#writernerd23

     “Mommy!”

     You stirred out of your sleep and looked at what had awakened you: your little girl, Isabelle. You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and sat up, taking a deep breath.

     “What’s up, Bella-bell?” you asked, pulling your sweet little three-year-old into your lap.

     “When’s Daddy coming home?” she asked, her brown eyes hooded by a curtain of eyelashes.

     You sighed. “I don’t know, baby girl,” you replied. You pressed a kiss to the top of her curly hair. “I haven’t heard from Daddy in a few days.”

     Isabelle pouted. “I miss Daddy.”

     You grinned. “I miss Daddy, too, Bella-bell.” You kissed her cheek again, then lifted her from her place on your bed and carried her into the apartment's living room.

     You remembered what the apartment had looked like four years ago, and since you had gotten married and had a little one and another on the way, it looked a lot different than when you first moved in. You took in the scattered toys all over the floor, the various dishes that littered the coffee table from last night, and the random crumbs you hadn’t swept up because you were tired. Growing another human was exhausting.

     “Hey, Bella-bell,” you said a few minutes later, getting your daughter some clothes and walking towards the bathroom. “How about we go visit Auntie P for a little while?”

     Isabelle gasped. “Yes!” she shouted. “I wanna see Auntie P!”

     You giggled. If there was one thing your little girl loved the most, it was her Auntie P. and her other aunts and uncles. She adored being at the BAU with her favorite people in the world.

     You put on some comfortable clothes and dressed your daughter, then grabbed the diaper bag, ensuring there were extra clothes, snacks, and a sippy cup for the girl inside. Once you had been assured of that, you took her hand and walked her to the car.

     It didn’t take long for the two of you to get to the office, and it took even less time to make your way up to the BAU office. You had called ahead to make sure it was okay to bring Isabelle over to visit, and Penelope had said that it was safe, that she even had a surprise for you both.

     When the elevator bell rang to alert you that you were on the correct floor and the elevator doors slid open, Isabelle was excited to see Auntie P waiting for her.

     “Auntie P!” Isabelle yelled as soon as she had exited the elevator. She ran towards Penelope and threw her tiny arms around her auntie’s legs.

     “Well, hello, Starshine!” Penelope greeted her niece with a smile. She bent and picked up the tot, snuggling the child close to her. “How have you been, little one?”

     “I miss Daddy,” Isabelle pouted to Auntie P, crossing her arms over her chest.

     “Oh, no!” Penelope gasped. “Have you talked to him lately?”

     Isabelle shook her head. “No,” she groaned. “And I’ll never see him again.”

     Penelope giggled, then looked over at you. “Well, luckily for you, I have a surprise for you.”

     Isabelle’s face lit up. “You have a surprise for me?” she asked excitedly.

     Penelope nodded, biting her lip. She set the child down and took her hand, then turned to you and grabbed your arm, linking her arm with yours, and led you both into the bullpen.

     She stopped right by Spencer’s desk, then turned to the both of you.

     “Alright, before I get your surprise, I need you to cover your eyes, and Starshine, I need you to come with me.”

     You looked at Penelope, a question on your lips, but did what she said. You covered your eyes and waited for Penelope’s surprise.

     It didn’t take long until you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist and a face bury into your shoulders. You turned around in shock and saw your husband behind you. You immediately broke down in tears and wrapped your arms around him.

     “Hey,” Spencer’s voice said as he rocked your body gently back and forth. “Is everything okay?”

     You pulled away from him, then pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’ve just missed seeing you, Spencer.”

     He gingerly laid his forehead against yours, gently rubbing the tip of his nose against yours. “I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long without calling you.”

     You lay your head on his chest. “You’re safe and here with me, it’s okay, Spence.”

     “Daddy!” you heard a shrill screech behind you, then tiny footsteps racing towards you and your husband.

     “Bella-Bell!” Spencer said, his voice filled with excitement. He reached down and picked up your child, holding her close to him. “How have you been, sweetheart?”

     “I missed you, Daddy,” she said, her voice muffled in his cardigan. She pulled away, then brushed some curls off her face. “You can’t leave me anymore.”

     Spencer laughed a little at that, then hugged his daughter close to him again. “Well, Daddy missed you, too.”

     You left to go home a little while later, Spencer safely loaded into the car with you. He was sitting next to Isabelle’s car seat because she refused to let him out of her sight. She held his hand and babbled about her time without him.

     “Daddy,” she said suddenly when you pulled into the apartment’s parking lot.

     “What’s up, sweetie?” he asked her.

     “You’re not allowed to leave me again,” she announced.

     Spencer laughed. “I can’t promise that, sweetie.” he pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “But I’ll try to be with you a lot more, okay?”

     “Okay, Daddy.” She leaped out of her seat and into his arms, snuggling against him.

     Later that night, after Isabelle had been put to bed, you and Spencer were cuddled up in bed, wrapped up in each other’s arms and staying together. You breathed in his comforting smell, his warmth, and felt yourself unwind against him.

     “Spencer?” you whispered to him, unsure if he had fallen asleep.

     “What’s wrong, love?” he whispered back. He turned to look at you, the concern in his eyes evident as he checked on you. “Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”

     You nodded. “I’m fine, and the baby’s fine too.” You sat up and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “You’re just so good to us.”

     He eyed you suspiciously. “But that’s not what you were going to say.”

     You shook your head, a smile growing on your face. “No, that wasn’t what I was going to say.”

     He propped himself up on his elbow and leaned towards you. “So what were you going to say?”

     You grinned. “You’re not allowed to leave me tonight.”

     Spencer looked at you, a smile beginning to spread across his face. “Oh yeah?”

     “Yeah.” You placed your hands on the side of his face and pulled his lips close to you, kissing him. “I love you so much, Spencer.”

     “I love you, too,” he pressed his forehead against yours and took a deep breath. “You know, I miss you both when I’m gone.”

     “And we miss you, too,” you replied.

     Spencer moved his head to your shoulder and pressed a soft, sweet kiss onto your shoulder. “How would you feel-” he kissed your shoulder again. “-If I were to take a vacation with you before the baby comes?”

     “You mean, just us?” you asked him. “No Isabelle?”

     He looked up at you and smiled. “No Isabelle. Just two grown-ups out for a getaway before their second child arrives.”

     Your smile grew. “Oh, I’d love that, Spencer.”

     He nodded. “Alright then,” he said. He sat up in bed and pulled you against him. “I’ll let Emily know tomorrow.”

     You leaned against your husband, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, and you felt safe.

     “You make me feel safe, Spencer,” you whispered against his shoulder.

     He chuckled a little bit, the sound rumbling through his chest as he held you. “I’m glad I make you feel safe, my love.”

     He held you close to him, laying his hand on your belly, feeling your unborn child move within you. “I can’t believe Isabelle is going to have a sibling.”

     You looked at him, a smile growing on your face. “I already know what the baby is, Spencer.”

     Spencer’s brown eyes flashed up to your eyes. “Oh yeah?” he asked.

     A few weeks after the incident that almost cost Derek Hale his arm, Stiles and I were sitting in the cafeteria, minding our own business and talking about all sorts of different things, when Scott walked up with Allison. Suddenly, something on my tray looked more interesting to me than being stuck at a table with the two of them. Especially after everything that Derek had told us about what happened to his family.

     Stiles took notice of my silence and gently tapped the back of my hand with his pinkie. I turned to look at him and raised my eyebrows.

     “You okay there, Gwendy?” Stiles asked.

     I nodded. “Of course I am!” I replied. I wound my pinkie around his and shook it. “Pinkie promise.”

     He eyed me suspiciously, but he nodded in agreement. “Okay, I believe you.”

     We finished our lunch and started to walk back to our classrooms when he stopped me again.

     “Listen,” he started. “I know we’ve been busy with Scott being a werewolf and trying to find his Alpha, but you know what?” he took my hand and squeezed it. “I think we can have a night to ourselves to get reacquainted without having to deal with Scott. What do you think?”

     I looked at him, my eyebrow raised in a question. “What would we be doing tonight?”

     He shrugged. “We can do whatever you want to do tonight, Gwendy. We can order food, or we can cook dinner, or we can go out, I don’t care.” He gave me a crooked smile and nudged me with his elbow. “Let me know what you’re thinking after lacrosse practice, okay?”

     I nodded. “That’s a great idea, Stiles!” I smiled at him. “Let me think about it and I’ll let you know!”

     Stiles nodded, then let go of my hand. “Alright! I’ll see you after school then.”

     “See you soon!” I said. I started walking to my next class, then turned and gave him a little wave as I walked away.

     While I sat in my class, I thought for a long time about what I wanted to do that evening with Stiles. By the end of class that afternoon, and the time Stiles joined me after he had finished lacrosse practice and had taken a shower, I was bursting with the idea.

     Stiles jogged up to me, a smile spreading across his face. “Well, Gwendy?” He asked me expectantly. “What did you come up with?”

     I rubbed my hands together. “Well, do you want to have a movie marathon?”

     He eyed me, his eyebrow raised in patient expectation. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

     “Star Wars?” I asked him, a smile starting to grow on my face.

     His grin lit up like a flashlight. “Of course we must!” He agreed, taking my hand and squeezing it tightly. “Should we order something to eat? Or should we make it?”

     I shook my head. “We are ordering dinner tonight, Stiles.”

     When we got back to Stiles’ house a half hour later, our hot dinner sitting on my lap while he drove, Stiles opened my door, helped me out, and started talking excitedly about how we were going to have the best time tonight with our marathon. I giggled, listening to my best friend talk animatedly about his favorite parts in the movies we were about to watch. Oh, how I missed my best friend so much.

     “So, paper plates?” He asked, reaching into the bag of Chinese food for his meal, pulling mine out with it. He offered me my dinner, reaching back in the bag for the fortune cookies to share.

     “Yeah, that might be ideal,” I agreed, settling down on the blanket Stiles placed on the floor prior to us coming into the living room. I scooted to the other side of the blanket and allowed space for Stiles to sit, which he did. He offered me a fork and a set of chopsticks, just in case I had a preference.

     The first movie started, Stiles and I quoting our favorite lines as they came up. I laughed when Stiles tried to reenact the first scene of Luke and Obi-Wan in the land speeder. Then I jumped in and started playing along with him.

     When the movie ended two hours later, the food long gone, Stiles and I dropped into a fit of giggles on the floor as we finished the movie. Stiles stood up to take the trash to the kitchen, while I stood up and put the next movie in, settling back on the blanket while Stiles came back with a bowl of popcorn.

     “Are you having a good night?” Stiles asked me, looking at me before he walked back towards the kitchen for drinks.

     I took a deep breath, a big smile on my face. “Stiles, I’m having the best night,” I answered. “I’ve missed our movie nights so much.”

     “I’ve missed them, too,” he replied. He popped the top of my soda open, grabbed the remote, and pressed play on the next movie.

     Neither of us looked at the clock or our phones that entire night. When the third movie ended, I stretched and yawned. “What time is it?” I asked sleepily.

     I looked over at Stiles to see him asleep, a small trickle of drool coming from his mouth. I smiled, pulled up some of his shirt, and gently wiped his face. I looked at the phone next to me, seeing a bunch of missed messages from my dad asking where I was, two from Lydia, and one from Allison. I rolled my eyes. It was well after eleven at night, and I needed to go home. Quietly, I gathered my belongings, threw out the trash I had left, and started to get ready to go.

     “Good night, Stiles,” I whispered. I pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Thank you for a fun evening. I’ll text you tomorrow.”

     The second I stepped outside, I breathed a deep breath of the fresh night air and took a step off the front porch. As I started walking in the direction of my house, I saw a car pull up to Stiles’ house and a man get out.

     “Well, hello, Gwen,” Sheriff Stilinski greeted me. “What are you doing over here so late?”

     “Stiles and I were having a movie marathon,” I explained. “We just finished. I’m heading home now.”

     “Where is my son?” The sheriff asked me. “He shouldn’t be letting you walk home by yourself.”

     “He’s asleep,” I replied. “I didn’t want to wake him up. It’s okay, I’ll be fine walking home.”

     “Not by yourself, you’re not,” he said. He walked over to me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I know I wouldn’t want my daughter walking alone at night, especially this late at night.”

     My cheeks flushed a little bit, but I allowed the sheriff to walk me home. While we walked, he asked me about my studies, my dad, and the move back to Beacon Hills. I filled him in on everything that he asked me about. I told him about my first day at school, how Stiles and I had just become reacquainted, and how I loved being his best friend again.

     When we made it back to my house, my dad was waiting for me on the porch.

     “Gwen,” he said, his voice stern. “Where have you been?”

     “Don’t get mad at her,” Sheriff Stilinski said. “She’s been with my delinquent.”

     My dad cracked a small smile, but not enough to relax him from the tense stare he gave me. ”Thank you for walking her home, Noah,“ my dad replied. “I’ll take it from here.”

     “Alright, Robert.” The sheriff turned to me, squeezing my shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Gwen.”

     “Good night, Sheriff,” I said, smiling up at him.

     When Sheriff Stilinski left, my dad turned to me, his stare hard. “Why didn’t you tell me where you were?”

     “I’m sorry, Dad,” I replied. “Stiles and I planned our movie night at the last second, and I forgot to tell you about it. I’m sorry.”

     Dad looked at me, his eyes beginning to soften. “It’s okay, Gwen,” he replied, reaching his hand out for me. “Next time you do that, though, please let me know your plans to hang out with that boy, okay?”

     I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

     He squeezed my shoulder tightly, then pulled me into a hug. “Come on, Gwen,” he said. “Let’s go to bed.”

     I followed my dad into my house, turning back outside for a second to look in the direction of my best friend’s house. I saw a lone figure standing on the porch, to whom I waved. Then I closed and locked the doors and headed to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

     The next morning, I texted Stiles.

     “Thank you for a fun night last night, Meechee,” I said. ”I had the best time. We should do it again soon.“

     A few minutes after I sent that text, I got a reply.

     ”Thank you for coming, Gwendy,“ Stiles replied. “It felt just like the old days.”

     “Can we do it again soon?” I asked. “We can come to my house and watch Spider-Man?”

     The reply came instantaneously. “Spider-Man? Why not Batman?”

     I smirked. “Absolutely not, Stiles.”

     “But whyyyyyyyy?” I could hear the response from the other side of the phone. I giggled. Stiles was so funny.

     “Gwen?” my dad’s voice startled me out of my texts.

     “What’s up?” I asked, sitting up on my bed.

     “There’s a girl here to see you,” he replied, his lip curling into a half smile. “I thought your only friend was the Stilinski boy.”

     I rolled my eyes, sticking my tongue out at him. “I have other friends, Dad,” I said, my voice playful. “It’s not like I live in solitude or anything.”

     My dad pulled me into a quick hug. “I’m glad, sweetie,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to the top of my head.

     When I got downstairs and entered the living room, I saw Lydia Martin sitting on the sofa, inspecting her fingernails. When she heard me enter the living room, she looked up at me, her eyes flashing as I walked into the room.

     “Did you not see my texts last night?” she asked, standing up to meet me in the doorway.

     “I didn’t see them until I got home,” I said. “I was spending time with Stiles.”

     Lydia perked up at hearing that. “Oh?” she tilted her head, a knowing look on her face. “You were spending time with him?”

     I nodded, eyebrows knit with uncertainty. “Yes?” I asked, almost confident I had answered correctly.

     “What were you doing?” she asked me, all of a sudden super interested.

     “We watched movies all night long,” I replied, suddenly feeling inspected, like a germ under a microscope. “Is there a reason you’re over here?” I asked her, wishing that this interrogation was over. “I have things to do today.”

    Lydia smiled at me. “Nothing particular,” she replied, turning away from me. “I was just curious if you wanted to hang out today.”

     I shrugged my shoulders. “I have chemistry homework to do,” I said. “But I guess I could come hang out with you.”

     But the entire time I was with Lydia, I missed Stiles. I was glad to spend time with other people in my friend group, but childhood me wished I could spend more time with my childhood best friend.

     When I got home later that night, I opened my text box.

     “What if we watched both?” I texted Stiles.

     A few minutes later, my phone buzzed with the response.

     “That would be perfect,” Stiles replied.

     “Josephine!”

     At the sound of my mother’s voice, I jolted awake. It was a beautiful summer afternoon in August of 1943, and I had been studying how to be a nurse’s aide. When my mother called me again, I stood up from the bed and surveyed the room, looking at my almost nineteen years' worth of memories. How was I going to leave this tomorrow?

     “Josi!” I heard my mother’s voice outside my bedroom door. She opened the door and walked in, looked at me, and smiled. “You have a visitor downstairs, sweetheart.”

     I tilted my head to the side as I looked at her, confused. “I have a visitor?” I repeated. “Who is it?”

     She smiled at me again. “Come down to the living room and find out,” she said.

     I shrugged my shoulders and followed my mother down the stairs to the living room, where I saw the figure of a man standing before me. When he turned to face me, I felt a smile begin to spread across my face as I became face-to-face with my own beloved James Buchanan Barnes.

     A smile flickered on his face, which disappeared in a flash. In an instant, I knew something was wrong. I knew Bucky better than anyone else I knew, and I knew when he wasn’t having a good day or when he had something he wanted to tell me. This expression he was giving me at the moment was the latter.

     “Bucky, are you okay?” I asked him.

     He started to fidget with a button on his uniform, looked down at the ground, and blushed. He looked back at me and tried again to smile, but it wasn’t there. I asked him again if he was okay, and finally, he heaved a sigh and reached into his pocket, took a packet of papers out, and tapped them against his hands before he gave them to me.

     I looked at the folded papers that he held out toward me and gingerly took them from his hands. I unfolded them and started scanning the page when the words “SHIPMENT” and “107TH INFANTRY” stuck out to me. Bewildered, I looked back at him.

     “I ship out tomorrow, Josi,” he said quietly, his eyes filling with tears.

     I reached for his hand and took it. “Bucky,” I whispered.

     He cleared his throat. “I didn’t want to go, Jos. Darling, I can’t leave you alone.”

     I walked closer to him and felt his warm breath on my cheeks as I pressed into him, enveloping him in a tight embrace. “Bucky, why didn’t you tell me about this?”

     He sighed as he pulled me close to him, not speaking as he held me tight against him. After a few minutes, he released me. I stepped back to see that tears had been streaming down his face. I reached up and gently wiped his tears off his face.

     “Bucky,” I breathed softly.

     “I’m sorry, Jos,” he whispered. He wiped the remaining tears off his face and took a deep breath. He looked back at me and offered a sad smile. “I love you.”

     It was my turn to have tears well up in my eyes. “I love you too, Bucky,” I choked out. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

     He pulled me back into his embrace and held me as tightly as he could. “I’m going to miss you, too, Josephine Garfield.”

     As I held onto my boyfriend, I felt my stomach flip as I remembered the papers in the desk drawer upstairs. My heart sank as I thought about them.

     I pulled myself out of his arms and smiled a small smile. “I’ll be right back, Bucky. I have to go get something.”

     He nodded in agreement, then leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to my forehead, bestowing upon me a gentle, sweet kiss. I smiled up at him when he pulled away.

     “I love you so gosh darned much, Josi,” he whispered again.

     “I love you, too, Bucky.” I slowly backed away from him, holding my gaze on him just a little while longer, wishing that he didn’t have to leave me the next morning, willing him to stay there and not move, praying he would be safe, anything so tomorrow wouldn’t come and this war would be over and he wouldn’t have to go. When I reached the stairs, I had to force myself to turn around and walk up the stairs so I wouldn’t trip and fall over. Every step I took was a step further away from my beloved Bucky, and with every step I took, I felt my heart sink further into my stomach. How was I going to tell him I was being shipped out the next morning as well?

     When I reached my room, I felt time stand still as I looked around my room for what felt like the hundredth time that day and felt the tears I was forcing back begin to break free. I had told myself I wasn’t going to cry in front of Bucky, and I wasn’t going to, but now that I was in the safety and comfort of my room, I could cry all I wanted. I walked over to my bed and looked at my nightstand to see the picture of Bucky and me from the previous summer.

     Oh, how I longed for that day! That was the first time Bucky ever told me he loved me. I closed my eyes and remembered how the sun felt on our faces as we sat on a bench, watching people pass by, listening to children laughing as they chased each other around the park, and smelling the sweet smells of summer. I closed my eyes and let the memory wash over me as I remembered how it felt when Bucky leaned his head on my shoulder as he took my hand in his.

     “Josi, there’s something I want to tell you,” he said, playing with my fingers a little bit. He tapped his thumb against the top of my hand and cleared his throat. By the manner of his actions, I could tell he was nervous about something.

     “Bucky, are you okay?” I asked him, clearly noticing that something was amiss with him.

     He took his head off my shoulder and chuckled softly, the nervous tremor in his voice still there. “I’m fine, it’s just that I’m nervous about what I have to tell you.”

     I turned to face him and felt my face begin to flush as I stared at him. What was he going to say? Suddenly, I became self-conscious. Was he going to break up with me? I hoped not.

     He took a deep breath and smiled nervously at me again. “Josi, I-” he started to say, but then stopped, blushing a deeper shade of red. Even if I was scared that he was going to break up with me, I felt myself falling more in love with him. He ruffled his hair and released yet another nervous chuckle.

     “Hey, whatever it is you have to tell me, I promise I’m not going to hate you,” I whispered to him, gently touching his cheek. His slight smile grew, spreading to his ears.

     “Josi, I- well, what I want to say is really important, and I-I have to tell you right away, but-but I can’t. Not here.”

     “Honey, if you want, we can go somewhere else and you can tell me,” I said. I gripped his hand and felt him stop tensing, but only slightly. “You are so tense, Buck. Relax, okay? I promise I’m not going to judge you or anything. Where would you like to go so you can tell me this important thing?”

     “I don’t care, as long as we’re together.” he brought my hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to it.

     I took the reins of our date and walked us outside of the cluster of the park and towards a quieter place. “Now, whatever you want to tell me, you don’t have to be afraid, I promise you, I’m not going to hate you or anything, okay?”

     He nodded and smiled at me. “Josi, we’ve been together for over a year, correct?” When I nodded, he continued. “Well, in that year, I’ve learned so much about you. I’ve learned that you like to dance when you’re by yourself, I’ve learned that you love eating biscuits covered in honey, and I’ve learned that you read faster than anyone I know. I’ve learned that I can be myself around you and you don’t care. Sweetheart, I’ve learned so much about you, but my favorite thing that I’ve learned about you is that-” he blushed again, and my heart fluttered as I watched him. “The thing that I learned about you that is my favorite thing is that I-” he took a step closer to me and held my hands. I noticed he had taken a deep breath and was holding it. He leaned his forehead on mine and slowly released the breath he had been taking. “Josi, I love you,” he whispered gently.

     I felt my lips curl into a smile as I gazed into his blue eyes. “You know what, Bucky?” I whispered back. “I love you, too.”

     A knock at my bedroom door snapped me out of my daze. “Josi?” I heard Bucky’s soft voice on the other side of the door. “May I come in? You’ve been in here for an awfully long time.”

     I walked to the door and opened it slowly, not letting him see the tears that were threatening to pour down my face.

     “Is everything okay?” he asked me. When I wouldn’t answer, he walked over to me and laid his hands on my shoulders. “Sweetheart, is everything okay?” he repeated, his face etched with concern.

     I turned to him, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Bucky, I’m scared,” I whispered. “What if I lose you?”

     He pulled me close to him and held me tight against him as I cried into his chest. He began to whisper to me, soothing me the best he could, but nothing would work. I was heartbroken.

     “Sweetheart, I know you’re scared,” he whispered to me. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared myself, but we can’t live in fear, okay?” He kissed my forehead tenderly, then rubbed it with his thumb, as if sealing his kiss there so it would never fade away.

     “Honey, I have something I want to tell you,” I told him.

     He pulled back and saw my face, his face creasing up worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

     I handed him my papers and watched as he read them, the worry on his face growing as he read each line. When he reached the bottom of the page, his blue eyes flashed toward me, glistening with tears.

     “Josi, why didn’t you tell me?” he questioned me, a single tear falling down his face.

     “I was scared, Bucky,” I whispered, my face wet with tears.

     “Sweetheart,” he whispered in a soothing tone as he reached for me, pulling me back into his warm embrace. “It’s not your job to be scared.” He leaned in and gently kissed my cheek, letting his lips stay on the smooth skin of my face for a couple of seconds before he pulled away, eyeing me carefully.

     “Why are you staring at me?” I asked him, a small smile appearing on my face.

     He smiled slightly back at me. “May I kiss you?” he asked me.

     I wiped the tears from my face and rolled my eyes slightly. “What do you call what you just did? Wasn’t that a-”

     My words were stopped by his lips pressing against mine and his arms pulling me closer into his embrace. When he broke away from me, he wiped the leftover traces of tears from my face and smiled at me lovingly. “That was a kiss, Sweetheart.”

     I felt my smile grow on my face as my cheeks turned bright red, and I felt myself begin to stutter. “When did- how did- oh my gosh,” I blurted out. “How-?”

     He looked at me again, a shy smile spreading on his face. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the first time I met you, and now that I have, I think I love you more.”

     I smiled at him, tears flooding my eyes as I fell back into his arms and held him as tight as I could, sobbing gently into his clothes. He kissed the top of my head as he whispered soothingly into my hair that everything was going to be okay, he loved me forever and always, and everything would be okay.

     I pulled away from his warm embrace and looked at him, my heart breaking into two and shattering into a million pieces. “What if I lose you?”

     He sighed. “Josi, I can’t make you any promises, and I know that anything can happen in this war, but I know that we’re going to be okay.”

     I nodded and wiped my eyes. “I don’t want to lose you,” I whispered.

     “I know,” he replied, pulling me close and holding me tightly against him. “I know.” he kissed the top of my head again, then tilted my chin up towards him so I could see him and planted another soft, gentle kiss to my lips. “I love you so much, Josi.”

     “I love you, too, Bucky.”

~~~~~~~~~~

     “So, what are our plans for the evening?” Bucky asked me as we began to leave my house that night.

     “To spend as much time together as we can before we leave tomorrow and may never see each other again until the war ends,” I breathed out. I looked back at him and smiled. “Let’s go visit all of our old favorite spots and soak up as many memories as we can before we have to leave tomorrow.”

     Bucky smiled at me again. “I would love to do that.” He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed them gently. “But before we do that,” he said. “I have a gift for you.”

     I looked at him, my head tilted. “You have a gift for me?”

     Bucky nodded. “I’ve been holding onto this thing for a little while, and I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to give it to you, and here we are.” he pulled a small box out of his pocket and gave it to me.

     Inside was a small silver locket that, when opened, had a picture of Bucky already inside.

     I smiled at him. “I love it, Buck.” I leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.” I started to put it on when he stopped me.

     “I can do that for you, my love,” he said. He helped me put the necklace on. When he had finished, he stared at me. “You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, Josi.”

     I blushed. “Stop it, Bucky.” I leaned into his arms and held him tightly against me. I looked up at him and smiled. “I love you, James.”

     He looked down at me, smiling. “I love you, Josephine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     The first order of business we had to get out of the way was to find Steve. Bucky usually knew where to find him, so I tagged along behind him to find our mutual friend.

     We walked a couple of blocks when suddenly, we heard various crashing noises behind a movie theater. Bucky sighed, then released my hand.

     “I’ll go get him,” he said. “Stay here, Jos.”

     Bucky walked behind the theater to save Steve. I waited patiently, almost getting knocked over by a random man running towards me. As soon as he had gone, and I didn’t hear anything but familiar voices, I walked into the alley, careful not to tear my favorite dress on anything. I joined the two men where they stood, carefully approaching them.

     “I had him on the ropes,” I heard Steve say to Bucky.

     I stepped into the conversation and handed Steve my handkerchief. “Wipe your face, Steve,” I said.

     “Josi, I told you to stay out there,” Bucky started to protest, but I held up my hand.

     “Buck, I wasn’t going to let him stand here and bleed,” I argued. I heard Steve laugh beside me.

     “What’s so funny?” Bucky asked him, an eyebrow arched.

     “You two fight like a married couple,” Steve said. Then he noticed Bucky’s uniform. “Did you get your orders?”

     Bucky nodded. “We both did.”

     Steve looked puzzled, turning to face me. “You too?”

     I nodded. “Yeah, Steve. I did, too.” I cleared my throat. “I’m going to be a nurse.”

     Steve eyed both of us. “You’re going to be a great nurse, Josi.”

     I smiled at him. “Thanks, Steve.”

     Bucky took my hand and grabbed Steve’s arm, leading us out of the alley. “Let’s go,” he said.

     Bucky led us to a science expo, where we left Steve for the night after we had stayed with him for a little while. Then Bucky took me to the spot in the park where he had told me he loved me for the first time, he took me to the bookstore where we had first met, and he led me to the pier where we had our first date. He took me to places that were so pivotal in our relationship that I felt the deep connection between Bucky and me deepen. With each memory, I felt a pang of sadness in knowing this might be the last time we had this moment.

     Finally, Bucky took me home. As we stepped onto the front porch, he turned to me.

     “Well, Sweetheart,” he said, holding my hands in front of him. “This is it.”

     “This is it,” I echoed him. I took a deep breath and stared at him for a second. I watched his jaw flex in indecision. Should he go home? Should he stay? Should he just not get on that train tomorrow morning?

     “I don’t want you to leave,” I suddenly blurted out. He looked at me, his eyes widening slightly at my sudden confession.

     “I don’t want to leave, either,” he admitted. He stepped closer to me, pulling me into his arms as he did. “But I have to.”

     I wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face into his chest. “Why can’t we stay right here forever?”

     “I don’t know, my love,” he said.

     Inside the house, my mother was listening to a record, the sweet music floating out to us on the front porch. Bucky began to sway with me on the front porch, humming along to the music playing inside as he did so. He took my hands in his and started to twirl with me, leading me in a sweet dance.

     I knew what he was doing. He was creating one last sweet memory for me to hold onto when he was gone. And he was doing a wonderful job of distracting me from the uncertainty and scariness of the war.

     When he had twirled me around one last time, he brought me closer to him, his hands on my hips as he held me. A small smile started to grow on his lips as he looked at me.

     “Is that okay, my love?” he asked, bringing one of my hands up to his mouth and pressing a soft kiss to my fingers.

     I nodded, my eyes filling with tears. “That was more than okay, my love,” I replied. I stepped closer to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “We’ll be okay, right?”

     He wrapped his arms around my waist and turned his face down to me. “We’ll be okay.”

     He pressed his lips against mine, kissing me there in the light of the porch. When he pulled away from me, I pushed my mouth against his again, wanting more. He pulled away from me again.

     “No,” he whispered against my top lip. “No, Josi.” he pressed a tiny kiss to my top lip. “I love you so much, sweetheart.”

     “And I love you, honey,” I replied. I pressed a kiss to his bottom lip. “Do you want me to meet you at the train station tomorrow?”

     He nodded, his forehead leaning against mine. “Make sure to get there early.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I want to make sure I have a little extra time with you before we have to go.”

     “Okay,” I whispered. I buried my face in his chest again, committing his scent to memory. “I love you so much, James Buchanan Barnes.”

     He buried his face in my neck, committing my scent to memory. “I love you, too, Josephine Elizabeth Garfield.”

     After one last tender kiss, Bucky released me. He watched me enter my house, then waited outside my bedroom window so he could wave to me one last time before the next morning. I blew him a kiss, which he caught, and watched as he walked away from me.

~~~~~~~~

     “Bucky!” I screamed into the night air. Sweat poured down my back and face as I sat up, panting heavily. It took me a second to ground myself. I was in my room. Everything I just experienced was a dream. I was okay. But-

     “Josephine?” My mother’s voice came from outside my bedroom door. She knocked gently, then walked in. “Are you okay?”

     I took a deep breath, feeling tears fill my eyes. “I’m not sure, Mama,” I replied. “I just had a nightmare.”

     My mother came and sat down beside me on the bed, turning on my bedside lamp. She reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

     I took a deep breath, then looked at her. “Bucky got stabbed,” I said, my voice shaking with sobs. “And there was nothing I could do about it.”

     My mother tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, handing me a handkerchief that was sitting on my bedside table. “Oh, dear,” she whispered. She pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “He’s fine, lovely. You’ll see.”

     “But what if it was a premonition?” I insisted. “What if something terrible happens to him?”

     “Sweetie, he’s going to be fine,” she said. She picked up a teddy bear that had fallen off my bed and handed it to me. “He’s going to be fine,” she repeated. She squeezed my hand one more time, then pressed a kiss to my forehead and left the room.

     I looked down at the bear in my hands and almost cried when I realized that it was a bear that Bucky had given to me. I wrapped the bear in a hug and breathed in his scent, catching a hint of Bucky’s cologne. I took another deep breath, then snuggled down under my covers, tucking the bear in with me. I whispered a prayer that Bucky was still safe, turned off the lamp, and tried with everything inside of me to go to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     The next morning, I was waiting on the train platform, right where Bucky asked me to meet him, when I saw him. I took a deep breath and felt my eyes start to fill with tears at the sight of my beloved boyfriend, looking so handsome in his military uniform. He walked over to me, a twinkle in his eye.

     “Hey, Sweetheart,” he said as he pulled me into his warm embrace.

     “Hey, Honey,” I said into his chest. “You’re okay,” I whispered to myself.

     He pulled away and looked down at me. “Everything okay, love?”

     I nodded. “It is, now that I can see you.” I sighed. “I had a nightmare last night, Buck.”

     Bucky nodded. “I know, Honey.” he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I had one, too.”

     I looked up at him. “You did?”

     He nodded again. “I dreamed you got hurt and I couldn’t stop it.”

     I chuckled sadly, my eyes wet with tears. “I dreamed you died and I couldn’t stop it.”

     He snorted. “Aren’t we a pair?” he said. He pulled me against him. “Thank you for being here, Josi.”

     “I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” I said as I held him.

     He held me for a few more minutes, then pulled away from me when he heard the conductor start to yell to board the train.

     “Can I kiss you one last time?” he asked me.

     I nodded. Bucky leaned in and pressed his lips against mine, holding me against him. When he was done, he pulled away from me and held me tenderly.

     “Write to me often, Josi,” he said into my ear.

     “I promise I will.” I buried my fingers in his hair, making it stick up all over the place. “Only if you write back.”

     Bucky pulled away from me. “I promise I’ll write back.”

     He held me for another moment, then kissed me one last time. “I love you, Josephine Elizabeth Garfield.”

     “And I love you, James Buchanan Barnes.” I kissed his cheek and watched him walk away from me.

     He boarded the train, waving at me as it pulled away. I knew my train was coming next, so I waited on the platform for my train to arrive.