Louisiana was a peaceful place in Phoenix's eyes. She and Bucky had surprised Sam at his family home and they spent the next few days resting from everything that had come before. Sam's sister, Sarah, and her sons, Cass and AJ were slowly introduced to the chimera. Phoenix was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming they were to something that was all kinds of unnatural. Sarah couldn't stop smiling at her and the boys were excited. All the same, they were respectful of Phoenix's boundaries and never attempted to touch her. They even went out of their way to keep their distance unless she approached first. The family home was surrounded by a fair amount of trees, furthering Phoenix's sense of peace. Every day, her friends would help at the docks getting the Wilson family boat in working condition while she remained at the house, drawing on the energy of nature to ease her burdens and to heal. She also wanted to avoid having too many more people know of her despite Sam's assurances the community would welcome her warmly. But it was the chimera's call in the end and she preferred the refuge of being unknown.
One evening, Bucky came to where Phoenix was hiding out in the woods close to the house. He looked around a tree and smiled when he saw her lying down in the grass, horns glowing as she communed with nature. Fireflies were dancing around her and the White Wolf just basked in the beauty of the scene. He leaned against the tree to quietly wait. The glow of her horns soon ceased and she slowly swung her head to look at him. Smiling, Bucky joined her and sat down, leaning against her side. A companionable silence hovered between them. The White Wolf was looking up at the sky as the stars started to come out. He felt Phoenix inhale in preparation to speak. "We all know we have one last battle. I just wanted you to know I'll be with you to the very end," she said.
"I know," Bucky said, simply. He sat up and turned to meet her gaze. "Let's not dwell on that. I just have a question," he said. She tilted her head, waiting. "Can you dance?" he asked. Phoenix blinked before chuckling to herself. "I've never really tried," she admitted. In truth, she was learning some cultural dances from her mother and Seiryu was teaching her some modified dragon dances but that knowledge wasn't very relevant to what Bucky was asking. "Mind doing me a favor and dancing with me? It's been a long time since I took a lady dancing and after all the constant fighting, I need to unwind somehow," he said, getting to his feet. "I don't know, Bucky. I'm probably not the best choice," she said, remaining where she was. "Humor me, Nix. I rarely ask you for anything," he said, holding out a hand.
Deciding that there was no harm in it, Phoenix shifted into her false form. She reached up and set her hand in his. Bucky pulled her to her feet, keeping their hands together. "Would you be alright with me wrapping my arm around your waist?" he asked. She nodded and let him pull her to him. She rested a hand on his shoulder blade while his came to rest around her middle. They started slowly turning in place. Phoenix felt a new sense of peace fill her soul and found the experience to be pleasant. The dances she was currently learning required space for some of the maneuvres. Bucky was her first human partner and the way he led her was gentle. She hoped this was further proof to him that he was a free man, able to do things like this without hurting anyone.
The shifted chimera let the moment take her away and she rested her head on Bucky's shoulder. She felt him smile as he brought her hand to his chest. Phoenix's violet eyes just watched the scenery as they turned. She wondered how she would've felt if she were human. Bucky was a very attractive man, which she could appreciate to a degree. But he didn't have the same effect on her as he would on a normal human woman. She was old and wise enough to know that. She could only imagine what Bucky was thinking at the moment. Did he wish things were different? Did he wish that she were human and unbound to her pair-bond?
Phoenix perished the thought. Bucky never showed any signs that the line between her true nature and her disguise was blurring in his eyes. Every time he looked at her, it wasn't with the eyes of a man in love. It was with the eyes of a human who appreciated the wild beauty of nature. That said, he loved her in his own way. That much was plain. He didn't have to say it or even be aware that he did. It was obvious in how he spoke and acted towards her. Her affection for him ran just as deep now.
They were a pair of souls who carried numerous scars from their experiences. She had found her soulmate in Seiryu and she found her true equal in Bucky. Part of her wished to remain with him but if she had to make a choice, she would choose Seiryu every time. Bucky had her affection while the dragon had her love. Her High King and pair-bond once told her that if she found her heart drifting to another, he would graciously let her go. At the end of the day, the fact remained that she would leave him one way or another. Phoenix had made her choice long ago. She chose death to be the end of their life together. They both took solace that eventually, Seiryu's covenant with the Weaver would be fulfilled after the Tribulation War and he could finally pass away. All World's fate was to die with him and the other Masters, all so the Weaver could set things right.
Bucky's thoughts were on the woman he was dancing with. He hadn't felt this content in many years. Phoenix had given him so much of herself in terms of support and friendship. He entertained the thought that in an alternate universe where she was human, he could see himself falling in love with her. She was heavily scarred and guarded but it didn't stop her from being very kind, beautiful, generous, and caring. She didn't have to appear to him after the Fall. She could've just passed by with him none the wiser that Earth played host to an interdimensional visitor. But her kind nature led her to him when he was lost to Steve and their comrades in the Second World War. It had been enough. They now had a bond that had cemented itself further with every interaction they had since then. Bucky would go so far as to say he would die for her if it ever came down to it. He cared about her that much.
The two soon slowed to a stop but Phoenix made no move to pull away. She let Bucky wrap his arms more fully around her. It had been a while since the last time she felt this relaxed and content. Prior to her return, she had filled her days back home with traveling the Continent, seeking out others like her to send to Chimera Crater, a refuge for them. That involved a lot of time. When she wasn't looking for colonies of her kind, she split her time with Seiryu in his Castle, her mother's herd in Byakko's West, or wandering the Wilds aimlessly. Of course, the past few days of her time on Earth had been more tumultuous and they still had the Flag-Smashers to deal with. But it felt nice to actually slow down and relax.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Bucky suddenly sweeping her up into his arms and sitting down against a tree, cradling her in his lap. "You okay?" she asked, leaning back to look at him. He just brought her forehead to his. "Yeah. I hope you don't mind but I need this," he said. Phoenix just internally shrugged and settled against him. A companionable silence filled the air, broken only by the sounds of frogs and other animals. Phoenix played with the dog tags around Bucky's neck, head tucked under his chin. They didn't have to say anything to know the other was enjoying this moment of peace.
The shifter started singing in a quiet tone. Bucky couldn't understand the language and wondered if this was the native tongue of her mother's kind. All the same, the words and the rhythm flowed over his ears like a gentle river. He felt all his stress melt away and looked up at the stars. After a few minutes, Phoenix went quiet and she shifted off his lap to sit at his side. "That was beautiful," Bucky complimented. "Thanks. It's a song my mother taught me after we found each other. It's a song of hope and healing," she explained. The White Wolf bent a knee to rest his bionic arm on it. "Do you know what the chimeras I've met call me now?" Phoenix ventured. "What?" he asked. "They call me Phoenix Hope-Bringer. As they learn my story, they hope to achieve the same peace I did with the circumstances of my creation and birth. Many I find are often in the throes of despair but as they follow me to Chimera Crater, they slowly begin to see the bright side to life. It's a Weaver-given gift regardless of whether one is born or created. I just happen to be the only known chimera who was both," she explained.
"I agree with them. You've done the same for me ever since Romania when you allowed me to touch you for the first time. It means a lot to me to have your support, Nix. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I'm dreading our next goodbye because there's no way to know if you'll ever come around again. I'm afraid I've grown too dependent on you and when you leave, I'll be lost again," Bucky said, his voice catching. Phoenix turned his face to her. "Put the idea from your mind, my friend. Believe it or not but I've seen the strides you've taken since my last visit. You actually don't need me as much as you think. And you have Sam. I want you to think back to something you told me when I left last time," she said, shifting so she was facing him. "Before I returned home six months ago, you told me you never had to worry about losing me. Because I now live right here," she said, setting a hand on his heart.
Bucky met her gaze as she moved her hand to her own. "And you live right here. We're also family now. Time and distance don't change that. I love you, Bucky, but we both know that this world would slowly destroy me if I were to remain as a permanent resident, even without taking my pair-bond into account. I have to hide far more here than I have to do in All World. I can't live like that long term. You're not really afraid of backsliding when I leave. You're more afraid that I'll forget you. My memory is long and our bond is too well-entrenched for me to ever forget. Of that, you can be sure...unless there's something you're not telling me," she said. The White Wolf looked down at his vibranium hand and flexed it. She was right about everything. He had grown stronger in the time they were apart. He just hadn't seen it until the Flag-Smashers appeared and gave him purpose again.
His blue-grey eyes suddenly met her violet ones. "You're afraid of something, Nix," he stated. She gave him a sad smile and leaned her forehead to his arm. "It's not exactly fear. Just resignation of the reality we live. If all goes well for both of us in our lives, the truth remains that I'm going to outlive you. I don't control the Road but it does let me choose my destination. I can keep coming back here whenever I desire. But one day," she paused, meeting his eyes again. "One day, the door will close...because you will be gone. Your life and youth were artificially extended because of all the times you were frozen and thawed out but my lifespan will still outstrip yours by a century or two. I'm only 48 years older than you but I perceive time much differently. You've been in my life for the blink of an eye and in another, you'll be gone. All I'll have at the end of the day is my memories," she said, feeling the tears run down her face. Her voice was still steady and she had a wan smile on her face.
Bucky finally understood the entire scope of her existence. Phoenix developed attachments rarely because of her start-of-life but those she had were powerful. One of her greatest fears was their final parting far in the future when his life finally ended. He had no way of knowing how many shorter-lived beings she knew but she was already proving her own strength in accepting the reality. Because chimeras were a genetic circus, their lifespans varied as wildly as their looks. Few she had met had the potential for the long life the way she did. Her base genome was a unicorn. They were a long-lived species. Chimeras like her were rare. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side, kissing her temple. "We'll be alright, Nix. I'm not going anywhere for a long time," he assured her.
The following day, Phoenix was grazing while Sam and Bucky talked about the shield as they each threw it like a discus and had it bounce off several padded trees. The chimera's heart was peaceful and her resolve was strengthened. She looked up when she saw the Falcon and the White Wolf approach. "I'm going to head home to New York. What are your plans?" Bucky asked. The chimera just grinned and tilted her head playfully. "You know me. I'll follow you," she responded before looking at the Falcon. "Thank you for everything, Sam. You've been a huge help," she said, leaning against his arm and let him run a hand on her face. "We'll likely meet again before all this is over. So this is until next time, Nix," he said.
The men watched her walk away to give them some space. "Just thought I'd let you know that I saw you two dancing last night. I gotta say that if she were human and not hitched to someone else, you two would have my vote of confidence," Sam joked. Bucky rolled his eyes, swinging his jacket over a shoulder. "Sure, Sam. You're just saying that because better Phoenix than your sister," he drawled. Sam gave him a lighthearted punch to the arm. "Yeah, so I was. But seriously though, it is a bit of a shame that Nix is what she is. I wasn't kidding when I said you two look good together," the Falcon said. He and Bucky exchanged a look before their eyes drifted to where the chimera was standing, back to them but head looking to the left into the woods and ears perked as if listening for something. "But I think we can both agree we prefer her this way," Sam mused. Bucky chuckled and started walking. "I'll be seeing you, Sam. And check out the favor I called in for you from the Wakandans," he said.
Phoenix swung her head to look at Bucky and they started walking down the road. "I heard all that, you know," she teased. The White Wolf looked at her, his face flushing a bit. "You've got some hearing since you were a fair distance from us and we weren't being that loud," he said. The chimera just knocked her head against his arm. "Relax. I found it all flattering and I know how you really feel. Don't worry about it," she said. Bucky just sighed and they walked along the road for a bit. "I'm planning to fly back north. I don't suppose there's any chance you could come along?" he asked. "Not a chance. Flying from Madripoor to Latvia was a necessity. I'll go my way and meet you there," Phoenix responded. They came to a pause and turned to face each other. "See you soon, Bucky," she said. The man reached up to bring her head to his. "See you soon, Nix," he repeated.
The chimera turned around and started to walk off. Just like that, she vanished into thin air. Bucky stood for a moment musing on how it had happened exactly as she described. When they walked the Road together, he had seen the door but when she walked it alone, she winked out of existence with no door to be seen. Quite curious but there were things beyond his understanding. Bucky started walking again, wondering if it were possible for her to take him to All World someday. He had a glimpse of it while traversing the Road but he wanted to see it up close. It was probably for the best that he didn't and he was content with seeing her homeworld from a distance. "Phoenix Hope-Bringer. Couldn't have come up with a better title myself if I tried," he thought to himself.