I've noticed that my story seems to currently be coinciding with the actual dates! As the 13th is actually my birthday, I've decided to post this up now so I can focus on my birthday and some uni work over the next week or so. I hope you all enjoy. Oh and happy 2016!

In this chapter, there is a VERY prominent moment between Beth and Bucky and this will be a huge turning point for their relationship! I hope you like it!

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January 13th, 1942. Brooklyn, New York.

Throwing the curtains open with a loud cry of 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY!' was not one of Steve's best ideas, especially when he was rewarded for his efforts with a well-placed pillow to the face. Grinning despite the fact the blow had stung, he grasped the duvet covering his sister and pulled it off, laughing at her screams as the frigid January air hit her skin.

"Steve! You are SO dead!" she shouted, but her brother had already escaped, running to the relative safety of the living room.

Wasting no time, she jumped up and chased after him, her hair tumbling round her face despite the effort she made in vain to push it back. Following his laughter, she found him in front of the sofa, lifting a cushion up as if it was a shield. With a growl, she lunged forward, not expecting him to dodge her. Knowing she would be unable to stop from falling, she braced herself for impact, only it never came. Instead, a strong pair of arms wrapped round her waist and she felt herself being pulled up against a solid chest. Her hands flattened out on the chest as she regained her balanced and looked up to see Bucky grinning down at her.

"Easy Bethie, wouldn't want you hurting yourself on your twenty first birthday now would we?"

Slapping his shoulder playfully at the use of the nickname her gave her years ago, she pulled away, fighting a blush at their close proximity. She suddenly became conscious of the fact she was only in her nightdress, her hair still cascading wildly down her back. Sensing her discomfort, Bucky averted his gaze long enough for her to run back out of the room, even though he had to fight the urge to call after her to keep her hair down. Shaking the thought from his head, he turned back to see Steve give him an indecipherable look.

"What?" he asked.

Steve shrugged, deciding it was nothing, before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast. Bucky made himself comfortable on the sofa after Steve called through to say he didn't need extra help, and not five minutes later, Beth came back into the room, this time wearing a dark blue shirt tucked into a knee length skirt, her hair tied back loosely with a ribbon. She sent him a smile and sat on the chair opposite him, pulling her legs up under herself.

"So, that was embarrassing." She confessed with a grin.

Bucky let out a soft laugh and sat back further into the chair, feeling more relaxed now the tension had vanished. Steve entered the room, deciding against asking what was so funny and declared breakfast ready.

"So, breakfast, then time for gifts before Mark arrives." He announced.

Beth almost gave a start, feeling ashamed that she'd forgotten her boyfriend. When he first asked her out, she went for politeness, only to soon find herself in a relationship she had never even wanted in the first place. She had confessed to a friend that she felt too young to be tied down but her friend had simply replied with 'We're heading towards war, and if that happens, you need to be secure.' That friend was only a month older than Beth herself and was already married with one child, choosing to leave school and have that 'secure' life. Beth wanted to scoff, but instead she'd let the relationship continue, to the point she knew it wasn't long before he'd ask for her own hand and she would be pressured to say yes. Silently, she brushed at her eyes, not surprised to notice a tear rolling down the cheek facing away from the two men in the room.

So lost in her thoughts, she didn't see the worry in Steve's eyes as he saw her brush at her eyes, nor did she see the confusion laced with protectiveness in Bucky's gaze as they both watched her. Neither failed to realise it was the mention of her boyfriend that led to her mood dropping, and though they both wanted to ask, with one shared look, they decided against it and left the room to give her a moment. Beth waited a few moments after they left to compose herself before joining them for food. As she entered the kitchen she gave them a big grin, and though the two men knew she was only pretending, they went with it and smiled back.

After a pleasant breakfast, the small group moved back into the living room and Steve was quick to thrust a large, flat parcel her way. She let out a surprised gasp as she opened it to see a beautiful painting of their mom staring back, encased in a wooden frame that had been polished to perfection. She reached over and pulled him into a crushing hug, her lips pressing against his cheek as he grinned at her.

"It's absolutely amazing, Steve." She gushed, hugging him once more.

Steve sat back to allow Bucky to give her the next present. She opened the small box he paced in her hands and giggled when she pulled out a small teddy bear in the shape of a dog, with fur and eyes the same colour as Bucky's.

"He can keep a watch and protect you when I'm not around. After all, it might seem strange if I kept appearing when you were in trouble" He joked.

Fighting the instinct to tell him she wanted him to always be there to protect her, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Not letting herself think about it for fear of crying, she turned to Steve, who had tapped her shoulder.

"Close your eyes" he instructed.

Doing as told, Beth felt her arm being lifted and something wrapped round her wrist. Once he gave the all clear, she opened her eyes again and let out a soft breath of air.

"Oh Steve, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed as she examined the golden chain against her skin, intertwined with bright sapphires.

"Mom gave it to me when she fell ill in case something happened. She said grandma gave it to her on her twenty first birthday and I was to give it to you on yours."

Eyes shining, Beth flung her arms round him and hugged him tightly. The small group settled on the sofas and hours later, they were laughing hysterically as Steve hopelessly acted out his clues in the game of charades they were playing. The knock on the door broke the mood. Steve jumped up to answer it and Beth rose from her seat, knowing it would be Mark. Sure enough, seconds later he walked in, beaming at her as he encircled his arms around her. He lowered his head to kiss her lips and she gave him a smile, but Bucky could see it didn't reach her eyes and gave a frown as Mark took Beth's hand and led her out of the room.

"Something's wrong." Steve said from beside him.

Bucky nodded in agreement.

"Think he's hurting her?" he asked.

Steve made a noise of disagreement.

"No, he is a really nice guy. I think it's Beth herself. I don't think she wants to be with him but feels it's too late to back out as it'll make her look like she led him on for nothing."

Bucky blinked a few times, once more stunned by just how perceptive Steve could be. As always, the younger man hit the nail on the head. If there was one person afraid to hurt someone's feelings, it would be Beth. He could easily see her entering a marriage rather than upset anyone. The thought made his fists clench at his sides, mirroring Steve's own stance.

"We need to talk to her." Bucky said.

The pair shared a look and moved out to the balcony the couple were standing on, only to stop dead when they saw Mark lower himself down to one knee. Steve saw that it wasn't happy surprise on his sister's face. Her eyes shone with the tears of someone desperate to escape. Beside him, Bucky had gone shock still, disbelief on his face as Beth nodded and the ring was slipped in her finger, Mark whooping for joy as he kissed her. When their lips parted, Beth reached up to hug him and for a split second, her eyes connected with Bucky, letting him see the pain and hopelessness she was feeling before she looked away again.

With a small growl, Bucky left the room and found himself wandering in to Steve and Beth's bedroom. He glared out of the window, angry, but not sure who with more, himself for not noticing her unhappiness sooner, or Beth herself for not saying anything. He wanted nothing more than to march in and take her out of Mark's arms, but the feeling only made him confused. He shouldn't be so upset to see the girl he considered a sister get engaged. He ignored the part of his brain whispering that he was lying to himself about his true feelings and continued to glare at the world outside. Behind him, the door opened and closed quietly and he sighed, assuming it was Steve, who had stayed back to congratulate the pair.

"Hey, are you okay?"

He spun to see the concerned expression on Beth's face and for a moment, his mind went blank, unable to think of something to stay. In the end, he simply shrugged and gave a half-hearted smile she saw straight through.

"Yeah, I'm good. Congrats, by the way." He replied, pointing to her ring.

She felt her eyes narrow at his tone, her arms folding.

"You know for a fact I know there's something wrong. Spill it."

He didn't want to, knowing he was already too annoyed for it to end well, but he knew she wasn't about to drop it any time soon. He thrust a hand through his hair and faced her completely, a glare still on his face.

"Look into my eyes and tell me you really want this. Then there's nothing wrong with me. If you keep lying though, there's a very big problem that won't be going away any time soon."

Beth returned his glare, but kept her voice low as she replied, not wanting to alert Steve and Mark to the fact they were arguing.

"You have no right to say that!" she hissed.

Not caring that the other two might hear, Bucky flung his hands in the air.

"Oh come on! I've known you far too long to not be allowed to say anything! You think I didn't see how upset you are!?" he yelled.

Outside, Steve heard their raised voices and patted Mark on the shoulder.

"Hey, how about we get some air? I could do with a walk and stretch my legs."

Mark agreed, casting a worried glance at the bedroom door. Steve smiled and led him towards the front door.

"Don't worry, he's just having the same argument with her that I will be having about something. It's been brewing for a while so we should let them hash it out."

Mark nodded meekly and followed the shorter man out of the house. Steve made sure to shut the door loudly and Beth wanted to send a prayer of relief except she was too angry at Bucky to do so. Knowing her boyfriend- fiancé, her mind corrected, had left, she raised her voice to match the man in front of her.

"Why do you even care Bucky? You can't just decide to act like my brother whenever you feel like it!"

"I care because you should have come to me or Steve if you were unhappy! It's still not too late to say no to him. Just make sure this really is what you want before you give up your life!"

She suddenly pushed against his chest, making him have to catch himself from falling to the floor.

"What's the point when the one I want to be with never even notices me!?" she screamed.

Moving faster than she believed possible, Bucky lunged towards her and before she knew it, his lips crashed down onto her own. She eagerly returned the kiss until she remembered Mark. Her mind went blank and she instinctively pushed him away, this time succeeding in sending him to the floor. The moment he fell, her hands shot to her mouth and she let out a loud gasp. Bucky gaped back at her, eyes impossibly wide from his semi-crouching position as he picked himself up.

The tears building in her eyes finally began to fall and she spun to leave, too embarrassed to stay in the same room as him any longer. She didn't get very far, Bucky's chest pressing against her back, his hand reaching above her to close the door she'd begun to open. She kept her head down as his arm dropped to take hold of her hand and pull it off the handle. Without saying a word, he turned her round and lifted her chin with his free hand to force her to look at him. The moment azure blue met Prussian, his gaze softened and he brushed away a tear with a finger.

"Why would you ever think I didn't notice you, Bethie?" he whispered softly, his mind cheering as he realised he truly did feel more for her than he'd admitted.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she closed her eyes as his head tilted down to hers, their lips pressing together gently. Bucky's arms wrapped tightly round her waist, pulling her against him as her hands slid up his arms and into his hair. Softly, she tugged him closer, deepening the kiss. He let out a moan and she suppressed one of her own, her stomach exploding with butterflies. Her heart sang; never had she felt like this kissing anybody before and she knew that as long as she lived, she never would again. This time when they parted, Bucky rested his forehead against hers, a look in his eyes she'd never seen before and one she suspected no woman had ever seen. It made her heart clench painfully.

"It's not too late to say no" Bucky whispered, as if afraid speaking would ruin the moment.

Though her eyes grew sad again, she gave him a brief peck on his lips, smiling as his arms tightened round her waist.

"I can't Bucky. I've already said yes. Besides, you're shipping out for basic training next month. We both know it would never work between us."

Bucky wanted to punch something at the defeat in her voice. He could see clearly how unhappy she was, but understood completely that she was scared.

"Bethie, look at me. I may be leaving, but I want to leave knowing that you are the one I'm coming home to. Please tell me you will think about it."

He could see how much she wanted to say yes, how much she was torn and decided to step back. He gave her a sad smile and kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry. Look, I'll leave and let you celebrate your birthday and engagement."

He left the room, and Beth could only stare blankly at the wall in front of her as it shut. She touched a shaking hand to her lips, the skin still tingling from their kiss. She found herself thinking about the times she'd kissed Mark; not once had she ever felt so complete, so loved. She took a breath to clear her mind and made herself think of her future. She pictured little blonde and brunette children running around a house of her own. In her vision, she stood next to her husband, his arms wrapped round her, her head on his chest.

The sound of the front door shutting jerked her from her thoughts and she called out his name. Mark was too short for her to rest comfortably against his chest. Her head always rested against his shoulder when he hugged her. It meant only one thing; Mark was not the one she wished to have that future with and as much as she felt she was betraying him, she had to let Bucky know how she felt. It seemed to take an age to reach the front door and when she finally flung it open, she saw Bucky close the door of his car.

"Bucky!" she cried out, but he didn't hear and the car disappeared down the street, the driver not seeing her wrap her arms round herself as tears fell down her face.