Chapter 26. Love Eternal

Jim = modern Bucky, Thomas = Sam, Andrew = returning older Merton

In the few days leading up to the July 4th holiday Thomas had noted that Jim seemed out of sorts. When they were alone before going to sleep on the Wednesday night he asked his friend what was wrong.

"Nothing, Sam," he replied, preferring to use their real names when they were alone. "Just remembering what an ass I was to her between Sunday and tonight."

"What did you do?"

"Overreacted for starters," said Jim. "Merton found us in a compromising position on Sunday. Nearly kicked my ass. I thought he would beat her as that's what fathers, even uncles responsible for their nieces, sometimes did in the 1940s when they found their daughters in bed with a boyfriend. I wanted her to come away with me and elope. She wouldn't. Now I know why but at the time I couldn't understand why she would choose to stay instead of leaving with me. I took it to mean she was breaking up with me."

"You're serious."

"Yeah, then I suddenly received a call from her ... tonight actually, that he agreed to allow us to see each other, with conditions. I came over, Merton laid down the law and I agreed. What else could I do? I was miserable without her. Then I almost fucked that up."

"How did you do that?" asked Thomas.

"I talked about getting married, getting a furnished flat together while she continued to work at the library and I took as much overtime at the docks as I could to save up enough money for a house down payment. Then I asked her how many kids she wanted and told her I wanted four, two boys and two girls. She brought up continuing to work at the library and I saw red. No wife of mine was going to work once she had kids."

"Are you serious? You pulled that shit on Ariel? How did that go over?"

"Exactly like you think. I'll tell you what, when she loses her temper, she's magnificent. I was so turned on, but I was angry, too. That was some fight and I walked out. Once I was outside, I cooled off, literally and realized that one thing I really liked about her was how different she was from other women. My mother saw it, hinting that Ariel wasn't someone who was defined by a wedding ring. I heard them both but truthfully never really understood what it meant. I kept thinking that at some point she would submit to my wants and desires over hers as long as I kept picking away at her. Broke both our hearts in the end when neither of us would back down."

Thomas sat up in the dark, bringing his feet to rest on the floor and leaned over with his elbows on his knees.

"And now?" he asked. "What are your feelings about her now?" Jim said nothing. "Can I give you some advice?" Jim sat up and faced Thomas, assuming the same position, so he took it as a yes. "When we get back commit to her. By the look on your face and how you talk about her you still love her very much. What you feel for her is still there, even after all the years you were tortured and had your memories scrambled. That's real love, Buck, love eternal."

"You weren't there in the solarium," he replied. "She turned me down when I asked for her forgiveness. I hurt her Sam, deeply. I'm doing this because I do love her but I don't think she's even close to being able to love me again."

"Then do me another favour." Jim glared at him. "Don't give up. If she's as wonderful as I think she is, then she's worth it. I envy you that you had that kind of love, even if it didn't end well. I've never experienced a love like that and it's worth never giving up. But that's just my opinion."

Jim made a small grunting sound then went back under the covers of the bed, turning away from Thomas. He heard his friend get under the covers on his bed but didn't look. Sam was right; Ariel was too important to give up on. She was the love of his life and if there was even a slim chance that everything they were doing now would bring her back to him then he would do it. Once he saw her in the solarium of Peri's residence he knew he wanted her more than anything.

On the morning of July 4th, Will left the others so he could assist Merton, Hal and Orville, some other supervising historians, with the relocation of the portal apparatus currently kept in the abandoned garage. After some of the strange goings on it had been suggested to find a new location for it. While he was gone the other men took it easy, sleeping in a bit as they were still getting used to their hours of work, now that both of them had already been told by their employers that their jobs were secure. Mr. Malloy had originally said he would decide on Saturday, but he told Jim at the end of his shift Wednesday that the job was his. When they did get up Andrew was cooking breakfast for all of them. As they ate Jim thought of something.

"That bomb, at the World's Fair," he began. "Are we permitted to try and stop it?"

"Whoa, there was a bomb at the World's Fair?" asked Thomas.

"Yes, there was," replied Andrew to the second question, then he looked at Jim. "It's history that we can't change."

"Even though it kills two men," said Jim.

"Their fate stays the same," said the historian. "Changing their fate could have had just as much effect as if we changed yours."

"So what are we doing today then?" asked Jim. "Going to the ball game?"

"We could go to the first game," said Andrew. "Or we could meet up at a historian's place, eat, drink beer, listen to the ball game on the radio, and waste the day. You two are going to the fireworks tonight."

Jim looked at Andrew then the realization came to him. "We're the two guys, aren't we?" he asked. "The ones who make sure Ariel and Rebecca are safe."

"Yes you are," replied Andrew. "You can't let them see your face clearly so make sure you have your caps on, pull them down low over your face and look away. Ariel is going to find you familiar but won't be able to place you." He noticed Thomas looking strangely at him. "She told me."

About an hour after they ate Will arrived back home. He seemed nervous at first then disappeared into his room before coming back out and looking at Jim. Then he shook his head and returned to his room before immediately coming back out and sitting beside Jim.

"I'm going to say this once and get it out of my system," he said. "Don't get angry at me and beat me to a pulp because I know you can easily do it." He took a deep breath. "How the hell could you hurt that woman like you did?"

Jim looked down. "Yeah, you met Ariel at Merton's place, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I could barely say two words to her or even look at her," replied Will. "I mean, I know I'm a good looking man and I have no issues finding female companions for the occasional hookup but Ariel? My god, man, she's something else when you're up close and personal. I saw her when she returned from 1943 and she was a wreck. Until I met her this morning I didn't fully realize how much she had changed. You have to make it right with her. You just have to."

"Well thanks for that pep talk," muttered Jim. He patted Will on the shoulder. "I know how badly I messed up. I knew it the moment she gave back the engagement ring, and instead of running after her I went and got stinking drunk. I knew it when I watched her from across the street while she was working in the antique shop on the Friday of the Stark Expo. I wanted her to look up and see me there. If she had I would have run right into the shop and begged her forgiveness. But she didn't and instead I made a date with Bonnie and Connie for Steve and me. Then I showed up in her room stinking drunk again after I bedded both women wanting her to want me. Got my ass kicked by Merton, me a 26 year old YMCA boxing champion was beaten up by an old man. No offence, Merton, sorry Andrew."

Andrew shrugged.

"I'm sorry for coming on so strong," said Will, after a few moments. "I could understand how quickly you fell in love with her. The connection between you two was electric, evident to all of us in there, no matter what Orville said, the stupid jackass."

"What did he say?" asked Jim, looking first at Will, then at Andrew who rolled his eyes.

"That you were underwhelming," replied Andrew, "and that you reminded him of what the British said about the American soldiers in World War II."

"Over paid, over sexed, and over here?" asked Jim, incredulously. "He really said that about me? I'm glad he wasn't supervising Ariel." He noticed Will and Andrew glance at each other. "What aren't you telling me? You said something about Orville while Sam and I were puking. What was it?"

"He's under surveillance," said Will. "I bugged his place. He's been talking to someone. We weren't sure who but he was passing on information about you and Ariel. Of course, once you identified the guy at the concert we think that was who he was talking to."

Thomas stood up and stretched. "I have to give it to you historians," he said. "I could barely keep up with this conversation. How the hell do you keep everything straight?"

"Extensive training and practise, and lots of role playing training exercises," said Will. "One mistake and you fail the exercise. You get enough fails then you're out of the program. We're the ultimate multitaskers, Thomas. Peri Wayne is the best there ever was. Her first assignment was in January of this year with Jim there. Didn't make a lasting connection and she spent the next 75 years coming up with how to get ..." He stopped realizing he had said too much. "Sorry."

"It's okay, she brought it up when she came to see us in 2024," said Thomas. "How old is she?"

"97," said Andrew. "She was 22 when she was assigned to connect with Jim."

They all looked at Jim and he got up, shaking his head. "I don't kiss and tell," he said bluntly, before going into his room and coming out with a change of clothes before heading to the bathroom. They heard the shower start up a minute later.

"We travel all over the timeline, sometimes even leapfrogging over ourselves if we're sent back to the same time as a previous or future assignment," said Andrew to Thomas. "I'm sure I'll meet my counterpart at some point. We're human and sometimes we make a mistake. But with history on the line the rules are very specific about what we can and can't do. Orville Remington has already broken those rules by passing on information to an outside source. We should pull him in immediately but we need to know who he is talking to and what he is telling them because that information was never recorded."

"You're letting him incriminate himself," replied Thomas. "What happens if someone gets hurt or worse because of his actions? Do you get a do over?"

The two supervisors looked at each other. "It depends on what impact the person who is affected had on history," Andrew said finally, clearly uncomfortable discussing the subject.

Jim came out freshly showered and changed. Thomas went into his room and came out with a change of clothes to do the same thing. The other men sat awkwardly, not saying anything. Will answered the phone when it rang. By the sounds of it they were receiving an invitation from a historian to meet with others at Rockaway Beach for the holiday. After hanging up the younger historian looked at the others.

"I have a date, but I don't need the car if you want to go," he said. The others looked expectantly at him. "We're going to Central Park on the subway then returning to her place for dinner. I'll be back in the morning."

"Ariel said she had an implant," said Jim. "What do the men historians do to avoid ..."

"We have an implant as well," said Will quickly, "but we also use what passes for a condom. It's the times we're in."

"So you never get to marry or have a family?" asked Thomas, who had returned in time to hear Jim's question.

"We can," said Will. "Some historians have been allowed to marry their subject as long as they had no effect on history, but it meant they had to give up being a historian, and stay in the time with them until death parted them. If I was back in my time and fell in love, enough to marry, then I would switch to a training position, training new historians but never going on a mission again. It's a vocation really, not just a job."

"I'm staying in today," interrupted Andrew. "Jim, why don't you take the car and show Thomas the Brooklyn you knew so well? I think it would help him to know you better. Then you can use the car to get to the fireworks location and get back safely."

With a nod the two Avengers got their jackets and caps. Will gave them the car keys and they went to where it was parked. Before he started the car the two men sat saying nothing until Jim cleared his throat.

"She asked about marrying me and staying," he said. "Merton told me on the way to Peri's residence. She loved me enough to consider giving up being a historian." He rubbed his face with his hands then looked at his friend. "Love shouldn't be so complicated. I had too much influence on history as a Howling Commando and as the Winter Soldier to allow her to marry me."

He went to start the car and Thomas put his hand on his friend's arm. "Yet, they wanted you to bring her back to our time, to be with you," he said gently. "It has to mean that their history showed she stayed."

"Yeah, I thought that, too," replied Jim, "but the Pierce descendant is from their time and he's openly messing with the timeline. So their history is in jeopardy. That's how I see it. We have to stop him from messing up the entire timeline. Until we do I can't depend on being with her."

Both men shook their heads then Jim started the car and started driving. He drove past the docks first, showing Thomas where he worked, then quickly he drove down the street where he grew up, pointing out the brownstone where his family lived. Next, they went past Steve's small flat, and Thomas commented on how poor the neighbourhood seemed.

"It was," said Jim. "Until Steve got the job bussing at the diner he supported himself by doing odd jobs and grudgingly accepting as much help as he would allow from my family. My parents loved him like a son but he was proud, certain he could take care of himself without any help. Merton helped when he could, always seeming to come up with something for Steve to make some money." He smirked. "He says historians don't interfere but I know he stuck his neck out for both of us several times. He was more involved than he was supposed to be."

"Sounds like he cared about you two," said Thomas softly. "That's a friend."

"Yeah," muttered Jim, finally realizing how much Merton did for them without ever asking for anything in return.

From there he drove down to the Red Hook pier and from a view point pointed out the Statue of Liberty across the harbour. They continued around the perimeter of Brooklyn, past Coney Island which was already packed based on the number of cars parked along the highway. The traffic had slowed to a trickle and Thomas noticed they were getting a lot of stares.

"Ignore it," said Jim, without explanation.

"Blacks and whites didn't mix much, did they?" asked Thomas.

"No, but it depended on the circumstances," replied Jim with a sigh, uncomfortable discussing it. "We're getting stared at because you're in a car with me, yet I could go to a black dance club or jazz club in Harlem and be accepted. Black entertainers were the stars at the Cotton Club but the average black person couldn't get in the door. I liked the smaller places better, the ones in Harlem. A black family could come out and enjoy the day at Coney Island but you could only eat at certain restaurants, and sit on certain parts of the beach. It was a hard time for everyone but especially for anyone who wasn't white."

"Yet you had a black man in your unit," said Thomas. "I've seen the exhibit. Gabe Jones."

Jim smiled. "Yeah, a good man," he said. "Some enlistment clerk made a mistake on his form, marked him as white which got him posted to the 107th. Never did manage to get it corrected. Dum Dum and I made sure he made it through basic without getting jumped. With his languages the army realized he would be good as a radio operator and he received further training in it but he was just as fearless a soldier as Steve was. He was on the train when I fell, was actually the guy who captured Zola."

"You miss him," stated Thomas.

"I miss all of them," said Jim, glancing over to his friend. "We're coming up to the salt marsh."

A soft smile played over his face as they drove through it, and he pulled into a gravelled area saying it was a place a lot of bird watchers came.

"You visited here at night," stated Thomas and Jim smiled.

"Yeah, it was quiet and private," he said.

They stepped out of the car and smelled the sea air, watching birds flying overhead and settling in the grassy marshes north of them. When they got back into the car Jim turned towards the ocean, pointing out an airfield, Naval Air Station New York.

"It's Floyd Bennett Field now, used for recreation."

A few minutes later they were on an almost empty beach with a flat sandy beach. There were a few families out but it was a quiet place, a place for contemplation. Jim sat on the front hood and looked out over the ocean.

"This is where I brought Ariel after we had dinner on Friday night," he said. "Our first date. She took her hat off and tossed it in the back seat of the car and we just walked, stopping to kiss every once in a while. She took her stockings off in front of me; the first time a girl had ever done that out in the open without a care in the world. We walked in our bare feet along the beach. I was smitten, Sam. It was too perfect."

Thomas said nothing, knowing that Jim had to get this out.

"We came back to the car and sat in the back seat, necking, and even though I promised we would take it slow I wanted her so much, but not in a car, not for the first time. We went back to the apartment and I climbed in through the window of her bedroom. It was the first time I ever slept over for the whole night with a woman. I didn't want to leave but she had to go to work."

He stopped speaking then but still sat on the hood of the car, looking out over the ocean. Andrew had been right to suggest this drive as this was a Bucky that was unknown to Sam Wilson.

"Can I ask you something?" said Thomas. Jim nodded. "Your memories of this, of her. How fragmented were they by what HYDRA did to you?"

"Very," he replied. "There were brief snippets of her face, the smell of her perfume, how it felt to be with her, that sort of thing. I knew they were good memories right from the start and wrote them down. Figuring out the right order of them took longer. But this, the memory of being here with her ... that came back in a single night's dream, in its entirety. I woke up and cried, remembering all this and realizing how precious it was. Then when I remembered the end of us, it crushed me, that I lost her because ... I was still a man of my time, unwilling to bend."

"You still are in many ways," commented Thomas. "Just saying, Buck. You still prefer the old music, and you complain about the price of things, and how simpler it was back then. Are you still the same man about women?"

It was a long time before he answered.

"No, not when it comes to her. I still want to be protective of her, and watch over her but I wouldn't hold her back. If she ultimately decides she doesn't want me I'll let her go. I won't stalk her or try to control her. She'll be the one who decides and I'll respect that."

They stayed there for a little while longer then left and Jim took Thomas to a little Chinese food café where they could both eat at the same table without a problem. They enjoyed the meal then took their time driving back to Will's place. Andrew was listening to some jazz on the radio and drinking some scotch so they joined him then ate a dinner of cold cuts, bread, butter, tomatoes and cheese.

When they finally left for McCarren Park they parked some distance way as it was already busy on the surrounding streets. Remembering that they sat in the outfield of one of the baseball diamonds Jim suggested they sit nearby to have a visual on Ariel and the others but not too close that they were visible to them. Eventually, they saw the four arrive, lay out a blanket and sit on it.

"I wanted to neck but Ariel wouldn't do it in front of Rebecca so we played Twenty Questions, with me winning a kiss if I guessed Ariel's clues," said Jim.

Both men reacted when they heard a cherry bomb, followed by the distinct sound of firecrackers going off. A ripple of nervous laughter went through the crowd and they both smiled at their own reactions. When the fireworks did start they stood up with everyone else and looked up at the display. Thomas noted that Jim shifted slightly so he had a visual of Ariel. All too soon the fireworks ended and people began picking up their blankets to leave.

"Be on your guard," said Jim, in a low voice. "The fight started in centre field and spread towards the diamond."

He started walking towards the others then grabbed Thomas's arm when they heard the sound of yelling and fists connecting with flesh, pulling him along. Making sure his cap was down low Jim came up to Ariel in the dark, feeling the fear coming off of her as she and Rebecca were jostled.

"I'll show you to safety," he said to her then noticed Rebecca, anxiously holding Ariel's arm.

For a moment his lip quivered at being so close to his younger sister and Ariel, and Thomas gently took the girl's arm, nodding at Jim. Ariel wasn't sure what to do as the sounds of the fight came closer.

"Trust me," said Jim, as he bent his head closer to her. "You're to wait at home plate. Don't move from there."

Looking back towards the fight which seemed to be coming closer both men moved the woman and girl towards home plate. As soon as they got there they released the pair but stood several feet away and made sure no one bothered them. Then Jim touched Thomas's arm and nodded towards where the fight was, at the sight of young Bucky and Steve approaching. With a last look at Ariel and Rebecca both men faded into the crowd and began walking in the other direction, away from where there were now mounted police pushing into the groups of fighters. Then Thomas noticed something and put his arm out in front of Jim.

"Look, someone's watching them," he said, pointing towards two men.

They both stopped and watched the two men, who began following the other four from a distance. Looking at each other they both began following the two men, who continued to follow Bucky, Steve, Ariel and Rebecca from about 20 feet behind them.

"They familiar to you?" asked Thomas. "I feel like I've seen them before."

"Yeah, now that you mention it," replied Jim. He pulled the car keys out of his pocket and handed them to Thomas. "I can follow them on foot. You take the car back to Will's and tell Andrew about these two."

"You sure? I won't get stopped by the cops, will I?"

He grimaced at his friend in response. "If you do I'll bail you out. Just stay along the edge of the park, away from the crowds. I want to see what these two do."

As Thomas hurried away in the dark towards the car Jim kept up his surveillance on the two men, following them on the walk towards the antique store. He noticed the two men stayed in the shadows as Steve and Rebecca waited for Bucky and Ariel to say goodbye. They stepped back even further when two policemen approached Steve and asked him to account for himself. For a moment he wondered if Sam had returned to Will's place safely. His attention returned to the antique shop as Bucky came out of the stairwell and joined up with Steve as they returned to the Barnes home. The two men in the shadows didn't move until the police officers moved on, then they began walking towards where Jim was hidden. He listened carefully as they approached.

"We missed the best opportunity to take her in the chaos," said the one. "Mason is not going to be happy with us. Our notes said they would be separated from the uncle but they were there with Barnes and Rogers."

"How did she and the girl get to home plate so quickly?" asked the other. "There were two other men who took them there. Where did the other two come from?"

"I don't know. I didn't see their faces in the dark. Do you think the old bitch has extra security in this time we don't know about?"

"Anything's possible with her. I heard she sent Andrews and two unknown operatives back. Maybe they're the two."

"Well, I better get back to my flat," said the first man. "I'm opening at the diner tomorrow morning. What about you?"

"I'm going back to the portal, the new location," he said. "Orville is meeting me there. It was to send me and the girl back but I guess I get to go back and give Mason the news that the original timeline was in place. He won't be happy about the Asset and Paxton making up. He managed to hack their messaging system and intercept the Chair's orders to Burnett but they seem to have found out and adapted."

Jim bristled when he heard Bucky referred to as the Asset. The man who spoke it was definitely HYDRA, or whatever they called themselves in the 22nd century. He watched as the two men passed by him, oblivious to his presence. When they split apart at the end of the street, he went after the man who was headed to the portal, as he figured the diner the other man referred to was the same one Steve got a job in.

As he followed the man through the streets he realized where he saw him before. He was a security guard at the Historian's headquarters and wondered if he was responsible for Ariel being taken. Jim could feel the anger rise in him and had to concentrate to tamp it down. This was gathering intel and he had to keep his personal feelings out of it. It wasn't long before he arrived at the portal location and Jim silently jumped up onto the roof, stepping quietly to where there was an open vent. Listening carefully he heard the voice of Orville being defensive when the other man complained that the Asset appeared to have made up with Ariel.

"You're not dealing with an amateur you know," he said to the other man. "Merton Andrews has been a supervising historian for 23 years in this timeline alone. He must have contacted the Chair between Sunday and today and learned she sent a message."

"If you had bugged their place like you were supposed to then we would have known that and I wouldn't have had to come to this shit hole," replied the man.

"I did bug it," snapped Orville. "I went in by portal on Sunday after the young ones went to the beach and Merton left for the supervisor's meeting. So don't get pissy with me, Joren. Obviously someone on your end didn't do their job and advise you of the couple reconciling before you portaled in. I did make a report about it this morning after I saw them together in Merton's place but it was the automated system, not a person who took the message."

Jim grimaced at the revelation that Orville was the man in the apartment. But it also meant that someone in their organization might be a double agent if they didn't pass on the news of Bucky and Ariel making up last night. The distinctive sound of a portal opening got his attention and he listened as it was shut down and the doors opened. He watched from the roof as Orville locked the doors and walked away in the dark, presumably back to his place. Then he jumped down from the roof, keeping to the shadows as he ran back to Will's place. After he reported everything he heard to Andrew the other man got a determined look on his face. He retrieved the key for the communications room then came back several minutes later.

"They'll take the guard into custody and put the psych people on him," he said. "Good work, tonight. There's obviously more going on. I told them about the other one working at the diner so I'm going to start becoming a customer there. You remember the day you and Ariel went there and the place was short three staff?"

"Yeah, were they HYDRA?" asked Jim.

Andrew nodded. "I just have to identify them, so if you come with me on Sunday and identify the man we'll track their activities."

It was agreed and for the first time since they arrived a few days before Jim felt that he and Thomas would be able to contribute something other than being muscle. He just hoped they would be able to get it wrapped up sooner rather than later as he wasn't sure how long he could restrain himself from seeing his parents. Now that he had seen Rebecca up close the desire to see his mother and father had flared up considerably. Just the chance to see them even once threatened to consume him.