It's me again, Margaret!

Just a little note: I used the wikipedia date for Steve's birthday: July 4th, 1918. Steve's three in this story, so he thinks it's 1921.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Marvel. However, I do have a very nice Avengers calendar :)

"Do you think you can help me find my Ma?" Steve asked. He was giving Bucky his patented 'puppy-dog eyes' that could bring a grown man to his knees. Bucky would know, he'd been on the receiving end of that look many times from an older Steve.

'How in the world am I gonna explain this', Bucky thought. Telling a kid they were in the future was one thing, but telling him that his Ma was dead was bound to cause a meltdown. With Steve's asthma, that wouldn't be pretty. 'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it,' he decided.

"Stevie", he started, moving to sit on the ground. He had a feeling this would take awhile. "Did your Ma ever tell you stories about time travelers? Guys that went to the future and got to see amazing things?"

"Sometimes."

"Well, what if I told you that you were one of them?"

"I'd tell you that I don't believe you."

"I know it sounds crazy, kid, but you gotta believe me. This isn't 1921. It's 2016."

"You're lying! People can't go to the future, that's impossible! Ma told me so!" Bucky could see tears starting to form in little Steve's eyes; he knew he had to defuse this quick.

"I promise I'm not lying to you Stevie. I can prove it to ya. Wanna see?" At Steve's suspicious nod, he slowly pulled his gloves off; right hand first, then his left. He pulled the left sleeve of his jacket up to his elbow. The exposed metal shone brightly with the light of the setting son.

"Woah!" Steve exclaimed. "Is that your arm? That's so cool!" A little hand reached out and took ahold of his, turning it this way and that. Bucky tensed at first, but relaxed at the awed expression on Steve's face. 'He's not scared of it,' he absently thought to himself. He let the kid run his fingers along the grooves of his metal knuckles for a few more seconds before he gently pulled his hand away.

"Do you believe me now?" Bucky asked. Steve offered another tiny nod, still staring at his metal hand.

"Steve," Bucky started, "would you like to come with me? It's going to get dark soon, and you don't need to be out here at night. You don't wanna get sick, do ya?"

"No!" Steve exclaimed, "I don't like being sick. It's the worst." He hesitated for a moment. "But Ma told me not to go anywhere with strangers."

Ah, the good old 'stranger danger' rule. Sarah Rogers had taught him right. However, Bucky couldn't leave Steve here alone, and there was no one else for him to take him to. The other Avengers were likely back at their tower by now, not that they'd believe him if he told them that their Captain was currently a toddler. No, Bucky was on his own for this one. He needed Steve to trust him.

"Well let me fix that," Bucky replied. He stuck out his right hand, "My name's Bucky Barnes. It's nice to meet you."

Steve stared at the hand for a minute before gripping it with his own. "Steve Rogers."

Steve then started giggling. "Your name's funny."

Bucky couldn't help but laugh a little. "It's better than Buchanan," he said, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smirk.

"Yeah," Steve agreed. His smile dropped for a moment as he appeared to think something over.

"Okay Bucky, I'll come with you," he said with all the seriousness a three year-old can manage. The effect was ruined when he laughed again and turned to Bucky with a bright smile.

"Okay then." Bucky returned the smile as he climbed to his feet. As soon as he did, Steve held his arms up in the universal 'pick me up' sign. Smirking to himself, he picked the boy up and propped him on his hip. Steve wrapped his little arms around Bucky's shoulders as much as he could, and they were off.

Isn't little Steve just the cutest! These two are gonna be the death of me :)

Big thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! Thank you!