Back in 1945

3

The day I was awake by 7 and at work by 8 for my shift at the hospital. I was just a provisional nurse but the pay was good and I got to learn a lot.

As the clock struck 12 I ran practically ran out of the hospital, running after the bus as it pulled away from the stop so I didn't have to wait.

"Wow! What happened to you?" Bucky said as he saw me.

"You alright?" Steve said as I met them in front of my house.

"Yeah, some kid just broke his arm working on a car, bloody scene but he'll be alright." I said as I neared my porch, taking notice to the lack of a truck in the drive way, which meant my father wasn't home.

"I gotta change? But if you guys wanna come inside I don't see no problem." I said as I put my key in the lock.

"Why Ms. Jones, don't you think that would be scandalous?" Bucky teased.

"Only if I was married" I smiled back at them. "So Steve folded?"

"Yup"

"Hood thing I'm not a spy, can't trust you with anything Rodgers." We went inside and I rushed them upstairs. So they hopefully didn't see the empty beer and whiskey bottles littering my house. We made it up stairs and I shoved them into my room. There wasn't much there, a bed clothes piled up in the corner, a few posters of various cars, the us army, and a few of frank sinatra.

"Nice room?" Bucky said cautiously.

"Well my mothers dead so there's no one cleaning up after me, and if I spent my time cleaning up life would be so much duller." I grabbed clean clothes and went to the bathroom to change. I came out while pulling my hair up, jumping when I heard the front door open and my fathers foot steps down stairs.

"Quickly in the closet" I whispered as I ran into my room.

"What?" Bucky said as he sat up on my bed.

"Closet now, both of you!" I said I pushed them in and shut the door behind them.

"Girly what're doing?" My father said as he walked in.

"Getting ready for work, sorry dad didn't mean to wake you." I said hoping he would take the apology and leave.

"Wake me? What do you think I do all day girl?! I'm just a drunk bum?!? Think I just sit around all day?!" He said as he neared me.

"No, I haven't left my room yet, I didn't know if you were at work or somewhere else." He struck me across the face but I stayed silent hoping the boys wouldn't hear it.

"You better not spend your day here, and did I say about wearing those clothes? You wanna end up like your brother?"

"No, sorry dad" he turned and left the room. I heard him make his way down stairs and turn on the radio. I grabbed concealer from under my bed quickly dabbing it next to my eye where I could feel the skin starting bruise before letting the boys out.

"You okay?" Steve asked as the walked out of the closet.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"We thought we heard him hit you. Buck nearly jumped out of the closet."

"Oh no!" I laughed quietly. "I just dropped my hair brush" I lied as I walked past them and opened my window. "Come on"

I jumped from the window, landing perfectly on my feet. I looked back up and saw Bucky fearlessly jump stumbling as he landed. Steve seemed a little more reluctant but jumped and fell to his side. We could here my father inside coming around so we took off.

We hadn't stopped until we were two blocks down and I rounded a corner laughing my ass off.

"Lots of running for this group" I said as we all stopped to grab our breath. We ended up at the park, fighting each other and playing with some throwing knives I found a long time ago. I ended uo being pretty good at it, knives sticking almost every time while Bucky got mostly bullseyes. 🎯. We were there till dark, Bucky deciding to invite us to his house, although I'm fairly certain Steve was always invited, and I would be intruder tonight.

As we walked up to Bucky's porch I took notice to how closest was to my house.

"You live 3 houses down?" I asked Steve, he nodded. They were only a block from where I grew up, I don't know how we missed eachother for so long. Inside were Bucky's parents and a young boy.

"Mom, dad" Bucky said as we entered the dining area. He turned to where Steve and I stood. "This is my friend Andy"

"Oh!" His mother said as she wiped her hands off on her apron and walked towards us. She quickly wrapped her arms around me, embracing me in a hug I wasn't use to. "It's lovely to meet you darling. James has been talking about you non stop, we thought he had asked you to the dance or something. Steve and James seemed very excited to be hanging out with you, seems like you sparked adventure in their lives again." She was beaming as she talked to me, like she could never be sad, everything in her life was grand.

"Andy is that short for something?" His dad spoke up.

"Umm, Andrea" I froze.

"Andrea." He pondered. "That's beautiful."

"Uhh, thank you" I said as Bucky motioned for me to sit down in-between him and Steve.

"Oh, and that's my younger cousin Jack. His dad enlisted so he's staying with us for awhile." Bucky says as his mom starts to serve food.

"So Andrea, what's your family like?" Bucky's mom asked as we started eating.

"Uhh" I couldn't quiet think of what to say off the top of my heaa. "Normal I guess. Just me and my father."

"Oh I'm sorry hunny" Bucky's mom said solemnly.

"What's your father do?" His father pushed.

"um, he's a tow truck driver." The interrogation only when on for little bit longer before Bucky finally joined in and the conversation moved to other subjects and away from me.

 "Didn't think you ever got nervous" Bucky said as him, Steve and I went out to the back porch.

"Shut up!"I said as I took the hidden flask from him. We spent awhile on the back porch, again just talking, eating desert that Bucky's mom gave to us. Steve walked me home although I offered for it to be the other way around, it was an enjoyable walk, with just me and Steve talking.