Until the End (Just a Nurse Sequel)

//3//

It took three weeks, and it happened by accident. But Bucky was finally looking at Liv. She hadn't even noticed. She was in Shuri's lab- she spent a lot of time there having grown quite appreciative of the young girl's company. Steve was handing her a cup of tea, and Nat was lounging in one of Shuri's many prototype chairs. He was supposed to be with the goats, but his beads had been playing up. None of them had expected him to be there. Liv was unprepared when he caught her eye, and the recently accepted teacup fell to the ground smashing instantly.

"You can create a suit that can hide in a necklace, but you can't stop cups from smashing?" Nat teased, jumping immediately to help tidy the mess. Liv and Bucky were still staring at each other across the room. Once the china was tidied from underfoot, Liv was up and walking towards him. He was almost as unrecognisable as she was. The beard, the hair, she wished she could see his face, but she didn't say anything. She could still see his eyes, still piercing and blue and breath-taking. Always kind, and warm and home.

"Hey, Ace," He finally spoke, attracting the attention of the other three people in the room. He smiled at her sheepishly, and this time she couldn't stop the tears.

"Look at you," she whimpered slightly, taking in his perfect, youthful form. "God, and look at the state of me." She laughed, but the pain was evident in her furrowed brow. Finally, he stepped forward and hugged her, she was shorter than he remembered, but age does that to a person. Well, not to Bucky, but most people.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head while she clung to him.

"Don't be sorry," she sighed, pulling away and dabbing at her face with a tissue. "I don't blame you for any of it."

Shuri fixed Bucky's kimoyo beads quickly, and Liv went with him back to the goats. She held onto his arm, and he matched her speed. It didn't take long for him to ask why she'd shown up all of a sudden.

"Nat thought I might be able to help you move forward."

"Move forward?" Bucky quizzed

"Move on from what is in the past and can't be changed." Liv's voice faltered at the idea. "Move forward into the life you could have now."

"You mean to say goodbye?" His tone was dejected and pessimistic.

"That's part of it." She admitted, her heart pounding at the ache in his words.

They wandered in silence for another short while as Bucky deliberated over what Liv was saying.

"Bucky, I'm not going to be around for much longer." She broke the silence eventually, stopping their movement, needing all her strength to get the words out. "I can feel my age in my bones—half the time I get wheeled around. I grew old, and you should get to as well. You should meet Charlie, he's an incredible person, and my daughter Jaimie is so incredibly smart, and I want you to know what it's like, being a parent. I always thought you'd make a great father, and you still could be."

"I wanted to be a parent with you." he sighed, and she squeezed gently on his arm.

"It'll take time, but I promise you, I'm not the only woman you'll ever love." Liv hated the way the word felt in her mouth.

"How do you know?" How couldn't she?

"Because you have one of the greatest capacities to love, I have ever seen. I didn't think I'd ever let myself love again after I lost you. But I did. I didn't even notice it happening, and it wasn't as exciting or as thrilling as what we had, but I still loved Michael with all my heart. I'll always love you, but for a while, I loved him too."

Bucky began walking again.

"Is this supposed to be making me feel better?" he grumbled lightly.

"Would you rather I had never got over it and cried myself to sleep every night for decades? Would you rather Charlie had no father figure and not become the man he is today?" Bucky didn't have to respond for Liv to know his answer. "I don't want that for you either. I want you to find love again. I want you to find someone who understands what you've been through and who loves you enough to make it manageable for you. Someone who loves you enough to move mountains to make you smile. Someone who can love you as much as I love you."

"You know you're describing Steve?" He joked, desperate to relieve some of the tense air around them.

"You're joking, right?" Liv scoffed, taking the bait. "Steve loves you way more than I do. Anyway, I don't think you could handle Steve."

"Are you saying I'm not man enough for Steve Rogers?" He gaped minimally.

"More like Steve is too woman for you." she laughed in return.

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, but somehow it makes sense, doesn't it?" Finally, he let out a bark of laughter that left her weightless.