Evelyn finished wrapping up the Christening present she had bought her goddaughter, Bucky finishing making a mug of tea for her that morning. She smiled to him as he handed her it and he frowned, peering down onto what she was wrapping.
"Didn't you buy her a stuffed elephant last time?"
"Yes, but this a giraffe," she responded. "And a baby can never have too many stuffed animals. Besides, I had this one personalised. Look," she said, motioning to the giraffe's paw. "It's got her name on it."
"You're too sweet, you know that?" Bucky asked from her, drinking his own tea.
Evelyn shrugged. "I've never been a Godmother before," she said. "I want to do it right. Besides, Maria is the first one of us to have kids. It feels weird…she's married and settled down."
"And you're sure she's happy with me coming along to the Christening?"
Evelyn nodded and finished sticking the wrapping paper down, using the tape. Bucky held down the paper as she struggled to use both her hands to hold it down and tape it. "Thanks," she said to him. "And yeah, she's happy with you coming along. Both her and Lisa are excited to meet you…I told them go easy on you, by the way. They can be quite intimidating."
"I got that," Bucky said.
Evelyn had spoken to them both some evenings while he had been staying with her. She would sit at the breakfast bar and sip her tea while Bucky stayed on the bed and read a book. He would try not to listen into their conversations, but he struggled not to sometimes, despite giving the friends privacy. Bucky had to admit that he was apprehensive about going to the Christening and meeting her friends, but he knew that it was for the best. He was officially in a relationship with Evelyn. Besides, he had sworn not to leave her alone if he didn't have to until Verity was found.
"Anyway, I need to go and change," Evelyn said to him.
He was already dressed in a navy suit with a white shirt, a blue tie around his neck. He had tried to make an effort, strangely enough wanting to impress her friends as much as possible. He watched her jump down from the stool she had been sat on, place the gift in the bag alongside the card she had written on the night before. Lifting herself up on the breakfast bar, she held her weight with her hands and leant over the bar towards Bucky, kissing him quickly.
"What was that for?" he asked her.
"Well, you're heading into the lion's den," she warned him. "Just want you to be sure it is worth it."
"I don't know," Bucky taunted her. "I might need some more convincing."
"I gave you my last donut yesterday, does that not count for anything in this relationship?"
"You spoil me," he responded.
"Only because I care, Mr Barnes," she teased and headed into her bedroom, closing the door and beginning to change. Bucky smiled at the back of her, scratching the back of his neck before moving around the kitchen. He tidied up the plates that they had used at breakfast, loading them into the dishwasher. As he finished putting the machine on, he felt his phone begin to vibrate in his pocket.
"Sam," Bucky said, not even needing to check the ID as he answered.
"Buck, we have a situation," Sam responded, foregoing any teasing or niceties. "Verity has been spotted back in the U.S."
"Where?"
"New York," Sam replied. "She didn't get a flight in. She ditched her private plane in Mexico and took a ship up. Someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. picked her up this morning. She's been staying in a hotel, paid for it with cash and left this morning. We're trying to track down her movements, but the car she took has false plates."
"Do you think she's coming to D.C.?" Bucky wondered from him.
"It's not impossible," Sam replied. "I need you to stay alert, Buck. I'm hoping we pick her up before she can get anywhere close to D.C."
"Good," Bucky said with a nod of his head. "I'm going with Evelyn to one of her friend's baby's Christening today so we won't be at the apartment. I'll have my phone on me so just call me if you get any news, okay?"
"Will do," Sam said. "And you're off to a Christening?"
"Yeah," Bucky replied.
"I would pay to see that."
"Goodbye, Sam."
Bucky hung up as he heard Sam continue to taunt him. Instead he picked up the mug of tea he had made Evelyn earlier and headed to the bedroom. Knocking on the door before he entered, he walked in and placed her mug down on her dressing table as she fixed her hair.
"Thanks," she said, looking to him in the mirror.
She had changed into a long white dress. The dress was off the shoulders, coming down and pinching in at her waist and flowing to her feet. The floral pattern was blue and red, the body of it ruffled. Bucky saw her fold one leg over the other and he nodded.
"You look nice," he said as she finished curling her hair.
"Just nice?"
"Fishing for compliments, sweetheart?" he teased her.
"Never," she joked back and saw a glint in his eye, almost as though something was wrong. She placed her curlers down and turned her head over her shoulder to look at him. "What's wrong?"
"Sam called," Bucky said and he sat down on the bench seat next to her, his thigh brushing hers as she turned to watch him. He laced his hands together and draped them on his lap, his neck turning to the side and his gaze looking down onto her. "Verity was in New York. They're trying to find her as we speak."
"New York?" Evelyn echoed back to him. "Bucky, that's not far away…not really."
"I know," Bucky said to her with a nod of his head, "but Sam is going to keep me in the loop and we're not going to be here all day. I don't want this to ruin today for you, Evie, okay? Someone will get to her before she can get anywhere near us."
Evelyn nodded. People would be looking for her. They would find her. She could only hide for so long and even then, she would make a mistake. She was bound to make a mistake.
"Okay," Evelyn said and let out a shaky breath. She pulled her glasses from her face and reached for her contacts instead. "We're not going to be here today so that gives them a chance to find her before she gets close to D.C…and if they're hot on her trail then she can't get far."
"I hope so," Bucky said, watching her prod at her eye in the mirror. "You going to be okay?"
"I'm about to become a Godmother," Evelyn said. "I'm not going to let her ruin this day. There is no chance I am going to do that."
"Well said," Bucky replied, knowing that deep down she would struggle to forget what he had said and act normal for the day. But she was going to try and do just that. She was going to do it for Maria's day because this was her daughter's Christening. Evelyn finished putting her contacts in and blinked a few times. Bucky remained seated where he was, watching her finish off what she was doing.
She had told Bucky that they would get the metro out of D.C. to the suburb where Maria had moved to. The church was a ten-minute walk from the metro station and Maria's house was another ten minute walk from the church. Maria had arranged for the reception to take place at her house, hiring caterers and a band. She had gone all out for the Christening, both her and Daniel's family being large. Lisa had flown into Dulles the night before and had spent the night recovering from jet lag in a hotel down the road from the church.
"I think I'm ready," Evelyn said after a moment. "You sure you're okay to go to this?"
"As sure as I will be," he said and she stood up.
She grabbed hold of her blue jacket and slipped it onto her frame over her dress before pulling her flat shoes onto her feet. Bucky took hold of her hand and she held her small bag on her shoulder, letting it dangle down against her hip. She took hold of the gift bag and locked up. They went to the metro together, Bucky seemingly enthralled with the transport system. Sitting down on a bench, they talked about everything and nothing of importance, not wanting to mention Verity's name.
Once they were away from D.C. and had reached their stop, they made the short walk to the church. Bucky gulped as he looked ahead. There were numerous people outside the church, the sight of them filling him with anxiety. He flexed his vibranium hand inside of his leather glove. He turned to look down to Evelyn and she sensed his hesitation.
"You alright?" she asked him.
"What if someone recognises me?" he asked her. He had thought of this, but he hadn't truly appreciated how busy it would be. But now that he was in front of them, the feeling was quite real. He didn't know how to react if someone noticed him.
"Then they'll know that you're James Bucky Barnes, the man who was pardoned by the President," Evelyn said to him. "Just try not to worry or look too nervous. I know that is easier said than done, but I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'll be there the entire time and honestly, I hardly know anyone here either. I know Maria's parents and Lisa…that's about it. She comes from a big extended family."
"Right," Bucky said with a loud exhale.
"I've got you," Evelyn promised him.
"Long time, no see, Evie."
Evelyn turned around at the sound of a familiar voice. She instantly dropped Bucky's hand and launched herself at the woman who had just arrived. Bucky recognised her as Lisa, her friend from London. The two women embraced and squealed loudly. Lisa looked poised and wore a smart fitting navy dress that stopped at her knee, blue heels on her feet and her hair falling straight down her back.
"I've missed you so much," Evelyn said to her, "I can't believe you're here after so many months."
"Neither can I," Lisa responded. "It felt like coming home though. As soon as I got out of Dulles last night it was like I'd never been away."
"How long are you staying for?"
"It's a quick visit, I'm afraid," Lisa said with a frown. "I'm heading to New York to see my parents tomorrow afternoon. I was hoping that we could grab brunch before I fly out if you're not busy?"
"Yeah, sure," Evelyn said, not once thinking about if she did have plans.
"Excellent," Lisa said and finally her eyes landed on Bucky over Evelyn's shoulder. Bucky could feel his normal hand sweating in his glove. He watched her and realised that she had a stern expression. She appeared quite intimidating. "And I am guessing that this is Bucky."
"You would be correct," Evelyn said and she turned back to Bucky. "Bucky, this is Lisa."
"Nice to meet you," Bucky said and extended his hand. She took hold of it and shook it firmly.
"Likewise," Lisa replied. "So, you two are official now, huh?"
"We are," Evelyn replied with a nod.
"In that case, Bucky, are you prepared for the inquisition which will no doubt follow once me and Maria get you alone?" Lisa asked, a slight teasing tone to her voice.
Bucky nodded once, trying not to look too worried. "I have been warned about this inquisition," he said and noted Evelyn roll her eyes and fold her arms across her chest.
"I've told you both to be nice," she warned her friend.
"And we will be," Lisa defended. "But this is the first guy you've dated in a long time and you've been serious over. Excuse us if we want to get to know him better and find out more…then again, you've always loved history. Only you could date a literal fossil."
"Lisa!" Evelyn berated her friend, but Lisa laughed and Bucky let his own lips quirk upwards at that. At least he didn't have to hide who he was to them. And at least she had been able to be honest with them. He suspected that was a good thing. She needed people who she could talk to.
"I'm joking," Lisa said and looked back to Bucky. "You'll get used to me joking and her telling me off. She's the youngest in the group but was always our mom when we were at college."
"I was responsible, there's a difference," Evelyn retorted. "Now come on, I don't want to be late."
"See," Lisa pointed out, "mom."
Bucky fell into step next to Evelyn, feeling her take hold of his arm as they approached the church. Lisa walked on the other side of Evelyn, the two women talking as they finally came to the entrance where a man and a woman stood, holding a little baby in a large white dress that flowed down her body. Bucky suspected they had to be Maria and Daniel, and the baby had to be Lillie.
There was more squealing once Maria had seen her two friends, embracing Lisa and telling her how much she had missed her. Evelyn began cooing over Lillie, bending down and talking to her while Lisa looked on, smiling at the sight and Maria turned her attention to Bucky.
"Bucky," she said, knowing exactly that it was him without asking. "It's good of you to come."
"It's nice of you to invite me," Bucky replied and he shook her hand as Daniel eyed him up, unable to convince himself that he was looking at the Winter Soldier. His wife had warned him not to say anything and he had agreed, but had also been shocked at the sight of him. He looked shorter than he had thought too.
"Well, you're dating Evelyn and got her fawning all over you," Maria said. "I figured it was time for us to meet you."
"I already warned him about us," Lisa jumped in.
Maria chuckled. "We're not that scary," she assured him.
"Come on," Evelyn said, taking hold of Bucky's hand once more. "We're holding everyone up. You can finish your questioning later, okay?"
Maria agreed and let the three of them head into the church while she and Daniel continued greeting everyone. Sitting down in a pew, Bucky sat at the end with Evelyn in between him and Lisa. He could feel her running her thumb over his knuckles, trying to soothe him. He appreciated it, but he was still glancing around anxiously, almost convincing himself that people were talking about him. But they weren't. They were talking amongst themselves and looking around at the architecture. Evelyn continued to talk to Lisa as Bucky left the two of them to catch up, content with simply holding onto her hand in his grip.
The ceremony soon started and Bucky watched on with wonder. Evelyn only let go of his hand once the godparents were called up. She went with Lisa after giving him a final squeeze. His eyes remained set on her as she repeated after the vicar to care for Lillie and love her. She had eyes only for the baby in Maria's arms and Bucky wondered about children. He had always thought that he would have children during the 1940s. He had come from a big family and he couldn't imagine not having his own big family. But then HYDRA had taken him. And now he didn't even know if he could have children. He didn't know if it was possible after being put to sleep so many times. And as he continued watching Evelyn hold Lillie, he began to wonder how he could tell her his worries and concerns. Was it too soon? He didn't know.
She finally came to sit back down next to him and Bucky rested a hand on her thigh once she had folded one leg over the other. She moved her own hand down to hold onto his on her thigh as Lisa sat down and noted the motion, seeing how in sync the two of them were.
Once the Christening had finished, they all fanned out and headed back to Maria's house after numerous photos in the churchyard. Bucky had stood back, hands in his pockets as Evelyn was called forwards for photos.
"Some people are driving to Maria's, but I said that we'd be fine walking," Evelyn said to Bucky once she had finished with the photos. She took her blue jacket back from him and shrugged into it, taking her bag back. He had told her that he would keep a hold of them while she was in the photos.
"Sounds good," Bucky told her. "You ready then?"
"Yeah," Evelyn said to him.
He picked up her hand and she fell into step beside him, leaving the loud chattering behind and heading to the street, moving down the leafy lanes and towards Maria's house.
"I thought that Lillie was going to start crying as soon as the water was poured on her forehead," Evelyn said to Bucky. "Did you see her little scrunched up face?"
Bucky chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll be honest, I wasn't entirely watching her. I was just watching you. You looked so…happy…like you loved that baby more than anything."
Evelyn shrugged. "She's a baby," she said. "And she's my goddaughter. Of course I love her. Besides, Maria has already dragged me into babysitting duties in a couple of week's time. I said that I would come out here for the evening. But I know that you'll probably want to come depending on circumstances."
Bucky sighed. "I'm hoping everything is sorted by then," he admitted to her. "I don't want your friends thinking I'm overbearing on you."
"They would understand if I told them," Evelyn promised him. "But like you said, hopefully it will be over by then."
"I hope so," Bucky said, "would sure be nice to have some time to breathe."
"Agreed," Evelyn said to him.
"Is that what you want…the normal life eventually…this life?"
Evelyn's brow furrowed. "I thought that we had this discussion the other day? Besides, it feels too soon to even think about the future, doesn't it? We only became official the other week."
"I know," Bucky said, "but seeing you with Lillie today…I feel like I should tell you the truth because I don't know if this will have an impact or not, but you deserve to know after everything I've put you through."
Evelyn's face scrunched up and she stopped walking then. His tone was concerning her. He was looking worried. He looked down to her as she stood in front of him. She waited for him to talk and he did so after a moment, taking in a deep breath before he found the words.
"When I was the Winter Soldier I was…well…shall we say frozen," Bucky told her. "When they didn't need me they would freeze me. It was to preserve me for as long as possible, but I don't know what impact that had on me, Evelyn. I don't know if it means that I could…you know…I don't know if I can have children."
"Oh," Evelyn said.
She had been unsure on where the conversation had been going until he had said it. She hadn't seriously thought about children before. They had always been a distant thought in her mind, knowing that having children was in the future. She'd be lying if she said that she hadn't thought about having children with Bucky. She'd dreamt of everything in her mind. But she didn't know if it could be a reality, not really.
"And I thought that you should know," he said.
"You…thank you for telling me," Evelyn said to him. "But that isn't something we have to worry about, Bucky. I mean, it's a long way off in the future and who is to say that it would be something we would want…that you would want with me anyway."
"I know," Bucky agreed.
"Don't let it bother you," Evelyn said. "There's ways around things. There always is."
Bucky nodded at her and she stood on her toes, kissing him on the lips briefly and taking hold of his hand again. They walked together to the house and Bucky's eyes widened at the sight of it. It was large, double fronted and boarded with white wood. It looked like every house he had seen in the movies. A hedge covered the perimeter and people were making their way to the back yard around the side of the house. The back yard was even more impressive than the front. Tables and chairs had been set up on the freshly cut lawn, a large table against the back of the house with food and a cake on it. There was even what looked like a string quartet in the corner, but they weren't playing anything yet. Instead the speakers played some soft popular music.
"This is insane," Bucky commented.
"Yeah," Evelyn couldn't disagree with that. It looked impressive, though. She placed her gift down on the table with all the other presents before noticing the bar in the corner. "Fancy a drink?"
"Certainly do," Bucky murmured.
He followed her to the bar and she ordered a glass of white wine while he opted for a beer. Once they had their drinks, they headed to an empty table, Evelyn stopping and pausing to say hello to Maria's parents, introducing them briefly to Bucky who gave a polite nod. Once they were seated, Evelyn folded one leg over the other, shifting her chair so that she was facing Bucky and things were less formal.
Bucky pulled his phone from his pocket and checked that he hadn't missed a call.
"No news?" Evelyn asked, sipping on her wine.
"None yet," he responded, taking a drink of beer. "I didn't think that there would be, but I hoped that there could have been."
"Same," she said to him, agreeing with him on that point. "Anyway, I need you to make sure that you keep Wednesday night free this week."
"Well, in my oh so busy schedule that might be difficult," he joked and Evelyn laughed along. "But indulge me, why is that?"
"It might be my turn to try and shock you on a date," she said. She had planned it all in advance, but she only hoped that things went smoothly. "And you're getting no more details than that."
"I live in anticipation," Bucky said.
It was at that moment when Lisa joined them, sitting down on the other side of Evelyn. Maria suddenly appeared as well, taking the chair next to Bucky. Evelyn looked at both her friends, twisting her upper body both ways so that she could see them. "Where did you two spring up from?"
"We move like shadows," Maria commented.
"Evie, would you be so kind as to get us a drink?" Lisa asked.
"Oh no," Evelyn said. "You're not getting rid of me."
"We just want a word with Bucky," Maria said. "We're not going to divulge embarrassing stories of you in college."
"Not tonight, anyway," Lisa added on.
"Funnily enough that's not what I was scared of," Evelyn mumbled and Bucky reached across, his hand giving her knee a squeeze. He nodded once and Evelyn stood up, leaving her jacket and bag at the table. She mouthed 'sorry' to him and headed off to the bar. Bucky took a drink of his beer and sat back in his chair, sandwiched between the two women as Lisa took Evelyn's vacated seat.
"I wouldn't blame you if you were going to warn me away from her," Bucky said to them, placing the bottle of beer down. "Trust me, I've already done that in my head about a million times."
Lisa shrugged. "We'd considered it," she replied, leaning back and folding one leg over the other. "After what happened that night Evelyn was kidnapped, we were worried."
"More than worried," Maria said to him.
"I understand," Bucky said to them.
"And we still do worry," Lisa responded. "But Evelyn has assured us that you have done everything that you can to keep her safe."
"I'm trying to," Bucky said to the pair.
"And when you'd gone, we wanted to kill you for leaving her," Lisa said. "Because the Evelyn we saw wasn't the Evelyn we knew. She…I know it's melodramatic considering you had only been in her life a few weeks, but I swear that she was heartbroken."
"I didn't meant to hurt her," Bucky said.
"And we know that too," Maria reinforced. "In a way, it was noble of you to leave her because you were scared of hurting her. But we can see that she is happy now. We just want you to promise us that you'll look after her because we can't see her hurt again…that night she was kidnapped…and we didn't know what was going on…it was one of the worst nights of our lives...she can't go through that again. We mean it. She might care for you, but she needs to be safe. We just want her to be safe and happy."
Bucky felt his mouth dry out and he struggled to find the words necessary to speak to them. Instead he could only nod his head and they watched him run the back of his hand over his nose. He finally spoke: "I know that feeling," he promised them. "And I'm sorry you had to go through it."
The two women exchanged a glance between each other as the string quartet struck up, playing a soft tune. "Just look after her," Lisa chose to say.
"Always will," Bucky assured them, looking them both in the eye.
Evelyn returned at that moment, placing a glass of champagne in front of Maria and a white wine in front of Lisa, knowing their preferred drinks. She remained stood up considering that Lisa had shifted into her empty seat. "Have you done?" she asked them.
"We're done," Maria said. "Would you two please go and dance? This is supposed to be a party and so far no one is even dancing and I hired a band especially."
"I noticed," Lisa spoke, "got to say, this is a far cry from your karaoke parties at college."
"Oh we have some stories about those, Bucky," Maria said to him. "Evelyn's favourite was-"
"-Bucky doesn't need to know about that," Evelyn interrupted firmly.
"He will one day," Maria said. "Now please, go and try to get other people dancing. This is the first time I've had a drink since Lillie was born and I don't want this to be dull."
"I don't know," Evelyn said. "You know that I don't dance."
"I do," Bucky said to her. "Well, I did."
In a sense, he felt the need to move and humour her friends. For some reason he wanted to be on their good side. He stood up and offered Evelyn his hand. She glowered at her friends before taking his gloved hand and allowing him to lead her to the wooden floor at the other end of the garden. Stepping onto it, Evelyn instantly felt self-conscious. Bucky stood before her, shrugging his shoulders.
"They'd only have bugged you until you got up here," he said to her. "So come on."
"I can't dance," Evelyn protested. "I mean it, Bucky."
"Well you can't be a worse dancer than you are skater," he responded. "And I haven't danced since the 1940s so we're both perhaps a bit rusty."
"The same way you didn't know you could ice skate and then proceeded to do it effortlessly?" she asked him back and he laughed at that. Shrugging his shoulders, he moved her hand to his shoulder, his other hand taking hers and holding it in mid-air.
"Just follow my lead," he encouraged from her.
"Right," she said and he began moving slowly, his movements steady. But Evelyn still looked down to the floor. He moved his hand from her waist to her chin, tilting her gaze back up to him.
"What is it with you and looking at the floor?" he questioned.
"I don't want to tread on your feet," she said as other people moved to the floor eventually. Bucky shook his head, his lips pulling upwards.
"You won't," he promised her. "Just look at me and trust me."
She nodded, exhaling a breath. She kept her hand on his shoulder as he moved, her gaze not leaving his. He managed to lead her around the floor without bumping into anyone before he moved them to the edge of the floor. Evelyn thought that they were leaving. Instead he moved closer, his arm now fully around her waist, holding her to him as he moved her other hand in the air to his free shoulder. She took hold of it and his gloved hand ran down her cheek.
"What's up?" she asked him, wondering what was going on in his mind.
"Absolutely nothing," he said to her earnestly. "Just realising how lucky I am."
"Hmm," Evelyn hummed contently. "Listen, do you want to leave early this evening? We can grab a burger and head home…the food here is pretty fancy and I doubt it's filling."
Bucky's lips continued to arch upwards. "So I was being all romantic and you turn the conversation onto burgers?" he double-checked. "You're something else, Evie."
"Sorry," she responded.
"No," Bucky said to her. "It makes you…well…you."
Evelyn bit down on the inside of her cheek and leant in, her cheek moving to just beneath his neck. He let her burrow closer to him, now just swaying with her in his arms and he contemplated how content he felt at that moment. Her friends were watching from their table and Bucky did his best not to look over at their smirking faces. They were definitely protective over Evelyn and he saw that she had two good friends in Lisa and Maria. They looked out for her. They adored her and he knew exactly why.
It was at that moment when Bucky felt that he was too comfortable. He looked over to the house, his eyes scanning around as Evelyn's hair brushed his chin. Bucky knew when he was being watched and that feeling came over him in an instant. He looked to the window in the house and he saw her. His spine stiffened and Evelyn felt him tense. She looked up to him and saw that he was staring at the house. Her brows knitted together in an instant and she knew that there was something not quite right.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"I need you to stay here where there are people watching," Bucky said to her, voice low and deep.
"What? Why?" Evelyn asked from him.
"Evie, please," Bucky encouraged her. "I don't want to draw any attention to us…can you just do this, for me?"
Evelyn's lips pursed and he saw her pupils dilate, her face growing increasingly fearful. "Is she here?"
Bucky nodded once, the motion slow and solemn.
"We have to get her away from here. You have to call Sam too."
"You call him," Bucky said, passing her his phone that he had buried in his pocket. "Call Sam and stay around people."
"But she-"
"-Super soldier," he interrupted her, knowing where her concerns were going. "I can handle this. Just do this for me."
Evelyn had no chance to protest. Bucky was already escaping her grip, leaving her clutching at his phone. She began to pull it open and find Sam's number. Bucky entered the house and cautiously moved to the staircase, smiling at the people who he passed on his way there. Coming to the top of the stairs, he saw her standing in the doorway of one room. She drifted back into it and Bucky flexed his vibranium arm. Heading towards the room, he saw that she was in the nursery, stood by the window, arms folded and leant against the window seat.
"What are you doing here?" Bucky asked, stepping into the room that was painted cream and decorated with small swirls. The cot sat in the corner and a changing table was next to it. There were toys dotted around and a wardrobe stood with a door open to it, showing all of the folded baby clothes and accessories.
"I came to see how you were getting on," Verity said to him. "In this new civilian life you've adopted."
"No, you haven't," Bucky replied.
"Well, not entirely," she admitted. "You see, I've been keeping tabs on you…you and your new little pet. Is that how it works for you? You can't possibly love her. A monster like you would have no idea what love is, not after everything that you've done."
"I'm not him anymore," Bucky responded.
"Really?" she asked him. "Do those magic words not work on you anymore?"
"No," he said sternly. "And what happened to your mother is something I regret, but it was not me. I am James Bucky Barnes. I am not the Winter Soldier."
"Bullshit," she sniped back. "You were the one who killed my mother. Do you seriously think I am going to buy your redemption crap? Not a chance."
"So what?" Bucky asked from her. "Why did you come here? You know that Evelyn is safe. She is downstairs and away from you. She's calling for backup as we speak."
"Yes, good of you to have that little bird watching my movements. But he's currently tracking a decoy. Besides, I'll be gone before they arrive."
"Do you think that I'll let you just walk out?" Bucky asked from her.
She laughed at that. "I don't think you'll get a chance."
"I'm not letting you get away."
"Again, you'll not get a chance to stop me."
"Just stay here," Bucky said and he went to take hold of her arm, but she brushed him off with no effort. She moved her fist towards his cheek, punching him squarely in the jaw and sending him flying to the other end of the wall, crashing into the photo hanging there as it smashed around him. He managed to stay on his feet and he looked back to her.
She had a smirk on her face, her shoulders shrugging and her head tilting to the side. "You're not the only super soldier now," she replied.
Bucky moved closer then and he reached for her arm to twist it behind her back, but she kicked him in the knee, sending him to his knees. He had to admit that she was strong, but he had years of experience. She might have trained to fight, but her abilities were new. She didn't know how to use them, not really. As Bucky got to his feet, he looked to the door to see Evelyn stood there, holding what looked like a poker stick from a fireplace in her hand.
He froze at the sight of her for a moment and had no chance to say anything before she smashed the stick around the back of Verity's head. The redhead didn't even feel the pain. She remained stood up as Bucky felt Verity elbow him in the face as he tried move past her to get to Evelyn. He lost balance and it was then when she backhanded Evelyn, sending her flying to the ground, her dress pooling around her legs and sticking. She grunted before Verity picked her up, grabbing her by the neck and hoisting her into the air. She clawed at Verity's hand as she was shoved against the wall, choking for a few moments before Bucky was there, having regained his senses. Taking hold of Verity, he pushed her from Evelyn, giving her no choice but to release her. Evelyn collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath before Bucky kicked Verity square in the chest into the cot, the wood breaking under her weight.
"Evie," Bucky spoke her name and she nodded, still coughing for breath.
He turned back to Verity who was now crouched on the window seat by the window. Looking back at the two of them, she continued smiling. "You can't protect her forever," she warned Bucky. "And that's when I'll take her from you…give you her mangled body. That's more than we got when you killed our mother."
She smashed the window and jumped down from the second floor without a second thought.
"Go!" Evelyn snapped at Bucky. "Bucky, go after her!"
Bucky looked to Evelyn as she managed to push herself to her feet. She leant against the wall, blood trickling down her forehead from the impact with Verity. Bucky turned to leave her, leaping from the window and giving chase to Verity. People in the yard shrieked in fear as he took off, running as quickly as he possibly could. She was turning down the street on the right and he spotted a large, black SUV car. She jumped into it and it sped off. Bucky continued running, teeth gritted together. He ran as quickly as he could, but he couldn't keep up with the car. Instead he took the registration number and watched it disappear into the distance.
Turning around, he returned to the house, running once again. He ignored the stares he faced as he entered the house and went back upstairs to find Evelyn. But Maria and Lisa had already found her.
"Do you think that this is normal?" Lisa was the one who was shouting at her. "Jesus, Evelyn, you were almost choked to death…you're bleeding…"
"You could have been killed!" Maria chimed in.
"But I wasn't-"
"-I have a baby, Evelyn," Maria snapped, interrupting her. "I have a baby who is downstairs with my entire family. What if that woman had decided to do something? What if Lillie had been hurt? What then?"
"Maria, she doesn't want you…"
"No, she wants you," Lisa hissed loudly. "She wants to kill you to get revenge on your boyfriend. How long has she been trying to find you?"
"A few weeks."
"And you said nothing?" Maria demanded. "You came here knowing that someone is after you? You did that without telling me?"
"I never thought that she would make a move here. She was supposed to be followed…I didn't think this would happen."
"No, but it did," Lisa retorted. "Christ, Evie, is he worth this? Is he really worth your life?"
There was silence then and Bucky continued hidden around the corner, closing his eyes and waiting for her to say no. He waited for her to say that he wasn't worth it. But instead she spoke so honestly and softly that he felt his chest ache at her words.
"I love him," she said, the words so honest and truthful. "I love him…and I'm not leaving him."
She loved him. Bucky hadn't said those words to her and she hadn't even said them to him. He was certain that he was falling for her, but he had never confessed his feelings. He had been waiting for the right moment, but when was the right moment? He didn't know the answer to that either.
"Loving someone shouldn't cost your life," Maria said to her.
"Perhaps not," Evelyn said. "But I'm not leaving him."
"Then you're an idiot," Maria said, her voice harsh. "I thought that I could move on and accept him…because you were happy with him and he wants to protect you and he does care for you, but the fact is that he isn't good for you. He isn't any good for you."
"Maria is right, Evie," Lisa said, but her tone was softer. "We want to like him and we want you to be happy, but this isn't happiness. This is dangerous. This is him almost getting you killed again."
Bucky entered the room then, unable to stay hidden and listen to Evelyn take any more flak on his behalf. Hands on his hips, he stepped through the threshold and the women turned to look to him. His eyes went straight to Evelyn and he saw the dried blood on her forehead and fingerprints embedded on her neck.
"Did you get her?" Evelyn wondered, voice hoarse.
"No," Bucky responded.
"You should walk away," Maria said to him, her voice full of anger. "You should leave her alone. You're going to get her killed."
"Maria," Evelyn hissed.
"No," Maria snapped back, pointing at him. "He needs to hear this. He needs to know the truth."
"I do," Bucky replied.
"Then let her go!" Lisa jumped in. "Because this is too dangerous. This isn't right…she deserves better than this."
"I know," Bucky agreed.
"Stop it," Evelyn was the one to snap loudly then, unable to stop her voice from rising. She knew that she must look hysterical, but she failed to care. Instead she looked between her friends. "I'm not leaving him. Besides, do you think that it would matter? She already knows how we feel. He could walk away…leave me…and it would make no difference. Because it is too late. We're in too deep and so we have to deal with this."
"You're mad," Maria said in disbelief, shaking her head. "You're completely mad."
"No, I'm not," Evelyn said.
"I don't want to see you hurt, Evie, but you will be and if you think staying with him won't end in pain then you're naive."
"How do you both know that? How could you possibly know that?" she snapped loudly. "You…I appreciate your concern, but I'm not staying here and listening to this."
"I think that's for the best," Maria agreed. "You should leave…and…I think it would be best if you stayed away for the time being if you insist on picking him. Lillie…I don't want to think about what could have happened to my daughter…our family…friends…so…just stay away, Evie, for all our sakes, until you wise up."
"Maria," Lisa tried to calm her down, but Maria wasn't having any of it.
"I'll pay for the damage," Evelyn simply said.
"Don't bother." Maria responded and turned her back on her. Lisa went to Maria, talking to her as Evelyn turned to look to Bucky. He could see her bottom lip quivering as she stepped away and began to walk out of the house. She ignored the stares that followed her, grabbing her bag that she had left at the bottom of the stairs. She had no idea where her jacket was, but she didn't care. Bucky followed her like a shadow, hearing people whispering about him.
"You need to call Sam," Evelyn said, her hands shaking as she opened her bag and handed him his phone. "Tell him what happened…but not to come here…leave Maria alone."
"I'll tell him," Bucky promised her. "Evie, do you want to-"
"-I don't want to talk about it," she interrupted him, instead she hailed for a cab and climbed in. Bucky followed her as she gave her address.
The drive back home was done in silence, Bucky looking to Evelyn and wanting to say so much but so uncertain of what it was he wanted to say. Instead he kept silent, following her after she had paid the driver once they arrived at her apartment. They took the elevator in silence and entered the apartment, Bucky's phone beginning to ring. Evelyn moved to her bedroom, leaving the door open as Bucky locked the apartment door. He took Sam's call as he did so, telling him that Verity had taken the serum and giving him the car registration number.
"Bucky…she has to get out of there," Sam said. "She has to go into protection."
"I know."
"There will be two agents watching her apartment tonight, but tomorrow morning she has to get out. You can go with her…be with her…but she's going into hiding until this is finished."
"I agree," Bucky said. "I'll call you later."
Bucky hung up and headed towards the bedroom, seeing that she had dropped her bag to the floor and kicked her shoes off. She was in bed, still dressed and curled into a ball on her side, the dried blood still on her forehead.
"They were right," Bucky said, leaning on the doorframe, arms folded over his chest. "Everything they said was right."
"No, it wasn't," she responded.
"Yes it was," Bucky said. "You'd be better off without me."
"Why does everyone keep saying that as if they know what I want?" Evelyn snapped at him, sitting up, her hair a mess on top of her head. He saw the anger in her gaze and her voice grew higher as she roared loudly. "I know what I want. I made the choice to be with you when you came back. That choice is on me. I could have told you to get lost, but I didn't want to. I didn't want to let you go. And now…now this is too deep. She isn't going to stop because she knows that. You could leave me right now, but would it make a difference? If she killed me then would you feel any less sad?"
"You know the answer to that."
"Then it is too late," Evelyn retorted to Bucky. "It is too late because I…" she stammered, uncertain if she could say the words. Looking at Bucky, she shrugged once and realised that she had to say them. "Because I love you," she admitted. He continued staring at her and she waited patiently. She waited for him to say something, anything. But there was nothing. And so she broke his gaze, moving to rest back on her side.
Bucky entered the bedroom then. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he reached out to her, handling her until she was sat up once more. He moved his hand to her cheek and spoke through the lump in his throat.
"I love you too," he said to her. "I love you, Evelyn…"
Evelyn pressed her lips against his, the motion desperate and full of longing. It was longing for him. It was anger for what had happened. It was fear for what could happen. It was everything she wanted to say but couldn't. Bucky moved his hands to her hair, tangling into it as he kissed her forcefully back. He closed his eyes, feeling her hands holding onto his neck, her lips hungrily roaming his.
Pulling back from her to give her a breath, he ran his hands over her cheek to wipe away her tears. "You can't stay here," Bucky said to her. "It's too dangerous, Evie."
"I know," she said in a whisper.
"Tomorrow morning you go into hiding," he said to her. "This is serious."
"I know," she repeated.
"There's agents watching the apartment and I'm not going anywhere," Bucky promised her. "But right now…just…what do you want to do?"
"Honestly? Because it's going to sound so pathetic and ridiculous," she asked Bucky and he nodded. "Cry."
Bucky felt his chest ache at hearing her say that. He kicked his shoes off and managed to climb into the bed next to her, wrapping her into his arms as she finally let the tears fall down her cheeks that she had been trying to hold in since Maria and Lisa had argued with her. Bucky stroked her hair softly, her curls now falling out of place as she remained in his hold and he let her body shake with sobs. He could only sooth her, knowing that there was no way for him to take the pain she felt away. He only wished that he could.
...
A/N: Do let me know what you think! Look forward to reading your comments!