Marlena closed her laptop and sat it down on the coffee table in front of her. She had been trying to locate Steve's apartment for the past fifteen minutes. Although she knew the name of it, she wasn't aware of its location, nor was she aware of the directions. Washington D.C. was a fairly enormous city, so there was never enough time to roam around, even for the residents. Luckily for her, she managed to find out exactly where it was, and she was more than eager to get there before Bucky returned back home with Mason.
She stood up and hurried up the stairs to retrieve her purse, her phone, and her keys before heading back down the stairs. She was excited that she was finally able to do this for Bucky—for Steve. The two hadn't seen each other in over seventy years (as far as Marlena knew, anyway), and she was more than thrilled that there was a possibility they would be able to see each other again.
She pulled the front door open and jumped back at the sight in front of her. Hallie stood in front of her with a startled expression on her face and her hand raised as if she were about to knock. Marlena raised a brow and stepped to the side, allowing her best friend to enter her home. She was rather annoyed with her, given the fact that she had left the previous day without even bothering to stick around for a little bit. All she left were a few words Bucky had been instructed to give her, yet they made her feel no better.
"Headed somewhere?" Hallie asked as she walked passed her to sit on the couch.
Marlena shut the door and walked over to sit down beside her. "I was," she murmured before sitting her stuff down on the coffee table. "So, what brings you here?"
Hallie let out a shaky breath and began to play with her hands. Marlena could easily tell that there was a difference in Hallie's demeanor, only she didn't know what the cause of it was. All she knew was that her friend was slightly frightened, seemingly nervous, not to mention a little upset. It worried her, but she didn't ask about it—she knew Hallie would tell her anyway, so there really was no use in asking.
"I have something I need to tell you—well, show you, really—but I'm not sure how you're gonna take it," Hallie told her.
The fear was evident in her voice, but at the moment it had nothing to do with Bucky. She was afraid of how Marlena would take the news; she was one of the most sensitive people in the world, so there was no doubt in her mind that she would become overwhelmed with several different emotions.
"Okay, what is it?"
Hallie looked around the room for a second before looking back at Marlena. "Is anyone else here?"
Marlena shook her head. "Mom's at work, and Mason is out with James."
Hallie swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded before pulling her phone out of her purse. She began her search for the newscast on YouTube, and Marlena watched with curious eyes as she pressed her fingers to the screen. Once Hallie had found it, she let out a sigh and pushed her phone towards Marlena. Marlena gave her a rather skeptical look before removing the device from her hands and focusing her attention on the small screen.
Marlena watched the screen with a bored expression on her face but perked up when the Winter Soldier was mentioned. She listened as they claimed to have had a lead on him and paused the video before looking at Hallie.
"This is actually great news, Hal," Marlena laughed. "They finally have another lead—that's actually kinda fantastic."
Hallie frowned and shook her head. "It's great news to everyone else, Mar, but it's not for you." Marlena gave her a confused look, but Hallie just rolled her eyes and pressed play again. "Watch it."
Marlena sighed and placed her attention back on the screen. She listened for several seconds as the news reporter spoke, and before she knew it a sketch of a man who looked dangerously like Bucky popped up on the screen. She gasped and covered her mouth in shock. She didn't want to believe it—she didn't want to believe that Bucky was the one they were looking for; she wanted to believe that the sketch was merely some sort of coincidence or the result of some sort of descriptive mistake, but she couldn't, and the mention of a metal arm only further proved that they were in fact looking for Bucky Barnes.
"That's not all I need to show you though," Hallie chimed as she took the phone out of Marlena's hands. She navigated her way to her camera roll and soon found the video she had been looking for. She pressed play and handed the phone back to Marlena, eliciting a shaky breath to escape the brunette.
Marlena's stomach churned as she watched the action on the D.C. Parkway take place. She found herself becoming dangerously nauseous at the sight of Bucky's shoulder-length hair and his metal arm, which held what looked to be a grenade launcher. He showed no mercy whatsoever as he shot at the redheaded woman and the blond-haired man, both of whom she assumed to be Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff.
She handed the phone back to Hallie without a word and ran a trembling hand through her hair.
Bucky Barnes was the Winter Soldier, she was definitely sure of that, but she also wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about it. She should be scared, scared that America's most wanted criminal was staying with her at her house, but she wasn't—she wasn't scared of Bucky at all, despite all of the lives he had taken and the immense amount of people that he had hurt.
Marlena was angry—Marlena was hurt. She had been lied to by one of the most important people in her life, one of the people she felt she could trust with her life. And it wasn't a little white lie either; he had kept a crucial piece of information regarding his identity from her, and she had no clue why he chose to do so.
"I don't-I don't know what to say," Marlena said quietly as she stared at the wall.
Hallie frowned and moved closer to comfort her friend. "I tried to tell you he was dangerous, and you didn't believe me."
Marlena didn't respond to Hallie, as she had not been referring to him being dangerous. Even now, after being given such information, she didn't believe him to be dangerous. He had never hurt her (on purpose) and he never seemed to pose a threat to her or her family for that matter.
Before either of the girls had a chance to speak to the other, the front door burst open, startling them both. They turned to see Mason and Bucky walking into the house, and Hallie visibly stiffened at the sight of the assassin. Marlena just frowned and stood up, and Hallie followed her actions shortly after.
"Hallie, hi!" Mason exclaimed happily as he ran over to hug Hallie.
The blonde seemed almost relieved to discover that he was okay, so much that she nearly squeezed the life out of him. "Hi, Mason," she greeted him. "Haven't seen you in quite a while."
"I know! You should stay here and hang out with me," the boy said with a laugh.
"You know I would, but I have something I need to do," she replied as she stood back up. "Glad to see you're doing okay though."
Hallie ruffled his hair and smiled before heading out the door, not even bothering to spare a glance at Bucky.
He raised a brow at her behavior and focused his attention on Marlena, but she wasn't looking at him either; she was focused on her brother.
"Can you do me a favor?" Marlena asked her brother. He smiled and nodded, more than willing to help his older sister. "I need you to go upstairs for the time being so I can talk to Bucky, okay? I'll bring you up some dinner later."
"Can I have pizza?"
Marlena chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I'll order you a pizza. Now, go."
Mason took off for the stairs almost immediately, and Marlena found herself frowning again. She looked up at Bucky to see a questioning look on his face. She could feel that she was about to let her anger get the best of her, but she wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. If she grew too harsh, she would most likely apologize for it later, but at the moment she didn't care.
"The Winter Soldier really is a beautiful alias. Did you come up with it on your own or did those asshats at Hydra come up with it?" Marlena chimed as she leaned against the wall.
His eyes widened in response to his words, and Marlena watched as the fear and sadness began to flow into his body.
Bucky never wanted Marlena to know about the Winter Soldier, nor did he want her to find out about the Winter Soldier from someone other than him. He was afraid that she would begin to see him differently, see him for the person he so desperately tried to prove that he wasn't; he was afraid he would lose her, and that was the absolute one thing he didn't want.
"Marlena—"
"Let me establish something first, James Barnes," Marlena cut him off. "I'm not scared of you, if that's what you're thinking right now. The Winter Soldier means absolutely nothing to me—he doesn't exist anymore, as far as I know. In all actuality, I'm pissed off at you. Do you wanna know why?"
Bucky just scratched the back of his head and frowned, prompting a response from Marlena.
"I'm pissed because you lied to me, Bucky," she informed him as she inched closer to him. "Why would you lie to me, especially about that?"
"Because I was afraid you wouldn't want to help me, I was afraid you would leave me—you're all I have right now. I can't lose you," Bucky answered quietly.
Marlena scoffed and ran another hand through her hair. "I would never dream of leaving you, Bucky, you know that. I made you a promise that day in the museum and I intend on keeping that promise, and I don't care what I have to do to keep it."
"You're still willing to keep that promise even if I am America's most wanted criminal? Even if it means risking time in prison for harboring and assisting a fugitive?" Bucky questioned her.
Marlena snapped her head up to look at him. She had never thought about that until he had brought it up, but even now she didn't seem to care. He wasn't a criminal in her eyes; he was merely a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He never chose to be taken away by Hydra, he never chose to have his life taken away from him, he never chose to be made into a weapon.
"I don't see it that way," Marlena said quietly. "You're not a criminal—the Winter Soldier is a criminal, and you are not him; you are James Buchanan Barnes. And yes, I am still willing to keep that promise, even if it does mean risking time in prison."
He seemed slightly taken back by her words. He was sure she would have realized that he was a criminal and shoved him out of the front door. "Why, Marlena?"
"Why what?"
"You know who I am—you know what I've done," he started. "Anybody else would have turned me in immediately, yet you stand here angry simply because I lied to you. You're even willing to risk getting in trouble because of me. . .I don't get it."
Marlena took a deep breath and ran her hands over her face. "It's because you're worth it, Bucky. You're not like any person I've ever met, and to lose someone like you, to lose you. . .I just don't think I would be able to handle it. I mean, I've said it once and I'll say it again, but you're stuck with me, Barnes."
Bucky's breath caught in his throat at her confession.
He could feel every single emotion that he felt for Marlena growing stronger as his mind began to process every last one of her words. He was now beginning to realize just how deeply he cared for the small brunette. He needed her, needed her more than he's ever needed anyone (aside from Steve), and just thinking about living his life without her made him feel sick to his stomach. Without her in his life he would be absolutely nothing, he would be hiding away in some old abandoned shack in the woods by the Potomac waiting for Hydra to come and take him away again, or worse, trapped deep in the mind of the Winter Soldier fighting for a way out. He was safe with Marlena, he was at home with Marlena, he was his true self with Marlena—or as much of his true self he could remember. Marlena had become the missing piece to Bucky's life that he was truly thrilled to have been able to find, and it was no lie that without her he would be nowhere.
"I don't care what you did, and I don't care who you were, Buck," Marlena started again as she inched closer to him. "I know you're not that person anymore, and I know that you don't want to hurt anybody, so that's really all that matters to me. Just know that from this point on, whatever happens, I'll be with you. I'm not gonna leave your side until you tell me to."
He could feel his admiration for her growing as he watched the way the words flew out of her mouth, so much that he couldn't handle it anymore. Without so much as thinking, he placed both hands—metal and flesh alike—on either side of her face and pulled her close to him as gently as he possibly could.
"I will always need you by my side, Marlena. I'd be nowhere if I didn't have you, doll," he told her as he glanced down at her slightly parted lips.
"Then prove it," Marlena said with a small smile.
Bucky responded by pressing his lips against hers. The tension in the room had disappeared immediately, as had the anger Marlena had felt towards him. The feeling of his lips pressed against hers had ignited a feeling inside her she had never felt before, not even with Dylan. She belonged here, she belonged with Bucky. The two hadn't known each other very long at all, but Marlena didn't care at all. To her, it certainly felt as though they had known each other forever, excluding the fact that she had practically grown up learning about him.
There was absolutely no denying the strong connection between the two of them, though, nor could anyone deny that the two shared feelings for one another. It was only now that they chose to finally express those feelings.
Marlena smiled into the kiss and pulled him as close as she could, only to pull away seconds later. Bucky took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against hers, still completely captivated by the feelings she gave him. It had been over seventy years since he had last kissed a girl, and he had kissed quite a few girls in his time, but none of them would ever be able to compare to Marlena. She was one of a kind to him, unlike any girl he had ever known or at least remembered knowing. She brought out the best in him and triggered emotions inside him he had never once felt before.
"How was that for proof?" Bucky whispered.
Marlena chuckled and kissed him again. "But I swear, Bucky, if you ever lie to me again I will end your life."
Bucky opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of Mason's voice. "What are you guys doing? I want my pizza," the boy exclaimed.
Bucky and Marlena pulled away from each other instantly and looked at the boy standing at the top of the staircase. Marlena made an awkward noise and scratched the back of her head.
"That's a good way to ruin a moment," Bucky mumbled, causing Marlena to let out a small chuckle.
The both of them knew, though, that nothing could ruin that moment for them.