Happy Saturday! I've got nothing more to say than enjoy… xxx

Soul Plane

Bucky was sitting in the dim light, his legs crossed in front of him, feeling very alone. This place he was in had no form; his surroundings seemed to be made of mist. He had tried walking around at first, searching for something or someone else, but the mist never ended. He just existed within it.

He knew in the logical sense that this was what happened before, even though he didn't remember it, and that he'd survived it, but he felt very sure that this place was going to drive him insane. There was no stimulation, no sound or smell—all he could see was the mist.

He ran a hand over his face, feeling that touch, but nothing else. All he appeared to be here was himself, his body, and nothing else.

Suddenly, out of the mist came colored light, and Bucky jumped to his feet. The light grew brighter, coalescing into the shape of a person, and then he heard Peter's voice. "Hey, Buck."

Peter!

Bucky launched himself at him without thought, using so much force that they were both knocked to the floor. Peter laughed as they landed, and his arms embraced Bucky as they rolled like wrestling puppies.

"Pete! Are you really here? Please, tell me you're here."

"I am," Peter said, voice filled with happiness. "I had to come."

Bucky rolled over, lying on his back and heaving huge breaths of air into his lungs. "Oh my god."

Peter cuddled into to him, his head on Bucky's chest and his hair tickling Bucky's nose. "I missed you," he said softly.

"Oh, bud, I missed you, too. I know it wasn't that long ago really, not with the other you—who was more and more like you every single day—and I could talk to you sometimes, but it feels like forever. So much happened."

"So much loss. The Stones were…" He sat up and looked down at Bucky. "They hated it. They never wanted to be used like that, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. They were his until he broke the gems, and then they were free again."

"But you've still got them, right? I mean, your eyes…"

"Yeah, but the Stones don't exist in one time and on one plane at the same time. They're everywhere and everything at the same time. They went through it all when it happened, even though they were with me, too."

Bucky sat up and pushed back his hair. "That's got to be tough."

"It was," Peter said. "I've never seen them like that. Well, I've seen Power like that, obviously, but Soul… Well, she looks like a kid, but there was nothing childlike about that level of anger. And Mind, who's always so calm, was raging."

"He's not always calm," Bucky said, remembering when he'd come to rage at Tony for not following the plan after the bank robbery. "He lost his temper with us. He said you did, too."

Peter cocked his head and frowned. "I did? Oh, the bank robbery. Well, yeah, I was pretty mad. I mean, I understood why Tony was doing it, and I felt bad for him, but it was so important that I face those things. And they helped. It all helped until…" He bit his lip.

"Until May died," Bucky finished for him.

He nodded. "Yeah. I think sometimes that I should have seen it coming, because it was an obvious way to make me Unworthy. I didn't, though. I thought they were attacking Spider-Man because that was what it seemed like in the beginning. What they did to May attacked me as Peter Parker, though."

Bucky sighed. Though Peter had not killed, that feeling, that desire, had backtracked his path to being Worthy in the end. But he had come through it, choosing to save Ross' life and prolong Josef's. Thanks to Peter, Josef was rotting away on The Raft, unless he had been snapped away, too. Either way, he was suffering for what he did to Peter.

And Peter was going to be Worthy.

Peter ran a hand through his hair and grinned. "So, you want to do something about this place?"

"Like what?"

"Well, Soul and I had a talk. Right now, you're all—everyone that was snapped away—in the Soul Plane, but it's not your heavens as you didn't really die the same way Vision did before and Nat will. We can do something about that, though. What do you think, shall we see if we can find the others?"

"The others?" Bucky asked. "You mean I won't be alone?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Did you really think I'd just leave you all sitting here alone when you can be together? I'm not sure if you'll remember after, since I didn't know where I'd been—it literally felt like I came back minutes later. But you might. Either way, you'd be better off hanging out with friends than alone."

Bucky jumped to his feet and hauled Peter up. "Yes! I absolutely want that!"

Peter grinned and he looked around, seeming to be searching for something, and then nodded and said, "This way."

Bucky stayed at his side, heart pounding with both happiness and excitement. He would not be with Steve or Tony, of course, but Sam was here, Wanda and T'Challa, too. He could have some of his family with him.

Bucky looked around at his gathered friends, some of them more like family, and noted their beaming faces. They had all been alone in this place before Peter came, and each one they found had been elated to no longer be alone. Those of them that knew him best, Sam, Wanda, and Vision, had also been happy to see Peter again at last.

"So," Peter said, looking around at all their happy faces, "where would you like to be? We've got total freedom here. Well, me and Soul have. But you can pick wherever you want with whoever you want."

"I'd like to stay together," T'Challa said, and Shuri nodded eagerly. "But I am happy to be anywhere."

"Wakanda?" Peter suggested. "It's got so much room there for you all to explore, and also, well, palace."

T'Challa laughed. "You never did see much of it, did you, Peter? You spent your time with us in the hospital."

"True," Peter said. "But still… palace!"

Shuri grinned. "Wakanda it is, and you can come see my lab."

Peter gave an excited shiver. "I would really love that."

"If everyone is in agreement?" T'Challa said, and everyone nodded. "Then whenever you're ready, Peter."

Peter nodded, looked distant for a moment, and then the green fields, towering city, mountains appeared around them.

Bucky looked around and absorbed the sight. He had been here just a little while before the Snap, when they'd had their summit meeting to plan for Thanos, but they'd not have time to look around as Peter had gone into the attack on the Capitol and they'd left in a hurry.

Now, though, he saw the far fields where he had lived. There was even the little hut he'd built for himself, and the goats grazing outside. He thought he would like to go there one day, to show Peter, but for now, after so long of being alone, he wanted company.

T'Challa led them into the city to the palace, Peter walking at his side and chattering. There was such a huge difference in him to how he'd been when Bucky saw him last, at the moment of the joining of their souls. He was happy now, relaxed, at ease. Bucky wondered if it was because he believed in his future now, that he believed the odds being in his favor meant he was going to live. He would ask, but not now, he wanted to enjoy this time with them all at last.

"How are things going back home?" Sam asked.

Peter ran a hand through his hair. "They're tough. The world is in chaos and everyone we left is trying so hard to help them, but it's so hard. There's just so much to do and so few of them."

Sam nodded. "How are they coping?"

"They're all running on adrenaline. You all put so much in place before the Snap that things are going better this time than last, so that's good. Tony and Pepper are struggling because of the way it ended with me, well, other me, but Pepper just found out she'd pregnant which has obviously made a huge difference."

"Have you thought about going to see them?" Wanda asked.

Peter laughed. "Only every single day. But at the same time, they can do this without me. Morgan will be here soon and they'll be a family again."

"You are their family," Wanda said.

"I am, but…" He shook his head. "I just think it's better if they get used to living without me there, and when Morgan's born it'd be too complicated. But I can be here. Me and The Stones have nothing else to do now, so…" he spread his arms and grinned, "we can party!"

Shuri slung an arm around his shoulders and said, "Partying with you sounds like the perfect way to pass some time, Crazy Eyes."

Peter laughed. "Awesome. I hope you've got a cinema set up here since I've not watched Star Wars in two years and I miss it!"

"Who are you talking to?" Shuri scoffed. "Of course we have a cinema. You think Wakandans don't like Hollywood?"

"No, I meant in the palace," Peter said.

T'Challa chuckled. "Don't worry, Peter, she is just teasing you. We have an excellent cinema room and a wealth of movies for you to choose from—including Star Wars."

Peter grinned. "Awesome."

Bucky smiled contentedly. He was thrilled to be out of that mist and among family again, but the thought of five years of Peter and no other pressures sounded perfect. The world they'd left behind was in chaos, but there, in their small piece of the Soul Plane, they could be happy.

So… They're together in the Soul Plane. I loved being able to reunite them.

Until next time…

Jadey xxx