It's Been A Long Long Time

Chapter 23

A/N: ahhh hey babes!! I've just started watching the Agent Carter  series and it just hit me how much we need more pre-hydra flashbacks with my favorite lil beanssss💕

Also highly recommend you listen to this song while reading k byeee!!!

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-flashback- 
-1943, 107th division- 

"Alright 3, 2, 1, Go!"

Cap's words rang through Lily's head as she stepped up to the man infront of her, known as Gabe Jones, fellow howling commando and the current target. She grabbed his arm and flipped him flat on his back as he reached out and jabbed at Haywood with a dummy knife. Jones swiped at her ankles, catching her off guard. She fell to the ground but quickly recovered, somersaulting backward out of reach just as he reached for her hair. Lily winced slightly as he tangled his fingers in her red locks, waiting for her to yield. Taking advantage of his hesitation, the girl kicked at his shins and spun his arms around so he was pinned to the ground, his own knife at his throat.

"Okay good work Haywood, go take a water break," Lily let the man up and nodded at Steve as she stepped off the practice mats, "Jones why don't you come over here and practice with Barnes."

Lily smiled to herself as she watched Steve and the others training. He had been pushing the commandos all week, training, and refining their special skills as they prepared for their next mission. Steve had changed so much since she last saw him on graduation day. Besides the obvious new height difference, he had this new sense of purpose and authority that Lily had never seen in him before. Steve was finally growing into the military boots he had always wanted to fill.

A solid thud and grunt coming from the practice mats told her that the fight was over. Lily quickly filled a cup of water and handed it to Barnes as he headed her way. Even he had changed since Lily last saw him. The cocky smile and casanova personality that always made her roll her eyes had changed. His eyes had something deeper to them now, something more sincere. The girl smiled to herself, her boys were finally growing up.

"Rough match?" Lily asked her friend as he sat down on the bench next to her, noticing a few small scrapes on the soldier's face.

He flashed a confident smile, "Yeah, you should see the other guy tho"

There's the Bucky I knew

The two sat in silence, watching the others practice knife throwing and shooting. Lily sighed  as her eyes drifted to the shooting range sadly. Steve had banned her from daily target practice ever since the bullet shortage. "No sense in wasting bullets when you can already hit the center target every time" he had reasoned.

"So what ever happened to that Patricia girl you were so head over heels for?" Lily tried to start up a conversation as she grabbed the first aid kit to treat the slightly bleeding scrape on Bucky's forehead.

He turned a bit pink at the memory but laughed it off, "we actually got married, now have 5 beautiful kids and I'm the president of the first national bank"