Hello! Thanks for choosing to read this story! This is my first time writing for the MCU fandom, so take it a little easy on me. Also, please forgive the copious spelling/grammatical errors. Obviously, I do my best to edit but like many writers I find it difficult edit my own work and none us are perfect.

I've tried to keep as close to the Captain America: The First Avenger movie as I could. I also had to do a lot of research on my own regarding the times as well as World War II, as a means to make it as accurate as possible. If anyone sees any errors in some of the content feel free to point it out and I will happily make revisions. I also greatly urge people to pay attention to the years and locations in which the chapters take place. There will be a lot of jumping back and forth with memories and such.

This story is rated 'M' for a reason, it will feature strong language/violence/alcoholism/addiction/sexual harassment/suicide/and light smut. There are also some underlying tones of sexism/racism/hate/and anti-semitism that was typical in Europe during the 1940's, and there are explicit details and descriptions involving the Holocaust. Before each chapter I will provide a trigger warning as a means to alert everyone of the themes the chapter contains.

Thank you again and enjoy! :))

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters/storylines from the Marvel Universe.

Trigger warning: Alcoholism, violence, and suicide.

Prologue

Italy, 1943.

Lucy looked up into the mirror the moment she heard that the were floorboards strain under somebody's weight. The house was old and rather rickety, and with every step, the old wood groaned with its withering age.

Her deep hazel eyes shot up to make eye contact with the handsome man who had stilled at the doorway. She had left the door open enough through a crack on purpose, hoping more than anything in the entire world he would walk by. Her heart raced in anticipation, and she felt her chest rising and falling upon sensing his body outside the room.

When their eyes met, her heart damn near stopped. Her large doe eyes were greeted with his steel blue ones, and she swallowed a lump forming in her throat as her heart rate sped up. She felt a shiver run down her spine as his unsettling stare fell upon her. The familiar ache that she had been feeling for weeks now every time he looked at her like that had returned, and this time with an insatiable need.

They had been taking cover in the old house for the night. After a gruelling day of fighting, the remaining team had found refuge in an abandoned town. Their previous residents evacuated due to the war, and several houses were empty. After completing a mission and waiting for a rendezvous, they had all stopped to rest and find a safe place to sleep.

They had found a rather comfortable looking home, just on the edge of town which provided them with a good view of their surroundings. They would rest there for the night and continue in the morning. Being the only woman, Lucy had gotten her own room. She was thankful for it, as that meant she had gotten her own bed, as well as privacy.

There had also been a bath, which upon the sight of it had made her stomach clench with excitement and a smile to form on her face. The prospect of getting clean after being covered in dirt, grime, and blood from a day of fighting was just too appealing.

The previous owners had left in a rush clearly, and the moment Lucy found herself alone she had stripped herself of her uniform, and poured soaps and scents that they had left into the water spilling in the basin. She had stripped bare, not minding the chilly wind, and sunk into the water the moment it was filled to her satisfaction.

She revelled in the warmth and tossed her hair back into it to wash it clean. Lucy felt rather bad for the other soldiers, as they had to wash outside with small basins of cold water being poured onto their heads. At that moment, she could only enjoy herself though. She cleaned herself and closed her eyes only for her thoughts to drift towards a certain soldier.

After she had finished her bath, the soldier that her thoughts kept drifting to was standing in her doorway, looking at her in the mirror. Once again, her heart pounded and her palms became sweaty.

She sat at the vanity and her hand stilled as they were brushing her long, dark brown hair. Freezing while under his gaze, Lucy's breath hitched as he leaned himself against the doorframe after he had opened the door wide enough to see her.

His hands were casually placed in his pockets, and a small smile rested on his face as he watched her curiously.

Lucy felt her stomach drop and suddenly felt as though she would tremble under the gaze of the man whom she had deep, inequitable, and no longer deniable, feelings for.

Bucky Barnes stood there, looking at her with a gaze which made her feel as though she were the most beautiful woman in the world.

Her hands stilled and then put the heavy brush down onto the vanity as their gaze remained locked. She placed the brush carefully down and then turned around from the mirror to look directly at him. With a flirtatious grin, she asked accusingly, "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to stare at a lady?"

A large smile formed on his lips as a blush rose to his cheeks, he smirked as he looked down with embarrassment. Lucy felt pride well in her chest as she thought of how nervous she made him. She had made the most charming man she had ever met, of whom had more sex appeal than any other person she had known, blush and become flustered.

Bucky cleared his throat and then crossed his arms across his broad chest and looked up at her, "Sorry, I uhh—" He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably as he stepped forward into the room, "I didn't mean to spy. It's just that umm, I walked by and I uh, I saw you…" she stood up from the chair at that moment, rising slowly as his mouth dropped open ever so slightly.

Upon arriving at the house, they found the family who deserted it left many of their belongings. As Lucy and the rest of the Howling Commandos searched for anything useful, Dum Dum Dugan, someone she now considered a close friend, pulled her aside.

He kindly explained that in the master suite's closet there were dresses that were still hung up and that she should take a look at them if she wished. Having not worn one for a very long time, and missing her femininity, Lucy decided to take a peek at them.

She only wanted to look, and remember a time from before the war where she had such luxuries. She missed feeling pretty and feeling like a woman. She missed the feeling of silk on her skin, and just for once, wearing something that wasn't a man's uniform.

Upon looking in the closet, she only found three dresses. Two everyday ones, and a silk nightgown. Lucy had touched it with her fingers and immediately knew that she had to have to rest on her skin.

It had been so long since she felt beautiful, desirable, and womanly. But with the look Sergeant Barnes was currently given her, all those feelings came flooding back.

Her pale skin was in contrast with the off white cream colour of the silk. Her dark hair rested down, covering the more revealing parts of the bodice. She felt herself blush at how exposed she currently was, and noticed just exactly how sultry her attire was in those moments. Although the nightdress fell to just above her calves, it clung to her curves tightly.

His eyes fell upon her, and he couldn't help but drink her in as he said quietly, "Holy shit you're so goddamn beautiful," it was so quiet she could barely hear, and she wasn't even sure if she was intended to. Suddenly, Bucky cleared his throat again and crossed his arms, trying to smile as he teased, "Christ, you trying to break my heart or something by wearing that dress? I mean really you're killin' me here, sweetheart. "

Lucy found herself smiling as she stood there, laughing slightly at his nervousness. She licked her lips, feeling his eyes drawn to them, "Yeah, something like that," she smirked before shrugging, a smug expression on her face. He only chuckled at her flirtations and then shook his head.

She smiled at him ever so slightly. Her expression suddenly made him regain his confidence and stride across the room. A small turntable rested in the corner, and she watched curiously as Bucky went forward towards it. She cocked her head, watching him intensely.

The cold wind had settled through the room now that the door was open, and Lucy found herself crossing her arms across her chest in embarrassment as she realized just revealing the nightdress truly was.

Bucky found what he was looking for, and put the vinyl into the turntable, and placed the needle onto it. Her heart dropped when she heard the song, and the memory of a warm summer night a few years prior came racing back into her mind.

The noise of trumpets filled the room, echoing in her ears as he walked forward. Her heart raced even more, and she swallowed a lump forming in her throat. The look he gave her created an ache in her lower stomach, and she felt her breath begin to quicken. Her chest rose and fell a little faster, something he noticed from the revealing state of her nightdress.

"Dance with me?" He asked her in a soft whisper as his hands gently settled on her waist.

Lucy closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as she moved forward, silently saying yes. He smelled of pine leaves, and aftershave and the wine that they had all been drinking downstairs. She felt her cheeks begin to turn pink as he drew her in flushed to his body. Although this feeling of being so close to him wasn't necessarily foreign, given to events from the last few weeks, it still dizzied her and made her mad with the need to be closer. There was no space between them, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and exhaled with a feeling of relief. She felt safe with him.

After a moment they had become more comfortable and started swaying softly to the music. Her chin rested on his shoulder, and intimately drew her lips to on his neck, almost tasting him. He pulled her in even closer, inhaling sharply in a hiss as he did so while shivering at the small grazing of her lips. Nostalgia from the one night they had spent together came flooding back, coursing over her like a wave.

He pulled away from her just slightly enough to look down at her dark hazel eyes. Their gaze was fixated on one another. Once again, it had felt like they were the only two people in the world. Bucky brushed a small piece of hair out of her face, his thumb gently trailing her cheek in the process.

Their mouths were so close that she could feel his hot breath on her skin and he held her face in his hands. Instead of their lips touching, their foreheads met instead. They rested against one another, swaying intently to the music. Not a single second went by where Lucy's heart wasn't racing for him.

The eerie sound of trumpets played, and they held each other closer. In the distance, they could hear bombs going off in another village not far from where they were. Another fight was going on, and gunfire echoed. But none of that mattered at that moment. All that mattered was each other.

Chapter I

Queens, New York, 1932.

The cold droplets of rain ran down her cheek as she stared at the large wooden coffin being lowered into the ground. Two men who were standing by in the cemetery had offered to help them and they accepted. Other than the three young girls and the two strange men, no other guests were there to say their final goodbyes.

She felt nothing as the caskets were placed in the hole that she and her sisters had dug by themselves. It was hard to do since the ground was wet and muddy, but for hours the three of them had been hunched over. the two oldest girls used the spades they had found lying around, and the youngest using her hands. With no money to their name, they couldn't even hire someone to dig their parents' graves. Instead, they had to do it themselves. At such young ages, none of them had ever thought they would lose their parents, especially not now.

However, it wasn't the first time they had to be put in a situation like that. At seventeen years old, Lucy Heinrich had now buried more than half her family. First, it was little Kathleen the year prior, and now Mama and Papa.

She could only stare at the two plain spots, discouraged they were not even able to afford gravestones. They would be marked by rocks Adeline and Beatrix had gathered, signifying the only markers that her parents were resting there.

She and her sisters could only stare at the two holes in the ground. Beatrix leaned against her spade, looking unemotional and stoic.

"You gals need any help fillin' those graves?" The one boy asked, looking only a few years older than herself. By the looks of it though, he was much poorer. His once white shirt had a rip in the elbow, and his trousers were patched up roughly.

The times had not been kind to anyone, and really the only reason her family was able to survive was because of Mama's job. Her father had always had a hard time finding work. Not only was he known for being the neighbourhood drunk, but he also barely spoke English. In the case of most factories, they'd rather hire a hard-working, true-blooded American than some washed up drunken German who served in the Great War.

"We got it," Lucy said, clicking her jaw, still unable to tear her eyes from the dark-colored caskets. "Thanks, fellas."

"Miss," The scrawny boy with dirt smeared over his cheeks tipped his hat to her, while the other who said nothing only tried to give the girls a small, sympathetic smile. Nothing they could say or do would make the three of them feel any better.

The three girls made no hasty movements to begin dumping the earth back into the pits. The rain continued to soak through their clothes and hair. None of them had bothered to dress fancy for the funeral. After all, no one showed up. They didn't even have a priest present. Mostly, because they couldn't afford to pay for one's service, but also because it was only their mother who was religious and their father was an atheist.

"Should we pray?" Adeline asked, seeming much older than her eleven years at that moment.

"No, nothing we could say to God will change anything," Lucy replied. "Plus, we already know Mama's up there."

"Where do you think Papa is?" Adeline asked her, staring up at the brunette as droplets of rain caught in her eyelashes. Thunder boomed behind them, shaking them to their core and Beatrix notably flinched at the sound. Lucy was about to answer her when her sharp-witted sister beat her to it.

"Where do you think?" Beatrix replied, her harsh tone cutting through the chilly air. She kicked some of the dirt into his grave as she spoke bitterly, "He deserves where he's going."

Adeline only nodded, and even though she was young, she had a fiery temper much like her sisters. Her voice grew quiet, and all she said was "Good." Lucy had never seen her sister look so dark and angry before. Usually, the eleven-year-old was always the happiest out of the three of them. She still had the carefree innocence of childhood neither Lucy or Beatrix had the luxury of having anymore. Yet, in the last twenty-four hours, Lucy had seen both girls mature well past their years.

Beatrix only sighed before speaking up, the rain only pouring heavier by the minute. The droplets pounded on Lucy's shoulders and back like tiny knives, cold and sharp, chilling her right to the bone. "Should we at least say something before we cover them? It doesn't seem right to not say anything at all."

Lucy only walked forward, and immediately she unclasped the locket around her neck and for the first time tears welled up in her eyes. Looking at it, the gold gleamed back as raindrops gathered on it. She held her hand outstretched, and then dropped it into the pit before saying "Goodbye Mama."

Her sisters muttered their goodbyes as well, and Lucy strode over to her father's grave, stared at for only a moment, before only saying "Papa," and then spit into his grave.

Her sisters followed suit, Adeline struggling only for a moment. She hacked back the most phlegm she could and coughed it out of her mouth. A small trail of spit was hanging from her lip and she brushed it off with the sleeve of her dirty coat.

The girls didn't need to say anything else. Their mother was with Kathleen now, and their father... Well, he was somewhere else. Without saying a word, they grabbed their spades and began shoveling the earth back into the holes.

"What are we gonna do now, Lucy?" Adeline asked her, scooping the dirt in her hands and tossing it on top of the wooden casket.

"I don't know, Adie, but I'm sure we'll figure something out." She lied. She didn't want to scare her little sister, but she and Beatrix were already working shifts after school to make ends meet on top of their mother's income. Although she was given a full scholarship from Columbia, Lucy was worried she wouldn't be able to attend since she would be too busy working at the canning factory she was currently employed at. Faking a smile, she looked at her little sister and assured her, "We always pull through."

Thunder boomed above, cracking into the silence that had followed. This time Lucy winced, and although she had never been fond of storms, she had never once feared them. Not until the night before…

It had been an ugly week in October in New York. The cold had finally begun to settle in, and the weather was starting to worsen. They would have an early winter, she was sure of it. Currently, they didn't even have enough money to keep their electricity running, and Lucy's mother knew that if she didn't find another job on top of her nannying that they would likely freeze and starve in the winter.

Her mother had worked herself to the point of exhaustion. Not only was she up before the crack of dawn, standing in line for food stamps to provide for her girls, but she also worked a full-time job caring for the children of a very wealthy and prominent family. The family had always treated her well and they paid her more than others would have offered, since they owned many of the building projects that Roosevelt approved. However, it was simply not enough and their mother had been attempting to take on a few shifts at the factory Lucy and Beatrix also worked at.

Lucy's father was capable of working. Physically, he was healthy and sound. But her mother tried to explain fighting in the Great War before Lucy was born had changed something in him. She said when he came back, something had broke and he had never been quite right since.

They had met while her mother was studying in Germany in 1913. She had met her father at a dance hall, and they had fallen in love almost immediately. The way her mother described him, kind and generous and full of life was not the man that Lucy knew.

The man Lucy knew would have his head in the toilet by two in the afternoon, buzzed out of his goddamn mind and vomiting his guts. He was the man that would hit her mother for no reason, and scream at his children for so much a dropping a plate or not covering their mouth when they sneezed. He was not the man her mother described, and Lucy wondered if he ever really was the person her mother once believed him to be.

He left the war early on, suffering from shell-shock and was given a dishonourable discharge for people believing he was a coward. A year later, Lucy was born and her family fled back to America where her mother had lived her whole life.

Things got more difficult for her father once they arrived in New York. As someone who only spoke German and had even fought in the trenches, he very quickly became unpopular within the community.

One of Lucy's earliest memories was her father coming home with a bloodied nose and alcohol on his breath and smelling like piss. He had been jumped again by some guys thinking they were heroes, not knowing they were attacking a man who would later go home and treat his wife with the same sort of violence.

The worst part was always the screaming between them. It was always in German, and so loud the Thompson's, the neighbours downstairs, would start screaming about bloody krauts and begging them to shut up.

The screaming became normal. It was all Lucy and her sisters ever knew, but never did it get extremely dangerous until after Kathleen died. After she was born her father had promised to try to be better, to try to get a job and stop drinking. It wasn't until Lucy came home a little too late from school and didn't get to her chores right away and he slammed her against the wall. He pressed her head into a framed picture of her mother's family so hard the glass broke and cut her left cheek and it was then that Lucy knew he could never change, regardless of what he said.

It only got worse after that. Kathleen being gone only made him drink more, and become angrier and bitter. Not to mention, people began to hate him more for than just being German. Everyone knew he was a lazy drunk who beat his family, and what they didn't realize was how they treated him would be later how he would treat his daughters when he finally stumbled home.

Shell-shock was what her mother told her was wrong with her father. He had seen things in the war that made his mind sick, and because people didn't understand it they thought he was a coward. The fact he wasn't put in a firing squad was a miracle, really. But he was never the same, and often he woke up screaming in the night from fear. He jumped at fireworks and the little bottle rockets the kids lit off on the alleys. He hated thunder the most, muttering something about shells falling. Sometimes, Lucy would find him cowering under the table at particularly loud cracks, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

It was why she hated storms in particular. Because whenever they happened, he always got out-of-his-mind drunk and became more violent than usual.

The last night was one of the worst times she had ever seen him. It had been close to one in the morning when their mother had finally gotten home from work, and the entire house felt like it was shaking from the boom of thunder. Each time it happened, Lucy was afraid that her father would come into their room and yank one of them out of bed and begin to scold them about something mundane or force one of them to have a drink with him. Recently, that had been his favorite thing to do. She recalled how two night before, it had been close to two in the morning when he pulled her from her bed. The kitchen light was on, blinding her momentarily as he forced her to sit in one of the dining room chairs.

"Here," He told her in German and passed her a rather large glass of whiskey. "Have a drink with me and let's sit and talk."

Lucy didn't want to though. All she wanted to do was go to bed, and when she protested he had yelled and struck her across the face. It was the reason as to why she still had a large yellow bruise under her eye.

After that Lucy swallowed the burning liquid in a large gulp, making her cough. Her mother had come in after Lucy had already been forced to have two drinks. She told him to stop it, and she'll get sick but he only replied 'What's so wrong with the girl having a damn drink with me?'

He then mumbled on about old war stories that didn't make any sense to Lucy. He was so drunk that he looked half-asleep and drool escaped his lips every now and then between hiccups. He kept forcing her to drink though, and after her fifth glass of straight liquor, she began to get sick.

However, when he began yelling the night before Lucy had known it would not be like how it was a few days prior. That time was different and Lucy and Beatrix had both been awake. Although all the girls shared a room, only Beatrix and Adie shared a bed since Lucy had been getting too old. The room was so small that there was only about a foot of space between the two beds. Lucy and Beatrix couldn't help but stare at one another and flinch every time they heard a string of German curse words spew from their father's drunken mouth.

Adeline was fast asleep, snoring soundly. She was used to the yelling and the ruckus of their father yet again breaking another item in their house.

Thunder boomed again overhead, following a strike of lightning that illuminated their bedroom. It cast shadows against the wall, but even as girls they weren't ever afraid of the dark.

Because monsters didn't live in dark. Monsters lived in people. And it wasn't until their mother came home that night that they realized just how terrified they should be.

As soon as the front door had closed and their mother walked in the screaming begun. Lucy pulled her pillow on top of her head to drown it out. She didn't like hearing her mother get hit, and she found she resented her father a little less when she could pretend she didn't know what exactly what was going on.

Their muffled yells were blocked out by the pillow, and she turned to her side to see Beatrix had followed her actions, also trying to get some shut-eye before they had to be up early for school the following day. Lighting struck, and thunder followed. What happened after that was a blur, but Lucy recalled hearing a crash and a particularly pained scream of her mother. Immediately she hopped up, throwing the covers back and her bare feet touching the cold floorboards.

Usually, her father locked them in for the night but that evening he had forgotten. Beatrix also sat up and whispered "Lucy? Where are you going?" Confused and concerned, the younger girl's heart pounded in her chest as her older sister approached the door.

"Stay here!" Lucy commanded with a whisper. Dressed only in a nightgown, Lucy slipped out of the door and went into the kitchen where only a few candles lit up the room in an eerie yellow hue. It cast more terrifying shadows, but what was worse was her father screaming violently at her mother in German.

Lucy's heart early leaped from her chest when she saw her mother slumped against the wall, blood pooling out of a large gash on her forehead, leaking all the way down and soaking part of her blouse. Her father's face was red from screaming, the vein above his eye looking as though it were about to burst and sweat gathered in his brow.

"Mama?" Lucy's voice shook as she stared, terrified. Her mother's eyes locked on her and they widened.

"Lucy, go to your room!" She yelled in English so her father wouldn't understand, fear reflecting on her voice. "Go to your room and lock the door! Hide with your sisters!" Lucy had never seen her mother like that before. She was terrified, Lucy realized.

As soon as she spoke her father had whipped around, now screaming at Lucy. Lucy's blood turned to ice and she knew her mother was being serious. Without even saying anything, Lucy turned on her heels and ran as fast as she could. She could hear her mother yelling behind her "Run, Lucy! Lock the door!" Her father was right on her tail. "Klaus, leave them alone! Leave them alone, you son of a bitch!" She didn't even think to switch to German, still yelling in terror in English.

Lucy got back to the room, slammed the door shut behind her and twisting the lock as quickly she could. Both Beatrix and Adeline were up in a flash, "Luce, what's happening?" Beatrix asked and tore the covers off herself as Adeline breathed heavily, clearly afraid.

More shouting commenced, and then next thing she knew a flash of lightning struck again. It illuminated the room, broadcasting the fear all present within all three young girl's eyes. Then thunder yet again made a large, echoing, bang so loud that it almost clattered her teeth. The noise echoed in her ears, and Lucy felt it deep within her body.

Another loud bang followed, and Lucy's mouth fell open in shock. She knew the noise wasn't thunder, it was different. A heavy thud was what she remembered hearing next. She stared at her sister in horror, realizing it wasn't thunder that they had just heard, and something much, much more terrifying. Tears welled up in her eyes as she knew was it was immediately. It was a gunshot.

"Lucy, no!" Beatrix screamed, her voice breaking after her older sister left the room with haste. Adeline was crying loudly, clutching her stuffed rabbit thier mother made to her chest and she was wailing "Mama!" over and over again.

Lucy has tears falling from her eyes, as she arrived in the kitchen, her father standing there with shock written on his face, and her mother was lying in a puddle of thick, crimson blood on the floor. Her hair was matted and she blankly stared up at Lucy, her eyes open and unblinking.

Without even hesitating, all Lucy could ask in a shaky but firm voice was, "Was hast du gemacht?" What did you do?

He looked at her, not saying anything, only closing his eyes like he was in pain and the gun ratted in his weak hand. Tears were in his eyes as well. When he didn't answer immediately, Lucy screamed, her voice cracking from the pain, "Was hast du gemacht!" Her cheeks were wet from crying, and her vision was blurred from how tears were welled in her eyes.

Her father only shook his head, and said slowly to her, "Es tut mir Leid." I'm sorry.

Before she could even react, he turned the gun to himself and pulled the trigger. The echo of it rang through the entire house and blood splattered on the wall. He hit the ground with a thud. And for a moment Lucy didn't register that he had turned the weapon on himself. She thought for sure he would have pulled the trigger after aiming it at her.

Instead, he laid on the floor, head blown in and his face an unrecognizable mess. Brain matter was scattered in the kitchen, it's soft tissue of grey mixing in with the red of her mother's blood.

Lucy touched her cheek, trying to clear her face of the tears, but when she brought her hand down she realized that it was coated with blood. Some had gotten on her porcelain skin, staining its paleness.

She heard a small choked sob yell from her bedroom, "Lucy? Mama?"

"D-Don't come out here! Stay in your room until the police come!" Lucy yelled at her sisters, hoping they wouldn't see the sight of both their parents lying dead on their floor. Surely one of the neighbors would have called after hearing the gunshots.

"Is-is everything okay?" Adeline called out, her voice shaking."Lucy, I'm scared. Where's Mama?"

Lucy couldn't answer, she only collapsed to her knees on the ground and let out a noise that was partially half way between a scream and a sob. Her skin on her knees was coated in the sticky warmth of one of her parent's blood, and she tried not to think of it before she was about to pass out.

The last thing she noticed before she heard the sound of police sirens was her own voice in her head telling herself 'No, everything is not okay'.

Thunder rang in her ears once more.

And that was how they got there, packing all the dirt on top of the caskets. The police had eventually come and cleared their bodies away, delivering them to the cemetery Lucy told them to bring the bodies.

The officers had tried to be as sympathetic as possible. Wrapping all the girls in blankets and trying to comfort them, but nothing they could say could change things. Their mother was dead. They were alone. Her father's parents were still in Germany, not having spoken to him since he had wed an American. And her mother's parents were long dead, succumbing to sickness when she was even younger than even Adeline.

For the first time, they were truly alone. With no family, their friends were only able to do so much since they were also having a difficult time since the recession which people were dubbing 'The Depression' struck.

The girls had to face the fact that they were orphans, and the world was going to be cruel to them and they would likely struggle their entire lives.

None of them had cried since that morning for their mother. At that point, the numbness had set in, and they knew that they would have to take care of their parent's bodies themselves since they had no money. Hell, at this point they didn't even know how they were going to get their next meal.

As Adeline packed the dirt in more with her hands, she looked up at a car that pulled up on the street. It was a slick, black Ford that still somehow managed to shine even while covered in rain.

A woman and a small child got out of it, dressed in fancy black clothes, obviously there to pay their respects. None of the girls had black clothes, so they wore that they would have worn to church, trying to look nice despite the circumstances.

Adeline frowned and she asked, "Is that Mrs. Lee?" Both Lucy and Beatrix's heads shot in that direction, and as it turned out, Adeline was right.

Carol Lee, their mother's employer, was walking toward them. Her purse on her shoulder, satin gloves on hand, and she was trying to avoid the mud while in heels.

"I'll be damned, it is too," Lucy swore. She squinted at the lady, almost positive she was a mirage.

The beautiful woman approached them, her daughter Charlotte at her side. She tried to avoid the mud as best she could but failed in the end. She approached the girls, who were in ratty Sunday clothes that hung over their shallow forms, covered in dirt and mud. Mrs. Lee held Charlotte's hand tightly, and her lips pursed into a firm line as she said "Hello girls," In a thick Southern accent as she approached them.

The girls said nothing back. They only stared, wide-eyed and Beatrix raised an eyebrow at the strange, wealthy woman, wondering what she could possibly want. "How-how are you?" She stuttered awkwardly.

Lucy almost scoffed. She wanted to shoot back her question of how she had the gull to even ask such a stupid thing. Instead, Adeline beat her to it. From where Adeline was kneeling in the mud she said solemnly, "Mama and Papa are dead."

A wave of sadness washed over Mrs. Lee's face and it was then that Lucy realized that she wasn't just another stuck up, wealthy woman benefiting from the poverty happening around her. She genuinely cared, and suddenly all the stories her mother told them about her kindness became a reality.

"I know, honey." She said sadly, choking up. "I know." Mrs. Lee was more emotional at that moment than the girls had been in the last several hours. "I-I am so sorry, for your loss. Truly, I am. Your mother was so wonderful and kind and she..." she trailed off, blinking back tears "She will be missed by so many." A gloved hand went to her face as she wiped away a tear that fell softly down her cheek.

Although she was saying nice things, the girls looked at her like she was speaking another language. They weren't quite sure why she was there talking to them.

"My deepest condolences to you all." She composed herself within seconds and tried to smile. The little girl who held onto her hand only looked back at the man who stood by the car, umbrella in his grasp. Under any other circumstances, he would have followed them to make sure they stayed dry but Mrs. Lee had insisted on speaking to the Heinrich girls alone. "Your mother was a very dear friend of mine. I loved her so, so very much. She-she left us too soon—," She choked off a sob and raised a hand to her face and tried to wipe her tears while attempting to compose herself, "I'm so sorry. I-I don't know why I'm like this."

The girls again remained emotionless, looking at the woman as if she were from another world. They were unimpressed by both her wealth and beauty, something most people couldn't help but notice.

With the girls staring at her so intensely, looking like gutter rats that had recently survived a tsunami, Mrs. Lee couldn't help but get emotional. Not only was her best friend in the entire world murdered, but her children were left alone without anyone to care for them. Despite their mother only being a nanny that cared for Charlotte and Jeffery, Mrs. Lee formed a connection with the working class woman that she had never experienced before. And seeing her children suffering like this, it pained her heart. What was more shocking was seeing how sickly and gangly they looked from being malnourished and underfed. Had she known her best friend's children were being so badly affected by the Depression, she would have surely pressured her husband into raising her salary. But she had always assured Mrs. Lee that they were fine, not wanting to take advantage of their kindness, and never asking for more money despite the difficult times.

"I understand that you have no other family. That you're alone?" Her gaze turned to the oldest girl.

Lucy really did scoff that time, and she sassed her, saying "Thank you from the reminder."

"Oh no! It wasn't-It's not like..." Mrs. Lee sighed, "I wasn't trying to offend. I'm just... I am worried about you. I'm worried who's going to look after you. You're all so young. And Lucy, I know you got a scholarship to Columbia and you were going to attend it in the fall. I know you won't be able to both go to school and work and... Well, I was just wondering if perhaps you would come live with us? It would make things easier since you wouldn't be alone. Really, it's the least I can do. I'm just-I'm just so sorry for your loss." She burst out into sobs.

Lucy and Beatrix immediately looked at each other and silently asked if this was a good idea. Lucy opened her mouth to decline, pride getting in the way. She was about to say thanks but we're fine on our own, we don't need any charity, but Beatrix hastily answered for her.

"We would love to! That is an incredibly generous offer, Mrs. Lee. Thank you." Beatrix shot Lucy a pressing glance after she looked at her accusingly.

"Really?" The woman's face fell and her face shifted into a smile "That's wonderful! Please, come home with us! I'd love to show you where you'll be living!"

As took Adeline but the shoulder and gently drug her away, Lucy looked at Beatrix as if she were the biggest traitor, "What the hell, Bea?" She hissed as they followed the older woman to the sleek black car. Lucy turned back to look at her mother's grave once more. She never returned back, even years later. For some reason, she knew that would be the last time she would be there, and coincidentally she was okay with it.

Beatrix finally spoke up as they neared the car, following a few paces back from the others."Listen, I know you're mad, but you would have never accepted her help. You're too proud and I know you think you can raise us by yourself but you can't... You should go to university like you always wanted and not have to worry about us."

Deep down, Lucy knew she was right and she sighed. But quietly, she admitted to her sister as they walked forward, "I'm always going to worry about you."

And once again, thunder boomed above them, the noise settling deep within her bones.

So there was the prologue and first chapter! For stylistic purposes, I chose to combine them. Thanks so much for reading! I promise this story won't always be so completely depressing as it was in this chapter. Also, for the German I did use google translate, so I'm not sure if it was right at all.

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- Amelia