Chapter 15. Fall Break

Hope and Bucky were in Tampa, on the way to the place they rented near the beach for the mid-October break. It had been a momentous week for Bucky, one that was still affecting him on the drive from the airport. Even though he said little it was obvious he was fretting about what happened before they left, when his back pay for all his years as a PoW was finally paid.

It had come mid-week, and even though Bucky was prepared for it, since Matt warned him that it would be deposited into the same account as his army pension and stipend, it was still a surprise to see that much money show up as an entry in the banking app. He showed up after his classes Thursday at the brownstone, his face pale, and his manner hesitant, leading both Joyce and Hope to think it was bad news. In fact, Hope thought it was about Rebecca but instead he came in, sat down on the couch, and in a whispery voice announced that he was rich.

"I got my back pay and even after all the taxes and everything, it's more money than I've ever seen in my life. They asked if I wanted it in a monthly pension or a one-time payment, but Matt insisted that either way the taxes be equivalent to what I would have payed if I had stayed in the military over the years and not be applied at the going rate. A judge agreed with him, so I asked for a one-time payout." He looked up at both women. "What do I do?"

"Whatever you want, Bucky," said Joyce, "but if you're unsure how to proceed from here, I can recommend a good investment specialist. He's looked after my finances and won't steer you wrong. You can even specify what things you don't want to invest in if they bother you."

Distracted, he nodded then he covered his face, peeking out from between his fingers. Hope sat beside him, placing her arm around his shoulders.

"Do you want to cancel seeing your sister, so you have time to deal with this?"

"No, I want to see her, and I want you to meet her. Joyce, you should come with us." He looked up at the older woman who had been his friend first. "She asked about you."

"Next time," she smiled. "You and Hope need time together without me cramping your style. Besides, I'm looking after Alpine, right? You would have to find someone else to take care of her."

"Right, you're right."

He settled down after joining them for dinner but on the Friday afternoon flight, he began getting anxious again. Hope drove the rental car, just to make sure they got to the house rental in one piece. His behaviour was a little puzzling, especially since he had been to visit his sister before and by what both he and her mother told her, it had been a good visit. After they unpacked their suitcases she put her hands on his and gave him a soft look.

"Let's go for a walk." He looked down at his hands, his face serious, then back up at her.

"Do I look like I need it?"

"Yeah, something's bothering you, so let's take a walk along the beach, feel the sea breeze through our hair and see if that helps you relax a little."

She changed into shorts, and a tank top, and put on a pair of flip flops then waited out in the living room for him. When he appeared in a roomy cotton shirt with long sleeves and a loose pair of cotton-linen shorts she smiled, then came over and wrapped her arms around him.

"You look very handsome," she stated.

"What if they see the hand?"

She shrugged. "Then they'll see it. You don't wear gloves at the college anymore, right? If they have a problem with it, it's their problem, not yours."

It was a short five minute walk to the beach and although it wasn't busy, there were still a number of people out doing the same thing. As soon as they got onto the sandy portion of the beach, Hope took her flip flops off, carrying them in her hand. Bucky kept his on for a bit longer, then joined her in walking barefoot on the beach. There were a few glances their way, but those people who did make eye contact just smiled and kept walking. Eventually, Bucky seemed to get calmer as he allowed the sights and sounds of the beach into his head. That was confirmed when he dropped Hope's hand and put his arm around her, slowing their pace. She felt it in the way his body seemed to melt a little, in a good way. By the time the sun was low on the horizon and they were ready to turn back, he seemed better.

Dinner was ordered on their return and delivered to their rental quickly. They ate it out on the terrace, a sheltered space that gave them privacy. While Bucky put the leftovers in the fridge Hope changed into her bikini and came back out to the terrace, uncovering the hot tub and turning it on.

"What are you doing?" asked Bucky, before she raised her eyebrows as an answer. "Okay, you're planning on using the hot tub. Is that wise after dinner?"

"An hour should be long enough before we go in," she shrugged. "I thought we could cuddle and make out a bit before we used it." She ran the back of her fingers along her front, then looked around at their surroundings. "I did buy the bikini just for this trip. We're pretty secluded here on the deck."

That was an invitation he couldn't refuse, and he went upstairs to change coming down in swim shorts, carrying a couple of towels. Hope was already on an oversized lounge chair and he slid in next to her, resting his hand on her waist. When he didn't kiss her right away she smoothed her hand over his chest.

"What's bothering you?"

He sighed, knowing he had to talk about it but not wanting to dampen the mood.

"The money." She nodded but said nothing. "What if it changes me? I've never had this kind of money before. The only person I knew with that lots of money was Howard Stark and he was an asshole." He rolled his eyes, as if anticipating her response. "Okay, I know I can be one, too, but he thought he could buy anything or anyone. I don't want to think that way."

"Did Steve get back pay for the years he spent frozen? Was he an asshole?"

"He could be," Bucky grinned. "He must have got back pay. Other than buying himself a really nice motorcycle and making sure he had a nice place to live, he didn't spend much. It wasn't how he was raised."

"You were raised just like him. Did he take the money with him when he went back?"

"No. I don't know what he did with the money. I guess he still used it when he came back with the shield. I wouldn't have taken it if he offered it to me. He left me the motorcycle but I haven't ridden it. It's in storage." Her eyes asked why. "I suppose I don't like handouts. They make me feel ..."

He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh as if he just realized something.

"What do they make you feel, Bucky?"

For a long moment, he looked at her hand, at how it was placed on his chest, almost framing his dog tags.

"It makes me feel like I'm not worthy." She caressed him, trying to send some soothing energies into him. "All those years that they're paying me for are years I spent killing and causing chaos for HYDRA. It feels like they're rewarding me for it."

It would have been easy for her to tell Bucky he was exaggerating but he wasn't the type. She knew from her own experience with him and through talking with her mother that he still harboured great doubts about the type of man he was. His trauma was years in the making and would take years to heal, or at least to lessen to a point that was bearable. Resting her head against his shoulder she held him. His physical warmth radiated from him, almost furnace-like in its intensity.

"If you had never fallen from the train, and HYDRA didn't get you back what would you have done?"

"Served with Steve and the other guys in the Howling Commandos," he began. "Would have kept that punk from getting on that aircraft without a parachute, or at least been with him when it went down."

"So you could have ended up frozen in the ice with Steve, if the serum you had at the time was enough to keep you alive." He didn't answer. "What if you both came through the war alive? Would you have continued fighting against HYDRA or would you have headed back home?"

"I would have followed Steve and he probably would have kept on with the SSR and Peggy to fight HYDRA. I wouldn't have allowed Zola to go unpunished for what he did to me in Austria. Eventually, I guess I would have retired from the service, got married and had a family. Where are you going with this?"

"You didn't like being in the war but you would have stayed in to fight HYDRA, alongside Steve, Peggy and the others. For that work, you would have been paid then you would have done something else with your life. College?"

"Maybe," he mused. "They did have the GI Bill and I would have got funding ..." He stopped speaking suddenly. Hope could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. "You're clever, you know that?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You know that I would have taken money from the GI Bill to go to college. They even had a deal for returning soldiers to buy homes and I would have taken advantage of that to get a house to raise a family in."

Hope shifted then, raising herself so she could look Bucky in the eye. With a smirk, he maneuvered her into facing him while on his lap, holding her at the waist with both hands. She looked at him with all the seriousness she could muster.

"This isn't money for what you did with HYDRA. This is money that you should have had if you had come home and had the life you were supposed to have. It's been indexed and adjusted for all the years, but at its most basic it's money that you were entitled to, Bucky. Don't ever think otherwise. They owed you this, right from the get go."

"Damn, I love you," he murmured, pulling her body over his hips.

"I know," she smiled, then leaned over to kiss him, as he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close. "I would say you love me a lot, right now. We could take this to the hot tub."

"We'll go in the hot tub but we'll finish in bed," he answered, slipping his hand under the edge of her bottoms and squeezing. "The rental contract was very explicit about no sex in the hot tub and even though I have the money to pay the fine, old habits die hard."

"Fair enough."

She moved to stand up but he held her down, grinding himself against her. They never did make it to the hot tub.

The next morning he was fine during breakfast, but when the couple arrived at the senior's home, Bucky stopped, peering up at the building for some time while Hope waited. The door opened and a friendly looking woman came out to where they stood. He recognized her from his previous visit as one of the office staff.

"Mr. Barnes? Your sister phoned down to the office and asked if I could tell you to move your backside and come in. She's anxious to meet Ms. Franklin."

She said it with a smile, and he nodded, then the pair followed her inside. They went up the elevator to the third floor on their own, holding hands. As they approached Rebecca's small suite he could hear her voice while she spoke to someone about her brother. When they arrived at the open door, his sister and another woman looked at him, with Rebecca grinning.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to visit with your brother," said the other lady. She stood up, winking at Bucky before she headed out the door. "I'll see you all at lunch in the dining room."

"Come give your sister a hug and a kiss," ordered Rebecca, slowly standing up.

Bucky obliged then stepped back, grasping Hope's hand, and guiding her forward.

"Hope Franklin this is my baby sister, Rebecca Barnes Proctor but I always called her Freckles."

The older woman smiled sweetly, then took Hope's hand and kissed her on the cheek.

"Well, he certainly picked a pretty girlfriend. Please sit." She looked pointedly at her brother. "Now why were you waiting outside like you had never been here before. I thought we got that all settled when you were last here."

His face turned a little pink. "We did but I've done some thinking since then." He fixed his gaze on Rebecca. "How can you afford to live here?"

"I knew that would come up," she answered, her gaze on him just as fixed. "When Steve came to see me, not long after he woke up after being frozen in the ice, I was living in a small flat in Indiana. It was what I could afford on my pension and what Harvey left behind. My kids were doing alright but with their families and needs they weren't able to contribute too much financially. That was fine. I was happy. He visited regularly and everything was good. Then the Snap happened and he told me you were gone. I think he felt guilty about not being able to protect you. He said the army gave him back pay and it was too much for him, so he wanted to make sure that his only family, me, was taken care of. I was tired of winters so we looked together and found this place. He bought me a life lease along with providing a monthly stipend, so that I can live here, and be taken care of until I die."

Bucky's face fell. "Oh, Freckles. I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"No! Don't you do that to yourself, Bucky." She reached forward, making him extend his hand to hers, and pulled him towards her. "You were in no position to help yourself, let alone help anyone else. Steve felt guilty about a lot of things, you falling from the train, not looking for you, and not being able to help you once you broke free from HYDRA. That's why when he found you again, he risked everything for you. You were his brother and I was his sister and we were his only family. If the situation had been reversed you would have done the same thing."

Bucky nodded. "I wish I had come to see you sooner but I was so afraid that you were ashamed of me, ashamed of what I became."

"Never. I told you that last time and I'm telling you again. You're my brother and I love you. That will never change." She smiled at Hope. "Has he been fretting over this for long?"

"A few days that I knew, maybe longer because he's good at playing his cards close to his vest." She looked fondly at Bucky. "You might as well tell her the rest."

"Tell me what? What have you been up to?"

"You know I'm in college. Just part time but I like it. I like it a lot and I'm doing well in it."

"That is good news. What else?"

He smiled, embarrassed that his sister could read him so well. "I got my back pay from the army. It's more money than I ever saw in my life and I was feeling guilty for taking it. Hope talked to me about it then this morning I thought if I shared it with you and made sure you were provided for then I wouldn't feel so bad about getting it. But Steve took care of you first so ..." He shrugged, grimacing a little.

"You'll be needing that to take care of your own family, Bucky," she said gently, glancing at Hope. "Won't you?"

"Yeah," he drawled shyly. "I mean, we've talked a little about a future together." Hope smiled encouragingly at him. "But that's something still to think about. I mean, what if I get called up again? I am subject to recall if needed."

The older woman shook her head in exasperation, then placed her hands on his face and kissed his forehead.

"They took so much for you to keep talking like that. Don't think too much about the buts, and what ifs. Live your life like you lived it before, with joy and confidence and the knowledge that you are quite the catch for the right girl." She leaned closer to her brother. "I can tell you right now, that Hope looks like the right girl. I can see and feel the love between you."

"You're embarrassing me now," he grinned, getting up from the floor. "That hasn't changed. So, now that we're here, what would you like to do?"

"If you go into the hall closet and look up to the top shelf, you'll see some puzzle boxes," she said. "Bring them down and we'll pick one to work on together. There's a puzzle board in the storage room that we can place the pieces on. I'll make tea, or pour you a whiskey if you want one although it's before noon. Even though the alcohol doesn't affect you the thought of having a drink that early in the day is a little concerning."

"Tea is fine," he smiled, noting the twinkle in Rebecca's eye. "Puzzles, huh?" He looked at Hope. "You up for some jigsaw puzzles?"

"Sure. Rebecca, may I help you with the tea?"

His sister got up from the chair, taking Hope's hand and pulling her into the small kitchenette.

"If you could fill the kettle and get the teapot out of the cupboard I'll get the tea," said Rebecca. "Bucky says you're an artist, a successful one. You know he took an art class before the war. Steve talked him into it."

"No, he never mentioned that," answered Hope. "Did he like it?"

"He liked it fine but he knew he wasn't good at it like Steve was. I think he took it to learn enough that he could apply it to engineering or architecture. He always was interested in how things worked and how to build things. If anything broke at home he always managed to fix it. Sometimes he would have to go to the library to find a book on it to figure out how but he was always smart that way."

"You telling Hope stories about me?" came Bucky's voice from the hallway, where he leaned against the entryway with his arms folded, watching the two women as they prepared the tea. "Rebecca was a writer; wrote all sorts of stories. That she ended up a nurse always surprised me."

"James Buchanan Barnes, you know that I was interested in nursing, too. If we hadn't received ..."

She clamped her mouth shut, and turned away from her brother. By her posture, Hope could tell she was upset and looked to Bucky for guidance. He came forward, placing his hand on Rebecca's back, below her neck, rubbing it gently. At first, she ignored him, then she turned to him, allowing him to hug her.

"You can say it, Freckles," he murmured quietly. "It's okay. Some good came out of that." She shook her head, still upset with herself. He looked at Hope. "My army life insurance paid for her tuition at nursing school. She loved being a nurse, didn't you, sweetheart? But she always wondered if she would have ever done it, if I hadn't died." He bent over her, searching for her face, focusing intently on her. "I'm proud of you, proud that you took on nursing. It's a job, no ... it's a calling and you answered the call. If my life insurance made that possible, then I'm glad it took some of the sting away."

The older woman looked up at him then, her sad eyes dominating her expression. Placing her hand on his cheek, she smiled when he took it in his hand and kissed it.

"It didn't take any of the sting away," she stated. "I just hoped that if they were wrong about you being dead, because they didn't look for you, so they really didn't know ... well, that a good nurse was taking care of you until you could come home. Then the war ended, and you were still gone, and Steve was gone as well ... that's when it hurt the most, as if a part of me was missing. I applied for nursing school in 1948 and was all set to work my way through it. Ma and Dad insisted that I should take the money and put it to some good. Said you would have wanted it that way."

"They were right," he answered. "I would and I still do." He held her again, kissing her on top of her head. "I'm just glad we got this time together."

The sound of the kettle coming to boil interrupted them. Hope poured the water on the tea bags in the pot, while Rebecca patted her brother on the chest and turned to the fridge for the cream. While they waited for the tea to steep she asked Bucky to take some cookies out of the pantry, placing them in a bowl. After pouring three cups of tea and putting the extras in, they brought their mugs and the cookies out to her small dining table where Bucky had already chosen a jigsaw puzzle; one that showed a group of cats in various poses.

"Cats? What made you choose this one?" asked Rebecca.

Bucky took his cell phone out, opening it to his picture gallery and bringing up an image.

"Alpine," he said. "I've had her a couple of months now. Hope found her in her back yard. She even drew a picture of her resting on my chest." He looked at the puzzle picture on the box. "Did you know a group of cats is called a clowder? It's from a Middle English word that meant to huddle together." Both women smiled at him. "We had a writing exercise in my English class, using an obscure term that we drew out of a hat. I drew clowder."

"You never told me about that," said Hope. "What did you write about?"

He smiled slightly, then ducked his head. "About a time when I was still the Winter Soldier and I was watching a target's house, waiting for him to return. I set up in an abandoned building across from his apartment. There was a colony of feral cats there, and they weren't afraid of me. As I laid prone at my position, they began settling themselves beside me, snuggling into my body for warmth. A couple even laid on my back. Occasionally they brought me dead rats or birds. I was part of their clowder and they were making sure I was fed. Got a perfect score on the assignment with several comments about originality and descriptiveness."

Taking the box, he emptied it out onto the puzzle board, then began turning the pieces up. Rebecca smiled softly at him, then at Hope, before taking on the same task. Hope could have dwelled on why he didn't tell her about this before, but she knew it was part of the mosaic that was Bucky Barnes. There was so much he was interested in, wanting to learn about new things but balancing that with remembering his past, while not letting it rule his present. The fact that he felt comfortable enough with writing about a time in his life that gave him such pain, could be interpreted as him finally accepting what he had been forced to do, and living with it.

They chatted about all sorts of things while piecing together the puzzle. Occasionally there was some gentle teasing between brother and sister but it was done with a smile and reminded Hope of growing up with her own siblings. A knock on the door took Bucky there to answer it, revealing one of Rebecca's friends in the facility. She was startled with Bucky's appearance then looked past him.

"You asked me to remind you about lunch, in case you and your guests got caught up in your visit," called out the friend to Rebecca. She returned her notice to Bucky, taking in all of him then put her hand out. "We didn't meet when you were last here as I was visiting my daughter in Atlanta. I'm Evelyn."

"You're the one who was a teacher, right?" he asked, making her get flustered. "I'm glad to meet you. This is my girlfriend, Hope."

The woman's face dropped slightly. "Darn it, I was hoping you were still single. My other daughter finally got rid of that drip of a boyfriend. Oh well, there's always that Tender app, although you can't tell if they're lying about looking as handsome as their picture until you actually meet. You are a sight for sore eyes."

Smirking at the brazen flirting, Hope put her arm around Bucky's waist, claiming him in front of the well-meaning but slightly delusional Evelyn. They went up to the dining room together in the elevator, as the older woman kept on about Bucky's looks, then were seated at a separate table from her. Rebecca rolled her eyes a little and spoke in a low voice.

"Don't mind her. She felt very left out of things when Bucky was here before. She got it in her head that he would be perfect for her older daughter, as if that bleached blonde Walmart addict would know what to do to keep a man happy. She's been here before and all she did was complain about this and that."

They had a choice of three entrées then sat back and waited to be served. It was acceptable fare, with Bucky not saying anything about the portion size. Rebecca did lean over, as it was an issue for her.

"I usually take a long nap after lunch so when I go down you two can go get more food for Bucky. I tried to get them to give him more food but they wouldn't." She shrugged. "What can you do?"

"It's fine, Freckles." He spoke in a soothing voice. "Don't fret about it. Why don't we bring you some takeout for dinner?"

Her face lit up. "Chinese?"

"Sure, if that's what you want."

It was decided and they walked her back to her suite, then made sure she was settled for her nap before they left. From there they found a burger place where Bucky ate enough to be satisfied. On their return to their rental, Hope changed into her bikini and sat on a lounge chair beside the pool. Closing her eyes behind her sunglasses, she absorbed the sun, enjoying how warm it was.

"You're going to get a sunburn," said Bucky, who had just come out to join her. "Let me put some sunscreen on you."

Opening her eyes, Hope smiled to see him in swim trunks and nothing else. She sat up, while he went on his knees next to her and smoothed sunscreen over her back and shoulders. Lowering herself to be on her back she looked at him invitingly to continue the job and smooth some over her front. With a grin he did so, then stood up, winked at her, and jumped into the pool, splashing her in the process. With a laughing shriek she curled up, then glared at him, pretending to be mad.

"You!" He treaded water, ducking underneath then coming up at the edge to peek over it at her. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," he smirked. "Water's nice. You should come in. You're already wet."

"Thanks to you. It takes 15 minutes for the sunscreen to set."

"I can put more on you," he offered. "I don't mind." He folded his arms on the edge, resting his chin on them. "Come on. Join me."

"No."

"I'll just splash water at you again."

"What are you, 14?"

He pushed away, floating on his back. Considering his lower body fat and higher muscle mass than the average man, he had to hold his breath to do it. Closing his eyes he relaxed. The creak of the lounge chair made him open his eyes, just in time to see Hope jump into the water, while bringing her knees up to her chest for a cannonball entry. She didn't land on him but did land close enough to affect his floatation and he slipped beneath the water, coming up to grasp her around the waist and pull her close.

"What was that about my age?" he asked, kissing her, then dunking them both under the water.

She spluttered a little as she blinked her eyes to clear the water away. "I asked if you were 14. That's the age when boys start splashing water at girls they like."

He held her so that she wrapped her legs around his middle.

"I'm a late bloomer," he answered, kissing her again, and working his fingers under the edge of her bottoms.

"That explains why you seem to be ready to go at any time," she murmured, her smile making him feel amorous. "Making up for lost time."

"Something like that," he responded, as he nuzzled into her neck. "I think you have something to do with it, too."

They kissed, taking advantage of the buoyant support of the water, until Bucky heard the faintest click and whir of a camera. Pulling away from Hope, he looked in the direction of the sound, then they both heard a muttered "shit" and footsteps shifting from the other side of the fence that bordered with the neighbours. Releasing Hope, Bucky quickly swam to the pool's edge and lifted himself out, then leapt over the high fence, following the footsteps that were now running. Hope got out of the pool and ran through the house to the front door, watching as Bucky held a scared but defiant man with his right hand. She could hear Bucky from the door and stepped out to intervene, unsure how far he would go now that he was angered.

"What gives you the right to invade my privacy?"

"Come on, you're a public figure," answered the man, trying to pull away from Bucky's vice grip on him. "Comes with the territory." He noticed Hope approaching. "Who's the babe?"

"Bucky, no," she said, seeing his whole body tense up. She turned to the photographer. "Who are you and why were you trespassing on private property to take our picture?"

"I'm just a guy trying to make an honest living. has a standing offer of good money for any pictures of the Winter Soldier. Never thought he would show up in my town, wearing nothing but a swim suit and making out with a babe in a bikini."

Whatever else he was going to say didn't help as Bucky took the man's camera in his other hand, prepared to crush it. Hope faced him, looking steadily at Bucky then at the camera.

"It's his property," she said quietly. "We have to give it back."

"Not if it has any pictures of us. You didn't sign up for this."

"Neither did you," she answered softly. "It's okay. Hand me his camera." She leaned close so she could whisper to him. "Don't let go of him yet."

The way she said it settled him immediately and he handed the camera to Hope. The photographer looked relieved then he got upset when he saw Hope open his viewer up.

"So, let's see what you've got here." She found several pictures of them, entering and exiting Rebecca's building, of them eating out at the burger place, then the pictures of them in the pool. Looking up at the man, she shook her head. "Bucky might be a public figure but I'm not and I could probably spin a good story to the police of a jealous ex-boyfriend sending an unscrupulous photographer after me to take pictures without my consent. Who knows what you were planning to do with these pictures, hmm? Maybe some photo manipulation to turn them into revenge porn, or a misguided blackmail attempt?" She deleted the pictures, then opened the trash folder on the camera and emptied it before handing the device back to the man. "I'm warning you now that if you show up anywhere near us again, I'll look away. I won't be responsible for saving your ass again."

"That's a threat," he replied, angrily. "You can't do this."

"Try me," she said. "You're a leech, invading people's privacy for money. Even a porn photographer is honest about how he makes his money. He gets a release from the model, and pays them for their time. You ... you just skulk around in the shadows, telling yourself the money is worth it. Bucky's not the Winter Soldier anymore but I'm sure he would be more than happy to demonstrate what he can still do. You keep taking pictures of him or us, you can be his model. I'm sure your fellow leeches will be more than happy to share their payouts with you. Now, get out of here while you're still in one piece."

She stood protectively in front of Bucky with her arms folded over her chest, as the photographer backed up and got into a nearby car, pulling away in a peal of tires. It was only then that she noticed several of the neighbours watching. Some of them smiled at her; no one seemed worried about Bucky being there. The owner of the property next door nodded his head to her and Bucky, then returned inside his home. Aware of Bucky's hands on her hips she turned around, looking up at him, noting the satisfied smirk he had on his face.

"You're something else," he uttered. "I'm so turned on right now, I can barely handle it."

She didn't point out that he was standing on a residential street, wearing only swim trunks and that gorgeous smile. Instead, she took him by the hand and led him back into the rental house, closing and locking the door behind them. Oblivious to everything but each other, they spent the rest of the afternoon taking advantage of the heightened state of their bodies before showering to go back to the senior's home. Stopping off at a Chinese food place they picked up dinner for Rebecca and themselves. She was appalled that their privacy had been invaded but proud of Bucky's restraint and very impressed at how Hope took control of the situation. It further proved to her that Bucky may have finally found the right woman to commit himself to. By the time the couple left on Monday morning, she was sure of it.