Unforgettable

Part 40 - I promise you

Bucky had her wrapped tightly in his arms. Ever since she had gotten the full story out, she had collapsed into him with heartbreaking sobs. He cried silent tears with her, letting her grieve her father, crying for the life she once had, the friends she had seemingly lost and hurting over the fact that none of her so called friends had told her the truth earlier. They could all have saved themselves a whole heap of hurt if they had all told her the truth earlier.

Willow buried herself deeper into his shoulder 'I... he... he just left him there to die Buck. He took everything from me that day... everything. He took away my father, my home, my security' she paused before lifting her head back to look at Bucky 'How could anyone be that Evil? How could he of all people be that evil? I trusted him, I even loved him at one point. He was supposed to love me'

Leaning their foreheads together, he gently played with her hair knowing that this would help to calm her down 'I am so so sorry sweetheart. You didn't deserve any of that. Your father didn't deserve any of that'

As the tears kept falling, Willow knew she had to ask an uncomfortable question and she knew that depending on his answer, it could change everything between them 'You should've told me Bucky. I know in your own way you thought you were protecting me but I would've preferred hearing this from you. From any of you. Why didn't you tell me?'

The guilt that had been eating him up since he got there was now back to the surface 'I didn't know about your dad Willow, I promise. I mean christ, if I had known, I would never have let you go anywhere near that man. If I had known, I would've ended him myself'

Willow sighed in relief. Knowing that he didn't have a clue about what that bastard did to her father, it made the knot she had in her stomach disappear 'We knew about the money, the business takeover and that he had bribed your father. We found that all out before you married him. That was the catalyst that called an end to your relationship. I swear though sweetheart, I never knew about your dad'

The sobs got louder as Willow finally moved herself out of the numb state she had been in for the last few weeks and finally let herself feel all of the emotions that she had been bottling up 'Oh Bucky. He must've been so scared. He was scared and all alone and I wasn't there.'

'Hey. You can't blame yourself for this. How could you ever possibly have known. None of this is your fault and I mean that'

Sharply wiping the tears from her face, she sighed before looking back at him 'That's where you're wrong Buckaroo. This is all my fault. If I hadn't brought him into my life, my father would still be here'

Shaking his head, Bucky grabbed hold of her hands, lightly rubbing his thumb across them to comfort her 'Don't torture yourself. Please Low. None of this is your fault and I will continue to repeat this until you finally believe me'

Willow's chest suddenly tightened. All of the emotions she was feeling were completely overwhelming her and her senses. Standing she started to pace the room, trying to control her breathing but she could feel the panic taking hold of her, gripping her 'I keep seeing his face Buck, over and over again and I.... I can't sleep... and I can't stop it and my god I can't breathe... I can't... I can't breathe Buck....'

Watching her spiral broke him. He moved forward, grabbing her face with both hands and placing his lips on hers. There was around a second before she kissed back, sliding her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her. He could feel her breathing regulate again and he slowly pulled away 'Better sweetheart'

Nodding she leaned into his embrace. Bucky tilted up her chin until he could look directly into her eyes 'I promise you with everything that I have that we will make him pay for this. He won't get away with it'

Trembling slightly she whispered 'Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm sorry for pushing you away. I should've trusted you'

'Hey look at me' she opened her eyes as he spoke gently to her 'You have nothing to apologise for. You have me always. No matter what'

As much as she tried to quench the dam that had been opened, she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Leaning against Bucky's shoulder, she allowed him to stroke his arms down her back. It was soothing and comforting and that's all she needed in that moment.

Not long after, Bucky felt her breathing even out and knew she was asleep. He looked at the dry track marks across her cheeks from the crying she had done earlier and rage boiled inside of him. He vowed from that moment to make sure he got revenge for her. He would hunt Jeremy until he could find him and make him pay for the hurt he caused.

Not wanting to disturb her sleep but knowing that they couldn't remain in this position without one or both suffering the next day, Bucky effortlessly lifted her up in his arms and carried her to bed. Laying her down gently, he crept behind her and pulled her towards his chest tightly.

Dreams invaded his mind that night but for once he wasn't afraid of them. They were dreams of him and Willow leading their lives outside of all this chaos, just like they had always planned and he would do anything to make that a reality.

Note: Apologies for the long delay but I've had so much going on personally and haven't had time to update. Appreciate all of you for waiting for this chapter. Thank you all for your likes/comments/support so far. I really do appreciate every single one of them ❤️