A Glimpse of Fire

Epilogue

    A soft cry woke you from your deep slumber and you rolled to your side. Slowly you crossed the dark room, navigating by memory out into the hall. Quietly you stepped into little Eira's room, she laid back down on the mattress, her hands balled into little fist, as she screamed as loud as she could. Gently you lifted the tiny girl from her crib, her dark hair sticking up every which way it could.
    You had woken in the icu section of the tower, tubes had been shoved down your mouth, iv's hooked up across your arms. The sound of steady beeping sounds were what greeted you. Slowly you opened your eyes, the room was dark but a soft light from hall window made it possible to see.
    Your heart skipped when you first saw the shape of someone sitting in the corner and then it dropped once you focused a bit more to realize it was Steve. A slow tear trickled down your face as you stared harder at him, it wasn't Bucky, it should of been Bucky.
    You had learned that the moment after you had brought Bucky out the winter soldier you had collapsed, naked and burnt. He had caught you but it broke his heart to see in the state you had been in. You had been in coma for two months, and in that time Bucky only came by a handful of times. The baby had been spared any damage, which had the doctors scratching their heads though Tony said it was probably because the baby carried part of Bucky in her.
    It took another month for you to get out of the bed, and when you did Bucky avoided you at all cost breaking your heart even further. And slowly you became reclusive, refusing to talk to people aside from Steve. You didn't touch anyone, didn't pry when you felt the nagging feelings in your head when you came in contact with something Bucky had touched. The few times Bucky would pass you he never even acknowledged you and it was killing you.
    Steve became your rock, someone to cry on when the weight of what you had done crashed down on you like a tidal wave. He assured you that in the end everything would be okay but really how could it? You had broken James's trust, you had brought the side of him that brought back so many horrible memories. It pained you to remember the torture you felt when you had pried that door open, pain you would take ten fold if it meant he would never feel that again.
     Days wore on, and the seemingly never ending pain stayed. It was killing you not being around the broody brunette you had come to love. You accepted the fact that whatever you had had with him was probably beyond repair, all you wanted was that kind man back so your daughter would know him. You sat in your room, knees curled to your stomach, tears drying on your cheek when the bedroom door opened.
     "Y/n." Bucky's voice startled you and your head snapped up, he was staring at the wall. "Get your shoes on."
    You didn't waste a second, spring off the bed and shoving your feet into your sneakers. He opened the door enough to allow you past him, he closed the door behind you and started down the hall. He was silent as he lead you out of the door to his car, you climbed in still wearing your pjs. He got behind the wheel and drove out away from the city.
     As the buildings became smaller and your heart raced, you looked over to him. His beard was longer, and dark circles were under his eyes. He reached up and brushed his shoulder length hair back, grey blues trained on the road. You took a deep breath, wondering if you should break the silence, do something.
    "James, I'm.." You started before he cut you off.
     "I understand why you did it." He stated, for the first time really talking to you. A tear fell down your cheek before you realized you had started crying. "I do. I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt like hell when I snapped out to see what you had done. Cause it did."
    "James." You breathed but he held up his hand shushing you effectively.
    "No, I need to get this off my chest." He stated, giving you a quick glance when he paused the car at a stop sign. He drove on down the residential street, eyes back on the road. "You did something you promised you wouldn't do, and to know that you had done it and then taken on that asshole by yourself. You saved everyone that day, far faster then if I had been me and not him. But you made it so I couldn't be there to help you, that hurt. But then to see you, have you collapse in my arms, burnt like you had been, that broke me."
     He pulled into a random driveway and killed the engine, he turned his body so he was staring at you. Those intense eyes pinning you to the seat.
    "In that moment I thought I lost you, thought I lost our daughter, I thought I lost a future that I knew I would never get." His voice cracking lightly as he looked down briefly before taking a deep breath and looking back up to you. "When Friday found a heart beat, I cried, right there in front of everyone holding you. And then she said that it was our daughters heart beat, not yours. She couldn't find yours... it wasn't till we got you on the quinjet, Tony calling a head to get people ready to get her out of you, when your heart restarted."
     Steve never told you that part, he skim over the details. Only telling you that you had been badly burned, and answering the few questions you had had. You knew Aiden was sent to the Ice Box, a prison that could hold him, and that Bucky had withdrawn from everyone and now you knew why.
    "I had a lot of time to think about what would happen if you ever woke from your coma or how I was going to raise our daughter if you didn't." He stated, reaching back and opening the car door behind him. He stepped out into the night and you followed suit. "The only thing I could think about was even if you did come back to me, there would be times when I would have to risk my own life and leave you wondering and feeling the same way I was."
    He walked up the front door and that's when you notice the propriety sign out front with the big word SOLD in red. He unlocked the front door and stepped to the side gesturing for you to enter.
    "We have a long road a head of to fix what happened. And I want to fix it, cause I still love you. I always will. I think the start though is, we both need to step back from the avengers." He told you as you looked around the fully furnished home, this is why you hadn't seen much of him. There was no doubt Steve knew, he knew everything and had kept it from you, promising you that you and Bucky weren't over and now you knew why. Slowly your eyes landed back on Bucky. "We need to focus on us, doll."
    He walked over and pressed his palms on your protruding stomach, a soft smile on his face as he looked down.
    "We need to focus on the three of us." He corrected himself.
     "I love you, James." You simply replied. "I promise, no more."
    You stuck that, you and Bucky moved into the house right away, focusing on healing. Healing your body, the rift that Aiden had created. You didn't pry into his head, keeping your powers at bay, fixing your relationship and showing him that you were serious on your promise.
    Time passed and then she made her arrival, both you had stopped by the tower for lunch with Steve and Tony. You didn't remember the pain the moment Eira was placed on your chest. Just her pink skin, piercing blue eyes and a thatch of dark hair. You and Bucky had never had a real chance to discuss baby names and it was Thor that suggest Eira, a name based upon the Norse meaning winter.
    "I don't know." Bucky said holding her raising an eyebrow.
    "I like it." You smiled while looking at them. "If it weren't for the Winter Soldier you wouldn't be here right now. I saw what was going to happen, I know would of happened to you."
     "Daddy's turn." You heard Bucky say groggily as he walked into the room, rubbing his eyes with a yawn.
    He reached over and took her from you, pulling her close to his bare chest as he walked over to the rocking chair. He smile to himself as he looked down at his daughter, her soft coos coming out of her mouth. He finally looked up at you, still smiling.
    "Go back to bed, mama, I got our girl." He stated.
     "Love you James." You replied softly walking to the door.
     "Love you too Doll."