A/N: thank you so much for all of your feedback! I really appreciate the constructive criticism. Please continue to let me know what you think.

"What are we about to watch, again?" Bucky looked over at Steve from his overstuffed armchair.

"Star Wars," Steve responded without taking his eyes off of the plastic device in his hand. He was fiddling with the buttons on it, the screen flashing as he searched for something unknown.

"Star what?" even by his old-fashioned standards, Bucky was pretty sure that was a stupid name.

"Dumb title, I know," Steve's eyes flicked from the screen to Bucky. "But trust me, you need to see this."

"This is crucial?" Bucky asked incredulously. "A film, really?"

"Film has come a long way since 1945, Buck," Steve explained patiently.

"But a movie about stars that are fighting? That doesn't even make sense," Bucky turned his attention to the screen. Some sort of fixed image was up there, of a boy wearing all brown staring out into the desert. It didn't look appealing.

"It's not about fighting stars," Steve chuckled a bit. "Just watch it with me."

"We can't try that Google thing again?" Bucky had quite liked the Google thing. He could type in anything and pictures popped up. He wished he had known about that when Steve had first found him a few years back. It would have cut down on a lot of self-doubt. There were pictures he was sure were lost, photos of his parents, of he and Steve, of his apartment in Brooklyn. It was shocking, to see his life pictured in a computer. Sharon had helped him look. He spent hours perusing, glancing at his old life and beginning to remember. He found his old war photos, and then pictures of the Howling Commandos. He remembered his friends, that motley band of misfits. They had been great together. Down the rabbit hole he went, looking at pictures of friends' lives that continued without him, even pictures of their children. He and Steve had long outlived their team, but he was happy to see that they had all left a legacy.

Sharon, perhaps sensing his emotions, had thoughtfully left him alone with his musings. When he returned from training later that day though, he found his room full of framed versions of the pictures he had looked at. He and Sharon had gotten along very well after that.

"You can Google things later," Steve assured him, finally setting that plastic thing he called a remote down. "Just watch this with me."

Bucky settled down and stopped grumbling. If it meant that much to Steve, he would sit through the film. Movies had never really been his thing; there was too much else to do. New York had been full of life, even then. There were roller coasters to ride, girls to take dancing, new architecture to gawk at. Steve had been the one who liked the picture show.

The opening credits began to roll, accompanied by blaring music and Bucky nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Whoops," Steve said sheepishly, scrambling for the remote, "Maybe it's a little too loud."

"You think?" Bucky was practically still shaking.

The second attempt at viewing was far more successful. Bucky watched in awe as an epic tale unfolded in front of him, a story of friendship and courage and redemption. He had never seen space before, but if it was anything like this, he wanted to go there immediately. He was willing to bet he'd make a good space pirate.

"What did you think?" Steve asked him a few hours later. An epic score was playing out the credits in the background.

"I can see why you like it," Bucky kept his face impassive. "You're definitely a Luke."

"Luke?" Steve made a face akin to eating something sour. "Really? I figured I was more an Obi-Wan."

"You're old enough to be him," Bucky teased.

"You're older than me!" Steve protested.

"So? I'm clearly Han Solo."

"A smuggler with a heart of gold?" Steve contemplated this for a moment, "I can see it."

"He gets the girl, right?" Bucky implored. "I can't believe they didn't tell us who got the girl."

"There are two more movies," Steve grinned.

"What?" Bucky tried to keep his voice level.

"A lot more than two, actually," Steve amended. "But those three are my favorite."

"I guess you're going to make me watch the other two," Bucky tried to sound grumpy. "Like when you made me sit through Citizen Kane. All that buildup for a damn sled. "

"It had such positive reviews!" Steve protested.

"And Casablanca," Bucky continued. Bucky wasn't one for romances, especially when the girl walked away at the end.

"The girl you brought loved that movie," Steve pointed out.

"And Dumbo," Bucky finished. He would never forget that shame.

"We both cried," Steve pointed at him.

"Yeah, but I cried in front of a dame. That was way worse." Bucky shuddered at the memory. "Stupid kids got the elephant taken away from his mom…"

Steve clutched his chest laughing. "It still bothers you."

"Because those kids were the worst, Steve!" Bucky turned around in his chair to look at his friend.

Steve held his palms up. "I'm not disagreeing with you," he said, still chortling.

"So Han Solo gets the girl, right?" Bucky was desperate to move the conversation along.

"You'll find out during the next installment," Steve put on a silly announcer voice.

"Remember how Dugan used to do that before fights?" Bucky laughed.

"In this corner, standing at 6 foot 2 inches…Captain America!" Steve imitated their old friend.

"He said it got us ready to fight," Bucky laughed. Those had been dangerous times, but he had a purpose. They were going to take HYDRA down.

"It worked," Steve admitted. "I always felt a little tougher after his pep talks."

"Do you miss them?" Bucky asked. The downside to getting his memory back was the agony of missing people again.

"All of the time," Steve said. "You learn to live with it."

"Does this feel normal now?" Bucky hoped Steve knew what he was referring to. "We're relics from another time."

Steve shrugged. "I don't fit in all of the time. Sometimes it causes conflict, but I'm finding my niche. Plus," he reached out to grab his friend's shoulder. "I've got you back now."

"I heard you might be taking off the mask for good," Bucky had been trying to find a way to broach this subject for days.

Steve sighed. "Sam talks too much."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Bucky asked.

"Because I'm not sure yet. The last year was rough, with you back on ice, but you were all I had to worry about. No politics, no Tony, no stress and public perception. I haven't even watched the news. It's been nice."

"What about your team? The girl and the man with the family? Even Scott probably has people waiting for him."

"They do," Steve said. "I'm not sure what the solution is. What if they can never go home?" Steve sighed deeply. "That's on me."

"It's not," Bucky was used to his friend absorbing all of the guilt. "They made a choice that they believed was right. They're standing by it."

"I broke them out," Steve told him. "Maybe they would have been let go…"

"No." Bucky interrupted him. "I know about the Secretary of State. HYDRA had files on him. He wasn't an agent, but he created enough chaos. He's the kind of man who would fit right in with them."

"You sound like Banner," Steve smiled a little bit.

"I don't know who that is, but he's probably a smart guy," Bucky said. "You do the right thing, Steve, almost always. So if putting the shield down is what you feel is right, then I'm behind you 100 percent."

Steve looked up at him. "Sharon says I deserve a break."

"Sharon's a smart girl," Bucky nodded. "I like her."

Steve smiled outright. "I like her too."

"Maybe marry her. Have some kids. Live the life you want to."

"We're fugitives of the most powerful country on earth. I don't think that's in the cards for us, Buck." Steve sounded resigned. Bucky felt a pang in his heart. Steve always wanted domesticity. He hadn't had enough time with his own family, hadn't had any siblings. If anyone on Earth deserved a family, it was Steve Rogers.

"You never know what's going to happen," Bucky reminded him. "We always turn out all right."

Steve looked thoughtful, "How is your deprograming going?"

"Slowly," Bucky said. "Sometimes the words take me, but I always wake up." He had lost count of how many times he had come to only to find Shuri's face looking concernedly at him.

"What does Shuri have you doing?" Steve asked.

"We go through the words, take them apart. It's pretty boring actually. She's trying to discover why they trigger me."

"Is it working?"

"Some words are self-explanatory. Freight car is pretty obvious." Bucky remembered his fall again. "Some require research."

"What does knowing the words do?" Steve asked.

"If I know what memories they trigger, maybe I can redirect them." Bucky sighed. "It's slow going, but I feel some of them affecting me less."

"Practice makes perfect," Steve intoned.

"So the princess says," Shuri could be insatiable when she had a goal in mind. She and Bucky went through many hours. It was humbling, to spend so much time in front of a relative stranger, and be so weak. But each time he held out longer before going under. Her efforts were beginning to pay off.

"I'm glad it's working," Steve told him. "Even though I wish you didn't have to go through this."

"The only way out of hell is to keep walking," Bucky paraphrased. "Churchill said that during a radio speech once. It was before you joined me overseas." Being separated from his best friend had been incredibly hard. Thinking he was going to die without Steve ever knowing what happened to him was considerably worse. When he woke up all those years ago to his friend helping him off that operating table, he had thought he was dreaming. His friend's outward appearance had finally matched his inner strength. Bucky had recognized him instantly.

Steve looked at him. "You really think it's going to be ok?"

"I've been kidnapped, experimented on, and tortured. I lost an arm and my memory. But here I am, sitting with my old pal Steve, watching ridiculous movies." Bucky grinned. "I'm thinking it's going to be ok."

A knock on the door drew both men out of their musings.

"Steve?" Sharon poked her head in. Her blonde hair was swept out of her face into a high ponytail. She looked as though she had been working out.

Steve stood up at once. "Hey, Sharon," he walked towards her and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Bucky looked on amusedly.

"I hate to interrupt, but they're back," Sharon smiled at him.

"All three?" Steve smiled. "Where are they?"

"With Shuri. T'Challa is back too," she glanced back at Bucky. "They're requesting we all meet up."

"Let's go," Steve gestured at Bucky, and then streaked off down the hall, Sharon and Bucky at his heels.

"Did he make you watch, Star Wars?" Sharon asked Bucky as they hurried after Steve.

"It wasn't bad," Bucky admitted. "Not as good as Google though."

Sharon laughed. "I'm glad you liked that. The internet can be a scary place."

"I won't dive too deep in," he assured her. He'd seen a few internet comments on his own photos that startled him. He wasn't sure when women had gotten so forward with their desire, but he wasn't sure he was ready for that yet.

"That's a good idea," Sharon laughed. "Sometimes ignorance really is bliss."

"I meant to thank you for all of those pictures," Bucky told her. Those photographs made his room feel more like home than anywhere he had been in the past few decades.

"It was my pleasure," she smiled at him. Bucky could see why Steve liked her. Sharon's energy mirrored Steve's.

"Well, I appreciate it," Bucky knew that Steve was listening carefully to their conversation. He wanted to get along with his best friend's girlfriend. After all, he'd never known Steve to have one before. "Were you training?" he took in her appearance. She was dressed like a Wakandan, all in black.

"With the Dora Milaje," she nodded. "It's a workout," she chuckled.

"I saw them a few days ago." Buck admitted.

"Did they challenge you to fight?" Sharon asked knowingly.

"It wasn't much of a fight, to be honest," Bucky laughed. "Sam and I were barely keeping up."

Sharon smiled. "I'm sure you weren't really giving it your all."

"Well, us old timers have a hard time hitting women," Bucky agreed, pushing Steve on the shoulder.

"It's difficult for us," Steve turned around with a smile.

"Well, I think there are still a few women around who enjoy those old-fashioned values," Sharon walked forward and grabbed Steve's hand. Steve smiled at her.

"You guys are so sweet you're going to give me diabetes," Bucky teased.

Steve turned around to look at him, "Payback," he said simply.

"Fair enough," Bucky admitted. He didn't remember how many women he'd dragged around with him and Steve.

Sharon looked at them questioningly. "Trust me," Steve told her, "You're happier not knowing."

Bucky's laughter chased them both into the conference room. They entered to find Scott, Clint, Wanda, and Sam already seated with the royal siblings.

"Winter Soldier!" Scott exclaimed immediately. Bucky was sure that his excitement knew no bounds. He seemed genuinely thrilled to be in Steve's presence, no matter the circumstances.

"Call me Bucky," he told him, shaking his hand.

"Nice new arm!" Scott complimented. "What's it do? I'm an engineer, you know."

"Former," Clint stood up to greet first Steve and Sharon, then Bucky. "We're fugitives now."

"Well, I still remember the skill," Scott protested. Clint rolled his eyes.

"Captain, Soldier," he nodded at both Steve and Bucky. "Hi Sharon."

"Good to see you, Clint," Sharon moved forward to embrace him.

"Wanda," Steve nodded at the young woman hanging back. Bucky glanced at her. She hadn't changed much in appearance, but she seemed to be carrying herself differently than he remembered.

Wanda hugged Steve and Sharon, but paused at Bucky.

"You don't have to hug me yet," Bucky assured her, grinning. She smiled at him.

"Perhaps one day," Wanda said, shaking his hand.

"Captain," T'Challa interrupted their reunion politely. "We have much to tell you."

Next to the king, Shuri was seated, thinly disguising a very concerned look. Bucky felt the tone in the room shift.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, falling easily into work mode.

"My sister may have informed you that I have been tracking an old enemy of Wakanda," T'Challa was all business as the group settled into seats around the obsidian table.

"Klaue," Steve nodded. "I've had a run in with him before. He's a smuggler?"

"We thought so," T'Challa was keeping his voice level, but his eyes narrowed dangerously. "It seems his ambitions are considerably more insidious. I rendezvoused with your team while I was out. They have been a great help." He nodded at Clint.

"They've been stockpiling Vibranium," Clint spoke up. "Same as when we found them with Ultron."

"What for?" Steve asked, alarmed.

"That's what we set out to find," T'Challa said. "Your young Wanda was of much use."

"He's not selling it anymore," Wanda spoke up. "He's building something with it. We're not sure what."

"And he's got a new toy," Scott added, holding up his hand.

"It seems he has taken some inspiration from you, Bucky," Shuri spoke up at last, her watchful eyes aimed directly at him.

Steve looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?" he turned back to Shuri.

It was T'Challa who answered. "He has a vibranium arm."

Shuri hissed under her breath, "Stolen," her disgust was evident. T'Challa mirrored her.

"We do not know what he has fashioned it to do," he said. "Nor do we know his end goal. It is safe to assume that it is nothing good." He exchanged a long look with his sister.

"He has always envied and despised Wakanda's wealth," Shuri said. "Same as his father before him."

"Our father had many dealings with him," T'Challa told them. Bucky watched a shadow pass over Shuri's face at the mention of her father.

"How do we stop him?" Bucky spoke up.

"We must find him first," T'Challa said. "He managed to evade us."

"I'll help," Steve said immediately.

"And me," Clint was next.

"Count me in," Scott loudly contributed.

"Me too," Sam nodded.

"I owe Wakanda a debt," Wanda said. "Ultron took many of your resources with my help. I will do what I can to repay it."

"I'm in," Sharon looked at Steve and smiled.

T'Challa looked at them, "Wakanda is grateful."

Steve waved his hand. "It's the least we can do."

"This mission may expose you," T'Challa cautioned.

"I don't know about you," Clint spoke up. "But I'm sick of hiding."

"I think it's time to get off our asses," Wanda said, with a small smile at Clint.

"Why not?" Scott shrugged.

Steve looked at them all. "Are you sure? It could mean they start hunting us again."

"Let them," Sam said. "Clint is right. It's time."

Sharon reached for Steve's hand. "They're right Steve. It's time."

Steve glanced at Bucky. "What do you think?"

"I've got something to prove," Bucky told them. "Let them see the Winter Soldier doing something good for once."

"Is he ready?" Steve asked Shuri.

The princess turned her eyes to Bucky. "He is not completely out of the woods. However, I believe he could resist. There is only one way to find out."

Steve nodded. "That settles it." He looked at T'Challa. "What's the plan?"