Chapter 4- Christmas Shopping With Dad and Uncle Steve
Bucky found himself smiling as he watched his girl examining the strands of Christmas lights. Steve looked as equally amused as she frowned at a set of lights in the shape of beer cans. "Tacky, ya think?" Bucky heard Elizabeth mutter with disgust. Thanks to the serum, he had, he could hear his baby girl clearly. Often he used to hear Diana groan when Pierce would send him on missions with HYDRA. Being the obedient wife, she never voiced much complaint after that groan.
"I take it you don't like beer can ornaments, Liz?" Steve asked.
"No, Uncle Steve, I don't. It's like the stupid lamp in "A Christmas Story" that gets broken and Ralphie's father buries it in the backyard," Elizabeth said as she picked up a box of twinkle lights.
"I haven't seen that one," Steve said.
"You didn't miss much. The only part that's funny is when he says the F-word to his dad and then says he learned that word from his best friend Shwartz. His mother repeats it to Shwartz's mother and she hears the woman nearly kill her son over the phone," Elizabeth said.
"Where did he hear it?" Steve asked.
"From his dad. He says his dad curses like an artist painting fine art," Elizabeth said.
"Something you aren't going to learn from me, Elizabeth," Bucky said with a grin.
"I know that, Dad. Mama wouldn't like it if you did teach me that," Elizabeth said as she picked up three boxes of lights and some tinsel.
"No. It's not for your mother that you won't learn it from me. I never thought it sounded right when a girl cursed. No one should, but I have heard you curse and I don't like how it sounds coming out of your mouth," Bucky said, tucking a lock of hair behind his daughter's ear with his flesh hand.
"Oh. I guess I get that reason. Clint didn't like it when I learned certain curse words either. I slipped and said one in front of his mother the first Thanksgiving I was here. He looked like he might kill me for that," Elizabeth said with a wince.
"You were what, eight, then?" Steve asked.
"Yep and not knowing right from wrong at that point as HYDRA and the Red Room threw every curse word at us. All but the kitchen sink," Elizabeth said rolling her eyes as she picked up an angel tree topper.
"Again, you didn't learn those from me, doll," Bucky said. Bucky would often alternate between calling her Elizabeth and doll. He had always called Diana that and he didn't see a reason not to call his daughter that too. His girls never seemed to mind him calling them that.
"Whatcha think, Dad?" Elizabeth asked, holding up an angel in a burgundy dress, a halo and wings and holding two candles in her hands.
"Beautiful," Bucky said with a warm smile at his daughter.
"Uh, me or the angel?" Elizabeth asked.
"Both," Bucky said, brushing a kiss on her forehead and cupping her face gently with his flesh hand. Elizabeth leaned her face into his hand. Bucky released her and pulled her into his arms. Elizabeth pressed her face into his chest, gripping huge handfuls of his leather jacket.
"See, pal. Elizabeth adores you," Steve said.
"I know, but I don't know why she does," Bucky said, resting his stubbled chin on top of Elizabeth's dark head.
"Everyone always did. Being the Winter Soldier didn't stop you from being you," Steve said.
"He's right, Dad. The day you took me to the bank, you didn't hurt me," Elizabeth said, raising, her head to look at him.
"I couldn't. I recognized you. All the times HYDRA erased my memories, thy could never erase my memories of you and your mother. I always remembered. Your mother's kisses and love was what made me remember her always. The day I saw you on the roof, the day I shot Fury, made me remember you," Bucky said.
"What did Pierce tell you about me before that?" Elizabeth asked putting her head back onto his chest.
"That you were a HYDRA defector that deserved to be punished. But I saw you and knew you were my little girl and HYDRA lied to me and your mother when they said you died," Bucky said, hugging his daughter tightly in a breathlessly tight embrace. After being with his daughter for months, it was hard letting her go when hugging her. All Bucky and Diana could remember was the day they lost her after letting her out of their sight. Bucky had been on a mission and Diana had been in their quarters with the baby. Diana had been nearly hysterical when Bucky had come back to the base and she said that Karpov had taken Elizabeth to the infirmary and hadn't returned her. Bucky had stormed to Karpov's office and the man dispassionately had told him Elizabeth had died. The lie had been so awful that Bucky could have kicked himself for believing it. Bucky tightened his arms around Elizabeth's shoulders and kissed her through her hair. He would be hard-pressed to have her taken from him again.
"Don't worry, Buck. No one is taking your daughter from you ever again," Steve said, clapping his flesh shoulder gently.
Bucky smiled. "You always knew what I was thinking, punk," Bucky said dryly.
"Of course, jerk. How long have we been friends and brothers? I was 9 and you were 10," Steve said.
"1927. Before the Great Depression?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yeah. My mother was a nurse in a hospital and my father died in the first world war. Your grandparents were kind to me and Ma," Steve said.
"I wish I'd known them," Elizabeth said.
"They would have loved you. I named you after your grandmother," Bucky said, gently stroking her hair and ear.
"And you look like Elizabeth Barnes and your Aunt Rebecca," Steve said.
"I really do?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes. You look like my mother when I see you helping your mother in the kitchen with dinner and you look like your aunt Rebecca when you read and I see you on your bed on your stomach and kicking a leg lazily in the air," Bucky said.
"I was right. Everyone does stare at me when I read. And Sam was right when he called you the Bionic Staring Machine," Elizabeth said with a groan and roll of her ocean-blue eyes.
"Funny and I have heard Stark call you the Walking Weapons Arsenal," Bucky said, tracing her face gently with the palm of his hand and kissing her forehead lovingly.
"I guess I'd better pay for these. Christmas trees and fireplaces don't decorate themselves. I also need to ask if they have bubble lights. I haven't seen any. I also need to ask about Nativity sets," Elizabeth said, pulling out of Bucky's arms and to the front counter. Bucky's arms felt empty, even though Elizabeth was in his line of sight.
"Here. I'll take those," Steve said. Elizabeth put the lights and tinsel in his arms.
"Thanks, Uncle Steve," Elizabeth said, pushing a lock of stary hair out of her ocean-blue eyes. She walked up to a short woman who looked old enough to be Bucky's grandmother. She spoke in Italian to a young man.
"My Nonna wants to know-" the man started to say in translation before Elizabeth interrupted.
"if I have everything I want?" Elizabeth asked, raising a dark eyebrow.
"You understand Italian?" The man asked in surprise.
"Yes and speak it," Elizabeth said in Italian. The old woman looked surprised and happy.
"You aren't Italian," she said in Italian to Elizabeth.
"No, ma la mia istruzione in Russia e Bielorussia è stata costosa e ho imparato a parlare venti lingue (No, but my education in Belarus and Russia was expensive and I learned to speak twenty languages,)" Elizabeth said in flawless Italian. Bucky's knowledge of Italianwas passable, but his girl knew the language better than he did.
"C'è qualcos'altro che vorresti? (Is there anything else you would like?" The woman asked.
"Yes. Do you have bubble lights and Presepe?" (Nativity scenes) Elizabet asked.
In twenty minutes Elizabeth held four boxes of bubble lights and she had handed Bucky a huge box with a Nativity scene.