Lay Me Down

Bucky settled himself in the chair that was placed in the corner of the room, shrugging his coat off and placing it on the arm. Katherine slipped out of her coat, hanging it up in the small closet. She walked over to the bedside table that was between the two beds, opening the bottom door and pulling out a bottle of brandy. She picked up two mugs sitting next to the coffee machine. Balancing one mug on her lap, she began to pour some of the brandy in one mug, then the other. She stood up, walking over to Bucky, and handing him one of the mugs with a small smile on her face.

“I guess mugs will have to do for tonight.”

Bucky shrugged in reply. “I’m not picky. The bottle itself would’ve been fine.” He smirked over his coffee cup at Katherine, who had perched on the end of the bed closest to him.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments. Sipping their brandy, glancing at each other, unable to help smiles cross their faces.

“What about you?”

Bucky broke the silence. He looked at her, tilting his head and perching his drink on his knee. Katherine’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “What about me?”

“What do you think you would be doing if this had not worked out for you? Where would you be?”

“Oh.” Katherine appeared taken aback and at a loss for a words for a moment. “I think I still would have studied science.” She paused in her answer, nodding briefly. “I absolutely would have. But maybe I would have taught.” She caught Bucky’s eye before saying, “not kids though. I would want to do it on a higher level. With people who actually know what I’m talking about.” Katherine smiled softly. “I’m not very good at explaining things with words that don’t sound like a foreign language. It tends to piss people off eventually.

“I had this boyfriend - briefly - when I first accepted the job I have now, and I remember trying to explain our work to him.” She shook her head. “He didn’t last very long.”

“What do your parents think about what you do?”

Bucky was given nothing but silence as his answer. “Katherine,” he prodded.

“They, um…” She was looking down at her mug, swirling it in her hand. “They never had the chance to see me doing this.” She smiled softly, keeping her eyes down. “There was a car accident. My first year at uni. My parents and my little sister.” Katherine raised the brandy to her lips, closing her eyes as the liquid warmed her throat. “That was hard.”

“Sorry,” Bucky murmured, his voice husky. “It’s not an easy thing to lose the people you love.”

“I still have my brother. Will. William.

“Steve mentioned your parents. How you were his family.” Bucky simply nodded in reply.

“We’re still family. Steve’s all I got.”

“Do you ever think about having your own family?”

He seemed surprised at that question. Bucky stared at her, his mouth open slightly. “I don’t know if I’ve ever really thought about it.” He looked down at his mug. “I guess I’ve always thought about the short term. Win this war, get out of here with Steve, and figure out where life takes us then.”

Katherine simply nodded. Had she been too forward? Too … inappropriate? She hated when people asked her about her plans for a family and the future. She was focused on her career and her research. While society still seemed to turn their noses up at the idea of a woman being career-driven, the people she worked with thought otherwise.

“I’m sorry if that was intrusive. I don’t like it when people ask me that question, I shouldn’t have inflicted it upon someone else.”

She received a warm smile in return. One that reached his bright eyes. “It’s okay. You just surprised me with it, that’s all. If I’m honest, Kat, I’d probably tell you anything if you asked me.”

Katherine filed that tidbit away in the back of her mind. “I’ll remember that, Bucky.”



Katherine stifled a yawn behind her hand. She had no idea what time it was; she knew she had to sleep, but she was not quite ready for this night with Bucky to end.

“You should get some sleep.” Bucky said from his seat next to her. At some point during the night they had shifted positions - Bucky with his back resting against the headboard of the bed, Katherine laying on her side across the foot. “I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. I should go.”

Her arm reached out for him, resting on his knee as Bucky made a move to leave.

“You can stay,” she whispered. “I don’t mind.”

She saw the hesitation in his face. “It’s late, Bucky. And something tells me Peggy and Steve are having their own night right now.”

He nodded, realizing she was probably right, and relaxed into the bed. Katherine stood up and disappeared into the adjoined bathroom.

Bucky glanced around the room. It wasn’t really proper for him to spend the night like this. He knew that. Steve would be appalled if he could see his friend now. But, Bucky reasoned with himself, it was getting late. And Peggy hadn’t returned. He couldn’t very well leave Katherine alone in the hotel.

As Bucky convinced himself that it was okay to spend the night, Katherine was in the bathroom shedding her red dress. She gazed at it fondly as she hung from the back of the door. It had been a gift from her brother. She had worn it only one other night - the night of her convocation from university. That had been a big night for her. She and Will drank too much wine and shared everything with each other; every hope and dream and goal. It was Will who convinced her to take the job with the American government and their military research team. She would have to visit her brother when the war was over.

Katherine slipped into her nightgown, pulling a thin dressing robe over the lace. She had almost forgotten that there was a man on her bed. She smiled at the thought of him. Bucky was interesting to say the least - kind and chivalrous, in the same was Steve was - but also reserved and sweet, at the same time. She liked talking to him.

Bucky looked up as Katherine walked back into the room. She smiled at him, peeling the covers back on the side of the bed that was not taken by him. She sat on the edge of the bed, her back to him, as she loosened the tie of her dressing robe. The garment was tossed to the floor and Katherine lay back in the bed, pulling the blankets up around her torso.

“Goodnight Bucky.”

He looked down at her. Her clear green eyes looking back at him, a small smile on her lips, her blonde hair that fell across the pillow and her tanned face.. “Goodnight Kat.”