Hello all! I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up but again, school. It's almost done but I definitely won't be getting another chapter up for the next three weeks. I just gotta get through finals and then summer! Hopefully I can be more consistent during summer but we'll see ;) I hope you all are well and are enjoying CIVIL WAR! I KNOW I DID! GAH SO MANY FEELS! *ahem* anyways, as I mentioned before, this chapter correlates with Aulizia's story Broken Pieces. You definitely need to check it out! This chapter matches her chapter 8. I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think and if you liked Civil War :)

The next time Steve jolted awake was not because of a nightmare. His phone buzzed loudly from the table and his quick movement made Sarge slip from his chest. Sarge hissed, irritated and stalked off. Steve blinked, trying to calm his racing heart and picked up the phone. Through the sleepy film on his eyes, he saw it was 4:05am. And Sam was calling him. Steve hit the accept call button, becoming instantly alert.

"Sam?"

"We got a hit."

"What do you mean?"

"The program we installed to notify us whenever someone searched psycho-killer's name just alerted me to a new search. Get over here."

"Okay, I'm coming," Steve said, practically jumping off the couch. "Why are you up?"

"You're not the only one to have nightmares, man," Sam replied, exhaustion seeping into his tone.

"Right. Be there in ten."

Actually, he was over at Sam's house in five minutes. It was the first lead they'd had in days. Once they installed the program they'd tested it out by Steve searching "James Buchanan Barnes" on his computer. It had responded with a pop-up alert and detailed information about the computer that was searching for Bucky. Steve was highly impressed with the new technology. But it also disturbed him how Bucky had been wiped from the system. Since he'd started searching, he decided to keep looking. There was nothing. Barely even a mention of Bucky as Steve's friend. It reminded Steve that he was playing catch-up with HYDRA. The next few alerts had been false alarms. Captain America fanatics looking up the Howling Commandoes and such.

Steve walked into Sam's house without bothering to knock and found him at the computer screens. Sam nodded at his arrival and moved out of the way so Steve could see.

"I was messing about when it popped up. This looks like a real hit. There's no reason for this girl to be looking up psycho-killer at four in the morning."

"A girl?"

"Yeah. The computer's registered to Amy Thomas." Steve looked at the alert, scrolling through the information. Most of it was technology jargon and Steve dismissed it. But he did see "AMY THOMAS" and "ISSUED BY SHIELD." His eyebrows rose and he shared a look with Sam. Steve pulled a chair over, heart racing. This was it. He could feel it.

"If her computer was issued by SHIELD, she's an agent. Let's pull up her file," Steve directed. Sam complied wordlessly, typing away at the keyboard. He was better at the technology stuff. Steve was getting better but it took time. Everything took time.

"Alright here we go. Agent Thomas. 29. Engineer. Been with SHIELD for a few years. Oh, she's listed as helping with Project Insight," Sam reported. Steve frowned and looked closer at the file. Agent Thomas had applied to be head engineer for the helicarriers but was…rejected. For medical reasons?

"Look back and see if there's anything before SHIELD."

"Uhhhh-yep. Corporal. Tour in Iraq. 249th Engineer Battalion and oh," Sam whistled, face falling, "she was one of two to come back home from a Humvee explosion. Her leg was shredded with shrapnel." That would explain the medical reasons.

"Let's look at her entire file. I need to know if she's SHIELD or HYDRA. And why she's looking up Bucky's name before I go visit."

"Visiting? And what happened to me?" Sam questioned. Steve looked at him surprised. There was stubble on Sam's chin and bags under his eyes but he looked alert.

"I wasn't going to make you come."

"Why not? So you can take the fall and get killed by psycho-killer? Nope. Captain America is not dying on my watch," Sam insisted.

"Are you sure?"

"I will be if you make a pot of coffee." Steve nodded, smiling to himself. He needed to remember that he wasn't alone. Sam had been with him every step of the way. He was a good man. A good friend.

Two pots of coffee later plus some scrambled eggs and toast, a shower and shave, and both men were ready for their "visit." Agent Thomas' record looked clean. Shortly after coming home from her tour, she'd won an award and been recruited to SHIELD. She was divorced and living by herself. The fall of SHIELD had left her without work and she had yet to find another job. It had only been two weeks. Everything looked clean which gave Steve a spark of hope. Maybe Bucky had run into the right person instead of HYDRA. Maybe there was hope he would recover his memories. Steve knew these were long shots but he was willing to risk it. He clung to hope like a drowning man. Because Steve could still see the metal arm that had reached out to him before he'd blacked out. Bucky, his friend, was still in there. He just needed a little help getting out.

They arrived at a pretty house an hour later. Steve took the lead and knocked on the door with Sam standing behind him. It was a nice, quiet neighborhood. The house was in relatively good shape, the garden needed a little weeding. Steve could hear the footsteps approach and a voice talking.

"You might need a new game if-" the woman's words died on her lips as she looked up at Steve. Her mouth fell open.

"Captain Rogers." Steve inhaled, gathering his reserve and gave a respectful nod.

"Ma'am. This is Sam Wilson," Steve introduced, pointing behind him.

"Hi."

"Do you mind if we come in, Agent Thomas?" Steve asked, getting straight to the point.

"Um-sure-I guess." She stepped back, allowing them to step into her home. She didn't look particularly pleased to see them. Steve wondered why that was. He did a quick scan of the house as Sam closed the door behind them. The woman in front of them looked conflicted and trapped. Steve hadn't meant to give the impression he was backing her into a corner, he had just come to ask questions. He was still shocked by what his presence could do. It made a lot more difference now than ever before. She also looked tired.

"I'm not an agent anymore," she said, filling the silence hanging in the room.

"But you were an agent of SHIELD?" Steve asked. Good, right to the point. He didn't want to tiptoe right now. Not his forte. He'd leave that to Natasha.

"As opposed to working for HYDRA? Yes. But I suppose you only have my word for that, Captain."

"We checked out your credentials. I think we're going to believe you," Sam chimed in with a smile. It worked a little bit to ease the woman's nerves because she attempted a smile in return.

"In that case, how can I help you, gentlemen?"

"We're looking for someone." And that's when Steve noticed the tool kit in the kitchen. Tools were strewn across the table along with grease stained rags. If she was an engineer it would make sense that she could repair Bucky's arm. But would she know how? It was HYDRA technology after all…Amy also looked like she was forcing herself not to turn around.

"Are you looking here?" she asked instead.

"Seems like you were looking too at four o'clock this morning," Sam said.

"Pardon?"

"Your laptop. Issued by SHIELD, right? A subroutine was activated a week ago so we'd know if anyone went looking around for certain classified information." Amy's face fell and she let out a defeated laugh, jamming her hands in her pockets. Steve's hope flared like a campfire. She knew something. She'd seen him. His heart beat a little faster.

"I always knew I wasn't cut out to be a spy," Amy mumbled. She walked to the living room and took a seat. "Who is he then? Really?"

"You don't know?" Steve said, frowning in confusion. One side of him was jumping for joy because he had been here! But the other part was confused with her answer.

"He doesn't know, so there's little chance of me knowing." So he hadn't recovered any memories. Steve's hope dimmed slightly but it was burning too brightly to be extinguished.

"They call him the Winter Soldier, but I knew him as Bucky Barnes," Steve explained, looking around. As he looked closer, his face fell. He didn't know how, but he knew. "He's not here anymore, is he?"

Amy sank a little farther into her chair, shaking her head. She looked at Steve with a strange expression. It was a mix between awe and compassion.

"He remembers you, you know," she said. The hope flared brighter and Steve stopped breathing for a moment. That was the best news he'd heard in a long time.

"Where is he now?" he asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

"The Smithsonian."

"What?"

"I told you. He remembers you. He's trying to remember who he is too."

"You want to go after him, Steve?" Sam asked, waiting for his call. Steve didn't know. He was still reeling from the fact that Bucky did remember him. So he looked to Amy for help. She looked caught off guard and her mouth was firmly shut. In the few milliseconds that Steve looked to her, he gathered a lot. One, she was protecting Bucky. Two, there was more going on between her and Bucky than she was saying.

"Not yet," Steve answered. Sam nodded and turned to Amy.

"Did he hurt you?" Sam asked her. It took her a minute to register that the question was for her. Sam nodded to her lingering bruises and she shook her head quickly.

"He saved my life."

Those four words brought a true smile to Steve's face.

"Then we have something in common."

"He tried to kill me," Sam deadpanned. Amy and Steve both flinched. He looked to Sam feeling conflicted. Amy also looked torn and about to say something. Whatever it was, she swallowed it but Steve's suspicions were growing.

"Bucky attacked me too. It might not be entirely safe for you to be around him, ma'am."

"Amy. I'll take my chances. I don't know if he's even coming back," Amy said, shrugging. The quickness of her response, the assurance in her voice almost made Steve smile again. Now his suspicions were confirmed.

"If I know Bucky, he'll come back for you," Steve said. A hint of a blush dusted her cheeks and she floundered.

"He's-It's not like that-" she coughed, cleared her throat, and straightened up. "He just needed my help for a little while, that's all. Look, can I get you a drink, Captain? Sam?"

Steve hid his smirk. It was definitely like that, even if neither of them recognized it. Not only was Amy Bucky's type, she had helped him in one of his darkest times. He was coming back for her.

"It's Steve," he corrected, "And yes, thank you. I'd love a drink." Amy nodded and stood up from the couch. Sam also asked for a drink and Amy brought out two sodas. They sat at her breakfast bar and she sat across from them.

Steve felt slightly guilty for all the questions he threw her way. But he was so desperate, so starved of good news he couldn't help himself. He grilled her about everything she knew and noticed about Bucky. How did he look? What did he remember? How did he act? Amy answered the best she could but she was also hesitant. Steve, surprisingly, wasn't upset about that. He'd rather find the answers out anyway but it meant that she was loyal to Bucky. She didn't know how much to tell Steve because it was confiding information about her newfound friend. Although, Steve had a feeling they weren't just "friends." It also meant that she was alive after meeting Bucky. Not everyone could say that. It spoke volumes.

"And you knew how to fix his arm?" Steve asked.

"It wasn't hard," Amy replied, looking crestfallen. "HYDRA's technology. It seems it had infiltrated all of SHIELD." A pop of anger flamed in Steve's chest but he squashed. Tried to. He'd never really hated anything in his life but HYDRA was an exception.

"Hey, if you're good with stuff like that, you think you can fix my wings?" Sam asked.

"Wings?"

"Yeah, your boyfriend tore them in half." Amy frowned jaw, clenched in embarrassment. Sam had been dropping insinuations during their entire conversation but always with a hint of bitterness. She looked to Steve for help and he shot her an apologetic smile. He hated when people pestered him about his love life. He understood her annoyance.

"Does Project Falcon mean anything to you?"

"Just the rumors when I was with the 249ths." Amy shrugged but her frown disappeared. She zeroed in on Sam, looking at him with eyes alight with excitement.

"That's real? I mean, that's you? You've got a pair of those things?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Half a pair. I have half a pair," Sam deadpanned. It was almost a whine.

"It's a sore point," Steve interjected. Sam gave him a flat stare but Steve ignored it. Amy looked between the two of them, making a decision and taking a deep breath.

"You know, I've told you everything I can about Bucky. Are you going to tell me who he really is now?"

Steve furrowed his brow and couldn't keep back the pain that surfaced. Bucky. He looked down at his hands, trying to decide what to say.

"I knew him before," Steve began. "Before I was Captain America. Back when I had nothing. I had Bucky. He was a soldier. A sergeant. His whole unit was captured in '43. That's when Arnim Zola started experimenting on him." His sentences were short and stilted. It felt like yesterday he was unstrapping Bucky from the table and jumping to safety.

"Nineteen forty-three? We're talking World War Two, aren't we?" Amy whispered in disbelief. The look on Steve's face must have been answer enough.

"We were on a mission together. He fell into a ravine," Steve said, feeling the need to offer more information.

"From a train," Amy said. Steve started and his eyes widened. How did she know?

"He had a dream. You were there," Amy explained.

"I thought he was dead." Steve couldn't keep the guilt from his voice. No, he would not think too deeply about it. Too much pain.

"But whatever Zola did to him must have helped him survive. After that he was captured again. They experimented on him, tortured him, brainwashed him. Froze him. Turned him into their tool. A perfect weapon," Steve said, trying to keep the emotion from his voice. It might have overtook him had it not been for Amy's quick retort.

"He's not a weapon."

That brought Steve and Sam up short. They stared at Amy, Steve in surprise, Sam in disbelief. She fidgeted, dropping her gaze.

"He's not. Not anymore. He's done terrible things, I'm not denying it, but I'd have done them too if I'd gone through what he has. Whatever they did to him – whatever they made him do – ultimately they failed. Because he couldn't kill you, Captain. You saved him," Amy explained. Steve was stunned. There was such strength and resolve in her voice. It was refreshing to hear confirmation of his hopes.

"Sorry, but how long have you known this guy again?" Sam asked. "He threw me off a g**d*** helicarrier!"

"You said he was brainwashed," Amy argued fiercely. She looked to Steve for help. "He's leveling out…He hasn't thrown me off a helicarrier." Sam laughed in disbelief, leaning back in his chair.

"You're almost as bad as him, you know that?" Sam pointed to Steve who was wearing the broadest smile. He couldn't help it. Finally. He'd finally found someone who knew Bucky. Maybe she didn't know everything, not yet, but she understood. Understood that Bucky was a good man. Upon seeing his smile, Amy blinked warily.

"I'm glad Bucky found you," Steve said. He took out a card and handed it to her. He'd written his number on it in the hopes that if they found Bucky and he talked to them, he could give him his number to call. Amy would make sure to keep it safe.

"When he comes back, do you think you could get him to call me?"

"You're not going to wait?" Amy looked puzzled but also relieved. No, Steve wouldn't wait. He'd decided that the moment Amy protected Bucky.

"I don't want to push him too fast. I think I'm leaving him in good hands. I won't be going far," Steve assured. Amy nodded but looked slightly uncertain.

"I'll do my best for you, sir."

"No," Steve said, smiling. "You'll do your best for Bucky."

Steve and Sam parted ways after coming up with a plan if Bucky contacted them. They'd meet at Arlington National Cemetery at a back street, away from prying eyes. It was a place HYDRA would not expect Bucky to be and Amy would probably be able to get in pretty easily. Sam had suggested that, like a sorrowful truth. Both he and Amy had lost people on their tours and they were buried at the cemetery. Sam insisted that Amy could get in without a problem.

Steve shut his door with a sigh. Sarge growled from the other room and poked his head around the corner. Steve smiled, walking to the kitchen in order to give Sarge some food. They'd found Bucky. They'd found Bucky. Steve couldn't help the small smile that broke out on his face. He knew it wasn't much but it was something. They hadn't seen him but someone had. Amy. Steve had been wary at first but everything she had said and done put him at ease. She was helping Bucky recover himself and for that, Steve would be forever grateful. She'd done the hard part and touched the man beneath the Winter Soldier. He just hoped he could bring the rest of that man back. Steve knew it wasn't going to be exactly the same but…but he hoped that something could come back. If nothing else, Bucky would be one person who had followed Steve from the past. At the moment, there was no one else.

Sarge allowed Steve to pet him behind the ears after he ate his food. He even joined Steve at the table, scowling as Steve ate. Steve wanted to talk, do something. Finding Bucky was monumental. It was incredible and impossible and hopeful and terrifying and – his phone buzzed at that moment. He picked it up to see a text from Charlie.

Did you burn your dinner this time?

Steve smiled and hit the call button without a second's hesitation. He could talk to her, she'd understand. Everyone else just looked at Steve with pity or skepticism. But Charlie would get it. He just had a feeling.

"Hey, that was fast," Charlie laughed, her face popping up on his phone.

"Yeah, well I guess I wanted to talk," Steve replied, smiling.

"Wow, haven't seen that smile for a while. What happened?"

"I can't say exactly what happened but it's good news. Really good news."

"Oh?" Charlie tilted her head to the side, reading his expression. Then she gasped, eyes growing wide.

"Is it the good news I'm thinking of? Really, Steve?"

"Yeah. I didn't get a lot but enough to know there's hope. More than hope I think."

"That's amazing! Oh, I'm so happy for you Steve!" Charlie gushed, grinning from ear to ear. Steve mirrored her expression and ran his hands through his hair. It was amazing. He was going to hold onto that, no matter what. He needed it, desperately.

"Gosh, I wish I could say more but that's probably not good over the phone…"

"Yeah, sorry for being cryptic."

"Don't be. It makes sense," Charlie reassured. She picked up a bowl and started stirring whatever was inside.

"So was it just a taste or like the full thing?"

"Just a taste – barely that – but it was something."

"Something is better than nothing. And if it was enough to put that smile on your face, it was more than just a taste."

"Or just a really good taste," Steve chuckled. He watched as Charlie added more to the bowl she was stirring, savoring the normalcy in their conversations. Even though they were being cryptic, they understood each other.

"Speaking of taste, what are you making this time?" he asked, stroking Sarge's head. Sarge purred for a moment before hissing and jumping off the table.

"Experiment cookies. When I'm bored, I try to be adventurous," Charlie responded.

"So you're bored?"

"Yep. Life out here in Ol' Wyoming doesn't change much…" They fell into casual conversation, occasionally making a comment about Steve's recent discovery. It felt good to just…talk. No missions or debriefings or planning out their next step. Just talking. Steve didn't know how much he'd missed it until now.