FLUFF ALERT! Bucky and Svet are back now after that heartbreaking Natasha scene. I am so excited for this chapter! It gets ya right in the happy feels (well, anyway I hope it does, hehe). Oh! And I put in the song above because it is attached to the chapter (title make sense now)! It's called Guilty by Al Bowlly, I've been waiting to use this song for SO long! Okie-dokie, comment throughout!

Hold onto whatever keeps you warm inside.

Time passes.

Months come and go and the father and daughter go along with them, moving from place to place, lingering as long as they can and leaving again before any chance of suspicion can arise. Bucky and Svetlana slowly but surely make their lives the best they can, no matter how little and limited these lives may be.

Svetlana continues to grow up, the little girl stepping into the early stages of teenhood as she learns more and more about the world surrounding them. She gets a little bit taller. Her hair grows a little bit longer and the first time Bucky tries to cut it is an utter disaster, but truly the important thing is that he tried... or at least, that is what Svet says. Perhaps the most noticeable thing is how the girl's spirit becomes a little bit more aged. Maybe that is one of the most beautiful things about being freed from HYDRA. It allowed her to be a child for at least some while and it gave rise to her wonder for the world. But no matter how much she learns, no matter the amount of months that passes by, the redhead's wonder is never stolen from her.

That doesn't mean the girl doesn't acknowledge the darkness.

She knows it better than most, after all.

But, in the months that have passed, she's found a way to live despite it and she does her best to help her father through his own monsters just as he helps with hers.

That's how they survive.

And that's how they've made it this far.

Thick snowflakes fall from the dark sky, twinkling like little stars in the moonlight. The icy bits brush down onto the shivering faces of the father and daughter who are staying close together so to stay warm. They trudge through the rather empty streets of Austria that lay heavy with a cold white blanket. Soft yellow lights shine from the buildings growing up around them, glittering off the glass-like snow.

While Bucky watches their surroundings as carefully as ever, Svetlana can't help but marvel at the city that looks shiny amidst the darkness. She tries to take in every sight she can, knowing it's going to be the last time the two can travel for a few weeks. The two decided together that it is best for them to keep going inland, but the weather has finally grown much too cold for either of them to be in, especially for Svet.

The man suddenly stops by a close alley, his feet crunching in the snow while he gently pulls his still rather distracted daughter to a stop. Svet reluctantly tears her eyes from her surroundings to look up to her papa's mouth, waiting for him to speak. Instead, his ocean eyes just slowly begin trailing up the side of the gray-white building and Svet follows his gaze with matching thoughtful expressions on both of their faces. With its intricate designs and carved architecture, the building is obviously much nicer than any of the others the two usually take shelter in. They tend to find themselves in the most dangerous and darkest parts of whatever city they are in as those parts happen to be where they are safest from prying eyes and overzealous police officers.

Bucky glances back down at Svet who is gripping onto the edges of her brown overcoat's collar, trying to hold it over her bitterly cold nose. She peels it down to give him a reassuring smile before hurriedly yanking it back up to shut out the cold. They both know she can't stand being out in this cold for much longer. As hard as she's fighting showing it, she's practically frozen to the bone with her blue lips and chattering teeth.

Bucky speaks slowly to ensure she catches the words in the darkness, "Wait here for a moment, alright? I need to make sure it's safe."

Svet gives a quick nod, her words somewhat muffled by her coat as she says, "Da, Papa. I'll wait."

"Good girl." He softly kisses the girl's forehead before turning into the nearly pitch black alleyway.

He hasn't seemed as fearful of showing her the kind of affection any father would anymore. For a long while as Svet grew up, he just didn't remember how not to be rough and uncareful and so he avoided showing her any kind of affection at all. His hands had maimed, tortured, and killed and how to be gentle with his little daughter was not exactly on the repertoire of skills taught by HYDRA. Even what little amount there had been ceased completely after she was returned from the Red Room, both of them being scared of letting anyone know that the Soldier had remembered her. But the Soldier is being fought back now and Bucky Barnes is reemerging as best as he can.

After she watches her papa disappear, Svetlana lets out a white breath into the frigid air and adjusts her arms over her chest to keep in the warmth. Cautiousness immediately comes over her now that she's on her own. Her eyes narrow ever so slightly and she slowly steps backwards. She's forced to a stop when her shoulders are pressed against a nearby wall, allowing her to get a better view of the street without anyone sneaking up on her. Her oversized boots tap tiredly into the snowy pavers as she buries her nose and chin back into the coat, studying her surroundings. No one else is really on the street, everyone being held up within their own warm and cozy homes. Strings of lights decorate some of the rather empty shops that line the street. The colors of red, green, and white are strong and profound, making the girl smile a little.

Svet remembers her papa said today was Christmas.

She's not quite certain what that entails, but she can slowly figure out the traditions from the view she has through the glowing windows surrounding her. Large green trees stand in the corners of the windows and beautiful angels or silver stars stay at the tops. Ropes of popcorn curl around the branches as glittering ornaments hang from among the pines. Her eyes flicker with slight pain as she watches a young girl a few years younger than herself run over to who Svet assumes must be the girl's mother. The mother laughs and hugs the girl tightly, the both of them happily talking. The rest of their family stands around, embracing each other as mugs of something sweet and warm are passed around.

She can't help but wonder what Natasha, Steve, and Sam are up to at the moment. They're still in America, she assumes. Are they together celebrating this holiday with smiles on their faces? Are they safe? Do they remember her? Do they miss her?

A hand places itself on her shoulder, forcing the girl out of her thoughts.

She pulls back in defense before sighing in relief at the sight of Bucky, "Sveta? Ty v poryadke?" Sveta? Are you okay?

"Da, Papa. I'm fine." She nods quickly, but her eyes do dart back to the window where the family still celebrates, "Um, yes, is it all safe?"

He doesn't respond, his eyes following hers over to the large window. His face becomes distant and he breathes slowly in the cold. She forces a large smile as she takes his hand, raising her eyebrows in expectation. He looks back down at her, staying silent as he forces his head into a sharp and brief nod.

They don't discuss it further.

Two pairs of feet land silently as they climb into one of the unoccupied apartments Bucky scoped out. The father still stands slightly in front of the daughter, just in case he missed someone here before. While the spacious and actually very nice apartment is empty of any people, the place is full of an enormous amount of brown boxes. Eagerness takes over the girl, making her hardly care about the potential danger as she slowly leaves Bucky's side to curiously peer inside one of them. A collection of old leather bound books meets her and her eyes light up and she lets out a quiet gasp of surprise.

Svet lets out a reluctant sigh when she watches Bucky pass her, heading for the door so he can barricade it as he does with a few of the places they stay in. She bites her lip before tearing herself away from the box and making a sleep space for them over by the corner, setting it up rather hurriedly compared her usual careful pace. As soon as she's done, she leaps over the few blankets she's laid down to rush back over to the boxes, barely dodging Bucky in an effort to dig through them.

Not an hour later, she's nearly covered in books and she's forcing herself to delve into the stories, trying to push the ideas of that family in the window out of her mind. And she won't say she's not enjoying the books upon books that surround, but that little family brought Natasha, Steve, and Sam back to mind and now she can't seem to forget it. She sighs to herself, criss-crossing her legs and gnawing at the edge of her lip. Her oversized sweater falls over her baggily-dressed thighs as she keeps her nose buried in a book, focusing on the words elegantly printed on yellowing pages. A balled up sock suddenly hits her shoulder, making her confusedly look up at Bucky as he stands on the other side of the room.

He's been looking through the boxes that filled the place, trying to find a few items that they might need as they continued inland in the next few weeks. His mind has been wandering though, thinking about the very same thing Svet was trying so hard to not think of. And then he found it; another one of the many things he hasn't seen in seventy years.

"Can you come over here?" One of his hands motions the girl closer, wanting her to see what he's found, hoping it will get both of their minds off of the family in the window.

With a curious expression, Svetlana pushes herself from the ground and tucks the book under her arm.

She carefully walks across the cluttered space, tilting her head as she asks, "What is it, Papa?"

His flesh and metal hands carefully pull out a strange, old-fashioned looking device from one of the many boxes. Svet stares in confusion as he sets it onto the ground before turning to look back through the box. It has an odd-looking brassy tube that curls around and then opens up into a large mouth. The brass metal is connected to a square wooden box and it has a large circular pan-type base on the top of it.

Svet tries to pick the boxy device up before carefully setting it back, a little surprised by how heavy it is. She looks it over with a furrowed brow, frowning as she pokes the different parts of the thing. Bucky suddenly turns back around, crouching down across from her as he rests a circular black disk on top of the pan-type base. Once he's certain that the device is working, he slowly brings down a handle with a needle at its end and the black disk begins spinning.

A small smile slowly breaks onto Bucky's face, despite the pain of the memories that come back to mind. Svet watches her papa's face with a small smile of her own, not being able to understand just what is making him so happy but enjoying the look of his smile all the same. He does that more now. The times are still rare and highly reserved for Svetlana, but he is getting better. They're both trying so hard to get better. Svet pulls her thighs up to her chest, resting her chin against her bony knees while she still just stares at the man.

His eyes find her face and he smiles a little more, telling her in a reminiscent voice, "It's a phonograph."

"Phonograph." Svet repeats quietly, nodding her head and bobbing her chin to her kneecaps as she still pokes at the thing, "Eto krasivo, Papa." It's beautiful, Papa.

"Yeah." He stays crouched before the device called the phonograph, resting his forearms on his thighs, "It plays music. This song's from around the time I was a kid."

Svet's smile falters barely enough for him to see. She's been around enough to know that there is such a thing as music, though she's never heard any of it herself. Even in the Red Room, there were the symphonies that Demetri had the girls dance to, but she always had to feel the changes in rhythm and tone through the ground. No one has ever told her why exactly she can't hear and, from what her papa tells her, it doesn't sound as if even he knows. Perhaps it was from the abuse of her earliest years or perhaps it was merely a condition she was born with. Maybe she'll never know. Of course, there are much worse things and she'll never dare to complain. Though, whatever music sounds like, she's certain it must be lovely.

Bucky looks back up at her and she merely gives him another smile, not bothering to voice her thoughts. He still knows what she's thinking though. Bucky usually does. He carefully takes her still rather small hands and places them on the neck of the phonograph and soon she can feel the vibrations of the music running against her fingertips.

It's true that she does smile a bit more, but she only really reacts when Bucky suddenly begins quietly singing the words that he seems to remember so well. Her lips pull back into an awe-filled smile as she watches him stare at the record that spins around and around, quietly singing. With a tentative hand, she reaches across and touches a hand to his throat, grinning as she feels his words against her fingertips. He suddenly goes silent, shaking his head and staring back at the record with a distant look in his eyes.

"Papa!" Svet gently nudges his shoulder, making him raise his eyebrows at her, "Don't stop! I liked it! Honestly!"

He stares at her for a beat and she juts out her chin, raising her eyebrows as she stubbornly waits. He finally rolls his eyes and sighs, conceding into her demands. Her eyes grow full of that same old wonder as he quietly sings the words that match the song. It's clear that he's rather embarrassed about it, but that doesn't stop him from singing for her as she's asked. His brow bends a few times throughout the old song as if he's trying to remember the words from his childhood so long ago.

When Bucky's ocean eyes briefly shoot up to meet his daughter's, it seems like he's just made a decision. He gives a quick smile and then takes her hands, pulling her up with him as he stands. He still holds her hands as his feet push a few of the many cluttering boxes away. Svet eyes him strangely as he has the girl place her right hand on his much higher shoulder and then intertwines their fingers together out at their side.

"What are you doing, Papa?" She lets out a gentle laugh, shaking her head at him as if he's crazy.

"Sh, sh." He just hushes although he wears a small smile before he straightens his back, looking back at her a few moments later, "We're dancing."

"We're what?" She quietly laughs once more, watching as his feet take them suddenly step back, then to the side, then to the other side, and then forward once more, "I don't think this is dancing, Papa."

He bumps the bottom of her chin so she'll look back up at him, "Yest' drugiye vidy tantsev, chem balet, Svetka." There are other kinds of dancing than ballet, Svetka.

Her brows twist in confusion, "There are?"

He responds by suddenly lifting her up a little, swinging her around so that her feet sweep over the floor. She lets out a loud laugh that she hurriedly tries to stifle, worried about alerting anyone to their presence. Bucky then sets her back down, moving them into the swaying steps so smoothly as if he's done this a million times before. They continue on in silence for a moment as Svet watches her feet pick up the rhythm Bucky leads her to.

"Did you do this very much?" She looks up at him carefully, wanting to know the answer but not wanting to force him into remembering anything painful, "Before, I mean."

His brow twists as the memories come back and he nods a little, "I think so..."

She nods back, "And did you dance to this song?"

Her father pauses before straining, "I don't... think so, but I think my parents might have."

Svetlana stays quiet for a moment, imaging what her grandparents might have been like. It's sad to think that there was never even a chance of them meeting her, much less even knowing about her. She knows a deeper sadness mixed into her father's ocean eyes, grieving over having lost them and grieving over not being able to remember them.

So, Svetlana quickly tries to change the subject as best she can, "What are the words saying again, Papa?"

He gives her a small smirk, "You just want me to start singing again, don't you?"

"You have to!" She presses and playfully grins, feigning mischievousness.

He heaves a sigh before shaking his head once more and Svet grins wider, knowing that she's won him over as she always does.

He then quietly clears his throat and sings the words so she can read them,

"Is it a sin? Is it a crime? Loving you, Dear, like I do?

If it's a crime, then I'm guilty... Guilty of loving you."

He sweeps her off her feet once more, spinning her around before he sets her back to her feet. A permanent smile remains on her face, all thought of that family in the window having been forgotten. Bucky continues to sing and hum the words of the song, allowing the girl for the first time in her life to get as close as she can to hearing music.

He gently pushes her away so he can hold one of her hands above her head and she happily laughs as her knitted socks spin her well in circles against the cold tiles. She slides back over, still grinning as she excitedly raises her eyebrows at him. He laughs back a little and they just continue on dancing before the needle slowly makes its way off the record, the sound scratching as the song reaches its end. Svet can't tell the song is over and Bucky doesn't bother telling her, just enjoying this moment here and now.

"I like this kind of dancing."

Bucky doesn't respond, but he smiles slightly.

"Well..." She sighs out, musing, "Maybe next time I can teach you ballet, Papa."

He chuckles quietly, although his eyes are entirely serious as he says, "I am not learning ballet, Svetlana."

She just smiles a bit wider, leaning her head to his chest as they continue dancing around the dimly lit apartment.

Fluff for you and for you and for everybody! I was honestly so excited to write this chapter, but it was a bit hard here and there but I got it out! I REALLY hope you liked it! I wanted to make sure we had a lot of fluff before Civil War comes along which is just in a few chapters now, ah! ALRIGHT, tell me your thoughts! I know some of ya'll people wanted a birthday scene which I am still willing to do if ya want, just let me know, Folks!

Go check out my TV Spot styled IW trailer for my universe in my Little Ironies book!

Alrighto!

Funny Thingamabob:

Not even a lie