Finding Love in France

Part 34: A Night Out

The following day was a blur for Mila. After getting the lab back in order, Stark rolled in shortly before noon.

"I'm surprised you are upright, Howard..." Mila laughed as she handed him the remainder of her coffee. "...please tell me you went straight home?"

"So you want me to lie?" He smirked.

"These long nights are going to catch up with you one day." She said as she walked back to her bench.

"They have to catch me first, Doc!" Howard snorted back.

The rest of the afternoon dragged on. Mila was getting ready to meet Bucky for dinner at the mess before he had to leave the following morning. As she was gathering her things, Howard looked up from his desk and said "Take the GI somewhere decent for a change, huh? I'll get a ride home later." All smiles from the benevolent Howard Stark.

"Are you sure? Do you want to come with us?" She thought for a moment how mad James would be and laughed.

"Tell Jarvis to take you to that little Italian place we went last week with those USO gals, he'll know the one." Stark answered the next question before she could ask. "The rest of the boys will be out drinking, they all get leave privileges the night before a mission. Go have some fun for a change!"

Mila practically ran out the door to find Bucky. When she got outside, Mr. Jarvis was holding the car door open for her already.

As they arrived at the mess, she saw Bucky waiting for her in the usual spot. She rolled down her window and yelled out "Excuse me, sir? Do you know where I might find a worn-out copy of 'Frankenstein'?"

He ran over to the car an peeked inside. "Where's Stark?"

"Mr. Stark has decided to remain on base for dinner, Sergeant Barnes." Jarvis replied. "Do get in the car."

"Mils? What's going on?" He was still smiling but suspicious of anything having to do with Stark.

"Get in, my darling. We are taking you out for dinner!" She scooted over and opened the door.

He kissed her deeply once he was in the car, which got an eye roll from Jarvis. "Shall we get going, Dr. Abrams?"

"Yes, please, Mr. Jarvis. Thank you. Howard said something about an Italian place that was supposed to be good?" Mila was trying not to blush from James' hello kiss in front of her boss's assistant.

"Perfect, Dr. Abrams." Jarvis drove off.

Mila curled into James' arms during the drive, while they tried to make small talk to avoid thinking about the next day's mission. Once at the restaurant, Jarvis parked and went to open Mila's door.

"Will you be joining us, Mr. Jarvis?" Mila asked.

"No thank you, Dr. Abrams. There's a football match on in ten minutes that Mr. Stark and I have a small wager on. If it's alright with you, I'd much prefer to stay here." The elegant Englishman replied.

"Want me to bring you something to eat? You must get hungry, right?" She was uncomfortable with the idea of him just waiting there.

"If you must, but, really, I am fine. Thank you for asking." Jarvis smiled. "You should go before your American gets into any trouble."

They entered the small restaurant and were seated in a cozy booth in the corner. "Nice place. Can we skip dinner and run out the back?" Bucky smirked at her.

"And go where? To the pub with the boys?" She laughed. She missed him so much it hurt. She used that voice that made his knees go weak "or did you have something more intimate in mind?"

He rubbed her leg under the table. "Let's go right now, Doc." He could barely get the words out as he nuzzled her neck.

The waiter appeared to take their order, but neither of them had looked at the menu yet, so he left them alone again.

Mila started laughing "You make it difficult to think about food, my darling!" She had not been to a restaurant in a very long time and was a little overwhelmed.

Seeing right through her joke, he leaned over to kiss her forehead and said "If this is too much, we can just grab something to go. It's a lot, I remember my first time going out after..." he got dark for a second and caught himself. "Then again, going drinking with the boys is a bit easier than sitting in a fancy place, while a chauffeur waits outside." He smiled at her.

"I think Mr. Jarvis is a bit more complicated than a chauffeur..." Mila confided. "He's more like an assistant or a handler, maybe a bit of a bodyguard? It's not clear. But he certainly does more than just drive around, that much is obvious."

The waiter returned and they ordered dinner. Mila made sure to order something for Jarvis as well. Bucky smiled at her. "You just can't help yourself, can you?" He chuckled. "You gotta take care of everyone."

"Afraid so, my love." She kissed his hand. She was still avoiding talking about the mission.

"Mils, before I go tomorrow, we should talk about things." He kissed her hand in return. "There's a few things to go over."

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Such as?"

He sighed. "Such as what to do if anything happens to me out there." He hadn't had to block her in a while and hoped he wasn't rusty.

She cut him off. "Nothing is going to happen, do you hear me? Nothing." She was terrified.

"Mils, I know it's hard to think about." He forgot how much work it took to keep his thoughts to himself. "But you have to have a plan. Just in case." He could see her biting her lip, trying not to cry. This was the worst. "Mils, if something happens to me, I need to know you'll be okay."

"Okay?! How will anything ever be okay if something happens to you?!" She was trying to keep it together.

"Take it easy, Doc." He rubbed her hands in his. "You know what I am talking about. Just tell me what you're thinking if you get stuck here without me."

She started crying quietly. "I don't know, James." He wiped her cheek with his hand and she looked up at him. "I'm not sure I would want to do anything..."

"Mils! Don't say that! Come on, use that big brain of yours." He couldn't block her anymore and just let her in. He was too tired and worried at this point. He thought "Tell me that you have a backup plan, Doc. I don't think I can go tomorrow not knowing how you are going to move on if I don't come back."

"Perfect. Then don't go." She sniffed. "There is no backup plan. You are my only plan, James. If something happens to you, then I might as well go back to the front myself."

"Absolutely not!" He said out loud. "There is no way in hell that's ever going to happen. If I have to break both of my legs to do it, take me out back right now and break 'em. You are not going anywhere near the fighting ever again. Ever."

"Do you hear yourself? You are forbidding me from doing the exact thing you are going to do tomorrow. How is it acceptable for you to put yourself in harms way, but not me?!" She was fuming. "If something should happen to you, what difference does it make? You'll be dead, I should at least be given the same chance."

"To die, Mils?! Call me old fashioned, but no, I don't think you should have the same chance. No way. That's not a plan. Not even close." Now he was the one trying not to lose it. "Mila, I don't know how to make you understand how important it is for you to have a plan. You just got out of that hell, you really want to end up back there?"

"What do you want me to say? That if the unthinkable happens, I promise not to take up the fight in your place? No. You don't get to leave me behind and tell me what I cannot do." She softened and tried to joke. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this all your way of telling me not to take up with Howard Stark if you are gone?"

"Jesus, Mila!" He laughed. "No, but that's definitely going on the list..."

She kissed him and pleaded "Can we talk about this when you get back?"

"Nice try, Mils." He was adamant. "Just tell me you are going to stay here in England or head over to the States, even if I'm not with you."

"I promise, my darling..." She could barely breathe.