3

She turned and left the Museum. She couldn't afford to waste her time in that place, she had visual on her target, but she let him get away. As she left the Museum, she kept a sharp eye out for the Soldier. He had to be somewhere—he couldn't have gotten very far. Despite what those operatives had said about him, there was something keeping him in DC, and she was going to ensure he stayed.

It didn't take long before she felt as if someone was watching her.

When there was an opening to an alleyway between two buildings, she felt something grab her arm and yank her in. Though the grip on her arm was painful, she didn't show it—the Angel had endured pain more intense than that.

"You're following me." Icy blue eyes met with her hazel ones. The Soldier's face was expressionless as he observed her. She made sure she was just as blank as he was. "Why are you following me?"

She didn't say anything.

His eyes narrowed. "I could kill you right now."

"Your method of intimidation won't work on me," she said, sounding almost robotic. "I've faced targets with more height and muscle on them compared to you—if you wish to intimidate me, you'll have to do better."

"You're with HYDRA." He let go of her.

"You are requested to return to HYDRA immediately," she informed. "That is my mission."

The Soldier backed up, his eyes not leaving hers. His breathing was becoming erratic, his long hair was starting to fall in front of his face.

"I can't go back there," he growled.

"Failure to return the Winter Soldier will result in the termination of the Angel," she informed.

The Soldier's icy blue eyes studied her carefully. He could see something in her eyes suggesting she had been with HYDRA probably as long as he had, which he couldn't understand—he'd never seen her before. Or...he didn't remember ever seeing her before. His mind was a jumble of things he was trying to understand. His breathing picked up. There was something about her, something about her was sparking something, maybe resurfacing what might be a memory or something he probably wasn't ready to deal with yet.

"What do you know about me?" he seethed.

Her hazel eyes were unwavering. He had already taken in her appearance—the way her big eyes looked up at him, he could sense her strength through that fragile façade she put up, how that white sundress seemed to hold onto her figure, the way her golden, honey brown hair framed her face made her look innocent—it was her hair, wasn't it? That was what was sparking that something. Her hair was causing something to stir in him.

"You are requested to return to HYDRA."

His lips thinned.

"They want you to bring me back," he growled, his voice lowering an octave. "They want to make me..." He backed up a little. What was he planning to do? He knew for certain he wasn't going back to HYDRA. This woman, who couldn't be just a year or two younger than him—however old he was—was telling him to rejoin HYDRA, but he'd never heard of her before. Or if he had, those routine memory wipes eliminated her from his memory. "How do you know who I am if I never met you?" he hissed.

"Before today, I had no idea you even existed." The Angel's hazel eyes didn't leave his form for a moment. "It wasn't until I was taken out of my chamber that I was told of you." The Angel's eyes studied him. "Your rebelliousness...where does this come from?"

The Soldier's icy blue eyes snapped to her in an instant. She didn't flinch under his intense gaze.

"I'm not the Winter Soldier," he murmured, a dark tone still underlining his voice. "I don't belong to HYDRA."

She frowned.

"If you claim to not be the Soldier, then what are you?"

He flinched ever-so-slightly at that question. He had been told he was a man called James Buchanan Barnes, someone who was a dear friend of Captain America. Well, that was what Captain America told him.

"He called me James Buchanan Barnes."

James Buchanan Barnes.

She looked at him closely. Something stirred in her, something she couldn't explain.

"They're manipulating you."

James Buchanan Barnes...

She felt her heart pounding painfully against her chest.

'I got my orders...Sergeant James Barnes, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow.'

She looked at him with wide eyes—a look of confusion and borderline fear on her face. What had just happened? What had she just experienced? He could see it; he was experiencing those same emotions.

"Don't go back to them." Without another word, he left the alleyway, leaving her alone. His words rang in her head. How was she supposed to explain what had happened? She had grown accustomed to finding a rational angle around everything, but whatever happened between her and the Soldier—James?—had no rational explanation.

Turning her head to where he left, she pursed her lips.

"Sergeant James Barnes," she murmured. She looked down for a moment. After a minute, she left the alleyway, pulling up an almost blank expression. In that moment, she not only had a retrieval mission to complete, but a mission of her own to complete as well.

What role had James Barnes been in her life?


Author's Note:

This chapter was sloppy, I know. I'm having a bit of a writer's block. Leave some suggestions on what you think should happen in the future updates, please! I could really use the help. Until I'm finished with this stupid writer's block, I could really use your help with this story, reviewers!

I don't own the Captain America movies/comics. Those belong to Marvel. I own my characters and my fillers.

Just to sidetrack a bit, I'm really excited about the new Captain America movie! The trailer is really good. I've been hearing rumors that in this one, Captain America gets killed, which I don't think is true because there's still the final Avengers movie[s], and it wouldn't make much sense to kill him off in this upcoming movie if he's supposed to be in the Avengers. But that's just me being a nerd on the matter.

Leave a helpful and kind review, please!

Thank you.

Susan Strong