Enlistment
"Hey! Sorry, I'm late!" Amy told her boyfriend, folding down the wet newspaper in her hands that she was using to cover herself. "You didn't have to come all this way to see me. I was coming home in a couple of days."
"Yeah...I just wanted to talk to you...I needed to talk to you," Bucky said, helping her take off her coat.
Amy pecked his lips, sitting down in the booth across from him. "Can we get something to eat first? It's absolutely pouring dogs and cats out there."
"I already ordered you a hot tea."
Amy smiled. "That's sweet. What did you want to talk to me about?"
"You know that we're entering the war...And they're gonna need soldiers."
"Yeah," Amy said, not really paying attention as she flagged down the waitress to order a warm cinnamon bun.
"My dad was in the first war...And I want to help the war effort."
Amy nodded, that statement catching her attention. Her heart rate quickened. "Okay."
"So, Steve and I went down to the recruitment office."
Amy froze. She could hear the blood pounding in her veins as Bucky looked at her...pleaded for her to understand. "Steve...He was rejected...You know why. But me? I was accepted."
"You joined the war..." Amy muttered.
"Yes."
That snapped Amy out of it. "You joined the war?!" she shrieked, tears burning her eyes.
The man in front of her that was usually so confident, bowed his head shyly. "Yeah."
Amelia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her heart was breaking as a deep fear overcame her. What if he never came back? What if he got hurt? What if he became a prisoner of war? "I can't..." Amelia choked up, grabbing her handbag as she rushed out.
"Amy...Amy!" he called out as she rushed out of the cafe into the rain. He raced after her, stopping her by grabbing her arm.
"Let me go!"
Bucky grabbed her tightly by her arms, shivering in the cold as rain pelted down on them. "No...Amy, it's gonna be okay!"
"How?! You saw what they did to Pearl Harbor!" she sobbed, punching his chest. "People die in the war, James! My dad died! Your dad died!"
"That's why I have to go! They attacked us in our own home! I have to do my duty to protect us. To protect you! It's gonna be okay. I'm going to be okay."
Amelia stopped punching him as she sagged in his hold. Still sobbing, she looked at his clear blue eyes as his rough thumbs wiped a tear away from her cheek. "What if you don't come back?"
Her words were the daggers in his heart. But he knew what he had to do. "I will. Nothing in this world will stop me from being with you. I love you."
"I love you too, James."
The day James boarded the train was the hardest. "I wish I was going," Steve grumbled.
"Shut up, Steve," Amy muttered, her eyes bright red from the constant crying that led to this moment, as Bucky set down his bag.
"Take care of yourself, punk. Don't get into any fights while I'm away."
"I won't...I'll try," Steve promised, giving his best friend a hug.
Bucky patted his back, turning to the woman who was not really looking at him. He brought her face up to his with his index finger, brushing a few tears from her cheeks. "Hey...I promise."
Amy smiled softly, sniffing as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she rolled her eyes. She looped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his. "You better, James Buchannan Barnes."
"I love you."
"I love you too." Bucky grinned at that, reaching down to kiss her. "I got you something. Something to remember me by."
She handed him a small brown packet, with a gardenia tied to the front. "Gardenias...You always stuff them into your pockets."
"Because you know we can't afford that nice perfume. But that's not the gift...Don't open it now. Open it later."
The train whistle sounded, meaning it was time for him to go. "I gotta go..."
"I know," Amy sighed, kissing him again. He grabbed his bag from the ground, giving one last long and hard kiss to his girlfriend.
He walked onto the train, found a spot with a window, and pushed it down. "I love you, Amelia Rogers!" he shouted out.
Amy rolled her eyes as Steve laughed. "I love you too, you damn idiot. Promise me you'll write!"
"Every second of every day!"
"I mean it!" Amy shouted over the noise as the train began to slightly move.
"I will! I promise!" He waved at her as the train began to pick up speed, his heart hammering in his chest. "Amy!"
"What?!" Amy laughed, walking alongside the train.
"Marry me?!" Bucky shouted, grinning like an idiot.
"What?! You're crazy!" Amy laughed.
Bucky grinned. "Crazy for you! Marry me!"
"Come back in one piece and I'll reconsider."
"Love you!" he shouted one last time as they pulled away.
He saw Amy blow him a kiss, and he smiled as he sat back down in his seat. Feeling the brown paper wrinkle next to him, he unwrapped it. Inside was a blank journal with a picture of his girl inside. Smiling, he folded the picture up and carefully placed it in his jacket pocket as he pressed the gardenia between the pages to keep it fresh for as long as he can.
The next week was a whirlwind. Her school was canceled because of the war efforts. Many women were joining the workforce, like herself, as more and more men were chosen or volunteered to go overseas to fight for their countries. "If it isn't Little Amy Rogers!"
Amy smiled as she stopped, turning to face her old professor. "Dr. Jones what are you doing here?" she asked, giving him a small hug.
"I'm actually on my way out of town...The government wants me to do a job. You can't turn down the president."
Her mind drifted to her boyfriend. "You really can't."
"That's why when they said they had two jobs, I recommended somebody to take the other."
"Oh...Who?"
"You!"
Amy blinked. "Me?"
"Yes...The government wants something, and so do the Nazis. You were gonna minor in mythology right?"
"Yeah...On your recommendation."
"That's why this should be of interest." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a card.
"What is it?"
"I can't tell you. Not here on the street. Somebody will be in touch with you soon. If you take this job, Amy...The government will pay you greatly. You just won't be a student anymore."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He smiled, and reached into his briefcase, handing her a large envelope. "I had it expedited for you. They would only take doctor applications for this job. The extra work you did with me counted as credit. Congratulations...Dr. Rogers."
Amy stared in shock as she saw her name on the shiny frame. "Thank you...Dr. Jones."
"Please...We're colleagues now. You can call me by my first name."
"Indiana," she corrected.
"I don't like a lot of people, Amy. But you remind me of somebody that is very dear to me. Be careful. I expect great things from you."
"Okay..." she said, watching as he vanished in the large crowd.
A week later, two men in suits found her in the library where she was reading a book. "Ms. Rogers."
"It's Doctor," she corrected, sitting up. "Can I help you?"
"We're here from the US Army on important business." One of the men opened a briefcase, pulling out a thick manilla folder. "The Germans have the knowledge of a weapon not from this world. Something ancient in creation."
Amy opened the folder, seeing a map and snippets of literature in a language she didn't know. "The...Tesser-" she struggled to say.
"Please, ma'am. This is private and confidential information. We need to find this weapon before the Germans."
Amy nodded. "Okay."
"You'll have the world's best team on hand..."
"Okay."
"Okay?" the other man asked.
"Yeah...When do I start?"
"Now."
Now meant that she was immediately taken to a secret base with secret historians and archeologists to discover the whereabouts of this weapon. Amy knew the moment that she stepped into the base, she was the only woman there. "This way, Dr. Rogers..." one of the suits told her. "As the lead archeologist, these men listen to you. Let me introduce you to some people."
Amy nodded, following the man over to an older gentleman and a woman a little older than her. "Dr. Rogers, this is Colonel Phillips and Agent Peggy Carter."
"Hi," Amy greeted, waving.
The Colonel turned her nose on her, turned around, and left. "Wow..." Amy muttered, looking down.
"Don't mind him...He had friends on the harbor...Peggy Carter," the dark-haired woman spoke, her British accent making her voice light and airy.
Amy smiled at the woman, offering her hand. "Amelia Rogers...But you can call me Amy. So, this is a real army base."
"Yeah. But don't worry...We all have jobs to do. Most of these men just want to see who's worse and bigger. Put them in their place and they'll start to respect you."
"Seems so easy," Amy scoffed.
"Let me show you to your room."
Peggy led Amy down to the barracks, where she was shown into a small room, with a twin-size bed, a small nightstand, and a desk and chair. "I know it's not much..."
"It's fine," Amy said quickly. "It's actually similar to my bedroom at home."
"Where's home?" Peggy asked.
"Brooklyn."
"You officially start tomorrow. You'll be compensated for your time. The dining hall is open from 6 to 8 for breakfast, 11 to 1 for dinner, and 4 to 6 for supper. I'm just down the hall. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you," Amy said as Peggy smiled. Once the brunette woman left, Amy sat down at the desk and opened the file. "The Tesseract..." she mumbled to herself, as she read all she could. It was at that moment that her life would change forever.