Gold to Airy Thinness Beat

Chapter Two

Stephanie was convinced she'd misheard him. She ran the words through her mind again, and then again after that. Finally, deciding he had, in fact, said what she thought he had she resorted to simply gaping at him. "Have you lost your mind?" They had never, ever been...that. Not even once, not so much as a hint to prepare her for him to suddenly...

Bucky dropped his head back with a groan of exasperation that Stephanie thought was just a bit melodramatic, and leaned forward, his eyes uncharacteristically intense. "I'm going overseas," he said bluntly, "and you're going to be stuck here in a bad apartment with no money, poor health, a big mouth and a troubling lack of basic self-preservation."

"Thanks for the glowing assessment of my life," Stephanie said, stung.

He scowled. "It's going to be winter soon and this shack you call an apartment is drafty and leaks." He must have seen her proverbial hackles beginning to rise because he let out a growl of frustration and grabbed her hand, folding her fingers over the ring. "You know how sick you got last winter," he said, switching tacks and trying to come at her from a different angle. "You nearly died."

"But I didn't," Stephanie said shortly, jerking her hand free. "I was fine."

"Because your mother was there to take care of you and I was there to run errands," Bucky retorted. "What are you going to do this year if you get sick? Who's going to help?"

"I'll hire someone," Stephanie groused.

"Really?" Bucky said incredulously. "With what money? You barely have enough to get by as it is."

"And how is marriage the miracle fix to all my problems?" Stephanie asked in irritation, tossing the ring on the table with a clatter. She wasn't an idiot. She'd already thought of everything he was saying, and had quite sensibly decided to ignore it. There was nothing she could do about it so worrying wouldn't help. The best she could do was try as hard as possible to stay healthy.

"You'll have access to my bank account, you can use my money to hire someone to run errands and check in on you," Bucky said instantly, the speed of his answer suggesting he'd been thinking about this a significant amount of time, long enough to have his arguments formulated and memorized. "You can also move into my apartment. It's warmer, in a safer part of town and it's closer to your job."

Stephanie bristled. She wasn't a child in need of a parent. "I don't need your money, Bucky. I can take care of myself."

He slapped his hand on the table in aggravation and she jumped in surprise. "Damn it, Stephanie," he said through clenched teeth, "stop being stubborn for once and listen to me. Until now, you've always had someone here to back you up, me or one of your parents. The next time something goes south you won't have anyone here to help drag you out."

Stephanie folded her arms across her chest and focused on the wall past his head, her jaw set. He wasn't saying anything that wasn't true and she hated it. She didn't want to be anyone's baggage, least of all his. If only her health were better, or she'd gotten accepted at one of the recruitment centers.

Taking her silence as a refusal, Bucky leaned back in his seat, let out a sigh that was nearly a groan and ran his hands through his hair in agitation. He was silent, clearly thinking, before leaning forward again. "Would you do it for me if our positions were reversed?" He locked eyes with her, challenging her to look him in the eye and lie.

Stephanie's attention jerked back to him, her eyes wide. He wouldn't. "Oh, you bastard," she breathed.

He most definitely would. His lips quirked in the barest hint of the cocky grin she was used to seeing on him. He'd just won and they both knew it. "Well, Steph?" he challenged. "Would you?"