Women In War

10

"Maggie!"

Bucky watched in amusement as rapid French flew from Olivier's mouth as soon as he entered the empty office. Having spent a little over a month and a half listening to Maggie and Olivier converse, Bucky had picked up a few phrases and words. It wasn't enough for him to be conversing with someone in the language but it was enough to piece together what Olivier was saying. Rather, it would have been enough if Olivier wasn't speaking so fast. Bucky caught a few words here and there that he understood, but he wasn't quite sure he understood everything. He wasn't even sure he was hearing the right words.

After all, what would an owl and a liver have to do with war?

"Non, Ollie, tu peux rejoindre les Howling Commandos."

"Wait," Bucky said, stepping back towards the pair. He stood next to Maggie and looked at Olivier. "Correct me if I'm wrong, you want to join the Howling Commandos?"

"Oui."

"Why?"

"I want to fight beside toi et Maggie."

"Non," Maggie said firmly, "tu vas rentrer en France."

"Non! Je viens avec vous que cela vous plaise ou non. Tu ne peux pas m'arrêter."

Maggie folded her arms and exhaled sharply. Bucky put his hand on her back. "Mags, you can't stop him if he wants to.

"See?" Olivier cried, gesturing up at Bucky, "he understands!"

"No! You are going back to France to your family, Olivier Enzo!"

Olivier was mildly stunned. Of course, he has heard Maggie speaking in other languages, but she always spoke to him in French. To hear her address him in English was somewhat unsettling. "Je n'ai pas de famille," he said softly.

Maggie's entire body relaxed as he mouth fell open slightly. "What?"

"I don't have a family," Olivier repeated, glancing at Bucky. "My mother was a nurse and my father served in the French army in the first war. I lived with Mamie until she died when I was five. I got into an orphanage and didn't get out until I enlisted in the second war. Je n'ai rien à retourner."

Maggie glanced at Bucky, whose expression mirrored her wide eyes. "Tu peux rester avec moi, chouchou," Maggie eventually said softly, pulling Olivier into the hug she'd grown accustomed to giving him.

Two floors down, in the base's sleeping quarters, Becky listened to Howard's heartbeat. "Howard."

"Mm?"

"I noticed you're not scared of my brother anymore."

"You almost died, Beck," Howard mumbled, still trying to doze off. His arm looped tighter around Becky's waist, pulling her closer. "I couldn't give a damn if even Tio Hugo saw me kiss you."

"What about my dad?" Becky asked, amused.

"I've never been afraid of your father, Beck, he adores me."

Becky laughed softly. "Howard?"

"Mm?"

"What would you have done if I'd been among the captured?"

Howard opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "Steve definitely wouldn't have taken his rescue mission alone, I can guarantee you that. Speaking hypothetically, I would threaten to pull supplies from the army if a rescue mission to Azzano wasn't planned immediately. I guess I don't actually know what I'd do, but I hope I never have to find out." Howard paused. "What would you do, if it were the other way around?"