Gia stood at the back of the jet, wind whipping her hair, while Steve and Bucky prepped to jump. She would close the hatch once they were clear.
"Five minutes," Natasha called from the pilot's seat.
"We have to time this just right to land inside the property gates," Steve said.
Bucky nodded as he slipped his parachute on and fastened it.
The jet lurched, then bounced, and Gia lost her footing. She screamed as she slipped off the jet, barely able to grab on to the edge of the hatch. Bucky and Steve both ran to help her, but she lost her grip as Bucky dropped his knees to take her hand.
The jet grew smaller and smaller as she flipped through the air. She managed to get her flailing limbs under control and turned her face to the sky. She didn't want to see the snow-covered ground getting closer.
Instead, a dark smudge against the blue sky grew larger, headed right for her. Bucky. He was coming at her fast, like a torpedo cutting through the water. A mixture of relief and panic flowed through her. Bucky had come to save her, but not before he crashed into her in midair.
The panic grew as he got closer with no signs of slowing, but at the last minute he shifted and came along side of her. He grabbed hold and wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist.
"Hold on," Bucky yelled over the rushing wind.
He opened the parachute. When it caught the wind, they were jerked up. Gia screamed as she slipped a little, but Bucky held tight.
"I've got you."
No longer plummeting to her death, the fear rushed from her, and Gia openly sobbed into Bucky's neck.
Steve's voice came over her earpiece. "You guys all right?"
"We're both fine," Bucky said. "Just looking for a good place to set us down.
"Steve," Natasha said, "you have to jump in thirty seconds. We can't fly by again."
"Not without Bucky and Gia."
"Steve, go," Bucky said. "We'll be fine."
"Send Nat your coordinates once you land."
"Got it."
They drifted silently for a moment.
"Gia, I have to guide us to the ground. Can you hold on to me by yourself?"
Gia wrapped her arms and legs around him tighter, and Bucky let go to control the parachute.
"There aren't a lot of clear spots. Lots of trees. I'm going to try to hit the biggest clearing I can find, but we might get scraped up on the way down. Don't let go."
"Trust me, I won't."
Bucky got them to the ground a little battered, but safe. He unhooked the harness on the parachute, but Gia was still wrapped around him. Bucky rubbed his hand over her back.
"You're safe. You can let go."
Gia put one foot on the ground, then the other. When she knew her legs wouldn't buckle she let go of him. He gathered up the parachute and checked their coordinates.
"Nat, we're down safe."
There was no response.
"Nat, do you copy?"
"Something's interfering," Gia said.
"Yeah."
Gia looked around. At least a foot of snow covered the ground. Her feet sunk into it a bit as she moved around.
She wrapped her arms around herself. "I'd have worn my warmer uniform if I'd known I'd be in the snow."
"Let's go."
"Shouldn't we stay here?"
"You'll freeze to death. The mission will take at least a few hours. They don't know exactly where we are, and I can't give Nat our location. I saw a cabin a few miles east. Let's check it out and hope whoever lives there lets us stay a while."
"A few miles? In the snow?"
Bucky grinned. "It'll keep you warm."
"I guess that's a silver lining."
They walked silently for a couple of miles. The sun was slipping into the horizon.
"It'll be dark soon," Gia said.
"Just another mile or so."
"How can you be sure?"
Bucky raised an eyebrow at her.
"Right. This kind of stuff is second nature to you, isn't it?"
He shrugged. "I've had decades of experience."
A gust of wind nearly knocked Gia over, but she leaned into it and wrapped her arms around herself.
When the cabin finally came into sight, Gia ran forward. She knocked on the door and called out.
"Hello?"
"No one's here."
"How do you know?"
Bucky pointed to the ground at her feet. "The snow is piled too high. If anyone were here this would be cleared away. Plus, no sign of a car or anything. This place is pretty remote. No one would walk here."
Gia groaned and hopped from one foot to another, her arms wrapped around herself, hands rubbing up and down.
"What do we do now?"
Bucky stared at her a moment, then tried the doorknob. Locked. He walked around the small cabin looking for another entry, but there was just the one door. He grabbed the knob again and twisted hard. It fell fell off and the door swung open.
"You're breaking in?"
"We'll leave money to replace it. Come on."
The cabin was one large room. To the left was a small, open kitchen with a table. To the right was a double bed, a bureau, and a door to the only other room, which Gia hoped was a bathroom. The center of the room held a couple of wingback chairs facing a fireplace.
Bucky pulled the bureau in front of the door to keep it closed, and block the wind from the newly made hole where the knob had been.
Gia shivered. "It's just as cold in here as it is outside."
Bucky looked around the room. "No thermostat. That means no heat."
"Wonderful."
"I'll get a fire going."
Gia checked out the additional room. It was a bathroom with a shower. She sighed in relief and turned on the water. She waited, but even after a couple of minutes the water was still cold.
"Good news is we have running water."
"Bad news?"
"It's cold."
"No warm shower, then."
"No."
"Come here." Bucky pulled a chair in front of the fire and sat Gia down. "Stay here a minute."
"Gladly."
Bucky searched through a few of the drawers in the bureau and handed Gia some clothes.
"They look a little big, but they're dry. Why don't you go change?"
Gia nodded and went into the bathroom and changed into a large flannel shirt, and pants with a draw string that she cinched tight. When she came back out, Bucky was wearing a similar flannel shirt and jeans that were just a tad loose. He had both chairs pulled next to the fire, and he waved her over. She sat down and pulled her chair even closer.
They sat for an hour before Gia started falling asleep. Bucky gave her a gentle shake.
"Hm?"
"Why don't you get some sleep." He pointed to the bed.
"Think it's clean?"
Bucky shrugged. "The rest of the place seems clean enough. These clothes are clean."
"Good point."
Gia pulled back the covers and checked, then climbed in.
"The sheets are freezing. It was warmer by the fire."
"They'll warm up."
Gia sat up. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Shouldn't you get some rest?"
"I'm fine."
"Bucky, I know you've been awake at least forty-eight hours. You've got to be getting tired."
He shrugged.
"There's room for two if we sleep on our sides."
"You sure?"
"Yes. You jumped out of a plane to save my life. I think I can share a bed with you."
Bucky grinned as he stood. "You know, it wasn't a huge deal on my part. I was about to jump out of the plane anyway."
"For a mission... which you put aside to save me."
"I wasn't going to let you die."
Bucky climbed under the covers as Gia pushed herself toward the edge of the bed to give him room.
It was an odd, but somehow calming sensation to have the super soldier so close. She fell asleep faster than she thought she would.
She slept well until her shivering woke her. The temperature dropped a good ten degrees in the already icy cabin.
The bed dipped as Bucky got back in, and a rush of cold air crept in under the sheets.
"I put a couple more logs on the fire."
"Thanks."
"Listen, you can't stay cold like that. Why don't you scoot closer to me and share some body heat?"
"I'm fine."
"You're shivering so hard you're shaking the bed. That's not good."
"I'll be fine. You just let in more cold air when you got up."
"You were cold before I got up... that's why I got up to stoke the fire."
She looked at him over her shoulder. "You don't mind?"
"No. Come here."
He pulled her closer and draped his arm over her.
"You are warm," she said.
"Told you," he said with a smile.
She settled a bit, but still shivered. After a few minutes she pressed herself back firmly against Bucky's warm body, and he grunted.
"Sorry," she said.
She started to move away, but Bucky wrapped his arm around her tighter and pulled her back.
"Don't be."
He leaned into her so that his body covered hers a little, and she felt the warmth flood through her. She sighed, and her entire body relaxed.
"Thank you."
Bucky nuzzled his nose into her hair. "You're welcome."
Bucky's hand rested on the pillow next to Gia's face. She placed her hand on top of his, but Bucky turned his hand palm up and laced his fingers through hers.
"Bucky?"
"Hmm?"
She stumbled through her thoughts for what to say, but couldn't come up with anything that didn't sound ridiculous. So, she pressed herself closer to him and brushed her lips over his knuckles.
Bucky's breath caught. He unlaced their fingers, turned her face to his, and pressed his lips to hers. She whimpered, and Bucky maneuvered her so that she was facing him completely, her hands pressed against his chest.
She pulled away, breathless. "Bucky... what is this?"
"Overdue."
Gia smiled. "Really?"
"It's why I jumped after you without a second thought to the mission."
Gia pressed her lips against his and whispered, "Kiss me."
Bucky groaned and covered her mouth with his. She parted her lips for him, and he deepened the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her so that she was flush against him, unable to move. Not that she wanted to.
Static pulled them apart. They stared at each other until Steve's voice came through.
"Can... hear... Gi-..."
Bucky sat up. "Steve?"
"Buck? Can... hear me?"
"Yeah, a little."
"Whe- are you?"
Bucky got out of bed and gave Steve the coordinates of the cabin. It took a couple of tries, but Steve got it and repeated it back."
"Hang tight. We're... way."
"10-4."
Bucky climbed back under the covers and leaned in for another kiss, but Gia held her hand to his chest.
"They'll hear us," she whispered.
"I don't care. I'm kissing you all the way home, anyway. So, they'd better get used to it now."
Natasha's voice came through without interference. "I missed a few words of that, but did he say what I think he said?"
"What have you two been doing?" Steve asked.
Bucky smiled down at Gia. "Staying warm."
She laughed, and Bucky pressed his lips to hers.