06 ╸belief

JAMES MONTGOMERY FALSWORTH looks through his binoculars, the Howling Commandos team walking around a bit on the edge of the cliff they stood on, waiting for the train, Diana using a rock she had found to sharpen her sword. She and Dum Dum Dugan were having a quick, quiet conversation. It had been months since Bucky and Diana had met, and, to be pretty honest, Bucky felt like he liked her as more than just a friend. The Themyscira native knew that and kissed him on their way to one of their battles. Ever since then they both had started dating, or as close as you can get to dating while on the battlefield, and Bucky had stolen a ring from a jewelry shop from one of the towns they had taken from the HYDRA soldiers and was planning to propose to Diana as soon as the war was over. 

Jim was tuning in to a radio, listening for anything of importance as Gabe Jones sat near him to listen as well. "Remember when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?" Bucky asks Steve, both Diana's and Dum Dum's attention turning to them but they didn't say a word. "Yeah, and I threw up?" Steve retorts. Bucky's eyes continue to watch the frozen land below them, "This isn't payback, is it?"

"Now why would I do that?"

"We were right, Dr. Zola's on the train," Gabe speaks up, all attention turning to him. "HYDRA dispatcher gave him permission to open up the throttle. Wherever he's going, they must need him bad." Steve puts on his helmet as Diana takes off her cloak, both walking closer to the edge. "Let's get going because they're running like the devil," James says, making all stand up and put on their gear, Steve placing a zip line on the wire they had placed a while before. "We only got about a 10-second window." Bucky turns to Diana, eyes flicking up her angelic face. "And if we miss that window, we're bugs on a window."

"Good luck, Princess," he presses a kiss to her lips, enjoying the feel of them, the soft, full touch.

"And you, Sergeant."

"Mind the gap," James tells Steve.

"Better get moving, bugs!" Dum Dum says.

"Right now!" Jacques says in his thick accent, Steve pushing himself off and lets the zip line lead him to the train, the other Commandos following him as Diana just easily jumps off, landing on the train's roof, scaring Zola and his guards. Steve lands in front of Diana while Bucky lands behind her, kneeling, breath heavy. They were turning left, the group walking along the train's rooftop as they went at high speeds, crouching slightly to make sure they don't get blown off. They reach a ladder, Steve and Diana climbing down easily while the others staying where they were and making sure no HYDRA agents escaped. Bucky gets in behind them, closing the sliding door, all getting their weapons ready as they walked towards the other side. Steve looks back at Diana and Bucky before going into the other cabin.

The sliding doors close behind Diana and Steve, locking Bucky in the last compartment, Diana beating against the door. Bucky shakes his head at her, making her stop. He shoots as the men sneaking in behind him, a weird noise sounding from behind the two enhanced people, both turning to see a man with what looked like canons, Steve shooting at him but nothing happened. The man fires back, the two diving behind multiple sets of bombs. "Stop them!" Zola yells into the man's earpiece, making him fire again. "Fire again!"

Two men come from the other side of Bucky's cabin, the Brooklyn native firing, killing them both. Diana gets into the aisle where the enemy was, wielding her sword as she gave him a smirk before jumping into the air, her sword pulled back as she let out a war cry, slicing the HYDRA agent's neck open. Bucky continues to discharge at the men, hiding behind barrels to protect him. He uses his handgun to fire at the last remaining man as he walked to the right side, clutching his arm to his stomach. Steve shoots at the door with the futuristic rifle, both running to the carriage, ready for battle. They both looked through the little glass pane to see Bucky shooting, hiding behind large crates for protection as he ran out of bullets. Steve hid behind the wall, contemplating what to do, but his train of thought was disrupted when Diana kicked down the door, the shrapnel flying in front of her.

Steve runs forward, throws his handgun to Bucky, and his shield connects with one of the boxes, sending it forward and hitting the man's face. Bucky shoots down another. "I had him on the ropes."

"We know you did," Diana rubs his shoulder. Behind them, another one of the men with the canons shoot at them but misses when all three jump out of the way and instead blows a hole ion the side of the locomotive. Diana landed on top of Bucky, but she helps him up as quickly as possible. "Fire again!" Bucky picks up Steve's discarded shield, firing at the man as many times as possible, but he is thrown back by a blast. He dangles on one of the bars that had held on weakly. Steve throws his shield, the agent landing on his back. Diana and Steve run to the hole, holding out their hands in a weak attempt to save him, but Diana knew, her heart knew, that he won't be able to make it.

'He won't make it,' her head kept saying. 'He has to,' her heart kept repeating, protesting. Steve climbs out, trying to get closer to his best friend, Diana holding on to his suit to make sure he didn't fall, but it was loose enough to where he can move. "Grab my hand!" Steve holds out his gloved hand. "Diana would pull us back in." Bucky reached out with one hand, but the bar broke away from the wall and he fell, screaming out in fear, his legs and arms flailing. Steve's eyes collected tears, Diana screaming a loud, "NO!" She pulled Steve in despite her pain, her eyes blazing, a fire burning brightly behind them as she turned to the cabin that held Zola. An orange glow surrounded her, scaring Steve, seeing as she walked up to it threateningly, her hair flying behind her.

"He's dead," Zola's accented voice rings out, sounding cocky. "He's dead, and it's all your fault. Only if you didn't come here to save the world, he wouldn't have been killed. You two could have had children, Steve would marry his beloved Peggy, and all of you would live happily ever after. But no, you all decided to come here and he was killed. Bye-bye. Gone. Dead. Goodbye."

Diana rips open the door to his cabin, his once cocky attitude turned into frozen fear, seeing that she was angry and ready to kill him. Her eyes were brimmed with tears as she picked up a large crate, lifting it above her head. She was ready to kill him, truly torture him until he was no longer breathing, but Steve Trevor's voice rang in her mind. 'I have to go.'

'I can do it,' her own voiced replied, making him protest against her. 'Let me do it.'

"It has to be me. I can save today, you can save the world. I wish we had more time.'

'What? What are you saying?'

'I love you!'

That was one thing Bucky was never able to say to her; a thing he would never say in the future. She takes a deep breath and sets down the crate, taking her lasso and wrapping him in it.

"It's not about what you deserve. It's about what you believe. And I believe in love."

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