"She's got a friend..."

[theycalledmeacurse]

It had been two years since Rogue had landed in this universe. Two years of learning how to be normal again, how to live without her powers. Try as she might, they simply wouldn't work, and she didn't know if it was because of something to do with traveling to a different universe or if it was something much more common: shock. Either way, in this world she was just a normal woman, working at a department store during the day and going home each night to her little room in a boarding house for women.

It got easier as time went on. She settled into a routine and learned how to live in the 1940s. The war made ot easier to explain her oddities. Those oddities that were likely a large part of the reason she was standing outside a dance hall with one of her housemates. Rogue had been the only one without plans on a Saturday night, and so Nancy had pleaded with her to tag along, because this handsome guy had asked her out but with the condition that she bring someone for his friend.

Sighing under her breath, Rogue reached up a hand to her curled and pinned striped hair, then smoothed it over her green dress, telling herself that it was silly to be nervous. It was just one night; she might even have fun.

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[mini_steve]

"I told you I didn't need a jacket," Steve groused, tugging at the sleeves of his wool suit jacket.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "It's gonna get colder, and a stiff wind would knock you out. Yer gonna need a jacket."

Steve made a face, but stopped arguing. About that, anyway. "What did you tell her about me?"

"Only the good stuff," came Bucky's usual, flippant reply. For once, Steve wished Bucky would tell the gal - who then relayed it to her friend - only the bad stuff, so he'd have some chance of impressing her right away. Bucky always made him sound like he was ten-feet tall, metaphorically at least, and never explained that he was barely over five feet in reality, and thin as a stick. And then Bucky could never understand how Steve was so talented at driving girls off.

Steve started glancing around as they neared the dance hall, but refused to believe it was from nervousness. No, he was just preparing himself for the inevitable.

"There they are!" Bucky raised an arm and waved to a couple of girls standing near the entrance. His face split into a grin, and he elbowed Steve, who gave a friendly, only partially forced smile to the two dames as they approached.

"Steve, this is Nancy, and this is..."

It was then that Steve realized Bucky didn't even have a clue who he'd be escorting to the dance. Wasn't that just fantastic.

Nancy jumped in with, "Marie! She lives in the house with me."

Translation: I suckered her into it.

Steve held out his hand and smiled at Marie. "Pleasure to meet you." He wasn't expecting much; half the gals wouldn't even shake his hand, and those who did looked like they wished to immediately wash them. He was used to it.

With one last encouraging glance, Bucky and Nancy disappeared into the hall, leaving Marie and Steve to become acquainted before joining them.