Same Old Love (Bucky x OC)

chapter 5

"Do you have the photo's of her still?" Asked Sam.

"No, I left mine with Stark before we left." Bucky said.

He was happy he did that. He wouldn't want Hydra to know about her, for her safety and what was left of his sanity. But now he felt sad because he wanted to have her smiling face looking back at him. He would give his life up to have one thing of hers back with him.

"I kept mine behind the photo of Peggy. Like we said, we didn't want her to be in danger so we scrubbed her from history." Steve said as he pulled out his compass.

And true to his word, behind Peggy's photo was a photo of Elle smiling back up to him with her arm over little Steve's shoulders. Bucky leaned over to see the photo and chuckled.

"No one now would believe you where that small Steve."

The two old men laughed at the words Elle once sarcastically said to him once when they where looking at a baby photo of Steve.

Steve handed the photo to the avengers, which they soon passed around to each other.

"Wow you where tiny."

"Thanks Sam." Steve rolled his eyes and smiled at him.

"She's really pretty." Peter said in awe.

"How did you get a girl that pretty Bucky?" Asked Bruce.

"I guess I grew on her." He shrugged, not knowing the answer himself.

"I've seen her before." Tony said. "Wait here." And with that he left.

A few minutes later Tony entered the room again with a small old box in his hands. The two super soldiers recognised it immediately.

Elle's old jewellery box.

"How did you get that." They demanded, standing from their seats instantly.

"Relax. The story goes: A lady came in after the war ended and asked my father if you two where alive or something. When she was told you two where both missing she handed this box to my father and told him if he could bury it with you if they found your bodies. And since your bodies where never found, my father held on to this and told me to never open  it or give it away. So I guess here." Tony announced as he handed the box to Steve and sat next to Peter again.

"I remember when I first gave her this box." Steve said as he traced the engravings like he did so many times before. "Elle was my adopted sister and she would always cry at night, even though she never had a home before. So for her first Christmas with us I gave her this box. Me and Bucky found it in the rubbish one day when we where walking home from school. We polished it and fixed it and told her if she didn't want it, it was okay because when found it in the rubbish already. But she just hugged it and told us that she started in the rubbish and she was okay now so there was no need for us to give her away as well.

"She never told us what her first few years was like. But me and Buck both knew they where not good times for her. No matter how old she would be, those things would stay with her for a long time. Atleast well helped her forget about them for some moments."

Steve opened the old wooden lid and lifted the photo of Bucky and her up.

"The old bugger put it in here Bucky." Steve said as he handed his friend the photo. Like Steve, Bucky handed the photo around to the people before them.

"You two where really in love. Weren't you" Wanda said as she looked at the old couple holding each other in their arms.

"You have no idea." Bucky whispered to himself.

Steve then pulled out a letter. It was sealed and dated the year 1945, the end of the war. He opened and read out loud:

"My dearest boys,
How stupid you are. You never could let others sought out their own fights could you. Of course, without you telling me yourselves, I know you both have enlisted for the war.

Steve, no matter how hard they can try they can't take your heart and turn you away from a good, honest fight, can they?
I know you may be small and too big for your britches, but I know that your heart will forever be in the right place and will forever guide you on the right path for you to take.
Just be safe you stupid idiot.

Bucky, I hope you are keeping each other safe. And I hope you keep your promise. There is a lady that just lost her fiancé at war. She gave me her dress, and might I say, it's one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I do hope you can see it for yourself. And I do hope that one day Steve will walk me to you while I wear my dress and you wear that suite I like best.
I do hope we can take more photos with each other, together.
I also hope your helping Steve get a bloody girlfriend, that boy is to single to be healthy. And I need a few nieces and nephews in a while.

I hope you are both well. I am fine and healthy as I can be without my favourite partners in crime by my side.
But I will survive, that's all we can do in a world like this.

Love too you both,
Elle"

When Steve stopped, Bucky stood and marched out of the room. Sam went to follow him but Steve told him he needed space.

"What else is in the box?" Asked Nat as she tried to keep the tears from falling.

Steve looked down and saw her necklace. The one Bucky gave her a few months before she left.

It was a simple silver chain. Steve would recognise that chain anywhere. It was meant to hold a ring, the ring Bucky proposed to her with. Stating that when the ring comes off the chain they will marry. Steve held the chain up for the avengers to see.

Steve realised what she had done while a tear ran out of his eye.
"She took off the ring. She never would have married anyone else. She stayed engaged to Bucky for all this time."