The First Avenger AU - Apple Pie Life? That's Boring

"I don't think there's a person in the world who doesn't know who I am." Steve rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly and a little red around the cheeks. "Peggy and I were pretty close. And believe me, I don't mind sharing the stories. I don't think you're that much of a child." He paused, realizing what he said.

Allison, who was watching the interaction merely looked up at the ceiling, like something fascinating was up there. Bucky was going to have to dislodge that foot out of Steve's mouth somehow.

Kerica's face just turned red like her shirt, "Ah...thank you. I know the world knows who Captain America is, but Peggy knew Steve Rogers. I want to know Steve, too."

"You're quite forward, aren't you?" Bucky was amused. He wouldn't save Steve quite yet.

"I know there is as much a difference as they are the same," Kerica murmured, "Peggy liked to dangle things in front of me and then abruptly switch topics. This is my chance to find out for myself what she was talking about."

"I hope it's not a disappointment. I'm just a regular kid from Brooklyn." Steve admitted to Kerica. "There's not much special about me."

"He likes to draw." Allison told Kerica with a bright smile. "He's taught me how to do landscape arts. I can't do people. I suck at it."

"I like to paint landscape. My sketches are pretty crap but I do draw people decently," Kerica smiled, "See? There's a great start right there. Drawing. That's definitely something special about you."

"Bucky make them stop flirting," Rebecca wrinkled her nose at the scene, "We should head home or Momma's surprise will be wasted."

Bucky laughed. Rebecca hated romance, too sappy for her. She was definitely the rough and tumble one, "Pretty sure 'surprise' means 'food', Steve. I don't think Winifred knows how much you can pack away these days, but she'll be happy there won't be leftovers anymore."

Steve laughed softly and he shook his head. "Is there a place I can call upon you again sometime?" he asked Kerica. "It'd be nice to know where you're staying."

"I'm going to miss having you two as my patients." Teresa laughed as she watched them. "You all brighten my day."

"They were your patients?" Allison looked at Tersea like her head was just blown off. "What do you mean by that? Bucky were you hurt?!" She turned on to her brother. "Where?! Why?! Steve!" She turned to Steve in a mild-panic. "You were hurt too?! What the hell?!"

"I jumped off a plane...." Steve scratched his cheek.

"With a parachute, right?!" Allison nearly screeched, horrified. "You used a parachute. You had to have....right?!"

"Thankfully, this time I did." Steve reached up and ruffled Allison's hair. "I think you know me waay to well if you knew that if I didn't have time to grab one I wouldn't use one."

"That's because you never think things through besides taking the reckless way out." Allison turned to Kerica. "He does the reckless way first before he does it the safe way so, if you were hoping for good ol' American sweetheart, he's a bit of a punk."

"Really, Ally? Toss me under the bus?" Steve frowned.

"You do it to yourself all the time. I'm just helping." She replied sweetly.

Kerica laughed heartily and shook her head, "I like that, I like reckless. It adds excitement to an otherwise boring life."

"I think that's Steve's way of thinking, too," Bucky agreed, though now he felt sub-conscious. He had a long-sleeved jacket on like before, and gloves on his hands so he wouldn't be conspicuous. This would be something he would rather share in the safety of his own home, "Ally...I was hurt pretty bad, but I'll show you at home, okay? It's something you all need to know about. Just...don't be scared okay?"

"That's cryptic," Rebecca said dryly, "Only if you say so, Bucky."

"I was Steve's doctor, he's fine. Whatever made him like he is, he's as fit as a fiddle," Meara assured.

Kerica meanwhile had been writing down an address on a notepad she had in her pocket, and ripping off the page and folding it a few times, she came over to Steve and stuffed it in his hand, "The land phone is on that, too."

"Alright," Steve said as he took the notebook paper. Her handwriting had a nice flourish, and it was gorgeous. He slipped it into his pocket and smiled before turning to Bucky and the sisters who were standing there. "Shall we get heading home? Winnie's going to flip when she catches the girls met us before she did."

Allison wasn't sure if she was supposed to be afraid or not. Bucky told her not to, but just his words were enough. She stayed silent as she watched everyone say their goodbyes and headed out of the airport. She stayed near Steve and Steve placed an hand on her shoulder.

It was so weird, seeing them so different. Steve grew up, Bucky's eyes didn't have the same natural spark. Allison knew that the war was tough, that death was around the corner. She didn't expect change. She didn't expect a huge celebration with a huge chunk of loss.

She felt like her brothers came home strangers to her and she grabbed Steve's hand tightly in hers, trying to take solace in the fact that even if they did come home strangers, they came home alive. That had to be enough. It just had to be.

~*~

"You have a metal arm?" Bucks mother stared at him in shock, her blue eyes he'd inherited wide.

The reunion had been heartfelt and tearful, but by the time they reached the dinner table all eyes were on Buck's arm. He wasn't able to wear his jacket and gloves here. Alison was ready to cry, René was confused, his father interested, and his mother concerned.

"I didn't think that prosthesis were going to get that advanced in our time and age." George said as he looked at Bucky's arm with fascination. "What kind of range of motion does it have? Are you able to open and close your hand? Can you touch things softly or is it just a one-" his wife smacked his arm and George looked at his wife hurt. "What?"

Steve shifted, watching the family surround Bucky. He always knew George was going to be highly interested in the arm. More or less because he was a machine guy by heart and that's where Bucky's love of science fiction and mathematics came from. However, he still couldn't help but to feel guilty. Allison was trying so hard not to cry, she was gripping her napkin tightly on her lap, and Rebecca was just...looking so lost.

He felt awful that he couldn't bring back Bucky wholesome to them. Not after the torture he was put through and definitely the arm.

"It was a gift from one of the same people who made Steve the way he is," Bucky promised, "I can do everything I normally could do with my real arm. I just can't...feel things. I can feel pressure? Like if Steve gripped it, or if I pull and tug. I can't feel texture, like how soft silk is. I can touch things gently or grip them," he demonstrated by picking up his knife just as easily as his right hand, even twirled it between his fingers, "I'm fine, really. I think it's really neat."

"If Bucky is alright with it, then I am," Rebecca said firmly. She reached out and Bucky set his knife down before reaching for her, and she traced the grooves on his fingers, "This is really weird..." she furrowed her brows and turned it to and fro, "It'll take some getting used to."

"It did for me, so I don't expect anyone to get used to it overnight," Bucky assured, tone gentle, and he looked at his mother and at Ally, "If you're scared of it, or uncomfortable at all, I won't touch you. I'll keep it covered when I can."

"You...don't have to," Winifred said gently, "I'm alright if you are, dear. I am glad you can do so much with it."

Allison really did burst into tears when Bucky said that. She got up from the table and immediately went around it to toss her arms around her brother's shoulders. Steve felt his heart tighten and squeeze as he watched her hug her brother crying into his shoulder. "You're an idiot." She sniffed, crying hard. "Of course I'm scared. I'm scared because you got /hurt/. I'm not scared of a metal arm. I'm scared /for/ you."

"Ally..." Bucky felt his own tears prickle, and he hugged her back tightly, nuzzling her, "It's okay, lil' sis," he promised, rubbing her back soothingly, "I'm okay, I promise. You don't need to be scared for me anymore." He kissed her temple, "I love you, thank you. I'm really happy you're all so understanding." He pulled away and looked at them, "I'm starving, though, so why don't we all eat now? Mom, Pop, you'll be happy to know your /Stevie/ got the address and number from a girl." He needed the focus off of him right now, and Steve seemed like the best option.

Winifred gasped, following along and she clasped her hands over her heart, "Did you really?! What about that Peggy girl? Did you two not work out?"

"I stood Peggy up by accident." Steve had the decency to look ashamed as he gave Bucky a look. He knew what his friend was doing to him and he was going to get him back for it at a later date. Right now, he understood that Bucky needed the focus off him. Allison was already wiping away the last of her tears and heading back to her chair. "She couldn't forgive me, and I couldn't blame her."

"You better not be going off and standing up this one." George frowned. "I didn't raise no son to be a quitter when there's a dame to woo."

"No sir," Steve's ears went pink. "Like I said before, it was an accident."

"Yeah, because he was trying to be a martyr," Buck snorted, "Plane crashed and he got lost," not like they needed the whole story, just pieces. It was classified, anyway. "Anyway, this girl is pretty cute. Steve tried to downplay himself like usual, saying he wasn't special..."

"Then Ally pointed out that he draws and she got all happy and told him that was definitely something special. Their flirting was the really sappy kind," Rebecca wrinkled her nose.

Wini laughed, "Aw, that's adorable! She sounds like a keeper if she thinks our Stevie is special. What's her name?"

"Kerica Knight, she's the daughter of Steve's doctor," Buck grinned.

Allison puffed up her chest in pride and Steve merely shook his head from side to side. "I wasn't trying to downplay myself. I was just trying to be humble."

"You're too humble is what it is." George pointed out. "It seems to me that Bucky may be the one that might go after your girl if you're not careful, kid. Might want to work on those moves. Perhaps you should call her tomorrow and see what she's doing."

"Don't you think that's a bit soon? We just got home." Steve frowned.

"And who knows how long you're staying." George said kindly. "Bucky's home for good, he has ample time to get a girl and settle down."

Allison made a face and Steve wanted to laugh. Neither one of them could picture Bucky walking down the aisle. Too much of a tomcat.

Bucky just smirked secretly to himself and the lot of them finally started eating after prayer. In his jacket pocket he had gotten Teresa's information on the plane ride home. Once Steve went home tomorrow, he would give her a call.

~*~

"Hey, Teresa, you get settled in at home and in the office and all that?" Buck asked as he leaned against the kitchen wall three days later. The cord connecting the phone on his ear to the stand on the wall dangled between his metal fingers.

"So far I'm not in the office yet, but I am home. My mother had thought I was coming home tomorrow. My father on the other hand was pretty certain that I was coming home today or something like that." Teresa laughed as she leaned against the wall, playing with the cord. It made her happy that he called her. Mostly because she thought it was going to be way too awkward for him to call her up considering that she was once his doctor before he was discharged. "My sister is driving me up the wall and making me /wish/ I was in the office. How about you?" Her voice softened. "Are you holding up alright?"

"I am more or less, I have my family to keep me together, but Steve's lonely and has a lot of nightmares. Called last night at three in the morning because he thought he was dreaming I was alive," Buck murmured quietly, just in case he had curious ears. His family didn't need to know, and he hadn't heard the tone that said he had someone on one of their other phones, "I offered him to get an apartment of our own, but that'll take a couple months at the least to scrounge up the money for the deposit and then lug our crap to whatever we find. Yeah, we got leftover money from Stark funding us, but we otherwise don't have anything to our name unless he contacts us somehow."

"Stark." Teresa groaned. "Always the forgetful one. Doesn't Steve have Peggy's number? I'm certain that Howard will be wherever Peggy is. If you need help, I'm more than willing to pitch in. When do you start working for the SSR? Or are you on leave for a while before you go back?"

"Stark and Peggy are still in Germany. Believe me it would be on the news if Stark returned home to his company, and we'd call him," Buck explained, "I wasn't thinking about the SSR. Steve told me Peggy was going to create something called SHIELD. I want to be a part of that when it launches, even though Steve stressed that I don't have to. I was told you and Meara were going to be part of the staff, too? Is that true or did you change you mind?"

Teresa actually paused over the line. Peggy did mention something about S.H.I.E.L.D. Something about how they needed some staff members over there. Teresa wanted to groan. Why was she the one that was forgetful? Dates, numbers, patient names, and every progress they made she could memorize, know, and discuss. When it came to anything else, Teresa knew immediately where she got it from. "I forgot that Peggy mentioned it to me. Yes, I will be apart of S.H.I.E.L.D as a medical staff. Are you sure you want to be apart of it? You just got out of the war, no one would blame you if you said enough fighting."

"So you did inherit something from your parents," Buck teased with a soft laugh, "The army was a constant fear for my life and enemies were around every corner, bombs going off nearby and bullets whizzing by my ear. Constant, every day, barely letting up during the night when both nights slept, and even then we'd try to ambush each other." He shook his head, "SHIELD, whatever it is Peggy is going to turn it into? It'll be different. We will come home after each mission, and be guaranteed that. Now, I'm not expecting it to be all sunshine and roses, of course any of us can and will be hurt, but really? Hydra's the bigger threat and it'll all be worth it..." he trailed off and then let his voice pitch roughly, "Besides...you can patch me up anytime." He really was so naughty.

"Because I would enjoy you on the infirmary bed rather than across from me in a bar. Why is it that soldiers think that's the way to doctor's hearts? Oh sweetheart, I'll bleed all over the tile floors for you." Teresa couldn't help but to tease. "I'm starting to think that you just want to see me in a doctor's outfit again."

"You proved to me that a doctor's outfit can be a lot sexier than a nurses'," Bucky cooed in return, laughing at her sass right back at him, "What do you like to drink? The bar sounds fun right about now."

"I have so many favorites." Teresa hummed in thought, playing with the cord. "Manhattans and martinis are my to go to cocktails. What about you? I can see you as a whiskey kind of guy or a bourbon."