Alina stood in the study of her parent's house thumbing through one of her father's books. She smiled to herself as she put the book down on a small mahogany side table and looked out at the bustling foot traffic walking past the brown stone. She had just arrived back from a finishing school in Boston and after her talk with her parents she would be going into the city to meet with Bucky and Steve, her two best friends whom she had grown up with. The last time she had seen both of them together was very briefly at Steve's mother's funeral two years before. Now, it was 1943 and war had come to America. The smile fell from the petite redhead's face at the thought. Bucky had enlisted the summer before according to one of Steve's letters and now Rogers was trying his luck as many times as possible to try and enlist.
"Why does war and death appeal to men?" Alina sighed softly to herself as she pushed the net curtains back from the window and watched the bustling life outside. Her two best friends were adamant they were going to sacrifice themselves for their country and she knew that the possibility of one if not both of them not coming back was very real.
"Alina."
The sound of her mother's voice calling her pulled her from her morbid thoughts and she turned to smile as her mother and father stepped into the study.
"How was your trip home, dear?" the stern countenance of her mother didn't change and Alina bit back a retort along the lines of 'aren't you happy to see me mother?' as she hugged first the tall woman whose eyes, features and drawing ability she had inherited, and then the man whose dark red hair and freckles she had inherited.
"My trip was fine," she assured them.
"Good, good," her father nodded before excusing himself to draw into the farthest recesses of his study to continue on with some work.
Meanwhile, Alina followed her mother to the parlour where tea had been set out by their housekeeper. Once both women were seated and each had a delicate china teacup filled with steaming, fragrant tea and set in a matching saucer in their hands, Alina's mother, Edith, spoke again, "We are having a party on Saturday."
Alina smiled politely, "That sounds wonderful, mother."
But her mother wasn't listening, "Your father and I have decided to invite Christopher Matherson and his parents. We think the two of you would make a fine couple."
Alina's teacup froze half way to her lips, "What?" she asked on a gasp not quite able to get her head around what her mother had just said.
Her mother looked at her disapprovingly, "'What' is not polite, Alina. I would have thought that two years in an expensive finishing school had made you more refined, obviously I was wrong."
Alina put her teacup and saucer down on the coffee table in front of her tempted to smash it to spite the woman sitting opposite her, "You would think that finishing school would calm me down, but probably not when my own parents are in cahoots to try and marry me off like its 1843 instead of 1943. Well, I won't do it. You can invite whoever you want to this party but I'm bringing a friend and I will not let you marry me off." Getting up, Alina turned to leave the room, the full skirt of her soft yellow silk dress with black rose patterns swirling around her calves.
Her mother sighed, "If you insist on acting like a child just promise me you won't invite that Barnes boy. He's beneath us and you shouldn't be associating with him or his sickly friend."
Alina bit back an angry retort and left the house silently fuming, only remembering her black clutch purse, black pillbox hat, and dark green cropped cardigan just before she walked out of the front door.
She hailed a cab at the curb and gave the driver instructions to where she knew Bucky and Steve would be at one in the afternoon on a Saturday, "The picture theatre on Sixth and Lex, please." She said before sitting back and enjoying the ride into the city.
She bit her lip remembering the last time she had seen Steve and Bucky. She and Steve had parted on good terms and kept in touch over the two years she had been away, but it was the way she and Bucky had parted that had her nervous.
The three friends had gone to the Coney Island Amusement Park the weekend before she was to leave for Boston. After a long day of rides, amusement park food and a lot of fun, Bucky had walked over to a vender to buy the final round of candyfloss that Alina could not get enough of. While he was gone, she and Steve had been standing together, talking, only to be interrupted by a pair of rowdy men. They started yelling, picking on Steve until Alina told them to leave and then their attention turned to her in the form of flirting and ribald jokes. That's when Bucky had stepped in, threw an arm around Alina's shoulders and asked the men if they had a problem with his girlfriend and his best friend. The bullies turned and left with only a sneer and muttered curses. Alina had instantly stepped out of Bucky's embrace and declared she wanted to go home. Steve, knowing of her growing feelings for his best friend had only been able to send her a sympathetic look when Bucky had walked him to a cab and then 0ffered to share a cab with Alina to make sure she got home safely.
The ride in the cab had been silent until Bucky had made a comment about Alina not being able to take care of herself. To which the redhead lost her temper completely and choked out that she didn't need to be saved and that he should concentrate on his own life instead of hers.
The rest of the cab ride was deathly silent and emotionally charged. When the yellow cab had pulled up outside Alina's parents' brown stone, she had paid her fare and turned to leave the vehicle only to turn and glare at Bucky who was watching her cautiously, "I don't need to be saved." She told him again, emphatically, before taking a chance. Leaning into the space between them she fisted his tie and pulled him into a soft kiss that was her very first. She then pulled away and quickly left the cab, all but running up the stairs to her front door and into the house before she saw the disgust she had no doubt was on his face. The redhead didn't speak to him again and Steve was the only one at the station to see her off to Boston three days later.
Alina came out of the memory when she felt the cab stop.
The cabbie turned to her with a smile, "This'll be your stop, miss."
Paying him, Alina stepped out of the yellow vehicle and walked into the lobby of the newest picture theatre in Bucky and Steve's Brooklyn neighbourhood. She held her head high and went to the see how long was left of the newest action film. The cashier checked his watch and told her that the film should be over in about five minutes.
Thanking him she paid for a small box of Milk Duds and slipped it into her purse before using the restroom quickly to check her makeup and then she walked out into the lobby to sit and wait for the audience to exit the film while she ate her sweets and drew in the small notebook she always carried with her.
When the cinema doors opened she stood up and searched the faces of the leaving patrons for her friends. She caught sight of Steve first. Even with his small stature she could always pick him out of a crowd because of his open, kind face. He waved when he saw her. And then her heart stuttered in her chest at the sight of the tall man beside him. In the two years she had been gone, Bucky had changed; his hair was shorter on the sides, he was clean shaven, dressed in slacks, a tie and a brown blazer. He looked more mature, even held himself differently. Gone was the cocky twenty-four year old with no direction in life and not a care in the world. In his place stood a man of twenty-six who knew who he was and what he was going to do. A thrill went through her when his shocking blue gaze caught her grey eyes. With a motion to her to get Steve's attention, the two men made their way toward her.
"Alina? I didn't know you were back." Steve said with an ecstatic smile as soon as he and Bucky were close enough.
The beautiful redhead smiled as she hugged him, her two inch heels giving her the extra height to make her equal with him. When they separated she looked up at Bucky shyly not knowing what to expect. They watched each other for a moment before she was enveloped in a warm hug, his strong arms and scent wrapping around her. The rough material of his jacket rubbed against her cheek and she had to fight back tears at the feel of him holding her for a few moments more than necessary.
When the two stepped apart Steve smiled hugely. "Want to go get a soda at the Shoppe across the street?" he asked her. "I'll buy you a chocolate malt."
Alina returned his smile gratefully, "That sounds wonderful, Steve," she looked up at Bucky, "What about you, Serge? Are you coming too?"
Bucky smiled the goofy smile she had fallen for years before, "A soda sounds great," he offered his arm to Alina and the trio made their way out of the theatre and onto the curb outside, "Then you can tell us all about your time in a finishing school." He screwed up his face, "On second thought, I don't know if I want to hear about finishing school."
Alina shared a shake of the head with Steve before looking up at Bucky once more, "You might like to go there one day, it'll probably instil some manners in you."
"Hasn't seemed to help you," Bucky teased as Steve held the door of the Malt Shoppe open for the three to walk in.
"Go find a table." Steve told them before going off to order three chocolate malts.
Bucky pulled the chair out for her when they found a small table near the door of the busy shop.
"How have you been?" Alina asked him when he folded his tall frame into the small chair opposite her, "Really," She added knowing he would sugar-coat anything and everything to protect her if he felt he needed to.
Flashing that grin at her again, Bucky lounged a little in the chair and studied her for a moment. Patting self-consciously at her curled hair and pinned black hat, she blushed prettily.
"What?" she asked narrowing her eyes at him.
Bucky smiled, shaking his head, "You haven't changed in two years. How's that possible, Lina?"
The sound of the nickname only he used slipping so easily from his lips had Alina blushing furiously, "I have changed, you'll see. And when you do nothing's going to be the same." She said sadly.
Bucky sat up and leant forward, elbow on the table, "Not happening, Lina," he told her firmly. "I won't let it."
She looked up at him from under her eyelashes, "Promise?"
He looked her right in the eye and nodded, "I swear, Lina."
She nodded and the moment passed. Steve came back with a server in tow, their drinks on her tray. She smiled seductively at Bucky as she set down the malt in front of him and then sashayed away.
Steve raised his eyebrows at that, "How do you do that?" he asked his best friend.
"What?" Bucky asked oblivious as he stirred his drink before taking a sip.
Alina laughed, "Don't try and act all innocent, we both know that you know what we're talking about."
Bucky only shrugged, grinned crookedly and then launched into a list of questions about Alina's time away including if she had seen a game at Fenway Park.
This question brought on a disbelieving discussion from Steve about her being at finishing school, not on vacation. Soon all Alina had to do was sit back, drink her malt, and listen to her two best friends bicker.
Half an hour or so later, Steve begged off, saying that he had picked up an extra shift at the bank till where he worked. Hugging Alina once more he left the Malt Shoppe.
Bucky suggested a walk to the park a few blocks over and Alina agreed not ready to go home just yet. And so she found herself on Bucky's arm walking around the park in the warmth of the two o'clock sun.
"So you're saying you never saw a game at Fenway?" the dark haired man at her side asked.
Alina laughed and shook her head, "Of course not. Proper young ladies don't go and sit in the stands of a baseball stadium and scream for their favourite team." She intoned mimicking the tone and inflections of her mother.
Bucky faked a shudder. "Promise me you won't do that again," he muttered leading them over to a park bench to sit down.
Alina grinned and dug her half-finished box of milk duds out of her purse.
"How do you eat so many sweets?" Bucky asked her declining the offered treat.
The redhead tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and shrugged, totally relaxed, "I don't know. How do you drink so much soda?" she asked knowing of his weakness for the fizzy drink.
Bucky leaned back on the bench and stretched his arm along the back of the bench, his fingers absently playing with one of Alina's curls, "Fair enough, you win." He smiled down at her before his face became serious, "About the last time we saw each other…"
Alina was shaking her head before he had even finished, "Can we just forget that? I was angry and said and did some really stupid things. I don't want to lose our friendship over something like that." She looked at him pleadingly.
"Yeah," he said a little reluctantly before lightening the mood with a joke, "You did flip your wig."
Alina blushed again and smacked his arm before smiling herself. They laughed together and she relaxed beside him, her milk dud packet and purse between them on the seat and Bucky's fingers still gently playing with her hair. In the silence she took out her sketch book and continued on with a drawing she had started a few days before.
"You gonna show me that or what?" Bucky asked a few minutes later.
She looked over at him and handed over the small book. He took a few moments to study the sketches inside.
"These are really great, Lina," he told her. "Think you could do one for me in my uniform for my Ma?"
She nodded before asking, "Are you on active duty yet?" At the sly look on his face she backtracked quickly blushing furiously for the second time that day, "I-I didn't mean…Oh god." She buried her face in her hands no doubt smudging her makeup but after that little slip up she didn't really care.
"Lina," Bucky laughed trying to get her to look at him again, "Lina, its fine. I know what you meant."
"Yeah, so the look you just gave me wasn't cheeky?" she asked her voice muffled by her hands.
Bucky's voice became firm, "Alina. It's fine."
She looked up at him and took a breath before asking the question again, "Do you know when you'll be called for active duty?"
His vibrant blue eyes were messing up her thoughts again but she managed to catch his answer, "Not sure. Probably any day now if the reports from the front are true," his tone was careful and she knew he was protecting her again.
Looking down at her clasped hands sitting in her lap, she tried to memorize the feeling of him so close to her, the sound of his breathing, the feel of his fingers in the curl he was still playing with, and the scent of him that would swirl around her every once in a while when the breeze slipped by them, "I told you that you don't have to protect me, Bucky. I can cope with whatever you know."
His thumb and forefinger caught her chin and he lifted her face so that she was looking at him once again, "What if I want to protect you from it?" he asked his voice controlled as if he was holding something back.
Searching his face, Alina bit her lip somehow drawing his gaze to her mouth, "My parents are having a party in a few days." She blurted out.
He looked confused for a moment before he smiled and let go of her chin. "Sounds boring," he told her.
Alina huffed, "They're inviting this completely boring boy and his family to it so that we can meet and hopefully get married in the future." She sighed. "I said I was bringing a friend and if you're that adamant about protecting me do you want to be my date and save me from this boy?" she blurted the last sentence so that she wouldn't chicken out and not ask him.
Bucky sat still for a few moments before he asked, "Do I have to wear a suit?"
Alina grimaced, "Probably. There was a terrible gold and bronze gown hanging in my room when I arrived today so I would say a suit is preferable."
He looked to be contemplating the prospect for a second before a smile spread across his lips, "Sounds good."
Alina breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Bucky." She told him.
He shrugged before standing up, "Let's get you home before your Mother thinks I'm more of a bad influence than she already does."
Packing up her sweets and notebook, the tiny redhead grinned, "That'd be hard to do, you're already the worst influence in the world."
With a cocky smirk, Bucky offered his arm to her once more, "I'll just have to change her opinion of me at this fancy party of yours then, won't I?"
Alina smiled up at him enjoying the easy way they had fallen back into their teasing, "I would love to see that."