Timeless

Chapter 38

But one day in May, while Kathryn was in the middle of restocking the bandages in the hospital wing, there was an announcement that rang all over the camp. "Yesterday morning at 2:41 am, at General Eisenhower's Headquarters, General Jodl, the representative of the German High Command, and of Grand Admiral Dönitz, the designated head of the German State, signed the act of unconditional surrender of all German land, sea, and air forces in Europe to the Allied Expeditionary Force and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command. Hostilities will officially end at one minute after midnight tonight, Tuesday the 8th of May. But in the interest of saving lives, the ceasefire began yesterday to be sounded all along the front and our dear Channel Islands."

Kathryn couldn't help the fact that everyone in the hospital wing was cheering—or that she was so shocked and thrilled by the news that she was nearly crying. It was over and the news nearly took her breath away.

She had no sooner made her way outside that she found herself swept up in the largest hug of her life from her older brother—who quite literally picked her up and was laughing and more excited than she had seen him in a long time.

"We're going home, Kath!" Bucky exclaimed.

Kathryn didn't even care about that portion of things. Because home wasn't home without her brother or Buck. It wouldn't have ever been home for her if they weren't part of it. She was beaming as her feet finally landed on solid ground, only to find Buck rushing up to her too.

He caught her around the waist and for a moment, they just held onto one another. The shock of the news was still trying to find its footing with them all. This war had seemed endless, the suffering seemed endless—and now it was all just over. They could go home, they could rest, they could be themselves .

So right then and there, despite the growing blush on Buck's cheeks, Kathryn Egan took his face in her hands and she kissed him.

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In the time since she had come back to Thorpe Abbot, Kathryn had learned a few things. One, she didn't really care for drinking all that much anymore. It was a slippery slope that she wasn't wanting to repeat—and so she stayed far away from that. Two, she wasn't much of a party-person anymore. It was overwhelming to be with that many people in any capacity.

And so even though the three of them had gotten ready for the biggest party Thorpe Abbot had ever seen, they made their way to one of the towers and they watched the night-sky. In the ink-black of the night sky, colorful flares were exploding in beautiful and brilliant color.

Kathryn's eyes locked onto those colors and she let out a dreamy sigh. Maybe, in this very moment, Kathryn had found that part of herself—the Kathryn that believed love was enough. She had come out of this entire thing with her heart intact and with the two people she loved more than anything in this entire world, after all.

Buck's hand was securely in hers, tracing over the scars. No one spoke out of the trio; no one needed to. And when Bucky took a sip from his flask, he just let out a deep sigh. And then he handed the flask over to Buck. Kathryn wasn't fazed at the sight of Buck taking a drink from it.

But when he offered it over to her, she just shook her head. "Oh no one wants a repeat of me being drunk."

"Can't be as bad as the first time I got you drunk," Bucky said, snatching the flask back from Buck.

A flash of embarrassment burned across her cheeks. "You said you wouldn't talk about that."

"Well he's practically family anyway—"