It had been over three hours since Peggy Carter stole his Lizzie from his arms and Bucky wanted her back. Without her his mind wandered and when it wandered it ended up in places he didn't want to be. Dark, damp places where German whispers carried on the wind and burning pain seared through his veins. Places where no one came when he screamed for help. No one came when he cried.
"Hey Buck. Back to us now. Hey. You okay?" The soft sound of concern clinging to Steve's voice and the gentle shake of his shoulders pulled Bucky from the depths of his own mind.
"What? Yeah, no I'm fine." Bucky shook his head slightly and smiled weakly. "When did you get here?"
Steve and Dugan exchanged a glance - neither man knew what Bucky had gone through in that Hydra base but they could see the damage left behind in the glassy look in his eyes. A look that only left when Lizzie was nearby.
"A while ago Buck." Steve offered him a sad smile.
"Oh no. Don't do that."
'Do what?"
"I can't take pity from Steve Rogers. Nope. No way. I kicked so many asses for you before you got all -" Bucky gestured at Steve's entire physique "- this. Don't do this to me you jerk."
Steve stared at Bucky, a little amused but unsure of how to respond, before Dugan's bark of a laugh filled the tent and pulled both men in.
"Barnes. Don't suppose you have any pictures of pre-science Cap lying around do you?"
"I'm sure he does not," the delicate mockery in Peggy Carter's voice hushed the men instantly. She looked at Steve who had immediately risen to his feet from the side of Bucky's bunk and a small smile danced on her lips. "Luckily I do. Be good for the nurses and I'll consider bringing it by some time." Her eyes never strayed from Steve's and Bucky clicked his tongue as he looked over at Dugan.
"If I wasn't so scared of her I might say she's a little smitten herself, don't you think Dugan?" Bucky half whispered, half shouted across to his neighbour in a playful tone.
Steve swung around to face him with a look Bucky had seen many times before but never on this new version of his best friend. His eyes were wide and his lips were tight. He raised his eyebrows as he tilted his head slightly and his jaw clenched.
"You know Steve. That might actually be the first time that look has been somewhat successfully intimidating. Well done." He smirked as he leant over the edge of his cot and looked around Steve to where Peggy stood, her eyes still trained on Captain America. "My apologies Ma'am. It's just Steven here has spoken about you a lot in letters and on that walk back too, and if I don't make you ask him for a drink, he won't ask you. You see, he wants to, he's just not as good with the ladies as some of us."
"That's exactly why I'm fond of him Sergeant." Peggy grinned as Bucky winked at her. Lizzie had chosen a good one. Even in the worst of times Sergeant Barnes could find his humour because those around him needed it.
"Speaking of smitten individuals, you stole my Lizzie a while ago now Ma'am. Any chance of me getting her back?"
"Is that you saying she's smitten or are you telling me you are Sergeant?"
"Oh definitely the latter Ma'am. And as her friend I fully expect you to report that back to her please and thank you."
Peggy's laugh was light and dainty, which Bucky thought didn't quite suit the no nonsense Agent appeal she had.
"I delivered her to the Colonel not long after I stole her Sergeant. I'm afraid you have to ask him for her if you want her soon."
Bucky bit his lip as he nodded thoughtfully, weighing up his options.
"Yeah, no that's not going to work for me. Lizzie wouldn't be happy if I got out of bed without permission. Not to mention she'd probably hate me if I survived Hydra Hell just to be killed by The Colonel."
This playful exchange lasted a while longer as nurses worked quietly around them, changing bandages, feeding those who could not feed themselves and scribbling notes as they went.
As they spoke and laughed Bucky thought of how perfectly Lizzie and Peggy complimented each other. Where Peggy seemed more calculating and detached, Elizabeth held a deep seated compassion and attachment. Where Elizabeth lacked confidence, Peggy oozed a self-assured sense of identity. They were the opposite of one another and as he looked at Steve he understood their friendship.
Bucky felt the horror of his mind being pushed back and kept at bay by the warmth and familiarity of friendship in this unfamiliar territory. He lay back, watching his best friend, still awkward and a little clueless, trying to flirt with the brilliance that was Peggy Carter. He watched as her eyes rarely strayed from Steve's own, and how she leant in when she laughed at his comments. Steve smiled more around her than anyone else. Bucky couldn't help but smile as he realised that the Steven Grant Rogers he'd once watched have an asthma attack because he panicked when the prettiest girl in class asked for a pencil, was not the same Steve Rogers sitting next to him, making a beautiful woman laugh. Or maybe he was, and he'd just found the right woman. Bucky could relate to that.
*
Elizabeth had been with Colonel Phillips for what felt like the entire morning. She was eternally grateful to Peggy for fixing her hair and applying a little bit of red to her lips before lending her a beautiful white blouse to pair with her usual khaki green skirt for this morning's meeting.
Colonel Phillips appreciated order and sophistication. How Elizabeth had appeared after her night next to James Buchanan Barnes was anything other than ordered and sophisticated. Her hair had become a knotted mess in her sleep and her usually crisp uniform had creased at awkward angles from the way they lay together in a cot designed for one occupant. Just fifteen minutes with Peggy, however, had left that messy version of Elizabeth Halsted in the past.
"Is that all Miss Halsted?" The Colonel asked flippantly as his eyes widened at her final, itemised list of requests.
"I understand that we are in tight constraints right now Colonel. But I also understand that I was chosen for this role because you trusted me to tell you what was needed for the medical site to run efficiently and we need these things Sir. Especially the cots. We have wounded, beaten, battered men sleeping on the floor, soiling their bandages and doing more damage than we can possibly counter right now and that's only gotten worse with the return of over four hundred men."
Elizabeth stood tall, her shoulders squared and her expression serious. Colonel Phillips sighed and stood from his seat.
"Come on then Miss Halsted. Why don't you walk me through the tents and show me how you would make better use of the space."
*
She felt Bucky's eyes on her as soon as she pushed into the tent but refrained from turning her gaze to him, afraid she'd be pulled in by the desire she now pushed down to be close to him.
"Well Sir, as you can see, we currently have enough space between each cot that we could realistically fit another between each one, and still have the nurses able to move between the beds with ease." She watched as the Colonel slowly stepped over a sleeping boy, his head wound seeping through his bandage. "Please excuse me for a moment Sir."
Without waiting for a response Elizabeth left to gather new bandages, a basin of warm water and clean cloths. Colonel Phillips watched in silence as she gently woke the boy and soothed him as she dressed his wound.
"As you can see Sir, these conditions are anything but ideal, and I know we can't fix everything, but if we could just start with the beds?"
The Colonel gave a tight nod before swanning out of the tent and Elizabeth relaxed, a giant smile beamed across her face as she turned to meet the watchful eyes of her soldier across the tent.
He was surrounded by friends and yet his smile only reached his eyes when she looked at him.
Her heart felt like it fluttered as he sat himself up, too far away for conversation, and silently patted his bed. An invite for her to return to his arms. Elizabeth caught the attention of Maria, the smiley nurse Bucky had mentioned the night before, and called her over.
"Maria, if it's okay with you, I think I'm going to take today to rest. Can you keep things running for me?"
Maria nodded. "Of course Lizzie. I believe Sergeant Barnes is waiting for you. He's been asking for you all morning."
Elizabeth grinned and made her way across the space and back to her man.