oh captain! my captain! | barnes

p.o.w.

12:00pm//noon

November 14, 1942

They'd reached the end of the forest, the troop's shield.

"Stay low, be ready," a leader said.

Everyone laid on the ground, hidden by shrubs and roots and fallen tree stumps.

"Don't be scared, I'm here," Bucky said, watching Audrey.

"I'm not scared," she lied, wearing her pride on her sleeve.

She looked over at the leader, as Bucky watched her and then turned to the leader.

"3...2...1!" He yelled and the troop charged the base. The tanks fired and guns blasted. The lover's group was one that went inside, and fired at any Nazi-dressed officer.

They searched the base for important content, but found it empty of reachable information.

But all came to a halt when they realized the bombing had been paused.

The troop crowded in a circle, watching each other's backs instinctively. They looked up to the base's industrial terrace above, surrounding the area and providing a walkway between upper rooms.

It was crowded with Nazi officers holding an array of guns with a variety of power.

"Looks like you're surrounded," a man, the head of resources, said. They didn't look at him.

"Do you surrender?" He asked.

"No," she blurted. Bucky looked at her in a way he never looked at her, it told her to be silent. She glared back at him. A muscle in his jaw twitched as she watching his nervous grey eyes.

Everyone's eyes were on her and she locked her eyes on Bucky's.

"Yes," her voice cracked as she changed her answer for the group, "Yes we surrender." She repeated clearly.

"Good, very good," the head said. She looked passed Bucky to the leader. His back was to them now as he motioned for them to be locked up.

She kept her eyes down as they were taken to underground cells.

The other regimes were gathered in like cells. Soot, sweat, dirt, and even blood stained every face. She was placed in a cell with him and two men, not nearly as crowded as the others were.

"I can't believe you," she began. "You're never supposed give up, you keep fighting and keep climbing. No matter how hard the fight is, no matter how steep that damn mountain is." She wouldn't even look at him. For what it's worth, he didn't look at her.

"Now they're going to test us and torture us and prod us for information and intel..." she trailed off.

"I'm sorry," he said lowly, "I'm sorry Ace."

She looked at him, he watched the floor outside of the cell. "Me too," She said quietly, feeling the heat of guilt from her momentary anger.

She stood and walked to him, the men in the cell watched quietly.

He faced her, his head down.

She put her hands on his cheeks, rubbing some dirt away with her thumbs. She pulled him to her and kissed his lips gently and quickly.

She wrapped her arms around his shivering body, he wrapped his arms around her as she pulled away. She rested her head on his shoulder as they hugged.

"We'll be okay," she whispered, "You know you were always my favorite soldier."

She pulled away, furrowing her brow and wetting her lips.

She took a slightly crumbled letter out of her inside jacket pocket and handed it to him, "Open it after the war, after we get out of this place." She said at normal volume. He nodded, pocketing the letter.

He smiled at her and took her hand in his.

Guards came by the tens, maybe even hundreds, out of nowhere.

They stood at attention, waiting for an order.

"Get them," the leader ordered. They went to the cells and pulled selected prisoners of war out harshly.

A guard took Audrey away from Bucky. And another held Bucky back.

They were separated.

"Audrey!" He yelled through the screams of prisoners, the stomping of feet, the creaking of cell doors. "Audrey!"