A/N: Edited to address some problems that arose due to my lack of sports knowledge.

Take me out to the Ball Game

Bucky leaned over the kitchen counter staring at his journal. It was dark and the only sound was the constant hum of the refrigerator. Bucky touched the pen to the paper. He lifted it again, still not certain how to start. His most recent flashback had been one of the most severe he'd ever experienced. The memory itself had been almost unbearable, but having his mind hijacked and then scrambled had made it difficult to process. The memory would have surfaced. After running into the doctor, that was inevitable, but he could have managed better if he had been able to think straight.

He tapped the pen to the paper again. He needed to write it down, but he couldn't find the words. He had recounted it several times already with Wilson, and once with Steve after working through some of his immediate reactions, but there was something concrete about putting it on paper. His mind still felt like a sieve some days, with memories running through the cracks. Paper was real. Everything that he had remembered at one point or another made it into those journals. Once he recorded it, there was no denying it had happened.

They made me love them. He wrote in a shaking script. He set his pen down and stared at the words, wanting to tear them out of the book. They were true, but he hated himself for letting them be. He was disgusted to know that he had ever wanted to serve them, ever been proud to do HYDRA's dirty work. With a growl he slammed the cover closed and threw the book at the wall. Tearing it out wouldn't change what happened, but he couldn't stand to look at it any longer.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked from the doorway. Bucky hadn't even noticed him standing there.

"I'm trying to write it down, but I just-" He took a deep breath. "I don't want to. I don't want to admit it was real."

Steve looked down, his lip pressed tightly together. It had been a difficult incident for him to hear about. Steve still couldn't shake the idea that he could have prevented Bucky from being turned into the Winter Soldier. Especially after hearing about everything Bucky had suffered under Pierce, he couldn't accept that it had been out of his control.

"Whatever they made you think Buck, it wasn't you," he said finally.

"I was really hoping you wouldn't have to hear that one," Bucky said quietly.

Steve bent down to retrieve the journal and handed it to Bucky. "Is there any cake left?"

"Should be" Bucky said.

Steve went to the refrigerator and took out the cake that Sharon had made. He cut a slice for each of them, and handed the larger one to Bucky. Bucky ate slowly, savoring the taste. It was a simple yellow cake with chocolate icing. Sharon had brushed off his praise, telling him it came from a box and that the icing was from a can. He didn't care how it was made. The Winter Soldier never got dessert and there were no bad memories connected to cake.

Steve picked at the small piece on his plate. Bucky paused with the fork in his mouth. It was unusual for Steve to be up at this hour unless Bucky woke up in a panic. Even then, he usually went right back to sleep after Bucky settled down. Something had been bothering him lately, even before Atlanta.

"You remember that time when we were kids, we went to see the Dodgers play the Yankees and you forgot your jacket," Bucky said.

That drew a smile from Steve. "It was 50 degrees and it started raining so you gave me yours. We should have gone home, but we saved up for a month to buy those tickets. You got the flu and missed a week of school," he said. "I tried to come check on you but my mom was so worried that I would get it, she wouldn't let me go."

"And you climbed up the fire escape and snuck into my room," Bucky said. "Then you had to hide under my bed when my mom came in."

Steve laughed. "I almost fell off that stupid fire escape."

"You had a black eye," Bucky remembered. "I don't think you ever told me how you got it."

"Frankie McKinley. He said, since you weren't there to stop him, he was going to teach me a lesson," Steve grinned. "I didn't learn it."

"You should have told me," Bucky said.

Steve shrugged. "You were practically on your deathbed, I didn't want you to worry."

"I always worry about you, punk, especially when I'm not there to bail you out."

"Yeah, I know," Steve said quietly. "You want the rest of this?"

Bucky reached over and pulled the plate toward him. He wasn't going to let good cake go to waste.

"You know you can talk to me if something's bothering you," he said. "Even if I have the flu."

"Well Buck, with you here, the only thing I'm worried about is running out of cake," Steve smiled. It was forced, but Bucky didn't press the issue. Steve never responded well when he was backed into a corner.

"You had your chance," he taunted, shoving a forkful of cake into his mouth.

The next morning, Steve sat in the den with his coffee and the newspaper. The rest of the team was in the kitchen, but he wanted to be alone right now. With everything that had happened lately, he felt he had earn the right to be in a bad mood, but he didn't want to take it out on the others. He could tell that everyone was worried about him, but he would be fine. He always was.

He turned to the sports section to check the score from the Yankees game. They had won, and so far this season they were doing well. At least something in his life was going right, even if it was something silly like baseball. He looked to see who they were playing next. According to the schedule, they were playing the Orioles in Baltimore.

Steve put down the paper and opened his laptop. Weeks ago, he and Bucky had talked about going to see the Yankees. After their last mission, this might be just what they needed. Both of them could use an afternoon away from their problems and Bucky needed a reminder of who he had been before HYDRA.

He took a quick look at the ticket prices and went to the kitchen. The others were sitting at the kitchen table nibbling at the remains of breakfast.

"Feeling social?" Natasha asked.

"I had an idea," Steve said cheerfully, ignoring the comment. "Who wants go see the Yankees Orioles game Saturday?"

"Pass," Natasha said, turning her attention back to her last piece of bacon.

"Yeah, not my thing either," Wanda said, slightly more apologetically.

"The Yankees?" Bucky said with distaste.

"Buck, we talked about this," Steve said wearily. "The Dodgers moved to California."

"Oh right," Bucky said. "What the hell, I'm in. Still New York at least." Steve couldn't help but smile at the excitement in his voice. "We haven't been to a game since," he paused. "Damn, when was it?"

"Huh, '43 we were in the army."Steve said. He could quite remember either. "Must have been '42."

"Wow," Bucky said.

"Well count me in," Sam said. "I could definitely use a break."

"Sharon?" Steve asked.

Sharon cringed. "I've been trying to figure out how to say this, but I hate Baseball."

Steve felt his heart sink a bit, but he forced a smile and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll make it work."

"But I am impressed that you found a place where sunglasses and a baseball cap are actually going to help you blend in," Sharon teased.

Steve chuckled. "Scott?"

"More of an NFL guy if anyone wants to go when the Ravens play the 49er's this fall."

"Ok," Steve said. "Three tickets and the rest of your get to sit here watching Wheel of Fortune."

"Well until Scott screwed up the gender divide I was going to suggest a spa day," Natasha said.

Wanda's face lit up. "Oh, can we go to that nail place near the Harbor?"

"Hey now!" Scott interjected. "It's 2017. Men can do spa days."

Sharon shrugged. "Ok, I guess we're doing a spa day."

"Alright then," Steve said. "Bucky, Sam, let's go to the den and look at seats."

"How are we going to buy seats from the den?" Bucky asked, confused.

"Nothing over $20." Sharon insisted.

"That's the nosebleed section," Sam said.

"And how much were you planning to spend on your pedicure?" Steve asked.

"About $50," she said.

"Plus tip, and lunch and I'm sure you're going to get something else done too," Steve argued.

"How are we going to buy the tickets from here?" Bucky asked again.

"Well, you were going to get hot dogs and nachos, and it's like $8 a beer," Sharon countered.

"$40 a seat," Steve offered.

"They used to cost a dollar!" Bucky balked.

"No kidding Grandpa!" Sam said. "Tell me how you had to walk to school in the snow uphill both ways."

"Fine, $40," Sharon agreed. "But we're getting a massage too."

"Then we're going to a bar afterwards," Steve told her.

"Ok, deal."

Steve kissed her and headed for the den.

"I'm still confused about how we're buying the tickets," Bucky said.

Sam gave him an exasperated look. "Man, we've talked about the internet. Pay attention."

When Saturday came, the house was a rush of activity. Bucky pulled on the Yankee's shirt Steve had let him borrow. It was soft and well worn. The baseball cap was stiff and he couldn't seem to get it to lay right. Steve hadn't had an extra Yankees cap to loan him, so they had gone to the mall the day before to buy one. It seemed a bit ridiculous to Bucky, but Steve insisted that this was how people dressed at baseball games now.

"You know the game doesn't start until one o'clock, right?" Bucky heard Sharon call from the bathroom.

"We're taking the metro, so that's at least half an hour," Steve said, teasing his hair as though it wasn't going to be hidden under a hat all day. "And we want to tailgate, so we need to be there before noon, plus we're going to have to stop and pick up beer for that, so that's 15 minutes."

Bucky chuckled softly, wrestling with the photostatic glove as he went downstairs. He almost managed to hook it, but it slipped again. Cursing under his breath, he went to the kitchen. Natasha and Lang were sitting at the kitchen table with their coffee.

"Can someone help me get this thing on?" Bucky asked

Natasha reached up and deftly fastened the seam. She turned it on but didn't let go. "Is that what you're doing with your hair?" she asked.

"It's going to be under a baseball cap," he shrugged.

She pushed him into a chair. "It's 90 degree and you're going to be out in the sun all day," she said. You'll want that off your neck. She combed it into a ponytail with her fingers and took the hair tie from her wrist to hold it. She helped him adjust the hole in the back of the cap to sit over it. Lang chuckled quietly.

"What are you laughing at?" Bucky asked. "You're going to come back with red fingernails.

Lang scoffed. "I have a 9 year old daughter," he reminded Bucky. "My fingernails have been every color of the rainbow, sometimes all at once."

Wilson came down, a baseball cap in his hand. "Yo, Tic-Tac, the shower's free. Might want to jump in before Wanda does."

"Has anyone considered getting a larger water heater?" he asked, running upstairs.

"I'm going to go see if Sharon is done with the curling iron," Natasha said, giving Bucky's short pony tail a playful flick as she left.

Bucky went to get a cup of coffee. He could feel Wilson's eyes on him. "Just ask me," he said shortly.

"Ask you what?" Wilson asked innocently, sitting down at the table and flipping to the comics section.

"Ask me how I'm doing and get it over with," Bucky said. Wilson had been helping him work through the memories of HYDRA. He appreciated what Wilson was trying to do, but the analytical stares were starting to irritate him.

"This is my day off," Wilson said. "But since you brought it up, how are you doing?"

Bucky took a sip of his coffee. "Not good, but I don't want to think about it today," he answered.

"Fair enough," he said. "But you have to think about it sometime."

"I have," he replied. "All day, every day for the last week. I'm tired of it and I just need to do something to forget about it for a few hours."

"Ok, so today we're all just going to drink beer and watch baseball," Wilson said,

"Yep," Bucky said, sipping his coffee.

Steve came downstairs, grinning ear to ear. "Alright let's go!"

Bucky finished his coffee and followed Steve out the door.

Sharon knocked on the door of Wanda and Natasha's room. "Wanda, are you ready, we need to get going!"

"We have half an hour before we leave!" Wanda called back.

"Yeah, and unless it's a mission, you have a bad habit of taking twice as long as you have," Sharon said.

Wanda opened the door. "I was trying to pick out my shoes."

"Go with the flip flops unless you want to screw up your nail polish," Sharon told her.

Wanda grabbed her shoes and they headed down stairs. Scott and Natasha were in the living room watching the morning news.

"Ok, so what are we going to do?" Scott asked excitedly.

Sharon traded a quick look with Natasha. Natasha looked at Scott and gave her a quick nod.

"Well first we were going to get pedicures," Sharon told him.

"Sound great," Scott said. "Never had one."

"Wanda found this place that does a hot stone massage on your calves, and then an herbal salt scrub followed by a hot towel wrap," Sharon told him. "It's amazing."

"The thing is," Natasha said, "it's common courtesy to shave your legs before you go. It's kind of uncomfortable if you don't and the lotion get stuck in the hair."

Scott looked down at his legs. "Huh? So do I have to shave the whole leg or can I just do the bottom."

"As dark as your hair is, you probably want to do the whole leg or it'll look silly," Natasha said.

Scott rubbed a hand up his leg. "Is it just like shaving my face or do I have to use a special razor?"

"Start at your ankle and go up, but with that much hair you probably want to do it in small patches." Wanda suggested.

"Ok, give me 20 minutes."

Scott jumped off the couch and ran upstairs. They waited until he was out of the room and burst out laughing.

"Oh my god he's actually going to do it!" Sharon laughed breathlessly.

"You owe me $50," Natasha said.

"Double or nothing we can convince him to get his eyebrows waxed," Sharon said..

"You're on Carter." Natasha said.

Bucky closed his eyes, letting the hot sun warm his face and melt away memories of the ice. The breeze cooled his neck. Being outside was peaceful, even with the noise of the stadium surrounding him. For a minute, it felt like he was young again, before the war, back when his biggest problems were girls and rent.

Wilson stood up and shuffled towards the end of the row. "Can you move your feet?" he asked.

For a moment Bucky thought back the car in Germany and considered making him go the other way, but he put his feet down. "Get me a beer?"

"You have a beer!" Wilson said.

"I won't by the time you get back." Bucky took a long sip to emphasize his point.

"Fine. If I get Nachos are you going to eat them all?" Sam asked as he shuffled past.

"Maybe get two just to be safe," Bucky called.

"Steve?"

"I'm ok."

Bucky put his feet back up on the seat and drank his beer. It wasn't exactly like he remembered, but it was damn close. He turned to say something to Steve, but Steve was looking at his phone.

"Would you get off that thing and watch the game?"

Steve put it in his pocket with a doleful sigh. "I was expecting Sharon to text me a selfie of their pedicure."

Bucky stared at him. "I speak 12 languages and I didn't understand a word you just said."

Steve took a sip of his beer. "I was just hoping she'd come."

"Steve," Bucky said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "I'm happy that you finally got a girlfriend, but you really need to ease up. It's ok to go off with the fellows and watch a game. Dames need time alone too."

"Fine, you're right," Steve said.

Bucky finished his beer, hoping that Wilson was going to bring him one like he asked. "So what was it like coming out of the ice? Had to be different for you."

Steve frowned pensively. "It was weird. They tried to stage an Army hospital, but they screwed up about twenty things." He paused. "Might have been on purpose. I feel like SHIELD would have known better. I was a little disoriented, but mainly I was just disappointed that I was 70 years too late for my date with Peggy."

"I'm sorry that didn't work out for you."

"I was too until I met Sharon. Sometimes I wonder if it would have worked out or if I was just fixating on it because I never had a chance to try."

"And what the fuck possessed you to crash a plane into the Arctic in the first place?" Bucky asked, punching Steve in the arm. "What did you just lose your damn mind after I fell off the train?"

Steve laughed. "Kind of."

"You have absolutely no impulse control, do you?" Bucky asked. Steve just sipped his beer, grinning.

Bucky shook his head. "So what was that whole thing with aliens in New York? And a killer robot?"

Steve hesitated, just barely, but Bucky caught it. "That was how the Avengers started. Clint told you that story. Thor's brother tried to open up a door to space. We stopped him."

"He told me the short version," Bucky said. "I'm sure there was more to it than that."

One of the players hit the ball deep into the outfield and rounded the bases. Their conversation was interrupted as the Orioles fans roared their support. One of the Yankee players caught the ball. Steve and Bucky jumped to their feet, cheering loudly. They sat back down as the inning changed.

"So what happened after the aliens?" Bucky asked. "Please don't tell me you sat in your apartment for two years watching newsreels."

"No, I worked with SHIELD for a while. Natasha and I worked together a lot. She kind of made it her mission to get me a girlfriend." Steve chuckled. "She actually tried to set me up with Sharon once."

"Yeah, Sharon told me she lived across the hall from you."

"Yeah, I thought her name was Kate and that she was a nurse," Steve said.

"That one must have been a shock," Bucky said.

Steve looked at him, hesitating again.

"She told me the whole story." Bucky assured him.

Steve relaxed just a bit. "You know I was pretty damn surprised when you caught the shield. Thought I had you for sure."

"Surprised the hell out of me too," Bucky admitted. "I didn't know who you were at the time and the fact that you actually managed to chase me down was," he paused, trying to remember how he had felt at the time. "Annoying. I wasn't used to anyone being a match for me."

"Yeah, having all my co-workers hunt me down was pretty annoying too," Steve said wryly.

"Did Natasha know who Sharon was the whole time?"

Steve furrowed his brow. "You know I never asked. Probably." He took a sip of his beer.

"So what was that thing with the killer robot?"

Steve looked out at the field, avoiding the question. Before Bucky could press the issue, Wilson returned and handed him a container of nachos. Bucky looked at it frowning.

"What the hell are these things?" he asked, picking up a mushy green circle.

"Jalapenos," Wilson said.

"You know I hate spicy food!" he accused Wilson.

"Oh do you?" Wilson asked. feigning surprise.

"You're the one who made me try these in Mexico, ass. And you forgot my beer." He stood up and handed the container to Steve. "I'm going to get a hot dog. Anyone want anything?"

"I'll take one," Steve said. Wilson considered carefully.

"I'm good," he said.

"Good call," Bucky growled menacingly as he headed up to the concessions stand.

"You know, this was nice," Scott said as they left the nail salon. "My legs feel refreshed and my feet are all smooth. We should do this more often."

"And you're ok with passion pink?" Wanda asked.

Scott looked at his foot and wiggled his toes. "Well I was going to go with dusty rose, but this just seemed happier."

"What do you guys want to do for lunch?" Wanda asked. Natasha's phone dinged.

"Guys, we have a situation," she said.

"Damnit," Sharon said.

"Awww, the boots are going to mess up my toes!" Scott whined.

Natasha handed her the phone. "Should we call Steve?"

"No," Sharon said firmly. "He hasn't been to Yankees game since 1942, I'm not going to ruin it for him."

"I think you ruined it when you didn't go with him." Wanda said.

"What?" Sharon asked. Steve hadn't said anything about it to her. She assumed he would have been happy to have some time alone with Sam and Bucky.

"He was a bit disappointed," Wanda told her.

Sharon pushed the thought out of her mind. "Well right now we need to stop someone from setting off an EMP in the middle of Charlotte, North Carolina."

"What's there?" Wanda asked.

"It's the second largest banking center in the US," Sharon explained. "Frying the systems would cause a major disruption to the financial sector."

"We're a little understaffed," Natasha said. "Are you sure we shouldn't call Steve?"

Sharon shook her head. "I don't think we need the heavy hitters on this one. It seem like more of a finesse job and if we do need some muscle, we always have the jolly red giant."

"I was actually going with giant man," Scott said. He sighed. "I should have gone with Raven Red. It would have matched the suit."

"It's going to get smudged in a half hour anyway," Sharon said. "Let's get going."

Sam leaned over Steve and shoved his hand in the bag of popcorn that Barnes was holding. He grabbed a handful and shoved it in his mouth.

"Wilson!" Barnes cried, leaning over to punch him in the thigh. "I said you could have a handful, not half the damn bag!"

"Should have gotten two," Sam mumbled around a mouth of popcorn.

Barnes half threw the bag at him. "Fine, you can have this one, I'll get another." He jumped over the back of the seat to go to the concessions stand.

"Get me a beer?" Wilson asked.

"Sure," Barnes said with a hint of mischief in his voice.

"He's not going to get me a beer," Sam muttered.

"Was that necessary?" Steve asked wearily.

"Yes," Sam replied. "I've been too nice to him lately."

Steve looked at him strangely. "Um, ok."

"He's been crying on my shoulder for a week and he's not good with that whole emotional vulnerability thing. He actually wants me to be a dick to him right now so he can feel normal. The fact that it went on that long should tell you how bad off he was."

Steve gaped at Sam. "You really thought that one through."

"Yeah," Sam told him. "I screwed up the nachos and ate his popcorn, he'll eat my Oreo's tonight, a little prank war will be good for him. Isn't that what the baseball game is about, getting back to normal?"

Steve nodded. Sam glanced over at Steve. He was staring at his phone again.

"Dude, would you get off that thing!"

"Sorry!" he said, putting it back in his pocket.

"What are you, 15?"

"No, I was just hoping Sharon would text me."

"You know, you're actually worse with a girlfriend." Sam muttered. "Give her some space and let her have one afternoon to herself."

He laughed. "Bucky said the same thing. Am I really that bad?"

"No, but you need to chill a bit. You've been mopey as hell lately and she's been a saint about it, but you gotta give her a break."

"Ok, fine, I'm putting my phone away for the rest of the game," he looked back at the concession stand. "Are you sure you trust Bucky to get you a beer?"

Sam scoffed. "What's he going to do?"

"I don't know, but back in the Howling Commandos he had some pretty good ones," Steve grinned. "I'd watch your back."

Steve stopped talking as Bucky returned. Bucky handed Sam a beer.

"What's this?" Sam asked suspiciously. It was dark, but didn't look too heavy.

"I don't know," Barnes said. "The cute girl at the counter said it was her favorite. Duck Bunny or something."

Sam sighed and took a sip. It started to burn. He gagged and spit it into an empty cup. "What the fuck, Barnes!"

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you liked peppers," Barnes taunted him gleefully.

"Not in my beer!" Sam gagged. "What did you do to it?"

"Something called Siracha."

Steve laughed as Sam ran off to the concessions stand. He realized that he may have underestimated his opponent. Maybe a prank war with Barnes wasn't the best idea.

"So was Steve really that disappointed?" Sharon asked as they neared their destination.

"Well you've seen him lately," Natasha said. "Ever since Chicago he's been moody."

"Well yeah, I noticed that," Sharon said, "but I didn't think the baseball game was that big a deal. I thought he would rather go with someone who'd appreciate it."

"I think the whole thing in Algeria hit him harder than he realizes and then Atlanta," Scott said. "I think he just wants to spend some time together with everyone."

"Well you know what, he's been a bit clingy lately," Sharon snapped. "I know he's having a hard time and I've tried to be supportive, but I need a break from him sometimes. I know that sounds mean but this isn't a normal situation."

"No I get it, but maybe baseball wasn't the place to draw the line in the sand," Wanda suggested.

"Coming up on the LZ," Natasha said.

Sharon set the jet down on top of a parking garage near the target. They hurried down the street ignoring the stares and shouts from the crowds. They would have to hurry before the Avengers got wind of their presence.

Scott shrank down as they approached the target. Sharon and Natasha cut around to slip through the police barricade. Wanda circled around the other way. The targets were standing in a large plaza. They had weapons, but Sharon guessed it was more to keep the police at bay. One of the targets had a megaphone and was droning on about the evils of the banking system.

"Ok, they don't appear hostile at the moment," Natasha said. "Sounds like some anti-capitalism activist group. Scott, can you get in there and take a look at that thing?"

"On it."

"Wanda keep an eye on those guns and get ready to shield the cops if they open fire," Sharon instructed."

"I'm on it."

Sharon and Natasha crouched down to wait as Scott moved in on the target. Suddenly one of the men turned to look at Wanda.

"Shit! It's the Avengers!" he yelled, opening fire.

It was the bottom of the 7th inning and the Yankees were up by three. Bucky took a breath and belched. It had been a mistake to go for the chili cheese hot dog. After a week without food, his stomach was more sensitive than he realized. Steve finished his beer and stood up.

"If I go to the restroom am I going to come back and find you guys throwing nachos at each other?" he asked.

"You think I'd waste good nachos on him?" Wilson balked. "These things are like $6 a piece!"

"We'll be fine." Bucky promised. "I could use another beer though,"

"I'll grab a round," Steve said as he left.

They watched the game in silence for a moment. Bucky turned to see that Steve was out of earshot.

"Hey Wilson," Bucky said, moving over a seat.

"Touch my nachos and I will end you," Wilson cautioned him.

""No, I'm calling a truce for a minute," Bucky said."Do you think Steve's acting weird lately?"

"Well last week was pretty tough on everyone," Wilson said.

"No, it's not that, he's been like this for a while and it's not just about me."

Wilson frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Seems like something's bothering him but he won't tell me. I was talking to him a minute ago and he kept dodging the questions."

"Like what?" Sam asked, nibbling on a nacho.

"Well I was asking him about what he's been doing since he got unfrozen. He saved New York from aliens. That has to be a hell of a story, so why won't he talk about it?"

Wilson nodded. "Stark."

Bucky flinched.

"And that's why he won't tell you," Wilson explained. "Most of that Avenger stuff involves Tony and I don't think he really feels comfortable talking about that with you."

"So he's just supposed to pretend like the last 5 years of his life didn't happen because it might upset me?" Bucky asked.

Wilson gaped at him. "Man, last week you were curled up in the basement crying for six days because you ran into a HYDRA scientist!"

"I was not crying," Bucky insisted.

"Still though. You maybe think he has a point?" Wilson suggested.

Bucky let out an aggravated sigh. He and Steve had always talked about everything. It hurt that Steve wouldn't confide in him. Steve kept hoping that Bucky was going to get back to his old self, but Bucky hadn't seen much of the old Steve lately.

"Well ignoring it isn't going to help me," he grumbled.

"I agree, but I don't think it's just you," Wilson said. "He's upset about what happened between him and Tony. He's been focused on you recently but the Avengers hunting us down kind of brought all that up again."

"Were they close?" Bucky asked.

Wilson nodded. "I don't think they saw eye to eye on a lot of stuff, but you fight off an alien invasion together, you bond. He didn't really have anyone when he came out of the ice except the Avengers."

Bucky took a sip of his beer. "Hey Wilson?"

"What?"

"Thanks for the nachos."

Wilson patted him on the shoulder. "No problem. That was a good choice of beer."

"You know I'm eating your Oreo's tonight," Bucky told him.

"Yeah," Wilson said. "And you know I'm going to drink all the coffee tomorrow morning."

Bucky laughed. "Try it."

Wanda threw up a forcefield as a spray of bullets flew in her direction. Sharon and Natasha ran out to engage. One of the men turned to fire, forcing them to take cover behind a granite wall.

"Scott, a little help here!" Sharon yelled.

"Just a minute, I have an idea," he said.

"No, no ideas, get over there and take them out!" Natasha yelled.

"No, I got this," he insisted. "Say hello to my little friends!"

The gunmen stopped firing and started screaming. Wanda quickly grabbed their weapons.

"I really hate to do this guys," Scott said. "I actually kind of agree with you, but I do not approve of your methods!"

"Ok, now you're just showing off," Natasha said.

"Fire ants!" He chuckled as the gunmen continued to scream. "Someone remind me to drop some sugar packets for those little guys!

"Geez, Scott. How many fire ants did you use?" Sharon asked.

"All of them," he said. "They're just lucky we're not in Louisiana."

"Great, can you call them off so we don't get bitten cuffing these guys," Sharon asked.

"Oh right," Scott said. Natasha and Sharon ran out to restrain the gunmen.

"Alright, get in there and disable the EMP," Sharon ordered.

"Without setting it off, please," Natasha added.

"Hey, this is all electrical. I'm in my element here!" Scott reverted to full size. He ran over and yanked out a few wires. "EMP neutralized."

"Good work," Sharon said.

"While we're here, I was reading online about some really good local breweries. Anyone want to swing through on our way out?"

Sharon looked at Natasha. She shrugged.

"One brewery," Sharon said. "And not in Uptown."

It was late when Steve, Sam and Bucky arrived home. Natasha, Sharon, Wanda and Scott were in the kitchen playing scrabble.

"You're back late!" Sharon said, standing up to kiss Steve hello.

"The Yankees won so we went to a bar afterwards."

"Wasn't the game over a 5?" Natasha asked.

"Yep," Bucky said, half carrying Sam upstairs.

"Is he ok?" Scott asked.

Steve laughed. "He'll have a headache tomorrow, but he's fine. A couple of Orioles fans challenged us to something called beer pong. Bucky and Sam got a little too competitive."

"Did you have fun at your game?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah," Steve said. Aside from a few tense moment with Bucky it had been a good day. He felt relaxed for the first time in weeks. "I think we needed that."

"You weren't disappointed that I didn't come, were you?" Sharon asked hesitantly.

"A little at first," Steve admitted. "But I realized it's probably not a bad idea to spend some time apart now and then."

He went into the living room and turned on the news. "So what did you guys do today?"

Natasha shrugged. "We got pedicures and then Scott took us to this brewery he read about."

"Sounds great." A news blurb scrolled across the bottom of the screen. He turned to Sharon. "Where exactly was that brewery?"

"North Carolina," she said. "We brought back a couple of growlers if you want a beer."

"I've been drinking since 11. I'll have some water, and you can tell me about the EMP," Steve said. Sharon just smiled.

"Oh God, I'm going to feel this tomorrow," Wilson moaned.

"You didn't have to do shots with them," Bucky pointed out.

"Please tell me that at least got you buzzed," Wilson pleaded.

"Well the six I drank while you were in the bathroom throwing up made me feel something," Bucky admitted. He opened the door to Wilson's room and dropped him on the bed. "You want anything?"

Wilson nodded. "Coconut water," he mumbled, closing his eyes as his head hit the pillow.

Bucky turned off the lights and closed the door. He went to his room to grab his journal and went downstairs. He took the coconut water out of the refrigerator.

"Can someone take this up to Wilson when they go up? No rush, I think he passed out right after I put him to bed."

"I got it," Lang said. "It's been a long day, I think I'm going to call it early."

"What the hell happened to your legs?" Bucky asked. Lang's legs were completely hairless.

"Oh damnit!" Sharon said. "I owe Natasha $50."

"Say what?" Lang cried.

"I'm going to bed," Sharon said, quickly heading up.

"Uh, hang on!" Lang said, following her up.

"I'm going to turn in too," Natasha said.

"Me too," Wanda said. She paused to kiss Bucky on the cheek. "Night."

"Get some sleep," he told her.

Bucky went to the sink for a glass of water. "What was that about?" He asked Steve.

"She bet Natasha that they couldn't convince Scott to shave his legs. I think there was something else, but someone tried to set off an EMP in North Carolina so they had to take care of that.

Bucky looked carefully at Steve. "Something wrong?"

"Not really, I just wish they had called us." Steve said.

"Wilson was half drunk and that hot dog gave me indigestion. I'm not sure we would have been much help." He took a packet of Alka Seltzer out of the cabinet and dropped it into his glass.

"I just wish she'd asked," Steve said.

"I think she just wanted to let you have some time to relax," Bucky said. Steve didn't reply. Bucky drank the Alka Seltzer, thinking carefully. He had found in the past that confronting Steve about things often had the opposite of the desired result. He decided to try a different tactic.

"Do you still draw?"

"I haven't in awhile," Steve said with a wistful smile.

"You should take it up again," Bucky suggested. "I used to love the stuff you did."

"I don't think I even think I own a sketchbook," Steve said.

"We'll go get one tomorrow."

Steve nodded. "That would be nice," he yawned. "I'm going to bed."

"I'm going to stay up for a bit," Bucky said.

"Night pal," Steve said, clapping him on the shoulder as he passed.

Bucky poured a glass of milk and took the Oreo's out of the cabinet. Taking a seat at the island, he opened his journal and looked at the nearly blank page.

They made me love them.

~Your work has been a gift to mankind.~

Bucky drove his fist into the bag, trying to quiet the voice in his head. "Shut up!"

He hammered his fists into the bag, over and over. Gasping, he realized that he hadn't taken a breath in a couple of minutes. He sank down to the floor, panting. The game today had been fun, but nothing had been able to push the memory out of his head. Now that he had a few moments of peace, everything had come rushing back. HYDRA had trained him like dog, taught him obedience, praised him, rewarded him, punished him when he stepped out of line. He had been nothing but an animal to them, a loyal beast willing to do their bidding.

Bucky ripped off the gloves and started to throw them at the wall until he noticed Wanda on the stairs.

"How long have you been there?" he asked.

"Only a minute," she answered, coming down into the basement.

Bucky sighed and turned to put the gloves away. "Still can't sleep?"

"Can you?" she asked.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said.

She look down at her hands, her mouth tightly drawn. "I get treated like a child sometimes, and I suppose compared to them I am, but I've lived on the darker side of humanity," she reminded him. "By choice," she added. "Pietro and I joined HYDRA willingly. What they did to you, that wasn't a choice. They never would have allowed you to do anything except what they wanted."

"I could have died," Bucky said.

She lifted her head to look him in the eye. "You think they would have let you?"

"I don't know, but when I stopped wanting to, they won."

Wanda crossed her arms and looked at the floor, biting her lip. He wanted to see things her way but it was difficult. He had not realized what was happening at the time and he only remembered the pride he felt serving their cause.

"Come here," he said. Wanda came over and he folded her in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder. Neither said anything. It pained him to see her so distressed. He wished he could get better so she wouldn't worry, but 70 years of manipulation and conditioning couldn't be undone in a few months. Bucky kissed the top of her head.

"Get some sleep," he said softly.

She nodded and went upstairs. Bucky sighed, feeling calmer now. He went over to where he had left his journal and opened it up. He pressed the pen into the page.

They made me love them.

-End-

A/N: Thanks for reading! I love seeing how many of you have favorited and followed this story, but I would love to hear from you too! Drop a quick review to let me know what you think of the story so far! These chapters take days, sometimes weeks to write and your feedback helps keep me motivated.

Thanks also to JayRain for listening me bitch about the last chapter. Go read her stuff! She has some great Bucky and Steve works.

And thanks again to my guest reviewers. Nightwalker, Thanks! I love Bucky and Wanda, they are so adorable together. Having fun with those two. Jack, thanks! Lots more on the way.