18.

Brooklyn, New York City

December 24th, 1942

The group arrives early to the hall for the Christmas Eve dance at St Bernard's, which is rather crowded inside already. As promised, the roof is decorated with mistletoe and sparkling tinsel, and on every table is a plate of gingerbread men and glasses of mulled wine. Some of the music playing are Christmas carols, though mainly the usual swing music dominates, blaring out of the speakers in the corners of the room.

Everyone ignores the grumbling of their stomachs momentarily in favour of following Bucky as he battles through the crowd toward the far end of the hall. Standing there, leaning against the wall with a glass of wine each, is Connie Capone and her inseparable school friend Bonnie Alden. Connie and Bonnie became friends back in elementary school and are rarely seen without each other. Isabel's surprised that Bonnie didn't actually show up to their visit to Coney Island all those months ago.

Connie is still sporting her romantic fling with Bucky that was started when told him she was sweet on him back in high school. The two have seen each other on and off since they were eighteen, mainly serving as each other's dates for important dances and events. Their relationship is fairly odd - full of flirting and dancing and really just a bit of fun. There's nothing serious about it and never has been. They're not exclusive, and both of them like it that way. Bucky truly could have any girl in Brooklyn that he wanted, but he much preferred to flit between a few, much to Isabel's chagrin. She knows it also riles Steve up too, considering he just wants one girl. Isabel truly hopes one day Bucky will find the right girl and settle down.

Bucky waves to Connie and smirks flirtatiously. He walks up to Connie and kisses her cheek, causing Connie to blush and Bonnie to roll her eyes. Isabel hasn't seen Connie since their visit to Coney Island before Bucky was drafted. That day feels like a lifetime ago. When she sees Connie, she accepts the offered hug and is introduced to Bonnie, taking a moment to catch up since they'd last seen one another.

Bucky backs away and hangs back momentarily beside his friend. Steve watches the girls conversing in the corner, and turns to Bucky. "Is this a triple date or something?" Steve asks, looking extremely uncomfortable and glancing worriedly at Isabel in front of them.

"Well it wasn't going to be," Bucky says, a little apologetically. "I'd originally planned it to be just us three. Then, Connie was just going to tag along with us, but I should have guessed Bonnie would come, so it looks like you're with Bonnie, pal. And Isabel's with Danny I suppose, she said he'll be arriving soon, if he isn't already here. Oh, there he is," Bucky says, spotting Danny coming toward them.

Danny's a tall man, with dark hair and green almond eyes. His hair used to be much longer, Bucky remembers from seeing him around the school yard, but it's been cropped short in light of him preparing to go off to war at some point. Bucky watching him as he walks across the hall. He definitely holds an air of wealth, like he knows he's just a little bit better than everyone else in the room. Bucky tries not to let it influence his impression of Danny, but truthfully what he's heard so far hasn't been fantastic. From what he's heard, Daniel Williams drinks a lot with his friends, doesn't have to work at all for his money like a typical rich kid, and Isabel's been having doubts about him for months. Not good signs.

Bucky sneaks a glance beside him, seeing that Steve looks extremely uncomfortable, mainly with himself. He can bet anything he likes that Steve is comparing everything he has to everything of Danny, and he isn't liking the outcome. Steve may not be as tall and rugged as Danny, but he's got a heart of gold that shines right on through to the outside, something Danny noticeably lacks. Still, Bucky knows he'll make his comparisons. He feels really bad for doing this to Steve, now. He should have just pushed for it to be just then, but how can he tell his sister not to invite her sweetheart, especially when this is the time they're meant to meet?

Danny beelines straight to Isabel, planting a passionate kiss on her lips and muttering his hellos. It's one of the most notable times of affection Isabel has ever experienced with him since he's generally preoccupied with his friends, and she wonders what the reason is for the change in his demeanour. She can't ignore, however, that even with such a passionate display of affection, she feels little in the pit of her stomach.

Isabel looks a bit uncomfortable at such a display in front of Bucky and Steve, her cheeks red. "Uh, Danny, I want you to meet some people," Isabel says, directing Danny's attention to Steve and Bucky standing beside them. "This is my brother, James, and this is Steve," she tells him, pointing out the boys. "Steve, Bucky, this is Danny."

"Pleased to meet you," Steve says politely despite the uneasy feeling of jealousy in his stomach, shaking Danny's hand.

"You, too, Steve. Isabel's told me a lot about you," Danny says with a smirk, looking at Steve with a knowing gleam in his eye. "Both of you, actually. James," he greets, turning to Bucky and holding out a hand for Bucky to clasp.

Bucky eyes it for a moment before shaking it with a firm grip. He's glad for all that running and PT at basic and he makes his grip just a little tighter than probably necessary. "Danny. Call me Bucky."

"I thought that was what Isabel calls you. It's a little odd," Danny admits, making Isabel frown at him. "Childhood nickname?"

"Yeah, it stuck," Bucky says with a forced smile. He isn't sure if he likes Danny yet, but he decides not to make any assumptions too fast. He needs to be fair, not only to Danny but also to his sister. If they end up together, Danny could be a big part of his life, whether he agrees with it or not.

"So, is this a triple date?" Danny asks, same as Steve.

"I guess," Isabel mutters, shrugging her shoulders.

That brings Steve and Bucky back to their previous conversation. "So, Bonnie. What'd you tell her about me?" Steve worries, flattening his hair with his hand. Despite not actually wanting to be Bonnie's date, he will be a gentleman and he wants to make sure there aren't any odds standing against him before Bonnie even meets him.

"Only the good things," Bucky reassures.

"Steve is your date," Connie tells Bonnie, pushing her friend toward Steve and pulling Bucky away from the group toward the bar. Bucky thinks he notices a look of hurt on Isabel's face, but it clears within a second and he wonders if he imagined it. The worry on Steve's face is definitely there though, and Bucky feels regret pool in his stomach.

Steve approaches Bonnie, prepared to introduce himself. Bonnie looks Steve up and down, her green eyes critical of Steve's slight frame making Steve halt in his tracks, whatever he was going to say stuck on the tip of his tongue. Bonnie's face contorts into an expression of slight disgust before she walks away without so much of another word to him, leaving Steve humiliated and red-faced. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and hunches forward to hide his embarrassment. Isabel stands just behind him, held in place by Danny's arm over her shoulder. She feels furious that Steve was rejected so bluntly but also somewhat relieved, as horrible as it sounds. The idea of Steve with anyone else doesn't sit well with herself. She berates herself though, knowing how hypocritical she is for thinking such things as she stands in the arms of another and immediately feels guilt wreck her brain.

They watch as Bonnie marches right up to Bucky and Connie, tells Connie she isn't spending her night with a wisp like Steve, and then flits over to a group of bachelors huddled together in the corner, smoking. As she approaches, their faces seem to light up in delight and they fight to get front position to talk to the slim blonde.

"Well, she was pleasant," Isabel remarks angrily, glaring after Bonnie.

"Can't really blame her," Steve mutters under his breath, thinking Isabel hadn't heard.

Steve moves off to the opposite corner to Bonnie, taking a seat at a two-person table, leaning forward with his chin in his hand. Immediately, Bucky is by his side, his hawk-like eyes spotting Steve's change in demeanour from across the hall, especially after Bonnie's dramatic exit. Steve waves his worried friend away, telling him to go and have fun, and then proceeds to watch Bucky twirl Connie around the dance floor.

Isabel moves to talk to him, but Danny's grip on her shoulders holds her in place.

"Leave him, darlin', he's just moping because he got rejected," Danny drawls, taking Isabel by the hand and spinning her onto the dance floor.

"But-"

"He'll be okay," Danny reassures her. "Let's dance."

Danny begins to twirl Isabel around the dance floor, her dress floating through the air behind her. She keeps in time with Danny, her feet moving effortlessly across the wooden floor, heels clacking to the beat. Danny throws her around and they twist and twirl in time, jitterbugging across the floor. Steve recognises the steps because Isabel's tried to teach him so many times now.

Danny tries to keep Isabel's attention, staring at her with the utmost affection and pride as she dances in his arms, but Isabel is too distracted, constantly glancing over her shoulder to check on Steve. Steve notices, of course, feeling a wave of protectiveness wash over him for her. He wants her to be happy and to enjoy her time with her sweetheart, so when they make eye contact, he smiles and waves at her, trying to put her mind at ease. He really is okay, rejection is something he's grown used to. He's quite content to sit in this seat and watch his friends have a good night, maybe have a whiskey or two. His friends' happiness makes him happy.

Still, he can't pretend that it doesn't hurt. He supposes it is his fault, though. Had he been a little bit taller, a little bit healthier, a little more confident, maybe he could have snatched Isabel up before someone else did. La Douleur Exquise; he remembers reading it in a textbook one time. A French word to describe the heart-wrenching pain of wanting someone you can't have. Steve thinks that's rather relevant to him right now.

When the music set ends, Isabel breaks free from Danny, who goes straight to the bar and takes a seat beside Bucky, who's taking a break as well. They start up a conversation, laughing with each other, though Bucky doesn't look like his heart is entirely in it. Isabel comes toward Steve's table and takes a seat next to him. She doesn't ask him if he's okay, thankfully, because he doesn't really know how to tell her that he's more upset that she's dancing with Danny than the fact that Bonnie rejected him.

Isabel fans her face, a little flushed from all the activity. She looks at Steve, smiling hopefully at her friend. "Do you want to dance, Stevie?" She asks.

"No, thanks. I don't really know how," Steve mutters, looking down at his now-empty glass of whiskey.

"You say that all the time, but I've tried to help you and I know that Bucky tried to teach you in the living room one time. I saw you. You two were a sight, dancing in each other's arms, swaying side to side listening to Benny Goodman," Isabel laughs. She's trying to lighten the mood and it is working. Steve can't help but chuckle, thinking that he and Bucky probably did look hilarious. Bucky had spent more time telling Steve off for stepping on his foot than actually telling him what to do.

"You can dance with me if you want," Isabel offers again. "We can take it slow. I'll show you what to do."

"That's okay," Steve says, feeling guilty as Isabel herself looks dejected. "Maybe another time," he adds.

She nods at that, seemingly satisfied by his answer. They sit in silence, watching as the couples reemerge onto the dance floor to begin the next set. They make small talk, commenting on so-and-so's dress and another guy's moves, before Danny appears before the two again.

"Let's dance again?" He asks Isabel, offering his hand silently to her and nodding his head toward the dance floor, a smirk playing on his lips.

Isabel looks hesitantly at Steve. "Oh, no. That's okay, Danny, I'll stay with–"

Steve's heart flutters when he realises Isabel is going to skip the set to keep him company. As much as he wants her to stay, he doesn't want her to miss out. "Don't just sit this out for me," Steve tells her sternly, giving her a disapproving look. "Go, have fun. Go," he reassures.

Steve pushes her arm to try to get her to stand. Isabel looks at him oddly, looking dejected by Steve for the second time that night, as though she hadn't expected him to push her away. She nods and gives in, taking Danny's hand and being pulled out onto the dance floor once again. On their way into the crowd, she catches sight of Bucky near the centre, dipping a tipsy-looking Connie low toward the ground, both their cheeks red from exertion and alcohol.

"Which dance is this?" Isabel asks Danny, unable to remember which dance style fits with the beat of the music.

"Let's just sway?" Danny suggests.

Isabel nods in agreement, spinning in Danny's arms before they bump into each other, close enough to touch chests, and begin to waltz slowly in a circle in time with the music. As they make a full circle, Isabel peers over Danny's shoulder, seeing that the seat Steve had previously been sitting in is now vacant. Confused, her eyes scan the dance hall, finally falling on the front doors, which are open just enough for her to glimpse a familiar blonde making his exit into the darkness outside. Steve's left the hall without even saying goodbye, and Isabel feels responsible; she'd left him alone at a table once again after he was rejected so bluntly by Bonnie.

"There's something I gotta tell you," Danny tells her, noticing his girl staring after Steve. Her eyes flick to his then, blue-grey meeting green. He smiles, because he has her attention, but then his lips fall into a line.

"What is it?" She asks quietly, noticing his sudden change in mood.

"I got my orders," he says quietly. "I ship out in two days."

Isabel's breath hitches at his words and their quick-stepped dance comes to an abrupt end as Isabel stares up at him in slight shock. Of course, she knew he would be leaving soon enough. Danny had attended basic over ten months ago, before he'd met her. His number is finally up. But it makes her think of her brother who also could get his orders any day now. It's a waiting game for all the men. They're all a ticking time-bomb. She opens her mouth, but she doesn't know whether she's planning on congratulating him or apologising, and he beats her out of any answer she may have given.

"I know that I haven't treated you as well as I could have. I chose the boys over you and that was wrong. You're beautiful, and fun, and light. Facing going overseas and knowing what I'm walking into has really shown me what my priorities should have been and I want to rectify that now. So, before I go, I wanted to ask you something," Danny tells Isabel.

He leans forward, toward her ear, and whispers something to her, only just audible over the music; a question that makes her eyes widen and her mouth drop open. Eventually she frowns, then looks surprised again. A whole range of emotions cross her face within seconds, and Danny waits patiently for an answer, confident that he'll be answered appropriately.

He gets a rude shock though, when Isabel shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Daniel. But no, I can't. I-I'm… I don't… I'm sorry, I just can't," Isabel stumbles through her words, shaking her head at the abruptness of it all, before she makes her escape, practically running from the hall.

Danny remains where he stood, bewildered, his arms extended questioningly as he watches Isabel disappear from sight.

Steve's been sitting quietly since he got home over half an hour ago, doodling the image of a faceless dancing couple in his sketchbook. Of course, he knows the woman in the couple is Isabel, but the man is not Danny – rather it's himself, almost the same height as the woman with a light tuft of hair that shines in the light of the hall. He's drawing himself dancing with Isabel, because that's what he should have done. It's too late now though, because he left in a huff. He berates himself for his behaviour and for letting his jealousy control his decisions.

He immediately looks up from his seat on the sofa when the front door to the apartment opens. He wasn't expecting anyone to be home so soon, considering the night is only young. Surprisingly, Isabel walks through the door, looking rather dishevelled and distressed. She moves to retire to her room, but pauses when she notices Steve sitting silently on the couch, and beelines for the other couch, plopping onto it face down and propping her face on her arms to look at Steve.

"Why did you leave?" She asks quietly, though she thinks she already knows the answer. "Was it because of Bonnie?"

Steve just shrugs in response. He quickly flips pages in his sketchbook.

Isabel sighs, but doesn't question him further. She knows dancing isn't Steve's thing, he mostly only tags along to have something to do and to have a possibility of finding the 'one'. Rather, Bucky sets him up with a dame to dance with and he hopes to find out whether she is interested or not before she switches for a more socially acceptable partner. Bonnie had been out of line, and she doesn't want to push him into talking about it when it could be upsetting. It isn't the first something similar has happened, and it probably won't be the last.

"Why did you leave?" Steve questions in return. "I thought you and Bucky'd be there for a long while, yet."

"I don't think Bucky will be coming home tonight," Isabel says quietly. "Or at least, not until very late. He and Connie were getting very close on the dance floor."

Steve hums. He doesn't miss how dismal Isabel seems. She turns her head into her arms to hide from Steve, her hair falling to cover the edges of her face. "Is something wrong?" Steve asks, putting his sketchbook down. All jealousy and sourness from earlier leaves his system immediately, replaced with curiosity and concern.

Isabel sighs again, sitting up on the couch. She runs her hands through her hair, bouncing one of her curls. "Danny got his orders. He ships out Monday morning."

"Oh," Steve says, feeling that ferocious jealousy for Danny Williams return in an instant. Not only does he get the girl, he also gets to go and fight. It's funny how things seem to turn out this way. "I'm sorry," he says instinctively.

Isabel waves him off, seeming unworried. "Don't apologise, it's okay. That wasn't really the problem. We both knew it was coming someday." Steve waits patiently for Isabel to reveal the real problem. She sneaks a peek at him from under her lashes, finally looking up from the spot on the table she'd been staring at. "We broke up. He–" she stops abruptly, reconsidering her answer. "He said he couldn't promise to be faithful while he was overseas. You know, with all the women. And he also said that that he didn't expect me to stay devoted to him while he was gone for so long, either. So, he said it was better if we broke things off."

Steve doesn't know what to say to that, and he fights back the enthusiastic relief coursing through him. He shuns it, ashamed of his thoughts. "I'm sorry," he says again rather lamely, unable to say anything else.

"No, it's okay. It's for the best. I just thought you should know," Isabel tells him, moving to stand up. "I think I'm just going to go to bed, I'm rather tired." She hesitates, seems to debate what to do, and then steps forward toward Steve. She leans down over him, and presses a kiss to his cheek, her lips cool against his hot skin. "Goodnight," she mumbles, then stands upright and makes a swift departure, closing her bedroom door behind her.