Rumors of War || The First Avenger

Chapter Three: Drafted

Picture is Tatiana Maslany as Emma Jane Holmes.

Music is "What'll I Do" by Judy Garland.

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CHAPTER THREE: Drafted

By the time Bucky gets home, it's almost 10 o'clock. We had already eaten without him, Steve and Rose had gone to bed, and I had stayed at his house to ensure his safe return.

Flipping the pages of a library book, soon realizing I've been reading the same sentence over and over for the past hour, I hear the familiar creaky door open and close. I fly to my feet, not waiting for him to turn around or even turn on the light to envelope him in my arms. "Thank God, you're home."

Bucky drops his bags at his feet and wraps me up in his embrace, burying his face into my neck as my arms wind around his neck. "You stayed up, didn't you?"

I nod, just thankful to have him home. "Where were you? The hospital called you at your workplaces. Steve was having Cardiac Arrhythmia issues again, but they couldn't get to you, and you always answer..." I keep mumbling on about everything on my mind.

Bucky shushes me softly, running a hand through my hair. "Shhh, Doll. Calm down. Is he okay? I assume they called you?"

I nod once again. "They did. The doctor was an ass, but it wasn't anything I couldn't deal with." Bucky chuckles. "He's prescribed him something called Procainamide. I tried to tell him about the Quinidine, but it's no longer available."

He nods. "How much?"

Sighing, I tell him the amount, and his pause in reply worries me. "It's no problem. I've got it all covered."

"Bucky, I know you don't. You work hard, that is not the question, but-"

"-Emma," he whispers, "trust me. Please." He sighs. "I have news of my own..."

I tug him by his hand towards the sofa, but in doing so, he enters the light. On his head is a Sergeants cap, in bags on the floor are the rest of his uniform.

My knees weaken, threatening to give out from beneath me. I collapse on the floor, and Bucky comes to sit beside me, opening his arms to me. "You... You enlisted?" I ask, so surprised my emotion leaves my voice.

He frowns. "I was recruited, Doll. That's the only way I'd ever..."

Tears spring from my eyes as I lean into his arms, holding him as close as I possibly can. He pulls me onto his lap, rocking me back and forth. "This isn't how it was supposed to go."

"I'm so sorry. So goddamn sorry," he whispers brokenly. "I never woulda done this if I wasn't forced to."

"When do you leave?"

"They're givin' me until the end of the week," he replies. "Get the financial state in order, prepare for what to do with you, Rose, and Steve. All the fun stuff."

One week. I guess that's a long time, compared to what most men get, but I still am not thankful. He'll be fighting very evil people. Even if he does survive, he will never be the same Bucky Barnes, of that I am 100% sure. "I love you," I whisper.

He smiles slightly down at me. "I love you, too, Doll."

I wipe my eyes and clear my throat. "When will you tell Steve and Rose?"

"Tell Steve and Rose what?" Rose asks, coming down the hallway from her room.

Bucky smiles and gets up. "Tell Steve and Rose that we're goin' to a movie together this weekend!"