"Praise." Celeste muttered to herself. "Do they know the Force?"

"In a way neither of us would," said the Ancient One, now standing next to the Jedi.

"How... is Agamotto old?" Celeste found herself asking.

The Ancient One simply shrugged slightly. "It got old when it was needed. Just like when humans first emerged from their caves, they discovered the use of tools on their own.

"That doesn't really answer my question," Moon said in a deep voice.

"Not all questions have answers." The Ancient One said, turning to the Jedi. "Not everything has to be this way. Some questions may never be answered. What matters is the moments of our continued existence.

Celeste was silent, frowning as she pondered these words.

"There is no death, only the Force," she said after a moment.

"Ok?"

"The last line of the Jedi Code," Celeste explained. "It talks about how no matter what happens, we all eventually die and become one with the Force, or... after learning what you told me, it seems to have something to do with the universe itself. Made me realize... that we need to make the most of what we have, and make it matter to others."

She smiled approvingly as she turned to the Sorcerer Supreme, and with a quick wave of her hands the lizardman disappeared and the blue robes were placed around her shoulders.

"I believe this is a better place to stay with you than gathering dust in this secret chamber," the Ancient One said, patting her shoulder before leaving the Jedi Shadow and dusting off his robes with a growing excitement.

The Force, energy, magic, practically buzzed from the garment, making her feel lighter, stronger.

She chuckled to herself, her robe swish through the air before settling around her, which only made her tense up more with excitement.

Celeste left the relic vault and headed for the room she had been assigned to stay in Kamar-Taj.

Opening the door, she found Bucky lying on the bed with a book in his hands.

"Lord of the Rings again?" Celeste asked with obvious amusement.

“It feels fitting, given the setting.” The World War II veteran shrugged, looking up briefly from his book. “You know, one of the librarians, I think his name was Huang, apparently got the extended box set of the trilogy of movies, with commentaries from the actors and directors.”

"Oh?" The Jedi chuckled. "It sounds like you're in love."

"Of course," Barnes said without reservation. "I may not like a lot of time that's not mine, but there's one thing I do like. The Lord of the Rings.

Celeste put on a pained expression.

"On a?"

Bucky hummed, snapping the book shut and climbing off the bed to walk over to her.

"I can think of something else," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her waist and her around his shoulders.

The two looked at each other for a while, until -

“Where did you get that new cape?” Bucky found himself asking, sliding his metal hands over the azure fabric.

"Do you like it?" Celeste asked, lifting it slightly so he could get a better look at it. "The Ancient One gave it to me. Apparently, it belonged to an ancient race who used the Force and came to this planet thousands of years ago.

“Really?” Bucky muttered. “How did it get stuck together?”

Celeste shrugged. "Magic. The Force. Both?"

“Both seem plausible,” Bucky said, shaking his head from side to side.

Celeste just giggled and pulled him down for a deep kiss, Bucky kissed him back and they stayed there for a few minutes until they were both panting.

The former Hydra servant let out a laugh and stroked Celeste's flushed cheek with his hand.

"Always love seeing you like this," he said.

"What? Heat, annoyance, wanting to pounce on you? Celeste asked back.

Bucky just gave a huge smile and leaned his forehead against hers.

"What about you?" she whispered.

"Ok?"

"You've been here the whole time, and every time I've gone off to learn the greater mysteries of the universe, you've been alone. It's really not fair.

“Really?” Bucky asked back. “You were able to learn more about your capabilities, and after everything we’ve done and everything we’ve been through, I’ve gained some peace. I call that a victory.”

Celeste just shook her head and pressed her body against his and he held her tightly.

The two were silent for a while.

Celeste's hand dragged along his metal arm as she hummed loudly, lost in thought.

"what?"

"I saw something very interesting in a relic vault today."

"Oh? What?

Celeste's fingers were drumming on his metal arm now.

“The Ancient One spoke of how certain objects could be infused with magic to make them more powerful,” Celeste said. “Perhaps—”

Bucky chuckled and interrupted her. "Let's not talk about this for now."

"why not?"

“It feels like I might have to work hard to get it. Can’t accept charity for doing nothing.” Bucky pointed out. “Besides, I’d rather get things out of here first.”

"Do you think they can do anything?"

"Aren't we in a real magical place?" He asked her back with a hum. "I'm sure they have something to get my programming out of my head."

Celeste simply nodded as she went back to enjoying the peace and comfort with her lover.

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