After the quinjet had landed, Marlena was fast asleep. Even after being nudged by Bucky several times, the girl didn't even move a muscle. She looked so peaceful—so still—and Bucky knew it had probably been months since she'd been able to sleep well. If Marlena's experiences with Hydra were anything like his, he didn't have the heart to wake her from her slumber.
Her long eyelashes contrasted so beautifully against the fair skin of her cheek bones. Her lips were expressionless, not a frown to be seen. Her cheeks were tinted pink, bringing color to her porcelain complexion. Bucky could stare at her for hours—not in a creepy way, but in admiration. He loved Marlena more than she could ever know.
Instead of waking her, he scooped her up soundlessly and the group headed back to Sam's place, where Bucky was quite reluctant to stay again.
"At least get some sleep, Buck. You can take Marlena home tomorrow." Steve sighed, glancing over at the couch where Bucky had laid Marlena down.
Either she was a heavy sleeper, he thought, or she hadn't had a good night's sleep since Hydra took her.
"I made a promise to bring Miranda her daughter back." Bucky looked over at his sleeping beauty, too, before returning his attention to Steve. "You didn't see the look on her face when I told her that Marlena was dead."
"I understand," Steve nodded, placing a firm hand on Bucky's shoulder, "get out of here. Go." He gave his friend a tired smile, pulling his hand away.
Bucky pulled Steve into a tight hug, Steve patting him on the back.
"Thank you, Steve, for helping me, for not giving up on this. I would have never found Marlena without you." Bucky smiled, the thought of having Steve back in his life along with Marlena striking him.
"I'd do anything for ya, Buck. I'm with you 'til the end of the line," Steve replied, causing Bucky's smile to falter.
He had said that exact same thing while Bucky was beating the shit out of him on the helicarrier, seconds before he plummeted into the Potomac. Even after all they had been through, they were able to make amends and become friends again, and without Steve, Bucky would not have found Marlena in time. She could have been the next weapon of Hydra, but instead she was still in tact, just stronger than before.
Bucky pulled away from the hug, nodding in response, "I would do the same for you, Steve."
Steve nodded back, smiling as he watched Bucky walk over to the couch and pick Marlena up gently.
After struggling to get Marlena's sleeping body in the passenger seat of the jeep, the sound of the door shutting caused her to stir. Bucky opened the driver's side door and climbed in, starting the engine. He glanced over at Marlena, her eyes fluttering open as he pulled out onto the main road.
"Bucky," Marlena rubbed her eyes sleepily, then looked out of the window. "Where are we?"
"Leaving Sam's," he answered simply, his eyes refocusing on the road ahead. "How do you feel?"
"Exhausted," Marlena answered, looking over at him.
She smiled to herself as she watched him drive, his blue eyes reflecting the blues of the world outside of the window. It was raining, and the sound of the drops hitting the roof of the car was soothing. She pulled her legs up into the seat, reclining back in it.
"You look tired, yourself." She sighed, her hand reaching across the middle console.
The corner of Bucky's lip turned up into the hint of a smile and he shot her a sideways glance, his right hand leaving the steering wheel. His fingers intertwined with hers and he smiled at the physical contact. Ever since they'd been reunited, he found it hard to have zero physical contact with her. He wanted more than anything to hold her and fall asleep next to her as they used to before Hydra disrupted their lives.
"Are we going home?" Marlena asked, her hazel eyes watching out of the window on Bucky's left.
"We are," Bucky replied, his metal hand gripping the steering wheel firmly. "Your mom and Mason are in for a surprise." He smiled, his eyes almost watering as he thought about how happy they would be to see that Marlena was, in fact, alive.
Marlena's eyes lit up at the mentioning of her family; she'd missed them terribly, and they had been the reason why she kept herself going while under Hydra's control, aside from Bucky, of course.
As they pulled up outside of Marlena's house, Bucky cut off the car and sat staring out of the window. The white house with the green shutters had become so important to him—more specifically, the family living in it had become so important to him. His eyes continued to water, not because he was sad and broken, which he partially was and always would be, but because his heart felt full as he looked at the house. It wasn't perfect; some of the paint was peeling and the shutters had faded over time, he assumed, but it was perfect to him—just as the Claire family was.
Miranda was not a perfect person; she had lost a husband and she worked strenuous hours at a time, but she always did what was best for Marlena and Mason. She made sure they had everything they wanted and more, and she held a close bond with both of them, and now with Bucky, too. He would never be able to repay her for all she had done for him, but he knew Miranda expected nothing in return from him.
Bucky had even come to love Mason, Marlena's kid brother, as well. He was so vibrant and full of life, and he never failed to make Bucky laugh. He knew he would grow up to be just as good of a person as his sister was.
And then there was Marlena—the optimistic, beautiful soul who had for some reason given Bucky a chance to turn his life around. She showed him that the old Bucky still existed, even when he thought that part of him had died years ago, the day he'd fallen from the train. Everything about her was perfect to him, even her flaws, like her clumsiness. He loved her—all of her.
"Bucky, are you okay?" Marlena's sweet voice drew him out of thought, her hand still holding onto his flesh hand.
"Marlena," he turned to look at her, unaware that a few stray tears had fallen from his eyes, "I have to tell you something."
"Sure, Bucky, you can tell me anything. You know that." Marlena looked at him sideways, her free hand reaching up to wipe away one of his tears with her black sleeve.
Bucky nodded, looking down at their hands and then his metal hand that sat in his lap. He had hated his metal arm; it reminded him of the pain he suffered through and the memories that Hydra took from him—the memories he could never get back. The night he had hurt Marlena, he had never hated himself, and the arm, more. He wanted to rip it off, as if it would take away the pain and self-hatred with it. He now knew that regardless of what he did, Winter would always haunt him. There was no forgetting the things he had done, but Marlena. . .she had not looked at him as if he were Winter; she looked at him as if he were Bucky—as if she didn't even know who the Winter Soldier was. That was love. He knew that now, as he sat there looking at Marlena, her round, hazel eyes looking back at him intently, the sound of the rain hitting the windshield in the background.
"I am in love with you, Marlena Claire."
Marlena's lips parted as she kept her eyes on him. She had not expected this to be what Bucky was going to say. She felt overwhelmed with emotion, and she could feel his hand shaking slightly as she held it. She knew that she was in love with Bucky. . .she was just unsure if the feeling ran as deep within Bucky as it did in her.
"Bucky, I love you more than you'll ever know." Marlena leaned forward, her lips connecting with his so intensely that everything around the two became a blur.
Her free hand tangled itself in his hair, his metal arm wrapping around her and pulling her closer to him. Even the sound of the rain grew distant, and the only thing either of them cared about was the warmth of the other's touch. Bucky nearly pulled her across the console and into his seat when the sound of something hitting the window behind Bucky caused them to pull apart.
"Marlena?" A familiar voice caught Marlena's attention.
She leaned sideways to look past Bucky as he turned to see who it was. Marlena's eyes met Mason's and his face lit up as he realized that it was, in fact, his big sister.
Marlena practically threw the passenger door open and jumped out of the Jeep, running around the front of the car. She dropped to her knees in the yard as she engulfed Mason in a hug, his head nuzzling into the crook of her neck.
"Mason," Marlena sighed into his hair, now damp from the rain, "I've missed you so much."
"I th-thought you weren't coming back, Mar. Mom said you were gone." The boy's arms wrapped around her shoulders tightly as if he were scared she would disappear on him again.
"I'm here, kiddo. I'm not going anywhere," she replied, pulling away from the hug to look at him.
Her hands rested on either side of his face, his shimmery, green eyes staring at her. She'd never seen him smile so big before, and she would do anything to ensure that she would remember this moment for the rest of her life.
"We should get inside and out of this rain." Bucky smiled as he climbed out of the jeep, making his way to where the siblings sat in the grass.
Marlena nodded, standing up. She watched as Mason ran to Bucky taking his metal hand and pulling him towards the house.
"Mom is gonna be so happy to see you, Mar!" Mason beamed, following her up the steps to the front porch.
Marlena twisted the knob of the door slowly, pushing it open. Upon entering her house, she was met with a feeling of relief and security—the feeling of home.
She could hear sounds coming from the kitchen and the aroma of pasta and chicken filled her nose; Miranda was in the kitchen, cooking away, as she often did when she was stressed. Marlena kicked her boots off and padded across the hardwood floor toward the kitchen, Bucky and Mason following her quietly.
"Mase, are you hungry, baby?" Miranda called out, turning around, expecting to see Mason in the doorway.
Instead, she was met with the face of her daughter—a face she thought she would only ever see again in photographs. Miranda dropped the empty plate she had been holding, her hands covering her mouth and nose in shock. Glass scattered across the floor, but Miranda didn't seem to notice anything other than the fact that her daughter was standing before her, alive. Her eyes filled with tears instantly, her body unable to move.
Marlena choked down her tears and rushed to her mother, wrapping her arms around her. Miranda remained still, her hands still over her mouth as Marlena pulled her into a hug. Her head dropped onto Marlena's shoulder as sobs shook her body.
"I'm home, Mom." Marlena forced a laugh, though she was crying.
Time stood still in that moment for all of them as Marlena held her mother in her arms, shedding tears of happiness and relief while Bucky pulled Mason into his side, his metal arm resting on the boy's shoulder.
This was a moment that Bucky would never forget. Despite all the memories that Hydra had swiped from his mind, this was a new memory—a memory that nothing could ever make him forget. He might not have been able to repay the Claire family for everything they had done for him, but he was responsible for this. Bucky was the one who brought Marlena Claire home, and that—that was more than enough for Miranda and Mason.