Authors Note: Absolutely massive apologies to you all. We had no intention of putting this story on hiatus, but life, as usual, had other plans. Without going into a long boring recital of real life issues, suffice it to say that both halves of the writing team had difficult pregnancies and births. Then after just starting to find some semblance of order amongst the newborn chaos in our respective households, I suffered the devastating and unexpected loss of my mother. Needless to say, it's been hell.

And of course, you all know 2020 has just been an all around shit show of epic proportions. However, through it all, we have been finding refuge from some of the harsh realities of life in the enjoyment we find in our story. So though we will likely still be sporadic in writing and updating, we hope you will stick with us through the journey, because our love for this story is real.

Thank you to all who are still here with us, and we hope you continue to enjoy the story. We appreciate every one of your follows, favorites, and reviews so much!

~ The Shieldmaidens ~

Something was up with Steve. Bucky wasn't sure what exactly he was hiding, but he was damn sure going to find out. He'd been off his stride all week, distracted, and not keeping to any of his normal schedules. Then he brought home a strange bag, that had been in a corner of the foyer for two days, until the morning that Steve had strayed so far from his normal routine, that it made Bucky's radar go on full alert. On Thursday Steve had worked out in the gym instead of going for his usual run, then ducked out early. By the time Bucky had finished his own workout, and gotten back to their apartment Steve was gone. Along with the bag.

It wasn't only the strange deviations in routine that bugged him, but Steve's overall attitude had changed. He was distracted, sometimes unreasonably cheerful, and other times broody as all get out. Not that the brooding was that abnormal, but still this just felt different to him. He told himself he wasn't being paranoid. It wasn't like he was trying to keep track of every little thing Steve did. But they had gotten into a pretty set routine over the last several months, and three major deviations from that routine in one week had his instincts howling that something was going on. He had resisted the urge to follow him yesterday, but it had irritated him all day like an itch he couldn't quite scratch, until finally he gave in. Which brought him to his current situation, crouching on the rooftop of their apartment building in the predawn darkness, waiting for Steve to leave for his run.

Spotting movement on the sidewalk far below, Bucky waited patiently to let Steve get far enough ahead that he hopefully wouldn't notice his shadow on the rooftops. Judging that he had given him enough of a head start, Bucky rose from his crouch and began to run. As a sniper, he had naturally always favored having the high ground, so he had quickly mastered moving through a city like this. And even though the few missions they had been on lately hadn't given him much chance to utilize his skill, he and Steve had started doing some recreational obstacle runs to keep their reflexes sharp. Apparently it had become something of a sport now. What had the spider kid called it? He pushed effortlessly off the edge of the building, landing smoothly on the next roof with barely a break in his stride.

Parkour, that was it. The kid had shown them videos of competitions, and though he had been impressed by the athletes, he had mostly been glad to learn that there was now a reasonable explanation he could give if any civilians ever saw him running the rooftops. His muscles quickly warmed as he ran, and though hampered by his terrain, he was easily able to keep his quarry in sight, since unlike Steve he had no need to keep his speed contained.

The feel of the brisk morning air in his face, and the rush of adrenaline at being on the hunt again after so long thrilled his senses. Leaping easily across another gap between buildings, he began strategizing his next move. The clinical part of his brain automatically calculating the odds of what direction his target would take at the end of the block, and evaluated the best way to follow without being seen or falling to far behind. Suddenly his step faltered as he realized the direction his thoughts had been going. He fought down a wave of disgust with himself.

How fucked up was he that he could think of his best friend like this? He was revved up, his blood rushing with the thrill of hunting down a 'target' once more, never mind that said target was his best friend. Doubts assailed him, and his pace continued to falter as he warred with himself. While his motives had been good when he started out, as soon as he felt the old adrenaline high his brain had switched to targeting Steve like he was a fucking Hydra assignment.

Reaching the last building at the end of the block he stood watching as Steve turned left and continued on his run, while Bucky fought an internal battle. Annoyed at his indecision, and aware he was rapidly losing the chance to follow, he finally shoved his doubts back into the dark corner of his mind that housed all his fucked up baggage, and leapt off the edge.

Landing catlike on the top platform of the building's fire escape, he reached out with his cybernetic arm, and grasped the piece of metal framework that ran the length of the structure, before vaulting over the railing. Sparks flew from the friction of his metal fingers against the iron rail as he tightened his grip to slow his rapid descent to the street. Releasing his hold, he fell the remaining distance, landing in a crouch on the sidewalk. Quickly surveying his surroundings for any observers, and luckily finding none, he took off in a sprint to the next building on Steve's route. With a running leap he bounded onto the fire escape and scaled the stairs at top speed, all the while calculating how much of a lead Steve had gained thanks to his indecision.

Reaching the roof, he sprinted across it and kept up his pace for the next two roof tops, before spotting his quarry on the sidewalk three buildings ahead. Slowing down just a bit he vaulted onto the next roof, narrowing Steve's lead to two buildings, before relaxing into a more reasonable pace. Feeling the light sweat dampening his shirt made Bucky scowl slightly. Apparently his gym work outs just weren't cutting it for real life situations. Maybe he needed to get out and do this sort of thing more often, he thought contemplatively. He could probably rope Steve into joining him a day or two a week. Better yet, they could make a game of hunter vs hunted out of it and trade off rooftops and street positions.

His scowl darkened as he watched Steve jogging, seemingly unaware of his pursuer. Yeah, Steve definitely needed to sharpen up his training. Sure he wasn't expecting trouble, but that didn't mean he shouldn't be checking out his surroundings occasionally. And glancing up every once in awhile should be second nature for them. Grinning maliciously he enjoyed the thought of teaching his pal the error of his ways.

Over the next half hour he kept up the grueling pursuit pretty effortlessly, the only difficult obstacles being the ends of the blocks when he had to take to the alleys paralleling Steve's course until he found a building with a handy fire escape. He thought Steve might have made him during one of those instances, but after backing off a bit he didn't observe any marked changes in his friend's behavior so relaxed back into the chase. The sky was just starting to lighten significantly as they approached the entrance to Central Park, when Steve gradually slowed to a walk and headed for a small cafe on the corner.

Watching patiently from his rooftop vantage, Bucky surveyed the area for anything out of the ordinary but nothing caught his eye. Shrugging, he continued to wait as several customers came and went, before Steve reappeared with a drink carrier and take out bag in hand.

"Ahh damn it all, don't be goin' to the park Stevie," Bucky muttered irritatedly. But of course, Steve headed straight for the park entrance. Cursing his luck, Bucky rapidly descended to the street and jogged across the intersection, before settling into a ground eating walk upon entering the park. Pulling a pair of gloves out of his pocket and tugging them on as he walked, he surveyed his surroundings carefully since he wasn't sure how far ahead Steve had gotten. Coming up on the first trail crossing, and still seeing no sign of Steve, he hesitated for a moment, debating which path to take.

"Hiya Buck," Steve's drawled casually as he stepped out from behind a tree at the side of the path.

Head whipping to the side in surprise, Bucky scowled darkly. So the punk had made him after all. It wasn't in him to play defense, so instead he attacked. "We're gonna go a round over you not looking up during your run bub."

"Still made you didn't I?"

"Sure," Bucky snorted derisively, " after I could have shot you about a hundred different times."

"Mmmhmh," Steve raised an eyebrow in obvious skepticism, "and let's not even talk about how much noise you made on those fire escapes. Now stop deflecting Buck, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Lookin' out for your punk ass, same as always," Bucky grated out between clenched teeth. "You've been off stride all week, changing your routine, and just plain moody as fuck. I want to know what the hell is going on!"

Steve's frown deepened in irritation as he listened to him, and by the end of his speech he looked like he wanted to whack his friend upside the head. In fact he took a step forward as if he planned to do just that; but common sense, or more likely the fact he still had coffee and a takeout bag in his hands, prevented him.

"Look, I don't want or need a nursemaid, but if you must now, I'm here to draw." Turning to the side, he jerked his chin towards his shoulder to indicate the slim backpack case strapped to his back, and partially covered by the hood of his sweatshirt.

"Drawing?" Bucky repeated dubiously, "I haven't seen you do any major drawing since, well before ..." he trailed off.

"Exactly. I'm trying to brush back up on my skills." Steve glanced at the sky, then cut his eyes toward the path on their right. "Now if you don't mind," he drawled sarcastically, "I'm gonna go set up before I lose the morning light." Not waiting for a response he turned and headed down the trail, leaving Bucky standing there frowning after him.

Shaking his head, Bucky flipped a middle finger at his friend's retreating back.

"Saw that, jerk!" Steve tossed over his shoulder.

Rolling his eyes, Bucky jabbed up both middle fingers defiantly, before turning to head back the way he had come.

Something still just didn't add up for him somehow. Why would Steve be so secretive if he had just decided to start drawing again? And this was the first time he had seen him carrying that case all week, so that didn't really make sense either. Replaying their conversation as he walked, his mind automatically analyzed details as he had been programmed to.

The way Steve had looked down that path, almost like he was running late, and then he had shifted the drink carrier and takeout bag around in his hands ... Wait just a damn minute! Bucky stopped dead as it clicked into place in his mind. That sneaky son of a bitch had been carrying Two coffees!

Reversing directions immediately, he broke into an easy jog back to the crossing and headed down the path Steve had taken. Thought you could pull one over on your old pal huh Stevie? Well you've got another thing coming bub, he thought with a satisfied smirk.

The trail wound through the woods, the only sounds the twittering of a few morning birds and the firm tread of his own footfalls. As the rays of sunrise broke through the still sparse foliage, he had to admit it was a pleasant place for a run. After about five minutes of steady jogging the trees started to thin out ahead, and he slowed his pace to avoid breaking cover without surveying the terrain first. Stepping off the path and into the tree line, he looked out over the clearing, taking in the wide expanse of rolling lawns surrounding the lake and the Bow Bridge.

There were a few early morning joggers out, and an older gentleman walking his equally elderly dog along the edge of the lake, but he didn't immediately see Steve anywhere. His gaze skimmed over the couple sitting on the park benches off to the side of the bridge, and continued surveying the rest of the empty benches before it clicked in his brain. His eyes snapped back to the couple and he stared in disbelief for a moment, before an involuntary grin spread wide across his face. Well it's about damn time Stevie, he thought, amused despite a flash of annoyance that all this secrecy was over some dame. But then Steve had never really had a steady girl, so he could understand his reluctance to open himself up to the ribbing.

As he watched, Steve bent over to pull a drawing pad out of his pack that was leaning next to the bench, and handed it to the pretty brunette. His smile grew as Steve stretched his arm out across the back of the bench, laying it casually behind her as she smiled up at him shyly. 'Atta boy, he approved silently, now jus' go ahead and let that hand skim her shoulder a bit ... Damn it Steve. Sighing at the missed opportunity, Bucky resolved to drop some pointers for his pal to up his game with the ladies.

At least he was making the most of showing her the drawings, by leaning in to point something out to her. As she glanced up through her lashes and lightly bit her bottom lip, Bucky had to fight to keep from letting out a victory whoop. But again, though Steve gave her a warm smile, he didn't go in for the kiss that she was so obviously hoping for. Goddamit all man, dames don't always want a gentleman, he thought with a disappointed shake of his head. Still, he was proud of his friend for finally getting out there, and looking for a piece of happiness to call his own after all this time. With one more glance at the idyllic scene, he turned to leave before Steve could start getting antsy over the eyes on him.

Used to never taking the same route twice to keep his movements unpredictable, he automatically took the side trail at the first crossing he came to. It took him the long way around the clearing and lake, but still kept him out of sight in the edge of the tree line. Taking his time and enjoying his surroundings was a change for him, but it felt good after the mad dash through the city this morning. Truly letting himself relax, he grinned as he thought back over the scene he had observed between the two love birds. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen such a soft look on Steve's face over a girl, and damn, it was just so good to see his friend happy after so much misery.

The increased birdsong and a warm spring breeze made him sigh at the realization that warmer weather was likely here to stay now. Cold weather always made it so much easier for him to conceal his arm, when long sleeves and gloves didn't garner any attention. He would have to start wearing the plas-film Stark had created for his arm soon. Though he wasn't sure how that would have held up to this mornings activities, he thought, glancing down at his gloved hands doubtfully. Rounding the bend in the trail, he paused in surprise for a moment when he spotted a woman standing on a park bench in the tree line facing the lake.

His gaze skimmed over her in an automatic assessment, scanning for weapons or any signs of threat. Finding none, he let himself look again, this time in pure masculine appreciation. Her hair was what had caught his eye first he realized, as he stared at the riotous mass of cobalt blue tumbling loose around her shoulders. One of which was bare as the loose black material of her shirt slid down her arm, exposing the crisscrossing straps of a neon green sports bra underneath. She had on what he thought might be yoga pants, and some sort of chunky heeled black boots. The whole look, combined with the way she was perched on top of that bench, highlighted every one of her generous curves. Especially the way those pants hugged her ass he thought admiringly.

He heard her mutter a curse, and realized belatedly that she must be looking for something, or someone. His first impulse was to turn and head in the opposite direction, since playing the knight errant was about dead last on the list of activities he was comfortable with. He could probably count on one hand how many times he'd spoken to a woman since his return. Well other than Natasha of course, but sparring with the notorious Black Widow whom he thought of almost as a sister, hardly counted in his book. It had been so long, literally a lifetime ago, since he had been the charming ladies man, and he'd honestly thought the Winter Soldier programming had obliterated that part of him. Still, something about this woman sparked interest to life inside him. Vibrance practically blazed from her, and in the end he found his feet carrying him towards her.

Stopping right behind the bench, he hesitated when she didn't seem to notice his presence. Unsure of what to say, he almost kept walking until the thought of Steve pouring on the charm for the pretty brunette popped into his head. Steve, aka the punk that could barely stammer a 'hello' to pretty girl when they were growing up, was making coffee dates with a girl in the park, meanwhile he couldn't find the nerve to speak to this dame?! Well fuck that, he was no pansy ass punk.

"Looking for someone?" A soon as the words left his mouth, he mentally face palmed. Brilliant Barnes, just fucking brilliant.

With a startled yelp she whipped around to face him, and he knew right away she hadn't taken the surface she was on into account before reacting. Catching her firmly by the waist just as one foot slid off the bench, he immediately felt warning bells go off in his head as the lush softness of her went to his head like a shot of whiskey. In an unnecessary, but instinctive, attempt to catch herself she threw her hands up and grasped his biceps. He sucked in a breath, as even through the layer of his shirt, the contact sent a jolt of electricity through him.

Feeling more than a bit dazed by his intense reaction to her, he continued to hold her for much longer than was necessary. Her intense green eyes, although clouded with confusion at first, scanned his features slowly before lingering on his mouth just a bit too long. Even though it had been more years than he cared to admit since he'd had a woman in his arms, he couldn't stop the smirk that curved his mouth at her obvious appreciation. Her gaze instantly jerked up to meet his, and lasered into him like emerald fire. It snapped him back to reality, and he slowly eased her down until her feet touched the ground, but his hands seemed to have a mind of their own and stayed firmly locked on her waist. Reluctantly, he forced himself to let go of her, though he noted with satisfaction that her hands seemed equally reluctant to let go of him.

Cassie cursed the stupid early hour, herself for being an over protective idiot, and Lizzie, as she fought the urge to kick the bench she was perched on. She had told herself all week that she was over reacting, and that Lizzie was a big girl that could do whatever she wanted. But her friends unusual evasiveness as to wether or not she'd met up with the handsome jogger again, along with, count 'em - Four (!) ass-crack of dawn trips to the park in one week, and she was feeling more than a little suspicious.

So when she had woken up at 5:30am this morning to the sound of their apartment door closing, it had been the final straw. It was a freaking SATURDAY. In her book there was just no possible way her sleep loving pal was getting up at 5 something AM on a Saturday, and there not be a guy involved. She had laid there in bed debating over what she should do for several minutes. She didn't want to over react and step on Lizzie's toes, so at first she had tried to just go back to sleep. After all, it wasn't that she wouldn't be happy for her friend to be seeing someone. It was this borderline sneaking around, along with the way she had met him, and just Lizzie's overall innocent sweetness that made her worry some jerk might be taking advantage of her. And lets not even bring up the crazy thoughts that had gone through her head the other night when she was flipping through crime shows.

Finally she had given up, jumped out of bed and only taken time to use the bathroom and brush her teeth, before pulling on her combat boots and leather jacket. Normally she would never ride her bike without jeans, but she hadn't had time to change this morning so whatever, leggings it was. She had made it to the park just as the sky started to really lighten, and hot footed it down the first path marked Bow Bridge she came to after she left the parking lot. It had brought her out next to one side of the bridge, but she hadn't seen any sign of Lizzie. So she'd taken the path around the lake that gave a pretty wide view of the clearing, but hopefully would keep her out of sight.

Though obviously there was no need to worry about being seen since she couldn't freaking find her anyways! Ugh. She had been almost all the way to the opposite side of the bridge when she decided to get a better vantage by standing on the park bench in the tree line. Maybe she wasn't even here, she thought irritably, after all she had just assumed this was where they were meeting. All she could see were a few joggers crossing the bridge, and some old guy and his dog walking the edge of the lake.

"Damn it," she muttered grumpily. If all of this was for nothing she was going to be beyond pissed! Making me lose sleep on a Saturday is so not cool Liz. Rubbing her forehead in frustration, she scanned the area once more. It looked like there might be some benches at the other end of the bridge there, but she couldn't get a look at them from this angle. Sighing, she decided she would go ahead and check that out before calling it a day and going to hunt for some damn coffee.

"Looking for someone?" A low, deep voice rumbled from directly behind her.

Yelping in surprise she spun around, but barely caught a glimpse of the man before she felt her feet sliding out from under her. Shit, she thought as she braced herself for impact with the pavement. But instead she felt strong hands wrap around her waist, stopping her mid fall. Her hands automatically came up and grabbed onto his biceps in an ineffectual effort to steady herself. Holy shit his arms were massive! Staring in shock into the steel blue eyes of the man that was holding her casually a good six inches off the ground, she tried to make her brain work, but it was stuck on blue screen hold as she tried to process.

All she seemed capable of doing was staring dumbly at her 'rescuer'. Tall, and thickly built with muscle, he had long dark brown hair tied back from his face in a short ponytail. Which just accentuated his razor sharp jawline and cheekbones, that made the artist in her itch to sketch him. His scruffy stubble looked to be a couple days past being called 5 o'clock shadow, and like it would leave some serious beard burn on a girl, but the sensual curve of his full lips said it would be so worth it. As she stared, his mouth started to curve into a small smirk and she instantly tore her gaze away. Eyes darting up to meet his, she fought not to get swept away in their stormy depths, but her irritation with that smirk, and the tiny flicker of amusement she saw in his eyes finally started to clear the haze from her mind.

As he lowered her to the ground, her hands instinctively tightened on his arms, and she had a fleeting moment to wonder why she could feel the muscles bunch and shift under her left hand, but the other arm felt completely solid and unyielding. His hands lingered on her waist for a long moment after her feet touched the ground, before pulling them away with seeming reluctance. Belatedly realizing she still had her hands on his arms, she stopped analyzing and jerked them away. Taking a hasty step back to put some distance between herself and the massive distraction of his body, she inhaled sharply before her mouth finally kicked into high gear.

"What the fuck Grizzly Adams?! You trying to give me a heart attack or what?" Resisting the urge to rub her sides where the sensation of his big hands still lingered, she continued her verbal rampage. "Do you get your morning kicks by scaring people off park benches, then manhandling them?!" Dramatically waving her hands in front of herself as if to emphasize the manhandling part.

Following her gesture with his gaze, he slowly scanned her body up and down before bringing his eyes up to meet hers with a raised brow and half a smirk curving his mouth.

"So I shoulda just let ya fall then, huh?"

The wave of heat that swamped her body under his assessing gaze, just fueled her irritation. "Well if you hadn't scared the crap out of me I wouldn't have fallen, now would I?!

His brows drew together in a scowl, and he crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "It's not every day I see a pretty dame perched on a park bench, jus' thought I'd check to see if you needed help. Guess I shoulda known how that'd work out."

The last part was said almost as if he were thinking out loud, and the self disgust in his tone made guilt arrow through her. Sighing, Cassie raked a frustrated hand through her hair, adding more disorder to her wild blue mane, then rubbed her forehead ruefully.

"Look, I'm sorry. I probably overreacted a bit, which is why I have a hard and fast rule of always caffeinating when I have to be up before 9am, and this is what happens when I break it." She smiled apologetically, "I do appreciate you not letting me decorate the pavement with my face though — so thanks for that!"

"You're welcome," he replied with a small answering smile.

When she felt her belly quiver in reaction to that smile, she started to really get annoyed with herself. Seriously, what the fuck was wrong with her?! She did not lose her head over guys, no matter how built they were. Determined to overcome her traitorous body's response, she took a step forward.

"I'm Cassie," she said, holding out her hand and smiling brightly up at him.

He hesitated, a look of unease flashing across his features so quickly she wasn't sure what to think of it. But then he was reaching out and taking her hand in his large one, and all thought flew out of her head. Despite his glove, which was a bit weird considering the warm weather, the strong grasp of his hand made warmth rush through her once again.

"James," he said, his voice sounding slightly gruff, as an unnamed emotion flickered in his gaze. Letting go of his hand she continued to study him thoughtfully for a moment, but wasn't sure what to make of his reaction. Standing close to him like this she had to tilt her head just a bit to meet his eyes, so she figured her must be a bit over 6 feet. His gunmetal eyes sparked with a hint of amusement, and she realized she'd just been staring up at him for way too long.

Again. Shit! Desperately needing a moment to get her act together, she moved to the side to grab her discarded jacket off the park bench. Feeling flustered over a man was an unfamiliar, and freaking unwelcome sensation. She couldn't remember feeling like this since she was a freshman in high school. Where the hell was her usual flirtatious confidence when she needed it? Well whatever, fake it till you make it girl.

"Well James," she tossed him a flirty smile as she turned back, and hooked her jacket casually over her shoulder, "thanks again for the 'rescue,'but I should probably start heading back now."

Her confident act was for nothing though, since his eyes were studying the open field beyond the trees with a slight frown creasing his brow. Something about his demeanor and the careful way he surveyed the area, almost like he was scanning for threats, was giving her serious military vibes. She looked at him curiously, wondering if maybe he was in some sort of law enforcement.

"Who were you looking for anyways?" He asked curiously.

As she had studied him curiously, her eyes had dipped lower seemingly of their own accord, and wow, that was a mistake! Thighs. Thighs. Hot damn, them thighs! I swear the width of his thighs must be about the width of my bike, she thought dazedly. Realizing he had asked her a question, she yanked her attention away from the man's assets and back to the topic at hand.

"Umm, yeah," she hesitated for a moment trying to think how to explain, and to give her brain a moment to recover from her ogling. "I was looking for my roommate, but I'm not actually sure she's here, and well ... it's kind of a long story."

"I've got time," he offered, "if you want to talk about it that is."

Oddly enough, despite the fact he was a complete stranger, she did feel the urge to tell him. Or maybe it was because he was a stranger, and she didn't have to worry about anything getting back to Lizzie?

"Sure," she shrugged, "I wouldn't mind company if you're headed this way, but the need for caffeine is getting to be a crisis so we'll have to walk and talk."

"I know just the place, doll," he grinned confidently.

"Oh really," she raised a skeptical brow, "well that sounds great and all, but I take my caffeine very seriously, and I'd have to wait till at least a third date to trust your judgment on that."

"You askin' me out then?" He asked, grin widening.

"That's not what I meant buddy," she smirked. Their banter had given her time to settle, and her usual confidence was back in spades as she walked towards him, deliberately adding a little extra sway to her hips. Stopping directly in front of him, sparks of mischief danced in her eyes as she glanced up through her lashes at him.

"But if I want a date, I'll be sure to let you know," she said, reaching out and patting his chest teasingly. Heroically ignoring the chiseled muscles under the thin material of his shirt, she pulled away and strolled slowly down the path a short ways before glancing back at him. He was still standing were she'd left him, looking a bit shell shocked, but as he locked eyes with her heat sparked between them like lightning.

"Still coming?" She asked impudently.

"Oh, I'm comin'," he replied, stalking toward her in a decidedly predatory manner, that made her wonder if she might just be playing with fire.

Bucky felt as if his world had been rocked off its axis by this fiery whirlwind of a woman. Just a few hours ago he'd been worried that he could be in danger of falling back into the emotional coldness he'd felt during his days as Hydra's 'asset', and now he was strolling down a park path with a gorgeous dame that made his head spin. He was amazed at how easy and relaxed he felt with her, to the point that he'd actually flirted with her! And it had felt natural to him, for the first time since before the war.

There had been a few women he'd attempted to talk to when the Avengers had headquartered briefly at Stark Industries. But it had felt stilted and forced on his part, and they'd been so intimidated by his rep that he'd eventually just given up. This had been nothing like that. Sparks had flown from the first moment they'd touched, and just continued to burn higher the longer they were together.

As they walked she told him briefly how her friend Lizzie had met this guy in the park, and had started being evasive and going out on every free morning. Cassie stressed that she wasn't trying to be a snoop, but the way Lizzie was acting made her afraid the guy was some creep taking advantage of her naivety. Apparently the other girl was new to the city, and according to Cassie, too sweet and trusting for her own good. Her expressive face clearly displayed every emotion she felt as she talked and gestured animatedly, and the obvious worry he saw for her friend struck a chord in him. Concerned, he offered to help her keep looking, but she declined since she wasn't even sure this was the right place after all.

The warmth in the smile she aimed at him after his offer though just about knocked him on his ass. Damn if it didn't make him wish he could fix all of her problems, if it meant she'd keep looking at him like that. The morning light playing through the trees along the path, kept reflecting in her hair and making the blue of it shine brighter as they moved. It surprised him how much he liked it, but it just suited her so well, almost as if it was an outward expression of her vibrant personality.

Glancing up he saw they were approaching the parking lot already, and a bolt of regret flashed through him. He tried to think how he could get her to stay a while longer. According to her coffee was out, but maybe breakfast ...

Wait, what the hell was he doing? He had no business getting involved with a woman after all the shit he'd done. Self disgust threatened to swamp him, but he shoved it down once more. Steeling himself, he resolved to walk her to her car and say goodbye, all the while trying to convince himself it was better this way.

Then he'd haul ass home and take his frustration out on a heavy bag. Until Steve got back and he could switch to beating the hell out of him for all his crap. If it hadn't been for that punk sneaking around he would never have met this girl, and been taunted with everything he could never have.

"Well, this is my stop," she said, when they reached the edge of the lot, her voice jerking him out of his dark thoughts. "Thanks for being my sounding board, it helped to get it off my chest, and I think I'll try to talk it out with Lizzie later."

"No problem," he shifted his weight from foot to foot, suddenly feeling awkward as fuck. "I'm glad it helped." Looking at her made a pang of regret arrow through him that he wouldn't get the chance to know her better. Irritated with himself over the whole thing, he turned his attention to the nearby vehicles, trying to gauge which might be hers. A cursory inspection of the parking lot showed him a handful of compact cars, and a Harley. His eyes automatically lingered on the bike appreciatively for a moment, admiring the sleek lines of the black body accented with electric blue flames. With one last lingering glance, he brought his focus back to the cars. He spotted a bright purple coupe, that looked like it might be colorful enough for her.

"That yours, doll?" He asked, jerking his chin towards it.

Looking in the direction he'd indicated, she smirked a bit. "Nah, I'm not really a car girl, that is a bangin' color though. That's my baby over there," she said, turning to point at the bike he'd just been admiring.

"The Harley's yours?" He raised a skeptical brow, and looked her up and down appraisingly. "You can really handle that much of a bike?" He asked dubiously.

"Damn straight it's mine," she said, glaring at him indignantly. "You'd be surprised how much I can 'handle'."

"I didn't mean ..." he started, but trailed off when she waived her hand dismissively at him.

"Yeah, yeah, it's cool. I know most guys are shocked to see a girl on a bike, unless she's riding bitch," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Nah," he denied, "it's just that most dames I've seen riding are usually on lighter street bikes."

"Mmmhmm," she said with a skeptical lift of her brow, "nice save bud. Well, anyways, its been - interesting. Maybe I'll see you around sometime." With that she started off across the lot, leaving him staring after her. She was almost half way to her bike before she pivoted back towards him.

"You don't have to worry, I won't lay 'er down before making it out of the parking lot or anything," she said flippantly, walking backwards for a few steps, before giving him a little wave and spinning back around.

He waved back, amused with her attitude, despite her obvious irritation with him. Sticking around was probably a bad idea, but he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her. Telling himself he was just being chivalrous and making sure it started for her, he leaned against a nearby post and pulled out his phone, pretending to check his messages.

Glancing up from the blank lock screen, he saw her shrug into her jacket, then pull a helmet and a small pouch out of the bike's saddle bag. Setting the helmet down on the seat, she took her phone out of her pocket then grabbed something out of the pouch and put it in her ear, repeating the procedure on the other side. Must be earpieces of some sort he guessed. As she leaned back against the bike, she looked up and saw him watching. Giving her a little finger wave, he unlocked his phone and aimlessly scrolled for a minute. Damn, he wished he had a ball cap on, it would make this situation a lot easier!

When he shifted his gaze back towards her, he was careful to keep his head down. She was still leaning against her bike, and looking at something on her phone. Tapping the screen she reached up and did something to the earpiece he'd watched her put in a moment ago, then pushed another button on her phone before slipping it into her pocket. Must have turned on music he thought, as he watched her close her eyes for a moment and bob her head to the beat. As she reached down to zip her jacket, her eyes suddenly darted up and their gazes locked. Even from this distance he could see the spark of amusement dancing in her green eyes, and the slow smile she sent him was downright sinful.

Biting her bottom lip very deliberately, she let her gaze fall and zipped her black leather jacket up in one smooth motion. Then as if suddenly changing her mind, began slowly tugging it back down, stopping when she reached mid chest. The zipper pull bounced, reflecting the bright sunlight when she let it slide through her fingers, ensuring that his attention caught and held there. As if it was possible for him to look anywhere else anyways, he thought ruefully. The way her leather jacket formed around her breasts, and the neon green criss-crosses of her bra peeking out above her shirt arrowing down to her cleavage, made his mouth go dry.

Turning to the side, she leaned over to open her bike's saddle bag causing her shirt to dip down a bit farther, and his temperature to ratchet up another degree. Pulling a bottle of water out of the bag, she straightened back up and resumed leaning on the bike. Tossing her head to get the hair out of her face, she unscrewed the cap from the bottle and tilted her head back to take a long drink. A lone droplet of water escaped her lips and rolled down the length of her throat straight to the tantalizing cleavage that was making him crazy.

The working part of his brain registered that his breathing had become decidedly irregular, but he couldn't bring himself to care. When she lowered the bottle and her tongue darted out to lick her full lips, even that small rational part of him stopped working. He knew she had to be doing this for him, but why? Was she taunting with what he'd never have? Or ...?

She tucked the bottle back into the bag and fastened it, before snagging her helmet from its perch on the bike and hooking it around her wrist. Swinging one booted leg over to stand straddling the bike, she leaned forward and hooked her helmet on the handlebars.

Whatever working brain cells he had left short circuited at that point, and he was left staring in stupefaction at the goddamned perfection that was her ass in yoga pants. Fuck, just the way she was bent over with legs splayed to either side of that Harley had him sweating.

Twisting to the side, she brought one foot up to rest on the foot peg, and leaned over a bit further to tighten one of the buckles on her boot. Her hair had fallen forward when she bent over, the unruly blue waves now concealing her face. Reaching up she tucked it behind her ear as she tightened another buckle, but it quickly fell back in her face. Giving up, she flipped her head forward letting all her hair cascade around her, then whipped it back in a wild arc as she straightened up. Raking her hand through the disordered waves, she reached out with her free hand to snag her helmet, and quickly buckled it in place leaving her hair tumbling loose down her back.

Grasping the handlebars, she finally fired up the bike, and the rumble of the motor vibrated in his chest even at this distance. Slowly lowering to the seat, she seemed unable to get comfortable at first, lightly rocking back and forth. He frowned in confusion, watching her shoulders sway and head bobbing as if to an inner beat. Raising up off the seat just a bit, she made a slow, and clearly deliberate, circular pivot with her hips before settling back down onto the bike with a distinct grind.

The breath exploded out of his lungs in an involuntary whoosh. Holy fucking hell, she was grinding on that bike like ... he felt heat rushing to his ears and he silently cursed himself for blushing like a damn school boy. But seriously, who could blame him? Even in his wildest days, he's never seen a dame do anything like that out in the open for all the world to see! At the thought he glanced around to see if anyone else was getting an eye full of her. Thankfully a brief survey showed there was still no one nearby, so he wouldn't have to exercise all his restraint to keep from murdering innocent onlookers.

Eyes irresistibly drawn back to her, he watched as she did one last leisurely rotation of her hips, before settling down firmly onto the bike. Straightening the handlebars, she flipped the kick stand up with a practiced sweep of her foot, and backed the bike out of the parking slot. Glancing back over her shoulder to check her surroundings, she did a cursory survey of the parking lot, before letting her gaze drift back to him. The down right wicked look she shot him from under her lashes, accompanied by a very satisfied smirk, told him in no uncertain terms that she knew exactly what she'd been doing to him.

And in that moment he didn't care that he had no right feel like this, all of his instincts were screaming that she was his, damn the consequences. The need to bask in the warmth of her fire, until she thawed every last shard of ice from his soul, was almost overpowering.

Watching her drive slowly towards him, he silently willed her to come to him. Quite frankly unsure if he could keep himself from doing something completely stupid, like chase after her on foot, if she just drove away after all that. The rumble of the Harley's motor reverberated through him as she drew closer, ratcheting up his already heightened senses.

When she pulled to the curb next to him, and gave him another one of her wicked smiles, he nearly lost it. The urge to cross the space between them, and haul her pretty ass off that bike, almost more than he could take. It took every last remaining shred of his self control to stay where he was, hands slowly curling into fists to resist the need to reach for her. The sound of the nearly silent metal plates of his vibranium arm, actually making something close to the old familiar shifting and whirring noise of his Hydra arm made him freeze.

Fuck. He was way too amped up. He had to throttle back right now, before he messed this up. Forcing his hands to relax, he started to take a deep breath and instinctively fell into the breathing pattern he used as a sniper.

Inhale for a count of ten.

Hold for a count of ten.

Exhale for a count of ten.

Hold for a count of ten.

Repeat.

The familiar wave of calm that he always experienced before taking his shot washed over him. And the thought made a hint of a smile curve his lips, as this was one 'shot' he definitely didn't want to mess up.

She gave a little finger wave to motion him over, and he pushed off the post he had been leaning against, crossing the few strides between them. He knew his manner was still predatory, but even with the moment of calm, he couldn't completely suppress that side of himself just yet. Instead of it making her uneasy though, he could swear he saw excitement spark in her eyes. Keeping his gaze locked with hers, he stopped just at the edge of the curb, and raised an eyebrow in a mute question.

Reaching out impetuously she grabbed his gloved left hand, and he instantly froze. The sensation of someone holding that hand so foreign to him, that it completely shorted out his brain for a moment. Mentally shaking off the shock, he registered her other hand pulling a marker out of her jacket pocket. Adrenaline punched him as he realized what she was doing. She was going to write her number on his hand. His metal hand. Shit!

His hand was still held fast in hers, and he was hesitant to pull away from her. Instead he brought his right hand to his mouth and pulled the glove off with his teeth, then held his bare flesh hand out to her. She had tracked his movements with a bit of confusion, now replaced with a slightly dazed expression as she stared at his mouth. Giving her head a little shake, she released his gloved hand, popped the cap off the marker, then took his outstretched hand.

The sensation of her skin against his for the first time made him clench his jaw and inhale sharply. Trying to keep himself distracted he reached up with his left hand to snag the glove from his mouth, but her warm hand holding his firmly as she meticulously inked her number onto the palm of his hand was impossible to ignore. The light pressure of the marker, accompanied with the gentle scrape of her fingernails against his skin raised chill bumps on his arm, and he struggled to keep his breathing even. Finished, she started to release him, but he flipped his hand over and grasped hers instead. Her eyes flew to his, and he let all the heat she had kindled in him blaze to life in his gaze.

Awareness flared in her eyes, and her lips parted, tongue darting out to moisten them as if anticipating his kiss. He grinned in pure masculine satisfaction, and released his hold on her hand, letting his fingers glide over her skin as he leisurely pulled away. Green eyes narrowed at him, but an answering half smile curved her lips. Bringing her hand to her mouth she blew him a little kiss, then waved before revving the bike's engine and driving away.

Bucky grinned as he watched till she was out of sight, then glancing down at his hand his smile widened. Pulling his phone out, he carefully entered the number into his contacts, and slid it back into his pocket, before heading out at a brisk pace. He needed to get home and do some research. What kind of first dates did twenty first century dames go for anyways?

AN:

As you can see Cassie and Bucky's dynamic is going to be a lot different than Steve and Lizzie's lol. Their characters are just so intense, and every time we discussed their meeting we imagined their chemistry being off the charts hot. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

P.S. No judging our girl! ;-)