In honor of my birthday this upcoming weekend, here's a new chapter! I've had certain scenes in this chapter planned for such a long, and I'm excited to finally share them. :D

Title is named after the song, "Bad Decisions" by BTS, Snoop Dogg, and Benny Blanco

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Let's Make Some Bad Decisions

When Steve finally found his friend, after hours of searching, the reek of nicotine permeated the air. Following the stench, Steve spotted Bucky leaning against a Jeep outside of their tent and smoking a cigarette. A thick cloud of smoke surrounded him like a storm cloud above an upset cartoon character.

Uh oh, Steve thought. Something clearly must have happened for Bucky to chain-smoke.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, walking up to Bucky. The serum-enhanced senses made Steve cough and he waved a hand through the air to fan the smoke away. It did nothing except swirl the haze around and tickle the inside of his throat. He could taste the nicotine, and he stifled a cough.

"I'm fine," Bucky grunted. He took one last drag on his cigarette nub before using it to light another. He slid the half-empty box into his pants pocket.

Seeing straight through Bucky's lie, Steve pried, "What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I'm fine."

He might as well be talking to a brick wall. At this rate, he could get more information from an inanimate object instead of his friend.

"Buck, you only smoke when you're stressed."

"There's a war going on, Steve, of course, I'm stressed."

"You haven't chained smoked your way through half a cigarette box before."

The remark earned him a vicious side-eye, and Steve caught a glimpse of Bucky's red-rimmed eyes before his friend turned away. Deep down, Steve knew something other than the smoke made Bucky's eyes red and sunken.

"What do you want?" Bucky snapped, and let out a sharp exhale. He at least cared enough to try to keep the smoke away from Steve even though Steve didn't have asthma anymore.

"We need your help planning the mission, in case you forgot. I want everyone there to make final decisions. We've got less than a week before we finally take down the Hydra base near the border," Steve explained.

Any previous irritation about Bucky neglecting his duty faded away once he saw how defeated and downtrodden his friend appeared. The obvious sign of chain-smoking proved something had occurred. The red eyes, trembling bottom lip, shaky hands, and downcast attitude further betrayed Bucky's true feelings.

"You're right. 'M sorry." But he made no effort to move other than bringing the cigarette to his lips and taking a long drag.

In a gentler voice, Steve touched Bucky's shoulder and said, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

The answer should not have surprised him, but it still stung. Bucky used to tell him everything; he'd overshare on the most intimate details and sometimes Steve wished Bucky would learn to keep some things to himself. Ever since Azzano, a schism had grown between them, and Steve tried his best to fill the gap before it grew wider. If only Bucky would open up once in a while and put some effort into repairing the divide. It would certainly make things easier. He would be lying if it did not hurt to see Bucky so closed off and reserved. Bucky had been to hell and back, but he couldn't do anything to help until Bucky let him.

"Is this about Azzano?" Steve asked. Bucky would never admit it, but Steve knew about his nightmares or occasional zoning out. He talked in his sleep, too, and Steve sometimes caught him repeating his name, rank, and serial number, just like he did when Steve found him strapped to a table in Zola's lab. "You never told me what happened there," Steve added.

"I don't even freakin' know what happened!" Bucky shouted as he whirled around, causing Steve to take a half-step back.

Bucky saw Steve flinch and let out an angry sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just—"

"I know," Steve interrupted, placing a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "I understand. We've all been through a lot, and it's okay to be angry. Hydra—"

Bucky shook his head and rubbed both his eyes with the heels of his palms. The cigarette in his fingers brushed too close to his hair and Steve watched it, waiting for Bucky's prized hair to catch fire. It never did, thank goodness, but Bucky's mumbling did not ease Steve's concern.

"No, you don't understand," he muttered, "it's connected. It's all connected, and it's my fault."

Bucky had a habit of saying the most random, unfiltered things, and Steve had gotten used to Bucky's strange sense of humor, but this confused Steve more than any of Bucky's jokes or odd remarks. It reminded him of the nonsensical ravings of a drunk man—or someone insane.

"What's connected?" Steve asked, hoping to guide Bucky into making some sense. "What happened?"

"The church and Hydra. Hydra killed them because of me. If I hadn't escaped Azzano, they'd still be alive."

Dread ran down Steve's spine. He had felt this twice before, once when his mother fell ill with tuberculosis and he knew she would not make it long before the doctor said anything, and again when he heard about Bucky's captured unit. Unsure if he wanted to know the truth, Steve asked, "Who's they?"

"Ma and Travis." Sniffling and fingers shaking, Bucky took another drag of his cigarette. "Hydra sent a few men to kill them. Becca and Suzie escaped; Suzie told me everything."

A bullet of grief pierced Steve's heart and he staggered. Bucky's family was his family, too. The Barnes quartet were practically his siblings, and they had all grown up together. They always invited Steve and his mom to family gatherings. He had met Uncle Henry, Aunt Ida, and their cousin Riley many times. Despite never having any relatives in America other than his mom, Steve never felt alone, not when he had a whole loving family in the Barnes household.

"What? When?" Steve breathed. He met Bucky's gaze, and he watched in shared sadness as tears pooled in his friend's eyes.

"Shortly after you rescued us from Azzano." His cigarette had burned to a stub, and he lit another one. "They're dead because of me."

"Don't say that." Breathing became difficult. The smoke did nothing to ease the chasm spreading in Steve's chest. Dizziness took over, and he fumbled to find the Jeep to lean against for support.

Bucky stared off into the distance, his bottom lip quivering under the cigarette. The stick of nicotine curled in his grasp as he squeezed it under shaking fingers

"I want them dead, Steve," Bucky growled. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he trembled. "I want them dead. I want to put a bullet in Zola's brain, and see the life drain from his eyes."

Another drag of the cigarette, and he continued to stare into nothingness. His voice wavered as he continued, "I mean I understand why Suzie did what she did. Hydra made it personal, and they're gonna suffer for it. They targeted my family." He turned to look at Steve and he flung out his arms. "Who does that?! The damn bastards!"

An agonizing silence blanketed the conversation as more smoke curled from Bucky's cigarette. A hitch in Bucky's breath pulled Steve from his quiet grieving, and he glanced up to see Bucky staring dejectedly at him.

The only time Steve had seen Bucky this miserable and mournful was when George Barnes died. They had a strong father-son relationship, and the news of his father's death completely broke Bucky. Nine-year-old Steve had no idea how to comfort his ten-year-old friend, let alone ever know how to deal with losing a close loved one. He had liked George as a great father figure, but it did not hit Steve as hard as it did Bucky. It took almost a full year for Bucky to return to some semblance of normalcy.

"Did I make the right choice, Steve?" Bucky asked, his eyes twin pools of grief.

"The right choice for what?"

Flinging his cigarette down and snuffing it out with the toe of his boot, Bucky mumbled, "Suzie and I had an argument. I said some things I know were right, but am I wrong for what I did? I just want to protect her, keep her safe. Especially since Hydra is targeting her and Becca and who knows who else!"

Years spent taking care of Steve—and three younger siblings—had developed Bucky's bedside manners into something Steve's mom would be proud of. Steve had only been on the receiving end of Bucky's gentleness and care, so his comforting skills were rather subpar. It also didn't help that Bucky always shut down when upset.

"I'm sure you did what you thought was best," Steve replied. He had no idea what Bucky had said or did, but letters took a long time to travel, and by the time one arrived, the tension between the two siblings could settle down.

Pushing himself away from the Jeep, Steve spread his arms and gestured for Bucky to come over. It took a moment for Bucky to notice, and he saw hesitation flicker across his friend's face, but Bucky finally stepped into Steve's arms and let him pull him into a warm embrace. They stood there for much longer than socially acceptable, but the emotional rift between them shrank ever so slightly as they stood in silence in each other's presence.

"I'm always here if you need me," Steve whispered into Bucky's ear.

Into Steve's shoulder, Bucky replied, "I know."

Curse Steve and his ability to read him like an open book. Bucky had never been good at lying—he'd lost too many poker games because of it—but Steve could always see right through his bluffs. It made things like hiding birthday presents, and the truth about Hydra and Azzano, difficult to do.

In all honesty, Bucky didn't want to be here in the first place. Years ago, after Pa died, Ma made Bucky and Travis promise to never join the military. The promise seemed rather unnecessary because the Great War had ended and the world had moved on and started to recover from the war. A ten-year-old also didn't have the mental capacity to understand the significance behind the promise anyway.

Then Pearl Harbor happened, and the Japanese had awakened a sleeping giant. The United States had joined the war effort, and men across the country had enlisted, including little, dumbass Steve. Bucky had never actually enlisted, because, quite frankly, he had a whole family to take care of. Despite the horrid actions of the Nazis, he did not want to go overseas and fight. Sure, he loved his country, but he didn't even want to fight the Japanese, and they were the ones who brought the US into the whole mess in the first place. Leave it to someone else to fix the problem because Bucky had too much to deal with at home to bother enlisting.

Of course, his luck ran out shortly after Pearl Harbor. When he first received a draft letter, he hid it until the last moment knowing how Ma would react. He couldn't hide it forever, and so he finally said he had enlisted. It had shattered Ma's heart, but Bucky figured lying would be better for his family. Let them think he broke his promise to Ma instead of knowing he was a coward—or forced overseas against his will. And if it also prevented Travis from enlisting, so be it.

Not even Steve knew about the draft letter. It still didn't do any good to stop the idiot from falsifying papers and trying his hardest to enlist. In fact, Bucky's time in the army did not protect his family at all—it only made it worse. If he had stayed home, then Ma and Travis would still be alive, Steve would not risked his life becoming a super soldier, and Suzie wouldn't be here under false credentials and fighting on the frontlines. It almost gave Bucky a heart attack when he found Suzie, not a home, but over here in France, dangerously close not only to the Nazis but to the straight-out-of-a-nightmare shadow organization called Hydra.

Hearing about the Hydra's attack in Brooklyn and Ma and Travis's deaths obliterated any false hope of his family being safe in America, far away from all the fighting and death. It meant nobody could escape the vicious grasp of Hydra, and Bucky could do nothing to stop them. It made his whole job fighting alongside Captain America seem futile when Hydra's reign reached across the ocean and into one of the most powerful countries on the planet. They were severely outmatched, outnumbered, and underprepared for the terrifying might of Hydra, and his family had paid the price.

A rock skidded across the ground and clanged into the side of a Jeep as Bucky trudged through the encampment. He did not want to be here, fighting a useless battle against super-powered Nazis, but he wanted Suzie here even less.

After an hour-long discussion, Steve told Bucky to apologize to Suzie. Of course, Steve probably assumed that they had an argument via written letters. Steve didn't know about Suzie, and Suzie didn't know about Steve—Bucky planned to tell the both of them soon, he just hadn't had the time or the energy.

You're her big brother, Steve had said. She needs you, so don't let anger control you right now. Let her know that you're there for her.

Easier said than done. Apologizing, especially when he knew he was right, did not come naturally to him. Sure, he might have been a little harsh but Suzie did not belong here. Hydra posed too much of a threat, even for super soldier Steve. Bucky knew he would sleep better at night if both Suzie and Steve were at home instead of on the frontlines.

Then again, not even home was safe. If Bucky hadn't become Hydra's prisoner, survived Zola's experiments, and escaped with Steve, then maybe Hydra would not have attacked his family. It must have been revenge to scare Bucky into surrendering and returning to Zola's clutches—nobody could deny how far Hydra would go to get their precious lab rat back. Why else would Hydra send a team to the US to specifically kill parishioners at Bucky's hometown church?

Ma and Travis were dead, because of him—the cold, hard truth always hurt. Suzie would never understand, so Bucky dragged his feet as he searched for his sister.

He found her reading a book under the shade of a tall oak tree. It jarred him how unrecognizable she appeared, with her short hair and weariness tugging at her shoulders. He had never realized how many physical traits they shared, like looking into a mirror. Granted, a shorter, more feminine version of himself, but a mirror nonetheless. If he did not know her, he never would have suspected her of being a woman—she blended in with the rest of the men unnervingly well. Under different circumstances, he would be proud and impressed at his little sister's ability to adapt to a new environment.

He would never admit it out loud, though.

Striding over, Bucky kicked the sole of her boot to grab her attention. She startled and dropped the book into her lap. The pages fluttered in the wind before she got a hold of her place and kept it splayed open.

"What do you want?" Suzie snapped.

Taken aback, Bucky held up his hands in surrender. "Geez, I wanted to apologize. Don't bite my head off."

Suzie expression softened, and a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes. She straightened up but remained seated like a little puppy waiting patiently for a treat.

"Yes?" She even tipped her head to the side, too.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier," Bucky said. He had rehearsed what he wanted to say the entire morning, and it all came tumbling out before he could stop himself. "I know you're hurting—we both are—and I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just wanted to protect you; it's my job as an older brother, and it's just the way things are. I'm sorry."

A pause allowed Suzie to contemplate his words. She tilted her head even further as if waiting for something more.

Catching on right away, Bucky added, "I'm not changing anything. You're still not allowed on missions."

The innocent puppy persona vanished immediately and Suzie frowned down at her book. "That's not fair."

"Too bad. Deal with it."

"You haven't even talked to my commander yet, have you?"

No, but he planned to. Add it to his ever-growing list of things to do.

Suzie hummed and tapped a finger against her chin. "I don't think I accept your apology. I would if you let me go on missions."

"No."

Suzie threw her hands up and glared at Bucky. "What's the point of me being here if I can't fight?"

"You can do something else."

"Richard said you're too biased to make decisions involving me. You also don't have command over me, so therefore, your decision doesn't do anything."

He didn't even pretend to know this Richard guy. Probably some stupid friend. "I thought you were gonna talk to your lawyer."

"I did."

"Where are you going to find a lawyer out here?" He gestured around the camp. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and lawyers cost time and money, both of which you don't have."

"I found a way. And he's smarter than you." She stuck her tongue out at him and returned to reading her book.

As she leaned against the tree again, he caught a glimpse of the book's green cover. Immediately, anger flared up inside of him and he stalked closer.

"Is that my book?" The familiar green cover of his copy of "The Hobbit" boasted a minimalistic design with the tiny mountains and the little dragon. Ma always considered it a "satanic and superstitious piece of literature", but Bucky loved the book. Why did Suzie bring it all the way out here?

"Maybe."

"Why do you have it?" It should have been sitting, safe at home, on his bedroom shelf, not here in Suzie's hands. What if she lost it? Or bent the pages? Or got it destroyed? He had bought it with his own money; she shouldn't be reading it at all, let alone in the middle of a war in France.

"You weren't reading it."

"Give it back," Bucky ordered. He extended his hand but Suzie clutched it like a stupid little goblin closer to herself.

"Are you saying that as a sergeant or as my brother?" Suzie snarked.

"Both, now give it back!"

"No, I'm reading it."

"It's not yours!" He neared the end of his patience and grabbed for his book, but Suzie eluded him. "If you lose it, you're gonna track Tolkien down and make him sign a brand new copy for me."

"I can't afford it," Suzie retorted. She turned and curled up when Bucky reached for it. She stuck her tongue out again.

"I swear, Imma smack that stupid look off your ugly face," Bucky threatened. And he meant it. Nobody messes with his stuff, especially not a first-edition book of one of his favorite authors.

"Not before I shove my foot up your ass. Go away."

Seeing red, Bucky lunged at his sister. She squawked in surprise and narrowly avoided him as she rolled to her feet. Quick to adjust, Bucky wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled her into the tree. Using the tree to wall her in place, he reached over Suzie's shoulder and tried to tug the book from her hand.

"Get off!" Suzie shouted. She extended her arm around the trunk, keeping the book out of reach.

"Give it back!"

A sudden kick to his shin made him drop to one knee, but Bucky kept his grip on his sister and they both tumbled to the ground. His fingers brushed the book's spine but Suzie tucked it underneath herself and laid on her stomach. In a move she always did during their childhood squabbles, Suzie scratched his arm with her jagged fingernails, drawing a thin line of blood.

"You're gonna ruin it," Suzie warned as if she hadn't started this in the first place.

"Then give it back!" Bucky shouted. Forget everything he had said earlier, he no longer felt sorry and wished to take back his apology.

They rolled on the ground, each vying for control over the book. Suzie stubbornly kept a tight hold on the book and refused to let go even when Bucky had her pinned flat on her back and tried to pry her fingers away from the book's edges.

With hands twisted in each other's hair and limbs flailing everywhere in a jumbled mess on the ground, Steve found the two siblings. Although they were fighting loudly, aside from Steve's sudden appearance, they surprisingly did not draw a crowd.

"What's going on here?" Steve's voice broke into the tussle.

Bucky stopped first. He had Suzie restrained underneath him, one hand in her hair and the other arm anchored across her neck.

"He's attacking me, sir," Suzie squeaked against the arm pressed into her throat. Both arms crossed protectively over the book as she hugged it close to her chest and away from Bucky.

"She took my book," Bucky countered.

"She?" Steve had a quizzical look on his face and he glanced between the two siblings. His eyes settled on Suzie's head jutting out from under Bucky's form.

Standing up, Bucky shoved Suzie's face into the dirt in one last attack. Suzie flung out a leg but missed the kick. She scrambled to her feet and shot Bucky a murderous glare before saluting Steve. Taking the opportunity, Bucky wrenched the book from Suzie's grip and gave her the middle finger.

"Sergeant Barnes, why are you fighting a private?" Steve asked. He genuinely seemed dumbfounded at Bucky's behavior.

"She started it," Bucky said.

"Nuh-uh," Suzie protested.

"You want a sister, Steve?" Bucky shoved Suzie toward his friend. "Hell, I'll even pay you to take her."

Suzie punched him in the side.

"Stop hitting me," he growled.

"No."

She straightened up when Steve gave her a judgemental stare. A long minute passed as the two locked eyes. It took a comically long time for recognition to sink in.

"Suzie?" Steve asked. His voice raised an octave higher than normal in surprise. "No way. It can't be. Is she?" Steve turned to search Bucky's expression for confirmation.

In a scene right out of a cartoon where a character had gotten caught doing something it shouldn't have, Suzie's face shifted into panicked shock. Her eyes flickered between Bucky and Steve, trying to discern if she should do something to lessen her punishment for causing trouble.

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked after receiving enough silent clues from Bucky.

A fish stuck struggling to breathe on land, Suzie's mouth opened and closed. "I don't understand. Do I know you?"

Steve blinked several times before realization finally hit. "Oh. Right. I'm different now." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Suzie, it's me. Steve."

Suzie checked Bucky's reaction, and he nodded. The way her head reared back almost made Bucky laugh. "What?" She gave Steve a once over full of suspicion. "You're lying. You can't be Steve. Steve's tiny, not…," she waved a hand up and down Steve's large form, "this."

Red flushed in Steve's cheeks, and he spread his arms in acknowledgment. "I know, it's—"

"Unsettling, to say the least," Bucky interrupted. "But he's Steve through and through."

"What the hell happened?" Suzie asked, still unsure whether to trust the new version of Steve. "Nobody goes from five foot nothing to this…" She gestured over his body again.

"I was five foot four," Steve corrected in a small voice.

Bucky scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like it made any difference."

"Hey, I tried—"

"To get yourself killed!" Bucky threw up his hands, one still gripping his book. "Honestly, Steve, I think the serum only made you worse. That and the whole Captain America shtick."

Suzie's head reared back again in surprise. "Wait, you're Captain America?" Her mouth dropped open as Bucky and Steve nodded in unison. "No way. Captain America is such an idiotic government creation."

Bucky could actually agree with his sister for once. "I think that you two," Bucky pointed at Steve and Suzie, "are the idiots. Running around, breaking the law, forging military papers. I could go on. Do you want me to go on?"

The people he hung out with. A whole bunch of stupid criminals were what they were. How he ended up with two of the world's worst hooligans, he had no idea.

"And Steve," Bucky continued, deciding Steve had not heard enough about how he felt about his friend's sudden transformation. "You also let some random scientist experiment on you, jumped on a grenade—don't act surprised, Carter told me—attacked an enemy base alone…"

"Went missing and made us wonder where the hell you were," Suzie interjected. "And those movies. I swear, your outfit has gotta be a fashion crime."

Eyes narrowing in defense, Steve shot back, "What do you know about fashion?"

"More than you."

Satisfied with his mini-lecture, Bucky crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head at his friend. Making sure Suzie also understood his point, Bucky also gave her a signature, older brother look of disapproval.

"Why didn't you tell me about Suzie?" Steve asked.

"I was going to, but I'm a little busy with Hydra," Bucky assented.

Steve glanced between the siblings. His voice dropped low, only intended for Bucky. "Wait, does she know about Hydra?"

"It's why I'm here," Suzie said. She stuck her chin out defiantly, acting tough to irritate Bucky. The stubborn little devil never knew when to quit.

Bucky jabbed an accusatory finger in her direction. "You're still not allowed on any mission."

"But I want to help."

"I don't care. It's too dangerous."

Suzie suddenly got all sad. She pressed her hands together under her chin, batted her eyelashes, and swung back and forth. "Please," she begged. "Just one mission."

Bucky noticed Steve staring at her all pitiful-like, and immediately stepped between them. "You're not five anymore, you're not cute. Cut it out."

The innocent act dropped and she gave her older brother a cold-blooded side-eye. If looks could kill, Bucky would have died on the spot.

"How 'bout we fight it out since you wanna act all mean and grouchy," Suzie suggested. She brought her hands up in a boxing stance.

"I'm not mean and grouchy; I'm being realistic." His sister really started to get on his nerves. Honestly, knocking her down a few pegs, especially physically speaking, sounded like a good idea.

"Let's see how realistic you are when I kick your ass, Bucko," Suzie taunted.

"Fine." Bucky ignored Steve's eyes boring a hole in his head. "It's on. Classic boxing match. If I win, you stay here. If you win, I get to choose which mission you go on, and it's gonna be regular Nazis, not Hydra."

"Deal."

"You've got five minutes to warm up."

Adrenaline pumping, Bucky stepped away to stretch and set his book down on a crate. He did not have any wraps for his hands, but he figured he wouldn't need it anyway. One quick round and Suzie would regret ever asking to fight. She had seen him in the ring, had seen what he could do—he had three championship titles to prove it.

A hand on his shoulder jolted him from his silent musing. A frown tugged on Steve's face, mirroring Sarah Roger's stern, motherly concern. Usually, Bucky worried about Steve doing something stupid, not the other way around.

"What?" Bucky snapped. The harsh tone made Steve flinch, and Bucky immediately regretted saying the word. This fight only involved Suzie, they didn't need to drag Steve into their mess.

"Are you really going to fight your sister?" Steve asked, worry in his voice.

"Yeah, why not?" Bucky tightened up his laces and shook out his arms. It had been a while since he practiced his boxing moves, but the years in the army had formed him into the best shape he had ever been. He felt stronger, quicker, and confident he could take down his annoying, little sister.

Suzie suggested the fight; the blame should go to her.

"Bucky, I don't think it's a fair fight."

"Sure it is." Yeah, he may be ignoring the obvious truth, but he didn't care. At this point, he would do anything to make sure Suzie stayed safe in camp, even if it meant beating her up a little. A classic beatdown would make her see reason.

"You're twice her weight, several inches taller, and have three boxing championship titles. It's not a fair fight," Steve protested.

Bless his heart for looking out for Bucky's little sister. Too bad she didn't need it.

Bucky shook his head as he twisted his torso to work out the knot in his spine. "You underestimate her. You've seen her pull bullies off you; she's scrappy." He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Steve to prevent Suzie from overhearing. "I'll go for the knockout—keep it short and sweet. Then we can leave while she's still unconscious."

Steve gave a rather unnecessary deep sigh. "You're gonna give your sister a concussion."

"I'd rather she have a concussion than a bullet through her head," Bucky retorted.

Deciding he had stretched enough, Bucky spun around and strode over to his sister. The clearing in the camp provided an impromptu boxing ring. It qualified nowhere near the standard safety rules, but then again, women weren't paired with men in a boxing match. Women usually weren't pretending to be soldiers either, so all sense of regular safety and rules were moot the instant Suzie suggested the fight.

"Ready when you are, ya lil' punk," Bucky taunted. He settled into a boxing stance and beckoned for his sister to come closer.

Suzie flashed a confident smile and jeered, matching Bucky's stance surprisingly well.

"Steve, on your word," Bucky said.

"I don't approve of this," Steve muttered, standing off to the side.

"Now you know I feel whenever you do something stupid," Bucky retorted. He ignored Steve's loud scoff. "On three. One, two three!"

Channeling his entire strength behind a heavy right hook, Bucky's fist sailed straight for Suzie's head. The sudden force of the collision sent a tremor down his arm.

But his fist never hit Suzie.

Instead, Steve's palm stopped Bucky's punch with a sickening smack, his fingers curled over Bucky's knuckles. The super soldier pushed Bucky away and separated the siblings, who protested in unison, "Steve!"

"Enough!" Steve's voice matched his loud commanding tone. Despite the adrenaline pumping through their veins, he pulled in their full, undivided attention and easily broke up the fight before it even had the chance to start. "James Buchanan Barnes, you're a sergeant. Fighting your own soldiers doesn't fix anything." He turned to Suzie, who teetered on her feet and continued to glare at Bucky until Steve added, "Suzannah Lily Barnes, you should know better than to argue with a ranking officer. Both of you need to calm down."

"She's being a punk!" Bucky objected, knowing full well he sounded like a whiny child. Blame his younger siblings, they always brought it out of him.

"He's being an asshole," Suzie snarled.

Steve extended his arms, keeping the two at bay when they took another step at each other. "Hey, knock it off!" His voice calmed down as the two finally relented.

"Let's sort this out, okay? She gets to come along for one—one—mission." He held up a hand when Bucky opened his mouth to complain, silencing the sergeant.

To Suzie, Steve said, "Suzie, if you don't listen to your brother and stay with him the entire time, I will talk to your unit's officer about your lack of obedience."

Back toward Bucky, Steve fixed his friend with a no-nonsense glare. "Bucky, if you don't let your sister participate, you will sit out on the next mission. Do you both understand?"

The two quarreling siblings glared at each other over Steve, but they both affirmed that they understood. As compromises went, could have been worse. It didn't mean he had to like it.

"If both of you promise to behave, we can sort this mission out somewhere else," Steve said. His arms finally dropped to his sides when he assumed the siblings had finally settled down.

Turning on his heel, Steve led the duo out of the clearing. Bucky grabbed his book before Suzie could reach it and trailed behind his captain.

"Can I finish reading it?" Suzie asked as she trotted over to Bucky's side.

"No."

"You're mean," Suzie said.

"Deal with it."

"Hey!" Steve shouted, stopping the duo in their tracks. "What did I just say? Behave."

"Yes, Captain America, sir," Bucky and Suzie chorused. They shared a glance.

Bucky sighed and rubbed at a headache growing behind his eyes. This mission sounded horrible already.

It is commonly believed that Bucky is a super soldier at this time, so if his punch had landed, he could have seriously injured (or possibly killed) Suzie. Thank goodness for Steve stepping in.

Happy Spooky Season! 🎃👻