Author's Notes: Oh, lordy, I have forsaken you. My last update was in March 8. MARCH 8! (Come on, Thea, you're better than that.) I really can't catch a break with this thing we call life. Having two jobs plus school is overwhelming enough without other shit trying to eat me alive. Anyway, hope you appreciate this attempt at writing again.
"…As much as it pains me to have woken up to a world where Hydra remained powerful in the shadows…"
Pierce wakes to the cadence of Captain America's voice filtering through the speakers before he even opens his eyes. He sits up, tired and weary, with nothing but his usual poise despite hunger and exhaustion; a man like him will sooner die than give up his pride. SHIELD, or what was left of it, had been itching to let him rot slowly and surely while subjecting him to the inhumane (post-serum) treatment the Winter Soldier went through with Hydra but Bucky Barnes would have none of it.
"No. That's what they did to me. If we do that, then we ain't no better than them," Bucky says, leaving both Iron Man and Captain America metaphorically puffing out their chests in pride. When Fury simply stares at him, as if waiting for that god-forsaken 'but', Bucky turns to Maria Hill whose jaw might come loose any time now with how hard she's clenching it.
"He's right," she simply says, much to Fury's disappointment. "We've done a lot of shady shit in the past and I still can't help wondering how much influence Hydra has had on those, even over projects headed by people we've vetted and confirmed as clean."
"We're working on that."
She acknowledges her boss with a half-nod, half-tilt of her head. "We're on uncharted territory now with how vulnerable SHIELD is, given these changes, so we need to secure our foundations first, what we stand for. Draw the line before we consider toeing it."
A silence washes over all the occupants in the room. Fury takes a deep breath and sighs, walking menacingly towards Maria before he stands in front of her, lazily yet seriously saluting. "Aye, aye, Director," he says with a tired half-smile and a look in his eye that practically says, 'Make me proud.'
Her brows furrow. "What?"
"Seeing you in your element, around people who not only respect you but would gladly go to war for you, with you, and hearing your little speech—which, I must say, could've just as easily come from Captain America himself… SHIELD needs to re-establish its roots and it needs a new leader for that. I couldn't think of anyone better-suited for that job than the rookie Director Carter and I found in the middle of a post-battle wasteland carrying a grown man nearly twice her size because she couldn't let a brother die if she could do something about it."
Maria blinks once, twice, then clears her throat. "You're retiring?"
"In light of what's happened with Pierce, the World Security Council has invited me to take his seat at the table. I was reluctant at first, but I know SHIELD will be in good hands. I think they all agree," he says, gesturing to the rest of the room and receiving nods in return.
"But…" Maria trails off, wide-eyed and uncharacteristically unsure.
"Pierce was talking about legacies and all that bullshit when we locked him up." He lays his hand on her shoulder and squeezes. "You're the best one I could think of, kiddo."
Tony's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline at the show of affection from two of the most stoic people he has ever encountered. He looks around to see if he's suddenly asleep and dreaming but he sees Bruce's surprised calm and interest, Clint's choked-up expression, Natasha's genuine smile in place of her usual smirk, Steve's embarrassing heart eyes, and Bucky's soft smile with one hand on Steve's shoulder and the other secure in Tony's grip.
"You're all seeing this, right?" Tony whispers. "This is really happening."
Bucky lifts his and Tony's joined hands to plant a soft kiss on his beloved's knuckles. "It is."
The screen on his left that was nothing but a dull, blank wall in the past week switches on and he snarls as the image of Captain America standing behind a podium in full Avenger regalia fills his senses.
"…I'm glad I'm still here to fight them, hopefully with the rest of the world…"
He gets to watch his entire legacy fall apart while he's helpless in solitary confinement. The video changes to show him clips of Malick and the rest of the high-ranking Hydra plants in the U.S. government getting arrested, including Senator Stern who's apparently not only been a thorn on Tony Stark's side but a Hydra plant too. The video then fades back to a close-up view of red, white, and blue.
"…I know I'm asking a lot but the price of freedom is high; it always has been. It's a price I'm willing to pay."
Pierce snarls, muttering, "Price of freedom."
"…And if I'm the only one, then so be it..."
"You don't know the world anymore, Captain," he spits the title like venom. "We were trying to change it."
The camera shows him looking behind him so it pans across the stage to show the rest of the Avengers. "…But I'm willing to bet I'm not." The cameras don't catch the way his gaze lingers on a woman dressed in all black, hair down for once, determined to stay in the shadows despite the blistering sun.
- x -
Cannons controlled by a single algorithm designed for genocide…these were the first to go when Project INSIGHT got the go ahead once again with a number of Stark-secured modifications. After all, helicarriers like the one they had during the Chitauri invasion are incredibly useful for SHIELD, especially now in the attempts to rehabilitate its population.
During the Avengers' downtime, they seek and destroy all known Hydra cells and look for more with the help of Bucky, who endlessly flirts with a ready and willing Tony Stark in their comms, much to some people's amusement and others' frustration (Rhodey) at their little dance or exasperation (Steve) at their shamelessness with regard to private matters (read: sex).
After rigorous surveillance from trusted SHIELD teams deployed the moment Hydra's continued existence was confirmed and after they've exhausted all relevant intel from cells and hideouts known to Hydra, they finally head to Siberia – where it all started and where they find more Soldiers shot point blank between their eyes while asleep inside their tanks.
"I thought we were here for the chair?"
"How did you know to find them?" Steve asks.
Bucky frowns, confused and frustrated at his own memories. "We are, and I…didn't. But I think," he pauses, lifting a hand to rest on the amber glass between him and one of the soldiers. "I remember fighting them."
The others exchange glances. "With or against?" Natasha asks, needing confirmation despite her own speculation.
Bucky closes his eyes, silent for a minute before he responds, "Against. I was tasked to protect the handlers when they would go berserk, and they always did. Destroyed everything in their path, couldn't take orders, couldn't be controlled…" Neither of the rest of the Avengers doubted the 'unlike me' that followed where Bucky trailed off with a voice heavier than concrete. "Maybe that's why Hydra killed them."
"Hey, Buckaroo?" Comes Tony's slightly mechanical voice.
Bucky shakes himself back to the present before he goes down memory lane. "Yeah, Tony?"
"JARVIS found where they stashed it. Wanna pound on it until it breaks?" Tony asks lightly, wanting nothing but to take Bucky far, far away from this nightmarish place. He's edgy, ready to spring into action should Bucky ask to leave and fly away but that's the thing – Bucky needs to make this decision himself.
Bucky, who has been dreading coming back here for this exact reason, masks his emotions with a lewd joke. "I sure wanna break it but it's not what I wanna be poundin' on."
"Or who," Clint snickers, recognizing the assassin's attempt for what it is.
"Aww, you say the nicest things, Gumdrop."
"Only for you, Dollface."
"Chatter."
"Oh, come on, Cap! You're just jealous because Maria doesn't let you engage in dirty talk," Tony pouts through his HUD.
"Don't I?" Comes Maria's unexpected response, apparently uncaring if her little tease sort of confirms for the rest of the team what her relationship status with a certain national hero is.
"Wha—Oh my god. Do you? Does she?!" Tony nearly shrieks through the comms, much to everyone's chagrin if the collective groans were any indication. "Nooooooo," he whines when he gets nothing further. "Now I need to know. Tell meeeeee," he obnoxiously extends the last vowel sound until the need for air cuts it off.
"I can't believe I'm being the adult here but let me just remind you that we're on a mission?" Clint reprimands lightly but couldn't resist adding, "But seeing as Cap's pretty much a ripe tomato in a cowl, I'd wager there's some truth to that."
Tony and Bucky let out matching howls of laughter and victory.
"You are all children," Maria mutters but the smile on her face was evident in the way she uttered the words. Just as the laughter dies down, faint but insistent meowing filters through Maria's side of the comms.
"Aww," Steve coos. "Is Milkshake hungry?"
"I don't know." Maria nearly purrs, "Are you?"
Silence.
Then Steve smirks. "For you? Always."
Tony groans, retracting his faceplate just to pout at a smirking Natasha. "Aww. You know it's not fun when he's no longer embarrassed." He turns his pout to Bucky who simply smiles fondly at him.
Once the Hydra base has been secured and wrapped up with the arrival of the SHIELD clean-up crew, the Avengers start making their way back to the quinjet, shedding masks, cowls, and helmets along the way.
Bruce and Thor stayed inside the quinjet as back-up should things escalate. They pause in their jovial discussion about how the Hulk might enjoy meeting Thor's pet bilgesnipe, Bilgy, to greet the rest of their team. Clint resumes his earlier position in the cockpit with Natasha right beside him. Steve sits opposite of where Bucky heavily drops down; he's worried about his best pal but has learned to be a little less overbearing with his hovering. He watches as Tony, now out of the suit, lays a hand on Bucky's shoulder while trying to maintain a pretense of levity.
"I have to say, getting the big bad seems so anticlimactic now." The genius goes willingly when a cool metal arm rounds his waist and pulls him to sit sideways on a lap. Bucky buries his face into Tony's chest and breathes deeply. Tony's fingers automatically card through long brown locks of hair, massaging the scalp as he goes.
Natasha rolls her eyes, not bothering to look away from the view of the horizon as the quinjet starts its ascent. "That's what happens when you've got a good plan in motion."
"Well, I usually just have one plan: Attack." Tony feels the arms wrapped around him tighten in silent reprimand.
Clint snorts. "How the hell is your company still standing?"
JARVIS unexpectedly interjects, "Easy, one Virginia 'Pepper' Potts."
"Agreed," comes Natasha's reply, her tone hinting at no ounce of uncertainty.
Steve shakes his head fondly as Tony chuckles. "Betrayed by my own creation."
"I only speak the truth, Sir," JARVIS explains. "You should listen to me; you did say I'm the best."
"Of course, you are; I created you."
"A great teacher has always been measured by the number of his students who have surpassed him."
Tony squawks. "Surpassed?"
"Chatter," Steve sighs, leaning his head back while staring at the ceiling. If this is his life now, he really can't complain.
- x -
"Hey, Aunt Peggy."
"Anthony, darling, how do you do?"
"Oh, you know. Just tinkering in the workshop with a hot super soldier watching me work."
"Is he now?"
"Mhmm. He's being a pretty good assistant most of the time; making me coffee, bringing me food, and laying all the tools I need around me. But he can also be a bad one because he likes to distract me by, you know," he pauses, keeping up the charade of nonchalance as he watches Bucky watching him with dark, glimmering eyes. "Kissing me senseless among other things, although one could still consider that good, especially if he knows what he's doing."
Peggy laughs, affection and amusement at her favorite godson not lost in the sound. "And I'm guessing he does."
"And then some," Tony replied, trying and failing at keeping his grin contained.
"What did I tell you?"
"You were right," he says, this time quietly but no less warm and affectionate and giddy. "You always are."
"I'm so glad my boys are happy," Peggy sighs, voice a bit tearful on the other side of the phone. "Make sure Steve stays that way, okay? He's been so sad for too long."
"I don't know what Maria does but she's good for him."
"She is, and he for her. Don't antagonize her too much, especially with rebuilding SHIELD on her plate." At his indignant squeak, she says, "I know you, Anthony."
"Fine. But she enjoys it when I do; she indulges me," he smugly responds.
"I'm glad. And Sharon, she's been cooped up here for a while now. Make sure she's not left alone for so long?"
"I will, Aunt Peg. In fact, I'll be visiting tomorrow."
"First thing in the morning?"
"You got it. You know you're the only one I willingly wake up early for."
"Bring James with you, alright? I want him with you."
He pauses briefly at the reason behind her request but shakes his head, thinking she's probably setting him and James up for an embarrassing trip down memory lane. So he just reaches his hand out for Bucky, who readily comes around his worktable to wrap his arms around Tony's torso.
"I'm sure he'll want to see you again." To which, Bucky hums and presses a light kiss on Tony's shoulder.
"Good." She takes a deep breath. "You'll tell on Howard, alright? No point hiding, I'll find out anyway."
Tony bows his head, suddenly feeling choked up, blinking rapidly at how their conversation had turned into one they've had countless times until he'd gone to college, and even then, still occasionally. "Dad's, uh—Dad's not so bad when he doesn't have his adult juice."
Bucky hears the change in Tony's voice and nuzzles into his neck for comfort, arms tightening upon the suddenly tense set of his shoulders.
Peggy hums, almost disapprovingly. "Don't give Mr. Jarvis such a hard time now, you hear me, young man?"
"Uh huh."
"I love you, always, my little chip," she says, reverting to what she used to call him in the rare times she babysat him or sang him lullabies as a child when he ran away from home with Jarvis' help.
"Always, Aunty Peg," he answers in a small voice so uncharacteristic of the man he's become, barely keeping his sniffling inaudible.
The next morning, he and Bucky are seated at the back of his town car with Happy driving when his phone starts ringing.
"Hey, Sharon. We're on our way, less than 10 minutes out, and half an hour early but—" He stiffens, mouth opening and closing, jaw tightly set. "What?" He asks, breathless, his fists clenching, one around the phone by his ear, the other hard around his knee. "No, I just—I just talked to her on the phone last night and she was—She is fine. She's not—She just…She can't be." He looks down at his lap, unaware of his own trembling until he feels a gentle hand cover his own on his knee. He looks up, silent tears streaming down his cheeks, and meets sad eyes, wide with understanding, compassion, and their own brand of grief.
"I'm sorry, Tony," comes Bucky's quiet comfort.
His hand slackens, causing his phone to tumble down his thigh to the floor of the car but he pays it no mind. With wide, unseeing, eyes, he mumbles, "She died in her sleep, smiling and clutching the phone to her chest."
Bucky knows; his enhanced hearing gave him full access to both sides of the conversation. He doesn't wipe at Tony's tears though, knowing how much the other man needs to let this out. Instead, he pries the hand tightly wrapped around his knee and twines their fingers.
Together, like how they will get through this, like how they are, and how they will be. Steve too. He'll make sure of it.
A/N: I feel like that was, at the very least, a better farewell for our girl Peggy than the one we got in CACW. I didn't want her to die here but when I was writing this chapter (still a bit sore about Donna Noble-yes, I'm only now catching up, don't judge), I just felt like forgetting the adventures shared with the people you love is a fate worse than death.
So... Here's the penultimate chapter. I'll post the last one next month if it's the last thing I do. Let me know your thoughts and feelings about this chapter, this story, and/or your life, if you so please. Or drop me a line on tumblr and I'll get back to you. I'd love to hear from you. x