Okay, this one might be the last chapter for a while for this particular fic.

If you get bored, there are a couple of my other fics you can read that are Marvel based. I'm particularly enjoying writing Silent Heart atm.

Thanks for following/favouriting this adventure Twilightobsessers, , DianaJo, evemarie07, and ashleyag

And thanks for the reviews xRaspberryx, AliceCullen3 and Janeth16

Enjoy

xo

Chapter 40

'WE'

Bucky and Lex stood looking up at the new Quantum Tunnel platform that Bruce had put together in the space of a week, while Steve was getting briefed by Bruce, Sam listening in with avid interest.

"Remember... You have to return the stones to the exact moment you got them. Or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities." Bruce shut the briefcase containing the six infinity stones, handing it over to Steve.

Steve smiled at Bruce, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Bruce. Clip all the branches."

Bruce looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, before looking back to the control panel as he touched a few buttons. "You know, I tried." Steve looked back at him questioningly. "When I had the gauntlet, the stones, I really tried to bring her back." Bruce looked back at Steve, a sad expression on his face. "I miss them, man."

Steve offered him a sympathetic look. "Me, too." He patted Bruce's shoulder before turning and walking back towards the Quantum Platform, Sam walking beside him.

Sam looked at Steve pointedly, smiling hopefully. "You know, if you want, I can come with you."

Steve smiled at the younger man. Sam had been a good friend to Steve since they'd met in 2014, but knowing what he was about to do, he knew that taking Sam with him wasn't going to work. He had better plans for Sam. "You're a good man, Sam. This one's on me, though." Sam looked mildly disappointed as Steve stepped in front of Lex.

"I'm not gonna say good-bye, you're coming back," Lex said with a matter of fact expression on her face. Looking at the female super soldier, she was ever the image of toughness, dressed in ripped jeans, a white shirt under a green leather jacket and black boots, with her blonde hair tied up into a messy bun on top of her head. Except he knew better now. He had seen what the former Black Widow could do, and he knew how she really felt. Steve could only smile at her. "Besides, I'm not a hugger or anything, and you know that."

He glanced at Bucky, who offered a smile and the slightest of nods. He looked back at Lex.

"Yeah you are, come here," he said, quickly grabbing her. He wrapped his spare arm around her shoulders, forcing her to move towards him.

"Aww, come on…" she argued, but even Steve could tell it was half-hearted. "Boy germs."

He laughed, patting her on the back, before stepping back. "Try and keep the crazy in check, yeah?"

She shrugged, screwing up her face slightly. "Eh."

He shook his head, before stepping towards Bucky as Lex gave a wave of her hand and walked over to Sam.

The pair looked at each other knowingly. Steve offered him a warm smile. "Don't do anything stupid 'till I get back."

Bucky scoffed quietly. "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." Steve smiled at him again, thankful that he had managed to get his friend back for good. Steve reached out, and the two hugged, patting each other on the back.

"Gonna miss you, Buddy," Bucky murmured, obviously trying to make sure the other three didn't hear him.

"It's gonna be okay, Buck." He let Bucky go, turning and looking at the platform before glancing towards Sam and Lex, a mile forming on his face as he saw Lex looking back at Bucky. "You're not going to be on your own anymore."

Bucky followed his gaze, stuffing his hands back into the pockets of his jacket. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Steve glanced at Bucky in the corner of his, seeing the smile on his face, knowing that his friend was going to be just fine.

Bucky watched as Steve walked towards the Quantum portal, as Lex and Sam moved to stand next to him, Lex shooting a suspicious look in Bucky's direction before glancing up at the super soldier. Steve activated the Quantum suit, by tapping the glove on his left hand, the suit appearing over his Captain America uniform.

"How long is this gonna take?" Sam asked, sounding nervous.

"For him? As long as he needs. For us? Five seconds," Bruce replied, looking up from the control panel.

Steve bent over and picked up Mjolnir, who he was also going to be returning to Asgard. As he straightened, his Quantum helmet formed over his head and he looked back down to Bucky, as they shared one last knowing look.

"Ready, Cap? Alright. We'll meet you back here, okay?" Bruce asked, confirming one last time.

"You bet."

Bruce tapped away the control panel. "Going quantum. Three, two, one..." Steve disappeared without a trace and Bucky felt like his breath was stolen from him as he stared at the spot where Steve had been standing. He lowered his head slightly, looking away from the platform. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Lex turn her head and look at him, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"And returning in, five, four, three, two, one..."

He looked back to the platform, as the machine made a strange sound, but nothing appeared. There was an awkward silence, before Bruce hastily started checking his equipment.

"Where is he?" Sam asked, concern evident in his voice as he looked over to Bruce fiddling with his controls.

"I don't know. He blew right by his time stamp. He should be here."

Bucky smirked sadly, before turning away from the platform and walking towards the lake, wanting to take a moment by himself as Lex and Sam both waited for Bruce to figure out what had happened. Bucky knew he never would. He stopped walking, bowing his head while thinking about his time with Steve for a moment.

"Well, get him back," Sam demanded.

"I'm trying," Bruce replied, moving around his control panel.

Lex moved to stand next to Bucky, looking sideways at him, her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she peered at his face. "What aren't you telling us?" Lex asked in Russian, obviously not wanting Sam and Bruce to hear her. He looked at her, offering a small smile but saying nothing as he looked back towards the lake. He wasn't surprised that she knew something was up, she was trained to be perceptive, just like he was.

His smile faded, changing into mild surprise as he spotted a figure sitting on a bench by the lake. The figure had grey hair, a hunched back and appeared frail.

"Get him the hell back," Sam demanded with a lot more urgency, starting to sound panicked.

"Hey, I said, I'm trying!" Bruce retorted in frustration.

Lex's eyes followed Bucky's gaze, her brow furrowing as she also saw the man. "Who…wait…" Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open ever so slightly.

Bucky smiled again. "Sam," he called, not looking back to the others, continuing to watch the old man.

Sam moved towards Bucky, stopping beside him and looking towards the figure sitting on the bench. They all glanced at each other, before walking closer to the water's edge. They stopped a couple of metres away, just watching the man.

Bucky noticed a large brown bag resting on the ground beside the old man and he smirked, remembering the conversation the friends had while waiting for Sam and Lex in the park.

"Go ahead," he said, not looking away from the man at first, but when Sam didn't move, he glanced sideways. Sam looked slightly bewildered back at Bucky, also glancing past him at Lex.

"Go on, we haven't got all century," Lex urged quietly, shifting closer to Bucky as she looked back towards the man. "And neither does he, by the looks of it."

Sam frowned at Lex, before looking back to the man and beginning to walk towards him.

"Cap?"

The old man looked towards Sam, his face very clearly aged, but the smile was all Steve. "Hi, Sam."

Bucky smiled again when Sam looked back towards him with a look of disbelief. Beside him, Lex sighed, watching the exchange and standing very close to him.

"You knew," she murmured, leaning towards him, her shoulder brushing against his. He glanced sideways at her, smiling but not saying anything. "You knew he wasn't coming back, that's why you two got all soppy."

He chuckled quietly, looking at her fully then. "Maybe. And maybe, you shouldn't have been eavesdropping."

"Not my fault you two talk loudly," she retorted, although a smirk was still evident on her face. She rolled her eyes, looking skywards and shaking her head, before looking back to the pair. "I guess he caught up with that lady then, Margaret."

"Peggy, Peggy Carter."

Lex raised her eyebrows slightly, acknowledging the name as she continued to watch.

Steve reached for the bag beside him, carefully lifting it up and putting it between he and Sam, opening the bag and looking to Sam. "Try it on."

Sam's eyes went wide, a stunned expression on his face and he looked back to Bucky. That surprised Bucky, it seemed like he was asking for Bucky's permission. He certainly didn't think he needed it, Sam deserved that shield more than anyone else. He nodded encouragingly.

Sam reached down, picking up the shield, placing his arm through the straps and admiring it.

"You're okay with that?" Lex asked quietly, a strange tone to her voice that he'd not heard from her before.

"It was my idea." Lex was quiet, as they continued to watch the pair.

Then, Bucky heard Lex move beside him, as she turned and began to walk away. He looked back at her in surprise, noting that her shoulders appeared slumped as she walked away. He looked back one more time at Steve and Sam before quickly following behind her.

He caught up to her quickly. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, keeping pace with her.

"Yeah," she replied, but didn't look at him, continuing past Bruce and towards the compound where workers were trying to clear the mess that was the Avengers building.

He could tell something was wrong, and quickly reached out with his real hand, grabbing her hand and pulling her to a stop. "What's wrong?"

She stopped, looking at his hand in hers, her brow furrowing slightly and her eye twitching. "I wouldn't say anything is wrong, exactly," she replied slowly. She wouldn't look at his face, her eyes fixed on their hands together.

"You'll have to elaborate, reading people has never been a strength of mine, beating people was more up my alley," he said, offering her a smile even though she wouldn't look at him.

He could tell she was trying not to laugh as she pressed her lips together. She was quiet for a moment longer before she sighed. "I just don't know what to do now."

He frowned, staring at her. "What do you mean?"

She breathed through her nose, as if she was getting frustrated. "Tony is gone, Nat is gone, Steve is go- well…not going anywhere fast, the Guardians have left, the Wakandans have left, Clint's gone back to his family, Scott is with his family. The Avengers, or whatever this whole thing that we had, is done. For the last five years, this is all I've known, but it's done."

He stared at her for a moment, realizing what she was struggling with. For years, she was on her own, hiding and moving from city to city. Coming into 'their' world had been completely different from what she had been used to. She went from obscurity to being thrust into a world that always seemed to be on the go. Now, they were lapsing into an unknown, and she was feeling insecure.

This wasn't something he was used to seeing in Lex. And while it was strange to see it, he knew what he had to do.

She moved to pull her hand away from his, but he refused to release it, instead pulling her forwards and wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey," she exclaimed, surprised by the movement and trying to slip free. She looked up at his eyes finally, and she stopped struggling as he peered down at her, offering her a smile.

"Don't worry, WE are going to be fine," he murmured, not letting her go.

She blinked, obviously registering the emphasis he placed on the word 'WE'. "Really?"

He smiled again, as he noticed a pink tinge was starting to spread across her cheeks.

"Definitely." They continued to stare at each other, their faces drifting closer as everything around them seemed to stop. He licked his bottom lip anxiously, spurring his courage on.

"Just kiss her already!"

The pair jumped slightly, looking around and seeing Steve being guided by Sam across the uneven ground towards them. Steve was grinning from ear to ear, Sam not much better.

"Ugh, Steve, your timing is still as bad as ever," Bucky groaned, tipping his head forward as Lex laughed nervously. Bucky didn't let her go, and she didn't move to try and slip out of his grasp again.

"My timing? You're both already a hundred years old, you were going to take a hundred years just to get there," Steve mocked as he and Sam drew level with them.

"You get your woman and suddenly you're a cocky son a bitch. You realise I could actually snap you in half now, if I really wanted to?" Lex threatened Steve as she turned to look at him with a pointed expression on her face.

"And there's the Lex we know and love," Steve replied, winking at her. She blushed again, before rolling her eyes.

Bucky grinned, finally releasing her from his arms and walking towards Steve. He grinned back up at his old friend, who was now a good foot taller than him, before Bucky stooped down low to offer him a careful hug. "It's good to see you, pal."

Steve smiled up at Bucky, the smile pronouncing the wrinkles around his eyes. "It's good to see you too." He looked around the group. "Its good to see all of you."

Lex looked around the room, feeling slightly out of place. They had been put up in Stark tower, at Pepper's request, since none of them really had a home to return to. It was pretty lavish, even more lavish than living in the Wakanda Design Group accommodation suites, which she had thought was extremely comfortable. Here, she had a whole floor of the tower to herself, as did the others that had been offered rooms there. Sam, Bucky, Wanda, they were all living in the tower.

Looking around, Lex couldn't help but think that she had nothing here to make this feel like a home for her. Lex still had the little hut she had established in Wakanda, but being honest, there wasn't much there. She had only ever kept the bare essentials, not wanting to have too many material possessions after the snap. It meant less to lose.

Technically, she probably also had the apartment in Bucharest, as she had discussed with Bucky mid-fight, the landlord had been snapped. How much of her stuff she had left, she could only imagine, no doubt the victim of looters.

She had fond memories of Bucharest now, but there was one problem.

All her friends were here now.

The last five years had changed her perspective on the world. Before that fateful day in the apartment block when Bucky moved in across the hall, she had always considered the world a dark and lonely place for her. It was a place where if people ever found out who she was, she would be hunted down or spurned.

She thought she was alone, and that she had no one to help her, or maybe it was that she thought she didn't need it.

Now though, she knew that not only was she capable of making friends, but she was capable of so much more. She had helped save lives, not just taking them out of spite or vengeance. She had done something good, rather than just hiding from those who sought to use her.

As she looked back out of the window, taking in the evening sky over New York, she felt content, albeit slightly anxious. Maria Hill had been the one to settle them into their rooms and had mentioned Nick Fury would be visiting them in the near future. Sam had pointed him out to them at the memorial service for Tony Stark, Lex keeping it to herself that she already knew the man, recalling their meeting in the archive room at the SHIELD headquarters.

"Ms Nikulkin?" came the voice of the AI, named Friday, who controlled the tower and all its functions, making Lex jump in surprise. That was definitely something that was going to take some getting used to, along with its incessant use of her last name. A name she had long forgotten about.

"Yes, Friday?" Lex asked, looking back into the room from the window, not sure where she should look, and feeling uncomfortable at talking to…well…nothing.

"Sergeant Barnes would like to visit," Friday replied. Lex raised her eyebrows in surprise, for two reasons. The first being that Bucky was entered into Friday's systems as 'Sergeant Barnes'. The second being that Bucky was wanting to visit her already.

After their interrupted interaction at the former Avengers compound, she had felt awkward around Bucky, unable to look at him or even walk close to him. As soon as she could, she had looked for an excuse to get away from the group, even helping Bruce pack down his Quantum portal.

Just thinking of the close interaction had her cheeks heating up.

"Ms Nikulkin?"

"For god's sake, Friday, just call me Lex, please!" she exclaimed in exasperation, quickly feeling guilty for raising her voice. Then she felt silly for feeling guilty about yelling at a robot. "Let him up," she added, beginning to feel anxious again.

Bucky had been placed on the floor below hers, with Sam below him and Wanda above her. Lex couldn't help but wonder if the thought process behind their placement was strategic, allowing Wanda and Sam to keep an eye on them.

Lex turned back to look out the windows as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a brilliant colour scheme of orange, red and purple across the sky. She didn't see it though, her brain continued to play over the events of earlier that day.

She was so preoccupied, she didn't even hear the elevator doors slide open, nor the footsteps walking towards her. It wasn't until she felt a warm hand on her arm that she turned around in surprise.

Bucky peered back at her with concern etched on his features as he looked at her. "Hey, are you okay?"

She looked apologetically at him, plastering a smile onto her face before shaking her head slightly. "Sorry, I didn't hear you, was just thinking about…literally…everything that's happened."

He offered her an understanding smile, not removing his hand from her arm. "I get it, a lot has happened," he said, not taking his eyes off hers. "Don't worry, we'll get through it."

She raised a single eyebrow, cocking her head to one side, noting the use of the plural. It was the second time today he had done that. His smiled changed, more warmth and something else channeling into it. It made her feel anxious again and she looked down, breaking eye contact with him.

She noticed a couple of bags in his Vibranium hand. "What's this?" she asked, looking inquisitively at the bags, before she noticed the smell.

"Oh, I thought perhaps you were hungry, so I brought us some dinner," he said, finally removing his hand from her arm and lifting the bags up for her to see. "I hope you like burgers."

Bucky sat next to Lex at the breakfast bar of her kitchen bench. He would have been lying if he said he hadn't felt the awkward energy in the room when she had realized he was there. The fact that she hadn't realized he was there was testament enough to how distracted she was by her own thoughts.

And he could totally understand why. The whole four or five hours after their interaction in the field by the remnants of the Avengers compound had been weighing heavy on his mind too. He mentally scolded himself for taking too long to take action, but at the time he had wanted to make sure she really did feel the same way he did about her. He also loathed Steve and Sam for interrupting them.

She was a hard person to read before he had disappeared, but now, she was different. She showed a much more varied range of emotions, and the fact that she had been insecure about her role in the world now, gave him more proof that she was changing. And he knew that meant that she needed him now more than ever.

Steve had told him about how she reacted to his disappearance, how she had locked herself away from everyone. In a way, he hoped that it was a reaction specific to losing him, but he occasionally wondered if it was more about the fact that many were lost that day. Steve seemed adamant that it was his loss that hit her the hardest.

While they ate dinner, it was almost like they were back in Bucharest, except now they spoke freely about their past. Sometimes the conversations were dark, taking them back to bad places, other times the conversation was light as they recalled some moments shared together.

They laughed together, recalling their first meeting on the stairs of the apartment block, when she had run straight into him.

"You know, I was terrified that I had broken your wrist when I grabbed you," he said, as he began cleaning up after his meal.

She raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"I grabbed you with this hand," he answered, raising his Vibranium arm. "A normal woman probably would have broken."

"Gees, girls aren't that fragile, Bucky," Lex replied, rolling her eyes. She smirked. "Just because the girls of your time in Brooklyn were gentile waifs of creatures, doesn't mean we all are."

He smiled at her, leaning a little closer to her. "I know that now."

Her smirk faltered, and her eyes darted away, before she was quick to her feet, beginning to pick up their rubbish and dishes. "Should probably clean this up."

He watched her for a moment, noticing the pink tinge across her cheeks. He smiled again, getting up and helping her clean up. It didn't take them long to finish, and he watched as she walked over to look out the windows again. He moved over to join her, also looking out over the city of New York.

Stark Tower was one of the tallest buildings in the city, so it towered over everything. The lights of the city peppered the view and he was grateful to be able to see them again, through his own eyes, at his own will.

"I never thought, in a million years, that I would ever get to experience a life like this," Lex said quietly. Bucky looked at her in surprise. Her arms were crossed, the lights of the city shining the slightest of glows on her face, so he could see the thoughtful expression on her face. She was wearing a pair of light colour, ripped jeans and a white shirt that draped off one of her shoulders, exposing the tanned skin and her elegant, long neck. It was a thing of beauty to see, as she appeared content for the moment, just staring out over the city. "I thought my life was destined to be alone, forever dodging HYDRA in the darkest of places around the world. I never thought I would be here, in Stark Tower, after fighting beside the Avengers to save the world, and being able to spend it with people I can call friends."

His heart plummeted and he bowed his head in an effort to stop her from seeing his face. She had said friends, he had misconstrued the situation and her feelings. He looked back over the city, careful to make sure the disappoint didn't show on his face. "And we will all be here for you. Always."

She was quiet for a moment, staring out the window, before dropping her eyes to look at her arms that crossed her chest. "When I was at the Red Room, I was taught all about how to deal with men. How to talk to them, how to seduce them, how to 'handle' them…" she said quietly. He frowned slightly, staring at her as she recounted her training. She lifted her face, turning her face so her eyes met his, and it was then that he saw an emotion there he hadn't seen before. "So, how come I don't know how to deal with you?"

He stared at her for a moment, taking in what she was asking, before quickly reaching up to her face with his right hand and drawing her lips to his. He pressed his lips to hers, feeling the warmth of her lips against his sending tingles all throughout his body.

He felt one of her hands move to his chest, and he pulled back, worried that he had overstepped the line. "I'm sorry," he said breathlessly, moving to step away from her, but she grabbed his shirt roughly, her brow furrowed.

"Why?" she demanded, before pulling him back towards her and crushing her lips to his again. He closed his eyes, as she dropped her hand from his shirt, both her hands slowly moving to cling to his waist, as he began to react to her kissing him, pushing back against her with a longing he hadn't felt in a long time.

He moved his tongue along her bottom lip, wishing for permission to taste her fully, and she soon granted it, parting her lips and allowing him access. He delved deeper, pulling her body closer to his and wrapping his arms around her, his left hand resting on her hip, while his right began to explore her curves.

Her hands dipped lower down his waist, slipping under his shirt and her fingers grazing along his skin, setting his body ablaze. He pushed her back, turning them slightly so her back was now against the windows, his mouth drifting down from her lips to trace kisses down her jawline, to her neck. He heard her gasp, her fingers clinging to his back as he did so, encouraging him to continue.

His right hand drifted under her shirt, feeling the heat of her skin as he pressed himself against her more fully, feeling the strength of her body as she leant into him and continued to run her fingers along the skin of his abdomen when she wasn't clinging to him as he sent thrills through her body every time he moved his lips to a different position on her neck, or her shoulder.

Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed, and both stopped, looking around in alarm.

"What was that?" Lex demanded as Bucky stepped away from her, looking around with great concern, trying to discern if there was an intrusion in the tower.

"My apologies, Ms Nikulkin, I thought some mood lighting might have been appropriate," Friday replied.

Bucky and Lex looked at each incredulously, before both burst out laughing.

I'm gonna be completely honest... I love teasing the hell out of you guys when I write... ahahahahaha

xo

Krayzee