The Seduction of Steven Rogers
October storms came early to Bavaria and the Commandos became cut off from their army base. Deep inside enemy territory, the team decided to make the best of their time until they could rendezvous with the 107th by eliminating a few smaller known bases in the Alps.
Holed up around a fire in a shallow cave for the night, the band ate their meager rations and melted snow for water. To distract themselves from the bone chilling cold, Dum Dum spoke up, "Guys, you know what month it is?"
"No closer to summer.", Morita glowered and pulled his collar up higher on his ears.
"Yeah, no kidding", Junior pipped in.
Dum Dum looked around the circle hoping someone would be interested in his observation. When no one spoke up, he volunteered, "It's October."
"Sans blauge." Derneir grumped.
"C'mon fellas… it's time for some scary stories! Witchcraft... vampires… ya know… stuff like that." Dugan prodded his friends.
They all looked at him. "Trick or treat." Bucky offered sarcastically and made a rude gesture. Steve chuckled.
"You guys are the worst." Dum Dum replied and bit off a bit of his ration, chewing crankily.
A day or two later
The wind was tearing at their clothes and faces, shards of ice like glass, flying into their eyes, nearly blinding the Commandos.
Grimly, the band set their jaws and carried on; they had no choice to pitch camp in this gale, caught between the Bavarian mountains and deep forest on their next mission to exterminate Hydra.
"Steve! Is that a light?" Bucky stammered through chattering teeth, pointing a head on the narrow track.
Rogers squinted against the flying sleet and tried to make it out. "I dunno. Hard to tell if that's friendly or not."
"I'll scout it out." Before Cap could protest, Bucky surged ahead of the group, trying to blend in with the various rocks and boulders that lay in their path.
The band watched, numb fingers on triggers as Barnes approached the light, which appeared to belong to a small cottage just inside the tree line perched on the rocky trail. Bucky crept up slowly and peeked in the one window of the thatched building where a cheerful golden light shown upon the snow. After a few tense moments, Barnes waved them to come on.
Once the team was gathered, Bucky rapped on the stout wooden door, while the others breathed into their hands and shuffled their feet. It sounded with loud thuds as the wind howled around them. Initially, there was no answer but then someone stirred just as Bucky was about to knock again. "Cine e acolo?" It was an older woman's voice in Romanian.
The team looked at each other if anyone knew that language. Dernier stepped up, "Parlez-vous français ou anglais?"
There was a shuffle and some hushed talking behind the door and a younger woman's voice chimed out with a light accent, "Just a moment!"
The men smiled a little hoping they'd be let in.
Finally, the door cracked, and that warm golden light poured over all of them like the July sun, warm and heady. They all sighed involuntarily. "Can I help you?" a young woman with captivating features and dark bottomless eyes framed by long black hair looked at them. Behind her was a white-haired woman, also dark eyed and while old, not frail looking.
"Pardon me, ma'am, but we are with the U.S. Army and have lost our way. Could we ask some shelter for a night from this storm?" Steve asked, looking as contrite as a child at confession. Bucky almost gagged at the sweetness.
The younger woman said something briefly in Romanian to the older woman who nodded and moved to obey whatever the request was. "Why certainly! I would welcome our liberators! Death to the Nazi scum!" She stepped aside and let the troop into her common room. The men all breathed in relief to get out of the cutting wind and blinding sleet. "Here here! Take off your coats, set by the fire!" Her voice was soothing and pleasant.
Bucky looked around the room, still cautious like a cat. Nothing seemed out of place for a mountain cottage, with whitewashed walls, herbs bundled and hanging by twine from the rafters, pots and pans clean and set on shelves or hanging by hooks on the beams of the roof, root vegetables piled neatly into baskets. Modest hand-hewn furniture filled the space to sit and eat, a benchlike couch to one side and a large chair, also made of hewn timbers, draped in blankets of wool. A large rope rug warmed the slate stone floor.
He watched the woman move around the men and suddenly his skin began to prickle. There was something not right here, but he couldn't put his finger on it, like a phantom just on the outside of his peripheral vision. Bucky resolved to remain vigilant.
The men shook off their coats, sprinkling the floor with water, some escaping to the large hearth with a hiss of steam that was slightly ominous. "Thank you… miss?" Steve turned to the hostess as he saw his men getting comfortable.
"Mihaela." She bowed her dark head, "And this is my mother, Anna." She gestured to her mother who was helping Gabe take off his frozen boots.
"We are forever in your debt. I bet we would have frozen out there tonight." Steve smiled broadly.
"No doubt." Mihaela replied with a more modest smile but a twinkle in her eye. "Please, let me get you all something to eat as you warm yourselves."
Bucky again watched her carefully. As if she felt his eyes on her, she turned to him suddenly but sweetly, "Rest assured. No harm will come do you this night." Barnes was caught off balance how quickly she moved and wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Buck, relax. There's no Hydra here." Gabe said finally prying his boot off from the frozen laces.
"Hydra!" the mother said suddenly standing up and looking startled.
"No… no Hydra." Falsworth stood, hands up, placatingly.
Mihaela went to her mother's side and said something again in Romanian and the woman calmed but gave each man an examining look. "You fight Hydra?" the old woman stammered in very accented English.
"Yes, we do." Steve's blue eyes became dark and serious, "And we won't stop until they are all dead." The two women smiled in the most genuine expression Barnes had seen them give so far; his nerves still not settled.
The men settled in near the fire on the floor, on the bench and chair, practically inhaling the stew that Mihaela had produced in large wooden bowls and crusty bread with butter as if out of thin air. They vigorously nodded their heads when she asked them if it was good. Even Dernier, being French, acknowledged it was delicious.
Steve looked content to see his men comfortable and well fed. Bucky poked at his bowl just enough to not appear rude. Rogers leaned over and said quietly, "Bucky, eat. You're being disrespectful of their hospitality."
Bucky gave a small frown and turned away from Steve who shrugged, "Mihaela, how did you and your mother come to be so far from a town, if you don't mind me asking?"
Anna looked at her daughter and then at Steve. Mihaela came and sat on a small stool, smoothing her white apron over her simple brown dress, a slightly pained look on her face. "We are refugees from the Nazis." She said quietly but proudly, looking around at the men who were slightly less ravenous at this point. "They were forcing us from our home in Romania into camps, much like the Jews. We are Roma." She locked eyes with Bucky, a dark fire in her unreadable expression. Bucky held her gaze but felt ice down his spine.
"So like gypsies?" Pinkie asked. Gabe elbowed him for being discourteous.
She turned to him and smiled warmly, her eyes glittering black stones, "In a manner of speaking."
"So why hide here in the Bavarian Alps, almost at your enemy's doorstep?" Bucky said in a low tone. Steve shot him a reprieving look. "Seems a bit… dangerous."
"I'm sorry for Bucky being so rude." Steve interjected. Mihaela gave Rogers a kind smile and a hint of blush on her cheek.
"It's fine, a perfectly normal question." The smile faded as she looked at Barnes, "Because the best place to strike your enemy is where they least expect it."
The men chuckled. What could two women in the mountains do to the Nazi's and even though there were close behind enemy lines, they still were too far away from any major bases or towns to be spies or secret agents. Mihaela and Anna looked at their ragtag guests as they pondered these points good naturedly, their expressions dark.
A sudden gust of wind hit the house and sent a low rumble through the structure. The men fell silent mid-chew. Bucky looked at Steve who was almost singularly looking at Mihaela, her coal eyes like faceted obsidian. "Must have been an avalanche nearby. They happen so often here."
Bucky swallowed what was in his mouth but was suddenly not hungry anymore.
Once the tremor passed, Falsworth was the first to yawn. As it was contagious, the rest of the crew began to yawn and stretch like satisfied cats. "I'll show you were you can sleep tonight gentlemen. Our cottage is so tiny, but we can manage I think." Mihaela rose to show them to a side room that had it's own small iron stove which kept the room almost as warm as the main space with the fire place. There, there were mattresses of fresh hay wrapped in homespun cloths and rag bundles as pillows. It wasn't the Ritz but it was clean, dry and warm. The men almost fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow in their clothes.
Anna and Mihaela stood in the doorway and bid the men goodnight and shut the wood planked door between them and the main room.
Bucky resisted sleep, but it felt as if a hand was grabbing his and dragging him into slumber. Was it because he was so exhausted or was it something else? The snores of the rest of the team told him that he and maybe Steve were the last to be awake. "Steve?"
There was no reply. Bucky looked and saw him staring at the door like a puppy. "Steve!" he said sharply.
"What?!" Rogers said back annoyed. Bucky was surprised. Steve usually was never annoyed at him.
"You ok? You don't seem right?"
"I'm fine. You're the one who is not ok. Rude to our hostesses, not eating that wonderful food. C'mon Buck, your momma raised you better." Steve's tone was short.
Bucky bit an angry retort back and said instead, "I don't like it here. Something isn't right."
"I dunno what you're talking about."
"Doesn't it seem a bit odd that these two women are out here in the middle of nowhere? I just don't like the way this place feels."
"You're just shellshocked. Go to bed."
"Then you stop staring at that door like she's the first pretty girl you've ever seen." Bucky shot back and turned over feeling his blood pressure rise. He was convinced Steve hadn't heard him and was back to staring at the door where Mihaela had left them.
The next morning, Bucky smelled coffee. Coffee? Where were they getting coffee up here in the Alps! Sitting up on his cot, the rest of the team were still asleep, except Steve's bed, which was empty. Barnes's heart thumped loudly in his ears- he still panicked when he couldn't find Steve: a byproduct of his sickly childhood days.
He heard Steve's baritone through the door and Mihaela's bell like laughter in the other room. Rising, Barnes walked to the door and opened it to find Anna setting out bowls of steaming oatmeal, sausage, apples, fresh cream and coffee for the men. Mihaela and Steve were on the long-padded bench, cup in hand, looking at each other almost endearingly. Bucky cleared his throat loudly.
Steve threw an irritated look at Bucky and Mihaela smiled neutrally, her dark eyes unreadable. Today her hair was loosely braided into a large plait. "Sargent Barnes, did you sleep well? Sorry if we woke you."
"It's Bucky, thank you. And yes, I did." He kept his tone as neutral as he could. How did she know his rank and last name? Steve must have told her.
"Steve, did you sleep ok?" Barnes let a little concern color his tone.
"Like a baby, until I heard Mihaela and her mom making this great breakfast for us." Steve grinned like an idiot, "The guys better get out here or I'll eat it all."
Barnes lips made a thin line as he accepted a cup of coffee from Anna. He sipped reluctantly from it, but when he did the flavor was amazing making him want to gulp the cup, so long had it been since he had decent coffee.
It was almost like those words were magic as the men stumbled and stretched their way into the cottage proper. "Good golly! Look at this spread!" Gabe exclaimed. The men mumbled thank yous like boys at a banquet before digging in. Anna had a pleased smile as she watched them consume the meal, her arms crossed lightly over her chest, white hair draped over her shoulder.
"Bucky, would you like some?" Mihaela asked, standing up next to Barnes, lightly placing a hand on his forearm.
He felt as if a hot iron had touched him and tried not to flinch, "No. Thanks. I'm not hungry. Excuse me, I need to step out for a moment." He made for the door, aware that both Steve and she were watching every move, Steve reproachfully, Mihaela amusedly. He yanked open the main door, the Commandos not paying any attention at all and was greeted by a blast of icy wind to the face. Quickly, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Bucky stood there outside in the brilliant daylight, a fresh coating of white on the mountains and trees around them and wondered if Steve would come out to find him. After a few moments, it was apparent he wasn't. There is something so wrong here, he thought to himself, and I gotta get us all out of this place!