Growing up is optional

Chapter 5

A few weeks had passed since Lizzie's run in with John Walker. There had been a lot of questions at work, the truth about who she was, was out there now. Dan had managed to use it to his advantage, making her look like the bad person for lying to him about who she was. Most people understood why you would hide this. She had told him in hope that they might stay on speaking terms. Had she known he'd be a dick about it she wouldn't have bothered.

Lizzie had always loved her job, but now she was loving life too. Bucky really made her happy. She spent her days off with him and when she was on early shifts, he would always be waiting for her at her house. Today, she had had a partially horrid shift, one of her patients had taken a turn for the worst and she had lost him in the early hours, she had become close to his family over the weeks he had been there. Breaking the news had nearly broken her. Her first instinct once she was alone was to text Bucky. When she arrived home that morning, she opened her door and was greeted by the man himself standing there. She fell into his arms.

"Hey." She said with a sigh.

"Hey, I thought you might need some company this morning?"

"I did, thank you."

Bucky kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him and he lowered his head and kissed her lightly. He felt her smile. He took her hand then and led her to the bathroom. Lizzie looked round inside, the bath was filled with a hot bubble bath, there were candles round the side of the tub and on the window ledge as well as the sink, and then she noticed the rose petals. She rounded on Bucky.

"I may love you Barnes."

"Only may?"

She walked over to him, wrapping her arms loosely around his waist. Looking up into those blue eyes. "I do, Buck. I love you."

Bucky ran his hands up her arms, over her shoulders and placed them on her neck. He kissed her, he was madly in love with her, had been since he first laid eyes on her, but hearing her say it, made his heart skip a beat. "I love you too. Now get in the bath before it's cold."

She started pulling her t-shirt over her head, she looked back at him over her shoulder. "You joining me?"

"God, I want too, but there is more to my plan this morning."

She pouted at him and he laughed. He watched her slip into the bath, he could see the affect the night had had on her, start to slip away.

When Lizzie came into the kitchen, Bucky had set the table for breakfast. She had been teaching him to cook. Not that he couldn't cook, he just stuck to the basics, she had been helping him become more creative. There was orange juice and coffee on the table, she poured them both a cup. She wrapped her arms around Bucky's waist, her head resting on his shoulder.

"What you cooking?"

"I'm making you an omelette, with some cheese and bacon."

"Want me to do anything?"

"Nothing, sit at that table and drink your coffee."

"Yes sir." She playful smacked his ass, as she went to sit in her seat. When he placed the food in front of her, she tucked in it. It was good, she was teaching him well. "I'll make a house husband out of you yet." Lizzie cringed then, had she really just said husband.

Bucky noticed her face. "I know what you meant, it's fine."

"How has therapy been going?"

It was Bucky's face that changed this time. He wasn't enjoying therapy, the government had given him a pass, as long as he comply with certain things. Dr Raynor wasn't a bad person, her intention was good, but it felt like he was going nowhere. She had asked about his relationship with Sam. He hadn't replied to any of his messages since he had given the shield up. She had asked about Lizzie, he had told her bits, but not everything, he wanted to keep her to himself. He finally felt like he had something in this life again, she made his life better. He hadn't told Lizzie about his book yet, it had been Steve's, he'd used it to write down things to catch up on the years he had missed, Bucky was using it to write a list of people he had wronged as the Winter soldier.