,'
'For being you. Helping me. You're a warrior at heart Bucky'
"Bucky?" Steve called, gathering his attention. Bucky nodded to himself before turning around. "Do it,"
Steve nodded before pulling up a chair beside the bed, and Bruce inserted an IV into his arm. He then hooked it up to Bella's, and let the transfusion start.
Bruce kept an eye out for her bodily reaction, finding that so far her body was accepting Steve's blood.
They watched as every other minute her body was getting stronger, enough to be at a level of normal considering she had a wooden beam sticking out of her.
Bruce then moved to her side, gripping the wooden beam, pulling it out of her in a quick, fluid motion. He went about cleaning up around the wound, pulling out any splinters of wood and glass.
He sewed the wound shut, and he nodded in surprise that her body was still flourishing nicely. "She's doing great," Bruce murmured, his way of calming the infamous Winter Soldier.
Bucky sucked in a breath, nodding, his eyes on her face. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it in his own. He leaned in close to her ear, "I need you,"
Steve was still, watching his blood flow into the bag before flowing through the other tube connected to Bella's arm.
"Once we get about 2 units of packed red blood cells, we should be good to go. The usual is 4, but considering the serum, we don't need to push it. I will however collect two extra units of blood from Steve on hand in case it's needed,"
Steve just nodded, his eyes going to Bucky. "She's going to be okay," He whispered comfortingly. There was no definitive change in her body, but you could physically see her skin become a bit less pale, evening out into that of her own skin tone. The EKG was at a steady rate, and Bruce concluded that it was now the waiting game. He unhooked Steve and went about setting Bella up comfortably. "We'll have Nat put her in something a bit more comfortable. Let me know if anything changes,"
Bucky just nodded in response, standing off to the side as they left, and Nat came in with a change of clothes. Bucky looked to the side, trying to be modest while Nat rummaged through undressing and dressing Bella.
He could almost feel the nerves rolling off of her, zoning out for a second as he lost himself once again to his thoughts.
"She's all good," Nat murmured, breaking him from his spiral down memory lane. He turned towards her, seeing that she dressed Bella in a simple pair of sweats and a tank.
"Thank you," He whispered, stepping towards Bella. She gave him a hesitant smile, nodding to him. "I'm sorry," He blurted, causing her to look at him in surprise. She glanced at him, a small smirk on her face. "Nothing to apologize for. Just happy you didn't kill me," She left the room, her heels tapping against the floor as she departed.
Bucky sat down beside Bella, laying his head on his arm, letting the machine zone him out.
Slim fingers ran through his hair a few hours later, and he blinked a few times, coming back to reality. He turned his head, seeing brown eyes staring at him.
"Hey," She whispered tiredly. Bucky sat up, grabbing her hands. "You're awake," He murmured. Bella chuckled at him, shifting on the bed. "I'd hope so. It means I'm not dead,"
Bucky shook his head at her, caressing her face. "Thanks to Steve. We had to give you a blood transfusion,"
Bella's brows shot up. "Steve has…" She trailed off, her eyes meeting his. Bucky nodded with a frown. "Yeah. No one here could give you blood. Steve was the only option and I made the decision on your behalf,"
Bella nodded slowly, her brows crinkling. "What does that mean for me? Am I…like you?" Bucky stared into her eyes, trying to read her expression.
"Somewhat. Half of what we are if that makes sense. You'll age like we will, maybe not as slow, we don't know, but you're part super soldier now. Bruce is going to do a blood sample,"
Bucky was nervous as she silently stared at him. He started to speak but she stopped him as she gingerly got off the bed. He reached out to steady her, and she grabbed his face with both hands, bring him down so that their lips would meet.
Bucky closed his eyes as she melted under his touch, her lips moving against his in sync. Bella wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers finding their way into his hair. Like he needed air to breathe, he pulled her flush against him, one hand tilting her head back giving him more access to her mouth as the taste of her lips made his head spin.
It was soft yet intense as they solidified the bond written in the stars since the Dawn of time. Bella clung to him like a rock in the middle of the sea, pulling back for air, her bright, brown eyes sparkling like stars as she looked in his eyes.
He kissed her lips again, this time a peck, unwilling to let her go. He leaned his head, his forehead pressing against hers, taking in a deep breath.
"So I assume you're perfectly okay with having super serum blood running through your veins,"
Bella softly laughed, nodding, her ear pressed against his chest, hearing his heart beat. "If it's to be with you," She murmured.
He ran a hand through her hair. "Well, I didn't expect you to be awake so soon Ms. Swan,"
Bella pulled her head back to see a tall man with curly black hair and glasses resting upon his face. "Bruce Banner," He introduced, and Bella pulled away, reaching out to shake his hand.
"Nice to meet you," She smiled. He smiled in return, gesturing for her to hop back on the bed. She did so with ease, noticing the fluidity Bucky had mentioned almost three weeks ago.
"Good. Nice to see you're moving well. I'm just going to check your heart and your breathing," Bruce went along checking her vitals, writing down things here and there. He took a blood sample from her, and then Bucky.
Bella watched him as he went under a microscope, tilting her head up as he hummed. "Is that a good hum?" She asked.
"More like a surprised one. You did better than I thought. Your blood completely molded itself around Steve's. When blood is mixed, everything merges, but it's like yours cocooned itself. Your body…it's like it had a defense mechanism up of which your body recognized that it needed saving. It's amazing. Steve told me you had a gift. With your mind. Can you show me?"
Bella nodded, realizing that it wasn't so hard to push her shield out. In fact, it was so easy that it stretched out across the room before shrinking itself.
Bruce stood in surprise, coming a bit closer. Bucky crossed his arms over his chest, intrigued by what would happen.
He raised his fingers, tapping against the now bright blue, very solid shield, seeing a ripple of energy. "Extraordinary," He whispered. Bella let it cover Bruce, smiling shyly as he took full interest in it, doing the same from the inside. "This makes a lot of sense. This may be the exact reason you're alive. Not all humans can handle the super serum, and you only got a diluted version of it but…this makes sense," Bella let it drop, looking at him expectantly.
"So. I'm healthy as a horse?" Bruce nodded, taking another look. "Very. Your blood cells regenerate the exact same speed as Steve's and Mr. Barnes over there. By this rate, you'll age 1% slower than they would. Essentially, you'll age just as slow. You're one and the same. Amazing," He murmured to himself, and Bella glanced at Bucky fondly.
He took her hand, and she hopped off the bed, holding him close. She stilled as she could hear people from down the hall talking. It was quiet and she couldn't pinpoint everything being said, but she could hear very well.
"Is Nick Fury alive?" She asked. Bruce hesitated, eyeing Steve who walked into the room. "It's fine. He is, thanks to you. I'm glad to see you're doing well," Bella turned towards him, a smile gracing her face.
"I'm glad. Thank you, you saved my life," Steve looked down shyly, nodding in her direction. "What's a little blood?" Bella laughed softly, bringing herself back into Bucky's embrace. "As of right now, this is home. We don't have any next steps right now, and it's safer to lay low for the next week or so. Gives us a time to recoup,"
Bella followed Steve as he existed it, "Steve?" She asked, causing him to stop and turn around. "I wanted to ask you about my parents. Is there any way I can talk to them or…I don't know, let them know I'm okay?"
Steve smiled down at her, shaking his head. "You can't. Maria Hill, another agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., sent two men, one to your father, and one to your mother. They haven't a clue what is going on, but I can assure you that they are safe, and your father is at a center in Seattle. I'm assuming the one you dropped him off at, and your mother, step-father, and their baby boy are alright. No interception of any outside parties,"
Bella nodded in relief before her eyes widened. "I'm sorry, did you say baby boy?" Steve nodded, gathering from her reaction that it was news to her. "Yes. According to their records, they adopted the baby boy, Isaac, a few months ago," Bella's face fell, and she pursed her lips. "A few months ago? I was still in Phoenix, and she never told me…why wouldn't she tell me?" Steve patted her shoulder. "Sorry kid," He murmured.
Bella sighed, throwing the news to the back of her mind for the moment. "Well…do you think you can help me? How do you block out all the noise?" Steve broke out into a smile, leading her down the hall. "It's not the easiest thing, but you have to focus on not focusing on it,"
Bella frowned up at him. "And how exactly do you do that?"
Steve laughed, "It's just something you have to learn. You'll get used to it," Bella grumbled under breath, and Steve suddenly came to a stop, making her do the same.
He looked down at her with a serious expression. "How is he?" Bella's eyes softened, and she smiled a sad smile. "He needs healing. I don't know the Bucky you did, only this one. I know he's suffering, deep down. He needs time. He also needs a friend, one that understands him, better than me even. He's fond of you. He's remembering a lot of things, bits, and pieces and I think it overwhelms him sometimes,"
Steve frowned but nodded. "Do you know what he keeps in his backpack? I went back out and gathered your things from the truck you two were riding in,"
Bella looked past him to see Bucky's bag on a table. She nodded. "He keeps things about himself. Things to remember if he ever…if he loses it all. He never leaves without it. I've read some of the books he has. They're all about what he remembers from his life, as a kid, as a teen, every little thing goes in them. You're in them. He has a picture of you, god from like the 40s," She smiled, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Your name is on the back. The year. He's written my name a few times. His own. In that backpack are the pieces of him that just need to be put together," She explained. Sometimes she'd write little things in them, something that she'd notice about him or even little reminders about himself, and she'd scribble her name under it.
She could Steve pondering, and she tilted her head in the direction where they just came from. "It's not too late. Go. Maybe you'll help jog his memories," Steve patted her arm in thanks.
"Are there actual bedrooms here?" Steve nodded, leading her into a corridor. "A few. Did you want one…alone?"
Bella blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Um, I think we'll be sharing a room. On the road, we shared a bed. It was easier to get in and out and better protection. Still kind of used to it. I'll grab our bags and I'll just use that one. Is that alright?" Steve waved her on, and Bella went to retrieve their bags.
The rooms were huge, which made her believe that the rooms used to be offices back in the day and just converted into rooms.
There was a large bed in the middle, with two drawers on either side, a desk in the corner, and the bathroom attached by a separate door.
She sat Bucky's bag on the desk, and she rummaged through hers, finding the necklace Bonnie had given her. She ran her fingers over the brass engravings. Each side was covered in what was like vines and leaves.
She opened the little locket, finding a picture already inside. She ran her thumb over the black and white photo of a young Clarence and Bonnie.
She gingerly took out the photo, flipping it over. Her brows furrowed as there were two different names on the back.
Francine, Hank
Bella wondered why there would be two different names on the back, wondering if those names were their government names, and Bonnie and Clarence were just names after they retired from the CIA.
She put the phone back in the locket, setting it on the desk, grabbing her shampoo, and another change of clothes, heading into the shower.
She let the water warm up, stripping off her clothes. She looked at herself in the mirror, eyeing the fresh scar on her side, gingerly running her fingers over it.
She raked a hand through her blonde hair, her nose scrunching up. She really wanted to dye it back, but she knew it was better to let it fade out. As the bathroom started to steam up, she stepped in the shower, wincing as the water made her cut burn a bit.
She started with her hair, being as gentle as possible with her scalp, some blood running down the drain from a few cuts. She let her mind wander, taking note of how she felt.
She felt fine, but she was also tired. She wondered now about her own future. What would it look like? Where would she be years from now?
She immediately thought of Bucky, a smile coming to her face. If living longer than her friends and loved ones meant she could spend the rest of a probably long life with someone she was meant to be with, then she'd take it.
Bella was somewhat of a hopeless romantic. No matter the situation, she always thought love should conquer. She believed that love always would if it was meant to be.
She then turned her thoughts to the fact that her mother adopted a baby without telling her. When Bella was at school, she never saw Renee or spoke with her outside of the holidays. She was always the first to call, and Renee would only talk so long before she'd be caught up with something else. She'd speak to Phil a lot who would give her a bit more information than her mother would.
She was a bit hurt that he never told her that they planned on adopting. Blood or not, Bella technically had an adopted Stepbrother out there.
While Renee never mothered her properly, Bella could only hope that this time around would be different. She hoped that Renee didn't repeat the same cycle.
She hoped that Phil would teach Renee how to care for something that wasn't her. She wondered what the baby looked like and hoped that one day she'd get to meet him.
Bella wasn't sure if she wanted a family of her own one day, but she did wish to have an extended family. As she thought about family, her mind once again was turning to the vampire that was somewhere in the wind, hunting her down.
She shook her head and finished washing up. She turned the water off, wrapping a towel around her body, wiping off her legs and feet to keep the dripping at bay.
As Bella was drying off, Bucky had found their room, hearing her shuffling inside the bathroom. He closed the door behind him, looking around the room. He went to his backpack, opening it up, looking at the various notebooks he had inside. He plucked one out, flipping through the pages. It was almost full, and he stopped at one page to see handwriting different from his own.
You like plumbs. They help with memory loss. You like peanuts but not when it's mixed with chocolate.
Podcasts are nice.
Britney Spears-'like a circus'
Friends: Steve. Bella.
Bucky chuckled a bit, looking up as Bella emerged.
She eyes the book, motioning toward it. "I hope you didn't mind," Bucky shook his head. "No, it's nice. Was Britney Spears necessary?" Bella snorted, shrugging. "Your first taste of modern music. Even though that's an older song but still…"
"You got something wrong though," He waved her over, and she made her way over, looking over his shoulder. He pointed to his list if that's what he would call it, of friends. Bella let out a laugh.
"That was like a week ago," She defended, and Bucky sat the book down. "I'm kind of like a friend. In one," She murmured, smiling at him as he caressed her cheek.
"Two days ago you told me you loved me," He murmured. Bella nodded. "I did, and I meant it," She stated quietly, wondering where he was taking this conversation. He swiped a strand of hair from her face, looking her in the eyes.
"You're the only thing connecting me to who I am and who I want to be, and I don't want to lose that," Bella held her hand to his, seeing the feelings he was combatting.
"I don't know what up or down is anymore. I don't know what's left or right. I'm not whole, but I know I need you. I gave you the taste of something akin to immortality so I wouldn't lose the only thing keeping me together," He whispered almost brokenly.
He tilted his head at her, clearly in thought. "I think I was in love once. I think. She was a pretty girl. Sweet. I don't really remember her face or her name. So in a sense, you could say that I don't know what being in love feels like, but I'm starting to understand the difference between wanting something and needing something, and the truth is, I need you. You pulled me out of the dark, and I don't believe it was a coincidence. You were my mission, and yet I became your savior. Everything has fallen into place in a way that ensures that you and I end up together. What do you call that?"
Bella swiped her thumb across his cheek, her own eyes watering a bit. "I call it fate. I believe that there are these messages written in the stars. A story. A story that has a specific beginning, middle, and end. No matter how it went down, we could start the last few weeks over, and no matter how things happen, we will always end up here. I will always be the light at the end of your tunnel Bucky," She promised.
They held eyes, Bucky's blue eyes softening, open for her to see. "What if I forget you?" He whispered, leaning into her.
"I'll do whatever it takes for you to remember. It's why I write in your book. If I can't get you to remember, I'll spend every day giving you one more reason to fall in love,"
Bella could see the fear in his eyes. The fear of losing just a shred of himself. She grabbed his hand, placing it over her heart.
"Do you feel that? My heart beating?" He nodded, closing his eyes. "This is because of you. It'll always beat for you. Broken. Healed. I love you either way. Just know that if you ever forget, you'll never be alone,"
Her voice cracked at the end, and Bucky opened his eyes, leaning his face close to hers. He pulled her close to him, their lips meeting halfway. Bella's arms wrapped around his neck as his arms circled around her waist, losing themselves in their own little world.
Bella pulled away to breathe, tucking her head into his chest. Bucky swallowed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
His chest filled with a warmth that spread throughout his body, and he pulled her closer to him. Bella sighed softly, pulling back from him. "Why don't you go shower? It's been a long few days," She murmured to him, making her way to the bed as he made his way into the bathroom.
By the time he emerged, Bella was fast asleep, curled in the middle of the bed. He softly set his things down, hitting off the light, crawling into bed next to her.
He wrapped his flesh arm over her sleeping form, burrowing his head between her shoulder blade, breathing in her unique scent.
"I love you too," He whispered in her ear, closing his eyes.
Bucky awoke the next morning feeling somewhat well-rested. He looked down next to him to see Bella's head resting on his metal arm. He wasn't sure how she found it comfortable, but he knew she looked too darn cute to risk moving and accidentally waking her.
He turned his head towards the digital clock seeing that it was early in the morning, close to 7. There weren't any windows except at the very top, two small rectangular ones that shined a tad bit of light inside.
He laid his head back down, staring up at the ceiling, for once, his mind was quiet. There were no jumbled thoughts, no screaming, just a silence that gave him room to think.
He didn't have to worry about getting them up and moving them around or wonder how he was going to get Bella in and out without being seen.
He could relax a bit now, and the fact that she was a bit more durable now only eased some of his worries. He felt that he could actually train her more properly without hurting her too much or moving too fast.
He wondered if he could ever live like this. One where he woke up without anything hazardous situations pushing him to get up and keep moving. If he could enjoy laying in bed until 9 or 10 in the morning next to the woman he'd fallen for.
It was peaceful somewhat. He could still hear others moving around, about to start this next unplanned, unforeseen day.
Yet, with just him and his girl, everything felt less heavy.
He looked down at her again, a small smile creeping on his face as she brushed her nose against his shoulder, his name falling from her lips in barely a whisper.
It was soft and sweet coming from her lips, and he wondered what she was dreaming about. His mind briefly drifted to the many other ways he could get her to say his name, different from her soft, dreamy tone.
He wasn't sure if either of them were ready to go that far, but it wasn't lost on either of them that the bond they shared was strong.
He had never been tied to someone before, but it felt like he was. Tied in a good way. Here he knew that this was a place where he'd never hurt her. A place where he knew he'd never leave. He knew that he could turn his back and the second he turns back around she'd be right there.
Right behind him, waiting patiently for him to take her hand.
She truly was all he had that kept him going. He realized then, thinking about her concept of fate and a story that's been written before time itself, that it was quite possible that this was their story, that they were fated in the stars; made for each other.
When he thought about it, he broke down the process himself.
Bella arrived in Forks on a Friday.
They left on a Wednesday.
From that point on, he had 5 days to complete his mission, even if he didn't know it yet. He spent Saturday and Sunday watching her from the outside, just learning her routine, especially the one with her father.
Monday was the day he should've moved in, but he didn't. The moment she was out and on her way to work, he should've struck.
He doesn't remember what was going through his mind at the time of the justification of why he waited, but he waited.
He even watched her walk out of school that day, alone, and with barely anyone around. Yet, he let her leave.
He watched her again that night, the house was quiet. He could distinctly remember seeing Edward but had paid him no mind. Bucky wondered why his assassin self didn't find that odd.
He remembered Edward running away from the house just a few short minutes later, and he too left.
She went to work again the next day, and he remembers sitting off to the side, a feeling of curiosity had run through him at her demeanor at the end of the day. She looked frazzled.
There were a lot of things Bucky was remembering about himself that day. There was more than just the feeling of nothingness running through his body.
Even Bella had the Winter Soldier thrown for a loop.
Wednesday had rolled around, and her routine had changed. She had left early in the morning with her father, and returned alone late at night. Bucky had made his decision then that since she was alone, he'd make his move.
He had followed her to her destination in Seattle and left before she did. At that time, Bucky was unaware of what was transpiring in the house and gathered everything he would need to complete his mission and leave before anyone noticed anything.
He remembered hearing a scream in the distance when he set out in the woods that night, and he wasn't sure why it had him running. He couldn't remember.
He believed that once he caught up to Bella, running into her literally seemed like the best plan to take her out. At least that's what he believed. He wasn't sure what was going through his mind at the time.
Then everything had changed. He was awake, and while still having very little memory except the recent events of the few days prior, he had pulled her to her feet and made the decision to protect her.
He could conclude that running on a mindless mission to kill someone and waiting it out only to have his life change completely, was something other than a simple decision on his part.
He had plenty of chances to succeed in his mission, yet he followed not a single protocol within his programming.
Bucky let out a breath, turning a bit so that he could wrap his arm around her.
He looked down at her peaceful face, one that wasn't harbored with so much worry. He knew that then and there, he couldn't continue without her.
He may be remembering Steve, but that didn't mean he remembered knowing Steve, not like when they were friends. When they were young. He had the memories, but the feeling wasn't there yet.
It was nothing compared to her. Nothing ever would.
Fate indeed could take the win.
AN: So here is chapter 6! Madness will be updated either tonight or tomorrow, so be on the lookout!
Do you guys think that after this story I should do a one-shot where Bella meets John Walker during TFATWS? I personally didn't like John so lol
