New memories

Chapter 16

After the ceremony, we all gather into a different part of the garden. They have built a patio area to the garden, where we are going to have the party. We were eating some delicious food, laughing, and catching up with friends. Everything was perfect. Thor brought someone from the palace to take care of Nanna. She was on her nap during the dinner and me and Bucky were enjoying the night off.

Everything felt really special. It was time for the first dance. Bucky escorted me to the dance floor, and we started to dance to this slow waltz from the forties. It was his mother's favorite song and that's why we selected this to be our first dance as husband and wife. He was being the perfect gentleman. Everyone was watching us, and at one point I looked at Pepper and Tony and they nodded at me with a smile. I knew what they meant. I got closer to Bucky and whispered to him, "Spin me.". He looked at me confused, but he was intrigued.

At the next suitable moment, he pushed me gently from my back and spun me from under his arm and I twirled. While I was twirling my dress was twirling also and soon enough almost everyone was gasping. While my dress was flowing in the air, it almost looked like the dress was in fire. The fake flames were dancing in the air in the same rhythm that we were dancing. It was beautiful. Pepper was able to make it happen. She said that she saw it in some movie once and she thought that it suited me perfectly, and she was right. Bucky was amazed, everyone was clapping, and cheering. I felt amazing. After the spin, I got back to Bucky's arms, and we were both smiling and laughing. He pulled me into a hug and then we kissed. Everything was like a fairy tale.

After the dance, we cut the cake, sat down to our table, and we were feeding the cake to each other. People started to give speeches. They were amazing, sweet, full of love, and of course some inside jokes. After Steve told us some stories about him and Bucky when they were growing up and Nat talked about one of our missions, where we, me, Bucky, Nat, and Steve, almost got killed, but were able to save ourselves, Tony was going to give a toast. He stood up with his glass and was starting to speak, but then something happened. There was a loud sound coming from the sound system. And then there was a voice from someone that no one seemed to recognize. "I hope you all have had a fantastic day. It is about to end. You, superheroes will pay for what was taken from me by your incompetence. Thanks to you, my family is gone. Now is your family's turn.", the man's voice said.

Suddenly there was a huge explosion right at the venue. Everyone was hit. Everyone was laying on the ground. Almost everyone got hurt. My ears were ringing. I knew that I have hit my head and the explosion was close. I look around and realize that only the garden venue was hit. Nanna should be safe with the caretaker. I start to worry about everyone else.

While the smoke was clearing I was trying to find Bucky and my brothers. I found him close by, he had hit his head, but he was getting up on his feet. I could see some people standing and they looked like they were alright considering what just happened. After I found Bucky I turned around and I saw Steve laying on the ground. He was unconscious. There was blood coming from his ears and mouth. "Nat, Bucky! Steve is down!", I yell at them. They both run to us. I try my best to use my powers to help him when I hear Wanda screaming, "No, Pietro. Wake up, please wake up!". I look at Nat and Bucky, and he just tells me to go. Steve was breathing, but we didn't know what was going on with Pietro.

I run to them. Wanda was holding his body in her arms. Vision was right next to her. I get to them, and I try to use my powers to help him. My ears are still ringing, and I can't get my powers to work fully. I manage to create this power field to surround Pietro's body. I am trying to find out how I can help him, but soon I realize that there is nothing I can do. I start to cry, and the power field starts to go down. "What are you doing? Please help him. You need to save him! You need to help!", Wanda is screaming to me. I am crying and I look at her with tears falling down. "It's too late. He is gone.", I tell her softly and hug her. She is grasping Pietro's dead body. I manage to make her let go and she falls down to my arms. We are both holding each other up and crying.

Few moments later, there were ambulances, fire department, and police at the compound. They were trying to do everything they could to help people, put down the fires, and find out what have happened. Tony and Pepper are talking with the police. I was now holding Nanna in my arms, and Bucky was keeping us in tight hold. Steve was taken to the hospital; he was in really bad shape. Nat went with him. Vision and Clint were trying to comfort Wanda, who was still crying. When I see her, I start to think about the moment, when I thought I lost Bucky while battling with Hela. I try to find some comfort in Bucky's arms. Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three are close to us. Loki is also near with Deliah. She got hit also, but us Asgardians are quick to heal. I try to make sure that everyone else is alright. Luckily, most of the people only got some bruises or cuts. It looks like Pietro and Steve were the ones that got hit the hardest.

We were waiting some news about Steve from Nat, but nothing. It was late, so we put Nanna to sleep, and gathered into the lounge of the compound. We got everyone some clean clothes and tried to gather some food and something to drink. I was still in shock. All I could think was Wanda, Nat, and Steve. I went to sit next to Wanda and took her hand in mine. We just sat there in silence. She was sobbing a little, but otherwise it was quiet. We were all waiting for Nat to call. Suddenly, there was a phone ringing. Everyone turned to look at Bucky, since it was his phone. "It's Nat.", he said and answered the call. "What's going on, is he ok?", he asked Nat. Then he was silent for a while. "Ok, I understand. We wait for more news. Take care of him. Yes, we take care of everyone here.", Bucky tells Nat.

"Steve got out of surgery. He is unconscious. He had bleeding in his brain, but the doctors were able to stop it. He is still in critical condition, but he is stable now. He needs rest. The doctors won't know how the bleeding affected his brain until he wakes up.", Bucky tells us all. Everyone is worried. During the night, some people went home. Loki, Deliah, Sif, and the Warriors Three went to Asgard, Thor stayed behind to make sure that we were ok. Shuri and T'Challa left back to Wakanda. Bruce wanted to stay but for some reason he left to continue his research away from the compound. Clint's wife went home because she had to go take care of their children, but Clint stayed for Wanda.

None of us could sleep that night. At some point me and Bucky were talking with Tony. We were trying to wrap our heads around everything that had happened. Tony's artificial intelligent called Friday was already going through the security tapes. But because the garden and the venue were further from the compound, we couldn't find anything. Friday was able to find a recording that had audio of the message that was played right before the explosion. Tony had Friday analyse the audio and try to find out who is behind this. We were talking and just moments before Friday got a match, Tony realized, "It has to be the CIA case!", he says to me and Bucky.