Alpha and Omega

Chapter 37

By Friday morning, Bucky was dealing with a much too overexcited puppy. Gwen was super excited for the camping trip. Her heat hadn't come yet. They still had plenty of time, especially for the camping trip.

However, Gwen was getting super excited and bouncy and less than helpful. "Babe, you're gonna drive me crazy," Bucky's tone was teasing and light as he talked to her. He didn't want to scare her, or ruin her mood, but he did want to get her attention. "Can you help pack up the cooler while I load up the SUV?" He asked to give her something useful to do. Maybe she would stop bouncing around him if she had something to do.

"Sorry, I'm just excited" she told him with a grin. Her tail was wagging like crazy. She really was excited and looked so adorable in jeans, and an unbuttoned flannel shirt over her tank top. She nodded and packed up the cooler for him while he packed the rest of their things.

"I'm excited too," Bucky reassured her.

Sam and Steve walked out to watch him load the car while Gwen headed inside to fill the cooler. "You and the wolf out in the wilderness, you're gonna turn into..." Sam started, but stopped his sentence when he was smacked by Steve.

"You both need to get away from here. If we need you, Loki can get you." Steve reassured Bucky, glad he was getting out of the tower for awhile.

"What? She is so going to turn him," Sam said with a smirk, teasing Bucky, to the point where Bucky definitely wanted to punch him.

"Watch your mouth Samuel. She thinks she's a monster from the horror movies. I had thought about turning, but she said no. Besides, I'd be a three-legged wolf." He waved the artificial arm. "I've talked to Bruce, Stephen, and Loki about any kind of cure or reversal."

Sam rolled his eyes. "That little thing? A monster? Hardly,"

"Exactly, but she's convinced. I've never thought someone more stubborn minded than me and Stevie."

"Hey, don't call me that!" Steve protested and was promptly ignored.

"I'm sure you'll talk her around. She hasn't been free of Hydra that long," Sam reminded him. Besides, Bucky could out-stubborn anyone, including a little werewolf.

Bucky hoped so. "Well Tony yelling didn't help during her first moon here."

"No, but Loki playing with her did," Steve replied, glad Loki was good for something around the tower besides causing trouble.

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, her having another wolf, is partly why I was tempted to turn for her. But she shot it down. And said they're too heavy to swim for themselves. Which sucks, flat out."

Steve thought about that. "Maybe you'd be different if you turn since you already can swim?"

"I wonder, but still as a werewolf, in wolf form, I'm short a limb. She said there are things she dislikes about being one. Maybe they can modify a cure if they find one, let her keep what she wants."

Before either could reply, Gwen came into the garage, carrying the cooler, a grin on her face. She was so proud of herself for completing her task. Bucky enjoyed her happiness. It radiated off her and infected everyone around her.

"Okay, don't make puppies out there." Sam joked as he helped close the hatch.

Steve shook his head. "Don't be reckless, got it Barnes?"

"Yes, Captain." Bucky teased right back as he stuck his tongue out at his friend. Gwen wrapped her arms around Bucky's waist and kissed his cheek while his friends teased him. Bucky looked down at her. "You like me being a brat to them?"

"I expected nothing less," she replied, her tail wagging happily. He lightly smacked her butt, then opened her door for her. Gwen squeaked and giggled and climbed into the car. The silly little thing was actually wearing shoes for once too, a sensible pair of hiking boots.

Bucky got into the driver's seat. "Ready, babydoll?"

She nodded and grinned in excitement. "Ready," she agreed. "And I won't even stick my head out the window on the car ride," she added with a smirk

"Probably the better option."

"Probably," she agreed, but had proven she had a bit of sass to her. She giggled and pulled a book from her backpack, settling in for a long car ride.

"Whoa, you're not reading unless I'm out of sight or asleep." He pouted. She wanted to ignore him already? Maybe it was just her first trip and she didn't know what was expected of the copilot. Reading and ignoring him wasn't it.

She laughed and put the book away. "So what do you have in mind instead, then?" she teased.

"Talking to me, it's only a little over an hour drive. Talk to me about the books you and Loki found."

She nodded and settled in to talk about books while Bucky started to drive. "Most of them were Hollywood bullshit," she told him. "But we found a couple series written by werewolves. Loki made sure we had all the books, and then went out to get the rest of the series. They..." she paused to search for a word. "remind me of home"

Bucky wanted to learn all he could. "Mind telling me?"

She pondered how to explain. "Imagine a story that takes place in the 40s, written by someone who grew up today. You'd expect them to get things wrong, the language would be just a little off, the wrong communities living next to each other. It would be good, but just a touch wrong, just enough to strike a dissonance. But a story that got all those aspects right? While still having a good plot that just happened to take place in that environment?" she purred at the thought.

He grinned and considered something. "Hmm, maybe you can read while I drive, but out loud, to me?"

She smiled and pulled out the kindle Tony had given her and found the first book in the series and began to read aloud a story about an omega who got rescued from a terrible abusive pack by the man who would be her true mate. The character went to live with her rescuer and his pack in Montana and the pair had to solve a mystery together about who was murdering humans in the nearby woods, all while trying to get comfortable with each other and realize they're falling in love.

Bucky listened to the story while he drove, appreciating the werewolf culture and the fact that the story wasn't just about the romance, but more focused on the mystery. Gwen kept reading to him the entire drive to the campsite and Bucky enjoyed listening to her voice and her excitement to tell a story. He wouldn't dare compare her to the God of Stories, but he was of the opinion that she would give Loki a run for his money when it came to telling stories. At least to Bucky.