Agent 14's gun was sitting precariously on the passenger seat as she drove down the street. She had her red hair pulled up in a messy bun and her blazer was freshly pressed at the dry cleaner's. She was off duty, but still looked all business. The radio played in the background until the music suddenly cut out and was replaced with an emergency news report. "There is currently a situation in downtown New York. There is a masked man with a gun on the loose; Captain America is on site, but residents are advised to stay away from the area and stay inside for their own personal safety." The agent snatched up her phone and dialed Agent 13, her best friend. She said she was going to be in New York. Staying stoically calm, she voice-dialed her number and put the phone on the dashboard. "Sharon!" she cried, the moment her friend picked up. "What's going on?" She approached New York via the highway and saw it. The utter chaos. Cars were scattered everywhere.

"Katie!" Agent 13 cried, the panic clear in her voice. "You have got to stay away from downtown! It's dangerous; there's a killer there! You could be - ! " But it was too late. Agent 14 slammed the brakes when she reached the yellow tape and grabbed her gun, stepping out of the car, her heels clicking on the pavement. It was eerily silent and police were already on site, but the masked man was nowhere to be seen. Gripping the gun tightly in her hand by her side, she wandered around. A policeman saw her and came over.

"Ma'am," he said with a commanding voice. "You're not allowed to be here."

The agent just looked at him and held up her S.H.I.E.L.D badge. "But - " he protested, but she stepped around him, continuing to wander around the grounds. It was total devastation. A Range Rover was lying on its back in dying flames, covered in bullet holes. Katie approached it and closely inspected the damage, running her fingers over them. Still hot. Suddenly someone screamed and Agent 14 whipped her head around. Standing in front of her was a huge man in an all black suit and a black mask covering his face, holding a large machine gun in his gloved hands. The gun pointed at her. His masked eyes stared at her. She stared back at him and at the gun tip, the breeze slightly tossing their hair around. Fear had her frozen in place and she considered shooting him on the spot before he could shoot her, but she was afraid to move. For a few long seconds they looked at each other. Her breathing was shaky, but she held firm. No way was she going to let this guy see she was afraid of him. His vacant eyes passed across her face once more and she gulped, bracing herself for the bullet, but to her shock, he lowered the gun and stalked away, not looking at her ever again.

The second he was out of view, Agent 14 collapsed against the vehicle. Her chest was heaving too fast for her to catch her breath and sweat slid down her face. Who was that? Someone screamed her name but she could barely hear it. Who was that? Agent 13 fell beside her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "...you could have been killed! Are you stupid!?" she was yelling.

The agent grabbed her friend's arm, not meeting her eyes. "Who was that?" she gasped, looking at her in awe-struck terror. Agent 13 didn't respond, instead helped her to her feet and led her to a truck that will take her back to SHIELD headquarters.

While Agent 13 met with the SHIELD officials, Agent 14 wandered off to a secluded room where the files were held. She used her tag to unlock the classified room and immediately headed for the "W" section. W. Winter Soldier, The. She pulled out the file with a large, red "CLASSIFIED" printed on the front. She flipped it open and saw a grainy image of his masked face and shivers crawled up her spine. She glanced over the information. Affiliations: HYDRA. Name: Unknown. Age: Unknown. Location: Unknown. Famous Victims: President Kennedy (1963), Howard and Maria Stark (1991). More cold shivers. Another agent appeared in the doorway. "14, you shouldn't be here." he said, with a warning voice. "It's restricted."

Agent 14 slipped the file in her bag and stood up straight. "I was just leaving." She smiled sweetly before slipping around him and out the door.

- TWO YEARS LATER -

Bucky's heart pounded. Six of hearts...a king... Tony Stark tapped on his glass of whiskey impatiently. Bucky wiped his forehead.

"Do you fold?" came Tony's taunting voice.

Bucky glared up at him. "Never." But before he could save himself from the embarrassment of losing to Tony, Steve and Sam walked in, laughing loudly.

"Yo, Bucky! Wassup, man?" cried Sam, clapping him on the back. Bucky flinched. He really didn't appreciate physical touch.

Steve flopped onto the sofas and raised an eyebrow at Tony's cards. "Buck, you're losing bad." he commented.

"Yeah, I got that." Bucky muttered bitterly.

Tony rolled his eyes. "He's still not folding."

Steve shook his head. "Buck will never fold; his ego's too big." At that Bucky snorted and continued to examine his cards. A moment passed before Steve spoke up. "Alright, let me spare you." He turned to Bucky. "Date night."

Bucky blinked at him in confusion.

"See? I told you they were into each other!" cried Tony, cackling evilly and high-fiving Sam. Steve gave him a warning look. "Not me and Bucky." He turned back to Bucky. "Me, Bucky, Sharon and her cute friend." He wiggled his eyebrows, a mischievous smile on his face. "You in?"

Bucky stood up abruptly and shook his head. "I'm kind of done with that kind of stuff." He hesitated, carefully choosing his words. "Girls don't usually take the whole damaged-psycho killer thing well." Tony nodded in agreement, sipping his whiskey. Bucky started to walk off but Steve followed him.

"How do you know if you never tried?" pressed Steve. ("He's right." commentated Sam.)

Bucky whirled around, a panic in his eyes. "I know what she's going to say!" he cried. He lowered his voice to just above a whisper so as only Steve could hear. "The moment I walked through that door, she will recognize me as the Winter Soldier, and then everything will be over." His eyes were pleading Steve to understand. "I can't risk that."

Steve sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, no date." He paused. "But can we at least go for pizza with Sharon?" he suggested, cautiously.

Bucky smiled in relief. "That I can do."

- LATER -

Bucky stumbled down the hallway of Sharon's apartment building carrying five pizza boxes in his arms with Steve and Sam trailing close behind.

"Why do we need so many damn pizzas?!" Bucky yelled, trying to see above the boxes.

"Because." Sam said simply, snatching a slice from the top box and adding, "Cap's favorite sidekick tax." Bucky cast a dark glare at him.

Steve chuckled at their banter, unlocking the apartment door. "Hey, Sharon! Pizzas here!" he announced in the general direction of the kitchen.

Steve's girlfriend Sharon Carter, jumped up and helped Bucky carry the pizzas to the kitchen island. Once free of his burden, he looked around the apartment. His eyes fell on a girl, sitting on the carpet with earbuds in her ears. Her red hair was done up in pin curls and she wore a simple yellow A-line dress that complemented her small frame. The moment he laid eyes on her, it was if he was taken right back to 1945. The room vanished and all he saw was her and him in the middle of a smoke filled bar, soft jazz music playing from the record machine. They dance across the floor, his hand delicately resting on her lower back, her curls bouncing with every step. His daydream was cut short by Steve clearing his throat much louder than necessary. Bucky snapped back into reality and realized that the girl was standing right in front of him and smiling. He flushed. "Hi." he said awkwardly when he realized he had been staring. Steve chuckled and clapped Bucky on the shoulder. "And this is Bucky." Steve said, with that annoying knowing smile.

"And he's single!" added Sam from his vantage spot on the kitchen counter. Bucky glared at him but the girl just laughed and stretched out her hand, ignoring Sam's comment. "I'm Katie." Bucky hesitantly took her hand and shook it, highly aware of the fact that her hand was a full size smaller than his own and much softer. They stood there, shaking hands, until Steve popped up between them.

"The pizza's getting cold." he informed them.

Bucky shook himself off and mentally scolded himself for acting so ridiculous. She's just a very pretty girl, that's all. No big deal. He glanced back down at her dress. "I love the outfit." he suddenly commented.

Katie glanced down at her clothes. "Oh!" she cried, flushing. "Thanks, I was just trying on some stuff in my closet…" She cut herself off. "I'm a big fan of vintage." she summarized.

Bucky chuckled at her awkwardness. "Well, I am too." he said carefully, not wanting to reveal any more than what was necessary.

Katie's eyes widened. "Really?!" she cried, excitedly. "You like the 40s?"

He shrugged. "Something like that."

"That's amazing." sighed Katie, taking a bite of her pizza. "I had yet to find anyone who liked it as much as me. Lotta people just think it's weird. 'Live in the present!' they say, but I just love how simple of a time it was." Bucky leaned on his fist and listened to her ramble. It was nice to find someone who had a shared experience as himself, even if only as a fan. His memories of the 1940s were still fragmented, but there was that little hope that Katie could help him remember more.