Spectre
Bucky spent much more time out than Steve did. Well… Renny guessed that was because he was such a ladies man.
So on the days that Steve went home early and Barnes had a date, she tagged along. In the shadows, of course.
After the third outing, the young woman asked herself why she even bothered. Bucky wasn't the type who got into trouble. Steve was the trouble magnet.
The dark haired young man had a usual haunt. A place that served cheap snacks and had a wide dance floor.
Renny had to admit, she followed Bucky more for herself than anything. While she loved Steve to bits and was very protective of him, she would go stir crazy always staying by him when he stayed home or in the library. She had a quiet life during the years she spent in Kamar-Taj, with every spare moment spent in the library, studying, researching, and training. Going out with Bucky, even if she wasn't really going out with him, was beyond refreshing.
The lively music, the sound of people chatting with each other, and the dancing… Oh! The dancing!
She loved watching the people of this time twirl, step, and skip. It brought a smile to her face. If she was feeling particularly isolated that day, she used magic to change her robes and boots to an appropriate looking 20's dress and shoes, stepped out of the mirror dimension, and sat at a table the edge of the dance floor.
It felt good to be a part of the world around her… sort of.
Renny didn't have to worry much about being asked to dance thanks to a simple spell that made most people overlook her. If someone did notice her and ask her for a dance, and it rarely happened anyway, she'd smile and politely decline.
A simple "No, thank you" was enough for most, but on the even rarer occasion that a man was a little too insistent, it only took a compulsion charm to direct their attentions somewhere else.
Plus, the young woman didn't think she could keep up with the dynamic steps of a swing dance.
Going along with Bucky was a double edged sword though. The change of pace kept her from getting stir crazy, yes, but seeing friends laugh and couples dance made her yearn for companionship.
It was difficult, being a shadow.
It was too quiet.
It was lonely.
But she was convinced that it was the kind of life she had to live if she wanted to keep the timeline intact.
Her charge would leave with his date, walk her home, then walk his own way. The night would have already settled in. Bucky was a YMCA boxing champ, so he could handle himself… to an extent.
One night, as the young man was walking home, a shadow tailed him on the streets.
And it wasn't Renny.
She followed silently from the rooftops. When she spotted the distinct shape of a knife in the shadow's pocket, she moved.
Bucky noticed that he was being followed. He heard the heavy footsteps of the thug that was walking behind him.
His fists curled in his jacket pockets, ready to take the guy on if he made a move. After walking a block though…
When he looked over his shoulder, the man was gone.
Bucky raised an eyebrow and continued on his way. He didn't hear any more footsteps following him anymore.
If would-be thieves with knives tailed Bucky on his trek home, she intervened. If the thugs only had their fists, Renny observed. Keeping her charge completely safe would make him complacent after all. That wasn't something she wanted. Being alert and aware of your surroundings was an important trait to have if you were going to be a soldier fighting in a war.
Almost a year passed in this way, with Renny shadowing the boys to school, around town, at night, during dates and double dates.
The young woman didn't realize just how often the two actually spotted her when she appeared like a fairytale- in a blur, shimmer, or flash of sparks.
It was her bronze bangles that became her trademark.
Steve associated the growing familiar glint of them, the glimpse of her grey eyes, or her coppery brown hair peeking from her hood to mean that help was on the way if he was being bullied. Renny would lead Bucky to the blond if the dark haired young man was near enough or some other adult to chase away the bullies. When she couldn't (which was a little more often than she liked), simple spells made strange things happen to drive them away. Her favorite trick was dumping water on them.
Bullies were like cats in that aspect. They would jump up during the first and run at a second splash of water. Renny didn't realize she was over-using this tactic though, Steve noticed that it happened a little too often to be luck.
During nights late out, Bucky first noticed how sometimes, shadows trailing him would suddenly disappear or ominous sounding footsteps would go quiet. He paid a little more attention after the first few times, catching a glimpse of something metallic, and it wasn't a knife.
The two soon worked out that they were being followed by something or… someone. They both came to the conclusion that for whatever reason, whoever or whatever it was, didn't want to hurt them. Only keep them safe.
It took a few months before they encountered the specter often enough to come up with the image of a girl underneath the hood.
They didn't know that they were both seeing the same girl though.
When one friend caught the other glancing around, they'd make excuses. Bucky was smooth while Steve sputtered a bit.
"What you lookin' at, Buck?"
"Just admiring the sunshine, punk."
Or…
"Dame finally catch your eye, Stevie?"
"Well, I don't think they were looking at me, jerk."
That and many other variations.
Sometimes, it seemed like they were looking for the same thing because they'd catch each other looking in the same direction.
After a while, it happened enough that they started suspecting they were seeing the same girl and that said girl was probably not some figment of their imagination.
They each wanted to ask their best friend about it, but the part of their brains that was still saying they were going crazy was holding them back.
Until today…
Steve filled up another sketchpad today and was starting on a new one. Bucky had seen the blue spiral bound book sitting on a side table in the living room.
About half way through the pad, Bucky saw something familiar. A sketch of a half hidden face he thought only he saw. There were varied sketches of a young woman who looked around twenty. Some features were vague and shadowed at first, but as he went along, they became more defined. But it was her eyes that stayed the same. Striking, determined, with a kindness and a knowing glint that showed even from the shadows of her hood.
Keeping his tone casual, he asked, "You've seen this dame around town, Steve?" Maybe he wasn't crazy, and the girl he kept seeing at the edge of his line of sight was an actual girl somewhere around Brooklyn.
Steve perked up from his current sketch and looked at the portrait that Bucky was holding up. "Uhhhhh…"
Yeah, she shows up when I'm in a bit of a situation with bullies, then disappears before I can even say thank you.
The blond scratched at the back of his head. "Not really. I just made her up." He winced… that wasn't true. He saw her way too often for it to be some kind of trick. "I think…" He added belatedly.
Bucky raised his brows at his friend's hesitation. He decided to hell with it and just ask and hope he wasn't being ridiculous. "Does she wear these wide bracelets on her arms?"
Steve's eyes widened and he gestured to his forearms, "Like bronze bangles?"
The notion that it was the same girl looked like it was becoming more fact than just a guess.
"Brown hair?" Bucky continued hopefully.
"Grey eyes?" Steve nodded.
"Well… I always thought they were a little more blue at times." Bucky chuckled.
"Gosh… I thought I was going crazy!" Steve breathed.
The dark haired young man wrapped an arm around his friend. "You and me both, buddy."
Bucky ran a hand through his hair while Steve scrubbed a hand over his face. Both practically sagging with relief.
A/N: Any scenes that you're looking for? I'm open to suggestions. Thoughts on the story?
I actually already have several chapters for this story written, I just need to retype them, which I'll do on breaks between working on my thesis, so updates will not be very regular.