Steve

The day was just beginning and it was already stressful. Steve was standing in the Operations room and he was reading a report. Sam was at a console and he was thinking of the right time to ask him something, but Steve looked in a touchy mood. Steve lowered the report and he looked at Rhodey "Rhodey, what do you have?"

Rhodey walked forward and he shook his head "I'm sorry Steve, I've got nothing. This Zemo guy is hard to track, even with Gerald's coordinates. The places are empty, I don't think we're going to find him like this"

Steve sighed "You and Stark keep working with Gerald, not giving up just because we've found empty bases"

Rhodey nodded and walked away, he passed Agent Allen on his way out. Steve looked at him "Allen"

Allen looked at him "I have my guys all over the place, it feels like we're looking for a needle in a haystack that has a smaller stack of needles"

Steve slightly smirked, that was a weird analogy, but he moved past it "How has the tracking of the sedative that Niko used?"

Allen sighed "Like we said before, it's a commonly used one, and it's purchased in high amounts by Veterinarians and other Doctor offices."

Steve thought for a minute "Have them narrow the search to lower doses that were purchased"

"You got it" Allen walked away and eh saw Clint and he smiled at him "Hey Barton"

"Allen I see you are actually working"

"What I do my job, finding Niko is important. I know when to start working"

Clint watched him walk away and he shook his head. Steve saw this "You don't like Allen much"

Clint sighed "He's not too bad"

"How's Laura and the kids?"

"They're good, we'll be able to know the sex of the baby in a week or two, or whenever Laura actually gets a checkup"

Steve smiled "You hoping for a girl?"

Clint shook his head "I want another boy, Lila is enough for me"

Steve chuckled "I'll have to come by and give her another drawing lesson"

"She would love that, oh Cap, Laura wanted me to ask you; would you like to come to the house for Christmas Eve?"

Steve sighed "I've never been invited anywhere, I don't know. If we find Bucky before then, maybe"

"Lila really misses you"

Steve chuckled "I will try to come and I'll be bringing a date"

Clint nodded "So how are you and Nat?"

Steve looked over and Natasha was on an I-pad in the corner of the room. "We're good"

Clint smiled and patted him on the back "I like it when you two are together. Those months that you weren't were killing me"

Steve smirked "I like being with her"

Clint nodded "If you hurt her, I'll shoot you in the balls" Clint said

Steve chuckled "I don't doubt it"

Clint chuckled "Natasha might kill me if I did that"

Steve looked at him and smiled "Thanks for making me laugh"

Clint nodded "Not a problem" he looked over at Natasha and she moved her hair back and it rested behind her ear.

Steve watched her and he looked at Clint "Hey can you and Nat go to the Helicarrier and talk to Jane?"

Clint nodded "You got it"

Steve turned away from Clint and walked across the busy room. He found Vision standing next to Wanda. Vision saw him coming "Captain"

"Vision, Wanda" Steve greeted them

"I see that we are running the resources thin" Vision said

Steve nodded "Sadly we have to, Niko can fall of the grid pretty quick"

Vision saw Sam walking up to them "Sam?" he asked

Sam paused and he sighed "Steve, can I talk to you?"

Steve nodded, he looked at Vision "Keep looking Vision"

Vision gave him a nod, Steve followed Sam toward the door and they both stood next to it and Sam began to speak "I know that the current trails we have been getting haven't really taken us anywhere"

Steve nodded "What do you got?"

Sam hesitated and he almost smiled "It's not a what, it's more of a who"

Steve looked at him and he waited for Sam to tell him who it was "Sam?"

Sam nodded "Sorry, two months ago when you and Bucky were getting a ring for Hill I kind of had a run in with a man"

Steve nodded and waited for him to continue, Sam sighed "He broke in here and stole something"

Steve frowned "He got past you?"

"Yeah"

Steve looked at everyone "What's his name?"

"Scott Lang, I had him looked up and he is currently working with Hank Pym"

Steve heard the name and it brought his attention around "Hank Pym?"

"Yeah"

"You mean Ant-Man?"

Sam frowned "How did you know who it was?"

"I read files, Fury has a file on him, anyway, where is he?"

"We can talk to him right now"

Steve looked at the chaotic room "Ok, let's go see this Scott Lang"

Sam nodded and before he knew it they were both in a Quinjet, Steve was sitting in the chair behind the pilot seat. Sam watched as the snow covered ground was disappearing as they rose into the air. He hoped that this Scott Lang was good, but also what could he do that could possibly help?

Peter

The weekends were becoming Peter's favorite parts of the week. It was the time that he was actually able to be around people that know who he is and appreciate what he does. He enjoyed the beginning love that the people of New York were beginning to show him, but he still had the problem with the Police. He was never shot at though, that was nice. Peter was in the Helicarrier and he was standing in the lovely conference room. He was spinning a chair and he heard the door open. He stopped the chair and he turned around and Fury was walking toward him.

"Nick" Peter said

Fury smiled "Parker, take a seat"

Peter paused and then he sat down and he placed his hands on the table and he lightly tapped his fingers against the metal. Fury took a seat across from him and he had a file with him, as usual. Peter was silent, or at least trying to be, he felt a little uncomfortable, he always did when he was talking to Fury about something serious. He was lightly whistling and he saw Fury's eye glance up at him and he stopped. Fury went back to looking at the file and he left it open and he placed it onto the table. Peter looked at it, he saw that it had something to do with a guy named Helmut Zemo. Fury cleared his throat and spoke "Parker since you have started a more frequent work relationship with us"

"I'm getting paid" Peter quickly said

Fury shook his head "No, you don't even work for S.H.I.E.L.D. you work with us"

Peter nodded "right, well can I get paid" he persisted

Fury chuckled "At the moment no. but maybe when you get a little older"

Peter sighed "It's always when you get older" he sighed and he smiled. "It's ok, I'm Sixteen, not much to worry about at my age"

"That is basically correct, but for you, you do have something to worry about"

Peter nodded "Yeah, I'm getting the hang of it all"

"I bet you are, Parker I have an assignment for you"

Peter instantly sat forward "What is it?"

"I need you to stay out of this"

Peter frowned and he felt like Fury just hit him in the stomach "What?"

"Stay out of this, just focus on your week days"

Peter shook his head "I want to help Nick"

"I understand that, but this man, Niko, you do not need to be involved in it"

Peter sighed and leaned back in the chair "So you're benching me"

"Yeah"

Peter crossed his arms "Ok, Nick" Peter stood up and he went to leave and he turned back toward him "When are you going to start to trust me?"

"I do trust you Parker"

"Yeah, it sure feels like it" Peter said frowning.

"Listen, I'm just trying to keep you safe"

Peter sighed "I appreciate it Nick, I do, but what I do puts me in danger all the time"

Fury stood up "This is not a dumb robber or mugger"

Peter shook his head "Nick, I can help, you're the one who brought me back into this. Oh that's right and I saved the Avengers from being turned into ash. When are you going to accept that I can help with these things? You always push me away when serious things start to happen"

Fury was quiet and he walked forward "Peter go home"

Peter blinked and he sighed frustrated and he walked away. Fury exhaled and looked at the file on the table.

Peter felt like hitting something, he walked up to the main deck of the Helicarrier and he walked past S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel and he passed a Quinjet and he walked to the edge of the Helicarrier. He looked back at the door that he walked out of. He sighed and shook his head, he took a deep breath and he looked down and he was high above the city, they were next to clouds.

Peter took another deep breath and he jumped off the deck and fell through the air. He kept his body stiff and he had his arms at his sides and he shot forward down toward the city and he breathed steadily. He felt his eye water from the wind blowing past him at a high speed. Peter moved slightly and he got to a height and he opened his arms and his legs and he slowed down and he was still falling fast, but he wasn't shooting forward like a bullet.

Peter saw the Empire State building and he saw it as his way of not hurting himself. He aimed his wrist and fired his web shooter and the white web flew and attached itself against the side of the building. Peter braced himself for the pull, and it came as the web held his weight and he swung forward and let go of the web and he flew down between the skyscrapers and he fired another web and swung over and crane and he flipped through the air and he fired another web as he came around and he swung to the right and he jumped onto the side of a building and he hung onto the side of the building and he looked up. He sighed as he calmed himself down from the adrenaline rush.

He took a deep breath and he jumped backwards and flipped and he fired his web and swung through the air and he let go and he twirled through the air, he swung for a steady four minutes. He saw Stark's tower and he swung himself toward it and he landed on the roof. He stood up from his crouched landing. He walked forward and he saw the door he used and he placed his hand on the pad that read his fingerprints. The door unlocked and he heard FRIDAY's voice "Welcome back Peter"

"Thanks, let Tony know I'm here"

"Mr. Stark is currently at the Avenger's facility, should I call him?"

Peter sighed "No, he's probably busy looking for Niko" he emphasized the name.

"You seem to be upset" FRIDAY said

Peter chuckled sarcastically "When am I ever not upset?"

"When you…"

"FRIDAY" Peter said quickly

"Sorry"

Peter sighed and walked down the stairs "No worries, hey put Trouble by Imagine Dragons on Please"

"Certainly"

Peter heard the beginning of the song begin to play and he took a deep breath and he walked into the main area and he tossed his jacket onto the couch and he walked forward and up the small stair case and he smacked the wall with the beat of the song as he entered the lab.

Steve

The grass was green, lucky for California, New York is covered in snow. They had a rented car, nothing special, they were driving down a very nice street and a large house was at the end. The car came to a stop in front of the house. Sam put the car into park and he took a deep breath "Now by the way it seemed the last time I met him, he's a fan"

Steve chuckled "Another one"

Sam smiled "Yeah well it's always nice to have a fan"

Sam opened the door and climbed out of the car, Steve stayed in the car for a bit. He looked down at his hands and he took a deep breath and he followed suit with Sam. The air was cold, but not bitterly cold like New York, and the wind didn't help, but otherwise it was comfortable. Even New York was comfortable compared to the time when Sam and him went into the Russian wilderness, that was cold. Steve followed Sam up the steps and they both stood at the door.

Sam looked at Steve "I have no idea what he'll be like"

Steve nodded "Just knock on the door"

Sam tilted his head and he knocked on the door. They both stood in silence and Steve heard someone coming toward the door, they were apparently coming up from downstairs. Steve prepared himself for the door to open and the knob turned. The door opened and a man with black hair and he was smiling and he looked who was at the door and would have knocked. He saw Sam, Steve was out of his view. His smile disappeared "Oh shit" he said

"What?" as female voice asked from inside the house, Scott shrugged "Its windy out here" he answered. He looked at Sam and Sam just stared back at him. He chuckled nervously "I thought he was kidding, um is it about the device I borrowed and didn't return, because if it is I'm sorry"

Sam put his hand up "No need, what we need is your help"

Scott stared at Sam and he smirked slightly "We?" he asked and he walked further out of the house and he saw Steve standing next to Sam and he was calm. Scott's eyes widened and he slammed the door in their faces. Sam's eyebrows went up and he looked at Steve. Steve shrugged and then the door opened and Scott was back, he smiled "Come in"

Sam glanced at Steve and walked into the house, Steve followed and Scott closed the door behind him. Scott kept looking at Steve as he walked past him. Sam and Steve were directed into a living room, and as they entered the room they saw a woman sitting in one of the armchairs. She saw Sam and didn't pay him a moment's glance, but as soon as she saw Steve and she stood up and looked at Scott.

Scott couldn't answer what she was about to ask, he simply shrugged at her. "Oh sorry, Hope meet Falcon and Captain America" his voice became thin when he said Captain America.

Hope was shocked by who had walked into the house, she put her hand out and Sam shook it "It's good to meet you both" she said

She shook Steve's hand and Steve frowned "Hope? Hank Pym's daughter?" he asked

Hope was flustered by him and she was still in shock that she just shook Captain America's hand. She nodded "Yeah"

"It's nice to meet you, Hank was a great help to S.H.I.E.L.D. when it was being created"

Hope smiled "Thanks, but you can say that to him yourself" she said as she saw her father peer around the corner.

Steve turned around and he saw Hank Pym standing in a grey robe and he had his arm in a sling. Hank looked at Hope and then at Scott and he sighed "What do I owe the pleasure of having two Avengers in my home?" He asked

Sam was the one who spoke "We are actually here for him" he said inclining his hand toward Scott.

Hank sighed "What do you want, is there another city falling from the sky?"

Steve shook his head "No, we have recently had one of our own captured, and we were hoping that Scott could help us"

Hank nodded and chuckled "What could he possibly help you with?"

Steve could tell that they weren't entirely welcome in the house, Steve wanted to get to the point, and he didn't want to intrude any longer than was needed. "Sam thinks that he could help us get him back"

Scott walked farther into the room "Who did you lose?"

Sam looked at him "James Barnes"

Scott widened his eyes "Bucky?"

"Yeah"

"Didn't he die?"

"No, he is the Winter Soldier" Steve answered

A small scoff came from Hank, and Hope glared at him. Steve looked at Hank, he sighed "sorry but he was a pain in the ass when I was with S.H.I.E.L.D. and now he's working for them, heh they just keep aligning themselves with the wrong people"

"Bucky was forced to do what he did, he deserves a second chance" Steve said defending his friend

"Heh that is exactly what they said about Armin Zola and look how that turned out" Hank said with a small chuckle

"Yes S.H.I.E.L.D. made some mistakes along the way, but that is over"

Hank shook his head "Hydra never goes away, cut off one head two more will take its place, I thought out of anyone that you would know that"

Steve felt a bit of anger begin to feed into him, but he kept his emotions under control, he was talking to a man that didn't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve glanced at Sam "Believe it or not, there are worse things out there than Hydra"

Hank chuckled "What now, more aliens?"

Steve shook his head "No, just someone who has been playing this game a long time"

Hank nodded "What is their name?"

Sam decided to speak "His name is Niko Constantin"

Hank looked at Sam and he raised his eyes brows a bit "Niko Constantin?" Hank repeated

"Yes, and his organization, Shadow Games" Steve answered

Hank nodded "One guy?"

"Well there someone else as well she just caused us a few problems two months ago."

"Her name is Yelena Belova" Sam said

Hank looked at them both "Never heard of her"

"You weren't supposed to" Steve said

Hank stood up and he sighed "So Hydra is a concern, but not the main concern?"

"At the moment, yes. Niko is causing more trouble than Hydra is"

Hank walked forward and he looked up at Steve "Steve Rogers, I remember Agent Carter talked about you a lot"

Steve nodded "I'm here to help, the list of bad guys are becoming a little more than we can prioritize"

Hank nodded "I know how that is, ok Rogers we'll help you"

"We will?" Hope asked

Hank looked at her "Yes, I may not be a lover of S.H.I.E.L.D. but Captain America needs our help, and I won't turn him down"

Steve smiled and held out his hand "It's nice to meet you officially"

Hank too his hand with his usable one "Always wanted to meet Captain America"

Scott decided to enter the conversation at that moment "So what do you need?"

Steve and Sam looked at each other "We need help tracking Niko down"

"Well I'm not a tracker"

"No but Hank can help with that area, we need to find where Niko is hiding, when we do. He going to regret making me angry" Steve stated

Hank nodded "I'm sure you have my number, contact me in a day"

Steve gave Hank and nod, and he looked at Hope "Nice to meet you ma'am"

Hope gave him a nod, Scott walked them out and he closed the door and he turned around and Hank was standing in the hallway, he didn't look very happy. Scott walked forward "So we're helping them?"

"Yeah, just this once then we're done" Hank said turning to go toward the back of the house. Scott frowned "What happens if they need my help again?"

Hank stopped and he turned to look at him "Then you make the decision yourself if you're going to help"

Scott watched Hank walk away and Hope was leaning against the entryway of the living room. She sighed "He's always had a problem when it came to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Scott sighed "It's not just S.H.I.E.L.D., it's the Avengers, and they need our help, if they ask again I'm going to accept"

Hope nodded and walked forward and they stood close to each other "I know you want to help, but think about what's right for your daughter, if anyone knows who you are, you'll put her in danger"

Scott sighed "I know"

"Just want you to think before you jump into something, their world is crazy"

Scott looked at her "The world is crazy"

Hope nodded "Just want you to know what you want"

Scott sighed "I want to help, that's all"

Hope leaned in close "And there is something undoubtedly sexy about that"

Scott smirked, he looked down and he took her hand in his and he looked at her "Do you agree with me?"

Hope was silent for a minute "Yes, but not at the risk of family"

Scott nodded "Sounds good"

Hope smiled and he lean in and kissed her. He put his arms around her and her hands moved his side and his back. They came apart and he took a deep breath "It gets harder every time"

Hope frowned slightly "What does?"

"Not wanting to…"

"Careful with your choice of words Scott" Hanks' voice came from the other side of the house.

Scott closed his eyes and sighed "Mood killer" he said softly

Hope smirked and she kissed him lightly on the lips and she walked away and Scott stood in the entryway of the house and he took a deep breath. He hoped he didn't get himself way too far over his head.

Peter

Peter had spent the last two hours in the lab and he was starving when he finally left it. The music had stopped and Peter just thought that maybe FRIDAY got tired of the music and shut it off. He walked down the steps and he went to the kitchen. He needed something before his stomach killed him. He opened the fridge and grabbed a loaf of bread and he saw lunch meat. He grabbed that to.

He made himself a sandwich and he heard footsteps as he took his first bite. He looked up and a light red haired woman was standing a few feet from the counter and she was staring at him. Peter put the sandwich down "Pepper Potts right?" he asked, he never actually met her in person.

Pepper walked forward "you must be Tony's prodigy"

Peter chuckled "More like a fan and a friend"

"You're an Avenger?" she asked looking at the sixteen year old boy in the kitchen who had helped himself to some food.

Peter sighed "Not yet, I help Fury out in some instances, but as of now I've been benched"

Pepper walked forward, she placed her purse on the counter and she frowned "Why were you benched?"

Peter took another bite out of his sandwich and he chewed and swallowed and spoke "It happens every time that serious things start to happen, he told me not to fight in the battle of New York when Red Skull attacked and I did anyway, and while dong it I saved Hawkeye's life"

Pepper was surprised by that answer "Well I'm sure that Clint was grateful"

"He was, but I want to help, I can handle these situations, I just wished Fury could see that"

Pepper sighed "Shouldn't you be home, it's a Saturday"

Peter chuckled "I never have days off"

"Well it seems that Fury just gave you one"

Peter looked out of the large window that let him see the city "They never give me a break, and I don't want them to"

Pepper looked out of the window and looked at the city, she looked back at Peter and he seemed to lose himself in the site of it. "We all love this city" she said

Peter nodded and finished his sandwich, are you looking for Tony?"

"No, I know where he is, I came here actually for peace and quiet."

Peter looked from side to side and he saw his pack and a few plates, he gave her an awkward smile back. Pepper chuckled "Its ok, you are actually a lot quieter than Tony"

"Well that's because I don't test my technology at home"

Pepper laughed "You would be right on that part"

Peter looked at her as she took a seat on one of the stools at the counter "Do you need anything?" he asked

"A glass of wine would be nice"

Peter nodded and he walked toward the fridge and he pulled a bottle of wine and he reached up into an open cupboard for a wine glass. He placed it onto the counter and he pulled the cork out without the help of an opener. He poured the wine into the glass and filled it halfway. He looked back at her "Half or full?"

"Full" Pepper said as if she couldn't wait to have it in her hand.

Peter filled the glass to the rim and he put the cork back into the bottle and hit it very lightly and it went back into place. He put the bottle away and he took the glass and handed it to Pepper. "Thank you" she said and she took a long sip of it.

Peter sighed and he took a seat next to her. She looked at him "You look like you could have a glass to"

Peter chuckled, he placed his hands on the counter, and a long sigh left his lips "I just hate not doing anything"

"Well you could go out there for your Saturday"

Peter sighed "I want to help them find Bucky"

"Look, they already have the entire team and then some working on it, maybe you should be the one who still takes care of crime in the city"

Peter nodded "Maybe"

Pepper took another sip of the wine, Peter looked at her "I just always saw myself working with Captain America and Iron Man, it sounds…"

"Cool"

"Awesome" he said smiling

Pepper smiled at him "Well give it time, I'm sure Fury will come around"

Peter chuckled and half scoffed "I haven't seen Fury come around to anything"

"Me either" Pepper said

Peter chuckled and he rubbed his hands together, Pepper glanced at the lab "So what were you doing in their?"

"I was working on a new webbing for my web shooters"

"You have devices that let you swing around the city, no glands under your skin?"

Peter chuckled "Only in movies"

Pepper smirked, Peter continued "I was working on making a stronger substance, the last time I was being pulled behind a Quinjet, the webbing started to break, and I don't want that to happen anymore"

Pepper nodded "So you're some sort of tech genius?"

"Of a kind"

Pepper took a long sip from the wine again and she sighed "What else do you have?"

"Well I have my own police scanners, well I attached devices to the cell towers around New York, and…" He interlocked his fingers "I can listen to any cop in all the city"

"Isn't that illegal?"

"No, listening is legal, but getting to the job before the police and catching the bad guy, kind of is."

Pepper sighed "Well sometimes helping means breaking a few rules"

Peter chuckled "can't break too many though"

Pepper gave him a nod and drank the rest of the wine. Peter sighed "I'll leave if you want some peace and quiet?"

Pepper shook her head "You're welcome to stay"

Peter smiled "Ok, so want to do something?"

Pepper chuckled and she sighed "What is there to do around here?"

"I have no idea"

They both laughed and Peter sighed, he was actually having a good time. Today wasn't so bad after all.

Natasha

Natasha was sitting in one of the chairs in the Quinjet and Clint was in the pilot seat. She was looking at an I-pad and Clint was thinking about asking her a question. Clint stayed silent for about four minutes and he tried to focus on flying, but the question kept gnawing at him. He put the Quinjet in autopilot and he turned the entire chair around. "Nat?"

Natasha took her eyes off the I-pad and she looked at him "Yeah"

Clint was hesitant "How are you and Steve?"

Natasha answered without a moment of hesitation or a second thought "We're good"

Clint nodded It just seems that you both seem to, I don't know, fight each other in the ways of opinion"

Natasha sighed "It's about Bucky" she said

Clint nodded "Oh"

"Yeah, Steve wants to save him, and I don't"

Clint sighed "Yet you're helping"

Natasha nodded "Yet I'm helping" she repeated and she looked back at the I-pad.

Clint nodded and he sighed "I liked it better when we didn't have Niko and Yelena to worry about"

"Apparently we all did" Natasha said without looking up

Clint frowned "What's up Nat, you seem, off"

Natasha sighed and she closed her eyes, was she really that noticeable? She opened her eyes and looked at him "I don't know, ever since I went back to Red Room, things have been…"

"Bad?"

"No, good. I'm not used to good"

Clint nodded "Well, sometime we move on from things"

Natasha nodded "But I don't feel like I've moved on"

"Is it Niko?"

"No"

"Yelena?"

"I could care less about Yelena"

"Hmm, then who could it be?"

Natasha sighed frustrated and she shook her head "I don't have a damn clue"

Clint sighed "It has to be Bucky"

Natasha was silent for a moment and she nodded "It could be"

Clint crossed his arms and he sighed "Its Bucky"

Natasha looked at him "What?"

"It's Bucky, you don't trust him"

"Would you?"

"That's not the question, because I do trust him, he stopped Niko from blowing up Moscow while we were dealing with Stark's Frankenstein"

Natasha sighed "I know that, but then why do I just have an uneasy feeling every time I think about him or see him?"

Clint shrugged "Maybe its fear"

Natasha scoffed "I'm not scared of much Clint"

"The key word of being much, you were afraid of going into Red Room and you did anyway. Maybe facing the fears has brought your focus on a new one"

Natasha sighed "I hate you Barton"

"I hate you to Romanoff" he said giving her a small smile.

Natasha smirked and she saw the Helicarrier from the canopy "Heads up" she said

Clint turned the chair and he took control of the Quinjet and flew up above the Helicarrier and slowly landed. Clint opened the ramp with the release button and the ramp unsealed itself and it slowly went down, opening the way to the deck of the Helicarrier. Natasha stood up and Clint unclipped the buckles and he walked toward the ramp. Natasha stopped him and he looked at her as her hand was on his arm "So what do I do?"

Clint shrugged "Face your fears"

Natasha watched Clint walked down the ramp and she sighed, Easier said than done.

Natasha followed Clint and she walked across the deck of the Helicarrier, it was freezing. She wished she had Steve with her, he was like a furnace when it came to the cold, yet he hated the cold, he said he was more susceptible to it, even though he would be like a fire in a blizzard, it must have something to do with the fact of being frozen for seventy years. Natasha entered the Helicarrier after Clint and they walked down the hallways that were familiar, yet so different.

Honestly Natasha didn't even know why she didn't trust Bucky. She trusted him when she first new him in Red Room. Yet she was different and she had changed since then. It was making her angry as she couldn't deal with it, it was like a dark storm cloud that hovered and haunted her. It was constantly making her think about it and she didn't know why.

Was she angry with him? Probably. Was she afraid of him? Yes. Was if affecting her relationship with Steve? Defiantly. She shouldn't be surprised by this, in every relationship that she ever had that was anything like what she had with Steve; well most haven't lasted as long as she and Steve's, but she always found a way to mess things up. She either locked up or stayed an emotionless bitch the whole time, or she put all her energy into work and ignored the damn person. She really didn't want that to happen with Steve, he was the one good thing she'd had in a long time. She wasn't used to having good things, usually whenever she tried, it always blew up in her face, an example, Bruce.

She was tired of the walls and barriers that kept her from being happy, funny two years ago, none of this would have mattered to her. Steve, her past, her state of being, she just focused on work and on forgetting her past, and it worked for a while. Then she met Captain America, which was fine they just worked together to save New York, then came the partnership. It wasn't easy at first, Steve had no idea how to do the black ops that she was used to. He was also naïve and it annoyed her sometimes, now she loved it when he was naïve, how the hell did that happen? Now she couldn't leave him for five minutes before he was on her mind. How does Steve even love her?

She can be cold, calculating, heartless, downright rude, and she could be ruthless it she was pushed far enough. Why does he even love her? Natasha thought about those questions a lot, he always told her that he saw the best in her and he sees the bad, but looks beyond the bad, Natasha still had a hard time doing that. Was it because how she was raised, or is it just who she is? Natasha didn't know the answer, sometimes she hated being the cold calculating bitch that most people see her as. For one of the first times when she joined the Avengers, she didn't have to be that way, it was easier not being that way, and then again she never let anyone in at the beginning. Well except Clint, but that was because he was the one person who gave her a second chance, then it was Fury, and now it was Steve. She hates the fact that some people think that she's just playing Steve and is going to break his heart one day out of the blue.

Sadly she didn't see herself very far from doing that, that's what hurt, the fact that she could see herself doing that made it worse. Steve said that she deserves to be happy, but what if that isn't true? What if she can't be happy, all the goodness that Steve says that she has was programmed out of her in Red Room, was she lying to herself when she told herself that's he was happy? Is she feeling these things because their real, or is just her mind playing tricks with her and one day her programming will just kick in and take over? The idea of that hurts, and she hoped to God that, that doesn't happen, then again she wasn't a very sentimental person. She stopped believing there was a God long ago, she had seen too much evil to believe that there's something good out there. She noticed that Steve would say stuff while he was lying in bed, he would whisper it, she didn't know what he would say, but she could tell he was talking.

Natasha was brought out of her thoughts when Clint said her name "Nat?"

Natasha looked at him "You with me?" he asked looking a little worried

She nodded and took a deep breath "Yeah, I'm here"

Clint nodded "Good"

They were standing outside of Jane's lab and Clint was waiting patiently as the doors were locked shut. Natasha was leaning against the wall when the doors finally opened. Jane came out and she looked around and before Clint could even get a word out she dragged both of them into the lab and the doors shut behind her and locked.

Clint was confused and Natasha could tell something had happened to make her like this. Jane let go of them both and she walked over to her computer. "Sorry for the quick entrance, you must be Agent Barton"

Clint was still racked with confusion and he spoke "Yeah"

"Never actually met you" Jane said, she smiled and began to type frantically on the keyboard. Natasha walked forward "Steve sent us"

"Good, I don't really trust anyone at the moment"

Clint tilted his head "We got that impression when you dragged us in here"

Jane sighed "sorry, it's just. I found something"

Natasha took an initial step forward "What?"

Jane nodded "It's about those bullet casings, oh and the sedative that was used on Bucky."

"What about the bullet casings?" Clint asked

Jane looked at Clint "They are Soviet made…and"

"They have no trace, basically the bullets won't help us" Natasha said

Jane nodded "Exactly, well it only helps that Niko has upgraded his arsenal a bit"

Clint nodded "Does Bucky use those?"

"When he was the Winter Soldier, yeah" Natasha answered him

Clint looked at her "Where would Niko get those kinds of bullets?"

Natasha closed her eyes "Of course, they may be Soviet made, but Hydra used them, well it seems they still use them"

Jane sighed "Well at least we know that Niko is in lead with Hydra"

Natasha shook her head "No he isn't"

Jane looked at them "But he uses their weaponry"

"Yeah, but Niko steals things from other organizations, hence why Shadow Games is slowly becoming more and more powerful."

Jane sighed "I hate this guy"

"Get in line" Clint said "Now about the sedative?"

Jane inclined her head "Ah yes, we did what Steve said and we ran it with lower doses, like a onetime use"

Natasha nodded "Niko didn't have to get a large sum of it, makes sense"

Jane typed on the keyboard and she bit her lower lip as she moved through the data. She smiled "I got four hits"

Clint walked around the table and looked at the computer, he looked at Natasha and he read them aloud "Jerry Hatfield used it to steal a horse, he gave it to the owner"

Natasha shook her head "Niko doesn't care about a horse"

"Another was bought by Shelly Trimble, she used it on her dog, hmm, big dog"

Natasha sighed "Please don't tell me all of these aren't people that loved their animals"

Clint sighed "The next one involves a bear named Cringles"

Natasha sighed while rolling her eyes "Shit" she murmured under her breath.

Clint's eyes widened "Ah, here, this one was bought by an unknown buyer, but of course they had to tell them why they wanted it. The report says that the buyer told them that he was going to use it to help an old friend with an animal problem, and that his friend needs to pay for getting him into this problem"

Natasha pointed at the computer "That one, Niko often calls Bucky friend, and he always goes on about Bucky needing to pay for what he did to him"

Jane smiled "Well then, I'll have it sent to Steve, oh and you're not going to believe the location where it was bought"

"Where?"

"New York, this place has a billing address, maybe checking out the house or building may lead to more evidence"

Natasha exhaled in relief "Ok, Clint you get back to the facility, I'm going to go check out that house"

"Hold on, you're not going by yourself" Clint protested

Natasha looked at him "I can take care of myself Clint"

"Steve won't like it"

"He doesn't have to, it may help us get Bucky back, worth the risk"

"When did you start caring about Bucky?" Clint asked

Natasha sighed "I don't care, this is all for Steve"

Clint looked at her closely "If you run into trouble, what if Bucky's there, as impossible as it sounds he might be"

"I'll bring him back"

"You sure you won't kill him?"

Natasha sighed "I don't know, but right now we're going to have to take some risks to get him back and without him we have two people that are hurt, and the third is getting the ripples from the effect"

Clint sighed "Ok, just tell me when you get there and when you leave, if you don't tell me when you leave, I'm coming in there with Steve"

"Appreciate it" Natasha said

Natasha began to walk out of the door "Jane send those directions"

"You got it"

Clint and Jane looked at the door as Natasha left, Jane sighed "She does that a lot doesn't she?"

"Yep"

Tony

Tony was standing at guard as Rhodey was working on a door. Tony glanced back at Rhodey and he stared back at the long hallway that they had come down earlier. "You should find something in there" Gerald's voice said into their ears.

"Gerald the past fifteen had nothing in them and you said the same thing about those" Rhodey said while grunting as he pulled something out of a console by the door.

"Well I'm just trying to keep our morale up"

"Well a breakthrough would be great" Rhodey said and he sighed

Tony turned around and he looked at the door and he scanned it, he sighed, Hydra and their locked doors. He turned around and watched their six again. Rhodey looked back at Tony "You can help at anytime"

"I'm watching the hallway"

"Tony, I don't think anyone is going to come after us, this place looks like it's been abandoned for a while"

Tony nodded and he turned back toward the door "How's it coming?"

"Slowly, sucks that there isn't any power"

Tony knelt down and sighed "Yeah, ever thought about blowing it up?"

"I would advise against that Mr. Stark, that door wouldn't budge and you would most likely hurt yourself in the process of the futile attempt to get it open" Gerald said

Tony sighed "That sounds rehearsed"

"I've had to say that to James many time when we first met"

"Yeah about that, since he was put on ice and had his mind picked at, how does he remember you?"

"Well Hydra only got rid of the ones about his targets, the whole Red Room incident he remembers all of it, or at least most of it"

"Doe he remember any targets he killed?"

"Not that I know of"

Tony sighed "Well funny how we're putting all this effort into finding a guy that a year ago was trying to kill us"

"Bucky isn't that bad" Rhodey said

Tony looked at him "Oh you call him by his nickname?"

"I worked with him for a small amount of time, he's like Steve, but a little different"

"Like Capsicle, one was hard enough to deal with"

"Well Bucky has more of a dark side than Cap"

"Cap told me we just haven't seen his yet"

"Maybe, nothings pushed him far enough to show it I guess"

Tony tilted his head and half shrugged "I guess"

They didn't speak for a minute and Rhodey pulled out a large wire and the door creaked and began to open. Tony looked at Rhodey "Yay" Tony said softly

They both stood at the door and waited for it to open. The door was fully open and it locked itself in place and the hallway that was open to them was pitch black. Tony looked at Rhodey "Not creepy at all"

Rhodey sighed "What is it with Hydra and being in creepy places?"

"Well it has Iron Man and War Machine second guessing" Gerald said

"Point taken" Rhodey said and they both entered the dark hallway.

They walked down the dusty and damaged hallway. Rhodey noticed that bullet holes were scattered over the walls. Rhodey ran his hand over them "What happened here?"

Tony turned around the corner and he saw dead bodies and they were skeletons, he was happy he couldn't smell. "Rhodey"

Rhodey turned away from the bullet holes and he saw the large mass of dead bodies. He looked at the skeletons and he saw the insignia on the uniform's shoulder "They're not Hydra"

Tony looked at him "Then who the hell are they?"

Rhodey knelt down and looked at the insignia, it was a symbol he didn't know. "Private security maybe"

Tony chuckled "Hydra having private security?"

"Yeah a little hard to believe"

They moved on down the hallway and Tony stepped on an arm and it snapped. Rhodey looked back at him. "Sorry"

They continued, Tony noticed that bullet casings were everywhere. They entered a larger room and there was bodies everywhere. Rhodey sighed "What the hell happened?"

"What are you seeing?" Gerald asked

"Dead guys, a lot of dead guys" Tony answered him.

Rhodey scanned the insignias "It's a mixture if the Unknown guys and Hydra"

"Well it seems someone got a little angry"

Rhodey tilted his head "Well Hydra isn't the nicest organization"

Tony saw a console "Oh goody"

Rhodey watched as Tony walked over the bodies and stood in front of the console. "Gerald how long does this place date back?" Rhodey asked

"It has been around since the seventies"

Tony looked at the console and he cursed under his breath "Well they has crappy technology back then"

"Hydra wasn't very big in the seventies" Gerald said

"Not till they had S.H.I.E.L.D. in their pockets" Tony said

"Correct"

Rhodey looked at a wall and he frowned "Uh Tony, look at this"

Tony turned away from the console and he looked at the wall that Rhodey was staring at and he almost fell over. The black words were printed on the wall: Stark Industries.

Tony took a deep breath and Rhodey looked at him "Your dad built this place?"

Tony shook his head "No, someone else did. Gerald was this ever at one time abandoned before?"

"Yeah once, it was put back into use in the late eighties"

Tony shook his head "Obi"

Rhodey frowned "Who?"

"Obadiah Stane"

Rhodey walked forward "Stane, you mean the guy that pulled the arc reactor out of your chest, made a huge freaking suit and you almost died to stop?"

"The one in the same"

"Was he Hydra?"

"No, but he did deal under the table, it wouldn't surprise me now"

Rhodey whistled and Tony walked forward and he looked at the words. He took a deep breath and he could hear Pietro's words in his head "This familiar to you Mr. Stark, is it comfortable?"

Tony closed his eyes and he exhaled "Gerald, look into Stane's life and see if he did any dealings, he dealt with the Ten Rings, Hydra, and maybe it's possible that he made a deal with Niko"

"I'm on it, you guys get back home"

Tony looked at Rhodey and he looked around at the dead bodies. "We're not leaving till we know what happened here" Tony said as he looked back at the large words.

Rhodey nodded "I'll let Cap know"

"You do that" Tony said under his breath and he turned back towards the console "FRIDAY, can you have a power source sent here?"

"Of course, should be to you within the hour"

"Good, and tell Pepper I need a rain check on dinner"

"I'll notify her immediately"

"Thanks"

Tony turned back toward Rhodey and he saw that he had his back to him. He sighed and he looked at the large words "What were you into Obi?"

Bucky

It was quiet and Bucky was on his knees. They were burning from the pain, but he'd gotten used to it after the first few days. His hands were still locked in the contraptions. Bucky had his head hung low and he was breathing slowly and slightly wheezing. His ribs were still healing, at least they weren't broken, at least at the moment. He lifted his head and he looked around the room that he'd been stuck in for two months. There wasn't a lot to look at, crates upon crates, his best guess; he was in a place where they store things. He didn't even know if he was in the states, he could be in Russia and he wouldn't know.

He found that unlikely, but who knows what Niko does, even Bucky had a hard time understanding him, he was easier as a kid. Bucky had gone from having a light stubble on his face to a full beard. He was very unkempt and he probably smelled. Bucky sighed and he moved his jaw and it lightly popped. He sighed, he hoped that Hill was getting closer to finding him. He close his eyes and he tried to put himself back in her apartment and remembering having her asleep in his arms, it was becoming increasingly hard since he only had six hours of time to himself, otherwise he had to deal with Niko's constant blabbering, not to mention a wrench and a sledge hammer.

Bucky opened his eyes and he took a deep breath and winced from his ribs, he could barely think, there was only two things on his mind; Hill, Hill.

He just kept his mind on her and he was just waiting for someone he knew to burst through the door and then take him out of this godforsaken place. He didn't see himself being that lucky though, it he got what he deserved, he would be killed and left here as food for the rats. Bucky chuckled and he sighed in pain as his ribs ached. He often thought about trying to break out, but then he would still be in no condition to fight, he didn't even know if he could walk.

Sometimes if he ever fell asleep he would see Steve walking toward him and freeing him, even his mind was punishing him. He really couldn't catch a break, he heard footsteps; speaking of no breaks.

Bucky watched as the door creaked open and Niko and Alexie walked in, Alexie had a pistol in his hand and Niko had his hand together and was smiling. Bucky wished he could punch the smirk off his face, then break his neck, he really wanted to break his neck. Niko got the closest and Alexie stood further back and he just held the gun in front of him and waited for a cue. Bucky looked up at Niko, and he leaned down and smiled "Have a good break?"

"I could go for a burger right now" Bucky said

Niko chuckled and punched him in the face, Bucky sniffed and spit blood out of his mouth "I would assume that would get me nowhere"

Niko hit him again, Bucky couched and blood spilled to the floor, and he took a deep breath and looked at Niko "So what is it today? A soft wrench, or a soft sledgehammer?"

"How about a bullet?" Alexie asked

Bucky gave him a fake smile "Try me"

Niko chuckled "Death won't come to you that easily"

"Who said death would even come?"

Niko chuckled "Touché"

Alexie cocked the pistol back and Niko looked at him "You want to shoot him? Go ahead"

Bucky looked at Alexie and he fired the gun and the bullet hit him in the shoulder. He heard it hit the wall behind him. Bucky groaned in pain and Niko laughed "A through and through, high points"

Bucky let his head hang and he felt Niko shove his thumb into his wound and the burning pain increased and he looked up at him. "You're quite durable Barnes, are you aware of what I went through?"

"Yeah they put you on ice and it didn't make you go out, you just screamed and screamed"

Niko nodded "I soon lost my voice, but now everything feels cold, I can't feel the warmth"

"So sad for you" Bucky said not caring about Nikos sad story. He stopped wishing he could have stopped it a long time ago.

Niko punched him in the face and shoved his finger back into his wound and Bucky growled in pain. Niko looked at him "I'm not as damaged as Romanova"

"Bringer Natasha back into this? Very mature"

Niko looked at Alexie and gave him a nod. Alexie fired the pistol again and the bullet hit Bucky's other shoulder, but his time stayed in. Niko looked at Bucky with joy "Ooh goody"

He dug his fingers into Bucky's wound and Bucky gritted his teeth and he yelled as Niko pulled the bullet out and blood squirted out of the wound. Niko looked at the bullet and his bloody fingers and he laughed "Want another one?"

Bucky spit blood into Niko's face, and Niko wiped it off and he licked the blood away from his hand. Alexie fired again and the bullet hit him in the gut. Niko chuckled again and he dug his finger into the wound and Bucky yelled in pain as he felt Niko tearing his skin as he dug the bullet out. Bucky saw the silver bullet in Niko's hand and he heard it hit the floor and it made a soft clink.

Niko looked at Bucky as he was breathing heavily and he saw blood leaking out of his gut. He looked back at Alexie and Alexie handed him a long piece of metal and Bucky hadn't noticed that it was red hot. Niko looked at it, then at him "Don't want you bleeding to death"

Bucky yelled in pain as the hot metal burned his wound. Niko sighed and he put it to Bucky's shoulder next. Bucky spit through the pain and blood mixed with saliva leaked out of his mouth as he yelled in pain. Niko sighed and he tossed the piece of metal away, he looked back at Alexie "Ok and me the wrench"

Alexie tossed the bloody wrench to Niko and he caught it and he looked at the dried blood on it. He sighed and looked at Bucky "How's the ribs?"

The wrench went down and made contact with Bucky's side and a loud crunch came next and Bucky yelled in pain. Niko laughed and hit him across the face with the wrench and Bucky's jaw dislocated. Bucky growled in pain and Niko hit him in the face on the other side and his cheek bone cracked and his head was ringing, the room was spinning and the voices were distorted.

Niko hit him in the ribs again and another loud crunch and two more ribs were broken again. Niko tossed the wrench away and he grabbed the sledge hammer. He held it ready "Oh and its both today"

Bucky saw the metal head swing toward him and hit his thigh and he gritted his teeth from the aching tightening pain in his muscle. Niko sighed "That thigh will break"

He hit Bucky again and there was a loud snap and Bucky yelled at the top of his mungs as his femur snapped in half. Niko laughed through Bucky's yells and he hit him in the chest and cracked his sternum. Bucky felt all the air leave his chest and he groaned and he couched blood up and it splattered on the floor. Alexie looked away at that moment and he saw Niko going to him again and the metal head hit Bucky in the shoulder and another loud crunch and Bucky's shoulder was cracked. Bucky was overwhelmed with pain he couldn't even yell anymore.

Niko hit him again and again. Niko tossed the sledge hammer away and he began to kick Bucky in the ribs. Niko stopped and he took a step forward and he snapped Bucky's jaw back into place. Bucky felt the pain, but he couldn't yell. Niko punched him in the face again and again, soon his eyes was swollen and his nose was broken and his lips were ripped and blood was leaking out of his mouth as Bucky's head hung backwards. Niko hit Bucky two more times and he was breathing heavily and he took a deep breath and he rubbed his bruised knuckles. Alexie stepped forward "Niko, I think that's enough"

Niko shook his head one more thing. Niko grabbed the sledge hammer again and he walked to the side of Bucky and he smiled and swung it down and broke Bucky's ankle. Bucky yelled and finally a sound left his mouth. Niko swung again and broke the other one. Bucky was wheezing as he could barely see from the swelling and Niko dropped the Sledge hammer on his foot and he felt his toe break and Niko walked away. "We'll be back tomorrow, thanks for the good time Barnes"

Alexie followed Niko and he looked back at Bucky and he was covered in blood and he was bruised and he was barely breathing.