Pulling the ribbon between his fingers, he felt the smooth silk texture, it felt like the lips of the woman he had kissed. Raising it to his nose he could still smell that unique perfume that was soaked into it. It was a smell that was some delightful medley between the smell right before rain, and the smell of decaying leaves in the autumn.

"What's that Buck?" Steve asked looking over from his notepad, to what Bucky was fiddling with in his fingers.

"A gift from a friend."

"Which girl?" Steve asked with a smile on his face, knowing Bucky's popularity with the ladies. There were many of those ladies too, "Dot? Bonnie? Connie? Anne?"

"No, no, no, not a girl. A woman, I think this one is special Steve."

"How so?"

"I don't know, its just-she's very, I guess she's kinda like me."

"Oh, so she's a jerk?" Bucky reached over and pushed his closest friend roughly, both laughing for a moment, "You know I'm not serious. What's her name."

"Mary. She's a tough bird too, I'm pretty sure she fakes being delicate to make me feel better about myself. But, damn, I'm certain she could kill a man with a look."

"Sounds like quite the woman."

"I'm certain she is, of course I don't know much about her. " Bucky wrapped the ribbon around his fingers, "I like her though, one of the prettiest things I have ever seen. And no one has ever kissed me like her."

"When can I meet her?" Steve knew that Bucky liked to show off the girls that he dated. Bringing them to dance halls and twirling them about, making sure to hold their hands and stay close by. Whoever this Mary was, she had pulled Bucky in and he seemed smitten.

"I don't know, I don't even know when I'm going to see her again." Bucky looked around at the desolate camp, full of mud and rain. Not a pleasant sight, and he found himself daydreaming about dancing with Marian, and that kiss. He was curious to what she had meant when she had told him to earn a kiss, now he understood the price was his time. And he had plenty to give her, when he got back he would be certain to give as much of it to her as he could. But his motives were not only for another kiss, or any carnal pleasure, but he had enjoyed his time with her.

"What does she look like."

"Short, blonde, silver eyes that could cut a man down if she wanted to. She's also a little muscular, not like you but, you can feel it in her arms. It's probably because of her job, she works in a bookstore and does a lot of lifting."

"You like muscular women now?"

"I like strong women."

"Since when?"

"Since I met Mary." Bucky shrugged, thinking about the pretty woman and what she was doing. Where she was at, it was the end of the work day, he thought of what dress she was wearing. And if there was a ribbon in her hair, or if she had pinned it back. What about who was walking her home, was she alone, was there a man. There had to be at least one man who would come up to her and try their luck. She was too pretty to be left alone and the connoted image of another man that didn't exist made him jealous. "Chances are she doesn't take me too seriously though."

"I'm sure she likes you, almost all girls do." Steve wiped his brow of the wet of the rain.

"She's a woman Steve, not a girl." he held the ribbon up again, unraveling it from his fingers letting it blow in the wind, but keeping it close enough so that the fine mist of water did not drench it. Then with a burst of optimism he perked up, elbowing Steve, "But maybe I can make her take me seriously."

Within the first hours of being back in London, after months of not seeing Marian, he went back to where she lived. The large brick building with many windows that stood on the outskirts of the city. He did not know in which apartment she lived, so he did something that was mildly embarrassing, and extremely annoying.

"Marian!" he shouted up to the brick building, hoping that she was there and would come out. But Marian was not in her apartment, she was walking up the street as he shouted her name. A brown bag in her arm as she had just finished her shopping, as she saw the soldier looking up and shouting she began to laugh quietly for herself. Without a sound she walked up behind him,

"Long time no see.

"Goddamnit Mary!" he shouted after having a less than manly reaction to being scared. His momentary anger and fright turned over into laughter as she stood there with a straight back and a smile.

"You know all that yelling you just did is only going to make my neighbors like me less." she walked around him to the front door of her building. He was quick to follow her there taking off his hat and going to open the door for her. She stopped and turned looking at him, and her smile was soft now as she reached up and touched his face, "I've miss you Bucky."

"You did?"

"Of course, without you there is no one to waste my time with." She took her hand back and used it to open the door, as she did that Bucky assisted pulling the heavy door open with ease. "When did you get back?"

"A few hours ago." this information shocked her as she walked into the building, and then turned around again, the look on her face did not conceal her confusion. But he quickly explained himself, "I wanted to see you."

"You didn't have to, you should have waited a while and rested." she said firmly, almost like a mother would, adjusting the weight of the groceries in her arm she sighed. "Come on, I'll make you dinner."

"I don't want to take away your rations." Bucky said, holding his hat with both hands. It was true that during the war that the food a person was allowed was limited. But Marian had access to other food sources should she actually get hungry. And she had actually grown used to the smaller portions of food that she was eating. There was always more than enough for her to eat, so she rolled her silver eyes at the man,

"Come on Bucky." she waved him on up the stairs.

"What floor do you live on?"

"Top floor."

"The tenth floor? Is there not and elevator."

"Takes away energy from the war effort. Besides, exercise is good for you."

"That's true." Bucky said stepping in front of her to take the groceries, "Let me."

"You don't have to carry things for me."

"I know, but I like to help." he touched her hand as he took the bag from her, sliding his fingers over hers as he moved the bag away from her body. And he took the opportunity of closeness to lean into her, those large lips asked to be kissed, but Marian had not asked to be kissed, so Bucky did not kiss her. Instead he leaned back from her and said, "Come on, let's get walking, we have a few stories to go."

Marian walked with Bucky, again letting him take the lead, as she had always done before. Holding the skirt of her dress in one hand she walked up the stairs very easily. The small heels clicking on each step and her artificial curls bouncing along. The past months staying the the past, in London, she had grown nostalgic for the future. But she stayed in the past waiting on a boy to come back from war.

"That was a long walk." Bucky complained as they finally got to the top floor, it was a long walk but Marian could never give up an opportunity to make a jest at the young man's expense,

"Don't tell me youre tired from a couple of stairs."

"You call that a couple of stairs?" the exasperated manner in which he said it made her laugh. As she walked with her head thrown back in laughter, with Bucky watching her, she seemed to dance past the white walls, and past the doors that were all painted blue. A golden light came in through the window at the end of the hall, like a spotlight on the stage, and it shone directly on her. He found himself stopping as he observed the scene. It was a moment of his life that did not seem quite real, it was all hazy but so clear as well. When she finally fell against a door at the end of the hallway, she leaned her head against the blue door.

"Bucky?" she called out, her voice was concerned as he must have been standing there like an idiot. So he walked after her, going to the door that she leaned against. She had turned herself so that her back was pressed against the door, and her body curved towards her. Golden hair fell in her face, as the light of the sun caught her dark golden lashes, plump lips smiled then came together as she leaned up to grab his collar. There was little passion behind the kiss, but it was warm. To Bucky, it felt like a hello. So that was what he said to her, he looked down and smiled,

"Hello."

"Hi." she smiled at him, her hand went back and opened the door. It looked as if she fell back as she did this, her dancer's movements letting her gracefully twirl into the apartment. The skirt of the yellow dress opened up around her legs before falling gently around her long legs.

"Is it okay for me to be here?" he asked, genuinely concerned about what her neighbors would think. Afterall she was a young woman, it could be considered inappropriate for him to be in her home.

"Are you worried about my modesty?" she smiled leaning against the door frame with a tilt of her head.

"...yes?"

"Well don't, modesty is a made up idea, created by men to control the actions of women. Now get in here, I wanna cook dinner."

"Yes ma'am."