Fields of Bone // TFATWS

Post-Blip Four

Three months after Endgame/ Three months before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Morgan called Irina through a video call and asked, "Can I talk to Callie?"

Irina glanced at Callie, who was playing with a doll. "Sure. Callie, sweetheart, come here."

Callie grabbed her doll and walked up to her mother. "What, Mama?"

"Do you want to talk to Morgan?"

The little girl turned to the screen and nodded. "Hi, Morgan."

Morgan smiled. "Hi, Callie. I like your doll."

Callie held up her doll. "Tasha."

"Like my daddy's friend Natasha?"

Callie nodded and glanced at her mother who smiled and said, "That's right, Morgan. Like your daddy's friend Natasha."

"My mommy misses her. And my daddy. I miss my daddy too."

"I know you do, Morgan. But your daddy is watching you and your mommy from above."

"And my brother Peter?"

"Yes, and your brother Peter."

"Petey!" Callie cried.

"He's my brother," Morgan argued.

"He my fwend."

"Peter's my brother!"

Irina smiled at the girls. "He can be both a brother to you, Morgan, and a friend to Callie."

"Like Callie's my friend?"

"Yes, exactly."

Morgan smiled at Callie. "You're my best friend."

"Me too," Callie said.

Morgan glanced back, hearing something, and said, "Mommy says it's lunch time and then I gotta practice to read."

Irina smiled and nodded. "Okay. It was wonderful to talk to you, Morgan. If you'd like to talk to Callie again, just tell your mom and we can set something up."

"Okay. Or I can talk to Happy?"

"Or you can talk to Happy."

Morgan waved. "Bye, Callie. Bye, Rina."

"Bye-bye," Callie replied.

Irina waved back. "Bye, Morgan."

Just as the call ended, Bucky walked through the door and smiled. "How was your morning?"

Irina stood and walked towards him. "It was good. We talked to Morgan. I had to calm them down from an argument about Peter."

"Oh? What was it this time?"

"Morgan was saying that Peter was her brother and Callie was arguing that Peter was her friend. I managed to diffuse the argument by telling them he was both."

Bucky kissed her cheek. "I've always loved how you can diffuse arguments."

Irina chuckled. "Even if I sometimes start them."

"But I'm not talking about that. I said diffuse."

"Dada!" Callie yelled, holding her hands up to him.

Bucky picked her up and smiled. "Hi, sweet girl."

Irina smiled at them and asked, "How was your morning?"

Bucky nodded. "It was good." He held up a bag of plums.

"Plums? Again?"

"What can I say? I developed a likening to them while in hiding."

"Pum-pum," Callie said, reaching for the bag of plums.

Bucky chuckled softly. "Let's get you some plums, sweet girl."

"Mama want?"

Irina nodded. "Sure, I'll have some."

"Mama want!"

Irina picked Callie up. "Yeah, little one. Mama want."

Bucky cut up some plums and put some bite-size pieces in a bowl for Callie, then gave some to Irina and finally himself.

The three sat at the table as they ate. Callie was using her hands and they quickly became sticky.

Callie held up her hands. "Yuck."

Bucky smiled lightly. "We'll wash them once you finish, okay?"

"All done."

"You've barely eaten any. Can you try to eat more?"

Callie grabbed more plum bites and resumed eating.

Irina smiled at her daughter and husband. Bucky returned her smile, then took her hand and kissed it.

Callie grinned at her parents and said, "Yum yum pum-pum." Her parents laughed and she went back to eating.

Bucky looked between his wife and daughter, glad life had been kind enough to let him grow old with her, however old that may be.