Hey guys! So I just want to say that I'll be going back and editing chapters, so whenever I post a new update, I'll probably have some of the previous ones edited eg. I just updated ch. 1,2 and 3. No major changes, I just realised how crappy my structure etc. was in the first few, and I had a few grammatical errors too. With that being said…

I want to wish you guys happy holidays and a Merry Christmas/Happy New Year if I don't update before then. For those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a great holiday regardless, and thank you all so much for reading!

Rosmir: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I am planning on writing the airport fight next, so you will probably see that very soon :) And I completely understood that comment so it's all good! If you do feel more comfortable speaking your native language, feel free to write it and I can always translate myself :D Thanks for reading!

Most Mouse: Hahaha! I always love seeing your reviews, they genuinely make me laugh (in a good way!). Pietro's making rookie mistakes, it's never a good thing, but someone will surely save the day…right? Maybe, we'll see :P Bucky is a super pro, pretty sure that was the fastest prison-break ever (can we still call it a prison-break?) I'm calling it a prison-break. Haha I'm really glad you like the flashbacks because I always worry that people are like "oh my gosh, who even cares? Get back to the story!" So it's a relief to hear that they're not boring. Yeah I really wanted to make a character that had more dimensions to her, before I started writing I considered just an average human, but I really wanted to create someone who couldn't really be understood within the first 10 chapters or so. I think I revealed things about Ash's 'Earth past' in those chapters, but the rest of her past is still pretty hidden, and I like that because those first 12 years of her life was what really would have shaped her as a person, and not knowing what happened in those years leaves people questioning just how much they really know her, ya know? Wow, I'm writing way too much right now! haha but seriously, I look forward to reviews as much as you guys look forward to chapters so never apologise for length! Thanks again for being a great reader, and happy holidays!

Lisamalvina: Thank you for reading! Sorry I've been gone for so long but I hope you like this chapter.

wickedgrl123: Heeeey, super-buddy! That's awesome to hear, I really didn't want to upset anyone by changing things in a movie that most people seemed to love, so I have tried to limit the changes. But then again, the next few chapters (after CW ends) will be all me, so it'll go back to me making stuff up and hoping for the best! Haha :P Pietro is just so fun to write! But, Bucky is too so it's a constant battle in my head when it comes to 'who gets more screen time today?' :D We see outwardly angry Pietro in this chapter, and passive-aggressive Bucky also makes an appearance! I'm kinda looking forward to them fighting it out too, I feel like it needs to happen (and it will…in the next chapter). Ash's prison-break is interesting, I really had to think about how I wanted it to happen, and the way I decided to do it -in my opinion- fits the story best…I just hope that everyone else agrees! Nebula's involvement was a random decision to be honest, I know her role in the comics and as a result I felt like she needed some sort of relationship with Ash. Then again, I also felt like she needed some love after all she's been through :D Hope your holidays are going well, and a very early Merry Christmas to you! (If you're on holiday already…and if you celebrate Christmas…) haha See ya soon, buddy!

abstract0118: I can confirm that there will be more Astro moments very very soon! Thanks for reading! :D

LoveFiction2016: Thank you for reviewing! It's always a relief to hear that, I'm sorry for another long wait.

DENM: Hahaha I'm glad you liked it! If that's what people ask for then it's what I'll give them :P I really don't mind suggestions, so if anyone really wants to see something, then I can fit it in somewhere :)

AllAwesomeness: Super happy that you enjoyed it! I hope this chapter isn't a let down (particularly the last section…you'll know what I mean when you get there :P)

wintermoon7: Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think of this one, and I'm sorry for the constantly late updates! :P

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1, as always.

P.s. There is a lot of stuff in this chapter that relates to ch. 22 of this story. Not saying you have to re-read it, just a suggestion if you can't remember (which is probably my fault for updating like…once a century!).

Chapter 25:

Steve was starting to get real sick of falling into large bodies of water…from an aircraft…with Bucky. But the truth of the matter was that without the unpredictable events that had just taken place, they would still be held captive. Unfortunately, now the target on their backs was significantly larger, and while they had been taken in relatively calmly the first time, Steve had no doubt that it was no holds barred the next time around.

After Bucky was taken in, the power had gone out, and the mysterious man responsible for the chaos that followed, had somehow made his old friend hostile. Actually, hostile was an understatement. But the worst part was that the guy had gotten away. They had no idea who they were looking for, or what this man wanted…though one thing was for certain, he was hell-bent on ruining Bucky's life.

What a month.

The Avengers were on the brink of destruction, his best friend was being hunted, Steve himself was a wanted fugitive, and Peggy Carter had passed away in her sleep.

He wanted to take it easy after the Ultron fiasco, maybe chase some leads on the man currently unconscious in the abandoned warehouse, and just get his life together. He had somehow managed to blend into this era, after all these decades, and the big question that was constantly looming over his head when he didn't have an assignment was: 'what now?'

He had 'lived' for almost a century, and he had nothing to show for it outside of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers.

He was snapped out of his midlife crisis when a groan echoed through the warehouse, and he and Sam were quick to make their way over to the former assassin whose cybernetic arm was currently trapped between the remaining debris of a certain helicopter.

Despite all the crap that had happened in recent years, if there was one thing Steve was grateful for, it was meeting Sam Wilson. The man was as loyal as they came, and Steve sometimes wondered just what would have happened if Sam had turned him away when he and Nat were on the run.

"Steve…"

The man in question eyed Bucky warily. They didn't know what had triggered that little…episode…so it would be best to be cautious until they were sure he was back in the right frame of mind.

"Which Bucky am I talking to?"

Steve felt a spike of happiness as soon as Bucky mentioned his mother, and the newspaper he would stuff in his shoes. It was a relief to know that he was remembering things from his old life as Bucky Barnes, but he knew that also meant he was remembering The Winter Soldier too.

"What did I do?" He sounded so regretful in that moment, it actually pained Steve to see him that way.

"Where is she?"

His pale eyes had already studied the warehouse they were in, and he hadn't seen any sign of her. Steve opened his mouth slightly, before closing it with a tired sigh. He knew who he was talking about.

"Steve…where is she?" They held eye contact for a while, and Bucky could read the answer all over the super-soldier's face.

Sam's gaze had flickered between the two for a moment, wondering how Steve would break the news to him. In truth, he had no idea how the girl had come to even know Barnes, yet alone mean something to him. But that was something they would have to discuss another time. Right now, they were still wanted men, so he decided to take over instead.

"Listen, she's alright, but…they have her."

Sam was -in all honesty- completely clueless of whether Ashley's was really 'alright' or not. He had no idea if she was even conscious at the moment. They could be torturing her right now, but he had said what Barnes needed to hear. Still though, he wasn't stupid enough to completely lie to someone who could very easily rip his head off. So he told him half of the truth. They did have her after all.

The whirring sound that came with the clenching of Bucky's trapped cybernetic fist was the only thing that could be heard, as his pale eyes dropped to the floor before clamping shut. Steve could see the conflict on his best friend's face, it was in the way his brows furrowed, the way his jaw clenched, and the terrifying deadness of his eyes when he reopened them.

"I knew this would happen…"

"Buck, I know this isn't a great time, but I need to know who he was." Despite Steve's curiosity when it came to Ashley and whatever relationship she had with his old friend, they needed to know who was framing Bucky. They wouldn't be able to help anyone with a price on their heads.

The former assassin shook his head lightly, unable to recall ever meeting the man. His face wasn't one that haunted his slumbering thoughts, so he couldn't have been from his life as the 'Soldier'.

"I don't know."

Steve sighed silently. He didn't have the time, and surely Bucky had to at least know something about the guy. Why would he go through all the trouble, just to ruin a complete stranger? It made no sense.

"The bombing, the set up…the doctor did all that just to get 10 minutes with you. I need you to do better than 'I don't know'." Steve's guess was as good as Bucky's. He truly had no idea what the man wanted from him, other than a location.

"He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept." He shook his head. "He wanted to know exactly where."

"Why would he need to know that?" Despite the confusion, apprehension settled in Steve's stomach. Something told him that he really didn't want to know the answer. God only knew what went on in that place.

"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier."

"You let them take her away?!"

Natasha's halting hand on his shoulder was the only thing keeping Pietro from flashing toward the billionaire who had finally returned to the facility. Stark was meant to negotiate to keep her safe, not let them lock her up again!

"Back off, kid! I wasn't the one who handed her over in the first place!"

It was harsh and he knew it, but Tony was really nearing the end of his rope. The weight on his shoulders was really starting to get to him, and the lack of control he had in the situations around him was only adding to the pressure. Ross had recently informed him of the 'dead or alive' status Steve had hanging over his head. The super-soldier was playing a dangerous game with his old pal Bucky, and the government no longer cared if the Cap was caught in the crossfire.

The fact that he had Pietro giving him grief over something he couldn't control -and something he hadn't caused!- only annoyed him further. Right now, Ross' priority would be finding Steve and Barnes, which meant that Tony's priority was finding Steve and Barnes. Ash still had time, and if what she had told them was true, her power would protect her from harm even if she were unconscious…that made Tony think that maybe it wasn't her that the power was protecting in the first place, but he didn't have time to contemplate things like that.

"Because I thought you would help her!"

Pietro had decided to trust Stark. For the first time since the night his parents had been killed, Pietro trusted him with another life close to his heart…he shouldn't have. Had he known that the billionaire would have allowed Ross to lock Ash up, he never would have made the mistake of trusting Stark again.

"Well I can't help everyone, ok?! God. Dammit! I'm trying, alright? I really am, but my hands are tied, kid." Tony's angry shout eventually faded into a weary sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

The redhead assassin watched the man with concern. Years ago she wouldn't have bothered letting such emotions slip onto her features, but that had changed with time. She didn't have anyone to care about as a child; she was taught that the only person she could rely on was herself. Then there was S.H.I.E.L.D…the agency that gave her an unorthodox family. It was with S.H.I.E.L.D that she was introduced to Clint and by extension, his own wife and kids.

Then came the Avengers. It was more of a family than anything she had experienced before, or would experience in the future. She trusted them…and that was something that her interactions with S.H.I.E.L.D employees lacked. It was something that meant more to her than she first thought. It was nice to be able to put her trust in someone and know that it wouldn't come back to bite her.

Then there was Bruce. She didn't want to think about him right now…

The tension in Pietro's expression and posture receded slightly, recognising the helplessness and stress that revealed itself in Stark's outburst. It was similar to the helplessness he felt when they had snatched her out of his arms and sealed her off like some kind of wild animal. He knew the billionaire cared about Ash, almost as much as Pietro himself did…though in a different way entirely.

So Pietro knew that if the man told him he was trying, he really meant it.

The Sokovian sighed, releasing a deep breath to calm his nerves before replying. The only thing that was going well for him was that his sister was away from all of this. He remembered Steve's instructions while they were en route to Romania. If anything went wrong, Pietro was relatively safe considering he signed The Accords…but Wanda? She was far from it.

So Clint had been called prior to their trip and he had agreed to house the girl if things went downhill. No one knew about Clint's family, or about their cute farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, so Wanda was safe. For now.

The situation could be a lot worse. He reminded himself. Now all he had to do was focus and save his girl. Because yes, that's exactly what he would make her when he found her again.

"I know…"

Tony was surprised to hear the silent admission, but he was inwardly glad that someone was finally cutting him some slack. Still, he noticed the dejected look on the youngster's face, and did something he never would have thought he'd ever do to the Sokovian.

"Kid?"

Pietro looked up in barely concealed shock when he felt Tony's hand drop onto his shoulder reassuringly.

"I'll get her out of there. I promise."

Tony knew making promises that someone might not be able to keep was wrong. But he had meant every word of it. He would get her out of Ross' grasp…he'd make sure of it.

Seeing the determination on the older man's face, Pietro felt his own build up, and he nodded in agreement. With a newfound hope, he let his lips quirk up in a barely noticeable smile -something that he too had never given Tony before, and silently dismissed himself, leaving the assassin and billionaire behind.

They both watched him go, Natasha's face passive -as it had been during the whole display- and Tony's determined features melting into a look of anger. This was the first time he had been alone with Nat since this whole fiasco started, and he wouldn't pretend to be happy with her. It was, after all, her mouth that had blabbed to S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Nothing to say?"

Tony's jaw clenched, knowing that the situation would have been so much easier if she had just kept her mouth shut. He didn't really blame her, but he needed to let off some steam and she wasn't completely innocent.

Natasha's eyes flickered away from the door that the Sokovian had just walked through, and looked over to the billionaire who was staring her down. She liked to think that her and Tony were friends in a way that not many people would understand. She had met him before she met most of the others and his unusual personality was refreshing in small doses. Very small doses. Still, she sighed quietly, knowing that she was about to get an earful.

"I made a mistake, Tony. What do you want me to say?"

That was the wrong answer in Tony's opinion, and she knew it would be. Natasha could read people easily, and she could tell Tony wanted to pick a fight long before he knew it himself. He needed someone to blame, and she'd give him that considering she was partially to blame.

He rounded on her, face pulled into tense and straight lines. The last time he looked this confrontational, was the day that Clint blew a hole through the hellicarrier just before Loki had escaped them to terrorise Manhattan. He had been arguing with Steve that day, but now his anger was directed at her.

"You knew what she could do. You knew exactly what would happen to her if they got their hands on her."

Natasha's gaze turned to look out of the large windows of the facility.

"She's a good kid, who's had a rough life. Kinda like someone else I know. Now she gets to relive that all over again."

Natasha's gaze remained away from him, but her brows furrowed minutely at his words. It wasn't the same, she thought. The kid had to run from HYDRA for a few years, but she didn't know what pain was. Not the type of pain that the Red Room taught. Natasha doubted that the girl had ever really suffered in her life at all.

Her thoughts made it seem as though she didn't like the girl at all, but that wasn't the case. Ashley was a nice girl. Too nice for someone who had supposedly suffered at the hands of HYDRA. The redhead didn't trust her. There were things that the youngster hadn't told them -she could see it- and that was the reason she was hesitant to fawn all over like everyone else on the team.

"That's on you."

Tony's words snapped her out of her thoughts, and she had to blink a few times to moisten her eyes after realising how dry they had become staring out the window absentmindedly for so long. When she noticed that he was studying her expression through her reflection, she schooled her features into a blank mask.

'You're both survivors, wearing your masks with pride so that you don't have to answer for all that you've done. And yeah, that works for a while…but then the day comes when you no longer have to wear it, and when it finally slips off you're not ready to answer for anything.'

That's on you.

"So…I think we need to talk."

Bucky's pale eyes slowly drifted up from the omelette that the man -Sam- had made. It was good, but he preferred Ash's. They had settled down in an empty house; the place was 'for sale' so it was easy enough to go unnoticed if they stayed away from the windows and kept the lights off, but it was only temporary. Steve was already talking about how they would be leaving in the morning to chase the lead they had on Siberia.

They knew that Stark and his little followers would be their biggest obstacle, but Steve and Sam were already planning to gather a few friends of their own. That's actually where Sam had gone about 20 minutes ago.

"About?" He mumbled a response.

"I think you already know." Steve shot him a knowing look.

They held eye contact for a few seconds, before Bucky sighed in defeat, gently dropping the fork to his plate and looking away when he realised that his old friend would not let this go.

"What do you wanna know?"

Steve took a moment to think about it. There were a lot of things on his mind. A lot he wanted to know, and a lot he didn't understand.

"How do you know her? How long?" It was a good starting point, he thought.

Bucky's brows furrowed in thought, trying to order his memories. He remembered his times with her, considering they were fairly recent, and he guessed that he had known her for a few years by now. He told Steve as much.

"I met her a few years back - 4, I think…I was the one that brought her in." He shrugged his cybernetic shoulder as if it didn't bother him at all to think about, but it did. More than Steve knew.

Steve blinked in surprise. He vaguely remembered Ashley telling them that she was being followed, and that she was eventually caught by HYDRA, but never in a million years would he have guess that Bucky would have been the one to bring her in. It made sense, he supposed, considering how difficult it would be to detain her in the first place. They'd need their best to bring her in, and there was no doubt that he was the very best.

"She seems strangely comfortable around someone who handed her over to HYDRA…" Steve had been questioning the nature of their relationship since the moment he found them together, and he had a feeling that this whole situation wouldn't end well if his thoughts were confirmed. "Unless there's more to it than that."

Bucky wasn't stupid, and even though he knew that Steve was his old friend and that he meant well, there were some things that he wanted to keep to himself. Ash was one of those things. Their time together came during a period where Steve would never have recognised his old friend, and for some reason, the former assassin wanted to keep his Winter Soldier days separated from his pre-Winter Soldier days.

But he knew that he had to at least give Steve something. She was his friend after all, and if the super soldier didn't get the answers from his old friend, Bucky had no doubt that he'd get them from his new friend…as soon as he got her back.

And I will, he promised himself.

Steve watched the brunette run a hand through his oily hair lazily. They hadn't showered since their impromptu swim earlier, choosing food over comfort after their recent captivity – no matter how brief.

"They ordered me to train her. Prepare her for combat, because they wanted her to be another asset."

"And you did." Supplied the blonde.

Bucky nodded slowly, picking his fork up again and taking another bite before replying.

"Yeah, but she was smart, man." He smiled a small but somewhat proud smile, and Steve felt a small one forming on his own face at the sight. It had been a long time since he had seen his old friend smile about anything.

Bucky shook his head in slight exasperation. "She knew. She knew exactly what they wanted and she wouldn't give it to them." His smile fell, and the mood in the room suddenly became sombre. "They would ask for her cooperation, and she'd always say 'no'. It worked for a long time because they had nothing to threaten her with."

Steve frowned at that: 'a long time'. It made him wonder if it ever stopped working.

"You gotta understand, she had no family, no friends…nothing. Until…" Bucky blinked hard, his brows furrowing as he realised that he had said more than he initially wanted to.

"Until…?" Steve gently pushed, but the closed off look in his Bucky's eyes told him that he wouldn't be getting any more information out of him.

Until…

…then she had to smile at him. That soft and warm smile that could melt ice. If she hadn't done it, perhaps he wouldn't have responded as he did. But that smile had that familiar feeling forcing him to do one more thing.

So he kissed her…

They tortured him after that.

'Stop it! Stop! Leave him alone!'

He was grateful in a way, that they wiped his mind so often. It was the only thing that kept him from remembering that they made her watch as they electrocuted him. He became the leverage they needed; a way to force her to use her power to save him -it was electricity after all. But they hadn't realised that it was ironically because of him that she wouldn't.

She could kill him, and she wouldn't take that risk.

These were some of the common nightmares that haunted him, the ones he didn't know she had witnessed while they were in Romania. But it was all in the past now, and that was where it would stay. He didn't want Steve knowing about that, he didn't want to talk about it in the first place.

Thankfully he was saved from having to respond, the loud shrill of Steve's cellphone interrupting their conversation.

Bucky finished off his omelette by the time Steve was done on the phone. It looked like he had some good news, judging by his lack of tension for the first time in days.

"Sam called, said he found his guy. We need to wash up and hit the road, then we'll pick up a few friends and meet up somewhere."

Bucky nodded slowly; hesitant to accept that, but he had to deal with it. He had worked alone for so long that it was strange to have a…team. He didn't even know these people and he had no doubt that they knew him. It was unlikely that they would be accepting of his presence after all that he had done in his past, but he didn't really have a choice. He needed to get to Siberia without Stark and his followers getting in the way, and this was the only way to do that.

Who knows? Maybe if he even helped them now, they'd return the favour later and help him get Ash back. But he wouldn't rely on that thought. He'd get her back himself.

"Alright, suit up." He smirked lightly, ignoring the surprised look on Steve's face at his words and headed off for a quick shower.

It was time to get the ball rolling.

"Man, I'm turnin' the radio on."

"Sounds good, it's a damn long drive…" The driver of the heavily fortified van reached for the small buttons, his eyes darting away from the road as he turned up the radio and switched through the different channels.

Pop, pop, too much techno, more pop, ooooh classic rock! Much bett-

"Oh, shit!"

His friend in the passenger seat only had a moment to register the obstruction that had just dented the bitumen of the road, before he jerked the van left harshly, attempting to avoid a collision. The car swerved in an attempt to avoid the newly formed crater, its tires catching on the raised bitumen.

They were unconscious by the second flip of the vehicle, barely alive when the van's screeching metal side stopped sliding and was finally halted by a thick tree trunk.

The vibranium lined door at the back was ripped off with startling strength, belonging to someone that Ashley hadn't expected to see again.

She had felt the panicked swerve of the vehicle, and instantly knew what would follow. Vibranium cuffs be damned, her power had shot out to protectively surround her. The gravity free capsule suspended her in the back of the van while it was thrown every which way. By the time it had finally slowed down, her brain had caught up with what was happening.

She knew something very powerful had caused the crash…she could feel it. So she braced herself, whatever it was, wouldn't go down without a fight. Ashley almost flinched when the large metal door was so easily torn off of the strong hinges.

What she saw when her eyes adjusted to the bright light now seeping through the gaping hole, had stunned her into silence.

"Lady Ashley! My sincere apologies…are you harmed?"

She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Thor?"

Thor to the rescue!

Don't worry, he won't be doing much in terms of CA:CW so he won't alter the story too much, but he fits in for later chapters.

Let me know what you think anyway!

Thanks again to everyone for reading, and I'll see ya soon, guys!