'Till the End of the Line

He was always seated in her section. Mackenzie doubted that it was done on purpose, but it was definitely something that she had noticed. He always came with a different girl. Judging by the expression on his face prior to each female showing up, she assumed that it wasn't of his own accord though. He was always extremely polite whenever she went over to the table, and he didn't exactly give off a womanizer vibe, so she was certain that these dates weren't ones that he hadn't set up himself.

She stole a glance over to the table, and saw that the woman who had been seated in front of him moments before was gone. She assumed it had ended much like most of the others had: with an awkward hug and a kiss on the cheek. Out of sheer curiosity, she made her way over to the table. She had an excuse as she needed to see if he wanted the check yet or not, and, as it was a fairly slow night, she didn't have very many tables in her section anyway. "Can I get you anything else?" She asked curiously, a small smile gracing her lips.

---

Steve was out on another date. Bucky didn't know all of the details, though he did know that Natasha was responsible for the arrangements. When Steve first found him, his friend had been adamant about sticking by his side, however Bucky eventually insisted that his friend allow the redhead to set him up on a couple of dates. He cared about the punk, and he knew that he meant well, but he needed some time to himself. He also wanted his friend to get out more. Steve spent a lot of time with him, or with Juliette, when he wasn't off saving the world.

He knew that none of the dates ever seemed to ended well, it was like the forties all over again, and Bucky was certain that he knew why. Juliette was Peggy's granddaughter. She and Steve spent a great deal of time together. She looked nearly identical to her grandmother. It only made sense that Steve would have a thing for her. Little did he know that he was completely wrong.

@ killian jones.
Juliette had been a S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while, wanting to follow in her grandmother's footsteps. She was only in her second year when they found Steve. She couldn't wait to tell her grandma Peggy that they finally found him after all this time. Once he was added to the Avengers, she and him instantly clicked. It was obvious why he was drawn to her to begin with. Even she could see that she looked almost identical to her grandmother, and Steve's old flame. But that was the one aspect where Juliette didn't follow in her grandmother's footsteps. She didn't fall for him like Peggy did. Steve became her best friend and the two spent a lot of time together along with Natasha.

Then everything happened with the Winter Soldier and when Steve found out it was Bucky, Juliette was there for him. Now they had Bucky on their side. They were working on getting him back to where he used to be. Juliette had grown fond of the man. She liked to spend her time with him when she didn't with Steve, like now for instance, "Bucky!" She called as she saw him walk down the hallway of the S.H.I.E.L.D. building. She jogged over to him with a smile, "Hey I was getting ready to go do a workout and I was wondering if you wanted to join me." She questioned with a smile.

---

Steve sighed as he sat back down at the table. Another set up from Natasha that ended like all the others. Bad. None of his dates ever ended well. He had no idea what it was. None of them just sparked a lot of interest to Steve. Though of course, it was still weird to have girls that wanted to go out on dates with him to start with. He still felt like the little kid from Brooklyn that girls didn't look twice at. He was different now, though.

He looked over when the waitress came to his table and smiled, "I'll take another coffee if you don't mind." He said with a grin. He must have looked pathetic to her. All of the dates Nat set him up on where always at the same diner, and he always got seated in the same section. Mackenzie's section. He felt kind of awkward at the fact that he always got seated in her section. He figured that she either saw him as pathetic because he couldn't ever have a good date or that he was a womanizer and was always dating a new girl. He hoped it wasn't the latter, though the former wasn't much better anyway.

Mackenzie smiled. "Alright, one coffee coming right up." She said. She turned and walked to the back to get him another cup. As curious as she was to find out what had happened, and maybe even learn more about him, she wasn't just about to blurt out a question to a complete stranger. She walked back out not a minute later with another cup and set it down in front of him. "So how'd it go?" She asked curiously. "Your date, I mean. I'm sorry if I sound nosey, you're just always seated in my section for some reason. And I couldn't help noticing that you meet a different girl her like once a week. Not that I think you're a womanizer or anything like that, you don't seem like one at all, and I'm just going to stop talking now." Her lower lip caught between her teeth as she stopped herself from rambling even more. She wasn't normally a rambling mess like this. She supposed it was just because she found him attractive, and she was trying to dig herself out of the hole she'd obviously dug herself. She didn't think that worked out so well though.

---

Bucky spent most of his time at the SHIELD facility. Maybe it was a bit hypocritical of him to want Steve to get out more, but he just wasn't really one for large crowds anymore. He wasn't the same person he'd been back in the forties. He was quieter, more reserved. He only ever really spoke around Steve, Natasha, Sam and occasionally Juliette. He just preferred to keep to himself. He knew that Steve wouldn't pester him or anything like that, and that was something he was very thankful for. Exiting his room in the facility, he glanced behind him when he heard someone call his name. He mustered a small smile when he saw a familiar brunette bounding down the hall towards him. "Isn't that something you and Steve normally do?" He asked curiously.

@ killian jones.
Juliette smiled at Bucky's words and nodded, "Yeah it is. But I want to do it with you." She stated with a smile, "I mean if you don't want to I can just wait until Steve gets back." She added. Juliette was hesitant with Bucky lately. She found herself wanting to spend more time with him than she had before. Steve kept telling her that she liked his best friend and Natasha agreed, but Juliette refused to admit it to them. It wasn’t that it was bad or anything. She just could swear that he didn’t feel the same. Although Steve had told her that back in their day, Bucky was quite the charmer with the ladies. Juliette didn’t doubt it.

---

Steve looked up when she came back over with the coffee. He smiled and laughed lightly at her ramblings, they were actually quite cute, “My friend is trying to get me to get out more and she keeps setting me up on dates. None of them end well, so she keeps setting me up.” He explained and sighed lightly, “None of them interest me that much. That probably sounds really bad. But I’m not going to continue something if I don’t want to, ya know?” He continued. Steve felt somewhat bad that he was trying to prove himself to her that he wasn’t a womanizer. He didn’t know why he wanted to prove he wasn’t one, but he felt like he had to justify himself to her.

Mackenzie felt her cheeks heat up when he started laughing, obviously over her ramblings. At least he found it amusing and wasn't offended by any of what she'd just said. That was definitely a good sign right there. She listened as he explained the situation, and she took it upon herself to sit down across from him. There weren't many tables in her section right now, the restaurant had already seen it's rush for the night, so she wasn't worried about her boss getting pissed off over her sitting or anything like that. "No, yeah. That's totally understandable." She said. "Why do you keep going out on dates with these girls that your friend sets you up with though if none of them ever work out? It sounds to me like this person clearly doesn't know your type." She punctuated her words with a quiet laugh.

---

Bucky mustered up a small smile and nodded in response to her words. "Alright, well, if you're sure..." He wouldn't mind spending some time with her. He liked Juliette, and if he was anything like the man he'd been during the forties he would have probably tried to sweet-talk her by now. He wasn't that same man anymore though, he'd changed a lot, and he also was under the impression that Steve had a thing for her. He wasn't about to step in and make a move on his best friend's girl. That just wasn't the right thing to do at all, and he'd never do something like that to Steve. Ever.

@ killian jones.
Juliette smiled at her words, "Great!" She cheered happily before she laughed at herself. She was really excited that he had agreed. Maybe she could finally get him to break out of his shell around her. It seemed like he was only confined and "shy" around her. She just figured that it had something to do with the fact that he really only knew Steve out of the three people that he talked to. She didn't mind it though. Juliette took it as a challenge to get him to get out of his shell.

---

Steve shrugged at her question, "Because if you knew Natasha then you would know how incredibly hard it is to say no to her." He said with a laugh and took a sip of his coffee, "It's not like I really have a type anyway. I've never really had an actual girlfriend and haven't been on very many dates before she started setting me up." He explained. Steve had no idea if Mackenzie knew who he was or his backstory and the fact that he had been asleep for seventy years, so he wasn't going to explain it if she did, and if she didn't then he wasn't going really bore her with the details. Plus he didn't really want her to think he was weird because he was practically ninety years old.

"She must be pretty damn persistent." Mackenzie said, letting out a quiet laugh. She listened as he went on, and she was surprised when he told her that he'd never really had a girlfriend before. She had eyes, and she'd noticed that he was a good looking guy, so that definitely surprised her. Of course, she hadn't recognized him as who he was just yet. She did think he looked vaguely familiar when he stepped into the restaurant the first time, but she hadn't made the connection to Captain America or the Avengers. She'd just assumed that she'd seen him somewhere before. "It sounds to me like you just haven't found the right girl yet." She said, smiling slightly.

---

"I'm probably not nearly as good company as Steve is though, just a fair warning." Bucky said, smiling slightly. He was pretty sure that this was the most he'd ever spoken to her. Sure, they exchanged a few words in passing here and there, but he normally was quiet and kept to himself unless he was with Steve. He was only really entirely comfortable with his old friend. Not that Juliette wasn't someone he could trust, he was sure that he could, he was just a bit hesitant about it all sometimes.

@ killian jones.
Juliette shook her head at his words, "I highly doubt that, Bucky." She said with a laugh, "Maybe now I'll have some actual competition. I feel like Steve always takes it easy on me. I know you wouldn't do that." She stated as she looked over at him and smiled. Juliette was really glad that she was getting to spend more time with Bucky. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was starting to feel things for him even though she had never really spoken to him.

---

Steve nodded with a chuckle, "Yeah probably. I'm just going to wait for the right girl to come along." He stated with a smile. He wished that the right girl would just show up and announce herself. He was getting tired of the dates from Natasha, "So what about you? You find the right guy?" He asked. He figured if she got to ask about him then maybe he would get to ask about her.

Mackenzie smiled. "I'm sure you'll find her. There's someone out there for everyone." She said. She liked to think that was the case anyway. He seemed like a sweet guy, polite too, and he certainly wasn't hard on the eyes either. If there wasn't someone out there for her, she'd be extremely surprised. "There have been a few instances when I thought I did, but I was sorely mistaken." She told him honestly. Things just never seemed to pan out the way that she hoped they would. If she had a nickel for every time a guy admitted after a few dates that he was only looking for something casual, nothing serious, she probably wouldn't need this job anymore.

---

Bucky smiled slightly at her words. "That's Steve for you. Always trying to be a gentleman." He said, shaking his head slightly. He really did think that this was the most he'd spoken to her one on one before. He was always fairly quiet when anyone but Steve was around him. He knew that she was someone he could trust, he just found himself closing off around people he didn't know all that well. "I'll try and be the best competition for you that I can, how's that?"

@ killian jones.
Juliette laughed at Bucky's words and nodded, "I think it comes with the whole 'golden boy' thing he's got going on. Though of course I know that's how he usually is." She said with another laugh. When he spoke again, she smiled and nodded, "That's all anyone can ever ask for. Plus the fact that I would be doing a work out with the Bucky Barnes is an honor in itself, even if you knocked me flat on my ass." She praised with a grin. He wasn't "The Winter Soldier" to her like he was to many others. He was exactly who she said. Bucky Barnes. She knew all about his backstory from Steve. Juliette knew that before Steve even enlisted in the army for the first time that Bucky was the one to help him train and get better into shape. To even have the slightest opportunity to do the same thing was amazing to her.

---

Steve smiled at her words and nodded, "Well thanks." He said with another smile. When she answered his question, he listened as she spoke, "Not good guys or just weren't your type?" He questioned. He could honestly say that he hadn't ever felt more comfortable with a woman he just met than he did right now in that moment. Mackenzie was just easy to talk to, and the fact that she already knew half of what was going on made him feel even more comfortable with her because he felt like she understood.

"A little bit of both." Mackenzie answered honestly. Sometimes the guys just weren't good guys. Sometimes she just didn't click with them. Regardless, she definitely hadn't found the right one yet. She wasn't one of those women who swore off men after getting her heart broken or anything like that, but she did find herself questioning the generation she grew up in. Maybe she was old fashioned and a bit of a hopeless romantic, but she wasn't looking for someone to just hook up with. She didn't want a relationship, if it could even be considered that, built on nothing but sex. She wanted to be with someone she actually meshed well with. She wanted someone to be as crazy about her as she was about them. "Guys actually looking for a real relationship seem to be few and far between these days."

---

Bucky let out a quiet laugh and nodded. "I think you're right." He said, smiling slightly. He didn't think he could have put it any better himself. Golden boy was definitely how he would describe Steve. "He doesn't have much experience with women." He told her. "That's why he's so awkward around them sometimes." Of course, he had a bit more experience now than he had back in the forties, but he knew that there wasn't much about his friend that had changed. He was still looking for the right girl, the right partner as he had once put it. He smiled when she referred to him as Bucky instead of the Soldier. That was someone he didn't want to so much associate himself with anymore. He was still Bucky Barnes, even if a great deal had changed with him over the last seventy or so years. "I'm nothing special, but thank you." He said modestly.

@ killian jones.
"Well seeing as the last woman he had experience with before now was my grandmother I can see why he's a bit awkward. Though from what he's told me, he was always that way." she said as they neared the training room. When he said he was nothing special, she shook her head, "Don't sell yourself short, Bucky. Steve told me all about how you trained him before the war and before you both enlisted." She admitted with a smile. She knew that because of being the Winter Soldier that his abilities were amplified, but she knew he was amazing even before that.

---

Steve nodded as she spoke, listening intently, "Yeah I've noticed that. There are only a few of us nowadays and I don't understand why. I don't get why someone would just want to only see a person once and then really never see them again. What happens if you would find that person interesting? Why wouldn't you want to stick around to find that out?" He questioned. He was definitely looking for a solid relationship. He had always been looking for a solid relationship.

"I don't get it either." Mackenzie said, shaking her head. She never understood just hooking up with someone for the hell of it. Maybe she really was just old-fashioned, she didn't know, but she wasn't someone who sought out different guys for the sake of getting laid. It just never made sense to her at all. "That's just it though, they aren't looking for someone they find interesting. They'll just take whatever they can get." That was another thing. If she didn't click with a guy on the first date, she wasn't going out with them again. It just wasn't going to happen.

---

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, he never knew how to talk to a woman." He said, chuckling slightly. And that was definitely the truth. Steve just could never talk to women. It was always a struggle for him, mainly because he never really had much experience with doing so. That was why Bucky always tried setting his friend up on dates in the hopes of helping his friend put himself out there. It never really worked out too well though. "That was a long time ago." He pointed out to her, though he smiled as he followed her into the training room.

@ killian jones.
Juliette laughed at his words, already feeling that he was finally starting to warm up to her, “Well lets hope that he gets experiences out of all these dates he is going on. We should also hope that soon we won’t have to keep setting him up on dates.” She joked as she walked into the room. When he spoke again she shook her head at his words, “What are you talking about? It was only the forties.” She teased and waved her hand in the air like it was just last week. She giggled lightly as she looked up at him.

---

Steve shook his head and sighed, “I don’t know what happened to men. I swear we weren’t all like that. There was a time when we actually used to treat women right and we actually wanted relationships.” He said and laughed lightly. He wasn’t lying, “Now it seems like it’s on both sides these days. Nobody seems to just be looking for a relationship anymore.”

"Well, that time has since passed." Mackenzie said, shaking her head. She liked to believe that there were still some good guys out there though. There had to be. Every male specimen around the world couldn't possibly be some sort of a fuck boy or womanizer. She just didn't think that could possibly be true at all. There still had to be some good ones. "Not a single soul." She agreed, letting out a quiet laugh. "it's just this generation. Everyone uses Tinder and Grindr to find people to hook up with and that's it."

---

Bucky chuckled softly. "Yeah, lets hope." He agreed. He really did hope that something good eventually came from all of these dates Natasha was setting Steve up on. He had to meet someone who he clicked with. He knew that was all his friend was hoping for, but he had a feeling that he hadn't simply because the woman was already found. Juliette looked so much like Peggy. It only made sense that Steve would fall for her as he had fallen for her grandmother. "Oh yeah, they only just ended last week." He shook his head slightly.

@ killian jones.
Juliette laughed at his words, "I wish I had gotten to live in that time. Besides the war everything seemed so fun. It's either then or in the fifties." She said before she shook her head. It wasn't like she got to choose when she lived. Living in this generation wasn't that bad, but from what Steve and her grandmother had told her about the forties and from all of the films she had seen, everything just seemed so nice. Juliette took a breath before looking around the room, "So since you agreed willing me to be my workout partner for the day, you can choose what we do first and we can go from there."

---

Steve sighed and nodded, "Sadly." He stated and took a long drink from his coffee. When she spoke again, he nodded and acted like he knew what those things were that she was mentioning before he sighed, "I have no idea what those are." He admitted. He was still getting used to this modern world and his list of things he needed to catch up on was slowly getting longer and longer. Steve remembered that he hadn't wrote those down before. Most of the things were just from Nat or Sam, sometimes Jules.

Mackenzie's eyebrows rose in surprise at his words. "You don't?" She asked. Most people who didn't even use the apps knew what they were. Her friends had made her download Tinder when she and her boyfriend of five years broke things off last year. She'd talked to a few guys on there, went on a few dates, and none of them worked out. She still had the app on her phone, but she never really went on it anymore. "They're dating apps. When you match with a person, they're able to message you and vice-versa." She told him. "More often than not, people are just looking for hookups."

---

"I don't know, there are some pros to how things are today." Bucky told her, smiling slightly. He did miss how things were back in the forties though. Everything was a lot simpler back then. And he was also a different person. He was still kind of adapting to the 21st century, but Steve was helping him as much as he possibly could. He was slowly getting acclimated to it all. "You didn't have anything in particular in mind?" He asked her curiously.

@ killian jones.
Juliette laughed at his words and grinned, "Well obviously I mean, I'm here. I'm from this era." She said. She walked over to the treadmill in the room and stood there to answer his next question, "Well first Steve and I usually go for a mile to mile and a half run. Then we spar for a little while and then Steve usually will just pick something to do for the day and that's how we finish. But we can switch it up if you don't want to do that." She rambled with a small laugh.

---

Steve shook his head, "Never heard of them." He said. He listened as she explained the apps to him and he shook his head once more, "Still never heard of them. Nor do I think I would use them." He said honestly. They sounds stupid to him. Steve may have just been old fashioned, but he didn't understand why people needed to use apps or websites to find a match for them. He felt that people needed to do it for themselves. It was how things used to work before technology and everything was just fine then.

"I only ever downloaded Tinder because my friends kind of made me do it after my boyfriend and I broke up." Mackenzie told him. That had been over a year ago now, and she still didn't see any reason to use the app. "I tried using it for a little while, but it just wasn't for me at all." She never clicked with any of those guys and most of them were looking for one thing and one thing only. If she was someone just looking to get laid after a breakup, maybe it would have worked out, but she wasn't one of those girls at all.

---

Bucky chuckled slightly. "I see you think very highly of yourself." He said, shaking his head slightly. Truth be told, she really was one of the good things about the 21st century. He liked having her around, even if he didn't show it nearly as much as he could. He just didn't say much around her most of the time. He only ever spoke when spoken to, and that was about it. he couldn't help it though. It was just how he was now. "That routine sounds pretty good. Let's stick with that, and I might add in a few things. I'm not sure just what I will add yet though."