This is an OC/Bucky ship, start to finish. I hope you enjoy Maggie and her story!

With love, Dubs

Maggie Hargrove grew up fighting along side best friends Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. He always inspired her to be better than she was, so when the war started, she signed up and got a position in the Army Nurses Corps. The problem is when you're good at helping people die in peace, they start to call you names. And that's where Captain America came in.

March, 1942 – New York City

A woman with sandy blonde hair leaned against her black Ford outside the Army recruitment center watching as people passed by. Mostly they were younger men going into the center, and a lot of them stopped and tried to flirt with her. She ignored their advances and watched the door for her friend to return with whatever his news would be.

This was at least the fifth different recruitment center across town he was trying. She had quit counting after the third, only offering to be his ride if she was available, so she expected another 'no' from the military. Steve was after all, scrawny and had more past illnesses than space they had in the boxes to fill out. And she knew that from firsthand experience. When the war had started, her Bucky, and Steve had all signed up. Bucky had been taken in immediately, she not long after as a nurse, but Steve had been a different story.

It was only another day until her and Bucky would ship out for the European front, and as much as she didn't want to spend her last day with Steve waiting for him outside a recruitment center that he would never be accepted by, she knew it meant the world to him to have her support. She also knew, he wished he had Bucky's support too.

A man, six foot tall and blonde, with brown eyes walked up next to her. He clearly had muscles under his clothes and as he tried to flirt with the young woman, she eyed him, unimpressed.

"Hey doll, what's your name?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not interested, thank you," she replied, her eyes going back to the doors of the recruitment center. Steve was stepping out, but she couldn't see his expression as the man stepped in front of her view.

"I'm just being nice, sweetheart, why don't you tell me your name?"

"No," she replied, and his face flushed. He lifted his hand to back hand her and she readied herself for the impact. Before he could move, she heard Steve's voice call out.

"Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size!"

The man turned ready to fight and looked down at Steve, who was five foot four and shorter than the woman he had just been about to smack by three inches. He began to laugh at Steve, and she took her chance to kick out the back of his knees. He fell to the ground in a thump. She kicked him out of the way before hopping in the driver's seat of the car and Steve ran around to the passenger's side. The man stood up and started beating on the back of the car as she accelerated away from him, smirking as he became a dot in the rearview mirror.

"Maggie, how do you always manage to get into more trouble than I do?" he asked with a sigh and she laughed, looking at him.

"I learned it from you and Bucky," she stated, "I just get the added bonus of being the prettiest and smartest of us three."

"Ain't that the truth," he replied a small smile on the corners of his lips. He looked down at his hands and she knew he hadn't been accepted again.

"Hey, why don't we go see a flick?" she asked, "I'll buy." He laughed a sarcastic laugh.

"You don't need to take pity on me Maggie," he replied, "I'll be okay."

"Maybe I want to see a movie with one of my oldest friends before I leave and possibly never come back?" she asked and though her tone was playful as he looked over at her he knew there was real concern behind the statement.

"You're a nurse, they won't keep you on the frontlines. You'll be in some building they've taken over and miles away from the fight," he commented, "but I think a film sounds great."

"It'll just be us two, Bucky is taking care of some things this afternoon."

Maggie and Steve sat in the theater waiting for the matinee to start. War propaganda played on the silver screen and Maggie was acutely aware of the woman across the aisle from them, beginning to cry. She took her handkerchief from her clutch and handed it to the woman with a soft smile when a man in front of them began heckling.

"Who cares!" he hollered, "Play the movie already!"

"Hey, can you show some respect?" Steve whispered and Maggie turned to look at Steve, with a look that he knew was her begging him not to pick a fight. He sighed and leaned back in his seat before looking over to the woman who was crying.

"Let's go!" the man called again, ignoring Steve, "Get on with it!"

The woman's tears became audible, and the man continued.

"Just start the Cartoon!" he called.

"Hey," Steve said speaking up louder, "You wanna shut up?"

The man turned and stood from his chair, looking down on Steve.

"I'd say you better tell your little girl friend here to teach you to shut your mouth but there's no way you got someone like her to saddle for you," he commented.

"Alright," Maggie said standing, "Apparently this needs to be taken outside." The man looked over her and licked his lips. She glared at him before offering for Steve to go first. He passed her and she followed him, the man following the two of them. They got outside and were walking past the alley when the man grabbed Maggie and shoved her against the wall.

Maggie kneed the man in the groin and shoved him away as she howled out in pain. He stood back up and swung at her, missing as Steve yanked on his coat. He shoved Steve away and turned back to Maggie. He shoved her into the wall hard and she hit the back of her head on the wall. She fell to the ground seeing stars. The man turned to Steve as he got up and Steve threw a punch at the man, hitting him square in the jaw.

The man laughed at him and returned the punch, knocking him further into the alley. He loomed over Steve, hitting him several more times, and at every hit Steve got knocked down, but kept standing back up attempting to fight the man.

One of the final hits, the man knocked Steve into the trash cans, and he grabbed one of the lids to use as a shield. The man ripped the lid from Steve's hands and Maggie began trying to get up to help Steve when a hand entered her vision. She looked up at its owner and smiled.

"You just don't know when to give up do you?" she heard the man ask Steve.

"I can do this all day," he replied, his voice raspy and his lungs out of breath. Steve swung at the man again and the man blocked the hit and punched him, knocking him to the ground.

"Help him," she whispered and the soldier standing in front of her nodded with a grin. He ran over and grabbed the guy's arm before he could swing on Steve again.

"Hey!" he called, "Pick on someone your own size!"

The man swung on him and he dodged the blow. The soldier swung at the man with his right hand, while holding a newspaper in his left. The hit turned the man around and the soldier kicked him in the butt. As he took off down the alley Maggie stuck her foot out to trip him. The man kept running after that and didn't look back.

"I let you two go to one film alone and you get into a fight," he said looking at Maggie with a smirk on his face. She smiled back and joined him as he turned to help Steve up, "Sometimes I think you like getting punched."

"Pretty sure Steve does," Maggie said with a smile also helping him up, "I just enjoy the wounded egos."

"I had him on the ropes," Steve said wiping the blood from his mouth and nose, before looking at Maggie, "You hit your head pretty hard, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said with a soft smile and the Soldier turned to her.

"You hit your head? Is that why you were on the ground?" he asked.

"I just saw a couple stars. I'm fine. Really, Bucky, I'm fine," she retorted.

"Let me see," he said indicating with his finger for her to spin. She sighed but did as he said and lifted her hair away from the bump on the back of her head.

"See? Fine," she stated and let her hair drop. She looked to the ground and saw Steve's enlistment form and dropped to the ground to grab it but Bucky was closer and grabbed it first.

"How many times is this?" he asked, "Oh you're from Params now. You know it's illegal to lie on your enlistment form. Seriously, Jersey?" Bucky turned back to Maggie. "And you encourage this." Steve was about to respond when he looked over Bucky's uniform.

"You get your orders?" he asked. Bucky looked to Maggie. She already knew and had promised Bucky she wouldn't tell Steve, but it still managed to surprise him that she had followed through with it. Steve was like her brother. As inseparable as Bucky and Steve were, Maggie and Steve were practically joined at the hip. There was nothing she didn't tell him… Except Bucky's orders… As she had promised.

"The One-oh-seventh," he replied looking back at Steve, "Sergeant James Barnes, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow."

"You and Maggie are leaving together then?" he asked looking toward her and she nodded. He looked to the ground shaking his head.

"I should be going," he commented.

"Steve," Maggie began, but stopped as she felt Bucky's hand on hers. She looked to him and shook his head before looking back to Steve and smiling as he wrapped his arm around his neck.

"Come on, man," he said with a laugh and turned to the entrance of the alley. He took Maggie's arm in his as well and led them, "It's our last night! We've got to go get you two cleaned up."

"Why?" Steve asked, pulling out of the head lock.

"Where are we going?" Maggie asked at the same time, and Bucky's grip on her arm tightened. He took the paper from his left hand and handed it to Steve.

"The future," he said with a smirk.

"I'm going to be the third wheel again, aren't I?" Maggie asked rolling her eyes.

"You're never the third wheel," Bucky said playfully.

"Are you bringing dates for you and Steve?" she asked, and he smirked.

"Maybe," he replied.

"And where's mine?" she retorted, and his smirk grew.

"I'm working on one for you but it's a bit complicated," he replied teasingly.

"Oh, I'm sure," she said with a grin before releasing her arm from his, "Well boys I will see you there then, half past seven?"

"Sounds good," Steve replied.

"Where are you going?" Bucky called as she turned around. Her dress skirt floated in the wind as she looked back and smiled at him.

"To get a date," she responded at the same time as Steve. Bucky stood dumbstruck as she turned the corner and out of sight before looking at Steve.

"I guess now I really do need to get us dates," he commented before continuing to walk back to his family home.