So, it dawned on me recently, that while I've been having severe writer's block for this story, I also haven't updated in about a month…thus it made me want to get this newest chapter finished.

This is the final installment of the "One Little Slip" Trilogy – song does not belong to me, song credit to Barenaked Ladies for that one.

"The One Mistake that Seems to Follow Me Around"

December 1935

Malcolm Morrison was not an idiot, he was rather smart if he did say so himself.

He knew this idea was beyond idiotic…there was no other question about it. He knew the rumors regarding Case, the real reason no one wanted to date her.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Plenty of the guys wanted to date Case…it was just they all saw how she looked at Barnes. They'd thought Walter was an idiot because he was stupid enough to ask her out. But she'd told him yes…granted, it hadn't lasted long, everyone who'd had a conversation with Walter knew he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

So, Malcolm had tried his luck. He'd liked Case for a while – who wouldn't? She was a beauty, slim but curvy, gorgeous blue-green eyes, soft wavy hair…what wasn't there to be attracted to? And that was her without makeup…when she took the time to put some on, it made the whole picture even better.

What he hadn't realized at the time was that he'd come into the middle of a standoff between Case and Barnes, and unfortunately it looked like Steve and Ryder were caught in the middle, if the behavior he'd seen when they'd visited the sickly kid in the hospital had been any indication.

And while every instinct Malcolm had was telling him to leave it be – he'd be helping his competition for Case's affections after all, any idiot knew it would have been better to leave the wedge between them – he wanted Case to be happy. And with this…whatever this was…between her and Barnes still in place, Case wasn't happy.

So, he'd asked what happened between the two of them. Case hadn't gone into too many details…but he knew Barnes had run his mouth about something, and while he felt terrible for it, Case refused to forgive him. A petty argument was ruining all of this…and frankly, Malcolm couldn't sit by and watch it any longer.

"Is there anything I can start you off with?"

Malcolm blinked and was pulled from his musings by the blonde waitress, "Just some water, please?"

"Alright…are you ready to order or do you need more time?"

"I'm waiting for someone, actually," Malcolm stated, "A few friends…"

"Alright," The waitress said again, and walked away to get his water.

Malcolm checked his watch, sighing when he noticed they were ten minutes late. He looked outside, seeing the snow starting to fall. Maybe I shouldn't have done this…I should've gone to them, he thought with a cringe.

"C'mon Ryder, we're already late!" A familiar voice said near the door.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" The second voice grumbled.

Malcolm gave a sigh of relief and relaxed in his seat, Progress at last.

Steve Rogers slid into the seat across from him, dusting snow out of his hair as Ryder Howlett sat down beside him.

"Thanks for meeting me here," Malcolm said as a greeting. "Think of this as a business meeting gentlemen. Order anything you like, food's on me."

Once the waitress had returned and orders had been placed, Ryder spoke up, "So why did you ask to meet us here?"

Straight to business, I like it, Malcolm admitted to himself as he said, "What happened between Case and Barnes?"

Steve and Ryder exchanged worried looks, "Well…you see…there was this fight—"

"Never mind," Malcolm sighed, "Do you know of anything that could get them back together?"

"Back together?" Steve repeated with a cocked eyebrow.

"Look, she misses him," Malcolm told them. "And…I care about her, I want her to be happy. And if getting Barnes back into her life will make her happy then that's what needs to happen."

Ryder sighed, "That's a cute idea and all…but it's between the two of them. And really, it's on Case…Bucky made a comment that really hurt her feelings and she won't move past it, no matter how much he apologizes. I personally think she just needs to slug him in the face and move on."

"Hey, that's a lady you're talking about," Malcolm frowned at him.

"A lady with a mean right hook," Steve pointed out.

"Case really isn't the flouncy dainty girl you think she is," Ryder explained. "Given the choice she'd rather put on a pair of pants and play a game of baseball in the streets with the rest of us."

"How stupid do you think I am?" Malcolm asked, straightening his shoulders in annoyance. Do they really think so little of me? "Do you really think that's all I see when I look at her? I know Case is more than makeup and a pretty dress…it's one of the things I like about her. She occasionally likes to put on a dress and get dolled up, but she's doing it on her own terms, because she wants to. She's not trying to look like she walked out of one of those stupid magazines…I guess I'm in the minority, but I find it refreshing."

"Plus, Case would look hideous if she tried to make her eyebrows look like one of those women," Steve added with a cringe.

"Oh, the really thin ones?"

"Yeah."

"Gross," Ryder wrinkled his nose.

"My point exactly," Malcolm told him. "So…get Case to slug Barnes…it's a good start but I had hoped it wouldn't come to bloodshed."

"Lock 'em in the same room until they finally hash this shit out?" Ryder asked.

"Better plan…"

"And how are we gonna get them in the same place?" Steve asked. "As soon as Bucky steps into your place Case will disappear out a window if need be, and she hasn't been to my place since the fight began. And there's no way she's going to—"

"Why can't we try at Barnes' place?" Malcolm interrupted him. "Doesn't his family always have a Christmas party every year?"

"Well yeah, but I assumed Case wasn't going to show up this year," Steve admitted.

"Nah, Dad would make her go, at least to be polite to his parents," Ryder told him.

"Alright, so we have the where," Malcolm said. "Now the rest."

"Getting Bucky alone won't be much of an issue…for the younger crowd it's really just us anyway at those parties," Ryder admitted. "He'll take any excuse to get away from the boredom."

"Now that leaves Case…because she if she wants out, she'll be heading for the door, not somewhere with us," Steve told him.

"Any suggestions?"

"We'll need Becca's help," Steve said, "Case'll do anything for Becca."

"Okay, we'll talk to Becca," Ryder confirmed.

"You want to what?"

Eleven-year-old Becca Barnes sat on the front stoop of their building, arms folded in frustration as she stared at the three of them.

"We wanna get Case and Bucky alone to have them hash out this stupid thing and end the fight," Steve told her.

"I get that…" Becca nodded, "But why in the world did it take you idiots three months to come up with that plan?"

"Err…" Steve bit his lip, and looked Malcolm and Ryder, who also looked rather dumbfounded at the question as well.

With a dramatic sigh, Becca said, "Never mind…I'm in. If anything, so Bucky will stop moping over losing Case to begin with. Anyone wanna tell me what the fight was about?"

"What did Bucky tell you?" Steve asked.

"Just that he was an idiot and said something stupid," Becca shrugged. "I remember saying that yes, of course he was, but what was the cause of the fight…he just gave a sigh and walked away. Rather disappointing to be honest…"

"Alright…so you're in, right?" Malcolm asked.

"Yeah…but you're her boyfriend," Becca asked, "Shouldn't you want Bucky to stay away from her?"

"Bucky's her friend, I want her to be happy," Malcolm frowned at her.

Becca frowned at him, then looked at Steve, "Case sure falls for dumb ones, doesn't she?"

"Becca!" Steve snapped as Malcolm gave an indignant squawk.

"Just sayin'…alright, so this is what we're going to do…"

Case knew she'd been had the second the door closed behind her.

It was the Barnes Family's annual Christmas party, and Case had been doing a fair job avoiding Bucky, sticking close to her father as the night wore on, taking time at the refreshment table when she got too bored.

Malcolm had come with them of course…but he seemed distracted all evening and wasn't making very good conversation either.

So, when Becca had asked her to come upstairs, Case had been so eager for an escape she'd agreed without hesitation. In retrospect though, Becca's question should have been the clue – "Come upstairs with me Case…I want you to show me a few makeup tricks…"

The girl had made no indication she was interested in makeup before, so the idea of a sudden interest should been cause for concern.

"Becca! What the hell!" Case snapped, going for the doorknob. It didn't turn, someone was holding it tightly. "Open the door!"

"No can do, Case," Becca said from the other side. "This is for your own good!"

Case grumbled and plopped down on Becca's bed, sighing as she waited.

It wasn't long after she heard a small commotion on the outside of the door, and it opened again.

Case was on her feet, but the door opened just wide enough for someone to be thrown in and then snap shut again.

"Dammit that hurt you idiot!" Bucky snapped through the door, gripping at his arm.

"Get over it, meatball!" Ryder barked through the door.

"Of all the guys they lock me up with, it's you?" Case asked, bringing Bucky's attention to her.

"Of course!" Becca's voice called from the other side. "This fight has gone on long enough…it's time to end it, once and for all!"

Case rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak.

"And we're not lettin' you out until you do!"

"Damn," Case hissed, plopping back onto the bed again.

Bucky folded his arms and leaned back against the wall, "She's right you know…"

"Right about what?"

"It's stupid to keep fighting…"

"You made your point very clear," Case rolled her eyes.

"What did you expect from me, Cassidy?" Bucky demanded. "Yes, it was the wrong thing to say at the absolute wrong time…but for the love of god you had bones sticking out of your knuckles!"

"Yes, I did," Case snapped, and she released the claws. "I still do…I can retract them, and I can send them out…they're not going away, they're permanent."

Bucky hesitated, then motioned to the bed, "May I…?"

Case retracted the claws on her left hand and motioned to the space beside her, "Not like I can stop you."

He took a seat and motioned to her right hand, "Can I see 'em?"

Case looked at her right hand, before lifting it and easing it toward Bucky, "Might as well…kinda like when Steve saw 'em he—" She hesitated as she gave a shiver when Bucky ran his fingers down the length of one of the claws. "Touched 'em too."

"What was that?" Bucky asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Feels weird," Case admitted. "Kinda like…" She instantly retracted the claws when Bucky repeated the motion, and hissed, "Quit it!"

"Kinda like when I do this?" Bucky grinned at her, before pinching at her lowest rib.

Case gave a yelp as she shoved his hand away, and scowled as she rubbed at her side, "You're such an asshole, you know that?"

"Yeah, but you love me."

"I hate you, big difference."

"You love me, and you miss me."

Case's face finally fell from the scowl to a simple frown, "Yeah…I guess I do miss you."

"I am sorry that the first thing I called you was a freak," Bucky admitted. "Claws or no…I really don't think that way about you." When Case didn't look at him, Bucky asked, "Do you…you really think of yourself as a freak?"

Case gave a sigh, then said, "Do you have your pocket knife with you?"

Bucky patted his pockets then pulled it out, handing it to Case, "Why do you want it?"

Case pulled it open, and opened her left palm, "This is why."

Bucky jumped as she sliced her hand open, "Cassidy—"

"Hush…just watch," Case said calmly.

Bucky watched as the cut on Case's hand sealed itself within seconds, the only evidence left behind was blood that had come from the initial cut.

"I can do that," Case told him, closing her hand into a fist and lowering it. "I can break a bone, and all I need is someone to reset it and I'm back to full function. I've got my bone claws…" She sighed, grabbing the box of tissues from Becca's night stand and wiping away the blood in her palm, "Remember in history class a few years ago…we were studying about the Civil War…and you said one of the pictures looked like it had my dad in it?"

"Yeah…it was a weird likeness," Bucky admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"That was him," Case told him. "He was standing next to my Uncle Victor in the picture…"

"But that would mean your dad is…" Bucky didn't want to the math, but at Case's glare he added, "Man looks pretty damn good for his age…"

Case rolled her eyes and got to her feet, "And yet you ask why I think of myself as a freak."

"You're different sure…I wouldn't say a freak," Bucky got to his feet as well, and added, "Not in rational thought, anyway."

"Sure Buck," Case said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Hey, I told you, I'm sorry I said that," Bucky frowned. "I wish I could take it back. I don't see you as a freak, Case…maybe a little afraid I'm gonna piss you off and get stabbed one day—" He took it as a victory when Case's mouth quirked up in a small smile, "—but afraid of you? Seeing you as something different? Not a chance…you're still Case Howlett, the same girl I met after you saved Steve from getting beaten up by Joey Rabini—"

"She did not save me!" Steve's voice could be heard through the door.

Both cringed at the loud shushing sound that came from Ryder.

"So much for privacy," Case gave a weak chuckle.

Bucky shook his head, then gave her a hopeful smile, "Am I forgiven?"

Case looked at him for a moment, "Not completely…but we'll get here."

"I can work with that," Bucky said.

Case gave him a small smile, and opened her arms, "Come here."

Bucky hugged her close as Case wrapped her arms around him. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, "I missed you, Case."

"I missed you too," Case said softly. She finally looked up at him, giving him a small smile as she stared into his eyes.

Bucky adjusted his hold on her, returning the small smile and his eyes drifted to her mouth for a moment.

He was about to lean in when Becca's voice called out, "So is the fight over or what?"

"Becca!" Steve and Ryder grumbled from the other side.

"Right…they're out there," Case mumbled.

"We should probably—"

"Right…" She stood up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, then stood flat again, "Oh, and Buck?"

"What?" He frowned, then jerked back with a yelp as her fingers scribbled up his sides.

Case flashed him a cheeky grin as she opened the door and Steve and Ryder fell to the ground at her feet, "Please boys…I'm just a simple girl, no need to fawn over me."

"Please tell me the fight is over," Steve said, sitting up and rubbing at his elbow. He was holding an empty glass in his other hand.

"The fight's over," Case confirmed.

"You didn't realize that already? You both have been listenin' since we got in here!" Bucky pointed out, folding his arms. He noticed Ryder didn't have a glass, "What about you?"

"Ryder doesn't need a glass," Case said. "Special hearing comes with the territory."

"I see…"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be off finding my boyfriend," Case told them, slipping through.

Bucky followed her out before leaning back against the wall with his arms folded, watching Case disappear down the stairs.

"It was just us…Becca and Malcolm kept watch downstairs to make sure nobody else overheard," Ryder explained.

"You're both punks," Bucky rolled his eyes.

"Maybe so…but at least things can go back to normal around here," Steve said with a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, guess so," Bucky agreed.

"Alright well…I'm hungry, see you both downstairs," Ryder said, grabbing the glass from Steve's hand and disappearing downstairs as well.

Steve reached up to clap Bucky on the shoulder, "Well, come on Buck, before Ryder eats—"

"She's still with Morrison," Bucky said quietly.

Steve nodded, "Yeah, even he wanted to fight to end…he knew how much Case missed you and wanted to make sure everything was fine."

"But…why?" Bucky asked. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he's a nice guy, Buck," Steve pointed out. "I think that's what it boils down to…he wants Case to be happy."

"Yeah…but I could make her happy too," Bucky mumbled.

Steve frowned before looking to Bucky, "What are you saying?"

Bucky shook his head and pushed away from the wall, "Nothing…never mind. Come on, let's go downstairs."

"But Bucky—"

"Come on, before Ryder eats all of my Ma's cookies," Bucky cut him off. "You know how much he likes her Christmas cookies."

With a sigh of defeat, Steve nodded and watched Bucky walk down the stairs. "So much for things going back to normal…"

June 2014

Yes, Malcolm Morrison was an idiot. He knew it, he always had. He knew it when he asked Case to the movies one Saturday, he knew it when he told Bucky she missed him.

He knew it when he made the hardest decision of his life – at that time at least – and told Case it was over between them. He knew her heart was never his and was never going to be. And while he loved Case and would have loved to build a life with her, he knew she would never feel the same way about him.

That's why when he saw the man standing in the Smithsonian's Captain America Exhibit, gazing at the picture of Case and Barnes looking cozy during World War Two, he knew exactly what he was doing when he used his cane to walk over to the man.

Pushing ninety-seven, using the cane helped him with a limp he'd received from a car accident about fifteen years before, he came to stand beside the man whose eyes were glued to the image.

"I took one look at 'em and knew," Malcolm began without hesitation. "Those two were doin' somethin' behind closed doors. Hell, it was about damn time."

The man didn't respond, but Malcom could see his reflection in the glass, blue eyes moving over the words printed on the display.

Malcolm gripped the handle of his cane tighter, he didn't like the look in those eyes. He wasn't expecting trouble, oh no, he was just worried about what those eyes had seen that made them look so dead and haunted.

"All that time they wasted…I once asked him, you know, if he had a thing for her," Malcolm added, trying to shake the uneasy feeling. "He said he didn't…but I think he did, and either he was lying to himself or didn't realize it then."

His new friend didn't respond, but the way his eyes locked onto his in the reflection, Malcolm knew he'd gotten his attention.

"Pity about Cap's uniform though…I work security here, a few days a week. I had to beg the bosses to not fire my buddy. Steve Rogers was a resourceful son of a bitch, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Still no response, but those eyes still watched him.

"It's my day off, but I like coming down here…I remember Rogers from when he was a skinny thing. If you'd have told me what he would become…" Malcolm chuckled, "Muscle wise, I'd have said you were crazy. But Rogers was always getting beat up, always trying to defend some girl's honor…you had to give him credit for that."

It was too far away, but Malcolm almost thought he saw a flicker of recognition in those eyes.

"Anyway, back to those two," Malcolm added. "You know, she comes in a few times a week. Doesn't really come this way though, she just looks at the mural devoted to Barnes over there…watches the videos of the interviews. Sometimes she smiles, sometimes she looks like her heart's been ripped out…she misses him like crazy, you know."

This time, the man moved, just to turn his head to look back at the mural.

"She's not over there, today's not a day she comes to visit," Malcolm told him as he turned back to the picture. "She keeps a pretty consistent schedule."

This time he got a hum of acknowledgement, so he thought that was progress.

Malcolm looked at the picture, maybe it was because he knew what he was looking for, maybe because he'd known them before all of it went down…but he could see the love they had for each other in the way they looked at each other in the photo.

"Hardest decision I ever had to make was letting her go," Malcolm admitted. "Hell, if I thought I'd had a chance, I'd have bought her a ring and asked her to spend her life with me."

"What stopped you?"

Malcolm's eyebrows rose, and he frowned as he turned to face him, "Say that again?"

The man turned to face him, messy brown hair tucked under the ball cap and cheeks covered in a few days of beard growth, haunted blue eyes filled with a little more recognition than before. His voice was rough, like he didn't speak often, when he repeated, "What stopped you Morrison?"

Malcolm gave a chuckle, "She's in love with you, Barnes. She was in love with you seventy years ago, and she's still in love with you now."

Panic suddenly washed over the man's face, "I-I'm not—"

"Not him?" Malcolm asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of the memorial. "Maybe not…or maybe you're just not the man you think she's expecting."

Barnes blinked in confusion, "I…I don't know."

"When you figure it out, I'm sure you'll know where to find her," Malcolm said, and checked his watch, "Well, my daughter's comin' to pick me up in a few minutes…I hate to cut this short, but I've got to head out."

As he turned away, he made it a few steps before the man asked, "What makes you so sure?"

Malcolm turned back, "Say that again?"

"What makes you so sure I'm him?" He pointed at the memorial.

"What's my name, son?"

"Malcolm Morrison," he said confidently.

"And when did I give you my name?"

Confusion again washed over Barnes' face, and he didn't have an answer.

"Like I said…when you figure it out, you know here to find her," Malcolm said, and raised his hand to give him a salute, "Good luck Sergeant."

And that's wrap, for now…Malcolm Morrison may return someday…but for now, this is his stop. I hope you all enjoyed this latest installment of Misadventures, as always constructive criticism is always appreciated, and I will see you in Chapter Ten.