AN: Hi guys!
This is chapter is basically nothing but Bucky and Bella getting to know each other more. I really want to include a nice detailed chapter or two about just the two of them when they aren't running or having to fight and prepare.
Explicit content ahead.
Enjoy.
The locket stares back at her, and Bella gingerly runs her finger across the engraving, her mind wandering back to Bonnie and Clarence. She can faintly hear Bonnie's laugh and Clarence's deep voice. She eyes the briefcase sitting on the table wondering just what in the hell they were going to do with all that money. She briefly thought about using it to build a house.
A house on the countryside.
A smile graced her lips at the thought. If only. "I'm assuming you're happy about something," Bucky murmurs, pulling Bella from her thoughts. She glances up at him, shrugging her shoulders. "Reminiscing is all. I was also thinking about what we would do with the money they left us. What are we to do with half a million dollars?" Bucky comes to stand next to her, looking down at the briefcase. "I have no idea. It could be put away, used for an emergency," He says, shrugging himself.
Bella wasn't sure if she should voice her thoughts on the possibility of using it to build a house. She didn't know if that would be too forward. She knew that there would be nothing left of this place once Pierce was taken down and if what Fury said was to be true, S.H.I.E.L.D wouldn't exist anymore. Charlie's house was burned to the ground most likely, staying with Renee didn't seem to be a choice, and the fact that she was still wanted for murder didn't help any.
Bucky stares down at her, slightly amused at her expression. She was clearly thinking about something. He could tell by the way her brows dipped, and the way she narrowed her eyes as if she were glaring. Her lips were pursed, and he could practically see the gears turning in her head. "What are you thinking about?" He nudges her chin with his hand, giving her a small smile as she almost looks surprised like she forgot he was standing next to her. She rocks on her feet, a rosy, red coloring her face almost immediately. He simply raises a brow. "Well…we have no where to go after this so…I thought it could be used to build a place. It costs just a little under half a million to build a home on average…there won't be much left but,"
She looks back down at the dollar bills, picking up a stack. "It's something productive," She murmurs, placing it back inside the case. Bucky can't disagree with that, his mind wandering once again if he could have a peaceful existence after this was all over. "That would be nice," He admits quietly. Bella's beaming smile stirred an emotion within him, and he couldn't help himself as he caressed her cheek. She leans into his palm, a contented hum leaving her throat. "It would, wouldn't it?"
She looks up at him, eyeing his hair that clearly needed some trimming.
"What's on the agenda for today?" She questions. Bucky crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the table. "Steve and Natasha are going to look for this old Hydra base in hopes they can get some answers. Fury is slowly trying to catch Pierce before he makes his move, but we're all assuming it's going to come down to a fight. Fury's best move is to catch him in the act with actual proof. He's supposed to be hosting the Project Insight idea in about a week or two so that's probably our only opening as of now," Bella slowly nods at that. "How do you think you'll feel once he's either caught or dead?"
She eyes him carefully, his jaw tenses at the thought. "Free," Was his response.
Bucky's metal arm was just an added comfort to her, the feeling of the cool metal was quite soothing. The two were sitting at one of the tables, an iPad in Bella's hand as she watched her adopted stepbrother crawl around the floor. The safe house set up for Renee and Phil had cameras for security purposes and now, the feed was secure enough where she could view them without worry of a breach.
"He's so cute," She murmurs, a small smile on her face. "You'll get to meet him, I promise," Bucky swears, too watching the small boy laugh and play. He shifts his eyes to Bella, for quite a few reasons. One, being that if she ever wanted children. Would she be able to produce children? He didn't have an idea about them at the moment. Two, how could he get her to see her family again considering their current predicament? Her name would have to be cleared, and he didn't know how to go about that without being caught himself. That wouldn't do either of them any good. And three, her mother had appeared in the frame, and he wondered more about their relationship.
"Can you tell me more about you as a child? With your mother?" Bella turns to him, brow furrowing before she nods. "What do you want to know? Anything specific?" Bucky shakes his head, waiting for her to share.
"Oh, okay. Like you already know, I spent almost all of my time with Renee. Renee tried, she did. When I started elementary school, she had a few jobs, one as a teacher. It consumed a lot of her time, and I was sometimes left to my own devices. Maybe 80% of the time. I read a lot to the amusement of my peers. With some trials and errors of course, I prepared myself lunch for school the day before, made myself breakfast in the morning, and sometimes she'd eat it before I left for school. I didn't blame her all that much. I became really acclimated in the kitchen, and with a stool, I could make simple meals to eat. If she didn't have dinner ready by the time I came home, I'd usually order pizza. As neglectful as this might sound, I appreciate the independence I gained from that. It's made me who I am. She had a few jobs after that, and the more jobs she had, the less time she was at home. I usually walked to school, walked home. There were occasional times where mom would've brought a guest home, and I'd find him eating all our food.
Most of the men she had were the loner types or the party boys. I knew sometimes though that she resented having me around because as soon as I'd walk into the room or she introduces the man of the night to her 6-year-old daughter, they were running for the hills. As I started to get older, you know, she'd do her best to keep her conquests out of the house. She didn't play about that as I grew up, she even realizing that there had to be some boundaries.
The older I got, the more irresponsible she became. She stopped working for a while to do some self-exploring. I made sure the bills were paid, food on the table, and got myself where I needed to be. Uh, one night, I think I was 16, we had an argument about something stupid, and I remember wanting to go stay with my dad when I turned 17, and she wouldn't have it. She called Forks a place that sucks out all of your 'hopes and dreams'. She was right about it being small, but it was also my home in a sense. Charlie. She said she was unhappy, crying about how her life wasn't the way she wanted it, and maybe I was a bit out of line, but I told her that was her own fault, and I called her out on her ways from leaving my father to pretty much ignoring me. She said she never cared if she never spoke to me again," She looks away from him for the moment, looking back at the screen.
"We of course rehashed that within a few days, but something had changed between us. She met Phil a year later, and she became consumed with her new life, with a new man. Phil was younger, and I think she expected him to be flighty like she was, but Phil was very mature. He took care of her, and that left me to focus on myself. I finished my senior year strong, got into ASU, and did what I could. I love her, I do, but I don't think she loves me in the way that I feel like she should. We haven't spoken in almost a year, like really spoken. In truth Bucky, I'm the child she never wanted, and although she loves me in her own way, I will never mean to her what I mean to my father. I never showed her my emotions of displeasure or happiness even. On birthday's she tried to give me what I wanted, but never the one thing I needed. I think at age 8, she was working late, and it was my birthday. She forgot, and we never spoke a word about it. Until I was 9...and she thought I was 8," She sits the iPad down, looking away from Renee holding her baby boy, cooing, and playing. Bella didn't bother trying to hide her emotions here, and the look on her face showed just how much that hurt.
She wipes away the tear that starts to slide down her cheek. "Sorry," She murmurs, turning the iPad over and pushing it away. Her shoulders sag as she leans into the chair, and Bucky moves the curtain of hair that had fallen in front of her face, pushing it behind her ear. His eyes roam her face, guilt seeping in. He knew from what she told him a few weeks ago that Renee wasn't the best mother, and that their relationship was rocky, but he didn't expect that story. His goal was to simply know more, but he didn't mean to make her upset. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just curious. Don't apologize for showing how you feel. I'd rather know you're upset than pretending you're alright," She turns to him, pressing her face into his chest.
He runs his fingers though her hair, and she takes in a few deep breaths. "I know you don't remember a lot about yourself, but I appreciate what you share with me. Even if you can't remember happy memories, I hope you'll create some," Bucky lays his head on top of hers, staring at the turned over device. "I already have," He murmurs into her hair. Bella smiles into his shirt. "What about you and Steve? He wants to get to know you again. You two look like you were great friends. Even though you may not be associating memories with feelings, he's all you have left from your life. I'm sure he knows a lot about you. We can write them down in your journals. Like a story book," She muses with a small giggle.
Bucky chuckles with a hum. "We're going to need a lot of paper then,"
Bucky didn't think Bella was serious about actually writing his life story. After Steve and Natasha returned from the old Hydra place, after almost being blown to bits, Steve was more than happy to unwind, and reminisce with his longtime friend. Using what she could at her disposal, Bella sat off near a table, giving the two some semblance of privacy, although she was jotting down everything of importance. Of course, the two soldiers knew what she was up to, and it only made them have a laugh. As Steve told countless stories, Bella could tell that Bucky struggled to recall them, but he enjoyed listening. Steve delved into their childhood, happy memories and not so happy. Girls of interest the boys might have had. Anything and everything.
When it came to the war, there were some things Bucky remembered, some in very great detail. Steve was mildly surprised, but it bought him hope that Bucky would get better. There was a problem somewhere. Bucky remembered everything he did as the Winter Soldier, and some of those memories filter from the war, it was just himself, the true James Barnes that was lost in the middle.
"You know boys, I think this could turn into a book," Bella jokes. She holds up a stack of papers written front and back. She even jotted down a timeline that she'd probably write in one of his journals for his reference. "You were serious," Bucky murmurs, shaking his head.
Bella just shrugs, stepping away for a moment, and Bucky watches her leave from his sight before turning to Steve. Steve was giving him a knowing smile, shaking his head. "What?" Bucky questions, leaning back in the seat. Steve just holds his hands up saying nothing.
Later that Morning (1 A.M.)
Bella's shuffling wasn't something of a surprise, her tossing and turning in the night would usually settle. Though knowing this, Bucky still had awoken, blinking his eyes open a few times to adjust to the dark room. He rolled over on his side, flicking on the lamp. He rubbed his eyes with his hand, turning back over to face Bella. He had never seen her this distraught in her sleep, her usually blank face was set in a frown, her brows drawn as if she were in pain.
He sits up, reaching over to shake her awake, "Bella," He murmurs her name softly, hoping to gently coax her awake. It is futile as she tries to fight him off in her sleep, her movements becoming more sporadic. Not really caring about being hit, he swatted her hands away. "Bella!" He gives her sleeping form an exasperated look as she ends up hitting him in the face with her hand. He is able to grab both of her hands, locking her wrists together, enabling him to pull her up from the bed.
At this, she wakes with a start, her bearings unfamiliar to her causing her to lurch from Bucky's tight hold, the word 'stop' falling from her lips repeatedly. Bucky snakes his arm around her waist before she can tumble off the bed, pulling her back to his chest, holding her still. She struggled for a moment, before his voice registered to her ears. He used his other hand to swipe her hair back and out of her face. "Relax," He was whispering the word to her over and over again, and Bella completely sagged against him, holding onto his arm tightly. "Bucky?" She breaths out, sounding confused.
"Mhm, who else? I've never seen you have a nightmare that bad," He keeps up with the gentle motion of smoothing her hair, his arm tightening around her as he could feel her tensing against him. "This. This wasn't a nightmare...I...and there was something...in my head and it is impossible…but in my head…" She was starting to sound a bit discombobulated and confused, talking around in circles, and in ways Bucky couldn't follow. He lets her go, turning her around to face him, feeling a bit more concerned. "Slow down, I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Bella looks almost terrified, an emotion he didn't like seeing. He smoothes out her frown with his thumb. "He was in my head. I could feel it. Something was in my head. I was...in my dream I was...it wasn't even a dream. I felt like I was somewhere else, and it was really dark, and I couldn't see anything. But I was feeling cornered like I had nowhere to go,"
Bucky was still confused. "Like physically in your head or...?" Bella nods frantically. "It felt like what I did to you. Like someone was trying to get into my head," "And with your shield...that's virtually impossible, correct? Who is 'he'? Pierce?" Bella shakes her head, looking a bit unsure. "No...I... it's that vampire. But I don't think it was him trying..." Bucky tilts his head, waiting for her to elaborate. "He told me that he had a sister who could see the future or whatever, I wasn't really listening, but what if she's trying to find me or see my future and that's what I was feeling?" Bucky was still trying to grasp what was going on. Did that mean they were in D.C.? Bella moved off the bed, pacing in front of him, too engrossed in theories at this point.
"How is that possible? Do they have to be close to use these abilities?" Bella shrugs, and Bucky watches her for a minute or two. "Do you want to come back and lay down? Pacing isn't going to help anything," Bella lets out a sigh, before taking his advice, crawling back into the bed, snuggling herself into his arms.
"I don't like this feeling," She whispers after a few minutes of silence. "Feeling invaded," She murmurs.
Bucky kept an eye on Bella throughout the night, and the following day was spent with personal time together. After training with one another, the purpose to help keep Bella's skills sharp, they settled into one of the office rooms, Bella reading over her 'notes' from Steve's storytelling. She had her legs over his, crossed at the ankles, glancing up at Bucky every so often to catch him either staring at her or smiling to himself. "Is this helping you?" She wonders, and he nods, a small smile on his face. "Yeah, I'm starting to remember some of these, truly from my own memory. It's nice," Bella smiles at him, continuing with her reading.
Bucky after a while starts to tell Bella of his own stories that he can remember, bits and pieces, and Bella just listens, fully engrossed in his storytelling. It was comical with the way she'd gasp or her eyes would widen, and he'd just smile, the sound of her laughter traveling from the room and down the hall.
"Shouldn't they be more worried about pressing matters?" Fury had asked Steve, curious about the infamous Winter Soldier and his gifted companion. Steve just shrugs, smiling himself. "They should, but this just may be what they need. I think for Bucky this is enough right now. It's a normal outside of his normal. He's in love, of course it's what he needs," Fury hums in response. "That may be true, but love is a major factor in decisions Captain,"
Steve nods in agreement. "If you're worried about him in terms of fighting, don't. He's a soldier. He's going to fight for the one's he loves,"
"It's starting to fade," Bella murmurs, brushing her hair and pulling it up into a high bun. "You might need to get more," Bella grumbles at the thought, rolling her eyes. "I can just wear a wig at this point," Bucky snorts, leaving the bathroom, and heading towards the bed. Bella watches his retreating form, biting her lip for a moment before setting down her brush and hitting the light on the way out. She paused by the bathroom door, seeing him get himself comfortable. She makes her way over, plopping down on the bed hard enough to make him shift. He glances at her over his shoulder, giving her a surprised look.
She settles onto the bed, holding out her hand for him to take. He turns to face her, taking her hand, tilting his head to the side. She pulls on his hand, an indication that she wanted him to come closer. He complies and is taken by surprise when Bella rolls over on top of him. She lightly laughs, "You should see your face right now," Bucky raises a brow and grabs her by the waist, rolling over, reversing their positions. "You should see yours," He retorts with a smirk.
Their faces are barely noses apart, and Bella closes the space between them, intertwining her fingers in his silky strands. Bucky's tongue swipes at her bottom lip for permission, and she grants entrance to his exploring tongue, a groan leaving each of them. Bella arches into his hold as his hands travel down her back, traveling towards the small exposure of her smooth skin. The cool metal was slightly jarring and yet cooled the sudden heat of her skin. She wraps her legs around his waist, sucking in a sharp breath as he slowly dragged his teeth across her lip.
He pulls away from her a bit, his own eyes clouded with lust. She grounds her hips against him, and Bucky takes the hint to continue, pulling her up a bit so that he could remove her tank. He tosses it to the side, greedily taking her in as much as the soft light of the lamp allowed. She lets him touch and caress, his hands a contrast of the other. Bucky ran his hands along the valley of her breasts and down her stomach, stopping at her shorts before following back up the same path.
He could feel Bella's heart beating through her chest, and he leaned back over her to place a kiss where the small thumps resided. He leaned up and held up his arms as Bella sat up to remove his shirt, his dog tags clinking in the silent room. His shirt soon joined hers as she got on her knees, touching along his toned chest with delicacy. Bucky closes his eyes as she starts to pepper small kisses along his skin, pulling her hair from the bun she had it in, letting it spill across her shoulders.
He fingers the straps of her bra as she does so, unclasping it from behind, letting it fall. She shivers slightly as he runs his hands down her bare back, his fingers dipping into the waistband of her shorts, pulling those down, a small hum of approval leaving him as she was commando. "Lay back," He gently commands, and she complies, settling back into the pillows.
He runs his eyes over her again, taking in her heated expression. He used his thumb to pull her lip from her teeth, brushing along the soft skin. He spreads her legs, nestling himself in between them, slightly hovering over her. He grasps her face in his hand, bending down to kiss her lips, his metal hand creating goose bumps along her flesh. Her intake of breath could be heard in the quiet room, and it would be a sound he'd come to love.
Bucky had never been so content to just sit and do nothing. Bella was sitting against his chest in the bath, bubbles touching the rim of the tub. He rubs his hands along her shoulders, her blissed smile causing him to brush his nose along her neck. "You know, shit is going to hit the fan soon," She murmurs. Bucky just hums before responding, "That's how it works, doesn't it?" She leans her head back against his chest, looking up at him. She carefully studies his face; his heart beat steady under her ear. "You'll be careful, won't you?" Bucky gently grasps her chin, meeting her eyes. "I'll come back to you," He promises.
