Mesopotamia - 5000 B.C.

"It is time."

Scarlet's eyes opened slowly, taking in the soft light of the room she had been situated in, awakening only at the voice of her leader. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to take in the sight of her fellow Eternals. Including her, they were eleven strong. Five men, six women, and all of varying appearances. They all wore an expression of pure stoicism, as if they weren't completely conscious yet. Scarlet was no different, not moving any part of her body because there was a feeling that held her back.

Robotically, the eleven of stood at the same time, standing from the circle they were sat in and taking their place at a designated area decorated with golden circles and swirls. Those very details were etched onto their armor as it slowly encompassed their bodies. Everyone's armor was a different color, making each of them unique. Although they were all a united force, she silently appreciated the fact that they did not have to be uniform in appearance.

Scarlet's armor was black leather with a dark blue corset and a dark blue leather jacket over it, equipped on her. The armor was durable enough to withstand multiple blows during the fight with the Deviants. The armour included dark blue leather fingerless gloves, and tall black boots with dark blue and gold piping on top of them.

Once they were dressed, the strict air lessened a bit. Scarlet blinked a bit faster, feeling herself free of the restraints that dictated her previous movements. She took a moment to admire the center of the room, where a ruby red statue of their Celestial master, Arishem, stood before them.

The Eternals were now allowed to wander their ship, The Domo, before they landed on the planet. Most of them took the time to introduce themselves and their respective powers to each other, but Scarlet made herself scarce and disappeared down a hall she noticed. There'd be plenty of time to introduce herself later.

Humming gently, Scarlet wandered around, taking in the strange alien plants left on the ship and the intricate carvings left on the walls from celestial magic. It truly was a marvel she knew she'd never tire of seeing. The fact that she was born lucky enough to be an Eternal and that she was even more lucky to be chosen to join a mission.

It was not until a dark-dressed Eternal came to collect her that she snapped out of her reverie. "Too busy to say a quick 'hello' to any of us?" His tone was teasing, and Scarlet's face flushed in embarrassment at how she quickly dashed away, perhaps too quickly. Hell, she didn't even listen to the name of her leader.

The man chuckled and offered a basic introduction. "I'm Ikaris." He doesn't ask for her name before leaving, which made her somewhat pouty like a child as she followed behind him.

"Ikaris..." she repeated slowly. His name was the first word she has spoken since awakening after who knows how long, and she was glad to see that her voice wasn't hoarse nor gravelly from the disuse.

Scarlet felt a small tickle in the back of her head, like it was trying to dig out some far-back memory of him. However, nothing came to the surface, and she found herself repeating his name again, as if it would be an incentive to reveal whatever memory she thought she had.

The man gave her an inquisitive look. "I know I said I wanted you to remember, but I didn't think your memory would be so bad that you'd have to repeat it so much."

"It's... not that. Your name just... sounds familiar." He felt familiar to Scarlet as well, but she decided not to offer that sentiment towards him. She did not want to give him more reason to think she was strange.

Ikaris tilted his head at her words. "Wonder why that would be?" He mused softly. "Well, what's your name? Maybe we had known each other on Olympia at one point."

Scarlet hummed in thought, but shook her head. Her memories of her home planet were vague. She chalked that up to the long sleep her and the other Eternals had been on in order to make it to the planet they had been designated to protect. There wasn't much in her mind about Olympia. The only concrete things she knew were that she was told to protect this planet and the life on it from the Deviants and that this was the will of Arishem, their Celestial master, as well as her name and power set. Everything else before now basically didn't matter, as she couldn't recall the past at all.

Before Scarlet could offer her thoughts, she caught a glimpse of the planet that would be their new home for likely a few thousand years outside the window. She stopped walking and pressed her hand on the glass, as if she wanted to caress the sphere. The color was a mainly a deep blue with the land masses ranging from slate gray to brown to deep green. Clouds swirled all around the planet, obscuring about half the whole thing.

"It's so... plain," was how Scarlet decided to describe the planet. Sure it was the only splash of color around in a vast, bleak universe, but it didn't seem very impressive at the moment.

"Huh... I would've thought most of the group would've said 'beautiful' but I guess that doesn't apply to you," Ikaris said with a chuckle. "But, yes, I have to agree with you. It's quite simple. Nothing compared to Olympia."

The two arrived at the central meeting room. She sighed, but turned her attention to her leader. A beautiful woman donned in an armored tunic of blue and gold, with the symbol of her leadership being the headdress she had that no one else did.

A tap on Scarlet's shoulder let her tear her eyes away from her leader and focus on one of the other women that was part of their team. Her tunic was crimson with the detailing being a charcoal gray. She greeted Scarlet with a bright smile and brought her hands up to eye-level, weaving them into signs and positions. "My name is Makkari. What's yours?"

Scarlet was surprised that she immediately understood what Makkari was saying through her hands, but didn't let the shock get to her. Bringing up her own hands, she signed back. "I'm Scarlet. It's a pleasure, Makkari." Maybe that was a skill all Eternals had: with the ability to immediately understand whatever languages they came across.

Scarlet could tell that Makkari was a fighter. Looking around at the other Eternals, she could pick out the rest of the fighters, as well. They all had an air about them, buzzing with an itch to stretch their limbs and fight when they all landed on the planet. Her leader was not one of them.

Ikaris smiled warmly at Scarlet and she felt strangely calmer. The three turned back to look out the window as their ship, The Domo, entered the planet's atmosphere. Scarlet was surprised that The Domo had arrived in the planet's atmosphere much quicker than she had expected. As they drew closer, it was clear that where they were headed was directly at a settlement on the edge of a large body of water. From that very water, a creature of multicolored tendrils arose.

The bay doors opened and the fighters prepared their takeoff, as it was obvious to see they had landed in a Deviant-infested area.

"Ikaris," Ajak calmly called.

He nodded and exited the ship. Sersi and Scarlet exchanged a curious look, both wondering what he would do. They soon received their answer as two beams of cosmic energy blasted the Deviant.

Ajak grabbed onto Scarlet's arm, stopping her from exiting the ship.

A woman dressed in white and gold jumped off, using her powers to slow her descent until she reached the bottom and a man dressed in bronze did the same. Makkari bolted outside faster than Scarlet could comprehend, leaving a golden afterimage behind her. The ship lowered a bit more before the final fighter, a man dressed in violet and gold, followed behind.

"As you can see," Ajak started, "Those five know their purpose is to fight the Deviants and protect the humans. We were all born and trained to be special in how we interact with humans, and you are no different." She pointed to where Makkari was rushing around on the ground, taking the people away from the Deviants that stalked closer.

"As you can see, without a designated protector, we are limited in our fighters. I am proud that you want to do more, and maybe one day you will, but you must not forget what only you can do. Scarlet, you are our protector, and none of us can do it better than you."

Ajak released her arm and Scarlet nodded towards her leader, as there was no room for doubt in her mind anymore. Ajak was right: protecting was something Scarlet was made to do better than any of her fellow Eternals. She couldn't allow herself to be filled with jealousy and anxiety for a mission she hadn't even tried to be part of.  Scarlet took a deep breath to steel her nerves. All she needed to do was prove that she could do both. That she was capable of more and that it was no mistake sending her on this mission. She would not disappoint Arishem nor Ajak.

Seeing the fight was going well, but carrying on too long for her liking, Ajak looked over at Scarlet.

"Go," Ajak instructed with a nod.

Scarlet nodded and leapt from the ship, her feet touching down on flat, golden steps made from her own Celestial powers. She knew that her forcefields could be quite handy in a variety of ways besides protection. All that limited her was her imagination. Now, how would she use these offensively...

The others watched in awe as she fell toward the Earth at an incredible speed appearing much like a comet. She hit the ground in a crouch sending a shockwave that caused everyone to freeze and turn. As the dust cleared, she straightened slowly. The Deviants roared and began charging at her.

Before the others could move, she made a swiping motion with both hands and a brilliant column of light appeared. It sliced through one and incinerated the other. A third came running up behind her. She threw her hands up moving them in a radial motion and a blinding light sphere formed. The Deviant hissed and turned away, temporarily blinded.

Scarlet stepped back as a woman in white armor rushed forward to the creature she'd just blinded. Her eyes widened in amazement as the woman tore into the beast with her weapons made of cosmic energy.

She then vaulted off the beast's back to land beside the younger Eternal. The Deviant fell to the ground dead at their feet.

"Thena," the woman in white stated looking down at the girl beside her.

"Scarlet," she smiled, bopping her head in a small bow.

Thena smiled warmly at her. Soon the others finished off the remaining Deviants. The five that had remained on the ship exited the Domo and slowly descended to the ground. The fighters joined them, moving to stand behind them. The entire group stood before the human settlers. Thena was devastatingly beautiful, Gilgamesh was a giant amongst them, and Ikaris looked as if he was carved from stone, his features flawless. They reunited with the five that stayed onboard The Domo, taking their place behind Ajak so she could take a good look at the settlement.

The humans had managed to shake off their fear of the Deviants and picked up their fallen spears and daggers. Scarlet's eyes sparkled at seeing such primitive weapons, completely fascinated at their handiwork. Despite how young they were as the prime sentient species, humans had managed well with their resources. Of course, they had no chance against a Deviant, but it was impressive to notice that their intelligence was formed enough for them to know how to fight, to kill, and to survive.

With the help of the Eternals, hopefully humans would learn how to live.

Druig stepped forward, eyes glowing gold and hand outstretched.

The humans eyes all started to glow the same color, their expressions becoming blank, and they dropped their weapons at their feet. So this was the mind control he was taking about. Scarlet had assumed that only one person at a time could be controlled, but this was a startling amount, at least a few dozen, and he did it so easily.

"How scared are they of us?" Scarlet whispered when Druig's eyes returned to their blue color.

"Extremely. Not as scared as they are of Deviants, but don't expect a warm greeting despite saving them..."

The two groups stood silently staring at each other, until one of the Eternals made a move.

A woman dressed in robes of green stepped forward, her expression gentle as she approached a human child. The child himself seemed to be the most brave of his people, as he didn't turn away from the woman, but faced her head on.

Without breaking eye-contact, she leaned down and picked up one of the daggers from the floor, offering it to the boy. In her hands, the dagger was suddenly imprinted with the swirls of celestial powers and its composition changed from a simple design of wood and stone to what looked like pure gold and lapis lazuli, it's appearance also changing to fit the beauty of its material. She handed it to the boy, and he placed his hands slowly on top of hers, accepting it with a small smile.

Just like that, humans and Eternals had bonded.

_________________________________________________________________

April 15th, 1912

Watching that grand ship sink was astounding, memorable, and chaotic all at once. As Anastasia, her brother, their mother and the Blake brothers moved further away, they could hardly make out the people on board, they became just fuzzy figures mainly noticeable for their white life belts. The ship was still lit, the water flooding the bow dyed a bright blue by the electric lights.

The boat they were in stopped rowing far away from the ship, the suction from a vessel of this size going down would swamp them if they were any closer, the sailors warned.

Then it seemed to be nothing but waiting, waiting and watching.

Later Scarlet would read in the papers all kinds of sentimental details of the ship sinking. The lines supporting a funnel snapping with a sound like a gunshot, the funnel crushing dozens of people as it fell. Panicked women flinging themselves to the stern, thinking it would save them. A massive explosion from down below as the cold sea hit the boilers, sending foaming water and swimmers flying up. A Catholic priest, leading a group in prayer on the stern, a Hail Mary that the crowd echoed. Some would call for him to be sainted after.

Scarlet saw all of that, but to her, it seemed simple. Titanic went down by her bow, the stern rising as the water flooded forward. Two funnels fell, the sound of them creaking and falling fierce across the water, and Scarlet was thankful they were far enough away she could not see the results. She could see a good number of people, distinguishable only by their lifebelts, running to the stern. They had little light from beyond the ship, the distress rockets only providing some small relief, but after they were gone the darkness seemed all the more smothering. The stern that people thought would be their refuge proved little good.

It began to twist upward, slowly as the bow dipped below the flat water. Scarlet could hear the metal groaning in protest as the weight of the stern kept rising, eventually almost all the way out. The lights flickered once, but then were gone in a flash, and the only way to see the ship was to see where the stars weren't.

A terrific roar came from the ship, something deep inside twisting and wrenching, which set the people to screaming more. The darkness covered those on the stern, not even the white of the railing visible, and Scarlet was grateful. She couldn't see the people on the stern as it rushed downward, a rush of air coming out of the ship unfurling the flag on the stern railing briefly before it simply slid away.

Titanic slowly began to disappear into the dark depths of the ocean. The first half of her went down and for a few moments, the stern bobbed in the water like a buoy. They all held their breath, on edge wondering what would happen next.

Scarlet thought of her father, and the thousands of other men that worked on this ship. All of it, for nothing. Lives lost.

There was movement. Painfully, Titanic, the grandest, largest ship in the world, one of man's greatest accomplishments, succumbed to the Atlantic.

That was it. She was gone.

Scarlet and her brother couldn't look away. Some of them sat in silence, others cried. Thomas Blake took her hand in his own, holding her against his chest in attempt to keep her warm.

There was still screaming.

"That's it," a woman next to Scarlet sniffed, "It's the end for us."

"No," one of the officers shook his head, "It's the end of Titanic. For Titanic is no more."

_________________________________________________________________

April 6th 1917

Joesph Blake couldn't do it. There was no possible way for him to do it. Something like this... there is no right way to do something like this. To deliver these type of news. Lieutenant Joseph Blake had been in the war since the very beginning.

He had been one of the first in his town to enlist. The first of his group of friends and school classmates. In the army he had survived, thrived, succeeded, awarded as a hero for doing unspeakable things, horrible crimes he would never admit out-loud.

He had been the one to argue the strongest against Tom's enlisting. Little sweet Thomas could not possibly be a soldier, he was too young, too pure for the horrors of the war. Clearly the war propaganda about honour and glory had bought him in. He still could recall the fight that ensued in his house that night. The screaming, the tears, the pleas. His mother quietly sobbing on the sofa, her face hidden behind her handkerchief. Scarlet sat beside her trying her best to console her since she herself was forbidden to interfere with humanity unless Deviants were involved. Tom arguing that it was his duty, while Joe screamed back that he didn't know what he was getting into. It all ended with Joe smacking a vase off the table, the sound of shattering crystal snapping them out of their thoughts. He had never been prone to anger outbursts, but this situation had escalated too quickly. His baby brother couldn't go to war, no. The life there would crush him and shatter him, if the German artillery didn't do it first. But at the end Tom won. Tommy always got what he wanted; and this time was no exception. The youngest Blake went off to the war, to fight the Huns. And now he was dead.

After the call off of the battle, tending the wounded and reorganizing the men they had left, Lieutenant Blake had time to think. The tropes had moved back into the trench and closer to the forest, allowing the man to sneak away into Croisilles Woods for a few moments. He sat behind some large rocks, big enough to hide his frame, with a piece of paper and a pen in his lap. That Schofield boy had asked to write to his mother, but Blake felt it was his duty to be the one to write first. Before the soldier, before the arrival of an official letter; a letter cold and impersonal, written in a typewriter and copied a million times, leaving an empty space to scribble the name of the fallen soldier. His little Tom deserved better than that.

Not a word had been laid out yet, but the piece of paper was already stained with tears. Joseph cried in a way that he never thought he'd be able to cry. He hadn't just lost a brother. Tom was his brother, his son, his best friend and his confident. The two shared things that no one else knew. Tom had always promised to Joe to be the best confident and take his brother's secrets to the grave. And he had kept his promise.

Somehow he found the strength to write the hardest letter he'd ever have to. The ink blotched when his tears disrupted the writing, making the words smudged and dirty, but that somehow reflected his feelings far more than a perfectly neat and polished writing. He was grieving like he never thought he would. Was it possible to keep going with this type of pain? How could he face this war anymore, when the person he was fighting it for no longer existed? Was there happiness in his future when the sweetest soul this world had ever met was gone?

Lieutenant Joseph Blake had done some hard things. Things that hurt his heart, things that no man should ever be forced to do. But nothing, not one thing he had experienced, compared to having to announce his brother no longer existed.

"Joe?" He was snapped out of his daze by the sound of her voice. A gentle touch on his shoulder.

He let out a shaky breath and turned to face her. "You could of stopped him from going, hell you could stopped this whole fucking war. But you didn't, why?"

"I can't get involved with human conflict." She merely stated as if it would make everything okay. "Joe, what's happened?" She asked gently, raising her hand to brush her fingers gently over his clenched jaw. Tears were shining in his eyes as he looked at her.

Normally, no matter how shit the surroundings, seeing Scarlet was enough to bring a smile to his face. They had met when he had been injured and Scarlet had been the one treating his wounds. The two of them had got to talking and it was a known fact that there was something between them.

While their higher up's had previously disapproved of the relationship after catching wind of it, they had eventually let it go and him and Scarlet no longer had to meet under false pretences.

But this time, there was no hope of a smile on Joe's face, not after the news he had just received.

"Joe - talk to me," she whispered. Joe couldn't stop himself from leaning just slightly into her touch, his eyes falling closed.

"My - my brother," his breath caught in his throat and he shook his head.

"Tom?" Scarlet probed gently and Joe nodded.

"About Tom," he agreed shakily.

"Is he okay?" Scarlet asked.

"No," Joe's voice cracked and Scarlet's arms slid around him, pulling him into her, trying to hug the broken pieces of him back together.

"Fuck, Joe, I'm so sorry."

"I can't believe he's gone," Joe whispered, clutching onto her for dear life.

_________________________________________________________________

11 November 1918

Joe couldn't believe that he was actually home. One of his friends had picked him up from the train station and driven him to the farm house he had grown up in in the English countryside.

He began the familiar trek up the gravel path to his home, his eyes drinking in the sight he had been deprived of for so long.

Of course, he had been back on leave, after Tom died he had been allowed a week to return home and grieve with his family, and he had been home once before that as well. But those had been different. Those visits had been made in the knowledge that he would have to be returning to the battlefield.

Joe was in tears before he had even made it up to the door.

He raised his hand to the door, going to knock, but before his hand could make contact with the wood, it swung open and a body collided with his.

"Joe! Holy shit! Joe, you're home!" It was Scarlet, sobbing into his chest and Joe felt himself break at her embrace.

"It's me," Joe confirmed, his voice hoarse. "I'm home - I'm safe," he whispered, dropping the pack he had been carrying one handed and crushing his wife to his chest. "You're here."

"Hasn't left," another voice piped up and Joe looked away from Scarlet, his smile widening and his eyes going glassy again once more as he saw his parents stood just behind his wife.

Scarlet broke away from him, letting out a laugh as he whined from the loss of contact but she stepped away to allow his mother to step forwards.

Mrs Blake cupped Joe's face, seemingly unable to believe that he was back home and safe. Then, a sob wrenched through her body and she crushed her eldest son into a hug.

"It's okay, Mum, I'm home," Joe whispered, his eyes on his father, who had tears swimming in his eyes.

"I'm so proud of you," was the hoarse whisper from the man before joining in on the hug.

Joe moved one hand out of the grip and held it out behind him for Scarlet to take, pulling her into the family hug.

Scarlet may have lost Tom but she still had Joesph.

The sight of the pink and white petals made her bring up the letters. The regret. The guilt. They all shared a quiet and much needed cry over their loss, while Mrs. Blake also swore that she didn't hold resentment against Scarlet and thanked her for keeping Tom accompanied until his last breath. Scarlet wept quietly, her chin buried in her chest. This was as close as she'd get to closure over the hardest chapter of her life. But there was still a thing to be done.

_________________________________________________________________

1st May 1919

Scarlet's next visit to the Blake Household was on Tom's birthday; and she brought the letters with her. They buried them in the orchard, under the biggest tree, inside a box containing also letters written by Tom's family, per Scarlet's suggestion. The family, Scarlet included, sang Happy Birthday, holding each other. On the burial site was placed a headstone Scarlet had paid for, bearing a eulogy, and the medal Tom never got to wear. God knows he deserved them all.

Scarlet finally felt happy and relieved, knowing Tom would never be forgotten, for his memory lived within their hearts.

_________________________________________________________________

October 31st, 1930

It was a cool, brisk day in Brooklyn, New York, where children in costumes of various design were wandering around the streets during the annual trick-or-treat night.

"Scarlet, slow down!" 12-year old Steve Rogers yelled as he tried to catch up to his 19-year old friend as she took off from him. "Mom's going to kill me if you get hurt!"

Anastasia Lindsey 'Scarlet' Silverthorne-Blake laughed as she ran down the street leading to Steve's house in the center of Brooklyn.

Glancing back, she finally saw her friend's face, which was bright red despite the red cheeks of his clown makeup, and stopped as she saw him struggling to breathe.

"You okay Stevie?" She asked concerned as he finally caught up to her, slightly wheezing and sweat rolling down his temples.

"I...I just...need to catch... my breath." Steve wheezed, doubling over holding his knees.

Scarlet rubbed his back. "Just breathe in... now out... slowly." She felt her pillowcase of candy from the neighborhood trick or treat be ripped out of her hands.

"Thanks for the candy," A voice said, Scarlet's bag was now in the hands of the 'leader' of the neighborhood troublemaker 'gang', Peter Murphy.

Scarlet stood her ground, squaring her shoulders glaring down at Peter. "Give that back!"

"I don't even need to go around trick-or-treating, look at this haul!" Peter said to his friend Henry next to him.

Steve, who stood less than 5 foot tall and was shorter than even Scarlet, walked up to Peter. "Give my friend her candy back!"

Peter laughed, "And you're going to make me? You can't even breathe."

Steve pulled his fist back and swung, hitting Peter under the chin, not even fazing the other boy.

"No Steve!" Scarlet yelled attempting to pull him back as Peter threw a punch right back at him, knocking him to the ground.

Footsteps ran up in front of them as Scarlet knelt down to check on Steve.

"Hey! Get lost will you!" A taller brunette boy said as he walked over and pushed Peter away. "You shouldn't take candy from an angel."

Scarlet gazed upon the boy who stepped in for them. He was taller that Peter and stood with squared shoulders and not too shabby clothes. He was not dressed in a costume.

Peter stared at the boy, weighing his options whether to deck him or not, but the other boy was at least three inches taller than Peter.

"Rogers, this ain't the last of it!" Peter yelled as he and Henry walked away.

The brunette boy looked down at Steve and Scarlet as she knelt down next to Steve attempting to mop up his bloody nose with her handkerchief. He knelt down next to them with a soft voice. "You guys okay?"

Steve ran the back of his hand over his nose, blood smearing across it. "Thanks but I had him on the ropes."

The older boy chuckled. "So that is what you call that? Hi, I am James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky." He said holding out his hand for Steve.

Steve took it and let Bucky pull him up, "Steve Rogers."

"And who are you ma'am?" Bucky said helping Scarlet up.

"Scarlet Silverthorne-Blake, thanks for helping us Bucky. Steve never knows when to back down from a fight." Scarlet said with a scolding tone to her voice.

"Don't worry about it. I have a younger sister, so I know how it is." Bucky said with a smile.

"I'm 19, and Steve is 12." She explained.

"Jesus Steve, you need to eat a horse or something. Come on, where do you guys live? I'll walk you home." Bucky said offering his arm to Scarlet.

"Steve lives down off East 16th." Scarlet said as Steve hurried following them. "I live on West 68th Street."

For the next five years, it was Steve following behind them as fast as his shorter legs could carry him, and Bucky and Scarlet touching each other in some fashion, whether holding hands or his arm around her shoulders. They weren't together. Bucky was still the neighborhood womanizer that dragged Steve around to double dates that he had no interest in.

That was until her 25th birthday.

_________________________________________________________________

APRIL 6th, 1937

Bucky wiped the sweat off his brow, as he walked up to the familiar apartment that had become his second home after the last seven years of being best friends with Steve and Scarlet. Bucky frowned when he realized what today was pay day, it was April 6th, 1937. Scarlet's birthday.

Backing his way off the steps of their apartment building, he snuck into Steve's elderly neighbor Mrs. Simons, backyard where she kept her prized garden. Glancing at the backdoor, he walked over to her orange roses. Breaking off two at the stems, he swore out loud as the thorns punctured his skin. Putting his dirt covered, bleeding finger to his mouth, he saw Mrs. Simons herself standing at her back door looking at him.

Bucky blushed as he scratched the back of his neck, "Hello Mrs. Simons. How are you on this fine day?"

"James Barnes, what are you doing picking my roses?" She scolded as her tiny body marched over to him.

"Sorry ma'am I just..." Bucky stammered over his words. He looked at her in disbelief as she smiled. So big that he thought her old face would crack. He subconsciously took steps back as she walked over to him and took her hand in his.

"Are these for Anastasia?" Mrs. Simons asked giving him a knowing look.

Bucky swallowed hard. "Yes Ma'am...it's her birthday you see and... well I..."

"Stay here." Mrs. Simons told him as she patted his cheek. Bucky watched her confused as she went inside her house, then came out a few moments later with a vase and scissors. "Which ones do you think she would like?" She asked him.

"Thank you ma'am, but... these two will do. I apologize for taking your flowers." Bucky told her.

Mrs. Simons smiled at him again as she slowly knelt down next to her white roses and clipped off some more, placing them into the vase. "You remind me of my Anthony, when we were younger. He was just as... suave as you but when it came down to anything for me...he became a bumbling fool. Took him months just to get the courage to ask to go courting." She said lost in the memories as she cut off some pink roses.

Bucky's face became as red as the red roses sitting next to him. "I... I don't-"

The older woman offered a warm smile as she pulled herself up, handing him the ten various colored roses that she had cut off, inside the vase, "I may be old to you but I am not blind James Barnes. I see how you look at that girl. You better get some sense about you before someone else does first like that James Dean boy over in Santa Monica, California. Now, come inside and clean yourself up. Scarlet is not home in the first place. Sarah took her out for her birthday earlier for lunch after church and a surprise trip to the salon."

Bucky went inside the house with Mrs. Simon, and then washed his hands and face. A couple hours later, after sitting with Mrs. Simons and listening to her stories of her and her husband, he walked over to the window to see the light on in the Rogers' apartment.

Bucky cleared his throat. "Thank you Mrs. Simons but the light is on in Steve's room so I am going to head over there. I appreciate your hospitality ma'am."

"Thank you for listening to an old woman reminisce," She told him with a sad smile. "Tell Anastasia I said happy birthday."

Bucky grabbed the vase off the table and left through the front door, walking down the sidewalk and inside their apartment building. His hand paused mid knock as a sudden feeling hit his stomach that he had never experienced before. Before he had time to analyze what it was, the said door swung open and the feeling hit him harder.

"Bucky!"

Bucky stared at the girl in front of him. He shoved the vase in her hand, walked around her and ran to their bathroom.

He threw open the bathroom door and knelt down in front of the commode, breathing heavily at the sudden feeling in his stomach that he only could attribute that he was about to be sick. It had to be the sandwiches that Mrs. Simons fed him on an empty stomach. It couldn't have been the girl who opened the door.

The door opened and a small blonde head poked in, "Okay Buck?"

"Go away Punk." Bucky gasped. "I don't want you to get this."

Steve shook his head as he came in. "You sick?"

"I came over earlier and you weren't home. Mrs. Simons got me... must be the sandwiches or something." Bucky said as he sat on the ground trying to breathe as the feeling passed.

"Did you bring flowers for Red?" Steve asked confused.

"Mrs. Simons idea. I..." Bucky said as his mouth became dry as Scarlet, still in her Sunday best, stepped into the doorway.

"You okay Bucky?" She asked softly.

Bucky's eyes got wide at the realization that old Mrs. Simons was right. "Oh shit." He cursed.

"James Buchanan Barnes!" Sarah Rogers scolded as she came to the doorway next to Scarlet.

Bucky rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry ma'am."

"Are you alright son?" She asked as she knelt down and put her hand on his face. "No fever but you are clammy. What symptoms are you experiencing?"

Bucky swallowed looking at her as she took his wrist and looked at her watch. "My stomach just...suddenly got in knots. Before you got home, I spent some time at Mrs. Simon's house. I...I just think it was bad sandwiches."

Scarlet bunched her dress up and Bucky's eyes drew to her swallowing hard as suddenly the legs he had seen for years, which had been scuffed along with his own, seemed longer and different as she knelt down next to her mother figure.

"Is he okay?" Scarlet asked concerned.

Bucky swallowed looking at her from her long eyelashes that had to have something on them as he didn't remember her having eyelashes before. To her unnaturally pink cheeks that made the eyes above them sparkle more than usual. Down to the ruby red lips that rivaled a movie star. He barely heard Mrs. Rogers speak. "Heart rate seems elevated but...I think some dinner and a cool drink will help that. Come on James."

Bucky looked at her dumbly. "What ma'am?"

Sarah Rogers glanced at him then to Scarlet before smiling back at him. "Stand up son. I think you can stomach some food. I made Scarlet's favourite."

Scarlet's smile lit up the room, "Mrs. Rogers made chicken pot pie and an apple pie."

Bucky smiled. "You and pie."

Scarlet held out her hand and helped Bucky stand then chuckled as he seemed to lose his footing. "Are you sure you are alright?"

Bucky exhaled then smiled. "Yeah...happy birthday by the way,"

Scarlet laughed as she bounced out of the bathroom, her curls bouncing behind her. "So that's what the flowers were for. You remembered. I thought suddenly you were sweet on me, Bucky Barnes."

Sarah Rogers coughed then covered up her smile as Bucky's eyes grew wide and Scarlet giggled.

"Your face!" Scarlet said as she wrapped his arm in hers. "I know that I am not one of your girls from the dancing club."

Bucky scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah... Scarlet...I could just imagine you in the club."

She gave him a look. "Well I am old enough now."

'Aw shit... I'm cooked.' Bucky thought as he nearly knocked over her chair as he pulled it out for her.

Bucky ignored the looks at Steve was giving him, confused at his behavior as he ate his dinner. Scarlet was thankfully totally ignorant at the way he was acting but Mrs. Rogers wasn't. Especially after she asked him to pass the potatoes and he dropped them as Scarlet's hand brushed his and it suddenly felt as if electricity coursed through his body.

Bucky excused himself before the apple pie saying that he had to run. Stammering his way through an explanation and nearly knocking his chair over again. Mrs. Rogers met him at the door then stepped outside with him.

"Bucky honey." She said in her motherly voice that always got to him.

Bucky swore he felt sweat bead down his temple. "Yes ma'am."

Sarah Rogers looked at him with a knowing smile. "Just don't wait too long." She said reaching up and patting his cheek.

"I...I don't know what you are talking about," Bucky said.

"It's alright," Sarah said as she turned and walked back inside the apartment.

_________________________________________________________________

Bucky shook his head trying to clear the thoughts from his head. In the five minute walk to his own house, the thoughts did not go away as he hoped. It must have been obvious something was going on as when he unlocked his house and walked in, his little sister Rebecca looked up from the couch and laughed at him.

"What?" Bucky snapped.

"You look like someone slapped you." Becca told him.

Bucky sighed as he sat down next to her. "I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach Becky."

"What happened?" Rebecca asked.

"I... I don't know. I went over to Steve's. It's Scarlet's birthday and I thought I'd just pick a flower or two from the neighbors garden." He said looking at his hands and noticing the cuts from the thorns. "Mrs. Simons... she said some stuff. I just wrote it off but... I went to Steve's apartment..." Bucky groaned as he stood up and started pacing. "I can't do this!"

"Do what?" Becky asked confused.

"Have feelings for Scarlet." Bucky said finally saying it out loud.

"No shit." She said.

"Rebecca!" Winifred Barnes scolded her daughter as she came in the living room drying a dish. "James honey, what is wrong?"

"He just realized his feelings for Anastasia." Rebecca told her with a grin.

Winifred smiled as she walked over to Bucky and put her hand on his shoulder. "It is okay to be scared honey."

"I...I can't ma." Bucky told her looking at the ground, "I...it's... Scarlet."

"The best relationships start from friendships first." She assured him.

"I can't ma... she is going off to Fairmount. She's married. I am just... me." Bucky told her pained.

Winifred pulled him into a hug.