THE FADING FALLEN ● Bucky Barnes X OC ● 18+ ● ENGLISH [COMPLETE]

Chapter 33

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"And you're sure you will not come back?"

With skepticism in his eyes, Steve looked at her. Emilia tried to find the appropriate words. It wasn't easy, yet she forced herself to smile.

"I have... well... let's say, set up some kind of a life there. For two years now, there' s something I can do that at last feels... somehow right. And now that half of humanity is back the chaos will be even worse than it was after the blip."

She thought of the time when she simply ignored not only him, but the others as well. Even if she would return to Madripoor the same day, there were still one or two things to sort out.

"I'm sorry. For not contacting you, or the others. Not even Nat... I..."

The sudden lump in her throat was quite persistent and Emilia had to swallow several times not to lose her voice.

"You don't need to explain anything. It's been a hard time for you. Nat knew that. So did I. We never blamed you for any of it."

With a soft smile, Steve looked from her to the lakeshore. When he saw Bucky standing there next to Sam and Scott, it vanished from his lips.

"Will you tell him?"

She followed his gaze and shook her head.

"I can't. He finally has a chance to start a new life after such a long time. And I don't want to be in the way of that for him."

"Well, at least say goodbye to him. So the both of you can start over." Steve must have sensed what Emilia was about to do. She could see it in the knowing look that rested fixedly on her.

"What about you? What are you going to do when the stones are back in their times?"

He took a deep breath and looked around the little idyll: "I don't know. I mean, who even knows when a Captain America will ever be needed again."

"The world can always need a Captain America. But even more a Steve Rogers."

The expression on her face was accompanied by a sincere smile. Emilia took a step toward him and hugged him goodbye.

She was about to turn toward the group at the lake when she paused and looked back once more.

"I'm going to miss you, Steve. Live life to the fullest."

He didn't know exactly what she meant by that.

She didn't really know either. It was just a feeling she had that the goodbye was forever.

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It hadn't escaped Bucky's notice for the last few minutes how Emilia was chatting with Steve. His gaze kept sliding to the two of them.

She was avoiding him ever since the battle. They hadn't exchanged a single word.

Bucky was puzzled at first. However, when he learned what happened, he realized a few things.

For him and those who had disappeared, just a few seconds of their lives passed.

For Emilia and the rest of the world, it was five years flashing by. A long time in which a lot could happen... and it felt like an eternity when you believed you had lost the people who were most important to you.

For Scott, it was a little different. He lost five years of his daughter's life that no one could ever give back to him. And yet, he couldn't be happier to still have her.