Epilogue

"Hey, could we talk for a minute?" Bucky asked Madison after she stepped out of the Compound's main elevator. The new entryway still smelled faintly of fresh paint. They'd been able to move back in a few months before, once repairs had been made to the inside following the battle with Catesby and his men.

Madison frowned somewhat as anxiety made her gut clench. "Of course, let's go into our room," she suggested.

Bucky took her hand and they walked down the hallway in tense silence. What could he want to talk about? she wondered, smoothing a hand over her large stomach. A slight waddle impeded her steps but she was determined to keep a normal pace. Still, she could tell that Bucky was moving slower just for her. She squeezed his hand for reassurance that everything was okay and he squeezed it back with a warm smile.

After that she felt like she could breathe a little more, minus the fact that the baby was ready to pop out at any moment and seemed to love kicking her in the ribs. She'd almost thought that the baby had broken one the week before—clearly, it was Bucky's child. Another sign that he was the father: they'd learned that her miraculous recovery from the gunshot had to do with the baby's ability to heal faster than a normal person, which had been passed onto her for these nine months.

They went by Natasha in the corridor, who gave them a nod and continued on her way. She had also made a full recovery and had no lasting effects from her leg injury. Her return to the Compound had been good timing since Madison was taken off active duty for the immediate future. Luckily, Madison wasn't expected to take leave for the entire pregnancy. She was given a desk job at SHIELD, which was to be supervised by her close friend and colleague, Sharon Rogers. Sharon had moved back to D.C. permanently, for the sole reason to be with her new husband. Madison couldn't have been happier for her and Steve.

When Bucky and Madison entered their bedroom, which was formally just Bucky's (her room was reverted back to the guest room), he closed the door behind them. Madison sat on the edge of the bed and he sat down next to her.

"You're kind of scaring me," she said, her voice breathless.

"I'm sorry. It's important, but not scary," he said with a small chuckle. "Uh, Stark made me an offer today."

Madison raised her eyebrows in surprise. That was not what she was expecting him to say—and Tony making an offer could mean anything.

"He's offered to make me a new arm. Like, a real arm…"

She stared at him. "So, no more metal arm?"

He nodded, his expression serious now.

Madison glanced at her lap, where she was nervously rubbing her belly. A tight, niggling pain radiated throughout her core and down into her hips. She took a shallow breath and then let it out with a quiet groan.

"Are you okay?" Bucky asked, his blue eyes darkening in concern. He touched her thigh and stroked the polyester fabric of her dress pants.

When the uncomfortable sensation ceased, she raised her gaze. "I think the baby's coming."

She could tell from Bucky's expression that he was just as nervous as her. His hand stilled and his lips parted. "Uh, yeah, okay…um, okay…"

Madison had to stifle a laugh. She too was freaking out, but Bucky was just too cute when he got flustered. "My bag is in the closet. Let me get a snack and then you can drive me to the hospital."

He looked at her without blinking. "You want a snack…?"

"Yeah," she said slowly. "I just got back from work. I'm hungry."

Bucky shook his head, finally breaking out into a laugh. "Okay, let's get your snack and then head over."

She just smiled and let him help her to her feet.

Twelve hours later, Madison held the tiny baby in her arms, her exhaustion forgotten on the high of becoming a mother. She grinned at the man standing next to her hospital bed as he reached out to stroke the infant's flushed cheek.

"I still can't believe it…" Bucky said in awe.

Madison smiled at the baby now. "Our son," she whispered. "We still need to choose a name…"

Bucky was silent as he thought about it, then let out a small laugh.

"What?" she asked.

"What about James? He could carry on the name. Or would that be too confusing?"

Madison suddenly had a strong sense of déjà vu. She gazed at their baby and that feeling was quickly replaced with something that she couldn't explain. Something that made her feel like James was the perfect name. "What if we call him J.J.?" she asked out of the blue.

"Short for James Jr.?"

She nodded.

"I love it," he said without hesitation, and pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

Later that evening, when Madison had finished nursing J.J., Bucky took the newborn and placed him in the bassinet as she moved to a reclined position in the hospital bed. Bucky sat back down in his armchair and scooted it closer to her. She offered him a sleepy smile as he took her hand.

He tried to keep the tremble out of his own as he said quietly, "Don't fall asleep on me just yet."

She scoffed, the sound weak from fatigue. "You would deprive a new mother of sleep?"

He chuckled softly. "Only if I have a good reason."

She narrowed her eyes on him, suspicion and humor blurring together. "Then it better be good."

Bucky swallowed hard and dug a hand into his pants pocket. When his nervous gaze returned to Madison, she looked significantly more awake. He held a ring between his thumb and forefinger, and placed it in her palm.

At first, she didn't look at it. She just stared at him, taking shallow breaths. Bucky's lips twitched into a smile. "I think you know what I'm going to ask you."

She finally looked down at the ring, a thin rose gold band engraved with vines and flowers. She'd never seen anything like it. "Where did you get this?"

Bucky cleared his throat and simply watched her examine the ring. "It was my mom's."

Startled, Madison gaped at him. "Where…? How did you find it?"

"My mom died when I was young. My dad gave me her ring before he left for basic training. He told me to give it to someone who made me truly happy; someone I couldn't wait to see after a long day at work; my best friend. He, uh, passed away not long after that…"

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as tears sparkled in her eyes. He'd never told her anything about his family.

He shrugged. "It was a long time ago. But I kept the ring—put it into storage before I got shipped overseas. When I…died, everything went to my sister. Believe it or not, I found her in a nursing home during those few years that I was in hiding. She gave it back to me…and, well, here we are."

Madison couldn't contain the tears now. She wiped the moisture from her cheeks and sniffled gently. "This is too special. I can't take it from you…"

"Maddy, I want you to have it. You're everything to me; everything my father described." He smiled and enclosed her hands within his own. "I want you to be my wife…if you'll have me."

The woman choked back more tears and gave him a watery grin. "Nothing would make me happier."

He'd never had a wider smile than at that moment. "I was really hoping you'd say that." He started to put the band on her left ring finger, but it wouldn't go past her knuckle. They both burst out laughing and then quickly stifled it, as not to wake the sleeping baby.

"Guess I'll have to wait until the swelling goes down," she said with a reluctant pout.

"Ah, but I came prepared," he said, reaching into his pocket once more. He revealed a silver, chain necklace, unclasped it, and slipped the ring onto it. "May I?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied, and sat forward, allowing him to secure the chain around her neck. When he stepped back, she said, "You know, I've been thinking…"

"Uh oh," he said, laughing.

"No, it's not bad. I've been thinking about what you said yesterday, about Tony making you a new arm."

Bucky's expression became serious, perhaps even a bit nervous. "Oh, yeah. What do you think?"

"I want you to do whatever makes you happy. I'll love you no matter how you look."

He studied the metal hand sticking out from his long-sleeve shirt. He flexed his fingers, the room's dim light reflecting off the shiny surface. "That's good because I think I've already made up my mind." He paused. "I want to keep it. Every time I consider another option, I think back to when Catesby's men shot up the conference room. It protected us. I have a family now," he said, glancing at the nearby bassinet. "I'd be stupid to get rid of something that could keep us safe, or safer. And men like Catesby will always be around. The world needs the Avengers. I want to be able to help in any way that I can."

Madison admired him, her gaze soft on his face. She held his mother's wedding ring between her fingertips and said with complete reverence, "I love you."

Bucky leaned in to give her a slow kiss; the kind of kiss that made her insides flood with warmth and tingle with anticipation. "I love you, too," he murmured against her lips.

"Keep kissing me like that and I'll end up pregnant again," she whispered, threading her fingers through his shoulder-length hair.

"I wouldn't mind that at all," he replied with a low chuckle, and kissed her again.

"Well, let's have this wedding and then see what we can do," she said, giving him a wink.

A/N: That's a wrap! I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. (And if you did, please leave a review! Even a short one is appreciated!) Thank you to all of my amazing readers for the kind words. It means everything to me! And a special thank you to my friend, Caren (WishfulThinker66), for being so supportive, whether it's proofreading or just bouncing off ideas, I wouldn't be able to do it without you!

Until next time...

~Ariel