'Till the End of the Line

Mackenzie stopped fussing with her dress, and put the finishing touches on her makeup. She made sure that she had everything she needed and that she wasn't forgetting anything. She knew that she wouldn't need too much, but she liked to have things in case she needed them. Maybe it was overkill to some, but she just liked being prepared. After she made sure that she had everything that she could possibly need, she checked the time. Steve was supposed to pick her up any minute now, and that just made her all the more anxious and excited.

---

Bucky froze in the entryway of the kitchen when he saw Juliette was already in there. If she hadn't spotted him, he probably would have retreated back to his room, but he his presence hadn't gone unnoticed unfortunately. He knew that he couldn't avoid her forever, but he was kind of hoping that he could at least do so for a little while longer. Clearly that wasn't going to be the case though. "Hey..." He mumbled, averting his gaze as he walked past her to the fridge. He grabbed a water bottle and was ready to just head straight on back to his room as he started to leave.

@ frank castle.
Juliette took a sip of her water as she watched Bucky get a bottle of water for himself. When he started to retreat to his room, she knew it was now or never, "Bucky, wait." She said quickly as she followed him out of the kitchen, "It was because I accidentally hit you wasn't it?" She questioned, "The reason why you left yesterday." Jules clarified. She basically figured that was the reason, but she needed confirmation, "It's why things are awkward now." She said with a frown.

---

Steve pulled up at Mackenzie's place quickly and got of the truck, going and knocking on her door with a smile. His heart was beating so fast. He was so nervous at this point. Steve didn't want to blow this, and despite constant assurances from Nat and Jules that he would be fine, he still felt like he was going to do something wrong. He had never been on a date before that he set up himself. Back in the forties it was always Bucky setting up dates for the two of them. Now it was Nat and Juliette who did it. This whole things was strange to him.

@ frank castle.
Juliette took a sip of her water as she watched Bucky get a bottle of water for himself. When he started to retreat to his room, she knew it was now or never, "Bucky, wait." She said quickly as she followed him out of the kitchen, "It was because I accidentally hit you wasn't it?" She questioned, "The reason why you left yesterday." Jules clarified. She basically figured that was the reason, but she needed confirmation, "It's why things are awkward now." She said with a frown.

---

Steve pulled up at Mackenzie's place quickly and got of the truck, going and knocking on her door with a smile. His heart was beating so fast. He was so nervous at this point. Steve didn't want to blow this, and despite constant assurances from Nat and Jules that he would be fine, he still felt like he was going to do something wrong. He had never been on a date before that he set up himself. Back in the forties it was always Bucky setting up dates for the two of them. Now it was Nat and Juliette who did it. This whole things was strange to him.

Mackenzie couldn't help smiling when she heard someone knocking at her front door. "Right on time." She said quietly to herself before her attention shifted back over to the black feline laying out on her bed. "Well, that's my cue. Hold down the fort while I'm gone." She scratched behind his ears before slipping on her heels and making her way over to the door. She opened it, and smiled when she saw Steve standing there. "Hey." She said.

---

Bucky tensed up a bit when she followed him out of the kitchen. He had been hoping to get back to his room without there really being any sort of a confrontation between them, but clearly that wasn't going to be the case. He frowned slightly and turned to look at her. His eyebrows knit together in confusion at her question. What did she mean? What did her accidentally hitting him have to do with anything. And then she was clarifying her question and he was sort of taken aback. "What?" He shook his head. "No, I--it's nothing. You didn't do anything."

@ frank castle.
Juliette frowned at his words, "Then if it wasn't me, then what was it? We were fine until Steve came in." She was so confused as to what could have happened in order to cause him to leave so awkwardly like he did. She just wanted to know what it was, and she knew she was probably being pushy, but she didn't care. Jules took a few steps closer to him, "I don't know what could have possibly caused you to leave like that."

---

Steve smiled widely when he saw the door open, "Hey." He said and then looked over her once with a grin and wide eyes, "You look amazing." He said honestly with a huge grin on his face. He was so excited for this date and now that he was here, at her door, everything was starting to sink in that he was on a date with her.

Mackenzie smiled. "Thanks." She said. "It's not too much, is it? You didn't say what we were doing, so I kind of just made an assumption and I'm rambling now so I'm just going to stop there." She let out a slight, nervous laugh. That was precisely what she was right now: nervous. She was equally as excited though. She'd been looking forward to this night since Steve called her earlier in the week. She had a really good feeling about it. She doubted that anything would go wrong tonight. She hoped nothing would anyway.

---

Bucky frowned. This was precisely what he was hoping to avoid. Confrontation. This was why he'd stayed hauled up in his room for the most part. He should have known he'd run into Juliette. It was really just his luck. "I--it was nothing." He said, shaking his head. "Just---don't worry about it, okay? You did nothing wrong." He had a feeling that this was something that she wouldn't dismiss so easily though. He highly doubted that he was off the hook yet, and he sort of dreaded any other questions that were likely about to be thrown his way.

@ frank castle.
Juliette shook her head at his words, "Bucky, of course I'm going to worry about it. I wanna know what happened. We were fine and laughing and joking until Steve came in, and then you just left." She got closer to him, in case he tried to leave, "So what was it?" She pushed. She needed to know. Jules knew that this wasn't the right way to get answers out of him, but she didn't know how else to go about it. She knew that if she waited that they probably wouldn't ever talk again. That was something Juliette didn't want to happen.

---

Steve shook his head at her words, "Not too much at all." He said honestly with a grin. She really did look amazing and he was starting to feel his nerves go away more and more, "We have dinner reservations and then I have a surprise." He explained as he offered her his arm so he could walk her to the truck. He couldn't believe how lucky he had gotten to be able to get a date with Mackenzie. Everything felt so surreal to him. He loved it.

Mackenzie smiled. "Okay, good." She said. She was glad that she wasn't overdressed, and although she was still a bit nervous, she wasn't nearly as nervous as she had been before Steve showed up. "And I'm guessing you plan on keeping that surprise a surprise?" She asked, letting out a quiet laugh as she took his arm. She didn't mind surprises at all, so that wasn't a big deal, but she did kind of really want to know what he had planned for them tonight. She wasn't going to bug him about telling her or anything like that though.

---

Bucky sighed. He really wished that she'd just drop it already and allow him to rush back to his room already. He didn't want to talk about this. He couldn't tell her the truth. She was Steve's girl. "Juliette it was nothing, really." He said, shaking his head. He noticed her take a step closer to him, and knew that he wouldn't be able to end the conversation abruptly and slip right on past her like he really wanted to. With how close she was to him now, he was really able to get a good look at her. She was gorgeous. One of the most beautiful dame's he'd ever laid eyes on. If he was still the man he'd been back in the 40's, that wouldn't have made him feel nervous, but it did. He wasn't the man he used to be. He wasn't confident around women. But he wasn't the weapon Hydra had made him either. He was somewhere in between. And in that moment, he felt a surge of confidence as he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers.

@ frank castle.
Juliette was about to argue again with him when he cut her off by pressing his lips against hers. Juliette could have sworn she felt her heart stop beating. Instinctively, she rested her hands against his chest as she kissed him back. This was not what she thought was going to happen when she gotten the confidence to talk to Bucky about his awkwardly leaving, but she wasn't going to complain about anything. This was better than she could have ever hoped for.

---

Steve smirked at her questioned and nodded with a grin, "Yes I do. That is, after all, why they call it a surprise." He said with a grin. He was so excited to start his date with Mackenzie. He had been waiting for what felt like ever for this date. He pulled up at the restaurant soon later. He hopped out of the truck and quickly rushed to Mackenzie's side of the truck to open the door for her, he offered his arm to her as she got out of the truck, so he could walk in with her on his arm.

"Touché." Mackenzie said with a slight laugh. "I'm not going to hound you to tell me or anything. You've lucked out, I happen to be one of those rare girls who happen to enjoy surprises." She grinned slightly. She was really looking forward to this date, and excited to see where they were going after dinner. She'd been looking forward to this since Steve had called her the other night to make plans. She just hoped it went as well as she foresaw it going. She thanked him when he opened her door for her once they arrived at the restaurant and got out of the truck, taking the arm he offered to her.

---

Bucky wasn't thinking. He was just frustrated because she'd kept asking him questions, and that resulted in him not thinking and just answering in a physical manner instead of a verbal one. His lips moved heatedly against hers for a few brief moments, allowing her time to kiss him back, before he pulled away and was suddenly all stony-eyed and hard-faced. "I should head back to my room..." He mumbled, pushing past her lightly and retreating quickly to his room. Once inside, he closed the door and pressed his forehead lightly against it. "Stupid..." He mumbled to himself.

@ frank castle.
Juliette couldn't believe it. This was all completely so crazy to her, but she didn't mind it at all. Then he pulled away. Juliette could see it in his face before he even spoke, he regretted kissing her. When he spoke, she felt her entire body freeze. How could he just switch like that? She waited to hear his door shut before she sighed and ran a hand over her face before she slowly made her way to her own room, "Stupid, Juliette, stupid." She muttered to herself as she laid down on her bed.

---

Steve smiled at her words before they walked into the restaurant. He greeted the hostess, "I have a reservation for two under Rogers." He said with a grin. The hostess smiled and nodded before leading them to their table. When the got there, Steve pulled out Mackenzie's chair for her as he let her sit down. He sat down across from her on the other side of the table, picking up the menu and looking it over. The restaurant wasn't over the top fancy, but just fancy enough that it was acceptable to have a date there.

The restaurant looked nice. Mackenzie had never been to it before, though she wasn't really someone who went out to nicer restaurants very often. She'd been avoiding going out on dates recently, and Steve was the first guy she'd agreed to go out with in a while. He didn't seem to have ulterior motives like the others who had asked her out. He seemed different, and she liked that a lot. She smiled when he pulled her chair out for her and took a seat before she started looking over the menu. "I have no idea what I'm getting." She said with a slight laugh.

---

Bucky couldn't believe he'd done that. He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have let his guard down. He let his emotions and frustrations get the best of him and now he'd made a move on his best friend's future girl. And to make matters worse, she was Peggy's granddaughter. There was nothing about this situation that was good. Nothing at all. He'd been avoiding her before he'd kissed her, and now he didn't know if he'd ever be able to properly face her. Not after he'd pulled what he'd just pulled. He'd kissed her and ran. What kind of a person did something like that? He sighed, shutting his eyes. He'd fucked up big time.

@ frank castle.
Juliette couldn't believe that any of that had happened. She was so upset that he had just walked away. She wouldn't forget the stone cold look in his eye when he pulled away. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about what the possible reason he could have had for leaving like that. She knew that he had regretted it the instant that he had done it. It was written all over his face when he pulled away, but what Juliette couldn't figure out was why he regretted it. What had she done?

---

Steve chuckled at her words and nodded in agreement, "Me either. Everything sounds so delicious. This is going to be a hard decision." He replied with a small laugh. It was true, everything on the menu sounded great, "I usually don't have this problem when picking food." He joked and smiled over at Mackenzie. He was beyond happy about this date. He really hoped that it went well, and he intended to make sure that everything went well so he could get another date with her.

Bucky didn't regret kissing her. He knew that it was wrong, she was Peggy's granddaughter and likely Steve's girl, but he didn't regret kissing her. That didn't mean that he didn't feel like a shit friend for doing it though. Steve was his best friend, he'd always been there for him, and this was how he repaid him? He was a shit friend. He needed to tell Steve, but how the hell was he going to do that? And how the hell was he supposed to face Juliette now? Things had just gotten really complicated really fast.

---

"Have you been here before?" Mackenzie asked him curiously. She assumed that he hadn't considering he seemed just as indecisive about what to order as she was. "We can always ask the waiter what he recommends when he comes back over." She suggested. That's what people normally did with her when they didn't know what they wanted. They just asked her for a recommendation.

@ frank castle.
Steve shook his head at her words, "Never. It was recommended highly from one of my friends." He explained. Juliette had been there once on a date and though Juliette didn't end up liking the guy she had come with, she did really like the restaurant, so when Steve asked for suggestions, this was the first place she said. When Mackenzie spoke again, Steve nodded, "That seems like a good idea because I'm at a standstill for what I want to get." He replied with a laugh.

---

(I think I'm just going to hold off on Juliette for a bit)

[Yeah, I'm going to hold off on Bucky as well]

Mackenzie nodded in response to his words. "Well, your friend has good taste then. This place seems really nice." She said. She'd never been there before, but it definitely seemed like a nice restaurant, and she hoped that the food wouldn't disappoint in the slightest. She had a feeling that it wouldn't though, and she had the same belief about this date with Steve in general. Something told her that she was going to really enjoy herself tonight, and she really hoped that she was right. "Alright, me too. We'll ask him what he recommends when he comes back over." She said, letting out a slight laugh.

@ frank castle.
Steve smiled at her words, "Yeah she really does. I was skeptical at first because I had never been here before, and I wasn't sure if it was going to be nice enough, but I think that this place is really nice from what I've seen, and what my friend said about the place, apparently their food is really good as well." He explained with a smile. Steve nodded with a smile at her following words, "He should be over soon I think." He stated as he looked around before settling his eyes back on Mackenzie, "But I guess until he gets here, tell me about yourself...other than the fact that you don't like dating apps." He joked.

Mackenzie nodded. "Well, she was right about it being a nice place, so I'm sure she'll be right about the food too." She said. The restaurant seemed really nice, and the food she'd seen being brought over to other tables looked pretty good, so she was sure that it tasted just as good too. She let out a quiet laugh in response to his words. "Well, I have a degree to teach elementary school kids, but finding a job is easier said than done, I'm a permanent sub in one of the local districts, so they call me in when they need me, but otherwise I normally work at the diner." She told him. "I grew up around here, well in Queens actually, but New York's always been home regardless."

@ frank castle.
Steve smiled at her words and listened intently as she spoke, "Why elementary school?" He asked curiously. Steve smiled widely when she said she was from Queens and talked about New York so fondly. He had always felt the same about New York ever since the forties. He loved it and considered it his home, as he should, "I'm from Brooklyn. Not to far from Queens, but I agree. New York has always been home no matter what." He stated with a smile.

(sorry this is shitty. Gettin' sleepy)

Mackenzie shrugged her shoulders. "I've always just really enjoyed working with kids." She told him. "I come from a big family, so I always had younger cousins and siblings around." Teaching was always something she'd wanted to do, and she was pretty good with younger kids, so she'd decided that combining the two was a good idea. She smiled when he said that he was from Brooklyn. "Not too far at all." She said. "Yeah, there's nothing like New York."