An eerie calm settled over Alex the closer they got to the airfield, as though she had completely accepted the fact that there was a high chance that she wouldn't get out of this. It wasn't that she thought she was going to be killed, but their main objective here was to get Steve and Bucky on that plane and that meant it was likely that the others would be taken into SHIELD's custody. They couldn't exactly let them go, this little team she found herself on, there were essentially outlaws now. They had to expect to be treated as such.
The journey was somewhat less comfortable than they were used to, all packed into Clint's van, the seven of them, shoulder to shoulder in silence, readying themselves to put their plan into action. When they reached half a mile from the airfield, Clint pulled over, managing to conceal the vehicle within the thick brush of the trees that lined the road. Steve and Clint climbed from the cab, the others slipping out of the side doors, before moving further into the trees, coming together in something of a huddle to await further instruction.
Alex watched as, by the treeline, Bucky spoke to Steve quietly. The captain's eyes flicked from Bucky to her and back to his friend again, a small amount of paranoia settling in – were they talking about her? She hoped that Bucky wasn't going through his usual routine of trying to persuade Steve to not let her go with them, if anything, this was the time to let that go.
She saw Steve nod, and both of them walked back towards the group. When they reached the huddle, Bucky sidled up beside Alex, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Shouldn't I stay to hear what's happening?"
"Clint will fill you in later," he said, taking her hand in his, and moving them out of earshot of the rest of the group, moving her to stand in front of him. "Don't worry, this won't take long. I just…I needed to say it before we had to split up."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, but I need you to do me a favour, please let me get this out before you start talking. Anything could happen today and I might not make it out of this, whether it's prison or death. But, I want you to know right now, how much I love you and how happy you've made me," Bucky smiled, his fingertips brushing along her knuckles as he held her hand, "And I would go through what Hydra did to me time and time again if it meant that I still got to love you at the end of everything. So… I might not have anything to give you, but I need to ask all the same, because I might not get the chance later."
Alex's mouth fell open as Bucky dropped to his knee, smiling brightly up at her, "Alex Lockhart, I can't promise you that this will be easy, but I can promise that I will love you until the day that I die. And if you'd do me the honour, I'd very much like to marry you." She stood, too stunned to reply, eyes filling, "So, will you? Marry me?"
"Yes," she whispered, grinning as a stray tear fell onto her cheek, "Of course I will!"
Bucky stood, grasping her around the waist in a tight hug, spinning her around as he beamed with joy. He put her back down, before taking her face in his hands and kissing her hard. They broke apart when they heard clapping behind them, turning to find that the group's attention was very much on them, each member wearing a grin.
"Congratulations," Steve smiled, beckoning them back over, "Now, let's go do this, so you two can actually have a wedding."
Alex and Clint walked side by side, along the edge of the thick tree line, spying the airfield in the distance. "Steve said we'd know when it was our time to go, so I guess we just wait here until that happens."
"Am I the only one who feels like they didn't want us in this?" she asked with a smirk.
"I got a family, I happy right where I am. And I suppose you'd be kind of a distraction for the last Howling Commando out there." Alex gave him a confused glance, "My kids like the exhibit."
The sounds of the fight could be heard from where they stood, watching as allies fought on the ground and in the sky – Steve's shield flying between the action, light from Tony's thrusters catching on the metal finish. They saw as the Vision shot a beam that hit Rhodes, knocking him from the sky, and Alex's heart sank, seeing what was potentially the first of many of this fight's casualties. But, the most shocking of all of this battle's sights, was seeing Scott sprout up suddenly to gargantuan size, swatting their opponents from the air like flies.
Looking to Clint, she saw that he too was slack-jawed, "I guess that's our queue…" she spoke slowly, and saw him give a small nod, before they began to move towards the airfield, trying to stay out of direct sight – which wasn't easy, with eyes in the skies and only open space between them and their destination. They ran, feet cutting quickly through the grass as they moved as fast as they could to the small fire door at the back of the building. Though there was no handle on the outside, between them they managed to force their way inside. Clint went before Alex, knowing which aircraft Steve wanted, and she followed closely behind in the darkened hangar, the sounds of the fight outside seeming so much louder now, they could hear the grunts and shouts of each individual team member as though they were in the hangar with them.
"This way," Clint hurried her along in a hushed tone, leading her to the plane at the very end of the hangar, it was smaller than the others, but would be perfect to take Steve and Bucky where they needed to go. He pulled the handle down, which allowed him to pull open the side door of the craft.
He beckoned Alex inside, but she shook her head, "You go do what you need to, get this ready, and I'll keep watch. Make sure no one gets in here before Steve and Bucky."
Suddenly the walls seem to shake as the hangar door was broken, knocked aside as Scott's giant form fell to the ground, his legs caught somehow. A man in a full body suit seemed to run rings around Bucky – quite literally, as Steve fought his way to his friend. She struggled to make out all of what was happening through the debris, eyes dancing back and forth, from one end of the airfield to the other, trying to keep eyes on every team member. She and Clint had been told the day before that, no matter what, they weren't to move from their place in the hangar – there's was 'an important job for the success of the mission' – or at least those were Steve's words, ever ready to instruct them as soldiers, the only way he knew how to lead them.
Just as she was beginning to worry that no one would make it, Alex spotted, Steve, arm around Bucky like a crutch, hurrying towards where she stood, the man she could only assume was the 'Black Panther' gaining on them. She made a move to help them, to stop him, when she saw something hit him with a small flash – Natasha stepped out from behind one of the other aircrafts, and for a moment it seemed that it was all over, but Alex saw her angle her head back, moving them on. They paused for a moment, as if not quite believing her, before Steve began to move, his grip still on Bucky, urging him onward.
"They're here!" Alex called out, alerting Clint to their teammates' arrival, him rushing out to meet Steve and Bucky as they made it to the door.
Clint guided Steve inside to quickly talk him through the controls, Bucky hanging on for a moment outside, leaning a little on the door to regain his strength. "Are you okay?" Alex asked, cupping his face to bring his attention to her.
He nodded, with a small smile, "Can't fight without taking a few hits."
The captain came back to the door, Clint at his side, "We should go."
Bucky looked back to Alex, with a hint of doubt in his eyes, and she reached up to place a kiss on his forehead. "You can do this."
Stepping back, Clint closed the door from the outside, slapping the side twice to let Steve know that they were good to go. The archer pulled Alex away from the aircraft as it began to lift from the ground, and together the two of them watched it leave.
SHIELD agents surrounded the team from all sides, intent on bringing them in, but they knew that with Steve and Bucky on their way, it was only a matter of time before everything began to right itself again.
A/N: Thanks for all the favourites and follows guys, it's great to know people are still enjoying the story! :3