30Summary: As the team try to come to terms with Michelle's death, a new terrifying threat is looming over them. Clint and Grace are forced to confront their darkest fears and enemies, as they prepare for their baby's arrival. Co – Written With snowqueen79. Clint/Grace, Bucky/Sophie and other pairings.
AN: Sorry for the delay, me and snowqueen79 have been busy but we have every intention of finishing this story. There will only be four more chapters.
The Cradle Will Fall
Chapter 18
The mission was a rescue op in Symkaria, the hostages were civilians being held in a hotel by Zemo's Eko Scorpion unit. The hotel looked like it had seen better days as they infiltrated the building. Bucky was taken aback by one the hostages who had a startling resemblance to Sophie, she had a young boy with her and had a very large baby bump.
He swallowed as Steve entered the fray with the Symkarian negotiator, it wasn't going very well as one of the hostages was crying and praying in Latin.
"Release Helmut Zemo and Pietro Maximoff, otherwise we will kill the hostages!" A woman said coldly, and he got the feeling that she wasn't joking around. This woman was practically a college student, but she had cold eyes and had already killed one of the hostages.
"We can't do that, the UN is refusing to release two terrorists who held a young woman hostage for six months and raped her. Just release the remaining three hostages, make this easy on yourself, Zrinka," Steve urged gravely, not wanting to kill her and neither did his team or the Symkarian hostage unit.
Zrinka smiled bitterly, and her expression was cold as she pulled out a detonator, as did the two men who both wore suicide bomb vests.
"Hail Sokovia!" She screamed defiantly, putting her thumb on the detonator as Bucky shot her in the head from his position on the rooftop of a warehouse.
Nearby on an opposite rooftop, Clint took out the second bomber as an explosion rumbled in the distance. It knocked Bucky over, and he felt himself being shot in the shoulder and the left side of his stomach.
"Bucky? Bucky?! Oh, fuck!" He heard Clint shouting in alarm, he looked up blearily to see Clint leaning over him and putting pressure on the two bullet wounds.
"Sophie...our boys, I'm so sorry, doll. So, damn sorry," he said weakly, seeing Sophie in front of him at that moment in time. She was crying, screaming.
Bucky lost consciousness at that minute, T'Challa and Sam running over with Tony and Steve behind them.
Sophie had been nervous, it had almost seven hours and now the time was 7:30 PM in the evening. Everyone was on edge, as the door opened to reveal a grim-faced Fury, Maria and Coulson. She knew right there and then, that something had gone wrong, someone was hurt.
"The hostages were rescued without any injuries, which is good news. Sophie, would you like to sit down?" Fury asked quietly, she shook her head as Grace, Natasha, Lilia, Wanda, Peter and May moved to her side.
"No, I'm fine. Is everyone alright?" She asked bravely, praying that Fury would tell her, Grace, Wanda, Lilia, Natasha, May and Peter that Bucky and the team were alright.
"Sergeant Barnes was shot by a sniper, he was shot in the left shoulder and in the stomach. He's being flown here now, with the others," Fury said gravely.
Sophie felt the blood drain from her face, Bucky had been shot. Her fiancé was possibly fighting for his life.
Sophie felt numb as she headed out to the medical unit. Grace was on her heels with Connor.
"Sophie, hold up," Grace called. "I'm coming with you."
When they reached medical, it was alive with activity. There were other injuries, SHIELD agents, and flurry of activity towards the surgical unit. Sophie marched in that direction with Grace on her heels.
Steve caught her by the shoulders. "Sophie, he's in surgery right now."
Tears stung the backs of her eyes as she gazed up into the face of her fiancé's best friend, seeing the same worry she felt in his eyes.
"What happened?" Sophie asked, feeling her sister's warmth behind her, her tiny nephew plucking at her hair with tiny fists.
"We ended up in an attempted suicide bombing," Steve said slowly. "In the aftermath of that, someone shot at us. Bucky took a hit to the shoulder and the stomach."
Sophie didn't understand. "But the serum?"
Steve's expression was grave. "The serum can heal him, but it can't stop him from bleeding out. The haemorrhaging…"
Nat came from behind Steve, taking Sophie into her arms.
"Come here," she guided the sisters to a sofa, staying with Sophie and holding her in firm arms. "You know we have Bruce and Helen. You know he's strong. He'll pull through this."
Grace held her hand on the other side, balancing Connor on her knee until Clint came rushing toward them.
Grace flew into his arms, Connor happily squealing as he was sandwiched between his parents.
"Clint, Bucky…" Grace whispered by his ear, but not quietly enough that Sophie didn't hear.
Clint looked worried. "I know… Hey, he's going to make it. He's a tough son-of-a-bitch. He'll pull through this."
Clint spotted Sophie on the sofa with Nat and plucked her away. "How are you doing?"
Sophie dissolved into tears at that point, the numbness wearing off. Nat and Grace made it a group embrace, trying to comfort the mother-to-be while Steve watched nearby, the expression on his face showing how helpless he felt and how much he hated it.
After she was able to get a hold of herself, Sophie swiped at her face with the backs of her hands.
"Is there any way we can find out how… the surgery is going?" she hated how pitiful she sounded to herself. "Please."
Steve straightened up from where he leaned against the wall, squaring his shoulders. "I'm on it."
Helen Cho might have been formidable in the surgical ward, but no one disregarded Steve Rogers.
Tony, Lilia, May, Peter and Wanda had joined them by the time Steve came back. Steve shook his head.
"He's going to be on the table for a while," he explained. "So far, he's hanging in there. They're trying to stop the bleeding."
The lot of them waited, not so patiently, with both Sophie and Steve barely able to patiently wait. When Sam showed up, with his background in helping those at the VA and his effortless charm, Steve seemed more at ease. But he refused to leave Sophie's side and so did Nat. Grace let Lilia take Connor when it was time for his nap so she could stay with her sister.
When Dr. Helen Cho appeared to them, she wasn't able to hide her smile at the sea of worried faces. Steve stood up, his expression hopeful as he helped Sophie up.
"He's made it through the surgery," Helen explained. "We got the bleeding stopped. He lost a lot of blood so we're doing some transfusions. He won't be awake for some time but if you two," she pointed at Steve and Sophie, "would like to sit with his for a while, that won't be a problem."
Sophie held it together even though she wanted to give her tears free reign. Steve had been through this with her and she didn't want to alarm him. She nodded, blinking back tears and allowed him to wrap an around her so they could follow Helen.
Bucky looked so pale, lying motionless in the hospital bed. It was hard to take because her lover was normal unstoppable, strong, and healthy. Her heart clenched in her chest to see him like that.
"He's stabilized," Helen advised. "I think he'll pull through."
Sophie hugged the doctor tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Nodding to them both, Helen smiled. "You're welcome."
Steve guided Sophie to sit in an armchair he moved next to the bed. "Please sit. If you faint on me, that will probably finish me today." Sophie realized he was only half-joking.
"I don't know what we would have done if…"
"But we didn't," Steve said stoically. "He's going to be fine. I'm not going to allow myself to think of any what-ifs."
Steve had been scared with you. But they'd been friends for more than a century.
"It's hard, you know," he explained. "When we were kids, he was the strong one. He took care of me… Since he fell from the train…"
Sophie frowned at him. "Steve, no. None of what happened to him was on you. You know, that right?"
Steve's expression said otherwise.
"When he wakes up," she promised him, "I'll let him tell what bullshit that is."
Steve cracked a smile at that. "He's rubbing off on you."
Sophie nodded. "If you want to think about the past, you have to realize he's been through worse, Steve. He's still here."
Pulling up a chair next to her, Steve wearily sank into.
Nat, Grace, and Clint came and checked on you. Tony and Lilia came by after that. The team was there if they needed anything. Sophie knew that.
Sophie was just waiting for him to wake up. And now she knew he would. She dozed off with a hand over their babies.
It was late evening, when Bucky showed signs of improvement and he started saying everyone's names. Bruce, Shuri and Helen had been worried about brain damage, when Bucky had flatlined on the operating table for two minutes but the MRI and CAT scans showed that Bucky was fine. He would wake up soon, but Sophie was staying by his side and only left to have a shower and eat dinner. Steve was the same, he hardly left but now everyone was coming into the room to check up on Bucky.
Get well cards were placed on the bedside table, next to a photo of the latest ultrasound photo of Bucky and Sophie's baby. Sophie just wanted Bucky to wake up, she loved him so much and it hurt seeing her fiancé in such a vulnerable state.
She felt something gently grasp her right hand, and looked to see Bucky was holding her hand tightly. Seeing that Bucky would wake up soon, she kissed him softly and brushed a few strands of his dark brown hair from his face.
"Come back to me, Bucky. I love you, me and the boys need you, we love you so much," she whispered softly, trying to keep her voice from breaking and settled on the hospital bed next to him that Helen and Steve had brought out for her.
Bucky woke up to see it was dark and the last thing he remembered was hearing Clint and Steve calling his name frantically. He knew that he'd been with the team in Sokovia, Novi Grad but after that his mind was blank.
He looked around to see Sophie curled up in a hospital bed next to him, holding his right hand. He smiled softly, his heart aching at seeing the expression of worry on her face, even when she was fast asleep as he saw her waking up along with Steve.
Both of them looked relieved at seeing he was awake, he smiled at Sophie who jumped off her chair and rushed towards him. She kissed him softly on the lips, tears in her beautiful dark blue eyes.
"It's good to see you awake, Bucky." Steve said relieved, his face tight with emotion as he gripped the man's hand tightly.
"Take more than being shot by two snipers to bring me down, Stevie. Is everyone ok?" He asked quietly, Sophie nodded as she wiped her eyes and gave him a glass of water to drink.
"Everyone's fine, Bucky and all the hostages are safe too. We were worried about you, you nearly bled out," Sophie explained softly, as the rest of the team entered the room.
"I'm not leaving you, doll or our boys. I'm still here, Sophie," Bucky said reassuringly, Sophie hugging him at that moment.
It was two days before Bucky was allowed to leave the infirmary, and during that time a welcome home party had been planned for his return to the compound. Grace and Sophie had made a cake for the occasion, a dark chocolate cake with a salted caramel filling and buttercream. Bucky was still healing up, but the gunshot wound to his shoulder had healed up already.
"Where are we on Lukin?" Bucky asked grimly, as he sat down on the sofa next to Sophie who had cut a slice of cake for him. He smiled at her gratefully, he squeezed her hand and she smiled at him softly, kissing him tenderly on the mouth.
"He's under surveillance by Coulson's team, he's been meeting Hand a lot and meeting a few other people. We're not going after him yet, because we don't want Hand becoming suspicious of us and he's got a lot of powerful allies who support the Red Room and HYDRA." Steve explained grimly, he wasn't happy that they hadn't been allowed to arrest any of them yet.
"We'll get them, Steve." Bucky said determinedly and held Sophie's hand tightly as he enjoyed spending time with his fiancé and their family.
Sophie's bump was beginning to swell, and she had started buying maternity clothes, as some of her clothes were starting to feel tight over her chest or waist. Grace and Natasha had helped her buy some clothes, and she was in the process of trying on wedding dresses. Fortunately, her bump didn't show but she loved talking to her baby boys when she had a bath or in bed.
Bucky enjoyed talking to her bump and rubbing it when they were in the bath together. They were sharing a bath now, and Sophie curled into Bucky, enjoying his then, she felt a kick and placed Bucky's hand on her baby bump to feel their sons kicking. Bucky's face broke out into a smile of pure joy, at feeling his sons kicking.
That was their babies, they were ok, and they were kicking.
"Hello there, James and Sebastian. We're your mama and papa, cel mic," Bucky greeted softly, speaking in his mother's native tongue of Romanian as Sophie watched with a smile.
One of the babies kicked happily, and they saw his foot.
"You've been quiet," Bucky whispered, Sophie reclined against his chest, his thighs on either side of her.
"I was scared," she whispered. "I really thought… we might lose you and…"
Bucky took the slender hand resting on the edge of the tub and brought it to her lips. "I'm so sorry, Sweetheart. You know I wouldn't leave the three of you for anything."
Then she blew out an exhale, he pressed another kiss into her hair.
"We'll get married before our boys are born and then we'll get ready for their arrival," he said with some determination. "It's all going to happen. Please try not to worry about the future. We're going to be okay."
"Bucky," Sophie sounded sad. "It feels like we've been fighting forever. It feels like loss is just a step ahead of us. Like this is just a dream and any moment, one of them will be able to just waltz in here and steal it from us. Turn it into a nightmare."
"Doll, we're not going to let that happen," Bucky told her. "Steve's not going to let that happen. Neither is Tony. It's going to be okay."
Sophie was still thoughtful, too quiet for his liking.
"Have you found a dress yet?" He wanted to know, trying to divert her attention away from the troubles that the team was dealing with. Bucky could send the moment some of her melancholy faded.
"Well, I have a few options that Gracie and I picked out," she said, smiling now.
His Sophie was so beautiful when she smiled.
"I could show you later," she said. "A couple of them Nat said would be easily adjustable all things considered. With there being two of them…"
"How are you feeling?" Bucky asked. "You look so tired. Did you sleep at all while…"
Shit. He shouldn't have reminded her.
"Not much," she admitted. "Steve tried to make me come back here to sleep. He promised he wouldn't leave your side and he wouldn't. I just… didn't want to leave either."
Bucky huffed out a laugh. "You outlasted Steve Rogers?"
Sophie's grin had him feeling better. "I didn't leave the room. Gracie brought me clothes. I used the shower in there. People brought me food."
He shook his head. But then, Steve couldn't do much with Natasha either, so he had to give his best friend a little slack.
"Hey," Wanda called from outside their bathroom door.
"Wanda?" Sophie called. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes," she said, sounding apologetic. "It's just… your one son. He wants me to tell you to go to sleep. He's concerned because you're tired."
Sophie and Bucky exchanged a look, astonished.
"Sorry, good night," Wanda bid them, making her way out.
A grin split Bucky's face. "I like this kid."
Sophie yawned, and it only kept him smiling. "He's right. Let's get out so you can get some sleep."
Navigating them out of the tub, even though he wasn't back to full strength yet, Bucky got them dried off, wrapped his girl up in her fluffy robe. Her mind was going a mile a minute.
"Whatcha thinking, doll?" he couldn't resist asking.
"Well, have you stopped and thought," she said slowly. "If he can do what he does now, how strong is our son?"
Bucky shrugged. "Pretty powerful I'm guessing."
"What if his powers drain his brother?"
Bucky knew she was worried about that. "Helen told us both of them are just fine. They seem to be growing at the same rate, doll. Stop worrying."
"Trying," she told him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek to his chest. "I'm just… trying."
"I know doll, I won't let anything happen to you or our boys, I promise. The three of you are everything to me, and I won't let HYDRA, the Watchdogs or Lukin hurt any of you or the rest of our family." Bucky said protectively, Sophie smiled at him as they both put on pyjamas.
Bucky put on a pair of black sweatpants, and a red henley t-shirt, while Sophie put on a dark grey t-shirt nightgown, with Winnie the Pooh on the front.
The nursery was almost finished, and Sophie intended on showing Bucky the three wedding dresses she liked. The wedding was coming along beautifully, and Adrian along with Grace would walk her down aisle as part of their Jewish heritage.
She snuggled into him, feeling his left hand rest over her stomach as Oliver, one of their cats settled on the bed and she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Bucky had tried on his tuxedo for his wedding and it fitted him well, the wedding would be happening in a week's time. He heard footsteps and turned around to see Sophie with three wedding dresses, but he preferred the one by Ghost London, called Willow dress.
"I like the third one, Sophie." He said truthfully, Sophie smiled at him as she sent back the other two and she planned with the tailor to adjust the gown.
So, the tuxes, bouquet, wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses were all perfectly done. The wedding cake flavours had been decided, and there would be an assortment of food at the wedding, after the ceremony.
He looked at his grandmother's sapphire wedding ring, and then at his grandfather's wedding ring, a simple gold wedding ring that had been left to him.
That and the family albums, along with their money. He was the only one left, his parents had died in 1953, and his three little sisters had all died from old age, with the exception of Ida who had been killed by a drunk driver.
They would have loved Sophie, with her calm attitude and compassionate nature. He didn't deserve her or their baby boys, but god he was going to protect them.
Steve, Clint, Sam, Scott, Lance, Adrian, Tony and Grant had planned a stag night for Bucky, on Tuesday night. Fury and Coulson were even present, and were going over everything.
"So, no strippers and no scenes out of the Hangover, or like something out of Grand Theft Auto?" Tony asked amused, Bucky nodded, and he wrote something on his notebook.
"I've booked a bar for us, at Brighton Beach. The owner knows Sophie, as she used to go to college with her and they've stayed in touch with each other," Grant explained easily, and Bucky nodded in thanks, for his help when they saw Maria hurrying into the living room.
"Fury, I'm sorry but we've just received word that Agent Victoria Hand was seen with Felix Blake. It looks like they're planning on leaving the country and going to Venezuela." Maria said gravely, Fury nodded while Steve gathered the team.
Grace was relieved that Sophie was staying at a safe house in New Jersey, with Lilia, May and Helen along with Erik and the children. It seemed like forever, before the quinjet landed in the desert of Nevada.
"So, how many people do you think they have?" Clint asked grimly, Grace standing next to him as they looked over the map of the abandoned SHIELD base, that Felix Blake and Victoria Hand were hiding out at.
"We're thinking at least Quicksilver, Bobbi Morse, Calderon, and five other unknown mercenaries. Coulson's worried, because he lost contact with Daisy Johnson and Melinda May. He believes that they're being held hostage by Blake and Hand, Lukin is scheduled to meet them tonight," Steve explained grimly, and Grace felt her pound faster at his words.
Lukin. The man who had ordered Misha and the other Winter Soldiers to murder her father, the man who had been involved in the experiments on her and her son. Who had ordered Laura to murder Cooper and Lila, then tried to kill Clint.
The man who had been responsible for capturing Bucky, and who had tortured Adrian, her big brother.
"Do we kill Lukin, or take him in alive?" Clint was the one who asked the moral question, as he looked at Steve.
AN: We hope you enjoyed the chapter, and the story so far :)
