Bucky POV
Watching Eden's fist connect with that asshole's face made me instantly forget all the rude shit he had said at the table...including everything that was said since I met him actually. Brandon was shitfaced but he was also about 50lbs heavier than Eden so I was proud of her when I saw him hit the ground.
That's my girl. This whole time I thought I needed to protect her…apparently I should be protecting everyone else.
I got over to her just as she was about to go after him again….Steve was only a few feet behind me. I slid my hands around her tiny waist to pull her away while Steve bent down to check on Brandon. His nose was bleeding but I could see there wasn't anything broken…except maybe his damn pride.
"Crazy bitch, that's why I didn't ever fucking call you after that first date" Michael said as he examined the blood on his hands.
Eden started trying to wiggle from my grasp and after hearing that last remark from him, I nearly let her go, wanting to see just how tough Eden could be. Steve caught my eye though, a pleading look on his face as he glanced over at Brooke. I could see her looking back and forth between her brother and Eden, emotionally torn between the two.
I sighed and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Stop Eden, Stop"
When she turned around to face me, I saw a wild look in her eye…just like the one I had seen earlier in Brooke's apartment when she was mad at Brandon. It was animalistic, full of emotion, and…
Sexy as hell!
"Let me take you home…to bed" I said, staring directly into her eyes. The shocked look I saw reflected back at me brought a smirk to my face and I continued, "Watching you punch him was absolutely the sexiest thing I've ever witnessed woman!"
I saw the heat in her eyes as she contemplated what I said but Brooke's shouting made both of us suddenly turn around, "I warned you asshole. I told you to stay away from Eden!" Steve was struggling to pull Brooke away from Brandon but she wasn't having any of it. She was slapping him hard…the palm of her hand connecting with his cheek repeatedly. Steve could have easily yanked her off of him but he was trying not to hurt her.
"Go to the car, I'm going to help him with her and grab your jacket" I said, turning her to face me. She looked unsure so I added, "I'll be right behind you"
I kissed her quickly and then walked over to Steve, grabbing one of Brooke's arms while he grabbed the other, removing her as gently as possible from her brother.
"Fuck Brooke, I took her out on one date. What's the big deal? I never even called her afterwards" he shouted at her.
Brooke's mouth dropped open and she roared back at him, "You never called her!" That only got Brooke even more riled up and she lunged for him again but Steve had his arms wrapped around her waist and she couldn't even move.
"Let me go Steve, I'm going to beat the shit out of him" she swore, bucking wildly against his chest. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear and she instantly calmed down. I looked over at him questioningly but he only shook his head.
"Can I let you go now?" I heard Steve ask her gently. When she nodded, he released her and true to her word, she stayed put. She did lean over Brandon and tell him in a terrifyingly calm voice, "I'm telling mom"
His eyes got wide and he shot back, "You wouldn't dare"
She smiled smugly at him, "Oh you better believe it buddy. Good luck with that shit"
She turned around and marched back towards the table…Steve and I looked at each other and followed after her. She chugged the last of her drink and then grabbed her coat, turning around to face us as she slipped it on.
"I'm telling mom?" Steve repeated to her, a look of confusion on his face.
Brooke smiled, "Trust me when I say that will be worse than any beating either of us could ever give him. My mother loves Eden…hell, everyone loves Eden. When my mom finds out what he did, she'll never let him hear the end of it"
Steve busted out laughing and I joined him…Brooke stood there with her hand on her hip, "Laugh it up, but I'm serious. You guys don't know my mother. She's just like me but 100 times worse"
She finally started chuckling too, "Come on, let's get the fuck out of here. Where did Eden go Bucky?" she asked.
"I gave her the keys and told her to go to the car. I'm going to take her home" I replied, grabbing Eden's jacket from the back of her chair.
"Let her know I'm not mad at her for me please. Oh, and let her know I'm telling my mom…she'll get a kick out of that" she said, leaning against Steve. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and looked down at her, "You okay?" he asked her gently.
She nodded, "Just peachy…come on, let's go collect my brother and drag his ass back to the apartment. Do you think you could stay the night, maybe sleep on the couch? I think I might do some serious bodily harm to him if I'm left by myself with him"
They were walking away but Steve turned around to wave at me, a goofy smile on his face.
Way to go Steve!
I passed the waitress enough money to cover our bill and then headed out into the night. It was cold outside and I knew Eden was probably freezing in just that tank top she was wearing. I walked quickly in the direction our car was parked.
I saw Eden not far ahead of, frozen on the sidewalk, staring into the dark alley that was in front of her.
"Eden" I said quietly, trying to get her attention.
She didn't answer me and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Something was wrong. Something just didn't feel quite right. I stopped a few feet from her but she still didn't realize I was there. I looked around quickly, scanning the street and sidewalk slowly in search of my enemy. My instincts took over and I reached for the knife behind my leather jacket. I looked back at Eden and saw the terror evident in her face…her eyes widened suddenly and I knew whatever she saw down that alley was scaring the shit out of her.
No! I promised her nothing would ever hurt her…I promised I would fight to the death for her. I have to get her out of here, it's too dangerous to try anything with her around. Just stay calm Bucky, act like everything is fine.
I pulled my hand away from the knife and instead stepped toward her. She jumped when I laid my hand on her shoulder.
Great Bucky, scare her even worse than she already was…moron!
She turned to me suddenly and I asked her, "Are you okay Eden?" She just stood there, blankly staring at me. Whatever she had seen in that alley had her spooked and it made me even angrier. I desperately wanted to step down there and see what monsters lie in the dark…but I couldn't risk her getting hurt. No, I needed to get her home safely. I would hunt down that devil another day. I put my hand on her cheek…it was cold to the touch. "Jesus, your skin is ice cold"
She glanced back down the alley with a confused expression on her face but I pulled her back towards me to slip her jacket onto her and then directed her to the SUV. I peered down the alley as I walked her by it, blocking it from her view.
Oh yeah, someone is down there. He was watching her. Shit! He must have been watching her earlier today too. She said she had a weird feeling but I ignored her. I was too fucking distracted to notice. Damn Brooke's brother. I can't let that ever happen again.
Once the heat was on full blast, I turned to her, "What's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost. Talk to me" I commanded. I wanted to know what it was she saw down there without actually acknowledging her fears. I wanted her to believe she was overreacting…I didn't want her to realize that I had felt it too. She told me what she saw down there…a man, no…a monster. Seeing the fear in her eyes was like a dagger to my heart.
I stared out the window of the SUV towards the alley. I could easily take care of whoever it was down there. The anger at seeing that fear of her face was too much so I reached for the door handle. I felt her still icy fingers on my hand, "No Bucky" she said, shaking her head.
Dammit Eden, don't look at me that way. I need to take care of this now.
"I'm just going to walk down there and investigate. I'll be right back" I said calmly. She wouldn't let go of my arm and I noticed her hand was trembling, "No" she said again.
I looked at her, weighing my options. If I told her that I believed her, it would make her fears reality. Right now she only "thought" she saw something in that alley. My other option was to convince her it was all a figment of her imagination. Yes it was technically a lie…but I would tell her a thousand white lies to keep her safe.
"I'm sure it was nothing Eden. You just got freaked out walking in the dark all alone. I shouldn't have let you go by yourself…it won't happen again" I told her.
I saw her nod her head and she quietly said, "Let's go home" I grabbed her hand, noticing how cold it still was and heard her sigh. As we drove by the alley, I turned to look out the window and saw nothing standing down there.
Thank God, maybe she will forget this whole thing. I need to call Steve when I get back to the apartment. I want someone to scour that alley way and figure out who the fuck that was scaring the shit out of her. Why the hell would someone be following her? Michael maybe?
She had turned to look too and I could see the doubt already forming on her face. I felt like shit making her distrust her instincts but I also didn't want to ever see that look of horror in her eyes ever again.
You're doing this to keep her safe Bucky.
I needed to get if off her mind so I switched one emotion for another and brought up the subject of Brandon.
"What did he say to you Eden that made you so mad?' I asked as we made our way home.
That worked! There's that glow in her eye again. Damn, she's sexy when she's angry!
"He was saying terrible things about you….about your arm" she said, hesitating only slightly, not wanting to upset me.
I felt the muscle in my jaw twitch upon hearing it but I kept myself under control. "What else?" I asked, glancing over at her.
She faltered again but took a deep breath and quickly said "He said Michael must have really fucked me up…he said I was damaged goods and that all I could get now was a one armed man"
Fucker!
I didn't look at her when I muttered, "You're not damaged goods Eden and you could get any guy you wanted" I glanced at her quickly to see her watching me closely, "….absolutely any guy" I added facing forward again.
We sat in silence for several moments, "Too bad for all those other guys" she said softly as I was pulling into her parking spot at the apartment.
I turned off the car and looked over at her as she continued, "Too bad I only want you….just you Bucky"
The look in her eyes when she said the last part nearly stopped my heart.
"Get out of the car Eden" I ordered with a smirk on my face. She smiled up at me, a sly look in her eyes, "I didn't hear you say please Sergeant" she said sweetly.
She squealed and threw herself out of the car when I lunged across the seat for her. She was running to the door leading into the apartments. The sound of her giggling made me feel a better and I knew I had made the right decision to act like I didn't feel that dark, ominous presence in the alley.
I caught up with her at the bottom of the stairs and scooped her up. She flung her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek as I carried her up the stairs to her apartment.
Our apartment Bucky…you live with her now, remember?
I let her down when we reached the door so she could unlock it. She threw her keys down on the table and slipped out of her jacket before turning around to face me.
"I'm going to take a quick shower. I feel….dirty. It's still early. You want to get dinner and watch a movie?" she said.
She smiled when I nodded, "You could always join me in the shower…you know…if you felt a little dirty too" she added with a wink.
"I'm going to call Steve first" I said "Just to make sure everything is okay on their end" I added.
She swallowed hard and a look of regret showed on her face, "I didn't even think about how Brooke was going to feel. I hope she isn't mad at me"
I laughed suddenly, remembering what Brooke told me, "She told me to tell you she isn't mad at you and also to let you know she was telling her mom on Brandon"
My smile widened on my face when I saw Eden's face light up and she laughed, "Well that settles that. His mom knowing is the worst punishment he could get…she will never let him live it down"
"Go take your shower…I'll be in there shortly" I added, smirking at the look of need in her eyes when I said the last part.
She started heading towards the bedroom and I called out to her, "And don't use all the hot water up before I get there" I heard her chuckle lightly before closing the door. I waited a few seconds before pulling out my phone and calling Steve.
When he answered I asked him if he was alone and could talk in private.
"Yeah Bucky, I can talk. Brooke is in her bedroom talking to her mom. Brandon ran off to the spare bedroom and hasn't come out since then…what's up?" he asked.
I filled him in on what happened when we left Brooke's apartment earlier and about what had transpired tonight, "Steve I felt it…she wasn't wrong, someone was watching her. I didn't get a look at him but whatever it was she saw, it scared her shitless. I spend the entire ride home convincing her she imagined it all. It makes me feel like shit to lie to her"
"You did the right thing Bucky. I'd do the same thing if it was Brooke. I'll call Barton and see if he can head down there and pick up a trail." he said.
Barton was good…almost as good at tracking as I was. I knew he would get the job done.
"Tell him not to engage once he tracks down the fucker...just watch him and see what he's up to. I don't want Clint to get over zealous and take care of the guy himself. He's mine." I added.
"Bucky…" Steve said in a warning voice.
"No Steve…this guy was hunting her like she was prey. What if I hadn't come along when I did, huh? He could have gotten to her Steve; do you know how that makes me feel? I'm a fucking trained assassin…The God damn Winter Soldier and I can't even take care of my own woman" I said, hearing the anger building in my voice.
I heard Steve sigh on the other end, "I'll tell Barton once he locates the target to hold position and notify me. I'll contact you when I hear from him…but Bucky, are you sure you're ready for this…..ready to get back into the game?"
"This isn't a game to me Steve. This is Eden's life we're talking about. I know I screwed up on the mission and let the Winter Soldier come out full force but this is different Steve. When it comes to Eden, I will control him. Every part of me loves her, even the Winter Soldier inside of me." I said.
Is that true? Does the Winter Soldier love her too?
Yes, of course I do. She makes us stronger…stronger than HYDRA ever did.
I needed to stop fighting that part of me and learn to work with it. I didn't have to force it completely out of my life and live in constant fear of it destroying the balance I had worked for so hard the last three months. I needed to embrace it and learn to use it for good…which is exactly what I planned to do once Clint found that fucker from the alley.
"I need to go Steve. Let me know when you find out something" I said, before hitting the end button.
I sat down my phone, satisfied with my decision to stop trying to fight the Winter Soldier and work out some kind of balance with him.
I'm not a separate person you idiot. I'm you. I just want to be heard every once in a while…my opinion matters too.
I shook my head and tried to stop thinking about it. I made my way towards the bedroom and heard water running in the bathroom. I smiled to myself and I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it into the laundry basket. I unzipped my jeans and slid them and my boxers off in one swoop, tossing them in the basket as well. I walked into the bathroom and made my way over the shower door. She turned to smile at me when she felt the cold air on her back.
"Well, well, well Sergeant Barnes, so nice of you to finally join me" she said, before wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.