Entwined | Bucky Barnes *On Hold*

Chapter Four

~Amelie's POV~

It took what felt like years, but all of the paperwork had finally gone through, and D'Arcy was officially our daughter. I still felt a bit too young to be called the mother of a seven year old, but I had constant reassurance surrounding me that I would be able to do a good job. And Bucky was plenty old enough, and seeing D'Arcy and him have such a strong connection was enough to convince me that what we were doing was right.

We'd picked her up at nine am, and helped her to pack the few remaining items she owned. Her foster family had supplied her with a small selection of clean clothes, and a handful of toys, which were now neatly packed and stored in the back of my car.

We'd stopped off on the way home at a huge retail store, filled with a wide selection of pretty much anything you could think of. D'Arcys face had fallen open with shock, and with each hand wrapped around mine and Bucky's, we'd wandered to the stationary section.

"What colour pens do you want?" I asked, looking at the glittery gel pens that were in front of me.

D'Arcys eyes were wide as she reached a small hand out, and stroked each pack with her fingers. I think the sight seemed to overwhelm her, as she chewed on her bottom lip.

"Shall we get some plain ones for at school, and really nice ones for at home?" I asked, crouching a little so I'd be closer to her height. Her eyes flicked to mine, and with a light smile, she nodded.

She pulled off a pack of plain black and blue biros, before she stopped. Her eyes were concentrated on a rainbow pack of the sparkly pens I'd been looking at earlier. She tugged my arm gently, then pointed at those out of her reach.

I pulled them from the shelf, and placed them in her hands for her to survey up close. She obviously approved, as her eyes grew brighter and her smile grew wider.

"What paper do you want D'Arcy?" Bucky asked from the other end of the aisle. She almost threw the pens in the basket in my hand, before charging to the coloured paper Bucky was stood in front of.

We'd decided that we wouldn't force D'Arcy to talk. It wouldn't be fair on her as this was an effect of what had happened in her past, and so we thought we could help make this feel like a more normal situation for her. She would carry some pens and a notebook with her, and write down things she'd want to say. Her teacher had told us that the school would supply her with a private whiteboard and pen that could be kept in her drawer in the classroom too.

And so here we were, basket almost overflowing with a selection of pens and paper, lined notebooks and coloured card, ready to be utilised by D'Arcy when she would attend school on Monday.

She'd missed the first few weeks of the academic year, due to being kidnapped and left to die in a shed, but she was recovering incredibly well. She smiled more often than frowned on our visits, but both Bucky and I were aware she may open up her vulnerable side once she was at home.

There were actual things we needed to buy, but I decided that this shopping trip would solely be to treat D'Arcy. So we wandered up the stairs to the small toy section, where she wandered up and down the aisle with tears in her eyes. Bucky was by her side, pointing out the small plush toys or action figures she could choose to have.

She chose a small teddy bear, with incredibly soft fur, and a larger fluffy elephant, which was almost the same size as her. Bucky was grinning as he carried the toy proudly down to the tills, and paid for the entire shop with a smile on his face. D'Arcy clutched my hand as we walked through the busy car park, and swung our joined hands between us.

We'd been driving for less than five minutes when a small folded square of paper appeared by my ear. 'Can I play with Brian when we get home?'