Carousel of Time - An Alternative Bucky Barnes Story

Chapter 15. The Way It Should Be (Sexual Content)

Spring 1945

Bucky continued going into the SSR office on a daily basis, working in the 3rd floor office where they continued to watch those others suspected of being HYDRA sympathizers.  Multiple articles were cut out of the newspapers and filed according to the organization.  He brought up that the men under surveillance could conceivably go into the file room and just remove the files without anyone knowing.  Max responded with widened eyes.

"Shit, I didn't think of that," he whispered.  "Can you tell I'm new to the spy game?"

They decided to bring it up at the next meeting of the secret group.  Miss Webb sighed when they did and Bucky swore he heard her mutter "amateurs" but he didn't take offence because they were amateurs.  General Phillips had taken the ones with espionage experience with him to the front.  Those who were left behind were mostly clerical staff, with a few soldiers who had been injured enough to be returned home, himself included.  Bucky suggested that the locks be changed on the file room and that a couple of them be designated for being responsible for the filing room...no else to be given entry.  It also meant that everyone would hand in their clipped articles to those few people and they could note immediately what was missing compared to other submissions.  It was a start and the change was made.

Occasionally Dr. North would bring another person around to meet them, nodding his head slightly at both Max and Bucky to indicate they were loyal to the SSR and the U.S.  The meetings of their secret group to discuss their plans were held at random deli's and Chinese restaurants that surrounded a secret OSS underground installation in New York.  At least twice a week they met with Miss Webb who technically was in charge of the SSR while General Phillips was in Europe. 

Bucky asked at every meeting when the President would be ready to speak with him and Kate.  In early March, Miss Webb admitted that Roosevelt was going downhill and they hadn't been able to flesh out the agreement. 

"If he dies beforehand?" he asked.  "What guarantee do we have that Truman will honour what we've come up with so far?"

"Anything President Roosevelt signs should be honoured," she stated but Bucky could tell there wasn't much conviction in her voice.  Bucky refused access to Kate until it could be guaranteed. 

Steve Rogers was officially declared returned from being missing when he showed up that first day with Bucky, and after having his physical was given a short leave to recover.  He spent those few days looking for his own place to live, finding a room in a men's boarding house nearby.  Like Bucky, after leave he was ordered to report to duty at the SSR.  He wasn't returned to Europe as Kate thought would happen as the Howling Commandos had done very well under its new co-leader Sergeant Timothy Dugan.  In mid March they, with Peggy Carter, assisted the Seventh Army in Operation Undertone. They continued to find and destroy HYDRA pockets of resistance, including capturing HYDRA General Werner Reinhardt and a mysterious obelisk in his possession.  Peggy was finally released from duty with the Commandos after that mission, and given leave with instructions to report to the SSR.   Before she reported she stopped at their house in Brooklyn with a package.

Kate had just finished painting her latest model, a beautiful girl with green eyes and raven black hair.  A precocious child, her mother envisioned movie stardom for her daughter.  She hoped the display of the painting would thrust her daughter's image into the public's eye.  Kate wanted something more natural from the girl rather than the movie star pose demanded by her mother.  After the mother and daughter left Kate phoned John Nash and requested no more stage mothers.  As she finished cleaning up in her den studio she noticed Peggy walking to her door with a suitcase and a package.  With joy she ran to the living room just as Mrs. Farrell answered the ring of the doorbell.