Disclaimer: I do not own the Captain America movies or their characters. Any unrecognized plot or characters are mine.

Chapter Four: Oh Shit

I groaned, blinking my sluggish eyes to clear them.

I noticed two things once my mind sharpened a little bit. First, that I felt more air on my skin than I should have and shivered when my mind registered the coolness of that air. Second, that my lower body ached, the kind of ache you have in your muscles after you work out a while except it was more internal than external.

I smelled a few things that didn't make sense. Chocolate and vanilla bean with a hint of the tang of sweat and something else.

Flashes of memory played in my head and my eyes snapped open. I was fully awake now.

Oh, shit! I went into heat!

That was when another memory bombarded my consciousness.

Bucky bonded me.

Trembling hands slowly lifted to cover my face. I could still smell his scent nearby and I felt his body heat against my back.

I peeked over my shoulder to confirm, and came face to face with an awake Bucky.

His eyes were on my face, searching for something, his head was propped up on his hand and he had covered his lower body with the flimsy sheet. He reached for me with a hand but dropped it before it could make contact with me. "Josie? Are you okay?"

I shook my head, trembling hands covering my mouth, choking back a sob.

I didn't know what to say. What do you say in a situation like this?

I was bonded.

I bonded in captivity, in a fit of heat, with the one male that wanted to protect me from this kind of thing.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to know why the Nazi's were forcing us to stay here and do the things they made us do. I wanted to know if Bucky tried to fight his instincts or just gave in because it was too strong. I wanted to know what this meant for us now, the first bonded pair in the group.

I rolled over, keeping as covered as possible as I turned to face him.

"Bucky." I whispered, my eyes filling with tears.

Guilt exploded across his face and in his eyes, followed quickly by shame. "I tried to fight it, Josie, I swear I did. I was beating the urges, too, but then I scented all of them stampeding at us like they did and I lost the fight. I'm sorry."

It wasn't his fault.

I went into heat unexpectedly, he tried to fight his instincts and was distracted enough to fail.

The incident in the hall wouldn't have gone unnoticed, but even they aren't stupid or strong enough to subdue an instinct driven Alpha when an Omega he's claimed in mind is in heat.

"Hold me?" I asked, feeling small and vulnerable.

They would be very angry with us, with him. They would punish us.

I was scared.

Bucky immediately pulled me closer, encasing me in his strong arms. I felt untouchable and protected the moment he did, snuggling closer to the warmth he emitted. I noticed the jump when I put my feet against his legs to warm them up and giggled.

"Christ, Josie, you're feet are like chunks of ice." He grumbled, but didn't move his legs away.

"Yeah, I think the blanket twisted around my ankles in my sleep." It was actually pretty common for that to happen to me. My feet were covered at the beginning of the night, but in the morning they were more often than not uncovered.

"Didn't think to mention your icy feet before you forced them on me?" He mumbled, his chin resting on the the top of my head.

I drew back and smacked at his arm with a incredulous huff. "I did no such thing!"

"Sure, doll, if you say so. It'll be your word against mine, just so you know." He replied easily.

I rolled my eyes, snuggling closer again.

A comfortable silence stretched on for a little while.

My thoughts returned to my looming bouts of heat. At some point, I will go into heat again and become hazy, mindless in my need. We needed to talk about that and other possibilities before I did.

"This respite won't last forever." I began, unsure how to word my thoughts.

"Yeah, we should talk about that while you can still form coherent thought." Bucky agreed, his voice vibrating interestingly in his chest.

"It's okay." I murmur, keeping my eyes on the shoulder that melded into his metal arm. "It will be next to impossible to fight your urge to have me once it starts, especially at this range. I think it would be easier and less harmful to both of us if we allow nature to take its course until the end. . .unless you don't want to."

"No, no, I don't mind. Are you sure? That is what you want?" Bucky checked, his muscles more tense and his voice a little unsure.

"I'm sure." I reassured him, touched that he didn't just jump at the chance to have sex with me again, but wanted to make sure I was certain. "I want to let things run their course."

"If that's what you want." He agreed, dropping a kiss on the top of my head.