Chapter 62: Search & Rescue

June 12, 2017

Luce didn't mind the children that visited her and Bucky regularly. They kept him company while she worked on her education, and often played with the dog and the goats while Bucky did his chores. Every once in a while they even decided to help him, though those days were few and far between. When the children came, Luce could look out the window and pretend, just for a second, that this was the family they always dreamed of. It didn't matter that the kids didn't look anything like them; in her mind, it still counted.

But then they showed up in the middle of the night.

Bucky was asleep in the back room, and Luce was up at the table, still working on an internal medicine unit as dense as the soda breads they often ate during their Hydra-busting camping trips. She should be asleep too, but she was almost finished with the unit, and she decided to keep going either until she was done or until Bucky woke up and dragged her to bed. She heard the sounds of someone - multiple someones - running down the path towards the house, and her hand stilled as she determined their size and position. She wanted to believe that the kids were here for some other reason, like a holiday they'd forgotten about or a birthday celebration that ran into the night. But then she heard their high pitched chatter, tight with worry. Something was wrong.

Her chair squeaked as she shoved it back, and from the bedroom she heard the creaking of the bed frame as Bucky woke. She reached the front door just as the kids pounded up the steps, their frantic whispers slipping through the cracks as they fought over who would knock. Bucky padded into the room, awkwardly pulling a shirt over his head, and Luce didn't wait for the kids to decide before pulling the door open.

Normally, three children came to visit. Tonight, there were only two.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice sounding so much like Summer that it sent a jolt through her. Bucky apparently heard it as well, and gave her a concerned look. He rested his hand on her shoulder, grounding her to the moment, and she nodded. She was okay. She knelt down in front of the kids, bringing them eye to eye, and Bucky joined her. Both were trembling, and she hoped it wasn't in fear of them.

"What's wrong?" Bucky tried again, looking between the brother and sister. His brows furrowed as the third child's absence became glaringly obvious. "Where's Apata?"

The little girl broke into tears, her sobs making her words unintelligible even for two super soldiers. Bucky reached a hand out, but she surprised them both by collapsing against Luce's chest, crying into her shirt. Instinctively Luce wrapped her arms around her, holding her close and rubbing comforting circles on her back. The brother, the older of the two, was trying very hard to be brave, but his voice shook as he spoke.

"Apata is missing." he said, his breath catching every few words. "One of the sheep ran from the herd, and he went to find it, but neither of them came back."

"I'm sure he's okay, your parents and their friends are probably out looking for him, right?" Bucky said, trying to sooth him. Luce could see the wheels turning in his head, but luckily the child didn't notice.

"They had to come back after sundown, the hills are too dangerous." he said. His little fingers tangled in the edge of his tunic, and at his words his sister started wailing. Luce held her a little tighter, mindful of the super strength, and tried to get her to quiet.

"What about your village helpers?" she asked. She couldn't remember if they were called lawmen or something different, and her brain was too full of blood values and presenting symptoms to remember. The boy shook his head again.

"They have to wait for daylight." he said. Tears started falling down his dark cheeks, though he still tried to be tough. He looked to Bucky. "Please, he can't stay out there all night. Papa said there are jackals and - and - and we need the White Wolf to find him."

"I'll find him." Bucky said, standing up. Luce rose with him, picking the girl up and resting her on her hip in a habit she didn't know she had.

"I'll go with you." she said, slipping her feet into her boots. The girl clung to her, but was calmer now that help was on the way.

"It's okay, I can do this. They'll need someone to stay with them, and you can keep working." Bucky said, going to the chest of drawers in the living room and pulling out his knives in their sheaths. He was trying to be considerate, she knew that, but it didn't stop the flare of annoyance in her chest.

"I'm a better tracker than you." she said in Russian, setting the girl down and letting her run back to her brother. He flinched at the harsh language, but didn't comment.

"I can still do it." he said, going into the bedroom. She followed him in, leaning against the door and crossing her arms over her chest. He grabbed a pair of pants and pulled them on, struggling for a fraction of a second to get them buttoned.

"You only have one arm." she reminded him. She did not blame him for turning down the prosthesis; she would do the same thing in his position. But it didn't change the fact that this would likely be a situation where he required two.

"I'm aware, thank you."

"I'm going with you." she decided, pulling open the drawer of her nightstand and retrieving her own knife. Deja vu swept over her as she buckled it to her thigh, but it was less like reliving a nightmare and more like going into the trenches during the war: she didn't like it, but at least she chose to be there.

"Are you sure?" Bucky's tone made her stop, and she looked over to find him staring at her very seriously. She blinked, trying to figure out why he would be so hesitant, and saw as his eyes glanced at the side of her head. There it was. The last time she was sent on a tracking mission, it was to reclaim him for Hydra. She went to him, and he put his hand on her cheek.

"I'm sure." she said, leaning her forehead against his. "We want to do good with the shit they gave us, right? That's what we decided?"

"Yes." he said, gently running his thumb over her cheekbone.

"Then let's do some good." she said, leaning in and giving him a kiss. When she pulled back, he grasped her wrist, bringing her back in.

"One more for luck." he said with a smile, and she readily kissed him again.

"Come on now, we've got a kid to find." she said. She went back to the kids, now on the couch hugging Mario like their lives depended on it. Behind her, Bucky finished dressing and donning his knives. "Can you take us to the last place you saw him?"

"Yes." the little boy said, scrambling to his feet. His sister followed, but instead of going towards the door, she reached up for Luce. Luce hesitated, still unsure why children seemed to trust her so much, but obliged and picked her up.

"I can carry you there, but then you'll have to walk home, okay?" she said. The girl nodded, her little arms resting around Luce's neck. Luce glanced to Bucky, taking note of his mission face, the sternness in his eyes. Perhaps it should scare her, to see him look so much like Winter. But it only reassured her. Just because they were different now did not mean they had to forget everything they knew.

"Lead the way." he said to the boy. His voice was gentle, but he stood ramrod straight, his right hand flexing as his muscles remembered how to do something besides farm work. She could see what was left of his other shoulder moving, and in her mind's eye could hear the gears of the old arm grind and click as he readied it. The boy took off at his maximum speed, and Luce and Bucky broke into a jog to follow him. She thought the girl would want to get down and run instead of taking the bumpy ride, but she just hung on tighter. Her brother did not lead them back to the village, but instead into the wilds surrounding it. The people called them hills, but they were more on the side of mountains, and definitely just as treacherous.

"He ran that way." the boy said, pointing to a slim game trail through the rocks. Even in daylight it would be difficult for unenhanced humans to follow it, let alone under the cover of night. But Luce had been tracking game for nigh on ninety years now, and little boys left much more obvious tracks than deer. "Please find him, White Wolf. I don't want the animals to eat him."

"Don't worry, we'll get to him." Bucky said. Luce thought it was a bold promise to make, but kept her mouth shut. Technically Bucky didn't promise that they would get to him while he was still alive, only that they would find him. Luce put the girl down.

"You two go home. We'll take it from here." she said. The girl, still sniffling but at least no longer crying, nodded. Her brother took her hand and for a moment looked like he wanted to ask to stay, but then the howls and yips of some animal in the mountains startled him. He turned and ran towards the village, taking his sister along with him.

"Guess that's our cue." Bucky said, pulling a knife from his belt and starting down the path. Luce followed him, keeping an ear out for the hunters and an eye on the trail. She knew that they were supposed to avoid things that reminded them of their past, but there was something nice about being on a mission again, especially since it was their own choice, and it was to help someone. One day she'd be a doctor and could do even more good, but for now this was a good alternative.

"Why do they call you White Wolf?" she asked. The question had been in her mind for a long time, but this was the first time she had a chance to ask it. Bucky sighed, pausing at a junction in the trail and using it as an excuse to stall. She knew which way he needed to take, and when he stepped to the left, she grabbed his waistband and directed him to the right.

"Apparently," he said, following her gentle guidance. "when I was in recovery, whatever dreams I was having…" He paused again, choosing to skip part of the tale. "They said I howled like a wolf."

Luce longed for the innocence of youth, to think that nightmarish screams were wolf howls. She remembered hearing those same howls when they were stuck in the cages, remembered making similar noises as pain made her wish she would pass out and never wake up. The memories gripped her in a way they hadn't in a long time, putting a chill in her spine. She gritted her teeth against it, pushing them away forcefully.

"Good thing they haven't heard you in bed then." she said. Bucky stopped and looked at her, and even if they couldn't communicate through telepathy, they were close enough to share thoughts. The comment was inappropriate, both in timing and in content. They both knew it.

But his mission facade cracked, and he started laughing. She joined him, proud of her joke and proud that they were getting to the point that they could make jokes again. What happened to them was terrible. Everything they'd been through the past few decades was terrible. But they were determined to be better than that now.

"Get your ass over here and start looking." he muttered, gesturing in front of him.

"What, eyes getting too old to see the trail?" she asked, picking it up immediately.

"Remember, you're just as ancient as I am."

"Not true. You're officially one hundred years old now."

"You're in your nineties, I don't think it matters."

"You're over five years older than me. That's a lot."

"That's not a lot."

"It's nearly six years, really. Cradle robber."

"To be fair, I thought you were much older when we met."

"To be fair, I lied to the enlistment officer."

"Am I the only one who managed not to commit a federal offense during the War?" he asked, full on letting her lead now. She was right, she was a better tracker, but he wasn't about to admit that right now.

"I don't know, some of the things we did with Peggy weren't exactly legal." she pointed out.

"But we weren't on US soil." he countered. "You and Steve both committed these atrocities on our home turf."

"Ah, but it led me to you." she said, smiling at him over her shoulder. His face went slack for a moment, reminding her that he really still thought she was pretty. The thought warmed her heart, and she held his gaze as his face softened. After all this time, she was finally confident in the effect she had on him. Really, she was just glad she wasn't the only one.

"That's true." he said quietly. She stopped and waited for him to catch up, pulling him close to kiss his cheek.

"Love you." she said.

"Love you too." he replied. One corner of his mouth lifted in a grin, and he lightly smacked her behind. "Get a move on, we have lives to save."

"Sir, yes, sir." she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. He muttered something under his breath, but even with her enhanced hearing she couldn't hear it, so instead she went back to her tracking. The trail was getting more difficult to follow as the terrain changed, and she widened the beam on her flashlight so she could see more. Bucky fell silent after that, allowing her to focus on her work. She had no doubt that he could find the kid on his own, but he would find him significantly faster with her help.

They could still hear the yips and howls of the wildlife in the area, as well as some low feline growls echoing through the mountains. So far there were no screams and no scent of blood in the air, so there wasn't cause to worry, but nocturnal beasts were always a concern. Luce focused; they needed to find the boy, and fast.

The moon had cleared the middle of the sky by the time she stopped, Bucky halting behind her with soldier precision. He didn't ask if she saw anything or heard anything, he simply tilted his head to try and catch anything she missed. She stared at the ground in front of her, her eyes dancing over the grass and rocks and dirt as she tried to read what happened. The villagers were right, this would be much easier in the daylight, but if the child was injured or stuck, he may not have that much time.

Luce took a deep breath, calming her mind and blocking out distractions. The more she looked, the more she could see the little divets from the sheep's hooves, and the movements of the boy as he followed. They led over the rocks, off the trail and towards a steep decline into brush and earth. She stepped up onto the rock, Bucky right behind her, and perched on her new vantage point. The signs of struggle were obvious then, going down the side until they disappeared from the circle of light that her flashlight provided.

"We're getting close." Bucky said, speaking her thoughts aloud. She nodded, shifting her weight and carefully sliding down, rocks tumbling ahead of her, practically lighting the way. The rattling cut off as the rocks fell off an edge, and moments later they heard a cry and a bleat. Luce leaned just right, picking up speed until she reached the edge, digging her heels and hand into the gravel to stop her descent. She felt as her hand got ripped up among the stones, but she didn't care. What mattered was getting to the boy. Bucky slid down behind her, a bigger rock shifting him the wrong way. He reached with an arm that wasn't there, and Luce managed to snag his shirt before he went careening off the edge. His boots slid, making him land hard on his backside as he skidded to a stop.

"Alright there?" she asked, making sure he was stable before letting go. He gave her an unamused look, moving so he could use his right arm and position himself at the edge. Luce shifted next to him, shining the light down.

The drop wasn't far, but walls around it were steep and the area itself was slim. A small boy looked up at them, his face barely visible around the puff of the sheep in his lap. The light caught the tears on his face, and the shadows as he held tightly to the wool. He called out to them in his native language, and Luce was glad Bucky had picked up some of it. She moved the flashlight to his face as he answered, the boy immediately brightening at the sight of him.

"White Wolf!" he said, giving him a big smile. "You found me!"

"Of course, I couldn't let you stay out here all night." Bucky replied. Luce pinched his side, and he kicked her foot. Now was not the time to worry about details. "You okay, Apata? Are you hurt?"

"My ankle hurts, and I have some scratches, but I think I'm alright." he called back. He glanced at Luce. "Lulu is here too!"

"She wanted to help." Bucky said. Luce was a little peeved that Bucky got an intimidating, powerful nickname whereas she got something that sounded like a grandmother, but now was not the time for her to worry about it.

"Thank you, Lulu!" Apata called. She grinned at him.

"Of course, Apata." she said. "Is your sheep okay?"

"She's okay, I managed to hold her before we fell, so she didn't get hurt. I saved her!" he said, obviously very proud of himself. Luce felt her grin widen.

"Of course you did, you're a good shepherd." she said. "I'm going to come down and help you out, okay? Some rocks might fall, so cover your face."

"I can go in." Bucky whispered as she set the flashlight down.

"It'll be easier if I go. The sheep will come first, and you're better at handling them." she said. She perched her hands on the edge, getting a handhold and letting her legs fall off. Then she slowly lowered herself, trying to disturb as few rocks as possible so they wouldn't fall on the boy. The sheep, seeing her coming down, started to struggle, but Apata was able to hold onto her. He murmured soothing things to her, calming her as Luce put her feet against the walls of the cavern. Once she was wedged in right, she was able to walk her way down just far enough to reach the animal and also still reach up to Bucky.

"Don't fall, Lulu." Apata said from below her. She let out a huff of a laugh, shaking her head. Her legs were nearly as strong as the rock walls; she wasn't worried about losing her grip.

"I'm okay, little one. Pass me your friend." she said, reaching her arms down. Apata raised up the sheep, the animal wriggling as she lost her sturdy foothold. Luce grabbed her around the ribs, applying more strength than she thought she'd need to keep the sheep from flailing to its death. Bucky laid on his stomach and took her with his arm, rolling expertly to lift her and press her to his chest. Once the sheep was up and on solid ground, she let out a loud bleat that Luce thought was completely unnecessary, given the proximity of nocturnal predators. But she still sympathized with the expression.

"My turn?" Apata asked, and Luce nodded.

"Grab onto my forearms, and hold on as tight as you can. You won't hurt me, I promise." she said, checking to make sure her feet were still firmly planted before reaching down to him. He followed her instructions, his small fingers digging into the muscles of her arms as she dead lifted him. She meant to hand him off to Bucky as well, but instead he clung to her neck the same way his sister did, his little body shaking. Like his siblings, he was trying very hard to be brave, but that bravado was quickly running out.

"Got him?" Bucky asked. Luce had to do some finagling, but she managed to get him positioned just right.

"Got him." she said. She wrapped one arm around his torso, then in a quick motion kicked off the wall and grabbed the edge of the rock with her free hand. Bucky immediately took her wrist and she braced her feet on the wall, walking up at an angle as he expertly countered her weight from above. Apata held his breath, keeping his face buried in her shoulder until they were safe.

"You're okay, buddy." Bucky said, putting his hand on the kid's back. He held on tighter to Luce, and she looked to his offending ankle. It was swollen, though probably not broken. Either way, it would still be a treacherous trip back.

"I've got you. You ready to go home?" she asked. He nodded, still refusing to let go of her, and Bucky grinned at the sight.

"I'll lead the way this time." he said, picking up the flashlight.

"Careful, you know how hard it is for old men to see at night." she teased.

"Shut up." he said, making Luce and Apata share a laugh. Going down the mountain was much easier than going up, and since they didn't have to worry about covering their tracks, they were able to follow their earlier path with ease, even for Bucky and his subpar tracking skills.

"White Wolf is an old man?" he asked, his voice muffled by her shirt.

"Very old. He's a hundred." she said, making the boy giggle again.

"A hundred!" he said, clearly not believing him. "No. How old are you Lulu?"

"I'm young, I'm only ninety-four." she said. He relaxed in her arms, finally looking up where they were going. They were halfway down now, and though they still heard the animals in the distance, they did not fear them. The sheep followed behind them, happy to be free. "How old are you?"

"Eight." he said, very proud of the age. Bucky let out a low whistle.

"Got a long way to go, Apata." he said. Apata hummed, settling into Luce's arms. She felt as his little body started giving in to the exhaustion of the day, his adrenaline all gone. By the time they made it back to his village, he was nearly asleep, perking up only when they heard the patter of his siblings and parents running towards them. Luce quickly handed him over to his mother, the woman speaking rapidly in their language and holding him tightly. His siblings tugged at his clothes and yelled at him, and his father enveloped all of them in an embrace.

His mother reached for Luce, and she allowed the woman to hold her and kiss both of her cheeks. She couldn't understand what she was saying, but the sentiment was there. She nodded and smiled, not used to getting attention or thanks for her work. The mother let go of her and moved on to Bucky, and he was actually able to get a few words in as she hugged him. The kids gathered around his legs, then bounced over to Luce, then back to Bucky again, chattering and crying. She felt oddly vulnerable with all this, and made an effort to keep her expression pleasant. One day she would have patients, and she would have to do this all day. It was good practice.

The mother argued with Bucky for a few minutes, probably something to do with thanking him, but he waved her off. Finally the exhaustion set into them as well, and she allowed him to leave with something that sounded vaguely like a threat. They said goodbye and parted, Bucky taking Luce's hand as they ambled back to their home.

A few conversation starters flitted through her head, but it was late, and they'd had a long day. It felt nice, after the stress of her classes and the drama of finding Apata, to simply be together. She was always keeping herself busy, never stopping for too long for fear of getting stuck. She'd done it all her life, and she did it now.

But the older they got, the more she realized that it was these quiet moments were the ones she cherished most.

Ah sorry about last week y'all! My dad ended up coming into town so I was hanging out with him. I was actually out of town this weekend, so hopefully this chapter is better than I feel about it lol.

Who's watching F&WS? I'm just pumped that my characterization of Bucky isn't too far off lol. He's such a grumpy old man, I love him!

Please let me know what y'all thought!

-XM