It was growing darker and darker with each passing second, but Marlena didn't seem to care much; she didn't seem to care much about anything at the moment.

Miranda's funeral had ended several hours ago and it hadn't exactly settled well within Marlena. Saying goodbye to her mom was something she never would've imagined doing, at least not so soon, and the pain she felt because of it had resulted in her leaving halfway through the service.

All Marlena could remember was standing beside Bucky and Mason at the cemetery, her hazel eyes fixed on her mother's flower-covered coffin as the preacher spoke words that seemed to enter one ear and exit the other; she could remember becoming fed up with just standing there and being surrounded by so many pained people, all of whom Marlena could feel to a horrible extent; she could remember Bucky grabbing her arm as she walked away, and she could also remember yanking it free; she could remember the watchful eyes of her mother's coworkers and friends as she hurried to her car; she could remember speeding out of the cemetery at an illegal speed in search of something, something that would help take the pain away, even if just for a moment at a time.

Now Marlena sat on the ground perched up against the front tire of her Jeep. Her black dress was no longer neat and tidy as it had been hours earlier, and was instead messy, covered in the dust from the ground she sat on. She had thrown her black heels elsewhere, leaving her feet exposed and dirty. Her hair was a mess as well, but that was another thing Marlena couldn't bring herself to care about. The only thing she seemed to be even remotely interested in was the large bottle of tequila she had taken from Greyson's cupboard.

Marlena had never been a fan of drinking; she didn't exactly like the way alcohol tasted, regardless of what it was. She was desperate, however—desperate for some sort of escape from all of the pent up emotional pain she had endured, and for some reason unknown to her, her sober mind seemed to believe alcohol would do something to help her, and it did.

It was only a mere half hour after she began consuming the contents of the bottle that she began to feel the effects of it kicking in. Fifteen minutes more had left her quite drunk, yet she still had less than half a bottle left.

Though she didn't necessarily like the taste of the drink she had been drinking, nor did she like that fact that she was drunk, she loved the feeling it gave her. It numbed her senses and relaxed her immensely, which was something she needed after dealing with not only the pain of her mother's death, but everything else going on in her life.

A giggle escaped her lips as she heard quiet rustling nearby. Not only did the alcohol make her feel quite relaxed, it also made her feel a bit goofy. She wondered exactly how she would act were she to be around others rather than just sitting by herself in a lonely field.

"Whoever or whatever you are, I suggest you leave," Marlena slurred slightly. "I'm not afraid of you."

And she wasn't afraid. Her abilities made her just a bit stronger than any living being on the planet. The only thing Marlena feared was her abilities themselves.

Bucky stepped into the vicinity, his blue eyes falling on the bottle Marlena held in her hand. He had known by the sound of her voice that something was wrong, but he assumed it to be due to her emotional state, not an enormous bottle of alcohol.

"Oh my gosh," he muttered as he ran a hand over his face. He let out a deep breath and hurried over to her, kneeling down in front of her.

Marlena's eyes brightened slightly at the sight of him, though she was a bit uncomfortable given their close proximity. "Whoa there, buddy. You're a bit too close for comfort," she snickered as she extended her hand, placing it on his face in an attempt to push him away.

He rolled his eyes and removed her hand from his face, not at all amused. If anything, he was slightly agitated, maybe even a bit annoyed with her. He understood her reasons for resorting to alcohol, but he couldn't help but hate that she had done so in the first place. This wasn't Marlena.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Bucky chastised her.

Marlena sighed and rolled her eyes. "And this is the reason I wanted to be alone. But, then again, I guess it's my fault; I should've disappeared somewhere where I knew no one could find me, especially you."

"You're drunk," Bucky stated.

Marlena snorted. "Oh, really? I wasn't aware," she responded sarcastically, raising the bottle up to take yet another sip.

The bottle barely reached her mouth before Bucky snatched it away from her. "I think you've had enough," he said.

Marlena glared at him. "Give it back," she growled.

"No," he replied. "This isn't you."

"I'll just take it back myself," she grumbled as she raised her hand towards the bottle. It flew from Bucky's hand and back into her own, and before Bucky could even react she was downing the rest of its contents.

Bucky bit his lip to refrain from snapping at her. He was now scolding himself for not breaking the bottle when he had the chance to do so; he should have known she would retaliate using her abilities.

"Listen to me," Bucky sighed, taking her hands in his own. "I understand why you felt the need to do this, but this is in no way how to solve your problems."

Marlena pulled her hands away from him and placed them in her lap. "No, you don't understand. I needed something to take the pain away and it did."

"There are so many other things you can do, Marlena," Bucky said. "And you're not alone; you have your family, you have me—"

"It's not enough," she cut him off, running a hand over her face. "It's just not enough."

Bucky frowned and stood up. "So, I'm not enough for you? Is that what you're saying? After everything we've been through, you're saying that I'm still not enough to help you get through the pain you helped me through?"

Marlena pursed her lips and attempted to come up with a response, but she couldn't. She wanted nothing more than to tell him that he was enough, but she couldn't. At the moment, nobody seemed to be enough.

"That's a good way to make the supposed love of your life feel like they're nothing," Bucky scoffed.

Marlena looked up at him. "It's not supposed—you are."

"You sure as hell don't act like it, Marlena," Bucky snapped, earning a frown from the petite girl.

He wasn't meaning to be foul with her at all, especially not today of all days, but he just couldn't take it anymore. He wanted her to come to him when she needed someone; he didn't want Wanda to be the one to tell him every last one of Marlena's problems. He wanted to be enough for her to confide in, to vent to, and it hurt him to know that he wasn't.

"You're supposed to come to me when you need someone. You're supposed to feel as if you can talk to me about anything," Bucky sighed, swiping a hand over his face. "I love you, Marlena Claire, and if you love me as much as you claim to then I should be enough for you to do just that. If it's not the same way for you as it is for me, though, then I don't understand why you still waste your time with me."

Marlena wasn't exactly sure what it was that bothered her so much about his words; all she knew was that they had hurt her deeply. Not even the alcohol in her system could numb the pain she felt from his words, nor could it prevent the tears from escaping her eyes. She hugged her knees to her chest and lay her head down, averting her tear-filled eyes away from Bucky.

Bucky let out a sigh, now upset that he had made her cry, and took a step toward her. "Marle—"

"Y-you wanna know why I d-don't talk t-to you about anything?" she slurred slightly. "It's b-because I care more about you than myself—I love y-you more than I love myself. You're the v-very center of my life, Bucky, meaning that I put you first regardless of what I'm g-going through."

"Don't do that," Bucky said, kneeling down beside her. He grabbed her face with his hands and positioned it so that she was now looking at him. "You're one of the most selfless people I know, and that's perfectly okay, but please stop putting aside your mental issues to care for everyone else, especially me. I do the same for you; I take care of myself first so I can take care of you, but you never really give me anything to take care of."

Marlena sniffed. "I'm s-sorry, I really am. I just—so much has happened. You've only been getting worse, and it's been scary, I dunno. I just don't want to lose you to him, Bucky; the very thought of it scares me to death. He's the reason why I've been doing everything I can to help you stay you."

"Hey," Bucky said quietly, wiping her face with the pads of his thumbs. "You're not gonna lose me, okay? Especially not to him, I promise. You've helped me more than you know, babygirl, and I am so grateful because of it. But you've done your part; I think it's time for you to let me do mine. Let me help you, Marlena."

Marlena nodded slightly and grabbed his hands in hers. "Okay, um, could you start by helping me up?" she asked softly, meeting his blue eyes.

Bucky chuckled and shook his head before hoisting her off of the ground. He made the mistake of releasing her, leaving her to fall back down to the ground below. He managed to catch her before she hit the ground, however.

"Yeah, you're never drinking again," Bucky said as he pulled her up.

The amount of movement Marlena was enduring unsettled her. She felt lightheaded, as well as nauseous. "I think I'm gonna throw up," Marlena giggled.

"What, now?" Bucky questioned, his eyes widening slightly.

Marlena wasn't given the chance to answer him as her bodily fluids began their ascent up her esophagus. She moved away from Bucky and leaned over, allowing the burning fluids to fall to the ground below. A disgusted expression fell upon Bucky's face, and he moved forward to wrap his arm around her waist in an attempt to keep her from falling, while his other hand held her hair back.

"I need a breath mint," Marlena whined as she stood back up, stumbling slightly.

"No kidding," Bucky breathed out, wiping her face with the sleeve of his dress shirt. He didn't give her the chance to make a remark before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to the passenger's side of her Jeep.

He opened the passenger's side door and moved to put her inside when he noticed her shoes missing. "Where are your shoes, Marlena?"

She hiccuped and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I threw them somewhere, but I dunno where."

Bucky shook his head and placed her inside the vehicle. "Wanda's gonna kill you."

"Not if I kill her first," Marlena snorted.

Bucky only chuckled and shut the door before making his way to the driver's seat. He wasted no time at all in starting the car, and before long he was taking off down the dirt road.