Recollection ★ Bucky Barnes

She's Not Strong Enough

It was getting late, and all Marlena could think about was snuggling up with Bucky in bed. To say she was exhausted was an understatement. So, when she finally retreated to her room, Bucky following, she was more than happy to fall back on the mattress and forget about the world.

"Someone's sleepy," Bucky chuckled, pulling his shirt up over his head and throwing it to the side.

"Very," Marlena let out a sigh, her eyes following Bucky as he padded across the room to the dresser.

"You better not fall asleep yet," he warned, changing into a clean pair of sweatpants.

"Then you better hurry your little butt up and get over here," Marlena laughed, pulling the covers up over her.

"You think my ass is little?" Bucky asked, looking over his shoulder at his back side with a pout.

Marlena only rolled her eyes and nearly snorted, "Don't worry, it's still cute."

"Never call my ass 'cute,' Mar." Bucky pointed a finger at her before pulling his sweatpants on.

He rummaged through the top drawer of the dresser to find a shirt and proceeded to pull it on as he walked over to the bed. He climbed in, letting Marlena get comfortable beside him—well, on him. His chest seemed to be the only thing she'd use as a pillow, but he didn't mind.

"Hey, Mar, can I ask you a question?" he asked, glancing down at her where she snuggled into him.

"Mhm," she replied sleepily, her eyes closed.

He paused for a moment, "Is Mason's middle name 'James' because of me?"

Marlena couldn't but smile at his curiousness, "Yeah, you were a pretty big deal to my family."

Bucky felt the corners of his lips turning upwards into a smile; he had been suspicious, but Marlena's confirmation only made him happier.

"I didn't know I was," he simply answered.

"You still are, Buck," Marlena sighed, sleep threatening to consume her.

Bucky nearly felt as if his heart was going to melt; that's how high on cloud nine he was with Marlena. She never failed to make him feel important—to make him feel loved. She made him feel better about himself, despite all of his flaws.

Bucky laid on his back with Marlena nuzzled into his side fast asleep. Her arm was stretched across his chest and he had his right arm wrapped around her snugly. She always fell asleep before him, but he liked it that way; he loved knowing that she was safe and always within arms reach even while she slept.

He stared up at the ceiling in silence, until the door cracked open sending a line of light from the hallway across the ceiling. Bucky adjusted himself enough to see who was in the doorway, but not too much as to wake up Marlena. The shadowy figure was small, and Bucky instantly knew it was Mason.

"Hey, buddy, what's wrong?" Bucky whispered as Mason padded across the floor to Marlena's side of the bed.

Bucky watched him carefully, noticing the boy's shaky hands. Bucky knew what had happened; he'd experienced quite a few nightmares himself.

"I had a bad dream," Mason fidgeted. "Marlena would always come and sleep in my room whenever I had bad dreams."

"Oh," Bucky nodded, glancing down at a sleeping Marlena, the slow rise and fall of her chest letting Bucky know that there was no waking her. "Well, she's out like a light, Mase." He frowned, looking across the bed at him.

Mason nodded, biting his nails, and Bucky sighed heavily, thinking of a solution.

"You know, I'm sure Marlena wouldn't mind if you got in bed with us." Bucky offered a small smile, though he was sure it was difficult for the boy to see in the dark lighting of the room.

"Okay," Mason nodded again, climbing into the bed beside Marlena.

Bucky smiled as he reached across and ruffled the boy's hair before Mason rolled over on his side, facing the wall.

A slow, silent ten minutes passed and Bucky was sure he was the only one awake now. He squeezed Marlena's side protectively, pulling her closer to him. He wasn't tired, but laying there with Marlena, Mason on the other side of her, brought him a feeling of comfort. His thoughts wandered aimlessly and it wasn't long before he had his eyes closed, picturing what his future with Marlena would be like. He knew people with jobs like theirs didn't get the normal life—marriage, a family, even a house—but he wanted it. He wanted it with Marlena.

"Bucky," Mason's voice broke him out of thought.

Bucky opened his eyes and looked over at Mason, the boy's back to him, "Yeah?"

"My bad dream was about Marlena," Mason admitted, rolling over to face Bucky, but he glanced at his sister's sleeping figure.

Bucky licked his lower lip and sighed. It was a good thing Marlena was asleep because she would've been heartbroken to hear those words come out of her little brother's mouth.

"What happened?" Bucky asked him as he still held onto Marlena.

Mason exhaled deeply, pulling the sheets over his body, "She wasn't strong enough."

"Strong enough to do what?"

"To stop it." Mason reached out with a single hand and stroked his sister's hair.

"'It'?" Bucky asked, his eyebrows pulling down.

"Death."

"Death? What do you mean?" Bucky frowned.

"Her powers," Mason removed his hand from her hair, "she couldn't control them. Everyone—Marlena, too. . .they were dead," Mason said, calmly, as if he wasn't aware of the awful scenario he had just described.

Bucky clenched his jaw; Mason had no idea. His nightmare was the same reason Marlena was put on suppressors back on Halloween. Everyone was worried, scared that she wouldn't be able to contain her abilities.

"Could that happen?" Mason asked, but Bucky was deep in thought.

If Mason, even at such a young age, was very well aware of the danger Marlena posed, Bucky could only imagine what everyone else was thinking. He, along with the Avengers, trusted her and believed in her, but he himself couldn't deny that he was worried for her. She meant the world to him.

"Could that happen, Buck?" Mason repeated, finally catching Bucky's attention.

"I-I don't know, Mase." Bucky sighed, stretching his arm across Marlena to Mason.

He patted Mason's arm a couple of times before Mason finally closed his eyes, "I hope it never happens," Mason sighed sleepily.

Bucky kept his hand on Mason's arm as the rise and fall of the boy's chest grew slower. It wasn't until then that Bucky really noticed how much he had changed over the last few months; he was growing up, and Bucky felt even worse that he was growing up without his sister at home. Soon, a day would come when Mason would be too old to go to Marlena when he had nightmares; soon, he'd bottle up his feelings as most teenage boys did. Soon, his memories with Marlena would be just that—memories.

Marlena belonged at home with her family. As much as she loved everyone in the tower, she would never completely fit in there, at least not in her eyes. Bucky knew that much. As he laid there watching Marlena and Mason sleep, he promised himself that he'd get Marlena back home as soon as she was ready. He didn't want her away from her home and family a second longer than she had to be. And even though the Claire's weren't his family, he would always love them and protect them as if they were.