Anyone Else

Chapter Three

Berlin, Germany

"You really think this is a good idea, Sarge?" Helen questioned as they approached Helmut Zemo's cell.

"You know," Bucky murmured, as the guard led them down the hallway. "This really fine dame during WWII used to call me that."

"Oh yeah?" Helen scoffed, stopping beside him as the guard unlocked the door ahead of them. "What was her name?"

Bucky's lips twitched, "Dolores." He pushed off the wall. "I called her Dot."

"I guess you've got a soft spot for old lady names, eh?" Helen teased, nodding to the now unlocked door.

Bucky half smiled, "You don't know the half of it." He murmured under his breath. It was true, her name was attractive to him, but knowing she was from the same era really helped put him at ease. It also helped she'd been through similar things with Hydra to boot.

They hadn't really talked through what had happened with the Doc. He figured once things calmed down he'd corner her about it. That's what Steve did to him during the course of their friendship. Seemed to work well enough. He wanted to bring her with him to see Zemo because the man hated super soldiers. He was curious if Zemo would know who she was.

"Agent Turner." Zemo greeted the woman. "I see you've managed to meet Sergeant Barnes."

Bucky narrowed his eyes. "You two know each other?" He crossed his arms in discomfort. He didn't think the two had actually met.

Helen took a quick breath. "I came and interrogated Zemo about The Winter Soldier program a few years ago." She sighed. "I wanted to understand more about my past as memories started to resurface. He's the only one alive with that knowledge, besides you. You were taken by The Blip, so he was my only option."

Zemo nodded in confirmation. "You look well, my dear." He gushed, "Being in love suits you."

"I-I'm not-" Helen protested, shooting Bucky a helpless look. "W-we're not, uh…" she could feel her cheeks turning pink.

"We're not here to socialize Zemo." Bucky course corrected gruffly, giving Helen a nod and flashing her a brief grin.

Zemo just grinned. "Let's get down to business then, shall we?"

"Where the hell are we, man?" Sam asked Bucky for the second time.

Suddenly a door opened and a uniformed figure appeared, emerging from the shadows.

"No!" Sam cried, recognizing Baron Zemo despite the prison guard uniform. "What did you do?!" Sam turned to Zemo, "You're going back to prison."

"If I may," Zemo began.

"No!" Sam and Bucky shouted in unison, cutting him off.

At least the two men agreed on Zemo's input to their operation. Helen kept her mouth shut. She was skeptical about having Zemo in the field. Yes, he was a trained operative, but he was also a mad man. She also wanted to give Bucky the benefit of the doubt. Sam didn't seem too keen on the idea either.

"I know where to start. Come, " Zemo motioned for them to follow him. "This way."

"You want to talk about it?" Sam asked after Helen told him about her pardon. They were currently on Zemo's private jet enroute to Madripoor, a lawless state full of criminal overlords. Bucky was busy brooding in the corner after threatening to kill Zemo for swiping his book of amends.

Helen sighed. "Not really." She scoffed, "It just feels too good to be true, you know?"

Sam nodded. "I was on the run for two years when Steve and I stole the shield." He sighed. "I know it's not twenty years, but being pardoned is still a weird feeling."

Helen nodded. "Yeah." She watched as Bucky slipped on a very Winter Soldier looking jacket that exposed his vibranium arm.

Zemo held up a little black dress for her. "We're making landing preparations." He handed the garment to Helen. "Time to play." He winked.

Helen stared hard at her reflection in the mirror of the airplane bathroom. Zemo had insisted she take on the facade of an old, but still active, alias of hers. Selma Fountain was a dangerous and always impeccably dressed international arms dealer. Perfect for getting into Madripoor covertly. The only problem was the dress Zemo had provided for her was anything but covert. Dressing this way made her feel powerful and gave her an illusion of control that could be a dangerous combination, especially in the presence of Sergeant Barnes. Her resolve to keep him at arm's length had begun to crack. He seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her, super serum be damned.

Bucky looked up as the bathroom door squeaked open. The vision before him didn't seem real. The rough and tumble tomboyish soldier he'd begun to befriend had been replaced by a stunning, sultry siren. Not that Helen didn't always take his breath away. Looking at her now, he was fairly certain he'd never breathe again.

Helen stepped out of the bathroom and smoothed her hands down the front of her midnight black dress. The off the shoulder, elbow and knee length ensemble had a plunging neckline, showing off ample cleavage. The thigh high slit made it easier to move, but made her nervous because of how much skin it revealed.

"I-is this truly necessary?" Helen asked, taking the pair of strappy nude heeled sandals Zemo handed her. "A pair of slacks and a bustier would be just as believable and more comfortable." She grumbled as she slipped on the heels, using Bucky's shoulder to steady herself. Then she jumped a little to test their stability.

"A pair of slacks, however comfortable, would also be less impactful." Zemo assured her, "You are stunning, my dear." He turned to Bucky. "Looks like our favorite super soldier agrees." Zemo then left the plane, following Sam down the steps.

Bucky's jaw clenched. Goodness, she looked irresistibly fuckable. Her curves were even more on display now then they'd been when she was dressed for running. "You're beautiful." He murmured, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you." She murmured back, trying in vain not to turn pink. "Can you help me?" She held up a dainty diamond pendant on an equally delicate chain. She swooped her hair off her neck and waited for him to place the necklace around it for her.

Bucky swallowed against the reveal of more skin and took the necklace. Seeing her dressed this way and being this close to her was driving him crazy. He carefully draped the necklace over her head and secured it around her neck. Before he could stop himself, he pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck, his hands settling on her bare shoulders for a moment as his nose lingered in her hair.

Helen's knees threatened to give way when he kissed her neck, his arm quickly snaked around her waist to hold her upright. It was a good thing they were alone. He wouldn't have touched her if they weren't. She turned to face him. The hooded gaze he gave her made her feel hot all over. He'd given her a similar look a few nights ago in her apartment. Looked like hearing her story hadn't pushed him to run in the opposite direction. Fuck it, She thought. Throwing caution to the wind, she leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was electric. Bucky gathered her closer, hands smoothing down her back to palm her ass. The kiss deepened and Helen whimpered, sliding her fingers into his hair. Bucky backed her up against the wall, losing himself for a moment in her touch. Helen felt like she would incinerate if they continued down this path, but duty called. She rocked back on her heels, breaking the kiss. She looked up at him and realized even though they were about to inevitably walk out of the plane into chaos. Here, in this moment, she felt peace. "Thank you." She whispered. "We should go."

Bucky just nodded, expression unreadable. His eyes had changed though. She could tell he was gearing up to put on the mantle of the winter soldier again. Helen slid her dark oversized sunglasses in place and moved to exit the plane.

"You got a weapon?" Bucky asked, gripping her upper arm for a moment, causing her to stop and look back at him.

Helen's lips twitched. "Careful, Sergeant Barnes." She teased. "Someone might mistake your concern for something deeper." She moved her skirt and showed him her thigh holster, packed with a military issue Smith and Wesson. "All good."

Bucky's jaw clenched at the sight of her bare thigh. "Good." He choked out, motioning her to go first down the steps. This was going to be an interesting op.

The bar was full to capacity. The amount of automatic weapons on display told her all she needed to know about the lawlessness of the establishment. Helen felt completely in her element. She'd done plenty of field ops in places like this. She chanced a glance over at Bucky. He looked dangerous, more dangerous than normal. Looked like he was embracing his past for the moment. Sam looked nervous. She could tell he wasn't used to places like these. Zemo was the picture of ease, his unwavering confidence never ceased to amaze her.

Sam managed to choke down Conrad's favorite cocktail. Helen was given a glass of champagne, on the house. She gushed to the bartender, trying to make a fool of herself to distract from the fact that Sam wasn't really the smiling tiger and Bucky wasn't The Winter Soldier anymore.

Tension grew and Zemo ordered The Winter Soldier to attack. Helen moved to stand beside Sam as Bucky went to work. The display of pure male power did silly things to her insides. Of course, the real Winter Soldier was absolutely terrifying, but watching Bucky had her a little hot under the collar.

Bucky tried to let his mind go blank while he manhandled the poor man who'd crept up on Zemo. He was hyper aware that Helen was nearby and he didn't want her harmed in the scuffle. A couple of guys stepped up to defend their buddy. He made short work of the first one, pinning the second on the bar top with his left arm. He could feel Helen's eyes on him, and he fought the urge to look over at her. He didn't like showing her this side of him very much.

Helen leaned into Bucky, hand cupping his cheek. "What a good boy," She purred, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. He didn't react so she laughed annoyingly bright.

Bucky knew the display of affection was two fold. She was playing the part of an outrageously dangerous arms dealer, all while telling him she wasn't scared off by his display of power. He carefully let the emotion pass through him without letting any of it touch his face.

"Selby will see you now." The bartender announced.

Bucky let the man fall from the bar top. He glanced over at Helen and gave her a quick wink.

Helen breathed a sigh of relief, she had been afraid he'd take offense to her little performance.

"You good?" Sam asked Bucky before following Zemo.

Bucky just grunted and the three heroes followed a mad man into the next circle of hell.

Things were going well with Selby until Sam's phone rang. Sam did a good job playing the part of Conrad the 'Smiling Tiger' until his sister called him Sam outright.

"Sam?" Selby cried. "Who's Sam?!"

Suddenly a shot shattered through the glass behind Helen and Selby was dead.

Bucky turned and shielded Helen from any possible threat. "Easy, Sarge." Helen murmured, covering his hand that had wrapped around her hip with her own. "I've got super serum too, remember?"

Bucky entwined their fingers for a moment before giving them a squeeze. Then he let go, reassuming his role as The Winter Soldier. Zemo motioned for them to flee the room, urging them to remain calm. The foursome made their way through the bar unscathed. Helen took note of a bounty notice sent to a patron's cellphone as they passed through.

Emerging out onto the street, Zemo warned them that the bounty on their heads would come knocking. Gunfire broke out in their general direction and everything sped up.

"I can't run in these heels!" Sam cried, furiously pumping his arms.

"Awww, cry me a river Sam!" Helen shot back, praying the stilettos would hold long enough for them to get to safety.

Bucky glanced over at Helen. "You good?"

"Peachy keen, jellybean!" Helen sang back, matching him stride for stride. She could feel her heels giving a little and she prayed they'd catch a break and soon.

They turned down an alleyway and a hooded figure stepped out of the shadows, gun raised. The mysterious figure fired at the two assassins in pursuit of the trio and then took down the hood.

"Sharon?!" Bucky squinted, coming to a halt.

"In the flesh." Former SHIELD Agent Sharon Carter gave him a ghost of a grin.

"Hey Sharon." Sam came forward.

The three former Avengers reminisced for a moment before Sharon turned away. Sharon nodded to them and turned to disappear back into the shadows.

"Hey," Bucky stepped forward, "We need your help, Sharon." He sighed. "Please."

Bucky's puppy dog eyes must've worked. "C'mon," Sharon waved them towards her, "I've got a place up in High Town where you can lay low."

Helen was able to change out of the rather risqué feeling dress into a more comfortable ensemble. Sharon had taken pity on her and showed her to a guest room where she could change in private. She'd actually insisted that everyone change their outfits and start fresh.

"Helen?" Bucky asked, parting the beads hanging in the doorway, poking his head through, "You back here, doll?" He hadn't seen her since he'd changed his clothes. He was hoping to see how she was doing, running in those stilettos didn't look like a picnic.

Helen turned away from the doorway. Thankfully she had at least managed to slip on the black skinny jeans. She had just adjusted the bustier top that Sharon had lent her and was about to slip it on. "Just a moment." She called back, feeling his eyes on her bare back.

Bucky stepped back through the doorway, letting the beads fall back together. "My apologies." He murmured just loud enough for her to hear. Goodness, that image of her topless was going to do all sorts of things to his dreams, in a good way.

Helen smirked. As much as she knew she'd enjoy getting physical with Bucky, she had to keep her wits about her. They did have a bounty on their heads. "Can you zip me up?" She called to him, holding the corset top in place across her front, still facing away from the door.

Bucky's jaw clenched. He stepped through the doorway and made his way over to her. She had her hair swept away from her neck again, the two pieces of the corset hanging open, exposing her smooth skin. "You trying to kill me, doll?" He murmured, hands grasping the fabric edges.

"Maybe." She murmured back, sounding a bit breathless.

Bucky bit his lip and zipped up the corset. "All set." He let go of the fabric.

"Thank you." Helen let her hair fall back in place. She turned to find Bucky still very close to her. He'd traded the leather military style jacket for a smartly cut black suit jacket and plain black chest hugging t-shirt. "You look handsome." She subconsciously licked her lips.

Bucky glanced down at his outfit as if he'd forgotten what he'd put on. "Thanks, uh." He barked a soft laugh, "You'll probably tire of hearing me say it, but," He stepped forward and reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. "You're beautiful."

"No," Helen shook her head slightly. "I don't think I'll ever tire of hearing you say that to me, Sarge." She murmured, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Bucky palmed the back of his neck, taking a step back to breathe. "How you holding up?" He asked, settling on the edge of the bed.

"Stilettos and running for your life at the same time isn't a very good combination." Helen joked, sitting down next to him. "Sharon said she'd lend me a pair of black combat boots to run around in. We're the same size, so there is a God after all." She winked.

Bucky's lips twitched. Sometimes she just said the damndest things. "That's good news." He took a quick breath. "Speaking of good news, how about that pardon of yours?"

Helen knew Bucky would want to talk about the pardon. "It's weird." She bit her lip, then took a quick breath. "I expected to be happier about it." She glanced sideways at him. "I didn't expect to feel so-" Her voice broke and her lower lip trembled.

"Guilty." Bucky finished for her. His right hand came up to brush away a stray tear from her cheek.

Helen cleared her throat, covering his hand on her cheek, entwining their fingers. "Yeah." She brought their hands to her lap and looked down at them for a moment.

Bucky could tell she wanted to say more. He usually wasn't into talkative broads, maybe old age had mellowed him out a little. "What's on your mind, doll?" He asked, giving her fingers a squeeze.

Helen took a deep breath. "You think us being together is inevitable?" She looked up at him and he was struck by the flood of emotion in her eyes. "It is a little storybook, you know?" She looked away for a moment, "Two brainwashed super soldiers find their way back to themselves and subsequently each other."

He'd wondered that himself over the last thirty six hours. "To be fair," Bucky squeezed her hand again in reassurance. "I did want to enjoy your intimate company prior to the revelation that you're a part of The Winter Soldier program."

Helen clicked her tongue. "Yeah," She laughed softly, "You got me there." She took a quick breath,"We should join the others." She murmured, moving to let go of his hand.

Bucky's grip tightened, pulling her closer. "I'm serious." He whispered. "I-I don't want you to think I'm using you."

Helen's eyes widened. "If anyone is using someone, it's me," She scoffed. "You could definitely accuse me of using you to climb out of the personal Hell I've been in the last 20 years." She sighed, "I've been trying to convince myself that's why I'm drawn to you, but I just can't shake the attraction between us." She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "Why in the world am I saying this all out loud!" She exclaimed in a whisper.

Bucky swore. "Jesus." He smirked. "It's good to hear you say it." He scoffed, "Hell, we could get caught in a barrage of bullets in the next hour." He pulled her even closer.

"True." Helen agreed as he inched closer. He let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her, fingers delving into her hair.

Bucky pressed his lips to Helen's, reveling in the way her fingers came up and gripped his suit jacket, seemingly in want. He wanted, needed, her closer, but he held himself in check. They were, after all, still on assignment. Plus, he didn't know her that well yet. Hell, he didn't know himself that well yet.

Someone cleared their throat at the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt."

To Helen's surprise, Bucky didn't pull away from her. He softly ended the kiss and turned to give their host a small wave. Helen stood up from the bed and crossed the shag carpet to the doorway.

Sharon stepped into the room. "Feel better?" She asked, handing Helen the promised pair of combat boots. She glanced between the obviously new lovers. Bucky looked annoyed, but content. Helen looked radiant.

Helen smirked. "Now that I've got these babies, hell yeah." She took the boots, "Thank you."

Sharon nodded. "Party's about to start. Try to blend in, relax and enjoy."

Bucky nodded to her as she disappeared back out the doorway. He turned to find Helen admiring her new footwear in the floor length mirror. She looked like a badass. "Damn, Hel." He swore, as she shrugged on a leather moto jacket. "You look-"

"Badass," Helen agreed. "Right?!" She laughed. "Sometimes I really enjoy being an Agent."

"It definitely suits you." Bucky murmured, following her out to the main area of the house.

Hot neon crawled up the walls as bass oozed out of the speakers, energizing Helen all over again. She might be from the 1940's, but she'd embraced modern music and parties. She slithered over to where Sam stood. "You up for a dance, Conrad?" She teased with a wink.

Sam smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. She could tell he was stressed. "Nah, you two kids have fun."

Helen's eyes widened. She didn't think Bucky would dance with her. She looked over to the bar where Bucky had perched himself. Goodness, he looked absolutely delicious in his all black suit. "Your loss, big guy." She shimmied through the crowd to where Bucky was.

Bucky watched as Sam and Helen interacted. Usually he'd be insanely jealous of his girl talking with another man, especially at a party. His girl? Is that what Helen was? It sure seemed like it was headed that way at least. Was he okay with that? Judging by the anticipation welling up in his chest as Helen weaved her way through the crowd towards him, he'd give that a yes.

Before Helen could reach Bucky, Sharon interrupted and motioned for them to follow her. She'd found Dr. Nagel.

Madripoor East Shipyard

Helen crept up an aisle way, splitting off from Sharon so she could cover more ground.

The bounty on their heads had come due. Both women took a defensive position, trying to give the guys as much time as possible to meet with the Doc. Gunfire exploded to Helen's right and she ducked behind a container door that lay ajar, waiting for the assassin to move closer. Footsteps behind her caused her to whirl and fire two rounds into the man's chest. She turned back to the other assassin and gave him a round to the shoulder before clocking him between the eyes.

Bucky knew that Helen could handle herself out in the shipyard with Sharon. She'd done great in the scuffle they'd had with the super soldiers on top of the tractor trailers. He just wished she was in the room with him now, he had the strange urge to shelter and protect her. He knew it was a sign that he cared for her, he just wasn't sure about acknowledging it out loud yet.

Helen continued to pick off fellow assassins as they descended upon the shipyard. She took a punch to the gut but used the motion to bring the man in closer, grabbing a hold of him and swiftly sinking his blade into his own chest. Gunfire erupted to her left and she used the unlucky man as a human shield as she crossed between two containers. After dealing with two more attackers, she had made a wide circle, ending back up at the container the men had disappeared into just in time to see Sharon slip inside.

"Guys we're seriously outta time here." Sharon warned over the coms.

Helen slipped inside the container, stepping foot inside the makeshift lab just in time for Zemo to put a bullet in who she assumed was Dr. Nagel's chest.

"No!" Sam shouted just before a rocket exploded into the side of the lab. Helen fell forward, Bucky was right there on top of her, shielding her from falling debris. Ears ringing, Bucky tugged Helen upright and sent her out of the lab, pulling Sharon upright next. The foursome managed to escape the container before it exploded again, Zemo nowhere in sight.

Sam and Bucky bickered back and forth about which way they should've gone and who should've led while Helen and Sharon tried to hold off the automatic gunfire coming their direction. Another explosion rocked the shipyard, giving the heroes a moment to change their position.

Zemo reappeared, this time he was wearing a knit maroon mask and wielding a pistol. He took care of the two assassins in front of him and disappeared into the sea of containers again.

Bucky led them through a container, ripping through the other end with his super strength. Zemo pulled up in a classic car.

"Supercharged." He explained, motioning for them to pile in. Helen climbed in the back while Bucky sat shotgun and Sam slid in next to her.

"You're not going to move your seat up, are you?" Sam lamented, suddenly remembering being in opposite positions the last time they were enemies of the state.

"No." Bucky confirmed.

Helen's lips twitched. Some things never changed.

We head to Latvia next

xoxo

Lumora The White