Hey guys! Thanks for all the support. This chapter actually connects to chapter 12 in "This Is Where We Start".

Steve

Clint shooed him away, stating that he had enough people babying him even though he was fine and was planning to return home to his wife and kids soon. Chucking, Steve left him alone to wander away from the barn - that would act like a garage - that Tony and Peter were building. He slowly made his way back towards the cabin.

It was a charming little cabin. It stood on top of a hill, surrounded first by long grass and then a thick forest, and protected by snow peaked mountains on every side. It almost seemed unfair, that this cabin belonged to Clint, as did the farmhouse he currently lived in. Clint had, not one, but two, safe places to return to and sleep whenever he wanted, and places where he could keep his family secret and safe. Places where he could live a normal life, protecting the ones he loved, and surrounded by the ones who loved him.

That was something Steve could never have.

He hadn't even had that as a kid in Brooklyn. He had only ever had Bucky.

"Clint ready to take off?" Natasha asked, as Steve stepped up onto the front porch of the cabin.

"Of course," said Steve. "Guy doesn't slow down even after near death experiences."

Natasha shrugged. "None of us do. Besides, he is healthier now than ever, thanks to that little healer."

"Yeah," Steve agreed. The problem was that whenever Georgiana healed someone she was the one who then became injured. Steve wasn't convinced that method should ever be used as a first solution. It had been a day since Georgiana had healed Clint, and she was still passed out in the blue bedroom inside the cabin. Steve had set people on watch to sit beside her until she woke up, just in case.

"Who is with her now?" Steve asked.

Natasha grinned at him knowingly. "Who do you think?"

Steve sighed, nodded towards Natasha, and entered the cabin. The cabin, despite its small size, seemed open and cozy. Inside, Wanda and Vision were playing cards at the kitchen table. They didn't notice him come in. He knocked once on the door to the blue bedroom, and then entered. He closed it behind him, just in case anyone else came inside the cabin and it got too loud.

"Hey. Want me to take over watch?" Steve asked.

Bucky blinked up at him. He was sitting on top of Georgiana's bed, leaning on the headboard, notebook and pencil in hand. He looked relaxed, and that was something Steve hadn't seen in his friend for a long time. Next to Bucky, Georgiana was curled on her side, tucked underneath the quilt and blankets, still in her deep healing sleep.

"Nah. I'm good," Bucky said, but he seemed to sense that Steve wasn't done yet because he leaned over Georgiana's still form to put his notebook on the nightstand. As if putting it as far away from Steve as possible.

Steve understood the action. Bucky had started becoming more distant with him lately, and Steve's disapproval on Bucky's quick attachment to Georgiana probably hadn't helped the situation.

"Bucky, you need your rest, too." Steve said.

Bucky shifted as if to get closer to the headboard and crossed his arms over his chest. He still looked more relaxed that Steve was used to seeing, but it was an obvious defensive gesture.

"So what happened?" Steve asked. "While we were gone?"

"Nothing happened." There, that sounded defensive.

"Bucky, come on, I know how you get with girls." Steve sighed, and couldn't help but glance over to Georgiana's still and sleeping form.

Mostly, he knew he was trying to protect Bucky. Bucky was currently a mess, and he didn't need anything else complicated in his life. But he was also thinking about Georgiana. Georgiana was a sweet girl, and Bucky had once been known to play with sweet girls.

"How I used to be with girls," Bucky said, and Steve had no doubt that Bucky could read his thoughts from his expression. "I haven't been that version of myself for a long time."

Bucky's defenses were suddenly down. He sounded tried and broken. Steve entered further into the room and sat at the end of the bed. He knew he was fast to judge people, that was what usually kept him alive, but maybe he had judged this too fast and had made a mistake.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Steve said. "It's just, it isn't like you, to get attached. Especially so fast."

"She's just, she's just," Buck trailed off and looked down at his lap. "She is the toughest and gentlest person. Ever."

"Which is why moving fast with her is a problem." Steve said.

"The current me and her . . . we're almost similar." Bucky finally looked up, although he kept his head bowed.

"The current you?" Steve suddenly knew what was causing Bucky's distance. The Winter Soldier was a big name to have looming around.

"I'm not the same person I was when we were kids," Bucky said.

"I know that."

Bucky looked away again. "And I am never going to return to that person. I wish I could, but I can't. I did those things . . ."

How many times would this come up? How long would it take for Bucky to believe him?

"Those things weren't your fault. You didn't have a choice. That wasn't you." Steve shook his head. "And I'm not expecting you to change back into who we were as kids. What do you take me for? Jerk."

There was no going back, anyway. Not even for Steve.

"Punk." Bucky looked up again and actually almost smiled.

Steve stood up and clapped a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "I'm with you till the end of the line."

The very end.