A/N: Thanks for continuing to read! Please review if you like this story or even if you don't like it and tell me what I need to fix.

Chapter 9:

Ten hours after leaving Zurich, Danielle had finally caught up to Barnes in Budapest, Hungary. The tracker told her that he had been in the same place for at least four hours and Danielle hoped he was still there. As the tracker got closer, the map zoomed in until Danielle could see the view of the street she was currently driving down. The screen showed that the building to her left was where the signal was coming from.

It was nearly two in the morning and the only sounds on the street came from her car as she parked near the curb. Waiting was not Danielle's strong suit, but breaking into an assassin's room in the middle of the night did not seem like a good idea. She needed the element of surprise and daylight.

The sun would rise in a few hours, allowing Danielle to take a nap before facing Barnes.

The dot on the screen of the tracker flashed in a steady rhythm while Danielle walked in the direction it pinpointed. The closer she got to Barnes, the faster the dot flashed. He was about one hundred yards in front of her and the anticipation she felt grew with every step.

A sense of déjà vu settled onto Danielle as she approached an outdoor market with organic foods. She weaved through the crowd, trying to keep a low profile and avoid suspicion. Her hair was twisted into a bun at the back of her head with a plain ball cap pulled low over her eyes, and the collar of her jacket flipped up around her neck. None of the people around her seemed to notice her.

The dot grew closer on the screen as Danielle side stepped a few people, and when she looked up…

There he was.

Barnes was facing her as he chatted with a vendor about something he was planning to buy. She inched closer to him while he was occupied. The vendor handed Barnes a bag of goods and he left the stand to join the crowd of people on the street. Danielle kept up with him, using the tracker to make sure she was going the right way. Barnes began on a path similar to how he had captured her in Zurich. When he turned down an alley, Danielle rolled her eyes.

Before walking into the alley, Danielle stuffed the tracker into the side pocket of her backpack. She entered the opening, keeping her body relaxed while waiting to be thrown against a wall. Danielle passed a doorway and just as she expected, two hands grabbed her shoulders and shoved her into the wall. She faced her attacker, hazel eyes meeting blue ones.

"You?" Barnes questioned. "What are you doing here?" His fingers dug into her shoulders.

"Hello to you, too." Danielle leaned her head against the wall and smiled.

"How did you find me?"

"I'm a spy. Did you think it would be that easy to get rid of me?"

Barnes closed his eyes for a moment. "You shouldn't be here, Danielle."

Annoyed at his use of her name, and that he was still holding her against the wall, she tried to shrug him off. "Let me go, Barnes."

He furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Not until you tell me how you found me."

Danielle took her elbow and slammed it down on his metal arm as she spun away from the grip of his flesh hand. The move was meant to distance herself from him and she succeeded.

"Impressive," he said, slightly amused.

Danielle pulled her gun from the small of her back. "Get down on your knees, Barnes."

Barnes seemed unfazed by the pistol pointed at him. Danielle thought she saw a hint of a smile cross his face—a ridiculous idea. He looked both ways in the alley. "We should get out of the open."

"The only place your going is back to SHIELD." Danielle aimed, steadily.

Barnes' face grew dark. "I don't think you're prepared to use that on me, Danielle." He took a slight step toward her.

Danielle shifted slightly in her stance. "Do you want to find out?"

Barnes paused.

Then quicker than Danielle was prepared for, he had ripped the gun out of her hand, grabbed her around the throat, and was holding her against his chest with the gun pointed at her head. Danielle pulled against his arm, but his grip was unrelenting.

Barnes pushed the gun into her temple. "Never pull a gun unless you're prepared to use it. Consider that your first lesson as a spy." He shoved her away from him and stuffed the gun in the waistband of his jeans.

Danielle faced him. "Now what, Barnes?"

"Obviously, I can't get rid of you, so you're coming with me." He approached her and tried to take hold of her arm, but she pulled away.

"I can walk on my own." She asserted.

Barnes huffed in frustration. "Just keep up."

"Lead the way." She gestured toward the road.

Stepping past her, Barnes started down the left side of the alley. Danielle stayed a step behind him, keeping pace as he led her to the street.

Ten minutes of walking had led Danielle to the apartment building she had parked in front of last night. Her car sat across the street where she had left it. Barnes walked up the stairs of the building and stopped at the end of the hall to open the apartment door. He let Danielle enter first and followed her inside, locking the door behind him.

Danielle took in the apartment and the furniture set up. Barnes had moved the furniture in where it would be hard to enter quickly from the door. He had left the window areas open for a quick escape.

Smart.

Danielle slipped off her backpack and took off her hat. "How do you find these places? This is really nice."

"I guess I'm lucky." Barnes shrugged off his bag, then started removing the gloves that covered his hands. Danielle hadn't noticed before that Barnes wore gloves to cover his metal hand. He took off his jacket and hat and laid the pile on the couch.

He approached Danielle, slowly, and stuck out his right hand. "I'm sorry."

"You're apologizing?"

"Yes. I shouldn't have left you alone. Those people are after you, too, and I shouldn't have left you in the middle of the night."

"I'm only trying to help you." Danielle said. Barnes glanced at his proffered hand, then met her eyes. Danielle hesitated, but took his hand and shook—his grip was tight on hers.

Click.

The cool metal slid around her wrist until it clasped on the other side. Danielle looked down at the handcuff then back to Barnes. "Seriously?"

"It's just a precaution." He almost grinned at her discomfort.

Danielle tried to pull away from him, only succeeding in tightening his grip on her hand. Barnes pulled her toward him and trapped her against his chest, securing the cuff onto her other wrist.

"That's better," said Barnes.

Danielle scoffed. "Is this really necessary? And did you use my own cuffs on me?"

"Some spy you are. You didn't even feel me lift your cuffs." Barnes leaned in closer. "Now, I don't have to keep an eye on you."

Danielle struggled in his grip, but his arms held her tight to his torso. Barnes knew she couldn't over power him.

Acting like she had conceded to his strength, Danielle sighed, then thrust her knee between his legs.

Barnes released her immediately and stumbled backward. He bent over with his hands on his knees and sucked in a breath.

"And I did that with both you're eyes on me," taunted Danielle. "Imagine what might happen when you aren't watching."

Barnes stood and studied her. "You're crazy."

"That's not very nice, James."

"Oh, so I'm James again?" He questioned.

Danielle ignored his remark. "Please uncuff me."

"I don't trust you."

"That's too bad," she whined. "I thought we were becoming good friends.

James stepped quickly to close the distance between them and picked Danielle up and threw her over his shoulder. Although she tried to wiggle free, James had a strong hold on her, and he walked easily with her on his left side.

He opened the door to the second bedroom in the apartment and threw her on the bed. James felt a tinge of amusement when she glared at him.

Danielle sat up on the bed. "So, I get a bed this time? Upgrade."

"Then enjoy your stay." James turned to leave.

"Can I order room service?" Danielle called as he slammed the door behind him. The corners of her mouth slid up her face, knowing that her time with James was about to become more interesting.