"Colonel Phillips." Steve greeted.
"Well if it isn't the Star Spangled Man with the plan?" Phillips quoted brusquely at their entrance. "What is your plan today?"
"I need the causality list from Azzano."
"You don't get to give me order, son." The Colonel stated offended at his lack of respect.
"I just need one name. Sergeant James…" Steve began before being cut off from a shout behind him.
"Colonel!" a slight dark form sped past him. The figure leaned over the Colonel's desk pleading with him, slightly out of breath. "James Buchanan Barnes." The name was coughed out. "Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th. Tell me he isn't dead."
"Lucy?" Steve asked from behind her. She quickly spun around at the familiar voice.
"Steve?" she squeaked in astonishment before embracing him tightly.
As the two hugged, Phillips shifted his gaze to Peggy and with a hard stare he ordered, "You and I are going to have a conversation later that you won't enjoy."
"What are you doing here?" Lucy questioned Steve but before he could answer she remembered herself, "Never mind that…" she said turning back to the Colonel who was not amused at the increasing number of people crowing his tent she continued, "B-A-R…"
The Colonel held up a hand, "I can spell." With a heavy sigh he persistent, "I've signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But…" and he pulled a letter out from his breast pocket, "the name did sound familiar. I'm sorry." He handed the letter over to Lucy.
Lucy held the letter in her trembling hands. Peggy moved to wrap a supportive arm around her. Missing in action it said. She felt numb. Her brother, abandoned on the other side of the line and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Are you planning a rescue mission?" Steve demanded.
"Yeah," the Colonel responded regaining its curtness, "its called winning the war."
"But sir!" Lucy implored the same time Steve continued, "If you know where they are, why not…"
"They're thirty miles behind the line," Phillips interrupted, "through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe." He pointed on the map, "We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect you to understand that, because you're a chorus girl." He glowered meaningfully.
Steve clenched his jaw; "I think I understand it just fine, sir."
Lucy nodded mutely, understanding his logic and the arduous decisions that had to be made in times of war.
"Well then," the Colonel ushered them out of his tent, "understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you've got someplace to be in thirty minutes."
"Yes, sir." Steve was still staring at the map, "I do." And he left.
Pointing to Peggy, Phillips instructed, "If you have something to say, right now is the perfect time to keep it to yourself."
Lucy and Peggy glanced at each other before turning to follow Steve.
-permafrost-
"What do you plan to do?" Lucy challenged still not quiet finished processing everything that had happened in the last hour as she observed Steve packing hastily, "Walk to Austria?" she scoffed in disbelief.
"If that's what it takes." He answered honestly. Her jaw dropped.
"Listen Steve, you heard the Colonel, James is most likely d-d-dea…" she couldn't finish her sentence.
"We don't know that for sure, Lu." He shook his head.
"Even so," Peggy supported, "he's devising a strategy, it takes..."
Steve interrupted growing more angry and pulling on his coat. "By the time he's done that it could be too late."
"Steve," Lucy begged following him outside of the tent. The rain had finally stopped and Steve was loading up a car with his meager belongings. She caught his arm spinning him around to face her, "I can't lose you too."
He took both of her hands in his, "Peggy told me you thought I was meant for more than this. Did you mean that?" he asked staring hard at both Lucy and Peggy.
"Every word." Peggy replied firmly.
"Lu?" Steve questioned.
Studying his solemn expression she responded, "Absolutely."
He nodded, giving her palm a quick kiss he climbed into the vehicle, "Then you've got to let me go."
"Wait!" Lucy shouted stopping him from starting the engine. "I can do more than that." She smiled a strange glint in her eye. "Come on, let's go get Howard."
-permafrost-
In a different part of camp…
"On stage girls! 5 minutes!"
Behind the curtain, the entire area was bustling with activity. The dancers where scurrying about, readying themselves for their next show. "Where's my helmet?" a brunette girl ask the room as a whole.
"Has anyone seen Rogers?" Came the panicked voice of the tour manager.
-permafrost-
In the back of the airplane, Peggy was debriefing Steve on the geography of the area, "The hydra camp is in Krossberg." She pointed tracing their route on a map, "Tucked up between these two mountain ranges. It's a factory of some kind."
Taking off her headset Lucy moved from the copilot's chair to join them, "We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep." She notified him.
"Just get me as close as you can." Steve replied adjusting his parachute. Looking up at her worriedly he added, "You know you're going to be in a lot of trouble when you land."
Peggy just rolled her eyes at his concern.
"What and you won't?" Lucy retorted crossing her arms.
"Where I'm going if anybody yells at me I can just shoot them."
Lucy handed him his shield.
"And they will undoubtedly shoot back." Peggy reminded him.
"Well," he grunted patting the embossed metal, "lets hope this is good for something."
"Agent Carter!" Stark called from the front of the plane. "If you're not in too much of a hurry I thought we could stop off in Usurea for a late night fondue. I promised Lucy, and I think after the day she's had it'd be a nice little getaway." At Stark's words, Steve felt a pain he had never felt before blossom in his chest. It originated from his heart and rushed throughout his entire body, causing his throat to close and his mouth to open.
Lucy shook her head in amusement, "We'll discuss this later Howard." She replied before looking back at Steve.
The back of the plane was quiet after that. Peggy cleared her throat and broke the awkward silence between the two lovebirds. "Stark is the best civilian pilot I've ever seen. Well," she paused, "not including Lucy here. They're the only two mad enough to brave this air space. We're lucky to have them."
Steve nodded absentmindedly, not really hearing what Peggy was saying as he was too preoccupied with Stark's earlier words. "So…" he started grabbing Lucy's attention, "do you two…" he asked pointing between Lucy and Stark. He didn't really want to say it. Saying it out loud would make it read.
Lucy cocked her head not understanding what he was trying to convey.
Clearing his throat, Steve clarified, "Do you…" he stuttered unsure of how to phrase the question. "Fondue?" he finished lamely. His heart beat loudly in his chest. If it weren't for the furious winds, he was sure they'd all hear it pounding loud and clear.
Peggy covered her mouth to keep from laughing and interrupting the comical exchange.
Giving up, Lucy ignored Steve's apparent loss of ability to utilize the English language. Lucy showed him a device she pulled out of her pocket, "This is your transponder," handing him the small rectangular box she continued, "activate it when you're ready and the signal will lead us straight to you."
"Are you sure this thing works?" he yelled to Stark, inspecting the new equipment.
Lucy smirked proudly, "Trust me, I designed it."
"Its been tested more than you, pal." Howard supplemented as he adjusted some of the levers and knobs trying to smooth out their flight.
"Wait till you see what else Howard and I've been developing." Lucy continued excitedly. Steve's eyes dimmed a little at that. He would never be able to challenge Lucy on her level, the way Stark did in their science and technology department. Even with all these artificial improvements, he thought bitterly to himself, you still won't be enough to get the girl.
Just then, the plane started to groan and shake. The quiet of the night had been disturbed. From below them in the midnight forest, shots were being fired. The sky suddenly lit up with various brilliantly flashing lights that warned them of the path the dangerous bullets followed. Howard started to swerve back and forth to avoid the gunfire.
Steve jumped up from his seat and pulled open the door.
"Get back here!" Peggy shouted over the howling wind.
Running over to him Lucy cried, "We're taking you all the way in."
Steve shook his head, "As soon as I'm clear, turn this thing around and get the hell out of here."
"You can't give me orders!" Peggy countered.
"The hell I cant!" Steve grinned, "I'm a Captain." Then just as he was about to push himself out of the plane, Lucy stopped him.
"You better come back to me safe and sound." She kissed his cheek, causing both of them to redden, "And bring back that trouble making brother of mine while you're at it; or I'll be forced to come after the two of you just like I always do. "
"Yes ma'am." Steve grinned, tipped his helmet at her, and put on his goggles. He then leaped from the aircraft. Within a matter of seconds he disappeared from view. He was on his own now, completely surrounded by the enemy without anyone to help him.
"He'll be fine." Peggy yelled heaving the door into its proper position. "Now, lets go try that fondue you two keep yammering on about." She sighed latching it into place.
"Yes!" Howard enthusiastically agreed from the pilot's seat turning the plane to go to his desired destination.
"Fine." Lucy consented plopping herself back down into the copilot's seat. "But you're going the wrong direction, Howard." She corrected him, replacing her headphones.
Embarrassed, he adjusted the flight course. "Not one more word." He warned her, purposefully not meeting any of their eyes.
Peggy and Lucy sniggered to each other behind his back.