Evelyn had no idea why she was spending so long looking for an outfit to wear the next morning. She had woken up early to go for a run, finding herself unable to doze for any longer despite not having to be at work until the afternoon considering she was working late. She had showered and washed her hair, towel drying it and looking in her wardrobe. Was she looking for an outfit for this event or was she more concerned with finding an outfit because Bucky had asked her to hang out with him after it? She had no idea. A part of her wondered what she was thinking as she shrugged into her underwear and looked at the wardrobe.

"Pull yourself together," Evelyn demanded from herself and reached for a fitted green dress that came down to her calves. She pulled it on and zipped it up, tugging her hair from underneath it. Looking in the mirror, she nodded once. She was content that that would do.

She had no desire to stay home and so she decided to go into work anyway. She had some filing that she could make a start on anyway. She finished blow-drying her hair and left it to hang loosely down her back. Perching on the stool at her dresser, she did her makeup before moving into the kitchen.

Her living area was completely open planned and her kitchen was on the small side. That was the price that she paid for living so centrally in D.C. She had little space, but she was close to work and she didn't need much room anyway. She packed herself a salad in a container and then boiled her kettle on the stove, reaching for a herbal tea bag and dropping it into the travel mug.

Humming to herself as she moved around, she ate a banana and finished opening the curtains to her apartment. It was bright outside, but she knew it would be cold. It had been just above freezing when she had gone out for her run. Going back into the bedroom, she opted to pull on a pair of thick black tights and finished her banana awkwardly as she wriggled into the material. Tossing the empty skin into the bin on her way into the kitchen, she placed her salad in her bag and filled her travel mug up with the boiling water.

Slipping her heels onto her feet, she shrugged into her red coat and draped her bag on the crook of her arm before grabbing the travel mug and leaving her apartment. Locking up, she headed down to the foyer and said good morning to Alfie as he sat on reception for the building complex.

Walking to work, she felt something in her stomach that she hadn't felt before. She tried not to let it overtake her as she moved towards the museum, but she couldn't help it. As she walked up the steps to the main entrance, she sipped on her tea and flashed her pass to the security guard on day duty. Heading to the office, she bid her good mornings to everyone and set about her work for the day.

"Evelyn."

The clock had just struck eleven and Evelyn had been busy finishing off her emails with the National History Museum in London after they had requested something from the exhibit and they were in the process of working out the logistics. Peering up from her screen, her glasses fell back onto her nose while she tilted her head up and saw Dominic Jones stood in front of her. She forced herself to smile at the middle-aged man.

Dominic Jones was technically Evelyn's boss. He was one of the chief director's of the museums, but he was rarely in the building. He preferred to spend his time in his big fancy office at the main base. He was constantly the gossip of the office, mainly because he was always getting himself in trouble in his personal life. He had just gone through divorce number three after his wife caught him with a girl fresh out of college. Rumour had it that she had taken him to the cleaners.

Evelyn didn't entirely know how he managed to attract so many women. She suspected that he was traditionally handsome. He was tall, with cropped blonde hair. He had a chiselled jaw and soft blue eyes with strong cheekbones. He worked out as well, something he constantly talked about whenever he got chance to.

"Mr Jones," Evelyn spoke as the other four people in the office continued typing on their computers. "How can I help?"

"Are you working the event tonight?" he asked from her.

"I said that I would help out behind the scenes…organise the catering…everything like that," she said with a nod of her head, silently thinking about how she was looking forward to what was going to follow the event more than anything. She was doing her best not to think about Bucky, not wanting to be distracted at work. But she was finding it increasingly difficult.

"Good," Dominic said. "There is someone who I would like you to meet tonight."

Evelyn wrinkled her nose and arched her brows in inquisitiveness. "Who?" she dared to wonder.

"You'll see tonight," he replied. "Now carry on."

And with that he left. He was gone without another word and Evelyn rolled her eyes behind his back, catching the eye of Rebecca after she had made the motion as the other curator chuckled at the sight. Both women smirked at each other and shrugged, knowing what their boss could be like.

At lunch the four in the office went out. Evelyn got on well with the people she worked with, but they had busy lives outside of work. They weren't exactly friends. Their association ended at work. Rebecca was slightly younger than Evelyn and had just gone through her second breakup in two years. She had friends in the city and was constantly spending her free time posting online about how she had gone to the newest club or bar.

Martin was older than Evelyn and had a wife who had been his childhood sweetheart. She taught at a school out in the suburbs and had just given birth to their second child. Martin was always the first out the office, rushing back to the subway to begin his commute and get home at a reasonable hour. And Jennifer was the last one in the office. She had been married twice and was juggling children and step-children alongside parent's evenings and constantly being invited to guest speak at events because of how many articles she had published. She might be a curator, but she had a PhD and still dabbled in research and guest lecturing at colleges.

They all speculated what it was Dominic wanted from Evelyn, but they came up short. They couldn't entirely think what it was without making lewd comments on how he was trying to set her up with someone. Evelyn played along and didn't take their teasing seriously as she ate her salad, feeling slightly guilty that she had bought food and they were in a café. But money was tight and she had ordered a tea so she didn't feel too bad.

They dragged their lunch hour out for just slightly over an hour before returning to the office. Rebecca went through the plan with Evelyn for the evening after Jennifer and Martin left for the night.

"So…" Rebecca drawled once Evelyn had finished making notes in her notebook on what she had to do for the evening. "I hear that you've had a regular visitor in the exhibit?"

"Who told you that?" Evelyn asked and Rebecca shrugged, feeling like she could talk more freely now that there were only two of them in the office.

"Charlie," she said. "I was sat with him the other night for a while and he told me. Swore me to secrecy, though. Apparently you had been letting him stay for longer than he should."

Evelyn shrugged. "I didn't know what else to do," she responded to the young woman. Rebecca tucked her red, bobbed hair behind her ear and folded one leg over the other as she perched on Evelyn's intricately tidy desk. "He just looked so lost in his own little world and I didn't want to drag him out of it. Anyway, everything has been sorted."

"Yeah, Charlie told me about your plan."

"Charlie tell you anything else?" Evelyn wondered. "I'm going to have to be careful what I say around him. I had no idea he was such a big gossip."

"Nah," she shook her head, "he was just looking out for you. He worries about you, you know? Said that he's known you for a while now and just wants to make sure you're okay. I think he was concerned because there was a killer here, you know?"

"He was fine," Evelyn said with a shrug. "I have spoken to him a few times and he is…normal…really."

"Seriously?" she checked. "Because I would imagine someone who was a former hitman might have issues, especially after what he went through."

Evelyn shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think we know what it was that he went through," she replied. "I mean, we only know what we've been told and I imagine most of that is just selected bits."

Rebecca looked sceptical for a moment, watching Evelyn as she leant back in her chair, hands holding onto the arms of it and she spun slightly in the seat, using her toes to push her back and forth. Before she could do anything or say anything, Rebecca was talking.

"Oh my God," she drawled. "Do you fancy him?"

"Rebecca, don't be so ridiculous," Evelyn said with a shake of her head. "I just felt sorry for him and so I let him stay and he…we've spoken a couple of times. That doesn't constitute anything."

"So are you hanging out?"

"Not really," she responded with a shake of her head. "I mean, I bumped into him last night and we went for pizza and then he asked if I wanted to hang out tonight. I said that I would and he is meeting me after this event, but it doesn't mean anything. None of it means anything."

"Yeah, sure," Rebecca replied but was not convinced at all. "Look, just be careful. Hanging out with a former killer isn't exactly safe, is it? And we know that you…well…work is your life, but we do care for you, okay?"

Evelyn nodded her head and Rebecca slipped from her desk and went back to her desk. Closing her eyes, Evelyn realised how sad that sounded. They thought that work was her life. And she guessed they had a point. Her friends had moved away. She lived alone. She didn't date. She hardly did anything outside of work except for run and go to spin classes.

"You coming?" Rebecca asked from Evelyn once the clock had struck seven and there was only half an hour before the first people began arriving. "Are you okay just to keep an eye on refreshments? I also might need you to double check the mic. I'm going to go and greet our special guest."

"Be out in a moment," she responded and Rebecca slipped from the room.

Evelyn logged out of her computer and stood up, pulling her dress down and then moving into the foyer. She walked through the NASA exhibit where the caterers were hidden behind a curtain, already setting everything up. There were fancy aperitifs and champagne flutes filled with either champagne or orange juice. Evelyn checked that they were all doing okay before she went to check on the microphone, turning it on and tapping on it. She looked around and couldn't help but think that Rebecca had done a good job. She had only organised two events before and each time she had forgotten something. But she was still learning.

Evelyn kept out of the way as the room filled up and she simply made sure she was doing what Rebecca had asked from her. She didn't intend to steal her thunder. As the evening wore on, people grew louder and more talkative, filled with champagne and small nibbles.

As Evelyn went to double check on the catering, she felt a hand take hold of her elbow. She almost stumbled but kept herself in check. Looking behind her, she saw that Dominic was the one who had grabbed her. She forced the smile onto her face and looked to him.

"Evelyn, dear," he said, voice silky soft as he let go of her elbow and moved his hand to the small of her back. She stiffened under his touch as he guided her forwards through a small crowd of people, apologising for the interruption. "Evelyn, may I introduce you to John Walker."

She looked to the man who had a smile on his face. He had been talking with some other people who had since dispersed, leaving him alone. He was also tall with broad shoulders, blonde neat hair cropped on his head. He had a handsome face, with a strong jaw and a smile that revealed perfect teeth.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," he informed her, moving to offer his hand. She took it and shook it gently. "Dominic has been telling me a lot about you. He told me that you're one of the best curators he knows…majored in History…and you're in charge of the Captain America exhibit here?"

"Well, yes," Evelyn said with a nod of her head.

"Walker here is one of the finest soldiers in the US army. He has three medals of honour and has consistently scored high in aptitude tests and physical examinations," Dominic said and John dropped Evelyn's hand then and she nodded once.

"That's very impressive."

"Well," John said, acting humble, "not as impressive as you. I hear you graduated top of your class."

"Evelyn most certainly is one of our brightest," Dominic said, hand going to the small of her back once more. "And that is why I think she would be perfect to help you with your research."

"I completely agree," John said enthusiastically.

"What research is this?" Evelyn wondered, looking between the two men as she felt slightly out of the loop on what they were discussing. She stepped forward to grab a glass of champagne from a passing tray, wanting to get away from Dominic's hand on her back.

"I have an assignment," John said, "for the time being it is quite secret, but basically I have to research Captain America…Steve Rogers…find out what he was like, how he fought."

"It is for a research project," Dominic informed her. "John here is trying to find out what made Captain America so successful. What made people want to follow him into war? The army think that it could help with the current slump in recruitment they are seeing."

"And you need me for this?" Evelyn checked from him.

"Well, you are the head of the exhibit and you have access to the archives," Dominic said and Evelyn sipped her champagne. "So what do you say, Evelyn? Does this all sound okay?"

"I would only be here twice a week or so," John said to her, "in between other things that I have to do. I know that you must be incredibly busy and so I am not expecting you to give everything up, just guide me when I need guiding."

"Okay," Evelyn said, not entirely certain if she had any other option in the matter. She smiled to John. "Sure, I'll help you."

"Perfect," John said back to her. "I'll be back in a few weeks. I'll send you an email to organise a time and day. Do you have a card?"

"I do," Evelyn said, "I'll have to go back to my office…oh…shoot," she commented as she looked at the clock on the wall and noted that it had already gone ten. She didn't like to keep people waiting.

"Something wrong, Evelyn?"

"I have to go," she said.

"Well I was on the way out anyway," John informed her.

"As was I," Dominic said. "Evelyn, why don't you go and fetch your card and we will meet you by the exit."

"Perfect," Evelyn said with a nod.

She dashed off, grabbing Rebecca and quickly congratulating her on a great event and telling her that she had to go. Rebecca urged her to be careful and Evelyn nodded, touched by her concern. She rushed into the office and saw that the clock had struck twenty past as she shrugged her coat on and grabbed her bag. She picked up one of her business cards and moved to the exit, feeling bad for making Bucky wait. That was if he had waited. She saw that Dominic and John were already stood outside the exit. She moved towards them and handed John her card as she stepped outside, feeling the fresh air on her cheeks as she looked around for any sign of Bucky. She didn't have chance to scan the area as she felt Dominic's hand on her arm again.

"You sure you're okay with this?" he checked from her.

"Positive," she responded as John peered down at her card.

"I'll let you know when I'm back in town," John said as he noted the way Dominic was looking down at Evelyn. John had heard about Dominic. He knew how he fancied himself to be quite the ladies' man. But something about the way Evelyn held herself told him that she didn't entirely appreciate his loitering around her.

"So, John, it was nice meeting you?" Dominic said and then looked down to Evelyn, hand going to her back once more. "Are you heading home, Evelyn? I can drive you? My car is just out front with my driver."

"Oh no…I am fine," Evelyn said.

"I insist. It's late-"

"-No," she interrupted, her voice still as sweet as possible.

"Actually, I was about to walk to the subway. Were you heading that way?" John asked from her.

She looked to him and he gave her a small and almost invisible nod. She nodded her head and John smiled widely, clasping Dominic on the arm harshly and then offering her his arm. "Well, let me walk you there," he said and she took hold of his forearm as Dominic looked put out. She looked to her boss as John did too. "I'll get her there safely. Goodnight, Dominic."

"Yes, goodnight," he said and took off as John walked slowly down the stairs with Evelyn. She sighed once she was sure Dominic was out of earshot. John looked down to her and nodded. "You alright?"

"Yeah," she said, "he's…well…he's my boss and I know what he is like."

"He had no right to make you uncomfortable," John told her. "Glad that I could help. But in all seriousness, do you need me to walk you home or anywhere else?"

Evelyn thought about his offer before she saw him. He was stood just down the path, loitering beneath a tree. His gaze was set on her and she shook her head, looking to him.

"No, I'm with him."

….

Bucky had spent all afternoon wondering what to wear. What were they going to do once they she had left work? Bucky had wondered if she had any ideas. She seemed like someone who preferred the peace and quiet. He decided on donning his usual wear. He shrugged into a black shirt and pulled on his leather jacket and gloves with a pair of dark jeans. He combed his short hair and contemplated having a shave, but thought against it.

He went for a long walk as the sun set before he went to wait for Evelyn outside the museum. He kept his distance, but he saw the sight unfolding in front of him. He could see perfectly how Evelyn's face fell and her body stiffened as a middle-aged man ran his hand down the small of her back. Bucky was about to step in, but there was another man there. He offered her his arm and she took it quickly and without much hesitation. He walked her down the steps and they spoke in hushed tones. Evelyn was smiling gratefully at him before her gaze landed on Bucky as he stood by a tree.

He wondered what to do. Did he walk over to her? Did he give her time with this man? He chose to walk forwards as she dropped her hand from the man's arm and he smiled to her, waving softly and walking away as Bucky approached.

"I am so sorry," Evelyn began as she approached him. "I hate being late, but I got accosted at the event and I escaped as soon as I could. I shouldn't have left you stood out here."

"Are you okay?" Bucky asked from her, not caring that she was late.

She looked puzzled as Bucky's gaze remained on the back of the retreating man's head. Evelyn nodded her head.

"Oh…that…"

"What happened?" Bucky asked from her.

"That was John," Evelyn said. "He was just walking out the party with me. He needs my help with some research."

"And the creep who had his hand on you?"

"Oh," Evelyn said, "that creep just happens to be my boss who was about to give me a ride home. John kind of distracted him and got him to leave."

"I should have come up," Bucky said to her.

"Why?" she wondered from him and he stopped his glaring at Walker and turned his gaze down to her, softening his expression slightly as she watched him with those doe eyes of hers.

"Because I was supposed to meet you," he said.

"Hey, it's fine," Evelyn promised him with a shrug. "Listen, I have no idea what you want to do, but let's just get out of here and somewhere warm. Besides, I have had nothing to eat for dinner and I could use some food. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah," Bucky said to her. "Any preference?"

"None at all."

"I know this Chinese place not far from here. We can head there if you want?"

"Sounds great," she said to him and walked by his side. "So how was your day?"

"Fine," Bucky said to her. He didn't want her to know that he had spent most of his previous evening outside of her apartment and watching it, making sure that she was safe. "How was the event?"

"It went well," Evelyn responded with a nod. "Rebecca, another curator, was the one running it. I just helped her out, but she did a great job. I left her just to finish off when I saw the time."

She began telling him about how it had gone and how the rest of her day had been on the walk. She kept conversation light and Bucky responded politely to her questions. They ate dinner and talked, Bucky occasionally smiling at what she said and laughing sometimes. He had insisted on paying this time and she had let him considering that she had paid the night before. Once they had finished, Bucky insisted on walking her home once again. She looked down to the ground before speaking to him.

"The blip," she said and he looked to her, noting how she kept her gaze averted, "do you remember it?" Bucky knew that the time might come when she became curious about him, but she didn't think that it would be about the blip.

"No," Bucky answered honestly to her. "I only remember darkness and then suddenly I was back. It was like I had been in the middle of a nap. It was weird."

Evelyn nodded.

"Why do you ask?" he questioned her.

She shrugged. "I was one of the lucky ones," she admitted to him. "But my mom and dad were taken and so was one of my friends…it was only me and Lisa left, the lawyer in London who I told you about. Those five years went by so slowly."

"What was it like?" Bucky asked her.

"Horrible," she admitted to him. "D.C. was like a ghost town. Cars…they were just abandoned…apartments too…it was eerie. It was all too eerie. And, I think, the scary thing is that there are people out there who thought it was better. There are people who want that back."

"There's always people with different opinions," Bucky responded. "But most of the time they just ramble to themselves."

"It's just upsetting, isn't it?" Evelyn asked from him. "To think that there are people who would be happy with so many others being lost…friends…family…it just freaks me out."

"I wouldn't let it," Bucky urged from her.

"Hard not to when the museum is on about extending the Captain America exhibit to include the blip," she scoffed back. "But yeah, sorry, I don't mean to be morbid. I just thought I would ask. No one really talks about what it was like."

"Honestly," Bucky said to her, scratching the back of his neck, "out of everything you could ask me about my life, that was an easier question to answer."

Evelyn shook her head slowly. "That's for you to tell me if you ever want to," she said. "I'm not going to start prying into your life. It is none of my business."

Bucky appreciated that. He really did. "And you're not scared of me? Of what I have done?"

Evelyn smiled at that and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Do you think that I would be here with you if I was scared of you?" she asked from him. "Look, I don't know you, not really. But I know that you aren't that man who you used to be…because he wouldn't have spent every day at the museum watching the past."

"He probably wouldn't have been pardoned by the President either," he replied. "But that man is me. I did all of those things that you read about."

"Really?" Evelyn wondered from him. "Because I don't think that's entirely true."

"You really believe that?"

"Fully," Evelyn said with a nod as they finally approached her building and lapsed into silence for the final one hundred metres to it. Standing outside the door, Bucky looked to Evelyn and she grabbed her keys.

"You sure you're okay?" Evelyn asked, seeing that Bucky looked distracted. "I didn't want the night to end so heavy or make you upset."

Bucky shook his head. "I'm not upset," he promised her. "I just don't have honest conversations, well, not outside of therapy."

"You go to therapy?" she asked from him.

"Condition of my pardon," he said. "And she has a field day getting inside of my head. Just wait until I tell her about you."

Evelyn shifted from one foot to another. "You're going to tell her about me?"

"Well, you're part of my life now so I guess I'll have to mention you," Bucky said, "unless you don't want to go any further and get involved anymore. My mind isn't exactly normal and I can be complicated. I'd get it if you'd prefer not to bother."

"Are you the one who is trying to push me away now?" she wondered from him.

"Just a warning." He commented.

"Consider me warned," she nodded, "so can I have your number? Because contacting you might be difficult without it. Unless you have a messenger pigeon hidden in that leather jacket?"

Bucky smiled at that. "Not today," he told her and he took his phone from his pocket. He handed it to her and she put in her number, noticing that he only had about three contacts in his phone. She grabbed her own phone from her bag after she had rang her number from his device so that she had his number.

"Just text me when you want to hang out," she urged from him.

"Will do," Bucky promised her.

She nodded once and moved towards him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, smiling at him. "Goodnight, Bucky."

"Goodnight, Evelyn," he responded.

He watched her in once again before he looked down the street. He kept his gaze focused intently and swore that he saw someone move into the shadows. He moved down the sidewalk and towards the end of the block, looking around the corner. But there was no one there. Bucky continued to remain puzzled, wondering exactly what was going on before he contemplated if he was over-reacting.

He considered leaving and heading home, but a part of him felt compelled to head on over to the building across from Evelyn's again. And so he did just that. He had no idea what was going on, but a part of him didn't want to leave her. As he settled on the roof, he pulled his phone out to text her. He could see into her apartment. Her curtains were open and she was tidying things out from her bag, an empty Tupperware box and a travel mug being placed into the dishwasher. He sent the quick text, asking her if she was free tomorrow. She picked her phone up as soon as the text came through and Bucky watched her begin to walk through the apartment, forgetting to close the dishwasher and put it on. Instead she stared down at her screen and smiled that big genuine smile of hers. Bucky's own lips arched up as she text him back and his phone buzzed in seconds, confirming that she was free.

She tossed the device onto her sofa and closed the curtains again, that infectious smile still etched on her face and reflecting in his.

…

A/N: Not sure if anyone is reading but any comments/thoughts then that would be greatly appreciated!