"I can't believe you talked me into this," Peggy muttered under her breath as Evangeline took her hand and dragged her through the dark, intimidating woods. She had just gotten ready for bed, brushed her hair and her teeth and was about to lay down on her cot when her new roommate decided to grab her wrist and yank her from the safety of their tent. 

In all honesty, Angie hadn't talked her into doing anything. With talking, at least the person being spoken to had an option in whatever matters concerned the current conversation. 

"Come on, Peggy," Evangeline beamed as the two women continued their trek through the trees. "This is exciting! I'm getting married! And you get to be my maid of honor!" The blonde woman whispered energetically and couldn't hide the bounce in her step. Henry was off getting Bucky and Steve, but Evangeline knew she'd need to do something for him in return for his help. Not only had he been a great soldier to work with, but an amazing friend as well. The bride made a mental note in her mind to surprise him with a gift once the war was over.

The notion of Peggy being Evangeline's maid of honor made the agent pause for a moment in place. She didn't know why it affected her so, especially when this escapade was hardly considered a real wedding and Peggy hadn't had any chance to really get to know the woman pulling her through the trees. The idea of the two women becoming anything more than acquaintances hadn't even dared to cross her mind, and now Evangeline was telling her she was going to be her maid of honor? The agent couldn't decide if she should feel flattered or concerned.

"I mean, unless you don't want to," Angie started and her hurried pace began to slow down. "There really isn't anything around that would make the role of made of honor of any real significance, I just-"

"I'd love to," Peggy smiled pleasantly, and she really meant what she said. The bride grinned and quickly wrapped her arms around Peggy for a hug, before pulling away just as fast and continuing their journey onward. 

"Henry said to meet by the big oak tree with a lantern; we should be there any second now."

The two had been walking for a few minutes then, a little more than five, when they finally saw the glowing flame resting at the base of the largest tree in the wood. The plant was monstrous, towering over them by at least twenty feet with its thick limbs bent over like an old lady's spine. The branches that sprouted from said limbs were wavy and twisted, braided among the others with their little leaves poking through the intricate patterns. It was mesmerizing and haunting all at the same time.

"Peggy, do you still have your watch on you?"

The agent slid her hand into her coat pocket and retrieved her old fob watch on a silver chain, one passed down from her great-grandfather to her grandfather after his passing, then from her grandfather to her father after his death, and finally to her only hours before her father passed away from pneumonia, God rest his soul. Evangeline grabbed the metal lantern's handle and lifted the source of light up to Peggy's hand, showing the exact time.

12:04  AM

"They're late," Peggy slid the smooth watch safely back into her pocket, but Angie never lowered the flame, her eyes scanning the surrounding flora for any sign of movement, any sign of her husband-to-be.

"He'll be here, I'm sure Henry just needed a distraction for the colonel. You know how he is."

They waited in silence, surrounded by the sounds of the night as crickets chirped, tree branches swayed in the breeze, and an owl called out from the sky above them, soaring through the stars like a dark angel. It was peaceful there, and although some people might've been uncomfortable with the idea of getting married in the middle of a forest, Evangeline couldn't have been happier with their location. It was romantic, unexpected, just like her relationship with Bucky.

Peggy pulled out her watch again after a few minutes passed.

12:09 AM

"They're cutting it close," the agent said. "We only have a little more time left before the soldiers on duty switch shifts."

"He'll be here, Henry said he would."

A few more minutes went by and Angie found herself gnawing on her lower lip, a habit she'd formed growing up whenever she became nervous about something, like tests at school, public speaking, riding on one of Bucky's favorite roller coasters at Coney Island. He would be there, Henry told her specifically that he'd bring Bucky and possibly Steve if everything went according to plan. He also said that they'd be strained when it came to time, that the 'ceremony' would only be a minute or two long, then they'd have to part ways in order to keep what they'd done a secret. But Bucky was going to be there, he had to be. This was the last time in a long while that she'd ever get to see him; he was going to be here. He had to be.

Peggy pulled out her watch one last time and let out a sad sigh.

"Angie..."

12:16 AM

It hit her like a brick to the face when she truly began to register that this wasn't going to happen after all. This wasn't going to be the romantic 'Romeo and Juliet' eloping idea that she'd been hoping for. Yeah, Juliet and Romeo both died at the end of their story, but at least they were together for that part. Angie's prince was no where to be seen.

Evangeline took a deep, disappointed breath through her nose and out her mouth. Though she was mentally kicking herself from getting her hopes up, she kept her brave face on and set the lantern back down on the ground, before sliding a piece of paper from her pocket beneath the metal gasoline-burning container. Peggy didn't ask her what it was; she didn't want to cause the woman any more grief than what she was obviously going through.

Instead, she quietly followed the depressed would-have-been-bride back down the path they'd followed and out of the woods without another word.

**********

"Do you even know where you're going?" Steve questioned the younger soldier as they trudged up the top of a steep mound of dirt, high enough to overlook the entire wooded area.

"Yeah, but we need to hurry, we're already running on borrowed time."

The three men had been walking for a few minutes after Henry had found them when they came to the top of a hilly area in the woods and saw the silhouettes of two women waiting at the base of an oak tree at least a quarter of a mile away. Though it was hard to see through the gathering of trees, Bucky and Steve knew exactly who was standing there. Buck's heart skipped a beat and he felt his back pocket again just to be sure that he hadn't dropped the rings along the way.

Nerves shot through his body like electricity and the sergeant suddenly felt sick to his stomach, but Bucky knew it was a good sign. Pre-wedding jitters were the best kind of jitters to have, at least that's what all his married soldier-friends told him after he proposed in front of everyone.  It was strange, feeling ill from the thought of this commitment and yet wanting to sprint through the forest as fast as he could to finally seal this deal.

This was it, he was going to marry Evangeline.

Nothing in his life could have made him more happy and terrified than he was then.

"Let's go, we have to be-"

Henry stopped himself short when the silhouettes suddenly began to move, then start to fade away as the two ladies began their trek in the opposite direction. Bucky's terror from getting married suddenly turned into horror at the thought of not tying the knot with Angie and his feet began to move on their own, sprinting down the small hill in the direction of the lighted tree. Steve and Henry followed closely behind, but they were all still sore from the trauma they'd faced the day before. There was no way they were going to reach the girls in time.

When the three finally got to the oak tree, Angie and Peggy were gone.

"No," Bucky gasped tiredly and ran his fingers through his scalp as Henry inhaled deeply and exhaled with just as much force. They'd taken too long, and now it was all over. There was no way they could chase after her without running into the open, in sight of all the guards who knew that keeping them separated was their top priority. With an angry shout, the sergeant clenched his fists and punched the base of the oak tree as hard as he possibly could. "Damn it!"

His burst of anger meant nothing to the ageless oak, but when a piece of bark flecked off the giant plant and clattered against the burning lantern below, his attention was brought to the light and a piece of folded paper tucked beneath it labeled Bucky in cursive handwriting.

With anxious hands, he frantically unfolded the piece of parchment and felt his eyes begin to water as he read the words in his mind.

I, Evangeline, promise to be true to you,
to love you unconditionally and support you
no matter what dreams you decide to chase.

I, Evangeline, promise to hold you when you're hurting,
to cherish every minute in your presence
no matter how much we get on each other's last nerve.

I, Evangeline, promise to fight for our relationship,
to spend every day for the rest of our lives falling in love with you
all over again, regardless of whatever may stand in our way.

I, Evangeline, promise to protect you when you're vulnerable,
to comfort you and care for you'til my hair falls out
and my lungs cave in, 'til we're old and gray and ashes in the wind.

I, Evangeline, promise that I am yours, now and forever more.