Finding Love in France

Part 38: Too Soon

When they arrived back at the base, they were not ready to part.

"I still have a few hours left before my R&R is up, what do you feel like doing?" He had his arm around her. "Wanna catch a movie or something?"

"My darling, do you really think we would be watching the picture?" She winked and kissed his cheek. "Why don't we just relax and enjoy each other's company? We could grab coffees and listen to the radio in the lab if you want." She laughed and said "Howard won't be in until tomorrow, so you don't have to worry!"

"Not worried, just not interested in sharing you." He winked back at her.

The grabbed some snacks and headed to the lab. They settled into the beat up leather couch that Stark kept around for naps and listened to some music. Really, they just wanted to savor every last second they had together.

At dinner time, they walked back to the mess and met up with their friends. The guys were whistling at the couple as they walked in holding hands. "Read 'em and weep, jerks!" Bucky joked as he held up their hands triumphantly.

They got their meals and headed over to their usual spot with Peggy and Steve. "Welcome back to reality, pal!" The giant laughed as they sat down.

"And what did you two do with your time off?" Bucky raised an eyebrow at his friend.

Peggy jumped in "Not much, unfortunately. You guys are leaving again next week, and I've been busy trying to figure out how to get everything ready..." she sighed.

"What? Already? How the hell are we supposed to go back out there short handed?" Bucky was pissed. "Half the guys are still in the infirmary last I checked. Peggy, what the hell?"

"Hey, language, Buck!" Steve hated anyone raising their voice or using harsh language towards Peggy. "It's not like we have a choice, pal. We go where they tell us, when they tell us."

Peggy interjected again. "Plus, I'll be on the ground running the plays." She smirked. "I'm worth at least five of you boys, right?"

Mila laughed at this. "Need backup, Peggy? Between the two of us, we could probably get the job done in about half the time, no?" The two women were laughing while the guys just looked tired.

"I would love that, but we couldn't do that to these poor, fragile things." She laughed harder as she motioned towards Steve and Bucky.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Make fun of the ones who get their asses kicked for a living..." Bucky scoffed.

"Those asses would get kicked twice as hard if you didn't have me behind the scenes!" Peggy laughed hysterically now, knowing how her language would bother Steve.

"Well shit, Peggy!" Bucky laughed with her while Steve just glared at him.

The next week was filled with mission prep, debriefings, work, usual dinners, evening strolls, and stolen kisses. The night before the guys were scheduled for departure, everyone was in the pub again.

"Weren't we just here?!" Mila protested as she took a seat next to Peggy and Mr. Jarvis at the bar.

"Seems like we should have our own reserved seating, right?" Peggy joked. "What the hell is Howard doing over there?" She motioned towards Stark in the center of a group of soldiers with a pint glass balanced on his head.

"About to hand me his damp jacket, most likely." Jarvis deadpanned. "Duty calls..." he got up at the sound of increased laughter from the guys.

"You were right, Peggy. This never gets any easier." Mila sighed. "What am I going to do without you, too?" She nodded towards the men. "Who's going to help me keep Howard in line?" She laughed.

"Jarvis has somehow managed to keep Stark alive and out of prison this long, you'll just have to make sure he continues his streak!" Peggy chuckled at her friend. "We won't be gone too long, hopefully. If all goes well, a month, tops."

"A MONTH?!" Mila yelled. "Why so long?"

"We are a little understaffed at the moment, so things won't move as quickly they usually do." She put her hand on Mila's arm. "The time will fly by, don't worry." Peggy smiled. "Plus, they have me to keep them straight, so less likelihood for mishaps!"

Mila sighed. "You sure I cannot come with you? As your assistant or something?"

"Can you imagine how much more we could get done?" Peggy laughed again. "Two women doing the work of ten men. The Army would never hear the end of it!"

The night wound down and the crew made it back to base. Mila and Bucky were walking around, trying not to let the other one go. "Please take care of yourself, don't do anything unnecessary, and look after Peggy, too." Mila instructed. "She's tougher than all of you combined, but if anything happens to her, you will have to answer to me, got it?"

Bucky kissed her head and laughed "Damn, Doc! Are you gonna miss her more than me?"

"She was one of the few things that kept me even remotely sane last time. You should be thanking her, James!" Mila laughed. "Plus, she gave me daily intel that you were alright...I really hate this." She sighed.

"Me too, Mils. It's the worst part of all of this." He looked at her face and saw the tears welling up. "Hopefully it will be over soon and we can go back to living something like a normal life."

"Normal? You?" She joked and kissed his hand, trying to hold it together. "I'd like to see that."

"And I can't wait to show you." He leaned down to kiss her. "Do you think you might try knitting me one of those raggedy scarves while I'm gone?" He smirked at her, trying to cheer her up.

"I'm not sure a month is enough time for me to construct a piece of modern art like that!" She laughed. "Plus, the Army might consider it unfitting of an officer, no?..." she was watching him try not to crack up.

They lingered outside the women's barracks and kissed their goodbyes. In the morning, Mila saw them off and cried all the way to the lab. It was going to be a very long month.