Saved - A Bucky Barnes love story

Don't.......

As soon as Bucky re-enters the room, he sits on my other side and pulls me into his arms.

Bucky: Are you okay?

Michelle: Yes, I'm fine.

Thor has moved a bit away from us to give us privacy. Bucky glances at him briefly before looking at me again.

Bucky: And how is Thor?

Michelle: It will take time but..... he will get better.

I firmly believe in that. We will all get through this together and we will all get better at some point.

Bucky: And we're going to help him with that as much as we can.

I snuggle into Bucky's arms and relax a little for the first time since we left the campground. But as soon as I see Tony, who places himself in the middle of the room, my whole body immediately becomes nervous again and the relaxation vanishes.

Tony: Now that everyone is here, I have something to tell you. Something we can use to undo everything that happened.

Tony tells us that he spent the last five years trying to find a way to undo what Thanos did. He says something about a machine that can travel through time, but I'm not really listening anymore. First of all I don't understand anything about all that stuff and secondly I can only think of one thing. Should that be possible? Can it be that Tony found a way to give back to everyone what we lost? I feel hope burgeoning within me, which is immediately smothered. What if that doesn't work? What if Tony has an idea but doesn't know for sure it will work? I can't afford to hope to get my kids back unless I know it's actually going to happen. I wouldn't survive it if in the end I had to live with never seeing them again.

Michelle: Stop Tony! Please don't do this...... don't give me false hopes.

Tony looks at me sympathetically.

Tony: I don't, Michelle. This is more than hope. We will bring back everything and everyone we lost. That's a promise.

My mind is racing. Can it be true? What if not? How can Tony know for sure? Should I hope? Or should I get up and leave and try not to think about it any further? Can I stop thinking about it now? I want nothing more than to get my children back, but I'm too scared that it won't work out. I look up at Bucky. His face looks just as pained and uncertain as I feel. I know Bucky would do anything to get Leon and Amilia back too. But he too is afraid of what will happen if it doesn't work out. What will happen to us if we lose every last ounce of hope again. If it didn't work it would be like losing them a second time. I've got to get out of here. I... I need fresh air. I get up and want to go towards the elevator to go down. But as soon as I stand up, I get totally dizzy. Everything starts spinning and blurring before my eyes. I vaguely feel Bucky grab my hand, but before he can grab me I fall to the ground and everything goes black. Filtered through fog, I hear Bucky and feel someone patting my cheek.

Bucky: Baby?! Please! Please wake up!

I slowly open my eyes. My eyelids feel leaden. Bucky sighs in relief. 

Bucky: Thank god! You really scared me baby.

He pulls me to him and hugs me tight. I return the hug and burst into tears. I want my kids back! But I'm so afraid of being disappointed.

Bucky: Shhh... it's gonna be alright honey. I promise.

He says so quietly that only I can hear and gently rocks me back and forth.

Steve: Bucky, maybe it's best if Michelle gets some rest. You can stay in your old room.

In fact, the whole day is one exhausting emotional chaos. And to be honest, I'm dead tired. Bucky nods, gets up with me in his arms, and carries me to our old room. Without putting me down, he pulls back the covers and lays me on the bed. He tucks me in and sits next to me on the bed. I crawl onto his lap and cling to him. I cling to him and with that to the happiness I've felt for the past two days. Why? Why does destiny keep throwing problems our way when we're on the mend? The last two days almost felt like before the blip. But now it's almost as if I had just imagined the last few days. The only difference is that Bucky is with me, holding me and standing by me and not letting me down. I have no idea how long it takes for me to calm down. But at some point when I'm calmer again, there's a knock on the door. I really don't want any more company. But whoever's out there probably just wants to make sure we're okay.

Bucky: Come in.

The door opens and Tony appears.

Tony: Are you both ok?

Bucky: We'll be fine. There's just a lot to process right now.

Tony nods and stands uncertainly in the open doorway.

Tony: Bucky, could I maybe talk to Michelle for a moment? Alone?

Bucky looks at me before saying anything.

Bucky: Are you okay with that?

I nod.

Bucky: Ok, I'll be in the living room if you need me. I love you.

He kisses me before getting off the bed and walking past Tony out of the room. He closes the door behind him and leaves us alone. Tony sits next to me on the bed so that he is sitting in front of me. We sit in silence and I can see Tony searching for the right words without finding them. At some point I can't stand the silence anymore.

Michelle: I'm only asking you this once Tony and please be honest. Are you sure you can bring them back?

New tears immediately come to my eyes. He grabs my hand and squeezes it.

Tony: Yes Michelle. We went through it again and again and always got the same result. It will work. I promised you that I wouldn't stop looking for a way to bring them all back. If I wasn't sure I wouldn't have brought it up. I wouldn't give you false hope, I would never do that to you. 

Michelle: Thanks Tony.

I cry and throw myself into his arms. I believe he would never do that to me. Still I'm scared. But just the fact that he tried, and that he seemed to find a way, makes me incredibly grateful. I already owe so much to Tony and now I have this too. Next to Bucky he is one of the greatest miracles that life has bestowed on me. I silently pray that it really works. That it's really going to happen and we'll get our kids and everyone else back.

Tony: No need to thank me honey. I just wish I could have done it faster.

I lean back and look at him. Tony is joking right? He did it and that's all that counts.

Michelle: Tony, the most important thing is that you made it. I don't know how I can ever thank you for that.

Tony: Well, you could give me a real smile to say thank you.

I smile, but I realize it's not 100% real. Even though I trust Tony, I'm still scared.

Michelle: That'll have to do for now. But once I have Leon and Amilia back I will never stop smiling.

Tony: That's enough for now. And believe me, you will smile properly again.

He kisses my forehead before getting up and turning to leave.

Tony: Do me a favor and try to sleep, okay? We will need all the strength we have tomorrow. I'll send Bucky back in. Sleep well little one.

Although my body is exhausted, I cannot rest. Now that Tony has spoken to me alone again, my mind is kind of awake. I briefly consider going into the living room with the others, but my limbs are so heavy that I have a hard time reaching for the remote control. In the end I just snuggle up on the pillows, watch TV and wait for Bucky to come back to me.