A/N: Don't you just hate it when you write out a whole load of stuff, and then either forget to save it or accidentally delete like... all of it? I did that the other day. Still mental kicking myself for that. Planning chapter 10 of this has been a nightmare and a half. Anyway, here's the update. let me know what you think :)

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4 - I Don't Like Bullies

Come morning, Samantha (that was her full name) and Harley's mother still hadn't returned. They got up at eight and started getting ready for school alone. They seemed to have such a practiced routine that I wondered to myself how often their mother was even in the house to help them get ready. Or how often, even if she was in the house, she didn't come out to help because she was completely hung-over from her night of drinking beforehand. I'd been told that their mother had succumbed to alcoholism shortly after their father left, and it was a habit she either couldn't or didn't want to break.

Both of them seemed surprised when I walked into their hallway and picked up a coat which I assumed to be their mother's (if she couldn't be bothered to return home to look after her kids, then I had no problem with borrowing her clothing without asking for permission) and then turning with a smile. "Come on, let's go," I said, holding open the door.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked, frowning as she nonetheless picked up her school bag and left the house.

"I'm walking you to school, silly," I said with a laugh, shutting the door behind me as Harley also stepped outside.

"You don't need to, you know that, right?" Harley asked, frowning up at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I do. But I want to. Though you're gonna have to lead the way this time." Sam beamed up at me and nodded, before spinning around and walking along the pavement edge. I was glad there were few enough cars at this time in the morning that the risk of her falling into the path of one was slim. I turned my attention back to Harley after assuring myself Sam was going to be fine. "So when did your school year start? Can't have been all that long ago."

"August 12th," Harley said. "It was a Wednesday. It's my first year of high school though, so the first week we didn't really learn all that much."

"You guys have to start school in August?" I asked, frowning. "Wow, that sucks."

"Didn't you?"

I shook my head. "No, when I was in school, you tended to start a week or so into September."

"But you went to school in England, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that's right." I shook my head. "I don't understand the American school system. It's probably not that different in reality, but it seems like everyone talks in a different language whenever they mention what grade they're in."

"I'm in the 9th Grade," Harley said with a grin when I sent him a look of mock-frustration.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Fourteen."

I spent a moment doing the mental calculations in my head, before nodding. "Okay, so you'd be in Year 10 back in England."

"What about Samantha?" Harley asked, and both of them briefly turned their attention to the nine year old girl who was fiddling with a button on her dress.

"She'd be in Year 5," I answered with a smile. "Still in Primary School." We lapsed into a comfortable silence, until I looked up and noticed we were passing Walker's bar, and I couldn't help but wonder aloud, "Does your mother often stay out drinking this long?"

Harley's eyes darkened, and he pursed his lips. "Yeah, she does. Most days, actually. She'll come home maybe two or three nights a week, sleep for hours, and then head out again. I'm looking after the house more than her, though she does at least still have a job."

"Where?"

His face showed signs of dark amusement. "Walker's. It's why she goes there - she gets an employee's discount. As long as she's sober when it's time for her shift, they keep her around."

"I can't imagine working in a bar brings in all that much money."

Harley shrugged one shoulder. "Not really, but it's okay. I help out other people in town when their stuff gets broken, and I get paid a little for that. So we're not doing too bad."

"You shouldn't be so independently responsible for your sister, though," I said with a frown. "Maybe I should talk to your mother."

Harley scoffed. "You can try, but don't expect to get through to her. She tends to just block people out if they try to get her to stop."

"I'm sure I'll come up with something," I mumbled, my mind already whirling with ideas I could try out. But first, I would try to talk to her. If I could get her to see sense just through words, I wouldn't have to make her go through things she won't like for the sake of her family.

The elementary school and high school were in the same area of the town, so I could say goodbye to them both together. Harley just walked forward without turning back, but Sam spun around when she was a few metres away from me and waved with a grin. I smiled and returned it, before spinning on my heel and heading towards Walker's bar.

The inside of the building was the embodiment of a cliché bar, with stools all along the counter and several booths along the wall, and even a little stage at the end with a tattered sign reading 'Karaoke' on the wall. There were about a dozen or so customers in the bar, and along with the guy serving drinks, there were two waitresses wandering about. One of the waitresses looked to be in her late teens, and had hair as black as coal, so I knew instantly she wasn't the woman I was looking for.

The other woman was much older, with sandy blonde hair and dark circles under her eyes. She was presently serving a table of three, all men wearing high visibility jackets. They mostly just ignored her, not even glancing up to say thanks when she brought them their breakfasts.

I sat in the booth that was furthest from the door, and it was conveniently also within the eyesight of Harley and Sam's mother, whilst being at a bad angle for the younger girl to notice me.

Sure enough, a minute or so later, the older woman was by my table with a little notepad in her hand, which I noticed was trembling slightly.

"Hi, I'm Tracey. Can I get you anything?" Her voice was cheerful, but there was a gruffness to it that made it clear her throat was used to being abused by strong alcohol. So, that meant she didn't just drink - she drank heavily.

I smiled up at her. "I'll just have some water for now, thanks. I'll let you know if I want anything else, though."

Tracey nodded and left without another word, and I watched her closely. Her whole body slouched slightly, and her feet seem to drag on the floor a little more. For whatever reason, this woman was slowly killing herself. I was determined to find out why.

Bucky was cold, he was hungry, he was exhausted, and had seen neither hair nor hide of another life form for almost seven hours. Having stowed away onto a plane headed for Kittilä Airport in Finland, he'd then proceeded to head due south, carefully avoiding any roads and Kittilä itself when he saw it ahead of him. Eventually he'd come across a river, and had started walking alongside it, knowing he would eventually find civilisation.

That had been three hours ago, and now night had long since fallen. All he could see around him was grass and trees and the deep blue river rushing by his feet. At this rate he would have to sleep in the forest, a possibility which didn't exactly fill him with joy. Still, he did at least have the small benefit of the fact that he was further south than he was a day ago, so it was significantly warmer than it had been in Norway.

He was just about to call it a night when he noticed there was a faint glow in the air around him. He paused, tensing when he noticed the light was moving. For a moment his mind slipped back into that of a hunter, but then his logical mind took over again. The chance of someone finding him in such a remote area was slim, and this light felt far too... natural.

Bucky's eyes slid skyward, and what had begun as a quick glance turned into open-mouthed staring.

Above his head, shimmering and dancing in a way that was nothing short of enchanting, were the Northern Lights, blazing in the silent sky. They moved in great swaying bands of colour like they were a living organism. The colours were utterly brilliant and pure, the vibrant shades locked in a perpetual motion, flowing, flickering and writhing. The sky seemed suddenly so much clearer, the stars glowing in perfect harmony with the coloured streaks that floated far above his head.

Bucky settled on the floor, his back leaning against the trunk of a thick tree, and felt each of his muscles relaxing as he continued to watch the marvel taking place above him. Even after his neck began to cramp up from being in the same position he continued to stare upward, wondering if Daphne had ever witnessed an event like this from the depths of space. He couldn't help but wish for the time when he could finally tell her just how aweing this moment was. Bucky glanced at the empty space beside him, and just for a moment he could imagine Daphne's voice in his head, as if she were there right next to him.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Because soon the world will shine brighter for us."

I hadn't spoken to Tracey any more, quietly standing and leaving once I'd finished the water she brought me. I went back to find Felix and take him for a walk - which ended up lasting about two hours longer than I'd expected - and then spent much of the afternoon creating myself a pair of targets from the things I found in Harley's workshop. Once that was done, I also dug around the house looking for makeup I could borrow to change my appearance. I decided on a pair of fake, black-framed glasses, dotted a few freckles onto my face, and then put my hair up into a messy bun.

A quick search on the calendar told me what time Harley and Sam finished school, so when 3pm came around I put Felix back on his leash and left the house, locking the door with a spare key I had found in one of the kitchen drawers (okay, yes, I was being nosy).

Felix was clearly still recovering from the walk earlier, so he remained by my side, completely calm. At least, that was until we showed up outside the schools. All the people around him made him suddenly very fidgety, and the moment he clapped eyes on Harley coming out of the doors, he tried to yank my arm off. Were I not a serum-enhanced human being, he probably would have succeeded.

When Harley saw us both his entire face flashed with surprise, his footsteps faltering for a second. Felix yipped happily, but my eyes were drawn elsewhere. A group of boys, all appearing to be the same age as Harley, were approaching the young boy like he was their favourite meal.

"Hi, Daphne!"

My gaze shifted downward as Sam popped up next to me, her hands automatically going to Felix's thick fur. He gave a low rumble of pleasure. "Hiya, Sam. How was school?"

Sam shrugged. "It was okay, I guess."

I glanced back up to see Harley was now completely surrounded. "Sam, could you keep an eye on Felix for me?"

Sam blinked. "Are you sure?"

I smiled down at her and nodded. "Yeah, I trust you." Slowly, Sam stretched out a hand, and I placed Felix's leash into her small palm. I turned to Felix and said sternly, "Stay." Felix huffed, but nonetheless sat down, then turned his head back towards Sam. The girl recognised the pleading expression on his face and began to gently stroke his head.

Satisfied the two were adequately distracted, I headed towards Harley and those other boys. They had started to attract quite the audience, and it honestly disgusted me that no one wanted to help. That was, at least, until a tall but thin boy with red hair rushed out from the crowds surrounding the group and actually launched himself at the biggest of the bullies.

The boy was clearly startled, not expecting to be so openly attacked, especially by the scrawny kid who was yelling, "Leave him alone, leave him alone, leave him alone!"

The bully shoved the red-head off him, whirling around with a sneer on his face. "What you gonna do about it, weakling? Hit me with a stick?"

"I'll bloody your nose if I have to," the kid snapped back, raising his fists. I couldn't help but stand in complete motionlessness, my mouth slightly parted. It was like I was watching an almost perfect replay of the past.

The bullies laughed mockingly. "A four year old girl would do more damage than you, pipsqueak," another of the bullies mocked.

"Yeah? Try me," the red-head challenged, though I could tell now he was beginning to grow intimidated by the larger boys. I snapped out of my funk when the largest of them took a menacing step towards the boy.

The moment he drew his arm back to throw the first punch my hand snapped around his upper arm, stopping his fist six inches from the red haired boy's face. The bully's eyes, wide with shock, turned to face my own. I could feel the power of my glare almost physically making him curl in on himself. Even with fake freckles and glasses, apparently I could look terrifying. His fear quickly became bravado, and he scowled at me. "Let go of my arm!"

"Considering I expect your only intention is to use said arm to injure someone else, I don't think I will." My voice was as cold as ice, and I noticed that all of them - even Harley and the red haired boy - were affected by it. "Don't start something you can't finish, kid."

His scowl appeared again, and this time he tried to wrench his arm from my grip. "Is that a threat?" His voice was noticeably less confident this time.

"Just a good bit of life advice," I corrected, finally letting go of his arm. "If I hear of you going after either of these boys again, I'll make sure there are consequences, you understand that?"

He sniffed haughtily, then turned on his heel and left, his three goons following after him. I looked at Harley and the stranger, who wouldn't meet each other's eyes.

"Why did you help me?" Harley asked, and when I glanced his way again I knew he wasn't talking to me. While his gaze remained fixed on his shoes, his body was turned completely towards the other boy.

The red-head shrugged, being the first to look up. "I don't like bullies," he said simply, and I had to choke back a weird noise when I heard that. I bit my lip, fighting a grin as I realised I might have just witnessed the beginning of another Bucky-Steve brother-like relationship. "I don't care if they're twice my size."

"What's your name?" I asked.

The boy blinked up at me, his eyes showing he was clearly nervous. I smiled gently, trying to convey that I wasn't as cold a person as I had just shown. "Danny."

"Well, Danny, that was a good thing you did there," I said with a smile.

Danny shrugged one shoulder. "It's not like it helped much."

"Sometimes it's the thought alone that counts," I commented with a wink. "Can I tell you something?"

Danny blinked up at me. "Umm, sure, I guess."

"Promise you won't tell anyone?"

Danny's face became suddenly serious. "Promise," he said firmly.

I glanced at Harley and noticed he was watching me with a puzzled look on his face. I grinned at him and then crouched down in front of Danny. "I know a guy who used to be like you. He didn't like bullies either, and every single time he saw one of them, he would be willing to get himself beaten up in order to get them to stop. Back then, he didn't have a lot of friends, I'll admit. He had one really good one, though, who stayed by his side through it all. That man, the one who hated bullies, just like you, is one of the greatest men who have ever lived. And it's no longer just me and his best friend who know - the whole world knows just how amazing he is now."

Danny's eyes were wide with wonder. "Who is he? Will I know him?"

I grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah, because I have this little inkling in the back of my head that makes me believe he might actually be a role model of yours."

Danny blinked, his eyes blowing up to the size of balloons. "Steve Rogers?" he whispered, eyes lighting up with hope and glee.

My grin widened. "Steve Rogers," I confirmed. "He was a scrawny kid back in the 30s and 40s, and then someone realised just how brilliant he was, and suddenly everyone could see it for themselves."

Danny frowned. "But you know him? Personally?"

I hummed. "Yeah, that man is essentially my brother-in-law."

Danny blinked. "What? How?"

"You know Bucky Barnes, his best friend?" Danny nodded, realisation appearing his eyes. "He's my husband." I winked at him again, then straightened up and turned to Harley, who was watching me like I'd grown another head. I just smiled at him. "Come on, Harley, let's go home."