First Flame. ~Book One~

Chapter Four: Dancing Monkey.

He now sat on a cot with Red sitting beside him as she sipped a cup of coffee, and the nurse took another vial of blood. "Think you got enough?" At this point, nearly all of the test tubes were filled with his blood and he was starting to feel a bit woozy.
"Any hope of recreating the program is locked in your genetic code." Peggy explained as the nurse took inventory of the vials. "But without Doctor Erskine, it could take years." 
Red gave her coffee a pitiful look. "It will take years." 
The three of them sat in silence for a moment, all of them seemingly mulling over their thoughts-or at least, that was what Steve was doing. He wished that Erskine hadn't gotten caught in the crossfire when it should've been him that got shot.
"He deserved better than this." 
"If it could have only worked once, he'd be proud that it was you." Peggy said from his elbow.
"I'm glad it was you, considering our only other candidate was Hodge." Red said as she got off of the cot. "And you know how much I hate him, I'd blow my brains out if I was forced to work with him again." She sighed as she brushed her hair from her face. "Anyway, come with me, I wanna show you the sub you pulled out of the river today." 
He still couldn't believe that it was still the same day. It felt like days ago that he had been turned into the first super soldier moments before Erskine was killed, it surprised him how much could happen in one day. Would there be more singular days, like this one, that would change his life forever?
Silently, he followed her into the SSR testing lab where Howard was looking over the sub, they were making their way towards it when they paused and found themselves merely feet away from Senator Brant and Philips. Steve just barely caught the sight of Red rolling her eyes before she flew up to the stand beside Howard on the platform.
"Colonel Philips," Brant was saying. "My committee is demanding answers." 
"Great!" Philips said as he gestured toward Steve and Red, and then to the submarine. "Why don't we start with how a German spy got a ride to my secret installation in your car?" This question seemed to have shut the Senator up, so much so that Philips nodded and turned to face Howard. "What have we got here?" 
Howard looked up from his work and glanced at Red, as if he had just noticed her standing next to him, before he looked back down to Philips. "Speaking modestly, I'm the best mechanical engineer in this country, but I don't know what's inside this time, or how it works. We're not even close to this technology." 
Brant set his hands on his hips. "Then who is?" 
"HYDRA." Philips said as if it was obvious. "I'm sure you've been reading our briefings." 
"I'm on a number of committees, Colonel." 
"Why am I not surprised?" Red muttered, clearly annoyed as she crossed her arms over her chest. 
Peggy, looking just as annoyed as Red did, sighed. "HYDRA is the Nazi deep science division. It's led by Johann Schmidt." 
Red shoved her hands into her pockets as she leaned against the sub. "But he as much bigger ambitions." 
"HYDRA's practically a cult, they think he's invincible." Philips said as as he kept his eyes on the machine that was resting on the platform. 
Howard set a hand on Red's shoulder with a tight smile. "Red here was sent to catch him." 
Brant raised an eyebrow in Red's direction. "England sent you to catch Schmidt alone?" 
"I'm Norse, sir." Red said, correcting him as politely as possible, but even Steve could hear the bite of anger behind her words. "But yes, I was sent here alone. It's a work in progress." 
"So, what are any of you gonna do about it?" He glanced back at Red. "Forgive me, but there's only so much one woman can do." 
She squinted slightly in his direction before she simply shrugged. That squint, Steve knew, was a dangerous look, he's seen her give that squint to many of the guys that's beaten him up for calling her 'just a girl'. Was it taking everything in her to not launch herself across the room as him? "It's fine, I may not be your average redhead, but I can't carry the war." 
"Well, I spoke to the president this morning," Philips said hastily, probably making sure that a new subject was thrown out there before she actually did find a reason to beat up Brant. "As of today, the SSR is being retasked." 
Peggy raised an eyebrow. "Colonel?" 
"We are taking the fight to HYDRA, so pack your bags, Agent Carter, North-you too, Stark. You're all flying out to London tonight." 
"Alright... orders are orders..." Red trailed off as she and Steve shared a look. There was a chance that she'd be able to see Bucky, but there was an even bigger chance that Steve wouldn't be able to come with them. 
"Sir, if you're going after Schmidt," he said, finally deciding to speak up as he turned to face Philips. "I want in." 
"You're an experiment, Rogers." Philips said. "You're going to Alamogordo." 
And Steve wasn't the only one in the room who seemed to feel, or even look, outraged. "The serum worked." He said before Red could demonstrate just how the Norse curse someone out. 
"I asked for an army, and all I got was you." Philips said as he shot Red a warning look as she started to intervene. "You are not enough." 
Brant, on the other hand, was giving Steve a measured look. "With all due respect to the Colonel, I think we might be missing the point." There was a part of Steve that thought there was nothing about Brant meant respect. "I've seen you in action, Steve. More importantly, the country's seen it." 
That was true, it was all over the news that he and Red had, not only taken out a Nazi, but also rescued a young boy from that same man. He didn't particularly like that was getting all of the credit for it though. 
"The enlistment lines have been around the block since your picture hit the newsstands," Brant went on to say. "You don't take a soldier, a symbol like that, and hide him in a lab." He gave Steve a bright smile. "Son, do you want to serve your country on the most important battlefield of the war?" 
"Sir," Steve said firmly. "That's all I want." 
"Then, congratulations, you just got promoted." 
+++
Red sighed heavily as she and Steve walked toward her house in. "You know..." She said, finally breaking the silence. "Bucky's gonna kill me, right?" 
He gave her a small smile. "Why do you say that?" 
"Because I'm leaving you here, all alone, to deal with this... on your own." 
"This is something I've always wanted." 
"I know... just be careful." She sighed doubted that Brant was actually going to make Steve fight shit, it was more likely that he would be used as some sort of weird political tool. But she didn't want to dash his hopes and dreams of being able to finally fight. 
The moment they entered the house, they walked straight to her and Bucky's room, and as she packed a duffle bag, Steve leaned against the doorframe. She picked up a pictured of herself, Steve and Bucky, smiling down at it for a moment before she wrapped it up into a scarf and set it into the bag. 
"Think you'll be at the same base as him?" Steve asked as he watched her pack. 
"I hope so." Red said with a smile. "It's only been a couple of months, but it feels like it's been years since he left." 
"That's understandable." He pushed away from the doorframe and joined her side. "I'm glad that you two have each other." 
"Thank you... he's, well, you know he's amazing." 
"Yeah, I know." He looked like he was about to say something else when he paused and looked down at him. "It's weird being taller than you." 
Red gave a soft laugh. "Yeah, that'll take some getting used too." 
They stayed silent for a long moment as she finished packing up what she would need before he said. "I'll see you soon, right?" 
Red slowly nodded as she turned to look out the window. "Yeah... I hope so, it's not gonna slow down until the war's over, but I think we'll have it taken care of soon." As she watched out the window, Howard pulled up to the house and honked once. "It's time for me to go." 
He pulled her into a hug with both of them holding onto one another for dear life. "I love you." He whispered as he kissed the top of her head. 
Red smiled as she closed her eyes. "I love you too." And she did, she loved him the same way she loved Thor. In all of the ways that counted and mattered, Steve was her brother, among her most trusted people. Bucky was her heart, and Steve was her shield. 
"Don't do anything stupid until I get there." Steve mumbled as he gave her one last squeeze before he let her go. 
Red chuckled as she left the room, backing up toward the front door as she looked at him. "How can I? You're keeping all of the stupid with you." 
Red heard him chuckle as she left the house and locked the door behind her. She hoped that she and Bucky would be able to come home soon so that the three of them could go back to normal life. 
+++
Bucky had woken up, as he always did, to the grey and dull London morning and he thought it would be like any other day. Get up, get ready, eat, train, sleep, repeat. Except this time, the base was only talking about the newest arrivals. 
"Did you see those SSR girls?" A soldier that was sitting behind him asked his companion. 
In reply, his friend said. "No, but I heard one of them is a redhead." 
That was what really caught his attention. He quickly turned to face them, he thought that their names were Dum Dum and Gabe ones, but he wasn't completely sure. He didn't even really care all that much, the hope that the redhead they were talking about being his redhead was too high for him to care what their names were. 
"What did the redhead look like exactly?" Bucky asked. 
"She's about yay high." Dum Dum gestured to around the same height as Red. "Bright ginger hair, blue eyes, freckles." He chuckled. "Real cute." 
Gabe raised an eyebrow. "Why? You know her?" 
"God, I hope so." Bucky said, quickly abandoning his food and leaving the tent. As excited as he was at the thought of seeing her after all this time, he'd hate for her to be there. Not in the middle of the action, where she could get killed or worse. 
And sure enough, after only five minutes of searching for a spot of red hair, he sees her stepping out of an SSR tent and fixing her jacket. Bucky's heart skipped a beat and he ran faster than he ever had in his life to get to her, the moment she was within arms reach, he scooped her up and into his arms as he spun her around. It was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again, standing out against her surroundings like a shining beacon and sometimes, like this moment, he couldn't believe that she belonged to him. 
The moment her feet were back on the ground, he pressed his lips against hers. There wasn't enough time to get used to her touch again, the truth was that there would never be enough time. "Red." He whispered breathlessly as he reluctantly pulled his lips from hers and pressed their foreheads together. 
She smiled and closed her eyes. Her arms were draped over his shoulders, with one of her hands resting on the back of his neck and her fingers tangled into his hair. "James." 
He reached up to cup her cheeks between his hands as he looked down at her, his thumbs rubbed small circles against her cheeks as he looked into her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you would be here?" He brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "And more importantly, what are you doing here?" 
"The president asked for the SSR to be brought closer to the action." She said, smiling as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. 
"As happy as I am to see you again." And he was glad o see her, after all the time that had passed. "This is the literal last place I want you to be." 
"I know, I'm sorry. I couldn't exactly say no." 
"I know," he then held her against his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. "God, I missed you." Bucky missed everything about her, her hair, her smile, the way she smelled of burnt wood and vanilla. 
"I missed you too." She leaned up on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek before she finally took a step away from him and grasped his hand. "Would you like to join me for breakfast?" 
"I'd love to." And that was how he ended inside the building that she, and the rest of the SSR, would be eating at for the foreseeable future.
The moment they entered the tent, Howard Stark raised an eyebrow at them. "So," he said as he set down his newspaper. "IS this the Bucky we've heard so much about?" 
"Yes," Red said brightly as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "This is him." 
Howard got to his feet and approached them. "It's a pleasure to meet you." 
Still keeping an arm around Red's shoulders, Bucky leaned forward to shake Howard's hand. "I hope it was all good things." 
Just then, a woman holding files came into the tent and gave him and Red  a polite smile. "Yes, it was just good things." She set the files down on the table before she sat down. "But I am glad to see that you two are finally on the same side of the planet." 
"Me too," Bucky said with a smile of his own as he looked down at Red. "But I am wondering who's watching Steve while we're gone?" 
Red cleared her throat. "I'm sure he's doing just fine." She gave a tight smile. "But he'll be fine until we're able to come back home... hopefully." 
"Yeah..." Bucky agreed. "He's an adult. He can take care of himself." 
Red, who was chewing nervously on the inside of her cheek, nodded. "Yeah, exactly." 
Before he can question her nervous expression, the tent flaps opened again and the four of them were given breakfast, and with Red sitting in his lap and his arm wrapped around her waist, they ate breakfast together. He liked how relaxed and put at ease they both seemed to be now that they were together again. 
He quickly learned that the other woman's name was Peggy, and they had idle conversation as Red ran her fingers through his hair. "It's nice to see Red look this happy." Howard said as he watched them. 
Bucky chuckled as he leaned his head back and against Red's hand. "I hear I'm good at keeping a smile on her face." 
"And she does have a very pretty face." Howard commented.
Red raised an eyebrow as she looked between the two men. "Are you guys going to keep talking about me like I'm not here?" 
Peggy smiled as she turned a page in the newspaper she was reading. "It is annoying when they do that, isn't it?" 
"It is." Red agreed with a smirk as she settled in against Bucky. "But at least it keeps a smile on their pretty faces." 
Together, he and Howard chuckled as he kissed the side of her head and set her on her feet. "Unfortunately, this pretty face has to get back to work." He stood up and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "I'll see you later, okay?" 
"Yeah, I'll see you later." She leaned up to kiss her cheek. "I love you." 
Bucky felt a smile quirk up at the corner of his mouth. "I love you too." As he left, he had an extra skip in his step. It was nice to have Red on the same base as him, even if he did have a few questions about her being there, it was still a relief to know exactly where one of the two more important people were, and that she was safe and alive.
+++
Still smiling, Red sat back down at the table. She felt so much more relaxed now that she was finally able to see Bucky again. "You really do love him, don't you?" Howard said with a chuckle. 
"Yeah..." She smiled as she ran a hand through her hair. "I'm pretty lucky to have him." She had never explained to her human friends that Asgardians and Midgardians loved differently. 
Asgardian love was something that ran as true as blood, it burned like fire, it was every cell in her body calling out to every cell in his. It was intense and painful, euphoric and elevating. 
"I bet that's what he says about you." Peggy said with a smile. 
"God, I hope so." 
And after that, the three of them got back to their work.
+++
"I don't know if I can do this." Steve said as he peeked out of the curtain and at the crowd that had gathered to see him and the Rockettes perform. The stage aide, on the other hand, did not seem as worried. 
"Nothing to it. Sell a few bonds, bonds buy bullets, bullets kill Nazis." He explained quickly. "Bing, bang, boom, you're an American hero." 
Steve sighed with slight disappointment. "It's just not how I pictured getting there." When Senator Brant said that he'd be fighting on the biggest and most important battlefield, he thought he would actually be fighting people, saving the day, fighting the good fight with Bucky by his side, maybe with Red too. But instead he was standing on stage in tights.
"The Senator's got a lot of pull up on the Hill, you play ball with us, you'll be leading your own platoon in no time." He held his shield out to Steve. "Take his shield." 
The moment the shield was in his hand and his cowl was up, the stage aide shoved him on stage, with the Rockettes singing behind him. 

Who's strong and brave, here to save the American way?

He lifted his shield to read his lines, which he had taped to the back of it. "Not all of us can storm a beach or drive a tank, but there's still a way all of us can fight." 

Who vows to fight like a man, for what's right, night and day?

"Series E defense bonds. Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy's gun." 

Who will campaign door-to-door for America? Carry the flag shore to shore for America? From Hoboken to Spokane, the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan!

Before Steve knew it, he was on movie sets and taking pictures with newspapers and magazines alike, all while doing the USO Tour. 

We can't ignore, there's a threat and a war we must win.

"Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy's gun." Steve said proudly as he marched across another stage. 

Who'll hang the noose on the goose-stepping goons in Berlin? Who'll rise or fall, give his all for America? Who's here to prove that we can? The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan!

"We all know that is about trying to win the war," Steve said very seriously as he addressed the crowd. "But we can't do that without bullets and bandages, tanks and tents. That's where you come in." 
As if on cue, a couple of kids sitting in the front row started to yell and point behind him. "Turn around!" They shouted. "He's right behind you!" 
But he continued on calmly, as if he didn't notice them shouting. "Keep our boys armed and ready. And the Germans will think twice about trying to get the drop on us." As the actor dressed as Hitler pretended to try and shoot him, Steve turned around and stage punched him across the jaw. He turned around and waved to the crowd as they cheered for him. 

Stalwart and sturdy and true, forceful and ready to defend, the red, white and blue. Who'll give the Axis the sack and is smart as a fox? Far as an eagle will soar, who's making Adolf afraid to step out of his box? He knows what we're fight for. Who waked the giant that napped in America? We know it's no one but Captain America. Who'll finish what they began? Who'll kick the krauts in Japan? The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan! 
+++
It was too soon, it seemed, that she and Bucky would have to say good-bye again. But they had been lucky that the SSR got to travel across Europe with the One Hundred and Seventh. They were lucky to have been able to steal moments between meetings and training exercises, luckier than anyone else had been, to be able to do it for the last five months. But that didn't make it hurt any less when they got his newest orders and he had to head to the frontlines in Italy. 
"Don't you worry for a second, not a second." He said as he held her tearstained face in between his hands. "I will always come home to you, Red." He pressed his lips against hers one last time. "Always." 
But all she could say in reply as she held onto his wrists was. "I love you, James." 
"Hey," he whispered as he brushed another tear away with his thumb. "Don't say it like you're saying goodbye." 
"Then say it back, that way it won't be goodbye." 
He gave her a small, playfully sad smile as his thumbs continued to brush over her cheekbones. "I love you too, Red." 
"Please." She said in a begging whisper. "Please say safe." 
"I'll try." And then... he was gone, jogging to keep up with the rest of his team. He possibly didn't know that he had taken her heart with him. 
Every step that he took away from her, it felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. She always thought that it was odd how humans described a breaking heart. To them, it was a throb that they couldn't shake until they decided they were better. 
Her heart felt like it was being ripped out of her chest, and she could feel it in her arms, in her chest, even in her stomach. Everything was ripping and tearing and clawing as it begged for release.
But it was silly that her body was reacting like this. He didn't break up with her right before he ran off to fight in a war that really shouldn't have been started in the first place. He left her to go and save the world. 
Her heart was breaking because she felt like he was bearing it like armor, and she was stuck on the sidelines, unable to actually protect him from the monsters that wanted him dead.
+++
The rest of the tour through America seemed to go by in a blur, and while he knew he was helping, he wasn't enjoying himself, but still, after five months of being on tour, he ended up in Italy, fives miles away from the frontlines, doing yet another show but this time for the US Army. And God was it awkward.
"How many of you are ready to help me sock old Adolf on the jaw?" He said into a defining silence. At least they weren't buying the bullshit Brant was making him sell. "Okay... I uhh... I need a volunteer." 
"I already volunteered!" A soldier yelled. "How do you think I got here?" The crowd around him laughed. "Bring back the girls!" And that brought on a cheer of agreement. 
"I think they only know the one song." Steve said, now starting to panic because he wasn't prepared for this. "But umm... Lemme-I-I'll see what I can do." 
"You do that, Sweet-Heart." The first soldier said. 
"Nice boots, Tinkerbell!" Yelled another. 
Steve sighed in defeat. "Come on, guys. We're all on the same team here." 
"Hey, Captain! Sign this." And that's when he learned to quickly look away as a crowd of hecklers were trying to show him what he can sign. 
As they started to throw things at him, he raised his shield to block it as he quickly made his way off of the stage. As he left, the show girls came back to play another song. "Don't worry, Pal. They'll warm up to you." The stage aide said as he patted Steve's shoulder. "Don't worry." 
About an hour, maybe more, later, I was sitting on the edge of the stage, sketching a Star-Spangled Money holding a shield as the rain poured down around him. 
"Hello, Steve." Peggy's voice sounded quite suddenly as if she seemingly materialized before him. 
Steve quickly looked away from his drawing to look up at her. "Hi." On one hand, he was really surprised to see her, but on the other, he knew better than to be surprised. The SSR usually ended up in places they shouldn't be.
"Hi." She said with a small smile. 
His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What are you doing here?" 
"Officially, I'm not here at all, neither are Red and Howard." She then gestured toward the stage. "That was quite a performance." 
"Yeah, uh... I had to improvise a little bit. Crowds I'm used to are usually more... twelve." 
"I understand you're 'America's New Hope'?" 
Steve slowly nodded. "Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state I visit." 
At that, Peggy raised an eyebrow. "Is that Senator Brant I hear?" 
"At least he's got me doin' this." Steve said as he looked around them. "Philips would have had me stuck in a lab." 
"And those are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey?" Peggy said before she hesitated to continue on with her thought and sighed. "You were meant for more than this, you know?" 
He started to say something in reply, but he hesitated when he realized he didn't know how to voice his thoughts. Peggy tilted her head as she watched him. "What?" 
Steve let his head hang as he spoke. "You know, for the longest time, I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the frontlines... serving my country." He finally let his shoulders fall. "I finally got everything I wanted, and I'm wearing tights." 
Before either one of them could say another thing, there was the sound of a jeep honking and, as they watched, Red came out of the tent, looking panicked and frantic as they brought in a wounded soldier. 
"They look like they've been through Hell." Steve said as they watched the scene unfold before them.
"These men more than most." Peggy said as she shifted her footing. "Schmidt sent out a force to Azzono, two hundred men went up against him, and less than fifty returned. Your audience contained what was left of the One-oh-Seventh." She turned to watch Red. "She won't tell myself, or even Howard, why she's so worried... though we have our suspicions." 
A sickening realization washed over him. She was worried because Bucky was in the One Hundred and Seventh, and saying it out loud would make the possibility of him captured or killed, very real to her. "The One-oh-Seventh?" 
"What?" 
Steve quickly threw aside his drawing as he got to his feet. "I know why she's worried. Come on." Together, they ran into the tent to stand before Colonel Philips. He reached out to touch Red's arm as she looked up at him, almost silently pleading him to make the world make sense again. He nodded and turned to look at Philips.
"Colonel Philips." 
"Steve." Red whispered from behind him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her against his side as she fought off her tears. 
"Well, if it isn't the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan." Philips said curtly. "And what's your plan today?" 
"I need the casualty list from Azzono." Steve said, trying to put as much demand behind his words as possible. 
"You don't get to give me orders, Son." 
"I need that list too, Philips." Red said, her voice shaking shaking with unshed tears. "My-" she cleared her throat. "Someone important went out with them and hasn't come back." 
"We just need a name." Steve said as Peggy carefully took Red from him. "Sergeant James Barnes from the One Hundred and Seventh." 
He turned in his seat to look at Peggy. "You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won't enjoy." 
"Please tell us if he's alive, Sir." Steve pressed, trying to keep Philips' attention off of the woman behind him. "B-A-R-" 
"I can spell." Philips said as he leaned back in his seat and looked from Steve, to Red. His eyes lingered on her face for a long moment before he sighed and seemingly decided to take pity. "But the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry." 
Peggy, acting quickly, caught Red as she let out a heartbreaking sob and started to fall to the ground. Even Howard rushed forward to hold Red as the three of them sat on the ground. "What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?" 
"Yeah! It's called winning the war." 
"But you know where they are, why not at least-" 
Philips, deciding that he's had enough, loses his patients as he pushed away from the desk as he got to his feet and said. "They're thirty miles behind the line, through the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more than we'd save." He leveled his gaze with Steve's as he spoke. "But I don't expect you to understand that, because you're a chorus girl." 
Steve set his jaw. "I think I understand just fine." 
"Well, go understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters posters correctly, you got some place to be in thirty minutes." He walked away from the desk, giving Steve a chance to get a clear view of the map that was behind him. 
"Yes, sir. I do." Steve said, a plan starting to form in his mind. He had already decided that he was going to rescue Bucky and the rest of the captured soldiers. 
As he's about to exit the tent, Philips looked down at the small group still sitting on the ground, but his eyes were right on Peggy. "If you have something to say, right now would be the perfect time to keep it to yourself." 
"There are many things I'd like to ay to you." Red said, her voice now shaking with anger. 
As Steve left the tent, Peggy left Red with Howard and followed after him. "What do you plan to do?" She asked as he packed a few things into his backpack. "Walk to Austria?" 
"If that's what it takes." 
"You heard the Colonel, your friend is most likely dead." 
"You don't know that." 
"Even so," Peggy said, still trying to desperately to stop him, but his mind was already made up. He had to get Bucky back, not just for himself, but for Red too. He had to try to make the world make sense to her again. "He's devising a strategy. If he detects-" 
"By the time he done that, it could be too late." Steve started walking toward a nearby Jeep, with Peggy still following behind him. He turned to face her. "You told me you thought I was meant for more than this. Did you mean that?" 
"Every word." 
"Then you gotta let me go." He got into the Jeep as Red and Howard came out of the tent. She looked stony faced as Howard helped her in. 
"We can do more than that." Peggy said as she also got in and they drove, heading toward the best way to get to that base in Austria.