Welcome to Chapter 19.

This chapter takes place about a month after the events in chapter 18, Case hasn't heard from or seen Bucky during that time, and vice versa.

Obviously, I don't own any rights to the characters, just borrowing them for the time being.

And like in the previous chapter I do not own any rights to "Don't Ask Me No Questions". I just own a copy of the Chris Cagle cover I bought through iTunes.

I hope you all enjoy the next installment.

September 2015 – Washington DC

Bucky took a deep breath, pacing the length of Case's living room, for her to come home. She said she'd meet him there in 3 days – enough time for debriefings and "after-mission shit" to be completed, and enough time where nobody would try and ask why she needed a break.

He came to her apartment two days later, hoping maybe Case was there already, but she wasn't. He sent her a text message saying he was there but received no response in return.

Okay, so he'd messed up, and Case was upset. He could understand that. He'd pretty much ignored her for the better part of a month.

Was it petty? Absolutely.

Was he right to do it? Absolutely not.

Was Case going to kill him when she got back? Most likely.

With a sigh, Bucky took a seat at the counter and pulled out his most recent journal and a pen. He opened it to a fresh page and started transferring his thoughts to the paper.

It all started when they'd had their fight – Bucky had walked out with the intention of staying as far away from Case as possible. He hadn't meant to completely end things, but at the same time he was beyond angry that she wasn't telling him anything.

Bucky knew he wasn't the most open person in the world, even before Hydra got to him, and he understood that Case really didn't like opening up – she'd grown up as one of the guys and she'd spent the last few years before the ice in the company of men. Sharing her feelings and being emotional was a sign of weakness that Case felt made others look down on her, and while he'd tried to convince her otherwise, she'd also applied the same logic to Bucky.

But to him, Case hadn't been one of the guys for a very long time. When she'd started dating Walter, then Morrison, Bucky had finally started to see what he'd been missing – that Case, was in fact, a girl.

A girl with wavy brown hair that she learned to set into soft pin curls, beautiful blue-green eyes that could change to different shades, and a natural grace that made Bucky question whether or not it was part of her mutation.

On the other hand, he also saw Case for what she was – a girl with messy hair that at the ripe old age of ninety-seven she still waged war with. A girl who had beautiful eyes, who still enjoyed makeup, but in more modern times stuck with simple mascaras and eyeliner, using them to make her eyes pop while still using her natural beauty to her advantage. The same girl who could make a Maxie Ford step look easy, and yet still step on her partner's feet while dancing.

A girl who was brave – who walked into battles and ran headfirst into danger and would take a bullet for someone if it meant that she could save a life.

A girl who was strong – who put her game face on in the morning because that's what she needed to do. Even in the mornings where she was so depressed, she could barely get out of bed, or others where was so exhausted but couldn't sleep because she felt the world as she knew it would disappear again.

A girl who was afraid – afraid of being judged, of being deemed not worthy. When they were kids, it was because she was a girl. She built her tough persona, which she later named the Siren, so she could be taken seriously. Now adays, it was because she was a mutant. People feared what they didn't understand and continued to fear it because it wasn't normal.

Bucky had read plenty of reports – some of the media outlets were praising the Avengers, others were saying they were horrible, that the team of superheroes was a menace to society, and that Case and Ryder were monsters to be feared not praised, animals that could turn on humans at a moment's notice.

Some days Bucky felt like he was a monster – usually when he was alone, and the memories of Hydra and what he'd done were overwhelming his senses. Sometimes on those days he'd give Case or even Becca a call, if anything just to hear their voices and reassure himself that he was loved, even if he felt like he didn't deserve it after all the lives held taken.

Unlike him, though, Case had done nothing wrong. She went out and did her best and worked hard to make sure the world was still standing in the morning, and the world thanked her by telling her she was a monster because she was a mutant.

Some days were rougher than others. Sometimes Case called him from the safety of her bedroom closet, others Bucky sat in there with her, hugging her tightly as she cried, trying to reassure her that she was no monster.

The door opened then slammed shut, breaking Bucky out of his thoughts with a startled jump. He turned to see Case lock the door behind her as she threw the keys into the bowl. She went straight for her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

After a few moments, the door opened again and Case stormed toward the kitchen, bottle of clear liquid in hand, before she went to her cabinets and pulled down a small glass.

Bucky closed his journal and shoved it back in his pocket as Case helped herself to what was in the bottle then immediately knocked it back before going back for a second. He looked at the label and his eyebrows rose, "Polish vodka?"

Case took the second shot, her voice a little rough as she went for a third, "It's what it says on the bottle."

"That's some pretty strong stuff."

"Maybe for you," Case rolled her eyes before taking the third. She recapped the bottle and set the glass aside, taking a deep breath and a step back so she could lean against the opposite counter.

"Why do you keep it in your bedroom?"

"You're supposed to store vodka in a dark place away from bright lights, and make sure it's not exposed to extreme temperatures," Case shrugged. "I don't have a liquor cabinet, so I store the bottles in my closet."

Bucky frowned; he hadn't seen any vodka bottles in her closet. "Bottles?"

"Yeah, there's two others in there," Case explained. "Tony got me four bottles of it for my birthday two years ago."

"Did you enjoy polishing off the fourth?"

"I didn't get to enjoy the fourth," Case rolled her eyes. "That was the one I hurled at you when you broke in here."

"Oh…" Bucky frowned. He remembered now. He had spent a few hours trying to pick all the tiny pieces of glass from between the plates on his arm. "But what about—"

"I have other bottles in my apartment in Manhattan, where I do have a liquor cabinet."

"That makes sense…"

Case gave a sigh and pinched at her eyes, "So…you wanna tell me what happened?"

Bucky rolled his eyes, "You know, it's really no big deal—"

Case looked up at him, blinking in disbelief, "Run that by me again?"

"It wasn't that big of a deal…I mean, I'd have—"

"What? Been transferred to another facility, ended up with your memories wiped and put back in cryo like a fucking knick-knack?"

"That's not what would've happened," Bucky frowned. "I would've—"

"What?" Case cut him off. "What would you have done?"

That was the reason Case was going to kill him – sure, he'd upset her when he ignored her phone calls and text messages, but he'd gone to investigate an old Hydra base in Montana and had gotten captured in the process.

Although, truth be told, Bucky was still praising whatever higher power was out there that made Steve decide to storm that particular Hydra base, bringing Sam and Case along for the ride. She'd barged into the cell block and stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing him, face going white as a sheet.

"I…" Bucky chewed on his lip. "I would've figured out something!"

Case actually growled at him, before going back to the bottle and knocking back another shot.

"You know, maybe you shouldn't—"

"Shut up!"

Bucky's mouth closed with a snap.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Case asked, her voice eerily calm. She started wringing her hands, Bucky could see the claws shifting under her skin. "You have no idea why I'm furious with you, do you?"

"Because I got caught?"

The claws shot out, taking slices out of Case's fingers as the blades extended, and Case let out a howl of pain before she threw her bleeding hands over the sink. "Of course, my feelings don't get taken into consideration…it's war, right? No time for feelings or anything like that in the heat of battle…focus is on completing the mission, nothing else."

"Case…that's not what I meant…I…" Bucky trailed off when he saw tears rolling down her cheeks. "Cassidy—"

"Stop talking!"

Bucky went quiet again.

Case took a deep breath, more tears rolling down her cheeks, "You…you thought it was painful, finding out I was dead? What, the initial announcement and remembering it?"

Bucky flinched, not wanting to speak again until she was done. It felt like Silverfox had ripped out his heart when she'd told him that they were gone – it had been one of the reasons he'd screamed at her when she told him the news – the woman had just been so heartless about it, which shouldn't have surprised him because of her allegiance but still.

He also remembered when he'd decided to join forces with Ran Shen and Mila Hitzig, he could see the budding romance between the two. After a few days, memories of blue-green eyes and a sweet smile started to float to the surface and watching them getting closer was just the icing on the misery cake.

"I…I didn't know how to function anymore," Case continued. "Losing you like that…God I didn't know what to do."

"Case, I know—"

The look she shot at him made him go quiet again and gave him the chills. He had never seen Case that angry at him before, the only one she'd given that look to was Silverfox.

"When we got out of the ice…that's when it sank in…and I mourned you, Bucky. I thought you were dead," She sniffled, but apparently the claws were stuck, so she maneuvered so she could wipe her nose with her forearm, cringing as she lowered it. "Then came Siberia…which was its own personal brand of painful hell…one reason because of you. And the other because—"

That was when Case's phone started to ring, a glowing square in the front pocket of her jeans, playing that same song from Steven Universe. "Fuck…"

"Case—"

"No," Case snapped, glaring at him. "You don't understand, James! It was bad enough when you died! Let alone when we got separated in Siberia! But…the thought of you just…vanishing…"

And that was when it started to sink in, and the pieces fell into place. "But…Case, I'm right here. You got me out of there."

"Yeah, this time," Case sniffled again, and more tears fell. "But what if we hadn't been there Buck? You would have been who the fuck knows where, and I wouldn't know! I would've thought you were still ignoring me, and even if it had dawned on me something was wrong, I wouldn't even know where to start looking. It's not like I could ask Kitty and Marie for help, after all the X-Men have their own missions, and I sure as hell wouldn't have been able to go to Ryder or Steve, since technically you're not supposed to be here anyway."

Bucky didn't respond right away but moved over so he could grasp Case's wrists in his hands, carefully avoiding her claws as he turned her hands palms up before adjusting so he could run his thumbs over the skin.

"What are you doing?" Case asked.

"Looking for something," Bucky said as his thumbs trailed lower down her forearm, and he felt Case shudder and the claws instantly retracted. He grinned up at her, "Found it."

Case's cheeks were pink as she tugged on her wrists, "You gonna let go?"

He kept stroking his thumbs across her skin, grin getting bigger as he watched Case squirm, "Not yet."

She tugged on her wrists, "Buck, come on that feels weird!"

"I know that I'm not new at this."

"Come on, Bucky, I was mad, and I wanted to stay mad!"

"Yeah, but you being happy is better," Bucky pointed out. "No use being mad when at the end of the day, I'm here and safe."

"But—"

"I also want to point out that I'm trying really hard to focus on that," Bucky added, cutting her off. "If I put any more thought into the what-ifs, I'm the one that's gonna be panicking in the closet."

Case's cheeks turned red, and she looked away, "I see."

"And…maybe you would've had some help that wasn't the X-Men or Steve and Ryder."

"What are you talking about?" Case frowned at him.

The guy that had been guarding Bucky had raised a stun baton, which Case slashed to pieces with her claws, nearly taking off the guy's fingers. When she demanded Bucky be set free, he'd laughed at her and told her he'd call more guards.

An explosion had rocked the building, putting an emphasis on the fact more guards would not in fact be coming.

Despite that, however, Case had simply said, "Fine."

She then pulled her Stark Phone from her pocket. She had dialed a number and began talking in a language Bucky was in no way familiar with, and even exchanged a confused look with the guard, who apparently had no idea what language Case had slipped into either.

Case had simply finished her conversation with a small smile, and held out the phone, "It's for you."

Bucky wasn't sure what was said, but the guard suddenly went white and looked like he was about to have a stroke before he unlocked Bucky's cell door.

How they managed to escape the building without Steve or Sam realizing he was there, Bucky wasn't too clear on, but he was just grateful he wasn't about to be frozen and shipped back to Siberia.

Bucky finally released her wrists, and Case tucked her arms against her chest. He chuckled as he said, "Whoever you called to get me out—"

"Oh no, James, that was a one and done," Case said, shaking her head. "There's no way that would've worked a second time."

"But clearly it was someone that guard was scared of."

"Please, the guy looked like he was scared of his own shadow, Steve could've taken him without the serum," Case rolled her eyes. "How did he even catch you?"

Bucky sighed, "I was searching for something…got distracted. Didn't see the little idiot until he hit me with a stun baton."

Case chuckled, "That makes more sense."

Bucky rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, they might have been able to tell you where I was."

Case gave a scoff, "James, you are nothing but the Asset to her, even now. I harbor no belief that if you were recaptured by Hydra that she'd ever tell me where you were. She'd probably let me think you just disappeared."

"If she was Hydra…she might have."

It was quiet for a moment – Bucky glanced over at a folder he'd dropped on her dining room table and got to his feet to go grab it. He had something he needed to talk to her about, and Case wouldn't meet his gaze. They'd already wasted enough time dancing around tough subjects for the second time, and Bucky couldn't let that happen again. So, he took a breath and squared his shoulders as he reached the table, and began, "Case—"

"I know about Itsu!"

That took the wind out of his sails really quick. That wasn't a name he wanted Case to know about. He whirled around to face her, unable to keep the look of panic off his face. "Who the hell is—?"

"Don't you fucking dare!" Case cut him off. "Don't you dare try and say you don't remember her!"

"That's not…" Bucky couldn't breathe, and he took a seat in one of the dining room chairs when his knees gave out. She knew about Itsu…about what he'd done. She'd never forgive him for that one, he was sure of it. "Case…I didn't know…you have to believe me! I didn't even know who Logan was when I—"

"He didn't know it was you," Case interrupted in a quiet voice. "You should've seen the look on his face when he found out."

"Oh God…he's gonna kill me," Bucky breathed. Then her words hit him fully, and he asked, "Wait…you told him?"

"Yes."

"What the fuck were you thinking? Why the hell would you tell him that?"

"Because he called you a monster!" Case snapped. "He thought you were a monster because you murdered a pregnant woman!"

"Because I am a fucking monster!" Bucky roared, shooting to his feet.

"No, Bucky, you're not!"

"Really?" Bucky asked, voice going high pitched again. "I killed Howard and Maria Stark! I killed Nick Fury! And before all of that, I broke into your father's house and murdered his wife and unborn child! Sugar coat it however you fucking want but at the end of the day, only a monster would do that!"

Case stood there and blinked at him. In a deadpan voice she asked, "Are you done?"

Bucky blinked at her, "What?"

"Are you done?"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, if you stop screaming at me, I can explain something to you."

"What? What's there to explain? How Logan's going to hunt me down and force feed me my intestines?"

"Would you stop being so dramatic?"

"Dramatic? Really?"

"Yes, dramatic!" Case told him. "Look, my Dad's not exactly your biggest fan at the moment, but he was horrified that it was you under that mask. When we explained what happened, he wanted Hydra's heads on plates, not yours."

"Yeah, I'm sure Logan will still welcome me as one of his own after all this."

"Well, give him some time and maybe he will," Case admitted. "But…he's always going to see me as his little girl, so you were always going to be on the shit list once you became the guy who's doing his daughter."

"Taking your virginity and killing his wife and child are two very different things, Cassidy."

"Well…you're half right."

Bucky frowned, "No, I'm completely right…it's like apples and oranges—"

"No, not that part," Case cut him off. "You killing his wife and child."

"Okay, fine," Bucky rolled his eyes, "One of his children."

"James!"

"Look, Cassidy, I know it's horrible but—"

"James!" Case interrupted him again. "Look, it's a really long story but…cliff notes version, my brother's alive."

Bucky blinked at her – he couldn't have heard her right. "Your…your…brother?"

"Yes, my brother."

"Your…what…huh?"

"It's a Howlett thing I guess…Dad thinks that's why he survived."

"But…but…"

Case waited for Bucky to stop stammering, and then said, "After Itsu died, the baby was taken and raised by another family. He was given the name Akihiro, but he's adopted the moniker Daken, which means—"

"Mongrel," Bucky finished.

Case sighed, "Yeah."

"So…where is he?"

Case mulled the question over for a few moments, then said, "Last we heard he was in California. Word through the grapevine is that he's trying to make a name for himself in Los Angeles."

Bucky frowned, "What's he doing out there?"

"Trying to be king of the criminals, at least that's the last we heard of him," Case explained. "But we haven't spoken to Dad in months, so something may have changed, we don't know."

"Months?" Bucky repeated. "What the hell Case?"

"What?"

"You and your dad were always so close," Bucky pointed out. "Why the hell don't you talk to him?"

"Because since he knew our mother was still alive and had a vague idea of where the hell she was!" Case snapped. "Because in the two years between when we were defrosted and when you attacked Fury, and for a few months after, he had all the time in the world to say, 'Oh, by the way, I got married and had a son while you two were gone.' And he never said a fucking word." She sighed, "Not to mention, you two crossed paths…it's a dark way to look at it, but he could've prevented a lot of things had he gotten a hold of you back then."

Bucky sighed, "But Case…you do know that if he'd gotten his way, I wouldbe dead, right?"

Case visibly shivered at that, "Yeah…I know." She sighed, "To be honest…I dunno how I feel about it. Because depending on how that went, he wouldn't have figured out it was you until after…" She pinched at the bridge of her nose, "I dunno…I guess between Daken and my mother and all the shit that she's pulled...I guess it was easier to be mad at him than anything else."

"Your mother…" Bucky repeated quietly. "Uh…speaking of…"

Case frowned at him, "What?"

Bucky grabbed the folder and went back to the counter, "It's the reason I was in Montana to begin with."

He noticed Case's look of confusion, "Oh?"

"Yeah, see, since you weren't very forthcoming, I decided to do a little digging…mainly into one Kayla Silverfox."

This time, Case's face went white, but she didn't respond.

He opened his folder, "There's not much on her, to tell you the truth. Nobody actually knows how old she is, but I could confirm she's got an artificial healing ability, probably given to her by Hydra."

"Probably," Case agreed in a weak voice.

"From what I understand, it has the same effect as Logan and Victor's mutations, prevents them from aging like your average human, which is why she's looked the same throughout the years."

"Right…"

"So…here's where it gets interesting," Bucky said, "From what I could gather, records show she was a quote 'Native Canadian Blackfoot' which I wasn't sure what that meant at the time, but a little more research led me to the Blackfoot Confederacy, which is an Indian nation that holds territory between northern Montana stretching up into Canada, specifically into Alberta and Saskatchewan."

"Really…fascinating stuff there Buck…" Case said weakly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Bucky hummed at that before continuing, "Now that research led me to the relationship between her and Logan. Apparently, prior to Logan's adamantium fusion she'd been sent to keep an eye on him, and when the moment was right get the ball rolling so he'd agree to work with Hydra. According to the records she and your Uncle Victor were supposed to fake her death, which I guess mission accomplished."

"Guess so…"

"Now I don't know what their relationship was like," Bucky admitted. "But she kept tabs on him for about six years prior to the fusion which was in September of nineteen-seventeen. After that whole fiasco, she suddenly disappears with Logan, never to be heard from until she rejoined their ranks in February of twenty-three."

Case's face went even whiter and she lowered her gaze to stare at her shoes.

"Okay, fine," Bucky said in a testy tone. "Granted, my memories are still a bit murky, but I believe you said you and your brother were born in Alberta, correct?"

"Y-yeah…Alberta Canada."

"Your mother supposedly died in nineteen twenty-three, and your Dad moved you guys from place to place in Canada before settling in Brooklyn in twenty-four, when we met, is that also right?"

Case simply nodded at that, not bothering to look up at him.

Bucky sighed, "You know, there's no real record of what went on during that time, except notes that Silverfox presented to Hydra while she was watching him, which mentioned nothing of Logan having a significant other of any kind. In fact, the only woman in his life seemed to be Silverfox and counting forward about nine months would be June of nineteen eighteen…now taking into consideration that Ryder's mutation is tactile hypnosis like hers, and the fact she insists on calling you 'Cassidy'…there's really only one explanation as to how you've known Silverfox longer than I have."

Case stood there, still as a statue, eyes still staring at her boots.

"Case, look at me."

Case looked up, and tears rolled down her cheeks, but she remained silent.

"Good…now talk to me."

"Qu'est-ce que tu veux que je dise?"

"Tell me I'm wrong," Bucky told her, closing the folder. "Tell me it's all one big coincidence, that there was some other woman in Logan's life at the time…hell tell me that this was all a bunch of lies that Hydra cooked up."

"I…" Case whispered, then looked back down at her feet, "I can't, Buck."

Bucky took a deep breath to calm himself, and in a firm voice said, "Then say it."

Case opened her mouth but was interrupted by someone banging on the door. Case frowned and checked her watch as the banging started again. She walked over to the door and opened it, before immediately trying to close it.

The toe of a boot caught the door before it could slam shut, and someone barged their way into the apartment, despite Case's efforts to try and block entry.

Bucky was on his feet the instant he realized who it was that barged in.

"Honestly, Cassidy," Kayla Silverfox said, smoothing out her shirt. "If you think slamming the door in my face is going to stop me, you've got another thing coming."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Case demanded, slamming the door shut.

Silverfox's eyes focused on Bucky, and she smirked, "Speak of the Devil."

"Qu'est-ce que tu veux?" Case snapped.

"Oh, relax Cassidy," Silverfox rolled her eyes. "I'm not here to do anything to the lust of your life. I just feel that if I'm supposed to pull his ass out of the fire the least you could do is introduce us properly."

Bucky blinked, and directed the next question at Case, "What's she talkin' about?"

"Oh, so Cassidy didn't tell you that I was the one that told the weakling to let you go?" Silverfox asked. "Ignores me ninety-nine percent of the time, but the second something happens to her precious Bucky suddenly I'm the first one she calls."

Seeing them next to each other, Bucky couldn't figure out how he never could see it before. Probably because his memory bank was the consistency of swiss cheese, but even then, he should've seen the similarities. He'd always thought Silverfox looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it until now.

Case turned to him and looked like a deer in the headlights of a car.

Was she that afraid to tell me? Words could not express his hatred for the other woman in front of him, but Case looked ready to bolt – it looked like she would do just about anything to escape having to admit the truth.

"It's okay, Case," He said in a calm voice, "Just say it."

"Okay…" Case said, and took a deep breath, "Bucky Barnes, Kayla Silverfox…Bucky's my…erm…"

"The lust of your life, we know," Silverfox rolled her eyes.

Bucky glared at the woman, folding his arms across his chest as he squared his shoulders.

"Regardless…Bucky, this is Kayla Silverfox…my mother."

Qu'est-ce que tu veux que je dise What…what do you want me to say?

Qu'est-ce que tu veux What the hell do you want?