The Dove & The Strongman

The night after Bucky fell saw all the commandos uprooting themselves and heading back to London.

Yes, one of their own had fallen but they still had a mission to complete.

To deliver Zola to their headquarters and to Colonel Phillips.

'Plus', Dugan thought, 'Barnes would get all 10 shades of angry on us if we didn't do our job.'

To anyone else it would look like he was cold, unfeeling, but he had to keep strong now, for the Captain.

Those two had grown up together, been through hell together, and now their duo was down to one. And it changed Steve. It left a hole in him where innocence used to be.

He was still a good leader, a great man, but there was no more laughter, no more smiles, just business now and Dugan understood. All the commandos did.

Hydra had made the biggest mistake ever in the history of mistake-making.

The Captain wasn't going to just stop Hydra now, he was going to destroy them and it made his head hurt at the thought.

There was a rage in Steve's eyes now, a bloodlust that wasn't there before and it honestly scared him.

He was more scared for Lyla.

This was her brother and he was slipping away from them all, little by little.

And he didn't know how to stop it.

He thought back to that night when he first saw her, saw how close her and her brother were.

'If only Lyla were here now. She might have been able to help.'

Dugan placed a hand over the pocket holding Lyla's letters. He had read them over and over again whenever he needed to remind himself that this war wasn't hopeless, that he himself wasn't hopeless.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ /

The car jostled and bumped about as they were driven towards the small house Howard insisted they stay in during their visit.

"So tell me again, why we are in London?"

"This is where they are stationed currently. They were given a week furlough after...after all the hard word they've done."

Something about Stark's tone made her reach out, "What's wrong?"

Howard grabbed her hand and place it in the bend of his arm.

"Nothing. I'm just glad to help out a friend."

"We're friends now?"

"Of course. Tess and Jarvis can't stop talking about you, you know. I think those two like you. If you didn't already have this Timothy, I would've been trying everything to make you stay with me forever."

Lyla could feel her cheeks grow warm.

He laughed, "Don't worry. I know when I'm well and truly beaten, Lyla, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?"

She smiled, "Right. You know, I never really got to thank you for this. For everything actually. I can't ever repay the kindness I have been shown these last few months."

"Tell you what, you do a painting for me and we'll call it even, okay?"

Lyla laughed.

"You, Mr. Stark, have a deal."

The car slowly came to a stop and Howard patted her hand.

"Its Howard now, sweetheart. All my friends call me Howard. Now lets go find your guy, okay?"

/ ~ / ~ / ~ /

Steve was going over maps in the main room and Dugan was sitting at a table not far from him, unfortunately going through some files.

He hated files and his hands itched to do something else, for either combat, or to hold one of Lyla's letters, or to press the cloth bearign her perfume to his nose for the hundredth time.

Oh, did he mention he hates files? Hates them. Hell he'd use them for target practice if he didn't know they were so important.

He was broken out of his internal grumbling by Peggy jogging into the room. She looked excited and upset all at once. It was a strange mix.

"Steve."

The captain looked up at her and noticed the state she was in.

"Peggy, what is it?"

"Well..its...just follow me."

Dugan cocked an eyebrow at that.

'Well that was a first.'

Peggy usually doesn't trip over her words like that.

Whatever it was, it was throwing her for a loop.

"Dugan?"

He nodded, getting to his feet, and followed the captain out into the main room.

Peggy smiled back at them when they reached the doors.

"Well, go in."

Steve took a step in and just stopped and stared.

Dugan tapped him on the shoulder.

"What is it, Cap?"

When Steve locked eyes with him, Dugan was shocked at the tears he saw.

The captain quickly strode forward, the biggest grin on his face.

He was confused as he followed him through the door and all at once his heart thundered in his chest at what he found.

There, being wrapped in her brother's arms, was Lyla and god was she just as beautiful as he remembered.

Steve set her down and brushed her hair away from her face. "Lyla! How?"

Stark held up a hand. "Uh, that would be my doing."

Dugan shook his head at Stark.

'Of course it was.'

"Thank you Stark."

"Who's all here? I heard another pair of footsteps after you."

"It's just me, Ma'am. Dugan."

She smiled brightly.

"Hello."

He smiled despite himself. "Hello."

Then everything went downhill.

Lyla placed a hand on her brother's arm.

"Well, where's Bucky? He gets a hug too you know?"

Dugan's heart sank all the way to his feet.

'Oh, dove.'

She still didn't know.

Steve stilled and stopped speaking.

Lyla was immediately worried and reached out to her brother.

"Stevie, what's wrong?"

He still didn't speak. He just turned and walked away.

Timothy shook his head. He knew that Steve was still hurting and so he did what he had to do.

He walked up to her and gently clasped her hands in his.

She jerked away from him but he followed and grabbed her hands again.

"Easy now, its just me, Dugan, alright?"

"Sorry, I just thought that, well Steve was just right here. Where is he? And why is everyone so quiet?"

"Miss Lyla, I understand your frustration, but something happened. As things usually do in wars and the Cap's hurting right now. That's why he's not talking. So I'm doing the talking for him, is that okay?"

She nodded.

"Now, Howard get a chair for Lyla. I think she better be sitting for this."

Lyla huffed and pulled her hands free.

"Quit stalling, Dugan! What's going on?"

He sighed, smiling sadly.

'Can't beat around the bush with this one. Now out with it.'

"Bucky's gone."

"Well, where did he go? he'll be coming back right?"

"He's not coming back, Lyla."

"What?"

Her voice held disbelief.

He reached for her hands but she took a step back.

"No, no, you're lying."

"I wish I was, but its the truth. He's gone."

All color fled her face, tears welled up in her eyes and her legs wobbled under her.

"No! Not Bucky, please?!"

It hurt him to hear the pain in her voice. She didn't deserve this at all.

'Not my dove.'

Steve took a step forward, "Lyla."

Dugan shook his head and grabbed her shoulders to keep her steady. It was then at his touch she broke apart, falling into his chest with a strangled sob and wrapping her arms around him best she could, grabbing handfuls of his shirt at the back.

Timothy was shocked but all he could do, all he wanted to do in that moment was wrap his arms around her and hold her. She was small, almost as light as a feather, but she fit perfectly against his chest. Like a missing puzzle piece finally found and put back in its place, making him feel whole for the first time in a long time.

He gently patted her back. "Shh. It'll be okay, dove, it'll be okay."

He internally winced. It became so natural to call her dove that it just slipped out.

Peggy gasped at the nickname and gave him a shocked look before looking down at the girl and then back up at him, the question silent in her eyes.

'Is this her?'

He nodded.

'Yes.'

Peggy smiled.

He looked over to where Steve was and found him gone. That made him angry.

He'd take the Cap to task later for it, but right now he could care less.

Right now he was taking care of his girl.

Notes