His name was James Buchanan Barnes. Steve called him Bucky.

Those were facts, but he still reminded himself of them every time he woke. It helped to orient him. Those names, that identity, they were something he would never let be taken from him again. He would put himself down before he became Hydra's dog once more.

He was doing better. The last eight months on his own had made the memories clearer, more cohesive. But he still wasn't whole. He knew that he might never be.

The mission was his version of therapy. Every agent of Hydra he dispatched, every base he bombed, every research facility he torched, assisted his rehabilitation. At first he had gone after Hydra with the cold determination that had made him such a successful Asset for them. There had been no emotion as he plotted and executed. As his more of his memories surfaced and he could recall the emotions attached to them, he had worried that Steve might not approve of his tactics. Of course that was before he had gotten his hands on the SHIELD files that had been dumped online. Turned out Stevie was no longer the innocent boy he had been. Still those thoughts of Steve kept him centered, helped him find direction. 'What would Steve do' became his yardstick for where to draw the line.

Those exposed files benefited him in other ways too. Bucky was able to learn about the Avengers and about the battle in New York. He learned about Tony Stark and the Tower. When he found an image of Natasha Romanov he was blindsided with a memory of a previous mission. It was blurry around the edges but he was certain he had shot the woman through the abdomen. While he read about them, the new team of Steve's, part of his mind was cataloging weaknesses and ways to exploit them. He couldn't quite turn that analytic killer inside him off. That more than anything told him he was still broken But the larger part of him, the part that was still waking, was less cutthroat. The kinder side was simply envious that these people were so close to Steve when he couldn't be.

Using the information online as a springboard he was able to track down several more Hydra bases he hadn't been aware of. The first few fell easily at his hand. At the last one, he ran into an unexpected complication: SHIELD. Turned out SHIELD wasn't as dead as the world governments would like their people to believe.

The team was small, only six in total, against three dozen Hydra agents. They were surrounded and certainly didn't have enough backup to get them out. Bucky debated leaving them, but he couldn't. That wasn't the kind of man he had been, the kind of man he was trying to be. And it wasn't the kind of man Steve was.

He moved silently, circling around behind the enemy, while the Hydra leader spoke with one of the SHIELD team. He had to hand it to the SHIELD agent, who looked more like a bureaucrat more than a spy, he remained calm and soft spoken though he was certainly staring death in the face. The man looked vaguely familiar and Bucky wondered if he had seen him among the dossiers he'd been reading.

The first three Hydra puppets never even felt death coming as Bucky slit their throats. He was able to get to another four before the rest were alerted to his presence. Then it became war. He whirled and sliced, his body slipping into the Winter Soldier persona that his muscles remembered. When he lost his knife he used whatever was at hand as a weapon, including the bodies of his enemies. The SHIELD team used the distraction of his destructive presence to get themselves to a more defensible position then assisted in taking out the nearest targets.

It was over quickly. None of Hydra had escaped. They undoubtedly had not been prepared for their former Asset to appear.

Bucky knew he was covered in blood and that the old him would be distressed by that but his pulse was still pounding with the heat of battle. It was always hard for him to come back down from a fight. The red haze around his vision told him parts of his programming were still in play. The force of that programming was always strongest when he called on the Winter Soldier for tactics and strength.

Cautiously the SHIELD team came out into the open, as Bucky breathed away the executioner that still roamed his mind. The leader stepped forward, surveying the carnage with disinterest. "Thank you for the assist," he said in that soft-spoken voice. "I'm Director Coulson," he introduced, extending his hand. His smile was bland but honest.

Bucky didn't take it. He didn't like touching other people. The only time he ever did was when he killed them. He looked pointedly down at the extended hand then back up at the man's face. The hand withdrew.

"We would be happy to take you where ever you need to go next, Sergeant Barnes."

A woman with Asian features stepped up beside Coulson. The man may have appeared harmless on the surface but this woman walked with danger in her stride. "You know him?"

"Well not personally, no. But I have the cards for all the Howling Commandos."

That Bucky remembered. Images flashed through his mind like the panels of an old projector film. He remembered the war and the 107th. He remembered Dum Dum's trademark bowler hat. He remembered Falsworth and Gabe and Jim Morita. He remembered them all. They were all gone now. All except Steve, who had led them, who had saved them.

"The Howling Commandos," a young man asked stepping forward.

"Yes, Trip," Coulson responded. "Don't you recognize him from your grandfather's old pictures?"

Bucky's focus switched the younger man at that. He stared hard at his face and the young man stared right back. Bucky could see it. The resemblance was vague, but if Gabe had been standing beside this kid Bucky would have known they were related. Trip took a second longer to place him. He didn't blame the kid, he hardly looked like the clean-cut man he used to be. His hair was still long, and his face bore continual stubble as he often forgot to shave.

"Oh my god, you are him."

Bucky still said nothing, though he tilted his head the barest bit in acknowledgment. He hadn't spoken since that last conversation with Steve while they fell through the sky above the Potomac. It was like his words had locked themselves up when he walked away from Steve on that river bank.

Coulson seemed to sense that all conversation with him was going to be one-sided. "May, prep the quin-jet. We're going back to headquarters." The woman gave a curt nod and stalked off calling instructions to the other members of the team. "You're welcome to join us, Sergeant Barnes," he offered, as he turned.

Bucky said nothing but he fell into step behind the older man. He was still filtering through his memories to place this man. He didn't think the man was working for Hydra, but something tugged at his mind saying that Coulson was important. Until he figured it out he was going to keep Coulson close.

The new SHIELD headquarters were not nearly as imposing as the last one had been. Of course, SHIELD was considered an outlaw organization now and needed to keep their profile a little lower. The ride to the facility had been made in tense silence. Not that Bucky was bothered. All the SHIELD agents, excluding Coulson, kept staring at him when they thought he wasn't looking. Bucky was well aware of their scrutiny, he simply choose to ignore it.

When they had landed, Coulson had tried to hand him off to a young woman he called Skye. "She'll give you the ten cent tour and get you settled into room. You're welcome to stay as long as you like." Coulson had turned obviously thinking that he would follow the young woman without protest. Bucky ducked around the young woman and took up position in middle of the hall to block Coulson's way. It was a clear statement.

All the agents who witnessed the move went for their weapons. Bucky didn't bother to lay a hand on his own yet. He would see what Coulson did first. Plus he was confident in his own abilities. No one here would be able to match him.

The man was surely surprised by the move but his face remained impassive as ever. He put up a hand to show he meant no harm. "It's all right," he called to the other agents. "Put your guns down."

"But sir," someone protested.

"I said put them down," Coulson said his voice firm but not a decibel louder. Bucky was impressed with the man for that.

The guns trained on him lowered, but not a single one was holstered. Smart, thought Bucky.

"I take it you object to the tour," the director said, though Bucky understood it was question. He shook his head minutely. A minor look of confusion crossed Coulson's face. It cleared away as quickly as it had come. "You want to stay with me." The man was quick.

Bucky didn't even bother to nod to that, he let his direct gaze stand as his only answer.

"All right," Coulson finally conceded with a nod. The older man stepped to the side with exaggerated slowness and moved around him. Bucky allowed it and followed after throwing a defiant look to the rest of the room.

Once in Coulson's office, Bucky took an easily defensible position close to the window with line of sight to the door. Coulson refrained from comment and instead went right to work. Someone else might have thought the director was ignoring him, but Bucky knew better. Coulson was well aware of every movement he made, every breath he took, and every tensing of his muscles. The director was not an ignorant man. He was, however, a brave one.

After a few quiet minutes, where Coulson went through several files that had been piled on his desk, the woman from before returned. May's gaze was suspicious when it flicked over him. "Sir, I don't think this is a good idea."

"I never said it was," Coulson quipped. "But you saw him at the warehouse. He's obviously had some form of Erskine's super serum. It would explain why he's still alive and why he hardly looks older than when he disappeared. Do you really want to try to fight him on anything he wants?"

May's gaze flicked over him again, considering. "No."

"And we can't leave him out there to fight Hydra by himself. That leaves us with only one option."

"Which is," May questioned.

Coulson picked up his phone. "We call the Avengers."

May's eyes widened. "Phil, you know why you can't do that. They think you're dead."

Bucky's memory finally clicked into place at that. Phil Coulson. The agent killed on the Helicarrier by Loki's own hand just before the battle of New York. The one whose death had brought the Avengers together.

"I think its about time they know the truth," he said as he punched the number on his phone.

Out of the corner of his eye Bucky saw May tense and lay a hand on her gun. Bucky stilled and realized that he had been reaching for his knife without knowing it. It had been instinct. Though if it had been from his own subconscious or the programming he didn't know. He purposely relaxed his arm and let his hand rest at his side. May's stance still screamed distrust but she lowered her hand.

Phil was calling Steve. Bucky knew he had to make a decision now. Should he stay and let Steve find him? Should he run? Should he stop Coulson before the call connected?

Bucky took a deep calming breath. The fact that he wasn't already running told him that his heart had already made the decision. He would stay.

"Captain Rogers, I was wondering if I might get you to sign those trading cards. Fury finally gave them back."

There was silence in Stark's jet. Even Tony didn't have anything to say. The call from Phil had shaken them each in different ways. Natasha and Clint seemed the most disturbed. Neither had spoken since Steve had said Coulson's name.

They were on their way to the new SHIELD headquarters, where Coulson was not only alive but directing things. Steve wasn't sure how he felt about that. There was too much chaos in his mind right now to sort it all through. The dominating thought was that he was going to see Bucky.

Phil had explained how Bucky had appeared, how he had saved the SHIELD team. He said that Bucky was unhurt physically but further questions about his state had received only stilted answers.

"Is he there," Steve had finally asked, surmising that was the reason for Phil's vague answers.

"Yes," had been the one word reply.

"Can you go somewhere else?"

There had been a pause then as if Coulson had made the attempt. "I don't think that's feasible at the moment," Phil had replied with a stiffness to his voice.

At that point there had been muffled swearing and the sound of a door shutting before a woman's voice came on the line. "Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes is refusing to leave Coulson's side. He isn't speaking and honestly I'm not very certain of his mental state. We need you to retrieve him immediately. If he isn't stable then you are his best option for care or to contain him. There is no one here who would stand a chance against him if he lost control."

"I understand," he told the woman, because he did. He knew that no one would be able to deal with Bucky if he was still under Hydra's control. But it was still a hard pill to swallow. He didn't want people to see Bucky as any thing other than the kind man he had once been.

Lost in thought he didn't hear Sam approaching until the man took the seat across from him. He didn't say anything, but Steve understood that there was an invitation on the table for him to listen. "I appreciate you coming," he said. Lifting his head he looked at all of them, his team. "I appreciate all of you coming."

Surprisingly it was Thor who responded, his voice a muted form of his usual boom. "This man is your brother. He may have been lost with his demons, but he is finding his way home. You worry for his soul and we would not abandon you to carry that burden alone."

Steve had no response. He felt tears burning behind his eyes. The others nodded their own agreement to Thor's pronouncement.

For the first time, Steve saw these people as not only his friends but his family. They were. They had been for some time, he simply hadn't recognized it. He would do better. He would bring Bucky home. He would figure out how to make everything work. There was a chance that he could have everything he ever wanted he wasn't going to let that slip through his fingers.

Coulson was waiting when the jet landed though it was past two in the morning. He seemed the same as ever. Unflappable. He wore a small but genuine smile as his eyes touched on each one of them.

Tony stepped up first, always brash to cover his emotions. "So Agent, you're looking well. What's your secret?"

Phil remained as impassive as ever. "An experimental restorative formula made from alien DNA," he said blandly.

Even Stark didn't have a snappy comeback for that.

Glancing around, Steve tried to spot Bucky. Coulson caught him at it. "He's here. In the shadows at your eleven o'clock, forty feet back. He doesn't like being out in the open. And this is the furthest away he's been from me since he arrived. I'd like to think it's my magnetic personality... but I believe he was only using me to get to you."

The wording had Natasha tensing. "To contact you," Phil corrected.

"Has he said anything," Sam asked.

Steve was too busy to ask questions. His eyes were searching the shadows trying to make out Bucky's form.

"No. I believe that he is able to physically. Our doctors were only able to do a visual examination though, when he stripped in the middle of the lab."

"He - what?"

Coulson looked regretful now. "It may have been my fault. I had been showing him around the facility, and had noticed he was uncomfortable in the lab setting. I suggested that he might want to change clothes before you arrived as a way to steer him out of there. I didn't anticipate that he would take 'let's get you out of those clothes' as a direct order."

Steve's gut clenched. He remembered the way Bucky had been tied down in that Hydra lab when he had first rescued the 107th. It stood to reason that their tactics hadn't changed. Bucky had likely been in many laboratories over the years as they tortured him and drained away his humanity. Of course he would obey any order given to him while in that setting.

Sam sucked in a breath, likely putting it together for himself. "Did he attempt to harm anyone after that? Or did he attempt to harm himself," Wilson queried.

Logically, Steve knew that Sam was asking these questions to try to determine Bucky's state of mind, but Steve hated it. He hated the pitying undertone. Bucky had never wanted pity. In that regard they had been the same their whole lives. They had always charged forward with no thought for their own suffering. They had both been wiling to give their lives so long as the other had lived. Fate had played such horrible games with that devotion, but Steve wouldn't allow it anymore.

He knew his fists were clenched at his sides, but he couldn't seem to uncurl his fingers. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to pound into Schmidt and Zola and Pierce. He wanted to squeeze the life out of each of them for the part they had played in all this.

Sucking in a deep breath, he reminded himself that Bucky was here. Bucky was alive. They had come to the future and even if they had taken their own roads to get here they were going to be together again.

Around him the conversation had continued. He tuned back in as Coulson explained why his team had been at the Hydra warehouse. "It was supposed to be a simple storage facility for some of the odder things Hydra had acquired. All reports indicated that the security was minimal. Our interest was in a set of genetic modification chemicals they supposedly are planning to use to create perfect undercover agents."

"That's a cheery thought," Tony commented.

"They haven't been able to prefect the technique yet,"Phil assured. His face remained bland as he glanced behind him, obviously checking to see what Bucky was up to.

Steve could make him out now. He was a shadow amongst the other shadows. The only thing that gave him away was the faint glint of the lights on his metal arm when he moved it.

Coulson looked to Steve then addressed the rest of the gathered Avengers. "If you would follow me inside, I'd be happy to explain everything else. I have to warn you that my team are eager to meet you...so please don't scare them Stark."

While Tony snarked back with something witty, the team moved away. Steve knew they weren't going far. If Bucky attempted to harm him they would be close by to contain him.

It nearly killed him to remain standing there while Bucky watched him from the shadows. But he didn't want to rush his friend.

The minutes ticked by and Steve breathed deeply to relax his tense muscles. Time didn't matter. He could be as patient as needed. All that mattered was making sure Bucky felt comfortable with his presence.

The metal plates of Bucky's prosthetic arm reflected the runway lights as he glided forward. When he stepped out far enough for his face to be seen, Steve froze. This was Bucky. His Bucky. He was a bit scruffy around the edges and his hair was still long but he no longer looked like the hollow man Hydra had made him. Even across the distance separating them, Steve could see that Bucky's blue eyes were clear.

"Bucky." Relief laced his tone.

As Bucky paused, Steve feared that he had read his best friend wrong. Don't make me fight him again, he begged the God he hoped was still listening.

Bucky's head tilted slightly as he studied him. Then that devil-may-care grin curved his lips.

Steve's heart beat out a quick tattoo. He watched Bucky swallow twice. Though he opened his mouth nothing came out. Frustration crossed his features. His words were still lost. Steve wanted to tell Bucky that it would be okay, that they would fix this, but he found his own throat clogged. Now wasn't a time for words anyway.

He couldn't hold back any longer. Neither could Bucky. They met in the middle, arms circling each other in an embrace that was familiar though it had been decades since the last time. Tears gathered in the corner of his eyes as he held on to the man he had lost. His warmth enveloped Steve. The heartbeat that pounded against his chest assured him that this was real, Bucky was here. Steve's grip tightened in thankfulness.

"Stevie." The voice was harsh from disuse. Steve didn't care. He had his Bucky back.