ONE WEEK LATER.
"James Buchanan Barnes, can't you ever be on time?" I laughed, sitting in the passenger seat with my legs propped on the dash.
Bucky rolled his eyes, the sunlight becoming spotty through the windshield as we entered a tunnel of trees. "Oh shut it, not like you didn't take your time getting ready."
I examined my looks in my phone camera, tilting my head. "I had to look my best."
"Of course you did." He chuckled, pulling up in front of the same worn-down lakehouse, opening the car door, and stepping into the fresh air. "Finally... god, it's gorgeous here."
"Tell me about it... We should live here full time." I commented, grabbing the cake out of the back and handing it to him.
He shook his head, "I would, but I'd definitely turn into a full-time fisher, and my arm wouldn't appreciate that."
I looked up, hearing the commotion coming from the docks. "They started the party without us, bozo. Come on!" I grabbed his free hand, running toward the music and voices.
AJ and Cass emerged from the large crowd of people, giggling and throwing fake punches at us. I dodged their hands, picking Cass up and kissing his forehead. "Why hello there, my favorite boy! I missed you!"
AJ rolled his eyes and pouted, "Rude. I thought I was your favorite!"
"You're both my favorites, don't argue." I put Cass down, setting the cake Bucky had in his hands on the table.
Cass rolled his eyes, "Not fair." he grumbled, crossing his arms and sitting at the picnic table. He stared at the cake, smirking slightly before I immediately picked the dessert up.
"Absolutely not, mister. This is for after you eat some real food, and everyone has a slice, okay?" I said, raising a brow.
AJ smirked, "That's what he gets..."
Cass frowned, "Oh come on! You always let me have a piece of cake before everyone else!"
"And since when have I done that?"
"The one time we celebrated your dog's birthday! You let me have some of that small cake you got him! It tasted so bad too, I got sick after!"
Bucky looked over, "You had a dog?"
I sighed, placing a hand on my forehead. "Yes, I did but... wait a second..." I looked down at Cass, "The cake we had for his birthday was full of dog treats and dog food! I wouldn't let you have a piece of it- you ATE dog cake?!"
Cass snickered, "Gotcha."
AJ laughed and held up his open palm, "High five, lil' bro! You're growing up to be just like me. I'm so proud."
I groaned and buried my face in my hands, shaking my head. "This is why..." my gaze moved to Bucky, who was covering his mouth with his metal hand and clearly holding back laughter, "James."
He threw his hand back to his side and looked at me, "What?" He pursed his lips, trying his best to force a smile down.
"You think this is funny, don't you?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"No, ma'am." He responded, trying his absolute best to keep a straight face before a snort came from him, prompting him to immediately cover his mouth. "Fuck-"
I sighed and raised my hand, flicking his forehead and chuckling. "Hey, it's not funny when you're the one thinking you poisoned a poor kid with dog food."
"But the way you thought you actually did it- please! The look on your face was priceless!" He burst out in laughter, not bothering to censor it any longer.
"You would've had the same reaction!" I protested, sitting on the edge of the picnic table and setting the cake back down.
Sam heard the commotion, walking over and smiling at the two. "I can see you both made yourselves at home already."
Bucky contained his laughter, running a hand through his hair and clearing his throat. "No- just, Lucy just got fucking pranked by your nephew and it was the best thing I've seen all week!"
Sam laughed and shook his head, "They're knuckleheads, let me tell you. What- did they pull the dog food cake trick on you? They told me about it at dinner last night."
I narrowed my eyes, "Unfortunately."
He rested a hand on my shoulder, patting it. "Better get used to it, the kids definitely wised up the past few years."
Bucky wiped a tear from his eye, "Yeah, definitely. I'm sorry... man, I haven't laughed that hard in my entire life."
"Uh-huh, right." I rolled my eyes, "You're lucky I love you, Barnes."
He smiled and leaned down, pecking my lips tenderly. "I'm very lucky, I know..." he whispered, ruffling my hair.
Sam sighed, "One day I'll have a romance like you two have. Anyway, I did come over here to tell you that the folks are all waiting to meet you both. I've said a lot about you, there are headlines everywhere."
I chuckled and got up, brushing my jacket off. "We'd be happy to meet them, wouldn't we, Buck?"
"Yes ma'am," Bucky whispered, kissing my forehead before we walked toward the welcoming crowd of joyful townspeople.
...
The sun had begun to set below the horizon as the hours passed. The lights on the old dock flickered on, allowing for a warm yellow glow to shadow everyone's faces. Bucky was standing with his leg propped on a few fish crates, his metal arm held out as two children dangled from it. I was sitting on the edge of the dock, a few kids gathered around me.
"Come on, please? There's no little kids here! We can keep your powers a secret!" A teen boy said, maybe around the age of 13.
A few others simultaneously agreed with head nods and a long, drawn-out "pleaseeeee!"
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Alright, okay... fine. Don't get too close, alright?"
The kids nodded and gave me space as I stretched my hands out in front of me. I focused my energy on my hands, closing my eyes as I felt warmth flow from my legs through my torso and arms. The kids all watched in utter awe, some trying to wiggle their way to the front of the small gathering to get a better look.
I opened my eyes slowly, my green irises now a soft lavender color. My gaze moved to my arms, seeing the light purple color flowing through my veins. One of the younger girls managed to push her way to the front, sitting in front of me.
"What can you do? Show us!" She clapped her hands together, complimenting the other kids' requests and questions as they started pouring in.
"Hey, be patient. Truthfully, I have no idea how to work my own power yet either..." I whispered under my breath. "Here, let me try this."
I pressed my hands to the pavement below me, closing my eyes and exerting my energy toward the ground. A few gasps came from the children in front of me, prompting my eyes to shoot open. Instead of what I thought was the worst, I found a much more pleasant sight. The cracks between each stone on the dock, along with every piece of worn wood, were slowly lighting up with a soft mauve.
Naturally, this drew some of the adults' attention, seeing as the purple glow was flowing right under their feet. Sam and Bucky, who were originally conversing, almost spooked themselves when their eyes found the ground.
The crowd of kids moved away from me and dispersed as they ran after the flow of light. Some tried to touch the cracks in the ground, only to be welcomed by a cozy sensation on their hands. Others raced the spread of color, cheering in victory for a moment when they gained leverage over the magic, only to be beat as the mauve glow spread over the entire dock.
Eventually, the color came to a steady stop when the dock turned to grass as it reached the end. Now, the children were scattered all over, all intrigued thoroughly with the dance floor of purple I had just created.
Along with their children, parents and friends all started to examine the cracks of mauve glow. No one was afraid of it. Not how I originally thought.
Sam came up behind me, followed by Bucky. "Did you know you were gonna do that?" He asked.
I blinked a few times before shaking my head and looking back at him with a confused, yet semi-relieved look. "No... I didn't really think I could do anything too extravagant without hurting someone."
Bucky's arm wrapped around my waist slowly. "Well, you certainly haven't hurt anyone. They all seem considerably interested in what you've done to the place."
Some murmurs started arising out of the shocked silence.
"How does she do this?"
"Is it harmful?"
"I thought this shit was only in the movies..."
After a few moments of thinking, I reached my hand down to the ground, closing my eyes. I reabsorbed the power distributed through the worn cobblestone and wood of the dock back into my body. Instead of holding it, though, I directed my hand back to the sky, letting the mauve color disperse into the star-dotted night. The orb I had created exploded into a bunch of small fragments of what once was, shards of purple sprinkling down on the townspeople. As they reached people's hands, the purple just faded away, as if it were never there in the first place.
With this came the retreatment of my powers. The lavender through my veins faded along with the color that made my eyes unique. The children that had gathered around me before were all whispering, some to their parents, others to their friends. This time though, I didn't feel alienated. Like there was something wrong with me. Or that the sigils on my hands were something that had to be hidden. I felt loved.
"That's incredible, Lucy..." Sarah whispered. She had found her way to my side through all the silent chaos happening around us.
I furrowed my brows, shifting into Bucky's chest as his other arm wrapped around my waist. "You really think so?"
Sarah nodded, "I know so." she whispered, patting my shoulder. "You're going to make one fine superhero one day."
"I hope..." I responded, watching the final remnants of daylight fade into darkness. "I'm just happy the world is safe again. For now."
Bucky kissed the top of my head tenderly, "I think we all are."
Whatever the world wants to bring us next, we'll be ready. What used to be no longer matters. What matters is the people we have in front of us. That we remember who has fallen to get us to this point. I have been through plenty of low points throughout my life. Bucky and Sam can say the same for themselves. In fact, every hero has to fail to succeed.
I never imagined myself becoming a hero. Or having a superhero name. Or, frankly, being known as someone other than Pandora. Someone that works for the greater good, not the vicious evil. The imprint that HYDRA has left on me and Bucky, and the world as a whole, will never go away. We must learn to live with our pasts and know that we are better.
As I lay here on Bucky's bare chest, my ear pressed to the skin to hear his beating heart, I remember how long it took to get here. How many times I wanted to give up and crumble into a bunch of pieces that could never be placed back together. So, why didn't I?
I don't have an answer to that question. I don't think I ever will. All I can be now is proud of myself for getting here. To this point, and to this moment. This is all that matters. We are all that matters.