Bound By Purpose

The Future Is Never Certain

I straighten my uniform jacket as I look in the mirror. Sighing I move to my hair. I run a brush through it and then quickly sweep it up into a bun, but I can't get it quite right so I let it fall back down. I smile when I look myself over in my full body mirror in my uniform. Hopefully Bucky wasn't intending on me dressing up nice because tonight is our last together. No. I know he won't mind, he's proud of me... Isn't he?

Mom calls me downstairs. I leave my room expecting it to be Bucky and Steve to pick me up but instead when I reach the bottom of the stairs my father is there to greet me. I'm taken aback by him. He never visits suddenly. He smiles at me as he scans over my uniform. "Now there's my girl." 

"Hi dad." I say going in for a hug.

"Where are you off too tonight?" He asks as we move to sit in the living room.

"Steve, Buck, and I are going to the Stark expo tonight. It's kinda our last night all together." My dad nods silently. Turning to my mother he addresses her quickly. 

"Dear do you think you could bring me some tea." My mother smiles in her usual way, kisses him on the forehead and then disappears into the kitchen. As soon as she's out of sight my father turns back to me. "You have your orders then?" He asks pointing at my army pin on my blouse.

"Yeah I ship out for basic training in New Jersey tomorrow."

He nods again before leaning in close to me. "How long?"

"I don't know. However long the SSR needs me there." I eye him curiously. "You aren't here just to inquire after my orders are you?" He rests his hands over mine.

"I need to ask you a favor." He says looking up.

I lean in now as well. "Whatever you need."

"I need you to help Professor Erskine in choosing a special soldier..."

"I thought he was in New Jersey... I thought that's why I was..." He cuts me off.

 "I can't tell you more right now because I don't know the whole story, but he'll be at the expo tonight. We want you to introduce Bucky to him." I pull my hands away as he continues, "He's got the potential to be what this country needs right now." I assume he's talking about Project Rebirth, but I'd thought it had been scrapped.

I shake my head, "He leaves tomorrow morning..." Dad waves me away with his hand ending the conversation.

"No questions. Barnes is who they want."

"For their experiment?" I ask disgusted.

"Like I said you can't ask questions, you just need to trust me." He says sternly. I sink back in my chair knowing the argument is over. Erskine is a kind person and I'm sure he'll tell me what I need to know. The only problem is finding him without Bucky or Steve noticing I'm gone.

"Fine." I sigh. "What else do you want?"

He's just about to speak, when Mom walks back through the door. "Like I was saying Eve. Peggy Carter will tell you everything you need to know once you get to your quarters." I nod in understanding. I look at my mother who in a few short hours will be alone again, just like all those years ago in England when she was alone. I wish we didn't have to keep certain S.S.R information from her, but it just has to happen that way. 

The doorbell rings making me jump. I quickly hop up to hug my mother goodbye as my father goes to open the door. I slowly walk past him trying to get him to be my loving father again, for him to hug me and tousle my hair like he always used to after training. The war has made him colder now. He says goodbye with a hard stare and a cold stature now. "Don't wait up." I call over my shoulder. My mother just giggles, but my father doesn't move a muscle. I give up on him and meet Steve and Bucky outside. My curls bounce on and off my shoulders as I skip down the steps ahead  them.