Six Months Later:

"I can't. I can't see – ah, Bucky!"

"Just take my hand. No… Bea… one step at a time…" he was laughing just as hard as her, and with each step she stumbled over, Bucky fell too. "-Bea come on. I'm trying really hard here."

"I can see that."

"No, you can't," Brooke tuned in loudly, letting her know she was to her left. To prove her point Brooke lifted a chubby finger and pressed it against her eye which was covered by a thin strip of fabric. "You can't see any-fing."

"Yes thank you, baby." Her last words turned into a slight scream as she stumbled up another step. Wondering when they were ever going to end. She was sure Bucky was enjoying her drunken tumbling so gave up on his hand and reached for the handrail instead. "just tell me where we're going."

"And ruin the surprise Mrs Barnes?"

She grinned stupidly at that. Mrs Barnes. She liked the tune of that and had to restrain the urge to keep from asking him to repeat it.

Mrs Barnes.

Mrs. Barnes.

Mrs Beatrice Barnes.

Finally.

"Have I ever told you I hate surprises?"

"Yes, you have," Bucky said, "but every time I do something surprising you still seem to love it."

"I hate you."

"Fine. Give me the ring back."

"Can I have it instead?" Brooke piped. Bea could only guess she was gazing at Bea's hand where a band wrapped around her finger. Crystals embedded around the solid gold. She slammed her fingers into a fit so Brooke couldn't sneakily slide it off without her knowing.

"No, it's my ring, I think it might be a tad too big for you."

Brooke's sweet giggle filled the air, "your fingers aren't that fat mumma."

"Did no one teach you manners young lady?" Bea said.

"No, that was your job."

They must have reached wherever Bucky planned to stop as she slammed into his back without realising. Automatically, she reached to take her blindfold off, believing they'd reached their destination but Bucky's hand caught hers. "Not yet, Mrs Barnes."

Oh… She was really going to regret inviting Brooke on their honeymoon if he kept talking like that.

A familiar smell of overpowered perfumed air that had been sprayed continuously to disguise the musty air, filled the hallway. Bea took in, trying to work out where she could have possibly have smelt this before. She heard Bucky putting a key into a door and it creaking open. Even the creak she was strangely well acquainted with.

Gently, Bucky guided her inside and closed the door behind them. Bea had her hands prepared to move the blindfold, rocking back on her feet desperate to see. She could see a small amount of light peaking under her eyes, just enough to see the view of old carpet, bubbles of it peeling off.

"Buck – are we where I think we are?"

"I'm not sure," She felt Bucky shrug beside her. His voice light and airy. "Where do you think we are?"

"My old apartment."

Not able to wait any longer, she hurriedly pulled the blindfold off and blinked into the light of the room. Just as she predicted they were standing in her old apartment. Void of any furniture, it was instead littered with candles leading a pathway to a great fort made out of sheets in the middle, big enough to fit the three of them inside. She hadn't stood in here for over eight years.

"I'm the princess of the fort!" Brooke declared, jumping inside and landing head first on the pillows. She rolled over; her hair that had been rolled up for the wedding now fell out in curls around her shoulders.

But Bea couldn't move, in awe of the light dancing around the space, and seeing her apartment in so long. "How-How did you get this place?"

"Luck," Bucky confirmed, "turns out the building is being turned into offices and constructions don't start until next week, so I just asked if we could rent out the room for one night. Turns out you can get whatever you want when you tell people you saved the universe."

"The Winter Soldier using the hero card," Bea turned to her husband and wrapped an arm around him, pulling as close as she possibly could. Sometimes it completely baffled her how it was possible to be this much in love. "Who'd have thought?"

"You," he smiled, half admiringly, half in awe, "you thought. I remember our first few weeks in this very apartment. I remember you and your terrible diet-"

"-God I used to eat way too much takeout food."

"Yeah. It's probably a good thing you have the metabolism of a super soldier now," chuckled Bucky, tucking a strand of her hair that had fallen from her high bun. She wasn't sure how Fifteen had convinced her it would be a good look. It had now all fallen in strands around her neck. "you never looked at me and saw what I'd done. You just wanted to help… a man who probably didn't deserve it and saved me. You gave me a home and a beautiful daughter. Made me feel like I wasn't just what Hydra made me. So, know that even if the world turns against you, you'll always be my hero."

Blushing a deep red at his compliments, she turned to her usual tactic of overcoming embarrassment… humour, and stuck her tongue out at him. "hm your vows sucked compared to that little speech you just made there."

"Better than yours," Bucky stole a kiss from her as he spoke, "I know you searched yours up literally last night on google."

Bea puffed out a frustrated a breath, "is that why you were laughing all the way through my vows."

"Yeah…" he smiled, his lips breaking apart unnaturally as they weren't used to smiling so wide, "I can't believe you stole it word for word. Not a single line altered. I'm really hurt…"

"I was panicking! I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of everyone and it was all so last minute I didn't get time to prepare anything else."

To frustrate her further Bucky began to recite her overly corny wedding vow template she'd taken from the first page on google. Resting a hand over his heart as if it was melting and having to stop midway for a breath to laugh.

Bea, on the other hand, did not find it amusing. "I can still divorce you, you know."

"No you wouldn't." he leaned closer and whispered huskily, "You wouldn't be named Mrs Barnes then."

Brooke isn't looking now. Bea thought, she was still tucked under all the pillow and playing the 'princess of the fort'. Bea was irritated beyond belief that he could dare to look so handsome whilst he frustrated her so much. Taking her opportunity without Brooke wasn't looking, she slammed her lips against his.

As if she could sense her presence not wanted, the mountain of pillows suddenly moved and out appeared Brooke's with tangled hair, submerging from the cushions like it were a large marshmallow. Her face dropped into disgust when she spied her parents kissing. "Ew. Stop being yuck and join me in da fort!"

Doing as their daughter commanded, Bea wretched away from her husband and with a spring in her steps, dived into the pillow fort. She began to tickle Brooke further into the fort until they were all comfortably able to fit inside.

All together under the fort, Brooke spent the rest of their honeymoon night babbling about everything and anything. She talked about playing with Morgan at the wedding. Dancing with her Uncle Steve. Her opinions on Bucky's new haircut which he'd cut short for the occasion. Bucky listen intently to every word. Rarely butting in. His eyes widening when hers did and even gasping at some of her more dramatic moments. He probably didn't even realize he was doing it, but Bea watched on in admiration. All the heartache and pain over the last five years suddenly felt worth it for this small moment.

When Bea got bored of Brooke's relentless ramblings, she struck her daughter around the head with a pillow to shut her up. A giggle only followed and her daughter responded by whacking her back, a pillow fight soon ensued. That was until Bea knocked over a candle and a fire almost ignited. Quickly, they blew the rest of the candles out, realising it was a bad idea and settled into the smoky settlements of the room.

Soon, Brooke fell tired. Not used to staying up so far past her bedtime and an active day of dancing and running around with little Morgan, she was well and truly spent. Her snores and demand for more space with her spread out legs, meant Bucky and Bea were forced apart with their sleeping daughter between them.

Careful not to wake her, Bea stroked any falling hair from Brooke's face and sighed, turning to face her husband. "I'm really sorry we can't have a more traditional honeymoon."

"This is perfect."

"I know, but I could have let Steve have her for the night, I just… I'm still a little scared to let her out of my sight-"

She knew she didn't have to explain. Bucky already knew, but it eased the guilt a little. A newly married couple didn't usually spend their first night together with their child wedged between them.

With the candles gone they were submerged into darkness, the blue moonlight being their only source of light. She could just make out him watching her, the same stare he'd give when trying to analyse her thoughts to help him work out how best to respond. To find the right words. He never failed.

"traditional doesn't suit us anyway," he finally declared.

"It doesn't, does it?" Bea smiled sadly. Through her attempts over the past five years at forcing normality, Ross had been a swift but brutal reminder that she had oversteered their version of 'normal'. Nothing had made her feel more alive than when she saw the universe be put back to right. That wasn't normal, but it was good. "I don't know, maybe I went wrong trying to make everything normal. To give Brooke a normal childhood. When really I should just have been embracing who we really are."

Somehow, he managed to stretch over Brooke and plant a kiss on Bea's head. It must have been too much of a strain as he collapsed back into the pillows further away than he was initially. "and who are we really, Mrs Barnes?"

"Super-soldiers," she replied immediately, "super-soldiers that want to do better for themselves and their daughter…"

She could be doing more with what she had.

Bucky had reached over Brooke and taken her hand. With a quirk in his tone and a coy smile, he asked, "What's my girl planning?"

"Nothing really. I've just been thinking about my job at the orphanage and who we are and how I feel I've been holding back on doing what I think is right because of Brooke-"

It could never work. I have Brooke to think about.

Nudging her arm, Bucky brought her back to reality, "Come on, you can't not tell me now. In an ideal world, what would you want to do?"

"In an ideal world…" she slapped her lips together, feigning to think. Finally, she grinned. The picture before her was certainly perfect to her, "In an ideal world I'm married and my beautiful daughter sleeps between us."

Bucky's pout told her all she needed to know, "That's not what you were going to say…"

"Okay- Okay, in an ideal world… I guess I'd want to help the kids who have nowhere else to go. The governments declared that all children have to go back to their biological family. I'm seeing people who adopted their kids five years ago begging to see them. I've got kids who are running away from their supposed homes because they've never met their biological parents. There are kids no in abusive situations because that they've managed to get away from over the past five years. And for some this whole arrangement has worked out fine, they're back with their parents who they miss and it's great… but no one's listening to what's best for the children. I want to listen to them, because the system at the moment certainly isn't and the orphanage at the minute is simply following the system. I'm not doing any good there."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I'd want to set up my own private organisation. Where we can house those abused kids, without going through the broke system."

Bucky's head turned doubtfully, "Is… is that legal?"

"Probably not," she shrugged. It was a pipe dream anyway.

"You should do it."

"Bucky. I can't."

"Why not? You know as well as me that Ross and all the other government organisations are never going to let us be free. No matter how many times we save the world. If Steve taught me anything, it's that you've gotta do what you think is right."

She had heard something similar before. Words that had been said in a room full of people, to praise the life of a woman gone. As best she could, she tried to recite them, "'Compromise where you can. But if you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you what is wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your job to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say 'No, you move'.'"

Snapping her eyes open from the memory, she found two eyes staring at her agape with confusion, "Did you just come up with that on the spot?"

"What? No," She chuckled, "It was from Peggy's funeral. I guess it just spoke to me."

"Oh – In that case, you should listen to it."

"Maybe I will," she decided with a wide smile, looking over at Brooke and let her worries wash away. She'd tucked closer to Bucky now, snuggled into his chest whilst sucking her thumb. A pillow tucked under her like it were one of her teddy bears. Even whilst the whole world had turned to shit, her daughter had been a reminder that things would be okay. By doing what she wanted and helping all those innocent children, she could potentially be putting Brooke in harms way. No doubt, Ross would use it against her. He'd already threatened to take her to court. But then again, wouldn't she want Brooke to look back and think of her mother fondly for all the good she did? If Brooke were older and making the same decision, what choice would she want her to make?

She knew of course… she'd want her to do what was right and damn the consequences.

God. She was turning into Steve.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Bea said, diminishing the thoughts to the back of her head for the time being, "I'd rather spend the rest of the night being in this ideal world of mine, than the crap one that already exists."

"We can do that," Bucky smiled fondly. Careful not to disturb Brooke, Bucky reached around the back of the fort and pulled out two large pizza boxes, a dumb grin blazing on his face like a boy giving flowers to a girl for the first time. "Because I've got the perfect meal for the three of us."

Bea's stomach churned hungrily staring at the boxes, but as Brooke stirred, she realised there was something Bucky didn't know.

"So, you know how you say you love Brooke?"

"Yeah…"

"Well don't fall out of love with her when I tell you she doesn't like pizza," Bea cringed.

Bucky stared blankly at her, she had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing in the moment. He looked as if he'd just been slapped in the face. Suddenly, he stared at his daughter and declared with complete sincerity, "That's it, she's disowned."

If only he could hide the glimmer of admiration held in the depth of his eyes whenever he stared down at Brooke, Bea might have actually believed him.

They would be okay, she realised, too caught up in her ideal world that for a moment she forgot any other place existed. Whatever happened. They'd survive it together.

FIN.

A/N ANNNDDD This story is officially complete. I can hardly believe it. If and when I come back for the Falcon and the Winter Soldier show, it'll be on a new story because this just has wayyy to many chapters already.

I really hope you've enjoyed their journey so far. I love this story, it's taught me so much about writing and character development. I'm ecstatic and relieved I've finished it because I've got three other writing projects I wanted to focus on this summer. If anyone follows my story 'How to tame an Outlaw' I'm going to be spending parts of the summer re-writing that, as well as an original story for a friend. Which I can't wait to do!

Please let me know what you thought of this epilogue. In a way I'm really struggling writing Bucky because his character in this fic is in such a different place to where he is in the MCU. Every time he smiles in this, I'm like 'Bucky wouldn't smile!'.

Thank you to everyone whose stayed supporting this story and left reviews. You guys are the absolute best and I don't deserve you.