Status: Active

Eyes of Winter

Nineteen

He walked down the corridor until he came to an open room at the end of the hall. In it were two couches, a table and four chairs, and a large flat screen television mounted on the wall.

He sat down on the couch and turned on the television. Unsurprisingly, it was on the news. Two anchors were discussing the S.H.I.E.L.D. Data leak.

He sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Can't sleep?"

He turned quickly at the sudden voice. Steve entered the room, sitting on the couch opposite Bucky.

"Not tired." Bucky replied.

Steve nodded. "How's Annie?"

"She's upset. " He said.

"Rightfully so. Poor girl."

"She's asleep."

Steve ran a hand through his hair. "It's my fault. We were talking while she waited on the food, and I didn't even think about it, it just came out."

Bucky leaned back, resting his back against the couch. "She would have found out one way or another. Better that it came from a friend."

"Yeah, I have a feeling she's going to be needing a friend or two." Steve said. "How are you holding up?"

Bucky shrugged. "Helps if I could remember anything."

Steve smiled. "Where do you want to start?"

"Where am I from?" He asked.

"That ones easy. Brooklyn." Steve relaxed against the cushions.

"We were friends?"

"The best. We lived in the same neighborhood as kids. There was this kid, Billy Kowalski, he was trying to fight me because he wanted what little bit of money that I had. You were coming back from the store and you scared him off. We used to call him Billy the Bully..."

Steve continued to talk but Bucky could only focus on the memory that was trying to come together.

He could see a little girl around six years old with bright green eyes. Her dark brown hair was braided into pigtails, held in place by two worn pink ribbons. Her pink and white dress had several spots that had been mended. She was smiling and one of her top front teeth was missing.

Bucky winced at the pressure building behind his eyes. He squeezed them shut. "The little girl with pigtails, what was her name?" He asked.

"Pigtails?" Steve thought for a moment. "The only one I can think of is your sister. Kathryn. She was seven when you left for the war."

"Which war?" Bucky asked.

"World War two. The war between the Allies and Germany. After Pearl Harbor, you couldn't wait to join the army."

"What about you?"

Steve gave him a wincing smile. "That was a little more complicated. I wanted to join the army, but the army didn't want me." When Bucky didn't seem convinced, Steve continued. "Dr. Abraham Erskine is the only reason the army allowed me in. He needed a test subject for this serum he'd been working on. It was supposed to create super soldiers with rapid healing, increased stamina..." Steve waved his hand. "And long story short, it worked. It would have been the thing to end all wars, except a Nazi spy killed Dr. Erskine before he could mass produce it."

"Someone did...Zola?" Bucky frowned at the face that appeared in his mind. Small, beady eyes and an ever mocking smile. He could hear his voice, taunting him. "He had a variation of it...We were trying to secure a weapons facility...twelve of us were taken captive. They experimented on all of us. The ones who survived were injected with different variations of the serum. Six of us died from the components being incorrect. I was the seventh subject."

"That's when I found you. You and four other men." Steve replied. "Do you remember the fall?"

Bucky shook his head. "Not really. Sometimes I'll get snippets. Or I'll get real cold for no reason. I remember the pain...begging them to let me die."

"Looking back, that serum was probably what kept you alive after the fall. Still, that was probably the worst day of my life." Steve said.

"Worse than being frozen in the arctic?" Bucky asked.

"It's a close call." Steve rubbed his knees and stood. "If you ever want to know more, let me know. I had a hard time adjusting when I woke up."

Bucky nodded his thanks and watched as Steve returned to his room. He sat there for hours, trying to process everything. He stared out through the large window, overlooking a large field surrounded by trees and barbed wired fence until the sky began to change from dark blue to orange.

Finally feeling slightly tired, he made his way back to Annie's room. She was still curled up on her side, sleeping soundly. As carefully as he could, he slipped in beside her and finally closed his eyes.

OoOoOo

Bucky woke mid morning to the phone ringing. Cracking one eye open, he felt around the bed side table, knocking things over until he found the receiver.

"What?" He croaked.

"Good. You're up." Director Fury replied.

Bucky closed his eyes and fell back onto the pillows with a sigh.

"We still have one more thing to discuss. I'll see you downstairs in fifteen." Fury said before hanging up.

"Sure thing." Bucky grumbled, hanging the phone up.

He sat up and looked around. The room was empty. "Annie?"

He didn't like her going off on her own without him. But there were worse places she could have gone. Without dwelling on the thought further, he entered the bathroom and turned on the shower.

OoOoOo

Bucky descended the steps cautiously, calculating his surroundings with each step.

"You're late." Fury stated. He stood waiting with his hands behind his back.

Bucky rubbed his chin, in desperate need of a shave. "Yea. Sorry." He replied.

"Time is a luxury, Sergeant Barnes." He turned and began to walk towards a pair of glass doors leading outside.

Bucky followed him reluctantly, scanning the perimeter.

"Don't worry about your girlfriend. She's with Rogers." Fury replied, keeping his eye on the field before him.

Bucky frowned at him, prepared to correct him, but thought better of it. "What's this about, Director?"

"Tell me about Cypress Lake. What happened?" Fury asked.

"Why?"

"Why?" Fury turned to him. "You really want to ask why?"

Bucky clenched his jaw. "An agent found where we were hiding."

"How?"

"We were careless." It pained him to admit it.

"Honesty. I can respect that. Who was the agent?" Fury pressed further.

Bucky took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Anton Brodsky. He was my handler in Russia."

"What do you know about him?"

Bucky shrugged. "He was a sadist. He made me kill and torture for him."

"What did he do to you in Cypress Lake?"

"I don't know." Bucky replied, feeling apprehensive.

"How did he bring out the Winter Soldier?"

"I don't know."

"You were there, you have to remember something. What did he do?"

"I don't remember." Bucky clenched his fists.

"You don't remember? You killed two people, almost killed Annie. Anton Brodsky showed up on your door step and suddenly the Winter Soldier is going on a killing spree. I need to know how he did it."

"I don't know what he did!" Bucky snapped. "All I remember is seeing Brodsky put a gun to Annie's head and then I woke up a few days later in a cave."

"Hey!" The two men turned at the intrusion. Steve walked up to them. He looked at Fury. "What are you doing?"

"Barnes and I were just chatting about Cypress Lake. And one Anton Brodsky." Fury replied. His cell phone began to ring. He patted his pockets, fishing out the device. "We'll finish this later." He said before answering and walking away.

Steve watched Fury disappear inside the compound and shoved his hands in his pockets. "He's...It takes a little bit of time to get used to him."

"Where's Annie?" Bucky asked.

"She went back to her room. She's exhausted." He replied. "How are you doing?"

Bucky clenched his jaw and exhaled through his nose. "What's the real reason we were brought here?"

Steve's brows came together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the files! The interrogations! What does S.H.I.E.L.D. want with me? Because I have no intentions of going back. Not alive."

"Going back? Jeeze Buck, is that what you think?"

"I don't know what to think! I don't know any of you people." Bucky snapped.

Steve pressed his lips together as he thought of what to say. "We didn't come after you to hand you over to HYDRA. I came after you because you were my best friend. Since I was seven years old, it was always you n me. Till the day I watched you fall from that train. I don't expect you to remember everything, I certainly don't want you to drive yourself crazy trying to. But I want you to know that if you can't trust anyone else here, you can trust me. Because I'm with you-"

"Till the end of the line..." Bucky said. He stared out blankly as memories tried to crowd into the front of his mind, bringing with it the usual headache. He squeezed his eyes shut as the familiar scent of grilling hotdogs filled his senses. He opened his eyes.

Steve was watching him with the hint of a smile in his eyes. "It's just going to take some time."

OoOoOo

Steve held back a groan as Bucky flipped him onto his back. He landed with a loud thud on the sparring mat.

Bucky bent forward, pressing his hands against his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

Steve stared at the ceiling. "More nightmares last night?" He gasped.

Buckle exhaled deeply. "Just the same one."

"Want to talk about it?" Steve asked.

"Nope." Bucky breathed.

Both men turned when the door to the gym opened. Annie peered in sheepishly.

"Call it a day?" Steve asked.

"Looks like it." Bucky held out his hand, pulling Steve to his feet.

"Hey guys. Hope I wasn't interrupting." She replied.

Steve took a gulp of water. "Not at all. We were just finishing up."

"Oh good. Can I steal Bucky?"

Steve smiled and held out his hand. "He's all yours. I'll see you guys later, I've got to touch base with Nat."

Annie smiled as Steve passed her by. She watched him as he jogged across the yard towards the main building.

Bucky slung his towel over his shoulder. "Everything alright?" He asked.

She blinked and looked up at him. "I should ask you the same thing. You were pretty aggressive in there."

Bucky shrugged. "We were just working out. Steve thinks it will help with my-"

"Anger issues?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I was going to say PTSD."

"So what's going on with you?" She asked. "Lately you're gone before I wake up and you don't come to bed until after I've fallen asleep. If you've even been sleeping-"

"It's not a big deal, Annie." He said, gulping down the contents of his water bottle.

"You know I've been talking to Dr. Keller now for about three weeks, I feel like its really helped to deal with all that's happened."

"I don't need a shrink." He snapped.

"It's not that bad. You shouldn't feed the stigma. Not every one who talks to them is crazy. Or bad."

"Did you come here to pester me?" He asked.

Annie crossed her arms. "Actually I came to see if you wanted to grab something to eat since I haven't seen you in a few days."

"I'm not hungry."

She nodded, not trying to hide her disappointment. "Fine. I'll see you later." She said, slamming the gym door as she stormed out.

Bucky cursed under his breath as he ripped the towel from around his neck and tossed it into the laundry bin.

OoOoOo

Annie sat out in the courtyard eating an egg salad sandwich she'd grabbed from the cafeteria. The sun was starting to set and dark clouds gathered on the horizon. Out in the field, she watched as several agents jogged around a makeshift track, when she felt the bench she sat on shift with additional weight.

"This seat taken?"

Annie glanced to her right and swallowed hard. "Um, no."

"I'm Natasha." The woman replied.

"I'm-"

Natasha smiled. "Annie Pierce. Your name is a bit of a hot topic right now."

Annie scrunched her brow. "My name? Why?"

"You're the daughter of Alexander Pierce who disappeared several months ago with the Winter Soldier. If you knew anything about him, you'd know why people were talking about you."

Annie struggled to find a response, but only managed a weak "ok".

Natasha brushed her hair over her shoulder and crossed one leg over the other. "A long time ago, I was an agent for the KGB. I have encountered him on many occasions, most being less pleasurable than others."

Nothing the confusion on her face, she continued.

"You seem like a nice girl, so I'm just going to put this out there. He's a killer. He was a killer before HYDRA made him a killer. It's what he does, and he does it well. Help him hold onto his humanity. Don't give up on him."

"Why are you telling me this?" Annie asked.

Natasha shrugged. "I loved him once. I know now that the way he looks at you is much different than the way he looked at me. Our time has come and gone and I'm ok with that. But don't let your time pass. He needs someone like you."

Annie shook her head slowly. "Someone like me me? I'm nothing compared to the other women here."

"And that's what he needs. You are his break away from this life. It's part of the reason why things never worked out with us. That and we were trying to kill each other..." She shook her head slightly. "But that's neither here nor their."

"I'm not even sure how he feels about me. He's very hard to read."

"Trust me. The man killed half a dozen men to rescue you. I'm pretty sure he doesn't do that for just anyone." Natasha stood and brushed off her white pants. "If you need someone to talk to, I'll be around." She turned and walked towards the building.

Annie watched her go, unsure of whether to thank her or not. No longer very hungry, she tossed the remains of her sandwich in the trash before making her way back to her room.

OoOoOo

Nick Fury sat in his office reviewing several different reports regarding various different threats, when a soft knock got his attention.

"Yes?"

Annie peeked sheepishly around the door. "Um Director Fury? Could I speak to you for a moment?"

Fury closed the folder, sat back in his chair and motioned for her to have a seat. "What can I do for you Miss Pierce?" He asked.

"May I read the files you have on the Winter Soldier?" She asked.

"I gave Sergeant Barnes the files to review."

"From what I've read, you gave him the files for James Buchanan Barnes. We both know there is another entirely separate file for the Winter Soldier."

"Several, in fact." Fury replied.

"May I read them?" She asked again.

"No." He said, peering at her with his one good eye.

She shifted in her seat under his intense stare. "Are they classified?"

"They're one of the few that still remain so."

"Could I please review them? Even just a few?"

"Why? I'm sure you know more about him than we do."

She looked down, feeling her face heat up slightly. "Truthfully, I don't know anything really. Only what I've experienced first hand. From what I understand, he has an extensive history. But he doesn't remember any of it."

"And what have you experienced with him, Miss Pierce? I'm interested to hear, because most people who've had the misfortune of encountering the Winter Soldier tend to die before they can give an account of the experience."

"He was never cruel to me." She replied defensively.

"He was never cruel because he was trained to be indifferent. He is an instrument of death, trained to show no emotion." Fury replied, standing.

"He had nightmares. Frequently."

He walked to a filing cabinet and placed several folders from his desk inside. "Go on."

Annie began to fidget with the hem of her ARMY t-shirt that Steve had given her. "They were nightmares that he couldn't wake up from. I'd try to wake him up, but then he would become confused. He'd speak to me in Russian and attack me."

"Thought you said he never hurt you?"

She shook her head slightly. "I said he was never cruel. There were several times that I thought he would kill me. And he came close, but that was the Winter Soldier, not Bucky. You owe me that much at least."

Fury raised his brows. "I owe you?"

"Well, my father owes me. And right now, you're the closest thing I have to him."

Fury sighed and pushed the filing cabinet shut. "I'll allow it. But only in the tech lab, and you have to have a chaperone."

Annie smiled. "Thank you Director. I really appreciate this."

"Check with agent Sullivan on your way out. He'll see you your clearance badge."

"There's one more thing..." She suddenly felt nervous. "I know that you and Agent Romamoff were present in the Triskelion when..." She bit her lip. "Could you please tell me what happened to my dad?"

"Are you sure you're up for the whole story?" Fury asked.

"I need to know who my father really was, regardless of the disillusionment."

Fury sighed, giving in. "Shut the door and have a seat."

OoOoOo

After what seemed like an eternity of shocking revelations regarding the man she called father, Annie emerged from Fury's office.

Betrayal, rage, sadness all fought for control, causing her to seemingly go numb as she walked down the long hallway leading to the air field.

The closer she got to the exit, the faster she walked until she was suddenly running.

With a slight cry, she burst through the exit and collapsed just short of the fence that surrounded the airfield.

OoOoOo

For the next two days, Annie tried and failed to get Bucky to talk to her. She got up at four am, and waited outside his bedroom for him to come out, only to realize half an hour later that he wasn't even in his room.

She finally gave up, telling herself that she'd eventually run into him at which time she'd force him to talk.

Not having an official job within S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, she resolved to burying herself in research. Committed to learning everything she could about the Winter Soldier.

Day two found her pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration as she sat behind a computer in the tech lab.

"Rough day?"

She gave a slight start, sitting upright. "Steve! Hi. Um you could say that.." She began to gather her notes, compiling them into a neat stack. "What..uh brings you here?"

Steve smiled. "I was just passing through on my way to get Bucky. We're heading out in a few hours."

"Out? You and Bucky?"

"And Agent Hill and Natasha."

Annie was slightly taken aback. "Like a double date or something?"

A laugh erupted from Steve. "A what? If by date you mean entering enemy territory and gathering data, then yeah."

Annie slumped back in her chair, unamused.

Steve's smile quickly faded. "Is everything alright?"

"No, actually." She sighed.

"Want to talk about it?"

"I think that Bucky is avoiding me. For the last few months he's been the only one I could rely on..." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "This is stupid..." She stood up abruptly. "Is he in his room?"

Steve looked slightly conflicted. "Yes..."

"Did he tell you he was avoiding me?"

Steve looked visibly uncomfortable. "Not in so many words."

She scoffed and stormed down the hall to his room, Steve in tow. She grabbed the doorknob and tried to open it but the door was chained on the opposite side. "Bucky please open the door!" She demanded through the small crack.

She gave Steve a pleading look. He pressed his hand to the door and gave it a hard shove. The chain snapped with ease and the door opened.

"Just a tad overkill, but thanks." Annie whispered before entering Bucky's room.

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring out the window. "Thanks Steve." He replied quietly.

Steve scratched the back of his neck. "We leave at 1900, Buck." He gave Annie a slight nod and walked out.

"So you're leaving."

"I am." He replied.

"You were going to leave without saying goodbye?" When he didn't answer she dropped her hands to her sides. "Bucky, why won't you talk to me? What did I do?"

When he again didn't respond, she crossed the room and knelt if front of him, forcing him to look at her. "Don't leave me like this."

The look in her eyes broke his resolve and he pulled her into his arms. "I'm not leaving you. I'll never leave you. This is just something I have to do."

She rested her cheek on his shoulder. "What are you not telling me?" She whispered.

His breath caught in his throat and he wanted nothing more than to tell her about his connection to her mother and sister's deaths. But he couldn't do it. "S.H.I.E.L.D. intercepted some Intel...they contained threats against them, and you."

Annie pulled back. "Against me?"

Bucky nodded. "Rumlow's alive."

"What? How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but he's the one issuing the threats."

She stood quickly as a familiar sense of fear began to creep in. "What kind of threats?" She asked.

Bucky gave her a wary glance. "Just know that it's bad."

"That's saying a lot if you think it's bad.." She said, sitting next to him. They sat beside each other in silence for a few minutes before he reached over and took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry I've been such an ass."

"You've been under a lot of stress, it's ok."

"No. That's no excuse. You deserved better than that."

"Bucky it's ok." She squeezed his hand. "Are the threats part of the reason you've been avoiding me?"

"Partly. It was the fear of something happening to you that really got me. They weren't going to tell me about the threats, but Steve refused to hold out on me. So Fury decided to have Steve train me to work as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D." He chuckled bitterly. "Seems like I'm always going to be an asset to someone."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't use you like HYDRA. Steve would never allow it. So this mission your going on..."

"The think they have a hit on Rumlow's location. But that's all I can say." He chuckled bitterly. "It's all they would tell me."

Annie took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Natasha and I had a chat."

Bucky couldn't stop the worried look that crossed his face. "Good or bad?"

She shrugged. "Interesting. She said the way you look at me is different than the way you used to look at her."

"What do you think that means?" He asked, swallowing hard.

"Truthfully, I don't know. But I hope that it means you feel about me the same way that I feel about you." She pushed through her nerves and, when he turned to look at her, threw herself against him, kissing him with a desperate fervor.

He immediately returned the kiss, flipping her on her back. His hands roamed over her body, grasping at her like sand. His lips trailed down her neck and over to her ear.

"Bucky wait-" she pressed her hands to his chest.

"What's wrong?"

"This feels like goodbye. I can't." She whispered.

He kissed her gently, understanding. "It's not goodbye." He rolled onto his side, gathering her into his arms.

"Think of it as incentive to come back home.." She replied.

He pressed his face into her hair, breathing her in. "Я люблю тебя, Энни." He whispered.

She didn't understand the remark, but she couldn't suppress a smile as she fought the urge to remind him that that sounded like goodbye too.

OoOoOo

At some point, Annie had fallen asleep in his arms. She rolled over and reached for Bucky, but he was gone. Throwing the sheets aside, she jumped up and scrambled out the door.

"Please don't be gone, please don't be gone.." She ran down the stairs two at a time and dodged people as she made her way to the courtyard. Slamming through the doors, she cried out as the sound of aircraft turbines hissed to life.

Steve and Bucky were walking up the ramp of the plane.

"BUCKY WAIT!" She screamed.

Both men turned as she pushed through the gate, running towards them. Steve gave Bucky a quick pat on the shoulder and continued on into the plane.

Bucky stepped off the ramp just as Annie launched herself into his arms.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She kept her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his. "I don't want you to go..." She replied quietly. "Please don't.."

He pulled back slightly and looked her over, brushing a stray piece of hair from her face. "This is something I have to do, Annie-"

"Sergeant Barnes! We need to go." Agent Hill called from the ramp.

He turned and signaled that he understood. "I have to do this for us." He replied. "I have to make sure Rumlow isn't around to threaten you anymore."

"When will you be back?"

He shook his head slightly. "When the job is finished."

She bit her bottom lip. "I just have a bad feeling."

He smiled. "Don't worry about me, doll." He stared at her, seriously fighting the urge to stay. The temptation was greater than he expected as he leaned down and kissed her gently. She placed her hands on either side of his face, returning the kiss.

"I've got a reason to come home." He said, breaking away.

"Buck!" Steve called.

Bucky let her go and began backing away. "I'll be back for you, I swear."

She clasped her hands under her chin, fighting tears as she watched him board the plane.

OoOoOo

Annie sat on the bench several days after Bucky left, staring out at the empty air field. The book she'd been reading sat open in her lap. She'd no idea what to do now that the only three people she knew were gone. So day after day she found herself at the same spot, hoping for a sign of their return.

"Miss Pierce,"

Annie turned quickly. "Yes?"

Agent Kee stood with two armed soldiers on either side of her. "I've been instructed to take you to sergeant Barnes."

"He's back?" Annie asked, wondering how she'd missed them.

"No, there were some unprecedented circumstances-"

"Is everything alright?" She asked as one soldier pulled her to her feet. His grip was nearly too tight.

"Sergeant Barnes has been injured. Captain Rogers is requesting your presence."

Annie felt her stomach drop. "Is he alright? What happened?!"

"We're going to find out together." Agent Kee said.

Annie let them lead her out towards the air field just as a jet seemed to appear out of thin air.

OoOoOo

Bucky watched as Steve quietly maneuvered to the opposing hallway of the warehouse they were in.

Steve looked around the corner, before signaling with two fingers for him to move forward. Two steps in, Steve held up a fist and Bucky froze. Steadying his breathing, he silently brought the gun up, finger hovering just over the trigger.

Several voices were coming from the room, none of them belonging to Rumlow.

Bucky was becoming irritated. All of the intel he'd received had led to this warehouse, but Rumlow appeared to have escaped.

The thought of missing him, of allowing him to terrorize Annie, infuriated him and filled him a sense of desperation.

Steve looked over at Bucky, and with two fingers, pointed to his eyes and then the room, indicating he saw two people. Bucky nodded and before Steve could react, barged into the room. Without blinking, he fired his gun twice, immobilizing both men.

He knelt down and pulled one man up by his collar. "Where is Rumlow?" He growled.

The man's groan turned into a howl as Bucky shoved the hot barrel of his gun into the bullet wound in the man's thigh.

"Fuck you!" The man cried. Bucky pressed the gun to his chest and pulled the trigger.

"Bucky! This isn't what we discussed." Steve hissed.

"No." Bucky replied, grabbing the second man. "It's not what we discussed. It's what you discussed. I never agreed to it." He pointed the gun at the man's head. "Where is he?"

The man squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't know! I was told to come up here. I don't even know who you're looking for!"

Bucky cocked the gun.

Steve took a step forward. "Bucky!"

"He told me to give you this!" The man pulled a phone from his vest.

With the gun aimed between his eyes, Bucky swiped the screen, unlocking it. What he saw made his stomach drop.

Annie stared at him from the screen, a gag tied around her mouth. Her eyes were wide and she was crying.

"Annie!"

She tried to speak but her words were muffled by the gag.

"I guess you finally remembered your name. Sergeant Barnes, right?" Rumlow appeared on the screen, beside Annie. His face and neck were covered in thick scars, no doubt from the injuries he sustained when the helicarriers fell.

"Rumlow what do you want?" Bucky snapped.

Rumlow grinned maniacally. "To see Hydra in control of the world's powers. To take my place at the right hand of Hydra and -" he leaned down and licked Annie's throat. "To watch you squirm."

Annie whimpered and tried to turn away.

"Don't touch her!" Bucky snarled.

Rumlow smirked. "Relax big guy. We're just having a little fun. Aren't we sweetheart?" He brushed her hair off her shoulder and she jerked away. He chucked. "I've missed her. We've got quite a bit to catch up on, so I'm going to have to go."

"Annie! Baby, I'm going to find you! I swear!" Bucky cried.

"By the time you do, she won't want to come with you. Just let that sink in." Rumlow glanced at Steve with a slight nod. "Cap." Then the screen went blank.

"Son of a bitch!" Bucky squeezed the trigger, hitting the man between the eyes, and threw the phone across the room.

"Buck, we'll find her!" Steve said, trying to calm him down. Bucky wrenched his arm free and pointed the gun at Steve.

Steve's hands went up. "Bucky woah!"

"How exactly did this happen, Steve? They were supposed to watch over her!" He yelled.

"I don't know, but we will get answers! I'll see to it myself." Steve spoke carefully. "But if we're going to find her, I need to know that you're with me."

Bucky glared at him, lowering the gun. "I'm with you. And I should have been with her!"

"I know! But you can't beat yourself up over it, Buck. There's no way we could have anticipated this!"

"The building is secure, no sign of Rumlow. What the hell happened in here?"

Both men turned quickly, Bucky aiming his gun.

Natasha had her gun aimed at Bucky. "Easy tiger, I'm on your side." She replied.. She looked at the bodies on the floor and glanced at Steve. "Is this Barnes or the Winter Soldier?"

"The Winter Soldier would have killed you already." Bucky snapped. He holstered his gun and shoved past her.

"They got Annie." Steve said quietly.

Natasha's brows raised. "Who did?"

He shook his head. "Rumlow. Someone on the inside at the base."

"Looks like we have work to do." Natasha said, following him out.
♠ ♠ ♠
Sorry for the delay in updating, I've been in and out of the hospital with my mother in law who passed away this afternoon. I hope you all had a very happy holiday and that you have a wonderful new year. As always, please drop me a comment. I really do enjoy them!