Chapter 34:

Still dazed from the day's events (or was it even still today?) Charley was curled up in a fetal position, lying on something cold and hard. The door had buzzed a few times, and she heard the squeak of the door open as the sudden life of the government base outside the four walls she had been confined to, came to life as there was rushing of footsteps the fiery conversation and panic as they endlessly danced around trying to solve the issue Bucky had created.

She squeezed her eyes shot every time she heard the buzz, her back already facing away from the door and she had to concentrate on not moving, to keep a heavy rise and fall of her chest. Sometimes she added in a small snore to make it more convincing. After a while they went away and her body fell away relaxed, but not too relaxed. She was sure CCTV was hidden somewhere in the room.

She'd been awake for a few hours now, the pain in her head was her main drive to stay still and lie there for as long as she could get away with but she knew their patience would wear thin and they'd start wanting to ask questions. But she had some questions of her own.

For one where was Bucky? Who had moved her to this room? Number three, where was Bucky? Did Steve get away, or was he being kept somewhere in the base as well? And finally… where the hell was Bucky?

Despite the nagging feeling that something had happened, she remained done with their questioning. She'd already answered as much as she emotionally could. She had a worry they'd exploit her relationship with Bucky, perhaps make her play the perfect damsel in distress and expect Bucky to come back for her. But she had to remind herself this was a government organisation. They weren't allowed to do that and they really were just doing their jobs.

She wanted to roll her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that they might not be the villains, Natasha's words haunting her. It made it so much easier when there was a clear good and bad side to a story.

The door buzzed again, but it was too soon. It had only been five minutes since the last person had left. Or had she fallen asleep again? She didn't think she had. Or maybe they were getting too impatient with her. Nevertheless she stiffened, caught unaware by the sudden sharp noise of the door, the result was only the type of stiffness that couldn't possibly be a person asleep. She waited and prayed they'd walk away but their feet never moved from the door. Just when she thought she'd gotten away with it again as the door closed and she let out a sigh of relief, the footsteps loomed closer and they coughed.

"Charley, we know you're awake," came a female voice, not even trying to conceal her impatience. She would have been alarmed if she didn't recognize the voice.

She held her breath until finally had to suck a gulp of air. Rolling on her side she was met by the sight of dear Sharon Carter, who it seemed impossible she'd only met two days ago. She had her arms crossed in a disapproving manner.

Like a child, Charley curled her legs up to her now sitting up fully. Guarding herself as she wasn't sure if she was supposed to trust Sharon. After all she had only known her a few day.

"What are they going to do now?" Charley asked, studying Sharon carefully but she continued with her arms folded and tapping her feet as if waiting for something like a scolding mother, "I don't want to answer questions about what happened. It was horrible, he forgot me and almost killed me and no, I don't know where he is so unless they plan on torturing things out of me I have nothing to say." She finished it all in one breath, afraid if she paused to take one she'd falter.

"They're not going to do anything if you get up now."

"Why, where am I being taken?"

"Just chill, get up and we can be on our way," Sharon instructed, "We're going to my car."

"What?" Charley's face dropped. Not expecting that, "You're car? Are we going somewhere?"

"To Steve," the sides of her lips folded upwards into a coy smirk. One that could rival Black Widows, she was sure, "we've only got a few minutes though so hurry and get up. I've spiked the CCTV guard's drink so he's asleep, got the boys weapons back and I've got one of these things," from her pocket she pulled out something very small and black. It didn't look like much but she handed it to Charley as if expecting her to know what it was. Charley gave a half-hearted shrug, the movement jarring her head for a moment as it still span, "It can mould your face to look like someone else, just place it behind your ear and click the top button. I don't know who it's programmed to look like so let's hope it's not someone like Everett Ross."

"You mean it could be a man," Charley eyed the device untrustworthy, "I do still have a female body?" distastefully, she looked down questionable at herself, trying to judge whether she did look feminine

"We'll cross that barrier when it comes to it. Just put it on."

Reluctantly Charley brought it up to her ear and squeezed her eyes shut as she clicked the top of it. A strong gush fell over her face as if a wave of make-up had just been applied forming a protective shield, like wearing a mask. She opened her eyes to see Sharon's facial expression who seemed to be nodding.

"She'll do," Sharon shrugged, "Never seen her before. Now I need you to do something for me," Sharon took a step closer, "just act like you belong, don't get all fidgety. Just keep your head held high. We might have to walk past someone like Natasha Romanoff, I've heard she's very perceptive on these types of things. Think you can do that?"

"I'll try," Charley tried smiled but the movement felt weird on her face as she felt her cheeks go up a bit lower. She went to touch her face to feel the difference, annoyed there wasn't a mirror or a reflective object in the room she could look at but Sharon caught her hand.

"You can't touch it. The mask will break."

"Right okay, might have been a nice fact to mention before we left the room."

"Let's go," Sharon gave her a side eye, opening the door.

She was led into the bustle of the government base. People passed her, mostly ignoring her but some gave her a nod or said hello. She became quickly aware that the person whose face she was wearing was called Rebecca. She tried to stick with Sharon's advice, and keep to her promise and keep her head held high. Not too high as to seem suspicious but enough to fit into the environment but it was hard with so many people saying hello. One even passing her a report which she tucked tightly to her chest, gripping on too to stop her nervous shakes as Sharon turned to give her a warning glare.

"I'm fine," She mouthed, trying to add a small smile but it came back as nothing but as a grimace.

Someone caught her arm and she dropped the file she was holding out of surprise. On reflex she turned and clenched up her fists, feeling her muscles stiffen when she turned and saw a man she'd never seen before, smiling from ear to ear, "No need to be so jumpy, babe. It's just me"

Nervously her eyes darted around for Sharon who she hoped was still behind her. She had no idea whether this face mask adapted her voice or not to suit the person so she stood awkwardly with her arm limp in this man's arm, biting her lip.

"Are you alright?" The man bent a little so he was level with her eyes. In any other situation it would have seemed like a sweet gesture but for Charley it made her freeze on the spot from the close proximity, "I know this whole Winter Soldier situation is getting to everyone and it's probably going to be a long shift but we'll find them and when we do we can go home and I promise to de-stress you by any means necessary"

His last words came out in a slur as he leant forward, adding a cheesy wink. Before Charley could turn away he managed to put his lips on hers, his hands snaking down her neck. She was aware they were in a busy office, and wasn't sure what kind of relationship these two had but she was sure this was against office rules. She gave a small squeal as she tried to back away, like a corpse her lips remained unmoved and she couldn't image this situation to get any worse. She was half expecting the person whose face she was wearing to walk into the office. Just to make it double as worse, because that would just be her luck.

Utterly panicked she felt the mask on her face begin to whither and she quickly placed a hand no his chest and push him off, before the mask fell off completely. For a moment he looked confused but Charley, not really caring, quickly turned and walked away but at least tried to smile but she was sure it wasn't convincing enough.

Alarmed she turned to find Sharon halfway to the exit of the office, having not realized she'd lost Charley. Doing a speeding jog which she now noticed was a much more efficient way to get about, she was too quick for people to ask her questions, or hand her reports, or say hello and certainly too fast for someone to kiss her. Finally she caught up with Sharon who was placing her security card on the door.

"What happened?" Sharon frowned when Charley met her, panting.

"This Rebecca person's boyfriend or whatever just kissed me."

"What?" Sharon said sharply.

"He bloody kissed me," She replied bitterly, feeling her cheeks flame red, "And I don't want to talk about it again."

As the door bleeped confirming Sharon's identity, Charley stormed past and yanked the door open going in first, "Careful, don't go drawing attention to yourself."

"I was just kissed!"

"Welcome to undercover work," Was all Sharon said as they did a brisk walk out of the base, down many steps where Charley presumed a car park lay... unless Sharon was leading her further down into the base, to a secret underground lair.

After an exhausting walk past just about every agent who just so happened to know whoever Charley's face was, she felt she'd got to grips with the whole acting thing as she smiled and shook a few people hands, taking folders willingly and managing to avoid any kisses. Now that the panicking had at least settled down.

Sharon unlocked a silver car, pointing at the passenger side to get in.

"Can I take this bloody mask off now," Charley called as Sharon slid in beside her, instantly turning the engine on and with her foot on the accelerator before she even had time to put her seatbelt on, "Not yet. They have cameras in here too."

"Right," She narrowed her eyes at the high concrete ceiling of the car park in search for any cameras, letting out a grumbly sigh when she caught a few.

Nervously, she pulled down the mirror in the car and peaked at herself. Despite expecting a completely different face she couldn't contain her surprise by how different she looked. Her nose was now more pointy and straight, a little too long in her opinion, with large freckles dotted around her face jumbled. Her mouth was bigger and it had a natural curve to it. No longer did she have a resting bitch face that she had become so used too.

"Wow," Charley wistfully flinched, bringing her hands up to her face to feel it but a second later and there was a crackle and the mask fell apart with a yellow spark, "Shit."

"I told you not to touch it!"

"Sorry I forgot." Sharon side-eyed her with a warning glare. Luckily they were driving in broad day light now and the government base was now far in the distance behind them.

*~It Started with Pizza~*

Hearing the rattle of cars above them, Sharon skilfully drove under a bridge and pulled the car to a quick halt, "we might be waiting here awhile." She said, pulling out her phone and typing in what looked like random digits but she assumed they were some sort of coordinates.

"I didn't realize you were this close to Steve," Charley leant back against the chair and stretched out feeling her back bones crack with pleasure. Being curled up in one position for a long time was not a healthy or smart move.

"What do you mean?" Sharon barely gave her glanced, focused on her phone.

"You risked your job just to help him."

"I was just helping out," Sharon shrugged it off, clicking one final button on her phone and letting it slid from her fingers back into the box beside her seat. Charley could tell she was attempting to maintain her shallow and neutral expression as she forced eye contact "and I wanted to help him. Steve's probably the best guy I know."

"Just friends?"

"I… I don't know if I'm honest," Sharon let out a whistle of air, "it doesn't matter anyway. Too much is happening. The accords, Steve is in the Avengers, I have my new job. It's been hard to transition into it, I don't like working for the CIA as much as I did with SHIELD."

"What about it?"

"It's just very different…" Was all Sharon revealed, tapping at the wheel to a quick beat, "Shall we listen to some music while we wait."

Charley didn't answer verbally but nodded along. The songs becoming background noise as sleep took over, leaning her head against the window with her elbow leant against her face in the most awkward fashion, deciding she'd try and get as much sleep as possible now.

*~It Started with Pizza~*

What felt like minutes later, Sharon began furiously tapping her arm, zapping the music off in one move, "They're here."

Never moving quicker in a sleepy state, Charley darted for the door handle and practically stumbled out of the door onto a rocky floor, catching herself with her hand before she smashed her face into it. The small rocks stung at her hand, as she used the open car door as a crutch to pull herself up.

Luckily no one seemed to see this as Sharon was busy trying to open her boot and a small, old-styled blue beetle car pulled up behind them. It seemed much too small for three buff men to be crammed inside and Charley had to bite her cheeks to stop herself from laughing. At least no one would suspect them.

Steve got out first and Charley realised she was still half hiding behind the back of the car to be in frame of Bucky. Nervous bubbles suddenly filled her stomach, as she had to take a pace back in order to gain her balance. The last time she saw him he had tried to kill her. Not that she blamed him in the slightest but the thought still scared her.

"Not sure you understand the concept of a getaway car," Sharon humoured Steve.

"It's low profile," Steve replied dryly, sounding tired. From behind the car, he caught eyes with Charley and a small smile made its way on to his face and she relaxed immediately, only for her fear to come back as Steve's instant reaction was to turn around and look nervously at the car behind him.

"Is he okay?"

"Anxious to see you." Steve gave her a sympathetic smile. With unsteady steps she walked forward, pulling Steve into a hug. As soon as she appeared in eyesight the blue beetle's doors were creakily pulled open, followed by a fast slamming of said door. Charley pulled away from Steve and turned to see Bucky racing towards her, with an air of panic. One moment she was by Steve the next she was swept up in a hug, being kept up by a strong and cold metal arm.

"I'm sorry," Bucky's grip tightened and Charley leant into the hug, equalling his desperation as she clung to the fabric on his back, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

"Buck, I'm fine. You didn't know."

"I'm sorry," he said on repeat like a machine caught on loop, "I never meant to hurt you."

A tear escape from her eye as she felt the coldness of his metal hand skim the back of her neck, as he brought her down from the sudden hug, her hair sliding through his fingertips as she did.

"You weren't in control, whoever that therapist guy was. He did it," Now that her feet were back on solid ground and she could actually see him she saw a large cut above his left eye, the blood from it seeping down his jawline. Careful not to brush against it, she brought a hand up to his cheek, "It's not your fault."

"I choked you," his eyes flittered down to her neck as if he was trying to find evidence. Charley had no idea if there was any bruising, she didn't have the time. Her throat no longer felt sore, so perhaps she really did get out of it unscathed.

"Doesn't matter, it's in the past. What I want to know is who are we fighting and what is happening?"

"It's a long story," Bucky shook his head, brushing a hair out of her eye. She was sure there were many pieces of hair in her face at the moment; she could practically feel the knotted mess on her head. It had been a good few days since she'd had the chance to wash and brush it, "I never mentioned it before with everything going on but your new hair, it looks good."

Even in the dire situation they were in, she found herself giggling. In the year that she was in England she'd cut her hair just above her shoulders and added lighter streaks to it. It had meant to be part of her new start package deal. Apparently that had all gone out the window as soon as she had the chance to see Bucky…

"I don't think now is really the time but thank-you," Charley smiled, looping her arms around his neck, "Now tell me what is happening, don't leave me in the dark this time please."

Wincing at her small dig, he gave in, "I'm not the only winter solider."

"What!"

"There were four more, all hidden away and they're dangerous, worse than me but what was weird is the guy wanted to know about a particular mission of mine," under a low breath he added, "the one where I killed Howard." Charley looked over his shoulder and saw Steve making conversation with Sharon, now having opened the back of the car and obtaining their shield and falcon wings, where they truly belong… with them.

"Steve doesn't know?"

"I've only just met him again after seventy years. It didn't cross my mind at the time," Bucky responded dryly.

"As excuses go," Charley returned her eye sight back to Bucky, "That's a pretty good one."

Bucky softly chuckled, leaning his head against her forehead. Since she'd last seen him he'd grown more of a scuff of a beard. It tickled the tip of her nose, "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," Charley said, grinning despite herself at the fact he was finally with her again. She honestly thought she'd never see him after he left, "So where are we going- I mean I know we're going to get these winter solider people, but where is it?"

"We?"

Her face fell, "Don't give me that 'I'm not coming with you' crap, I've not seen you for a year and I can fight now. Natasha trained me; you saw it back in your apartment. I can handle myself."

"Charley, no. It's too dangerous."

"Bucky!" She didn't mean to raise her voice but she wasn't going to let him dictate whether she could fight by his side or not just because he wanted to protect her. Why couldn't she protect him for once? "No, I'm coming."

They had caught the attention of Sharon, Steve and Sam who had previously been distracting themselves with conversation. Bucky saw this out of the corner of his eye, and took Charley's arm, pulling her behind the car for more privacy.

Under his breath he grumbled a swear word, "look, I can't have you there too."

"What's the reason this time?"

"You know when I sometimes used to wake up from a nightmare," not sure where this was heading, she nodded her head sharply waiting for him to continue. Her arms were beginning to hurt from beginning crossed so tightly, so she let herself relax, dropping them back to her sides, "some of them, not all of them, but some were about me forgetting you. Hydra would capture me again and I'd forget about you and when I saw you again I'd have no idea who you are. Now me and Steve are about to go to the Hydra base where I was wiped most of all. It was basically my home for the past seventy years until I met you. I can't bring you to that place."

Charley blinked and hesitantly placed a hand on his cheek, "nothing is going to happen, Buck." She promised, brushing a hand over his scruff of a beard. If she gave in to not going, she was going to make him promise one thing for her, "Just come back please in one piece please."

"I'll try." Bucky smiled gently.

"We better start moving soon," Steve appeared from behind the car hesitantly and a little red in the face as if he had been expecting to see them in a compromising position but from the way his shoulders slumped, he was visibly relieved.

"Be there in a second," Bucky replied, not taking his eyes off of Charley's.

"You've got to go."

"I know."

"Feels like you're always leaving me," She knew it was an unwarranted dig but she was still angry at him leaving her over a year ago and it didn't help that they'd only met again under such forced circumstances.

"Charley."

"Sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out so harshly," She sighed, rolling her eyes at her own patheticness. She thought to herself that she should just be happy that he was here now, "I just wish I could come with you."

"I don't like leaving you, you know that." He assured her.

"Yeah, I know."

An awkward air was left between them. Steve started up the engine of the car and was a cue that Bucky had to leave. Charley took the first move and stepped away from him, lingering her hand on his shoulder a little longer than necessary before pulling away completely, "Love you."

"You too," Bucky took a breath in before turning around in one swift movement.

Not too long after that did the small, blue beetle drive off with Sam, Steve and Bucky inside. Sharon slammed the car trunk shut and move to the drivers chair.

"You okay?" She asked, sliding into the car with Charley following close behind her in the passenger side.

"Not really," She responded. Sharon started the car up and the music started playing instantly, on a softer volume that before. To distract herself she began humming the music under her breath, despite not knowing half of Sharon's weird music taste that seemed to be a lot of country music, "Where are we going now?"

They had driven out from under the bridge with no trouble and she wondered which direction Steve had gone in.

"Probably to a hotel so you can keep a low profile," Sharon said as her phone buzzed. For a moment she took her eyes off the road to look down at it. Charley, against driving and being on the phone at the same time, sternly watched the road on her behalf. But it was unnecessary as a second later, Sharon pulled over and quickly launched for her phone.

"Crap," She sucked a breath in.

"What is it?"

"I put a facial recognition into the CCTV systems at work for that guy who mind washed Bucky," Sharon eye's darted across her phone furiously, "I got a match."

"You've found him!" Charley tried to sit up and look over her phone but Sharon quickly closed it.

"He's at the airport heading to Siberia, that's where Steve and Bucky are heading. To they Hydra base," Sharon leant her head against her phone to think, "it's too late to make contact with Steve now."

"Can we get to the airport in time?"

"We can but I don't have time to drop you off at the hotel first."

"You don't need too," Charley stressed, pulling out her own phone to google the distance between where they were and the airport.

Sharon hesitated before sucking in a breath, "we have no other choice. Let's go."

"okay then…" Charley braced herself as Sharon put her foot on the accelerate and they sped off, almost crashing into a few cars in the process.

"We don't know anything about him," Sharon said, "he could be skilful in combat so I might need your help."

"You think I can help?" Charley turned in her seat to stare in shock at her, most of the time people wanted her out of the way in the fighting as it meant less 'distractions'.

"Natasha says you're good," Sharon shrugged, "and there was footage of you tackling down the winter soldier before when he escaped. You managed to hold your own." If possible she pushed her foot harder down and they suddenly zoomed forward, "If we can detain him now then Steve doesn't have as much of a threat with the winter soldiers."

Holding onto dear life she grabbed onto the door of the car for support as Sharon took a quick turning and they practically flew past a sign that read 'Airport'.