Come Back With Me

Really? We're Going To Do This Here?

"And congratulations to you too brother," Rebecca says.

"Why are you congratulating me?" Bucky says,

"Because you learned magic," Rebecca says.

"Magic?" Bucky asks in confusion.

"Yes, you must have performed a spell on Lizzie to get her to agree to marry your stupid ass," Rebecca says.

Steve, Lizzie and Rebecca burst into laughter but Bucky remains stone faced. Rebecca's smile drops at Bucky's expression.

"Run," he says threateningly.

She tries to run but her socks on the tile slow her down.

He flings her over his shoulder and begins to spin.

"Take it back," Bucky says.

"No," Rebecca says.

He begins jumping as he turns, jarring her further. They are both laughing now.

"Take it back," Bucky says.

"James Buchanan, put down your sister this instant," Winifred says firmly.

Bucky stops spinning Rebecca and places her gently on the floor. Rebecca wobbles a little from being so dizzy but Bucky holds her up.

Winifred gives him a stern look and then turns to Lizzie.

"Well?" Winifred asks.

"I got in," Lizzie says.

Winifred comes up and gives her a warm hug.

"I'm so proud of you and I know your mother would be too if she was here," Winifred says.

"Thank you," Lizzie whispers back to her.

"Well, let's eat," Winifred says.

The four Barnes and the two Rogers sit down and enjoy the meal Winifred made.

"When does your program start?" Winifred asks.

"It starts in August. The first four years are going to be general medicine and the last two focus on a specific field," Lizzie explains.

"So does that mean you are getting married soon?" Bucky's dad, Richard says.

Bucky and Lizzie both glance at each other trying to figure out who is going to answer the question.

"We're not going to get married until Liz finishes school," Bucky says.

"You're going to wait six years to marry her?" His dad asks in astonishment.

"I'd wait a hundred years to marry her," Bucky says.

"Why'd you even propose to her then if you weren't going to get married?" Richard asks.

Bucky drops his fork and glares at his father.

"Really? We're going to do this here?" Bucky asks.

Lizzie looks at her fiancé in confusion. What was he talking about?

"I told you that you were too young to ask her to marry you. When you told me you were going to move in with her, I accepted that but you were too hasty in proposing. How do you know that she won't break it off after she graduates? Then you will have wasted six years of your life," Richard says.

Lizzie is shocked. She can tell that this is not the first time that they have had this discussion.

"Richard, that's enough," Winifred says.

Lizzie can tell by her tone that she does not agree with her husband.

Both men ignore her and continue to stare each other down.

"I asked her to marry me because I love her! We love each other and we are secure in our relationship. I don't worry about her ending our relationship because I know when she loves, she can't stop. She is the love of my life and I thought you understood that," Bucky says.

"You are nineteen, James. Elizabeth is a lovely girl but she's too independent, too headstrong. She's not the wife I imagined for you," he responds.

"Well she's exactly the wife I imagined for myself. I love that she is independent and headstrong. I never wanted a housewife, I just want her!" Bucky yells.

"When all this falls apart, I'll be there to say I told you so," Richard says.

Bucky gives a bitter laugh and stands up from the table.

"Thank you dad for the unsolicited advice," Bucky says sarcastically.

Bucky walks over to Winifred and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for dinner ma. I'm sorry we couldn't stay longer," Bucky says.

"It's alright James, I'm sure I'll see you soon. Congratulations again Elizabeth," Winifred says.

"Thank you Mrs. Barnes," Lizzie says politely.

Lizzie and Steve are so surprised by the turn of events, they just follow Bucky out.

They are silent on the way home, all digesting what they heard that night.

Lizzie and Bucky say a quiet goodnight to Steve before heading to their bedroom.

The door shuts behind them and the tension continues to mount.

"Did your father always hate me?" Lizzie asks.

Bucky sighs and sits down on the edge of the bed.

"He doesn't hate you, he actually likes you. He just liked you better as my best friend's kid sister than as my fiancé," Bucky explains.

"When we first started dating, he was so supportive. What happened?" She asks.

"He has certain ideas of what a marriage should look like. He believes that it is the man's job to provide financially and the woman's job to take care of the home and children. When he found out that that's not how our marriage was going to be, it upset him," Bucky explains.

"Is that how you imagined our marriage?" Lizzie asks.

Bucky grabs on to Lizzie's hips and pulls her to his lap.

"Once upon a time maybe. When I was younger, I thought my parents had the perfect marriage so that's what I envisioned my marriage to look like," Bucky says.

"Would you prefer that?" Lizzie says.

She doesn't know what she would do if Bucky says yes. She doesn't think she could give up her beliefs but she also would do anything for Bucky. Maybe they can find a compromise.

"I wouldn't have asked to marry you if that's what I wanted. I want a strong wife who knows what she wants. Someday, I want kids together but I'm not in any hurry for that either. I want a partnership and as much as I love my parents, I don't want their marriage. I want you as you are," Bucky says.

Lizzie softly places a lingering kiss to Bucky's lips.

"Promise me that if you are ever unhappy with anything that you will tell me. I don't want us to secretly resent each other down the road," Lizzie says.

"I promise to always be honest with you," Bucky vows.

As Bucky looked at Lizzie, he knew that he wouldn't change a thing about her. Neither of them were perfect but they were perfect for each other.