Hello again my loves! I know I said I would be going on hiatus, but I couldn't leave you all with a cliffhanger like that. THANK YOU for your support. It truly does warm my heart and give me so, so much inspiration to know how many people love this story. I literally barely edited this one at all because I was too choked up.

Trigger Warning: Minor violence and gore. Also, I cried in this chapter. You might too. I am so sorry in advance.


Chapter XXXI

"Fuck umm, Bucky what do I do?" Lucy panicked upon realizing what she had done. "Fuck, fuck fuck!" She looked at him in wide, scared eyes and her hand began to shake. It might have been the only time Bucky had seen her not entirely composed, and it was for a good reason.

"Okay, okay, just don't panic! And whatever you do, do not release any pressure on that." He said softly, not wanting her accidentally let it go off.

The Nazi in charge chuckled as he watched the two of them; although he looked slightly unnerved there was an active grenade in the mix of their situation. "I don't think you thought very far ahead."

"Oh, I thought enough to know that if you shoot any one of us I'm going to let this thing blow us all to shit." Lucy threatened, her eyes dangerously reflecting her anger. Her hands were shaking as it gripped the grenade but she tried to remain as calm as possible.

"And kill your comrades in the mix? I don't think so." The man called her bluff.

"I don't know about that. I think I can say we'd all rather be dead than a prisoner of war." She said fairly confidently, knowing which one she would prefer.

"Speak for yourself," Whitney shifted uncomfortably. None of the men no longer had guns pointed at them. Instead, they were all focused on Lucy.

"You wouldn't." The man only chuckled again, thinking he knew what Lucy would do.

"Don't tempt her!" Whitney insisted fearfully, "She definitely will, the broad is bat shit crazy!"

Lucy looked at Whitney with a huff and then faced Bucky again, the look she gave him proved she had no idea what she was doing. She looked at him with a panic and then Bucky did something that he never would have done if he weren't absolutely in love with her.

"Give it to me," He insisted, holding his hand out after he noticed her shaking.

"No, no, I'm not letting you take it." There was no way she would let him put himself in danger over her. Her voice shook at the mere thought of him having it.

"Just trust me," Bucky said softly and held his hand out. "Trust me, pigeon."

"No," Lucy shook her head again and blinked tears back from her eyes. He was the last person she wanted to hold it, "I can't. I won't let you do this."

"Lucy," Bucky said softly once more and licked his lips, "Trust me, just give me the grenade."

After what seemed like an eternity, Lucy nodded and then placed the grenade in his hand without loosening her grip for even a second. Bucky looked at the Nazis and said harshly, "None of you wise guys get any smart ideas now." He warned.

Bucky took the same amount of pressure she had and allowed her to slip her hand out. Immediately, he held it and pushed her aside so if it were to go off she would be further away.

Bucky turned to the Nazi's and said with a false sense of confidence, "So here's what's going to happen. You're going to let us all go or I'm going to drop this thing."

"No, you won't." The man insisted, thinking he was still in control of the situation. "Because what I'm going to do is have my men leave this house one by one, and then you'll be left with the grenade in your hand. When we shoot you from a safe distance, and then the entire house goes up and kills you all with it."

"Alright, your idea is better than mine. I'll give you that," Bucky nodded and tried to think of anything he could do. His mind raced a million miles per minute as Lucy could see the gears turning in his head. All Bucky knew was that he had to get Lucy out of there safely, he didn't care what happened to him in the process.

"And your brilliant idea was?" The man said with a curious cocked eyebrow, his evil smirk still playing on his face as though he had already won.

Bucky shrugged cockily, and with pursed lips only smirked back before saying. "I dunno. But I was thinking I might drop it and see how it plays out."

It was then he released it from his hand and threw it over to the man in charge. Everyone yelled and there was chaos, Dugan called him a crazy bastard but Bucky didn't care.

Everyone scattered and Bucky yanked Lucy into the other room. Holding onto her arm, they tumbled over the upholstered couch just as the explosion went off.

The sound was deafening, and flames licked his skin as he pulled himself on top of Lucy. The pressure hit them in the chest and there was nothing but ringing in Bucky's ears for a few moments. Furniture was blown away and walls collapsed in on themselves but at least they hadn't been shot. He had no idea what happened to the rest of his men, but he hoped they had enough sense to scatter after he had thrown the grenade.

He groaned as he rolled off of Lucy, his eyesight faded in and out of black. He vaguely could hear Lucy screaming at him, "Are you crazy?!" She demanded as he thought he was about to lose consciousness. He wanted to laugh, since she was the one that grabbed the grenade in the first place. "Oh-OH my God!" Lucy gasped as she quickly grabbed a throw pillow and began to hit Bucky's lower leg with it.

"Ow, what the hell?" He demanded, finally getting some sense as she continued hitting him frantically. He was slightly aware of how men were beginning to scramble up after the initial shock. He could hear someone yelling in pain and he prayed to God it wasn't any of his men.

"Your leg was on fire!" Was all Lucy yelled and Bucky looked at his scorched trousers but barely felt any pain from the burn. He figured he'd likely feel it a little bit later though when the adrenaline wore off.

Bucky sat up as Lucy struggled to stand. She helped him with a brief stagger, her dress ripped and her hair falling out of its updo. She had black smudges on her face and Bucky assumed he looked even more dischevilled than she did.

"Dugan?" Bucky coughed as he struggled to stand with Lucy helping him up, "Jones?" He was desperate to get any sign they were still alive.

He went over to the corner to see if they were alright when shots rang out. Bucky took cover but was able to grab a gun before any of the bullets hit him. He made sure to was loaded and took the safety off before firing back at the shooter.

"We're alright! Just get outta here!" He could hear Dugan coughing through the fire that had caught the house. More people were struggling to get up, finding it hard to stand on their feet. Whitney had thrown himself out of a window and was trying his very hardest to get upright through what looked to be a nasty concussion.

That's all it took for Bucky to grab onto to Lucy and pull her to the back door. Shots began ringing out behind them and he held onto her wrist with an iron grip.

They ran out the door and didn't have time to check if anyone was behind them. Bullets began hitting the ground behind them, missing them by mere inches with each stride they ran. Out of the corner of his eyes Bucky could see Dugan, Miller, And Jones all running as well. Whitney was in his own, as was Green. But he figured they would be fine.

Bucky heard the agonizing screams of someone getting hit. He paled when he realized it was one of his own. When he made sure Lucy was in the cover of the forest, Bucky turned around and fired back at the Nazi's who were slowly struggling to get out of the house and shoot at them.

He could see Gabe attempting to carry Lee Miller on his shoulders, blood pouring down him from where he was shot. Bucky didn't have the heart to tell him it was likely a lost case, given the fact his insides were hanging out of him.

He continued firing until the Nazi's began gaining on them. Lucy was still struggling to run a little bit from having the wind knocked out of her from the grenade. Bucky could feel blood dripping down his ears from the explosion, knowing he likely had a head injury.

He didn't care though, all he was able to do was urge Lucy on forward, seeing Dugan off to the side. At that point, Gabe had realized Lee had died and he had placed his body down with a heartbroken apology, agony on his face.

Bucky didn't have time to react. How the hell did they even find them? They must have sent out word that they had escaped and for people to be on the lookout. Clearly, they had pissed off some important people at Hydra.

Bucky heard bullets hitting tree bark behind him, the wood exploding into tiny pieces. He grabbed Lucy and threw her behind a log, forcing them both to take cover.

Bucky was breathing heavily as he fired back. Lucy stayed there wondering what the hell she could do. After all, she had no weapon and wasn't able to do anything. She was frustrated by her sense of helplessness. Never before had she felt so out of control over a situation.

"How did they find us?" Lucy shook her head as she wondered. She was shaking ever so slightly and her chest was rising and falling heavily.

"I don't know, but they were likely looking for the motorcycles." Bucky had been so relieved to finally get away from the castle that he and Dugan had done a poor job hiding them.

"What do we do?" Lucy asked with worry in her eyes, looking up at him with a panic. This was the first time she was actually fearful of what would happen. Because this time, she actually had something she could lose.

"We'll figure it out," Bucky promised her as his eyes were sharp on trying to spot any movement through the trees.

Lucy only nodded breathlessly, still looking worried with fear in her eyes. She didn't like what their odds were in that moment.

"We'll be okay." Bucky promised her and with chaste kiss on her lips, he gripped her by the back of the head so she would look at him, "I love you, okay? I love you so much. Don't ever think that I don't."

"Okay," Lucy nodded with tears in her eyes. It couldn't help but sound like he was saying goodbye. She felt her heart break ever so slightly. "But tell me again after we get through this?"

"I will, doll." He said with a quick squeeze to her hand, "I promise."

Their conversation was cut short by Bucky firing at their enemies after they had finally caught up to them.

"I—…" Lucy cut herself short, unable to say the words she needed to tell him. She wanted to tell him anything. That she loved him, that she would see him soon, that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Because that's all she wanted. Lucy loved him so much that it hurt.

But the words caught in Lucy's throat as she tried to choke them out. She had a million things to say to him but not enough time to say a single one.

She could have told him she loved him. She should of, but she couldn't stand the fact that she wouldn't have the time to tell him properly.

Bucky only nodded at her shortly cut words. She looked at her and with an understanding after seeing her desperate, heartbroken, expression he only said, "I know, pige."

"Okay," Lucy blinked a couple times, she pressed a kiss on his lips in a hurried fashion, needing to taste him, to feel the warmth of his lips again. "Please, please be safe." She touched his cheek gently, unable to bear parting from him.

"Go, please. I'll hold them off." He told her desperately.

Lucy looked at him once more, unknowing if she should leave. There must have been something, anything she could do. She shouldn't have left him with a single gun against seven others, but Lucy didn't know what help she could be.

"Go!" He yelled a little harshly, emphasizing the importance that she left.

Lucy didn't waste any more time. She took off in a run even though she didn't know where she was going. She felt the cold wind whipping across her face and prickling her cheeks.

The sound of gun firing behind her either meant she was getting shot at or Bucky was firing back.

Either way, Lucy kept going through the trees, the branches hitting her face and her feet crunching the dead leaves as she ran further and further away.

She hated that she was running. But there was nothing she could do. She had no weapons and couldn't do very much without one. Her heart pounded hard in her chest with every stride she took.

The further she ran the more her heart hurt. She forced herself not to look back. She should have stayed with Bucky, at least then she would have known if anything happened to him.

More shots rang out in her ears and each time she cringed. Lucy wasn't very religious in her adult years. Her mother used to be very Catholic, and Lucy had often gone to church with her on Sundays. She still kept up with the practice a little while after, since Mrs. Lee was also Catholic.

But when she was with Daniel she stopped. After all, with two conflicting religions they didn't talk much on the subject. Lucy had hardly spent anytime including the matter since moving from New York, but now she found herself praying they would get out of there alive.

The reddened body of Lee Miller burned in her brain. Gabe Jones has tried his best to carry the man over his shoulder, dousing himself in his blood. He hadn't even noticed it was too late, Lucy felt herself knowing she was responsible. And now, even though this was her fault, she was running instead of staying and fighting somehow. As she continued running, she felt a hand grab her and pull her behind a tree.

She nearly screamed but a hand covered her mouth as she was thrown to the ground. She looked up in a panic into the eyes of Gilbert Whitney who had placed a finger over his mouth to shush her.

Lucy stopped struggling as he let her up from her position on the ground. He got to his feet, and Lucy watched what he was doing curiously.

He hid behind the tree he had pulled her behind and quickly grabbed a knife from his boot. Lucy continued watching and saw how he had spotted a lone German looking for them. He held his gun up in preparation, finger on the trigger and ready to fire. Gilbert, being as calm as Lucy had ever seen him, raised his knife and threw it directly at the man.

He hit him dead in the chest, blood pooling around the uniform and the man grunting in pain as his face grew lifeless. Instinctively, he let out a couple shots in no particular direction, the noise ringing in Lucy's ears as she watched the body fall to the forest floor.

"Stay here!" Whitney commanded harshly, leaving Lucy behind to go forward carefully to grab the man's gun.

He crouched down, not wanting to be spotted. He took the dead man's weapons and stopped to get his knife before returning back to Lucy.

"Does anyone else have a gun?" Whitney asked her as he checked the ammunition to see how many bullets were left.

"Bucky does," Lucy answered quickly, her breath catching as she said his name. She prayed again silently that nothing would happen to him.

"Good, your boyfriend is one of the best shots I've ever seen," It was possibly one of the only nice things Lucy had ever heard come out of Whitney's mouth. He looked over to her and continued, "If anyone has a gun I'm glad Barnes does. We might have a chance to get out of here alive."

She said nothing, only silently hoping to herself that Whitney was right. He looked at her as he readied himself to go help the rest of the team, "Was anyone hit?"

"Miller was. I don't know about anyone else."

The man only looked down and shook his head as he stood up and readied himself to go, "Shit," He said quietly and Lucy through the tone of voice he had might have even reflected sadness. But there was no time to dwell on what had happened.

"What should I do?" Lucy asked as she realized she had no idea what to do, as she was completely helpless in this situation.

"Just stay here, try not to be seen." Was all Whitney said before running off. Lucy wanted to beg him to not leave her alone.

She was looking out at the surroundings around her, panicked as she was left defenseless. For once in her life, Lucy had no idea what to do.

There was no back up plan, nowhere to run without being caught. She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to think of anything she could do in order to help. She had been in worse situations before, but for some reason this felt different. They had gotten too comfortable and were unprepared and now they were paying for it.

She could hear the rushing water of a river nearby. She focused on the sound and hoped it would clear her mind and give her an idea. Any idea at all would work, it didn't have to be a good one. It only had to be effective.

More gunshots rang out and Lucy felt herself cringe at the sound. If anything happened to Bucky, Lucy wouldn't know what to do with herself. She had finally just got him, and the thought of losing him was more painful than anything.

She couldn't help herself but to look around the tree to try to see anything. Any sign of life at all would have been good. She knew Bucky was a good shot, but he was against seven others who had more weapons. The odds weren't good and Lucy felt herself regretting leaving him.

She wanted nothing more than to go back, just find out if he was safe. But she knew she couldn't, and Lucy rolled her eyes at herself when she realized this was the exact reason why the army prohibited relationships.

Lucy creeped out from behind the tree, walking on the balls of her feet to avoid making any noise. The leaves under her crunched despite her best attempts to be silent.

She looked down at the dress she was wearing and realized it wasn't practical at all. She missed her uniform and wearing men's clothes. After all, she might have been able to run a little faster is she wasn't held back by the stupid skirts of her dress. The moment she found something more practical to wear she was getting out of the ridiculous thing.

Lucy didn't know where to go. After all, she had run quite far and wasn't familiar with the territory. She found herself walking to the river, in hopes she would be able to find a member of her team. That was, of course, if there were any of them still alive. She tried not to think about that though. Especially as he thought went dark when her mind drifted to Bucky. Her heart clenched as he worried something had happened to him.

She couldn't believe she had been a big enough of a fool to fall for him. It had only taken one night together for her to realize how deep her affections were, and if she were to lose him Lucy didn't think she would ever recover.

She thought about putting in a request for a transfer if they made it through this. Lucy couldn't take seeing if anything happened to him. It would be better for her to be far removed from the situation. But the thought of leaving him was equally as painful.

As Lucy creeped alongside the hill edging on the river banks as she remained alert as possible. Every noise made her jump and her heart pounded deeply in her chest with each step she took.

The loud bang of three more gunshots filled the air and Lucy shut her eyes tightly. She leaned against a tree and gripped it for support, fearing the worst possible outcome. She had never felt so hopeless in her entire life. It drove her insane to know that there was nothing she could do.

She tried to stay as covered a possible by crouching alongside shrubs and large trees. However she didn't see another soul, and Lucy figured she may have been safe for the moment.

The roar of the violent river echoed in her ear as she walked along it's raised bank still concealed by the flora surrounding it. She had no idea how her team would find each other again, but she knew she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

There was nothing to do but carry on. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins, her heart pumping heavily. Each small noise seemed to grasp her attention as worry settled over her.

If it was one of the German's there would be nothing Lucy could do to protect herself. She hated knowing there was nothing she could do. It made her feel small and helpless like a scared child. Nothing before this had ever made Lucy feel so powerless.

A branch snapped off to the side and suddenly it held Lucy's attention. She was like a deer caught in the headlights, frozen and unable to move. Her chest rose and fell quickly with each pounding of her heart.

She tried her best to stay hidden amongst the bushes, but with fall in full swing and the leaves no longer on the trees the cover it provided wasn't ideal.

The rustling of the bushes approached and Lucy held her breath for a moment. Much to her relief, only a squirrel popped out and she looked at it with a heavy sigh. Lucy stood up straight and rolled her eyes at the tiny creature. She let out a breathy exhale as she looked at it with a slight scoff as she realized she had been scared of a squirrel.

It only took a second of her letting her guard down to know she made a mistake. Something with a hard impact slammed into her body, knocking the wind out of her. Lucy felt like she couldn't breathe as she hit the forest floor. A man had slammed into her and they went toppling over on the ground.

Rolling form the hard impact, Lucy didn't realize she was falling under her body was rolling down the hill. Rocks hit against her skull, her bones aching as they slammed against the hard impact of the cold grown.

She could hear the soldier beside her grunting with every tumble, and finally it stopped. The impact of them rolling created enough momentum to throw them into the rage of the of the river's waters.

Lucy thought the impact of falling down the hard earth of the hill hurt, but it was nothing compared to the icy frigidness of the water.

The cold water pricked her skin like thousands of knives. As she inhaled and tried to capture air in her lungs, it burned as they only filled with water instead. Lucy scrambled to try to get air, trying to twist her body under the currents to get the oxygen her body screamed for.

When her head finally emerged, she gasped so hard she swore she had never breathed air as fresh as that. But immediately her relief was ended, her body crashed from under the current again, being yanked by the tide.

Lucy did her best to kick off the bottom of the river, her boots scraping along the stones. She fought with all her might to get above, knowing if the pressure of the waves kept beating down on her she would drown.

The water was far more violent than it had looked from where she stood at the hill. Her body felt as though it were a rag doll being torn apart by the undertow. She scrambled to break free, trying everything she could as she screamed and let water fill more of her lungs.

Lucy felt her back smash against a rock, feeling as though her bones had been breaking from the impact. She felt her vision fade out but forced herself to stay awake, fighting harder and harder to emerge out of the icy depths.

Lucy broke free for only a moment, a strangled scream emitting from her throat as she tried to swim in any direction to shore.

She couldn't see the German who had tackled her; the waves were too rough and too high. Survival was the only thing on her mind, knowing that if she made it that far only to drown she would be pissed.

Lucy managed to let out one last hoarse scream before the river claimed her again. It drug her body down, down, and down deeper. She felt completely weightless, and her bones felt like jelly. Her eyes prickled from the icy coolness of temperature. Her body was numb from the pain, and she could see black forming in her eyes. It threatened to swallow her whole when she finally caught on something.

She had smacked into another large, solid rock. Lucy anchored herself to it, clutching for her life. Water poured over her in what seemed like sheer tons. The weight of it alone felt like it could crush her bones, but Lucy held onto it anyway.

She closed her eyes and tried to take in as many large inhales as she could. Her body couldn't seem to get enough oxygen know that she had it. She felt her muscles ache from how tightly she clutched at the rock, but Lucy didn't care. All that mattered was that she could finally breathe.

Every inch of her was sopping, her body frigid and blue. She felt on death's doorstep, never having been so cold and so sore in her life. Every inch of her body hurt from the heavy waves that had bruised her again and again as they toppled over her.

Over the rushing water, Lucy could hear the strangled cries of the German who had sent both of them flailing into the currents. He was drowning, much like she had. Having as much of a struggle, barely keeping his head above the water. He kept sinking down and arising, a panic obvious from his screams.

He was close enough for her to grab him. Lucy, for one moment, thought to let him go, the malice in her heart spreading.

But she couldn't stop herself. She grabbed onto his shoulder, hanging on to her rock with her other arm with all her might. The man was still submerged, clutching on her and trying to pull himself up.

Finally, he took a breath in, trying to look at what we had grabbed hold of. To his surprise, he saw Lucy, her hair falling out of its style and hanging soaked down her face. Water droplets fell down her skin as she shivered madly, her hand unable to release him from how cold she was.

He looked at her with gratitude, not believing she would do such a thing and save him. The gratefulness reflected in his large, scared eyes.

Lucy opened her mouth, struggling to talk from how hard she was concentrating and how much she shivered, "I got—-," you.

But she didnt finish her sentence. A heavy fallen branch swept over the rock Lucy had found refuge on and slashed her across the face, sending her back into the water.

For another moment, Lucy thought she broke her jaw. Shock once again invaded her body as she was again fully submerged. The man was right behind her, his own body tumbling and being thrown about as the river got more violent with each passing second.

They were picking up speed, being dragged even harder amongst the undertow.

Lucy gasped for air every chance she got. She tried grabbing onto anything she could find but all her attempts were futile and pointless.

The picking up of speed wasn't a good sign, and as each second passed it got faster and faster. The pull of the current made it hard for her to manipulate her movements at all, feeling as though she was not in control of her own body.

Lucy knew what was coming, and she gasped for air a few more times, hoping for just a few more moments to think of one single thing. She wanted Bucky's face to be the last thing she thought of, his steel blue eyes looking at her as though it would bore a hole right through her soul.

Lucy couldn't believe that after being shot, having shrapnel impaled in her body, surviving and explosion, a supernatural encounter, as well as fleeing from an entire castle flooded with Nozi's, that the thing that was going to kill her would be a fucking waterfall.

She could hear its roar even under the water, feeling it echo deep in her ears. It's pull launched her forward, and just when she felt the edge, the strangest thing of all happened...

She was flying.

No, not flying. She was suspended, frozen in mid-air, clutching to a broken log that had been caught between rocks over the edge of the waterfall.

Lucy could hear the German's muffled screams as he toppled over the edge. Her body hung limply in the air as she felt as though she were not in control of her instincts. She hadn't even known a log was there, she had only reached and grabbed and whatever she could find in one last final effort.

The wind whipped at her already frozen body, and Lucy tried not to look down, only seeing mist rise above and unable to see the bottom. She let out a pained yell as she clutched tighter at the cracking, fragile, wooden frame of the log.

There was no damn way she was going down without a fight.


Bucky has fired his last shot at the fifth Nazi he had encountered. He had figured that had been the last one, not knowing for sure if the other ones had died in the explosion or what had happened to them.

He was about to smile in victory when he heard yelling. His ears picked up, discovering it was in English. It was one of his own, and before he knew it he was racing to where he heard it.

There was no bullets left in his gun, but there had to have been something he could do if there was trouble. He wasn't about to let any other members of his team die, at least not today.

To Bucky's surprise, the yelling was coming from Gilbert Whitney, and he was running like a madman a little ways away.

Bucky looked to him but couldn't figure out what he was running from, seeing no pursuers on his tail. He frowned, trying to figure out what he was saying beyond a roar of a river that had to be over the hill Whitney was running on.

Whitney had spotted Bucky a ways up and looked at him with wide eyes. He yelled, "Lucy's in the river!"

Bucky's heart stopped in his chest. Fear engulfed him, and before he knew it, he had taken off running faster than he ever had in his life.

He wasn't worried that Lucy couldn't swim or wasn't strong enough to hold her own. She had been able to swim ashore partially dragged down by half a parachute.

But the rushing of the river alone in his ears told him there was a strong current. He raced up the hill as fast as he could, wondering how long she had been in there and if she had already drowned.

He somehow surpassed Whitney, still running as though his life depended on it. He would have rather that his life did depend on it. Anything would have been better than Lucy in danger. Fear clutched every inch of him as his eyes tried to see any trace of a body in the water.

The roar of the river and the mist above it a little ways down made his heart stop. There was a waterfall. Bucky has never felt his stomach sink more than in that moment. He wanted to yell at the top of his lungs or scream for her, desperate to find any trace of her still alive.

Bucky kept running until his lungs burned, his eyes desperately searching for her. He had never been so scared in his life, knowing that she could have drowned and there was nothing he could do.

He should have never sent her away, but the thought of her getting shot in front of him terrified him to his core. He couldn't stand to see her bloodied and lying on the ground again, much like when she had been hit with the shrapnel.

Bucky called out for her, frantically searching for any sign she was still alive. Tears pricked in his ears as dread filled his very soul.

Over the coursing river he heard a pained yell and his ears immediately picked up. He could recognize her voice anywhere, and Bucky continued running in the direction of which he heard it.

He kept going, his legs pumping faster and faster as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He had never been so scared in that moment, knowing the only thing he needed was to keep her safe. He called out her name desperately, trying to see any sign she was still alive. He heard another pained yell and the sound of her struggling. His mouth fell open ever so slightly as he realized where it was coming from.

He ran to the edge of the waterfall, barely taking a second to gather his thoughts.

His heart stopped in fear when he finally saw her. Lucy was dangling hundreds of feet above the air, only hanging onto the fragile branches of a suspended log.

Bucky didn't hesitate for even a single second before jumping onto the log and crawling over to her. The height alone was enough to make his stomach queasy. He refused to look down, not wanting to see Lucy dangling over the edge and about to be engulfed by the mist below.

"Just hold on, baby!" Bucky called out as he tried his hardest to make his way over to her. The log groaned under his weight, and he wasn't sure if it would support both of them. "I'm coming!" He yelled for her as he saw her struggling to hold on. "I'm coming," He said again, this time to himself.

He was terrified of heights; he always had been. But the thought of losing Lucy scared him more than anything else, and despite his fear Bucky still crawled along the log to reach her.

"I can't hold on much longer!" Lucy yelled above the roaring noise of the water. The branch she was hanging on to was beginning to crack and terror hit Bucky like a bullet to the heart.

"I got you, just reach for my hand!" He had to go on his stomach to reach her. But even still he wasn't able to grab her without her reaching for him. "C'mon baby, just reach for my hand. You can do it!" He urged her, seeing how the branch that was holding her weight was cracking.

"I can't!" She was holding on with a grip so tight her knuckles were beginning to turn white. "I can't reach!"

"Yes. you can! Just grab my hand with your other one."

Lucy shook her head, her eyes large and reflecting how scared she was, "I'm not going to be able to hold on."

"Lucy-Lucy look at me!" Bucky demanded, his voice was still shaking. For as long as he lived he would never forget how she dangled above the edge, the branch breaking and cracking more with every second. "Reach for my hand! You can do this! You're stronger than you know!"

Lucy shut her eyes tightly and with a pained yell reached as far as she could. Bucky grasped her hand the moment he was able to grab her and the branch she had been holding fell away at the very moment he captured her hand in his.

He smiled and hollered in victory, knowing that if they had waited a single second longer she would have fallen. They smiled at each other in relief, their happiness lasting for only a single second.

The log under him groaned with the extra weight and he felt it crack. Bucky was almost launched forward, and he had to grab onto a knot within the bark to keep himself from falling.

Lucy looked up at him, her hazel eyes fearful. She gasped as she realized what was happening and Bucky struggled to hang onto her hand.

"I'm going to pull you up!" He yelled through gritted teeth. She was heavier than she looked and pulling her without any leverage would be difficult, it also didn't help that the log they were on was deteriorating with each second. It groaned, the noise of it echoing in his ears.

Bucky hadn't noticed how wet he was. The cold had settled in his body and gathered on his skin, but his muscles were too tense to shiver. Once again, the straining log screamed under their weight and Lucy saw how it was beginning to crack. She looked up at him again, a defeated and saddened expression in her eyes.

Already, Bucky knew what she was going to suggest. "No." Was all he could say, shaking his head. "No, no! Don't you even say it!" His voice cracked from the fear, dread dripping from his tone.

"Bucky, the log is going to fall and take both of us!" Lucy yelled, she was so scared that it was causing her voice to shake, "It can't take both of our weight!"

"It can, it can. I promise it can." He tried to convince himself, his tone was frantic with worry and it was faltering. He felt himself quivering in fear, unable to stand what exactly she was suggesting. "It can hold both of us."

"It's going to fall! I can't let you die because of me!" She was beginning to loosen her grip which caucused Bucky to only clutch at her harder.

"I'm not letting you go!" It was something he wouldn't even consider. He would rather let the log fall and take both of them before dropping her.

"Bucky, you have to!" She tried to reason with him. The log suddenly cracked in half and Bucky's upper body was also hanging off the edge. He had nearly dropped Lucy, but he felt he couldn't let her go even if he tried.

She looked up in worry, her breath becoming sporadic. Lucy has a desperate look in her eye, like an animal in a cage that was about to chew off its own leg to get out of its restrain.

"You have to let me go." She tried to say with reason. Her voice caught and tears welled in her eyes. "You have to let me go, or we're both going to fall."

"Goddamn it! I'm not letting you go!" He yelled at her, tears that he hadn't even noticed falling down his face.

"You have to. You have to, my love. Please, please don't make me the reason that you die." She begged him. Lucy was trying to keep her tone as steady as possible, she didn't want him to see her crying and fearful in her last moments.

"Stop saying that!" He screamed at her, never before having been angry at her except for when they first met. But now he was furious, how could she ever suggest such a thing? "I'm not going to let you go." His voice caught at the last sentence. He swallowed a lump forming his his throat as he saw the way her looked defeated as she cried.

"Let go," She whispered. She was crying even more, and all Bucky wanted to do was wipe away the trail of tears with his thumb and kiss her face.

"No, no. You know I can't. Don't make me do this, please don't make me do this. I can't let you go." He begged her. Tears were now flowing down his face too. "I love you, don't make me do this."

"I'll be okay." She tried to convince him in a whisper. Lucy closed her eyes tightly and tried as hard as she could to hold back the tears. Her grip began to loosen on him but Bucky only clutched her harder. He refused to let her go, even if it was the last thing he did. He would not watch as the love of his life fell to her death.

"Lucy, please, please don't do this." He felt as her hand went limp. She had stopped her grip completely and she was beginning to slip, her hand no longer holding him as he clutched at her wrist with all his might. "Lucy, no!" Bucky screamed desperately, "Just hold onto me, pige."

"Just let me go, it'll be okay." She whispered again. She kept dangling in the air and Bucky clutched her with all her strength, his face contorted in pain as he realized he wouldn't be able to hang onto her much longer.

He gasped in pain and sadness as he tried his hardest to pull her up. The log groaned again and cracked, threatening to be taken down with the current with both of them on it.

"Lucy!" Bucky yelled as she began slipping. Tears were pouring down his face, "Lucy! Fuck!" He swore as he felt her go further and further from his grasp, "Just grab onto me again. We'll be alright. I promise, we'll be alright. Please, please don't make me watch you die." He tried with all his strength to pull her up even more, gritting his teeth in the process. "Fuck!" He screamed as she began slipping.

Lucy burst out in a sob in that moment. Her face pained and heartbroken as tears spilled down her face as she looked at him. She wished nothing more that it didn't have to be him to see that, she would have rathered it was anyone else.

"Please!" Bucky begged, "I love you. Don't-don't do this. We can make it. We can. I swear to God, I'm not dropping you. I won't."

She only shook her head and shook as she cried, her eyes looking at him defeated. "James," Lucy said his first name and he caught her eye. He had never seen her so sad, so scared, and devastated. She didn't want him to have to do this, she didn't want him to have to see her fall. "Let me go."

Bucky let out another pained yell as he tried to lift her again, refusing to give up. He would fight for her until the log gave out and took them both. He wouldn't let her sacrifice herself for him.

"No, no, no!" Bucky grit his teeth, feeling the tears soak his skin and trail down. "Lucy! C'mon!"

He began to lose his grip as she began to cry more, her hand totally limp. She wasn't even fighting anymore, just letting her hand hang. The log groaned again and began to snap, her worried expression frantically looking at it as she realized he was about to fall.

"Please." Was all Bucky begged, biting his lip to keep from crying more.

Lucy only choked out last sob, and then closed her eyes before saying, "I will find you in the next life, I swear it." Her voice was muffled from her large, breathless sobs. She was so scared, but she wouldn't let him fall because of her.

"Lucy, stop talking! Fuck! Just please! Grab onto me!"

She kept crying as she was suspended over. Bucky could feel himself begin to fall with the log, losing his grip on both it and her. He refused to drop her though, knowing he couldn't let go if he tried.

"Please!" Bucky yelled with a strained, devastation in his voice. He could feel his heart breaking with each passing moment. No, he couldn't do it. He couldn't watch the love of his life, the woman he wanted to marry, the woman he wanted to mother his children, fall because he couldn't hold his grip.

The log cracked in half, with a loud snap ringing out. He was launched forward and caught himself just by the last second. But that's not what he was concerned with. He didn't care about himself and if he fell. The log broke again and he was pushed forward again, trying to clutch at anything he could. It was then he felt her slip right through his fingers.

Bucky could feel the terroring yell emit from his throat but nothing come out as she slipped from his grasp. He had no choice but to listen to her scream and watch as she fell, the mist at the bottom of the waterfall claiming her. The echo of her yell lasted longer than he could see her as the mist rising above swallowed her whole.

Then there was nothing. Bucky only looked to his empty hand which she once held and felt himself unable to move. He was unable to scream, yell, or breathe. Shock settled over he as he gasped out a sob. She had just been there, holding onto him…

And now she wasn't. There was nothing.

He felt the log begging to topple over the edge when someone grabbed his ankle and was able to yanked him back. He narrowly escaped the fall himself, although he didn't even care. He should have fallen with her.

Bucky fell to the solid ground as one of his men drug him away. Pulling him back as he yelled in agony and heartbreak. He couldn't believe it, he refused to. This was all a bad dream, a nightmare he would wake up from. Only an hour ago they had been in the barn making love. This morning he had woken up beside her and pressed tender kisses to her spine.

And now he had watched her fall. An image he would never, ever, be able to get out of his head no matter how many years have passed. He would never recover from this, watching the only woman he ever loved fall to her death.

Bucky wiped his face as he stood up hastily, all his men looking at him in shock.

"We have to get down there!" Bucky's voice cracked as he insisted. "We-we have to go down there!" His strained tone reflected every ouch of pain that he felt, "We have to go get her!"

"Buck—," Dugan came forward, seeing his pain.

"We have to go down there! We-we have—"

"Buck!" Dugan shouted as he clutched his shoulders and looked him in the eye. He saw a man heartbroken and in pain, his eyes reflecting a grief that Dugan had never before seen.

"She's gone." Was all the Boston native could mutter in a choked tone, "She's gone..."


Well, I fucking hate myself… I honestly could barely write this chapter because my eyes kept filling up with tears. I promise I will get one last update in before I take December off. There's obviously no way I could leave you with a literal cliffhanger like this one (lol) Just some gallows humour.

This seems like an obvious (and terrible) way for or story to end. But there's at least 10-15 more chapters I still have in mind.

I love you all, although I'm sure you likely hate me at the moment. Thanks for reading.

-A

Please review, they make me update faster and help power my little dumb brain. Also follow and favourite to get notifications of my next update.