The Fall - Book 2

267. Codladh milis, mo chroí.

DECEMBER 28, 2020 — AVENGERS COMPOUND — RÉA

"Welcome back," Rhodey and Vision say in unison as we step out of the portal.

"Thank you. It's really, really good to be back," Clint says. "And on that note...I'm going to go call Laura, so I can talk to her and the kids. And then I'm gonna crash." He looks around at all of us. "Good night."

He exits the room to a chorus of 'good night's; less than a minute later, Nat, Bruce, and Sam do the same.

"Let's get Lupulețul nostru home," Bucky whispers.     (our Little Wolf)

"Okay."

Like the others, we say our goodnights and I blink our little trio home, leaving Loki, Wanda, and Thor to regale Vision and Rhodey with the tale of what happened.

"Why don't you put Conall to bed?" I ask my husband as I toe off my trainers while he hangs up his jacket and removes his boots. "And I'll check on Alpine and Vale, then meet you upstairs."

"Okay, doll. See you in a bit."

He gives me a soft kiss, then takes our sleeping son from my arms. Conall stirs slightly, but settles instantly as Bucky holds him close. I watch them ascend the stairs, then move through the main floor of the house, searching for our cats. I find them both asleep, curled up together on the couch in the den, and I smile softly at the pair before I make my way upstairs to my and Bucky's room.

Closing the door behind me, I turn to my husband; our eyes lock, and I launch myself at him as everything I've been holding back spills from me in a flood of tears. He catches me, and I wrap my arms and legs around him, burying my face in the crook of his neck. He doesn't speak; he simply lowers to the floor and curls himself around me, holding me as if he never wants to let me go. I feel his body shaking as he cries, too; through our link, I feel my own emotions mirrored back at me.

While there is so much relief, the fear and anxiety are still there, along with the heartbreaking certainty that this was the end. There are also sadness and despair, along with happiness and thankfulness that this wasn't the end...and, even though both of our emotions are jumbled, tangled heaps, the ever-present love we share remains—as always—clear and bright.

Eventually, our tears subside, and I lift my head to look at Bucky. His beautiful, steel-blue eyes are still misty, and teardrops remain on his cheeks. I gently cup his face, my thumbs brushing away his tears, and rest my forehead against his.

"I love you. I love you so, so much. And I thought..." I trail off as my wavering voice catches. "I thought I'd lost you. I—"

My words fade as he crushes his lips to mine, kissing me like he's drowning and I'm oxygen. I kiss him back just as fervently, twining my left arm around his neck and sliding my right hand into his hair. The kiss quickly intensifies, and soon we're tugging at each other's clothes, our movements frantic.

Both of our shirts and my bra have been tossed aside, and his lips blaze a path down the column of my throat toward my chest; a wanton moan slips from me before I pull his mouth back to mine.

"Need you, Bucky...please...I just need you," I pant as I fumble with his zipper, the desperate desire to be as close to him as possible overriding any sense of finesse.

He's pulling at my jeans, letting out a frustrated growl because our position is making it difficult to remove them. Shifting so that my back is on the floor, he sits back on his heels and pulls them and my underwear down my legs, tossing them and my socks aside. Before they've even hit the floor, he's slamming into me, all the way to the hilt.