Chapter 2: One Way or Another
Evelyn was watching as the soldiers were laughing and making fun of her brother because instead of taking his new transformation seriously, the senator was using him as a mascot instead of a soldier. She crossed one arm over her chest, playing with the locket that hung around her neck with her other hand. It had the letters "B and E" entwined together. Inside the locket was their wedding photo and engraving that said:
Not the real thing, but you are the keeper of my heart.
~Jimmy
The one nickname she was only allowed to call him. She always called him that in the privacy of their bedroom. A name she called him affectionately. She let out a sigh as she watched as Steve walked off the stage and the dancing girls took his place. "Steve," she called to her brother.
"What?" he asked as he sat down.
"I know this isn't what you wanted," she murmured sadly.
She stood behind her brother, her hands resting on his shoulders. "Here I was hoping doing this would put me on the front with Buck and I could bring him home to you," he murmured.
"I know," she answered, hugging him tightly as he reached up, resting his hand on her arms.
She kissed his cheek. "Any word from him?" he asked.
"Not since our trip to California," she replied.
She sat down and let out a sigh as she wiped a tear from her cheek. Steve reached over and held her hand gently so not to hurt her. "I just want him back," she whispered.
"I know," he answered, resting his forehead against the top of her head.
A year had passed since Bucky was sent overseas to fight in the war. He had watched as his beautiful sister was slowly fading away.
Later on, Steve was talking to Peggy when she mentioned the 107th infantry. Bucky's infantry. He looked over at his sister to see her eyes wide. "His infantry was attacked?" she asked, her heart racing in her chest. Peggy closed her mouth, knowing she said too much. "Steve?" she said with wide eyes.
"Don't worry about it, Eve," he told her, "I'm going to get him back."
She rushed with him to talk to Colonel Phillips. "Bucky's not dead, Steve," she told him, "I can feel it in my heart that he's alive." Steve nodded as he held his sister's hand.
After they were told that Bucky was probably dead, and Peggy got them a lift with Howard Stark, Evelyn looked at her brother as the plane started to shake and he went to leave. "Steve!" she called to him and her brother turned around, "Dead or alive, bring my husband back to me."
"You got it!" he answered before he jumped from the plane.
(Camp)
Evelyn was lying on her cot, opening and closing the locket and letting it hang over her eyes as she stared at her wedding picture. Her heart ached for her husband, she waited for word from her brother telling her whether they were all dead or alive. Suddenly, she heard commotion outside and it made her sit up to see what was going on.
Walking over to the entrance of her tent, she pulled back the flap and aw a large group of soldier walking into the encampment. At the head of the group was her brother, but behind her was her husband. "JAMES!" she shouted excitedly, "JIMMY!"
Bucky looked up when he heard his name. "JIMMY!" he heard it again and looked over to his left.
"EVIE!" he shouted with a grin on his face.
With whatever strength he had left he rushed over and caught his wife in his arms, holding her to him as he swung her around. She held onto him, beaming as he set her down and she touched his face. "Oh my God…" she whispered.
"I'm okay," he assured her, "I'm gonna be fine, Beautiful."
Evelyn beamed before he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back as he held her in his arms and the soldiers started clapping and cheering for the two of them. Bucky placed her back on the ground and looked over at his brother-in-law. "Hey! Let's hear it for Captain America!" he told them. They watched as the infantry cheered on the captain and Evelyn rested her head on his chest with a smile.
That night, Evelyn was cleaning all of the injuries covering her husband's torso. "Beautiful, I promise, I'm gonna leave," he told her.
"I haven't touched you in a year, you're really going to argue with me?" she asked.
"Well if you put it that way," he commented as he sat up.
He placed his hand on the back of her neck and kissed her deeply. Evelyn kissed him back, her hands resting on his chest as she lied on top of him. "I missed you," he whispered.
"I missed you too," she answered, "Think you have the strength to do this?"
"If it kills me, be one hell of a way to go," he murmured before moving so she was underneath him and kissed her again.
(One Year Later)
One year and several missions later, Evelyn and Bucky were just as inseparable they had since they were children. She was always there waiting for him to return from their missions. And every day they were together it were as if they were in their first year of marriage all over again.
One night, Evelyn was in their quarters wearing hers…well his favorite blue nightgown that had little beaded daffodils sewn into the top. Even though the nightgown never lasted long, always ended up as a little crumpled pile on the floor next to his clothes. She looked up when the door opened and her husband returned from his briefing. "So?" she asked as she sat up on her knees on the bed.
"Really? The good one?" he asked, "I haven't torn that apart yet?"
"Not yet," she replied smiling as she gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, kissing him lightly.
Bucky kissed her back, his hands cupping her face before he pulled away. "How did the briefing go?" she asked as he undid his tie.
"We're going after Zola tomorrow," he replied, making her look up.
"That scientist that…" she started to say.
"That injected me with whatever? Yeah, I'm calling it sweet revenge," he replied as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders.
She smiled as she kissed his chest. "I have something to tell you," she whispered as she kissed his throat.
"This should be real good then," he answered smiling as he pushed her back onto the bed and moved over her.
Evelyn smiled up at him as she playfully tugged on his dog tags. "I went and saw the doctor today," she replied.
"You don't have the flu or something from being down here all the time do you?" he asked.
"No," she replied smiling.
She took his hand and rested it over her stomach. Bucky stared at her stomach and then it sunk in and he stared at her. "Really?" he asked.
"Yeah," she replied beaming.
"Oh wow," he said grinning as he kissed her deeply.
Evelyn kissed him back, her arms moving around his back. "How far along?" he asked.
"Just six weeks," she replied, smiling as he pushed her nightgown up to reveal her still flat stomach.
He pressed a kiss to her stomach, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey little one, this is your dad talking here," he whispered to her stomach. He rested his head on her stomach, making her smile.
"Jimmy, you're not going to hear anything yet," she told him laughing softly.
He traced his fingers over her hip, smiling softly. "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket never let it fade away. Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket save it for a rainy day," he whispered to her stomach.
"That's sweet, Jimmy," she said softly.
"It's something my mom started singing, who knows maybe it'll be a real song someday," he commented.
She smiled as he moved up, kissing her tenderly. She kissed him back, moving her hand along his back as he turned over onto his back and pulled her with him.
The next night, Evelyn was lying awake, rubbing her stomach. "Your daddy should be home soon," she whispered. She smiled as she pictured what her child was going to look like. She hoped it was a boy that looked like his father. She heard footsteps coming down the hall. She sat up and expected to greet her husband when the door opened and revealed her brother. "Steve? What's going on? Where's Jimmy?" she asked. She then realized he had been crying and tears welled up in her eyes. "No…" she whispered.
"I'm sorry, Evie, I'm so sorry," he whispered.
"No," she said, swallowing hard.
"He fell," he answered.
She felt as if someone ripped her heart out of her chest. "NO!" she screamed as she fell to her knees, but Steve caught her in his arms. "No, no, no," she said sobbing. He rested his forehead against the back of her head as she sobbed in his arms.
(Three Weeks Later)
Evelyn watched as the Red Skull was grinning evilly. Her brother had gone fighting one of the soldiers that was going to take a bomb to New York. "You see Fraulein, everything happens for a reason. Including the death of your friend," he commented.
"Fraulein makes me an unmarried woman, I'm a married woman and you murdered him," she answered as she held her gun up.
"It is war, I am afraid, deaths happen," he commented, "My condolences."
She glared at him through the hot tears in her eyes. "He was a good man," she said through clenched teeth.
"All good men are lost in wars as well," he answered.
She kept her gun raised, swallowing against the rock hard lump in her throat. "I can help you reunite with him," he stated as he held his gun up to kill her when she fired first, shooting the gun out of his hand. He let out what almost sounded like a growl as he grabbed another gun but this time Steve ran up from behind tackling him to the floor before he could pull the trigger.
She ran over to the console to try to turn this thing around when she realized she had no idea how to turn this one around. He came up from behind her, grabbing her by the back of her shirt and threw her across the room, making her land into Steve.
After the Red Skull was defeated by his own weapon, they were trying to divert the weapon when they realized something. "We're not going to make it home today," Steve murmured to his sister. She shook her head slowly, reaching over she gripped his hand tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes as she rested her hand over her unborn child.
"We're coming home, Jimmy," she whispered, saying the one name only she could call him.
She let out a deep breath as she listened to Steve talk to Peggy as the water was racing up to greet them. Steve held his sister's hand tighter as she gripped back, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat.
