Chapter One: This Side of Paradise

Steve sat up as his head started to clear. Beside him, Bucky was on his knees clutching his chest.

"What the hell was that?" Bucky asked. His voice sounded strange, but Steve's ears were still ringing.

"I don't know, but we have to get him before he uses the stone."

Steve stood and helped Bucky to his feet. His uniform hung loosely around him, probably damaged in the attack, but there was no time to fix it right now. He picked up his shield and they ran toward the door where Loki had disappeared. A short way down the hall, they came to a large room. Loki stood in the middle surrounded by a green glow.

"Thor, Dr. Strange, we found him!" Steve reported.

Loki grinned slyly. "You're too late,".

Steve hurled his shield at Loki, but he knocked it away with a wave of his hand. It clattered uselessly to the ground, but while Loki was distracted, Bucky rushed in to grab the gem.

"Bucky wait!" Steve cried, running after him. He grabbed Bucky's arm as a blinding green flash enveloped them.

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Bucky groaned as they woke up in an alley. He looked around at the tall brick buildings. There was something familiar about it, but it didn't seem right. He reached over to check on Steve and froze. He rubbed his face to clear his vision, but nothing changed. The person he was looking at was Steve, he was sure of that, but his hair fell just past his shoulders in soft blond curls. He stroked Steve's cheek. His face was slimmer and more delicate..

Steve opened his eyes and sat up holding his head. "Where are-?" He stopped, gazing at Bucky in amazement.

"What is it?" Bucky asked.

"I don't know," Steve said. You look weird."

Bucky reached up to touch his own face. The stubble was gone and his skin was soft and smooth. Steve reached up to touch Bucky's cheek. Frowning, he unzipped Bucky's jacket.

"You have breasts!"

Bucky looked down at his chest. Steve was right. He put a hand between his legs. "Damn it, I'm a dame!"

Steve put a hand to his own chest. "It must have been that blast Loki hit us with."

"And where is he?" Bucky looked around the alley. "And what about the stone?"

"There's no telling how long we were out," Steve sighed. "For all we know they're both long gone."

"Where the hell are we."

"When?" Steve corrected. "It was the time gem, remember."

Shouting from the street drew their attention. "Quick, hide!" Bucky whispered.

They ducked behind a stack of old crates, as a small blond boy came running down the alley. He turned and put up his fists as two large boys ran in after him. Bucky felt Steve tense up and put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back.

"Nowhere else to run you little punk!" One of the boys yelled.

Young Steve didn't answer. He stood his ground, shaking like a leaf as the boys came toward him. Steve squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face against Bucky's shoulder. Bucky kissed the top of his head, smiling.

"It'll be ok," he whispered. "I know where we are now."

Another boy ran into the alley. "Hey, pick on someone your own size!"

Bucky peered out, smiling as his younger self advanced slowly toward the bullies with his fists raised.

One of the boys sneered at him. "You mean like you?"

Young Bucky's eyes went wide as one of them picked him up and tossed him in the dumpster. Steve winced as they threw his younger self in on top of Bucky and slammed the lid. Laughter echoed through the alley as the bullies walked away. Bucky put a finger to his lips and led Steve up the fire escape to the roof of the building.

"What was that, 1928?" Steve asked, as they settled down on the roof to wait. "Why would Loki come here?"

"I think I did," Bucky replied. "I had my hand on the stone too, remember?"

"Do you think he even came with us?" Steve asked, looking around the city.

"I don't know," Bucky said. "But we need to find that stone."

"My shield!" Steve cried suddenly, running to the edge of the roof.

"You didn't have it when the gem sucked us in," Bucky reminded him. "It's probably still in the future."

Steve sat back down, looking at his hands. "I wonder if we still have super strength."

Bucky gripped the railing of the fire escape and bent it slightly. "Yep." He looked at the deformed iron. "And that's what I'm going to do to Loki's spine when I see him."

"Well, first things first," Steve said, taking off his jacket. "We need to change. We're going to draw too much attention dressed like this."

"We're going to have to steal something." Bucky said. "I let my wallet in the future."

Steve looked guiltily at the laundry hanging on the clothes lines between the buildings.

Bucky put an arm around his waist. "Don't worry, we'll break into a department store. They won't miss a few dresses."

"I think we need more than dresses." Steve examined his new figure, cupping his breasts curiously. "What do we do with these? They keep flopping around when I move."

"At least yours aren't that big." Bucky said, squishing his against his chest. "How am I supposed to run like this?"

"I don't think you are," Steve replied, combing his fingers through his hair. They heard a commotion below and looked over the side to see their younger selves climbing out of the dumpster.

"That was the day we met," Bucky remembered wistfully.

"We need to get out of Brooklyn." Steve reached over and took his hand. "This isn't our world anymore. We have a life that we need to get back to."

"I know," Bucky replied, his voice trembling. Steve was right. They had to avoid interacting with their past as much as possible. If he saw his family, he knew he would never be able to tear himself away. As painful as it was, they had to let history run it's course. "So where to?"

Steve grinned. "I was thinking Manhattan."

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It was dark when Loki awoke to the sound of water sloshing against the sides of the dock. He was surrounded by stacks of wooden boxes and coils of rope. He didn't know where he was, but it certainly wasn't where he had intended to go. For a moment, he considered contacting Asgard, but dismissed the idea. Even if the All Father believed his story, it was likely that he would throw him in a cell and simply wait for him to catch up to his own time. No, he had to find the stone and continue with his plan.

He looked around to see if Thor's friends were nearby. He might need their help. The colorful one at least was noble enough to set aside his animosity for the greater good.

He saw no sign of them as he walked along the pier but he saw a group of men unloading boxes not far away.. Fixing his clothes he headed toward them. As he approached, they stopped their labors, staring at him in wonderment.

"Get a load of this guy," one of the larger men said in a thick accent.

"Hey Ethel, you wander off from the opera?" Another one called.

"Who is your leader," Loki demanded calmly, ignoring their taunts. "Tell him Loki of Asgard demands an audience."

"I've had enough of this rummy," one of the men said as he pull out a gun and fired.

The bullet grazed Loki's forehead. As the men approached, he changed it to appear that he had been shot between the eyes. If these men meant to kill him then he would let them claim victory. Playing possum, the mortals called it. It had been a mistake to confront them. Dealing with violent, primitive creatures such as these required subtler means.

One of the men lifted his body and carried it to the edge, dropping him in the river. Loki let himself float down to a quiet part of the docks before climbing out. These men were strong, but they were underlings. He needed to ally himself with their leader, but any man who could control brutes such as these should handled with caution. He would have to bide his time and plan his next move with great care. These men would kneel before him, he need only find the proper means of persuasion.