Eden POV
"Do you take this man to be your blah, blah, blah..."
Brooke and I both snorted loudly as Pastor Ted continued fake marrying Jill and Dave. I had always enjoyed the preacher and his sense of humor, even as a teenager. Carrie rolled her eyes at us but I saw the small smile skirt across her lips before she turned away from us to face her sister and future brother in law again. Brooke had seen it too and cocked her eyebrow in surprise. Since arriving at the church, Carrie had been astonishingly cordial, even going as far as to give both me and Brooke a big hug. It seemed that Jill's older sister had finally pulled the stick out of her ass in regards to her little sister getting married before her.
As the pastor continued going over the ceremony with Jill and Dave, I looked around the church at everyone gathered to participate in the next day's festivities. Jill's other bridesmaid, Samantha was scrolling through her phone and rubbing her pregnant belly with a smile on her face. This was the first time I had met the petite dark haired girl. She was a teacher at the same school Jill taught at and occupied the room right next to hers. Dave's brother Will, who was serving as best man, and his three best friends from college, Cliff, Liam, and Don, were across from us talking quietly to each other. I had noticed Cliff giving me side glances throughout the wedding rehearsal and I had smiled politely but kept it very clear that I was not interested. He had showed up late to the rehearsal so he hadn't seen me arrive with the three beefy men who were now sitting on the very back pew watching us. Even without looking, I could feel Bucky's eyes on me but I ignored the temptation to look over at him. Sitting in the front pew were the ushers, Jill's cousin Tommy and his partner Blake, her brother Mark, and a cousin of Dave's whose name I hadn't caught. Behind them sat Jill and Dave's parents who were talking quietly with each other.
I turned my head to glance directly in Bucky's direction. He was leaning forward, his elbows resting on the pew in front of him as he watched us... well, watched me really, with a small smile on his face. Steve and Clint were sitting beside him chatting quietly to each other as they waited for us to finish. As I watched, Steve shifted on the pew to face his friend and said something but Bucky continued starting straight ahead, his eyes locked on me. I stared back, wondering what exactly it was he was thinking at that moment to cause him to smile in such a way. My mind immediately flashed back to how we had spent our afternoon together before meeting up with everyone else to grab a quick bite to eat at the diner before the rehearsal. I felt my cheeks flush at the memory and I lowered my head and smiled to myself. Bucky must have noticed my sudden flustering because when I looked back up his small smile had turned into a smirk, leaving me wondering if he knew exactly what I had been thinking of at that moment. Finally, Steve leaned forward and whispered something in his ear that finally shook Bucky out of whatever thoughts he himself was having. He nodded his head just slightly at me and gave me a wink before leaning back on the pew and turning to face his friends. It wasn't fair how much that one wink caused my heart to pitter patter in my chest.
I took the opportunity to watch him admiring the way the fabric of his blue shirt clung to each muscle of his chest underneath the leather jacket he wore. It was the same jacket that I had laid my head against earlier in the car, smiling as I inhaled the familiar smell of Bucky that always lingered on it, a mix of leather and his body wash, and admired how my fingers looked entwined between his. I studied him as he spoke to Steve, his eyes crinkling as he chuckled about whatever had been said before raising his hand to his face to push his hair out of his eyes and tuck it behind his ear. It reminded me of a conversation we'd had a few days ago in the kitchen of my apartment as we cooked dinner when he'd mentioned something about cutting his hair. Apparently he had been thinking about cutting it short for a while, like it had been before the war...before HYDRA, before the Winter Soldier. Bucky had noticed how fast my head had jerked up and chuckled at the look on my face. I liked his hair long and enjoyed running my fingers through the soft, brown locks as he would lay his head in my lap while we watched TV. I especially liked the way it felt against the skin of my neck when he would hug me from behind and kiss me on the cheek. It was as if he had read my mind...he had placed the knife he was using to cut vegetables down on the countertop and walked up behind me, pressing himself against my backside before leaning forward to do that exact thing. His hair tickling my neck had caused a shiver to run through me and I could feel the deep rumble of laughter in Bucky's chest against my back.
He had brought his mouth close to my ear before whispering, "Hmm, maybe I better keep it"
I shivered now, standing at the front of the church, just thinking about the sound of those words huskily spoken in my ear that night. An elbow in my side got my attention and I glanced over at Brooke to see her giving me a smile. I straightened my back and focused all my attention back to the happy couple. As the time passed, my attention began to fade and I found myself once again staring at Bucky. He was engrossed in a deep conversation with Steve and Clint but his head jerked up suddenly when the door to the sanctuary suddenly opened. I watched his eyes brighten and his mouth curl up into a smile when he saw who was entering the church.
Lynn walked in first, baby Seth asleep in her arms. I heard Brooke let out a light chuckle as she stood next to me watching Lilah saunter in decked out in a fluffy white dress and a very unhappy Jake straggling behind her dressed in his black jacket and pants. Jill's niece and nephew were serving as flower girl and ring bearer and by the looks of it, Jake was not happy with the clothing choice but Lilah was absolutely beaming as she made her way to the front. Jake was scowling as he followed his sister, so unhappy in fact that he didn't notice that he had walked past the pew where Bucky and the other two men were sitting. Bucky nudged Steve and began talking again, pointing at the two children making their way to the front where the wedding party was standing.
"Aunt Eden! Aunt Brooke!" she squealed happily.
She broke out in a run and skipped up the steps before throwing herself at the two of us. Brooke and I had both knelt down, laughing as the little girl went back and forth hugging our necks. I noticed Jake making his way up the steps towards us, so while Brooke picked up Lilah to lavish her with attention, I held my arms out to the little boy. He wrapped his skinny arms around my waist and I squeezed him tightly before pulling back and ruffling his hair.
"Hey kiddo" I said, rising up from my kneeling position, "How ya doing?"
The little boy tugged at the collar of his button up white shirt and shrugged his shoulders, "This thing is itchy" he said, scowling. He finally stopped pulling at his clothes and looked up at me, "Where's Uncle Bucky?" he said, glancing around at the group of people standing around his Aunt Jill.
I placed my hand on my shoulder and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "He's hiding in the back" I said, pointing to where Bucky, Clint, and Steve were still sitting.
Jake's eyes followed my finger and I watched the smile suddenly appear on his face upon seeing Bucky. I couldn't help but giggle when I watched his eyes grow wide as he saw who was sitting next to him.
"That's Captain America" he said softly to himself. He looked up at me excitedly, "Aunt Eden, that's Captain America" he said, a little louder this time. "What's he doing here?"
I knelt back down and turned Jake to face me, leaning in close so that he could hear me, "That's Uncle Bucky's best friend"
The look on Jake's face was priceless...awed was the only word to describe it.
I pointed at Clint and continued, "Do you see the guy sitting next to Captain America?"
Jake looked closer and then nodded vigorously, "That's Hawkeye!" he whispered before turning to me again, "Is Uncle Bucky friends with him too?"
I gave the kid a nod and watched him stare at the three men in astonishment for several moments. I wished Bucky could have heard the next words out of the little boy's mouth.
"Uncle Bucky is so cool" he said softly.
Jake didn't say Captain America was cool. He didn't say Hawkeye was cool. No. He said Bucky was cool...not because he was a super hero, but because he was best friends with a super hero.
I gave Jake a pat on the back, "Why don't you go say hi to them?" I said.
He looked up at me once and then back to the group of men before nodding his head. I watched as he timidly made his way down the steps and towards the back of the church. The three men were deep in conversation and Bucky had his back turned so he didn't notice the small child making his way down the pew towards him. I watched Jake standing there awkwardly a few feet away from the group and when he glanced my way, I motioned my hands at him to go ahead. He reached his hand out nervously and tapped Bucky's shoulder gently. I flinched when I saw Bucky jump, hoping he didn't turn around and scare the little boy, but he didn't. He turned around slowly and I watched as a big smile spread across his face. Although they were in the farthest part of the church I could still hear Bucky greet Jake enthusiastically.
"Hey kiddo" he said happily, reaching out and pulling Jake in for a hug.
I watched as Jake hugged Bucky back and started talking excitedly to him. He didn't even look twice at Steve or Clint...all his attention was on Bucky.
I turned to Lilah and Brooke and listened as the little girl told us all about what had been going on since her birthday. All the while, I kept glancing over at Bucky and the little boy now settled in his lap. I watched as Steve reached his hand out to Jake and couldn't help smiling as Jake looked at Bucky. He nodded his head encouragingly at the little boy before Jake tentatively reached his small hand out towards Steve and shook it shyly. The action was repeated with Clint before the boy turned in Bucky's lap and began talking to him, completely ignoring the other two men. Eventually Clint and Steve turned to each other and began having their own conversation while Bucky and Jake continued theirs.
When Jill and Dave finished talking with Pastor Ted and it was decided we would do one last complete run through and then call it a night. I made my way down back down the aisle and Brooke followed, carrying Lilah as they continued their girl talk. I smiled to myself as I heard the little girl telling my friend all about the dollhouse I had given her for her birthday. As I made my way closer to the back of the church, I saw Bucky look up and smile before he patted Jake on the back and motioned the boy my way.
Jake turned and said something to Bucky to which he replied, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you get done"
The boy nodded his head and made his way past Steve and Clint and towards me. Brooke and Lilah walked past while I waited for the boy to join me in the aisle. I felt a hand on my back and I forced a smile on my face when I turned and saw Cliff standing behind me. He flashed me an award winning smile and let his eyes roam my face. He was polite enough to not gape at my chest but I still didn't appreciate the attention. I knew I couldn't blame him for his advances...he had just met me and there was no reason for him to know I was in a relationship. He was obviously a single man and I wasn't wearing a ring on my finger but it still was very uncomfortable for me, especially knowing that Bucky was less than 30 feet away watching. It didn't help that he was also going to be the one escorting me down the aisle during the ceremony tomorrow.
Be nice Eden...be nice!
"Uh...Cliff, right?" I said...even though I knew who he was I was hoping that he would take me not remembering his name as a sign that I wasn't interested. He did not.
"That's right. So it's me and you tomorrow" he said, taking another step towards me in order to let Jill and Dave slide past him. He was too close now and I took a small step back, feeling the wooden pew bump into my hip. I looked up at him and nodded my head politely.
"Cliff?" I heard one of the other groomsmen call out. While he turned his head to see who was calling him, I took a moment to get a good look at him. He was handsome, I could admit that much. His dark blonde hair was freshly cut but much too short for my taste and his eyes were a light shade of blue. He was tall, almost Bucky's height, but had a much more lean build. If I had met him a few months prior I may have excited to get to know him. As it was, I was in a very serious, committed relationship with Bucky and had no interest in the man standing in front of me.
Cliff was turning back to face me with a smile on his face when I felt a hand slide into my own. I turned and looked down to see Jake smiling up at me. His other hand was being held and I looked up to see Bucky right beside him. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my cheek, his eyes only leaving mine for a moment to glance over at the man behind me. I knew it was his subtle way of telling Cliff to back off. A couple of months ago, Bucky would have been much less discreet...this was progress.
"We're going to do one more run through and then we can leave...if you guys are bored, there is a bar down the block you could head over to. Clint knows the one I'm talking about" I said, smiling at the memory of me, Clint, Jill, and Brooke at that bar. It was the same bar from that wild night last weekend where Clint and I'd had our run in with those guys. I saw Bucky raise his eyebrow at me and then glance behind him at Clint. He then scowled at the sudden realization as to what I'd meant. He glanced over my shoulder at the man still lingering at my back and then laid his eyes on me again. I saw a flicker of something in his eyes and could just imagine the wheels turning in his head.
One part of Bucky wanted to stick around and watch...just to make sure that Cliff didn't try something. The logical part of him knew nothing would happen...not only was I not interested in any other man besides him, he also knew I was more than capable of taking care of myself if for some reason Cliff tried to pull something. The illogical part of Bucky...well that part of him didn't give a shit about any of that. He wanted to be there to keep an eye on me, just in case.
The other side of Bucky, the Winter Soldier part particularly, wanted to go to that bar I mentioned...just to see if those assholes from last weekend were there. That part of him was still seriously pissed about any man laying a hand on his woman, on anything he considered his. I watched his face fill with anger as his eyes went to the spot on my head where that bruise had been before drifting down my torso to land on the small of my back. The look I saw in his eyes made me regret even mentioning the bar. I watched as he mulled it over in his head for a few more seconds, his facial expressions changing as his decision was being made. He let out a sigh and shook his head before speaking up finally.
"I think we'll stay here and watch. Besides, I promised Jake I would still be here when the rehearsal was finished" he said, patting the back of the boy who was still standing between us.
Jake looked up at Bucky and grinned at the man before squeezing my hand, "Come on Aunt Eden" he said, tugging me towards the door.
I patted Bucky on the chest lightly before letting the boy lead me away. I turned back briefly to catch Bucky glaring at Cliff who was still standing there watching me and Jake leave. Cliff gave Bucky a sideways look before following after the two of us.
The last run through went smoothly. After realizing I was definitely not single, Cliff behaved himself. Whether it was the simple knowledge that I was taken or because he could probably feel Bucky shooting daggers into his back, I'll never know but it still made the whole situation much more comfortable. As soon as the rehearsal was done, Jill and Dave asked the wedding party to gather up so they could go over a few things and so they could make a little announcement. I already knew what was coming and so did Brooke...it was one of the reasons Bucky, Clint, and Steve had sat in the very back of the church. They wanted to introduce everyone to Clint and Steve...it wasn't every day that you had not one but two Superheroes attend your wedding, especially two members of The Avengers. Jill had already spoken to Dave about Bucky and they both agreed to keep him out of the introductions. Steve and Clint both felt pretty confident that no one would recognize Bucky so there was no point in bringing up his past. It was easier to just explain that he was my boyfriend and worked with Clint and Steve, plain and simple.
Needless to say, everyone was pretty surprised when Clint and Steve made their way up the aisle as Jill and Dave explained why they were attending the wedding...Steve being Brooke's boyfriend and date...and Clint being a friend of ours and now Jill's as well. I stood back from the crowd as they shook hands with Steve and Clint and chatted excitedly amongst themselves. Brooke was now standing next to Steve, his arm wrapped casually around her waist while she looked up at him lovingly. I felt a hand on my shoulder and immediately tensed up, only relaxing when I caught a whiff of Bucky's leather jacket. His hand slid up my neck until I felt his warm fingers gently begin rubbing circles. I let out an involuntary moan and leaned back until I was pressed against him. We had been standing around for close to two hours and I didn't realize it until that moment how stiff my body had gotten.
We stood together, watching as the members of the wedding party met the famous Captain America and Hawkeye. As I watched, I realized how much it bothered me that Bucky wasn't up there with them. He was a hero too...long before he became the Winter Soldier he had been a member of the Howling Commandos. His legacy had been tarnished by what HYDRA had turned him into.
The Winter Soldier.
I had stopped thinking that the Winter Soldier part of Bucky was bad a long time ago...from what I had seen and experienced, that part of him wasn't evil, just different. The soldier had been following orders...he was brainwashed to believe what he was doing was right. I couldn't hold him responsible for his actions any more than I could hold Bucky responsible for his. I know people who had experienced the devastation in Washington D.C would think differently but it was true...Bucky had been used...the Winter Soldier had been used...in my eyes, Bucky was still a hero. Every day since meeting him in that park, I had stressed to him how none of what he had done was his fault. He always thought of himself as this broken human being...as a monster...as this evil and undeserving thing. I knew otherwise. I had seen the real Bucky. I wished sometimes that Bucky could see himself through my eyes. I had seen a good man...a loving man...a man who wanted to do the right thing. I wondered as we stood there watching the crowd, if it bothered Bucky too. I looked into his face and didn't see a single emotion there...I knew he was purposely masking how he was feeling. He always assumed that blank look on his face when he wanted to keep something from me...whether it was anger or fear he wished to hide, the look was always the same.
"You know you should be standing over there right?" I asked softly, turning my head slightly to catch him glancing down at me in confusion. I spoke up again before he could ask what I meant, "You are just as much as a hero as either of them"
Bucky let out a sigh, "Eden...I'm not..."
I turned on my heel to face him and placed my hands on his chest, "Yes you are Bucky"
Bucky's eyes went from me to where the two men were standing, surrounded by the excited group of people. These strangers looked up to the two men before them...judging them only on what they had seen them do on T.V. rather than really knowing Clint and Steve as people. If they knew the truth about Bucky, how would they judge him?
"Is that what you want me to be?" he asked and I noticed the slightest hint of hurt in his voice.
I let my hands slide up his chest until one hand was on either side of his face...I shook my head at him, "No Bucky, I'm not telling you I want you to be a superhero. I'm telling you that you already are...you're my hero...you always have been"
Bucky's turned his face into my hand and kissed the palm gently, "Well, that's good enough for me" he said.
I let my hands slip from his face and chose to instead wrap them around his waist, smiling when I felt his arms wrap around me and pull me against his chest. We stood like that for a long time, my eyes closed and ear pressed against his chest as I listened to the steady thump of his heart beating...Bucky's metal hand rubbing small circles in my back while he rested his chin on the top of my head. It was contentedness at its finest.
Eventually people began to leave, one at a time trickling out of the church and heading to their homes or hotels. Brooke, Steve, and Clint were still standing with Dave, Jill, and Carrie. Bucky finally released me, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead before heading over to Lynn and Mark to say goodbye to the kids. I smiled as I watched him greet Lilah having never gotten the chance to say hello to her earlier. It was like no time had passed...she went from her dad's arms and straight into Bucky's, throwing her skinny arms around his neck and proceeding to talk his ear off. One arm was holding the little girl effortlessly, while the other was patting Jake on the back as he tried to listen to both kids talk.
A sudden stinging pain in the back of my neck caused me to jump and I reached my hand back to rub the spot, flinching as my fingers touched it. It almost felt like a bee sting and I looked around and then down at my feet, fully expecting to see the insect...there was nothing. I felt a drop of sweat run down my face and I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, realizing how hot it had gotten inside the church with all the lights on. Not only was it quite warm but I was also incredibly thirsty. My throat was so parched and I swallowed hard, cringing at the dryness in my mouth. It was then that the pain hit me...a searing throbbing in my head that nearly caused me to scream out. I had never felt anything like it before...it was as if someone had their hands on either side of my head and were squeezing. The nausea that followed almost brought me to my knees...had I not reached out and steadied myself against the pew I surely would have ended up on the floor. I closed my eyes and began taking a few deep breaths in and out...I was alarmed at how fast my heart seemed to be racing. I opened my eyes and looked over at Bucky, contemplating on whether to get his attention and tell him something was wrong. And then like magic, it stopped...the nausea was gone, the blinding pain in my head was gone, and my heart beat began to slow back to a more normal pace. Although the pain had stopped, I was still burning up and desperate for some cold water.
Ugh, that was weird! I can't get sick before this wedding, no way!
I saw Bucky glance over at me and I fanned myself with my hand and mouthed to him the word "hot". I motioned to the door at the back of the church that led to a small hallway that eventually opened up to the back parking lot. When Bucky looked down at Lilah and Jake, I knew his intention was to set the girl down and follow me out into the night but I shook my head.
"I'll be right back, just need some air" I mouthed silently again.
Bucky looked torn but finally nodded his head and appeared to let his attention fall back onto the kids. I knew he was only half listening now and instead watching me as I turned and made my way to the door. It took every bit of effort I had not to appear as shaky as I felt...my legs felt like they were going to give at any second but I made it to the door and rushed through it. As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I felt a blast of cold air hit me. I stumbled to the water fountain that was a few feet to my left and leaned down to gulp greedily. I drank until my throat was no longer parched and stood back up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I took a tentative step towards the exit that lead outside, testing to see how I felt. Whatever it was seemed to be over, so I made my way down the hallway and out the back door into the cold night.