Sitting at the back of the lecture theatre, he kept himself hidden in the shadows. He had been able to hide for so long that he could do it with ease. He knew when he was being followed and when people were watching him. But there was no one looking at him. Instead, their gazes were set on the front of the lecture theatre, listening to the woman with the English accent as she spoke to them about igneous and metamorphic rocks. The room was half full with students that he kept his gaze flickering over.

Some were sat with their laptops open and were clearly making notes, eager and keen on whatever she was saying to them. In turn, she walked across the stage at the front, a small device in her fingertips that she used to flip slides on the large projector behind her. She couldn't stand still and her gaze roamed around too. He wondered if she knew that some students were simply just texting on their phones and scrolling through social media instead of listening. If she was, she didn't seem to be bothered about them.

Instead, she kept on walking across the stage, her arms moving dramatically and her eyes lighting up whenever she looked over the class in front of her.

"Davey," she suddenly spoke into the crowd and a boy peered up from his phone, looking instantly startled as the woman nodded to him. "And what was it I just said?"

"Erm…I…well…"

"Well, I can tell you that what I just said is something that is going to be popping up on your final exam…so unless that phone you're looking at under the desk already has the answers for your end of year exam, I suggest you put it down and pay attention."

The boy looked sheepish then and she nodded sternly at him, her gaze stern. She went back to her class, returning to the lecture. Everyone else who had been distracted suddenly started looking a lot more attentive.

He watched her for the rest of the session, his gaze not once leaving her as she moved around. He watched the way she pushed her hair behind her ear. It was the same honey blonde colour as he remembered. It was shorter though. It only came down to just beneath her shoulders as opposed to all the way down her back. It was still wavy and thick, though. Her face looked thinner too, her green eyes glimmered a bit more than when he had seen her before. Then again, that wouldn't be difficult. She was dressed differently, a grey pantsuit on her body with a white shirt and a lanyard hanging around her neck. Her black heels were clicking on the wooden floor as she moved around.

He didn't know how long it had been since he had last seen her, not accurately anyway.

"They're looking for you."

She threw down the files that she had been hugging to her stomach onto the table in between them. He had no idea how she had found him, but he knew that she was risking everything by coming to him. He couldn't remember everything about her, but her face was familiar. He could remember those green eyes so well as they stared at him. She had always looked at him with pity. She had always been there when they had taken him back…well…for the past few years, anyway.

"Are you still with them?" he asked her.

She nodded her head and began wandering around his small apartment. She had travelled out to London the previous night and landed early the following morning. She had taken the file on the asset as soon as her father had told her that he had been identified.

"Why can't you get out?" he continued to ask her.

"Do you own anything? Like…any stuff? This place seems empty," she said, not answering the questions.

Picking up the folder from the table, he flicked through it, seeing documents all about himself. He could see his medical history. There were notes on his missions. All of it was there in that brown folder.

"Why won't you answer the question?" he asked from her.

"Because I don't know how to," she admitted to him, turning to look to him and he saw her fold her arms over her chest, crumpling the white shirt she wore tucked into her dark jeans, a blazer shrugged over it. Her hair fanned around her shoulders as her gaze remained on the man in front of her. "HYDRA has fallen, yes, but there are still remnants of it…still people who believe in its cause who have money to continue on with their work…their research."

"And you want to stay with them?"

"Do you truly think that?" she responded without missing a beat. "Do you even remember who I am?"

"Of course, I remember who you are," he said, dropping the folder down and then looking to her as he whispered over to her. She let her gaze meet his, the two of them simply staring at each other. Did he really remember her? Did he remember everything? She had no idea, but now wasn't the time for any catching up to take place.

"Then you should already know the answer to your question," she responded.

"I do," he said and she managed a nod, eyeing him with scepticism.

He pulled the baseball cap he had been wearing from his head, dropping it on top of the folder and then removing his leather jacket, dropping it over the back of the small dining table in the flat he was renting. The flat wasn't much. It was old, the cabinets hanging off their hinges in the kitchen. But it was cheap and the landlord didn't ask any questions. He was thankful for that.

"You should move on," she said, changing the topic once again and pacing in his flat, the heels of her black boots echoing in the space. "If he knows where you are then he'll come looking for you."

"And you?"

"I'm going home," she said to him. "Besides, he'll have known where I've gone and what I've done."

"What will he do?"

"Not be happy," she said to him. "But…I wasn't going to leave this alone…I couldn't do that. Whatever he does, he won't hurt me. He can't exactly hurt his own daughter, can he?"

"He did."

She looked to him then and he watched her back, his gaze darkening as her eyes widened. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and he swore that he saw her gulp in response to what he had commented. He remembered what he had seen. He could see it clear as day. But he had been too weak to stop it from happening. They had kept him locked away and he had seen it all.

"Well…he might try again," she said, "but I can handle him. I'm not a twenty-year-old girl anymore. I've had to grow up."

"But you're still with him…is it because you're scared of him?"

"I'd be an idiot not to be," she retorted with a firm scoff. "Just because I'm not scared of him hurting me doesn't mean I'm not scared of him. I've seen what he can do, remember? I've seen how he can hurt people who get close to me."

"He does it to control you."

"And it works," she said with a dark chuckle, throwing her head back and looking to the ceiling. Shaking her head, he watched her close her eyes and stop her pacing. "But you…always you…"

He knew what she meant.

"There's people who can help you."

"Like they're helping you?" she questioned him, looking back at him. "They know what we've done. They know who we are. Do you think that they'll ever let us live in peace? Do you seriously believe that?"

"Is it not worth a try?"

"So long as my father is alive, then no," she said firmly to him.

"You don't need to go back."

"I do," she responded with a nod. "Just…look at that file and then do what you want to do with it…keep it…burn it…whatever you want. I deleted the folder on the computer so any trace of you should be gone."

"I should thank you," he said to her.

"You don't need to thank me," she said firmly and reached into her pocket, pulling out a mobile phone. Looking down onto it, she declined the call and then placed it back into her pocket, turning it off in the process. "I need to go."

"Think about it," he said to her.

"There's nothing to think about," she replied. "I have no other alternative."

"Stay."

He said the word without even really thinking about what he was saying. That seemed to startle her. She watched him as he shrugged his shoulders. He did his best not to feel flushed by his suggestion. He was doing everything in his power to remain composed as he watched her stand across from him. He had so much he wanted to say, but he didn't know what to say. He had no idea where to begin.

"We both know that if I stay then I'll be putting you in even more danger."

"I can handle danger."

"But you shouldn't have to," she said with a shake of her head firmly. "You never should have had to."

"I can protect you from him," he told her.

She let out a hollow laugh and he felt his chest ache at the noise. "No, you can't," she responded with a shake of her head. "You…I came here to tell you what I had to tell you and give you that folder, but that's it. I need to go."

"Wait."

He reached out and took hold of her by the wrist, his hand covered in a leather glove, but he could still feel the warmth of her skin underneath his touch. He peered down to her, doing his best to keep his breathing under control as she stepped closer to him, almost out of instinct. Looking down to where he held her wrist, she took her own deep breath and swore she felt her mouth dry out.

"I should have taken you with me."

"That was never the deal."

"It should have been," he whispered once more. "I should have come back for you."

"If you came back for me then what was left of HYDRA would have just put you back in that cage," she responded to him. "We both know that…they'd have spoken the words and they'd have taken you back."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is the point?"

"The point is that I left you," he retorted. "I left and I ran. I should have at least tried to come back."

"I didn't want you to come back," she responded, stepping closer to him. She lifted her hand up and her fingers brushed through his long hair, tucking it behind his ear. "I never wanted you to come back because I couldn't watch you go through it anymore…what they did to you…"

"But I knew what he did to you," he responded. "So stay here. Let me put this right."

"I can't," she said with a shake of her head. She stood on her toes, slowly pressing her lips to his cheek. She let them stay there for a good few moments, the feeling of his beard rough against her cheek. For his part, he closed his eyes and allowed himself a brief moment of contentment to take hold of him. She pulled back after a second and slipped her wrist from his hand. She reached out to squeeze his shoulder one final time before stepping back and walking out of the door, not once turning back around to see him.

"And that's it for today," her voice snapped him out of the daze that he had bee in. "Remember that your first assignment is due on Friday. Anyone who requires an extension come and see me sooner rather than later. See you all next Thursday."

Murmurs filled the room as the students stood up and roamed around. The lecturer headed to the computer and logged off as students filed out of the room and he remained sat where he was at the back in the shadows. She busied herself with packing her bag, draping the blue patent material onto the crook of her arm before picking up her thin, black mac. She draped that over her elbow too and waited until the final student had gone before she looked up and spoke.

"Enjoy the lecture?" she questioned him.

Moving out from the row of seats, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and moved down the steps towards the stage, his movements slow and purposeful.

"I didn't know you knew I was here. You never gave anything away."

She shrugged. "Figured I'd see you sooner or later," she responded. "And did you honestly think that I wouldn't notice you? You might be good at hiding, but you look nothing like any of my students. But you've had a hair cut and a shave."

"I have," he responded to her.

"So…why are you here?" she questioned, moving down the steps on the other side of the stage as they both came to the floor, stood on opposite sides to each other. "I take it that this isn't a social call."

"Do you know anything about the super soldier serum?" he questioned from her and she dropped her bag to the floor and shrugged into her coat, pulling her hair out of the collar.

"No, why?" she asked him.

"Someone is trying to recreate it," he spoke. "And I have reason to believe that HYDRA might be involved."

She shook her head. "HYDRA's disbanded," she said to him.

"We both know there are factions of it underground…people who share its ideals…goals…"

"Perhaps," she nodded her head, "but it isn't HYDRA. So…whoever is trying to recreate it, I don't know anything about it."

"And your father?" he wondered from her and he saw her wince before she picked up her bag again and angled it back into the crook of her arm. She looked him in the eye and he saw that usual look on her face. It was the look of pure fear.

"Dead," she said to him. "He was killed…I don't know how and I don't know why. I don't care. But whoever is recreating the serum, it isn't my father."

She began moving then, heading to the exit, but he was quick. He moved his hand out and grabbed hold of her wrist, stopping her from going any further. Looking down to her, his gaze was stern as he continued watching her, his eyes flickering over her face as she refused to meet his stare.

"Victoria," he spoke her name. "What happened?"

"I moved on," she said to him. "You should do the same."

"You know I can't do that," he said with a shake of his head.

"Why not?" she wondered back. "You were pardoned by the President. I saw it in the news. You have a chance at a new life…assuming that you want it? You've got all your memories back, haven't you?"

"You think that stops me from remembering what I did?" he questioned her back and she continued to watch him as his brows furrowed together and he watched her. "I think about what I did every single day. I might have my memories back…the words might not work on me anymore…but that doesn't stop the nightmares."

She gulped at that, swallowing hard before struggling to look him in the eye. She knew what he was talking about. She knew about the nightmares. She knew all too well about them.

"I know," was all she said.

"How did you get here?" he decided to ask her, letting go of her wrist and moving around the front of the lecture theatre, his arms out by his side. "You're what? A lecturer?"

"In Geology," she confirmed with a nod of her head.

"Change of profession?"

"I was never a nurse...my first degree was in Geology," she said. "I did my Masters and my PhD during the Blip…I got lucky. I got a job and I moved here…back to New York."

"So you survived the Blip?" he double-checked and she nodded her head.

"I did," she confirmed.

"And how long have you been…well…here?" he questioned from her.

"You mean how long have I been away from my father?" she questioned from him. "He was taken during the Blip. I took my chance and I ran. I struck up a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D…a new life in return for what I knew. They accepted…gave me a new identity and kept me hidden. Turns out that none of the mattered when the Blip ended and my father was killed."

"So you spoke to them?" he asked from her.

"Only when I was certain he was gone," she said to him. "Back in London…I couldn't have ran. He would have found me."

"I said that I would protect you," he reminded her.

"And I told you that wouldn't have been fair," she responded. "But the information that you want…I don't have it."

"And you don't know anyone else who might know something?" he asked, hands going to his hips. "Your father had a lot of connections, Victoria. You know that."

She sighed and went to sit on the edge of the desk at the front row, placing her bag down besides her. She tossed a hand through her hair and mussed it up. "There were lots of interested parties," she finally admitted and he moved over to stand in front of her, keeping a few paces back. "There was one doctor who was rumoured to have cracked it before the Blip…apparently the CIA had ordered him to work on it."

"And what happened to him?"

She shrugged. "The last thing I heard he was in Madripoor," she said. "The CIA never resumed their work on it…but…people wanted to get to him. They were offering him good money. My father was trying to get hold of him before he was killed, or so I heard."

"Do you have a name?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "So, like I said, I can't help you."

Nodding his head, he watched her as she fiddled with the lanyard around her neck. There was silence between them before he moved to rest against the desks, keeping a short distance away from her. He took a moment to look over her as she swung her legs in front of her.

"So…you dropped your new identity then?"

She nodded. "When he died I didn't see any reason to hide," she shrugged her shoulders. "He was the only one who would ever want me back…and even then I never knew why. He never loved me, not really."

"He was controlling," he said to her. "But he's gone now. You don't need to live in fear."

She chuckled at that and turned to look over to him. "Is that what you think?" she questioned from him. "I might not have to live in fear of him, but like you said, the nightmares never go away."

Silence once again engulfed them. Victoria looked over to him and drank in his features. He looked older than when she had last seen him. He looked like a man who had seen so much in his life and Victoria guessed that he had. He had seen too much.

"What did he do to you?" he wondered, his voice a whisper. "When you gave me the file he had on me?"

"Don't worry about it," she said with a shake of her head.

"Victoria-"

"-Bucky, it's fine," she said to him, interrupting him with a shake of her head.

Bucky's mouth dried out before he spoke again. "It's not fine," was all that he said to her. "None of it is fine."

"But it is," she said, jumping down from the desk and picking up her bag once again. Holding it tight against her in the crook of her arm, she watched him as he also stood up straight. "It is fine because we're here and we're still alive. We made it out of that hell hole and we got through everything."

"You know that…I remember everything, Victoria," he said to her. "I remember it all…you…"

"You don't need to talk about it," she promised him with a gentle voice. "We both don't need to talk about it or relive it. We moved on. We survived."

"The guilt eats me up," he admitted to her. "The guilt of knowing that I left you there-"

"-And I've told you before that you have no reason to feel guilty," she said firmly. "I've told you that you coming back wouldn't have worked or saved anyone."

"Yes, it would have. HYDRA was in disarray. I could have protected you. I could have hidden you from him."

"You really think so? Because I was the one who came to you, Bucky. I was the one who gave you the file…warned you he had been watching and knew where you were. You couldn't outrun him. We never could."

"But I should have tried."

"No, you shouldn't have," Victoria said sternly. "Because I was the one who should have acted sooner. I spent years patching you up…watching them take your mind from you…I should have been the one who helped you."

"You think you didn't help me?"

"I left you there for too long."

"You would never have been able to free me," he shook his head. "They would have stopped you…and…if you think you didn't help me then you're mistaken, Victoria…because I remember everything…everything," he repeated and Victoria continued to watch him, knowing what he was talking about. She could still remember what had happened. She dreamt about it every night. It was all that she dreamt about.

"You should go," Victoria said to him, knowing that this wasn't a conversation that she wanted to get into. "How are you going to find this doctor, anyway? And why are you even looking into this?"

"Ever heard of the Flag Smashers?"

"The freedom fighters?"

"Some call them that…or terrorists…" Bucky responded with a shrug, folding his arms over his chest. "But they're super soldiers. They've had the serum and we need to find out who gave it to them. We both know that serum is dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands."

"And so…what? You intend to run off to Madripoor to try and find the doctor?"

"Well, there's one stop we need to make on the way."

"We?" she arched her brow.

"I'm going with Sam…Sam Wilson."

"Falcon?" she checked with him.

"That's the one," he said.

"Well, be careful," Victoria warned him. "Madripoor is a lawless place and you need to be careful of the Power Broker. He's the one who runs everything there. My best bet is if the doctor is hiding out there then he's being protected by the Power Broker."

Bucky arched a brow and tilted his head to the side. "Power Broker? Really?"

"So after everything we've seen…spaceships…aliens…you're sceptical over someone called the Power Broker?"

His lips arched upwards at that and she let out a short laugh, shaking her head. Nodding his head, he held a hand up in defeat.

"I guess it's not the most ludicrous thing," he agreed with her on that point.

"You think?" she responded and nodded her head. "Listen, Bucky, it's…it's good to see you, despite the circumstances. But be careful, okay?"

"I can handle myself."

"I know that," she responded, "but just be careful."

His gaze met hers and they exchanged a knowing look between them. It was another few moments before she nodded her head and pointed to the door. "I should get going," she said to him.

"I've moved back here," he said before she could leave. "I'm living in Brooklyn."

"I'm in Tribeca."

He whistled lowly. "Expensive," he said. "Then again, I always had you down as a posh gal…I think it was the accent."

"Blame my mother," she responded to him.

"English, wasn't she?"

"She was," Victoria confirmed. "So, is there a reason why you're telling me where you live?"

Bucky shrugged his shoulders, trying to act nonchalant about this entire meeting. "I think we need to talk."

"We don't have to."

"No, we do," Bucky said. "Victoria, just…let's talk…when I get back, okay?"

She nodded once and reached into her bag. She pulled out a business card and moved forwards, handing it over to him. He took hold of it and peered down at it for a moment. "Dr Victoria Wallace," he spoke.

"Still weird being called Dr," she admitted to him.

"I bet," he placed the card in the pocket.

"I'll walk you out," Victoria said with a nod and she headed to the exit, Bucky following her. They walked in silence out of the building and onto the campus, the sun slowly setting and students lounging on benches and the grass, some with books in front of them, others drinking coffee and just chatting.

"I'll give you a call," Bucky said to her.

"Yeah, of course," she nodded her head. "I'll see you around, Bucky."

"Bye, Victoria," he said and he watched her give him a small wave and smile before she turned on her heel and began wandering down the footpath, digging around in her bag and pulling her phone out. She played around on it before she turned around the corner and Bucky lost sight of her, wondering just what had happened to Victoria Wallace when he had left her behind after the events in D.C.

September 19th, 2006

It was her sixteenth birthday. She hadn't expected much. She had hoped for perhaps a day at school that would be normal. She just wanted to spend time with her friends, maybe get some food and just talk about everything and nothing of importance. But that wasn't what she was getting. Instead, her father had been called away on work business once more. Victoria hated her father's job. She hated the fact that whenever he travelled, he forced her to come with him.

"You know, this isn't what I had in my mind for my sixteenth birthday," she complained as she stood in the hidden facility and looked around the lab where her father was working.

They had been forced to travel to the US and Victoria had no idea where they were going. She knew that they were in Washington D.C., but she had no more information, except for the location they were taken to was confidential. Her father's work was top secret. He never really told her what was going on. He kept himself to himself.

"Complaining never got you anywhere before, Vicky," he said to her, looking into the microscope. He sat up straight and then waved over to his daughter. "You should come and see this."

"What is it?" she wondered, moving over to him and bending down, peering into the microscope. Her brows furrowed at the sight she saw and she wrinkled her nose before standing up, feeling her father's hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her. "What is wrong with that blood?"

"Nothing at all," he said with a shake of his head. "That, my darling, is a special kind of blood."

"It looks weird," she said with another frown.

She tugged on the brown skirt she wore and moved away from her father's grip, wandering around the lab and letting her hand skim over the equipment as she passed. She sighed to herself before the door opened wide, a smart dress man with neatly coiffed blonde hair on the top of his head. He had a glimmer in his eye and his gaze went straight to her father.

"Roger," he spoke his name, stepping forwards. "It's so good to see you."

"Alexander," he responded with a smile on his face. "It's been a long time, my friend. How are things going?"

"As well as they can," he replied with a nod of his head. "Thanks for coming out here. You know that a man with your brains can do wonders for us out here. You were wasted over in London."

"Happy to help wherever I'm needed."

"Good, because we have big plans that we need to work on, but to begin with…we need your help with the asset."

"I'd heard that the machine had broken."

"What machine?" Victoria wondered, the two men turning their attention onto her.

"And this must be your daughter, Victoria?"

"Indeed," Roger said with a nod. "Victoria, this is Alexander Pierce. He's a colleague of mine."

"Pleasure to meet you, Victoria," Pierce said with a nod of his head.

"Yeah," Victoria said with a nod of her head. "So what machine is this?"

"Please excuse my daughter," Roger said with a firm voice, moving over to grab hold of her by the arm. His grip was so tight that she swore she would bruise as he held onto her and she winced at that sudden motion, not certain if the existing bruise that was on her arm had healed. Either way, she'd have a new one in its place. "She is quite the inquisitive thing."

"I do not doubt it," Alexander said. "Perhaps we can discuss your handling of the asset and your daughter can…well…give us a moment."

"Yes," Roger said. "Victoria, why don't you take a walk…but don't wander too far."

"Fine," she said and snatched her arm from his grip.

She began wandering through the halls, wondering just what the hell was going on. She knew that her father's work was secretive. He was often forced to sign particular documents and she was always kept in the dark. All she knew was that she was pulled out of school as and when they had to travel. Her mother had died when she had turned ten. It was a car crash. And so all Victoria knew was her father.

And she was counting down the days until she turned eighteen. She could leave then. She could go to university and get away from him. Though, she should have known better.

Moving down the corridors, she ignored the stares of guards as she passed by. None of them said anything to her and she wondered just what this place was. What machine were they talking about? And what was the asset? Victoria continued moving around until she came to a quiet looking corridor with no guard. Frowning, she swore she felt the temperature drop before she kept on walking, her boots clicking on the floor. She tugged at the black tights she wore under her skirt as she moved.

Coming to the end of the corridor, she found another door that was slightly ajar. Stepping into it, the room had just concrete walls and floors. But at the other end there were metal bars cordoning the room in half. Victoria frowned before she saw a figure sat in the makeshift cell. He was curled up in the corner on the floor, one arm dangling over his bent knee, his other arm pushed up against the wall and his leg stretched in front of him.

His gaze instantly turned to the intruder into his space. But he didn't move. Instead, Victoria could barely see his face. It was hidden in the shadows, the only light dangling in the middle of the room and the bulb hardly bright enough to illuminate the space.

"Hello?" Victoria tried to speak to him.

But he didn't respond. Victoria moved further into the room, suspecting this was a stupid thing to do. She knew that it probably was. She headed towards the bars before she could make out his face. His eyes were still set on her. His hair was long and dark, hanging down to his shoulders. His chin was covered in a beard, but he had a prominent jawline. His lips were plump and his eyes were a bright blue colour. But he was completely emotionless. He was silent as Victoria stood in front of the bars.

"Are you okay?" she asked from him.

Again, there was silence.

Victoria gulped. "I'm Victoria," she said to him.

"You shouldn't be here."

He finally spoke and she arched a brow as she continued to watch him. "Why not?"

But he said nothing as Victoria sighed.

"What are you doing down here anyway?" she wondered. "And what the hell is this place?"

Nothing.

She sighed once more. "Do you at least have a name?" she pushed.

His gaze flickered then and she swore she saw something change in it. He almost looked pained. What was going on? She bit down on the inside of her cheek and he opened his mouth. It was almost like he wanted to say something to her, but he couldn't. He remained silent. It was at that moment when the door behind her bounced against the wall.

"What the hell are you playing at?" her father's voice demanded from her.

He rushed into the room and grabbed hold of her upper arms, shaking her forcefully as Alexander yelled at the guard in the corridor for not staying at his post.

"What is this?" Victoria demanded from her father. "I'm not an idiot…something is wrong…what is this place? What are we doing here?"

"Don't ask questions that you don't want the answer to," he warned her. "Now come on."

Pulling her from the room, Victoria looked back over to the man in the corner as his eyes remained set on her. She continued watching him and he watched her back, the both of them wondering just what was going on.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!