The Right Partner

It was sort of funny how things worked out sometimes. And it was even funnier how the most unexpected things could happen at the most unexpected of times. Right now was certainly one of those times for Clara. She never would have imagined that a visit to 1940's New York City would lead to this...this, well, whatever it was. She supposed that she could call it an attachment. Because that was what she was. Emotionally attached. And to a person that she had only met maybe half an hour ago at most. But there was just something there. A connection of sorts that she couldn't quite explain. And she knew that she was in way over her head. She knew that leaving, no matter who ended up doing it first, was going to be horrible. And she kind of really wished that this moment would never end. A soft smile played upon her lips as she swayed to the music. It wasn't so much dancing anymore, not with the song playing being at a much slower pace than the first. But she didn't mind, because she sort of liked this. Being so close to him that she could breath in his scent. This was a memory that would probably always be engrained into her mind.

"Can I ask you a question?" Bucky spoke softly after a few more moment of silence. His mind had wandered for a minute or two as he thought about the brief plans he had made with Connie to attend the World Fair. Undoubtedly, he would have to bring Steve along... He would be shipping out soon, and he'd planned to spend what time he could with his childhood friend. The only way he could do that, and still see Connie was to do both at the same time. It would be unfair though, to just let Steve be a third wheel. "Would you mind bringing Bonnie along with you to the fair? I've got this friend, and well, he's a little bit hopeless with girls." His sentence ended with a small laugh, and he had to admit that he struggled to think of the last time Steve had actually been on a date with anyone... He'd need someone to keep him company once Bucky left. The thought of him being completely alone was one that often haunted Bucky. He didn't want to be left feeling as though he had abandoned his best friend.

"Yeah, of course." Connie said, her words just as soft as his had been moments before. With them so close to each other, it wasn't really necessary for either of them to speak at a level much higher than a whisper. She couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her lips in response to his words. "Yeah, I can bring her along. I think she was planning on going tomorrow anyway." She'd just have to try and locate the blonde before she left....and hopefully when she did, she wouldn't have consumed too much alcohol and she'd actually remember what Clara had told her the next day. But she would definitely make the suggestion, and she doubted that Bonnie would be against the idea.

"I would invite your cousin along too, but I don't want to feel like someone's watching me all night." The grin returned to his face as they swayed in the music. Bucky felt incredibly lucky that in the short amount of time he had left in New York, he'd be able to spend it with someone as special as Connie... and he didn't want some protective family member imposing upon that. He understood why fathers, brothers, and even cousins were protective of the women in their family, but in his opinion there was no one safer than a sergeant like himself. He'd even meet her family and promise to take care of her that night if that's what it took... but he certainly didn't want someone following them around all evening.

Clara let out a quiet laugh. "He'd probably go off on his own anyway. He sort of has a tendency of doing that." She said. She was sure that the Doctor would be fine with her going off on her own tomorrow night. It wasn't like she wasn't going to be in good hands or anything. Sure, she might have only met Bucky a little while ago, but she could just tell that she could trust him. He just seemed like a trustworthy person. A good person. And she thought it was sweet that he still wanted to include his friend in all this so he'd asked her to bring Bonnie along too. She had a feeling that her time here in New York was going to be extremely memorable.

Bucky always found it so weird to think that if he had decided not to come tonight, if people hadn't persuaded him with the whole 'sergeants duty' play, he would never had met Connie. Maybe he'd bumped into her at the World Fair at some point, but now he was certainly glad he wouldn't have to leave that to chance. "Still, I think we're both old enough to go to a fair without a chaperone." The grin remained on his face as he straightened to look down at Connie again. "Can't see why I wouldn't be able to take care of a fantastic girl like you anyway..."

"I think so too." Clara said, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She'd been looking forward to the World Fair since the Doctor mentioned something about it when they first arrived in New York earlier that day, but now she was really looking forward to it. "A fantastic girl, huh?" She asked, a slightly teasing tone to her words. It was fairly obvious that Bucky was quite the charmer, though it was in a rather endearing sort of way. Some people like that were just sort of annoying after a while, but not Bucky.

"That's what you are," His grin softened into a genuine smile, his eyes fixing on Connie's now that he was wandering from flirting territory to sincerity, and flattery. "Anyone in this room lucky enough to swap places with me would agree." This wasn't typical of Bucky. Sure, he was a charmer, and what guy didn't enjoy flirting with a girl every now and again? But that connection, the one that had formed so quickly between them was just pulling at his heart strings every time Connie even spared a glance for him. There was always the chance of embarrassing himself, of saying something too cheesy, or over stepping a boundary... But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to care. Connie seemed like the kinda girl who was beautiful for the reason that she didn't know it. She didn't flaunt it. She could catch any guy's attention, yet she never seemed to brag. Of course, Bucky could have gotten it all wrong. Who knew? There was a sense of unspoken trust between the two acquaintances... He was laying all his cards on the table, and he hoped that she was too.

Clara suddenly felt a bit shy, and almost like a school girl with a crush. She normally didn't get like this. She wasn't one of those girls who blushed and giggled when a guy flirted with her. But, the thing was, she didn't really consider what Bucky was doing to be flirting. It was definitely more endearing and sincere. She knew that he truly meant everything that he said to her. And it all sort of made her weak in the knees as cliche as that probably sounded. "And how could you possibly know that?" She asked, a shy smile on her face.

Bucky paused for a moment, uncertain if he was still swaying to the music or if he had actually brought them to a stand still amongst all the couples. The world around him just seemed to go quiet for a moment, and all he could see was Connie. She was all he could see, all he could think about. It hit him like a wave, and he swore his heart leaped into his throat. The smile broadened once more, and it seemed all his could do was smile with the utmost affection down at Connie. He gently brought his hand away from hers and tucked his fingers beneath her chin, his thumb resting just next to the corner of her lips. "Because there's just something about that smile, kid."

Yeah, definitely like a little school girl. It was strange, and almost foreign. She never got like this. Not even when she was kid and had developed a crush on the boy seated across from her in primary school. Clara didn't know what it was about Bucky Barnes, though it had to have something to do with this connection she felt with him. That just had to be it. And even then she couldn't quite explain what or where the connection had come from. But, to be completely honest, she didn't think that it needed an explanation. "You're just full of compliments tonight aren't you, Sarge?" She murmured teasingly, the smile still on her face.

"It's hard not to be." He murmured back, the smile firmly planted on his face still. As he slotted his hand back into hers, he began to move them to the music again. There was the strange, and almost overwhelming urge to lean down and to feel Connie's lips against his own. He didn't want to be too forward with her, especially not when this was the first time he had even met her. But he couldn't deny that it was there. He couldn't stop his eyes from wandering to her lips every now and again, but he was determined to be a gentlemen. Bucky was not, and would never be, one to push his wants or needs onto someone else, unless he knew it was what they wanted as well. Even if he knew it was what Connie wanted as well, even then, he wasn't sure he would. There was always something about a first kiss that he wanted to be special, and undeniably it would be... But if something like that was going to progress between them both, he wanted it to be truly special, for her especially. If anything, he wanted to give her something to remember him by. He'd be Bucky Barnes to her forever, not just some sergeant she danced with before the war broke out.

Clara smiled. "And why is that?" She asked curiously, her eyes never once leaving him. Really, they hadn't left him once since he'd asked her to dance. She was too caught up in all of this, and evidently, she knew that that wasn't exactly a good thing. She shouldn't feel this way about someone she had just met. She really shouldn't feel this way about someone who was from a completely different time altogether. She knew that there were a lot of things that were against them right now, and the biggest one was that they were both leaving in a matter of days. He to England and she to wherever it was the Doctor was needed, or simply wanted to go, next. But she couldn't help herself. She was in far too deep already and she knew now that there was no going back.

His eyes traveled back to hers as she spoke, his mind whirring as he thought about all the reasons why he wanted to provide her with as many compliments as he possibly could. Any other girl, and Bucky would have thought he was trying too hard, or that he was indeed 'laying it on thick'. It was still hard to shake the feeling that there was something special about this girl. She seemed to belong in that very moment, dancing with him as though there was no other place she was suppose to be... but at the same time, she seemed so distanced, as though it was in fact, not where she was supposed to be at all. Perhaps it was really what drew him to her. "A girl like you deserves as many compliments as she wants... but feel free to tell me to shut up." His grin widened again, lacing his fingers between hers as they continued to dance.

Clara let out a quiet laugh. "Dually noted." She said, the smile on her face widening as her dark eyes locked with his light ones. She was only really just noticing how blue his eyes were. Bluer than any she had ever seen before, and she almost found herself getting lost in them. She really just didn't want to look away from him in general. She was afraid that, if she did, she would look back and he would be gone. Because this moment was far too perfect. This moment was something that she was sure that she would always remember and she didn't want it to end.

It wasn't hard to notice the way Connie looked at him. The way her eyes seemed to lock with his, and once again, Bucky felt no need to say a single thing to her. He held the eye contact, without any sort of hesitation or sense that he should look away from her. Everything they needed to say to one another seemed to be translated through the silence, and in that brief moment, Bucky no longer wondered if she was feeling the same as he did. An ease ran through him, his entire body and mind relaxing as he looked down at her. He had always felt the need to protect those he cared for, Steve especially... and now, Connie seemed to be making her way onto that list. Bucky had never before felt more of a reason to make sure he could come home after all this was done... Just so he could see Connie look at him that way, one more time.

The comfortable silence had returned. She'd always heard that the best words were sometimes those that were unspoken, and that seemed to be the case right about now. It was a sort of amazing feeling too, not having to actually say anything in order to convey a message to another person. And Clara knew that everything that wasn't being said could easily be said, but the thing was, it didn't need to be. And that was also how she sort of just knew. She knew that this connection she felt wasn't a part of her imagination. She knew that he felt it too.

He didn't want to be the one to break the silence, or the one who looked away first. It wasn't a competition, but essentially, Bucky didn't want to be the one who ruined it. Everything seemed to be falling into place, everything made sense. There was a reason he came out tonight. There was a reason he had listened to his friends... and that reason was standing right in front of him. Of all the possibilities, this was the one he wanted the most. He didn't want some cheap, flirty fling with a girl at the bar... Nor did he want to switch from girl to girl as the dance continued. He just wanted to keep Connie there, in his arms as they danced. He'd always thought the whole notion of you would know when you met someone who would be special to you was nonsense... Now he wasn't so sure. This girl had come from no where and stolen his heart on the way.

It was almost cruel in a way. Clara had always wondered if she would ever meet someone who made her feel this way. She always wondered if she would have a man look at her the way her father had always looked at her mother. She'd always wondered if there really was someone out there for everyone, and if so whether or not that applied to her as well. And it seemed like it did, but this was all sort of impossible. She'd heard about complicated relationships, but she was pretty sure that this took the cake. And, the thing was, Bucky didn't know just how complicated things really were. And she doubted that he ever would, because regardless of whether or not he came back from the war, she wouldn't be there. But she supposed that she should enjoy the time that she had for right now. It was really the best that she could do.

Bucky couldn't even comprehend that Connie might not be in New York if he came home. He didn't even know for certain that she was from New York... It never crossed his mind that she could move on in the time he was gone. She could leave New York, she could stay. She could wait for him, she could find someone else when she failed to hear from him. It seemed cruel, for the world to give him something as precious Connie as well as the knowledge that it would undoubtedly be torn away from him in a few days time. It was all a whirlwind, and as quickly as she came into his life, she could leave. None of that even touched his mind in the current moment, all he could see was the present. All he could see was Connie. That's all that truly mattered to him.