Battered Emotions

Chapter 14: Active Little Boys

Even though Ella hadn't even had the children, they were kicking each other. It kept her up all night, and was a major annoyance. She was sitting on the couch when it first happened.

Ella was watching Once Upon A Time with Bucky when they first kicked.

"Jefferson looks a lot like you, Buck.", Ella commented. Bucky took a closer look before shaking his head.

"He looks nothing like me, don't be crazy."

"He does. Put on a top hat and cut your hair--"

"I'm not cutting my hair."

"As I was saying, put on a top hat and cut your hair, then you would look like him.", Ella finished.

"I do like the hat. I'll admit that."

"You'd look good in that hat."

Then the children kicked. Ella sighed and put a hand on her stomach. Bucky looked over at her concerned.

"Are you okay?", he asked.

"The babies are kicking."

"What?!"

"Feel. The babies are kicking." He placed a hand on her stomach and indeed, they were kicking. He pulled his hand back but put it back, seeing that the kicking calmed down when he did. With that, they watched the rest of the episode and went to bed. Later that night, Ella woke up Bucky.

"Mhhhr..... What?", he groggily asked.

"Put your hand on my stomach."

"Why?" He was still half asleep. She rolled her eyes and put his hand on her stomach. Once the children calmed down, she fell asleep. Finally, she actually fell asleep. God, those children sure knew how to drive their mother insane.

Ella was shopping with Natasha when she felt it. She was looking at a cute sundress when she felt a strong kick, then a weak kick, then a stronger kick, so on and so forth. She simply ignored it and got the sundress she was looking at. Then, once they got in the car and she sat down.

Ow.

Ella groaned.

"What's wrong?", Nat asked.

"My little boys aren't getting along well. That's all.", she smiled at Nat and they drove off.

"Can you tell which one kicks compared to the other?", Natasha asked.

"James has the stronger kick and Steven has the weaker kick.", Ella explained as James kicked. "James, for God sake stop hurting your brother." She weakly nudged the tiny bump of James' foot. "Kill him when you're out of the womb and preferably in the teenage years." Natasha laughed as she drove back into Stark Tower's garage and let out Ella.

"You'll be a great mother with that mentality.", she sarcastically said.

"It's not like you'd be any different.", Ella scoffed. Natasha shrugged.

"You're not wrong."

"Of course I'm not wrong.", Ella retorted. She was always right, even when she dealt with Steve back in the 40's.

"Ulysses Steven Grant Rogers, you will put on a coat when you go outside. You too, Barnes!", she demanded. Steve rolled his eyes.

"I'll be fine, don't worry!", he whined. She got his scarf and put it around his neck, wrapping it tightly around and over his mouth and nose. He pulled it down before she slapped his hand away, getting his coat on him.

"The last time you went out without a coat, you ended up getting a cold for a month, Steve! Do you not remember that?"

"Well I do...."

"You need to listen to me for once." She saw Bucky scooting away and set her jaw. "Barnes, get your ass back here." He groaned and let her wrap him up in scarves. Finally, she smoothed out his jacket. "If you two get sick, I will make you wish you'd never been outside the house, got it?"

"Yes ma'am.", the two boys sighed and said in unison.

"Now get moving. I have to care for mom and she needs peace and quiet." Ella pushed the boys outside and closed the door behind her, using scrappy material to act as a barrier between her mother and her. She tied it around her mouth and nose, getting her mom some soup she'd prepared. Opening the door, she saw her mother asleep. Ella tapped her shoulder but she didn't move. Then she put her head on her chest to find her pulse. She didn't hear anything. She then checked her wrist. Nothing. Then the neck. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Tears streamed down her face. She'd just lost her mother and didn't know what to do.

"That's true.", Natasha grudgingly admitted. "I like being the one who's always correct.", she pouted. Ella laughed.

"Learn from your elders, child."

"I've always wondered if those 70 years encased in ice should count. I guess they do.", Nat smirked. Ella let out another laugh. She didn't take the jokes personally.

The two parted and went to their separate floors. On Ella's floor, she saw Bucky trying to figure out a toaster and absolutely failing at it. He had yet to understand that staring at the darn thing did nothing at all.

"Bucky?", Ella asked. He kept staring at the toaster.

"It ate my bread.", he muttered.

"It what?"

"It ate my bread."

"It won't do anything to the bread unless you plug it in.", Ella explained. Bucky plugged it in and stared more intently at it before scowling.

"I don't want to wait." He stuck his metal arm in the darn thing before Ella could tell him otherwise. To make matters worse, it was his metal arm. He got electrocuted and fell down.

"Bucky! Are you okay?", Ella leaned over him and checked his arm. He weakly raised it and gave a thumbs up. She got down on her knees and kissed his forehead. "You stupid idiot. You're gonna get yourself killed someday. I cannot believe I'm having your children."