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Chapter 57

Bucky met the next morning with the AG and his lawyers and Steve was a nervours wreck. They weren't allowed to join the meeting and Natasha tried her best to distract Steve by telling him that she met with an PI to get closer to Malick's end but he didn't really listen to her. Not that she could blame him, she was nervous too.

She really hoped that Bucky would come back with good news. He deserved to know what would happen to him.

Coulson called her and told her that fifteen high-ranking HYDRA members had been arrested and that he and his team would fly to Europe to get them to talk. Hopefully they would fold like Bashki and this nightmare would soon be over and they could start planning their wedding. She had looked at wedding planning sites while Steve had been in the shower and according to them she had to decide what kind of bride she was. Was she a spring, summer, autuum or winter bride? Steve didn't really like the cold, so that was off the table. Summer was almost over and she hoped that she didn't have to wait until the next one for their wedding. Maybe HYDRA would be gone soon and she could be an autuum bride? She had to contact Lagerfeld so he could start with her dress.

Steve tried to watch the news but he turned the tv off and looked at her. "What's taking them so long? Bucky has been talking to the AG for three hours now!"

"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders and moved closer to him on the couch. "But I think it's a good sign. Maybe they're working on a deal or something."

Steve didn't seem completely convinced but wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she snuggled into his side.

Another hour passed and Bucky finally came back with a smile on his face. Well, that meant it went well, didn't it?

"And?" Steve got up from the couch.

"The Department of Justice will grant me amnesty!" Bucky said and Steve stormed towards him and hugged him.

"That's amazing!"

Yeah, it really was! She walked over to congratulate Bucky as well. Then she walked to the kitchen to get the bottle of champagne she had gotten just in case.

"Let's toast to that!" She exclaimed and handed Steve three glasses and filled them. "Today begins the rest of your free life, Bucky!"

They clinked their glasses. Bucky told them that the amnesty counted for every crime he had committed against the States as the Winter Soldier and that the DOJ was in contact with other countries to advise them to do the same. After the annoucement tomorrow he would be free and could leave the Tower whenever he wanted. But he was advised to say in the States as long as the other countries didn't grant him amnesty as well.

"I talked to Tony." Bucky said after they finished the bottle of champagne. "And he lets me stay here at the Tower. You two can go back to your apartment."

"Bucky-" Steve began but Bucky raised his hand to stop him.

"No, you two are getting married and you should have your apartment to yourselves. I can't thank you enough for letting me stay with you and then staying here at the Tower with me but I know it can't be like that forever. Stevie, you're gonna be a husband soon."

Well yeah, she wanted to live with Steve alone but she would also miss having Bucky around. He was her family now. "Thank you, Bucky. But I think Steve and I should stay here as well until HYDRA is gone."

Steve nodded. "Nat's right. I don't want to lie, I love living with you but I also look forward to be with Natasha alone again. And to be back in Brooklyn."

"Good." Bucky stood up from the couch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to tell Sam that I'm gonna live here for good." Bucky smirked. "He's gonna be pissed!"

The next days were except for Bucky's freedom quiet. Steve took Bucky around New York to show him all the things he missed in the last seventy years and Natasha was in contact with Chanel to get her wedding dress done. After reminding Lagerfeld that he owed her one, he agreed to design her dress and had already sent her a few sketches and she told him what she liked and didn't like.

Her jeweler contacted her that he didn't get Steve's gift yet but he got a tip that he would follow. God, she didn't realize how hard it would be to get it.

The team had a meeting yesterday and they all voted for Bucky to join the Avengers. Even Sam.

She was in the living room looking at different types of weddding dresses online to give Lagerfeld more clues about what she wanted when Bucky came back from their trip.

"Good, you're here!"

Natasha raised her eyebrows in question.

"There was a flooding in your apartment. Steve's there and talking to the plumbers." He wrinkled his noise. "Your walk in closet got the most damage."

"What?" She yelled. That could not be happening. She stored valuable items there. Shoes and bags that weren't available anymore. "Please tell me you're joking!"

"No, sorry. I think Steve sent me to tell you because he was scared how you would react."

Well, he hadn't been wrong but a pipe burst was mostly no one's fault. They did live in an old building. She shut her laptop and got up. "I'm gonna head over to see the damage myself."

God, she hoped her leather jacket collection survived. She took her Corvette and got surprisingly fast to Brooklyn. Maybe the New Yorker traffic knew she was in a bad mood.

The apartment door was closed and she heard no construction noises. Did they have to wait until the mess would be fixed? She unlocked the door and had to take a double look. The apartment was dark but there were dozens and dozens of candles ligthing up the place. A path of rose petals showed her the way to the living room. She had to smile to herself. There was definitely no flooding.

Steve was standing in the middle of the living room on a blanket with a picnic basket on. He smiled brightly when she walked in.

"What's this?" She asked and couldn't stop grinning.

"You deserve a traditional proposal." Steve got on one knee and opened a small black box. "Natasha, I love you. I know that I will always love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life by your side. So I am asking you again, will you marry me?"

She kneeled down as well and cupped his face to kiss him. "Yes, you know I do!"

He smiled into their kiss and then took her left hand and slid the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen on her finger. She wasn't one of those women who knew since they were a little girl how their dream ring would look but she knew that this was the perfect one. The ring was white-gold with a square diamond in the middle and one baguette diamond on each side.

"I love it!" She whispered while looking at her hand.

"You do?"

"Yes!" Steve seemed relieved and kissed her again. She was a bit sad that her gift for him wasn't here yet but that left her time to surprise him as well. She really thought the apartment was flooded.

They enjoyed a picnic on their living room floor and she couldn't stop staring at her ring. She never thought she would be that kinda girl but she wanted to flash her ring into everyone's face.

"I want to tell the others."

"Really?" Steve looked so happy and she hated herself for asking him to keep their engagement a secret.

"Really. We know that they won't tell anyone so HYDRA won't find out."

They stayed the night at their apartment and made love on the living room floor and then finally again in their own bed. She let Steve drive them back to the Tower so she could play with her ring. Steve tokk her hand from time to time to press a kiss on her skin.

Tony, Sam and Bucky were eating breakfast when they came to the common floor. Bucky was grinning from ear to ear when they walked in, probably proud of himself for fooling her.

"We have to tell you something." Steve announced and Sam and Tony looked at them.

"You're kicking Barnes out?" Sam asked, probably only half joking.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "No!" And then she did something she never thought she would do. She held her left hand up to show her ring off.

Tony choked on his coffee and Sam immediately looked at Bucky who was still grinning.

"You're engaged?" Tony asked.

"He knew?!" Sam accused at the same time. Bucky just winked at Sam who clenced his jaw. "Not cool, not cool at all!"

Tony got up from his seat and hugged her and then Steve. "Well, congratulations!" Tony eyed Steve. "Blink twice if she's forcing you!"

"Tony!" Steve warned and rolled his eyes. "You know how much I love her."

Stark gave them a warm smile. "Yeah, I do. I'm really happy for you two. You can use one of my houses for your honeymoon. I got them all around the globe. Just remember to sanatize the place before you leave!"

"I can't believe you told the hobo and not me!" Sam whined but got up to congratulate them as well. "And you once told me you don't have a thing for red heads!"

Steve laughed. "I only got a thing for one red head."

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