House of Memories. // Bucky Barnes.

Part thirteen: Morgan.

Chapter 13:



Novah's POV



The next few weeks had felt like they blew by. Summer was coming to an end and everything seemed quiet for the most part. Bucky and I had decided it was best we kept everything we have done between only him and I while we tried to figure out where Joshua was lying.
My sister was on my back a lot as well, trying to figure out if there was anything I was hiding but the only thing I was hiding was the fact my feelings for Bucky were strong. "Kitty, you look like you're hard at thought." Bucky smiled as he came and took a seat beside me. We all were at the park where Morgan wanted everyone to be, including Clint's kids.

"Oh, no I'm fine." I smiled softly looking around to see the families enjoy their time with their children. "I remember when I was a kid, Nat and I never got to enjoy the park this much. It was always work, work, work."

"Do you want me to push you on the swing?"

"No!" I laughed shaking my head, "knowing you, you would push me, and I'd be sent flying. You don't always know how strong you are until it's too late."

Bucky nodded licking his lips smiling as he leaned into my ear. "You know, I'm sure you wouldn't mind?" I choked on my drink earning some looks from parents. Bucky and I were close, and sure we had a few make-out sessions that got heated but I told him I did not want to go that far, and I was not ready which he respected. "Too much?"

"Just a little, Bucky I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay!"

We sat watching as Steve and Nat ran around with the kids smiling. "I'm going to go get another drink, I'll be back in a minute." I said while getting up to make the journey to the truck that served drinks and food.
Waiting in line I let out a sigh as my phone had started to ring, thinking it was Bucky playing the usual 'I miss you' game like we both do I put the phone to my ear. "You know, I'm not that far."

"No, you're not. Novah." The voice sent chills down my spine.

Looking around I could feel my heart begin to race trying to see if I could spot anyone on their phone. "What do you want?" I lowered my voice so only I could hear. It felt like everything slowed down as everything around me began to get loud, kids laughing parents playing with their children.

Chuckling from the other side of the phone could be heard. "Don't worry about that, I want you to listen to me very carefully Novah" his words grew stern and sinister by the feeling. "Do you see that little girl with the dark hair, in the purple dress?" I turned my face to see Morgan playing in the sand box alone.

My heart began to race faster as I watched Morgan playing happily. Tony and Pepper talking to Nat and Bucky. "If you don't agree to come with me, I will shoot." Eyes growing wide I stepped aside feeling as if I were about to throw up.

"Where are you."

"I am giving you one minute to give me your reply if you decide otherwise. I will shoot."
Feeling everything around me slow down more, I could hear him counting down my time. I could not let her get hurt.

Dropping my phone I sprinted towards Morgan, "Morgan!" I yelled as I heard yelling in the back. Leaping at her I laid on top of her as I heard gunfire go off. Morgan screamed as I heard families panic around me. Hearing yelling, I looked up to see families running grabbing their children and Tony starting to sprint towards his daughter who I had just shielded. Looking at the tree above where she was sitting, I could see bullet marks in it. "Morgan, are you hurt?!" I asked sitting up staying close to her as the others joined us.

Tears streamed down her face as Tony grabbed her pulling her into his chest. "No," Morgan cried as she sobbed into her dad's chest. "Daddy, I want to go home!"

"We're going, we are going right now!" He said as he grabbed his daughter.
Tony had taken Morgan to the hospital to get checked. We all sat in the waiting room waiting to hear how it went. "Well, good news is she is okay, she's scared, and they told us to keep a lookout for behavior change and if she is still off to get her enrolled into therapy."

"I'm going to take her home; I'll see you later." Pepper said carrying their now sleeping daughter in her arms.

Stepping out into the cold air, I went to enter the car when Tony put his hand in front of my door. "Stop, you know something, don't you?"

Nat stood between us, "Tony, this isn't the place."

"No, it's the perfect place. My daughter was nearly killed today! You ran to her; you knew something was about to happen. Spit it out, Romanoff." His eyes were full of anger as he stared at me. Everyone looked at me as I let out a sigh.

"They were at the park. I got a call, he told me it was I either went with them or he would shoot her. I would have taken the bullet for her Stark."

"You almost got my daughter killed?! Saying you would take a bullet for her isn't good enough right now."

Natasha butted in. "Tony, her going with him wouldn't have been good either and you know that. We all need to just calm down and we can all go back to the compound. Tony, go home and spend your night with Morgan but while you are holding her while you fall asleep, think about who saved her life today because if she didn't go to Morgan, you'd be planning a funeral right now." Natasha sounded off but we all knew deep down she needed to sound like that to get through to Stark.

Nodding he pointed at me, "until this is done. Stay away from my family."

"Deal." I looked him in the eyes trying to be tough. Watching anyone of them get hurt was the last thing I ever wanted to see, no matter how close or not we were.

The drive back to the compound was silent between everyone. Bucky had Steve already there waiting for us as Nat and Tony sent them home. I insisted on going with Morgan since I was the one who had body tackled her to the ground. As soon as we got out the car both boys were out the door, Steve wrapping his arms around Nat as Bucky studied my expressions. "Are you okay?" Steve looked at me with just as much concern Tony had for Morgan.

Nodding I lied to him, it hurt knowing his daughter was scared and even could fear me. If I had went with them then she would not be in the mess, we are in now but if I had gone, I was not sure if they were telling me the truth and if they would kill her. "She's resting, they discharged her about an hour ago." I said softly.

Getting inside I followed Bucky down the hall of the large compound where he turned to me placing his hands on my face. "I'm going to go for a shower, when I am done, we can relax and sit in silence if that were what you would like." He knew sometimes sitting in silence would help me decompress from situations as if my thoughts would deafen me with noise around me.

Not knowing exactly what to say I nodded feeling his lips on my forehead. Watching as he walked into the bathroom the door closed behind him but never locked almost as if it were him telling me if I needed him still it was okay, Bucky and I had that weird way of telling each other that.
Walking back down the hall I walked out onto the patio watching as the stars started glistening out. "It's not your fault," startled I turned to see Wanda standing there holding her cardigan around her as her hair was in a low ponytail.

"How did you?" I stopped knowing exactly how, "you read my mind?"

"Your thoughts are loud sometimes." She smiled softly as she stepped out on the patio. "You wonder what It would be like if you never came her, if you were shot or what happened if you did go, and they still didn't hold their word." She was right, I did wonder those. "Kid, trust me I have been through all those thoughts before. When my parents died, when my brother died and even when I had lost Vision for those years. Just know it's not always bad, I know how you think of Bucky and how he thinks of you-"going to say something she rose her hand, "I won't tell anyone about you both. It's not my place to say."

"Thanks." I said taking a seat on the grass looking up at the stars. "Wanda, if it isn't much to ask though can you maybe not read my mind?" I chuckled looking back up at her.

Smiling she nodded sending me a wink. "I'll think about it."

Breathing in the fresh air I felt someone lie down beside me on the grass. "The stars are wonderful tonight," turning I could see Bucky, his black hair still damps from his shower. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"They said they were going to shoot her if I didn't go with them, I couldn't let her get harmed even if it meant me being the one to be hurt in the run of it."

Bucky nodded as he looked at me, I returned the gaze looking into his ocean blue eyes. "What you did was very good, you are a hero even if you don't feel like one."

"Stark would beg to differ."

"Stark is very self-involved, and, in that moment, he wasn't Tony Stark, he was her father, it is a fear. If you have kids, I am sure you will understand." He spoke softly.

"I don't think I could ever have kids, I thought about it, but it always comes back to what if something happened. In this field there is not a normal day. I mean you have seen it- the normal days we do have always come to an end and then we get days like today." I ran a hand through my long hair. "If someone dies because of me, I couldn't live with myself and if it was my own child then what?" Bucky did not reply, almost like he did not know what to say which I did not blame him. I did not know what to say either.

Feeling him pull me into his chest he began to him his 40's music to me as he rubbed my arm. Something about him holding me made me feel safe something I have not felt in a long time especially with someone else.
Hopefully Tony could understand, and maybe one day I could forgive myself for what I know needed to be done.