Bucky held his gun at the ready, finger hovering over the trigger. He kept his steps light and noiseless. Several feet in front of him, Steve led the group through the foliage. The commandos kept a wide, staggered line to canvass the forest more thoroughly. Bucky held his breath each time Steve snapped a twig with his overgrown feet or broke a branch with his overbroad shoulders. He may as well have worn a bell. Bucky couldn't help but smile after Steve.

"He means a great deal to you. I can see that much," Peggy whispered, walking in step with Bucky.

"I wouldn't be here without him." His smile disappeared as Peggy looked him over. "He's my best friend, and he saved my life."

"It's more than that."

Bucky held his impassive gaze forward. He shifted the gun in his hands. "Don't you have something more important to do? Lookout, maybe?"

Peggy laughed lightly. "You put up a tough act, but that's all it is. Don't be so afraid of letting people know you, Sargent."

Bucky stood still and stiff. "Shut up, Peggy."

"I beg you pardon? No need for—"

Bucky clapped his hand over her mouth, stifling her words. She held still, realizing that he sensed something else around them. There was no trace of the other commandos. No birds chirped. No wind blew through the dead leaves left clinging to their branches. Bucky turned in a circle scanning through the scope on his rifle, but he couldn't see anything. The hair at the base of his neck prickled and he dropped his rife, letting it bang against his thigh. "Get down!" He threw Peggy into the foliage, dropping over her for cover as a hail of bullets pelted the ground around them.

"Go! Get to cover!" The two of them crawled to the nearest tree where they crouched between the roots. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

Bucky raised his rifle again, scanning the direction the bullets came from. There, between the trees. Shadows flitted from trunk to trunk. He caught one in his sites and pulled the trigger. The Hydra soldier hadn't hit the ground before Bucky took out another. In the distance to their left, an explosion boomed, followed by the echo of screams.

"Falsworth!" Steve yelled. "Get out of the—ahh!"

Peggy gasped and took off towards Steve. Bucky reached out to stop her, but she slipped behind his grasp. He watched her fall to the ground with a sharp grunt, and he launched to her side. "Peggy!"

Her face had gone greyish and sweat beaded over her forehead. Dark splotches were oozing through the shoulder of her uniform, smearing red over the white-tipped ground. She was shaking and short of breath. "I'm-I'm o-okay. Get me u-up."

Bucky gripped her around her waist as she clutched to his arms, pulling her to her feet. "Can you walk?"

"Yes."

"Then move. I'll cover you." She did as he said, stumbling with her shock-locked limbs. Bucky followed close behind, rifle raised and scanning for Hydra. He popped shot after shot, dropping the enemy one by one by one. Peggy threw herself against the trunk of the nearest tree and slid to its base. Bucky crouched in front of her, inspecting her shoulder.

"I promise I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt much." But her voice was faint and her gaze was sliding from focus.

"You're in shock. I don't see an exit wound, so you'll need surgery," he said, running his thumb over the front of her shoulder. He pushed lightly around the back of her shoulder, making her wince. "Two bullets. Could have been worse, but still. You'll be out of commission for a while." He undid the buttons on his jacket and yanked at the base of his undershirt, untucking it. With the small knife he kept on his hip, he cut a strip of his shirt to use as a bandage. He looked back at Peggy, who had her pistol raised. She pulled the trigger and a thud sounded behind him. He turned to see the corpse of a Hydra soldier. He went back to binding her wound, letting her lean into him. By the time her shoulder was wrapped, she'd slumped entirely against Bucky, unconscious.

Bucky leaned her against the tree again. "Peggy?" Her head lolled to the side. "Come on, Peggy. Wake up." She didn't respond. He slid his fingers below her jawline. There was a pulse, slow and steady. She'd just passed out.

"Bucky!" Steve ran over to the two of them.

"Peggy was shot. She'll be fine." Steve crouched beside him. "She was trying to get to you." Bucky looked Steve over. He seemed fine, but there was blood dripping from a tear in his uniform. He'd caught a bullet in the side. "What about you, Steve? You're bleeding."

"Just grazed. I'll be fine." Steve cupped Peggy's face with his hand. Bucky stood and slung the strap of his gun over his shoulder. The other commandos came meandering towards them. Falsworth was limping, an arm slung around Morita. But they were all there and accounted for.

. . .

Howard Stark flew the Commandos to the nearest base with a hospital. Everyone was checked over by nurses while Peggy was in the OR. Night had fallen before Bucky heard Peggy was awake and out of surgery. He headed to her room in the medical ward on base. A soft glow of light slipped from around the door, left ajar, and soft voices carried to the doorway. Bucky stopped with his hand on the doorknob, listening. Steve's soft laugh seemed to vibrate.

"Don't be. I'm not that fragile kid from Brooklyn anymore."

"But you're not invincible." Exhaustion made Peggy's voice gravelly.

Bucky peeked in through the cracks. Steve was perched on a stool beside the bed, back to the door. Peggy was propped up with pillows against the headboard. Their hands lay between them, and Steve watched them intently as he brushed his fingers with hers.

"You're always so serious." Peggy unhooked her fingers with Steve's to run them through his hair. Steve leaned into her touch ever so lightly.

"It's war. When this is all over, there'll be more time for…fondue."

Peggy laughed. "Really, Steve? Fondue?"

"Or whatever you want." He stood. "But for now, you need rest." He kissed her on the forehead before turning to cross the room.

Bucky slid into the shadows of the unlit hallway before Steve opened the door. He held his breath, hoping Steve would walk in the other direction, and nearly sighed with relief when he did. He paused at the doorway again.

"Come in, James," Peggy said before he could knock.

He stepped in, shoving his hands into his pockets. "How long did you know I was there?"

"From the moment you first gripped the doorknob. The door budged a bit."

"I didn't want to interrupt. It seemed you two were having a private moment."

Peggy smirked. "Please sit."

He pursed his lips. "It's okay. I just wanted to check and see you were alright."

"James. Sit." He did. "I want to thank you. Not only for saving me, but because I can see how difficult it is for you to let me in to Steve's life."

Bucky shrugged. "It's not up to me who Steve gets close to."

Peggy smoothed the blankets over her thighs. "Regardless. He values your opinions. He admires you. You are—and I suspect you always will be—the most important person in his life."

"Well, now you are." Bucky rubbed his palms together.

"If you asked me, I would step aside…remove myself from the equation, as it were."

Bucky frowned. "I don't know what you mean. Why would I ask you to do that?"

There was sadness in her smile. "I'm just tired. Don't mind me."

Bucky stood. "I'm glad you're alright, Peggy."

"Goodnight, Bucky."

He closed the door behind him with a soft click then meandered back to his own room. Steve's door was open as he passed by, just one door from his own, and Steve called him in. He was hunched over maps sprawled over the small writing desk in the corner of the small room.

"Just got word from the colonel. Zola's on the move." Bucky stood next to Steve and studied the maps over his shoulder. "He'll be on a train through the Alps tomorrow." Steve traced the route with his finger. "The plan is to send us Commandos, get on the train, and capture him. Word is he's transporting lab equipment to one of the new Hydra facilities."

Bucky straightened and took a step back. "Good." His voice was tight. "The bastard needs to be taken down."

Steve turned to look at Bucky. "You know, you don't have to go. It's a volunteer only mission. It's okay to sit this one out."

Bucky forced a thin smile, more like a grimace. "I'll be there."