Hey all just wanted to say thank you for the reviews. I had two midterms this week and they were both brutal. Your comments are what got me through this hellish week. I'm sorry I didn't update sooner my schedule for the next few weeks is going to be a bit crazy but I'll update as soon as the next chapter is don't. Please continue sending me reviews if you can. I love hearing from you all. You are all awesome. So with out further delay here it is.
Turns out that Greece was in the middle of a Civil War during World War II, which is why it was so easy for Hydra to build a base right under their noses. We found that out the next day as we were trying to find a way out of the country and got caught in a firefight between the two armies. We shouted that we were American but that just made them shoot more.
After that horrible morning, it was decided that we should stay away from any towns or cities until we reached allied territory. It was two weeks before we finally ran into the allied forces. Two very long weeks of living in extremely tight quarters. Being the only woman on the team for weeks at a time when it feels like your uterus is trying to kill you and your soul mate deciding to get payback for you nudging him off a plane by eating the only chocolate bar for miles that you had been saving for that situation in particular makes for a very uncomfortable situation for everyone around.
Once we finally managed to contact SSR headquarters in London, They told us that they had sent scouts to look for the Hydra Base but that one of them hadn't returned. It wasn't much of a lead but we were already there so we decided to start the search. The camp restocked our supplies and thankfully replaced the chocolate my jerk of a soul mate had eaten.
We walked for what seemed like an eternity and still no sign of the base. The only thing we found was a castle in the middle of the forest. We didn't think much of is until we got a closer look. The guards had the Hydra logo on their uniforms. After days of scouting and planning we realized that sneaking in was not an option. The castle was heavily fortified so we decided to mount an offensive that involved all of us, including me, and some reinforcements the SSR had managed to send out way.
The fight lasted hours but we finally managed to gain the upper hand and rescue the prisoners Hydra were forcing to work for them. They weren't just Prisoners of war but people from local towns that had been captured. Some kids as well.
After the base was destroyed and all the civilians were taken back to their homes. There weren't any leads on any of the Hydra bases so we were ordered to return to London. There were no complaints from any of us. At this point it had been two and a half months in the field and we were ready for a night in a real bed.
The trip back to London took a few days. We had to take a few detours and help out in the front lines a few times. I performed my first amputation on a soldier that was probably younger than I was as we were crossing Hungary. Luckily after that we were able to secure transport back to an Allied airfield in Italy. Once in Italy we flew back in a plane that was going back to London for supplies. Three hours later we were back in London.
Everyone was ready to head back to their quarters but we had to report back to SSR Headquarters for debrief. Lucky for me Peggy was the one interviewing me. She could tell how much I wanted to get back to the apartment and get some rest to she just handed me the notepad and asked me to write a brief summary of everything important that happened while we were away. I briefly mentioned the force field incident in Greece. That made Peggy raise an eyebrow but she didn't question it, she just crossed it off.
"I'm not putting that on record. I'll mention it to Colonel Philips but that's it. Too many questions to answer from people whom it doesn't concern." She said.
"You sure?" I asked.
"Positive. Just be sure to have Howard run some tests." Peggy answered.
"I will, speaking of, where is Gramps. It's too quiet for him to be working in the lab." I asked.
"He's in New York. Left a few days ago. Had a meeting about some project he's working on. He should be back tonight or tomorrow morning." Peggy said a bit relieved.
"Did he give you any trouble?" I said. I sounded like a parent picking their kid up from daycare.
"No more than usual. He was worried about you. He kept reading through the incoming telegraphs every morning and afternoon since you left. Drove the secretaries mad." She said with a bit of a smile.
I couldn't help but chuckle at that. Truth was I did miss spending time with gramps. He was my best friend along with Peggy in this time.
"Anything I may have missed?" I asked.
"Besides your grandfather's philandering and experiments that nearly blew up the lab again? No nothing." She said looking down at the notepad making some minor corrections.
"What about with you? Any new admirers?" I said with a smirk.
"Now why would you ask that?" She said looking at me.
"Don't know, Valentine's Day was a few weeks ago, I just thought maybe you had a date and had some fun for once." I said. Peggy was dedicated to her career and was a textbook definition of a workaholic. She needed to have a bit of fun. She just threw me a glare with no real anger behind it. "Come on Pegs I was on the front lines, I'm living vicariously through you."
"Sorry to disappoint but I spent the day doing paperwork and hiding your Grandfather from hordes of distraught women he promised a Valentines Date too." She said with a grimace. "What about you? How did you spend your First Valentine's Day as a couple?"
I thought back to that day. We had arrived at the Allied camp on our way to Czechoslovakia. They had a massive influx of wounded soldiers arrive from the front lines arrive unexpectedly. I helped out for most of the day. When I got back to the tent I shared with Steve and Bucky they each gave me their share of chocolate rations as a gift. We then proceeded to start making out until we were interrupted by gunshots. On the plus side I got practice blocking bullets with force fields. I couldn't sustain it for long but it was enough for me to find cover.
"Nothing much, just avoiding getting shot." I said with a shrug.
"Well you can always make it up to Barnes on his birthday. Do you have anything planned?" She asked.
"Not yet but I have a ton of time to think of something." I said with a shrug.
"You do remember his birthday is in two days?" Peggy said reminding me.
"What? But it's not until March 10th." I said in shock.
"It is. Today's the 7th." She said casually.
"It completely slipped my mind. What an I supposed to do Pegs?" I said freaking out.
"Calm down. You've been away and busy it's expected for something like this to slip your mind. Take the rest of the day, relax, get some rest and start fresh tomorrow. Besides your grandfather will be back by then and he could help you come up with something." She said while handing me something to sign.
I quickly signed and said, "Thanks Peggy, you're a godsend." I got up and then remembered, "Can you do me a huge favor, If you see Gramps before I do tell him I'll stop by the lab in the morning."
"I'll tell him, now go home and take advantage of the time off." She said ushering me out of the office."
"I'll do that, see you tomorrow." I said walking out of her office. When I walked to the waiting area I saw Private Lorraine trying to flirt with Bucky who was trying to cut the conversation short. When he saw me he grinned and just excused himself from the conversation and made his way over to me. He gave me a huge hug and them kissed me. He caught me by surprise but I went along with it because it had been a while since we had done that without the risk of being interrupted by gunshots or wounded soldiers.
"What was that for?" I said after we broke the kiss.
"What a guy can't kiss his soul mate anymore?" He said kissing my cheek as he pulled me into a one armed hug.
"Didn't say that, just caught me by surprise." I said not being able to take the smile off my face,
"Let's just say, some people couldn't take a hint." He said smiling down at me.
I look out of the corner of my eye to see the embarrassed look on Private Lorraine's face. I couldn't help but smile at that.
I leaned up to kiss him again. "Just to be sure." I whispered.
"Steve has to stay and do some paperwork and meet with Philips. He said he'd meet us back home."
"Sounds good. I'm dying for a hot shower and some sleep." I said as we walked out of SSR Headquarters. I was already late afternoon. The sun was setting and it was starting to get cold.
After we were dropped off we got in the apartment and I just stood in the doorway and took it all in. It was so good to be back.
"I don't know what I want to do first, shower or sleep." I told Bucky walking into the apartment.
"I don't know if I want to eat, sleep or shower. They all sound good, Doll." He said walking over to the couch and just crashing down on it.
"Do we even have anything in the pantry?" I ask and was answered by soft snores. I turned to look at him and he was knocked out. His head was resting on the armrest of the couch and one leg and arm was dangling off the couch. I had to wake him up and get him to move to the bed. If he stayed like that he was going to wake up with a kink in his neck.
I walked over and gently shook his shoulder, "Bucky, you need to get up sweetie" All I got was louder snoring. "There's a comfy bed a couple of steps away." Still nothing. I couldn't carry him to bed so I did the next best thing. I brought him a pillow and a blanket. I lifted Bucky's head a bit and adjusted it so he'd be more comfy. Then I took of his boots and covered him with a blanket. He didn't move at all. Poor guy was exhausted. He had gotten some sleep on the plane ride back but not enough.
I sighed, I'd been meaning to have the talk I had with Steve with him, but there was never a good moment. I thought now that we were alone would be good but he fell asleep. I walked over to the room and stripped for a shower. He might wake up by the time I get out or if not I could do it later this week.
I stepped into the shower and just stood there enjoying the hot water falling onto my head. I felt all the tension in my muscles disappear and I started to relax. By the time I got out my skin was all pruney. I put on my undergarments and walked into the room to grab a change of clothes. I grabbed the first thing I saw which happened to be one of Bucky's shirts. After I was dressed I looked into the living room to see if Bucky was awake but he was still in the same position I left him in. Oh well there's always tomorrow.
I laid down on the bed and tried to fall asleep but months of sleeping on the front lines got me used to staying alert even in my sleep. The slightest sound would wake me up. I eventually heard Bucky fall off the couch and walk into the room. He curled up beside me and hugged me to him.
I rolled over so I could look up at him. His eyes were slightly red and he was shaking. "Bucky are you okay?" I asked concerned.
"I-I'm fine." He said. His voice was hoarse.
"What happened?" I said putting my hand on his cheek.
"Bad dream. I'll be fine." He said kissing my forehead and pulling me closer.
"You want to tell me what it was about?" I say getting a bit worried.
He sighs, "It started off in Azzano, when the 107th got captured and Zola was…" He didn't finish the sentence but he didn't need to. I still got the occasional nightmares about those days. "Then we were in the forest and we were running away but we got split up again. I couldn't find you and I heard gunshots. I found you but this time the force field didn't appear and you were on the ground, choking on blood until you weren't." He said getting choked up on a sob.
If I didn't already feel bad enough about what I was about to ask him, this definitely did it for me. I sat up and pulled Bucky into a hug. If we were going to have the talk I needed him to calm down a bit first. He rested his head on my chest and wrapped his arms around me. I gently rubbed his head and played with his hair just like my Nana used to do to me when I woke up from a nightmare as a kid. I started humming Hey Jude and waited for Bucky to calm down. When he was finally ready I took a deep breath and finally started the dreaded conversation.
"Bucky we need to talk." As soon as I say that I instantly want to slap myself. When your in a relationship never start a conversation like that or with there's something I need to tell you. How many times did Jess tell me that? Hell that's how Dean ended things with me over Skype. Bucky just looks up at me with his red puffy eyes. What I would give to never have to see that look again?
"Sweetie I know that what happened in Greece was scary, even with the force field appearing and me being okay. I knew the risk of me being hurt or killed out there when I signed up, just like you knew and just like Steve did. That incident was a wake up call that there are no certainties in life for anyone. I got lucky but if it had gone the other way and I had gotten shot I would have died." Bucky just looked at me obviously not liking where this conversation was heading.
"And there is that possibility. I can't control the time jumps and I can only use the force fields for a few seconds at a time and only if I know an attack is coming. So I want to say that if I were to die out there…" I say
"Nora, don't" Bucky says sniffling a bit and sitting up.
"No. I need you to listen to me. I already had this conversation with Steve and I need to have it with you two. I love you. No matter what I do. Steve too. And because I love the both of you if for whatever reason I don't make it out of this I need you to promise you'll move on with your lives."
"You can't be serious." He says raising his voice a bit.
"I'm dead serious. We're a trio. And I know we're together until the end of the line. But if I get to the end first I don't want you to run after me." I say watching him try to keep it together. I feel horrible for saying this but I need to make sure that if I end up going back and not being able to see them again, that Bucky and Steve will be all right. Which makes me think I may have to have a different version of this chat with Gramps, preferably while getting very drunk.
"I can't promise you that." Bucky says trying to hold tears back.
"I need you to. I need to know that if for whatever reason I don't make it back you and Steve will move on. Go back to Brooklyn, make sure Steve goes back to art school or I don't know go buy a farm somewhere. I want you two to be happy even if I don't get to be a part of it."
"We don't need that, the three of us together that's how it's supposed to be. We have the names to prove it." He argued.
"Buck, you don't have to remind me. I've had your names on my wrists since my thirteenth birthday. And as crazy as it sounds I loved you guys before I even met you."
"Then why?" He asked.
"Because shit happens. It was luck that saved me this time but when I thought about the possibility of dying the only thing I could think about was everyone I was leaving behind. So promise me if I die you and Steve move on with your lives and I'll promise you, I'll do everything I can when I'm out there to stay alive."
"You're not going to let this go are you?" He sighs. "I promise I'll try I can't do more than that." He says pulling me into a hug.
"I love you." I tell him hugging him back listening to his heartbeat.
"Love you too Doll." That was the last thing I heard before falling finally asleep.
Third Person's POV- half an hour later
After the conversation Bucky had with his soulmate he held her in his arms as she slept. Listening to her talk about the possibility of her dying and how she wanted him and Steve to move on if she did made him want to lock her away somewhere safe until the war was over but he knew her but he wouldn't. He knew she was equally if not more stubborn than he and Steve combined. She'd probably find a way out then find him on the front lines.
Bucky heard the front door open and knew that Steve was home. He heard his footsteps and knew that he was heading into the room.
Steve quietly opened the door and looked at his soulmates curled around each other on the bed. He thought they were both asleep until he heard Bucky whisper, "A little heads up would have been nice."
"I did say it was going to be a late night." Steve said with a small smile but it disappeared the instant he saw the look on his soulmate's face.
"That's not what I was talking about. Nora talked to me about Greece. How it made her realize how uncertain everything is and how if she died she wanted us to move on." Bucky said with a harsh whisper.
"She finally have the talk?" Steve asked even though it was more of a statement.
"She did. She also told me she told you." Bucky said giving him a look.
"She did. In Greece the same night it happened. You were asleep." Steve said as if it justified not telling him sooner.
"That was months ago." Bucky said raising his voice, making Nora fuss a bit in her sleep.
"She was waiting for the right moment. Every time she was going to, she got interrupted by either wounded soldiers or gunshots. Can you blame her?" Steve defended.
"A heads up still would have been nice." Bucky grumbled.
"I know, I should have said something." Steve said.
"I don't want to lose her" Bucky whispered.
"I don't either and we won't. She's smart, strong, and she has us. We're gonna get through this and afterwards we're gonna settle down somewhere, get a dog, maybe start a family." Steve said whispering the last part.
"Have it all planned out already, don't you?" Bucky said with a smile. Truth was he had thought about it too. Steve and him getting jobs to provide for Nora. Buying a farm somewhere the three of them could be together. Having kids. Just thinking about it made him smile.
"Yeah and so have you." Steve said smiling at him.
"You know me too well punk."
"After all these years what you expect jerk."
The two just stayed quiet just watching their soulmate sleep peacefully until they decided to follow her lead and sleep as well.