I've just given up on chapter titles at this point xD

**

"I think this is a bad idea."

Bucky looked Rebecca dead in the eyes, though he was trying to remain as calm as possible. He understood her situation, and he really did want to help her, but to say that he was slightly pissed off would be an understatement.

Rebecca looked up from her math homework, a confused look on her face that could have either been from the homework or Bucky's tone of voice.

Bucky didn't mean to slam the door behind him, but it happened anyways, causing Rebecca to flinch.

"What?" Rebecca asked, closing her binder. She looked relieved to have an excuse to put it aside for a moment.

"Moving away," Bucky said. "It's a bad idea."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd say that."

"Don't be that way." Bucky took a deep breath and bit his lip, stopping himself from saying anything else.

"What way?"

"C'mon becca."

"What? Seriously."

"I just think that moving back to Russia won't solve anything," Bucky said bluntly.

"You don't even know what's going on." Rebecca stood up, immediately going into defence mode. "It's not like you ever asked."

Bucky was slightly perturbed by her sudden chance in attitude. He had always just assumed that it was best to leave Rebecca alone, and if she really wanted to talk to him she just would have.

"I— I just didn't—"

"You didn't think I wanted to talk about it?" Rebecca finished for him.

"Well, yeah," he admitted.

"That's just what people say, Bucky."

And that was the weird thing about people, Bucky thought. He always knew that he wasn't the best with dealing with people, and this was exactly why. They say something but mean the exact opposite. They don't say anything at all and expect you to understand and do something about it. This whole thing just made Bucky's head hurt more than an impossible algebra question.

"Okay, so tell me," Bucky said.

"Just like that?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah. That's what you want, right?"

She looked a little taken aback, as if she hadn't Bucky to outright ask and wasn't actually prepared to explain everything. Bucky understood when she had kept everything buried for so long.

"Okay. . ." Rebecca started, a frown on her face. "Well, for starters I have friends in Russia."

"I don't," Bucky couldn't help but blurt out.

"You did."

"Not anymore," he said. "Look, things change. All you're doing is running away from your problems. You can't just. . .leave the country every time things go wrong."

"Well, unfortunately I won't always have that opportunity," Rebecca said, with a heavy, dramatic sigh.

"I'm being serious!"

"So am I."

There was a pause, in which they both just stared at each other. They were both breathing heavily, chests rising up and down in a steady rhythm. Rebecca looked like she was going to cry, though Bucky wasn't about to just give up on her again.

"Becca, come on!" Bucky said, breaking the silence. "Maybe you just need to face your problems. Make friends. Do what it is you have to do, and then you won't even have to move."

"You just don't want to move." She pointed an accusing finger at him.

"That's not true."

"Yes it is! I'm not an idiot! You say you're coming with, but you don't want to. Everything here is perfect for you!"

"Far from it. How can it be, when you're always so upset?"

"Oh, so now it's my fault!"

Bucky barely heard the pounding footsteps coming up the stairs over his sisters yelling. He almost wished that he didn't have hearing aids at that moment, because listening to the pain in his sister's voice was like torture to him.

"I'm just saying that when you hurt so do I," Bucky said, in a much calmer tone. "Trust me, I want you to be okay, but I'm starting to think this isn't the best solution. I'm no therapist, but I think it's better if you just push through this."

"It's not that easy!" Rebecca shouted, almost frantically. Bucky was afraid that at any moment his parents would burst in, though the footsteps ceased and they never came.

"Neither is losing an arm. Or a brother. We made it through that together, and we can do this too," Bucky tried to reassure her, though he feared his efforts were futile. "I'll be there for you every step along the way. And so will mom and dad. You're not alone."

A single tear slid down her cheek, and as it did, Bucky felt his heart slowly cracking. Why was the world so cruel?

"Please, just talk to me. What's really wrong?" Bucky said.

"Everything! Everything's changed! I hate it here! I thought it would be easy to make new friends, but it's not. You come home after the first few days of school, and you already talk to so many people! I just wish the same could be true for me."

"Well, have you tried talking to new people?"

"I— I can't."

"Yes you can." She continued to shake her head. "You can do anything you want to. Making new friends? That's up to you. Why don't you just try talking to people in your classes? They probably just avoid because you always look so miserable and like you're about to eat them."

He wanted to make her laugh, but it wasn't working. He also felt like he was giving an inspirational speech that probably wasn't very inspirational at all, and he felt slightly foolish.

"If I can make friends with this thing—" Bucky said, gesturing to his metal arm— "then you definitely can too."

"Tell that to Stacy."

"What?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

"No. What about Stacy?"

"It's nothing! Just let it go Bucky! And get the fuck out!"

Bucky took a step back, feeling as if his sister had just punched him in the stomach. He didn't know how to help someone who seemed so adamant on not getting help, yet someone who wanted it so badly at the same.

He just didn't know what to do.

"You guys say you're trying to help," Rebecca continued, "but you're only making it worse! Russia is the best idea anyone has had yet!"

"Yeah, for you!" Bucky yelled, unable to help himself.

"Just go away!"

So Bucky left, slamming the Rebecca's door behind him yet again. He was shocked to see his parents standing right outside the door, but only shook his head at them and thundered down the stairs.

He shoved his shoes on his feet, not bothering to put them on properly, and headed out. He planned on driving and driving, though he had no specific destination in mind. It reminded him of his first date with Steve, and that only made him angrier.

Somehow, he had managed to screw up his relationship with both Steve and his sister within just an hour. He wanted to go to Stacy and just— well, he didn't know exactly what he'd do, but somehow he knew that this was all her fault. Everything was fitting into place slowly, because it wasn't just coming back to Brooklyn that was tilting Rebecca's world sideways. He just knew it.

But it was hard not to blame Rebecca for how things were turning out. He was angry with her, and wished that she could just learn to speak up. People were cruel sometimes, but she didn't have to let it happen.

Because, yes, Bucky was quite certain that Stacy must've been bullying his sister in some way.

He was just about ready to take matters in his own hand and put a stop to this all, but he needed proof first. He couldn't just go around accusing his people, as much as he was sure he could trust his instincts.

Bucky watched as houses passed him by. He always wondered what other people were dealing with, and if it compared to what his family was going through. What was going on in that brick house at the end of his street? It was hard to believe that anyone could be experience anything quite like what he was going through.

He found himself parked at the Starbucks a few blocks away. In about an hour, Rebecca was supposed to work, though Bucky had a hard time imagining her composing herself enough to get her ass to there.

Bucky watched people come and go, carrying coffee and other drinks in their hands. He almost hoped that his sister would show up a bit early so he could try talking to her again. He didn't know what to say, but he did know that he had to somehow find a way to resolve his issues.

Talking to Steve would be the next step, though Bucky wasn't quite ready for that just yet.

The time read 4:29 when Rebecca finally showed up. Technically, she wasn't late yet. Bucky was almost left feeling a little guilty, knowing that usually if he was around he was supposed to drive her. The Starbucks was close enough to walk to, but having a lift was much more convenient.

Bucky was forced to duck down and hope for the best. Because there wasn't enough time to talk, he didn't want his sister knowing he was there. It would only look like he was spying on her. He just hoped that she wasn't paying enough attention to recognize his car.

Still, he had seen Rebecca before he had ducked his head, and she looked absolutely miserable.

Bucky vowed to do whatever it took to help her. And maybe, just maybe, that did mean convincing her to stay.

And it wasn't just for his own sake. Of course, he did want to stay here with Steve and his friends. But if, in the end, there was nothing he could do and Rebecca did choose to go back to Russia, Bucky would go too.

But that had to be a last resort.

No one was trying hard enough, as if they had all just given up. Bucky wanted to suggest a therapist to his parents, but he was always afraid to bring Rebecca up when usually it got awkward and Winifred got upset. And Rebecca herself just expected everyone else to do something about her situation, but she had to help herself. Unfortunately, that just wasn't what she would want to hear.

Though Bucky did plan on doing something. He needed to give her a little push in the right direction, but then the rest was up to her. If this was a bullying issue, then Bucky planned to shut that bully down. If it really was just about Rebecca not having any friends, he would continue to encourage her to at least try.

But he was still worried that it just wouldn't be enough.

Russia seemed like such an inevitable destination. For the first time in a while, Bucky imagined what Derek would have done about this all. They had lost Derek in Russia. At the moment, he seemed to be the only good thing about going back.

**

A/n: sorry the last third of this chapter is so shitty. Am I losing readers? I got a lot less votes on my last chapter.

I'm well aware that the plot of this story it shit. Like, I've completely forgotten about the whole Pierce incident, and all of Bucky's friends have basically disappeared. . . This story is in desperate need of a rewrite, really, but it just isn't going to happen. So it you stuck around for this long, though I don't know why you did, thank you.

I'm aiming for 28 chapters plus an epilogue, if anyone is wondering how much is left of this story.