Yeah, this chapter is a little long, compared to the others, but hopefully a good one. Enjoy!

Chapter Three

Everything was weird.

Not that things were ever exactly normal at Avengers' Tower, let's be honest. But since Barnes had moved in four weeks ago, the weirdness factor had definitely bumped up several notches.

Bruce wouldn't leave his lab, Wanda drifted around looking spooked, Clint left for his farm and hadn't come back yet. Nat and Tony were cranky as hell, with Sam in the running close behind. Thor had whisked Jane off for an extended visit to Asgard. Only Steve seemed in good spirits, walking the halls with a little smile of pure happiness.

Oh, and the weirdest of all were the times he would run into the Vision in the hall, who would greet him with a "Yes, well done, Captain." and a high five.

She hadn't even realized the Vision knew what a high five was.

Darcy sat with folded legs on the floor next to the wall of windows, in the common room, leaning one shoulder on the glass. She watched the city traffic sixty floors below, chewing on her bottom lip in contemplation. She was again without duties since Jane had left, and was feeling a little aimless. A PA didn't have much to do without someone to actually assist. Bruce hadn't needed her this time around, since Nat was around. He'd mumbled something about how shockingly similar their methods were, while giving his lunch of salad and vegetable soup the side-eye.

Which Darcy took as a compliment, of course.

A noise across the room made her look up. Think of the Devil and he shall appear looking all scruffy and hot, that was the saying, right? Barnes crept through the doorway, an evil glint in his baby blues.

Okay, not really. Well, not on purpose.

He still just sort of exuded menace, and all that super assassin training had made him stealthy as fuck. Darcy remembered how, right before Clint had huffed off to his farm, Barnes had silently walked up behind him and asked him where the kitchen was. The bowman had nearly gone through the roof, letting out a very undignified squawk of surprise, earning himself the nickname Chickenhawk for the next week.

She laughed softly at the memory, slapping a hand over her mouth. But it was too late.

Barnes's head whipped around, his hard eyes finding her immediately. The laughter died in her throat, her heart rate picking up at the blank granite mask of his face. But in the next instant, the stony look melted away and the ice in his eyes warmed, caused her breath to skip.

When he remembered to act like a human, Barnes was distractingly gorgeous.

"Hey," he said quietly, moving toward her. Out of reflex Darcy stiffened, pressing back against the glass wall. It wasn't that he frightened her, okay he did a little, but she'd learned during her time with the team, better to be safe than sorry. Especially after all that "HYDRA hiding in the ranks" thing.

Barnes stopped in his tracks, clearly reading her discomfort. He let his hands dangle loosely at his sides, cocking his head toward the couch just a foot away from him.

"Mind if I sit?"

She hesitated, and his expression closed up immediately. He shifted his weight, as if preparing to turn and leave, and Darcy felt terrible. He'd never been anything but polite, always so careful around her.

Before she could think about it any further, she blurted out, "Yeah, that's fine. I mean, I'm just hanging out. You can, you know, hang out too. If you want."

He searched her face with those dark blue eyes, intent. "If you're sure."

This was ridiculous. She was being ridiculous. Steve trusted him, and so did Stark's Girl Friday. If an AI that watched Barnes's every waking moment felt he was not a threat, then certainly Darcy could at least stay in the same room as him for an hour.

"I'm sure." He started to sit down on the couch, then froze as she held up a hand. "Wait!"

Darcy arched a brow. "Did you bring snacks?"

The exasperated look he gave her had her giggling, as she drew her knees up and rested her chin on them.

"What? I'm hungry."

"Sorry, no snacks." He sank into the cushions, legs splayed, and rested his head on the back of the couch. Lids mostly shut, his gaze was just a glint of blue as he watched her.

Darcy just sent him a little smile, and wiggled her toes on the soft carpet, nails painted vivid red.

"At least that's one thing the same as before."

She glanced up, to find him looking at her toes. He flashed her a grin and laced his fingers behind his head, now looking fully relaxed.

"Girls painting their fingernails and toes was still pretty new in my day, but I'm glad it caught on. It's, uh, stimulating."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "We don't do it for you guys. Mostly."

"Yeah, I know. Kind of makes it even better." At her quirked eyebrow, he continued. "Because there's very little sexier than a woman who feel confident in her own skin, and celebrates it."

Well, now she was blushing. Was this even real life? Talking to a former HYDRA assassin about painted toenails? But then something he'd said snagged in her mind, causing her to frown and sit up straight.

"Wait. What do you mean, in your day? I mean, you're here now, sooo."

He shrugged, closing his eyes fully. By the sudden tension in his shoulders, she'd have to guess it was more to avoid her gaze than because he was tired.

"Barnes, I have two older brothers. My skill set doesn't include garroting people, but I could probably pester you to death. Don't make me pull out my hard won tricks."

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, and he opened his eyes again. God, they were so pretty, the shining blue surrounded with thick black lashes.

"Who I was, back then, that person is gone," he said slowly, smile fading away. Sitting up from his slouch, his hands dropped into his lap, and he stared down at the metal one. "That was a different time, with a different man. A different life, one I can't live anymore."

Well, Darcy certainly knew how to suck all the fun out of a conversation. Jumping up, she crossed to the couch and sat down next to Barnes, her knee bumping his.

"Listen, Barnes—"

"Bucky."

She hesitated, then shook her head. Too weird. Only Cap called him that.

"James." He let out a soft snort, but she rolled over anything he could have said. "Listen, James, I'm not going to say you shouldn't feel that way. I mean, you are different now, of course you are. Who wouldn't be changed by what you went through? The things you did, the things done to you? But that doesn't mean your life ended in 1943."

He looked at her. "I don't know how to feel alive, Darcy Lewis. HYDRA took that from me, and damned if I'm not trying to get it back, but..."

"But?" He was breaking her heart.

"But I... I don't know. I don't know if that's something I can relearn. If I have it in me."

Darcy sat back, her chest tight. Resolution filled her as she took in the shaggy hair pulled back in a rubber band, the worn jeans and old grey tee shirt, the metal hand and the flesh and blood one. Dark blue eyes studied the hem of his shirt, like what he was saying didn't matter, but the tense bands of muscles in his forearms gave lie to his causal mien.

"Fine, challenge accepted." His eyes flashed up to hers in surprise, and Darcy smiled. "Let's teach you to live again."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Bucky was a little afraid of what he'd gotten himself into. Well, not afraid, exactly. Wary. He was wary. It was good to be wary, saved his ass many a time. And it looked like this time was no different.

"I'm just sayin', I think you should give it a chance."

No way in Hell.

"James, are you even serious right now? Skeeball, pizza, and video games all in one place! How can you turn this opportunity down?"

Because he wasn't fully insane? Because HYDRA hadn't completely broken his will to live?

Bucky blew out a long breath. "There were lots of things I had to do while on a mission to survive, or keep my cover intact, but even then I'm pretty sure I'd draw the line at... at this."

Narrowing her eyes, Darcy crossed her arms in a stubborn gesture he'd become very familiar with and leaned back against the brick wall next to the glass door with the mouse decal on it. He automatically held out a hand to keep it from swinging into her as the door opened, disgorging a multitude of shrieking, messy children clutching game tokens and leftover pizza, trailed by several ragged looking adults.

One of them paused briefly, and stared at them with wild eyes, his hair sticking up in clumps.

"Save yourself."

Bucky just pressed his lips together in suppressed laughter and shook his head at Darcy, as the poor man wandered into the parking lot. "I've heard less desperation from POWs. Sorry, Lewis, but I am not going in there."

"Oh my God, you're such a wimp."

Her exasperation made him chuckle, he followed her back to her car. She popped the locks and he opened her door, leaning on it as she slid into the driver's seat. "No, I just have some small measure of self-preservation now."

"I'm just saying, you need to open to new experiences, James. Fun ones." She turned the key in the starter, then frowned when it just made a clicking sound. "What the hell...? I just had the battery replaced a couple months ago—"

Everything slowed as she started to turn the key again, then snapped back into focus, and Bucky lunged forward.

"No! Get out!" Without giving her a chance to comply, he yanked her from the car and threw them both sideways behind the bumper of the car next to them in desperation.

Her car exploded in a huge ball of fire and metal.

Pain seared through him, his back blistering from the heat as he huddled over her, protecting her with his body. Darcy screamed, clutching his wrists, her fingers biting into flesh and metal in terror.

"Stay still, I got you!" Bucky shouted, but in the next second he was knocked sideways as a chunk of metal slammed into his back from a second, smaller explosion. She scrambled across the pavement for him, screaming his name, tears and soot streaking her cheeks.

The pain was intense, some of the worst he'd suffered thus far, and breathing was nearly impossible. But at least he could feel the pain (numbness would be worse) and he was still conscious. They needed to get out of there. HYDRA was behind this, he had no doubt in his mind.

If there was a bomb, they'd sent agents as well, in case he managed to escape being blown up.

"Darcy. Darcy, listen now," he rasped out, struggling against the agony to breathe, and she leaned close, her beautiful green eyes filled with tears. "Call... call the team. Need extraction. HYDRA's probably here already."

She nodded frantically, patting her jeans pockets until she found her cell. With shaking fingers, she hit the emergency button that would activate a homing signal and put the call straight through to headquarters.

Her hair swung forward, and Bucky realized the curling ends were singed. Blazing fury at the sight helped him push back a fresh wave of pain. He was going to find out who had ordered this and dismantle them. Slowly.

"Steve? Steve, help us, there was a bomb, my car, it's horrible, and Bucky is... hurt. He told me HYDRA is... is here, somewhere." Her voice broke a few times, garbled from crying so hard, but clearly Steve understood her because she managed to briefly answer a few questions, then hung up. "They're coming. Just... don't move, okay?"

Shit. They couldn't stay here. Any second agents would show up. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Bucky levered himself into a sitting position. Ignoring Darcy's protests, he managed to stagger to his feet, hanging onto the side of the truck next to them.

"Not an option. We need to move."

"Oh my God. Bucky..." Darcy started to reach out, to touch his back, then yanked her hand away, expression horrified.

"Now, Darcy."

He still had a gun in his ankle holster, several knives tucked away, and garroting wire wrapped around his wrist. Not to mention his bionic arm. But with Darcy limping along next to him as they crept through the parking lot filled with screaming people and smoke, he felt vulnerable. If they couldn't slip away, if the team didn't show up soon, odds were they'd be taken.

The chunk of Darcy's car was still lodged in his back, his shirt had burned away, and probably a sizable amount of flesh and muscle as well, considering the searing agony every step was causing him. Maybe he could fight through it, but he wouldn't be able to protect them both. Maybe not either of them.

Glancing behind them as the smoke shifted, he could see movement around the burning wreckage of her car, and knew the agents had arrived. Gesturing toward a bank of trees around the side of the building, he urged Darcy to move faster. The cover wouldn't last against a thorough area search, but hopefully it would keep them hidden long enough for help to arrive.

Pushing through the pine leaves, he pulled her in with him, tight up against his body, and slumped against the brick wall. Now all they could do is wait. Closing his eyes, Bucky focused his attention on the other side of the screen of branches, wrapping his arms best he could around Darcy as she shivered, her hands pressed her mouth as sobs wracked her body.

This was his fault.

He was an idiot, to think HYDRA would forget about him, or give up trying to get him back. After a year of security, he'd been lulled into complacency. No, not lulled. He'd let himself slide. And Darcy had nearly died for his carelessness. Besides Steve, she was his only friend. The others, they tolerated his presence, and he didn't blame them. But Darcy...

Bucky took a deep breath, ignoring the stab of pain. No time for this crap now. He needed to focus on keeping her safe, getting her out in one piece. If it meant leaving her here, hidden and safe, while he gave himself up... well, then that was just the consequence of his actions. Or lack of them. Turning her to face him, her green eyes filled with fear, cheeks flushed and dirty, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then forced himself to drop his arms from her body and step back.

Her eyes widened as she searched his face.

"Bucky, no. No, no, no..."

Was he that easy to read now? All the more reason to remove her from the playing field. HYDRA would have no compunction torturing her to get his compliance, once they realized she meant something to him.

"Shhh." He held his finger to her lips, cutting off her protestations. She grabbed his hand, but he pulled away. "This is how you stay safe."

"I don't want this way." Tears spilled down her cheeks again. "Can't we just wait? The team should be here any moment."

"I can't take the chance they won't make it in time."

"Bucky—"

The sound of helicopters filled the air, gunfire and shouting immediately following. Her face filled with relief.

"See? They're here. Stay with me."

But there was no guarantee HYDRA agents wouldn't hunt them down while the firefight raged in the parking lot, unless he was in plain sight, somewhere away from her.

Shaking his head, he extracted himself from her grip, and pulled his gun from its ankle holster. The wounds in his back screamed at the movement, but he buckled down hard on the pain, focusing beyond the trees. Flicking the safety off with one thumb, he slid a long, thin blade out from under his other sleeve.

"Stay here." At her snarl of frustration, he just looked her, letting her see everything he felt in the moment in his eyes. "Please, Darcy." Her lips parted, then her shoulders slumped in defeat and she stepped back, huddling against the brick wall with her arms wrapped around her waist.

And he stepped out into the smoke and fire.