Whiskey & Wine

7. I Walk the Line

Bucky stepped up to the microphone.

Sweat on his brow and he wiped it away with his t-shirt. "You've been one hell of a crowd tonight," he grinned, looking into the vastness of the audience. It was dark, but yet he spotted her.

Two fucking years, and there she was.

He tuned the guitar briefly, the acoustic he'd had since his garage days and wiped his brow again. "Alright, I promised you one more, didn't I?," he asked and the crowd went wild. "Yeah, I did."

"This one's not mine. But it seems appropriate."

Licking his dry lips, his eyes flickered to her once more. She stood in the back, near the bar. Her hair pulled up, a beer in her hand. His heart beat a little faster. He had to get to her, to talk to her. To know she was real.

"Sing along."

"I keep a close watch on this heart mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds"

The crowd cheered and joined in immediately, making him smile again. This, he loved this.

"Because you're mine,
I walk the line"

And he did, didn't he?

Two damn years of pain. Missing her. Yet it pushed him. Not in a negative way like it should have. It motivated him, drove him to be a better man. No drugs, no alcohol. No groupies. He wanted her to see that he could be the man she'd loved before he broke her heart.

"I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day's through
Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you"

He was clean for the first time in recent memory. He felt good. Relaxed, less tired. He sang better, wrote better. He needed her to know, to understand.

The crowd singing along motivated him. Made him want it more. This was a high he couldn't get from anything synthetic. No, this was natural. And getting to Corine? Making her understand?

Well, that would be the ultimate high.

"Because you're mine,
I walk the line."

He wanted to get through it. To hold her close. Tell her that he loved her. Hoping to whatever god that she still loved him enough to give him a second chance. One more try, one more shot at something.

"As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I've known proves that it's right
Because you're mine,
I walk the line"

She was his. In his mind. She'd always be his girl.

Corine leaned back against the mahogany bar, her head tilted slightly. She knew, Steve had told her. Clean, sober. Easy living. She was admittedly impressed by the change in Bucky. But would it matter? After everything?

She wanted it to.

She missed him. Hated walking away. It tore at her every day for two years. Guilt washed over her, leaving her devastated. Absolutely wrecked over the loss. She missed him so badly that it hurt.

"You've got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can't hide
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide
Because you're mine, I walk the line"

She knew he meant the words he sang. That they were specifically meant for her.

Moving closer, she reached the stage.

He looked down at her, a smile on his lips and it made her heart race. This man, still had a tremendous effect on her after all these years. The man she'd fallen in love with as kids. The one she imagined spending her life with.

She knew. There was no doubt, he'd cleaned up his life for her. Her. No one else. That he needed to prove it to her, show her that he could do it. And it was enough, at least in that moment. It was enough for Corine.

"I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I walk the line"

He thanked the crowd and hopped off the stage, ignoring the fans who wanted a piece of him. The only thing in his sights was Corine. "I thought I lost you," he whispered, lips to her ear and she shivered slightly. "You almost did."

"Almost?," he asked cautiously, leading her back toward the bar where it was quieter and she sighed, nodding a bit. "Steve told me everything. I...I needed to see it for myself. That you'd done what he said."

He nodded, understanding. It hadn't been his intention, not really, for her to show up out of the blue. But he was glad she was there.

"I'm proud of you," she admitted, taking his hand in hers and he had to fight the nagging pressure to kiss her, sweep her up and lead her away from there. He'd missed her that badly.

"So, what now?," he asked and she shrugged.

"We go slow," she replied.

"We're doing this?"

"I think so," she told him and he didn't hesitate, wrapping her in his strong arms. Making promises he knew he could keep, he kissed her face, holding her close. He couldn't ruin this. Not now, not that she'd let him back in.

"We do this right," she insisted and he nodded in agreement. "We do this right," he repeated.

"Because you're mine,
I walk the line."