Forward to the Past [Steggy] ✔

Chapter Fifteen

Steve's POV

Peggy slowly lets go of me, and I fall back onto the bed, exhausted. My eyes start to drift shut, but I force them open again.

"Hey Steve?" Peggy asks.

"Hmm?"

"You never told me what happened."

"Oh." I look at Peggy for a moment before going on to explain that I'd gone to Sasha's place, and we'd been about to go to breakfast when she pulled me into the alley and shot me. "She's Hydra, Peg," I say. "She's Hydra, and I didn't suspect a single thing. I was an idiot." By the time I'm done, even the effort of speaking is making me tired, and Peggy seems to sense it even though I'm consciously trying to hide it.

"You must be exhausted," Peggy murmurs sympathetically. "I'll be back later. I've got to talk with Howard, alright?"

"Okay," I agree, not making any arguments. She's right. I feel like I could sleep for ages. And my chest aches. Sleep sounds so tantalizing. So much so that my eyes flutter shut as I speak.

"I love you, Steve," Peggy whispers, then gets up, her hand running over my arm as she leaves. I want to tell her I love her too, but I'm too far gone to do so.

.....................

The next time I wake up, Bucky is in the room, but not Peggy. The aching in my chest has subsided slightly, and I feel a little more alert, which is good.

Bucky notices me awake and smiles, shifting a bit in the chair he's sitting in. "They should really make these chairs more comfortable," he complains good naturedly.

"How long have you been in here?" I ask blearily.

"A couple of hours," Bucky responds, shrugging. "Peggy filled me in." He smirks, and I roll my eyes. "We also did some research into some Hydra branches that may hypothetically still be functional," he adds, which gets my attention.

"Did you find anything?"

"Too much," Bucky replies solemnly. "It seems as if they've taken their motto a bit too literally. 'Cut off one head, two more shall take it's place?' Yeah, we're finding possible Hydra facilities popping up all over."

"That's not good," I say. "Any idea who's behind it all?"

"His name is Arnold Brown. I vaguely remember him. His wife died in poverty, and that made him really pissed, I guess. He joined Hydra so he could give his daughter what his wife didn't have. Or at least that's what our intel suggests. I remember that he was a really good agent, and he moved up in Hydra way more quickly than any other agent ever had. He's been starting to get more Hydra branches up and running since last year."

"That sounds a bit like Zemo," I notice, frowning. "So what do we do about it?"

"If we get moving pretty fast, I'd say we can shut progress down within a few weeks," Bucky speculates. "Sounds like they depend pretty heavily on this Brown guy, and their main assassin."

"Who is...?" I ask, already pretty sure what the answer to the question is.

"Sasha, whose real name is Nataliya Suchkova, by the way," Bucky says, confirming my suspicions. "I think if we kill her and Brown preceeding our attempts to take down the rest of the Hydra branch, it should be easy. They'll be disorganized."

"You've thought this out," I notice, and Bucky shrugs.

"I was bored."

"Clearly," I say.

"Oh, and I talked to the doctors," Bucky says suddenly.

"You did?" I ask, slightly surprised. "What'd they say?"

"You'll be good to go within a week or so. And yes, that is taking your increased healing rate into account. Nataliya got you pretty good, pal." Bucky grimaces, and I reach over and pat Bucky's right arm, because I can't reach his shoulder.

"I'll be fine, Buck," I assure him. "You won't get rid of me that easily."

"I worry about you, Steve," Bucky admits, his gaze aimed at his lap. "I don't want to lose you."

"You worry too much," I say lightly. "I'm Captain America. What's the worst that could happen?"

"You could die. Look what happened today, Steve. You almost did die. And then what would I have done?"

"I'm not going to die anytime soon, Bucky," I chuckle. "I've learned my lesson with strange girls that could potentially be assassins."

"Good," Bucky sighs. "I just don't think I could lose you again."

"I know, Buck." I reach over and take Bucky's hand. "And I wouldn't be able to handle losing you again either."

"Peggy really wants to kill Nataliya," Bucky tells me, still smiling. "She's really angry. She loves you a lot, you know."

"I do know," I say, grinning. "She told me. Three times, actually. And then she kissed me."

"She did?" Bucky gasps.

"I thought you said Peggy filled you in," I say in confusion.

"Only about what happened. I just assumed by her overly happy expression that you two had made up. I didn't expect...."

"Well, we sure did make up," I say with a grin. "And then-"

"And then you made out," Bucky snorts, looking amused.

"She kissed me twice," I agree.

"Well, I'm glad you two aren't mad at each other anymore, I suppose," Bucky says. "Although when she leaves, you'll be without a girlfriend again."

"Don't remind me," I groan, rubbing my eyes. "I really don't want her to leave."

"Me either," Bucky admits. "It's kind of nostalgic, you know? And it's fun to see Howard again. Though Tony isn't exactly happy about it."

"Yeah, Tony never was too fond of Howard." I sigh, watching as Bucky stares at the ceiling, clearly most in thought. "But I'm really glad Peggy's here."

"I know you are, Steve," Bucky says, smiling. "And I'm glad you get to see her again. Even if she won't remember."

"I guess that's for the best," I say, though I'm still immensely disappointed. "We probably wouldn't be here if she knew we were alive."

"She's smart," Bucky says. "If she remembered, she'd know not to go looking. But I can't imagine how horrible it would be for her to know you were alive and have to leave you where you were."

"I suppose," I admit, sighing. Maybe it is for the best, but thar doesn't stop me from dreading the departure of my best girl. I just got her back.

I can't handle losing her again.