This is an OC/Bucky ship, start to finish. I hope you enjoy Maggie and her story!
A couple of notes for all of you:
-I realized this morning that I accidentally marked the story as completed, when it is in fact in progress on the website.
-In narrowing down exactly where I'm going with the story- post this part of the series- I realized this will be at least a 3 part series.
-This part alone is about 22k words.
-I am posting scenes as chapters. The ones that are less than 1k word count will get two posts in a night and I will try to be vigilant on warning you at the top.
-When I was writing this I did research on the ANC and it was hard for me personally to narrow down exact rankings, but I believe most Nurses were ranked somewhere around 2nd Lieutenant, so when we get there, that is the rank I'm going with for Maggie. *However* if you happen to know more on their rankings I would love to hear it, respectfully.
Also dear guest! Thank you for the review and I really hope you like the direction I've gone in! I'd respond to more of your review but I think you'll get the answers throughout the story!
With love, Dubs
Maggie Hargrove grew up fighting along side best friends Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. He always inspired her to be better than she was, so when the war started, she signed up and got a position in the Army Nurses Corps. The problem is when you're good at helping people die in peace, they start to call you names. And that's where Captain America came in.
March 1942 - World Exposition of Tomorrow
Bucky and Steve walked around the giant globe that was seated near the entrance of the expo as they waited for Maggie. Steve had been in a funk since finding out about Bucky leaving as well.
"I don't see what the problem is," Bucky commented looking around for the girls, "you're about to be the last eligible bachelor in New York. You know there's three and a half million women here?"
"Well, I'd settle for just one," Steve replied, and Bucky looked down at him.
"What about Maggie?"
"What about her?" Steve asked and Bucky looked around.
"How are you two not a thing?" he replied quietly.
"I love Maggie dearly," Steve responded, "But I don't really think either one of us is interested in each other like that. Besides, I always thought you were into her."
"I—" Bucky started to respond when a girl's voice called out his name. He turned to the voice and smiled as he waved to her. Behind the girl was another, with blonde hair. Steve sighed.
"What did you tell her about me?" he asked.
"Only the good stuff," Bucky responded and walked over to them. Steve followed wiping the hair across his forehead nervously.
"Bucky! Steve!" another female voice called, and Steve turned with relief to see Maggie. On her arm was a man taller than her, with black hair and sun-tanned skin. Steve immediately wondered if he was a god with the way he was built. Bucky's jaw clenched as the two walked up.
"Daniel, these two men are my oldest friends, Steve and Bucky. Boys, this is Daniel, he's from Germany as it turns out," she introduced.
"I got out a few years ago," he said, his accent thick, "I realized very quickly, I was not their image of a perfect man."
"Well, you're an American now," she said smiling up to him, "there's someone for everyone here." He smiled back at Maggie and Bucky rolled his eyes.
"Let's go," Bucky grumbled and led the group towards the Modern Marvels Pavilion.
"It's nice to meet you," Steve said taking Daniel's hand as they walked, "Bucky means to say it too."
"Thank you, it is nice to meet you too," he replied with a toothy grin, "The way she spoke of you I imagined a much bigger man."
"Have you two know each other for a while?" he asked, and Daniel shook his head.
"No, just since this afternoon. She told me she was looking for someone to come with her and her friends tonight. She said it is her last night in the country before she will leave. She is a nurse for the Army. I could only dream about keeping a girl like that."
"She's something special," Steve said. He and Daniel watched her as she walked ahead of them, but behind Bucky and his date. Maggie turned to say something to them and saw them further back and stopped to wait for them.
When they entered the Modern Marvels Pavilion the dates of Bucky and Steve looked around in wonder and awe. Maggie couldn't help but to stop and look at all the most advanced technologies. When women started giggling and running towards the stage, she hardly noticed until Daniel took her hand.
"Howard Stark is about to present it looks like," he said, and she turned to see the man walking out on stage, "do you want to watch?"
"I'd love to!" she said and let him lead her closer. They stood near a pillar, far from the stage. The crowd had filled in instantly and they had missed their chance at being closer. Maggie, while not small, struggled to see through the sea of bodies in front of her. Daniel smiled down at her as she stood on her tip toes, before kneeling next to her.
"If you sit on my shoulder, I can lift you," he said.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," she replied bashfully.
"I insist," he said, and she sighed before starting to position herself on his right shoulder. He lifted her immediately and she let out an elated and terrified giggle. A few in the crowd turned to see the small commotion behind them, and Howard Stark even smiled at her with a wink.
"Now that's what I like to call an elevated level of thinking," he joked into the microphone and Maggie blushed as the crowd turned to face her. She played along and blew a kiss to Howard and the crowd cheered as they turned to see him catch it.
He carried on with his presentation and Maggie watched in wonder as his car began to hover off the ground. When it failed and Howard Stark played it off, she laughed along with the crowd.
What Maggie didn't notice were the glances that Bucky kept giving her as she was held onto by the man she had just met earlier in the day. Steve, however, noticed and one of the times he also turned to glance back at Maggie he noticed a recruitment poster and immediately took off toward it. Maggie noticed him and for a moment they made eye contact before he pointed to the poster. She looked at it, then back to Steve and nodded.
Bucky turned to make a comment to Steve, but he was gone and began looking around for him. After a few moments without any luck, he went over to Maggie who was being carefully set down by her date now that the segment was over.
"Did you see Steve from up there?" he asked, a bit more bitterly than he meant.
"I did," she replied.
"Did you see where he went?" he asked.
"Bucky where do you think he went," she asked looking to the poster. His eyes followed her, and he sighed.
"We have to stop him," he said grabbing her hand and pulling her with him, "Maybe he'll listen if you tell him this is ridiculous."
"Bucky," she called and tried to take her hand away. He stopped but held onto her tight, "I'm not going to tell him he can't do this."
"And if they take him in, he'll die," Bucky responded, "are you willing to let that happen?"
"We all could die, Buck," she replied, and he sighed.
"Just, come with me to talk to him about it," he said, "If he has a good excuse I'll give up."
"Fine," she said with a sigh and looked to Daniel, "We'll be right back."
"I understand," he said with a warm smile that she couldn't help but return. Bucky rolled his eyes and pulled her along with him.
"It's too bad we're leaving tomorrow," she said, "he's sweet enough, I'd chance a second date."
"We're not leaving soon enough," Bucky grumbled under his breath.
When they entered the enlistment center, they found Steve looking at his reflection in a cut out of a soldier. Bucky ran up behind him and clasped his hands on Steve's shoulders.
"Come on. You're kind of missing the point of a triple date," Bucky said trying to pull him away, "We're gonna take the girls dancing."
"You two go ahead, I'll catch up with you," Steve responded. Bucky sighed as he looked to Steve with annoyance.
"You're really going to do this again?" he asked skeptically. Steve looked to Maggie, then back to Bucky.
"Well, it's a fair. I'll try my luck."
"As who? Steve from Ohio? They'll catch you, or worse, they'll actually take you," Bucky snapped.
"Look," Steve said looking to the ground. He looked to Maggie again, then back at Bucky, "I know you don't think I can do this—"
"This isn't a back alley, Steve. It's war," Bucky groused stepping closer. Maggie grabbed Bucky's hand and stepped forward so not only were the three of them all close to one another, but so that she was between Bucky and Steve.
"I know it's a war," Steve responded.
"Why are you so keen to fight? There are so many important jobs. Maggie, tell him this is ridiculous," Bucky said taking her hand with his. Maggie opened her mouth to answer but Steve cut her off.
"What do you want me to do?" Steve asked looking to Maggie, then continued as his eyes moved to Bucky, "Collect scrap metal in my little red wagon?"
"Yes! Why not?" Bucky said his exasperation rising.
"I'm not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky! Bucky come on. There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand. This isn't about me," Steve countered. Bucky shook his head.
"Right. 'Cause you got nothing to prove."
"Bucky," Maggie whispered as the two stared at one another.
"Maggie, you know—"
"Hey Sarge! Are we going dancing?" Bucky's date called. Bucky looked to the girl then he looked back at Maggie, releasing her hand before turning to the girl.
"Yes, we are!" he said faking a smile. He turned back to Steve, looking at him as he backed away, "Don't do anything stupid until I get back."
"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you," Steve responded. Bucky stopped in his tracks and walked back over to Steve embracing him in a hug.
"You're a punk."
"Jerk," Steve responded instantly as he hugged him back.
"Are you going with us?" Bucky asked looking at Maggie, but she shook her head no.
"Go ahead, can you ask my date if I can take a rain check for when I get back?" Bucky licked his lips and shook his head with an eye roll.
"I'll see what I can do," he said hugging her tight. She hugged him back and as he continued, his voice was quiet, "see you in the morning."
"Oh-eight-hundred," she responded back just as quietly. With a final squeeze he let her go and turned to the girls and Daniel.
"Be careful," Steve called after Bucky as he started to leave, then continued, "Don't win the war till I get there!" Bucky turned and saluted him before leaving with the girls and Daniel in tow.
"You think he has a point?" Steve asked looking to Maggie and she shrugged.
"Maybe," she said, "but so do you. You've always done what you think is right. You're the reason I signed up so I'm not going to ever tell you to stop trying to do what you believe in."
"How did I get so lucky to have you in my life," he said with a smile. She smiled back and hugged him.
"I could ask myself the same thing. Now, let's see about getting you enlisted," she commented and led them towards the station. What neither one of them saw was the man watching them from a distance, a smile on his face.
Steve sat in the makeshift office as the doctor packed up his things. A nurse came in with Maggie and told her to sit in the chair next to the table then went up and whispered something to the doctor. Steve looked to Maggie in curiosity, and she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head indicating she was in the dark as well.
"Wait here," the doctor said.
"Is there a problem?" Steve asked and the doctor looked between the two.
"Just wait here," he responded and walked out of the room.
Steve looked back to the sign behind him that read 'It is illegal to lie on your enlistment form' and ran over to where his shoes were and began putting them on. He hadn't even finished tying the first when a tall MP walked into the room. He looked to Maggie first, then his eyes moved to Steve. After another moment, a smaller man entered the room. He was wearing a lab coat and black glasses were on his face. He wasn't smiling, but Maggie felt a warmth from him that made it seem like he was. Once he was in the room the MP left.
"So," the man said in a thick German accent as he opened a file in his hands, "you want to go overseas and kill some Nazis."
"Excuse me?" Steve responded and the man snapped his folder shut.
"Dr. Abraham Erskine," he said offering his hand for Steve to shake. The man continued, "I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve." Steve stood and shook the man's hand.
"Steve Rogers," he replied, "That's Margaret Hargrove." The man nodded and smiled to Maggie, extending his hand to her. She stood as she took it.
"Just call me Maggie. Where are you from?"
"Queens. 73rd Street and Utopia Parkway. Before that, Germany. This troubles you?" he asked looking between the two.
"No," Steve and Maggie responded at the same time.
"Where are you from, Mr. Rogers? Hmm?" he asked, "Is it, New Haven? Or Paramus? Five exams in five different cities. And I take it your wife here knows about them all."
"Oh, she's not my wife," Steve said, and Maggie couldn't help the chortle that escaped her lips. Then Steve continued, "Besides, that might not be the right file."
"No, it's not the exams I'm interested in. It's the five tries. But you didn't answer my question. Do you want to kill Nazis?" Erskine asked moving to stand in front of Steve. Steve looked to Maggie then to Erskine.
"Is this a test?" he asked.
"Yes," Dr. Erskine responded trying not to be amused. Steve looked to Maggie and took a deep breath.
"I don't want to kill anyone," he said then looked to Erskine, "I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."
"Well," Erskine began, "there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe now what we need is a little guy, huh?" Steve looked to Maggie, excitement in his eyes. Erskine followed suit. Bucky had been right, that was the sound of a Doctor letting someone know there was a possibility. She just hoped the possibility didn't kill Steve immediately. She nodded at Steve, a smile on her face as Dr. Erskine turned to the curtain and opened it. He led the two from the room as he continued, "I can offer you a chance. Only a chance."
"I'll take it!" Steve said chasing after him excitedly.
"Good," Dr. Erskine replied as he stepped up to a desk and began looking at the stamps. "So where is the little guy from? Actually?"
"Brooklyn," Steve replied. The man nodded and stamped the paper before handing the closed folder to Steve.
"Congratulation, soldier," he said and walked away. Maggie looked at the file over Steve's shoulder and the letters freshly stamped on the page felt like she had been hit in the gut. She smiled resting her head against his shoulder.
"You did it," she said softly, "you got in." Steve let out a relieved sigh and closed it.
"I did," he replied turning to her, "but I wouldn't have, if it hadn't been for you."
"No, no, that's all on you Steve," she said pointing at his chest, "Now, you're just going to have to show them how big of a heart Brooklyn raised in you."