If you're interested, I listened to Travis Atreo's cover of You Are in Love by Taylor Swift on repeat while I wrote this :)

Rach

xoxo

Jarvis ended up interrupting the third movie, announcing that dinner had been delivered and was waiting for them in the kitchen on Tony's floor. At the rustling of the comforter behind her, Anna immediately jumped up, turning to tell Steve 'stay' with a stern look. It had him settling back into the pillows with a sigh. As Anna moved towards the door, James followed her to offer a hand. Mainly because he didn't want to stay behind with the sidekick and the man from the helicarrier.

"At least you came to get food," Pepper exclaimed when Anna and James entered the kitchen. "I've had Jarvis inform Bruce and your brother three times, and there's still no sign of them."

"You never have to call me twice for food," Anna commented as she grabbed two boxes of pizza and handed them to James. "I can take a couple boxes down to them if you want," Anna offered, knowing her brother wouldn't be leaving the lab anytime soon. Science was about the only thing that food came second to for Tony, and unless he was brought food at regular intervals, he wouldn't eat.

"Would you? I still have more paperwork to do." Pepper sighed in relief at Anna's offer, making sure to remind her to grab a meat lovers pie, as it was Tony's favorite. More meat and less veggies was practically his motto.

Anna answered Pepper's question by picking up two more boxes, keeping them cradled in her arms instead of handing them off to James. With a thankful smile, Pepper took her plate of Pizza and returned to the couch where she had been studying certain company files. Anna and James returned together to the elevator, but this time when the elevator stopped at Steve's floor, James was the only one who exited. After making sure he knew which way to go to return to Steve's room, Anna continued on down to the lab.

She hadn't been down there for a couple years. Anna tended to avoid the craziness of Tony's lab whenever he got into one of his projects. So it surprised her when the doors dinged open and there was no Tony running from one station to another. Moving further into the lab, she finally discovered both Tony and Bruce in a separate section of the lab that was obviously Bruce's section, as it had molecule and DNA models. Tony's science nearly always involved technology and mechanics.

"See Bruce, I told you if we ignored Jarvis long enough someone would bring us food. It never fails." Tony announced when he noticed Anna standing there with the pizzas. Wheeling the chair he was lounging in over, he took the boxes from Anna and sifted through them to find the meat lovers.

"Thank you Anna," Bruce murmured softly, his eyes apologizing for Tony's behavior. It wasn't necessary, Anna was beyond used to Tony's varying attitudes.

"Where's the beverage?" Tony inquired, looking up from the boxes at Anna, as if expecting her to pull out a 12 liter of soda on the spot.

"I only have two hands. Besides, I know you have a secret stash of caffeinated beverages in the mini-fridge." Tony had always kept energy drinks and soda in the lab to help him stay awake for hours on end when he didn't want to stop in the middle of a project. Her retort to Tony's question simply had him muttering a response that sounded like 'apparently it's not so secret' as he wheeled his way to the fridge.

Anna took her leave then, heading back to the elevator with a simple wave to Bruce. It was as she was passing a table stacked with at least a dozen high-tech looking glasses that she paused, moving to pick up a pair. Normally it was Iron man parts or car parts lying around the lab that Tony tinkered with. It had her curious about the glasses, as they seemed to have no purpose for a suit or a car.

"What do these do?" Anna asked, turning back towards her brother, who was too busy stuffing his face with pizza to answer.

"They create holographic images," Bruce answered on Tony's behalf. "They allow you to change what you see around you." Moving towards her, Bruce showed Anna the button on the side that powered them up. Before her eyes a screen appeared, asking her the year she wanted to view at. Using the button beside the one that turned them on, Bruce moved the date back to the early 70's. And all of a sudden Anna wasn't standing in the lab, but in a department store. She still saw Tony and Bruce, and the outline of the lab, but with the department store superimposed over it.

"You can use them to see cities and landscapes from different time periods." Tony added once he swallowed his food. "I'm trying to sell them as tourist souvenirs, but apparently some people think they're too expensive for 'normal' people." Tony muttered the last part, jabbing his thumb in Bruce's direction.

"You were going to charge $1,000 per glasses," Bruce replied calmly, as if he was used to explaining this point to Tony. "Only billionaires could afford that."

"More people should become billionaires then. It's a great profession. Every day is casual Friday. And you can pay other people to do all the boring part of business for you." Tony insisted as he took another bite of pizza and propped his feet up on Bruce's lab table. When Bruce made his way back over to Tony, he gently nudged his feet off the table before grabbing a slice of pizza from the supreme box. Bruce didn't mind veggies.

It was while the two were busy with the food that Anna removed her glasses and grabbed another pair, slipping both pairs into her sweatshirt pocket. As soon as she heard what they did, an idea had formed in her head. She wasn't sure how or when exactly she would accomplish it, but she'd need the glasses for when she figured it out. And she knew better than to think Tony would lend out any of his new toys.

Making a pit-stop before going to Steve's room, Anna stopped off on Tony's floor to deposit the glasses safely in her room and to grab two 12 liter bottles of soda. The soda was not only necessary, as she'd forgotten to send James with any beverages, but it also provided Anna an excuse as to why she stopped back up on the floor when Pepper asked.

…

The idea of returning alone to the room wasn't one that James particularly liked. Anya was the neutralizer between himself and the two men. Though she kept telling him he had been friends with the man from the helicarrier, and he had seen the exhibit at the museum, the memories still weren't fitting together. And it left him confused, and unsure of how to interact with the man who had once been a mission.

"Where's Anna?" The man from the helicarrier, the one Anya referred to as Steve, asked as soon as James entered alone with the food.

"Bringing her brother food," James answered gruffly, as he set the boxes on the bed beside the man. He didn't understand why Anya's brother couldn't get his own food.

"We should probably wait to eat until she returns," Steve responded, causing Sam to pause on his way to open the box. Glancing at Steve to see if he would notice if he took a piece, Sam found him focused on his sketchpad. Taking advantage of that, he grabbed a piece from the top box. Anna could take anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour. Sam was hungry now.

It didn't escape James' notice that the sidekick was already eating. He might have done something about it, before a drawing of a vaguely familiar city scene resting beside the pizza box distracted him. Reaching for it, he pulled the paper closer to study it, trying to understand why it was familiar. That one, small action caused Steve to immediately jump into a description of the drawing. As soon as he found out it was semi-familiar to James he was rambling on, telling stories about James and him. It also led to Steve drawing more and more landscapes that James had apparently spent time in the past with the man.

By the time Anya returned, James was surrounded by sketches of the city, specifically Brooklyn, where he had apparently grown up alongside Steve. On the corner of each were the street names, titles and dates to where the different moments took place. The stress that had been building up inside James ever since the sketches started piling up with the stories, waned a little as soon as James noticed Anya. With Steve, he felt pressured to remember. Anya always gave him time and space to work through his memories while still being physically present for support.

"I guess I didn't have to worry about missing any of the movie," Anna commented as she took in the papers spread across Steve's mattress. "What's all this?" She asked as she moved closer to the bed, setting the sodas beside the boxes on what small open space was left on the comforter.

"I'm taking Bucky through our past via sketches," Steve explained, a bright glint in his eyes showing his excitement. Just one glance at James and Anna could tell he was more than a little overwhelmed. He was staring at all of the sketches with a furrowed brow, his arms tensed as if he was having a hard time coming to grips with everything he was seeing and hearing.

"That's fun. But I'm starving. I think it's pizza and movie time now." Anna stated as she went to grab one of the boxes, planning on taking it with her as she returned to her spot on the floor. "I'm pretty sure this is your box," Anna commented when she looked inside and noticed two pieces missing. Handing that box to Sam, who had the decency to look a little ashamed at being caught, Anna grabbed the other box in one arm and James' hand in her other as she pulled him back to their previous viewing spot.

James was relieved when Anya pulled him away from all of the drawings, giving his mind a break as he settled down beside her. She handed him a piece of pizza before taking one for herself and hitting play. The screen lit up again with the moving pictures they had left off with, continuing the story where it had paused. Though he didn't quite understand what was going on in the movie, and the pizza wasn't very warm anymore, James didn't really mind. He was simply content to have Anya beside him again, her familiar presence was always calming.

They only ended up making it halfway through the next movie before Anya fell asleep against James' shoulder. James would have been content with carrying her back to their floor, had planned on it, before the volume on the TV spiked and caused Anya to jerk awake. Startled she whipped her head around until she realized it had just been the TV, a result of Steve accidentally hitting the volume button with his elbow when he adjusted his position.

"What time is it?" Anna yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Steve was the one who responded, and Anna was a little surprised to find it was only 10. Still, she was tired and knew she'd fall right back to sleep if she started trying to watch the movie again. So she rose form her seat, pausing for James to join her before she bid Steve and Sam goodnight.

That night Anna didn't even bother starting in her room. Instead she followed James straight to his door. When Tony caught them on their way, Anna simply sent him a look that dared him to say something about it before slipping into the room and closing the door. Not even caring that she didn't have any pajamas, Anna crawled onto the bed and under the covers. When James joined her she snuggled up beside him; she was becoming accustomed to having him near her when she slept.

…

When Anna awoke the next morning, it was naturally, without Tony busting through the door. The room was silent and she could feel James' slow and steady breathing from where her head rest on his chest. It was nice, just the two of them. Anna had come to appreciate moments like those even more ever since Tony came barging in and transported them back to Stark Tower. Given the Tower's size, it was remarkably hard to find places they could be completely alone. It almost made Anna miss the short time her and James had been alone and on the run.

It had Anna continuing to lie there in the comforting silence, until the urge to pee was too strong to ignore any longer. Her movement was what woke James, as he sat up abruptly, tensed as he searched for the assumed threat. It had Anna gently brushing his hair out of his face, brushing her hand along his jaw as she reassured him everything was fine. When she was certain he had calmed down and had gotten his bearings, Anna moved to the restroom.

James was still sitting up in the bed when Anna returned, ready to either return to sleep, or follow Anna out to the kitchen. As much as Anna would have love to return to bed, she was in desperate need of a shower. It had her, slightly reluctantly, informing James that she would come back when she'd washed and changed. Thankfully, she didn't run into Tony on the way to her room, not wanting to have her peaceful start to the morning disrupted. Unfortunately, reaching the shower safely didn't actually mean she'd remain as such, as it didn't take long before Tony was knocking on the bathroom door, then talking through it loudly.

"Don't think just because I didn't say anything last night that we won't be having a discussion about it." Tony announced loudly. "And by discussion, I mean a lecture on the rules when it comes to sharing a room with Tin Man."

That statement had Anna stalling as long as possible in the bathroom. It seemed effective, as when she finally emerged to her bedroom, it was to find Tony had left. Throwing on a clean pair of jeans, and a tee, Anna grabbed the glasses from the drawer she had hid them in yesterday before leaving the room. As luck would have it, the coast was clear as she hurried her way back down the hall to James' room. Tony's insistence of giving her a lecture had Anna determining that now would be an opportune time to make her idea a reality. She needed time alone with James, away from her meddling brother.

"How would you feel about a day spent alone, outside the Tower?" Anna questioned when she saw James sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting for her. When he moved to his bedside table and pulled out his handgun, slipping it into his pocket, Anna took it as approval of her idea. Taking him by the hand, Anna reflexively placed a finger to her lips before opening his door. Realizing afterwards that James always moved eerily silent and the reminder was not necessary.

James followed Anya down the hall in the opposite direction as the kitchen. It turned out she was leading him to a stairwell. That, mixed with her insistence that he be silent, had him concluding her brother was unaware of their outing. Perhaps everyone was. It didn't matter to him though. Because it would finally be just him and Anya again, even if it was just for the day. The only time he hesitated was when they had made it out to the street and Anya hailed a cab.

"I'm sorry, but it's the only way. We can't walk to Brooklyn, and Tony will notice if one of his cars is missing," Anna apologized, knowing how James felt about cabs. Moving his hand to his pocket, most likely to grip the gun, James surprised Anna by entering the cab first. Sliding in after him she gave the cabby their destination, shutting the door behind her.

It was clear to see, although he had agreed and entered the cab, James was not at ease. He was the exact opposite. That revelation had Anna sliding in closer to him, mindful not to hinder his mobility as she did. She didn't think making it harder for him to draw his concealed weapon would help him de-stress. It would most likely only stress him out more.

Waiting until the cab ride was over, figuring James wouldn't want any distractions during it, Anna handed James the glasses and explained what they were for. He didn't seem convinced at first, but he put them on regardless once she had set them to 1940. It was a year before the Americans joined the war, and Anna was hoping seeing Brooklyn as it had been before might help James remember. At the very least it might help him reconcile the stories and sketches Steve had given him last night with actual 3D imaging of the architecture.

After setting her own glasses, Anna took James' hand and began walking. She had no idea where they were going, but that was actually a good thing that time. The day was about unplanned discoveries and letting the landscape do the directing. If James saw something that sparked his interest or his memory, she'd follow. Otherwise, she would just enjoy ambling along the streets with him.

It took James some getting used to: seeing the landmarks of the past superimposed over the current day ones. Although he seemed to get the hang of it faster than Anya, as he had to pull her out of the way of a lamppost or fire hydrant several times. Eventually she got the hang of it, and that's when he could really take in the city around them without worrying she'd hurt herself.

Anya let him decide which way they would go whenever they reached an intersection, silently holding his hand and following his lead. For a while he just randomly picked directions, until certain buildings and streets started becoming vaguely familiar and he followed them. Every once in a while his vision would be taken over by a memory of the places he had been looking at. Some were clear and some were out of focus. Most of them contained the scrawny version of Steve.

It was the smell of hotdogs cooking, wafting from the next corner, and making James turn to the left. He remembered how much he loved corner stand hotdogs. They had often consisted of much of his sustenance during the warmer months, when he could afford them. Stopping a few steps short of the stand, realizing he had no money and that Anya wouldn't approve of him stealing from the old man running the stand, had Anya pulling him the rest of the way, getting in line behind a family of five.

"Three please, one with ketchup and relish," Anna ordered once they stepped up to the cart. Pausing, she turned to James, giving him the option to order for himself.

"Two with the works." He murmured, ordering from memory. It had been a long time since he'd been given the choice of what he ate. Hydra would just hand him a pre-filled plate whenever he was allowed to eat.

Pulling the cash from her pocket, Anya paid the man, adding on a bottled water. They continued on their way once they'd gotten their food, walking aimlessly through the streets. James made sure to steer them clear of areas that looked too rough for his comfort. He could deal with the common criminals, he just didn't want to. He was enjoying this time with Anya and didn't want it marred with violence.

As soon as they finished their food, throwing the trash in a nearby bin, Anya's hand slipped right back into his, their fingers interlocking. Glancing down at her he found her head turning to take in the scenery around them, seemingly amazed by the difference in the past and present. Before he could study her too long, she was pointing out an old toy shop, almost as excited as if it had still been there. He supposed the old fashioned toys in the window were what fascinated her. Made of metal and wood instead of plastic.

"I had a set of those," James murmured, pointing to the old set of Lincoln Logs that had a new memory flashing before him. One with the logs sprawled across a living room floor, a younger Steve digging through the pieces.

"My dad did too. He kept his set and let Tony and me play with it. Tony didn't like the restrictions of what he could build and quickly moved onto Legos and K'nex." Anna had always liked the wooden building set. The way the smooth pieces felt beneath her hands. K'nex was too complicated for her, she never had a mechanic mind. She preferred the simplicity of the Lincoln Logs.

James could picture a smaller Tony scoffing at the Lincoln Logs while Anya played with them. Choosing to ignore the bit about Tony, James focused on the fact that he and Anya had apparently both grown up playing with the toy. It had him feeling buoyant: finding something other than Hydra they shared in common.

They stood studying the toy store for a little while more before continuing on down the street. There was a dress shop not too far from there, with fashion that was obviously from the older era. It had James' eyes moving from the shop window to Anya, trying to picture her in one of the dresses. The only clothes he'd seen her wear were jeans and tees, which he thought suited her. Though he had a feeling if she ever did wear a dress, it would be breathtaking.

Anya wasn't near as interested in the dresses as she was the toys, so they didn't stay as long in front of that building. Moving on, James noticed the sun wasn't as high in the sky, making him realize it was already past mid-afternoon. Time seemed to move faster when he was with Anya. Which wasn't logical, as time always moved at the same speed. Regardless of logic, it still felt as though it sped up when she was around.

When Anya noticed the sun dipping lower, she immediately tugged on James' hand, taking the lead for the first time that day. It confused James when she headed towards the side of a building, even more so when she began jumping for the fire escape. Reaching up, James pulled the ladder down for her, deciding to follow her until she enlightened him to what this detour was for. It wasn't until they'd reached the roof that Anya finally stopped, looking out over the city around them as the orange sun dipped lower.

"Steve used to climb to the roof of his old apartment building to watch the sunset. He liked to draw the city at that time," Anna began explaining the abrupt change in venue as she stared out over the city. "Of course, you wouldn't let him climb up there alone. So you would always come with him, sitting beside him while he drew and just watch the city at the end of another day."

Anya seemed oblivious that James wasn't looking at the cityscape at all, that instead he was studying her. At least, not until he removed his hand from hers, reaching up to remove the glasses she'd given him and slipping them into his pocket. When she turned her attention on him, and noticed he wasn't wearing his glasses anymore, her brows furrowed a little. Had they stopped working? Ran out of batteries? When she voiced her inquiry, his answer took her by surprise.

"I'd prefer to be in the present right now." James replied bluntly. He didn't want conflicting images of past and present architecture to mar this new memory.

Anna didn't have a response to James' answer, she simply removed her own glasses, holding them loosely in her hand. For some reason, that simple statement—which could be taken many different ways—as well as James' gaze, had her heart expanding and her cheeks warming up. Taking a step closer, Anna reached up, resting her free hand against his cheek. It was the first time she had done it without the excuse of calming him, a fact that had her cheeks growing warmer as she anticipated all the ways James could refute the contact. When he just closed his eyes, subconsciously leaning closer to her, it gave Anna a little rush of confidence. Rising on her toes, she carefully closed the distance between them, pressing her lips lightly against his.

Not expecting Anya's movement, James froze in slight surprise, his eyes flashing open. It wasn't long before the feeling of her soft lips against his had his eye flickering shut again. Feeling as if his heart was about to beat out of his chest, James wrapped his arms around Anya as he gently returned the kiss. He had to try hard not to make his grip too tight, not to press his lips too hard against hers. It would be too easy for him to accidentally hurt her, to get completely lost in the feelings that were swirling inside him and urging him closer. Somehow, even with Anya's thumb brushing against his cheek and increasing the sensations inside him, he managed to hold onto his control. Though he was pretty certain his heartbeat stuttered a little before beating even faster than before.

Anya was the first one to pull away, though she remained on her toes, her lips just a few inches away. Following her movement, James rested his forehead against hers, not ready to give up all contact with her just yet. His heart was still racing from the memory of her lips and it had him smiling for the first time in what felt like forever. Keeping his gaze steady with hers, James couldn't remember being that happy. Until the sound of a shot being fired echoed around the rooftops and Anya's eyes widening in fear, shock, and pain had his smile slipping from his face.

A/N After 19 chapters it's finally happened! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the kiss. I'm sorry for being evil and ending it there _ Just and FYI I will be posting a new pic on my pinterest page for this story dealing with this chapter for those who haven't checked out the page yet. Thank you for all of your responses to this story, and sorry for taking longer. I'm on break and my family doesn't always appreciate me spending all my time on my computer. Go figure.

Onto Guest review responses!

First to the Guest who reviewed Chapter 1 and said they were literally in love with this story: I'm so happy to hear you found the story and are in love with it. Welcome to the family (I like to think of all my readers as extended family who are just as excited over Captain America and Bucky Barnes as me). Thank you for the compliment, I'm touched to know you think I write well. I try my best. Feels are good, I'm glad you're experiencing them with this story, and that you enjoy the details I give. Thanks for letting me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

To Aragornsgirll: Yay, glad you liked James saying Anna saved him! And glad you noticed I'm trying to make them a little longer :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

To the guest who mentioned Brent Phillips is a dead man if James ever learns about him: you would be correct. James would track him down and kill him if/when he finds out about him. I like your analysis of Pepper being able to sneak up on James. He is incredibly comfortable when he had Anya with him. There was some minor bonding with Steve in this chapter, more will always be coming. It will be slow going. And as you now know, major alone time with Anya! Oh and off topic, but the fact you refer to Anna as Anya makes me oddly happy lol

To the guest who mentioned it was a beautiful chapter once again: I'm glad you're enjoying the sibling bonding/relationship. Anna is so used to dealing with Tony, she knows how to work things around so that he calms down when overreacting. Most times. Brent Phillips is an OC (As are the other Hydra agents I mention such as Griffin and Hayes) he was not in the movies or comics (if there is a Brent Phillips in either I was not referring to them). Hope you enjoyed the update and sorry for the minor confusion with bringing up Brent last chapter!

To Hannah: Aw poor sick baby :( Hope he (or she) is feeling better! Glad you liked that Anna brought up the contract to Tony. Yes, you will find out more about Brent in future chapters. I'm really happy you liked the sleeping scene and that you think they're adorable. Yeah, James is jealous of Steve. Anna's always talking about him, even if it is just to help him remember, and he doesn't know anything about their past. Steve needs to be careful of how friendly he is with Anna. Lol

To the guest who reviewed they just found this and fell in love: I'm so happy you like it so much! And that this story is still getting new fans. New fans/readers are always welcomed. I'm honored you feel Anna and Bucky are perfect for each other. It would kind of suck if people were like 'nah I don't see them together' Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for leaving a review!

Rach

xoxo