It was dark and I was unable to move. I could hear the voices…dozen of voices screaming for mercy. A light began to appear, illuminating the source of the screams. As the light grew, I could make out each face…each victim of the Winter Soldier.

They stood pointing at me….blood soaked clothes…dead eyes. I struggled against my restraints. Looking down I recognized the chair I was strapped in…it was the same one they used when they wiped my memory.

A man appeared in front of me, a gunshot wound in his head, "I begged you not to kill me! I begged for mercy" he shouted.

I shook my head, "No, please, it wasn't me. I'm not the Winter Soldier…my name is Bucky!"

Their screams were too loud, I struggled against the restraints again, desperate to throw my hands over my ears and block them out.

The moment I heard her voice, I stopped struggling and looked up… the voices instantly stopped.

"Bucky" Eden called. There she stood, beyond the crowd, dressed in a beautiful white gown, her curly blonde hair trailing down her back.

She looked like an angel…my beautiful Eden.

The ghoulish horde turned toward her slowly, finally noticing her.

"NO! Eden run! Get out of here" I shouted.

She stood there, a gentle smile on her lovely face…not moving, just waiting.

"Stay away from her! She isn't the one who killed you!" It was the Winter Soldier!" I yelled.

They made their way towards her, blocking her from my view. I couldn't move…I wouldn't be able to save her in time.

"Please, leave her alone. It was me! I killed you!" I cried out, choking on the words.

The crowd disappeared instantly and a loud shot rang out.

I looked at Eden. Her hands were clutching her stomach, a look of shock on her face. When she pulled her hands away they were covered with blood. A small pool of red was quickly staining the front of her white dress.

"NO!" I screamed, looking around to see where the gun shot had come from.

I finally looked down and saw the gun in my right hand, pointed at her.

"Bucky" she called again softly.

I felt hands on my chest. With a growl, I grabbed the person and flung them onto their back, raising my fist in the air, ready to attack.

"Bucky!" Eden called again, laying her hands on my bare chest, "It's me, Eden"

Any other person who had just been attacked and threatened by me would be shrinking away in fear, but not Eden….she just looked up at me calmly, not afraid.

I was breathing hard; the panic from my dream not allowing me to catch my breath….I dropped my arm to my side and looked her over.

Eden was dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, not the white gown from my dream. There was no blood, no gunshot.

She's fine Bucky, you didn't hurt her…there is no blood.

The dream had been so real…I thought back to how she had looked when she pulled her bloody hands away. I stared down at her…even now, she was still with me…she hadn't ran away in fear.

I pulled her up from the bed and wrapped my arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I felt her fingers smooth through my hair….I immediately felt myself relax. Just being close to her was a comfort.

"I'm sorry Eden…I'm so sorry" I said quietly, unsure if I was apologizing for what happened in the dream or what happened after she woke me up.

An image of her bloody white dress slipped into my thoughts again and I pulled away from her and got off the bed.

"Bucky, you should try and get some sleep" she said, watching me closely.

No! You'll have the dream again!

"No….the nightmares…I can't…no…" I said, shaking my head.

When she reached out her hand and told me, "Come with me, you can sleep in my room" I was shocked.

What did I do to deserve this woman in my life?

The thought of sleeping next to her both excited and scared me. I wanted Eden more than anything else in the world…I didn't want to hurt her…I don't think I could live with myself if I did.

The need to be close to her won and I took her outstretched hand. She led me to her bedroom and over to her bed. She gently pulled back the covers, motioning for me to get in the bed. I laid down, her sheets were cool on my warm skin.

I watched her as she slowly walked around the bed to her side and lay down. I was surprised when she maneuvered herself next to my body and laid her head on my chest….it just felt right having her there. Every bad feeling I had experienced in the last 48 hours fled as soon as I smelled the flowery aroma of her hair.

For this moment, I felt what it was like to be a normal man again, a man in love with the beautiful woman in his arms.

"Eden?"

"Yeah?" she replied

"I missed you"

She raised her face from my chest and looked at me, "I missed you too Bucky. Please don't leave me again."

The sad look in her blue eyes when she told me not to leave her again was all I needed. Eden was never going to get rid of me...I was hers.

I pulled her back down, enjoying the smell of her hair as it brushed my face, "Never" I promised her.

I lay there, holding her close to me. This wasn't exactly how I planned our reunion when I had hugged her goodbye nearly a week ago.

The entire time she had been away at her friends, I had imagined exactly what I would do when she returned home.

Well you did hope to end up in her bed…just not like this.

I fell asleep quickly; her warm body snug against mine.

It was several hours later that I awoke. When I glanced at the clock on Eden's night stand I saw it was only 3:30 in the morning. I looked down at Eden, her face impossibly beautiful even as she slept. My throat was dry so I slipped out of bed gently, trying not to disturb her. She moaned a little and then rolled over on her side away from me. I stepped into her bathroom, quietly closing the door behind me and switching on the light. I drank cool water from her sink and then splashed some water on my face.

I made my way back to her bedroom and over to her window. Pulling back the curtain I could see the rain had started to fall again.

I heard her shift in the bed, "Bucky, you okay?" she mumbled sleepily.

"I'm fine"

"Come back to bed with me" she said.

I smirked, and turned to see her with her hand out in my direction, beckoning me to her. I walked to her side of the bed, "Scoot over" She rolled the opposite direction, facing away from me. I slid in next to her, burying my face into the back of her neck and wrapping my right arm around her waist. She entwined her fingers in mine and I sighed in pleasure. I'm sure I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

...

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