The second the two got back into Brooklyn, they were all over each other. Maria and Bucky went back to their apartment together and spent the night making love and talking about life without the other. Maria was tracing one of the scars on his chest while taking in deep breaths of him. "I missed you." She whispered to him.
Bucky smiled slightly, planting a kiss on her temple and beginning to smell her strawberry scented hair. It was one thing that was never changing. "I missed you more." He continued to leave light kisses all through her hair when he finally asked, "Why didn't you ever tell me that Steve was a super soldier in one of your letters?"
Maria took a deep breath and looked to him. "I thought that was something he should tell you and I didn't want you worrying about anything else while you were over there." He nodded acceptingly and began to stroke her hair. "I thought I was going to die without you, Bucky." He began to kiss her head again as she breathed heavily, thinking about it all over again. "Those months were the hardest thing I had ever been through."
"Hey." Bucky told her as he adjusted to get a better look at her face. Her eyes were watering and just the look of it began to break Bucky's heart. "We don't have to think about that anymore, okay? Because it's not going to happen again."
She nodded and rested into his chest again. "Did you talk to Steve about how you wanted to get out of the Army?"
Bucky sighed as he continued to stroke her shoulder. "No. Not yet."
Maria propped herself up on her elbow and Bucky looked up at her as he kept telling himself that this wasn't a dream. Maria was right here next to him and they weren't going to be separated again. "You have to tell him, Bucky."
"I know." He spoke as his fingers danced on her shoulder.
Maria began to study him, knowing that look better than anyone. "What?" She questioned while cocking her head to the side.
He looked to her face and shook his head. "Nothing."
"No." She spoke as she began to shake her head and Bucky's head fell back as he sighed. "You're holding on to something. What is it?"
He smiled at her and continued to shake his head. "It's nothing. Why does every look have some kind of meaning with you?"
She sighed and rolled off of him, the two now laying side by side with each other. "Because every single look has a meaning." She turned to look at him and Bucky sighed as he looked at her, knowing there was absolutely nothing he could keep from her. "What is it?"
Bucky sighed as he leaned even further into the bed, turning on his side so she could see him. "I want to get out, I really do-"
"But you're going to miss it." She spoke obviously. He looked back to her and nodded while looking down sadly. "Then stay in the Army, Bucky."
He shook his head, looking into her blue eyes seriously. "I can't do that, Maria." She watched him confused, not understanding what he was getting at. "After everything I put you through, I can't do that to you again."
Maria's face softened and she put her hand on Bucky's face with a small, sympathetic smile. "Bucky, I love every bit of you and I know that you love being a soldier a lot-"
"Not as much as I love the thought of growing old with you."
"Let me finish." She told him soothingly while rubbing his cheek. "I know you love being a soldier and I know it's all you've ever dreamt of in your entire life, so if it's something you love then I need you to do that." He shook his head, about to protest when she put her finger to his lips. "I need you to be a soldier because I don't want the two of us to wake up in our seventies and the both of us blaming each other for how our lives turned out because we were keeping each other from living our dreams."
Bucky stared at her and wondered how he could be in love with the one woman who understood him more than anything. He didn't understand how he had gotten so lucky to find Maria. To be in love with Maria. To be engaged to Maria. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he couldn't wait to start their lives together when they were good and ready to start their lives together. "I will love you until the end of time." Bucky promised Maria as he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, slowly and lovingly.
Maria sighed as she closed her eyes, enjoying every single touch of the kiss, feeling every moment sending warm feelings all over her body. That's when she knew this love was real. She knew that they were going to be that kind of epic love you read about in novels. She knew that the beginning of their love was the start of time. That was the one moment when they could really begin living. She loved Bucky Barnes to the moon and back and would never give up on him. "I will love you, Bucky Barnes, until my heart stops beating."
The two woke up the next morning to another day off. With Bucky as a war hero and Maria as a brilliant scientist who was helping bring an end to the Hydra reign, they had a few days to just be by themselves and figure everything out. So did Steve and they would have spent time with him, but he insisted that they spent these rare days together. He knew that they weren't going to get many more like it. Maria woke up to the smell of breakfast from the kitchen. She stretched out in Bucky's shirt and sighed, feeling absolutely no ounce of stress. She now had nothing to worry about. "Bucky?" She called from the bedroom.
He walked into the bedroom with a silver tray in his hands. On that tray was waffles, eggs, coffee and bacon. Bucky had put a rose in-between his teeth while balancing the tray, causing Maria to laugh. He put the tray on her lap which made her smile. She exaggerated a bow and Bucky did the same. "Why, thank you, good sir."
He held the rose out for her which she took and he leaned in, planting a large kiss on her cheek. "You're welcome, my lady."
Maria smiled to him as she watched him walk to the other side of the bed and sit down next to her. "What do you want to do today?" He asked her lovingly while staring right into her eyes. "I want to do anything you want."
Maria shook her head and looked back down to her breakfast. "You already did this for me. I want to do whatever you want to do today." He shook his head and Maria smirked at him. She really didn't want to get into a fight with him about who got to do nice things for the other. "We compromise." Maria told him while pointing a finger to him.
He put his hands up while looking like he didn't want to mess with her. "Fine. We can compromise."
Maria bit her lip and sighed, leaning into him while tearing off a piece of bacon. "I haven't had a chance to go to the new art exhibit at the Met yet." He nodded while leaning in, pulling her head in for a soft kiss. "What do you want to do?" She asked when they finally slightly pulled away for air.
He sighed as he leaned even further into her. "You know what I want to do."
"Oh?" She raised her brow and he continued to smell her. He nodded and went down to her neck, planting small kisses all over it. "Bucky, you just made me breakfast and if you kiss me for one more second then it's all going to end up on the clean carpet."
He pulled away from her, regretting it as he got farther and farther from her lips. "I'll control myself." He told her with lust still hungry in his voice.
"Good." She told him while putting her breakfast on the nightstand. "I'm going to get ready."
He looked to the nightstand and shrugged. "I just made you breakfast."
She ran back into the room and picked another piece of bacon off of the tray, popping it in her mouth and smiling at him. "Thank you, babe."
After their day at the Met, the two joined up with all of the people who Bucky had considered friends in the war at a bar. Maria wore a sexy, curve hugging red dress with red lipstick that had all of the guys staring at her. Bucky didn't mind. She was beautiful and he felt like she should be stared at. She would never do anything and if anyone tried to do anything to her, he would murder them on the spot.
One of the things he loved about showing Maria off was the way she drank. She could out drink Bucky and any of these men sitting at the table. She wasn't even trying too hard. She was already beating out Gabe and Jim who were already starting to get tipsy. This was a way she could bond with Bucky's friends without feeling like just Bucky's girl. She was Bucky's best friend and one of the guys in a way.
The drinking competition stopped when Steve walked into the bar, going straight to them. "Hey." Maria greeted with a smile on her face. Steve sat next to her, pulling her in for a kiss on the cheek and looking to the rest of the guys, beginning to describe his plan to them about getting them involved with the SSR. Bucky excused himself about halfway through to go to the bar and Maria watched him worriedly, knowing that he still didn't know what to do.
After Steve was done explaining, Dum Dum put a mug of beer to his lips and began to drink some while looking at Maria who just rolled her eyes at him. "So, let's get this straight."
"We barely got out alive and you want us to go back?" Gabe asked as Steve shrugged.
"Pretty much."
"Sounds rather run actually." James told him while smiling happily.
Jim burped and Maria rolled her eyes at him while nudging him the arm. "I'm in." He spoke to Steve.
"What the hell else am I gonna do?" Eddy asked him while picking up his milk since he couldn't drink yet, causing Steve to laugh at the young boy's enthusiasm.
Jacques turned to Gabe and the two began speaking in French. They all watched, wondering if they were speaking passionately or angrily. The two then laughed and shook hands. They all waited for the answer as Gabe looked to them and shrugged. "We're in."
"Hell, I'll always fight." Dum Dum spoke while bringing up his mug of beer. "But you've gotta do one thing for me?"
Steve smiled as Dum Dum pulled the beer to his lips again. "What's that?"
"Open a tab." Everyone laughed and Steve stood up from the table, bringing over a few mugs to the bar. "Well that was easy." Dum Dum commented as Maria stood up to find Bucky sitting at the end of the bar looking miserable.
"Another round." Steve told the bartender as Maria went up to Bucky.
"Where are they putting all this stuff?" The bartender asked incredulously as he looked back to the group of men.
"Hey." Maria spoke as she sat down on the seat right next to Bucky.
He turned to her with a smile, pushing his hair back. "Hey."
Maria sighed and put her hand on his back. "You look like you're going through hell."
Bucky scoffed and pulled his drink to his lips. "I kind of am."
Maria felt so bad for Bucky. He was at a very hard place in his life. He was being pulled in two different directions and there was nothing she could do to help him. "I love you, Bucky, but I can't make a choice for you and I can't make you do anything, but I hope you know that I will stand by you no matter what you choose."
Bucky turned to her and gave her a small smile. "I know that." She smiled back at him, hoping this was making it somewhat easier. He leaned in and gave her a light kiss. Maria smiled as she pulled away from him. "How did I get this lucky to end up with you?" Bucky asked her as he stared into her eyes.
She sighed happily as she shrugged. "I don't know. You must have done something really good early down the road."
He laughed at her remark and leaned in for another kiss. "I am very lucky." He told her once he pulled away, a smile spreading all over his face, not being able to help how happy he felt around her.
Bucky looked behind Maria where Steve was coming up to them. Bucky pulled his drink to his lips and smiled at Steve. "See, I told you. They're all idiots."
"What about you?" Steve asked him dramatically as he sat down next to Maria, still looking to Bucky. "Are you ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?"
Maria turned to him, ready to hear what his answer was for that. "Hell no." Maria looked to him, still rubbing his back, knowing that he had finally chosen. "That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight. I'm following him." She looked back up at him with a bright smile, knowing he was doing what he really wanted to do. Something he loved. "Hey, you're keeping the outfit, right?"
"You know what?" Steve smiled and then looked to the Captain America tour poster nearby with a big sticker reading: canceled. "It's kinda growing on me."
The entire bar grew quiet, the three of them only hearing light talking. The trio leaned back at the same time to see what all the fuss was about and when they saw Peggy, their mouths dropped. She was wearing a red dress similar to Maria's, but better in every way. When she found him, the three stood up for her. "Captain."
"Agent Carter."
Bucky and Maria stood side by side, watching the two excitedly to see what would happen between the two. "Howard has some equipment for you to try." Steve looked over to Maria who shrugged at forgetting to mention it. "Tomorrow morning."
Steve smiled politely and nodded. "Sounds good."
A silence passed over them as Maria and Bucky both looked back and forth from Peggy and Steve, just hoping for something to happen. "I see your top squad is prepping for duty." She finally spoke.
Maria looked to Bucky, knowing that someone had to say something to get the ball rolling. "You don't like music?" Bucky asked her.
Peggy continued to stare at Steve like what Bucky said hadn't even mattered. "I do, actually. I might even, when this is all over, go dancing."
Maria looked back to Bucky, knowing that he also had to flirt with Peggy for Steve. "Well, what are we waiting for?" He asked her, knowing she wasn't going to look away from Steve even if he was on fire.
"The right partner." Peggy and Steve smiled at each other one last time before she turned around. "Pay attention, Captain."
"Yes, ma'am." He spoke about what she had originally come in for. "I'll be there."
Bucky and Maria both leaned forward to watch her walk off and when they looked back to Steve, they looked impressed. "I'm invisible." Bucky spoke in shock. "I'm turning into you."
"That's what happens when you have a fiancé." Maria told him while moving to stand right in front of him.
He smirked at her and rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. "And if you didn't have a fiancé, maybe she had a friend."
Bucky and Maria both looked over to Steve, sharing a smirk when Maria got on her tip toes to whisper in Steve's ear. "Don't screw this up."
Bucky and Maria were getting ready for bed. Bucky was brushing his teeth as Maria took off her earrings while staring at Bucky in the mirror. He finally looked to her with his toothbrush still in his mouth, feeling her eyes on him the entire time. "What?"
She smiled as she put the earrings in her jewelry box and turned to him, wrapping her arms on his biceps. "Nothing. I just love you."
"Why this time?" He joked as he gave her a little smile before leaning into the sink to spit. She smacked him in the back of the head when he finished spitting and he immediately put a hand to his head. "Ow!"
"Because you always follow your heart." He turned around to face her, putting his hands on her waist to pull her closer as he leaned against the sink. "You love being a soldier and that's what you're going to continue doing."
He rubbed her forearm and continued to smile at her. "You sure you want me to be like that? What if I do something that I love, but you're totally against?"
She shook her head and leaned even closer to him, their noses only an inch away from each other. "That will never happen. Because if you love it, I'll at least like it."
He chuckled as he put his hand on her cheek, pulling her in for a kiss as the two kept their smiles. "How am I this lucky to end up with you?"
She pulled a face and turned her head slightly to the side. "You already said that."
He looked right into her eyes, putting his other hand on her cheek. "I meant it." She was practically limp in his arms. Bucky had this power over her sometimes. He pulled her in for another kiss and she couldn't do much. Bucky being this romantic had taken the thought out of her. He had always been a smooth talker, but when he looked into her eyes and gave her that one look he only had saved for her, she was butter on a skillet. When they pulled away, Bucky smiled at her look and laughed out, "I love you."
She smiled, breaking out of her melted look and leaning in to give him a small peck on the lips. "I love you."
She grabbed his hand and led him to their room, turning out the lights and laying down on the bed, pulling him on top of her. They were going to make love again, but they didn't know that one passionate time without a condom would result in a baby boy.
This chapter was majorly Bucky/Maria fluff, but I really wanted a chapter of just them being cute and spending time together after they had been apart. I hope you liked it! Please review!