I woke up early the next morning, unsure of what stirred me out of my sleep. I opened my eyes and saw Bucky, only a foot away, sleeping peacefully. I rolled onto to my back and listened, trying to figure out what I had heard that woke me up. I picked up my phone and saw no missed calls or messages.

As I lay there, staring at the ceiling, I let my mind wander…thinking about everything that had happened the last two weeks. I was supposed to be taking another two weeks of vacation but with the added expense of having to buy a new car, I figured it was a good thing to get back to work. I was waiting to hear from the insurance company about my claim. My SUV was in excellent shape before the accident and I had doubled up my payments in order to pay it off quickly. I was hoping they would be fair and pay me enough to put a decent down payment on a new vehicle. My insurance agent had promised Bucky he would me call me as soon as he found out something.

I slid out of bed quietly and walked over to my desk, turning on my laptop. While I waited for it to boot up, I walked into the kitchen to make some coffee. Once it was brewed, I poured myself a cup and inhaled the heavenly scent before making my way back to my bedroom. I needed to send an email out to my clients to let them know I was open for business again. I typed up a quick message and sent it to the list of business contacts I had saved. Once that was done, I started scrolling through my emails, deleting the junk mail. I heard Bucky move and I turned towards the bed to see him roll over, his body now facing the direction of my desk…his eyes were still closed so I quietly went back to work.

There were 10 different emails from Michael in my inbox…I let my mouse hover off the delete button but my curiosity got the best of me and I clicked on the first one, dated 4 days earlier. I peeked behind me, making sure Bucky was still asleep. I almost felt guilty for looking at the messages but for some reason I needed to know what they said.

Eden,

I'm sorry for what happened the other night at your apartment. I didn't mean for things to go that far…you know how crazy I get when it comes to you. Who was that man in your apartment? I know that you are probably angry about what happened with me and Lizzie but you have to understand that it's over between me and her. If you are with that guy, you can end things with him too and then we can get back to the way things were before. I hope you liked the roses I sent you. Call me babe!

Michael

DELETE!

He honestly thought I would just dump the current guy I was dating for the chance to get back with him. I shook my head, disgusted in myself for ever dating someone like him. I skipped down a bit and clicked on an email that was sent while I was still in the hospital. I felt the anger wash over me as I read it.

You bitch! I can't believe you won't answer my messages. You don't know what you're missing out on. You're going to regret ignoring me!

I didn't need to read the rest to know they would probably all be the same…just empty threats.

You hope they are empty threats….Michael could of changed a lot in the last year and half.

I remember how his hands had grabbed for my pants button the night he had come over. After reading the last email, I wasn't so sure I believed that Michael wasn't capable of it anymore. He was an entirely different person from the guy I had met in college.

"Eden" I heard Bucky mumble.

I spun around in my chair to see him yawning and rubbing his eyes. I made my way over to the bed to sit down beside him, "Good morning. Did you sleep okay?"

He nodded and smiled sleepily at me, "Best sleep I've had in three days"

"Well that's not saying much since you slept on a hospital couch the last three days" I swept some hair out of his face and smiled down at him.

"What time is it?"

I glanced at the clock on my nightstand, "8:45, you're supposed to meet Steve to go running at 10:00"

He nodded and yawned again, "Are you sure you're okay with me going?"

"I'll be fine. How about I make breakfast? What does a super soldier eat before they go on a morning run" I teased.

He threw back the covers and sat up, kissing me on the cheek, "Surprise me" He made his way to bathroom and shut the door…moments later I heard the water turn on.

I grabbed my cup of coffee off the desk and walked into the kitchen. I pulled the eggs and the bag of pre-shredded hash browns from my fridge and set to work. Bucky walked into the kitchen dressed in his sweats with his hair tied back just as I was about to start making toast.

"Coffee, juice, or milk" I asked.

"Juice" he said as he sat down on the stool and slipped his running shoes on. I poured some juice in a glass for him and milk for myself. I made us both a plate and slid down beside him in the other stool.

He looked over at me and smiled, "This is nice"

"What do you mean?" I asked as I buttered my toast.

"This" he said again, waving his hands at the plates of food, "Waking up to you…eating breakfast together…it's nice" I saw him shrug his shoulders and start eating the food on his plate. I watched him with a smile, knowing exactly how he felt.

Content….for once in my life I feel content…everything is as it should be.

"So, you know Steve is probably going to try and talk me in to going to the gym with him after our run. I may be gone for a while. What are your plans for the morning?" He stabbed at the eggs on his plate.

"It's back to work for me" When I saw the confused look on his face I added, "I sent an email out this morning to my business clients letting them know my vacation was over"

He frowned, "I thought you were going to be on vacation for another 2 weeks"

"That was the plan originally…but since the accident, I've been thinking it would probably be a good idea to get back to work. I know my insurance company will cover most everything but I'll need to get a new car….and the hospital bills…" I trailed off.

He turned to me, a serious look on his face, "Eden, you know I have all that money just sitting in the bank…if you need something you know I would take care of it, right?…and I can pay rent"

I shook my head and smiled. I knew about the money Bucky had in the bank, SHIELD had given him an insane amount of money, more than enough for him to live very well for the rest of his life…on top of that he was receiving an exorbitant payment each month. Steve had told me Bucky had never used any of it.

"Bucky, that is your money, which is well deserved I might add. I'll be fine; going back to work is just me being overly cautious"

He still had a disappointed look on his face, "I was looking forward to having you all to myself the next two weeks"

I laughed, "Bucky, I work from home and set my own hours…trust me, you'll have me any time you want me" I blushed when I realized that what I said could be taken the wrong way.

When I saw that cocky look on his face I jabbed him in the shoulder, "You know what I mean…pervert! You better finish your breakfast; you need to meet Steve in 15 minutes"

I got up from my stool and rinsed off my plate before loading it in the dishwasher. I watched as Bucky stuffed the last bite of toast in his mouth and rose from his seat.

He made his way to me and pulled me into a hug…I laid my head on his chest and let him pull me close.

"Eden, I'm serious about what I said earlier. If you need money, all you have to do is tell me"

"I know Bucky…but really I'm fine… I just want to be prepared. You go spend some time with Steve, I'm sure he has missed you the last few days. Don't worry about me; I'm sure I've already got a pile of work to do"

I felt him kiss my forehead gently, "When I get done working out with Steve, I'll bring home lunch. Do you think you'll be finished with everything by then?"

"Sure, that sounds nice. Invite Steve to come along, ok?"

He pulled away and nodded, "Yes ma'am" I got one last kiss on the cheek from him before he grabbed his gym bag and left the apartment.

I cleaned up the kitchen and then headed back to my desk. I already had two clients email me about updates they needed on their websites. I sighed and got to work…the time passed quickly. I looked at the clock when I heard the door open and close….I had just finished working on my second client and had emailed my invoice to them.

It was 2:00!

Jeez! I've been working for the last four hours…but I got a lot done!

I had just gotten out of my chair and was stretching when Bucky walked into the bedroom, dropping his bag by my dresser. He was covered in sweat; apparently he was right about Steve talking him into going to the gym.

I put my hands out in front of me when he tried to playfully hug me, "Ewww, you need another shower mister"

He laughed, "Well at least I've taken a shower today…you're still wearing what you slept in last night. Is that how a successful business owner is supposed to dress?"

I wagged my finger at him, "I'll have you know that I do my best work dressed like this"

"Uh huh, well can I talk you into taking a shower and getting dressed? Steve suggested we go out to eat lunch…the three of us"

"Sure, that sounds great…you want to shower first?" I asked, turning around to shut my laptop.

"Well, I was thinking that in the interest of saving time, we could shower together?"

I turned to him…hand on my hip, "Bucky Barnes! I think showering together would have the exact opposite effect" I walked over to him seductively, tracing my finger down his chest. I tilted my face up like I was going to kiss him and then darted past him and made a mad dash for my bathroom , "You can use the shower in the guest bathroom" I yelled, slamming and locking the door behind me before he realized what was happening. I had my back on the door, laughing hysterically when I heard him knock, "I won't fall for that trick a second time" I heard him laugh and walk out of my bedroom.