1926, Brooklyn

Ever since she could remember, Ella Rogers had been chasing after her brother.

She was the youngest, smallest, and slowest. Her brother, Steve, had a few years and a few inches on her, but that never stopped her from trying. Oh no, Ella was a determined girl.

Her first memories of being left out by her brother were when she was six. The sky was dreary, the road wet, the air thick. Cars drove around, children ran through the streets with reckless abandon, safety forgotten. She was one of those children. Ella could see Steve in front of her, running alongside Bucky, who was ever present in her life, always at her house, playing with Steve, having dinner and so on. In fact, Ella was certain he slept in their apartment more than in his own bed.

Her tiny legs pumped as she struggled to keep pace with her brother, her shoes becoming coated in mud as she ran carelessly through the muck, purposefully jumping in puddles like Steve did. Her blonde curls flew behind her as she sprinted, weaving between people's legs.

Soon, the strain of running grew too much for her young feet.

"Steve!" Ella called, out of breath. "Steve! Wait for me!"

Her brother slowed to a jog before stopping completely, Bucky glued to his side as always. They shared a knowing glance with each other, waiting for the young girl to trudge up to them. They were all such tiny children, scrawny legs, stick arms… it was a common look for the children in the neighborhood. Never enough money, never enough food, but they managed to scrape by well enough.

"Ella," Steve whined. "You're so slow!" he was nine years of age, practically an adult in his opinion, and felt that his sister hanging around he and Bucky was like dragging around dead weight.

"Am not!" the girl protested, stomping her foot in dainty dismay. She huffed angrily before continuing. "Where are we going?"

"We?" Bucky repeated, making a face. His dark hair stuck out in hundreds of different directions, dirt smudged against his rounded cheeks. "You can't come! Girls can't play war! You have cooties!"

"That's not fair!" Ella protested. It was always their excuse. Cooties! She didn't know the meaning of the word or what it was exactly, but the way they said it made it sound like poison on the tongue.

Steve rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh, go cry to mom!" He and Bucky made eye contact, a silent agreement, and they sped off down the street, leaving Ella to eat their dust.

She clenched her small fists tightly, and itch in her foot like she wanted to kick something. Instead, she channeled her anger in a more peaceful way and sprinted like the wind all the way home. She climbed the stairs two at a time, the familiar twists and turns of the building being a second nature to her. Ella stopped at her floor and followed the hallway before coming to her apartment and bursting through the door in a flurry of curls and skirts.

Their home wasn't very large. It was little more than a kitchen, living room, and a couple of bed rooms in the back. The furniture was old and musty, the radio had many flaws and didn't work half of the time, and Ella swore she saw a rat in the bathroom one time, but it was still home. She inhaled deeply, the smell of her mother's home made vegetable soup wafting from the kitchen. It was a familiar smell and one that was distinctively that of her mother. Ella felt the tension in her shoulders leave as she melted into the familiarity of home.

"Ma?" she called, shutting the door behind her.

"Yes dear?" her mother popped into Ella's vision. Her hair was curled to perfection and she donned her favorite cooking apron. Her face fell into one of disapproval as she took in her daughter's appearance. "Ella, you're a mess!"

The girl looked down at herself, finding that she was, indeed, a mess. She had splotches of mud on her good shoes and her dress was covered in a layer of dirt. Ella ignored her mother's comment and went straight to the point.

"Ma, Steve and Bucky won't let me play with them." Her rose petal lips contorted into a pout.

Her mother's face softened as Ella stepped into the kitchen, planting her rump in her normal spot at the table. She sighed as she ran her fingers through her daughter's silky hair, working out the few tangles the days adventures had brought about. "Don't worry about it, darling." She crooned. "They're just boys. They like being off on their own, making messes, wrestling…"

"But I can do that stuff too!" Ella said, running her fingers down the grooves in the wood of the table.

Her mother's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Oh no, honey. Those aren't proper things a young lady should be doing. No respectable man is going to want to marry a girl with dirt on their face!" she smiled as she cleaned the smudges off of her cheeks with the corner of her apron.

"But I don't wanna get married!" Ella cried, moving out of the way of her mother. "I hate boys! All of them!"

Her mother laughed well-naturedly at her daughter, shaking her head and tightening her apron. "Trust me, dear, you won't be thinking that when you're older."

Ella gritted her teeth and sunk deeper into her chair, crossing her arms over her chest as she grumbled to herself. "Yes I will!" she brooded to for a few more minutes before looking back at her mother. "Can I have some of the soup now?"

Ms. Rogers raised a brow and continued stirring the steaming meal in the pot. "Now, Ella, you know we have to wait for Steve to come home before we eat."

Ella threw her head back and groaned. Steve! It was all about Steve! "Well, I hope he never comes back!" she said, even though she knew deep down that it wasn't true.

Ms. Rogers didn't say anything, but picked up one of Ella's school books and placed it in front of her on the table. "Now, you can read until they get back."

The girl pursed her lips but cracked open the book anyways. She liked reading, unlike her brother who preferred history. Ella placed the book in her lap and scanned the words as she waited, thumbing through the thick pages as the minutes ticked by. She was finishing a chapter when the door burst open, revealing a giggling Steve and Bucky. Ella only spared them the briefest of glances. She was still angry and planned on ignoring the pair for as long as she could possibly manage. They whispered and nudged each other as they fought their way to the table, each plopping down in their respective seats.

"Did you boys have fun?" Ms. Rogers asked as she set bowls in front of each of the children.

"Yes, Ma." Steve answered for the both of them. The pair locked gazes from the corners of their eyes and snickered. An inside joke that Ella wasn't in on.

The girl focused on looking anywhere but the two boys as her mother served them the warm soup. Ella ate her meal without speaking, nudging around the floating vegetables with her spoon and eating slowly. Of course, she learned from an early age that you simply don't waste food and finished every last drop. After her mother was satisfied that she had finished, it was off to bed for Ella. She went without complaint, changing into her favorite night dress and slipping into bed.

Unsurprisingly, Bucky stayed the night again, sharing Steve's bed in the Rogers children's room. Ella was aware of them building a grand pillow fort. As usual, she asked to join but was quickly shot down. The girl crawled into her bed in defeat, burrowing into the sheets. Ella fell asleep to the sound of their voices as they played.

Sometimes, Ella wondered if it was Bucky that made Steve like this. She often hoped that one day, he would just drop out of their lives and maybe Steve would like her better.

Unfortunately for her, that was never going to be the case. James Buchanan Barnes was there to stay.

Authors note:

Okay, short first chapter. Kind of a back story to give info about their relationship. If I made any mistakes, please tell me!

Don't forget to review!