To My Love | Bucky Barnes

epilogue

Epilogue

Word Count- 437

Bucky walked absentmindedly away from the bar. He had been at war for only a few months and was missing his wife. As weird as it sound.

It had been nearly seven years since the world lost Cara Marie Miller to a robber making his getaway in the busy Brooklyn streets. James had never been the same again.

He never bothered to pretend to be over Cara's death, but that didn't mean he didn't have his happy moments. He made a promise to love her and only her for the rest of his life, and he was set on keeping it. Not that it would be hard, no girl was as special as Cara Miller.

Bucky Barnes wasn't himself without Cara Miller, the whole town knew that. And even after all those years without her, James never went back to the way he was. He was quieter, more distant from his friends and family. He often found himself clutching the bracelet he had gotten her. That was a different lifetime for him.

Bucky had finally reached her grave. He didn't have any flowers to put on the under maintenanced grave, but they would've just died anyway. Bucky sat down on the patch of earth in front of the grave stone. His only free hand set the wooden box he was carrying on the ground in front of him. He was about to open it, but a set of light footsteps cut him off.

"Hey, Buck."

Bucky didn't look up. "Hey, Steve."

Steve paused. "You coming back to the party soon?"

"Probably."

Steve sighed. There was no point in telling him that this was unhealthy, so he didn't. "Alright. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded. "See you tomorrow, Steve."

Steve pursed his lips to stop himself from saying more before backing away and walking back to the bar.

Bucky sighed when his friend left. He was happy to have him back, but he wanted some alone time. He opened the box. The flimsy paper crackled under his touch, he delicately lifted one up. A picture. One Cara drew of him and her. Bucky smiled. He folded it carefully and put it back in the box.

After her daughter's passing, Mrs. Miller found a box of letters in Caras' things. She gave them to Bucky after only reading one and realizing they were for his eyes only.

He opened the last letter she had ever written to him, a tear threatening to slip past his strong exterior. He focused on her delicate cursive writing for a few seconds before reading it for the millionth time. It read:

To My Love...

THE END