Chapter 10
It was Saturday morning and Bucky felt like he couldn’t breathe. His heart was pounding. His palms were sweating. Every bad scenario played out in his head. Steve is Captain America. It is crazy to think that anyone but him would win in the challenge, but yet Bucky was worried.
If Steve lost, then Bucky was going home with Brock. They will not be able to try to break the legal hold that Brock has on Bucky. There was no trying to get pregnant. There was no Bucky being free of the terror, of his children being free of the terror. He would go back to all of that. His children would go back to all of that.
That was the real concern. He just wanted his children safe. He wanted them to be with Steve. Steve was so nice to them. He played with them. He made them smile. He didn’t leave them crying and shaking. Bucky didn’t have to hide under the covers with the kids and hold them while they all hoped that Brock would calm down soon.
So Bucky couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t for him. It was for his children. He needed them safe.
“I can hear you worrying from here,” Steve smiled as he walked into the room.
Bucky kept his eyes glued to Alice as he continued to nurse her. “I don’t want you to lose.”
“I won’t,” Steve assured him and sat down next to him on the bed. “I don’t even know how she manages to eat with all this worrying racket.” He ran his forefinger through Alice’s baby soft hair.
Alice wiggled and whined in protest to being touched when she was trying to eat. Bucky sighed. “I know. I know. I’m ridiculous. But Steve,” he looked up at him with watery eyes. “I can’t go back there. The kids can’t go back there.”
Steve gave Bucky a small smile. “Well you guys won’t be going back there. After I win the challenge, you and the kids will stay here and I will get you pregnant.”
Bucky snorted. “You say that so nicely.”
“I know,” Steve smiled sheepishly. “I wish I didn’t have to force a baby on you. I wish I could just mate you.”
“But my body would reject the mating,” Bucky murmured and looked back down at Alice.
“And I swear I will do everything in my power to make sure you have the best, easiest pregnancy imaginable and I will do whatever I can to help with the kids,” Steve promised. “You won’t have to change a diaper as long as I am around.”
Bucky laughed. “You are ridiculous.”
“I’m glad to see you happier,” Steve got up and kissed the top of his head. Bucky flinched. “Sorry, I… I didn’t mean to be so forward.”
“It’s fine,” Bucky sighed. “I didn’t mean to react like that.”
“I was too pushy. I’m sorry,” Steve said softly. “Well once you finish up here we should head over to the park.”
“We should,” Bucky bit his lip. Breathing got harder again.
The walk is the worst part. The drive should be. They lived far enough that it was a solid 20 minute drive. The walk only takes a couple of minutes. But it was the worst part. Men, women, children, alphas, betas, and omegas all staring at him. They all knew that two alphas were fighting over him. It was the appropriate crowd. It was not a private event. Everyone wanted to watch this happen. Bucky, himself, remembered going with his parents to watch a challenge. It was one of the ultimate spectator sports.
The Decider looked Bucky up and down once he reached him. His eyes narrowed quickly on the faces of his children. Alice was happy to see all of the colors around her. Brian was looking in awe at the spectacle. Neither one of them had any idea what was going on.
“Captain America is fighting over a mother,” the Decider mused before pushing Bucky to take his seat on the big purple cushion in the middle of the stage. Bucky pulled his children in his arms and tried to even out his breathing.
“Mommy, I don’t want to wear this,” Brian hissed as he tugged at the white collar of his shirt.
“You just have to wear it a little longer,” Bucky soothed. Brian was in the traditional white shirt and white pants of a child of the Challenge. Alice was in a pretty little white dress. Bucky himself, was wearing a purple robe. The purple signifying his place as omega. The white signified his children’s place as innocents.
Bucky swallowed hard as he looked around the park. If he weren’t in the position he was in, he would think it was beautiful. Alpha men dressed in various hues of blue. Alpha women wearing gorgeous shades of red. Omega men in purple. Omega women in pink. Beta men in green and beta women in yellow. The children were all in white. Everyone had to wear his or her designation. There was no room to be anything but your category.
The Decider, an alpha male, stood on the podium and motioned for the crowd to be silent. He soothed down his black robe before speaking. “We are here today because Steve Rogers, or Captain America, has challenged Brock Rumlow for his omega. This particular omega has birthed two children who will also be included in this challenge. If Mr. Rogers wins, then the omega and the children are his to start the claiming process. If Mr. Rumlow wins, then the omega and children must be immediately returned to him.”
Bucky looked up at the sky and hugged his children close. The streamers looked so beautiful blowing in the breeze. It truly looked like a rainbow.
“Our omegas are the most precious creatures that we have,” the Decider announced. “They are the most fertile among us and the most delicate. God sent them to us in order to allow us to be fruitful and multiply. Their wombs hold the future generations within. They nourish our children on their breast. They provide so much for our community, that it is our responsibility to make sure that only the most worthy have one in possession. Only alphas are allowed to have one. For they are virile enough to keep up with the fertility of an omega. They are the strongest ones to protect an omega. They are the only ones smart enough to lead an omega to the right path. And since we must love and care for our omegas, only the smartest, the strongest, and most virile alphas can have one. We do not have enough omegas for every alpha to own one, so only the best can have this treasure. And so we created the Challenge.”
“Mommy,” Brian whispered as he tugged at Bucky’s arm.
“Shhh, baby, it’s okay,” Bucky soothed. “Just look at the colors.”
“This challenge will test these two alphas who desire the same omega,” the Decider continued. “We will challenge them on strength and intelligence. They must complete the three tasks in order to win. Our first task will be that of combat. The alphas must face each other in hand to hand combat. If an alpha is killed then the next two tasks will be forfeited and the winner will receive the omega. In the case of no death then we will continue. Only I can decide which alpha is successful and which one has failed. Let us begin.”
Bucky swallowed as he saw Brock walk through the crowd to stand at one side of the ring. Steve did the same on the other. They were both shirtless and wearing black pants. They both had dark blue belts on to signify them as alpha males. The bell rang and the two of them ran at each other. And that was when Bucky saw the knife go into Steve’s abdomen.