A/N: Hey everyone! I'm really sorry I took a while with this but I'm a horrible multi-tasker and uni's been somewhat hectic lately. Anyways, hope you enjoy the latest addition, and thank you for being so patient!

The motel they had found was quite a distance away from the Wakandan monarch's compound, isolated and inconspicuous, or at least, Lara hoped. It was late afternoon when they checked in under the aliases Martha and Jonathan Crane.

"Do you have a room preference, Miss?" a tall, young receptionist inquired, turning to face the monitor in front of him.

"No, any is fine." Bucky stood near the entrance, utterly oblivious to everything else as he stared at the television screen opposite him in shock. It read "12 FATALITIES AT BRUSSELS CONFERENCE". Once Lara had gotten the key, she spun on her heels towards him.

"All set," she announced, dangling the key before him, yet she noticed how entranced he was. He quickly turned to her, and discreetly gestured at the screen with his gloved metal hand. She followed his gaze and suddenly understood why he looked worried, a feeling she shared instantly.

"…not enough information has been made available due to the chaos of the attack, however sources confirm that seven males and five females were unresponsive to the efforts of paramedics, the identities of said victims have not been released as of yet. The evacuation is ongoing around the area, yet firefighters are searching the building for more survivors and victims. Suspicion is being pointed towards numerous personalities and known perpetrators, particularly Senator Ludson, who only this morning announced that he was unavailable to attend the event. Reports say that he has not yet made any comment…"

People were gathering around the reception, and Lara felt the world spin under her feet, yet she fought the nauseating dizziness and instinctively pulled Bucky away from the growing mass. He seemed to understand since he didn't pull away from her grip, or maybe he was still suspended in his incredulity.

Once they were alone, he finally spoke. "You, you think-"

"We have to call Steve, there's the um, the disposable phone somewhere…" she remembered, rummaging through her carry-on. She had already dialled the number Steve had given them before he left, anxiously shaking as she waited for the beeping tone to end. Her mind was already jumping to the worst possibilities when finally a familiar voice spoke instead. Bucky rushed to her side to hear as well as he could, his hand on her shoulder.

"Who is this?" they both let out a sigh of relief, Bucky's tense hand became less so.

"Steve! Jesus, I thought something happened to you, are you guys okay?"

"Lara? I've been trying to reach you, what happened to your phone?"

"I'll tell you about that soon, what's going on over there?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out, but we're okay. Sam's with me and the King is with the cops, all of the delegates are getting questioned."

"What the hell happened at the conference?"

"The fatalities, they were dead before the explosion. We found them before the bomb was set off, they were blue in the face. Whoever did it, they probably want it to get passed off as suffocation from the fire."

Bucky turned the television in their room on, the headlines remained the same.

"I don't think they know about the foul play," he muttered to Lara.

"You think this is Hydra as well?" she asked to both of them.

"As well? What do you mean, is that what you had to tell me?" He spoke almost unintelligibly, suddenly panicked.

"Steve, we're okay now, calm down. Honestly, neither of us know what exactly happened. I woke up and Bucky was gone, and when I see him, he was triggered."

"Do you know what brought it on?"

"I think someone inside the compound wanted to use him and subdue me." She couldn't bring herself to use the word 'kill', not without seeing the hurt in Bucky's face.

Bucky turned to her and gestured to talk to Steve, and without a word he was in the walk-in kitchen, talking indistinctly. Lara had already told Buck that it wasn't his fault, but she gave him his space as he clarified what he could to Steve.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, following the news anxiously.

"Any leads?" she heard Bucky ask as he returned to her side.

"Not yet, all they're mentioning is that Senator who didn't show." The woman hit the mute button, "Bucky, I can't force you to believe anything, but I can never blame you for this morning, for any of it." Her hand was on his, squeezing till her knuckles had gone white. Bucky looked up at her, and in those chasms of despair she could find a glint of warmth.

"We'll get through it," she promised him, resting her head against his shoulder, her fingers intertwining with his. Bucky remained motionless for some time, until he pulled away ever so slowly, his hold on her hand loosening. Lara turned to find the remote when Buck's palm was on her cheek, turning her to face him.

"You're never gonna quit on me, are you?"

"No," she breathed, her eyelids low so that she only saw his unmoving lips, she brought herself closer until they were lost in a gentle embrace.

It was late into the night when its stillness was interrupted by a buzzing noise, and only after a few rings did Lara disentangle herself from Bucky, reaching over her shoulder for the burner phone. The brightness of the screen made Bucky groan against the pillow, but he stopped when she said there was no caller ID.

"Who is this?" she asked hoarsely, rubbing her eyes while she sat upright. There was a moment of silence before a gruff voice answered her.

"You know your friend Rogers ought to be more discreet with his contacts."

"Who am I speaking to?"

"Well, we've never been formally introduced, though I'm certain Mr. Barnes is still able to recollect his intimate connection with our organisation."

"I'm guessing things didn't go according to plan after you tried to off me and get him back, now did they?" the words left her mouth through seethed teeth. Realising who was on the other end, Bucky sprung himself up, bringing his ear close to the phone, fists clenched.

The caller chuckled. "Who ever said anything about murder, Lara? Surely you didn't assume we'd dismiss your own attributes? We merely sought to… recruit you along with our soldier."

"He is not your soldier," she retorted, her knuckles turning white.

"Oh, but he is. So long as we know what we know, he will always be Hydra."

The line dropped, and the eerie silence of the night was far from calming.

She turned to Bucky, his face had turned pale.

"We have to go," she said, and ran to the vanity table, looking for the car key.

Bucky was rummaging through some belongings, the sound of paper notes crunching in his hand.

"Found the keys?"

"Here," she dangled them in response.

Just then, a strange red light glinted off of the metal keys. Before she could register what it was, Bucky had a look of terror in his eyes as he yelled.

"Get down!"

Running towards her, he pinned her to the ground as the shots went off, hitting picture frames on the wall behind them. Glass from the window shattered with every bullet, and the suddenness and shock turned to a rush of adrenaline.

"We can't go from the back, they'll be there too." Bucky muttered in frustration.

"There's the reception behind that wall, we can break through it."

Breathless as she was, she smiled in agreement.

Crouching from the ground, they rose and hurriedly punched their way through the barrier. The plastered surface began to crumble with every hit, and slowly the reception desk came into view. He reached in between the crack of the wall and pulled it apart, granting them a wide enough exit.

They brushed their way through the rubble into the empty lounge, and could hear a scuffle from the stairwell, from which a frantic manager emerged.

"What the hell is happening?! Did you, did you just break through the wall?!" His eyes were wide with panic and confusion, hopelessly attempting to grasp reality.

Not wanting the manager to get caught in a crossfire, Bucky rushed to his side and urged him to get to safety.

"Oh okay, so this is not because you've never heard of doors before? Well, that's a goddamn relief!"

Without warning, Lara grabbed the man and tossed him over her shoulder like he was weightless, carrying him until she reached the desk, and set him down behind it. "Where's the nearest emergency exit?"

"There's one next to the elevator, it leads out back to the garbage disposal." He answered, gesturing towards the lift.

"We'll lead them away, stay put till they're gone."

At that, the two ran without hesitation, the door almost shut closed when Bucky yelled "Sorry about the wall!" over his shoulder.