Chapter 57: Home

January 28, 1945

It was entirely too quiet at HQ when they finally got there.

It was a snowy day in London, and Lu had spent an inordinate amount of time layering up to survive the trek. Bucky could handle it a little better, but if he was honest, it was bitterly cold, and the windows were hardly welcoming. Most of the lights in the front of the building were off, leaving them wondering if today was somehow a holiday, or worse, if the entire SSR was assassinated while they were taking their time trying not to bust ass on the icy sidewalk.

"Hello?" Bucky called, casually stepping in front of Lu as they slowly walked into the building. "Anybody home?"

"You're being dramatic." Lu said, trying to push around him. He was faster, putting an arm out to keep her behind him.

"Safety first, Doc." he said lowly. He didn't have a pistol on him - Agent Carter kept all weapons and ammunition locked up tight - but he did have a big pocket knife to pull out. It wouldn't help him in a gun fight, but it at least made him feel better to have it.

"Barnes-"

"Shh." He didn't mean to cut her off, but he'd woken up with a bad feeling that day, and he was going to hold onto that until it was gone. Maybe he was dramatic. Maybe he was even a little paranoid. But if there was one thing he learned in this war, it was that paranoid people tended to survive at least a little longer.

"Barnes, you're scaring me." Lu hissed, debating whether or not to try and go around him again. She too was dealing with a little unease, but in her line of work, that was expected. She was getting better at ignoring it, until Bucky picked it up. He was the only one that could do that to her.

"I'm sure it's fine." he whispered. "I just wanna take some precautions."

"Yes, you're very good at that." she said. He stopped, turning to look at her.

"Really? Now we're making saucy jokes?" he asked, standing up from the crouch he'd unconsciously adopted. She gave him a confused look, then the double meaning dawned on her.

"That wasn't - I didn't mean - ugh. I hate you!" she spat, her cheeks bright red even in the dim. For a moment, he forgot to be paranoid, and smiled.

"Love you too, Doc."

"Weren't you on the hunt or something?" she said, gesturing towards the empty hallway. "I'd like to make it to the med bay today, please."

"Just hold your horses, little lady." he said, remembering his original mission. They checked down a few other hallways, but the lights were off there too, and they were almost to the last one before they heard the hum of voices and the vague buzzing of electricity. Light spilled out from the war room, shadows occasionally crossing in front of it. As they got closer, they recognized Steve and Agent Carter's voices, and Bucky abandoned his prowling state and sheathed his knife. Lu used the opportunity to brush past him, beating him to the open door.

The map on the wall was gone, instead spread out on the table. Little ticks marked where Hydra was building their railroad, and Bucky noticed with a rock in his stomach that the lines were now all connected. Steve and Agent Carter looked like they'd been up most of the night, and not in a fun way.

"Peggy…" Lu said, stepping into the room. Her eyes were on the map too, and while Steve kept his down, Agent Carter looked right back at her. "The railroad."

"It's done." she said, answering the question she didn't technically ask. "Ste - Captain Rogers and I are trying to make the final plans to capture Zola. He's the only one who knows the details of the last bunker."

"The last - there's only one more?" Bucky asked, astounded. While he and Lu always talked about after their time in the SSR, he couldn't believe that it was this close. Agent Carter nodded, but she looked grim, even for her. "What aren't you saying, Agent Carter?"

Her eyes flicked up to Steve's, and she sighed heavily before answering. "This track that they built, the train they made it for…it moves unlike any train we've ever seen. The speeds at which it travels make this operation not only very delicate, but also very dangerous."

"So no more smash and grab." Lu said. Agent Carter shook her head.

"There will undoubtedly be both smashing and grabbing, but we will also have to deal with the elements, and gravity, and a few Newtonian laws of physics." she said, just a touch of frustration slipping through her normally posh accent. "Not to mention a great deal of luck."

"Well we better have that in spades by now." Bucky said, clapping Steve on the shoulder. The touch seem to wake Steve back up, bringing him into the conversation.

"It's gonna be a tight fit, but we can do it." he said. Agent Carter pressed her lips together, and Lu figured they'd had this exact exchange multiple times before they got there. "We got the best guys - and gals - on this squad." He didn't say it was going to be fine. No one ever said it was going to be fine; the last time someone made such an arrogant declaration, the mission had not gone fine at all, and ended up with nearly everyone taking up a bed in the med bay, including Lu.

"When's the meeting?" Bucky asked, getting to the point. "When do we ship out?"

"Uncertain, for right now." Agent Carter said.

"Jones is decoding some intercepted messages right now. Hydra's been careful, but all we need is one little slip up to know that Zola's on the move." he said. "Meeting's gonna be at, what, one? Peggy?" He turned to her, so tired that he didn't realize that he'd used her first name with company. Agent Carter bristled slightly, so Bucky and Lu identically pretended they hadn't heard it. Usually Lu was the only one allowed to call her that, but they could let it slide.

"So besides that, we'll be on call." Bucky said, earning a brisk nod from Steve. "Holy shit. This is it. This is the big one."

"Well, the second to last big one." Steve agreed. Agent Carter looked down at the map, fidgeting with one of the pieces nervously. This was, in fact, a big one. Possibly the biggest one so far. The total destruction of Hydra depended on this one mission.

"You two go rest up." Lu said quietly, going to put her hand on Agent Carter's shoulder. "You're no good at planning if you're dead on your feet."

"Ugh, how bad is the cold out there?" Steve asked, grimacing at the thought.

"Just go sleep in the med bay." Lu offered. "Everyone else will be coming in soon, we'll pass the message along."

"We're fine-"

"She's right." Agent Carter said, standing up. "We need to take a break, then look at it with fresh eyes. And get feedback from everyone to formulate a final plan."

The way she said it seemed to hurt Steve's feelings, but he clenched his jaw and nodded. "To the med bay, then." he said. Lu caught Bucky's eye as Agent Carter breezed out of the room, and gave a significant head tilt towards Steve. He winked, acknowledging her super secret sign. God, they were so close now they didn't even need to verbally communicate. What a dream.

Lu followed Agent Carter out, and Bucky put a hand on Steve's arm to stop him from leaving too. "You okay?" he asked, knowing full well that they were going to have to wade through some bull shit before Steve told him the truth. He let out a long breath through his nose, crossing his arms over his chest. First sign that something was up, trying to make himself smaller. It worked back in 1943, but now it just made him look like a grumpy, blonde, strong man from Ringling Brothers.

"Yea, yea I'm fine. Just figured we wanna hash this out a little more." he said.

"Hmm." Bucky said, knowing that if he said actual words, they would go in one ear and out the other. He counted down the time until Steve gave in, letting out a frustrated noise.

"I just don't get it. We can plan the hell out of this, but there's no way for us to account for everything. And we can't just let this opportunity slide, because then we're going to lose our chance at Zola, and those don't exactly come around often." he babbled. He started pacing up and down the room, really getting into a groove. "I understand that Peg - Agent Carter is worried, but worry isn't gonna help us here."

"Neither is blind confidence." Bucky pointed out. Steve sent a glare over his shoulder before continuing his pacing.

"The boys already cased the place. Just because the train moves a little faster doesn't mean that it's gonna be a problem. If anything, there's gonna be more problems inside the train." he huffed, finally stopping.

"Have you considered that that point right there is the root of her concern?" he asked, in a moment of insight. Wow, Lu really was rubbing off on him. Steve furrowed his brows, and this time he looked defensive when he crossed the arms again.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Bucky rolled his eyes.

"I know too many smart blonds - including you - for you to fall into the stereotype." he said. "Why the hell do you think Agent Carter is worried about us, or dare I say, you, breaking into a train full of armed Nazis? A place where you have no exits?"

Steve stared at him, his eyes wide, as the words sank into his silly super soldier brain. "No." he finally said, blinking like a bright light had just blasted him in the face. Then he shook his head, making a face of disbelief. "No. No? No. No."

"Just don't wait too long, asshole." Bucky said, using this perfect opportunity of distraction to smack Steve on the back of the head and shove him towards the door. "Now go take a nap or something."

"Where are you going?" he asked as Bucky marched him towards the med bay.

"Meeting's not till one." Bucky reminded him. "You're gonna take a nap, and I'm gonna take my girl on a date."

"A date? Since when do you have time for a date? Or the money for that matter." Steve teased.

"I have until one, and I've been sitting on idea since Christmas, not that it's any of your business." he said, wishing that Steve could use a little more of his speed to get to their destination.

"Since Christmas? You planned ahead?"

"You are, truly, the worst." Bucky said. They passed by the communications room, and Bucky spotted a lone lamp on in the furthest corner. Jones was fast asleep, arms on his desk and head on his arms. Bucky left Steve for a second, silently creeping into the room. Part of him wanted to be an asshole and wake Jones up, but based on the miles of tape and piles of papers around him, it had been a late night here too. Instead, Bucky slowly clicked off the lamp, letting the man sleep.

"Aw, so sweet." Steve commented after Bucky closed the door behind him. Bucky's quick mind, of course, came up with a stellar and scathing response.

"Shut up."

When they finally reached the med bay, he all but shoved Steve through the doors. They immediately quieted, spotting Agent Carter on the last bed, evidently sound asleep. Lu was in the process of unwrapping her scarf, and Bucky frantically mimed for her to keep it on. She was confused by the request but listened, holding her hands up to show it. Bucky patted Steve on the head. "Goodnight, little one."

"Little-"

"Bye!" He grabbed Lu's hand, pulling her through the doors. She had to jog a few steps to catch up with him, eventually settling at his side.

"Where are we going in such a hurry?"

"We've got to beat the rush." he said, as if that explained anything. She tucked her hand into his elbow, pulling him so he slowed enough for her to keep up.

"The rush where?" she insisted. He smiled in response, and in return she let out a frustrated growl. "Barnes…"

"Boys!" he got to avoid her chastising by the appearance of their colleagues at the front of the building, all of them looking a little covered in snow and a lot suspicious of the lights being off.

"Bucky, what the hell is going on?" Dugan asked, gesturing at the darkness. Bucky and Lu shared a look, deciding together that it was not their job to tell them about the train tracks. They would keep their word and tell them about the meeting.

"Agent Carter and Captain Rogers are sleeping off a tactical hangover." Bucky explained. "We're free till one."

"That's what the kids are calling it these days…" Morita mumbled. "Think the pub is open this early?"

"Of course it is, I don't think it closes." Dugan said, looking rather joyful at the prospect.

"Breakfast it is, then!" Morita said, turning and abrupt about-face and heading back out into the cold.

"You know where Jones is?" Dugan asked as the winter wind slapped them in the face.

"He's taking a break too. Or he died from his papers smothering him. I didn't get close enough to tell." Bucky said with a shrug. Dugan snorted, shaking his head.

"Sounds about right. Let's - where are you going?"

Bucky guided Lu down a different turn, away from the pub. "I had the same question." she said, clearly getting fed up with the secret.

"Can't a man surprise you every once in a while?" Bucky said. He waved to the guys, once again walking away from them. "See you boys at one!"

"Barnes, seriously." Lu said, using the same voice she did when she needed her aids to do something, and do it quick. "Today's already weird, I can't take this."

"Right, right, sorry." he said. He slowed their pace and held her a little closer. "There's a pond that's been frozen over for about a month. There's a guy that gets there in the mornings and lets you rent skates, I wanted to go before it got busy."

"Skates? For the ice?" she asked. Whatever she'd been expecting, that was not it. "I've…never been ice skating."

He stopped. "What?"

"You heard me." she said, her cheeks turning a shade of pink that had nothing to do with the cold. He knew it was a little mean, but he really liked making her blush. When they first met he thought she was very good at hiding what she was thinking, but after all this time he knew her every tell.

"I won't let you fall, I promise."

"You can't promise that."

"Oh look, I just did." he said, grinning widely. She looked suspicious, but took his elbow again. He brought her in close, taking in a deep breath of the cold air and pretending that they didn't have a huge cloud hanging over their heads, stretching all the way back to HQ.

The pond was empty when they got there, but true to his word, an older gentleman bundled up to his ears sat on a bench with a tub of ice skates. Bucky bid him good morning and asked for two pairs, giving the relative sizes they needed. With odd accuracy, the man plucked the desired skates from the tub and traded them for a few freezing pounds, reminding them to be safe and to have fun. Lu changed her shoes quickly, not wanting to let her thick, thermal socks lose any of their warmth. Bucky tied his up first, then tied hers as well, making the perfect knot so they wouldn't end up tripping her. He barely remembered his first few times skating, but he knew that it could be tough.

"Alright, ready?" he asked, standing up. There was barely two feet between the bench and the ice, but Lu still hesitated.

"Not particularly." she said, sliding the blades across the snowy ground to test them. "This seems dangerous."

"After the shit we've been through, this is what scares you?" he asked. Lu glared at him, her anger fortifying her against the cold.

"I said it seems dangerous, not that I was scared." she clarified. She picked up one foot, investigating the blade. "Can these amputate fingers?"

"Absolutely. If you fall, pick your hands up." Bucky said with a shrug.

"Thought you promised you weren't going to let me fall."

"You're stalling, Doc." he said. She gave the skates another test, but remained seated on the bench. He took the couple steps onto the ice, the familiar shift taking him back to winters in New York. He stuffed his hands in the pocket of his coat, gliding a few feet out and back to remind his body how to do it. Just like riding a bike.

"Is the ice gonna break?" she asked, still rooted to her spot.

"Nah. This thing is thicker than Dum-Dum's skull." he said, stomping on the ice. When it didn't shatter, Lu's face relaxed - marginally. He skated up to the very edge, holding both his hands out to her. "C'mon, Doc. Rip off the bandage."

"Feel free to show off a little more while I get used to the idea." she said, gesturing out at the pond.

"If you insist." he said. It was very hard to impress Lu, so he had to take any chance he could get. His hands went back into his pockets as he set off, the steady rhythm of his movements and the satisfying scrape of the blades against the ice lulling him into a world where he wasn't going to risk his life commandeering a train soon. This could be just another day back home. At the thought, he glanced back at Lu, smiling as she watched him intently. Home, he realized, is wherever she was.

He pulled his hands from his pockets. Now that he was warmed up, he could really try and show off. He hadn't been a figure skater by any means, but he had gone steady with one for a couple winter weeks and picked up a few tricks. Right as he passed Lu, he turned so he was skating backwards, pride blooming in his chest at the look on her face.

"C'mon, Doc!" he called, skating along in a lovely serpentine pattern. He wanted to try the one jump he knew, but it had been a couple years since his last attempt, and the risk-reward ratio wasn't exactly where he wanted it. He skidded to a stop in front of Lu, holding his hands out again. "Don't you trust me?"

"I trust you." she said. "I just don't trust ice. Or gravity."

"If you hate it, I promise we'll stop and I'll buy you a new book." he offered. She perked up at that.

"Deal." she said. He got to the very edge of the ice again, reaching out for her. She slowly rose to her feet, finding purchase before slowly, achingly slowly, inching her way towards him. He had to bite his lips to keep himself from laughing at the adorable sight in front of him: a grown woman, who'd been through some of the worst shit, teetering like a toddler on her skates. She let out an audible sigh of relief as her hands found his.

"Look at you, a natural." he said.

"Shut up I haven't even gotten on the ice yet." she replied, seeing through his ruse. He moved backwards, letting his arms stretch out so he wasn't pulling her. However, Lu also let her arms stretch out, leaving a large space between them as she refused to step on the ice.

"Doc…"

"I'm working on it." she said. She took a deep breath, then tentatively stepped out onto the ice. She flailed for a moment as she experienced the new surface, and Bucky did his best to move with her and keep her upright. She finally got her feet under her, and let out a shaky breath. "Okay. We're still standing."

"Doing great, Doc." he said. "Stand up a little straighter."

"Absolutely not."

"You can do it, just don't lean too far back. Keep everything balanced." he said. She stood up a little more, and he decided to take what he could get. "Okay, now just stay like that. I'm gonna pull you."

"What? No!"

"Don't fight it, the more you fight, the more likely you are to fall." he said. She glared at him the best she could, gritting her teeth against the nerves.

"Okay."

"Okay."

He started skating backwards again, gently pulling her along with him. She let out a very un-Doc-like squeal at first which was terribly endearing, gripping his hands so tight that if there wasn't the added bulk of her gloves she might have cut circulation completely. But as he kept pulling her, she started to relax a little bit, eventually even nearing her full height.

"See? You're doing great." he said. They were nearing the end of the pond now. "Okay, we have to turn."

"Yea, turning. No problem." she said. She squealed once more as the momentum shifted, but this time she was able to regain her balance quicker. "This is easy."

"Told you." he said. "Start moving your feet. You wanna shift and push out."

"Shift and push out. Yea. Got it." she said. She made the tiniest movements and wobbled dangerously, but technically she didn't fall, and technically she was skating.

"There you go!" he said, pride blossoming again, but this time for her. God, his girl was so strong and brave. How did he get so lucky? When she seemed a little more comfortable, he shifted their hands so they were just touching by the fingertips. Her movements were braver, but still choppy, her brows furrowed deeply in concentration.

"Maybe this isn't terrible." she relented.

"Good. So you're ready for me to let go?"

"I didn't say that."

"I think you did."

"Barnes-"

"Trust yourself, Doc."

"Barnes no-"

He let go, keeping his hands out just in case. She stopped trying to skate, instead standing stock still on the ice. "You're okay." he reminded her.

"I'm gonna kill you."

"Gotta come get me first." he said. She reached out, trying to either smack at his hands or grab them, and failing at both. This, of course, led her to losing her balance, her skates sliding as she tried to regain it. Bucky moved close again, grabbing one of her hands and putting an arm around her waist, steadying her. "I gotcha, you're okay."

"When we get off this ice I'm gonna turn myself into a widow." she said into his chest, his jacket muffling her threat.

"We're not married yet, so you'll just be sad." he told her. "But hey, if this really is our second to last mission…"

She looked up at him them. "Oh my God. It really is." she said. "Do you think…"

"…they'll send us home?" he finished. "I hope so. God, I hope so."

"We'd actually have time for a wedding." she said. He smiled, kissing her cold nose.

"We'd have a wedding, and an apartment, and steady jobs that don't require getting shot at or blown up or sewing body parts back on." he said. She sighed, soaking in this dream with him.

"We could rest." she said, leaning into him. He had to shift a little to keep them balanced on the ice, but by now, she trusted him to do so. "Do you want to go back to New York?"

"What, London hasn't grown on you?"

"Too cold." she said. "It was nice in Italy but…"

"I'd move to Italy." he said. He had fond memories of being in that little villa with her. And to think, they could find a spot of their own in one of the villages, and live out their days in the sunshine, drinking wine to their hearts' content.

"We don't speak the language."

"We know enough to get by."

"You know enough to get by." she said. She paused for a moment, thinking. "I wouldn't mind New York."

She'd said it before, but he still liked to hear it. "Yea?"

"Yea." she said. "That's home to you."

"Home is where the heart is." he said, kissing her fully this time. "So home is wherever you are."

She blushed again, and he peppered the pink splotches with kisses. "Well, New York can be where our house is then." she said, earning a smile from him.

"Sounds perfect to me." he replied. Hell, she could say they should move to Wyoming and he would've agreed. But if she was willing to head back to his neck of the woods and stay with him forever…well, he'd like that just fine too.

I mean...it was cute, right? Things are totally gonna end up fine.

Thank y'all so much for your patience. Not only was I worrying about my grandparents the past couple weeks, but guess who lives in Texas! In case you're in other areas besides the US, my poor state that never gets winter weather had inches of snow and single digit weather, which our infrastructure is NOT prepared for. But everything is good now, so hopefully we can get back on track!

Thank you also for the reviews! They're what keeps me going when I lose faith in my writing. Y'all are seriously the best.

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!

-XM