The pair made their way back to the Elliot residences. The sun bringing out everyone to enjoy the last little bit of the summer, couples walking to the beach and elderly couples enjoying an early morning walk together. The windows of Bucky's Plymouth were rolled down and Bucky had the radio blasting for the soul reason of wanting to hear Jo singing along. Bucky loved when Jo sang, her voice was amazing whether she liked to admit it or not. He often found herself paying more attention to her when music was playing, just to catch her singing softly under the song itself.

The drive back seemed to take so much longer, now that everyone was up and starting to fill the streets but Bucky didn't mind. When the pale yellow house came into view after turning a corner a bright smile formed on Jo's face. "How's your birthday so far?" Bucky asked the girl. She looked up to him and gave him a smile. "Unreal." She answered as he pulled into the driveway. He watched as she sprinted to the front door before he even had the car in park. "We're back!" she called, her arms in the air as she walked inside. Bucky shook his head before turning off the car and quickly jogging up behind her and closing the door once he was inside.

"-Mom you should have seen it. The way the sun hit the bridge was amazing! So much better than watching it from the backyard." Bucky caught the last bit of what Jo was telling her mother in the kitchen as he walked through the house. Finding Dennis reading the newspaper and drinking his morning coffee and Steve eating the breakfast Mary had made for him. "You know, your father proposed to me at the Golden gate bridge." Mary said as Bucky sat down at the dining room table, catching Mary's bright smile and Jo's dreamy sigh.

"We'll come along then, I heard it's someone's birthday and we need to celebrate!" Dennis said suddenly, tucking away the newspaper and standing up from the table. Bucky's eyebrows frowned together. The man's sudden mood change was alarming but it seemed to only catch him off guard. What had he read that made him put the paper down? The man normally read the thing front to back, even reading the boring things just to give him something to do.

Jo was quickly wrapped in her fathers arms with Mary motioning for the two boys to join them as she did as well. "Jo sandwich!" Steve called before himself and Bucky jumped up from their seats and were wrapped into a group hug between Dennis and Mary's arms as well. Jo let out a laugh, her head resting on Bucky's chest as everyone squeezed their arms around her. "Come on, you have some presents to open up!" Mary exclaimed happily, leading everyone into the living room with a large smile. "Oh I have to go grab mine from the car, one second." Bucky said quickly, grabbing his car key and jogging outside. Hiding in the back seat, tucked between the back seat and the passenger was a bag sitting on the ground. Grabbing it, the boy quickly locked the car once more and made his way back inside.

Inside he could hear Jo's laugh from the front door. Her laugh was bright like sunshine, and made his breath get caught in his throat. Clearing his throat anyways, he shook his head and made his way to the living room where he found everyone sitting. A pile of presents sat on the table in the centre of the room and Jo leaned into Steve as she clutched her chest. "Look who decided to come back!" Dennis said with a large smile as Bucky placed his present down with the rest. "Alright, this is from your dad and I darling." Mary said with a grin, pulling out a large box from the midst of presents. She placed it on Jo's lap and the girl took the lid off of it, her eyes instantly lighting up with joy. Inside was a new jean jacket, her last being ripped by a tree branch and even her mother couldn't fix it.

"We searched high and low for that, y'know they're not as popular out here as you think." Dennis commented, leaning back in his chair and lighting a match to his tobacco pipe. A nasty habit he picked up from the war and couldn't seem to shake. "Well they should be!" Jo exclaimed, standing up and quickly shoving the jacket over her arms, watching it fall too large over her small frame Bucky let out a laugh. "Oh Dennis, I told you it'd be too big!" Mary exclaimed, fussing over the oversized jacket which made Jo wrap her arms around herself, the sleeves acting as paws as it covered her arms. "No I like it!" Jo defended making Mary sigh and shake her head.

"She's ahead of her time." Steve commented, meaning that Jo didn't fall into the same social norms most the girls her age did. "Always has been." Bucky replied with a smile. Jo continued to open the presents from everyone. Getting new sneakers from her dad, and a ring from her mom that had been passed down to the woman in the family for generations. Steve had looked around finding as many as the girls favourite "Famous Funnies" comics he could to expand her never ending collection. "I'm starting to think I can't compete." Bucky said as the girl reached for the last unopened present.

Jo placed the bag on her lap, finding a few different boxes inside. She reached for the first one, finding a ring she had been looking at in the window of a store just a few months prior. "Oh Buck." Jo whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "Keep going." Bucky replied with a smile. Jo reached into the bag once more and pulled out another box. This one was larger than the others and felt heavy. Opening it she found a new pair of overalls which made the girl laugh. "Was gonna get you a dress to wear today, but I remembered who my best friend was." Bucky told her, making the girl give him a large smile.

"There's one more!" Steve informed the girl, peaking into the bag himself. Jo looked down and grabbed the last box in the bag, slowly opening it she found a small locket. Inside a photo of her, Bucky and Steve at the boys graduation. Before anyone could even look at the necklace in the girls hands, she was off the couch and tackling Bucky to the ground in a hug as he was sitting on the floor. "I love it, I love you, thank you so much." the girl whispered into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

Mary picked up the necklace that had landed on the couch and held her hand over her heart with a smile as she showed Dennis and Steve both. "Here darling." Mary said as Bucky sat the two up, Jo sitting between his legs as his arms stayed wrapped around her. Bucky gently took the box from Mary's offering hand and pushed Jo's long hair off her neck before quickly fastening the necklace around her. The locket fell between her collarbones and the girl grinned, taking it between her fingers.

"Now we're always with ya." Bucky told her with a grin.