Path to Protection (BuckyBarnes x OC)

Breaking Point

     December 15th, 1944

     The icy wind whistled against my ears, and I lost most of the sensation in my toes and fingers. We all relieved ourselves when we finally dug an igloo and set fire to heat our dinner. Dusk fell soon after, and the men started gathering around the firepit to exchange a few last words of the day. The food was slimy and had practically no taste at all; canned Army food was never enjoyable. It was in a can for almost a year, but, even with all of that, it was still the best thing I could taste after a long day of walking up the steep, slippery mountainside. Thankfully, the men warmed the air with their chatter and jokes while we ate.

     "How far from Schmidt are we now, Cap?" Jim asked with a full mouth of beans.

     Steve glanced towards the peak of the mountain and looked at the thin line of the mountain railway. It was hard to see much of anything in the night, but long stretches of the railway could be seen as it was illuminated by bright moonlight. His eyebrows were low and his fingers were constantly scratching his thinly growing beard. "What do you say, Willy? You're our mapping consultant."

     I took one look at the sight and knew exactly where we stood. I'd done plenty of research beforehand, just in case I'd need medical attention or my pregnancy would meddle with the mission. Of course, the men didn't know that. "I would say there's about an hour's worth of walking to the railway. We have to get up early if we want to catch that train."

     "No problem there," Steve stated.

     "How do we intend to pull that off, again?" Dugan chuckled condescendingly.

     "Are you doubting our fearless Captain, Dum Dum?" James shouted at the men from my side, hiding his smirk. "If he says he'll get us on that train, I trust he'll get us on that train."

     Looking at him, his eyes were fierce with loyalty, but his smile showed friendliness. It never ceased to amaze me how James was so trustworthy and brave. He believed his friend's word and would he'd sacrifice himself for Steve or me if he ever had to. I shuddered at the thought of him sacrificing himself if he'd know about the baby.

     "Are you cold, doll?" he whispered, wrapping my shoulders under the wing of his jacket. It immediately warmed me up. "There ya go, no girl of mine will be cold while I'm around."

     "I'm just saying," Dugan proceeded to defend himself. "Austrian trains are no joke. If this guy hides in the Alps, we'll be facing precipices, unlike anything we've ever seen. You're not gonna see me jumping on the hood off a simple jungle-jack rope."

     "Don't beat yourself up about it, Dum Dum; I'll go," Gabe patted the man's shoulder and poked Dugan's nose as he'd do to a child. Dugan simply brushed him off, annoyed, and took a bite of his dinner as everyone laughed at the quarrel.

     Everyone except me. James was quick to notice.

     "Is everything alright?" he asked me quietly to not get attention from the cheerful men.

     After gazing at his blue orbs filled with worry, I realized telling him about the pregnancy would take courage that I simply didn't have, yet. I was scared of it, myself, I couldn't imagine the fear it'd cause in him.

     "Of course," I smiled weakly. "I always am."

     Listening to Dugan brought a new piece of information—reaching that train will open us up to a whole new level of danger that I shouldn't have been facing as a pregnant woman, at least, that was what they'd surely think. It was already arranged that Steve, James, Gabe, and I would intercept the train by sliding over the precipice on a zipline. If I'd bail out after already establishing a plan, I'd just cause trouble; clearly, no other man would volunteer to go.