Happy Ending *Completed*

Chapter 7

Steve and I both go barging into Colonel Phillips' tent, because who cares about respect? Colonel Phillips was writing letters while Peggy was not that far away talking to another soldier. Before I could get a word out Steve began talking.

"Colonel Phillips."

"Well, if it isn't the Star-Spangled Man With A Plan and the intern. What is your plan today?" Gee, thanks.

"I need the casualty list from Azzano." Peggy glanced over with a slightly confused face, slightly directed more towards me than anything.

"You don't get to give me orders, son." I'm getting just a little impatient here.

"Look, we just want to know if Sergeant James Barnes is alive, okay? Are we horrible people for that?" That earned me an angry look from Phillips and a small smirk from Peggy, she liked to see women stand up for themselves.

Phillips turned towards Peggy, "You better have a conversation with her or I will and neither of you will enjoy that."

"Please tell me if he's alive, sir. B-A-R-"

"I can spell. I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry." As soon as I heard that my heart gained a couple pounds and dropped to my feet. I didn't know what to think, what are you supposed to do when you find out one of your only friends may be dead, it's definitely not jumping for joy.

"What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?"

"Yeah! It's called winning the war." Because that has been such a great plan for the past, hm, I don't know, couple years?

"But if you know where they are, why not at least...?"

"They're thirty miles behind the lines. Through the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect you to understand that, because you're a chorus girl." Well, that one hurt more than one of us in more than one way.

"I think I understand just fine."

"Well then understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you got some place to be in thirty minutes." Who put a stick up this guy's butt?

"Yes, sir. I do." Okay, hold on, is this really happening? Steve, Mr. 'I can do this all day' is backing down? Who is this and where's the real Steve? As Steve began walking out Peggy and I glanced at each other and followed him out to his tent where he started shoving clothes in a bag.

"What are you planning on doing? Walking there?"

"If I have to." I almost facepalmed.

"You heard the Colonel, your friend is most likely dead." Thank you, Peggy, for reminding me.

"You don't know that." And there is optimistic Steve.

"Even so, he's devising a strategy. If he detects..."

"By the time he's done that, it could be too late! I have to do something to help one of my closest friends..." Steve finished off much less fierce than when he started. "You gotta let me go."

Peggy looked a little conflicted for a second before she began speaking again, "I can do more than that, just let me make a few calls," then she left the tent and I began following her to start gathering a few things for myself, no way in hell I'll let Steve go alone.

"Hold on a second there, you are not coming with, you are staying right here in this camp." Wait, time out, not happening.

"No, I'm not staying here. Bucky is my friend too, if you think that I'm going to stay here counting the seconds thinking about how they might drag your body back here beyond repair or even worse dead, you are out of your mind."

"I'm not bringing you out there to die! Just let me go get Bucky and come back. I promise you I'll be in one whole functioning piece."

"You should know that I'm fully capable of holding my own in a fight! I'm going to help you whether you like it or not!"

"I will not let you come!"

"Why?!"

"Because I love you too much to let you die like that!"

What? I just stared at Steve blankly for a while as he turned his face towards the ground and drug his hand over it.

With a big sigh, he began again, "Well, guess it's out. I, Steve Rogers, have fallen in love with you Dolores Caines. I've grown to rely on your personality to help me through my days, even the ones where I couldn't physically see you I hear your witty sarcastic comments in the back of my mind. And every time I think about my future I can't see much without you by my side. I've fallen in love with you, almost helplessly."

How am I supposed to respond to this? It wasn't exactly all that long ago that Bucky confused his love to me, and now Steve is too. "I-I don't know what to say, Steve-"

"It's fine, you don't have to say anything, just let me go do this without having the constant fear of you dying in the back of my mind, I promise that I will return alive with Bucky, just stay here." Steve started up gathering his stuff again.

"A-Alright." And with that, I walked out of the tent.