ℰ𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓁 － ℬ𝓊𝒸𝓀𝓎 ℬ𝒶𝓇𝓃ℯ𝓈 𝒳 𝒪𝒞

𝒜𝒸𝓉 𝑋𝑉𝐼𝐼

"Hi honey," she whispers, smiling a little as she sees he's brought her food. She leans up and adjusts her beanie over her head. He sees Alpine curled up next to her and pets her white fur gently, instantly causing her to purr.

"Alpine been keeping you company while I was gone?" He asks, a gentle smile forming on his lips.

She sighs softly. "Yep. She's your replacement."

He purses his lips and holds the bowl of pills out to his mom and the water.

She takes all of them and drinks a few gulps. "Thank you, sweetheart," Winnifred reaches for his hand. "How's Lana?"

His eyes light up for a moment before he shuts his emotions down, holding the sandwich out to her and breaking it into small pieces so she doesn't have to pick it up and make an effort with her frail hands. Her fingers take the chunks from him, and she chews quietly.

"She's fine," he whispers.

"You two still just friends?" She smirks knowingly, chewing her bite. "I see a haircut," her hand reaches out and brushes through his freshly cut hair. He grabs her hand, kissing her knuckle.

"Ma..." he whispers. The weight falls on his chest, and he gives her another bite.

"Yes?"

"I don't know what to do," he murmurs, looking into her brown eyes.

"With what?" She asks, staring up at him.

"Alana..." He answers, watching her chew and take a drink of water.

"Is she not treating you well?" She asks, covering her lips with her hand and tilting her head in concern.

Shaking his head, he laughs softly. "No... No, she's treating me very well. I just- I don't want to be gone all the time. I gotta take care of you."

Winnifred sighs, buttoning her lips. "James, I'll be gone by Christmas... You know that" she whispers, staring into his eyes

He gets tears in his, nodding and takes a deep breath, blowing it out shakily. "Yeah, I know," his voice breaks. "That's why I'm scared. I want to be with her, but I can't leave you," he holds her hand.

Winnifred's eyes get glossy. "I know you love me, sweetheart, but you love her too. I can see that in your eyes. Don't let me burden you for the rest of your life, James. I am just a blip in your long and happy life."

He shakes his head. "Ma, you aren't a blip in my life. You are everything to me."

Her eyes wrinkle at the sides as she smiles. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I'm just scared," he whispers. "I'm scared of losing you, and I'm scared that I'm falling in love with her," Bucky admits, the significance of the confession weighing on his chest.

She can't stop smiling and opens her arms, he puts the plate down, and moves closer to her so she can wrap her arms around him. "You won't lose me, James. I'll always be with you... And Rebecca..."

He nods. "I know... But It's not the same."

"I understand your dilemma, honey. You love Alana but want to be with me. But go spend time with her."

"I rejected her this morning," he bites his tongue. "I said I couldn't go be with her when she invited me to a nice hotel," Bucky admits.

Winnifred pulls away, looking at Bucky in the eyes. "You what?" She sounds challenging for the first time in a while.

Bucky leans back and looks at her challenging expression. "I turned her down. She wanted to-"

"Oh, I know exactly what she wanted to do! You turned a girl down from an invite. I raised you better than that, James Barnes!"