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sjsmith56 · 14 days ago

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Worthy - A Private Man, Chapter 28

Summary: Ten years have passed and Bucky is leading an Avengers mission. An emergency message sends him home to face something he has always feared but accepted as inevitable.

Length: 7.2 K

Characters: Bucky, Tracey, Rebecca and the rest of the family, found and made.

Warnings: Grief of the deepest kind, deathbed scene.

Author’s notes: Final chapter. This was always a story about family and it ends with the understanding that love is what binds a family together, even in the saddest of times. Bibi: grandmother in Swahili, a common language in Sudan. Fields of Gold, words and music by Gordon Matthew Sumner, 1993. Divider by vecteezy.com

<<Chapter 27

June 2035

With hand signals to the squad behind him Bucky got his team in position in a dark shadowy area of the compound, held by rebel soldiers of the army of a Central American republic. The rebels, aligned with the former dictator who lost in a democratic election had taken hostages from the various embassies whose ambassadors had arrived to support the swearing in of the new government. Bucky pressed a button on his comms piece.

"Alpha team in place," he said in barely more than a whisper. "Other teams report."

"Bravo in place," said John Walker, code name U.S. Agent.

"Charlie in position," said Yelena Belova, code name Black Widow.

"Both eyes are in the sky," said Captain America for himself and Falcon. "Hostages are all in the central hall. Read a dozen guards with them. A dozen scattered throughout the main floor, more on the second floor. Secondary barracks one mile away, complement unknown."

"Roger that," replied Bucky. "Stealth mode for initial infiltration. Shang Chi and White Wolf for initial entry, followed by U.S. Agent, Ant Man, Black Widow and Red Guardian. Support teams to follow on my mark, with setup for possible second wave from those barracks. Spider-Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, and Black Panther take second floor, then join the fun on the first when all combatants are neutralized. Confirm." He received the confirmation from everyone. "On my mark, execute. Mark."

Bucky and Shaun approached the outside sentries near their location taking them down silently then entered the building, both of them so stealthy in their approach that the remaining guards near them didn't have a chance to react. The other four did the same, entering the building from their vantage points. Bucky gave the signal for the second-floor teams to enter, then their armed support teams followed, some of them setting up outside to counter any resistance approaching them while the others disarmed and bound the enemy, dragging the unconscious figures to a location out of their way. Finally, the Avengers were in position just outside the central hall, having disarmed everyone except the guards inside with the hostages.

"Someone must have tripped a silent alarm," reported Sam, from above in the night sky. "The barracks has suddenly gone active. You have five minutes, maximum."

"Roger," replied Bucky. "Support teams all to the outside for defence of our position. Extreme force authorized if necessary."

Receiving confirmation from the squad sergeants he returned his attention to the central hall, trying to work out the best way to disable the guards with minimal danger to the hostages. The way the hostages were scattered in various seating arrangements would make it difficult unless they could signal them to all drop to the floor at the same time.

"Hope, Scott?" he said. "Time to shrink. Go to each hostage and tell them to hit the floor when they see the red flare. Sam? You have enough red flares to make it visible inside the central hall?"

"Damn right we do," he replied. "Just give me the signal when everyone has been alerted. We'll set off the flares then provide covering fire from above at the incoming reinforcements."

"Already on it, Buck," said Scott. "Give us a minute. We'll stay on the floor with them, if that's okay with you. We can take out a guard or two when they're distracted by the flare."

"Everyone else, pick a target, disable them then get outside to take on the second wave," ordered Bucky, waiting on Scott's confirmation that the hostages were ready.

"We're ready," said Scott a few moments later.

"Sam, Joaquin, send up the flares."

As the inside of the central hall glowed red all the hostages hit the ground as the guards raised their firearms, looking up through the skylights of the tall atrium. As Scott and Hope resized to normal the rest of the Avengers swarmed the guards disabling them. There were the sounds of gunfire outside as the support teams began taking fire and returning it. Scott and Hope stayed to bind the guards and keep the hostages together, while everyone else took off out of the various exits to take on the incoming troops from the barracks. After a short firefight and some one-on-one battles, they finally subdued the final rebel reinforcements. They had no casualties although three members of the support squad had been hit by gunfire and were receiving treatment from a medic. Bucky walked through the support teams, talking quietly with them, thanking them for their help, staying a little longer with the injured ones, who all made light of their injuries. Only then did he get on his comms to the command base in New York.

"White Wolf to base," he said, his voice audible to all team members.

"Go ahead White Wolf," said Maria's voice.

"Objective achieved," he said. "All hostages safe. Request immediate evacuation. Advise local military they will need several trucks to transport captured rebels. They have some casualties, but I don't have that number yet. We have three injured, none serious."

There was a pause then Rhodes voice came on, just for Bucky's ears. "I'm sending a request for a portal," he said. "Buck, it's Rebecca."

"What's happened?" asked Bucky, switching to privacy mode on his end.

"She's had a stroke," replied Rhodes. "She's comfortable but the doctors said she won't survive. Come back to base, get cleaned up and we'll give you a portal to the hospital. The others can handle the debrief on your behalf. Tracey is with her, and Janice is already on her way there."

A numb feeling filled Bucky's body that must have shown on his face because Sam suddenly landed beside him, his face concerned as he faced his friend.

"It's Rebecca," said Bucky, running a hand through his hair. "I have to go. You do the debriefing."

"Of course," said Sam. "We'll be there as soon as we can. She'll hold on for you Buck. I know it."

Mindlessly Bucky nodded then walked into the portal that suddenly appeared, exiting into the armoury section of the Avengers compound where the weapons master took his weapons from him. Outside the armoury door Rhodes waited then fell into step beside Bucky, telling him that the nursing home had done their usual 11 pm check on Rebecca. When they did the next visual check at midnight she was on the floor beside the bed and transported to hospital immediately. An MRI confirmed it was a massive stroke. Bucky never said a word as Rhodes escorted him to his quarters, then waited outside the door as Bucky stripped down, showered and redressed in less than 5 minutes. When Bucky came out Rhodes stayed with him as they arrived at an open space where he signalled Wong to open a portal to the hospital. Just before Bucky walked into it, he turned to Rhodes.

"Thank you," he said, sincerely. "For everything."

His mouth set in a grim line Rhodes nodded and watched as the man he regarded as the best soldier in the world went through to face a grief they had known would come someday. Didn't make it any easier to handle. For a moment, Rhodes twisted the wedding band on his ring finger. When he asked Janice to marry him eight years before, Rebecca had decided it was time she move to a retirement home. Bucky tried to convince her to move into their home, but she demurred, saying he, Tracey and the kids needed to have their own space. Even though they visited her often and had her stay with them over the holidays it never seemed to be enough time with his sister for Bucky. With a sigh, Rhodes returned to the command centre where Maria gave him a questioning look. He just shook his head.

As Bucky stepped out of the portal in front of the hospital he stopped for a moment and looked up at the imposing building. He didn't trust most medical facilities, with the exception of the birthing centres that welcomed new life. To him, most hospitals were places of pain and death, a remnant of his HYDRA trauma. With a deep breath he stepped inside, registering with the night security station, steeling himself to spend whatever time Rebecca had left with her. He texted Tracey, receiving an answer immediately with Rebecca's room number and went up the elevator, ignoring the looks he was given as the few people around in the pre-dawn hours recognized him. No one spoke to the well-known super soldier, probably because his face was too grim, although one person in a wheelchair caught his eye and smiled, receiving a slight smile back from him. Then he reached the floor where Rebecca was and found Tracey waiting for him. Immediately, he enclosed her in his arms, pressing his face into her neck for some time before pulling away and searching her face.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Waiting for you," she said. "I think she knows. She calls out for Harvey every once in a while and your parents."

He nodded. "The kids?"

"My sister Lena came over. She said she would stay the night."

Looking up at the ceiling then taking a deep but ragged breath Bucky nodded, and they began the walk to Rebecca's room. It was quiet in there, except for the sound of an infusion pump, and the soft beeping of the pulse oximeter that measured Rebecca's heart rate, O2 levels, and respiration rate. She lay on her back with her eyes open but distant. Her skin looked so fragile and pale against the hospital bedding, that he wondered for a moment if her heart was actually pumping blood through her body. Then his sister said his name, in barely a whisper and Bucky stepped forward, taking her hand in his and hovering over her.

"Hey sweetheart," he said softly, before kissing Rebecca on the forehead. "I'm here."

"Sorry," she mumbled, one side of her mouth not working. "Mmm sick."

"I know, don't be sorry," said Bucky, feeling his emotions beginning to bubble up inside him. "You just take it easy. Let them get you better."

"No ... s'time," replied Rebecca. "Waiting ...."

She closed her eyes and for a moment Bucky thought she was gone then she opened her eyes again. "Luv you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart," he said. Then he took a shaky breath and began to recite from Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch. He knew it by heart after reading it to her, then to his own children. "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

Her eyes watched him as he said the words, with a single tear dropping from the corner of one of them, then she smiled, closed her eyes and took two more breaths before letting go. As her heart rate drastically slowed down Bucky began to cry and laid his head on her chest, desperate to hear her last heartbeats for himself. Tracey put her hand on his back and rubbed it, crying herself. Janice arrived at that moment, her face falling as she saw the heartbreaking scene in front of her. A nurse entered, saw what was happening and stepped past Janice, turning off the machines, looking up at the time, then stepping out and closing the door behind her.

Bucky's sobs were the loudest sound in the room as he gave in to his grief at losing the last person with a connection to his original life. After some time, his crying slowed down and he raised himself up, reaching out for Tracey and holding her desperately. He then noticed Janice was there and held out his arms for her, standing as she reached him, hugging her and Tracey together. Reaching into his pocket he found a handkerchief, offering it to the two women, who declined it in favour of tissues. He wiped his eyes, while trying to take some cleansing breaths, before speaking.

"She was waiting for me to let her go," he said. "What do we do now?"

"We can stay here as long as we need to," said Tracey. "When you're ready to leave we can call the funeral home and they'll pick her up. She already arranged everything."

"Yeah, she told me," he said. "She wants to be buried with Harvey." He took another shaky breath. "You'll both help me through this?"

Tracey put her hand on his cheek. "Yes, my love, you won't have to do this alone," she replied. "Mom and I will be here for you."

"So will Rhodey," said Janice, warmly. "He'll be coming as soon as the debrief is done, so will Sam and Maria. We'll all be here for you."

"Thank you," he said quietly, then his face crumpled again as he began to cry once more.

Tracey led him to the armchair and sat on his lap, enclosing him in her arms. Janice pulled her phone out and texted Rhodey that Rebecca passed away in Bucky's arms. When his reply asked how Bucky was taking it, she responded with one word. Heartbroken.

After spending the rest of the night at the hospital before finally allowing himself to leave Bucky and Tracey went to their house to break the news to their four children, Sam, Steve, Rebecca and Raina. Rhodes and Janice followed in her car. The oldest two children, Sam, almost 10 and Steve, 8 years old, understood right away that Rebecca died, and began to cry for their Nana. Rebecca, 6, and Raina, almost 4, had a harder time understanding what happened, so Bucky sat in an armchair with them on his lap, breathing deeply to explain death to his daughters.

"Do you remember Alley Cat?" he asked. "When he got sick, and we took him to an animal doctor, but we didn't bring him home?"

"Mommy said he was on the Rainbow Bridge," said Rebecca, "and would stay there waiting for us to be with him someday. Is that where Nana is?"

"Yeah, part of Nana is at the Rainbow Bridge, with Alley Cat," he said patiently. "Her spirit is there but her body was left behind, so we're going to bury Nana in the ground with her husband Harvey. His spirit has been waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for Nana for a long time, so have my parents. They'll all be there waiting for us, when it's our turn to go there."

"I want to go now!" exclaimed Raina. "I want to see Nana."

"No, sweetheart, it's not your turn yet," replied Bucky, kindly. "Until it's your turn you'll have to remember Nana in your dreams and your memories."

"When?" asked Raina.

"I don't know," he answered. "Everybody's time is different."

"Did you cry?" asked Rebecca.

"Yes, I cried very much," said Bucky. "I still feel like crying because I loved Nana very much."

"But she wasn't your mom," said Rebecca. "You never called her Mom."

Bucky looked at Tracey. It was something they had discussed about how to tell the kids about him being older than Nana. They decided to leave it until one of the kids brought it up. Tracey looked at him sympathetically as the timing of this wasn't the best.

"Nana was actually my baby sister," said Bucky. "I'm a lot older than I look because I was kept a prisoner by some bad people. They made me sleep a lot and it meant my body slowed down and didn't get old. Nana wasn't a prisoner, so she got older like everyone else."

Sam and Steve were in front of Bucky looking seriously at him. "Who were you a prisoner of?" asked Steve.

"Some very bad people," said Bucky. "I don't want to say who because I still feel bad about it. They did things to me and turned me into a bad person for a long time."

"One of the kids at school said you were the Winter Soldier," said Sam. "I looked it up on the internet. That was you?"

"That was me," said Bucky, feeling dread at having to explain what he used to be to his son. "I didn't want to be him. I was never given a choice. They changed me and made me obey their orders. Steve Rogers, who your brother is named after was my best friend then, and he helped me get away from them. He took me to Wakanda, and they gave me this arm, which is different than the one the Winter Soldier had. The Wakandans made it so that I would never be the Winter Soldier again and I became an Avenger instead, to do good things in the world instead of bad things."

"So, you're a hero now," said Sam. "Like Uncle Sam, and Uncle Joaquin, and the other Avengers."

"That's what they tell me," answered Bucky. "What do you think I am?"

"My dad," he replied immediately. "You're my dad. You're nice to us, nice to everyone. You're not a bad guy anymore and I told that kid that you weren't. I said you're a good guy and a hero." He started to cry. "You're my hero."

Bucky reached past his daughters and pulled Sam into his arms, trying to hold all three, then Steve as well, when he stuck his head into the mix. Lena, Tracey's sister was trying not to cry but gave up and Tracey had to comfort her.

"Sorry, it's a beautiful moment," said Lena, wiping her eyes.

The kids pulled away then Steve looked up at his dad, puzzled. "Why did we call her Nana?"

"She wanted that," said Bucky, smiling. "She never had any kids of her own and when Sam was born the first thing she told him was that she was Nana. It made her happy."

"She was a good nana," said Sam. "I loved her."

"She loved all of you so much," said Bucky, "as much as me, your mom and Grandma love you. Always remember that."

Once more he drew his children in close, kissing them all on the forehead and telling them each individually that he loved them. They went to Tracey, receiving the same affirmations from her. As Lena made breakfast for the couple, Sam and Maria arrived, with their two children. As much as Bucky and Sam jokingly pretended they didn't like each other it was obvious about the bond between them as Sam held his partner, crying himself for the elderly woman who became his friend.

"She was an incredible woman," he said to Bucky, once he wiped his tears away. "I loved her as much as I loved my own sister."

"She loved you too, Sam," replied Bucky, his stoic façade completely shattered. "I know she left something for you in her will, but you'll find out soon enough. We all will."

"She always was good at playing her cards close to her chest," grinned Sam.

"Bucky, how can we help?" asked Maria, kindly.

He looked to his wife, at her kind smile, feeling an upwelling of love for her, knowing he wouldn't have been able to get through the night without her soft presence.

"Tracey and I have to go to the funeral home," he said. "Even though Rebecca pre-arranged everything they want to go over it with us so we can see what she chose. If you two, Janice and Rhodey could hold the fort here, watch the kids, and deal with anyone who stops by we would appreciate it."

"Sure, it's the least we can do," smiled the dark-haired assistant director of their organization. "When you get back, if you two want to catch up with your sleep we'll still be here."

"We'll call the centre and a few others on our way to the funeral home," said Bucky. "They'll be devastated. If Amina, Samira, or Kalyna come over tell them to wait for us to return. I want to talk to them personally."

With that Tracey and Bucky headed to the funeral home, going over the detailed plans for Rebecca's funeral. Like they expected there were a few surprises in her plans, but the director said he would make the arrangements and make sure it was all set up and coordinated with the right people. A smile crossed Bucky's face when he saw the list of pallbearers that Rebecca chose. Some of those people were going to be so surprised when he asked them. They also stopped at Matt Murdock's office. As the lawyer for Rebecca's estate, they wanted to tell him in person of her passing. The big man hugged both of them for a long time, as Foggy waited his turn.

"Your sister will be very missed," said Matt. "She was one of a kind and one of the kindest people I ever met."

"We'll inform those people who have been named in her will to meet before the funeral," said Foggy.

"She asked that you both be pallbearers," said Bucky. "She trusted you both while she was alive. Now she wants your help to finish her journey."

"It would be our honour," said Matt, looking directly at Bucky's face.

On their return home Joaquin and his wife were there and Bucky informed him and Rhodes that Rebecca wanted them to be her pallbearers. Sam's head jerked up at that moment, wondering why he wasn't named.

"She wanted you to give the eulogy, Sam," replied Bucky. "You're the one to tell her story."

"Surprising me still," said his friend, grinning. "I'll do a good job."

"You always do," smiled the super soldier. "Rhodey, do you still have the former President's phone number?"

"Yeah, we play golf once in a while," replied the Avengers director, then he grinned as he put two and two together. "You're serious ... she wants him?"

"Yup," grinned Bucky back. "The funeral director said the Secret Service can coordinate with him on President Burton's participation. It's going to be a large venue as well, but I don't want to say anything until the final pallbearer gets here."

As they all relaxed in the family room with coffees to stave off the fatigue of the previous night, Bucky looked out the window at the Barnes and Wilson kids playing on the climbing set, a different one from the one bought when young Sam was a baby as it unfortunately didn't hold up to the rough play of two super soldier boys. He began thinking about how much his life had changed from when he first moved in with Rebecca. Originally it had been a familial obligation that he felt was his duty; the older brother obligated to look after his younger sister as amends for not returning from the war, not being there to help his parents transition into old age, or to stand up for his sister when she married.

Very soon after he moved in, they had words, and not very nice ones either. Both of them were angry at the years stolen from them, the birthdays, the anniversaries, any number of important family occasions that never happened because Bucky was kept a prisoner by HYDRA. That was the only time she asked him about being the Winter Soldier, how he mustn't have tried very hard to escape, considering all of his strength and abilities.

"We needed you," she cried. "I had to deal with Dad's dementia and Ma's failing health by myself. Harvey wasn't well and it was too much. I hated you, hated that you weren't there. You were dead and then when I found out you weren't it was like a slap in the face. Why didn't you try harder to get away from those people?"

He almost walked out then, almost turned his back on his sister, but as he got to the door he dropped his head and came back to her, kneeling on the floor in front of her, taking her hands in his.

"I tried many times to leave," he said earnestly. "Without even knowing who I really was, I knew I didn't belong to them. They constantly wiped my memories and told me everyone who had been friends or family had abandoned me, given up searching for me because I didn't matter. Then they told me I did matter to them. To someone with no tether to the past, just brief fragments of faces ...." He caressed her face then. "Your face, Ma's and Dad's, the memories were still there but they had nothing linking them together that said I belonged to them. Even when I did remember a name, or my own name, if they got a whiff of that they did unspeakable things to me. I was beaten, burned, cut open, injected with all sorts of toxins to study how the serum neutralized them. It was constant, Rebecca. They'd wipe me, bring out the soldier and order me to take my punishment for the smallest infraction. To disobey meant even worse punishment. There are still memories of water boarding, of being hung up by my arms bound behind me while they shocked me, of being ... raped."

He broke down crying then and Rebecca bent over him, gathering him as close as she could to herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated over and over again, as they both cried in complete and utter despair.

After that it was better, as they each made an effort to be kinder to each other. Rebecca became his anchor to his humanity, reminding him of the times when he was a good son and brother, and when she had her first stroke his decision to become her primary caregiver wasn't done out of obligation, it was done out of love, of wanting to make sure that whatever time they had left would have meaning for both of them.

"You're crying," said Tracey's voice, softly, at that moment and Bucky turned his head to his wife's beautiful face. "You're remembering her, aren't you?"

He put his arm around her and kissed her temple. "Yeah," he murmured. "Just remembering when I first moved in with Rebecca. It was tough at first. We had been apart for so long and there was a lot of unresolved anger between us. I almost walked out the door, but I needed her, deep down my body and my brain knew I needed to be with her. We made up and it was better after that. Then you came into our lives, and it became amazing."

She slid onto his lap, and they held each other, thinking the same thing about how amazing her life became when she met Bucky and Rebecca. They were still sitting like that when Amina Nyok, her husband Irshad, son Kafeel, and daughters, Fiza and Hiba arrived, bearing containers of baking. Immediately the Sudanese woman, who had become good friends to all of them hugged Bucky, as did her husband and children, deciding to fully embrace the closeness of their families and dispense with old customs that forbade them from integrating more into the lives of their American friends.

"I'm so sorry, Bucky," said Amina, trying to keep from crying. "She was my first American friend and my best one at that. I learned so much about being an American from Rebecca and now she's gone."

"Thank you," said Bucky. "She loved you and your whole family so much. You and the others helped her get better and I'll always be in your debt for that." He motioned to Kafeel. "Rebecca has asked that you be a pallbearer for her. It means that you and five others will carry her coffin from the funeral venue to the hearse, then from the hearse to the burial plot. Are you up to it?"

The young man, now 21, and almost as tall and strong in appearance as Bucky nodded. "It would be my honour, Buck," he said. "She was my bibi in every way but blood. I will do her proud."

With all of the pallbearers informed, Bucky finally conceded that he needed to rest and with the encouragement of the others he went up to the bedroom he shared with Tracey, looking out the window for a moment, before he unzipped his pants, took them and his shirt off and got under the covers. Within moments he was asleep.

Five days later, on a warm and humid June day, the funeral for Rebecca Barnes Proctor took place in the large auditorium of the Brooklyn Newcomers Centre, a non-profit organization that helped all immigrants and refugees who entered their doors with English language instruction, job counselling and training, advocacy, and provided a safe place for them to meet and socialize as they acclimated to the different culture of the United States. Early on, those who used their services were encouraged to volunteer their own time, as a means to make friends, and learn firsthand about American life from the people they helped. From the moment the centre became involved with Bucky Barnes and his sister Rebecca, the centre experienced a growth and acceptance into the community unlike anything in its 40-year history. When they agreed to host the funeral for Rebecca it was seen as thanks in return for all that she gave them.

Attending the funeral was a who's who of community, civic, and federal leaders, including representatives from city council, the police department and former President of the United States, Warren S. Burton, who didn't hesitate to accept when he was asked to act as a pallbearer for Rebecca Barnes Proctor. Also in attendance was almost the full complement of Avengers, although some were on call, in case an emergency required their attention, with two of them, Director James Rhodes and Captain Joaquin Torres, code name Falcon, acting as pallbearers. Two other pallbearers, Rebecca's lawyers, Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, sat proudly next to the other three waiting for their cue to perform their honourable task. The final pallbearer, a senior at NYU taking criminal justice, Kafeel Nyok, arrived and shook hands with the other pallbearers before taking his seat, impressing many with his demeanour at such a young age. Prominent citizens included Pepper Stark, local entrepreneurs Samira Hussain, Kalyna and Bohdan Lyashenko, and many attendees from the larger multicultural community who all had a connection with the elderly woman. The final surprise was the attendance of King M'Baku and Princess Shuri of Wakanda, complete with a guard complement of Dora Milaje.

Before the funeral a meeting with Murdock and Nelson revealed that Rebecca had left significant surprises for the people named in her will. To her nieces and nephews, the children of her brother James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, she left trust accounts for their education of $100,000 each. Bucky interrupted loudly, knowing for a fact that she didn't have that kind of money.

"What did she do, Matt?" he asked, incredulously.

"Remember when she bought back your interest in the house for $1?" asked Matt. "She sold it to another person. Turned out that property was worth a lot of money."

"I don't understand," replied Bucky. "She still lived there until Janice got married. Then she rented it to the Newcomer's Centre as a place for a refugee family to get on their feet. That's what she told me."

"She didn't tell you everything," said Matt. "After she sold the house, the new buyer donated it to the Centre for the same purpose. Rebecca invested the proceeds so that she could do some good with it. If you let me continue to read out the will, you'll find out what she wanted to do with the money."

With a little bit of a huff, Bucky sat back, still puzzled why Rebecca would do this without consulting with him. As Foggy read the rest of her will, he understood more. Foggy read out the list of scholarships that Bucky's sister provided seed money to, money that was matched by two other individuals, whose identity would be kept confidential. There were several; the first one to be named for her, the Rebecca Proctor Scholarship for the children of refugees or immigrants who had used the services of the Newcomer Centre and had, in turn, provided volunteer service as part of the requirements to qualify for funds towards their post-secondary education. Prior to creating that scholarship, she had personally paid for the education of Kafeel Nyok, and his two sisters. The two anonymous individuals paid for the education of Kalyna and Bohdan's children, and the children of Samira Hussain, respectively. Another scholarship, named the George and Winnifred Barnes Scholarship was announced for the children of military veterans, specifically those from the Brooklyn area. Volunteer service was a pre-requisite for the application. The recipients had to be studying in a field that provided support to the community at large. The third scholarship, named for Rebecca's brother, James Buchanan Barnes, was limited to military veterans who required additional funds to complete their education if it had been interrupted by their service, or by injuries suffered during their service. It was meant to supplement the living expenses of veterans who used their military benefits to continue their education. Foggy sat back and looked at everyone when he finished reading that part.

"The following are the final disbursements of the estate of Rebecca Barnes Proctor," he began. "She wanted the people and organization named to know how much she appreciated their help in the last 11 years of her life. To Sam Wilson, she leaves the amount of $250,000. The following are her words. Sam Wilson provided support to my brother and thus to me, at some difficult times in his life. Sam made me laugh when I needed it, provided comfort when I had none to give in return, and never treated me like the old woman I was." He looked at Janice Rhodes next. "To my dear friend, Janice Rhodes. I am so proud of how you reclaimed your life after the trauma of your first marriage. Not only that, but you also became my partner in crime, my best girlfriend, long after those I grew up with had passed away. With your friendship I felt young again. I have donated $100,000 in your name to a women's shelter network in the Brooklyn area that provides support for the transition of women leaving abusive situations. To you, I leave $150,000 as seed money to do with as you please. Live it up, girlfriend!"

Janice smiled. "She was my big sister. It was like we just clicked. I'll do some good with it, I promise."

Foggy nodded and continued. "Rebecca has left the balance of her estate to the Brooklyn Newcomers Centre for their own use in continuing the services they provide to so many. Without their volunteer services at a time that was needed by Rebecca and Bucky she doesn't believe that they would have had a good life."

Then Foggy got up and turned on a TV screen. With a tablet connected to the screen broadcast he began playback of a recording of Rebecca, taken at the nursing home where she lived. Her frail appearance couldn't hide the force of her words, her last words to Bucky and Tracey. She smiled at the person recording her and began talking.

"This recording is for my brother, Bucky and his wife, Tracey but I want everyone at the reading of the will to be present as witnesses. I have already set aside money for your children's education. With having your own settlement any monetary inheritance I could give to you would be redundant, so I decided to do something different. For several years I have worked with a documentary film maker, using photographs of our family, and photos and film footage of you during the war, news footage from before your escape from HYDRA, and since we reunited. The result, narrated by myself as well as various friends of yours is a film documentary about you, Bucky, my big brother. From the first moments I could remember I knew you were my protector. Even though we were separated by quite the gap in years you never made me feel like my presence was unwanted. My childhood memories of you are full of laughter, joy, and the certainty that with you I would have a friend for life. Our forced separation, first by war, then by a crime perpetrated on you by evil, was the stuff of tragedy.

Shakespeare said, "we are such stuff as dreams are made on" and my dream of someday seeing you again was realized when you returned to me. For that I will be eternally grateful to whatever force brought you back. The documentary is almost completed but won't be broadcast or shown in theatres without your permission. So, dear brother, I know you are a private man, but I am asking you to indulge your baby sister one final time and allow it to be shared with the world so that they see what I see and know. You are worthy, Bucky, of everything good that has happened to you. You are worthy of the love of Tracey, a wonderful woman who came into our lives when we needed her the most. You are worthy of the friendship of an organization of heroes, who follow your example on a regular basis. You are worthy of the admiration of people who recognize you for the good man you are, not what you were forced to be. You are worthy to be a father as you have shown such love and patience with your own children that it makes my heart burst with joy when I see you with them. You were always worthy as a son and brother and friend. Don't ever forget that Bucky. I love you with all my heart, and when my time comes know that same love also comes from everyone who is with you on this day."

She smiled and nodded at the person recording, and the screen went dark.

"That is the end of the will reading," announced Matt. "Personally, I felt privileged to know Rebecca Barnes Proctor. She was a force of nature, but one that was gentle, persuasive, and very determined. Thank you for being here today."

Bucky, who was already crying, and not the only one, took the expressions of sympathy and gentle hands on his arms and shoulders as genuine condolences. He sat there for some time after the others left until it was only he and Tracey left.

"What will I do without her?" he asked his wife. "Twelve years with her at the end of her life wasn't enough."

"It never is with the ones we love," she replied. "I knew the first day I showed up at the house how much love there was between you. It's part of what drew me to you. We go on, and we follow her example."

"The day you returned I was in a state," said Bucky. "I was cleaning everything, wanting the house to be perfect for you and in my total dedication to it I forgot it was her anniversary the day before. I remembered when I saw the wedding photograph of Rebecca and Harvey as I was dusting. She accepted my belated Happy Anniversary wish and cried a little. I asked what her and Harvey's secret was, as they were married for 49 years."

"What was it?" asked Tracey, her hands intertwined with her husband's.

"To always be truthful, without being hurtful. To tell each other "I love you" every day, many times. To have sex as often as they could."

"I would say you followed that very well," she murmured, kissing the side of his head. "She was very smart, and I loved her as my friend first, then as something more, something deeper. Are you going to be okay for the funeral?"

"No," he smirked, then he became serious. "I'm going to cry my eyes out, but I'm not going to hide how much she meant to me. She saved me, Tracey, as much as Steve and Sam did, as much as the Wakandans did. I learned how to live amongst people again because of her. Did you know about the documentary?"

Her smile was her answer but she did elaborate. "It was done by a man who does documentaries for PBS. She approached him about three years ago, through Matt, wondering if he was interested. It turned out he had been for some time. I've seen an unedited cut, with Rebecca, and it is a warts and all documentary. He doesn't skimp on the details when your Winter Soldier years are shown. But it is balanced by your life before and your life since. When you're ready he wants you to watch it and hopes that you can come to an agreement of how to proceed from there. Your story should be told, Bucky. I agree with Rebecca on that."

True to his promise, Bucky cried his eyes out during the funeral, at the music Rebecca chose, at the stories told about her by the people she had touched in the last years of her life, and especially by the funny and heartfelt eulogy given by Sam, that had everyone laughing then crying. When the six pallbearers took their place beside her coffin they raised it together, carried it out of the auditorium with dignity, and into the hearse then again from the hearse to the burial plot. It had clouded over a little bit by then but it was still beautiful out, with a slight breeze, and birdsong in the air. At the reception Bucky graciously accepted the condolences of everyone, staying seated with Tracey, Sam, Maria, Janice and Rhodes. Little was spoken by him but that was alright with those who were there.

That evening, after the kids were in bed, Bucky sat out in the back yard. It was dusk, the fairy lights had just come on and he was drinking a beer. He was already changed into jeans and a T-shirt, then Tracey came out with a beer for herself and climbed into his lap. Quietly they sat, enjoying the calm after the last week of funeral preparation, lawyers' visits and the like. Suddenly a song came on the outdoor speaker and Bucky looked at his phone with puzzlement as it wasn't set to any of his playlists. Then Tracey smiled at him, and they both got up and began to dance to the first song they ever danced to together, Sting's Fields of Gold. Rebecca had suggested it at the time, saying she liked the words. As those words echoed throughout their backyard Bucky and Tracey softly sang along themselves as they danced, picturing Rebecca and Harvey dancing in their own fields of gold, somewhere near the Rainbow Bridge.

Will you stay with me?

Will you be my love?

Upon the fields of barley

We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky

As we lie in fields of gold

The End

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