The Future
It was a whole three months before Amy cracked the case. Life on base wasn't easy. For one, wearing heels wasn't doing her any favors. She often got caught in mud, sticking into the ground, and almost tripping on her own feet. Second, the men on the base were pigs. She was often cat-called, whistled at, and flirted with by many of the soldiers. She found solace in Peggy Carter. Peggy was just like her, a girl trying to make it in a world full of men. She was smart, witty, and a had no-nonsense attitude. The two girls hit it off right away, often meeting for meals, and nights on the town.
"He's looking at you," Amy said one night as they walked up to the bar. "Vodka cranberry, please?"
"He's looking at you," Peggy argued back, blushing. "Glass of merlot."
"He can look, but he can't touch. But he's looking right at you. When you looked over, he looked away."
"Nonsense," Peggy grinned as they grabbed their drinks. "What about you? Do you have a boyfriend back home in Brooklyn?"
Amy smiled. "I do actually. But he's over in basic training."
"What's his name?" Peggy asked.
"James Buchannan Barnes. But he goes by Bucky. Well, mostly. I'm the only one that he lets call him James or Jamie."
"How did you two meet?"
"We've been friends since we were little. Steve, my older brother, Bucky, and me. He got into a fight against a group of bullies when Steve and he were thirteen. I'm about a year and a half younger than them. But since then, Steve and Bucky became best friends. Bucky and I grew closer and closer as we both got older. And one thing led to another. I've never really been out with anybody, or have seen myself settling down with anybody. But with him...He got under my skin."
"Sounds like true love."
Amy smiled. "I do love him. I love him so much that I almost ended it when he told me he was enlisted. What's worst is that my brother is trying to enlist. Thank god that everywhere he goes, he gets rejected. My nerves would be shot if both my boys enlisted in the war."
"What's wrong with your brother?"
"He's...sickly. But he's stubborn as hell."
"Sounds like someone I know."
"Haha," Amy laughed.
In the three months, Amy traveled to Europe and back on a private jet, researched, and barely slept. Amy knew that the Tesseract was related to Norse Mythology and was related to Yggdrasil, the world tree. She was set to go to Norway in a week, but right now, she was mostly excited because Bucky was coming home. They wrote letters back and forth since he left, leaving little love messages between them.
Standing at the train station gave her nervous butterflies as she waited for his train to pull up. She wore her nicest dress. The bodice was a light pink color, and the skirt was white with pink roses and green leaves. The middle of her waist was a white belt. She wore white heels, and her hair was down and flowing around her face. The moment he stepped off the train, she had a huge smile on her face. He looked so grown up and handsome, and her heart hurt just thinking how much she had missed him. "James!" she shouted over the nose. "Jamie!"
He turned and grinned widely. She raced to him, kissing him once she was in his arms. "Ames," Bucky moaned, burying his nose into her neck as he held her.
"I've missed you...so much!" she moaned out, gripping the back of his hair.
"I've missed you too," he said softly. "Come on...We got some catching up to do."
Catching up took up most of the day in his apartment, in the sunshine, and underneath the sheets. "Mmm..." Amy groaned as she stretched her pleasantly achy body. "I don't want to move."
Bucky smiled as he carried two glasses of water back to the woman in his bed. It felt nice to be back home, in his bed, with his girl. "Well, we're gonna have to eventually. I got us tickets to the Futuristic Expo."
"How did you manage that?" Amy asked as he got back into bed, his naked body brushing against hers. Amy snuggled into his side, taking a sip of her water.
"I got my ways."
"You sure do, Seargent." Amy, despite being worried sick, was very proud of how far he had grown in the ranks and in himself. He was more confident, more mature. He wasn't just a boy anymore. He was a man. Her man. She kissed his soft lips, moaning as he bit hers teasingly. She tugged on his dog tags, bringing him closer. Sighing, she turned on her side, letting his body spoon hers from behind. He brought his arm over her body, connecting their hands. She intertwined their hands and brought them closer to her heart. "I love you," she sighed.
"I love you too," he said, kissing the back of her neck. "Tired, sweetheart?"
"Someone wore me out."
"It's my pleasure, ma'am."
Amy laughed. "What...It's America's duty to make sure you fuck your girlfriend good and properly?"
"You know what they say. Have to further the American population to beat those Nazi bastards."
Amy laughed louder, with Bucky joining her. Looking back at him, she smiled lovingly. "I love you, Jamie. So much."
"I love you, too. So much," Bucky said, kissing her deeply.
Amy turned back around and snuggled into the mattress, the blankets, and her boyfriend. She barely knew that she was asleep until she woke up later that afternoon. "What time is it?" she asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
Bucky yawned, waking up when she began to stir, looking at the alarm clock next to the bed. "A little after two. We should get up and hunt down Steve."
"Knowing him, he's at a recruitment center...again."
"How many is this now?"
"I lost track," Amy said, taking the blanket with her as she got up to go wash up. Before he left, and before the war, as their relationship progressed, more and more of her things ended up at his place.
Wearing the same dress as before, she reapplied her makeup, combed her hair, and spritzed her favorite perfume on the back of her neck. Together, they left hand in hand as they headed to where Steve would most likely be.
"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" came a loud voice as they neared an alley.
"I can do this all day," came the small voice.
"Steve," Amy sighed as Bucky took up.
"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" Bucky shouted, punching the guy.
"Steve," Amy sighed, grabbing a handkerchief to wipe off his nose.
"Sometimes, I think you like getting punched," Bucky chuckled.
"I had him on the ropes," Steve argued.
"How many times is this?" Bucky leaned down, picking up the fallen enlistment form. "Oh, you're from Paramus now? You know it's illegal to lie on the enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?"
Steve rolled his eyes. "You get your orders?"
Bucky nodded, wrapping an arm around his girl. "The one-o-seventh. Sergeant James Barnes. Shipping out for England first thing tomorrow."
Steve looked at his sister and his best friend, not wanting to be a third wheel. "I should be going."
"Come on, man. My last night! Gotta get you cleaned up."
"Yeah. Come on, Steve. It's our last night together. Me and my boys."
"Why? Where are we going?" Steve asked.
"The future!"
"I don’t see what the problem is. You’re about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know, there are three and a half million women here," Bucky said as he led the Rogers siblings into the hall.
"Well, I’d settle for just one."
Bucky dropped a kiss on his girl's head, waving over another woman. "Good thing I took care of that."
Connie came over, smiling widely. "Hey, Bucky"
"What did you tell her about me?" Steve asked.
"Only the good stuff."
The music started, as the lights dinned, "Welcome to the Modern Marvels Pavilion and the World of Tomorrow. A greater world. A better world."
"Oh, my God! It’s starting!" Connie squealed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Howard Stark!"
Everybody clapped, for the dark-haired, mustached man. "Ladies and gentlemen, what if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won’t even have to touch the ground at all." The female helpers took the wheels off the car on the stage. "Yes. Thanks, Mandy. With Stark robotic reversion technology, you’ll be able to do just that." He turned on his machine, and the car began to hover off the ground.
"Holy cow!" Bucky gasped as he wrapped his arms around Amy.
Amy smirked as the car dropped down. "I did say a few years, didn’t I?" Howard asked.
"Buck, where did Steve go?" Amy asked, not seeing her brother.
"Guess," Bucky sighed, turning to face the girl. "I wanna take you dancing."
"I'm worried about him, James. He wants to join so desperately. I'm worried that he's gonna get caught, and go to prison. Buck, he won't survive in prison."
"I'll talk to him. Can't have my best friend being too stupid."
"You're amazing," she breathed out.
"Hey, Steve, what do you say we treat these girls..." Bucky hollered as he got closer to the recruitment center. "Come on. You’re kind of missing the point of a double date. We’re taking the girls dancing."
"You go ahead. I’ll catch up with you."
Bucky sighed. "You’re really gonna do this again?"
"Well, it’s a fair. I’m gonna try my luck."
"As who? Steve from Ohio? They’ll catch you. Or worse, they’ll actually take you."
"Look, I know you don’t think I can do this."
"This isn’t a back alley, Steve. It’s war!"
"I know it’s a war. You don’t have to tell me."
"Why are you so keen to fight? There are so many important jobs."
"What am I gonna do? Collect scrap metal..."
"Yes!"
"...in my little red wagon."
"Why not?"
"I’m not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky."
"I don’t..."
"Bucky, come on! There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That’s what you don’t understand. This isn’t about me."
Bucky sighed. "Right. Cause you got nothing to prove."
"Hey, Sarge! Are we going dancing?" Connie asked.
Bucky turned to face the two women, his eyes only on the blonde in the pink dress. His smile softened. "Yes, we are." Turning back to the other blonde, he punched Steve in the shoulder. "Don’t do anything stupid until I get back...And take care of Ames for me."
Steve smiled. "How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you."
"You’re a punk." Steve gave Bucky a hug.
"Jerk. Be careful." As Bucky walked back towards his sister, Steve shouted. "Don’t win the war till I get there!"
"Come on girls. They’re playing our song."
Amy relaxed as they swayed to the music. "Poor Connie..." she chuckled, seeing the other woman sitting at a table by herself.
"I tried to get Steve to come, but you know how he is."
"You tried. And I love you more for that." Amy sighed. "You could ask her to dance."
"Why would I want her to dance with me when I have the most perfect girl in the room? And the prettiest!"
Amy smiled, reaching up to kiss him. "You're so corny. This is gonna sound so selfish, but I don't want you to go."
"I'm gonna be okay."
"You better."
"Come on...I want to spend my last night with my girl."
In the morning, Amy stood on the train platform, kissing the life out of Bucky. "Baby, I gotta go," Bucky sighed, reaching down to kiss her once more.
"I know," she sighed. "I love you, James Barnes."
"I love you."
"Come back to me."
"I will," Bucky promised her, kissing her one last time before hurrying onto the train. Waving, he blew a kiss on his girlfriend.
Amy waved as the train took off. Turning back around, she caught a taxi, telling the driver to head back towards the army base. She began to pack her bag, her plane ticket to Norway on her dresser. "How was your night with your boyfriend?" Peggy asked, walking into the room.
"Bittersweet. How's your secret project going?"
"Frustrating, The new recruits get here today. Then Dr. Erksine will select his champion to undergo some tests. I hope Stark's machine is successful."
"I saw him at the Expo. My hopes are very small. Sounds much more fascinating than mine. I get to go trumping through Norway, looking for a mystical weapon."
"That's why I got you this," Peggy said, handing Amy a small revolver. "There shouldn't be much of a kickback. Just be careful."
"I will," Amy said, giving Peggy a hug. "Thanks for being my friend, Peggy."
"Thank you for being mine. Come back in one piece."
"I will," Amy smiled, grabbing her suitcase. "Try to these those pigs whose the boss."
As she turned and left the base, she never realized that she would come back as a new person. Or that Norway would forever alter her course.