Thank you again to everyone reading, it always brings a huge smile to my face.

Liz sighed as she slowly awoke, rubbing her face against the pillow until… Wait, that wasn't a pillow. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, banging her head on something hard. "Fuck!" She cried, closing her eyes tight as she rubbed the back of her head.

She heard deep, low chuckling and she opened her eyes again to see Bucky sitting beside her on the floor of Steve's kitchen. "Are you alright?" He asked in a deep, sleepy voice as he ran his fingers down her cheek with a small smile on his lips.

Liz nodded, the feeling of his warm rough skin against her cheek sending shivers down her spine as she watched him curiously. She realised they must have fallen asleep in each other's arms after what had happened, and she actually felt rested despite her aching back. Bucky was looking at her differently, his eyes soft and trusting as he checked that she hadn't hurt her head against the kitchen cabinet, and she found herself smiling back at him when the front door opened. They both shot to their feet, ready to attack.

"It's only me!" Steve called and they both relaxed, watching as the blond super soldier came into their view, sweating and panting after a morning run. "Finally awake then." He grinned at them, and Liz felt herself go red as she stepped away from Bucky, heading towards her room.

"I should get dressed." She mumbled, hurrying to her room and locking the door behind her.

She paced back and forth in the small room, a single bed pressed against the wall beneath the window, the three other walls being used by bookcases and a desk. She shivered nervously as she thought back to how she had woken up. She had rested her head on Bucky's chest; she had her arms wrapped around him. What the hell had happened? She was afraid of getting close to anyone, especially him. He was dangerous, he had nearly killed her.

She squeaked when her phone started ringing and she picked it up off her bed and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Lizzy! D'you think you could come in a little earlier today? My cashier is sick and I gotta go pick up my gran from hospital." Her boss sung happily into the phone. She had forgotten it was Friday already and that she needed to work, so she groaned in response.

"Yeah, sure." She sighed. "What time?"

"You're an angel!" Arthur exclaimed. "If you could get here around 5 that would be great. I'll put you in for double pay to say sorry."

Liz smiled into the phone. "Sure." She said simply. "I'll see you."

"See ya!" Arthur called before he hung up, and she sighed deeply as she threw her phone back onto her bed, looking at the time on the clock that hung on the wall. It was nearly 10am already.

She grabbed her laptop and started up the search for her identity once more. She had tried countless times already to no avail. This time though, she knew that the Winter Soldier was James Buchanan Barnes, so maybe it would tell her who the Siren was. Before she knew it, hours had passed and Steve was knocking on her door. "Liz, I got some lunch ready for Buck and me…" He said hesitantly through the locked door. "Do you want to join us?"

Liz sighed heavily, realising she had been reading through records that had about 0.01% chance of containing any information about her, and closed her eyes. "Liz?" Steve called again.

With another unhappy sigh, she got up and opened the door, staring up at Steve with a blank expression, waiting until he stepped back before she went into the kitchen and sat at the other end of the table to where Bucky was sitting in yet another hoodie that hid his body. She said nothing as she ate, deep in thought as she absentmindedly listened to Steve and Bucky talking. Well, Steve was doing most of the talking and Bucky listened carefully, hanging on to every word.

After lunch, Liz locked herself away again until she finally stepped out of her room, wearing torn jean mini shorts and a fitted black t-shirt with the name of a bar in bright green, her blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail. "Whoa, what's going on?" Steve asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"I gotta go to work." She said, getting herself a glass of water. "I'll be back around 3am."

"Wait, you've got a job?" Steve frowned as he came into the kitchen. She only shrugged and nodded, rinsing the glass clean and picking up a banana. "Where do you work?"

"Bar." She said simply, avoiding his gaze as she slipped passed him, only to almost walk straight into Bucky who had appeared at the doorway.

"You haven't eaten since lunch." Bucky mumbled in his deep, unsure voice. He was standing to his full height, towering over her with his large, muscular body and with his long hair in a mess, and she suddenly felt very small and intimidated.

"Not hungry." She shrugged; giving him a large, fake smile as she pushed passed him and picked up her black leather jacket from the coat hanger. "I'll be back around 3. Don't wait up." She called as she left without another word.

Bucky cocked his head as he looked over at Steve who only shrugged. "It could do her some good." Steve offered, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Bucky wasn't convinced, and he stared at the front door for a long time hoping to see her come back any second, but she didn't. Eventually he went back into his room and locked himself away like he had done before she had arrived, curled up in the corner of the room.

Work was slow and Liz was distracted. Her mind kept replaying the events of the night before, first with Bucky nearly killing her then the way he had clung to her, the way she had felt relaxed in his embrace. At one point she caught a glance of the television screen that was on a news channel as it replayed a scene of Steve and Bucky fighting in the street. She watched Bucky carefully, trying to recognise the man she had fallen asleep with, but all she could see was the machine that had trained her. The man he was now was nothing like that, being away from Hydra had brought back his humanity and fragility, and she realised that she felt protective of him. They had both suffered at Hydra's hands, only she had been lucky compared to him. They were not much different.

"Earth to Lizzie!" Arthur sung as he came in behind the bar holding out a couple of bottles of alcohol to her. "I'm off now; I'll be back in a couple of hours." He told her as she put the bottles away in the cupboard. Arthur was slightly shorter than her and rather skinny. He always dressed in suits for some reason, and smelt heavily of men's cologne. "The police said they would pop in later so uh, be nice." He winked, fixing his tie.

"The police?" Liz frowned, grabbing a sponge to wipe the surface of the bar.

"Yeah, they came in a couple of days ago looking for that weirdo assassin guy who tried to take down Captain America." He shrugged. "Said they'd be back tonight to question you lazy asses who only work on weekends." He winked before he waved and left.

Liz stiffened and only broke out of her thoughts when a customer called out to her for a refill. For the next couple of hours her mind was elsewhere, wondering what she should do. She texted Steve to tell him the police were after Bucky, but of course he already knew that. The whole world was looking for Bucky after what had happened – Hydra wanted him back, the remainder of Shield wanted him taken down, and the US authorities wanted to put him on trial and lock him up. She would be in the same boat if her cover was ever blown but luckily no one had questioned her so far, she had a place to live and a job so she was normal as far as anyone could tell.

The policemen were suspicious though. "Elizabeth McGuire?" The middle aged policeman read, cocking an eyebrow as he looked from the ID to Liz. He passed the ID to his colleague who ran it through their database. "So you have no information whatsoever concerning Hydra or Shield?" He asked her again, his eyes locked onto her, trying to make her feel uneasy.

"No." She shook her head confidently, knowing the two men were suspicious somehow and were unsuccessfully hiding it. "I have met Captain Rogers though." She said, knowing they would eventually find the CCTV footage of her and Steve in the street. Admitting it would make it seem like she wasn't hiding anything, at least she hoped. "Couple of times actually, he's a nice guy."

The policemen cocked an eyebrow as he gave the ID back to her. "And he didn't say anything about all of this? Anything that could be useful to us?"

Liz shook her head. "I just thanked him for saving us over and over again and he said it was his duty and honour and that he was proud to do so. That's all." She shrugged.

She hurried back to Steve's home, trying to avoid showing her face on any CCTV cameras. When she got in and found the place dark where the men had gone to bed, she locked the door behind her and checked that every window was secure and that nothing was misplaced or broken. Once she had reassured herself, she went to have a shower, stripping herself of the stench of alcohol and smoke, changing into a pair of black leggings. She paused before pulling on a t-shirt, tracing her fingers over the tattoo on her upper arm, reading the letters 'P215'. Her file number, that's all she was. A project, branded like any other weapon that Hydra possessed. She groaned and aggressively pulled on her t-shirt, covering the markings as she stepped out of the bathroom.

She was about to go into her room when she heard muffled sounds coming from Bucky's room so she tiptoed towards his door and pressed her ear against it, worried that he was being attacked, but when he started screaming she simply threw the door open and burst in ready to attack, finding the room dark except for the few street lamps shining in, showing Bucky sitting up in bed wearing nothing but sweatpants, his chest glistening in sweat as he panted, staring at her with wide horrified eyes.

Her shoulders sagged as she watched him, feeling like she was looking into a mirror. Bucky dropped his gaze and stared into his lap, and she decided to leave him. She turned around and started closing the door behind her when he called her. "Liz." He mumbled quietly.

She turned her head to see him watching her, his jaw trembling as he held in tears. She swallowed, debating whether she should go to him or not. She looked across the hall to her room and saw Steve having rushed out of his room and staring at her questioningly. She took a second before nodding to him, and walked back towards Bucky, slowly sitting on the edge of his bed as he trembled and gently took his metal hand in hers, hoping he wouldn't lash out like he had the night before.

Instead of trying to kill her, Bucky simply stopped shaking and sighed. "I remember… This man… So much blood…" He whispered, staring at his human hand. "I… I killed him…"

"It wasn't you." Liz hushed him, twisting on the bed so that she faced him properly. "What they made you do, it wasn't you. There's no need to feel guilty." She said quietly, tucking his long dark hair behind his ear. "It's okay."

"No it's not." He said more forcefully, meeting her gaze. "What I did it's… It's not right. I'm a monster…"

Liz shook her head as she cupped his face in her free hand, squeezing his metal hand tighter in her other hand. "Hydra is the monster. You're the victim."

Bucky scoffed as he closed his eyes, leaning his head on her bare shoulder. "Every night I see things… Every night it…" His voice trailed off, enjoying the feeling of Liz's hand running up and down his back. "How do you deal with your dreams?" He asked, lifting his head and running his fingers down her cheek just as he had that morning.

"Honestly… I try not to sleep." She shrugged. "I guess I just…" She sighed, not knowing how to help him. She wanted to, but she couldn't even help herself.

Bucky nodded, understanding how she felt. "Steve says that time heals everything."

Liz scoffed, a slight smile pulling at her lips as she looked at Bucky, the way his eyes always shone with hope whenever he spoke about Steve. "You're lucky to have him."

Bucky frowned a little, watching as she leant forward and pressed her lips against his forehead. His insides felt warm as he relaxed under her touch, but she then got up and went back to her room without another word, leaving him slightly confused and feeling very, very lonely.

Liz managed to get a couple of hours sleep before she found herself rummaging through Steve's kitchen searching for something to eat. When Steve joined her wearing his usual running clothes, he watched her with amusement. "What exactly are you looking for?" He asked.

"Normal breakfast food." She complained. "Dude, have you ever heard of cereal?" She asked, turning around to face him as he started laughing.

"Nope!" Steve sung as he picked up a banana. He winked as he left to go running, leaving her to groan and slam the cabinet shut, deciding to go back to her own place and stuff her duffel bag full of food. She needed to pick up some more clothes anyway.

She got back to Steve's place around lunch time and as soon as she stepped through the door, Steve almost jumped on her. "He won't come out, he's scaring me." He said his eyes full of worry.

"Huh?" She frowned, trying to push past him to put her bag down.

"Bucky!" Steve insisted, grabbing her bag for her and tossing it onto the floor. "He's locked himself in the bathroom and he won't come out! He seemed completely unfocussed when I got back from my run and I barely touched him before he pinned me against the wall and shot off to the bathroom." He said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards the bathroom.

"Well just leave him!" She cried, pulling her hand back. She liked Steve, but the way he was being aggressive was unsettling her. "He just needs time…"

"It's been four hours!" Steve pleaded, the look in his eyes almost killing her. "I've always managed to help him until now, usually he stays in there for an hour or two then he comes out and I make him some tea and we sit together but… I don't know it's different today."

Liz sighed. "Alright, I'll try talking to him." She said, watching as Steve's face brightened up instantly. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try. Just… Put my food away will ya? Some of it is fresh, needs to be in the fridge." She told him, wanting him out of the way.

Steve nodded and left her alone in front of the bathroom door. She took a deep breath and knocked. "Bucky? It's Liz." She started, giving him a chance to reply if he wanted to. "Look, Steve's really worried about you. I know it's not easy, but… You don't have to go through this alone. Not like I did." She frowned, leaning her forehead against the door. "You don't have to come out if you don't want to, just… Let me know that you're okay? I don't know, knock or something." She asked, feeling sad as she imagined him alone with his nightmares.

She waited a few seconds and there was a small tap against the door which made her feel a bit relieved. "Thank you." She called through the door. "You don't have to let me in; I'll just stay here okay? So you're not alone. I'll be right here outside the door."

She sat down on the floor, her back against the door and she heard Bucky shuffle around inside, and heard him sit against the door as well. She had no problem sitting there for as long as he needed, and found that it helped her as well. She leant her head back against the door and closed her eyes, imagining that the door wasn't there and that she was leaning against him. Something about Bucky Barnes helped, and she'd be damned if she didn't make the most of it. Two years she'd been free, and the only time she had ever felt truly relaxed had been on the floor with him holding her against him. She decided then and there to through caution into the wind and get as close to the ex-Winter Soldier as he would let her. Steve had been right, they really could help each other in ways no one else could.

Eventually Bucky unlocked the door and Liz stood up as he opened up. They stared at each other for a while until they simultaneously threw their arms around each other, seeking out the support they needed. Liz gripped his hoodie as she fiercely pressed her body against his, burying her face in his neck, never wanting to let go. His arms were strong, especially the metal one, but somehow she didn't feel it as a threat but as comfort. Even Bucky felt himself relax as he held her, closing his eyes as he took in the smell of her hair, exploring the curves of her back as he ran his hands over her shirt.

What Bucky liked most about her was that she didn't expect anything of him. Steve was a miracle to him, he was the most wonderful thing he could have hoped for, but sometimes Bucky felt like he was letting Steve down when he failed to remember something, or when he reacted differently to how 'old Bucky' would have. With Liz there was none of that, everything he did and said was new to her and she took him as he came. Even the slightest decision was hard for him, from what to wear to what to eat. He wasn't use to the free will, and it was hard, but Liz made it easier, she gave him that little extra confidence in himself, and he clung to her as if she would magically fix him.

Steve happened to choose that moment to check on them and paused as he saw them hugging. He smiled to himself and gave them a minute but was unable to contain himself for long. "You guys want ice cream?" He grinned, not even noticing how quickly they jumped apart.

They decided to watch a movie together before Liz had to go back to work. Bucky was left to sort through the DVDs whilst Liz and Steve got the ice cream, during which time she briefed him on the police's visit to her work. "I checked their system; they're doing a door to door search through every business in the area." She told Steve in hushed tones. "I wouldn't be surprised if they come knocking here to question you. We can't just continue living like this pretending nothing's wrong."

Steve sighed as he closed the freezer. "But I can't bring Bucky back into this. He's recovering, he's a mess. He barely sleeps, he doesn't remember who he is and… Just, no, I can't risk it."

"We don't have a choice." She urged quietly so Bucky didn't overhear them. "Steve, they will find him if he stays here. We have no information from Shield, for all we know Hydra could be winning out there. We need to act."

Steve gritted his teeth. He knew she was right, but he couldn't bear the thought of subjecting Bucky to that life again, especially so soon. "Maybe we should just leave. You know, find a cottage in the country somewhere. The quiet would probably do him some good." He wondered. Liz scoffed, and shook her head, about to retort when he beat her to it. "Liz you pretend you're okay but you're not. You haven't recovered at all, you need help as much as he does."

She gritted her teeth as she watched him. "I'm not running anymore." She growled quietly. "You can take Bucky away if you want, but I'm staying. Starting tomorrow I'm going to track down Hydra and execute them one by one and I won't stop until the last son of a bitch that ever worked for them is dead."

They glared at each other for a moment until Bucky interrupted them. "I agree with Liz." He said. "And we're watching this Harry Potter guy." He added, waving the DVD in the air before turning and going back into the living room.

Liz gave Steve an 'I-told-you-so' look before grabbing two tubs of ice cream and going to sit beside Bucky on the sofa. "Chocolate chip or vanilla?" She asked him, not feeling the need to acknowledge what he had said in the kitchen.

Bucky shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever." He muttered.

"Come on you must have a preference." She urged, giving him a spoon as Steve sat down on her other side, placing a third pot of ice cream on the table. Bucky shrugged again, so she picked up the chocolate chip and curled up next to him. "Well I like chocolate chip, so let's share."

Steve started the movie and Liz tucked her feet beneath his thighs as she curled up in the middle of the sofa, leaning her head on Bucky's shoulder as she took a spoonful of ice cream. Bucky took a small bite and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Steve and Liz to glance at each other but before they could speak, Bucky sat back down with a packet of grated cheese in his hands. "Do you mind?" He asked, wanting to sprinkle some over the ice cream.

Liz blinked several times as she watched Bucky empty half the packet of cheese into the pot of ice cream, stirring it up with his spoon before taking a large mouthful and moaning happily as he leant back into the sofa. "Hmm, now this is good." He smiled, his eyes glued to the TV as he wrapped his metal arm around Liz's shoulders. Since he had moved in with Steve, he had not been able to eat normal food. The consistency was always wrong, and he just had a lot of trouble enjoying eating anything that was considered 'normal'. Maybe it was because Hydra had only ever fed him through tubes, but Bucky always found the nicest food was bizarre mixtures no one would think of.

By the time the movie had finished, all three tubs of ice cream were empty and the three friends were curled up around each other. Steve was lying across the sofa with his back against the armrest. Bucky was lying back with his feet up on the table, with Liz's head snuggled up on his lap, her legs entwined with Steve's. They were all relaxed and comfortable with each other, content to temporarily forget about their lives and suffering as they immersed themselves into the world of Harry Potter.

Eventually Liz had to go to work, and she did so reluctantly. Her boss stayed behind the bar with her telling her all about his afternoon with his friends, about how they were preparing the stag party of one of them. Liz put on a smile, she was always happy to listen to him tell her about his life. That's what she liked about him – he never asked anything about her and never made her feel uncomfortable, he talked so much that it gave her a glimpse of a normal person's life.

He was busy telling her about the stripper they got when Liz's attention was caught by the two policemen who wondered in. One of them caught sight of her and elbowed his colleague, and they both made their way over to her. Something was up. She grabbed a pen and hid it up her sleeve and poured another beer for one of the customers, pretending not to have noticed as the policemen leant on the bar in front of her. "Good evening officers!" She smiled innocently, handing the beer to the man who had ordered it.

"Elizabeth McGuire?" One of them asked, taking out his ID from his pocket. "Agent Baker, could we have a word? In private?" He asked.

"Of course." She nodded, smiling as she walked around the bar, discretely picking up her phone as she directed the two men to Arthur's office. Once inside, the officers shut the door and blocked her way out. "What's wrong, officers?" She asked, feigning innocence once more as she fiddled with her phone behind her back, using the window's reflection to check on her progress.

"You can cut the crap, Elizabeth." The taller one scoffed, spitting her name like it was vile. "Nice name, where'd you pick it up?" He smirked, making the other one laugh.

Liz giggled. "I don't know what you mean." She said, smiling innocently. "I'm Elizabeth McGuire, born to John and Mary…" She frowned. "You gotta believe me, I just finished my degree and - " She stuttered, her acting as good as she had always been taught, trying to buy herself some time as she devised her plan. Just as she pressed send on the text message to Steve, she threw her phone out of the window to break the glass, pulled at the rickety old bookshelf just as the men reacted and sent books and papers flying all over the room, and jumped out of the window. She rolled on the pavement picking up her phone as she did, and ran as fast as she could, avoiding men stationed outside the bar.

"There! Get her!" She heard them, and she kept running. Luckily it was barely after 10 so there were still a lot of people out in the streets, and she made sure she kept to the busiest parts of the street as she ran. She ducked into an alleyway and climbed a fire escape ladder that lead to a roof. She could hear the men behind her as she ran across the rooftops of the smaller buildings of DC, knowing she would soon get to the tall buildings that were impossible to climb. She had to think fast, and she didn't have much time. She jumped over another alleyway to get to the next rooftop and, just as she knew the men would be jumping behind her, she turned and dropped down into where she knew was a large dumpster. She fell onto the plastic lid, groaning as she fell on her shoulder, but ignored the pain and rolled off the bin, opening it and jumping in.

"Where is she?" She heard voices and footsteps above her.

"She jumped somewhere around here!" Another man called.

"Where the fuck is she?!"

"She can't have gone far, check the other streets!"

She waited a few minutes until she could no longer hear anything and quietly got out. She turned into the next back alley and came across a group of homeless people sitting on the ground watching her wearily. She pulled out her money and gave them about fifty dollars, quietly asking for a hoodie in exchange. The men happily agreed and quickly gave her a dirty green one that was lying on the floor.

She changed her posture and bent over a little, changing the way she walked with her feet dragging along the ground slightly, her hands buried in her pockets as she walked behind a group of young teens who had obviously had too much to drink.

She managed to avoid being detected and got back to Steve's building quickly. She ran up the stairs and burst into the apartment, panting as she leant against the door. "Liz!" Steve exclaimed from the living room, and before she could take a step forward Bucky had emerged from somewhere and wrapped his arms around her, holding him against her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, holding her shoulders as he looked down at her worriedly.

"Fine." She nodded awkwardly, shrugging out of his embrace as she ripped of the dirty, stinky sweater. "I don't know how they figured it out but I'm guessing they'll be coming here." She told Steve as he zipped up a duffel bag, very aware of the way Bucky was hanging around right behind her.

Steve nodded and tossed her his keys. "You and Buck get to the car." He instructed her, nodding to the bags that he had already prepared. "I'll be right behind you."

"Hurry up, eh?" She called, picking up the duffel bag as Bucky grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door. They had to disappear, and fast.