Day 12

Sunday morning, the alarm on his phone buzzed loudly to wake Bucky up at seven-thirty. He groaned as he groped around to shut it up and struggled to sit up. He and Tony had been up until two in the morning as he worked to fix Bucky's mangled arm. He had to reschedule his ice skating date with Darcy, promising her that they'd go out on Sunday night. She'd been gracious about it, even bringing over Thai takeout for him and Tony for dinner.

Bucky looked at his metal arm and grinned as he squeezed his hand shut firmly. Tony had doubled his response time, even going as far as making his arm fifty percent stronger. More importantly, he'd upgraded all the wiring and circuitry, clearing out decades of rust and grime. Essentially, Bucky had an all new arm that could last him the rest of his life and then some.

Bucky took a short shower, dressing quickly. He was driving out Jane's aunt's church with her, Thor, and Darcy and the service started at ten thirty. Thor had borrowed one of Tony's SUVs and loaded it up the night before with all of the gifts for the kiddos as well as a Santa suit he'd rented. The drive would take nearly two hours and Bucky didn't want to make them late.

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Nearly three hours later, Bucky sat next to Darcy in the pew. Jane was on the other side of Darcy, right next to Thor. Bucky had taken Thor's advice on what to wear to church. In his time, a suit was considered mandatory for Sunday service. But, like Thor, Bucky had opted for dark slacks and a gray button-down long sleeved shirt with a gray cable knit sweater to ward off the cold. Darcy was wearing a burgundy turtleneck sweater dress paired with black boots, an outfit that Bucky heartily approved of.

The songs that they sang before the sermon were the old standards, "Silent Night", "O Holy Night", and "The First Noel". Bucky felt right at home, singing the same carols he had as a child. While he was impressed with Darcy's voice, high and clear next to him, Thor's voice was the one that reverberated throughout the sanctuary. It was so rich and deep that the members of the congregation around him stopped singing and turned around, slack-jawed at Thor's performance.

After some quick announcements, the main pastor took the stage, a balding man in his mid-fifties with a kindly smile. "Good morning, all! As was announced, we've got a special visit from Santa after the service in the Fellowship Hall where we will also be having our potluck Christmas lunch. I heard that Mrs. De Luca has made at least three pans of lasagna."

Bucky's stomach grumbled at the thought of a buffet full of homemade goodies and Darcy looked over and gave him an indulgent smile.

The pastor grinned at the crowd. "When I was a kid, I was obsessed with do-overs. I loved the idea that you could mess up, but still get a second chance. To me, the worst phrase at the beginning of a game was the dreaded 'no do-overs'." The congregation chuckled.

"As we grow older, our mistakes can have wider implications. We go down the wrong path. We hurt people. We hurt ourselves. And we long for the opportunity at a second chance. With all the pain and brokenness in our lives, we desperately crave a do-over."

"At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. With His sacrifice, we all have the chance to start again. We are no longer chained to our past. We are no longer tied to the people we used to be. We have the unique opportunity to become the people that God intended us to be. There's an exhilarating freedom in knowing that the future is wide open for us. We just need to take the first step."

Bucky grinned at the message.

Forgetting about his past, starting over again.

A second chance at life. Forging ahead into the unknown.

It all used to sound so terrifying.

Now, it sounded inviting.

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As soon as the sermon ended and the second round of Christmas hymns began, Thor slipped out the back entrance to don his Santa suit with Jane's help. The congregation sang "Angels We Have Heard on High", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". The last song got to Bucky, causing him to wipe an errant tear from his eye as he remembered how Steve used to belt out the last verse of it when he was just a kid:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

"You okay?" Darcy leaned over and asked, a worried look on her face.

"Yeah . . . just hoping Steve and Sam are alright."

"Well . . .the service is over. When's the last time you texted him."

Bucky shrugged. "I can't remember. It's been a few days. He's supposed to be on radio silence."

"Well, text him," she urged.

Bucky pulled out his phone and dutifully typed out a quick message.

-Hey buddy, when are you coming back?

To his surprise, his phone began to buzz almost immediately.

-Can't talk. I'm in debriefings now. Good news. I'll be back at the Tower tomorrow.

Bucky couldn't contain his grin. –See you then.

Darcy was leaning into him slightly, peering at his phone. "Looks like another Christmas miracle."

He nodded. "You ready for some grub?"

"I'm a still a college student at heart. I'm always down for free food. You'll have to try Jane's aunt's roasted sweet potatoes. They're the best."

"Will do."

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The Fellowship Hall was a long banquet-type room, covered in Christmas decorations. There were about twenty round tables covered in red and green plastic tablecloths, each of them seating ten people. As some members of the congregation busied themselves in the large industrial kitchen to the side, heating the dishes that had been brought, or adding a few last minute touches to their casseroles, the rest of the congregation was crowded in the back, where "Santa" stood next a huge red velvet throne next to a Christmas tree, handing out packages, along with help from "Mrs. Claus".

Bucky stifled a laugh as he approached. "You didn't tell me that Jane was going to get dressed up, too."

"Her missing out a chance on doing a couple's costume? Not a chance." Darcy took her phone and began snapping photos. "This is so going on Facebook."

"Yeah, I gotta send a photo to Sam and Steve. They are never going to believe it."

After a good half hour, the presents had all been handed out and every child had gotten to have their picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus. "I fear Mrs. Claus and I must depart. But remember, always carry the spirit of Christmas in your heart," Santa said.

A little girl no older than four, with dark hair and impossibly large eyes, ran up to Santa and gave him a hug so hard her entire body trembled. "Thank you, Santa. You're the best."

Santa knelt down and tenderly hugged the child. "Thank you, little one. Thank you for making this a most special Christmas for me."

With that, Santa and Mrs. Claus departed and the children began to play happily with their new toys. After a quick prayer, everyone began to line up for the potluck lunch.

"You still up for ice skating tonight?" Bucky asked as they took their place at the end of the line.

"You bet," Darcy replied. "I was thinking Jane and Thor could drop us off back at the Tower and we could get changed. I want to wear something a bit warmer than this." She waved at her dress.

"Sounds like a plan."

His first date in seventy years.

He couldn't wait.

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Around five that evening, they walked arm in arm the few blocks to Rockefeller Center from the subway. Darcy was snuggled up close to him, and while it could have been the cold, Bucky chose to believe that she was just as enthralled with him as he was with her. They took their time, stopping to get hot chocolate on the way.

Bucky insisted on paying, handing a steaming cup over to Darcy after the order came up. She sipped it cautiously, taking a seat next to Bucky in the cafe, sitting closer to him than strictly necessary, despite how crowded the restaurant was. When they finished drinking, he held out a hand to help her up, and they ended up walking the rest of the way to the Center holding hands.

"So . . . it's nearly Christmas," she said as they reached the ice rink and waited in line to rent their skates. "Are you done with all your shopping?"

"Yeah . . . . You know, I wanted to get you something . . . only I wasn't really sure what. I know we've only met a few weeks ago, but I feel like I've known you for years. No . . . that isn't right. I feel like I've been waiting for you for years." He took a deep breath. "The reason things ran so late last night was that I had Tony call up his lawyers and draw up all the paperwork. Any proceeds that I get from merchandising, I'm donating to that animal shelter in your honor."

"Oh, Bucky," Darcy managed as her eyes misted over and she hugged him fiercely. "That's the sweetest, most thoughtful Christmas present I've ever gotten. The shelter's always low on cash, always struggling to make ends meet. That money . . . . it could make all the difference. And to think, I only got you this for your twelfth present." She took a sprig of mistletoe from her pocket and gave him a shy grin.

"My Secret Santa?" His voice caught on the last word. "I was hoping it was going to be you." He gave her a quizzical look. "But how did you deliver all the presents? You were gone for a whole weekend."

"Tony developed some mini drones with repulsor technology. Bruce let me borrow one." She pressed a finger to her lips. "Shhhh . . . don't tell Tony."

"So . . . mistletoe," Bucky said with a roguish grin.

Darcy held it aloft her head and gave him a come-hither smile. "You remember the tradition, don't you?"

"I surely do," he said, as he put his arms around her, dipping her so that she was nearly parallel to the ground while his lips met hers. She held onto him tightly, her body pressed against his. Slowly they parted, as Bucky gave her a confident wink and the rest of the people in line clapped at the impromptu display of affection.

"Wow . . . that was some first kiss," she said as she straightened, her cheeks reddening.

"The first of many," he promised.

"Okay . . . now that may really be the best Christmas present ever," she replied.

"Right back at ya," he said as he took her in his arms once more.

Author's Note - I wish I had more words to say other than thank you. You have been the most amazing readers ever! Your support, encouragement, and kind words have truly been a blessing. I do have a request. Even if you haven't left any comments or reviews on any other chapters, if you've enjoyed this story, could you let me know on this last chapter?

If you're looking for a longer romance, may I recommend my stories, "The Captain's Bride/The Sergeant's Wife"? If you've liked this story, I really think you'll enjoy those as well!