I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter, please take the time to leave a comment/review as they make me very happy!

…

"Pew! Pew!"

Dugan watched as a three year old Oliver shot past him, aiming an imaginary gun at an imaginary foe, ducking down behind boxes as he pretended to take cover from the enemy. Turning to Falsworth, he was surprised to see his friend looking very down in the dumps. "What's up? You getting homesick or summit?"

Falsworth shook his head as he continued to stare at Oliver, who was still happily playing war. "Do you ever think that it was a bad idea to let Oliver grow up here? I mean, look at him! War's a game to him, despite everything that he's seen!"

Dugan frowned at the frustration in Falsworth's voice, but before he could say anything, the pair heard Captain Rogers call out for Sergeant Barnes. "Bucky! Bucky, I have them!"

Dugan and Falsworth watched as Bucky, who had been keeping a close eye on Oliver, stood up and met Steve at the halfway point. The pair talked quietly to each other before Bucky playfully punched Steve in the arm and grinned, "Nice going Punk, now maybe Oliver can see something other than mud and trees!"

The duo strode back into their tent with Bucky pausing only to scoop Oliver up off the floor, despite the kid's protests. Dugan frowned as the group came out around 10 minutes later, bags packed and ready to leave in one of the camp's jeeps. "What was that all about?"

"I believe that Captain Rogers was able to acquire day passes for him, Sergeant Barnes and little Oliver. Take him to the beach or something…he needs to get away from all of this, it's no place for a three year old!"

"And you think a magical trip out to the beach will solve all that? Look Falsworth, the kid has grown up around fighting and war…that always leaves its mark, no matter what you do! One happy day at the beach isn't going to get rid of the less peaceful memories…"

Falsworth nodded sadly, hearing Oliver's excited giggles as the jeep left the camp and headed towards the beach. "I hope you're wrong. The beach may be just what he needs."

…..

Oliver's eyes were wide as he watched the sea appear over the horizon. Whilst the weather was cloudy and downcast, the sight was still leaving quite the impression on the three year old. As they pulled up near the beach, Bucky had to grab his son around the waist so that he wouldn't just run off. "Whoa there kiddo! You don't have anything on your feet. Trust me when I say that you don't wanna be walking on a pebble beach with nothin' on your feet!"

Oliver scowled. He was going through a phase where he was taking his shoes off and then leaving them around whilst he ran around shoeless…it was a miracle that he hadn't suffered from a piece of glass in his foot. "No! I don't wan' any shoes Mommy!"

Bucky rolled his eyes. It was the same argument every time, both with the shoes and with the word 'Mommy'….nothing ever changed but he had a plan for the footwear problem. "I know you don't want any shoes kiddo but look…" Bucky pulled a new pair of combat boots out of his travel bag and held them up, "…now you have some big boy boots, just like your Daddy!"

Oliver just glared at the boots and shook his head, "Not int'rested!" Bucky sighed…he seriously regretted letting Peggy be the one to teach his kid 'proper English'…he'd begun to use very big words and talked back way too often for Bucky's liking….but that might be more Steve's influence.

"You're not gettin' a choice in this kiddo…now come here." For a second, it looked as though Oliver was going to throw a tantrum but Bucky was quick to hold up a silencing finger, "Ah, ah, ah! You sulk, we go back and you don't get to go to the beach!"

Oliver fell silent and continued to glare as Bucky helped him put these new boots on, tightly tying them so that Oliver would be unable to remove them without assistance. "There…" Bucky exclaimed triumphantly, "…try and get them off now!"

Oliver scowled as he tugged and pulled on the boots, finally giving up after a few minutes and slumping in his seat, pouting as Bucky chuckled. "Not funny Mommy!"

Bucky just laughed as the side door opened and Steve helped Oliver out of the jeep. "C'mon kiddo, time to get your first proper glimpse of the sea!" Steve lifted Oliver onto his shoulders as the group made their way unsteadily down a steep hill onto the pebbly beach.

Oliver bounced up and down on his Dad's shoulders excitedly as the sea came into clear view. "It's the sea! It's the sea!"

Steve and Bucky smiled at the joy in Oliver's voice, with Steve lifting the kid off of his shoulders and placing him down on the ground. Within a few seconds, Oliver was off and stumbling over the stones, his gleeful laughter echoing up and down the deserted beach. Bucky turned to Steve and grinned, "Well I think he's enjoying himself…although he's not gonna be so happy when he realises that he still can't take those boots off when he leaves our sight!"

Steve chuckled as he saw Oliver stop a few metres away from them, sit down and then attempt to remove the boots to no success. In the time that it took for Oliver to try and remove his boots, Steve and Bucky managed to catch up with him. Bucky chuckled, lifting Oliver up off the ground. "Hey, I told you kiddo! Now, come on…you don't wanna spend all day trying to take off your boots now do you? The sea's right there…"

Oliver paused for a few seconds before shaking his head and indicating that he wanted to be put down. Once Bucky did just that, Oliver was up and running again, this time straight towards the sea. Steve and Bucky were quick to keep up with him so that Oliver didn't just go rushing into the water, which may have been too much for the toddler to handle.

As it stands, they didn't have to worry about that. When Oliver reached the edge of the sea, he stopped in his tracks, the waves lapping against his boots. Steve and Bucky watched as Oliver ran away from the waves, only to run back when he saw the waves rolling away again. This pattern continued on for a few minutes before Oliver decided it was safer running behind his parents and glaring at the sea. "I don't wike it…"

Bucky and Steve laughed at the statement as Steve gently stroked Oliver's hair, "Why don't we go play by those rock pools eh? Maybe we'll see a crab or something?"

This cheered Oliver up. He had a few books that involved crabs so he was very eager to see one in real life. The small group wandered over to a large pile of rocks, where there were several small bodies of water, surrounded by smaller rocks. Oliver clambered over to one of them, slipping slightly as he came into contact with the wet seaweed, causing Bucky to frown in concern. "Careful Oli! The day really will be ruined if we have to stitch you up!"

Oliver just glanced back and grinned, leaning in close to the small pool in order to watch the small creatures inside. As they reached the pool, Steve quickly lifted him up off of the ground and placed him on his knees. "Don't get too close kiddo, you don't want to fall in!"

Oliver ignored him and wriggled impatiently as he saw something crawl across the rocks and into the water. "Crab! It a crab Daddy!"

Bucky gently grabbed Oliver's hand as the child reached out to touch the crab, "Ah, ah, ah! You don't wanna do that kiddo. Remember that book? Crab's hurt when they grab you with their pincers remember?!"

Oliver thought to himself for a few minutes before nodding sheepishly and retracting his hand, which he then used to grab onto his Dad's jacket in order to help steady himself. The small group sat there for hours, with both Steve and Bucky pointing out different creatures and watching Oliver's face light up with delight.

As the sun began to set, Oliver found himself in Bucky's arms as Steve sketched out the beach. It only took a few seconds for Oliver's head to fall against Bucky's shoulder, his eyes slipping shut as the day's events finally caught up with him.

….

He woke up almost an hour later, just as the jeep was pulling back into the camp. After Steve helped him out of the vehicle, Oliver sped off, his previous energy restored. Bucky watched him go and sighed, "I'm tired just watching him…"

Steve nodded and smirked, "But at least he'll actually sleep tonight instead of 'silently' playing with his teddy."

"Yeah, if we're lucky."

…..

Oliver whined in frustration as he tugged and pulled on his boots, almost toppling backwards off of the log that he was perched on.

"What's the matter with you mini Cap?"

Oliver glanced up at Dugan who was grinning at the pouting child, "I can't untie my boots Dugan! Mommy tied dem too tight!"

Dugan chuckled as he bent down to untie the boots…only to frown. They just wouldn't untie. "Damn Barnes…" he muttered, "…you were determined to keep these on his feet. Don't worry Oli, I'll get them off quicker than you can say Captain America!"

"Captain America!"

Dugan mock glared at the child before pulling on the laces some more, only to pull a penknife out of his belt. However, before he could cut through the knot of the laces, he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder, "Whoa Dugan! Those weren't cheap!" exclaimed Bucky.

Dugan ignored this and pointed at the laces, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "What did you do to these laces Barnes? It's like they're sewed together or glued! I can't get them off!"

Bucky frowned before bending down and then tugging on a single lace on each boot….which loosened the knot enabling Bucky to remove the boots. Straightening up, Bucky held the boots up with a triumphant grin. "One of my trick knots…tugging on it does nothing but tighten the knot. Tug on the right lace gently though, and it'll just come undone!"

Dugan shook his head and walked away, muttering about 'smartass Brooklyn brats'. Chuckling to himself, Bucky held the boots in one hand whilst scooping Oliver up in the other, "Come on kiddo. It's way past your bedtime and I'll be damned if I let you run about in the dark!"

Oliver squirmed as they entered the tent, fussing as Bucky helped him get changed into his pyjamas. He soon quietened down as Bucky tucked him in and began to tell him another story about his and Steve's past. Within seconds, Oliver was fast asleep and snuggling up to his tattered teddy bear.

Bucky smiled softly at him as Steve entered the tent behind him. "He asleep?" asked Steve quietly.

Bucky nodded as he and Steve began to get ready for bed themselves. "Yeah…hopefully he'll stay that way."

"With all the running about he did today, I'll be surprised if he wakes up for the rest of the night."

Bucky and Steve settled into bed, Bucky curling around his partner as he stared at Oliver in his own little cot. "Hey Steve…do you think we did the right thing?"

"What d'ya mean?"

"With Oli…is it such a good idea to be raising him here? I mean, he's already been hurt once and I know that Falsworth has been concerned about Oli's increased interest in war!"

"Well…maybe it's not the best place for a kid. But can you honestly say your life would be better if we'd given him up for adoption?"

Bucky paused for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Nah…he brightens the place up. I don't know, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I can't help but think that this place is going to take away his childhood before he's ready."

"Well then…we'll just have to make his childhood as happy as we can then, won't we?"