"What?" YN asked as she stuck her head around the bathroom door. "What did he look like? Five foot four, or over six feet tall?"

"I think five foot four is a bit of stretch, but he's nowhere near six feet, " Jarvis said with a huff. "Should I tell him you'll be down shortly?"

YN's mouth was hanging open in shock, so Bucky answered for her. "Have Ana stall him for a bit. YN will be down in a minute."

Once the door was shut, she came out of the bathroom in a rage. "I'm going to kill him."

"Doll," Bucky said, trying to calm her down.

"That idiot couldn't follow one simple direction," she fumed as she began to rip off her tactical gear. "What are you standing around for? Help me find a dress to wear. Lord knows I can't go walking around New York looking like this."

Bucky grabbed the first dress he found in the wardrobe and shoved it toward YN. As she hurriedly buttoned it up, he grabbed the garter.

She swatted his hand away. "We don't have time for that," she said with a huff. "And anyway, if you start putting those stockings on me, I won't be held responsible for the way I'll react."

He sat back in the chair and smiled up at her. "Has anyone ever told you how sexy you are when you're angry?"

She shot him a glare out of the corner of her eye as she leaned over to buckle the strap on her heel. "You're pushing it Barnes."

Bucky couldn't help himself. When she straightened up, he was at her back in an instant, pulling her towards him as he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other tilted her head back to meet his lips. As his hand drifted up her body, he could feel the pounding of her heart as passion threatened to overtake them again.

She'd reached behind her to grip his thighs as he ravished her mouth. She was a passionate woman who'd been denied the pleasures of the flesh for far too long, but she was quickly coming to learn that he was just as fiery as she was. After a moment she'd grown restless – needing to feel more of him beneath her hands – and had twisted around in his embrace. Burying her hands in his hair, she lightly bit his bottom lip.

"Ow," he said as he pulled away slightly. "Is that how it's going to be?" He took a step back from her and was pleased to hear a groan of frustration from her. "Just wait until you get home tonight."

"Don't threaten me with a good time," she teased as she grabbed her handbag and started for the door.

"You're going to be death of me. You know that, right?"

She paused at the door to turn around and give him a smirk. "The only person that's going to die today is Steve Rogers. If big Steve shows up, punch him in the nose for me." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I have no idea what I'm going to tell little Steve."

"Tell him your trip got delayed for a day," Bucky suggested.

"I can't believe he showed up here."

"He was going to show up here one way or the other, doll."

YN looked at him in confusion. It took her a few moments to figure out what Bucky had meant. "Of course he was going to come here. He won't understand that message for another seventy years." She paused and dropped her head. "If big Steve actually does come back for us, little Steve is going to show up one day and I won't be here."

Bucky walked across the room and took her into his arms. "He'll understand." He thought for a moment. "Why don't you write him a letter and then Jarvis can give it to him once we're back in the twenty-first century?"

She leaned into his embrace and let out a sigh. "That's a good idea. I'll do that later today."

"What are you and Steve going to do today?"

"I have no idea," she said. "I'll let him decide."

YN kissed Bucky goodbye and started downstairs toward the kitchen. She wasn't the least bit surprised to find Ana sitting in front of Steve at the small table looking completely smitten.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Steve," she said as she entered the room.

"It's okay," he said, rising to his feet. "Mrs. Jarvis. . ."

"Ana," the redhead interrupted.

". . .Ana was keeping me company." Steve gave her a warm smile before he started walking across the room. "Were you ready?"

"About that," YN began, hating that she was going to have to lie to him yet again. "My trip has been postponed, unfortunately."

"Oh," Steve said, looking crestfallen. "Will you be leaving tomorrow then, or another day?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," she hedged. "There's another gentleman that is in charge of all the travel arrangements, but he must be otherwise occupied at the moment."

Steve looked confused. "So, do you still need me to pick you then?"

"Yes, absolutely." She chose her next words carefully. "You'll be acting as my escort for the trip, but this other gentleman will be providing the means of transport."

"Do I know him?" Steve asked, genuinely curious about this mysterious trip YN was taking.

"He has a Strange name," she said, brushing off his question with a wave of her hand. "You won't be able to remember it."

"Well, I guess if you won't be needing my help. . ."

She could see that he was ready to leave, so she reached out a hand to stop him. "If you don't have any other plans today, I'd like to spend the day with you again. If that's alright."

The light in his eyes brightened as he thought about showing YN more of the city. "I'd love that."

"Wonderful," she said before turning to Ana who'd gone back to the stove to finish breakfast. "I probably won't be back for dinner again tonight, Ana, but the gentleman upstairs will be here all day. Would you mind checking in on him for me?"

Knowing that Sergeant Barnes' presence in the house was supposed to be a secret, Ana answered cryptically. "I showed him the library yesterday, so I'm sure he'll go back there again today while you're out. But don't worry, I'll make sure he eats."

"Thank you, Ana," YN said as she took Steve's arm and headed for the front entryway.

"Who's the gentlemen upstairs?" Steve asked as he peered up the stairs once they were in the foyer.

"He's an old friend of mine," she said with a smile. "He was injured in the war and doesn't come out into public much these days."

He opened the door for her and they began walking down the stairs to the street. "There are a lot of guys coming back from the war like that."

"And yet you keep trying to enlist."

Steve turned to look at her, surprise written all over his face. "Bucky told you, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I feel like I should be over there doing my part."

YN could tell that his words were a well-used line that he repeated often. She understood his frustration. The Accords had tied her and Nat's hands for the past year, but even they'd risked exposure to take out a few threats on their nights off from the bar. People like her and Steve could never be content to sit on the sidelines for too long while other people were out there making a difference in the world.

"You'll get your chance," she told him as they walked toward the train station. "I'm sure of it."

She and Steve had taken the train back to Brooklyn where he'd insisted they go to the museum. She'd just been there the day before, but seeing it again through his eyes was an experience she hadn't been expecting. He'd brought his sketchbook and had been content to sit in front of one of the sculptures and draw while she wandered around the room looking at the various paintings hanging on the walls.

When she'd come back to where he'd been sitting, she was surprised to see a drawing of herself, her hands clasped behind her back as she peered up at a work of art. He'd managed to capture her likeness better than any camera ever had and the beauty of the simple drawing took her breath away.

"Would you like it?" he asked when he saw her admiring the drawing from over his shoulder.

She wanted to say yes so badly, but she realized that this may be the key she and Bucky needed to help Steve see the truth of who she was in the future. By some miracle, if he could hold onto this picture, then he'd realize that the woman he would meet in seventy years was the one he'd met a few days ago in a club in Brooklyn. She knew some of his artwork had survived after his "death" and was currently on display in the Smithsonian. Wouldn't it be something if she got back to her time and discovered that this picture was hanging on the wall of a museum?

"Why don't you hold on to that?" she suggested. "It'll be something for you and Bucky to remember me by once I have to go back home."

He nodded and closed the book. Looking down at his watch, he noted the time. "If we go eat lunch now, we can catch a matinee showing of Mrs. Miniver at the cinema near our apartment. Have you seen it yet?"

YN shook her head. She was familiar with the Greer Garson film that had won not only an Academy Award for Best Picture, but also won the actress her only Oscar for Best Actress. "I haven't, but I'd love to."

They'd gone to the same diner they'd eaten at the day before. The waitresses there seemed to know Steve, and YN wondered if he ate here everyday. They all gave YN scrutinizing looks when they recognized her from yesterday. What she'd mistaken for politeness yesterday became clear to her today as fondness for the small man. They saw him as someone to be coddled and taken care of, and YN couldn't fault them for that, but she knew that in a few weeks they'd be seeing him in a whole new light. She knew they were all suspicious of her, and she was grateful that Steve had people in his life that were looking out for him when Bucky wasn't around. Steve liked to think he could take care of himself, but the fact of the matter was, he was sickly and weak, and he needed to be more careful when it came to picking fights with men twice his size.

"So, who's your lady friend, Stevie?" a waitress with a name tag that read "Ruth" asked as she came to pour them a couple cups of coffee.

"This is Bucky's new girl, YN," he said with a smile. "I'm showing her around town until she has to head back home."

Ruth nodded her head, but YN could see the look of sadness on her face. The waitress had been hoping that YN had been Steve's girl. She was sure Ruth knew who Bucky was and probably knew that he went through women like most men went through socks. YN wanted to tell her that Bucky wasn't like that anymore, but she kept her mouth shut and smiled graciously at the waitress.

"Where's home, sweetie?" Ruth asked as she propped a hand on her hip and gave her a once over.

Where was home these days? It wasn't Prague anymore, and her parents had made it clear years ago that the Park Avenue penthouse she'd grown up in wasn't open to her any longer. She'd thought that she'd found a home in the Avengers Tower with the team, but that hadn't lasted for long either. The truth was that she was homeless. If the team didn't get back together once she returned, she had no idea where she and Bucky would end up. All she knew was that she wanted to be wherever he was.

"I'm in between places right now," she answered as truthfully as she could. "I'm hoping that once I get back to my friends they'll have a place for me again."

"This war's got everyone in a frenzy right now," Ruth said with a shake of her head. "Well, sweetie, I hope you get things figured out, but until then, you couldn't be in better hands than with Stevie here."

Smiling at Ruth's assessment, she couldn't help but agree. "You can say that again. He's been such a dear to keep me company the past few days, and he's going to help me get back home once all of the details have been ironed out. He and Bucky are just the best."

"Hmph," Ruth said with a shake of her head. "That Bucky Barnes is the most notorious skirt-chaser in all of Brooklyn. Sweet boy, don't get me wrong, but he's more of the love 'em and leave 'em type if you know what I mean."

"Now Ruth," Steve said, not willing to let anyone speak badly of his best friend. "Bucky's not a bad guy."

"I never said he was a bad person," Ruth clarified. "I just said he loved the ladies a bit too much. YN seems like a nice girl. I'd hate to see her get her heart broken by that scamp you call a best friend."

YN couldn't help the peel of laughter that burst out of her. "If anyone's going to get their heart broken, it'll be Bucky."

Ruth nodded her head as a smile spread across her face. Turning to Steve she said, "I like this one. She's fiery. It'll serve Bucky right to finally get a taste of his own medicine."

Ruth turned and went back to the kitchen to check on their order leaving Steve and YN alone again. Steve played with the cup of coffee for a few moments before looking back up at YN.

"You're not really going to break his heart, are you?"

YN's smile faded when she realized that Steve was serious. She wanted to assure him that her feelings for Bucky were real, but once she started to think about it, she realized something she hadn't thought of. Just like she hadn't considered what would happen to this Steve once she and Bucky were gone, she hadn't really thought about how this Bucky would take her sudden disappearance. She'd tried to warn him that she wouldn't be able to contact him, but that wasn't even the half of it. Once she went back to her own time, there would be no record of her ever existing in 1942. He would spend the next three years at war wondering why she never even tried to contact him.

All of a sudden, her plan to get her and Bucky back home seemed incredibly selfish. She was endearing herself to these two amazing men knowing that tomorrow – hopefully – she'd cease to exist in their lives. What would they think of her once they both realized the truth seventy or eighty years from now. Would they resent the way she used them, or would they understand why she'd had to take the actions she had?

She realized that Steve was waiting for an answer, but she didn't really have one for him. "That's not my intention. I hope you know that, Steve."

Steve reached across the table and took her hand. "We both know you have to leave soon."

She squeezed his hand gently, careful not to hurt him. "You know that, but does Bucky?"

They changed the topic of conversation once their meal had arrived and soon they were laughing and joking again. YN couldn't help but to keep coming back to her realization about the boys, though. She knew there was no other way for her and Bucky to get back home, but she was terrified of what they would think of her once they had all of their memories. Right now she was pretty sure that Bucky didn't remember what wartime had been like after meeting her, and she wasn't exactly sure when he would get those new memories. Would they hit him like a ton of bricks once they returned to the future, or would it be a gradual process? His mind was already so fragile from the years of abuse at the hands of HYDRA, not to mention whatever they'd done to him in Wakanda to restore the memories that had been stolen from him. How would his brain react to this new mind alteration?

She'd sat in the darkened movie theater with Steve and tried to concentrate on the film, but worry was like a stone sitting heavily in her gut. She spent the entire movie plotting out different ways to warn them of what was going to happen, but every possibility held too much risk. She wished that she could just tell them the truth, but they'd never believe her and by the time they realized she hadn't been lying, the damage would already be done.

The more she thought about the boys heading off to war, the more she realized that she wanted to change history. She'd always wondered what would have happened if Steve had given Peggy the coordinates of his plane before he'd gone down in the Arctic. She knew he wanted to keep the weapon Johann Schmidt had created out of the hands of those that might misuse it, but he'd sacrificed himself to do it and HYDRA had still continued to thrive.

And then there was Bucky.

The more she got to know him – both versions of him – the harder she was starting to fall for him. She was doing her best to help the older version of himself find some peace again, but if he never became the Winter Soldier. . . Her breath caught in her throat. If he never became the Winter Soldier, then he might not still be alive in the future. If Zola never experimented on him, he would never receive the serum Zola had tried to replicate. The Bucky she knew right now might die as soon as Steve came back to get them.

Bucky had been willing to kill himself, or at least this version of himself, to keep the Winter Soldier program from moving forward, and she'd listed a multitude of ways that plan would fail. But that was before Bucky had started to matter to her. Now that she was on the verge of falling in love with him – and she was, she was woman enough to admit that to herself – her perspective had changed. Could she really live with herself knowing that she was sending that sweet, innocent man into the hands of madmen that would torture and abuse him for decades? Would he still look at her the same once this was all over and his new memories gave him a different perspective of the past?

She could have sat there all day long and worried herself to death about the different decisions she had to make in the next few hours or days, but her thoughts were interrupted by Steve's voice. As she focused herself back into the present, she realized that he was yelling at someone.

"I said you need to show a little respect," Steve was saying to the man sitting directly behind them.

"What's your problem, punk?" the man asked with a sneer. "All I said was that Greer had a nice rear."

YN watched as the man turned to his buddy and elbowed him playfully in the ribs as they both cracked up at his joke. She was disgusted with his crudeness, but there really wasn't much she could do in a crowded theater.

"If you don't shut up, I'll make you," Steve threatened.

YN's stomach dropped. Bucky had warned her that Steve liked to pick fights with brutes in the alley behind this theater and she was scared she was witnessing one of those incidents firsthand.

"How about me and you go outside and settle this like men?"

Steve immediately jumped up out of his seat and turned to YN. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

"Steve," YN called out, but he was already heading for the exit.

The brute behind them had already started to follow Steve and YN saw his friend start to get up. Knowing that Steve was no match for one guy, let alone two, she ignored his directive and followed the men out of the theater. Her Steve would have had her ass for disobeying a direct order, but Steve wasn't the Captain yet, and she didn't have to follow orders from him. If she didn't save him right now, she mused, there might not be a Captain to take orders from in the future.

By the time she exited the theater, Steve already had a black eye and was bleeding from his lip. The first guy was laughing at his buddy and YN could tell from the way they were circling Steve that this fight was about to get nasty.

"Step away from my friend before I have to hurt you," she warned as she positioned herself in front of Steve.

"You?"