Cruel Summer

Chapter 20

A/N: I arrive slightly early to drop this chapter into your laps and make you all sad. If you wanna see a spoilery meme, head on over to Wattpad and check this chapter out haha! If not, just stay here. That being said, what if I told you I was planning a slight....crossover cameo for later on in the fic? It's a small one but you girlies will LOVE it. Haha anyways, drop all of your theories, and let me know your thoughts on this chapter! Thank you!

Chapter Text

Their trip back to Thorpe Abbotts was quiet—a worried silence setting in between the two of them.  Meg knew the reality of what it meant for him to return early.  It meant that he would be flying on the next mission—Sunday morning.  It worried Meg, thinking about what Bucky might do without Buck as his moral compass.  She had faith in him, but she knew better than anyone that he had a tendency for self-destructive behavior when it came to the people that he cared about.

It was a somber feeling across the base.  It didn't seem like there was anyone much in sight, and considering how many forts had been lost, it wasn't that much of a surprise.  Meg found herself immediately whisked away by her father—and she had never seen the expression that was on his face.

Immediately, Meg's mind jumped to Alex.  He had been in the skies that day, on the Bremen mission.  Her mouth felt dry as she stood there, unsure of what to say or even what to ask.  "Alex—" She couldn't even finish the words.

"They saw parachutes from their plane," Colonel Lewis said heavily.  "But there won't be word for weeks about the camps."

Meg figured as much.  She just sucked in a breath, mind jumping to that damn Star of David necklace.  "Well I hope he has the common sense to ditch the necklace—being in Germany and all," Meg murmured.

"I hope so too," Colonel Lewis's jaw ticked.  "Is there...any way...you can find anything out?"

All at once, Meg realized that her father was nervous .  Worried about Alex's fate.  She couldn't say that she blamed him—though the expression on his face made something ugly rear in her chest.  She thought she vaguely recognized it as a form of jealousy.  "I can reach out to some of my contacts.  It might take some time though."

She wondered silently, and almost seethingly, if her father had ever worried about her .  Colonel Lewis seemed to sense the tension that had skyrocketed at the way she was standing, fists clenched up and jaw set.  "You know, I'm sure your brother is fine."

"He always is." Meg couldn't help the fact that she was annoyed .  Everyone in their family had chosen Alex and it stung her straight to hell to know that.  And now with Bucky—her damn husband—choosing his best friend—she felt damningly and crushingly alone. 

There was hesitation in her father's features.  "I worry about both of you, Meg.  You know that."

"No, dad.  No I don't.  You didn't say two damn words to me when that assassin tried to murder me here," Meg pointed out in a hiss.  "I haven't had a father in a long time and I certainly don't need one now."

"Meg—"

"No, don't start!" Meg's words cut harshly against the silence, a testament to the hurt that her father had caused her. 

She stalked off before her father could even stop her.  She had bigger things to worry about than her father's sensibilities and feelings at the moment anyway.  She needed to talk to Bucky—needed to see him before he left.  Meg waited outside Harding's office for what felt like a long while—foot tapping incessantly in anxiety.

And when Bucky spilled from the room—eyes immediately landing on her waiting outside, he just felt a small pit of guilt bubbling up in his stomach.  "We've got a few minutes," he murmured, offering her a hand.