Warriors (Bucky Barnes)

Don't Make Me Say Goodbye

"Gemma, come back to bed, it's still early. We have a few hours before we have to be in the lab." Bucky groaned, glancing up at Gemma, rubbing his eyes.

She stepped away from the window, and shuffled back to bed. She stood above him, smiling coyly. He took her hand, and pulled her down onto his lap, with a crooked grin. Giggling, she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him gently.

She pulled away, and kissed the nape of his neck, before saying, "I'm not sure any amount of time I get with you will be enough."

Bucky sighed, and leaned away from her, trying to look her in the eyes. "Gem, you just have to trust me. It won't be for very long. I promise, they will fix me. I'll be good as new."

Gemma shook her head, meeting his eyes. "I know. It's just... what if it takes longer than you think?"

Bucky scoffed, "Have you seen what is going on around here? Wakanda is no third world country. They have the kind of technology we could only dream of. This will be a sinch for them."

Gemma nodded, saying, "Well, you're not wrong. Still, I'm not ready to give this up."

She slid her hand over his chest, and held the back of his neck, twisting her fingers in his messy hair. Chuckling, he pulled her down onto the bed, and laid beside her. Kissing intensely, their bodies had become intertwined. Bucky slipped his hand up her thigh, hitching her leg around his waist. It wasn't hard to figure out where this was going. Gemma smirked, and pulled Bucky's body completely over her, pinning her to the bed. Bucky began to remove her clothes, tearing them off her body with his one hand, never breaking eye contact.

"I love you so much right now!" Becky moaned, as he undressed himself.

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    With Gemma at his side, Bucky sat on the edge of an exam table, getting looked over by a doctor. Steve approached them, half smiling. Bucky glanced up from the doctors exam, and met Steve's tired eyes. They were both exhausted.

Gemma kissed Bucky, and muttered, "I'll give you two a minute."

Smiling at Gemma, Steve gave her a quick hug, before she walked off towards the large windows looking out on a beautiful waterfall. Bucky chuckled to himself as they watched her, and glanced back at Steve. Narrowing his gaze on him, Steve smiled.

"You sure you want to do this?" He questioned.

Bucky sighed as he glanced at the floor. "I can't trust my own mind." He grimaced up at Steve. "So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head... going back under is the best thing. For everybody." He muttered, sneaking a glance at Gemma.

Steve patted him on the shoulder, and pulled Bucky's attention back to him. Bucky nodded, and gave him a tight hug. It felt like a goodbye. Steve let him go, and smiled, glancing over Bucky's shoulder. Bucky sighed, and turned to watch Gemma as well.

Slowly walking up behind her, Bucky slipped his arm around her waist. She smiled up at him, running her fingers through his hair. Their interaction was less foreboding, because they had hope that Bucky would come out of things unscathed, and better than ever. That was the dream, at least.

Bucky kissed her neck, muttering, "It's time, Darlin'."

Gemma turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, sighing, "I know... let's do this, so we can get that much closer to getting you back."

Bucky chuckled, "Okay..." and took her hand. They joined Steve back at the cryo chamber, and waited. Finishing up their calculations, the doctor approached Bucky.

"Mr. Barnes, if you would come with me, we'll get you into the chamber." The doctor instructed.

Bucky took a heaving breath, and released Gemma's hand. He stepped forward, and she followed close behind. He climbed into the tube, and leaned back, watching her, trying to smile, trying to reassure her. The doctor strapped him back.

"Sorry, wait a sec." Bucky begged.

The doctor nodded, and stepped back. Gemma and Steve stepped forward, eyeing one another, confused. Bucky chuckled, glancing between them.

"Hey, it's fine. I just wanted to say, I love you both. Take care of each other while I'm gone, okay?" Bucky requested.

"Of course." Steve agreed, patting Gemma on the shoulder.

"Yeah, Bucky, we can do that." Gemma stated stepping closer. "Now, don't worry about us. We'll be okay."

Bucky muttered, "God, I love you, Gemma."

"And I love you."

Bucky chuckled, and nodded for the doctor to continue. He moved for the control panel. Once he put in a few last minute calculations, the tube closed smoothly. Gemma smiled weakly at Bucky as his eyes shut.

She stepped forward, and watched as ice formed over the glass, obscuring his features. Touching the surface with her fingertips, she closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. She decidedly regretted bringing him to Wakanda. Rubbing his neck, Steve walked away, giving her some privacy. He wandered up to the windows, taking in the view.

Gemma opened her eyes, and glanced around, spotting Steve, talking with T'Challa. Sighing slowly, she turned back toward Bucky. She tried to smile, but she couldn't stop the sobs. She wasn't sure why she was crying, she was certain they would be together again. She trusted these people to help save Bucky, they had said as much, but it didn't mean she would like it. Also, Bucky had promised, and he never broke his promises.