Simple & Plain

Chapter 2

After 1107 days together, days that will include the announcement that you were pregnant with his first child, a little girl you had planned to name after his mother. There will be a day when he will be by your side holding your hand as the doctors tell him there is nothing else they can do. Days will be spent by your bedside watching you slowly waste away. Eventually there will come a day when he and your parents finally make the decision to turn off the machines that are keeping you alive, he'll press a kiss to your lips before begging you to wake up and telling you he's not ready to say goodbye as the sounds of your heart monitor flatlining fills the room. Bucky will have a hard time forgiving himself for wasting so many of your precious days together by trying to push you away. He'll refuse to leave you or let anyone take you from him, so he sits by your bedside with your soft, cold hand his, Bucky says a silent prayer to whatever higher power that is out there listening, begging them to bring you back to him.

There were so many fears Bucky had when he finally realized he was in love with you. Between whatever remains of Hydra and the near constant threat of aliens, your safety was always his top priority. He tried pushing you away in order to keep you safe, but you always found your way back to one another. So instead Bucky made plans and an endless list of backup plans. Code words and phrases indicating the threat level. Safehouses scattered across the country and the world, countless new identities and expertly forged travel documents stashed where only you and Bucky could find them. The one thing he never planned for was some drunk asshole crashing into your car as you drove home after a show.

The scent of lilies fills the air of the funeral home, Bucky is surrounded by the fresh flowers as he tries so hard to keep it together as he watches your family say their goodbyes to you, he nearly lost his composure as he watched your mother sobbing over your open casket. Slowly, one by one, your family and friends leave until it's just Bucky and the people who had become his family in this new century. Steve puts his hand on Bucky's shoulder, a simple but comforting gesture, before leaving him alone to say one last goodbye. He presses a final kiss to your forehead and tells you how much he will always love you and Winnie. Sam is the one who gently pulls him away from your casket so the funeral home could finish preparations before you're moved to the cemetery. He leaves the funeral home never wanting to see or smell lilies ever again.

It is a cold autumn evening, the sun just beginning to set. Bucky stands looking down Broadway with all of its bright lights and marquees, the crowds of people seemingly disappear as he is surrounded by the comforting presence of the team and together they watch as one by one the bright lights of Broadway are dimmed for you.

There are many things in his extraordinarily long life that haunts Bucky, with the help of his therapist and friends he knows and understands that a majority of those things were actions and events that he had no control of, but that doesn't mean they can't haunt his mind. However, he knows that he will never regret the decision to meet you at the stage door that night. The smile on your face after the first time Bucky kissed you when he walked you home that night had quickly silenced Bruce and Tony's voices in his head yelling about alternate branch timelines or whatever. Like everyone keeps reminding him, Bucky deserves to be happy and being there with you is the happiest he's felt in a very long time.

There are many perks to saving the universe, people no longer view him as a villain, some even approach him on the street thanking him for bringing their loved ones back. So it comes as no surprise that no one questions the story of your return from the grave after they reversed the Snap, after all half of the world's population was brought back into existence with magic space rocks.

Bucky wakes up after a surprisingly peaceful nights sleep, he instinctively reaches out for you only to once again find your side of the bed cold to the touch. He can't help it when confusion and panic starts to take over his mind, he wonders if everything was just a dream and if he was back in a timeline where you were still gone. He allows himself to relax as the sounds of your singing starts to come through the baby monitor sitting on Bucky's bedside table. He sits with his back against the upholstered headboard, picks up the small monitor and watches you comfort your infant daughter, Asteria.

I'll be around for you
I'll do whatever it takes
I'll make a million mistakes
I'll make the world safe and sound for you...

The infant continues to fuss in your arms as you finish singing, "you wanna go see if daddy's awake yet?" You ask her as she babbles.

It's only a few moments before you walk into your shared bedroom with Asteria cradled in your arms, a smile spreads across Bucky's face as he reaches out for the now smiling and giggling baby.

"Such a daddy's girl," you lovingly mumble, putting her in Bucky's waiting arms.

"Mornin' Princess," he smiles as he kisses her forehead, you rest your head against his shoulder and Asteria settles against his chest. It is a beautiful life you have created together. A quiet life in an old historic home in upstate New York that you and Bucky lovingly restored, just like you had always planned.

There is never a moment that he takes this new life for granted, he knows what his life would be like without you and he never wants to experience that again.