We had HOURS to fill before we needed to show up for forced social time at Connie's, and while a HUGE part of me wanted to pull Bucky back into the house and make every single room OURS - he had to unpack and I had to get prints ready for my audition portfolios and I had a special one to make for Sarah. While I worked in the spare room - where Dad had set up the rest of the tools of my future trade - a photo printer that I would have probably fainted had I seen it prior to the Snap and all of the software that would give me the upperhand in taking what my camera and my eye had taken and work it into something even more amazing - Bucky put away his clothing and books.

He checked in with me as I worked to find the best shots. Asking if I wanted something to drink or snack on, or just to drop a kiss on my temple. Occasionally he'd take a peek and gasp at what he'd see - forcing a smile to creep onto my lips.

"Are you honestly impressed -" I looked up at him, studying his face as he stared at the images on my laptop that I had up trying to see which angles would work best for what I wanted to show prospective gurus. "Or are you just trying to make me feel good about myself?"

Bucky shook his head and bit his lip. "I can't find the words to even describe how amazed I am by this -" he pointed at the pictures that were in front of us. "How can you SEE these shots?"

I shrugged. "How can you flip a knife without looking at it and NOT lose fingers on your right hand?" He snorted. "It's just one of those quirks I guess." I pointed to a stack of finished pictures that weren't going in my portfolio. "Don't let me forget to put these in an envelope to take with us?"

"Sure," he reached for them, but waited until I nodded permission before he picked them up. They were the pictures I'd taken of Bryn on the day that Walker had - well they were the day that Bryn and I had spent in the park with bubbles and my camera. "This is Connie's little girl, Bryn?" I smiled and tilted my head in affirmation. "She had fun with you," his smile grew as he went through the stack. "She likes the bubbles." I giggled at how much fun she'd had with those damn things.

"She also likes filling the swear jar," I warned him. "She'll shake you down even if you catch yourself before you get the entire word out." He raised his eyebrow. "Her daddy's promising a trip to Disney and I swear she thinks she's partially funding it."

"I hear the mouse is expensive." Bucky was grinning at me when he set the prints back down beside me. Leaning closer, he let his lips trail along my jaw. "How much longer are you going to be?"

"I could be tempted into a break," I murmured, eyes fluttering closed as his breath got closer to that sensitive spot just under my ear.

Humming his agreement, I was in his arms and in our bedroom before either of us could complain. After all, all work and no play -

"Tell me again," I was muttering as Bucky drove the Mustang down the street as I gave him terse directions to my best friend's house, "why are we doing this?"

"Because your friends want to see you," he had the top down and his grin was ALMOST worth it. Almost. "They missed you, Brooke." I sighed. "I've known you for less time than they have, and I missed you while I was gone." My heartbeat stuttered. "They want to celebrate having you back, let them?"

"OK," I agreed as we pulled into an empty spot that was close to the house, but the amount of cars I was seeing lining the street was giving me more than enough anxiety. Connie and Joey lived on a residential street that had good parking for the area - and there weren't many empty spots. Not enough to make me feel like the words "tiny gathering" was going to be a reality.

I had the envelope with Bryn's pictures in my bag and Bucky took my hand after he made sure the top was secure and the doors were locked. We could hear the sound of music as we got closer to the front door and I was feeling the churning grow in my stomach, his fingers gave mine a comforting squeeze as the front door opened before we cleared the top step of the porch.

"There you are," Connie's face looked a little too forced perky to make my stomach less knotted. Her eyes a little too wide, her smile a little too twitchy. "Brooke! Bucky!" I stared at her, wanting like hell to turn the fuck around and go home. But I didn't get a chance, because she was pushed out of the way and someone NOT from our group came out and I knew precisely what she hadn't texted or called to warn me - what she hadn't had a chance to say -

"Hey, Brookie!" Kelly Taggert, wearing something tighter than anything I had ever owned in my entire life, sauntered out and slithered up to Bucky's free side. "YOU must be Buck BARNES, the Winter Soldier!" I watched as her long pointy fake nails, painted a poisonous looking pink, danced up his arm. "My, aren't you built like a brick shithouse?"

My eyes felt like they were going to pop completely out of my head. I opened my mouth, but before anything could come out, Bryn came marching out and screamed for money for her swear jar.

"What's that?" Kelly stared down at Bryn like she was speaking some foreign language never before heard. "Connie, what's she saying?"

"You said a swear word," Connie's lips were so thin I was impressed she could get words through them. "You owe the swear jar a dollar."

Kelly laughed, a loud donkey bray of a noise and I blinked. "Sure, honey, catch me later." Her nails seemed to sink into Bucky's arm, which was pretty amazing since she was on his left side. "Come on, hot stuff, let's go introduce you to everyone. Brookie needs to catch up with Connie."

I was stunned. Just fucking stunned. I watched as she yanked Bucky away from me and through the door. He stared at me, I imagine hoping for a rescue, but all I could think was - honestly I'm not sure I have a thought in my fucking head.

I listened as the donkey braying continued even as the door shut behind them, leaving Connie, Bryn, and me on the porch. I was still blinking, trying like high holy fuck to figure out what the hell just happened.

"She overheard Mertle telling Mrs. Guinness that we were having a get together tonight for you and Bucky." Connie's lips were still narrow and so were her eyes, locked on her closed front door. "Joey tried to cut her off, but how do you uninvite someone you never invited?"

"She -" I shook my head. "Did she just -" I blinked. "Bryn?" Bryn took my hand, the one that Bucky had held less than a minute ago. "Sweetheart, stay very far away from that terrible woman, ok?" I looked down at my goddaughter and watched her nod solemnly up at me. "She's a very bad thing." Another nod. "And here," I reached into my bag and took out two dollars. "This is for what's about to happen." I figured I'd better pay up, because it might get ugly.

"Brooke -" But I was already opening up the front door. Kelly Taggert was NOT a friend of mine and Bucky Barnes was MY fucking boyfriend, so this was not the day.

I found her trying to wrap herself around him. While he was doing the best dodge and weave I've ever seen an adult man ever do - I had a feeling that Joey and the guys would be trying to draft him for some sport teams. Squaring my shoulders, cracking my neck, I took a deep breath and heard Connie come up beside me -

"She's not worth it," she muttered.

"No, she isn't," I agreed. "But he IS."

I walked forward with a smile plastered on my face. I watched as my friends - Joey, who was working on getting a buffet together and his brother, Mike was helping while trying like hell NOT to stare at the spectacle that was Kelly. I saw Mary and Tawny, of the often off and on coupledom with Sam (who wasn't around, but that was kind of to be expected) who nodded with a grin at what they could sense was coming. Carrie and Chris were cringing at the scene that Kelly presented, but when they caught sight of me, the cringes morphed to smirks. Mertle was shaking her head, but then again she was the parent here.

"There you are," I gave Bucky HIS smile, the one that ONLY he got, and he looked at me like I was an angel come to save him. "I lost you there for a minute."

"Hey," his voice was deep and low, and ANY normal human would have picked up exactly what he was throwing down AT ME. Kelly Taggert wasn't even CLOSE to normal.

"Aw, isn't it sweet that you two are like besties." She sneered at me, and I rolled my eyes at Bucky. "Brookie here has ALWAYS been besties with the boys."

"And Kelly here has ALWAYS been flat on her back with whoever pays the most attention to her at the moment," I smiled at her. "Isn't that right, Kelly?" I watched as her eyes narrowed and those pointy, ugly ass nails dug a little harder into Bucky's Vibranium arm. "Read the room, Kel, you're not welcome."

"I was invited," she sneered and I raised an eyebrow. "I was."

"By who?" I asked, looking around the room. "It's MY welcome back party, right?" Everyone gave the affirmative. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but was Kelly one of our gang?"

"That would be a NO," Mary offered from the corner with a snort. "Kelly was only part of the gangbang - after the games." OUCH, that might be a tad -

"And since she slithered in here, latching onto YOUR guy," Connie stepped up beside me, suddenly less worried about me smacking Kelly with more than words. "And INSULTING MY child -"

"Wait, WHAT?" Joey slammed down the platter he was holding. "What did this bitch say about Bryn?"

"Daddy!" I snorted, ut-oh, I guess Bryn didn't count that two bucks I gave her towards Joey's swearing.

It took less time than I expected - Kelly was out of the house with a bye-bitch, don't let the door - and she threw out a threat that she wouldn't darken Mertle's salon with her business again - to which Mertle tossed back that -

"That's alright, dear, we aspired to a higher class of clientele anyway."

Once she was gone, Bryn got her cash from Joey for the "bitch" comment - even though I technically didn't use my two dollar pre-pay, and then the party got back on track. Bucky was wrapped around me faster than a blink and I was enjoying myself more than I expected to - finally handing the photo packet to Connie.

"Oh my God," she gasped, showing everyone the pictures I'd taken. "I swear, Brooke, this is why your Dad was so -"

I rolled my eyes, smiling as Bucky's lips met my neck. "You know, technically no one has met you," I murmured.

"Yeah, well, I met Kelly, wasn't that ENOUGH?" I laughed, but insisted on introducing him to everyone - and it went far better than his first introduction into the group.