The last twenty four hours had been the best hours of my life. When Eden had asked me to stay and then promised she wasn't going anywhere and wanted to be there for me, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. When she pulled me up from the couch and hugged me tightly, I was shocked. I couldn't remember ever being hugged that way before. I caught the floral scent of her hair and couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction.

When she suggested we get take out and just stay in to watch a movie I was more than happy to oblige. I would do anything to spend time with her, it didn't matter what we did. I saw her turn around and head toward the kitchen and I sat back onto the couch.

"By the way Bucky…"I turned to see her looking my direction…."you look pretty good for a guy who is nearly a century old."

I couldn't control the laughter that escaped me. I might have been born nearly a hundred years ago but I was really only about 28 years old. HYDRA kept me frozen between missions; I had only aged maybe 2 years since they captured me during the war.

She entered the room with the phone in one hand and the stack of menus from her fridge. We sorted through the options and I mentioned that I hadn't eaten at the pizza place yet. We decided to order and then walk over and pick it up.

On the way, I told her more about Steve and how he had helped me get through the worst. I brought up the nightmares that I had some nights. I don't know why I even mentioned it. Just thinking about them made my heart begin to pound. I hated the fear that those nightmares brought out of me. I could feel myself slipping out of control.

"Come back to me Bucky…you looked like you were going to a bad place" Eden said to me.

Then I felt Eden's arm touching mine and I looked over at her.

This girl has no idea. I was heading for a bad place. Stop dwelling on the past man, look at your future, it's standing right next to you.

She started to pull her arm away, a look of uncertainty on her face. I grabbed onto her hand and held on.

"Friends can hold each other's hands, right?" I whispered.

Please say yes….please

Her beautiful smile told me my answer before she even replied, "Of course"

I know I probably had a goofy smile on my face as we walked down the block. I couldn't help it. Here I was holding the hand of a gorgeous woman who knew what I was and still wanted to be with me.

She didn't say she wanted to be with you Bucky…she said she wanted to be your friend.

Well, she may only want me as a friend now but I was determined to make her more than that. I needed her in my life right now and if that meant I only got to have her as a friend then that was fine by me…for now.

The pizza place was swarming with people so I offered to wait outside while she went in. I don't like to be around a lot of people. I was used to being alone, that is what I preferred. Big crowds were a problem; the noise, the bustling of people…it all made me jumpy, which in turn made me dangerous.

Once Eden was inside, I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket and walked a bit further down the street until I came to a light post. I dialed Steve's number and leaned back on the post as I listened to it ring.

His voice sounded a bit worried when he finally answered, "Bucky, are you okay? You've been gone a while man…I was getting worried, how did it go?"

"She said I looked good for an old guy" I said with a chuckle.

I heard Steve laugh on the other end. I filled him in on her reaction and everything that had happened up until the moment I called him.

"I'm really happy for you Buck, and proud of you for taking such a huge step forward. This girl must be really special. When do I get to meet her?" he asked.

"Soon Steve, I just want to spend more time with her first….by myself" I added.

"Uh huh, I remember you telling me that once or twice…many years ago" he said with a laugh.

"Good bye Steve, don't wait up for me" I said with a smile as I hung up the phone. I heard him laughing when I disconnected.

It was about that time that I glanced back down the street to see Eden walking from the restaurant, a pizza box in her hand. I smiled at her. That's when I saw him.

There was a guy following her out the door yelling something at her. She turned around and I saw him snatch the pizza box out of her hand and fling it onto the bench next to him. I quickly walked towards them…attempting to keep myself under control.

Stay cool Bucky. The guy is probably just drunk…he saw a pretty lady like Eden and is trying to hit on her.

I broke out in a run when I saw him snatch her by the arm with one hand and reach around behind her to cop a feel with the other. I saw her push him away in disgust. He reached for her again and drew back his hand to slap her across the face. Fury washed over me.

If he hits her, I'll kill him.

Before he could lay his hand on her, I grabbed him with my metal arm and squeezed…hard. I felt the bones in his wrist break and he let out a scream. I let go of his wrist and used my metal arm to push him hard into the brick wall of the building.

"You don't touch a lady like that" I heard Eden call my name and come up beside me. I was trying to stay calm, I really was...but what he said next pushed me over the edge.

"Look man! I didn't realize the whore was already taken" he shouted it into my face.

Whore! He called Eden a whore!

A growl of anger came from my mouth and I reared back my arm. I was going to beat this guy within an inch of his life.

Eden stepped in front of me before I could land a single blow. I felt her hands on my chest.

"No Bucky" she looked at me and shook her head.

I had promised Eden that the Winter Soldier was gone. I would prove that to her. I let the guy go and he ran the opposite direction.

Her hands were still on my chest, it felt good to be this close to her.

"Are you okay?" I didn't wait for a response. I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her tightly. She mumbled she was fine, not moving her head from my chest.

I could get use to this.

I never wanted to let her go…. I could have stayed like that forever.

I finally pulled away and smiled down at her. "Come on, I'll let you pick out what movie to watch"

I picked up the pizza and we headed back to the apartment.

"Thank you Bucky….for what you did back there" she said as we walked along.

"For defending your honor? Or for not beating that man into a pulp?" I responded.

She giggled, "Both, I guess"

We reached her apartment and I sat the pizza down onto her coffee table. I knew she hadn't eaten all day and neither had I. My metabolism worked faster than normal people…like Steve, I couldn't get drunk and my body required nourishment more often and in larger quantities. I heard her in the kitchen opening up the fridge. She returned with two cans of soda and a stack of napkins.

She opened the box and grabbed a slice out. The pizza was huge and it smelled delicious. I saw her walk over to a large shelf of movies. I watched her as she nibbled on her pizza and stared at the movies until she apparently found the right one. She turned to smile at me.

"I haven't seen this one yet. I heard it was really scary but I didn't want to watch it alone in the dark." she said as she slid the disc into her player. She threw the empty box my way and I finally saw the title.

The Conjuring

"Are you afraid of scary movies Bucky?" she asked as she laid her slice of pizza on a napkin.

I lived a scary movie for 70 years.

"No" I replied.

"Great, so I can use your shoulder to hide my eyes at all the scary parts then" she said as she headed towards what I assumed was her bedroom.

She came back out a few moments later wearing black yoga pants and a grey tank top.

"I like to be comfortable when I watch movies" she explained when I eyed her curiously.

We decided to eat our pizza before turning on the movie. She had two slices and then exclaimed she was full. She watched me devour the rest.

"You better watch it old man, you can't stay in fantastic shape forever" she joked, poking me in the stomach as she walked by.

"Yes I can, I'm a super soldier, remember?" I called after her. She giggled.

She came back from throwing the box and empty cans away and began turning off all the lights. Once it was completely dark in the apartment she came and leapt onto the couch with a shriek.

She grabbed the remote and turned on the movie. It really was a good, full of jumps and scares. Each time something popped out or something scary happened, Eden would scoot closer to me and grab my hand. Once the scary part was over she would release my hand and begin watching again. By the middle of the movie, she was cuddled up to my chest and I had my arm wrapped around her.

I could smell her hair and it made me smile. I had to find out what she was using to smell so good.

Once the credits started to roll, Eden paused it and we sat in the dark together. She laid her head on my chest and threw one arm around my waist.

"Bucky?" she murmured.

"Yes?"

"You're a good person to watch a scary movie with" she said…."and you smell nice"

"Thank you"

Her phone received a text message and she groaned. She pulled away from me and got up off the couch. She stretched and her tank top rode up her stomach just a tiny amount. I swallowed hard and turned away, trying not to stare. She walked over to her purse and pulled out her phone to check her message.

She had her back to me but I heard her intake of breath when she read it. I knew whatever it was had upset her.

Should I ask?

She turned around and I could tell she was trying to appear okay. I saw her swallow hard and put on a fake smile.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yep"

She sat her phone back in her purse without responding to the message. Whoever it was, she didn't want to talk to them.

Or didn't want to talk to them in front of you.

She walked back over and sat down on the couch. She looked deep in thought and I got the feeling it was time for me to leave. Whatever she had read had upset her and I didn't want to push her.

"It's getting late, I should probably go" I said standing.

She looked up at me and seemed to hesitate before she nodded in response. "Okay"

"Hey Bucky, can I get your cell phone number? I'd like to be able to call you"

"Of course" I answered.

We exchanged phone numbers and then she followed me to the door to let me out.

"Thanks for spending time with me today Bucky…and for telling me everything." She said as I stepped out into the hallway.

"Thanks for not kicking me out of your house once I finished telling you everything" was my response.

I wanted to reach out and hug her but I gave her some space. Whatever that text message said, it was getting to her, I could see it in her eyes. I wanted to know…but I had no right to demand an answer. If she wanted to tell me, she would…in her own time.

I wished her a goodnight and turned to walk toward the stairs. I made it halfway down when I heard her call after me, "Bucky!"

I turned to see her rushing toward me. When she finally reached me, she hugged me tightly.

"Thank you" she whispered into my chest.

"For what?" I asked, confused.

"For being on that bench last night" was her response. She turned away and walked back down the hallway to her apartment door. Before she closed it, she looked my way one last time and smiled.