Peggy Carter showed up at the door very early in the morning and Ally knew that wasn't a good sign. She was wide awake anyways, feeling a tremor of fear take over her body. Bucky hadn't written her a letter in ages and she was beginning to fret. She had already cried from pure terror the night before, but now she was so unsure of his conditions that she felt ill.
The sun was barely peeking through the window while William, Jojo, Ally and Peggy gathered around the table, sipping tea and coffee. "I'm delighted that you're pregnant Jo, really, but is now the time?" Peggy questioned, stirring her tea with a small spoon.
As they talked, Ally began writing a letter to Bucky, in hopes he'd receive it.
"I knew you were going to say that," Jojo commented, still in her robe. "I've already talked to headquarters about it and they have granted me leave."
"Wait a second," Ally grabbed their attention, putting down her pencil. "Who's going to protect me?"
"Alchemy you've been swinging that stupid sword around like it's a baseball bat," Jojo pointed out. "I think you can manage yourself." Ally tried to act surprised but failed when Jojo rolled her eyes. "I'm an agent, I'm watching from the crack in the doorways, observing sounds, I know everything. Plus, it's not like you two are going anywhere besides Steve's base site."
"Not everything," Ally muttered quietly. "So what do we owe the pleasure of your early company Peggy?"
"It's Steve."
"What's wrong? Is he okay?" Ally was quick to jump to conclusions.
"He's fine," Peggy confirmed. "But I just– I just feel as if he should be doing more. Colonel Phillips has denied me permission to go see him and–"
"You're using me as an excuse," Ally caught on. "You want me to go with you so you can simply tell Phillips that you were 'protecting me'. Is that right?"
Peggy nodded.
"Thought so, when do we leave?"
"If we want to be there before it gets dark, right now," Peggy informed. "I assume you two aren't coming."
Jojo shook her head. "I'm afraid not. If it isn't me watching over her, I'm glad it's you."
Ally stood up from her chair, using more force than she intended. She received a confused look from the three agents sitting down before she turned on her heel and went upstairs. She had to tell Nico she was leaving or he'd never forgive her. She quietly opened his bedroom door and sat on the side of his bed.
"Hey Nico," she shook his leg. "Kiddo, wake up."
Nico stirred in his sleep, rubbing his eyes until he had gained consciousness. "Ally?"
"I'm leaving again Nico, it's an emergency," she told him. "I'll be back again real soon though."
"You promise?"
"I promise." She kissed his forehead and left to meet Peggy in the doorway. She wrote a quick note to her parents and Kepler, expressing her deep love for them and then had to bid farewell to Jojo and William.
"We'll be moving out of Brooklyn, raising Adam and Baby Dansworth away from the war," William explained. "We will send you exactly where that is soon."
"I'll come visit once I'm back," Ally promised, holding her sister's hands before parting. "Take care of yourselves."
Peggy hugged Jojo and William goodbye before heading towards the car. Ally did the same, but not without packing her sword and the blue vial.
"We need to stop at the post office," Ally declared, reading over her letter to Bucky.
"Why?"
"We just gotta."
Dear Bucky,
It's been almost four weeks now...I'm beginning to worry. Why haven't you written back to me? Come home to me Bucky, I can't live without you. Please, please, please come back to me.
Please don't be dead.
With all the love and hope in the world,
Ally Jones
—
Steve Rogers was found in Italy, touring with his chorus girls and singing terrible tunes. Ally and Peggy had caught him in the middle of one of his performances. He was dressed in a blue costume, white and red stripes draping over his torso. Kepler was right, he did look very funny.
Peggy tried to stay on the down-low as much as possible, ducking her head whenever she thought she saw Colonel Phillips but still watching Steve with a blank face. Ally watched in complete distaste, she was revolted.
Steve raised his mighty shield and talked into the microphone. "How many of you are ready to help me sock old Adolf on the jaw?" the crowd was dead silent, making Steve gulp. "Okay. Uh...I need in volunteer?"
"I already volunteered! How do you think I got here?" a soldier called out from the crowd. "Bring back the girls!"
"I think they only know the one song," Steve panicked. "But um– let me see what I can do."
"You do that sweetheart!"
"Nice boots, Tinker Bell!"
The crowd of soldiers began to laugh once more, each encouraging one another to say something else to Steve.
"Come on guys," Steve mumbled. "We're all on the same team here."
"Hey Captain!" another soldier shouted, standing up. "Sign this!" he pulled down his trousers and Ally covered her eyes.
Steve walked off of the stage before anymore damage could be done. Ally sent Peggy a comforting smile as the two began to walk towards Steve's dressing room.
"That was horrible," Ally commented. "That was so embarrassing."
"Captain America," Peggy said in disbelief. "I can't believe this."
The two rounded the corner and found Steve, drawing in a small pocketbook. Peggy cleared her throat and Steve looked up. "What are you two doin' here?"
"That's all you have to say?" Ally questioned. "To your best friend? I must say, I'm offended Rogers."
Steve smiled slightly. "Hello Ally, but seriously, what are you doing here?"
"Officially I'm not here at all," Peggy explained to him. "That was quite a performance."
"Yeah. Uh...I had to improvise a little bit. Crowds I'm used to are usually more uh–"
"But I understand you are America's new hope?" Peggy commented, cutting him off.
"America's star spangled man?"
"The new face of the war?"
"Alright I get it," he grunted. "Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state I visit."
"Is that Senator Brandt I hear?"
"At least he's got me doin' this," Steve admitted. "Phillips would have had be stuck in lab."
"And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey? You were meant for more than this, you know?" Peggy found herself saying, not regretting any of it.
"Erskine wanted you to do more Steve, why are you letting them make you a puppet?"
Steve went to respond but hesitated. "You know for the longest time I dreamed about coming overseas and be on the front lines. Serving my country. I finally get everything I wanted, and I'm wearing tights."
"I know Steve," Ally sat beside him. "You shouldn't be some stage monkey."
"Schmidt sent out a force to Rosano. Two hundred men went up against him and less than fifty returned. Your audience contained what was left of the 107th. The rest were killed or captured."
Ally suddenly felt her head spin. The nausea swirled in her stomach like a hurricane and her mind swam with terrible thoughts. Her heart felt as if her blood had become tar as it struggled to keep a steady beat. Before she could question if she heard correctly, Steve repeated. "The 107th?"
"What?"
But it was too late, Steve and Ally were already sprinting towards Phillips' tent. Each had a grim and nervous expression on their face, Ally a little worse than Steve.
"Colonel Phillips?"
"Well, if it isn't the star spangled man with a plan. And what is your plan today?" The Colonel asked sarcastically.
"I need the casualty list for Azzano," Steve demanded. "Please sir."
Ally felt her heart speed up again but she had trouble keeping her vision clear. Every time she heard someone talk, she felt like she was going to faint.
"You don't get to give me orders, son."
"I just need one name. Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th!"
"Please," Ally pleaded. "We need to know."
Phillips pointed to Ally and Peggy. "You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won't enjoy." he took a seat in his chair. "I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry."
It is a cruelty of life that a heart can keep on beating even after it has been broken in two. Bucky...her Bucky...was dead.
Steve continued to ask questions. "What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?"
Phillips unhappily responded. "Yeah! It's called winning the war. They're thirty miles behind the lines. Through the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect you to understand that, because you're a chorus girl."
Steve's jaw locked and Ally felt him tense beside her. "I think understand just fine."
"Well then understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you got some place to be in thirty minutes." Phillips stood up from his chair and while he did, Steve took a look at a map.
"Yes sir, I do."
He took off once more and Ally knew to follow him, Peggy followed as well. He grabbed pieces of his wardrobe and packed what little he could. Peggy realized what he was doing. "What do you plan to do? Walk to Austria?"
"If that's what it takes."
"You heard the Colonel, you're friend is most likely dead."
Ally cringed, holding herself as she watched the two bicker.
"You don't know that, she doesn't know that Ally!"
"Even so, he's devising a strategy to rescue them!" Peggy protested.
"By the time he's done that, it could be too late! You two told me you thought I was meant for more than this," he paused. "Did you mean that?"
"Every word," Peggy replied and Ally nodded, taking Steve's hand in hers.
"Then you girls gotta let me go."
Peggy thought for a second, looking back at Ally with a faint smile. "I can do more than that."
—
"Alchemy you've been swinging that stupid sword around like it's a baseball bat," Jojo pointed out. "I think you can manage yourself."