Recollection ★ Bucky Barnes

My Idiot Mother

"We've missed you too, Mom!" Mason exclaimed with a mouth full of french toast. Their mother laughed and continued cooking.

The kitchen was silent for about five more minutes, disregarding the sound of the food cooking on the stove. Marlena stuffed a piece of french toast into her mouth when she began to hear the faint sound of a shower running upstairs. She hoped desperately that her mother wouldn't hear it, but much to her despair, she did. Her mom stopped cooking and looked up at the ceiling with furrowed eyebrows before shifting her focus on her kids.

"Why is the shower running?" she asked skeptically, just as the water switched off.

Perfect timing, Bucky, Marlena thought.

Mason giggled knowingly and Marlena pursed her lips. She was surprised the little rat hadn't told on her yet. "Hallie's taking a shower."

"No she's not. Hallie doesn't wake up until like one-something in the afternoon, and it's only almost twelve. Plus, her car wasn't outside when I pulled in this morning; I only saw yours," her mother replied as she removed the remnants of the breakfast foods from the stove.

Marlena sighed and pushed her half-empty plate away. She wanted to tell her mom about Bucky, but she wasn't sure how she would react to the information. Despite the fact that Marlena was nineteen and an adult, her mother still had very strict rules regarding who she brought in the house when she wasn't home, more specifically, what gender she brought in the house when she wasn't home. It had been that way since Marlena's last relationship ended; it was to protect her, of course, but Marlena didn't need to be protected from Bucky Barnes.

"Okay, look," Marlena started as her mom moved to stand across from her. "I met this guy yesterday at the Smithsonian—"

"Weird place to meet a guy, but go on," her mother interrupted.

Marlena shook her head in amusement and continued. "The thing is, he needed my help with something really important and I couldn't exactly turn him down. So, I brought him here and he stayed the night," Marlena murmured.

Her mom raised a brow and put her fork down. "What did he need help with? Unbuckling his pants?" And this was the wonderful Miranda Claire that Marlena's father had fallen in love with when he was only fifteen years old; her outstanding wit and her sarcastic nature had drew him right in, and even now she acted much the same. It gave her a comforting atmosphere that many people seemed to enjoy.

"Mom," Marlena groaned, "it's not like that at all; I'm almost positive that he's not even like that. You actually know him fairly well, really."

"Do I, now?"

"Yes, you do."

Miranda narrowed her eyes at her daughter and picked up her glass of apple juice, bringing it to her lips. The sound of footsteps could be heard coming towards the kitchen, and all three of the Claires turned their heads at the sound of the door creaking open. Bucky walked through the door now dressed in a plain black t-shirt, a pair of Marlena's dad's blue jeans, and his black boots. His hair was also damp, revealing that he had just washed it.

Marlena smiled at him, as did Mason, but Miranda, on the other hand, practically choked on her drink. It wasn't because the man in her house was dressed in her late husband's clothes, but it was because of who this man was. She had learned enough about Bucky Barnes from Marlena's great grandfather as well, not to mention Marlena's grandfather and her father. She felt the same way Marlena did when she first saw him; she didn't believe it could possibly be him, but she couldn't not believe it either.

Miranda sat her glass down and hurried over to grab a paper towel to cough into. Marlena, Bucky, and Mason stared at the woman with shared expressions of surprise on their faces. Marlena had expected her mom to feel some sort of way about seeing Bucky for the first time, but she didn't think she would nearly choke to death on her drink because of it. It was amusing to her, yet incredibly frightening all at the same time.