Sorry for the long time between updates. I am determined to finish Eden and Bucky's story guys so look for more updates soon. Feedback is definitely appreciated!

-ECorley

Eden POV

Before I even opened my eyes, I heard the hushed voices, soft enough that I could only make out a word here or there.

"…Banner…"

"…chip…"

"…fighting…"

I lay completely still, my eyes remaining closed as I continued to regain consciousness, becoming more and more aware of my surroundings. I didn't think I could have opened them if I tried…the exhaustion I felt was like nothing I had ever experienced before. There was a steady beep coming from somewhere to my right and I slowly realized it was a heart rate monitor. My head felt foggy, my body weak, and I was completely unable to move…I couldn't even muster enough energy to panic about my current predicament. It was obvious I was in the hospital but I couldn't for the life of me remember why. For the time, it seemed easier to lie there and quietly take everything in gradually.

The fog faded as the minutes passed and voices that were once unclear became easier to recognize. I felt a small, warm hand holding my own, its owner occasionally rubbing their thumb over my palm softly. When they suddenly spoke up, I knew by the timbre of her voice that it was Brooke sitting next to me. I felt better knowing she was there, comforted by both her presence and the knowledge that whatever had put me in the hospital hadn't affected her too.

The realization that it was Brooke sitting next to me holding my hand and not Bucky surprised me…my feelings might have been hurt if I wasn't so completely sure about how devoted he was to me. After my car accident, he had hardly left my side the entire time I was in the hospital so it made no sense that he wasn't here with me now. Before I even had a chance to worry that he might be hurt too or worse, I heard voices speak up again.

Bucky's frustration was obvious by the harsh tone in his voice as he spoke to a third person in the room, who I could only assume was Steve. His angry footsteps on the floor as he paced back and forth clashed with the slow, steady beep of the monitor currently tracking my heart rate.

"I'll kill the son of a bitch", he spat out, his voice growing louder with anger.

"Shhh" Brooke shushed, her fingers once again rubbing my hand gently.

"You have to calm down Buck", I heard Steve say softly.

"How the fuck am I supposed to stay calm after this Steve?" I heard Bucky ask, his voice shaking with anger.

Booke shushed him again and Bucky's voice quieted but his angry pacing around the room did not stop.

I was nearly completely alert now, enough to know I should do something to calm him down. Even as close as him and Steve were, it was always easier for me to talk sense into Bucky once he got worked up about something. I also knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would significantly calm down once he realized I was okay.

Am I okay?

I honestly wasn't sure. I didn't feel any pain but I couldn't be completely sure I wasn't hurt. I resisted the temptation to move and check, choosing instead to continue laying there comfortably listening to the three of them as I attempted to make sense of everything. I had absolutely no memory of how I had ended up here and that realization was starting to scare the shit out of me.

I struggled to remember, digging deep in the back of my head for some clue.

I remembered the wedding, wiping happy tears from my eyes while Jill stared loving up at Dave as they exchanged rings. I remembered taking pictures after the ceremony…me, Jill, and Brooke with our arms wrapped around each other. I remembered the reception…cutting the cake…laying my head on Bucky's shoulder as we slow danced. I replayed the entire evening over and over in my head and the memories all suddenly ended with Bucky asking me if I was thirsty and him disappearing into the crowd.

I ignored the shushed whispers of Bucky, Brooke, and Steve and instead focused all my energy on trying to remember what had happened. Random images of the evening kept flashing in my head, one by one.

Jill smiling as she smashed the cake into Dave's face.

Brooke and Steve dancing together.

Lilah happily sptinkling flower petals as she walked down the aise.

Bucky's handsome face smiling at me from the back pew of the church.

Each memory was happy and gave no explanation as to why I had ended up unconscious in a hospital. As the images continued flashing before my eyes, the voices of the others in the room faded away and I heard only the sounds of the evening reverberating in my ears.

The applause from the crowd as the newlyweds kissed.

Brooke shrieking with joy as we hugged Jill after the ceremony.

Bucky leaning down to whisper "I love you" as we slow danced.

Abort!

The lovely memories and sounds were suddenly replaced with screams of pain and shouts of fear. The happy images replaced by shadows in the dark. Strange masked figures I didn't recognize surrounding me, and myself powerless to move. Back and forth the memories flowed through my head, the happy wedding moments replaced with dark, twisted images that I could not recollect. My head began to throb as I tried to focus on the images in an attempt to make some sense of what I was seeing.

Delta team, Abort!

Grunts of pain grew louder in my head, not even the increasingly loud beeping of the heart rate monitor could drown out the screams.

"Eden…" a voice I recognized but immediately ignored called out desperately.

Frantic shouting echoed louder, reverberating in my head once again. I heard my name being called repeatedly. The feeling of someone holding my hand was replaced by someone shaking me.

And then suddenly the noise stopped…no screams, no beeping, nobody calling out my name. It was quiet now, the only sound was wind whistling in the trees.

One of the masked figures advanced towards me and I was shocked when I involuntarily stepped forward, my hands rising up in a defensive stance. I was screaming at myself to stop moving, to turn around and go find Bucky. I panicked as he got closer and the other three masked figures followed behind him to form a semi-circle around me. Each one held a knife in their hands as they advanced towards me dangerously. I was stunned when I realized I was still moving towards them and was unable to stop…I was no longer in control of my body.

Eden!

I heard my name shouted in the distance and the image in my head suddenly blurred out of focus. I tried to drown out the voice yelling my name and instead concentrated harder on the scene unfolding in front of me. The harder I focused, the more the agonizing pain in my head intensified, but through sheer will, the image in my head became clearer. I used the last of my energy to think on that one memory, letting the scene play out in my head.

Everything happened so fast…so incredibly fast that I barely had enough time to process what I was seeing. I watched, a prisoner trapped inside my own mind, as I fought the four men in hand to hand combat. I caught the first man's wrist as he reached towards me and twisted it sharply causing him to drop the knife he held. My hand reached out as the weapon fell and caught it by the blade end. I quickly flipped it, gripped the hilt tightly in my hand, and plunged it deep into his chest. I yanked the knife out with my right hand and turned to block and incoming hit from the second figure with my left arm. A hard kick to the stomach sent him flying backwards to land on the hard ground. I felt a hand grab me roughly by the shoulder and spin me around. The third man never had a chance…his hand was still grasping my shoulder tightly as I slid the blade across his neck. I saw the disbelief in his eyes as he clutched his throat, the blood pouring out to coat his hands in its red stickiness. My instincts kicked in again as I saw movement to my right. I spun to face the last two enemies left. The man I had kicked in the stomach was quickly picking himself up off the ground to join his remaining companion. They both rushed towards me at the same time, my fist connected with flesh, my hands moved with speed and accuracy I didn't know I possessed until finally the last surviving threat was on his knees in front of me, his head rose slowly as I stared down at him. I could see myself reflected in his cold, defiant eyes…there I stood before him, completely detached and unaffected by what I had just done, wearing my navy-blue bridesmaid dress, the thin, delicate fabric billowing in the wind. I watched in horror as I reached my hands out, placed one on either side of his head, and proceeded to snap his neck with shocking efficiency. I was still trapped, my screams silent in the night and unable to drown out of the sickening crack as I ended his life with my own two hands. All four men lay dead at my feet.

I killed them. I killed them. I killed them!

I sat up with a scream, "I killed them!"