Duffel
"Why are you on the ground?" Steve asked, his voice full of curiosity as he looked down at Allie who had decided to lay on the floor of the S.S.R. base one afternoon.
"I worked a full a shift yesterday," she said as her eyes remained closed.
"And we still have work to do today," Steve frowned down at her.
"Can't you let me lay down in peace?" she scowled.
"If it was the night, I would. But it's not, so I won't," he continued to frown down at his sister. "Besides, what are you going to say when Colonel Phillips or Agent Carter walks by?"
"I didn't realize we were taking naps now," Bucky's smirk could be heard in his voice, his amusement painted in his grin as he walked in and laid down beside Allie.
"Don't encourage her," Steve rolled his eyes, hiding his now growing amusement as he watched his sister and best friend lay against the ground.
"I'm tired," Allie frowned.
"Yeah Steve," Bucky frowned as well. "She's tired."
"Ass," Allie opened her eyes long enough to look over at her best friend who simply smirked. Seeing his smirk, her own grin grew just a smidge.
"We do have more training we need to do today," Bucky smiled. "And I'll even make sure to say right now that you've improved this week."
"I shot the head of the target three times the other day," Allie frowned at him.
"Well, at least that would take down a bad guy," he shrugged.
"You two really should stand before someone sees you," Steve sighed.
"You really are no fun," Bucky shook his head.
"I'd join the crowd on the ground, but Allie, I have some uniform pieces for you to try on," Howard Stark's voice was laced with the amusement he always seemed to have.
"And that is exactly the way to get me up and off of the floor," Allie laughed as she reached up to take Howard's hand. "Alright, lead the way."
Shaking their heads at her amusement, Bucky stood and walked beside Steve as they made their way down to the lab where Howard was placing pieces to a uniform in Allie's hands, pointing in the direction of a private side area where she could put the uniform on for measurements.
"You know, I wasn't lying," Bucky shrugged as he looked over to Steve. "She's been improving every time we work."
"Well, that's a good thing," Steve sighed. "Sooner or later we'll be out there and I'd prefer her being able to defend herself."
"You and I both know she'd find a way to defend herself one way or another," Bucky smirked.
As they waited, Allie could be heard fumbling with her first official tactical uniform. The two looked at one another, suppressing grins as Allie's frustration could be heard. Howard looked in concern before looking to both Steve and Bucky.
"Is she okay?" he asked in a hushed whisper.
"Trust us, she's fine," Bucky nodded. "Takes down men without an issue, can't figure out buckles and straps."
"I heard that you jerk," Allie's voice rang from behind the screen. "There's multiple pieces to this uniform, but I think I've got it."
Stepping out from behind the screen, Allie looked at the three. Grin spreading along her lips, she walked over and gave a small spin for them.
"Well, we definitely need to make sure some measurements are fixed," Howard bit his lip. "But it looks like what we discussed."
"It'll definitely work," Allie smiled at him. "The right amount of pockets, I can move in it, proper places for holsters. What do you two think?"
"Like my little sister officially looks like a soldier," Steve laughed. "If it's perfect for what you'll need, then it's perfect."
"You look good in blue," Bucky smirked.
Allie shook her head with a soft smirk. Howard took her aside, pulling one of the nearby ladies over to help take the measurements to adjust the uniform for Allie. The afternoon passed with Steve parting to work on the details in preparation for when they departed. Bucky and Allie spent a majority of the afternoon into the evening in the shooting range.
"See? You're still improving," Bucky smiled down at her as they put away the firearms.
Allie didn't reply. As he looked over at her, Bucky realized that she was frowning. Walking over to her and taking her hand in his, he watched as her eyes finally snapped up to his.
"Do you want to go and get a drink from the bar?" he smiled.
"That actually sounds very nice right now," she sighed.
"Then come on," he grinned.
They'd made their way over to the bar where lively music was spilling out the door and into the nearby street. The two happily made their way over to the bartender, Bucky ordering a whiskey for each of them.
"Don't even think of ordering a beer again," he smirked.
"Why? Are you going to take it from my hands and drink after me like a heathen again?" she teased.
"A heathen? Doll, I resent that statement," he grinned.
"Don't call me doll," she sighed as the bartender passed the glasses of whiskey their way.
The two sat together as they drank, Bucky passing along tips for their next training session before Allie sighed loudly.
"Let's have fun tonight," she frowned. "No mentions of training or of me having to work shifts in the medical tent. Just you and me."
"Would it make you feel better if we did this more often? After a long day?" he downed the last of his whiskey.
"Maybe," she smiled.
Lively dancing took place in front of them, soldiers glancing around to find a partner. As Bucky opened his mouth to ask her to dance, a young soldier walked over and held his hand out to Allie.
"Care to dance, Nurse Rogers?" he asked.
As she glanced over at Bucky, she watched as he simply shrugged and gestured to the man. Allie had hoped he'd have stopped her, but went with the soldier to be polite. He wasn't a bad dancer and was fairly sweet as they danced. As their dance ended, another soldier took his place. Then another. Before Allie could begin to count how many soldiers she had danced with, she found herself scanning the crowd for Bucky.
As the song slowed to a stop and the soldier she had been dancing with began to ask for a second dance, Bucky appeared with his hand held out to Allie. Dismissing herself from the soldier, she happily took Bucky's hand.
"Alright, let's show them what real dancing looks like," he smirked.
Allie laughed as they danced together just as they had the previous week when they had last been dancing in the very same room that they were in at that moment. The sweet feeling of being with her best friend was still wrapped her.
"What's on your mind?" Bucky asked her as they danced closely.
"We're going to win this war," Allie said with determination. "I really want to go home. To Brooklyn. With both you and my brother."
"I like that you're optimistic about it," he grinned.
"Well, I just have to look at it this way," she shrugged and took a deep breath. "Every day is a day closer to being back in Brooklyn. I can go back to the hospital and you and Steve can go back to some semblance of a normal job. And once we're back in Brooklyn, we won't have to fight anymore big fights. Hell, Steve's huge now so we won't even have to fight any little fights anymore, either."
"He is huge now," Bucky laughed. "He's taller than me."
"And me," Allie frowned. "Is it bad that I'm kind of sad to be shorter than him now?"
"Don't let him catch you frowning about that," he teased.
Allie laughed at his teasing, settling into keeping his eye as they both went silent. Knowing his arms were tightening around her waist and her arms were tightening around his neck, she couldn't believe that she truly was with him in the bar that evening. Before either could do a single thing, a hand clapped Bucky on the shoulder.
"Sergeant Barnes. Allie," Howard Stark greeted fondly. "It's nice to see you two here."
"Hi Howard," Allie laughed and took notice of Steve behind Howard, shaking his head and mouthing the word 'sorry' to the two. "What brings you two to the bar tonight?"
"Alcohol," Howard answered honestly.
While neither Allie or Bucky cared to let go of the other, the two followed Howard and Steve to the bar where they ordered a round of drinks for the group. Happily drinking together, the group lost track of time before Howard looked at his watch and sighed.
"I should go," he sighed. "They want me for a meeting about what you found first thing tomorrow morning."
"It was nice seeing you," Allie smiled over at him.
"I'll see you all later," Howard parted and left.
"We should probably get back to the base," Steve sighed.
"So much for our night out," Bucky whispered to Allie who in turn smirked over at him.
"Maybe you should still bring me here more often," she whispered in return.
"Consider it done," he grinned as Steve ushered them out the door.
Making it back to the base, the three stopped at Steve and Bucky's bunk, peeking inside to find it empty. As soon as she had heard the crack of thunder overhead and the soft pattering of rain against the trees, she walked past the men and into the bunk itself.
"What do you think you're doing?" Steve questioned as he walked in after her.
"Well, there's no other soldiers in here," she tilted her head to the side in thought. "It's starting to rain. And frankly, I don't give a damn."
Walking through the cots, she found Bucky's cot with his pictures on the small stand beside it. Plopping down and laying back, Bucky frowned at her.
"So you take my cot?"
"Well, yes," she nodded.
Rolling his eyes at her with an amused grin, he slumped down in front of the cot. Sitting in the space between the two cots, he leaned his head back against his cot where Allie's hand absentmindedly moved hair from his eyes.
"You know, I'm serious," she said. "I'm just waiting for Brooklyn."
"Life will be different when we return," Steve smiled at her. "I'll have money for the two of us now."
"I'll have to find a place of my own," Bucky sighed and closed his eyes.
"You always have our couch," Allie teased.
"You laugh, but that thing is comfortable," he frowned up at her.
"I'm sure," she brushed her fingers along his hair once more before placing both hands in her lap.
Bucky happened to find himself a tad disappointed when Allie simply sat back. He looked between his two best friends and let it sink in once more that they were back together overseas. In the hell that he'd been going through, it finally led to him being reunited with the two.
Steve glanced over at Allie and Bucky and gave a small smile. Neither had truly said anything to the other, but he wasn't blind to how they'd been that night. In the back of his mind, he knew that Brooklyn wouldn't be quite the same that it had been before, but he found himself ready to get the three of them back.
"What if I got a dog?" Allie finally asked after a period of silence between the three, rain continuing to hit the tarp of the soldiers' bunk.
"What?" Bucky laughed.
"Well, we're talking about being back in Brooklyn, right?" she shrugged. "So, why shouldn't I consider having a dog when we get back?"
"Are you really wanting a dog?" Bucky's warm laughter still floated in the room.
"Well, sure," she shrugged. "Why not? Can't you two picture us with a dog running around the house?"
The two men shook their heads as they laughed. To them, there was something charming about Allie already beginning her ideas and plans for when they made it back home after the war before their real mission had even began. There was hope in her that settled around the tent, seeming to be warmth for them in the moment.
"This entire thing," Allie sighed after a beat when the laughter died down. "This is going to work, right? We'll be home before we know it?"
"Of course it's going to work," Steve nodded. "We'll be home and the world will be safe."
"You two promise me that we're all going to make it back together, right?" she frowned at the tarp that acted as a ceiling.
Steve and Bucky looked at one another before turning and reaching to each grab one of Allie's hands. "We promise," they nodded to her.
"Good," she smiled. "We'll make it back, live our lives, and always be a trio while doing so, right?"
"Right," the men chorused.
A thundering of footsteps pounded as the flap to the tent opened and the other soldiers residing in the same bunk as Bucky and Steve came flooding into the room, soaked from the rain outside. Several blinked as they took notice of Allie casually laying on Bucky's cot.
"Well, hello Nurse Rogers," one of the soldiers smirked.
"Hello," she waved with a smile, still holding onto her brother and best friend's hands. "I notice you didn't escape the rain?"
"No," another soldier laughed and settled into his own cot. "Seems you did?"
"Thanks to Buck," she grinned down at Bucky who still lounged beside the cot. "Does it look like it'll ease anytime soon?"
"Hell no," a third soldier said. "If anything, I'd be surprised if it doesn't get worse."
Allie sighed and leaned into Bucky's pillow. Looking over Steve who had taken his hand back and began to pull out a journal, she realized she'd have to brave the rain and make it to her cot. She couldn't stay in Bucky and Steve's tent the entire night after all, especially with one soldier in the corner of the tent not taking his eyes off of her.
"I should go then," Allie finally let go of Bucky's hand as she stood up.
"I'll walk you back," Bucky smiled as he stood up beside her. "I'll be back Steve."
Walking to the flap in the tent, the two glanced to one another before each taking a breath and braving the rain once more. Using his jacket as an umbrella once more, Bucky covered the two to the best of his ability before they reached Allie's bunk.
"Thank you for walking me back," she smiled up at him.
"What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't?" he laughed.
"A rotten one," she grinned.
"Exactly," he smiled down at her. Thinking for a moment, he brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes that was sticking to her face. "By the way, I meant it when I said you're improving with the firearms. You're a quick learner."
"Thanks," she breathed. "I just hope they don't need us out fighting too soon. I'd still like more practice."
"And you'll have more practice," Bucky nodded. Looking back in the direction of his own bunk, curiosity got the better of him as he looked back to her. "Do the soldiers flirt with you often?"
"What?" she laughed.
"Do they flirt with you often? Like how they did tonight," his head cocked slightly to the side.
"Well, yes, they do," she nodded. There was no sense in hiding the obvious. "Granted, I think most of them are just happy to see women around the base. It is amusing though. I've helped patch quite a few of them up. Helped out with procedures. Seen more of them than I'd care to see."
"So you've never flirted back?" Bucky grinned.
"Hell no," she laughed.
"So you never had a special soldier over here?" he tilted his head to the side.
"I do have a special soldier over here," Allie smiled. "He's just none of them."
"Is that so?" Bucky's voice was soft.
"It is," her voice was equally as soft with a soft smile to match. "And lucky for him, we seem to see a lot of one another."
Both felt warmth flood over them before a crack of thunder sounded overhead. Glancing up at the sky, Allie quickly glanced behind her and gave a small sigh. Looking back to Bucky, she shook her head slightly.
"I should get inside my tent and you should get back to yours," she smiled.
"I know," his chuckle was soft.
"More training tomorrow?"
"More training tomorrow," he nodded. Taking a breath, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "And we really will make it back to Brooklyn. All three of us. We'll live our lives and never have to worry about any of us disappearing on the others."
"Good," she nodded.
A moment passed between the two, just as it had the last time he had walked her back to her bunk after they'd left the bar together. Looking at him in the darkness, Allie stood on the tips of her toes once more and kissed that same corner of his smile, just a tad more on his cheek than the last time she had kissed him there. He had never said anything one or the other after that last kiss she'd laid there, so she took the plunge once more.
He smiled down at her and said goodnight as he watched her walk into the tent, tightly closing the flap behind her to keep out the rain, before taking off in the direction of his bunk.
Walking in, he noticed one of the soldier's glancing at his cheek before grinning and turning away. Shrugging it off and brushing the wet locks of hair from his face, he watched as Steve simply pointed to his cheek. Wiping his cheek, Bucky rubbed the red from Allie's lipstick off.
"What if I told her I want a cat?" Bucky finally looked over to Steve.
"You want a cat?" Steve raised his brow.
"I'm just saying," he laughed. "Mom and Dad always said we were too busy to have pets, and I know your mom certainly didn't let you two have pets. I'm just exploring my options."
"Yeah, well, you can explore your options after we all get back home," Steve grinned.
Changing into his pajamas, Bucky went to lay on his cot, turning on his side to look at the picture of himself and Allie. Turning himself to face the tarped ceiling, he took in a deep breath.
Allie was right. Each day was a day closer to being back in Brooklyn. Once they returned to Brooklyn, no more fights were going to be fought. No big wars would take place.
He and the Rogers siblings would be home, all three safe and sound.
════ ⋆★⋆ ════
Allie had shut the front door once she and Bucky had arrived home. She was still baffled that her brother was no where to be found. Walking to the couch in the living room, she sat with her head in her hands.
"Allie?" Bucky's voice was soft as he walked over and sat down beside her.
"What are we going to do?" she sighed. "My brother could be out there somewhere. He could be hurt for all I know and I won't be able to find him because we got in a fight and he ran off."
"Love," Bucky sighed as he took her hand in his. "You heard Sam on the phone."
As Allie rushed out her words to Sam, she could barely register that Sam was simply keeping a steady breath. Bucky had his arms folded across his chest as he listened to Allie frantically worrying about Steve.
"Woah, woah," Sam's voice could be heard saying. "You said his duffel is gone, right?"
"Yes," Allie frowned. "It's gone, but his phone was left here."
"Well, Allie," Sam sighed. "Trust the duffel. We all know how he is with that duffel. If it's gone, he had time to pack it."
"But what if someone found him? What if Annika found him and had him cornered and he didn't know my number or-"
"Allie," Sam's voice rang.
"What if he's hurt? What if he's dead? God dammit! I am the worst sister," her head fell into her hand as she held out the phone.
"Don't do that," Bucky warned her with a frown.
"Allie, you aren't the worst sister," Sam sighed. "Steve said he was going to go after Sharon, right? So just trust the duffel and we'll eventually find him. This is Steve after all."
"But if he's out there, I want to make sure he's okay," Allie continued. "He's my brother. I don't care if he tells me to get lost or tells me that he's still mad. I just want to know that he's okay."
"I know," Sam's voice softened.
"I could go after him," she suggested.
"No," Sam sighed. "Allie, do not put even more on your plate than needs to be there. Okay? If you are this worried, then let me talk to some people and have someone be on the lookout for him. As for you, we'll keep going with this team. If Annika did somehow get to him, us finding her and her followers and taking them down is going to be a much better idea than having you out there on your own."
"Sam has a point," Bucky sighed. "I want to find him just like you do, but I think Sam's idea is our best bet."
Allie looked up to meet Bucky's eyes. His expression was soft as he talked to her. Nodding her head slowly and taking in a deep breath, she looked back to the ground.
"Allie?" Sam asked as a silence had settled for just a beat too long.
"Yes?"
"I know this is a lot for you right now," his voice was soothing. "Okay? This entire thing has been a lot. I know how much your brother means to you, and one way or another we're going to find him, but I need you to listen to me.
"The best way to take care of everything is going to be by taking Annika down. With everything that's taken place, you know how we need to do this. We have the recruits. They're skilled and determined. We're going to get them trained and ready to face off against people with your powers. We're going to do this, okay?"
"Okay," her voice was soft.
"You two go home, rest, and we'll meet the others again soon, okay?" Sam's voice was still just as calming as it had been for their conversation.
"Okay," Allie repeated.
"Goodnight you two."
"Goodnight," Allie and Bucky chorused softly as Sam hung up on his end.
The two didn't stay for much more than a moment to breathe before going home that evening.
"I know that I heard him," she sighed. "I just can't stop thinking about how this is the first time I've had this bad of a fight with him and he's missing."
"We're going to find him," Bucky assured her. "I've never fought like this with him," he paused for a moment remembering when he'd first seen Steve as the Winter Soldier. "Well, this is the first time that I've fought with him of my own free will. He's your brother, making him my brother-in-law, but he's also one of my best friends. I want to find him, too."
Allie paused for a moment as she felt a wave of guilt flood over her. She'd found herself caught up in a spiral of only thinking of how Steve was her brother. As if it only was impacting her. Taking in a deep breath, she made the silent promise to herself that she wasn't going to think that way. Peter had been right when he'd set her straight a few weeks prior. She wasn't the only one who had priorities or who had people that mattered.
That evening wasn't Allie's favorite. She and Bucky went to bed, neither feeling much like unwinding to music or to the television in any manner. Instead, the house was eerily quiet. The previous day, they'd taken their children to spend the night once more with Grace. Early in the morning, Grace had sent them word that she would bring the kids home on her way to work.
That seemed to be much earlier than either was prepared for as Allie distracted herself by making breakfast for herself and Bucky, quickly adding extra strips of bacon and extra eggs to watch she was in the midst of cooking. Grace handed the three over to Bucky with a hug and a smile. The three happily made their way inside where they each ran, or toddled, to Allie.
"Mom! We made you something," Steven grinned.
"You did?" she smiled softly.
"Yeah!" Sarah chirped.
Hopping into seats at the table, the two happily pushed a piece of artwork towards Allie. It was pure arts and crafts, unknown shapes on the page as Allie smiled and gushed to them that she loved it.
Breakfast was fairly quiet for Allie and Bucky as they let the children talk and sat with the knowledge that they'd gained the previous evening. As the kids hopped up from the table, Steven walked up to Allie and leaned in.
"Mom?" he asked.
"Yes?" she brushed a lock of hair from his eyes.
"How do I make an ice flower?"
"An ice flower?" she grinned.
"I want to make her a flower for her jar," he pointed to the tiny jar next to the little framed ultrasound.
"Oh," Allie took in a breath and shared a glance with Bucky. Bucky's hand took her free one, giving a tight squeeze as she swallowed hard. Nodding to Steven, she held out her hand. "Here."
Making a flower to the best of her ability, she knew it wasn't anything impressive. More in a rough and rugged shape she held it out to Steven who took it and went to place it in the jar. Allie looked away quickly as Steven thanked her and went off to follow the others to go and play.
"Are you okay?" Bucky asked when Steven was out of earshot.
"I'm fine," she swallowed. "I almost forgot that it was coming up."
"I know," he nodded. "And you know that that also means that T.J.'s birthday is coming up as well."
"I know," she smiled softly. "God I just want this all to be finished and over with."
"It will be," Bucky sighed. "It will be."
════ ⋆★⋆ ════
"Come on, John," Allie bit out his name in an annoyed manner. "You've got to trust me on this."
Allie had gathered a few members of the team for training in one day. Deciding that dividing the team into groups to train with, she could work with them and help the prepare themselves for what they would be facing when it came to Annika and the others. In the back of her mind, she planned on having a late night by staying after she dismissed them to see if she could discover what the other frequencies meant for her. She didn't fully prepare herself for the stubborn and bullheaded nature of John Walker when it came to training.
"And how do I know this isn't an excuse for you to hurt me?" he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Because if I had wanted to hurt you, I'd have punched you the moment I saw you this morning," Allie groaned.
"Or thrown something at you," Bucky added from where he stood with his arms folded across his chest.
"Well, I'm sure this is something that is way more painful than a punch," John continued.
"John," Allie's voice was firm.
"Allison," he responded.
"Annika and her followers aren't going to hold any punches," she sighed. "You have to get used to defending yourself against these powers."
"Fine," he bit out.
"Alright, John," Peter held a notepad in his hands to take notes about what he noticed in the different training sessions of new recruits. He'd set up cameras earlier to record the sessions for them to watch and review later. "Neither of you is going to start until we count down from three. You don't want to hold back, but don't kill each other."
"In three. Two. One," Bruce's voice rang out and in an instant, Allie and John were sparring.
Sam walked in and went to stand beside Bucky. Sighing to himself as he watched John back off more than once as Allie sent waves of fire and ice, he watched Allie's eyebrows furrow further an further.
"I told you not to hold back," she groaned out in frustration.
"You're shooting fire and ice at me!" John argued.
"So try and take me down first!" she yelled back.
"This almost feels painful to watch," Sam whispered to Bucky.
"You mean because part of me is scared that if he holds back for much longer, my wife will actually fry or freeze him?" Bucky glanced over at him.
"Because she's dealing with stress outside of this team. Having someone who isn't trusting her enough to train the way that they need to is going to be frustrating," Sam sighed.
All it took was a few more minutes of sparring where John didn't trust Allie enough to spar and train properly for her to simply let out a huff of frustration before turning to Peter and Bruce. Sam and Bucky saw the fire of frustration brimming in her eyes before glancing to one another.
"This is session is over," she hissed.
"What?" Peter's face dropped slightly as he looked over at her.
"If Walker won't take this seriously," she continued to hiss as she glared at John. "Then I am done for this session. I'm not wasting my time on this session when the others will actually spar."
"Fine by me," John spat in retaliation to her anger.
The group watched as Allie tore out of the room, Sam and Bucky sharing a glance. Bucky nodded and dismissed himself to take after Allie in an attempt to make sure she wasn't too angry. Sam walked over and stood beside John.
"You know, all of this is a serious situation," he said.
"I'm aware," John frowned at him.
"And so you're aware of how many things are stacked against her?" Sam continued. John didn't respond as he kept his eyes trained on him. "All I'm saying, is when she's back, you better have your ass in there properly training."
From where he stood, Peter kept his eyes trained on the others in the room. He looked down to hide his smirk when Sam spoke to John. Continuing to grin to himself, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Taking it out and reading a text on his screen. His eyes widened.
"I need to go," he said as he face felt as if all warmth had drained out of it. "Do you have this?"
"I can take care of it," Bruce said at his side.
As Bucky had managed to bring back Allie, Peter tore past them. Concerned, Allie went to call after him before he assured her he would call her later that evening. Taking in a breath, Allie looked over at John and frowned.
"Are you ready to properly spar?" her frown remained.
"Yes," he nodded.
In the back of her mind, Allie felt her concern over Peter starting to fester. But she reminded herself that it was going to be fine.
She tried to tell herself that not everything was turning into a disaster.