Just something short to tide you guys over for a while. I promise I'll get after it this weekend! Let me know what you guys think! I have created an email address strictly dedicated to answering any and all questions you have about the story...anything you ever wondered about or suggestions of your own. The yahoo email address ID is ecorleyfanfic

Bucky POV

I was having the most amazing dream before I was woken up.

Eden and I had spent the day at Coney Island, one of my favorite places to visit growing up as a kid in Brooklyn. I had dragged Steve there many times and now I wanted to share the experience with the woman I loved most in this world.

The day had ended and we were now riding the Ferris Wheel together. We were seated comfortably next to each other in the bucket seat, watching as the firework display started. The bright lights were reflecting off the water of the Atlantic Ocean as they shot up into the sky. It was the perfect ending to what had been a perfect day...truthfully, every day with Eden was a perfect day. I was smiling down at her and loving the way her eyes lit up in excitement. She was so beautiful, my sweet Eden.

I reached over and patted my jacket pocket, assuring myself that I still had the small box inside. Each time we had ridden one of the park's rides, I had unconsciously checked my pocket to make sure it hadn't fell out. I had been planning how I would do this for weeks now and I wanted everything to be just right. Looking down at her, I couldn't imagine a better time to ask her the most important question I would ever ask. This was it! This was the moment where my life would change for the better...my forever was just a question away.

"Eden" I whispered into her ear, smiling when I felt her shiver at my warm breath on her skin. I loved that I could make her react that way.

She reluctantly tore her eyes away from the firework display and looked up at me. The colored lights continued to explode into the air behind her and the sight took my breath away. I swallowed hard and tried to push away the sudden anxiety that had over took me. I opened my mouth a few times to start speaking but the words wouldn't come out.

She cocked her head at my slyly and smiled, "What is it Bucky?"

I took a shaky breath before scooting closer and reaching for her hand. She looked down as I slid my metal fingers between hers. She smiled at the sight and I felt my heart begin beating even faster...she was always so accepting. She glanced back up at my face and the twinkle in her eye gave me just the right amount of courage I needed to go on.

"Eden, I love you with all my heart..." I said, slowly reaching my right hand into my jacket pocket as I continued, "...and I've told you many times before that I want you to be a part of my future"

Eden was nodding her head, her eyes moving back and forth between my face and the hand that was now moving towards my jacket. Her eyes widened when she saw me pull out the small, black box from my pocket. I couldn't help but chuckle lightly when her mouth dropped opened and she threw her hands over her mouth in shock.

I opened the box slowly and turned it in my hand so she could see the silver diamond ring nestled inside. Her hands dropped from her mouth and she looked up at me with her bright eyes.

"Bucky..." she gasped softly.

"You have been my redemption...my savior. I don't know what I ever did to deserve to be loved by someone as amazing as you. The only thing I know for certain is that I want to spend every day for the rest of my life loving you and only you. Will you marry me?"

She looked up at me with what I hoped were happy tears sliding down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak...

I sat up in bed quickly and looked around, unsure of what exactly it was that had startled me awake. I groaned in frustration...this was the third time I had this dream and I never made it to the end to find out how she was going to answer. I glanced down to my right and felt my heart start racing when I saw the empty spot next to me. I reached over and rubbed my hand over the now cold, wrinkled sheets where Eden should have been.

She's been out of bed for a while. SHIT!

I turned my head in the direction of the bathroom and only panicked more when I saw there wasn't any light peeking out from under the door. It was then that I heard the distant sound of sobbing coming from the living room.

EDEN!

I flung the sheets off my body and bolted out of bed, nearly ripping the door right off the hinges as I followed her sobs.

"Eden?" I called out, "Eden!"

I froze when I reached the living room and saw her standing in front of the window. I winced as I saw her slam her clenched fists on the wooden sill and cry out loudly.

"Eden, what are you doing? Stop!" I shouted. I went into action, making my way through the living room and over to her just in time to snatch her wrists in my hand before she could slam them down on the window sill again and hurt herself more. She was sobbing loudly as I turned her to face me and I could see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

She tried to yank herself away from me and continued to cry loudly as her body shook. I glanced down at her fists and saw them red and slightly swollen. She jerked again in my hold and I finally shook her, trying to snap her out of whatever it was that was happening.

"Eden, stop it! You're hurting yourself. Dammit woman, STOP!" I shouted.

She finally glanced up at me, "It's all my fault" she choked out, "All my fault Bucky. I should have stopped it. They might die and it's all my fault."

I let go of her wrists, stunned by her confession. I expected Eden to be traumatized by what had happened last night...maybe even have a few nightmares. I never expected her to feel any type of guilt. There was absolutely no reason she should, nothing was her fault.

She fell into my chest and I let my arms wrap around her tightly as my hand found her back, rubbing it softly as I tried to comfort her.

"Baby, he had a gun" I reminded her gently.

I felt her shake her head, "I could have fought him. I could have..."

I felt a surge of rage flow into me. Even now, this woman was willing to risk her damn life for any and everybody. I had almost lost her last night. I almost had to watch someone take away my most cherished thing. I loved this woman but damn if she didn't infuriate me sometimes with her complete self-sacrificing ways.

I pulled her away from me roughly and glared down at her, "No, he could have killed you! Do you understand that? You could have fought him but he still might have killed you. He almost did!"

The last words out of my mouth came out choked. I envisioned Eden's bloody figure being zipped up into a black body bag and it made me sick to my stomach. She had come so close to being taken away from me.

She spoke with a shaky voice, "It might have ended with me...given them a chance..."

Dammit woman!

I let out an angry growl of frustration and shook her again a little harder...I would shake some damn sense into her if it was the last thing I would ever do. The woman was going to be the death of me. If anything happened to her, I wouldn't survive. I wouldn't want to live...not without her...never without her!

"Stop it! You want to know what else would have ended with you? Me!" I confessed, "I need you Eden! I need you alive!"

I need you to be my wife. I need you to have my babies! I need to be with you forever!

I turned away from her so she couldn't see the few tears that had started to escape my eyes...tears of worry...tears of fear. I ran my fingers through my hair as I tried to think of something...anything...to make this better. I wanted to help her like she had helped me. Eden always knew exactly what to say to make me feel better...she always spoke the right words.

Why is she feeling guilty! There is no reason to feel guilty. She didn't shoot those people. She didn't rob that store!

I turned around and spoke the simple truth to her, "Eden, not a single thing that happened last night was your fault"

I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I watched her close her eyes and a tear slid slowly down her cheek. I didn't know if I had said the right thing but her legs finally gave out and I caught her before she fell. I slid us down onto the hardwood floor and pulled her into my lap. I buried my face into her hair, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her...one that could only be described as simply Eden's fragrance. I held onto her, rubbing her softly and kissing her head...hoping that I was doing the right things to make this better.

"You're alive Eden...that's all that matters" I assured her. She didn't say anything and only continued to lie against me. As she continued to sit there in silence I thought about the dream I had been having earlier. I squeezed my eyes shut and held her closer to me, rocking us gently back and forth.

I finally prodded her softly, "Look at me"

She tilted her face up to mine and I felt my heart swell at the sight of her big blue eyes. She was the most beautiful thing to me...in all my life, I had never seen anything sweeter than my Eden.

A flash of that dream popped into my head again, the fireworks lighting up behind her. I remembered the way her eyes lit up when she saw me pull that box from my pocket.

"I love you" I told her.

She leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips. I sat there in shock for a moment, unsure if I should kiss her back. She was obviously going through something and I was having serious reservations on whether "that" is what she really needed at that moment. She must have noticed my hesitation because I felt her press her lips harder against my own, urging me to kiss her back.

An image of that shotgun pointed at her head flashed into my thoughts and I started to respond to her actions. I began to move my lips against hers, softly at first and then gradually with more vigor. I had almost lost her last night. She had nearly been torn away from me just as quickly as she had entered my life. I had been scared shitless as I watched my worst nightmares nearly unfold in front of me. Sitting here on this hardwood floor with her...kissing her...touching her...it was all a miracle.

Feeling her hands run down my chest was the only other nudge of encouragement I needed. My hands quickly snaked around her waist and slipped under her shirt. She leaned back, raising her hands so that I could pull her night shirt from her body. A second later, it was flung to the ground and I had resumed kissing her again. I pulled her more securely into my lap and reached down to slip my hand into her panties and drag them roughly down her legs. Her own hands reached between us to find my waist and I felt her scratching her nails lightly down my skin, skimming her fingers under the band of my boxers. I lifted my hips and helped her pull my own boxers off before throwing them beside us.

As we continued kissing I pushed her back onto the wooden floor, tucking my right arm under her neck to make her as comfortable as possible. I held myself up with my metal arm and ignored the uncomfortable feeling in my knees on the hard wood as I maneuvered myself between Eden's thighs. I stared down at the beautiful woman lying beneath me who was gazing just as intently back at me. I pushed my hips forward, moaning her name softly as I slid into her warm, wet folds. Once I was fully inside, I stopped and just watched her. She reached up and ran her fingers lightly down my face and I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the closeness and the feeling of just being with her...near her. After last night, this was what I needed...to feel her beside me, under me...a part of me that I never wanted to let go of.

I thrust into her gently, trying to control myself so I could stay in this moment forever. As we made love, the only sounds that could be heard in the quiet, early morning was a mix of our heavy panting and light breathy gasps coming from Eden.. When she finally came, I covered her mouth with my own, muffling her ragged moan of pleasure with a kiss. It was only moments later that I finished, letting her name slip out from my lips again. I leaned down and touched my forehead to hers gently before rolling over and pulling her on top of me. She let out a small shriek and giggled as I positioned her against my chest. I winced at the feeling of the cold floor on my back but quickly forgot about it as Eden kissed my chest softly before laying her head down to listen to my heart beat in my chest.

I only hoped she could understand that at that moment and every moment going forward that my heart would only beat because of her.