A/N- Longest chapter I've ever written for this FF, but it's definitely worth it. I suggest to listen to Control by Halsey while reading the second half of this chapter :) Little warning: there's also violence. Besides that, I wish y'all a happy Thanksgiving!

"We're graduating! Goodbye, crappy school, goodbye, society and hello, freedom! We are free now!" Bucky shouts enthusiastically resulting in everyone from our grade looking at us with either bewilderment or judgment. I try to hide my face under my green cap, avoiding the sudden attention that we receive. Steve's face flushes pink and I can see the discomfort in his eyes. He already felt uncomfortable because the gown is a bit too big for him.

"Bucky, everyone's staring at us..." Steve mutters embarrassed and glances at the ground, but the brunette just puts his arms around both of us, pulling Steve and me closer to him.

"I don't care!" He yells even louder, laughing and hugging us. I get pressed against his chest and can barely breathe but I cannot help but laugh at his excitement and bubbly behavior. My heart beats faster and I smile brightly, even hearing his heartbeat right next to my ear. "We can do whatever we want, we can be whoever we want!"

"Brother, you're embarrassing." Rebecca sighs, crossing her arms over her chest but Bucky's grin still stays on his lips and he lets go of us to tousle her hair. The twins giggle at the scrubby hair of their sister and she just groans annoyed although she cannot resist a smile. "But I still congratulate you on your graduation."

"I still can't believe how old you've become, James." Winifred starts tearing up all motherly but she beams with pride, then she turns around to Steve. "And I'm sure that Sarah is watching you and can't be any prouder of you."

The blonde punk just smiles weakly while I pat friendly his shoulder, shooting him a sympathetic look. He has grown so much, strong enough to carry that burden with him. Winifred motions us to go to the photographer to take a photo of the three of us. We're standing under the apple tree of our school in our caps and gowns, a bright smile on our faces till the flash of the camera is gone.

We are really free. I turn around and look at the school while Steve and Bucky play with Henry and Will. Memories flash through my mind, I remember how I first came here with no hope, no expectations. But then I met two amazing boys, a great friend and a guy I fell in love with. I've never thought that I'd be capable of loving someone but he proved me otherwise. At the same time, I glance at the others of my grade. They all celebrate with their parents and family, laughing happily.

"I'm sorry that your parents aren't here for your graduation." Bucky suddenly stands next to me and I almost flinch. A concerned and sad gaze is in his eyes and I smile at his worries. He has noticed my look at the others.

"Nah, I'm fine with that," I assure him and he just sighs, leaving me in confusion.

"Don't smile if you don't mean it, Eve."

"So what do you think? That I'm utterly sad about it and I'm just pretending to be okay?" I ask jokingly, tilting my head. "That I'm still grieving about not having parents?"

"Yes." He answers honestly. "And that's why Steve and I wanna help you."

"And that's exactly the reason why I'm okay with it." I grin, nodding to him and Steve. "You and Steve- I don't need anyone else. I don't need more people to care about me, I don't need parents. As long as I have you two, I'm happy. It's more than I could ever ask for."

"Steve too, huh?" He almost scoffs and I chuckle at his weird behavior.

"Of course, Steve too. I mean, I live with him, it's obvious that he's important to me."

"Don't remind me of that." Bucky sighs, shaking his head. Sometimes he really does confuse me. "By the way, do you still receive money from... whoever that is?"

"Weirdly, yes." I nod. Since the first envelope with money that was in front of the door months ago, I received money from an anonymous sender every month. It is always the same amount and there's never a name. "I don't know what to think about it. But I could at least pay the rent and get Steve into art school."

"Do you think it could be from your mother? Or even your father?" He carefully suspects but I shake my head wildly. It's impossible that it could be from my mother. I don't really remember her, I just know that she didn't care. So why would she now? If she is still alive.

"Impossible. I also don't want to have false hope or assumptions." I finish the topic and he nods understanding. "Speaking of art school, I would have never guessed that you're going too."

"Well, what can I say? I'm just not as good as Steve but I do have talent." He smirks at me. "And you, canary, I'm proud of you that you had the courage to register for music school. Also that you made it possible for Steve to go to art school. I knew you'd do great."

"Just because you had faith in me." I smile sincerely. Without him, I could have never made it. Steve joins us with the photo in his hand.

"It looks actually really good." He shows the black-white photo of us, smiling and standing in gowns and caps in front of our school. I still can't believe that we're actually graduating.

"It does." Bucky agrees. "Don't lose the photo, Stevie."

"I still hate that nickname." He groans, resulting in us laughing. "When will we meet up for prom again?"

"At eight, I think. But do we really need to go? I don't want to face anyone from our grade again and I actually just want to celebrate our graduation with you two." I sigh at the uncomfortable thought of dancing in front of the others.

"Okay, then we'll just celebrate together on our own." Bucky smirks promising. "Let's try to sneak into a pub. 8pm at Clarke's pub. And dress up, because I still wanna dance."

"You won't really have a huge selection then." I point out sarcastically, referring to Steve and I and I don't think that he'll necessarily dance with Steve to a slow Jazz song.

"I know." These two simple words and his grin make my heart suddenly jump and flutter constantly. It's like he indirectly asked me to dance with him and just the imagination of holding his hand in mine, feeling his other hand on my waist gives me goosebumps.

I can't wait for tonight.

***

"Where is he?" I sigh, walking back and forth while checking the time although it hasn't changed since 9:15 pm. Steve just lets out a sigh as well, we both are waiting for Bucky for over an hour now. The loud jazz music from the pub fills the air of the Brooklyn street, but the impatience and worries crush them.

"I have no idea." Steve messes boringly around with his red tie that matches perfectly to his blue tux. My disappointed glance causes him to look up and smile. "But you, uh, look really pretty. Bucky's missing something."

"You look dashing yourself." I grin, appreciating his attempt to cheer me up. But I am actually really proud that I could find a blood red dress like this one for a cheap price, although flashy is not my usual style. "We really need to dance to a good jazz song."

"Better not." He shakes his head. "I would probably step on your feet because I really don't know how to dance."

"Trust me, I don't know either." I giggle, feeling a lot better now. "But we can find it out together. It doesn't look too difficult."

"No, it'd feel wrong. You can just dance with the right partner. And I'm not yours, as much as you're not mine. Bucky is your right partner." His explanation slightly confuses me. What does he mean, Bucky is my partner? Steve tilts his head as he notices my bewildered look. "C'mon, Eve, we live together. Of course, I know about your feelings for Bucky."

"You know what?!" My eyes widen and he lets out a little laughter.

"Yes, it's clear to see, but somehow not for Bucky. Maybe you need to take the first step."

"No." I wildly shake my head, still not really believing that Steve noticed it. "I don't want to ruin our friendship. Besides, if we broke up, considering that he had feelings for me, you'd feel torn apart between us. And he's on a whole different level than I am. He's bubbly and happy and I... I'm just a burden. I'm content with being friends with him, I shouldn't ask for more. So please don't tell him anything about it, Steve, please! Promise me that you won't."

"I promise," Steve swears faithfully and I know that I can trust him. He probably had to deal with that too, thinking that he's not enough for someone like Bucky, which is why he understands me.

"Hey, darling! Nice dress!" A drunk voice behind me babbles and I turn around. A man, maybe middle twenty, stares at me in an inappropriate way, next to him his friend laughs with joy. The two drunk and older guys have left the pub as one of them whistles to me. A bothered feeling spreads over my chest and I try to ignore them.

"I bet she looks better without it." The taller guy smirks mischievously and I clench my teeth, feeling uncomfortable because of these jerks.

"Hey, you better watch- "

"Let it be, Steve." I grab his arm, stopping him from getting in trouble. The guys are taller and clearly stronger, it'd end up in a fight. And I want to prevent him from getting hurt. "Let's just go, okay? Maybe we'll find Bucky at his home or something."

Steve gives in and nods, although I know that he hates walking away. We both are about to go away and avoid as much contact as possible, but the brown-eyed man suddenly grabs my arm, making me flinch and stay. I try to pull it back, but his grip just gets tighter.

"Hey, where are you going, doll face? The fun has just begun!" He laughs and I try to stay calm and to ignore his alcoholic and disgusting breath. Don't freak out, stay strong. It's just a grip, nothing more.

"Let her go, you stupid bastard!" Steve yells at him angrily, pushing him away from me. As much as I'm thankful to him for defending me, I wish at the same time that he wouldn't have done that.

"What did you just call me?" The brown-eyed man narrows his eyes, shooting Steve an intimidating glare. His mood changes to rage. "Trevor! Take care of this little shit! While I'll take care of this doll here."

His friend, Trevor, just lets out maniac laugh, grasping roughly Steve's arm and punching him with his fist in his face. My eyes widen in shock, hearing the nasty sound of the punch and Steve's pained groan as he lands on the ground and coughs. But he still tries to stand up, although Trevor's kick causes his failure.

"Stop it!" I scream scared and want to help my best friend but I get held back by Trevor's friend. "Leave him alone! Let me go! Somebody help us, please- " His hand suddenly covers my mouth and I start struggling, trying to fight back, but he doesn't let go of me.

"To this alley, now! The doll here just attracts attention!" Trevor commands, grabbing the now weakened Steve to drag him to the alley behind the pub. The other one follows him, dragging me by the waist with him. My punches and kicks don't effect him at all, just annoy him and my attempts to scream for help don't succeed. His hand just gets pressed harder against my face, causing my heart to almost crash my rib cage. The anxiety gives me goosebumps and I'm about to panic. I'm frightened. I am bloody frightened.

"This happens when you don't listen and just cause attention!" The brown-eyed guy shoves me hard against the wall and I groan, landing on the wet ground. A sharp pain runs through my head and I gasp when he suddenly grabs my face and holds it close to his. "You can be lucky that you're pretty."

"Leave her alone!" Steve yells but gets hit by Trevor again. My breath is unsteady and I have the feeling that there is not enough air for me. I see Steve's bloody nose and without even thinking, I raise my arm and hit the guy with my elbow in his stomach. The pain hardly lasts and he just smirks insanely.

"Trevor, beat up the dwarf."

"No!" I scream and want to run to Steve but the man holds me back and forces me to watch how Steve gets beat up. I'm feeling awfully helpless and start screaming for help while I constantly kick and hit the guy. Why am I just so damn weak? Why is nobody here to help us?

"You're starting to get on my nerves, doll!" The man says furiously and shoves me against the wall again. A gasp escapes my mouth as my head hits the hard bricks again and this time, he doesn't let me fall to the ground. He pushes himself against me and his hands are strongly around my wrists, not letting me go. The closeness makes me want to scream and panic, I start shaking and I'm scared to death.

"Leave me alone!!!" I shriek and try to shake him off as I keep struggling. "Let me go, you jerk!!! LET ME GO!!!"

"Shut up!"

I can't breathe. I can't escape. I can't fight. The only thing I can do is freak out. I panic when I suddenly feel his one hand on my thigh and his other on my mouth while his lips get closer to my neck. My desperate scream into his hand gets mixed with the sound of the punches and a tear rolls down my face. Help. Somebody, please save me.

"Let her go, you son of a bitch!!" An enraged voice interrupts us and the guy gets pulled away by Bucky. I don't even question how he suddenly shows up, I'm just so damn glad that he's here, just so damn relieved.

I still breathe way too fast, processing everything and trying to calm down while Bucky punches the guy in his face before he can even say something, making him fall to the ground. Trevor stops beating Steve as his eyes widen at the unexpected person and Steve slowly stands up. Bucky turns around, watching me how I quickly and ashamed flatten my dress while I try to stop shaking.

"Did he touch you?" His voice is sharp and I stay silent. I'm feeling so humiliated that I can't even open my mouth and the tears remain on my face. The silence is enough of an answer for him and he turns back with clenched fists, starting to beat up the guy violently. "You bloody bastard, you should rot in fucking hell!!! Don't even dare to ever touch her again or I swear, I'll kill you!!"

I've never seen him this angry, the fury in his eyes and voice scare even me and I'm just way too speechless to do anything. The guy screams in pain and stays there, coughing and spitting on the ground. Trevor suddenly runs to Bucky and my eyes widen. "Bucky, behind you!"

Trevor's fist lands on Bucky's face and he falls to the ground. I feel how the sudden adrenaline runs though my veins and the instinct to protect him overwhelms me. And then my mind shuts off. I just see the empty glass bottle in the corner. I don't think. I just grab the bottle. My grip is tightly around it. Everything goes so fast. It's like I don't have control over my own body. I feel completely numb and empty. I lift the bottle. It hits Trevor's head. A loud crash. Blood and broken glass. Everywhere.

"Oh, my God..." Steve's voice takes me back to reality and I promptly feel a terrible pain in my right hand. There is a deep wound in my palm as blood runs down my hand and I clench my teeth, dropping the rest of the bottle to the ground. Just now I realize that Trevor is laying on the ground, groaning in pain while the back of his head is soaked in blood.

Bucky stands up and stares at me, a red scratch is at the corner of his lip. His look goes between me and my bloody hand that burns like hell, the mixture of shock and disbelief is all written over his face. What have I done? I stare at my hands as the shiver doesn't go away.

"Come on." Bucky suddenly urges, shooting us a meaningful look. "We need to leave. Immediately."

***

"Okay, ma'am, that's the last stitch." The thread goes the last time through my skin and I try not to flinch, clenching my teeth at the pain of the needle. The nurse smiles friendly at me as she puts a patch on the wound. "And done. You can come back next week again to get the thread removed. But I'm afraid that a scar will stay."

I just nod silently and she leaves, going back to work. The incident replays in front of my eyes again, I see how Steve gets beat up, how Trevor is about to hurt Bucky and how the guy tries to...

"Hey." I cringe at Bucky's voice as he walks into the room. It was his idea to go to the hospital. I don't know why, but I am relieved to see him, knowing that he just gets away with a scratch at the corner of his lip. He sits down next to me on the bed and his sympathetic look makes me feel more comfortable again. "Steve's fine. He just has a bloody nose and bruised ribs, he's been through worse."

"That's good." I find my ability to speak again, although I still feel kind of numb inside. It's probably the shock.

"I'm sorry that I came too late." He apologizes contritely and guilt is in his blue eyes. There's no sign of rage anymore. "They messed up with my order and my tux somehow landed in Queens, which is why I had to run the whole way from Queens to Brooklyn. I am so sorry, Eve, I- I really wish I could've prevented this."

"It's okay." I force a smile but it breaks and I end up looking at my hands. I could have killed this guy. I could have killed a whole human life. Although he was a monster, why do I feel so guilty?

"I'm sorry that I have to ask, but I need to know. Did he- "

"No." I shake my head, biting on my lower lip. I know what he was about to ask. "He tried."

Bucky first stays quiet, but I can see how relieved he is. "You saved me, do you know that? You saved me, Eve."

"I almost killed him. And this scar," I raise my right hand, showing him the patch, "will always remind me that I'm not a much better person. It'll always remind me of this night and what I'm actually capable of. I didn't even think about what I was doing, I just did it."

He takes my hand and I feel his warmth on my skin. Then he suddenly places his lips on my palm and my eyes widen a bit in surprise, not expecting that hand kiss from him. A small prickle is left after he places my hand back between his and his eyes bore into mine. My heart beats faster and I'm overwhelmed by emotions that he causes again.

"I'll forever love this scar." He slightly smiles at me. "It just proves how caring and strong you are. You didn't do anything wrong. Don't feel guilty, be proud that you had the courage to fight. I promise you that I'll never come too late again."

I am completely weak now, still feeling his kiss on my palm. The guilt vanishes and I have no regrets. I would do it a second time. I would do it hundred times, just to save him.
I would kill for James Buchanan Barnes.