After finishing the move, Natasha and her mom booked the flight back to New York. They talked quite a bit, mostly about Steve. She wanted to know as much as possible about her future son-in-law, before she actually met him. When they stepped off of the plane, it wasn't Steve who greeted them.

"Hey, Natasha! Over here!"

She looks up to see a hand above the crowd, waving her over. When she gets to him, she is surprised to see Bucky. Her mother thinks this is Steve. When she notices the prosthetic, she becomes concerned that he won't be able to provide for her.

"Natasha, you didn't tell me Steve had lost an arm in the war. I know how much you love him, so I'm willing to overlook that if he proves he can provide for you."

"What? No Mom, this isn't Steve. This is his best friend, Bucky. If he's here to pick me up, there must be a good reason for it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. If I offended you, it was unintentional. Please forgive me."

"Nah, no apologies are necessary. I've come to grips with the loss of my arm. If Steve hadn't risked his own life to pull me off of the battlefield, it could have been a lot worse."

"How so, Mr.…?"

"Barnes. Well, Steve and I saw a lot our brothers die in battle. But we saved a lot of them too. He saved me, and I got a second chance at life. I went to war to run away from my problems here. Now I've got a great girl, and a great job. No regrets."

"Buck, where is Steve?"

"Oh yeah, he's at the hospital. Had to go see his Mom."

He notes a look of concern in Natasha's eyes, but he reassures her.

"Nothing's changed. She's still fighting. Chemo is working well, and she looks stronger today than she did when I first saw her."

"A devoted son, and a war hero. Okay, I think you've got a really great guy, Natasha. I can't wait to meet him."

"Well, let's get going. We need to get you two settled in before he gets back from the hospital. Mrs. Romanoff, if you would allow me the honor, I would like to carry your bags."

"Please, call me Serafina. Thank you for the offer, Mr. Barnes. My future son-in-law has a great friend. I hope he is just as chivalrous as you."

"You can call me Bucky, everybody does. But if you can believe it, Steve is actually far more chivalrous than I am. You'll like him."

He picks up her bags and leads them to the parking garage. He would have offered to carry Natasha's as well, but he remembers the last time he offered. She slapped him in the face. When they get to the car, both women are surprised to see a brand new royal blue 4x4 S.U.V.

"Bucky, how did you afford this? I thought you'd never trade in that old truck of yours."

"Oh, no this isn't mine, it's Steve's. He let me borrow it to pick you up. That restoration he did, gave him enough to make a solid down payment on this. After all, he couldn't bring his mom home on the back of his Dad's old motorcycle right, Natasha?"

"Well, it is certainly a surprise. I remember him talking about doing this. Come on, I don't want to stare it all day. Let's see what it's got."

"Yes, Ma'am."

After loading their stuff in the car, Bucky drives them back to her apartment. Forty-five minutes later, they pull up and Steve is already waiting. He goes to the rear and starts unloading bags.

"Hey, thanks for the help, Bucky. Mom appreciated a little more time with me before her next round of tests. Did Nat bring back more bags than she took?

"You're my best friend. It was my pleasure to help. Oh yeah, she came with a guest. She didn't tell you?"

"No, she told me. I just didn't expect this much luggage."

"Surprise, buddy. Guess you're even cause she was surprised that you got the new S.U.V."

"Well, I can take it from here. Sharon called me when she couldn't reach you. Her plane is landing in about an hour."

"Back to the airport. Call if you need anything."

As Bucky drives away, Steve is greeted by Natasha's mom. She is immediately impressed by his bearing, and the evident self-confidence he has. However she does still feel the need to test him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Rogers. My daughter has told me quite a bit about you. I certainly hope that over the next few days you can show me what she sees in you."

Natasha knows what her mother is doing, she's seen it before. But she's not worried. Steve is going to pass.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Romanoff. I must say I've been looking forward to it. I know how hard it is to raise a child as a single parent. My Mom did the same thing with me. You did a fantastic job. I can see where Natasha gets her caring nature from."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Sir. If I may, I would like to take a look around this apartment you are sharing."

Steve picks up her bags and leads the way up the stairs. He only sets them down to open the door and allows her to enter first. When she looks around, the interior of the apartment is spotless. Everything has a place, and it's all neatly organized. After making her way through the rest of the apartment and seeing the pictures of them together, she turns to Steve and makes her assessment.

"Well Steve, my daughter was right about you. You make her happy, and I can tell that you are genuinely devoted to her. I'm glad she found someone who will love her and treat her with all the respect she deserves."

"This was a test?"

She can't hide her amusement at his question. When she laughs, it breaks all the tension in the room.

"Yes, and you passed. After all, the only thing a parent wants is for their child to be happy."

"Thank you Mrs. Romanoff. I promise you that I do love her."

"You can dispense with the formalities, Steve. Please, call me Serafina."

"I'm sorry, it wouldn't be right. My mom always taught me to address my elders by Mr. or Mrs., and their last names."

She gives him another point. That kind of respect is rarely seen in today's society. He's a gentleman, in the perfect sense of the word.

"So, I guess I should be going to check into my hotel. Steve, would you be able to drive me there?"

"Mrs. Romanoff, there's no need for you to stay in a hotel. When Natasha told me you would be coming, I had already set up the guest room for you. It also has a private bathroom for you to use."

Now she gives him another point. He's thoughtful and polite. Any objections she may have still had have been wiped away.

"Thanks again, Steve. If you'll excuse me for a moment, after a two and half hour flight I should take advantage of that."

She leaves and Natasha smiles at him.

"I told you she would love you."