~Third Persons POV~
David felt something in his bed. Something wiggling, with hair that brushed along his face. He twisted his head to the side, mumbling under his breath when the movement suddenly stopped. The action of everything turning still seemed to jolt him from his half asleep daze, and he blearily blinked at River who was trying to creep out of the bed without him knowing.
Since the night Jeremy had arrived at the Barnes home, and rearranged the room sharing, David and River had been sleeping in the same bed. At first it was a spoken agreement: every night he would ask then double check that they weren't crossing a line, but in the recent days the pair slowly slid next to each other in the bed, leaving the squeaking camp bed unused and pushed to the side.
It was a feeling both of them relished. They had found safety, security, in sharing such a close proximity with one another. They were growing intimate, but neither verbally addressed what had been happening.
Instead, every morning, River would sneak out of the room and into the shower before David woke up.
It always left him feeling a little hurt, and with his rising suspicions that she was actually his soulmate, the anguish only grew each day.
But then they would smile at each other during breakfast, and chat in the late afternoon as dinner was being cooked. They would silently watch television with each other in the evenings, then hold each other as they fell asleep.
And the cycle repeated itself.
He sighed as he watched her moving, and she suddenly froze. Slowly, she tilted her head back, weakly smiling at his scruffy bed head and stubble on his face that was growing longer each day.
"Good morning." She whispered carefully, taking care for her voice to not break louder than a whisper. "Did you sleep okay?"
He nodded as he stretched, bending his back and reaching above his head like a cat who'd just woken from a nap. "I always do here." He commented.
Rivers cheeks flamed, and she felt the now familiar prickling on her left wrist. The ocean waves hadn't grown any larger since she'd met David, but they'd both been experiencing the same tickling sensation. It acted like a ticking clock, counting down the days, minutes, seconds, to them confessing to one another.
She pointed at the door, as she edged to the side of the room where she'd kept her clothes neatly folded. Amelie and Bucky had tried to convince her to put her clothes in the wardrobe and chest of drawers in the room, but River didn't want I overstep her welcome. She was already staying here indefinitely, but something was stopping her from 'moving in'.
She quietly believed it was because her ex hadn't let her have her own possessions. It was taking her a long time to come to terms with the fact she was independent now, and could own things.
She picked up a pair of jeans and a black top. "I have a shift at the bar," she sounded incredibly nervous, it had been many long weeks since she'd worked behind the counter. "I should probably get changed."
David leapt to his feet, his voice laced with apologies as he shuffled around the edge of the bed to the door. "You stay in here - I need to get Owen up and moving anyway... take all the time you need." He offered her an encouraging look as he slipped through the door onto the landing.
Bucky was sat against the wall, stroking the growing kitten in his lap. "Do you like that Brian?" He scratched the purring cats head as she stretched lazily in his arms. "You cutie pie."
"You think I'm cute?" David teased him as he lifted his hand to knock on D'Arcys bedroom door. "Why thank you."
"Cuter now you've got that beard going on," Bucky gestured to his own, "the ladies like it."
"Not all the ladies do," Amelie grumbled as she appeared from the top of the stairs, a frown on her face as she took in the sight of the two men who'd obviously only just woken up. "Are you coming with D'Arcy and Owen later? I'm taking them to the woods."
David shook his head sadly, "I need to see my Grandad."
Amelies face fell. She knew his health was declining more quickly than anybody had previously guessed. "Should Owen go with you too? To say hello?"
David gulped, and ran a hand through his hair, "I'll suggest it to him."
"If anything changes, we'll be here." Amelie smiled again, as David nodded, and knocked on her daughters door.
Jeremy meanwhile, was already dressed and sat on the end of his bed. It had been a week, give or take a couple of days, since Matt had dropped him on a strangers doorstep. A week of living in a busy, family home filled with an amazing assortment of weird people.
Bucky had asked if Jeremy could teach him to read Braille, and picked it up with an enthusiasm the teenager hadn't expected. Amelie laughed and joked with him every evening as she made tea, and River had helped give him a tour of the house one day when everybody was out.
He had been slightly worried about communicating with a deaf boy and a mute girl, but both young children had thrived with talking with him. They had downloaded an app to Davids phone, as Owen didn't own one, and they had spent hours over the week typing messages into a text-to-speech translator. The app would then form his words into text for Owen to read as D'Arcy would listen to his voice.
It worked surprisingly well, and after a little while they got quite quick with their replies to one another.
He anticipated going back home with Matt, but he hadn't heard word from them. Neither had he heard from Foggy, who he knew was Matts closest friend.
He sighed, and picked his cane up as he walked to the door. Amelie had invited him on their walk through the woods, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to go or not.
He had a feeling that today would be a bad day, but he couldn't quite place why.
***
~Amelies POV~
"Put your coat on."
D'Arcy stared blankly at me, then shook her head. I sighed, knowing I would have to battle her over this. The only problem is that I had my hands full of boxes of Davids possessions that I had told him he could bring round, and I was in the process of moving them from the living room to the garage.
"D'Arcy. Put your coat on. Now. I'm ready to go." That was a small lie, I needed to put my own coat on and check Bucky would be okay driving David, Owen and River to the hospital and then the bar.
D'Arcy didn't know that though, and lifted her hands up. 'But Mum...'
"No." I managed to balance the last box on my knee as I lifted my hand up. "Don't Mum me," I mimicked her whining words as she pouted at me. "It's November, it's cold and wet, so probably very muddy. Put your coat on - and tell Owen to put his on too, I don't have spare hands."
I left her huffing and grumbling in the hallway as I put the last box in the garage. David was making sure the six boxes of various sizes were balanced securely. "Thank you for letting me bring these round, but hopefully me and Owen can go back home soon."
I tried not to purse my lips as I leant against the freezer chest Bucky had decided we needed to keep his frozen food in. I crossed my arms gently, as David turned to face me. "Do you really want to live there alone? If you do want that then we can take all these back. But I think at the moment it's good that you have us here. You have people to talk to."
David nodded glumly, his eyes drifting around the room as he avoided saying anything.
I squeezed his shoulder as he walked past. "And these are important boxes; you need these big coats cause the weather will turn soon, and you said you have old watches of your Grandads? You don't want those left in an empty apartment."
He nodded again, but stayed quiet until I was almost out of the room. "Amelie?"
I paused and glanced at him over my shoulder, "Yeah?"
He gulped, and stared at the floor again. "River... she told me about her past."
My hand slid down the door, and I gently pushed it shut so one of the children couldn't wander in. "She must trust you."
"I hope so." He mumbled. "Is she..? Do you think she is..?"
He didn't finish his questions but I could tell what they were. I'd been the same with Bucky - unsure if he was truly my soulmate or just a man I was falling in love with.
I smiled, "you have to ask her. I can't answer those questions."
He nodded again, his shoulders slumping. I tried to brighten my smile as I opened the door, "come on then! I've been battling my daughter for the past ten minutes to put a damn coat on. You might have better luck than I do."
With that he smiled weakly, and followed me back into the hall where we were met with Owen and D'Arcy wearing matching frowns and winter coats.
Davids eyes widened as he signed quickly, 'it's a miracle! You're ready to go out!'
Owen grinned at his brother, 'do you think Grandad will like my coat?'
David nodded and continued to sign as he slid his own coat on. He reached the front door as River did, her own hands fumbling with a pair of gloves and a scarf as Bucky bounced into the hall from the kitchen. "Are we ready to go?"
He was met with murmurs and nods from the end of the hall, and he leant over to kiss me quickly, "I love you."
"I love you too." I smiled, "I'll see you all later. River, the shift will be absolutely fine, just remember that Noah and Jake are only allowed one whiskey each, no more alcohol."
She grinned as she opened the door, "got it."
Bucky kissed D'Arcys cheek, "I love you." He whispered in her ear. She smiled up at him as the four of them left the house, and I looked down at her.
"Can you fetch Jeremy from the living room please? If we leave now we can have our lunch at the little café."
Her eyes lit up at the suggestion of having a meal out - it was a rare treat for us, especially since our family doubled in size, and skidded into the living room as I zipped my coat up and pulled my hands into a pair of knitted gloves Bucky had made for me.
"Amelie," Jeremy began as he stepped into the hall, "I'll pay for lunch."
"Don't be silly!" I smiled, "it's a kind offer but it's my treat. Come on you two, we need to be walking quickly to keep us nice and warm." D'Arcy gripped onto my hand as we walked into the garden, and she opened the gate that led to the woods.
We walked slowly, and I made sure Jeremy wouldn't trip on any tree roots or walk into low hanging branches. But Matt must have trained him to somehow locate them without his sight as he walked causally over roots and ducked out of the hanging leaves without lifting his cane.
I made a note of his actions, but didn't want him to feel like I was interrogating him. Instead I asked a less loaded question. "Did you sleep okay?"
He nodded, "it's nice in that room. Very quiet, I can hear the birds when I'm in there."
"That's good." I smiled, looking around to make sure D'Arcy didn't run into a tree as she hurtled in between them. "I like listening to the birds singing."
"Although they're louder in summer," he mused, "we will have to wait a few more months."
"We can wait." I agreed. I stopped walking as I realised D'Arcy had disappeared from sight, but Jeremy straightened upright and began walking quickly in the opposite direction. "D'Arcy?" I called. I knew she wouldn't reply but if she could hear me then she should run back.
My panic was rising as Jeremy broke into a clearing, where police taped was wrapped around the thick tree trunks. The crumbling shed Bucky had found D'Arcy in was still there, although the lock and door were long gone - Bucky had told me they were removed the last time D'Arcy had taken him for a walk through the woods.
D'Arcy was stood by the tape, her small hands holding onto it like it was a railing on a fence that she was peering over. Jeremy stood solemnly beside her, and I felt my heart squeeze as she rubbed at her eyes before turning back to face me.
She lifted her hand up, and I held it in my own as I reached her. "You are not to run out of my sight D'Arcy. I know you..." my eyes met the dilapidated shed, and I faltered. "Remember, if you can't see me then I can't see you."
"Amelie?"
I jumped and turned to face an older lady with blond hair, who was wrapped in a green fleece. "Hello?" I asked as she stopped beside us.
"I'm Sue." She pointed to herself. "I was the one who got Bucky the job working here before he went on paternity-adoption leave."
Realisation dawned, and I relaxed as I smiled at her. "Of course, we're just... walking."
She glanced over my shoulder at the broken wooden shed, and her lips pursed into a thin line. "They haven't stopped coming, the police. But there's no prints in there." She murmured softly.
Then she looked down at D'Arcy, and her eyes sparkled as she waved softly. "Hello D'Arcy! How are you?"
D'Arcy nodded and shrunk into my side, overcome with shyness.
"Have you met D'Arcy before?" I checked. Since meeting Owen, D'Arcy had come out of her shell and her long periods of panic and anxiousness had seemed to fade.
"Only briefly," Sue smiled. "Bucky brought her into the café one day."
"Of course," I remembered the day we'd met at the café and D'Arcy had asked if she could call us both Mum and Dad. It felt like years ago now, even though it was a little over a month ago. "D'Arcy, Sue is one of Dads friends." I reintroduced them, but D'Arcy just nodded softly and clung to my arm tighter.
Jeremy picked up on the odd silence, and stepped forward, "We should probably be heading back. Didn't Peter say was visiting this afternoon?"
I didn't know Peter had planned to drop by, but I was grateful for the excuse. I knew D'Arcy was cautious around strangers, but this reaction was just a little too off.
"Oh," Sue's face fell. "Well have a good day all of you! And the visitors centre is always open."
We politely smiled and stepped back, and D'Arcys hand stayed gripped on my arm until she saw the gate that led to our garden.
She walked the few feet to it alone, and waited for me to catch up before she swung it open and ran through the garden to the back door. The cat met her on the doorstep, purring round her ankles which seemed to make her relax slightly.
I locked the gate, peering back towards the woods with a slight sense of unease. Jeremy stood beside me, waiting patiently for me to start talking. "She's not behaved like that in a while."
"I thought that might be the case," he mused. "That why I told the lie about Peter coming, I thought you might want the escape."
"Right." I began walking with him up the garden, just as Bucky opened the back door. D'Arcy launched herself at his legs, and he stumbled back with a small smile as he lifted her into his arms for a hug.
"I don't know if this will help you." Jeremy paused, and I stopped. "But I didn't get a good sense from her. She had an odd... I can't place what was wrong about her, but Matt's been teaching me and I know to trust this instinct."
I tugged at the sleeve of my coat. "Are you sure?"
He nodded, "I'm sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for," I sighed, and we walked the last stretch to the door. "Thank you for letting me know."
He nodded softly, and excused himself as he stepped into the house.
Bucky frowned as I met him, his hand stroking through our daughters hair. "What's wrong?"
I shrugged, tired and confused. "I don't know..."
***
~Third Persons POV~
David didn't know why he went to the bar. Bucky had picked him and Owen up from the hospital when the visiting slot was over, but he'd said he needed a drink. Bucky was hesitant, but he knew David was an adult, and dropped him off on the way home.
It was a different bar than the Tower Bar where Amelie and River worked. David didn't want Bucky knowing where he would be.
He walked slowly through the street, trailing along the road as he tried to figure out what he was going to say - what he was going to do.
His mind was still wandering when a small voice caught his attention. "David?"
He jumped, not expecting River to be smiling at him further down the pavement. She was sat on a bench in a small square of green grass that supposedly served as 'natural' space. She stood up, and he walked off the pavement to meet her in the small park.
"Why aren't you at the bar?" He frowned. He was concerned for her safety more than anything, his worries only growing after hearing about her past.
"I'm on my break." She looked confused, and reached her hand out to pat his arm. "You look-"
"Do you know?" He cut her off. His voice was hard, but his words cracked as he reached the end of the question. "Do you know?"
She blinked, "Do I know what?"
He stared at her wrist, his eyes pleading for her to push her long sleeve up. "Do you know?"
River opened her mouth, worry overtaking her as her soulmate confronted her. Her fingers trailed with the edge of her sleeve, her mind caught between confessing or continuing the lie.
A single tear crept over the top of Davids cheek as he stared down at her. "If I've got this wrong, please tell me. I just feel a connection, I thought you felt it-"
A surge of confidence threw River forward. She cupped his cheeks and lowered his face enough for her lips to meet his.
It took a moment for David to react, but when he realised what was happening, his hands dropped to her hips and he took a step closer.
The pair were lost in one another. Rivers fingers left his face to thread through his hair, as David lifted a hand to hers.
He stumbled back, taking a second to think as they fell apart. Rivers wide eyes showed she was upset, her questioning gaze directed at David's actions.
"I..." He smiled, but then his face sunk into a look of slight seriousness. "I'm not him." He whispered. River looked bewildered, and David caught her glancing down at her wrist questioningly.
He held his hand over hers on her arm. "No! I mean, I am your soulmate, I'm pretty sure anyway." He slid his own sleeve up to expose the coin-sized blue waves on his wrist. Rivers shoulders sunk as she rolled her own sleeve up, hesitantly as she knew it exposed the scars of her time spent chained to her ex.
David had to catch his breath after seeing confirmation of his suspicions, and he forced himself to say what he'd been mulling over. "What your ex did to you was... just horrendous. And I understand that recovering from being in that relationship takes time, and trust. I am not the man that he was. If you need space, a day or so to be alone, then I will give you that space willingly. If you need a shoulder to cry on, then you have mine. If you need to air your problems, your concerns, your worries and anxieties, but aren't looking for somebody to answer them, then you have me."
River was crying now, her tears matching the glistening trail that was on Davids cheeks. She cupped his face, using the pads of her thumbs to brush the tears away. "You have no idea..." her whispers died in her throat, and she started her sentence again. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I didn't know how to, and I didn't know if I would be good for you."
"Good?" David almost spluttered over the word. "I can assure you, you are too good for me."
She smiled weakly, but shook her head at his words. She tiredly wiped her own eyes, and stepped slowly back. "Can we take this slow? I think Amelie and Bucky already know... but can we just, keep it between us?"
David nodded, grateful that he had found her at long last. It didn't matter to him that they wouldn't tell anybody for a while. He knew she needed time, and to be honest he needed time too. His grandfather was still fighting to be alive, and his concerns over his brother were enough to leave him anxious.
"Thank you." She smiled, and gently pressed her lips to his.
They savoured the slow moment, capturing the short seconds that passed before they stepped away, and River glanced at her watch. "My break's nearly over..." she trailed off, not wanting to leave David now he had accepted her.
He grinned, "Can I come with you? I was planning on getting a drink anyway."
"Sure." She nodded, and the pair stepped back onto the pavement and began the short walk to the Tower Bar.
Although they weren't expressing their newfound soulmate bond for the world to see, David and River slowly stepped closer together. By the time they reached the door, their fingers were just touching, causing fires to explode in their hearts.