A/N: Italicized speech will either represent a character speaking another language, or the character's internal dialogue.

The trip back to London was...awkward, to say the least. Odette thought that everything was fine when Morita came by to wake her up, but then she saw Bucky and Steve huddled together, whispering something by the jeeps. They quickly broke apart as Odette loaded her things in the vehicle. She gave them a side-long stare, and they looked anywhere but at her.

Her eyebrows narrowed suspiciously. "Good morning, gentlemen." She greeted them cautiously.

"Morning, Odette." Steve nodded politely, quickly throwing a smile on his face. Okay, so they were back on a first name basis. That was nice.

"Good morning." Bucky flashed a charming smile at her.

The two men stayed silent and watched as Odette situated and buckled down her crates and bags. "Okay." She peeped as she quickly retreated to collect the rest of her things. She helped Jones by loading his things for him and then helping him into the jeep before helping the other men with the rest of their things. All the while, Steve and Bucky kept their distance and whispered.

"Whaddya think they're talking about?" Jones asked, leaning backwards over the side of the jeep to whisper to Odette.

So it wasn't her paranoia, Jones noticed it too. She glanced at Steve and Bucky who took no notice of her, "No clue." She muttered, mostly to herself.

Once they'd finally finished packing up, their little convoy pulled away from enemy territory, moving swiftly to re-enter safer grounds. On their bumpy ride back, Odette attempted to journal all the things she would need to do once they were back in London.

Talk to Howard about supplies and equipment

Update Peggy and Colonel Phillips on the things Steve had discovered while in the HYDRA bases and what Odette had found out while undercover

Check with the paymaster to make sure her money was still going home

Keep Jones off his leg so it could heal properly.

Jones huffed next to her as she wrote that last bullet point down. She turned and looked at him, "Would you like me to read aloud to you?" She asked. He quickly shook his head, leaning back from her.

Her entire body was tense from trying to remember it all. It didn't help that she could see Bucky glancing at her in the mirror. Part of her wanted to reach up and slap the back of his head every time he did. But another part of her...dare she say it...relished—in the attention.

The sun crept over the horizon, but it did little to warm the rag tag group of misfits. Odette shook away the drowsiness and pulled her sleeves down over her knuckles. Jones had fallen asleep next to her, which didn't help. Looking back at the second jeep, she could see Morita and Dernier about to drift off to sleep as well. How they could sleep with Dum Dum and Falsworth bickering like an old married couple, Odette had no idea. She covered her mouth as she yawned.

"Sleep if you can." Steve yelled back over the engine and the wind, "We got a lot of work to do in London."

Even if Odette wanted to go to sleep, the freezing winter wind that whipped by them made it impossible for her to drift off to sleep. Of course, of all days, it had to be constantly snowing while they were trying to get back to Allied territory. Odette was too afraid of freezing to death or the jeep careening into a tree to fall asleep today.

At least.

That's what she thought.

But then she found herself waking up around midday as the jeeps pulled off the beaten path for the team to stretch and relieve themselves. The snow was still falling, and she'd been sitting still for so long that a small dusting had collected on her lap. Her legs were numb, but she wasn't too sure if it was due to the cold or lack of movement. She stood and brushed the snow from her clothes and hair. She climbed over Jones and hopped down. Her feet screamed in protest as she landed and she grimaced at the pain. Pushing her own aches aside, she turned and helped Jones out of the jeep. Dernier and Morita came over to help Jones a good distance away. Odette stayed with the jeeps while the men took turns going deeper into the forest to relieve themselves. She shivered and hugged herself in an attempt to stay warm.

Bucky got out of the jeep and stretched before he walked over and leaned against the jeep next to her, "So," He said, grabbing her attention, "I've been thinking."

"That's dangerous." Odette said, not looking at him.

Bucky turned and stared at her, when she refused to look at him, he continued, "now that we're back on talking terms," Odette huffed and blew a stray curl away from her face, "that you owe me a dance."

She laughed through her nose, "R-really?" She asked, her teeth chattering from the cold. How the hell could he stand so casually when it was freezing?

"Yeah." Bucky nodded, "Least you could do." He reasoned.

Odette finally turned to look at him and she cocked an incredulous eyebrow at him, "Oh, r-really?" She repeated herself again.

Bucky's eyes got wide, "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I just figured what with all that's happened—,"

Odette uncurled one of her arms, immediately wanting to pull back for warmth, and laid her hand on his arm, "I'd love to. For real this time." She said.

"Really?" Bucky asked.

Odette nodded and quickly pulled her hand back, replacing it in the warm spot it once sat, "I promise." She said with a smile. Bucky's lips quirked up in a smirk. "Just stop being so weird." She wanted to say, but she figured she shouldn't press her luck.

"Great. I'll hold you to it. For real this time." He teased her. She let out a single laugh, shook her head, and rolled her eyes.

The rest of the trip was just as cold as the first half, but somewhere between being in enemy territory and them meeting Howard's ferry to London it stopped snowing.

The rest of the team stood on the open deck of the ferry, basking in the snow and freezing spray of the English Channel. Steve was up in the control room with Howard's people. Odette, however, stayed in the slightly warmer inside of the ferry. Howard's polite staff gave her a hot cup of coffee, which she was grateful for. She held it in her hands, willing it to warm her whole body as she shivered.

"You're starting to look like an addict." Bucky joked as he joined her inside. He shook the snow off him and Odette shrieked and shrunk away from the spray. Bucky laughed. "It's just a little snow." He defended.

"I can stop anytime I want. I didn't drink while we were in the field." Okay, that was a lie, but Bucky didn't need to know that. It would only prove his point. "Besides. I'm cold." Odette protested.

"You grew up in Illinois!" Bucky pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I like the cold! I hate it there just as much as I do here." Odette shuffled to one side of the bench she was sitting on so Bucky could sit next to her. The movement was so natural, Odette turned to her drink as Bucky plopped down beside her so he wouldn't see the blush on her cheeks.

"So, no Christmas's at your parents or my parents, then." Bucky joked.

"Hardy har." Odette deadpanned, turning to look out the window. Bucky just laughed at her. Odette smiled.

When they made it to England, they loaded back up into the jeeps and Odette had never been more thankful to be on cobblestone. She wasn't sure if Steve was speeding on behalf of the team growing tired and agitated, or if he was looking forward to reuniting with a certain someone, but Odette was thankful for the swiftness they moved with.

"Welcome back, team." Peggy greeted them at the entrance to SSR HQ. The men nodded politely to her, ready to hit the showers, get some semi-decent food, and go to sleep. "How did it go?" She asked Steve and Odette as they brought up the rear of the group. The rest of the men entered the elevator and were craning their necks as they descended to catch a glimpse of the meeting.

Odette glanced at Steve, he turned to look at her wordlessly for a moment before turning back to Peggy, "It went well." He answered simply.

Odette's heart nearly stopped. He hadn't reported her for her insubordination.

Yet.

But still!

She let go of the breath she'd been holding and she nodded when Peggy looked to her for confirmation, "Easy ins-and-outs." She explained.

"Odette has notes on what we discovered, she just has to compile them," Steve gave her a knowing stare, "right?" He edged her.

Odette paused for a moment, then remembered that half of her journal was her own personal thoughts and the second half was all her and Steve's notes about the mission. "Oh! Yes. I can get them to you and Colonel Phillips first thing in the morning." She nodded fervently.

Peggy smiled, pleased, "Well, I'm sure the information will be invaluable." Then she motioned for them to continue on into the base.

The ride down the elevator was quiet, Odette thanking her lucky stars that Steve had just saved her ass twice. When the doors opened, she grabbed his arm, "Steve, can we talk?" She asked.

Steve turned to Peggy who smiled and said, "I'll be in the files office if you need me, Captain."

Steve nodded, smiling absolutely lovestruck. He watched her go as long as he could before he turned to Odette. "What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Thank you." Odette admitted quietly. "For not reporting my insubordination, and giving me time to separate our notes from my...personal thoughts."

Steve smiled, "Your actions could have cost the team everything." Odette's heart dropped to the floor, "We can't afford to lose you."

Odette narrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "The mission—,"

"The mission could have been adapted. Changed to fit an ever changing battlefield. That's what battle is." Steve explained, "Coming up with new plans as new things come up." Odette nodded slowly, understanding his explanation, "But there's only one you." he poked her forehead. Odette looked away sheepishly. "Plus, I don't think Bucky would forgive me if I let anything happen to you." She looked at him incredulously, Steve gave her a small smirk, "Just so you know." And then he tipped his head as a farewell and descended into the base in the direction of the files office.

In the morning, Odette met up with Steve, Peggy, Howard, and Colonel Phillips to discuss their mission, their supplies, and their next move.

"This factory had shipping crates to all other HYDRA factories," Steve recalled.

"I matched up the names with the factories with known locations from Odette's notes while undercover in Austria." Peggy finished. The little flags indicating HYDRA factories on the map now had little name tags stuck to their bases. "We are interested in this one," Peggy held up a tag with the word, "Fólkvangr" written on it.

Odette spoke up, "Fólkvangr is what we believe to be HYDRAs main base of operations. It's where they are shipping all their best weapons and tech. Schmidt, in the short time he was in charge of the weapons facility, was trying to move production from front line assault weapons to stationary mounted weapons. He's leaning more towards aerial attacks, which means wherever this base is, there will need to be a lot of space to house all the aircraft, as well as fuel, and space to take off from"

"Aerial attacks." Colonel Phillips mused, the entire time they'd been talking he'd been staring at the map table.

Odette nodded, "I," She glanced at Steve who remained impassive, "I spoke briefly with a prisoner at the second factory," she nodded her thanks to an officer when he handed her a pointer. She pointed at the second factory they'd taken down, "He said they focused on planes and guns."

"And based on what I've seen first hand," Steve spoke up, "She's right. Schmidt is fully prepared to take this fight clear into the twenty-first century if he needs to. The technology advances they've been making have been…" He grimaced as he admitted it, "impressive."

"So we're looking for a secret base that somehow takes up a shit ton of space?" Colonel Phillips pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a frustrated sigh as he turned to the three. "We need to get more info on Fólkvangr. Carter, see what your people can dig up. Rogers, Swann, makes sure you keep your eyes and ears peeled in the field for anything that might lead us to Schmidt. The sooner we take his ass out, the better."

"Yes, sir." The three nodded in compliance.

"Oh, and Rogers," Colonel Phillips called as they turned to leave, "don't forget Stark wanted to see you to discuss that shield and suit."

Odette kept walking. It would now be a waiting game. They were being forced to stay within Allied lines while the holidays were going on, so for the next two weeks they were technically off duty. Odette needed to find something to do or she'd go insane. She took her lunch with Peggy in her office. The two women chatting deeper about the details of the clues they'd found, about the team, and about themselves.

Howard passed the office, but doubled back when he saw Odette, "There's my war girl! Have a chance to use your rifle yet?"

Odette tensed at his sudden presence, but quickly recovered, "No, not yet." She shook her head.

Howard looked genuinely shocked at this, "I spent all that time designing and building that thing and you ain't even shot it yet?" He asked, mocking despair. "You hear this, Peg?" Peggy nodded, but didn't have a chance to respond as Howard continued, "Why not?" He demanded to know.

"As a field doctor, I'm not exactly on the front lines." He didn't need to know about her insubordination. "And when I am, I'm undercover." Odette reminded him. "Though I do appreciate you making a weapon I'm more comfortable with."

"A woman with a rifle." Howard mused, his hands in his pockets as he followed Odette, "What a world, huh?" Odette nodded wordlessly in response. "Say, I've got Captain Stars and Stripes coming down to my lab later to go over some tweaks to his things, you should come test your equipment so we know what changes have to be made." Howard gave her arm a playful slap as he quickened his pace to head around her. "Won't take no for an answer." He threw over his shoulder as Odette opened her mouth to make up an excuse to not go.

"Well, guess I've found something to do." Odette thought as she turned to her Peggy. "Thank you for helping me out of that, by the way." She teased.

"You are most welcome." Peggy teased right back. "Well, I guess I better crack at this, then," Odette nodded, taking that as her cue to leave. However, when she stood and turned to leave, she saw Steve standing down the hall watching them.

Odette couldn't help but smile as she neared Steve, who was simply growing more red as she grew closer. She paused beside him and smugly looked up at him. "Don't." Steve warned.

"No, me?" Odette smiled, "I won't say a word. You kept my secret. It's only fair."

Steve smiled at her, "Thank you, Odette." She gave him a supportive slap on the back of his arm as she bid her good bye. When the door to her quarters clicked shut, and the sounds of the busy based dulled, Odette realized once again how afraid she was.

Her rifle sat untouched in the case Howard had provided her when they first went out into the field.

She lifted it carefully from her case, inspecting it slowly, testing its weight in her arms and pressed up into her shoulder's pocket. She held the grip and flexed her fingers. She took a breath then quickly put the rifle back down in its case and slammed the case shut. She hadn't shot a rifle since she'd taken out the Nazi nurse who had taken the position she needed. She forgot how heavy the weight was. The weight of the gun, the weight of the lives she could take, the weight of perfection. Every cowardly moment she'd ever had in her life melted away when she held the rifle. She wielded it as a warning for no one to underestimate her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push back the image of the other woman dropping dead in the street as people screamed.

"Shoot. Now." Odette forced herself to breathe.

"Good shot." Dr. Luce had whispered as they packed up the gear to disappear into the night, leaving no trace they had even been there.

The memory sent shivers down her spine. She was not a fighter. No matter how comfortable it felt, no matter how naturally she picked it up. She wouldn't...she couldn't...She'd gone into the field to be a doctor, not a killer. Odette sat on her bed, gripping the blanket to ground herself in reality. She bit her lip and stifled a sob.

When Odette finally made it down to Howard's lab hours later, the rest of the team were down there as well talking to Howard's assistance, and Steve was discussing something with Howard. Howard looked up and smiled mischievously when he spotted her rifle case gripped tightly in her bandaged hands. Steve, however, took one glance at her hands and looked at her with concern.

"Everything alright?" He asked as she came to a stop beside them.

Odette nodded wordlessly. She didn't trust her own voice.

"Excellent! Come, follow me." Howard instructed her. Odette did as he said and followed him deeper into the lab to a shooting range where two of his assistants were watching Bucky from afar with a mixture of fear and admiration. Odette hesitated as Howard droned on about how he would be interested to see the difference in the two of them. "Ya know, cause you've got a modified Springfield and he's got a Johnson." Bucky lowered his rifle as Howard approached and he turned and stared at them curiously. "Go on then," Howard smiled, "Have at it."

Odette gripped her case tighter, she really did not want to fire her rifle in front of Bucky. She'd had a crash course in the finer details of the weapon, just enough to make the shot she needed. But Bucky had probably been trained. He was a marksman. She was a hobbyist. Hell, her nearly blind father probably had more skill than she did.

Still, everyone was looking at her expectantly, so she threw her case up onto the table nearby and opened it up. She raised her rifle, inspecting it thoroughly before she raised it to her shoulder. She stepped up to the barricade and fired off her five shots back-to-back. She only let go of the breath she'd been holding once she snapped out of her trance. Nearly all five shots were clustered in the three center circles. Not bad for having not fired a rifle in a few years. Not great. But not bad.

Howard whistled, "Alright then." He sounded too pleased. Odette could not get the rifle out of her hands fast enough, practically dropping it on the barricade as she spun around to leave. "Gotta say, I don't wanna be the one to give you bad news. Ever." Howard joked.

Before Odette could refuse the rifle, Bucky reloaded his own and fired off his ten shots. Odette turned and watched as he copied her strikes shot for shot. He then turned, made sure she was looking at him, and fired her a quick coy smirk.

"Oh." Odette thought, "So that's how it's going to be." She raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him. Bucky nodded back towards the range. She both loved and hated the rifle, but if Bucky was going to make this a challenge, then it would be one she accepted.

She reloaded her rifle and took aim.

Dernier recovered most of his hearing after a few days, and Jones was healing up nicely. She told both men as such when she did her morning check-in with them. "You might even be well enough to join us when we ship out."

"Hey now, don't joke like that," Jones said, "If you leave me here I will go crazy and take everyone here down with me." Odette and Dernier laughed.

Christmas passed with little fanfare. There were no gift exchanges or fancy dinners. No one really felt like celebrating. It was business as usual, so long as you weren't part of Captain America's team. Then you were bored out of your mind.

Odette spent her free time either assisting Peggy and her team in researching Fólkvangr, discussing changes to her supplies with Howard or helping him modify her rifle, or taking walks on the surface with Bucky.

Those were her favorite moments.

The ones with Bucky.

On the firing range or on the surface, he always found a way to make her laugh and make her forget that they were in the middle of a war.

On the range, he helped her improve her stance and got her to accept her rifle as a tool to protect her, and not a weapon meant to kill everyone in sight.

"Here," Bucky nudged one of her feet with his, he stood close behind her, "Put your foot here." If she wasn't worried someone might see them, she could lean back and feel his chest on her back. "Steady your breathing." He breathed in her ear.

Odette would have loved to do nothing more than steady her breathing. Bucky reached around her and slid the rifle back in her shoulder pocket.

"You're wandering again." He said quietly.

"Gee, couldn't imagine why." Odette muttered under her breath.

"Hmm?" Bucky asked, not hearing her.

Odette fired the rifle in response.

The days they could make it to the surface, they would just wander, sometimes getting lost in the winding London streets as they spoke of nothing and everything.

"And that's why I joined choir." Odette finished telling her story.

"I would pay money to see you in your Sunday best." Bucky emphasized.

"Stop!" Odette lightly slapped his arm, turning red. "And what do you mean? My uniform is my Sunday best." She defended.

"Oh it's good," Bucky nodded in agreement, "but you in a little floral piece?"

"James Buchanan Barnes!" She slapped his arm with every name, "Don't be gross!"

"My apologies, ma'am." Bucky teased, ducking away from another hit.

"And what about you, huh?" Odette poked at him, "Enough of me. I'm tired of me. What about you? You've got to have some hobby outside of saving Steve from his own ego."

"I would pay money," Bucky said again, "To have you say that to his face." He laughed. Odette covered her mouth as she laughed. "Alright, alright." Bucky nodded, thinking to himself for a moment. The two had separated when Bucky had started teasing her, but now they came back together, linking arms so naturally, Odette didn't even notice she'd done it. "I was an overachiever."

"Was?" Odette teased.

Bucky's jaw tightened as he shook his head at her, "Yeah. In everything." He added. Odette giggled, "I kind of let it get to me every now and then."

"Oh?" Odette asked curiously.

"Yeah, like this one time," He chuckled as he remembered, "I spent, God, probably close to three dollars at a carnival once."

"Doing what?" Odette asked incredulously.

"I was," He looked down sheepishly, "Trying to win a prize for this red head."

"Aw," Odette cooed, she reached up and pinched his cheek, Bucky shook his head to pull away and looked at Odette as though she'd gone wild, "You're so sweet." Odette teased.

"I try to be." Bucky smiled coyly. "You saying you wouldn't want a prize won by me?"

"I don't need you to win me anything." Odette shook her head. The two enjoyed their solitude together, not bothering to explain their extended absences to their friends.

However, since she was never alone she had hardly any time to practice her...skill? Curse? Odette honestly wasn't quite sure what it was. But if it kept her out of harm's way like it had before, she really ought to spend more time learning about it.

A few days before the New Year, Odette officially cleared Jones for work. The team would ship out should weather permit within the next week.

The New Year came and went. There was a little more drinking that night then normal, and Odette retired to her room as the team started getting loud with the regulars in the mess hall. She wondered if Bucky remembered her promise to him to have a dance, but since he never brought it up, she figured she could get away with leaving the party early. Part of her wished he had remembered, but she wasn't quite ready to find out if he was willing to be her dance partner yet...

It was 1944 and the war was going nowhere. Bad weather prohibited the team from leaving, which was fine by Odette because she wasn't sure she was ready to go back undercover again. She still needed to practice her...ability. Yeah, ability seemed like a better word. So, she began to take late night walks without Bucky. She recorded in her journal her progress, usually practicing in some dark back alley where no one could see her.

The first time she'd successfully...completed...her ability, she could hardly believe her eyes.

One moment, she was in a damp, cold, London back alley. Then, as she walked through the wall, she appeared in the ruins of her last station. The remains of the factory had been abandoned. HYDRA hadn't even bothered to collect the bodies of their fallen, but Odette couldn't blame them as the Allies had left their own fallen behind as well. Thankful that she'd brought her journal with her, Odette went through the Allied men, one by one, and recorded all the information on their dog tags. Part of her wondered if she should take the tags. Worried someone may eventually come for the men, she left them. Coming back was just as exhausting as leaving.

So, after her trip to Austria, Odette picked random places around London to transport herself to. Those were much easier to get to.

Able to cross space seemingly instantaneously?

Works through walls

Works better in shadows?

Harder to do in the light…

Tiring at first. Easier now.

Focus based?...Yes.

Distance….Unlimited? Longer = more tired.

Zola's torture serum? Cause?

Odette huffed in exhaustion. She made sure to wipe the sweat from her brow and straighten her appearance before she returned to base. As she walked back in, she saw Bucky and Steve waiting at the elevator. She paused for a second before she continued forward, unbothered.

"Good night, gentlemen." She said politely.

"Odette," Steve nodded back.

"Good night." Bucky called as she entered the elevator.

Late in January, Odette stepped out of HQ and onto the streets of London at night to get some fresh-ish air alone. Anything felt fresher than the stuffiness of the underground base. She'd left her journal down in her quarters. Tonight would just be her finally getting some alone time.

The streets were mostly deserted, leaving Odette alone with her thoughts. Or, at least, she thought she was alone. It took about a block and a half before she noticed someone's footsteps echoing her own. The hairs of the back of her neck stood up. "Do I turn around and face them? What if it's HYDRA? But if I don't turn around, they may get the jump on me." Her internal monologue went back and forth as she rounded her normal corner and pressed herself to the wall.

Gritting her teeth, Odette made a split second decision. When the person rounded the corner looking for her, Odette turned in front of him and socked him in the nose. When the man staggered back, she cupped one fist inside the other and slammed them into the man's gut. The sound of a shocked grunt snapped Odette out of her paranoia.

"Bucky! Oh my God!" She grabbed his shoulders to steady him as he doubled over in pain. "What were you thinking?!" She demanded to know.

"I was thinking," Bucky wheezed, "I wanted to talk to you."

"What?!" She nearly shrieked. Bucky nodded, still wincing in pain as he stood up right. "What do you mean? Why did you sneak up on me like some kind of predator?" If he had been trying to scare her, it worked. Bucky grabbed at his nose as she spoke and winced in pain. Odette sighed in annoyance and held her hands up to his head. "Here, let me see if it's broken." She waved her hands to instruct him closer.

Awkwardly, Bucky stepped closer and allowed her to hold either side of his face as she looked over his nose. "That's a, uh, mean right hook you've got there." He said, looking anywhere but at her.

"Well, if you hadn't followed me like some sort of creep I wouldn't have hit you so hard." She deadpanned. When Bucky said nothing Odette winced, "sorry." She apologized quietly. His nose wasn't broken, but Odette wouldn't be surprised if he woke up with at least one black eye tomorrow.

"It's alright. Good thing you're on your guard." Bucky still refused to look at her, slightly ashamed he let her get him so good.

"Now," Odette finally pulled her hands away, pretending her blushing was out of anger, "What did you mean by wanting to talk to me?"

"I," Bucky stuck his hands in his pockets and shifted from foot to foot. Odette finally took notice of the state he was in; no coat, no uniform, just his normal civilian clothes. It really did seem like he'd followed her in a rush. "Well, we'd been taking walks together, so when you come out here alone, and at night too, it...it just really seems like you're trying to avoid me. Or that you don't really want me around. So, Steve told me to man-up and talk to you."

Odette's stomach tensed up at the thought that maybe Steve had revealed what she'd written in her journal, "What else did Steve say?" She asked.

"Just that I wouldn't get any answers from not talking to you." Bucky answered sheepishly.

Odette felt the tension wash off her like a wave. "Okay." She nodded slowly, "Well, we're talking now, so it's okay. We're okay." She waved nonchalantly, hoping to avoid a deeper conversation.

Bucky opened and closed his mouth like a gaping fish, "What?" He blinked rapidly, as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I wasn't trying to avoid you. I just wanted a moment alone. It seems like all of my waking moments are with someone, and I just—," Odette started to ramble when Bucky put a finger to her lips.

"Shh," He ordered her, his eyes focusing on the skyline behind her.

"I beg your pardon?" She demanded, pushing his hand away from her face.

"Shh!" Bucky repeated a bit harsher, and he covered her mouth with his hand.

Odette groaned behind his hand until she noticed how deadly serious Bucky's expression was. She paused. The street was eerily silent, but in the distance, a dull rumble thundered across the sky. Then, a siren, unused for nearly three years, moaned to life, flooding the streets as it traveled from the edge of the city to the center.

"It's an air raid!" Odette's mind spiraled. Bucky dropped his hand from her mouth, latching onto her hands as he suddenly pulled her forward. Odette held his hand tightly, running alongside him back to HQ's entrance. Her heart pounded to the beat of her feet slapping down on the sidewalk, panic had nearly blinded her and she was thankful to have Bucky's hand. They ran back down the block when the ground started shaking and the explosions started. Odette dared to glance back over her shoulder. The horizon was glowing brilliantly, and Odette prayed that people had gotten to cover in time. She stumbled as she ran. Bucky yelled something, but she was too focused on the sky to notice. The bottoms of German planes were illuminated by the explosions and fires set off from the bombs they dropped. The roar of their engines blended with the sound of the sirens. Those who had the misfortune of still being outside were screaming and desperately running for cover.

"Get inside!" Bucky yelled at the guards at the top entrance. They were already on their way inside and were waving at them to hurry up. Bucky and Odette just barely made it to the door before they could be locked out. They were halfway to the elevator when a bomb landed nearby, rocking the earth out from under them. Odette and Bucky fell into each other and stumbled to the floor.

"Down!" Bucky ordered, he slammed his hand into the back of her head, covering her head as the blast took out the windows. Instinctively, Odette curled up, clinging to Bucky as though her life depended on it. Shards of glass and wood splinters rained down on them. It felt like an eternity, but must have only been a second as they waited for another explosion that never came. Bucky patted her arms, grabbing her attention as she pulled back from him. "Go! Go!" Bucky pushed Odette up onto her feet. She stumbled forward onto her feet, but turned back and grabbed for him. Bucky pushed at her, insisting she keep moving, but Odette refused to leave him behind. Finally, he was able to get his feet under him and he pushed her ahead of him. She stumbled into the back wall of the elevator and turned to see the street go up in flames as another bomb dropped. Bucky and the two guards forced the elevator doors shut and they descended.

"Miss Swann, are you alright?" One of the guards turned to her. Odette let out a shaky breath, but couldn't answer.

"Hey, Odette," Bucky kneeled beside her, "You okay?"

Odette couldn't stop the tears that burned her eyes, but they refused to fall. She nodded wordlessly, slumping back as the elevator opened up.

"Bucky!? Odette!?" Steve ran to the elevator, Bucky stood and caught Steve in an embrace.

Peggy was on his heels, "We heard the bombs, are you both alright?" Bucky nodded as Steve released him.

"Little shaken. But we're fine." Bucky answered, looking back at Odette.

Steve reached down and practically plucked Odette off the ground, hugging her tightly. Odette returned the embrace, shaken. Once he released her, Peggy took Odette around the shoulders and guided her down to the mess hall where everyone was hunkered down.

It wasn't until Peggy repeated her name for the third time that Odette finally snapped out of her stupor. "I'm worried about you." Peggy said gently. She accepted the blanket another woman gave them with a tense smile. She stood up and stepped behind Odette to unfold the blanket around her shoulders. Odette stared up towards the surface where bombs were still going off. Dust and dirt was shaken loose from the ceiling and she blinked the debris from her eyes. "Odette," Peggy once again called for her.

"Sorry." Odette finally answered. "Just...shaken." She looked at Peggy. "It happened so fast." She mumbled.

"I'm just grateful you and Sergeant Barnes made it back safe." Peggy said. Speaking of, Odette glanced up as Steve and Bucky walked into the mess hall.

"So am I." Odette said as she stood back up. She kept her eyes on Bucky as Steve left him by the doors to find Colonel Phillips in the crowd. She started sprinting over to him, weaving between the people in the crowd that were still standing.

"Bucky." She called weakly, somehow catching his attention. Almost instinctively, he opened his arms for her. She ran the final steps to him and hugged him tightly, her heart pounding so furiously in her chest she was worried he might feel it on his own. After a silent moment where all that mattered was him there with her, they pulled away from each other. Odette looked up at him, "Thank you." She choked out.

Bucky had an unreadable expression on his face, "Don't mention it."

Sorry if the chapter seemed to bounce around a lot, I tried to break it up as best as I could.

Thank you to everyone who has favorited/followed/reviewed!