WARNING: Intense Bucklena fluff towards the end of the chapter

★ ★ ★

Marlena ran as fast as her petite legs would allow her to, though the bleeding wound at her side slowed her retreat drastically. Her breathing was ragged and she struggled to remain on her feet. She knew he was close behind, but she didn't dare turn around for confirmation. He had just about laid waste to everyone inside the building, including her family and friends, and if she couldn't find her escape he would undoubtedly do the same to her.

The alarms echoed loudly; thick smoke from various explosions moved throughout the building, threatening to suffocate any unfortunate human in the building he had left alive. Marlena tried to hold her breath, but it was nearly impossible to do so as she ran.

She turned the corner, coming into a large corridor. A breath of relief left her body as she took notice of the slightly broken glass door at the end of the hall, and she started forward. She was barely able to get five feet before a shot rang out and a searing pain in her leg sent her falling to the floor. She let out a shaky breath, ignoring the pain, and turned her body around. Her breath caught in her throat as she met the cold, distant blue eyes of the Winter Soldier.

He threw his gun to the floor and walked toward her, wrapping his metal hand around the base of her throat and pulling her up. He slammed Marlena into the wall, eliciting a strangled cry from the small girl.

"Please," she struggled as she fought for air. "Don't do this to me, Bucky."

An unreadable expression flashed across the soldier's face, but disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Who the hell is Bucky?" he questioned her as he tightened his grip around her throat.

"I know you're. . .still in. . .there," Marlena struggled with tears burning in her eyes. "I can hear. . .you struggling to. . .break free. You can fight him. . .please. I need you back. . .Bucky. Don't let him. . .win."

The soldier's face contorted in anger and slight confusion at the sound of her words. He let out a growl and roughly threw Marlena back to the floor, leaving her gasping for air. She looked up to see the soldier trapped in what seemed to be an internal battle with himself, and she wondered whether or not Bucky was attempting to make an appearance. She pulled herself off of the ground, using the wall to keep herself steady due to both of the wounds attempting to heal themselves on the left side of her body.

"B-Bucky," Marlena started quietly, inching toward him as slow as she possibly could.

His head snapped over to her, the anger once again appearing on his face. He couldn't begin to understand why she kept calling him Bucky, although he wanted to. However, the part of him that wanted to understand was buried far too deep inside him; the part of him on the surface simply wanted to kill the small girl—to silence the name forever.

"Stop calling me that," he exclaimed angrily as he made a move toward her.

Marlena's eyes widened in fear, and she acted instinctively, throwing her hands toward him despite the amount of pain her body was enduring. A wave of her psionic energy shot toward the soldier, sending him flying back down the corridor. Marlena watched with pained eyes as he hit the ground; she had never wanted to use her powers on Bucky, but the man she was fighting was not Bucky, no matter how desperately she wished him to be.

The soldier let out a growl as he got back up. He met Marlena's frightened hazel eyes and pulled out a knife, wasting no time at all in running at her. It was stupid on his part—he knew she was more powerful than he was—but his determination to eliminate her was too great to stop him. If he could defeat her cousin, who was just as powerful as she was, then he could definitely defeat her, too. She was injured as well, which would make the process much easier.

He swung the knife at her, but she blocked it with her wrist, kicking him as hard as she could in the sternum with her good leg. She lost her balance, however, due to the bullet wound in her other leg, and she fell to the floor. She made an attempt to get back up, but the soldier kicked her back down and proceeded to kneel down onto the floor beside her, using his own legs to pin hers down, while using his metal arm to hold both of her hands together.

The tears flowed freely from Marlena's eyes as she looked up at the soldier. She knew what was about to happen—there was no denying it. He was going to kill her, and the thought of her losing her life at the hands of the one she loved the most pained her more than the thought of actually dying.

"Please," Marlena begged as he raised the knife. "You know me."

"No I don't!" he exclaimed, tightening his grip on the knife and her hands.

Marlena let out a yelp of pain and attempted to move away from him, but he was much too strong for her. "Yes you do," she tried again. "You're my person, James; you're the love of my life, and I'm yours."

She hoped her words would spark something inside him, but they didn't, much to her despair. His eyes remained cold and distant, and his grip never faltered on her or his weapon. Bucky was far too gone—he was trapped inside the deadly mind of the Winter Soldier, and this time there was no freeing him.

"No. . .you're my mission."

Marlena wasn't given the chance to respond before the soldier sunk his weapon deep into her abdomen, twisting the blade once inside her and pulling it out. She sucked in a deep breath as the pain coursed through her body and looked into the soldier's blue eyes. A lone tear fell from her eye as he stood up, releasing his hold on her hands and removing his weight from her legs.

"B-Bucky," she said quietly, blood pooling inside her mouth.

She could feel herself slowly starting to slip away as she lay on the ground, holding the wounded area on her abdomen. Her vision was growing slightly fuzzy, her hearing was dissipating to nothing, and the pain in her body was beginning to disappear.

She knew she wasn't going to make it, and for some reason she was perfectly okay with that. Everyone she ever loved was gone, and though Bucky wasn't physically gone, he was too far gone mentally for it to matter. She wished, however, that she could have done more to help—she wished that she could've done more to bring him back, but she couldn't, and that was something she regretted more than anything in the world.

The soldier stood and watched as the life slowly began to drain from Marlena. Part of him wanted to take back what he had done—part of him wanted to care that he had harmed her, but he couldn't. All he could do was watch as yet another one of his victims met their end.

"Whatever. . .happens," Marlena coughed slightly as her eyes began to flutter shut, "I will never stop loving you, James Barnes."

Those were Marlena's final words before succumbing to the darkness, never to see the light of day or life again.

★ ★ ★

Bucky shook Marlena's body vigorously in an attempt to wake her up from whatever dream she had been having. She had been calling his name ever so often during her sleep. At first he hadn't paid very much attention to it, as her calls had been relatively quiet. Her calls grew to be more urgent as the time passed, however, and Bucky grew worried. He wasn't so sure as to why she was dreaming about him or what her dream had even been about, but he knew it was causing her some sort of pain and that wasn't something he wanted to listen to.

"Mar, wake up, please," he practically begged, shaking her harder.

Marlena shot up in bed, her body sweaty and her limbs trembling. She looked to her side where Bucky sat, and her eyes widened in fear. She wasn't fully awake, nor had she fully recovered from her nightmare, so at the moment the only person she saw as she looked at Bucky was the Winter Soldier.

"Get away from me," Marlena said as she hopped off of her bed, nearly tripping in the process.

Bucky frowned at her words, though he was also confused as well. He could see the fear in her eyes as she looked at him, but he could also see the pain. She was looking at him as if she were looking at someone else, and when the realization of the situation finally settled in him he let out a sigh and got off the bed. He inched toward her slowly, careful not to make any threatening gestures as her hands were glowing with the prominent blue haze of her psionic energy.

"You need to—"

"You need to get the hell away from me," she cut him off, her voice trembling with fear.

Bucky couldn't lie; he was terrified of Marlena, simply because of what she could do in regards to her abilities. She wasn't physically stronger than him, but every other aspect of her was. But he knew this wasn't Marlena, though. She was scared to death; she was still trapped inside of her nightmare, which Bucky knew had been about the Winter Soldier.

"Marlena," he started, taking a step toward her.

That was his first mistake.

Without thinking, Marlena shoved her hands toward him, sending a wave of energy flying toward Bucky. He cursed under his breath as he realized what was about to happen and took a deep breath.

Bucky hit the wall with a loud slam and fell to the floor, groaning in pain. Marlena stood at the opposite end of the large room, her eyes wide as she began to realize what she had actually done. It had not been the Winter Soldier she had just blasted into the bedroom wall, but it had been Bucky, and Marlena could feel herself growing nauseous at the thought of actually hurting him.

"God dammit, Marlena," Bucky grumbled as he attempted to push himself up with his metal arm. The situation strangely enough reminded him of an incident two years ago in which he had thrown Marlena into her bed frame and fractured her spinal column; now he knew exactly how she had felt.

Marlena wasn't given the chance to respond before Wanda and Greyson rushed into the room, each of them with shared expressions of worry on their faces. Wanda glanced over at Marlena before looking down at Bucky, who was still on the floor. She ran over to him and knelt down, while Greyson hurried over to comfort a distraught Marlena.

"Are you okay?" Wanda questioned Bucky as she helped him into a sitting position. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," Bucky answered, accepting her help.

"What happened?" Wanda asked again, this time loud enough so that Marlena could hear as well.

"It's my fault," Marlena said quickly, her grip tightening around Greyson's arm. "I woke up from a nightmare and. . .yeah." Her voice cracked with emotion; she felt horrible because of what she had done to Bucky, though she knew he would try to convince her it was more than okay just as she had done after he had harmed her two years ago.

Greyson looked down at her with raised brows. "What was the nightmare about, sweet pea?"

Marlena let out a shaky breath as she recalled the events of her nightmare—his cold blue eyes, his aggressiveness, his determination to eliminate her. She hated seeing him like that, despite the fact it had only been a nightmare. It made her a lot more upset than it should have, and the mere thought of it was enough to send her into a fit of tears.

Wanda let out a sigh as she sifted through her cousin's mind for the answer to Greyson's question. She glanced down at Bucky, a knowing expression on her face.

"Was it about what I think it is? Was it about him?"

Wanda only nodded and stood up, pulling her brotherly figure off of the floor with her. "She is absolutely terrified, Bucky."

Bucky sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know."

"It's okay, sweetie," Greyson assured Marlena, hugging her tightly.

"Greyson," Bucky said, attracting his attention.

He only nodded towards Marlena, and Greyson nodded in understanding before releasing Marlena. He placed a kiss on her head and bid her goodnight before heading out of the room, Wanda following shortly behind him.

"C'mere, doll," Bucky said, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her.

Marlena practically collapsed into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his body. The tears fell faster down her face and Bucky squeezed her tighter, wishing he could just take away her pain—take away her fear.

"I'm so sorr—"

"Shhh," he cut her off, lifting her up fairly easily and carrying her back over to the bed.

He laid her down before getting in himself, pulling her small body protectively against his own. Marlena sniffed and latched herself onto his metal arm, holding it as if it were her lifeline—her safe haven. It was nowhere near comfortable to lay on, but Marlena didn't care.

"Why don't you tell me what happened, Mar?" Bucky asked as he rubbed her arm comfortingly.

Marlena squeezed her eyes shut and reached up to grab her locket. "I don't know, but he was chasing me. I was already injured and trying to get away, but I couldn't."

Bucky let out a breath and kissed her head in an attempt to calm her down.

"He shot me in the back of the leg, and from that point on the only thing I was trying to do was get you back, but it was useless," Marlena continued, finally releasing her grip on her locket. "He said I was his mission and then he. . .yeah."

Her words triggered a memory within Bucky, a memory just before he had met Marlena; it was a memory from his time on the helicarrier with Steve. It pained him more than anything to hear someone associate those words with him again, especially Marlena. It made him wonder just how much control he really had over himself, and it made him want to fight harder against the dangerous entity inside him.

"I'm so sorry, Marlena," Bucky apologized to her, hugging her tighter.

"It's not your fault," Marlena sighed, reaching up to wipe away one of her tears. "My mind is a bit screwed up; it tortures me with my greatest fears, and losing you to him just so happens to be one of those fears."

"You won't," Bucky assured her. "I'm working so hard to make sure that doesn't happen, baby."

Marlena turned her body in his arms so that she was now facing him. She brought her hand up to his face, caressing his cheek with the pad of her thumb. He visibly relaxed at her touch and brought his hand up as well, grabbing her hand in his own and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Whatever happens, I will never stop loving you," Marlena told him quietly.

He opened his mouth to respond, but Marlena cut him short by pressing her lips to his. The kiss was gentle and loving, quite unlike any they'd ever shared with one another.

Marlena pulled away after several seconds, however, and pressed her forehead against his. "I'm sorry for throwing you into the wall."

He chuckled and pecked her on the lips. "It's okay. Only hurt for about two minutes."

"Well. . ."

"I have to say, though—you sure do pack a good punch, babygirl," Bucky smirked, wrapping his arms around her and turning so that she now lay on top of him.

Marlena chuckled and propped herself up with her forearms. "Tell me something I don't know, Barnes."

"How about the fact that I'm going to marry you one day," Bucky replied almost absentmindedly, a smile pulling onto his face.

Marlena raised a brow as she looked down at him. "Oh really now?"

"Mhm," Bucky nodded, his smile growing. "We're gonna go somewhere far away where we can live without worries; we're gonna go somewhere where we can live without Hydra or death or pain. We'll be happy the way we deserve to be, and we'll be with each other. Who knows? We may even have a couple of kids."

"Somewhere far away. . .what about Brooklyn?" Marlena chimed as she met his eyes. "You could go home."

Bucky smiled in admiration as he looked at her and moved a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "My home is wherever you are."

Marlena smiled widely. "You've got big dreams, Bucky."

"Big dreams that I intend to make a reality, my love," he said, squeezing her sides. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Marlena Claire. I want to give you the happiness that you deserve; I want to give you the love that you deserve; I want to give you the life that you deserve."

"Are you proposing to me, Bucky?" Marlena giggled.

Bucky scoffed and flicked her on the nose. "God no. Give it some time, though—maybe two or three months."

Marlena's eyes widened and Bucky laughed. "Two or three months? You know I'm only like twenty-one, right?"

"And you know I'm only kidding, right?" Bucky remarked with a cheeky grin on his face. "I'm ninety-nine—not stupid."

Marlena pursed her lips and rolled over, plopping back down beside him. "Thanks for reminding me that you're old as shit. I can't wait to plan your birthday party next year, though; it's gonna be great."

"Oh gosh," Bucky murmured.

Marlena giggled and kissed him on the lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you, doll—forever and always."

★ ★ ★

It was nearing four in the morning. Bucky sat against the headboard of his and Marlena's shared bed. Marlena lay on his chest, her arm draped over his abdomen, while Bucky sat quietly, listening to the soft sound of her breathing as she slept. He seemed to be more enthralled with Marlena than he was with sleeping, but at the same time he didn't care. Yes, there was a probability he would be tired when he woke up later, but he would get over it, just as he always did. It was completely irrational, but he preferred staying up and admiring the girl he had become so dangerously in love with over the course of two years. Marlena gave him a sense of comfort and belonging that no one else could, despite every hectic instance taking place in their lives.

Bucky ran his fingers lightly over the soft skin of her arm, his gaze fixed on her face, which was dimly lit by the full moon illuminating through the curtains. She was so beautiful to him—so perfect. His love for her was greater than anything he had ever felt in his life. There weren't enough words for him to describe exactly how she made him feel, nor were there enough actions; the love he felt for her ran deeper than his words and actions.

"Dragă mea (My love)," Bucky said quietly, grabbing her small hand in his own. He began moving his metallic fingers softly through her long hair, though he was careful not to wake her up.

"Nu există nici o limită la cât de mult te iubesc, cât de recunoscător sunt pentru tine (There is no limit to how much I love you, how grateful I am for you)," Bucky breathed out. "Aș vrea mai mult decât ceva ce aș putea să vă arăt cât de important ești pentru mine (I wish more than anything that I could show you how important you are to me)."

Speaking to Marlena in foreign tongue had become sort of a thing for Bucky. He wasn't sure why that was, but in his opinion he believed professing his love for her in a language that wasn't English or Russian meant more, regardless of the fact she had no earthly idea what he was saying, nor was she awake to hear any of it. This time was different, however.

"Where the hell did you learn to speak Romanian?" Marlena spoke groggily, squeezing his hand as he had done to hers only moments earlier.

Bucky looked down at her, slightly startled that she was awake. "Please tell me you don't speak Romanian."

Marlena shook her head, craning her neck to look up at him. "You forget my first cousin is Eastern European. But don't fret, big guy. I just wanna know where you learned to speak it."

"Where do you think?" he chuckled.

Marlena let out a hum and closed her eyes once more, nestling her head into the crook of Bucky's neck. "Tell me what you said."

Bucky lowered himself onto the bed, pulling Marlena closer to him. "I said that my love for you had no limits and that I wished I was able to show you just how important you are to me."

"I already know I'm important to you, Buck, just as you are to me," Marlena gave a tired smile, "There's no need to show me what I already know, love."

"I just—you're so, so special to me," Bucky said, tightening his grip around her. "I couldn't imagine my life without you, Marlena Elisabeth."

Marlena yawned, falling deeper into the realm of sleep. "Life. . .mine. . .my Bucky."

Bucky smiled widely at the sound of her words. Had she been more awake, the probability of uttering those words in that particular context would have been very low, but Bucky didn't care. He thought it was adorable, and it made him love her even more than he thought was possible.

"Go back to sleep, dragă," Bucky told her, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Stay," Marlena breathed out.

"Always, darling."