A/N: Should have mentioned it earlier, but the first scene in the prologue is from a scene in the movie, and so is the first scene in this chapter. As always, I don't own it, but I do own the blu-ray.


Chapter Two

The cemetery was quiet, green, and peaceful. Steve Rogers shook the hand of Nicholas J. Fury over the empty grave of...Nicholas J. Fury. He thought it ironic that so many people he knew—including himself—tended to come back from the dead.

"If anyone asks for me, tell them they can find me right here," Fury said amiably, nodding towards the flower-decked grave.

"You should be honored," teased a new voice as Fury left. "That's as close as he gets to saying 'thank you'."

Steve turned to Natasha with a smile. "Not going with him?" he asked. They stopped in the shade of the green cemetery tree to talk.

"No," she said, shaking her head and sounding very amused. Steve couldn't blame her. Fury was headed to Europe to take down the last of HYDRA. Easy for a dead man to do; not as easy for an outed spy.

"Not staying here," he added. It wasn't really a question.

"Nah," she answered, hardly a whisper. "I blew all my covers; I've got to go figure out a new one."

"That might take a while." A while of not seeing her.

"I'm counting on it." Her smile was kind.

Steve figured they could compromise on that.

"That thing you asked for..." Natasha handed him a folder she'd carried in under her arm. "I called in a few favors from Kiev." Cyrillic letters emblazoned the manilla cover, and the number '17' was stamped on in blue.

Steve felt his stomach turn to ice at the sight. This would be a tough read.

"Will you do me a favor?" Nat asked softly. "Call that nurse?"

Steve couldn't help but smirk at the thought of his 'neighbor'. "She's not a nurse."

"And you're not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent," she answered.

She had him there. He nodded. "What was her name again?" he asked lightly. He remembered. Super-soldier perfect recollection and all that. But he wanted to hear it from her.

"Sharon." Natasha's smile was the most gentle he'd ever seen from her. "She's nice."

They'd been quiet for a few moments, with nothing else to say, when Natasha stepped forward and put her arm gently around his neck.

Steve leaned down. She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

He looked at her with a question in his eyes, but found no answer. He supposed he should get used to that.

As she walked away over the grass, she added, "Be careful, Steve." She turned and spoke over her shoulder. "You might not want to pull on that thread."

Steve knew she was right. It could be dangerous. Downright suicidal. He'd seen what his friend...the Winter Soldier...was capable of.

But he couldn't set it out of his mind now.

As she left, he opened the folder. Inside was a large blue biopsy photograph of Bucky's face, ringed by ice, behind a glass panel. At the lower corner of that, a tiny black-and-white photo hung on by a paper clip, showing the same man bright-eyed and in uniform right before the war.

Steve heard Sam's footsteps in the grass behind him.

"You're going after him," said Sam. It wasn't really a question.

"You don't have to come with me," answered Steve, still reading the contents of the folder.

"I know." There was a pause. Then Sam asked, "When do we start?"


The familiar hustle and noise of Manhattan was far dulled on the high floor in Avengers Tower. Tony Stark had arranged for Happy to pick up Steve and Sam the moment they arrived at the airport. Steve was just grateful not to lose any time.

"Okay, so, debrief me again," quipped Tony, leaning against the workbench in his lab and tapping his chin with a wrench. "I do better in person than with phone calls."

Steve was ready to oblige. "I'm looking for Bucky," he began, standing, while Sam sat nearby on Tony's chair. "They've turned him into a—"

"Brainwashed assassin, got that," Tony interrupted. "Speaking of which, about those S.H.I.E.L.D. files. JARVIS skimmed 'em for me and found 'conclusive evidence' that our friendly neighborhood pseudo-Nazis in Europe could have Reindeer Games' scepter."

"Could have what now?" Sam asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Loki's scepter," Steve answered quickly.

"Yep. Messed with our minds a little last time, and we were just standing in the same room." Tony shrugged. "Obviously, we don't need to talk about that now, but remind me. Because—problem."

Steve felt his teeth grit. He really shouldn't have been so surprised that the organization that brainwashed Bucky would want a brainwashing scepter. This made things a lot more complicated.

"Actually, let's talk about that now," he decided, addressing Tony. "What do you think?"

Tony's eyebrows shot into the sky for a moment. "Well, if you're so eager to know." He set the wrench down and leveraged himself away from the workbench, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets to pace the lab. "Feathers says he's got some connections who can feed us inside information. He's still a little bitter about the whole mind control thing and doesn't want it happening again.

"The whole thing will probably come to a fight. Think we should do this together, as a team? Make a statement? No fair withholding unwieldy artifacts from Asgardian gods!"

Steve couldn't help but crack a smile. "I dunno. With all due respect, I think I'll have my hands full. Can you handle it without me?"

"What, without our fearless leader?" Tony sounded teasing, but he almost looked...hurt? "Truth, justice, and the American way? Nothing?"

Steve sighed. "You're right, this is big. If it comes down to it, I'll try to be there. But my friend needs help. They messed with his mind. Helping him is just as important."

Tony's lip quirked. "He sure seemed cognizant enough to put a few bullet holes into you, Cap," he shrugged.

"That's not sanity, and you know it," Steve said tightly.

Tony stuck his tongue into the pocket of his cheek and was quiet for a while. "You're right."

There was a moment's silence, and naturally, Tony broke it.

"Well, I'll bite," he said easily. "What do you need?"

Steve resisted exhaling in relief. "I need a second pair of eyes. Or a dozen of them. I can't be everywhere at once, and I need all the help I can get."

Bruce Banner, who'd been tinkering with something sciency in another part of the lab, looked up and quietly listened in on the conversation.

"Hm." Tony waved his arm, pulling up some holograms in the air, and began to poke around in them. "You're sure we'll be able to track him? Seems he was able to keep on the down-low for seventy years."

"That's before we knew who we were looking for," Steve argued back. "And HYDRA doesn't have the structure to keep him a secret now. He's on his own. The sooner we find him, the less chance he has to go far."

"Point." Tony flicked the holograms away and put on the voice of a ringleader. "Well, let's review the evidence, gentlemen, shall we? J, take a look around social media and news sites around D.C."

"Already done," the AI answered smoothly, flicking more images and text into the air over the holograms. "There's nothing conclusive to be linked to James Barnes, but I've encountered multiple reports of HYDRA outposts around the capital mysteriously looted and burned to the ground within the last two weeks."

Sam stood up and stepped closer to the holograms. "He's fighting back?" he asked the AI. Steve was impressed that Sam was so calm about the sentient computer. His hurried explanation in the ride here from the airport must have worked.

JARVIS hesitated. "For a recent victim of HYDRA's crimes, revenge isn't far fetched. The motive is there, but it isn't certain. Nor is there a clear evidence trail to suggest his location."

"So he's just slippery," Tony concluded. "Lying low."

"I would too after setting my old bosses on fire," muttered Sam.

"Are there any kills involved?" Steve asked the ceiling. He was almost afraid of the answer.

"One." The single word hung in the lab's air for a moment. Then JARVIS brought up the news article, complete with pictures. "It appears to be an official of high standing within their internal ranks."

"Personal vendetta?" asked Sam, peering closer at the picture of a blood-stained uniform.

"No way of knowing," answered JARVIS.

"J, what's the radius of the lootings?" asked Tony, grabbing a packet of sunflower seeds from who knows where amidst his machinery and stuffing a few in his mouth.

JARVIS displayed a satellite view of D.C., peppered it with red dots, and projected a transparent blue circle that encompassed them all. "Every single outpost is within five miles of the capital. Seven recorded incidences in Maryland and three in Virginia, not counting locations within the district itself."

"So he hasn't gone far." Tony sealed the bag again and tossed it onto his desk.

"That's good," Steve breathed. He tried to ignore Sam's concerned look.

"Thanks, J. Keep the face recognition running on socials and news sites in the background, and look out for anything else that sounds suspicious. That's about all I can do," said Tony, turning to Steve as JARVIS shut down the holograms. "Bit too far north for anything more involved."

"You're sure it's a good idea to go after him?" asked Bruce.

All three of the other men turned to look at where the quiet man was fiddling with his round glasses.

"He's my friend," Steve answered automatically. "I have to try."

Bruce glanced momentarily where the holograms had been. "If this is him, then he still seems violent." His gaze met Steve's, and the unsaid question hung in the air.

Steve felt his face fall.

"If we can find him, we can help take the fight out of him," Sam said firmly. He turned to Steve. "You've been working on a plan, right?" he asked.

Steve nodded, silently thanking God for Sam. "I have."

"If that plan involves throwing out 40's colloquialisms to jog his mind and letting yourself get beaten to a pulp, I can't back it," Tony said, biting into a sunflower seed and spitting the shell two yards into a trash can.

Bruce gave Tony a small smile. Steve himself couldn't help but be reminded of a story he'd heard from Ms. Potts. Proof that Tony Stark has a heart...

Steve quirked a smile. "How did you hear about the fight on the Helicarrier?"

"Was that just a joke?" muttered Sam.

Tony stared at him blankly for a second, still chewing. Even Bruce looked surprised.

"Wait, you tried that?" Tony asked.

Steve shrugged. "It worked."

Silence reigned for a moment.

Bruce began to nod. "You're crazy," he said, a smile tugging on his face.

Tony chuckled.

Sam grinned and crossed his arms. "No lie there."

Steve resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Anyway, the plan's a bit more detailed than that. All I'm trying to say is..." He let his voice fall back into seriousness. "Bucky has been marching to someone else's drum for seventy years." That was insane to think about...it felt like he'd only lost him a year ago. Steve felt his jaw set. "I don't want to be one more person giving him orders. I want to help. Really help."

Bruce gave a small nod, and the glint in Sam's eye spoke approval.

"Well, I'm a sucker for impassioned speeches, so I'll buy," said Tony, holding out his hand. "Not much I can do in D.C. from here, but if you ever need my expertise, ring me."

"Thanks, Tony." Steve shook his hand firmly. "I promise, I'll do what I can on the hunt for the scepter in the meantime."

"I take it that doesn't take priority, though." Tony raised an eyebrow.

Steve shot him the kindest icy glare he could. "No."

Tony shrugged and took his hand back. "Fair enough. Let's split our resources, cover both areas. If we ever need the Avengers out en masse, we'll call you."

"That's fair," Steve answered. It really was.

Bruce offered his hand too. "Best of luck."

"Thanks." Steve shook it, and so did Sam. "We're gonna need it."


Steve was on the phone with another potential help in his search. It might have been a spy's way to keep things as quiet as possible, but it wasn't Steve's way. He could use everyone he could get.

He could hear her rueful smile over the phone. "I'll do everything I can, but I can't promise much," she said with a sigh. "I've taken up an honest job with the CIA."

Steve let himself smirk. "Can't be that much more honest."

Her laugh was low and musical, even over the phone.

She paused, and her tone was different when she spoke again. "You said you're also running a search for the Avengers."

"Yeah."

"That's a lot."

"It is." He knew that pretty well.

Sharon was quiet. "You have to pick your battles, Steve."

"I do. Thank you." He felt the spark come back into his eyes. "And he's the first one."

tbc...


A/N: Hahaha I'm actually really proud of this.

Reviews are sunflower seeds.