Trigger Warning: There are some non-con, minor sexual harassment, and unwanted sexual advances in this chapter. Please do not read if you feel uncomfortable in any way. PM me if you wish to talk about any matters of if the chapter affected you at all 3 I love you all so dearly.

There's also some dialogue from a deleted scene in CATFA! Obviously, it's not of my own doing all credits go to Marvel.


Chapter XXXV

Austria, Hydra Weapon's Facility, 1943

As Lucy readied herself she tried to stop the tears from flowing. Everything about the situation she had just been in made her skin crawl. She felt powerless, weak, and vulnerable. And worst of all, there was nothing she could do to change her situation.

The moment she had gotten out of the tub she had nearly collapsed from crying so hard. It felt as though someone was sitting on her chest, making it harder to breathe. No matter how much air she tried to take in Lucy was still gasping for it. She couldn't believe that of all the things they could do to her, the thing that brought her to tears was exposing her naked body.

Although it seemed silly, she would have rather physically been tortured. Rip her nails off, cut her skin, electrocute her, it didn't matter. As long as she had her dignity and as long as a man never looked at her so predatorily again. But she knew it was few and far between that it wouldn't happen again.

As soon as Lucy could compose herself she began getting ready to dress herself. Her mind continued to drift back to Hilda, wondering where she was and if she was okay. She had told her if a man tried to touch her without her consent that she should fight, but even Lucy wasn't able to do it herself. How could she tell others to be strong when she was not capable of doing so?

She hated knowing another man had looked at her body who wasn't Bucky. She hated knowing hands had touched her that wasn't his. All she wanted to do was be engulfed in his arms, to feel his embrace to make everything right in the world.

When she was laying in Bucky's arms she felt safe. She felt at home. Like there was no war and no violence, and she could be completely at peace. He was her security, and she wanted nothing more than for him to be with her so he could hold her and tell her everything was alright and she was strong.

But he wasn't there. Lucy was alone in the lion's den. She had to keep herself alive and keep Hilda safe. They were her only goals, and it seemed impossible.

Before Lucy dropped her towel, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her lifeless eyes were bloodshot from her tears. At least her hair, however matted and sopping it was, looked a little better.

Her skin wasn't dirty, and although it still had a pale grey colour to it she at least looked more like herself. But as Lucy stared at herself she got a determined look in her eyes. She gripped the edge of the sink as she gazed herself down, and spat out to her reflection "Get your shit together, Lucy Heinrich."

Hilda depended on her. She had to figure out a way to get out of there, to make it back to base. To make it back to Bucky, wherever he was.

She couldn't break. She had her moment of weakness, but it was over. Lucy refused to die in that place.

After she finished staring herself down, she headed to the box Schmidt had left. When she saw the contents under the dress she nearly blushed. Instead, though, she frowned deeply and sneered at the soft pink satin lingerie of a brasserie and knickers. She wanted to rip it up, shred it to little bits and cast it on fire. However, Lucy knew that the satin dress would be more revealing if she didn't wear any undergarments underneath it.

Rolling her eyes and growling deeply, Lucy began to put it on. The brassiere would have been a bit tight if she hadn't lost so much weight in the last few weeks. The knickers fit alright as well, and she wondered where the hell Schmidt had gotten them from. She seriously doubted Hydra had an excessive amount of high-fashion, elegant, women's clothing lying around.

She attached her stockings to the clips of the knickers' lace waist belt. She hadn't worn such a ridiculous thing in so long she almost forgot she was socially expected to wear them. Looking at herself in the mirror again, Lucy barely recognized the woman staring back at her. It was odd to see her in something other than simple white cotton underclothes.

Feeling more exposed than she would like, Lucy swiftly put on the dress that was brought to her. It was a little loose, but it would have to do. Slipping her Star of David necklace between her breasts, she hoped it would stay hidden.

After she had finished getting ready, Lucy hated that she was all dolled up for those monsters. They didn't deserve the effort she had placed in prettying herself up, but she had very little choice if she wanted to keep Hilda out of harm's way.

Sighing and unable to even look at herself in the mirror, Lucy left the bathroom only to her shock see two Hydra soldiers waiting for her outside the room.

"We are time escort you to Herr Schmidt's private dining area." One of them said in fairly broken English.

Lucy rolled her eyes, scoffing. She only held her head higher and walked with them. One went to grab her arm to pull her onwards but Lucy yanked it out of his grasp. "I'm coming!" She hissed at the man who only backed away.

The one behind her only rose his eyes as he looked at her behind, "Ich hätte gerne ein Stück davon" I'd like a piece of that, the man said to his comrade, making Lucy reel back with disgust.

"Ich spreche Deutsch, du unerträgliches Schwein!" I speak German, you insufferable pig! Lucy spat at the man who had said the crass comment. She wasn't in the mood for entitled men.

"Pass auf deinen Mund auf, Schlampe." Watch your mouth, bitch. The man sneered once more, trying to threaten Lucy.

Lucy tried to recognize the tunnels which she went through and the turns that they made trying to get to the dining room. Everything looked the same, and after seeing multiple hallways looking the same Lucy soon realized it was pointless. There was no way, even if she could escape with Hilda that she would ever remember how to get out.

The guards escorted her into a room, where a large window from floor to ceiling showed the blistering mountain tops of the Austrian slopes. The room was dismal besides the white light coming from the snowy peaks.

A large chandelier was in the center of the room, where a long table that could fit dozens of people was placed in the middle. However, there were only two chairs, one on both ends.

"Ah, right on time!" Schmidt said with a grin, looking at his pocket watch. The guards stood with Lucy, not leaving her alone with Schmidt, which she was slightly thankful for. "Gentlemen, you have no need to stay here. Dr. Heinrich is a guest, not a prisoner." He said as he approached her and the guards, his hands clasped behind his back.

The guard looked between the two parties skeptically, frowning at Lucy, "Bist du sicher? Dieser scheint Ärger zu bereiten." Are you sure? This one can be trouble.

"Oh, I'm sure I can handle her." He said back in English with a sinister grin, "She'll behave. Won't you, Dr. Heinrich?"

Lucy bit her cheek so hard she nearly drew blood. She wanted to spit in his face, to cuss him out, and throw a punch directly in his direction but instead Lucy only smiled, however mockingly sweet it was. "Of course. I'll be on my best behaviour." She spoke through gritted teeth.

"See, gentlemen? There is no need for your presence." Schmidt said optimistically, dismissing the men. They stalked out of the room, although Lucy suspected that they were waiting outside the door in case they were needed.

A pit formed in Lucy's stomach the moment they left, drilling a hole into her very core. Bile rose in her throat as she saw the way Schmidt looked at her as he approached slowly like he was calculating her every move.

"You look lovely." He complimented her, his eyes taking over her form much like they had while she was in the bath. Although she was completely clothed, Lucy still felt exposed and vulnerable, "That colour looks extremely exquisite on you."

Lucy said nothing, only held her chin high and refused to give him anything. She didn't even acknowledge his compliment, knowing he was only saying it to watch her squirm.

He cocked his head at her silence, "It is polite to say thank you when given a compliment."

"It's also polite not to hold people as prisoners. Yet, here we are." Lucy shot back. There's no way in hell she would say thank you to a man who only wanted to watch her become uncomfortable from his complements.

"You have a sharp tongue, Doctor. I admire that." He chuckled amusingly. He gestured with his hand to join him at the table, where a tray of food on a silver platter was already placed in front of the two spots. "Come, sit. You must be hungry."

As much as she tried, Lucy couldn't deny that he was right. She was so hungry she was sure her stomach was beginning to eat itself. The thought of eating solid food was too appealing and she was easily led to the table.

As she readied herself to sit down he pulled her chair out for her, helping her into it as a gentleman helping his date would. He placed her napkin in her lap and revealed the meal under the silver platter. Immediately Lucy's mouth watered upon seeing the pork, rolls, and all the fresh vegetables.

She didn't bother waiting until he sat down before she began to dig in. Keeping her decorum, but perhaps eating a little hastily, Lucy filled her mouth and nearly groaned. She should have felt bad for enjoying such food as the people on the train with her were still starving but Lucy could hardly think about that.

Schmidt walked to his side of the table and sat himself down. Removing his own food cover off of the silver platter and began to eat.

For a few moments, there was silence, the only sound that Lucy could hear was the cutting of her food and chewing. She hardly swallowed before shoving another mouthful in, her mouth exploding with flavour. She stopped halfway through her mouthful after she discovered the very large wine glass in front of her plate. Taking a couple of large sips, she reveled in the flavour. The taste, however, did cause her to ache in reminiscence of the last time she had drunk it.

Memories of mouths clashing together, the taste of homemade red wine on each other's lips as they took shelter in the farmhouse made Lucy all the more saddened by her situation. Detest for the man before her built in Lucy's body as she stared down at him.

"How are you enjoying it?" He asked her with a small chuckle.

"The meal or the date?" Lucy demanded snarkily.

"The meal." He chuckled, "And also, I suppose this as well." He gestured between her and him with his fork.

"The meal is fine. A little dry but beggars can't be choosers. And as for this? I can't imagine my boyfriend will be very happy when he finds out." She shot back rudely.

"Ah, yes. The young man who confessed his love to you moments before we were going to open fire?" He chuckled, "Your bluntness and crassness amuse me so, Doctor."

"Yup, that's my fella. And thank you, I'm so glad I can provide amusement." She nearly snarled, taking another large sip of her wine.

Schmidt smirked as he continued eating, "So soon after your fiancé's passing that you move onto another lover." He observed, licking his lips, "After my wife died, I hardly thought of romance. I was driven more by my work than emotional relationships."

A pit formed in Lucy's stomach as he mentioned Daniel. She knew he had done his research on her and was well informed of her situation, given the fact that the last time they met he had tried to get under her skin by mentioning Daniel as well. "It's been over a year and a half since I got the news. It's adequate timing." She defended herself although she didn't know why she felt the need to justify her actions.

"Of course, of course. I know how lonely it gets laying awake and wishing there was a warm body next to you. It gets difficult in the night when you're left alone with your thoughts. It's why I stopped sleeping and buried myself in my studies. Something I'm sure you are familiar with."

Lucy said nothing as he spoke. She only looked at her wine glass which was more than three-quarters empty at that point and then downed the rest. Schmidt had hardly touched his own wine in the time I took Lucy to drink the entire glass. He looked at her with surprise as he saw how quickly she emptied it.

With a sigh Schmidt stood up, "I truly was sorry to hear of your fiancé's fate. He was an excellent scholar, he would have added great value to our team." He grabbed the wine bottle that was in front of him and stalked towards Lucy. She almost wished she hadn't drunk her entire glass, so that way he would have stayed on his end of the table. "And I must admit, before looking at his research I had never heard of you. But after reading one of his volumes and seeing his dedication to you in the acknowledgments I was perplexed. Plus, of course, there were so many references to your work in his footnotes that I had to find out for myself who this marvelous Dr. Lucy Heinrich was." He came behind her and poured her another glass of wine. Lucy said nothing as he stayed in his monologue, she just continued eating and pretending not to hear the flattery he spewed. Instead of pouring her a normal glass, he instead filled it to the very top. Lucy would have smirked if she was in any other situation, but at the moment her heart was beating too fast to react in any way.

Schmidt put the bottle of wine down in front of her and placed his hands on the back of her shoulders, causing a shiver to run down the base of Lucy's spine, "And I must admit, I was in awe of your magnificence. Never before had I seen such a woman—nay, a goddess—such as yourself." His thumb brushed her shoulder intimately and immediately Lucy wanted to vomit. She felt bile rise her throat and she felt as though her dinner would come right back up. He chuckled suddenly, "And not for your beauty, which in itself is also something to behold. But for your mind. You, my dear, are unlike any other being I have ever come across."

Lucy swallowed thickly as he finally moved his hands. She felt her eyes welled up in tears again but she refused to show how scared she was. Instead, she dug her nails into the palm of her hand so hard that she drew blood. Schmidt moved away from her and sat down on the table next to her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What do you want from me?" Lucy asked, wishing her voice had been stronger at that moment but instead it quivered ever so slightly, making her want to kick herself.

A sinister grin spread across his evil face, "Ah, getting right to the chase. I should have expected it from you." Just looking at his malicious expression made Lucy want to cringe. Everything about that man made her skin want to crawl, and Lucy felt bile rise again in her throat as her heart raced. "You have two options."

"And if I refuse them both?" Lucy asked, grabbing for her glass of wine and taking a few large gulps.

"Well then," He sneered, "We will just have to come to another arrangement, won't we?"

Lucy put her wine glass down to continue eating. She refused to even acknowledge him until he started acting like a normal person and wasn't trying to intimate her by sitting above her and peering down at her like prey.

"Aren't you curious about what I would ask of you?" He frowned, cocking his head curiously at her behaviour.

Lucy shrugged, "Not really," She said through a mouthful, "I don't talk business until I'm done eating. "Plus," She paused only to swallow before taking another bite and chewing, "I have a pretty good idea of what you want."

He uncrossed his arms and chuckled again. "Have you now? Clever girl. Would you mind humouring me on what you think it is?" He looked at her with genuine curiously, like she was a specimen to be observed.

Lucy rose an eyebrow and then took another sip of wine before grabbing a few more bites of food. Even though she had already eaten so much she was still hungry. As she ate Lucy noticed how sharp the knife was in her hand, and how the three-pronged fork also had a decent edge to it. "You want me to work for you."

"And?" He asked her, "What would you say if I offered you your freedom for it? You would, of course, serve your debt until the war was won. But afterward, you would be free to go, and even walk out with a handsome reward."

Lucy only leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. She knew the answer to his proposition before he had been asked it. "I would rather die than work for scum like you."

He only chuckled before running his hands over his trousers, "I admire you for your honesty." He stood up before peering down at her and smiled evilly. Lucy wasn't sure what she was expecting, but him reeling back and backhanding her so hard she fell from her chair and nearly blacked out. "But you should learn to watch your mouth." He snarled.

Lucy blinked a couple of times, trying to regain her vision as she sat on the floor, her hand going to her tender cheek. "People keep telling me that." She thought perhaps her jaw cracked from how hard he had hit her. Lucy wondered how someone who looked like him could have so much power in a backhand to nearly cause her to pass out.

Suddenly two hands were on her and he was helping her up gently, "There, there." He placed her on the table rather than the chair, getting her napkin and dabbing her cheek where she was bleeding ever so slightly where the skin had split open. "I'm sorry, I lose my temper sometimes. And you? Well, you can be slightly vexing with your refusals and attitude," He almost had amusement in his voice as he spoke.

Lucy was sure her cheek was already beginning to form a bruise from where she was hit. She had never experienced that kind of pain from a mere backhand, and she had it happen to her enough times throughout her life know that that's not usually how it felt. He didn't look like he could put so much power into hitting someone, but Lucy was wrong.

"Forgive me? Please." He asked her. "I find it difficult to control myself around you,"

She said nothing, only wishing he had put her in the chair rather than on the table so she wouldn't be locked between him and the edge of the wooden surface. He was too close for her liking, and Lucy suddenly once again had a pit gnawing itself into her stomach. She wanted to be as far away from his as possible.

Reeling back from his touch, Lucy cringed as he tried to inspect the bruise on her cheek.

"There's no need to be afraid of me," He told her, looking slightly pleased by Lucy's reaction. "Even if you do choose to not work for Hydra, you can still avoid being a prisoner by fulfilling another role."

Lucy said nothing, only rose a curious eyebrow, wondering what he was getting at. The pit in her stomach only grew as he tried to wipe the blood away on her cheek again and Lucy pushed his hand away. The corners of his lips twisted up as he put her napkin back down on her seat.

He took a deep breath before stating, "I have always found you intriguing from the moment I first started reading your work. But it wasn't until that young man, your comrade, admitted his love for you that you truly captured me." She dug her nails into her palm even hard and bit her cheek simultaneously so had to draw blood. Behind her where she was sitting on the table, Lucy reached for her knife she had been using and concealed it in the folds of her dress. "I propose an arrangement. One which undoubtedly cause some raised eyebrows amongst the other higher ranking Hydra electives, but as I am the head of it, there will be no objections."

Lucy could taste blood in her mouth, it was taking everything she had to not just slam her knife into him. But Lucy had to wait for the right moment, she decided as she clutched the handle with white knuckles.

"And that proposition is?"

His lips twisted in a sinister matter. Lucy knew his next words wouldn't be good as he tucked a stray piece of hair from her updo behind her ear, his hand trailing behind to grasp the back of her neck harshly. His other hand trailed up her thigh, causing Lucy's heart to race in fear and the pit in her stomach to return, "A physical arrangement,"

Lucy wanted to vomit. Her chest rose and fell with each sporadic breath, and fear turned her blood to ice. The thought of being touched in any way by that man the way Daniel and Bucky had touched her made her sick to her core.

With a shaky breath as he gripped harder on her neck and tried to push her legs open, Lucy only whispered, "Go to hell." She refused to lower her gaze despite how terrified she was.

He gripped her neck harsher to the point it caused her pain, yanking her head back and causing her to cry out. He forced his way between her legs to he was standing between them as Lucy struggled, "I had hoped you would agree so I wouldn't have to force myself on you, but since you insist on being so difficult…" His mouth was on her neck and Lucy tried to push herself away and bring her legs up to put distance between them. His strong grasp held her tightly as she called out in fear as she felt the pain of him biting the tender flesh of her neck.

Lucy brought the knife in her hand down on him, only to have him snatch her wrist with a strength that felt as though he could snap her bone in two.

"How pathetic! Thinking a knife would do any good against me? You little fool!" He spat, sneering so close to her face Lucy could feel his breath on her skin.

"No?," Lucy licked her lips as he pulled her hair back to expose her neck to him harshly, "How about a fork?"

She stabbed him in the chest with the fork she had had in her hands only minutes before. He reeled back in pain, calling out as the metal, sharp object used specifically for holding meat was lodged into his chest, "You cunt!" Blood pooled out into his uniform but it seemed to have barely affected him. "A blood traitor whore like you is not even worth the effort!" He spat in a sneer as he grabbed her by the hair and threw her down, dragging her to the door. Lucy was able to get to her feet enough to land a punch directly in his groin, which caused him to double over and call out in pain as he clutched himself.

She was lifted from the ground at that moment, a scream choked in her throat as he clutched her neck so tightly Lucy was sure he would break her in half. He lifted her two feet above the ground as she dangled and gasped in pain for any type of air. He was inhumanly strong in a way Lucy had never experienced and felt her vision go black in a matter of seconds. She clutched at his wrist, trying to break his hold but every second he choked her Lucy began to feel herself fade away.

It wasn't until he cast on her ground harshly that she was finally able to gasp for air. She knew she would have a bruise around her throat the next day.

"I would like to say now that you will die amongst the others, but I think not. Your nobleness of protecting your little friend and your tenacity are qualities I have been looking for. So, I have decided that you will not die." He then grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, growling as she remained on the ground. "You will be subject to something far, far worse."

Yanking her arm so hard it almost felt as though it was dislocated he pulled her to her feet. His iron-like grip reminded locked on, pulling her along with him as he burst through the door.

The guards were at alert, following them as they marched through the various tunnels. Lucy could practically see Schmidt fuming, clearly angered by the fork to the chest. Lucy didn't know how it wasn't possible that it had barely slowed him down. Besides the initial shock that she had stabbed him, he hardly seemed like it affected him. She had known it wouldn't have been enough to kill him, but she had at least thought it would have stung more than it did.

The overlining pain in her ribs she still had from falling from the waterfall was still there. And not to mention the choking of her throat and everything else that was wrong caused her pain with every brutal step she was forced to take.

Schmidt practically threw her into a room, where Dr. Zola was looking over an experiment with large goggles on. He looked up in surprise with his eyebrows cocked.

"Here's the next subject, Zola. Do what you will with the little bitch." He hissed before two guards apprehended her and under Zola's command forced her into a machine. Lucy looks around panicked and tried to fight back, scared of the unknown.

It wasn't until she was hooked up and Zola was cackling madly at her that Lucy realized how much trouble she had gotten herself into.

And it was then that the screaming began.


Italy, Azanno, 1943

Drowning himself in assignments and missions was how Bucky coped. If he was too busy and too preoccupied to do anything, it meant he was too busy to think of Lucy.

Amidst the firing and fighting, the bombshells dropping on him and showering him with a rain of dirt and blood, Bucky was able to get her off his mind rather easily.

It was the quiet moments that were the worst. The attempts to get a few hours of sleep while held up in a foxhole, clutching his gun to his chest that were unbearable. Bucky almost prayed for more action, just so he could forget for a few moments what had happened.

Dum Dum liked to make sure he was never alone. There was always someone with him, whether it be Simon Pym, or Gabe Jones, or himself, Dugan knew Bucky worked better when there were others he had to think of.

Obviously, there weren't always moments he was surrounded by people. When he was on watch he was always the loneliest, and Bucky found his thoughts were always enough to drive him wild. He read Lucy's articles within hours of receiving them, picturing her words in her voice. Some moments made him smile, recognizing her sassy tone even through typed letters on a page.

Other moments when he finally closed the book and was left in the silence made him cry. He hated thinking of her clutching onto his hand, her grip going limp as she gave up.

Bucky tried to think of anything but those moments. Of how she looked in the red gown she had stolen as they danced. Of her breath rising and falling in her sleep. Of her tiny smirk as she teased him. Anything was better than thinking of her in their final moments.

He found himself looking at the picture that Charles gave him often. He didn't want to become like Whitney and forget the little things of her expression and personality he loved so much. The thought of one day not remembering how she tucked her hair behind her ear or blew it out of her face drove him crazy. He wanted to even remember how she used to pinch the bridge of her nose when she was frustrated at him. Or how she used to clutch her necklace and chew on her bottom lip when she was nervous.

The more he thought of her, the more he missed her. So much that it pained him, and he would do anything to no longer feel that way.

So he faked it. He put on a smiling face as he even lost in poker, sending a few bucks and a carton of cigarettes into Simon Pym's hand. He smiled even when Dugan shared a joke that wasn't all that funny. He tried to smile when Whitney spoke of the whore in the town they just passed her bedded, but even Bucky wasn't that good at faking.

He tried to be at the front as much as possible with the remainder of the 107th. Especially now that their mission was over and they were back from their 'vacation', as Colonel Phillips described it, although it was far from.

It was how he ended up in the night, cornered in a pit with some of his men. It wasn't particularly eventful, only a few shots going off now and then. Everyone was tired, but it wasn't so bad that they couldn't crack jokes once in a while.

And for once Bucky found himself genuinely smiling while surrounded by his friends.

"And wait— you did what?!" Pym demanded in a laugh as he looked over at Dugan with a large smile.

"I told you! I wet myself in front of her." He laughed harder, his Boston accent getting thicker as they all began to get more worn out.

"I've gotten a couple of dames in some odd ways," Bucky shook his head, remembering a red-haired girl he called Dot, who's senile grandmother he had to take care of for weeks before she agreed to finally let him take her on a date. "But I can say in confidence I never got so piss drunk that I wet myself and made a lady take care of me."

"I'm not kidding either!" Dugan laughed, "I mean, I had drunk myself stupid. But I kicked her scrawny date's ass in a drink-off, and then she took care of me for the rest of the night. She took me home, put me in bed, got me a glass of water and everything. And I must have been one charming son of a bitch for her to leave her telephone number on a small piece of paper by my bedside table."

"Seeing the real you over the piss-covered, loud, drunken you? That must be true love." Gabe Jones teased while looking back at Dugan from where he was laying on his stomach in the dirt, looking out over the dugout for the rest of them.

Dugan shrugged, "And that's when I knew! We've been together ever since. And my God, that woman is straight from heaven. The things she can do in the kitchen… Let me tell ya'! I'm gonna get down on one knee the moment I get home."

"As long as she's good in the sack, that's all that matters." Whitney interjected, causing Bucky to roll his eyes, "You can't give yourself away to a lady for the rest of your life if all she does is lay on her back and make you do all the work."

"I've got no complaints in that department." Dugan chuckled crassly as he lit his cigar. The smell of it drifted to Bucky's nose and he suddenly wished he hadn't lost his pack of cigarettes to Pym in their last poker game.

"Speaking of!" Whitney clutched Pym harshly on the shoulders in a friendly way, "We still need to find you a lady!"

"I erm…" Pym swallowed nervously, "I think I'm alright. I'm holding out for someone special."

"Pym, how old are you?" Bucky demanded, looking at him skeptically and wondering how a young man would actually volunteer to still be a virgin. Well, any young man that didn't have the unyielding moral code of Steve Rogers, at least.

"Uhh," He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, "Seventeen. Unless anyone important asks! In which case, I'm twenty."

"Seventeen?!" Dugan demanded with a laugh, "Son, when I was your age I had long forgone my virginity. It's time for you to kiss it good-bye!"

"You don't want to die a virgin like Sarg, do you?" Whitney teased Bucky as he looked at Simon.

"Hey!" Bucky shot back with a laugh, "1933. I was Sixteen. Thanksgiving dinner at family friends. Dianna Dean. She let me touch her breast the summer before and we had fooled around a couple of times before that. We were left alone for ten minutes in her room…Only took me two." He laughed, poking a joke at himself.

"Two? That's about a whole minute and a half longer you lasted longer than with—," Jones stopped himself from teasing too much further. Bucky's throat tightened as he realized he was about to say Lucy's name. His smile fell as he thought of her and Jones knew he had made a critical error and he looked at Bucky with a sorry expression.

Surprisingly it was Whitney who said something next, "Ahh, c'mon! Give the man some credit! It was longer than two minutes that time." He defended him, looking over at Bucky skeptically and picking up on his reaction. "Five minutes max, though," He added, making Bucky snort in a half-chuckle.

"Either way," Bucky cleared his throat, a lump forming in it as he thought of her longer, "Pym, believe me when I say you don't wanna die a virgin." He was trying to do anything he could to get his mind off of her.

"But waiting for the right dame—," The young man began, Dugan cutting him off loudly.

"Is bullshit! Believe me! Plus, why would you want to do it with the right gal the first time? You'll just embarrass yourself! And when you ask her how it was she'll say, 'Oh… umm. Fine?'" He mimicked in a high pitch voice mockingly, "And then she'll never talk to you again!"

"Gee, it's that bad?" He asked with a scared expression, clearly rethinking every choice he ever made.

"Maybe for these green ones." Whitney pointed at the rest of them with a raised eyebrow, "Not me. She called it 'earth-scattering'."

"You're so full of shit, Whitney!" Bucky called out, smirking. "Your first time went the same as all of ours." Bucky could say there that wasn't much of a fond memory of him losing his virginity with poor Dianna. It was before he had been experienced, and before he had been taught things by certain women and before he learned how to please them. It was nothing like how it was with Lucy.

With Lucy it was desperate, hands clutching one another. Their salty, sweaty, skin colliding against each other. Her mouth of his, gasping his name in pleasure. Their hips collided so hard he was sure she would have bruises the next day. She took him in further than he thought was possible, clutching at him and taking him for all he was worth. It was like she was made for him, in every single way possible.

Bucky's pleasant thoughts of her were interpreted by Whitney "Maybe so! But I ain't gonna admit that! I'll take it to my grave that it was an 'earth-shattering' experience."

"Whatever makes you sleep at night," Dugan rolled his eyes with a smirk and patted his shoulder, "But listen, Pym. The secret to good lovemaking is making it all about the woman." Dugan attempted to educate him.

"What?" Whitney asked with a frown, "No! The secret to good lovemaking is to have her focus all on you!"

Bucky rose his eyebrows and couldn't help but smirk as he cracked a wise-one, "Yeah, there's no way that poor gal called her experience with you 'earth-shattering' with an attitude like that."

"Don't listen to that idiot. Whatever you do." Dugan told Pym, warning him of Whitney's wisdom.

"Why would I wanna please a dame when she could please me instead?" Whitney questioned, "It's the lady's job to please the man, innit?"

"Not in the bedroom It's not," Jones laughed, "The secret to a good relationship is to do whatever the hell she wants in the bedroom. I was always told there was no room behind closed doors for selfish lovers."

"How do you make it about her, though?" Simon asked with a frown, a little confused. His inexperience was showing through his questions.

"You keep your head between her thighs until you can't breathe," Bucky interjected. He knew it was taboo to talk of such a thing as to pleasing a lady in that way, but he didn't mind. He cocked an eyebrow smugly, "Or until she can't breathe."

Simon cringed at the inappropriate conversation, "It sounds gross."

Dugan let out a breathy chuckle, "Only if you're doing it right!"

"Don't worry, Pym!" Gabe Jones assured him by gently grabbing his shoulder, "We'll get you all trained up and ready. You know where to stick it, right?"

"Yes! I know where to stick it!" He shoved him off with a troublesome smile, a light blush on his face.

"Christ, seventeen." Bucky shook his head as he thought of how young he was, "Why would you want to join the army a year early?"

"My brothers are both fighting, figured I should too." He said with a shrug, looking a little ashamed. Bucky thought of how there were men like Steve and Simon trying to get into the army and lying, willing to fight, and he had to be drafted.

Of course, he never told anyone that he was called for the draft. He told everyone he signed up, but the truth was he was scared. And he had good reason to be, given all that had happened so far.

"Moron," Dugan only rolled his eyes with a light snort. He couldn't believe people were actually signing up to die. After all, he was draft too.

"Hey! I had to do what was right!" Simon interjected, defending himself with a small smile.

"And are you happy you did?" The Boston native asked again as he took another puff of his cigar.

"Well," Pym looked down at how he clutched his rifle, and at his soggy boots which we causing his feet to hurt from how wet they were. He looked around at the men he was with and saw their miserable, tired, dirty faces. "Not particularly."

"There ya go! See! War isn't a game." Dugan said with a shake of his head but then realized he was being a little harsh on the boy, "But regardless, you're here. And at least we have someone to poke fun of."

"And take all your money in poker!" Simon said with a wide smile, still reveling in his newly acquired wins.

"Watch yourself! It's too soon to be gloating! Plus, how the hell did you get so good at playing cards at Seventeen?"

"I was always good at math. My brothers taught me. One's an engineer." He only said with a shrug, looking proud at himself.

"Lies!" Bucky pointed with an accusing tone, "He's hiding cards up sleeves! No one is that lucky at poker at Seventeen." He suspected, a slight chuckle echoing. He found it easier to distract himself while doing things like this. It made the whole ordeal of losing Lucy a little more bearable.

For a moment Bucky's face fell as he once again dwelt on the memory of her. He could hear the men laughing behind him about something else, but Bucky looked out past the top of the hole they were dug into. It was eerily silent for a few moments, besides the chuckling behind him.

No distant shells were falling and no lone shots going off. Only silence except for a slight mechanical sound. Frowning, Bucky looked over the top more only for his eyes to grow wide as something large, blue, and unnatural fell towards them.

"Holy shit!" Was all he yelled before grabbing Pym and forcing him to the ground, trying to call out get down but nothing coming out as the explosion went off in front of them.

"What in hell's name was that?!" Whitney demanded as they were showered with earth and dirt. The blue flash wasn't something Bucky was imagining, and all that was left behind was the flames of its aftermath, practically singeing off Dugan's mustache.

Another one went off, causing them to fall to the ground. Whitney began firing at those who began shooting at them. One more flash of blue was seen, practically making the earth shake as it made impact, this time closer than the other two.

"We need to get back! We're too close to their firing!" Bucky yelled over people's panicked yells from other fox holes. He realized that they were in their range and they couldn't fight whatever this new weapon was. Was it another tank? There was no way they could take on a Tiger with how little ammunition they had. He could hear an automatic rotary cannon going off behind them, adding to their boys' efforts to fight back at whatever was firing at them.

"C'mon!" Bucky grabbed Pym to his feet, who was still a little shaken up. They were too close, and at this rate with the new weapon the Germans were testing out, they wouldn't last long. The man stumbled as they all jumped out of the hole they were in, running to one further away and hoping they were out of range.

The fire was everywhere, it's eerie yellow cutting into the darkness of the night. Bucky could hear screaming behind him, but he didn't know if it was his men's or there's.

Jumping into another pit, Dugan followed, sliding on the dirt. Gabe had a sheer line of sweat on his forehead, fear in his eyes.

Gunshots went off tenfold. More sporadic than before and the screaming increased. Bucky couldn't even figure out what direction it was all coming from as flames erupted from various positions. The blasts seemed to echo relentlessly in his ears.

Dugan tried to yell over the sound of the blasts, "There have to be at least five more companies out there!" He didn't look as scared as Gilbert Whitney or Simon Pym. Instead, he looked pissed, trying to brush some dirt off his bowler cap.

Bucky yelled something about needing more cover, his ears ringing through the blast that went off close to his head. He could feel the ground vibrating under him from the ongoing attack of shells hitting the ground.

He was looking all over from a damn tank. He knew there had to be one. There was nothing else that could possibly cause all that damage and reduce their numbers so drastically.

Bucky heard screaming as a man on fire raced around madly behind them. His screams were so loud that Bucky shut his eyes to block everything out. It wasn't until the echo of a pistol going off that the screaming finally ended.

Yelling something again for more support, Bucky knew if they were going to last they were going to need more cover. Anything would have helped. Air support, more troops, a goddamn monkey with a gun would have been better than nothing.

Bucky looked over in horror as Gabe Jones held up the radio transmitter he had been in charge of. There was smoke coming off of it at, holes in its center were it had gotten hit and Jones would have too if it weren't in the way, "That might be though!" The man looked down at it with a tight expression as he realized help wasn't coming.

Dugan's wide eyes opened as he aimed his gun at someone approaching over their foxhole, "Bucky, behind you!" He called out.

All three of them lined up against the edge of the pit and began firing at whatever they could see wasn't a friendly. The heat of another explosion licked Bucky's face, the brightness of the yellow flames dancing in the night. He had to squint to look past it, hoping he could see anything that looked as though it would try to shoot him back.

As Bucky yelled his voice was hoarse. "Here they come!" Over the hill of where they were first positioned, Bucky saw several Germans approaching, fearless from whatever it was behind them that was giving them so much firepower.

Dugan's hat was blown off, causing him to huff in annoyance, especially when he saw the scene in front of them, "I hate these guys!" He complained as he saw how bold they were, marching towards them.

Bucky looked through his scope as he fired onto the dark figures. Dugan and Jones and Whitney had joined him, their shots echoing his own. Bucky could feel the joint of his rifle on his shoulder every time he shot one off, knowing he would be sore if he survived the next day.

No matter how many they kept taking down, more just kept coming. One replaced the other, and Bucky felt sweat trickle down his forehead under his helmet and drip down the side of his face as he continued gazing through the scope of his gun.

As he looked at one of his targets, he noticed the blue light again. The man he had his sights on had vanished completely, the only trace of him begin a light, floating blue dust.

Bucky's mouth opened in shock, and before he could say anything he returned himself back to the scope of his gun, his other eye closed as he could focus his stare to make sure he wasn't seeing anything.

The following assault was unlike he had ever seen. In his worst dreams, he never thought he would see men getting taken down so rapidly, without even a single trace they had been there at all in the first place.

The blue blasts sounded different than a Tiger tank. Clearly, it was unlike any weapon they had ever come across. The only question was, did they knew they were firing at themselves? It couldn't have been the Allies who were firing off like that, could it? Were they introducing a new weapon Bucky didn't know about?

"Get down!" Gabe Jones screamed as more bodies were illuminated with blue light, disappearing entirely. It was like a shooting star, an angel of death, an all-consuming power that evaporated anything in its wake. He looked on awe-struck from what was before him, still frowning as he tried to figure out if it was one of their own. God, he hoped so. But it was much too sinister to hope it could be theirs. Something about it was inherently evil, a shadow in the night overcoming anything in its way and swallowing it whole.

At that point, Bucky knew it wasn't just him seeing things. The others had seen it too, and their mouths were agape from the shock. The firing had almost stopped completely on both ends as the bodies had vanished, and Bucky began to stand up, hoping to get a better look at what in the hell could have caused such mayhem.

"What the hell was that?" Whitney demanded as he wiped some sweat off his brow with his uniform sleeve. Bucky stood up with Dugan and Jones flanking him, their guns still raised despite the enemy threat becoming eliminated.

He could hardly believe his eyes, as Bucky looked down with a frown to see the pebbles and dirt he was standing on began to rumble and move with the vibrations the machine approaching them was causing. He could feel fear building in his chest from the unknown, wondering when the hell they developed technology such as this.

When the tank emerged over the hills, Dugan could only say dumbstruck, "Well that looks…new?"

It was unlike Bucky had ever seen, larger than any of the Tiger tanks, and far more intimidating than he had previously seen. His brow creased as he looked at a little longer, staring at it and wondering if it would turn its aim to them next.

It took only seconds for its cannon to shift its attention over to them, where on instinct, Bucky could only yell "Down!" As the earth around him seemed to go up under the impact of the shot.

Smoke, dirt, fire, and darkness, covered them and Bucky could hardly hear the screams of the unknown with his ringing ears.

He looked around him and saw the tank slowly approaching and knew at that moment it was the end.


This entire chapter was so intense! And unfortunately, the next couple of ones will also be like this one. But there's some good stuff in store for sure! I'm so excited for the next couple of chapters! Hopefully, this one was alright! I haven't been too big of a fan of the last few I've written, but what can ya do? Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Thanks for reading!

-A

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