TWO YEARS LATER
LONDON, ENGLAND

Emma Barnes remembered her first kill off by heart, she was a young male in his 20's had just recently graduated college and was going to work for S.H.I.E.L.D; she was ordered to take him down before he even got to the headquarters. It was bloody, his screams echoed as she shot him through his leg, heart and then head, just like she was trained too. Even now, Emma remembered that kill like it was yesterday. Her blue eyes fluttered open, groaning, the natural sunlight was peeking through her curtains, licking at the cold wooden floor.

A girlish whine was heard from her left, making Emma tilt her head to the side to see Maria, her roommate, lying on her stomach while wriggling around. The two of them got along partly because of their shared nightmares, and love for all things coffee and strawberries. "Maria!" Emma hissed lowly, pulling her covers away from her scarred body; the floor boards creaking underneath her weight as she rounded her bed and walked towards Maria's bed. She gently shoved her friends shoulder. "Maria, wake up."

Maria woke with a start, hitting Emma's hand off of her shoulder as she hyperventilated. "You're safe, they have no hold on you here." Emma soothed as she sat down beside her, although, she was still scared that someday HYDRA would come knocking on her door, she had to be strong for Maria right now. "Breathe with me," She pleaded, pressing her calloused hand against Maria's soft one; the red headed woman wasted no time in squeezing it tightly as she took some deep breaths inwards.

Once Maria had calmed down enough, she met Emma's piercing blue eyes before cocking a blonde eyebrow at her. "Don't you have work in an hour?" She reminded her, making Emma curse under her breath before she stood up from Maria's bed; making Maria laugh at the rushed woman. It was the first time Maria had ever seen Emma Barnes seem so lost on what to do first, "Have a shower, I'll make us some food." Maria offered, rolling her bedsheets back before shooing Emma of towards the bathroom.

Emma gave her a thankful smile before slipping into the bathroom, looking into the mirror; Emma noticed how tangled her brown hair was all over the place while her blue eyes looked exhausted from all the nightmares she had. Emma sighed before reaching into the shower and twisting the knob to the right, making the water run down her arm before she pulled her arm back out. Emma once again looked into the mirror before tugging at her shirt, seeing a long jagged mark that came from the helicarrier as it fell into the water.

The woman sighed before stepping into the shower, leaning her head back and letting her hair get soaked. Her fingers reaching for a bottle before she noticed a spider running across the small rack, Emma jumped back, bitting back her scream. It was silly, an ex-assassin was scared of a tiny creature with eight legs but she had that irrational fear since she was a young child; or from what she could remember of her childhood, "Get a grip, Em. It's just a spider." She breathed out, brushing herself off as she pushed shampoo out onto her hand.

A knock on the door brought her out of her lathering, "Emma, food is on the table when you want it." Maria called through the locked door. Emma hummed lightly before washing the shampoo out of her hair.

"I'll be out in a few minutes!" She called out, before a loud thump echoed throughout the house and a huge whine came out from Maria's lips. "Maria, are you alright?!" She called out, worry washing over her as her eyebrows furrowed. A drop of water entering her eye and she winced, blinking trying to get it out.

Maria grumbled for a moment before answering, "I'm fine, just stubbed my toe on your weapons suitcase." She answered, making Emma shake her head in amusement; that suitcase had been there for almost the whole time the two had been living together and yet Maria always managed to stub her toe on the edge of it.

Sally leaned back in her seat, as she rested her hand against her stomach. "Dammit, I swear Maria is trying to get everyone around here fat with these amazing pancakes." Sally joked, making a smile crack on Emma's face as she shovelled her salad into her mouth. "You're so thin, it's unreal. Are you sure you're eating?" Sally teased, making Emma look between her and the salad she was eating. "Have you ever had a burger in your life, woman?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"No. I haven't." Emma admitted sheepishly, getting an astonished look from her co-worker.

Sally smiled brightly, "Me and you Barnes, tomorrow, are going to get a burger." She ordered, "I do not care if I have to drag you by your hair out of this shop to do so." Emma smiled at her lightly, she was glad she had people like Maria and Sally, who understood her past, but never told anyone who she really was and always supported her no matter what. "Can I ask you something about your brother, Bucky, right?" Emma nodded as she placed her fork down into her plate.

"Be my guest, I can't promise my information is up to date right now though since I haven't seen him in a while." Emma admitted, picking at her fingers lightly.

Sally pointed to the TV screen, "What the hell?" She questioned, pointing at the screen. She reached over for the TV remote and turned it up a little.

"A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna. More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka." The news reporter spoke out, "Officials have released a video of suspects who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes and Emma Juliana Barnes, The Winter Soldier and The Phoenix. The infamous HYDRA agents linked to numerous acts of terrorism."

Emma looked at the screen with a blank glance, her mouth gaping. "You've got to be shitting me, how is that possible?" Sally growled out, annoyance laced in her voice as she realised that Emma was now placed at everyone's wanted list. "You weren't even near Vienna, Emma. How are they saying you were there, when you were here?" She commented, annoyed.

Emma ran her fingers across her face, she knew getting anywhere was going to be near on impossible now and she had no idea where her brother was either. "Jesus Christ." Sally muttered, "I'll book you a flight out of here." Sally offered, and Emma shook her head.

"No, that will only put you in bed with me and anyway, I have no where to go." She pointed to the screen, "I've literally got a red sign across the back of my head." Sally frowned, before reaching across the table to cup her hand in her own.

"I'll make a distraction, get out of the backdoor and never stop running." She pleaded, Emma nodded before standing up and rushing towards the backdoor; slipping from her workplace into the back streets; looking both ways to make sure nobody was there, Emma ran towards her flat that, luckily, wasn't to far away from her work place. Maria was already waiting by the doorway.

"You saw, didn't you?" Emma questioned lightly, and Maria nodded; handing her the bag she had always hidden under floorboards in case of emergencies. "Maria, you cannot tell anyone that you were even friends with me." Emma pleaded, her eyes showing sympathy. "I don't want you getting hurt in the crossfire." Maria looked at her with sad eyes as she flung her hoodie over her shoulders and over her head. "Thank you for looking after me, when no one else would."

Maria pulled her into a tight hug, as tears hit Emma's shoulder. "You be safe, you hear me." She pleaded, "Don't get injured, or killed." She continued to plead as she squeezed Emma tighter; which made the brunette haired woman sigh into her embrace. "Please."

"I'll try my best, but there is no promises. These guys have probably got orders to shoot first and ask questions later." She reminds her of the velocity of the situation they were in. Maria nodded, before Emma trudged off down the street before disappearing. She knew it wouldn't be long before someone found her, she just hoped that it would be her brother that found her first or the other way round.