Evelyn finished running around the museum only two minutes before Bucky turned up. She had had to pull a number of strings to make it possible for him to come that night, but she only hoped that it would be worth it. Jennifer had been pretty relaxed about everything, telling Evelyn that she basically lived at that museum and she knew that she would never do anything to leak the new exhibit early. Rebecca had been more apprehensive, questioning where Evelyn had been for the past few days. Evelyn had tried not to cause concern, instead insisting that everything was fine and that she was no longer in danger, not really. Rebecca had looked sceptical, but then she had observed Evelyn for the rest of the day and seen her act almost like her usual self.
"Evie, looks like your date has arrived," Charlie called out to her as she stood in the foyer and held two mugs in her hand. She saw Bucky approaching the museum, dressed in jeans and a black shirt with a light jacket over it. She smiled as she saw him approach and he looked through the glass of the door and to her. Pulling the door open, he noted Charlie and gave him a nod.
"Hey," Bucky greeted him as Evelyn finally came to stand in front of him.
"Evening," Charlie responded.
"Hi," Evelyn greeted him, moving to peck him on the cheek, still holding the mugs tightly in her fingertips. Bucky furrowed his brow, the dimple forming in between them as he noted the two drinks and steam coming from them.
"Are you not ready to go?" Bucky wondered from her.
She smiled, her gaze sly as she handed him a mug. "Oh, we're not going anywhere," she said to him and he took the mug in his hand, holding it firmly as Evelyn looked to Charlie. "We won't be long, Charlie…maybe a few hours. If anyone asks I'm just working late."
Charlie chuckled. "No one will be asking, Evie," he said to her. "This place is dead at night. Besides, if they did ask then you working late would not be a shock."
"You know me so well."
"Almost too well," Charlie said and he gave her a dismissive wave.
Evelyn took hold of Bucky's arm and led him back through the tiled foyer and towards her office. He looked down to her, admitting that he was truly confused as to what was going on. "Is this not a date?" he asked from her. "Is this you just working late and needing my help doing more fact checking? Because that might be your idea of a date, Evie, but it's not exactly the most romantic thing."
"Oh ye of little faith," she said dramatically to him. "You're not here to help me work. I mean, you can help me if you want to?"
"I'll pass on that," Bucky retorted.
"Your loss," she shrugged and used the card on her lanyard to swipe access to the office. She pushed the door open and Bucky held it behind her, looking around the space he had only seen once before. He moved further into it, finding it slightly eerie being so quiet, but Evelyn seemed to revel in it. She spent so much time there that she had to.
He watched her walk over to her desk and he took a sip of the tea she had given him. She was typing something into her computer, bent over her chair and refusing to sit down.
"Are you working?" Bucky demanded from her.
"I'm literally just sending this email and then closing it down," she defended herself.
"So this date has started out with you working," Bucky retorted.
"Unfair," she said, looking up at him and over her screen, her glasses falling down her nose as she moved. "Because technically I haven't told you that the date has started yet."
"You told me to get here for seven," he responded and looked to his watch. "And guess what? It is ten past seven."
"So technically you're late," Evelyn responded.
"You're not going to relent, are you?" Bucky retorted.
"Nope," she said, popping her lips as she watched the email send and then she shut her computer down. She stood up straight, tucking her chair under her desk. Bucky moved closer to her desk then, looking down at it as she crouched on the ground and messed around in her bag for something else. "I know I put it in here…"
He wondered what she was looking for before he glanced down at her desk, looking at the papers that were neatly stacked in piles in a tray. She had a pen holder filled only with the same type of pen. A photo frame sat on the desk of her with her parents on graduation day. Bucky also smirked as he saw a familiar looking bobblehead. He moved to nudge the head of Captain America as Evelyn stood up straight, bringing her bag with her.
"A bobblehead?" Bucky said.
"Don't judge," she said as Steve's head finally stopped wobbling. "Lisa got it for me when I was sent to head up the Captain America exhibit."
Bucky said nothing in response to that, knowing that she had yet to reach out to her friends. She hadn't had it in her to call them since they returned to D.C. He was doing his best to consider how to get her talking to them, but he didn't want to overstep the mark. Instead he figured they all just needed time and then hopefully they would come together again.
"Right, I have everything," Evelyn said. "Can you grab my coat?"
Bucky took her coat from the back of her chair, holding it over his arm as she carried her tea and her bag. She had a plain looking white card in her other hand. She led Bucky towards the back of the museum then, leaving the office and coming to a steel door. She swiped the card on the access code and it opened, leading to a concrete corridor.
"Evelyn, I am genuinely concerned about your idea of a date," he said to her.
She rolled her eyes and threw him a look over her shoulder. "Would you stop complaining? We're not even there yet."
"Not complaining," he said defensively. He took another sip of his drink as Evelyn swiped the card on another door. It opened this time and led to a dark room. Bucky let his eyes adjust and he wondered what was going on. He stayed by the doorway before Evelyn turned the light on and the neon lights almost blinded him.
"Come on," Evelyn urged from him, already heading further into the room. Bucky followed, looking around. He noted that there were tins of paint dotted around with step ladders next to them. There was also white sheets draped everywhere of different sizes, most of them seeming to cover things that Bucky couldn't notice.
He came to the end of the room and Evelyn was stood there. She placed her mug down on a makeshift table which was just an overturned crate. There was a rug down on the floor, a pizza box sat on it alongside another box that Bucky couldn't make out. He arched his brow and continued to look intrigued, wondering exactly what was going on. He stepped forwards as Evelyn moved her hands to her hips.
"There's this new exhibit that is due to open next month," she said to him. "It's about the future exploration of space…I don't know much about it because this is Jennifer's baby, but she has managed to get access to NASA's new film that no one is seeing until next month…and she told me that I could watch it in advance so I asked her if you could tag along."
Evelyn shrugged her shoulders and Bucky could only stare at her, his face not giving anything away. Evelyn clasped a hand to her stomach, feeling it churn as he continued watching and she shook her head.
"No, this is lame," Evelyn said firmly. "Such a stupid idea…"
"Hey," Bucky said, moving quickly towards her. He leant around her to place her coat down on the rug and his mug on the crate before he took hold of her cheeks. "This is not lame."
"Really?" she asked from him. "Because when I said it out loud it sounded pretty lame."
"Maybe to some people," Bucky agreed with that position. "But not to me. This is science…this is great…"
Bucky was moving around then, looking at some of the things that were uncovered. He bent down slightly and peered into one glass box, narrowing his eyes at the sight that he was seeing for a moment before he widened them in disbelief. "Is this the discoverer that went to Mars?" he asked from her.
Evelyn walked over to him and nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Jennifer said that they had to do a lot of haggling to get that here."
"You know, there was a time when I thought that we would get to space a lot quicker," Bucky said to her, moving around the box and observing the machine. "I went to this exhibition in the '40s before I was shipped off. Howard Stark was there and everything…he was saying how we'd all be driving cars that float in the future."
"Well that never really took off," Evelyn responded to him, standing on the spot where she was, content with just watching Bucky wander around and look at everything. She folded her arms over her chest as he continued talking and she wondered if she had ever seen him so animated over anything.
"Didn't think it would," Bucky said. "I ended up leaving early anyway…the girl that I had taken wanted to go dancing instead."
Evelyn had to remind herself that this had happened in the 1940s. It had happened years ago. There was absolutely no point in feeling any pang of jealousy. But she did. She wondered what the Bucky in the 1940s had been like. Would they have gotten on? Would he have even looked at her?
"But I remember thinking back then that eventually things would advance. I mean, we had planes, right? Why would it be impossible to then go into space? But do you know how difficult it is to get to Mars? I mean, human life, not a robot?" he asked her.
"Not something I've looked into," Evelyn admitted to him.
"Well, it's almost impossible. Apparently, there's been tonnes of volunteers for a one-way trip to Mars because it is…" he continued talking, but Evelyn had to admit that she had zoned out. Instead, she found herself just watching him as he continued observing the artefacts on display, his face animated and his hands making gestures. This was the liveliest she had seen him. She could only continue watching until he finally stopped and looked back to her. He almost had a sheepish expression on his face as he ran his hand along the back of his neck. "Too nerdy?"
"Not at all," Evelyn said to him, still smiling. "I've just never seen you look…well…fascinated by anything. It's nice. You have something that you love."
"I do love this stuff," Bucky admitted to her.
"I know," she said. "Don't think I hadn't noticed you flip onto science shows when I was busy."
"Busted," Bucky said to her. "And you arranged this…for me?"
"Well," Evelyn said, going shy as Bucky moved towards her again. "I only ordered pizza and cheesecake…made tea…really, Jennifer did all the hard work here."
"You…you seriously did this though? You did this for me?"
"Well, yeah," Evelyn said to him.
He bent down then, kissing her and taking her by surprise. He moved to grab hold of her waist, holding her tight against him and picking her up. Evelyn moved her arms around his neck as her feet left the ground and she wondered if she would ever tire of him being able to lift her as though she weighed nothing. He finally released her mouth, feeling her warm breath on his cheek as he carried her forwards and to the blanket.
"I think this is the best date I've ever been on," Bucky told her. He set her down and she laughed at that.
"Just think?" she teased him.
"Okay, definitely is," he responded and sat down, lifting the lid to the pizza box open.
"Just let me get the lights and start the projector," she said to him and he heard her scurry off as he took a bite on the pizza, stretching a leg in front of him and bending the over one, his free hand supporting his weight as he leant back. The lights dimmed and the wall across from him illuminated, the film beginning as Evelyn came and sat down next to him, curling her legs beneath her body and taking her own slice of pizza.
Bucky watched on with intrigue as Evelyn pretended to show an interest. Truthfully, she preferred looking at history rather than the future, but she knew that Bucky would enjoy this and that was why she had done it. She had done it solely for Bucky. Glancing to him out of the corner of her eye, she wondered if this was what love was supposed to be. Did everyone feel this way? She didn't know, but she only knew that she wouldn't change it for the world.
Bucky left the last slice of pizza for Evelyn, seeing that she had ordered it in from her favourite pizza place. Tossing the box off to the side once she had eaten it, he opened the box to the cheesecake and dug in then, still watching the screen in front of him. Evelyn picked up her own fork and cut into it, wondering how she wasn't even full as she devoured her half with ease. Once she had finished eating, she moved the box out the way and felt Bucky move closer to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his gaze still on the movie as Evelyn placed her head by his shoulder. They remained in silence, simply content in each other's company.
….
"I don't know why you insisted on inviting Sam."
Evelyn rolled her eyes, swearing that she had heard Bucky complain for what felt like the hundredth time that day. She was doing her best not to lose her temper with him, but she was struggling and he made things very difficult for her.
"What is it with you and Sam?" she asked him. "Are you best friends or not?"
"I wouldn't say we're best friends," Bucky said, taking another drink of his beer as Evelyn moved around the kitchen. She finished grating the cheese for the carbonara pasta sauce she was cooking that night as Bucky finished setting the breakfast bar with the place mats and the cutlery, Evelyn insisting they have mats because it was a formal dinner. "Besides, he just knows how to push my buttons."
"Well, I don't get it," Evelyn admitted to him, shrugging her shoulders. "He's always been nice to me."
"Yeah, but you've never been the cause of him being incarcerated or fighting the government," Bucky said.
"Good point," she responded with a thoughtful nod of her head. She reached for her own glass of wine, taking a sip of it and then holding it in her hand, her other arm going over her midriff. "But just play nice, okay? He's done a lot to help us out and the least we can do is give him dinner while he is in town on business."
Bucky grunted and took another swig of his beer.
"It won't be that bad," Evelyn said.
"Want a bet?"
"How can it be when I'm here?" she joked with him.
He smirked at that. "The only thing that makes this bearable."
"Ah, you charmer," she waved him off and placed her wine down. Bucky left his beer bottle on the mat and moved around the island towards her, grabbing hold of her by the waist as she tried to go back to cooking. He kissed her neck slowly after tugging her hair back and pushing it over her other shoulder. She tried to stir the sauce and escape his grip, tilting her head away but only giving him better access.
"Bucky, the sauce will burn," she warned him.
"Let it," he mumbled against her skin.
"I'm serious," she said and started to laugh. Bucky wondered what was so funny before he pulled his lips from her neck and she died down. "And I'm ticklish on my neck."
Bucky looked at her coyly then and she held a hand up, urging for him to stop thinking whatever it was he was thinking. "No," she warned him.
"You shouldn't give away your secrets, sweetheart," he warned her and bent down to kiss her again as she shrieked loudly against him, dropping the spoon in the sauce and grabbing hold of his arms, trying to get him to let her go. Bucky had to admit that he found this particularly endearing. It was rare for someone to be so ticklish on their neck of all places.
"Bucky!" she complained again as a knock on the door sounded. "Hey…alright…you've had your fun…" she urged from him and this time he did relent, letting her go and holding his hands up, pleading innocence. She shot him another glare and moved to the door, pulling it open to reveal Sam stood there.
"Not interrupting, am I?" he asked her. "It sounded like someone was being murdered in here."
"That would be Bucky later on tonight," Evelyn responded.
"Well, if you need an alibi…" Sam trailed off and Evelyn laughed. He held the bottle of wine he had bought up in his hands. "And my mom always told me a good guest always brings a bottle."
"Well, your mum raised you well," Evelyn said and took the bottle. "But you didn't have to."
"I insist," Sam said and she let him into the apartment, closing the door behind him as he shrugged out of his coat and she urged him to hang it up. "And did you just call her mum?"
"Oh," Evelyn said, heading back to the stove, "my mum is from England. She hated it when I called her mom. I used to do it sometimes just to annoy her."
"So you're half English?" Sam asked her.
"I am," she said, "but I grew up in Florida so there isn't much of the English side in me, I'm afraid. Although mum always did try and get me to pronounce words the same way as she did."
"I can imagine," Bucky muttered at that having met her mother and knowing just how posh she had sounded to him.
"And the human cyborg is still kicking around, I see," Sam said, looking to Bucky as the other man rolled his eyes and sat down on the stool at the breakfast bar. Sam jumped up to the third stool at the end of it and smirked, unable to stop himself from teasing Bucky. "So what's going on, man?"
"Same old," Bucky said.
"Well, that was a great conversation," Sam joked.
"I don't know what more you want," Bucky said to him while Evelyn poured Sam a glass of wine. She slid it across the breakfast bar and he took it into his hand, sipping on it as Bucky nursed his beer bottle. "Nothing has really happened."
"Makes a change from you having dodgy people trying to kill you, I guess," Sam responded. "And what is that smell?"
"That would be dinner," Evelyn said to him. "Although if the sauce is burnt then you can blame someone else for that."
She had gone back to stirring it, making a face at Bucky as Sam turned to him.
"Sabotaging my meal, man?"
"You know me," Bucky said and raised his bottle in his direction.
"So what's been going on Sam?" Evelyn wondered from him. "Is it that you're just in D.C. on business for a few days?"
"Being briefed on a new mission," Sam said to her with a nod. "Should be shipping out to Tunisia tomorrow morning after the briefing. Figured I'd come back and head home for a little while to see my sister."
"Oh you have a sister?"
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "She's called Sarah. She's great…she kept the family business going while I was gone. Plus I'm going to see my nephews too. It's crazy, before the blip they were just this tall," he said, making a motion with his hands. "And now they're so big…I just can't believe how quickly they grew up."
"So they weren't taken during the blip?" Evelyn asked from him.
"No," Sam shook his head. "I guess…in a way, I don't know what was worse, being taken or having to stay here and see it through. I can't imagine what life was like without half the population being here."
"It sucked," Evelyn admitted to him.
"So you lived it?"
"I did," she confirmed and began to drain the pasta. "My mum and dad were taken. There was only me and Lisa…one of…well…" Evelyn trailed off, not entirely certain what Lisa was anymore to her. Bucky sensed her hesitation and moved from his stool. He took the pasta from her and continued draining it, a hand going to her back and Sam picked up on the soothing motion, noticing the look he gave her as she squeezed his arm affectionately and turned back to the stove.
"But things…I mean, since everyone came back, things have gotten worse for some, haven't they?" Evelyn said. "I watch the news most nights and I see people who have been displaced…kicked out of homes they had made their own. It's horrible. It really is quite horrible."
"The GRC are supposed to be helping though," Sam said.
"Supposed to be," Evelyn said. "I haven't seen things get better."
"It takes time, I guess," Sam shrugged his shoulders.
"I know," Evelyn said and she looked to Bucky. "Can you just pour the pasta into the sauce?"
He nodded and moved it from one pan into the pan with the sauce. Evelyn stirred it all together before dishing up, ladling it as best as she could. She handed Sam his dish first before taking hers and Bucky's. Sitting in the middle stool, Evelyn twirled spaghetti onto her fork and continued talking.
"So what is it that your sister does, Sam? What is the family business?"
"Seafood," he said to her. "Wilson Family Seafood. Sarah has been looking after it during the blip and I'm trying to get back to her to help out as much as possible. AJ and Cass…my nephews…I know that it was hard on her keeping the business running and bringing up two kids. Figured I want to help her as much as I can now."
"That's sweet of you," Evelyn said to him and Bucky had to admit that this was the most he had found out about Sam. He remained silent, content with letting Evelyn be the one to ask the questions and do the talking. "Your sister must be a strong woman with all of that on her plate. I can't imagine bringing up two kids and running a business…I can barely even look after myself."
"That's not true," Sam shook his head, eating more of the spaghetti.
"No, it really is," Evelyn said to him. "I had to get Bucky to change a lightbulb the other day. I'm not even joking."
Sam chuckled at that and Bucky's lips quirked as he remembered how he had reached for the light after seeing her struggle to reach despite standing on her sofa and a pile of cushions. He had told her to get down, warning her that she looked like she was about to break her neck in the process.
"Good to have the brooding super soldier around for something then," Sam joked. "So have you two moved in together or what? Because I swear he is always at your place whenever I'm in town."
Evelyn looked to Bucky and he glanced back to her. There was an unspoken moment between them that showed uncertainty in both of their gazes. Evelyn shrugged after a moment, her eyes still searching Bucky's face.
"I don't know," she said in response to Sam's question but her attention staying on Bucky. "I guess I've never really thought about it."
"Didn't realise we had to think about it," Bucky responded. "I mean, I spend nearly all of my time here."
"Nearly? I think you can drop that word," Evelyn retorted. "How weird, I've never really thought about it before. I guess it always felt natural for you to be here now."
"Well," Sam chipped in, "better than being at his apartment. At least you have furniture."
"Excellent point," Evelyn agreed. She hadn't even spent much time at Bucky's apartment. The only few times she had gone had been to bring back some of his stuff to her apartment. And it had been four months since the incident with Verity Mardox. Nothing had threatened them since. She guessed that was a conversation they could have when it came to it and they were alone.
"You know, if you want to shake him then just say," Sam said and Bucky shook his head, eyes rolling to the back of his head. "I can get rid of him. I don't think he's ever really been able to take me in a fight."
"You seriously think that?" Bucky responded to him.
"Yeah," Sam said. "I have Redwing and I can fly. You can just run fast, but can you actually fly?"
"Since when was flying required in a fight?" Bucky wondered.
"It gives you so many advantages that I don't know where to begin," Sam said to him.
"Not really," Bucky retorted and Evelyn just continued to eat her pasta, leaving the two of them to continue their bickering.
"It gives you the element of surprise," Sam retorted. "So you get the upper hand."
"But you only get it for a second. I have strength, remember?"
"Ah, but you can't use that if you can't catch me."
"I'm just going to go and get the wine," Evelyn said, but they hardly noticed her slip from her stool and head on over to the fridge where she had put Sam's bottle. She pulled it out and uncorked it as the two of them continued their debate. She watched on for a few moments, knowing that they might not particularly get on with each other, but there was a caring there, no matter how much they denied it. She let them continue their conversation for a few more moments before she cleared the empty dishes and placed them into the dishwasher.
"Sam, can I get you a top up?" she asked him, noticing his glass was empty.
"Would love to, but if I have work in the morning then I'd better not risk it. I'd love a water though."
"Coming up," Evelyn said and headed to grab a glass. Pouring him a water, she watched as Bucky stood up and motioned to the bathroom. He headed there and she smiled at him before taking her seat next to Sam, handing him the water.
"Thanks," Sam said. "Listen…Evelyn, there's something that I wanted to discuss with you, but not while the cyborg was listening. Do you think that I could come and see you at work when I get back from Tunisia? It's about…you know," he said and she nodded. She knew exactly what it was about. He was talking about the shield.
"Sure," she said to him. "You okay?"
"Fine," Sam said. "I just need to make the right decision for me."
"You've got it," Evelyn said, taking another drink of her wine.
"You two are pretty serious, huh?" Sam asked, changing the topic and moving onto Bucky's relationship while he was gone.
Evelyn shrugged. "I guess so," she said, "but it doesn't feel serious. It just feels…this is going to sound corny…but it feels natural. Being with him just feels normal. Don't get me wrong, he can be annoying sometimes, but I wouldn't be without him."
"Give me the details," Sam urged from her. "What's the most annoying thing about him?"
Evelyn laughed. "He has a habit of not putting things back where they belong…like my books…plus I swear every weekend he insists that we watch Star Wars. He claims that he never knew films could be so good when he was a kid," Evelyn said and Sam's lips arched at that.
Bucky came out of the bathroom then, hands on his hips. He went back to his seat and reached for his beer.
"Star Wars, huh?" Sam simply said.
Bucky looked over to him and then back to Evelyn's his eyes widening. "You told him about me?"
"I hardly said anything," Evelyn defended herself. "He just asked what was annoying about living with you and I said that you constantly want to rewatch Star Wars. Sometimes I just want to watch something else."
"What else did you tell him?"
"That you don't put her books back in the right place," Sam shrugged. "But I'll get more information, don't you worry."
He finished his water and stood up. Bucky looked to Evelyn as she shrugged her innocence. "You have no idea what you've unleashed."
Sam chuckled and grabbed his coat, shrugging into it. "Evelyn," he spoke her name, "that was a delicious meal. Thank you so much."
"You're more than welcome," she said and slipped from her seat, heading over to Sam and embracing him quickly. "Let us know when you're back in town and you'll have to come again."
"Would love to," Sam confirmed.
He backed away to the door and glanced over to Bucky who had remained seated. "Buck," he spoke his name. "May the force be with you."
"I hate you," Bucky simply responded and Sam left the apartment, laughing wildly.
Once he had gone, Evelyn chuckled and began clearing the glasses away before Bucky stood up. "And what do you think you're doing?" he asked from her.
As she turned the dishwasher on, her eyes widened and she pointed to it. "Clearing up."
"Oh no," Bucky retorted. "You're in serious trouble for that." His lips arched as he moved to Evelyn and she held a hand up.
"No!" she warned him.
"Oh yeah," he responded.
She ran the other way round the island, trying to get away from him. But she forgot he was a super soldier. He caught her easily, one arm going around her waist as she laughed loudly and he pressed her back to his front before bending down to whisper into her ear. "I'm not done with you, sweetheart," he warned her and Evelyn continued laughing as he kissed her neck. "Nowhere near done."
…
"So how have the nightmares been?"
Evelyn shifted on the sofa, folding one leg over the other and she shrugged her shoulders. It had been six months following the events with Verity. Summer was coming to a close and in that time Evelyn had felt a sense of peace. She had gone to Rome, coming through on what she had promised Bucky. They had spent a week in the city and Evelyn wondered if they ever had to come home. Her parents had spent time in D.C. just as summer drew to a close and they had gotten to know more about Bucky and Bucky had been on his best behaviour as well, acting the perfect gentleman.
But Evelyn still had nightmares. She still had the nightmares most nights. Some times they would only be short and brief, but other nights she would wake in a cold sweat. Bucky was pretty much the same. There were odd nights when he slept, but there were some nights when Evelyn would roll over and find him gone from the bed. She would head to the living room and find him on the floor, tucked under a blanket. On those nights she would lie down next to him, resting against his side as he silently put his arm out to welcome her in.
"Not as frequent as they used to be, but they still happen," Evelyn informed the woman across from her.
Bucky had finally insisted that she go and see a therapist. Ironically, she had said that she would be fine with the woman he saw. She was subject to patient doctor confidentiality and so whatever Bucky said was private and whatever Evelyn said was private. Evelyn did wonder to begin with what Bucky had been saying about her, but she soon got over that feeling.
"And are they still the same type of nightmares?" she continued to push her.
"It's ridiculous," Evelyn complained, tossing a hand through her hair and pulling on the leg of the grey jumpsuit she was wearing, her denim jacket thrown over it. "I know it's ridiculous because I know Bucky, but the Bucky in my dreams…he…"
"Tell me about the latest one," she encouraged Evelyn.
"He finds out that I know about Sam," Evelyn said. "Sam wants to give…the item to the museum…he's been toying with the decision for months now and in discussions with the government about it as well. I hate keeping it from Bucky, but it isn't my place to tell him what Sam is thinking."
"And in the nightmare? What does Bucky do?"
Evelyn gulped, lowering her gaze for a moment. "He leaves me again," Evelyn said. "He tells me that he doesn't want me…that he never really wanted me…I was just a means to an end. I was just some entertainment for him. He gives me to her. He gives me to Verity and I'm back in that room…the room where she was going to torture me."
"Is this a recurring nightmare?"
"One of them," Evelyn admitted.
The therapist nodded and wrote something down in her notebook. She preferred her sessions with Evelyn. She never snapped at her when she wrote something in her book.
"And do you still have the locks on your door?"
"Yeah."
"Are you still scared?"
That was a loaded question. Evelyn let her arms hang limply down by her side and she slumped in the seat, looking to the ceiling and thinking of how she could answer that question. It took her a few moments before she nodded.
"Not all the time," Evelyn said to her. "Because it has been six months and everything has been perfect. We've been perfect. But in the back of my mind I know who Bucky is."
"The Winter Soldier?"
"No," Evelyn looked aghast. "I know that he has a history and no matter how much digging Sam does, I worry that we will miss something. And then there is just Bucky. He's still worried there is some of the serum out there, despite the CIA not being able to find any. He never says anything, but I can see it on his face."
"And what do you worry will happen?"
"That he will go and find the serum," Evelyn said. "If it is used to make super soldiers who hurt people then he would go and stop it because that is who he is. He's a good man who wants to do the right thing. He always does."
There was a silence between them before her therapist spoke again.
"And you don't want him to go?"
"Of course I don't," Evelyn scoffed. "I want him to be safe. I don't want him to run off into danger. Isn't that natural? I love him."
"I know that you do," she responded. "But you have to remember that he is a soldier. At heart, he will always be a soldier."
"I know."
"And he…he does love you," she said to her. "I am going to say no more than that because I cannot breach doctor patient confidentiality. But trust me when I say that he would never want to do anything to risk you and what you have together. And I suspect you feel the same way. He's…I know that being with him has cost you friendships."
Evelyn bit down on her bottom lip, thinking about Lisa and Maria. She hadn't heard from her friends since their fight. They hadn't reached out and Evelyn hadn't reached out to them either. She toyed with her fingers in her lap and looked down at them.
"I never wanted to choose between them," Evelyn whispered. "And I understand why they were angry…they probably still are angry, anyway. But the point is that I never wanted to choose."
"Do you not think that you did?" she continued asking her.
"No."
"But you picked Bucky-"
"-I did what was right," Evelyn interrupted. "I chose Bucky that day because I knew there was no point in pushing him away from me because it would do no good."
"Try and see it from their point of view," she urged her. "You're their best friend. You are with a man who they have only just met once. They saw you being kidnapped from your apartment because of someone who had a grudge against him. And then they see you getting strangled. Now, if the shoe was on the other foot, would you not be concerned for them? Would you not want them to leave the man who was endangering them?"
Evelyn frowned and closed her eyes for a few moments. Wrinkling her nose, she nodded. "I would be upset," Evelyn said to that. "And of course I understand why they were concerned."
"There you have it," she responded. "And perhaps it might make you feel better if you reach out to them."
Evelyn's mouth dried up. "I wouldn't know what to say," she admitted.
"Take it slow and go from there," she encouraged her. "Just reach out. It will be good for you, I think."
"Maybe," Evelyn said, but she didn't give a fully committed answer. Instead she looked to the clock on the wall and stood up. "I should get going."
"Same time next week?"
"Sure."
Evelyn left and her therapist smirked. She had something in common with Bucky: both of them couldn't wait to get out of that room.
….
Picking at her fries, Evelyn did her best not to look too downcast. She had insisted on going out for dinner that evening, not wanting to cook. Bucky had met her later on in the day. He had gone to conduct business, ticking another name off of the list that he had in his book. He had met Evelyn on the walk to the burger joint, seeing how her smile didn't entirely reach her eyes as she greeted him. She had been talkative, but there was something not quite right. There was something off.
"What is it?" Bucky asked her, placing his beer down on the table.
"Nothing," she said.
"Evie, come on," Bucky complained. "I know you and you know that I know you. So just tell me what is going on because you've hardly touched your food and you've been looking forward to this all week."
She remained silent and Bucky shook his head, taking a sip of his beer as Evelyn chewed on the straw to her diet coke. Finally, she looked at him.
"I went to therapy," she said.
"Okay," Bucky tested the waters.
"And she suggested that I reach out to Maria and Lisa."
"I see," Bucky said.
He had tried to approach the topic of her friends a number of times, but he had been shot down each time he tried. He had tried to make her see reason, but she refused. She insisted that she had been right and they had been wrong to make her choose. Bucky had learned during those conversations just how stubborn Evelyn could be.
"And do you want to reach out to them?" he dared to ask her.
She shrugged. "I don't know."
"Can I tell you what I think?" Bucky asked her and she looked over to him. "Because every time I have tried to talk to you about this you've shut conversation down."
"Because I don't want to talk about it."
"And I get that," Bucky promised her. "But I think that we have to talk about it now because it is clearly playing on your mind and it's been over six months. You need to do something because I know you miss them. I know that you miss talking to them. They're your best friends and best friends are there through thick and thin."
Evelyn scoffed. "Until they made me pick," she reminded him.
"And I know that hurt you," Bucky promised her. "But you can see why they did that, can't you? You can understand why they were so worried?"
"You sound just like our therapist."
"Jesus, never say that again," he said and he managed to get a genuine small smile out of her at that comment. His own lips quirked and he reached over the table, taking her hand into his and squeezing onto it. "But if both of us are saying it then don't you think that we maybe have a point?"
She sighed and popped another fry into her mouth with her free hand. Squeezing Bucky's hand, she nodded. "Maybe."
….
Bucky knew that Maria and Lisa would never be his number one fan. He was aware of that after everything that had happened. But the only thing that mattered was that they made up with Evelyn. He had finally persuaded her to get in touch with both of them. Lisa had gone back to London and it had taken a week before she responded to Evelyn's message. The two of them had had a long phone conversation and it had ended with both of them crying about how much they missed each other. Maria had been harder to crack. But Daniel was the one who talked her round. In the end, Maria had turned up at the museum, Lillie in her pram as she asked for Evelyn. The two women had simply stared at each other from across the foyer before breaking down and embracing, no doubt looking a complete sight to the visitors at the museum.
"I don't want to intrude," Bucky said to Evelyn one night. The nights were slowly pulling in and the days were becoming shorter. Evelyn had told Bucky that Maria would be coming over that night for a drink. It was the third time they had seen each other and Bucky was happy to make himself scarce.
"And where will you go?" Evelyn wondered.
"I can go for a walk…head back to my own apartment…"
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "You can't go for a walk for three hours and I seriously don't know why you still have that apartment. It's just wasting money."
Bucky could agree with her on that point, but he kept it out of fear. He kept it out of fear that one-day she would wise up and realise that she could do better than him. He technically spent all of his time at Evelyn's apartment. He even paid half the bills and helped out with the rent, despite her telling him he didn't have to.
"I know."
"Then why don't you just give it up?" she urged from him, grabbing a bottle of wine from the fridge and two glasses from the cupboard. "We've never had a formal conversation about you moving in, but I've told you that I wouldn't mind you moving in."
"I know."
"Then I'll ask again," she sighed, "why don't you give it up?"
"It's a just in case," Bucky said.
"A just in case what?"
"In case you realise that you don't want me," Bucky told her.
She sighed and dropped her hands to her hips, ruffling the plum coloured dress she wore over thick tights. "Do you think that will happen?" she asked him. "We've been dating for months now…it's been eight months since we got rid of Verity…and I know that moving in might seem fast to some people, but frankly I don't think many people have relationships that involve being kidnapped and chased by a deranged rich bitch."
Bucky couldn't deny that point. He let out a deep breath as Evelyn moved towards him. "Unless you don't want to be stuck with me?"
"Sweetheart, that's not it."
"Then just have some faith," Evelyn urged him, squeezing his shoulders. "Have some faith and take a chance…because I'm not going anywhere."
"You're sure?"
She rolled her eyes. "I've only been nagging you to do it for the past two months," she responded. "So do it."
"Okay," Bucky nodded his head. "But only if you're sure?"
"I'm sure," she said. "Now, you don't have to go out. There's no reason for you to. You're part of my life and you're not going anywhere. Maria and Lisa know that. They'll have to deal with it."
Bucky had no time to protest before there was a knock on the door. Evelyn kissed him quickly before heading the door. She opened it to let Maria in. Her friend was wearing a long blue coat, a hat on her head that she pulled off and stuffed into her coat pocket as she entered the apartment, a bottle of wine in her hand. "I figured you would have wine already, but I got some more," she said and Evelyn took hold of it.
"Thanks," she said. "Come on in."
Maria hung her coat up and kicked her shoes off as Evelyn placed the wine down on the worktop counter. Bucky remained awkwardly stood around, uncertain of what he should do. Maria finally looked over to him and he saw her eyes narrow slightly before she composed herself. She managed a nod in his direction.
"Bucky," she spoke his name.
"Maria," he responded.
"How are things going?"
"Pretty well. You?"
"Can't complain," she shrugged, running her hands down her jean covered thighs and heading into the living room. "Evie tells me that you're practically living here now."
"Kind of," Bucky responded.
"He does," Evelyn interrupted, bringing the wine and the glasses to the coffee table. "He's finally agreed to give his apartment up and so he's moving in."
"Sounds serious," Maria commented and Evelyn nodded.
"I guess it is," she said.
There was an uncomfortable silence then before Bucky broke it. He looked to Evelyn. "I'll go for a walk and give you two time to catch up," he decided.
"You don't need to," Evelyn promised him.
"She's right," Maria agreed and Bucky had to admit that shocked him. He had half expected her to help him out the door. Instead she was tucking her hair behind her ear and shaking her head. She reached for her glass of wine and took a long gulp before speaking. "I'm still angry with you for what you put Evelyn through," Maria said to him. "Because we all know how dangerous it was and it would be stupid to pretend otherwise, wouldn't it?"
"Maria-"
"-No, I need to say this," Maria said. "But you came through in the end. She told me about what happened with Mardox…how she was caught…and how ever since then things have been quiet and you do make her happy. And at the time I thought that I was right in asking her to stay away from you, but then Daniel made me realise something. I wouldn't have stayed away from him if he was in trouble. It was unfair to make her pick."
"No, I understood why you acted the way you did," Bucky responded.
"I guess hindsight is a wonderful thing," Maria decided to say. "So…maybe we can try to move on from this? Because I get the feeling that you're not going anywhere anytime soon."
"I'm not intending on it," Bucky promised her. "But I would like that. I think that it would be for the best."
"Okay," Maria said and raised her glass. "Cheers to that then."
Bucky inclined his head and then looked to Evelyn. "But I'm still going to head out for a bit. I'll go do the grocery shopping."
"You sure?"
"Positive," Bucky nodded.
He grabbed his jacket and left the two of them to talk amongst themselves. He went the long way to the store, glad that he had made peace with Maria. It was easier to do that rather than to protest and continue the argument. There would be no point to that and it wouldn't make Evelyn happy. And he loved making Evelyn happy. He wandered around the store, filling the basket up and then paying for the food. He returned back and they had finished one bottle of wine, but Maria had insisted on going, telling Evelyn that she had some event early the next morning.
Evelyn tidied the glasses away as Bucky unpacked, the two of them alone now. Moving over to the kitchen, she wrapped her arms around Bucky's waist as he pulled out the bread. He felt her front press to his back and she reached up, managing to kiss just beneath his neck, her skin tickling against the collar of his jacket.
"Thank you," she said to him.
"Whatever for?" he wondered, taking her hands and turning around in her grip. His own hands went to her lower arms, running along them.
"For being nice and making up with Maria," she said. "It felt good."
"I was hardly going to do anything other than that, was I?" Bucky said to her. "Besides, I don't want anyone to fight anymore, not really. They're your friends."
"You know I love you, right?"
Bucky chuckled. "You might have mentioned it before," he said to her. "But I quite like the reminder."
"Hmm," Evelyn sighted contently and leant against him, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of peace that they had at that moment in time.
They spent the rest of the evening in each other's company, lounging on the sofa together. Bucky waited until Evelyn was asleep against his side. This was how their Friday nights usually ended. Evelyn would always fall asleep first and Bucky would carry her to bed. Tonight was no different. She protested, telling him that she wasn't that tired, but he knew better. And so he would leave her in bed and claim that he was just going to watch some more TV.
He felt bad for lying to her. But he didn't want to worry her. He didn't want to cause her unnecessary panic because he hadn't found anything yet. Things had been quiet, but he still looked. He would use his laptop, the TV on quietly in the background to try and work out whoever that woman had been who had been working with Verity. He knew that she was part of the Flag Smashers, but he had no other information than that. He knew that whoever she was, she would know if there was more super soldier serum. And what scared Bucky was someone like Verity using it. That scared him more than he cared to admit. Because most people weren't like Steve. There had never been another Steve Rogers.
Finishing his research, he came up blank again and headed to bed, stripping from his clothes and leaving them in a pile on her dressing table bench. Climbing into bed, he looked to the ceiling as Evelyn breathed softly next to him. Looking over to her, he smiled softly and thought about the ring he had been hiding in his bedside drawer for the past three weeks. One day he would convince himself that she wouldn't leave him. And on that day, he would finally take the ring out of his drawer.
…..
A/N: Just a brief filler chapter before we move onto some more action/drama! Thanks so much to everyone reading. Be great to know your thoughts/if still interested or if updates are too fast!