Steve paced around the room, gently rocking his son in his arms. Something he had been doing every night for the past week.
"Shh, shh bud," Steve said as he rubbed a hand down James' back. "C'mon little soldier, you gotta get some shut eye. You're gonna get sick if you keep this up."
Every night, like clockwork, James would wake up at two or three o'clock in the morning and wail for his daddy. Neither Steve nor Peggy could fathom what had gotten into the boy. All they knew is that it had started when they moved.
"Steve," Peggy said, getting up from the bed, "let me take James for a bit. You have an important meeting with Colonel Phillips tomorrow and you cannot afford to be sleep deprived."
"Alright," Steve said, gently passing the young boy into his mother's arms.
James immediately began to sob but Peggy hushed him gently as she moved to sit on the bed.
"I-I h-had t-the dream again," James cried, stunning both of his parents. This was the first that they had heard about James's night terrors.
"What was it about, little man?" Steve asked.
"It starts out all dark and then the bad mans come, then I hear BANG! BANG! BANG! When I look up again, there are a bunch of people on the ground and their missing their arms and legs. Some of them have this yellow stuff on their faces and when they try and rub it off, they have a bunch of red spots on their face."
Both Peggy and Steve were stunned by the vivid description of James' dream and the detatched, nearly robotic way that their youngest child described the horrors. It sounded almost exactly like a battle. That was impossible however as Steve and Peggy actively worked to protect both of their children from the horrors of the war. Peggy never listened to the radio when either child was within hearing range. Steve hid all military files in a locked case under his bed. Still running a hand down his sons back,
Steve was struck with an idea, tomorrow, he would go talk with his best friend and self proclaimed "expert on everything mind, dream and/or love related", Sgt. James "Bucky" Barnes.
Bucky was Steve's childhood best friend and Steve often spoke of Bucky as his inspiration for joining the army and fighting for his country. Peggy had come to know Bucky after he had been injured in a horrible fall from a HYDRA train and put on medical leave. As a result, they had become almost like siblings. That was why, when their little boy was born, there was no argument about who the child's namesake would be. Both of the kids absolutely adored Bucky and they always looked forward to when he took care of them. James loved to hear about the war stories and battles that his daddy and uncle had fought in while Lucy always wanted to discuss the latest news from the warfront with her uncle.
Although he was second in command, Bucky was the odd man of The Howling Commandos. At 25, Bucky tended to act more like a hyperactive 14 year old than a soldier under the command of Captain America. This quality helped him to come up with many outside-the-box plans during battles and relate to his niece and nephew. This made him one of the most important people in their lives.
"Hey buddy," Bucky said, lifting James onto his lap, "How's junior g-man doin' huh?"
"I'm okay" James said quietly, laying his head on Bucky's chest, playing with the pins and medals on his uncle's uniform.
"Just okay?" Bucky asked, "you're usually bouncing off the walls when I get here, kiddo."
"Yeah, well," Steve said as he entered the room and sat down next to his best friend, "little man here didn't get much sleep last night, neither of us did. In fact, this is the most relaxed that I've seen him in the past ten hours."
"I guess I seem to have that effect on your kids," Bucky teased.
"Yeah, yeah, right now, whatever gets him calmed and sleeping is a win in my book."
"Poor kid," Bucky said quietly, running a hand through his nephew's hair.
"I know," Steve murmured, "He was so happy in the city. The happiest that I've ever seen him and then we have to go and move again."
"That's probably the root of the insomnia," Bucky responded. "I know that when I first left New York for training, I had a hell of a time getting to and staying asleep."
"But it's not just insomnia, Bucky," Steve said, "It's the nightmares."
Bucky was about to respond, but he was stopped by the look on Steve's face that obviously dictated that they would discuss it later.
"We need to be heading out for our meeting," Bucky said, looking at his watch, "Do you want me to put the kid to bed for you?" Bucky asked, indicating the now sleeping child in his arms.
"Yeah," Steve said, getting up from the couch, "That would be great. Thanks Buck."
"No problem," Bucky said, standing up and heading into his nephew's bedroom.