Gail Barnes, pregnant wife of James Buchanan Barnes was thrown back into 1944, pre-D Day England after being too close to a mysterious portal. Finding herself in the same camp as the Howling Commandos she had no choice but to adapt until she could...
The news of the successful raid and destruction of the Siberian HYDRA facility reverberated throughout the SSR and OSS for weeks. During the raid more arrests were made of HYDRA and Nazi sympathizers as General Phillips made good on his promise to clean house. The filing cabinet that Bucky found full of the names of traitors was kept secret from all but a small group of trusted people which included Phillips, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Isaiah Bradley, Fred Warren, and Max Stein. The plan was to go through it file by file to learn just how far the corruption had taken root. Dr. North took custody of the HYDRA serum and the files on its implementation. He learned much from his study of it, mainly that this version of the serum wouldn't work without the machinery that had been left destroyed in Siberia. Nonetheless he was glad it had been destroyed, theorizing that it would have allowed them to create their own puppet assassin crew instead and they were better than that. The Howling Commandos were given a month's leave, the first good break they had since the end of the war, with orders to return to duty Tuesday, September 3 at the SSR building.
On the Saturday before Bucky returned to law school the family went to Central Park and found themselves in front of the carousel once again.
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"I still think of when I asked you to meet me here," said Bucky, as they watched it go around and around. "You knew I wouldn't be here because I would fall at the train."
"She knew," corrected Kate, "and she wanted to get back to her James, as bad as it would be for you as you would still survive. When the portal didn't open my choice was clear, not to let you fall."
"I came home to you," he said simply, taking her hand. "You saved me. Are you happy? I've never really asked you."
Bucky stood there holding John in his left arm and Kate thought of all the differences between him and James. They were the same man, just different as a result of 70 years of pain, torture, and PTSD. Both became good family men, good working men with skills and abilities that hadn't been evident on first look. Both made her happy in bed, as well as life.
"Bucky," she said, pulling his free hand around her. "I am happy. Sometimes I miss the future and all of its conveniences but I get to experience you becoming the man you were supposed to be. I love that man with all my heart."
In her forward way she kissed him fully in public and he kissed her back. John asked to go on the carousel and being the good father he was Bucky took him on. They waved at Kate and Rebecca each time they came around. It was such a sweet sentimental thing to do that Kate found herself overwhelmed with emotion. By the time Bucky and John came off the carousel she was almost crying.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Bucky, putting his arm around her. "Why the tears?"
"I don't know," she said. "Everything is going so well that part of me feels that something terrible will happen. It doesn't make sense, I know."
