Sorry to leave you all on such a cliffhanger!

Hope you enjoy!

A few minutes earlier...

"C'mon, Bucky, please sit down," Cecy pleaded, as Bucky paced up and down the hall. They were in a sort of side hallway, waiting for Fitz to come and get them. The team had all gone into the Avengers meeting, but Cecy had stayed with Bucky. She was glad she had. Beads of sweat were glistening on his forehead. "You're working yourself up."

Bucky either ignored her or was too lost in his own thoughts to hear her, because he kept pacing. Sighing, Cecy got up and grabbed his shoulders as he nearly walked into her. He jumped back at her touch.

"Sorry," she apologised, as she sat down again.

He shook his head. "S'alright."

"C'mon Bucky, sit down, please," she begged again. "You're making me nervous now."

He sat down on the chair next to her.

"What's wrong, Bucky?"

Bucky met her gaze and sighed. Over the last few days she had spent hours upon hours bringing him up to spend on all that had gone on in the world since he had gone into the ice. He had become quite fond of her in such a short space of time, and could see why Fitz was so protective of her. He felt it now too.

But Fitz's confession about her sister was weighing heavily on him, and with each passing day he felt more and more guilty. Steve had always said that he was terrible at keeping secrets, and seventy years worth of hibernation had definitely not changed that.

"Nothing," he lied, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously, before her expression softened and she held his hand, the real one.

"You don't have to lie to me, Bucky," she said softly. "I think I know what's wrong."

He blinked. "You do?"

She nodded sadly. "You're afraid of how Steve is going to react."

He opened his mouth to contradict her and shut it again. He wasn't worried about Steve's reaction half as much as Steve should be worried about his own. He was planning on giving that punk a piece of his mind.

Though he was slightly worried, he did admit to himself. But currently, the weight of what Fitz had told him was weighing a lot heavier than what Steve might say to him later.

"A little." So it wasn't technically a lie.

She squeezed his hand. "Don't worry," she said gently. "From what Hill told us, he's really missed you. He'll be really happy to see you again."

"Thanks Cecy."

There was silence for a few moments. Cecy started to hum a song that Bucky faintly recognised from a day ago, when she tried to educate him on modern music. The taste of music had definitely moved on, along with everything else.

"Cecy?"

"Hmm?"

"I-," the words stuck in his throat. Cecy looked at him expectantly, as he took a deep breath. "That's not everything that's bothering me."

"Okay," she said slowly. Bucky could nearly hear the wheels in her head turning as she tried to figure out what he was going to say.

"I just, it's been bothering me for a few days now, and I feel like if I'm going to go crazy if I don't tell you."

She looked at him with concern and squeezed his hand again. "Then tell me."

He stood up abruptly, so she mirrored him, and stood facing him. Bucky took one look at her wide, honest, worried eyes and abandoned ship.

"I just- I'm really gonna miss you, Cecy."

Her eyes shone for a moment. "Me too," she murmured, smiling weakly at him.

Instinctively he pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on top of her head, realising that what he had said was true. He was going to miss her a lot. Anything he wanted to know about the world today she answered kindly and patiently and never once made him feel stupid or idiotic. But more than that, she was sweet and kind, and he was going to miss her and her cackling laugh any time he played a prank on Fitz or Hunter.

An awkward throat clearing sounded behind him, and they both turned to see Fitz. "They're ready for you now."

Cecy pulled away from him. "Sure thing, Fitz." She smiled up at Bucky, straightened his tie, and offered him her hand. "Ready Sarge?"

"Yes ma'am." He took her hand and she squeezed it as they followed Fitz to the briefing room. She let go as Fitz opened the door, and pushed him in first. All of a sudden Bucky realised he was in a room where everyone was looking at him with varying levels of shock of their faces. His eyes found Steve's, two bright blue orbs that stood out strongly against his deathly pale face. He looked different from the last time he had seen him too. He was definitely older, and he had a new uniform now. But more than that, he held himself differently. There was a new type of confidence around him the Bucky couldn't remember being there before.

"You got a new uniform?" he remarked, striding over to where Steve sat, frozen in shock. "I hate it."

Steve shakily got to his feet as Bucky approached him. "Buck-"

He was cut off abruptly, because Bucky punched him in the face.

There was a crack and Steve stumbled back, holding his jaw. The other Avengers stood up, getting ready to hold Bucky down, but he didn't see any of them. He only saw Steve.

"You FUCKING idiot!" He exploded as he shoved Steve again. ""You stupid, stupid bastard! What the BLOODY HELL possessed you to crash a FUCKING PLANE into the Artic?! You could have given coordinates and jumped out the back but nO, "My impulse control fell out of the train with Bucky!" How could you be so reckless?! You're not invincible, Steve, how many fucking times do I have to tell you?! And don't even get me started on that bloody battle of New York. A sane person would have taken a holiday, catch up on what they missed, seeing as they had been ASLEEP FOR SEVENTY YEARS and ONLY 10 DAYS OUT OF THE FUCKING ICE but instead you decide to fight in another FUCKING WAR-"

He continued to rip into Steve for a full ten minutes without stopping, and would have continued for another while, if he didn't need to stop to take a breath. He stood, glaring down at Steve, seeming to tower over him even though they were exactly the same height, with his breath coming out in short indignant bursts.

There was a beat of silence and nobody moved or spoke.

Then Steve tentatively reached out and gripped Bucky's right shoulder, as if he still couldn't believe it was in front of him. "Bucky?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah, it's me."

The two men stared at each other, Steve's hand still on Bucky's shoulder. Then suddenly the two men were hugging each other so fiercely it was surprising that there was no bone broken in their exchange. "It is me, you stupid punk," Bucky's voice came muffled from against Steve's shoulder. "No need to blubber all over me."

They broke apart and stood grinning at each other with red eyes. Simmons was crying silently, so Fitz put his arm around her and she rested her head against his shoulder. Cecy grinned though she could feel her eyes starting to burn. Her phone rang suddenly so she looked at the caller ID. It was a blocked number. Not entirely unusual in her line of work, but as several of the Avengers looked around to see whose phone was ringing she answered it quickly. She turned away from the group, not realising that the Director's eyes were still on her.

"Hello?"

A voice that Cecy wasn't sure she'd ever hear again came down the phone.

"Cecy? Cecy is that you? Cecy, please, you've got to help me!"

"Mandy?"

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