Jitterbug Video: watch?v=p1fwq3tP7cg

Hello, hello! So, this chapter is amazing, if I do say so myself. I loved writing it and I hope you guys love it as much as I do! Check out the video link for the dance moves (if the link doesn't work, let me know. It's called Jitterbug Dancing on YouTube and totally what I imagine.) I hope everyone's having a great start of the year! Thanks for all the awesome reviews and love. I seriously have no idea how you guys read the chapters so fast. I get some reviews like minutes after I post and it baffles me. I'm so glad you all love it! Enjoy!

"Why don't you have FRIDAY tracking the hack in the system?" Nova demanded, curled up with her Stark Pad on the chair in her living room. James was leaning against the arm of the chair, insistent that he was fine where he was, though Steve kept shooting him suspicious looks. When Nova had finally given up arguing and curled into the cushions, James had counted it as a personal win.

"I do have her looking into it, but it's going to take more than that. I don't know if we'll identify them this way or not. But there has to be something we can do to discourage an attack," Evangeline hummed, her own Stark Pad at her fingertips. Steve was seated next to her, one arm thrown over the back of the couch and his attention fluttering around the room. Evangeline didn't even notice when Steve moved his arm from the back of the couch to her shoulders, pulling her gently back into his chest. She just went with the motion.

James wished it was that easy with Nova. Well, theoretically. If it was that easy, she wouldn't be Nova. But he wanted that easy manner. He wanted to belong in Nova's life irreparably. He wanted to curl around her every night. It didn't matter if they were kissing or she was telling him about her projects. For once, he found a woman that he actually just liked to be around. That was something he didn't remember in any lifetime. Steve was luckier than he knew to have Evangeline, who accepted him no matter what. Nova was much the same, but James wasn't always sure where he stood with her. There was just something about Nova that made him rethink everything that happened between them over and over again.

"We're bringing in four Avengers for Christmas. You can't tell me that we're not doing what we can to give out a deterrent," Nova reminded Evangeline, clicking a few things on her screen. James glanced over the information, not able to understand most of it. It seemed to be some sort of tracking sheet, but that was all he could understand about it. There were coordinates, letters, and numbers in specific orders he couldn't read. Whatever they were looking at together, it seemed to make sense to them and them alone.

"You know that's not enough. I've already sent up the warning flag. Mama said that you two should come with us in the jet. It would be safer and you wouldn't have to drive all the way there," Evangeline's golden eyes focused on Nova, who glanced up and rolled her eyes dramatically at the sight of her best friend trying to beg her into ignoring her plans.

If James wasn't so aware of the disproval that was radiating off of Steve, he would have smirked at just the thought that someone could change Nova's mind so easily. There wasn't a more stubborn dame in all the world.

"I do this drive every year, Evie. You know how it is. I need to get my driving practice in and I need to get the hell out of this Tower for a few days. Once Christmas comes around I'm going to have to deal with my entire family trying to trap me in the house so I can't come back to the Tower. I just need a few days to prepare myself. It's not going to be a long trip. Just one night. It's not like I'm going alone," Nova added, tapping James on the arm pointedly. He wondered if he could duck out of this conversation when Evangeline's eyes met his and he could see the fire burning behind them. The one that had intrigued him the first time they met.

He still remembered her sitting down on the stool next to him at that Stark party, hair in wild curls and a smile on her lips. She'd acted as though they were old friends. He'd known she was Seraphim before that day, of course. He'd looked into the mysterious voice who told him what to do on missions. James didn't take orders from just anyone. Especially considering Steve had such a crush on the woman. James had been dogged in his tracking, making sure she was someone they could trust. He had decided to trust her but hadn't expected her to talk to him so readily.

In another life, Evangeline might have been someone he could see himself with. She was pretty with her pixie features and the curls that swallowed her whole. Her personality was bigger than her and it was almost funny to see her order Steve around because she was about a foot shorter than him. But James didn't feel anything other than vague affection looking at Evangeline. He'd always known she belonged with Steve, from the moment he'd heard Seraphim talk to them for the first time. It took Steve a while, but they'd worked it out.

Some buried part of him flashed a familiar face behind his eyelids. Brown hair and chubby cheeks. Sparkling eyes and teeth flashing in a reckless smile. The image blurred into Evangeline and James put the thoughts together in an order that made sense.

He thought of Evangeline just as he'd thought of his sisters while he was Bucky.

"You okay?"

Bucky flinched back into his body, eyes flickering around the room quickly before settling on the pretty dame with the chocolate eyes that was leaning close to him, inquisitive and obviously worried. He didn't know what he'd done in another life to deserve the dame's worry, but he was thanking God for whatever it was in this moment.

"Perfectly fine, sweetheart," Bucky's accent slipped through and a confident grin grew on his lips. The dame already liked him, he could tell. It would take less than a moment to get her to agree to a dance or two, if he was the gentleman his ma taught him to be.

"Ah, Bucky, I missed you. It's been a while," Nova, such an odd name for such a pretty face, smiled at him happily as her eyes lit up. Warmth spread through his blood at just the sight of her smile and Bucky leaned forward, surprised when the dame didn't lean back. Instead, she held her ground, meeting his gaze with the same solid intensity he knew he was exuding. A smile started to curl his lips and the dame before him raised a challenging eyebrow.

A little moxie never hurt no one.

"Been too long's more like it. Pretty girl like you sitting at home on a night like this, that might as well be a crime," Bucky pushed to his feet, reaching out a hand for the dame to take in one swift move. He couldn't quite remember where they were, but there had to be a place to dance around the corner or so. The dance halls were almost always open and Bucky was determined to take the dame out for a night of fun. Impressing her was the first step, after all.

"Buck?" a familiar voice spoke behind him and Bucky turned slightly, keeping his hand out for Nova. He wasn't going to abandon her just because someone else was interrupting.

"Stevie!" Bucky felt a slim hand slip into his and then it was gone. His eyes flicked to Nova, who was standing now, close enough that he could sling an arm around her shoulder if the mood struck him. The thought brought about images of her, inches from him, lips bruised from kisses and his hands trailing along her back. He had to shake himself bodily to stop thinking about it, turning to face his best friend. After that crazy serum, Steve had grown taller than Bucky. It was a bit odd to look up to meet Steve's gaze, but Bucky was determined. If he could, he would make sure it was just like old times no matter where in the world they were.

Strolling up to Steve, Bucky slapped him on the back, turning to face Nova and another woman that had stood up as well. Her arm was in a sling and her hair was curling all over the place, swallowing her whole. Instead of walking toward them, the other woman stood next to Nova, eyeing him curiously, as if she'd never seen him before. Bucky didn't remember her, but maybe she was a dame he'd met before once or twice. Pretty face, but Nova was next to her and that was all Bucky really felt like focusing on.

"Bucky, you're back," Steve whispered the words like he was afraid of spooking him and Bucky snorted, shaking his head.

"Ignore his manners, always been atrocious," Bucky threw toward the dames they were standing in front of, surprised when Steve suddenly yanked him into a tight, rib splitting hug that Bucky hadn't been prepared for. Patting at his back comfortingly, Bucky wondered what was going on in his best pal's mind. It wasn't like he'd been gone long.

"I can't believe you're still here," Steve muttered as he dropped Bucky back on his feet. Bucky shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably, unsure what was going on but knowing that it was upsetting Steve.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I've been getting to know this beautiful dame over here while I was away," Bucky bodily turned Steve to look at Nova, blatantly ignoring the other woman for a moment. Leaning against Steve's shoulder so he could speak into his ear, James whispered, "I'm gonna marry her someday, just you wait."

Steve choked on air, coughing raggedly while Bucky turned to saunter up to Nova.

"We should dance. Don't you think?" Bucky was taking her hand without giving her an opportunity to say no, swinging her in a twirl she executed beautifully.

"FRIDAY, get me some of the oldies on." Nova called into thin air. "We can dance right here if you're ready."

Bucky decided not to ask questions when familiar music swelled in the room. He was already pulling Nova close, pressing their bodies together as his left hand cradled Nova's right and his right hand slid to rest against the small of her back, gently directing her in the dance. Her smile lit up her face and her chocolate eyes were sparkling as he spun them both, twirling her around the room with practiced ease.

There wasn't much room to dance, but Steve was already moving furniture out of the way, clearing the floor space. The other dame was watching them from her new perch on the counter to the kitchen, a wide smile stretching her lips. Bucky didn't get a very good look at her because he was too focused on making sure his dance moves were correct and he wasn't about to step on Nova's feet. Muscle memory seemed to take over most of the time as he deftly twirled her away from him and back again, catching her tightly against his chest as she laughed genuinely.

"We should definitely do this more often. I don't get to dance with other people nearly enough. Then again, I don't think I could find a partner half as handsome as you," Nova informed him with a laugh as the music changed and the tempo picked up.

"You know the Jitterbug, sweetheart?" he asked, wondering if she'd had any sort of training in those sorts of dances.

"I want to Jitterbug!" the other woman cried, throwing herself bodily off the table. Steve was right there to catch her in his arms. Apparently, he'd gotten better with women since Bucky had last seen him because the smaller woman was dragging him onto the dance floor without bothering to wait for excuses he would surely make up.

"I can't say I'm any good, but let's give it a shot," Nova allowed, letting Bucky pull her closer. They fit together well, his hand dipping to her lower back while her chin bumped his shoulder before she tilted it up and rested her chin on his shoulder for a moment. Bucky tightened his fingers reflexively around hers, wondering what Steve would do if he kissed Nova right here, in the middle of a living room, in front of at least two other people. Would he get upset?

Steve was no angel, but he had a very high sense of decency when it came to the dames. If Bucky stepped out of line, Steve wouldn't hesitate to punch him just like he'd punched a hundred other men in the same manner. It was something Bucky appreciated most days. Right now, he'd have preferred to kiss Nova.

"Okay, dancing man, show me what you got. I'm going to be honest with you, I don't dance much. Like, around my lab I do because I'm alone and no one can see me and it's safe. Relatively safe? But I don't go out in public, so if I step on your toes I really don't mean to and it's nothing personal. You've been a great dancer so far, so it will be my fault if we fall or something," Nova rushed as the beginning notes of "Call of the Jitterbug" hummed through the speakers. "I just don't want you to think that it's your fault because Steve is like that sometimes and that's bullshit but I just want you to know. I'm not really adept at much that involves me being careful and paying attention to something for a long period of time."

"You'll do fine, doll face. Now, let yourself loosen up a bit and we can have some fun. I won't even get upset if you step on my toes," Bucky promised. Nova's lips slowly straightened out of their frown, an automatic smile pulling at his features as he realized she was getting more comfortable.

"If you were throwing a dance party, you should have called," another voice interrupted. Bucky turned with Nova to see who it was, her entire torso still pressed against him. Standing just inside the door was a beautiful redhead and a blond man with a shirt with a target painted across the front. Bucky wasn't sure who they were, but Nova made no move to pull away, so he figured they had to be friends of hers.

"Jump in," Bucky waved them over and both of them turned to look at him for a moment. One imperious red eyebrow raised before the woman was pulling her partner into the cleared space without a word. Nova's fingers tightened around Bucky's and he thought for a moment that maybe he'd gotten the wrong idea. But then she relaxed and the music started to quicken, pulling Bucky into the moment as his body started moving to the beat before he made a conscious decision to.

Nova kept her head tilted down to watch their feet as he showed her how to move, sure to keep both hands on her in some fashion at all times. He'd gotten the most beautiful dame in the room to dance with him and only him, he wasn't about to pass that opportunity up. Especially when the redhead's blond friend kept shooting him suspicious looks.

With some gentle guidance, Bucky got Nova to swing out and dance back to him, her little jig swiveling her hips in a way that made his mouth water. As soon as she was within reaching distance, Bucky caught her hand and yanked her back into his chest, her laughter muffled as she landed there. Her arms curved around his waist and squeezed, fingers tangling in the back of his sweater for a moment. Bucky smoothed a hand over her riotous hair before letting her pull back and continuing their dance.

Steve was easily throwing the other, smaller woman around the room, her laughter ringing to them as she twisted and turned with the music, seeming content to let Steve do what he wanted while they danced. The other couple in the room were much sterner, their movements obviously practiced. Bucky wasn't sure if they taught a class on the jitterbug, but obviously someone had drilled into them some specific ideals. The redhead was too mechanical while her blond friend tried to get her to loosen up. Still, he was stiff, almost like he was waiting for something to happen. What they could be waiting for, he had no idea.

"This is awesome," Nova squealed as James caught both of her hands and they swung their hands together, feet shuffling from side to side in unison. Bucky grinned in answer, agreeing. So what if the other couples were a little odd? Nova was having fun and that was what mattered when a guy took a dame out dancing. "I know you don't know those two over there, but they usually have unusually large sticks shoved up their asses. Well, the redhead does anyway. The blond is too busy fucking with everyone to notice. Plus, you finally got your pal over there to calm the hell down, which has been my goal since he showed up. You'd think I had the plague or something with the way he treats me. Don't get too uppity about it though, he seems to have calmed down."

Now, Bucky wasn't a wet blanket, he hung around with a pretty lively crowd of fellas and dames alike, but Nova had a mouth on her the likes of which he'd never heard from a lady. It was a shock, but not an altogether bad one. He didn't mind a bit of moxie in a gal and Nova had plenty to go around. If she bothered Steve a little bit, well, that was just a nice little perk, wasn't it?

"If Stevie ever bothers you again, bring him to me. I'll straighten him out for you," Bucky promised, swinging her through the next turn and catching her waist to lift her lightly. He spun her over his shoulder, sure to set her firmly on her feet before turning to catch her hands. Wide chocolate eyes met his, lit with delight.

"Again! Again, again, again!" she cried, bouncing up and down right where she was. Bucky laughed good-naturedly and caught her again, surprised at how easily she let him twirl her in the air. This time he swung her feet to his left, to his right, and then to the left again, this time flipping her over his arm deftly. Nova's shrieks of laughter echoed through the room and Bucky jumped when she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "That's so much fun! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Bucky gently hugged her back, glancing up to see that Steve was watching them, having stopped dancing with his dame to see why Nova was shrieking, probably. He always was a bit nosy. Not that Bucky could blame him, that was his influence wearing through Steve's standup morals.

"No need to thank me, sweetheart. The pleasure of dancing with you was more than enough," Bucky grinned down at her. It was true. He wanted nothing more than to continue dancing with Nova all night. He had a feeling that Steve wouldn't let him. There was something about Steve that seemed off, as if he didn't understand Bucky's preoccupation with the red haired woman in his arms. How his friend didn't see the beauty that lay within Nova, Bucky didn't know. All he knew was that he preferred no one else see it until he could secure some sort of promise from the woman herself. Once he was sure she was just as interested in him as he was in her, he would make sure everyone knew just how wonderful she really was.

"Ah, what a suck up," Nova smiled at him, her words foreign and laughing. Bucky didn't particularly care for the meaning of the phrase. All that mattered was that she was happy. "I'm not sure what you want, but compliments will only get you so far. Of course, take off your shirt and we could talk a little more about this."

"If you insist…" Bucky started, interrupted when Steve bodily pulled Nova out of his arms. His immediate reaction was to laugh until he saw Nova's outrage at being manhandled. "Why don't you put the dame down, Steve?"

"You just want to get your ass kicked today, don't you? What did you think I was going to do, start stripping him? It was a joke, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!" Nova cried. The words echoed in Bucky's mind for a moment.

With a swiftness that left him breathless, James was back in his body, knees giving out under the weight of the memories that assaulted him.

"James!" Nova called for him. His head started to lift to find her, his automatic reaction when she wasn't near enough to reach out and touch. Usually, if he was with her when he lapsed, she was there when he woke up. The fact that she wasn't with him put him on high alert and he fought the swirling of his thoughts. His stomach rebelled as he turned slightly toward where he could hear her struggling against something, but he didn't find her before another voice filled the room.

"Jesus Christ, did you bite me?" Steve's voice asked dubiously. Accompanying his words was the thump of a body hitting the floor and then James's eyes found Nova. She was on the floor near Steve's feet, wiping at her mouth with her nose wrinkled so that the freckles waved over her skin. As soon as she noticed his attention, she threw herself at him, crossing the feet between them in a scramble.

"I don't know if I can let you kiss me when you take the Lord's name in vain," Evangeline's voice was background noise as Nova flew into his chest, her fingers catching his face in a protective hold as she checked him over, her fingers running over his forehead, cheeks, and nose. James caught her by the waist, keeping his hands at an appropriate level so as not to encourage the various enemies in the room.

Not enemies.

Combatants.

No.

Friends.

"Are you okay? It didn't hurt or anything, did it? Is Bucky different from not-James? Obviously he's different, but I mean like changing personalities or whatever. I get that the personalities are different, obviously, but is it different coming back now than it is from coming back from not-James?" Nova flung a slew of questions at him and James sighed, pulling her into his chest without allowing her to fight it. She caved willingly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing against him tightly.

The fingers of one hand curled into his hair, cupping the back of his head. The other hand fisted in his shirt like she could hold him there by sheer force of will alone. If anyone could do such a thing, Nova would be able to.

"Just a little nauseous. Nothing to worry about," James murmured soothingly, looking up to meet Steve's eye. Something was wrong. Maybe not wrong, but different. Going through Bucky's memories was like going through soup, pushing through the unimportant bits toward what he wanted to remember. He clearly remembered convincing Nova to dance with him, but before that, when Steve was still unsure about them dancing…

He'd told Steve he was going to marry Nova someday.

Well, shit.