Chapter 32: Marriage

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Thank you for the great support you gave me for the last chapter. duke15tam, DarylDixon'sLover, kalilje, Snowecat, AmayaYoura, Kerry, anons and people who contacted me on other sites.

The chap is a bit… over the line. I actually do not believe that Lukin, Karpov or any other who was supervising Natalia and the Soldier would have asked these questions and gotten exactly those answers from him in the canon story line. But I have recently read a few fanfics where they gave him a longer leash of sorts. And yeah... That came out in the end.

But I have all the fluffy cheesy crappy marriage stuff as a balance.

Enjoy.

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"How did you survive falling from the train?"

Natasha watched as James froze.

The Soldier took a deep breath before responding. "I was found. Because of the stuff they put inside me when the bad guys had captured me I was almost as strong as Captain America. So I could survive it."

Lila looked at him fearfully so he decided to tone it down a bit more.

"At least I got something out of it. While they healed me," they words felt like bile on his tongue but he went through, "they gave me my arm. Like Captain America I was frozen, but awoken now and then for..." Breathe, he reminded himself. What was good? What was good?

"He was awoken for me." Natasha offered.

"To teach you fighting. That's what you told us already. If he was your teacher wasn't it kind of awkward when you fell in love?" Lilly wanted to know.

Okay, this is the next minefield. Here we go...

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Natasha relaxed in her lover's embrace as they sat on the veranda watching the kids play in the snow. The scenery brought back memories. But not exactly of the same kind. Training in the coldness of winter. Whoever froze to death was left there for the wolves to feed on. She tried to replace it with warmer memories and relived some of their missions and how they ended in some tiny motel room as a hideout. In the end her thought circled around their first night so many decades ago. "They… never gave me any comments on how good I'd been. Only sneering looks. What did they discuss with you about the late night training?"

James cringed at her question as the memory came back. "I remember how Karpov and Lukin wanted an evaluation of our first night. They wanted to know how much potential you had."

Well, that was one way of putting it. "What did you reply?"

"My honest answer would have been that you were already perfect, much better than Widows could ever hope to achieve. But I wanted to enjoy myself a little while longer. You were like a balm to my soul, awakening what I thought had been lost. So I made sure they wouldn't suspect any romantic relationship blooming between us… and well… my words were quite rough. You sure you wanna hear them?"

"Do tell." She snuggled closer, showing confidence although she knew the answer might fill her with disgust.

"Please… consider that these were different times and a difficult situation… I don't want you to believe that this is what I actually thought of you," he murmured with a dark voice.

It was somehow sweet how he tried to prepare her. Or was he saying it because he had to assure himself? "Oh, James, I won't be scared off by some vulgar words. I'm not an innocent virgin you have to defend from inappropriate phrases like Steve always does." Her hand found its way between his leisurely spread legs. "Actually you saw to most of these issues yourself." Natasha mused as she stroked him teasingly. "I am very well capable to stand my ground thanks to your training and you were the one taking my innocence in the most pleasurable way." She watched how his face lit up red at her ministrations and then lost all color as his blood was pumped elsewhere.

He gulped, hoping the kids wouldn't see what they were doing. Then his boyish cockiness finally gained the upper hand. If she was using their dark past as sexual stimulant then he would reciprocate the same way. He reached for her, lifting her on his lap easily and spreading the blanket over the two of them. He made sure she could feel his hardness pressing against that place between her thighs as he whispered hoarsely in into her hair. "I told them you would be an excellent sex toy for potential targets once your cunt was sufficiently stretched which might take weeks of constant fucking." His metal hand sneaked into her trousers, diving into her easily with how slick she already was. "They laughed at that and said they hadn't thought I would be able to show some humor. But I had mentioned it so casually and cold that they brushed off. They thought I had learned the words from someone at the base, that I didn't get the joke behind them. One of the officers present told me not to wear you out before he could have you as well." His fingers took a firm hold both inside and out pushing all her buttons at once. "You can imagine I didn't like having to share you." And he remembered something else… Karpov complaining that she had to be solely bedded by the Soldier first, until… until what? Bucky felt his head aching so he didn't follow that thought any longer, focusing his attention on Natasha once more. She had turned her head to him, kissing his jaw. "One of them asked me which one of your holes I preferred." To underline the options he licked her lips while his fingers teased both of her lower openinges.

Natasha whimpered as she melted against him. "And what did you prefer?"

"I told them that if I had been given three cocks instead of a metal arm I would have plugged all at once since choosing was impossible."

"And they didn't think such words were unfitting for their emotionless weapon?" That didn't sound right. They were very observing of their most valuable assests.

"I had been very successful the past months and they had decided not to wipe me unless there was actual concern. Otherwise they wouldn't have given me the honors of being your first. Maybe they thought if my former self bled through while I took you, you would learn more. No clue... And I think they had been drunk while talking to me." His grip tightened on her in anger. "They had watched the video of the two of us and they had enjoyed it. It was like a movie night for them."

"I'm sure it was an education of how to actually treat a woman in bed." Her voice was steady and filled with dry humor.

"Natalia…" James started when she tried to shush him but he wouldn't let her stop him now. "They watched a video of an adult male raping an underage girl who had no idea about what sex meant."

"We discussed this already…" Then a thought hit her. "That night you wanted me to call you James. When you were wiped that often you shouldn't have been able to know it."

"I didn't really know it was my name. It just felt right to be called that way. If I remember correctly they had started to grow sloppy with their treatments because I was doing such a good job. That changed once we grew closer of course." He couldn't really remember the time before they had dragged them apart again, only hazy glimpses of defiance.

"But at that time it was the real you, at least as much as you could be. And the true Bucky Barnes I've come to know would do everything to make a situation like that… pleasant without going further than his orders."

James cringed. Somehow he knew his orders entailed more, yet he couldn't put the memory together.

"If you hadn't done it someone else would have had the honors." Sarcasm was dripping from her voice. "From every possible man in the Red Room who could have had the… priviledge to do the task I am glad it had been you. You've tried so hard to make me enjoy it, and I did. James, this was… different. A rougher world. Not that I want to say that I hold other values because of different times and cultures… No girl should have to endure that at such a young age. But the training… You were the best option I've had. And I thank you for being so kind."

He wished her words could drive out the ice he felt in his heart for what he had done to her younger self...

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The next day they all went to the baptism of the newest addition to the Barton brood.

"What a beautiful ceremony." James said honestly. "Why did you cry when they named him Nathaniel?" The Soldier wanted to know as they stepped out of the little church.

"Because they named him after me. I saved Clint's life a few times and they honored that by making me the namesake."

"That's nice." He said, his voice full of an entire range of emotions. He looked at the chapel again while his fingers went into his pocket, playing with the box of jewelry he had brought with him. He had wanted to be prepared but right now when he was about to do it… There was no reason anymore why she should decline his offer. At least no logical one. But who was he to understand women?

"Just do it." Natasha advised him. She was standing a few feet in front of him and couldn't see his face, but she could feel the tension in him. "I won't bite."

James chuckled. Oh how much he loved her, his little spider. He waited for her to turn around and the white dress shifted in the breeze. God, this moment was perfect, she was perfect. His knees gave out on their own accord as he lowered himself while holding the box in his hands. "Наталья, ты выйдешь за меня? (Natalia, will you marry me?)" He breathed in the most steady voice he could muster in that moment.

"Да. (Yes.)" She answered with a wide smile and the most honest loving tone he had ever heard.

It was such a small word, but held such a big promise. James took the ring and put it onto her finger, savoring the moment. Then something snapped inside of him. He rose to his feet and gave her a searing kiss, holding her with the need of a drowning man clinging to a piece of drifting wood. "I love you. I can't even describe how much I love you." He murmured between the kisses.

Natasha responded in kind. A tear of joy running down her cheek as she held him close to her. "I love you, too." The words came so easily, no lie beneath them, no ploy, just pure joy and the sense of finally coming home.

James gentle stroked her hair while he breathed in unison with her. This was perfect…

"So that's what you did yesterday morning, or have you had that ring stored in your sock drawer for weeks?" Natasha wanted to know with a chuckle.

"Thank Mrs Barton for giving me the balls to finally make my move." Barnes decleared in honesty.

"Yeah, she has the talent of tickling out the best in you." They cradled each other for a whole minute while Natasha noticed the watchful eyes of Laura and Clint who were waiting for them out of earshot. "So, sex first, or ceremony?"

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"The priest is still in the church."

His eyes went wide. "You mean, as in right now?"

"I won't give you time for any doubts or fears. And I am already wearing white. Go get him."

"You're sure?"

"James, in the next weeks, if we are lucky, I won't fit in most of my dresses anymore. Now or it'll look like a shotgun wedding. Oh, betrothed stuck of the thirties. I don't think that's a good image."

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"It is quite uncommon for a couple to marry on the same day they got engaged." Unless there is alcohol and Vegas involved of course. But these two seemed determined. "And in such a close circle of friends."

"Oh, we have busy jobs. Not much time for a private life." Natasha said with a glint in her eye.

"How long have you known each other?" It was a casual question, something he always asked when he wanted to know the couple better for some clues of how to do the ceremoney.

"60 years?" Bucky asked with an eyebrow raised.

Natasha chuckled when the pastor stared at them in disbelief. She was certain that this backwater preacher didn't really watch the news, couldn't connect the faces to who they were. "Give or take a decade."

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Clint leaned over to his wife when the music started to play. "You talked him into it, didn't you?"

"Both of them are scarred souls. They needed the push to achieve happiness."

James turned around to watch his future wife and blanched at the beauty walking down the aisle. She had worn the dress before but added a few extras like a veil, a waist belt and different jewels that sparkled in the light of the candelier. She had put up her hair in curls and artitistic beauty. If only someone would save this moment for eternity with a picture.

Right in that moment Lila used her phone to snap a photo of her and got pulled back down onto the bench by her mother telling her that they would take pictures after the ceremony.

Natasha blushed when she saw James standing there with his mouth wide open. Oh, she had come prepared, anticipating his request for marriage. She made sure her lover would never forget this moment, walking slowly, every step making her curls bounce while she gave him the warmest smile. It might be a bit of show but it was her craft used to portrait her true feelings.

James felt his knees go weak. He felt unsteady, sick, overwhelmed. A normal experience for someone about to get married. But it wasn't fear of being bonded that took away his breath. He was scared he might lose it one day once they went back into their dangerous world again. If there was any way of shielding her from all the pain of her past and future he would give everything for it.

Natasha reached her place next to James and waited.

"We've come here to witness the union of two souls in love ready to speak their vows in front of god."

Barnes didn't even hear the religious babbling of the priest while he glanced at Natasha. She appeared to be in a daze as well, her eyes glistening, her mouth a smile of pure happiness and her hands folded protectively over her belly. How could she ever think of herself as someone who brought death and grief when right now she was the impersonation of love and life?

Natasha's eyes wandered to James as she noticed how frail he looked, as if even taking a breath could shatter him at any moment. He appeared like he still tried to grasp all of this, couldn't believe it. He seemed pale but after a glance at his formal suit she knew where that blood had went to.

Too bad Steve wasn't here to witness this. He would have been his best man, helping him calm his nerves. It wasn't as if Barnes would run away at the last option and had to be stopped by his old buddy. But it felt like a betrayal of some kind to not have him around.

"Look." Natasha whispered and gave a subtle motion to their son next to them.

James glanced behind his lover and saw Alexei with the cushion and the rings on it. But what caught his attention was the mobile phone he secretly held beneath it. And on it the proud and tearful face of Steve in the live video chat.

Once Rogers realized that his friend had noticed him he gave a thumbs up in encouragement.

Barnes stiffled a sob and fought against the tears burning in his eyes. Now, in a certain 21st century way his old war buddy would be the best man, giving him the rings.

The pastor cleared his throat as if he was waiting for something. Alexei was now standing in front of them, holding up the cushion.

James broke out of his daze as he heard Natasha whisper 'vows'. Swallowing to get his throat working again he mustered himself. "Natalia, you have been my guiding star in a world of darkness. You have helped me find myself again and stayed with me despite everything fate threw at us. You gave me hope and a life, a family that gives me a reason to continue believing that I'm not unredeemable. That I have a purpose that serves the right side." He took the ring from the cushion and slipped into onto her finger while his eyes fixed on hers. "And that with both of us together nothing is impossible. And… for all the love and trust you gave me, I'll forever be in your debt."

Natasha gave a desperate sob and tried to find her ground again. The weight of the ring helped her as she took a deep breath before speaking her vows. "You were the arm pulling me out of the darkness and cold I was born into. You shielded me, guided me, taught me to be strong enough to survive in my nightmare. When they wanted us to forget each other they were never able to erase that gentle touch of yours." She took his left arm for emphasis which made him gasp. Only then she reached for his human hand as well to slip the ring on it. "You gave me the greatest gift I had given up on decades ago. And you are willing to fulfill my dreams with me, to walk next to me into the danger, be it a casual life or the dangers that attempt to conquer our world. I will love and cherish you like I did from the first moment my eyes grazed yours. I promise to be your friend, your companion, your missing piece of the puzzle in good and bad times until death do us apart."

They could hear Laura crying in the background and see Clint giving a nod while Lila appeared to be living in the dream of her fictional fantasy of seeing the two of them together in such a way, like a real fangirl. Cooper appeared unimpressed but remained silent instead of joking around.

The priest continued speaking but only the words "You may now kiss the bride" finally entered his mind him as he reached out for her, pulling her close and devouring her in a kiss that was way too intense for this setting.

The others were clapping and cheering but right now all that mattered was her. After what seemed like ages they finished the kiss and held each other close. She sobbed into his chest as he caressed her back. All the emotional turmoil, all that they went through the past months, the past decades came crashing down on her. Was this really true and not just a messed up fantasy?

James held out his arm for Natasha to link to before leading out of the church. The others followed as well, Lila jumping in front of them and throwing the daisies she had picked up while the adults had discussed the improvised ceremony.

Laura took the phone to take another picture while Clint continued the live video stream for Steve. With Alexei between the two newly weds they prepared for another photo. Lila waited for her cue to throw the flowers when Laura told everyone to smile.

James still couldn't break out of his daze but he was sure there was a wide grin on his face. Some flowers landed in his hair which made Natasha next to him giggle. She had her hand on their son's head while her fingers cupped James' chin, pulling him closer for another gentle kiss. "I love you."

Whatever deity existed did not only bless the bond of these two horsemen of the Apocalypse. It also gave a little soul named after a flower a second chance at life.

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Natasha pushed the send button on her phone, giving Pepper a glimpse of the wedding that had held place, before she turned it off and burried it deep in her handbag.

James was still having a little chat with Steve who appeared to be unable to stop crying of joy.

She reached for that phone as well and flipped the screen so Steve saw her face. "Sorry, Captain, but he now has some responsibilties as my husband. See ya." She turned it off as well before dragging Barnes a few feet away from their little crowd.

"Natalia?" James was taken aback at her forcefulness.

"I need you inside me, right now." She couldn't wait to seal the bond by bedding her husband.

"Backroom, somewhere in the bushes." He offered. "I don't give a damn." He wanted take her right here on the spot. The blazing fire of need in her eyes set his libido into overdrive.

"We could knock out the priest." She arched an eyebrow.

"Why?"

Natasha leaned in closer so her hoarse whisper had the most potent effect on him. "Altar."

He felt himself ready to burst. "God, woman, you'll be the death of me."

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They didn't know if it was a miracle or sheer willpower that kept them from tearing the clothes from each other during the celebration dinner and the trip home. Alexei and the others had been with them so that had made it easier. It was already evening by the time they entered through the door.

Laura had offered to entertain the kids until it was bed time and the newly-wed couple had gladly accepted. Natasha only hoped they would be let the television run so the children did to not hear the bedroom activities because this time she wanted to fully enjoy her proud example of a husband.

"Won't you read us a story?" Lily asked with big, pleasing eyes as Natasha and Bucky said their goodnight to the kids.

After a short discussion the kids were fine with the promise that Natasha would read them two stories another night. They didn't exactly understand why there was something almost… urgent hindering her from reading it now, but they complied after a hushed remark from Alexei.

So at last the only thing keeping husband and wife from each other were a few layers of cloth.

"Oh, you are the most delicious treat I have ever seen, … Mrs Barnes?" he said daringly. She hadn't formally taken his name but he was fine with that. As long as she was his in everything that mattered.

"Don't you dare."

He raised an eyebrow that.

"Well, for tonight I'll let this slide. But you'll have to work hard for it." She scolded him before gripping his shirt and pulling it apart in a quick motion, sending buttons everywhere. The Black Widow smiled approvingly at the muscular chest and the bulge in his trousers.

Oh, he loved this possessive side of hers. It didn't even need the little push of her hands as he went to his knees in front of her. "I'll give my very best." There was a certain dark glint in his eyes and that boyish grin on his lips as he got comfortable.

Natasha closed the distance and pulled up her dress so he could get a glimpse of her underwear.

James stared at the exquisit lacy garter belt with his mouth open. Okay, maybe he was just developping a kink for this. His fingers carefully felt for the material and gently guided one of her thighs over his shoulder so he had better access. "You have worn this thing all day?"

"Yes." She disclosed. "And I've been thinking about your reaction to it all day."

A shudder went through him at that. He could now almost taste her heat and it drove him insane. But he couldn't just rip this flimsy thing off and devour her. No, he would use this playing field she had provided for him. He leaned his cheek against the cloth shielding a part of her thigh. It was softer than he had expected, even with the lace and embroidery all over it. And it was thin, almost see-through, even more so where she was already wet for him. A finger teased along the seam close to her womanhood. James rubbed his cheek against her skin, his lips passing over her center yet not approaching it directly for now.

Natasha melted into his gentle touches. "I knew you'd like it. Now, Soldier…" She teased as her fingers went to the straps to untie them.

James shushed her and the flows of air made goosepumps raise over her skin. "Not yet, doll. This is a beautifully wrapped present. And I intend to take my time with it." Despite the almost unbearable tightness in his pants he wanted to go slow. He pressed a kiss to her center and shockwaves rocked her. The material was so thin he knew she felt every single stroke of his tongue as he pressed it flat against her most sensitive area.

Her leg wrapped around his neck tighter while he skillfully explored her through the cloth. She was truly blessed to have this man as a lover, as a husband. The thought made her moan. In every way he now belonged to her. No, not only to her, with her.

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Please review ^^ I know it was dripping with cheesy love crap but yeah...