School has started again, so my posting schedule will be a little sporadic. I'll try to stick to posting every other week, but I make no guarantees. Please enjoy this next chapter. :)

Chapter Twenty-Six: Loyal, Brave, and True

"I don't understand," Bucky said. "How the hell are you here? And why?"

"It's a long story."

They were sitting on a pile of wooden boxes behind the infirmary, still secluded from the rest of the camp. Suzie had a tissue pressed against her bleeding nose. She wished she had some ice to ease the bruises on her face but it would mean finding Alice. The chances of running into Garcia and Lemay again were too high, and she did not have the energy to search for ice, even with Bucky's help.

"The better question is, how did you know it's me?" Suzie asked. So far, nobody besides Alice had immediately noticed Suzie's physical differences. The shorter haircut and bagger clothes helped her ruse, but somehow, despite a drastic change of appearance and over a year apart, Bucky recognized Suzie within minutes of meeting.

Bucky rolled his eyes and cuffed Suzie on the shoulder. "You think I wouldn't recognize my own sister?"

"It's fooled everyone else."

"Please, I've known you your whole life. It's like staring into a mirror, especially with your shorter hair." Bucky ran a hand over Suzie's head to emphasize his point. He pulled his hand away when his fingers brushed over a bruise and Suzie winced.

"You're not mad?" Suzie asked. Usually, she could tell how Bucky felt, but when she looked at his eyes, a sense of dread enveloped her. He must have been to hell and back, for the windows into his soul greeted her with a weary hurt.

Bucky broke their eye contact first and focused on his outstretched boots. "I…" Bucky swallowed and dug a little divot in the ground with his heel. "I don't know…how to feel right now. I'm just…in shock, I suppose."

He finally turned toward Suzie. "I'm glad you're here, I really am, but you should be home. It isn't safe, and not to mention, highly illegal."

Suzie nodded her head sullenly. "I knew you would say something like that."

From all her hoping and dreaming of finding her brother alive, she had never thought about what to do if she did find him. She had a million things she wanted to say, but now, sitting here beside him, not a single thought came to mind.

"Is this why you haven't responded to my letters?" Bucky asked, breaking the silence. "I've been writing but no one's replied."

At first, Suzie assumed she had missed something in the mail or mistaken Bucky's letters as a bill or the government asking for donations. Then she realized she had not redirected her address after she had enlisted and Becca had left for Indiana. It had completely slipped her mind because she had figured if Bucky survived, he would have already sent a letter. Events had happened too rapidly and it had just never occurred to her to let the post office know about changing her address or location. After the attack at the church, all logical thoughts had flown out of the window. In hindsight, Suzie realized she should have taken the time to think everything through.

What did Ma always say? Think before you act, Suzannah. It'll keep you out of trouble. Well, Suzie had jumped headfirst into the war, and all the consequences of her brash decisions started to hit her all at once. Several brushes with death at the hands of Garcia and Lemay and the Nazis, and Richard getting shot burst her self-imposed bubble of ignorant invincibility and delusion in the harshest way possible.

"Nobody's home right now," Suzie finally muttered.

The thought of their house sitting abandoned and empty of human presence brought a lump to her throat. She had grown up in that old, Victorian-era home and it had been in the family since her parents' wedding. Their neighbors probably wondered where everyone went. The Barnes were active in their neighborhood and knew everyone living nearby. Every winter, Bucky and Travis shoveled the sidewalks and the elderly neighbor's driveways. Becca loved taking the Johnsons' dog on long walks while Suzie and Bucky always fed the stray cats living along the way to Steve's apartment.

Tears stung at Suzie's eyes and she tilted her head up while she gazed at the blue sky. Those were the days—those happy days of childhood bliss and innocence, gone forever.

They had spent most of their childhood outside and wandering around the city, climbing trees, scraping knees, and getting into fistfights with bullies. Steve would drag them all along to the art and history museums. They would all meet up at the candy shop a few blocks over and munch on assorted sweets every Friday after school. Travis loved watching the boats in the harbour and he always said he'd become a sailor when he grew up. When The Wizard of Oz came out, the flying monkeys terrified Suzie, and all five of them camped out in Bucky's bedroom the night after.

The battles of war replaced the snowball fights in the backyard and the makeshift forts they built out of pillows and blankets. Cries of anguish drowned out the laughter that echoed in the halls of their home and the recesses of Suzie's mind. The sudden shock of Bucky's capture and supposed death paralyzed the family and sent them down a dark path of unceasing death and pain.

If only Ma and Travis knew Bucky had survived. If only they had received Bucky's letter and gained some comfort before their sudden deaths. Ma, especially, had died believing her son had perished overseas, far from home, and by a wicked enemy. Ever since Pa died from his training accident, Ma had always hated the army. She had made Bucky and Travis promise to never join the military, and it had crushed her when Bucky failed to keep his promise and enlisted. Every mother's worst nightmare came true when the letter carried a horrific realization.

The days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months with no possibility of any rescue. They all prayed for Bucky's return, but only Suzie still held onto any hope of a miracle. After months of waiting and tragedy, it had finally paid off, albeit in a way she never would have imagined.

The tears finally spilled and all the emotions she had been trying her hardest to squash and forget about burst like a volcano exploding from a sudden release. Bucky wrapped an arm around his sister and guided her head to rest on his shoulder as she sobbed.

"We thought you were dead!" Everything came surging out in a rapid hurricane of grief. "You were gone and I wanted you back. I don't know why, but I thought if I joined the army, then maybe I could find you and bring you home. I miss you, Bucky, and I didn't want that damn letter to be true."

"I'm here now," Bucky muttered. He rubbed his hand up and down Suzie's arm in an attempt to calm her. "I'm fine. Let Ma know, okay?"

The mere mention of Ma's name hit Suzie harder than one of Lemay's punches and sobs wracked her body with the full force of a tropical storm. He didn't know. He didn't know, and she had no idea how to tell him—if she should even tell him. From the way he held himself tense and the way his eyes lacked the usual shine of excitement, she doubted Bucky could handle the fatal news.

Something had happened to him—she had no idea what—but she could tell something must have traversed for him to appear this worn out and guarded. She had never seen him so tired and heavy-burdened before, and it scared her.

She decided to wait. She would explain it at another time, a better time, when she no longer wanted to curl into a ball whenever she thought of Ma. As the oldest, Bucky had known Ma, and Travis, the longest. And with him being in the army and once presumed dead, Suzie did not want to drop that weight upon his shoulders, not right now. As soon as she could determine Bucky would not leave again, she would have to sit him down and explain everything. She did not look forward to that conversation, but it needed to happen soon.

The sobs started to fade and Suzie wiped her nose with her bloody tissue. Bucky offered her a clean one and she dabbed at her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Bucky said.

Either she had forgotten Bucky's strength or he had gained muscle in his time away, but Bucky's arm wrapped around her like a sturdy wall of protection. His presence gave a sense of safety—of comfort—and Suzie could breathe easy for the first time since she left Brooklyn.

"I'm sorry," Bucky repeated when Suzie did not respond. "For leaving you behind like this. If I had known…"

"You chose to serve your country, Buck. You don't need to apologize," Suzie said. She could not bear to bring herself to look at him so she watched the trees sway in the breeze. A leaf twirled to the ground and she tracked its motion as it fell. In some way, the leaf reminded her not only of the changing seasons but of life itself.

Gone were the days of happiness—the spring and summer of their lives uprooted by the war. The war ripped the leaves of Ma and Travis from the family tree, sent Bucky away, and turned Suzie into a falsified, unqualified soldier. Autumn's quick approach brought winter's icy grip of death closer and closer to their doorstep. Death's shadowy presence had already eclipsed them, and its icy touch splintered the family into miserable fragments. Something large and frightening loomed in their future—unseen and unknown but inescapable. She did not understand why she felt a sense of dread, but when she finally met Bucky's eyes, despair glimmered in those deep, steel-blue orbs.

"Something happened to you," Suzie said. She pulled away from Bucky's embrace and gave Bucky a once-over.

His shoulders curled inward and despite his outfit exuding noble patriotism, dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. A flicker of torment flashed on Bucky's face before he sniffed and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck.

"It's nothing," Bucky replied. The way he avoided Suzie's eyes proved otherwise.

"What happened?" Suzie pressed.

She must have struck a nerve because Bucky stood up and stretched in an attempt to ignore her. "It's none of your concern."

His behavior only made Suzie more concerned and she stood up to match him. She stepped in front of Bucky when he started to leave. "Bucky, what's wrong?"

Bucky sidestepped Suzie. "I've gotta get ready for a mission."

Not one to give up, Suzie followed her brother when he walked out of the secluded area of the camp. "Can I come?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Bucky whipped around and stopped in the middle of the camp, causing Suzie to almost run into him from the sudden halt. "Because this isn't about you! It's none of your concern and it's way too dangerous."

Ignoring the curious eyes of soldiers and other personnel watching the duo, Suzie spread her arms and returned Bucky's glare. "If it's too dangerous for me, then it's too dangerous for you." Her eyes softened as worry settled in her gut. "I just got you back; please don't leave me again."

Bucky's outburst deflated as quickly as it began and he stepped closer to Suzie to speak in private. "I'm gonna report those two hooligans…," he paused to remember their names, "Garcia and Lemay, for their actions. And then I'm gonna go to my meeting. I want you to go to the infirmary and get checked over. It'll be a couple weeks yet before the mission. I'll let you know before I leave and when I get back, okay?"

Suzie chewed on her lip and contemplated Bucky's words. About damn time someone put Garcia and Lemay in their place and actually listened to Suzie's concerns, and she felt better knowing Bucky would believe her.

"Can you at least tell me what type of mission?" Suzie asked. She was pushing her luck but she had to know. If she knew what type of mission, perhaps she would worry less about losing her brother so soon after reuniting.

Bucky shook his head. "Sorry, it's top secret. I can't go around giving details to people." When Suzie gave her best puppy-eyed plea, Bucky added, "Look, I know this is a lot to deal with right now and we both need a little time to think. We can talk later because you have some explaining to do."

"Promise you won't tell anyone about me?" Suzie whispered. She held up her hand and waited for Bucky to grasp it and shake.

"Cross my heart," Bucky said and traced an 'x' over his heart with his finger. Seeing his sister's sullen expression, Bucky sighed and pulled her into a hug. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. We're staying with the 90th 'til you cross the border. I'll be here for a few months."

"I know," Suzie mumbled into Bucky's shoulder. She didn't want to let go. What if she did and he vanished again? What if something went wrong on the "top secret mission" and she would have to bury another family member? She refused to let go of her brother—the only semblance of hope left in her life.

Fresh tears stung her eyes when they finally broke the embrace. Bucky gave her an affectionate pat on her head and forced a weak smile which failed to comfort her.

"Be careful. Stay out of trouble," Bucky said. He started walking backward and tucked his hands in his pants pockets. A visible weariness dampened his usual saunter and confident attitude.

He was avoiding something. Suzie wanted to find out and help, but Bucky, as he usually did whenever angry or upset, closed himself off and refused to talk. If only Steve were here, he could get Bucky to open up.

"Right back 'atcha."

Bucky gave her a quick, two-finger salute before he spun around and strode away. It should have made her smile, but instead, it felt forced and dismal. Why did it feel like an end to happier times and the beginning of something dark and sinister?

In the middle of the bustling camp, surrounded by hundreds of other people, Suzie watched her brother disappear into the crowd. The August breeze rustled her clothes and she shivered, not because of the cold, but because of an overwhelming sense of foreboding.

Wars always had a particular effect on soldiers—battle fatigue, shell shock, those types of things. Maybe she was overthinking it. Yet, as much as she wanted to be happy to see her brother, the thought of the unspoken hurt in his eyes and how he carried himself justified her concerns. And she couldn't shake the feeling that something worse waited for them over the horizon.

Where had he been all these months? Did he explain everything in his letters? If he did, why wouldn't he talk about it now, in person? She wanted to know, needed to know. And the only way she could ever calm the everpresent worry tugging at her heart was to figure out how to help her brother. Perhaps some details of Bucky's secret mission would give her some clue or chance to alleviate the uneasiness plaguing her.

Against her better judgment and fully aware of what her actions might result in, Suzie stuffed her hands into her pockets and followed her brother's path, determined to solve this mystery.

Things are only going to speed up for Suzie. I've got the rest of the story mapped out, and there's a lot happening in such a short amount of time. I would like to reiterate: this story will not have a happy ending. Do with that information as you wish. :P