The drive had been nothing but tension. It was quiet, except for the occasional direction. I had nothing to say, and quite frankly I felt awkward seeing him so soon. Especially since I apologized and he never responded. But this was temporary; he'd lead me to Sam and his duties as my guardian would be finished.

All I wanted were Sam's whereabouts, but Dianne talked me into allowing James to ride along.

It wasn't exactly talking; I told her he wanted to come and I was very inclined to reject, but she ended up yelling at me saying I needed to let him into my life. Dianne wanted me to form a civil relationship with him, while all I wanted to was to see him gone. She was at the very least contempt with my effort to apologize, thinking it was a good first step. Regardless, I still had every intention on committing to our deal.

The car eventually pulled into a hanger. I turned my attention to the flashing scenery outside of my window and noticed the bustle. Workers scattered while others checked the planes and machinery. It was alive; engines running while everyone hustled to make everything move smoothly.

Dianne had pressed her foot on the brake and before she could even put the car in park, James exited. I whipped my head to watch him stride towards a flight of stairs. His walk was almost confident, and a part of me knew I'd be the same way if I found out someone gave up my best friend's legacy. The engine shut off and I took that as a sign to leave.

My shoes planted against the concrete floor and I followed after James. The sound of turbines humming and workers shouting smacked against my ears. The noise was distracting- much different than the quiet I'd been subjected to for half the day. I could feel Dianne's presence beside me and I wondered if she should even be there. I supposed I couldn't have her wait in her own car, that'd be rude.

"You shouldn't have given up the shield."

James' voice bounced off the walls and snapped me to attention. I glanced to where he'd directed his voice to, and suddenly my heart fell deep into my stomach. Sam descended down a flight of stairs, unaware of my presence. The sight of him brought back old, yet familiar feelings I almost forgot about.

"Good to see you too, Buck." Sam greeted, with immense annoyance. He slid past the former assassin- and that's when his eyes landed on me.

"This is wrong." James called after him.

Sam turned to James, only to bring his eyes back to me. "So you both came here to lecture me, is that it?"

"That was Steve's shield, Sam." I said, stepping up to him.

Sam began walking again, clearly uninterested in conversation. I ran up to his side and grabbed onto his arm. When he looked down at me, I could clearly see the annoyance deep in his eyes.

"Hey, hey, look. I'm working, alright. So all of this outrage is gonna have to wait."

"You didn't know that was gonna happen?" James asked, taking every opportunity to grill Sam.

"No, of course I didn't know that was gonna happen. You think it didn't break my heart to see them march him out there and call him the new Captain America?"

Sam and James locked eye contact, clearly outraged with each other. Sam was more annoyed with the surprise appearances, while James looked like he was having a hard time grasping the fact that the shield was gone.

"This isn't what Steve wanted." James' tone was lower; he seemed saddened and truthfully, a little hurt.

"He gave that shield to you personally, Sam." I cut in. It quickly grabbed Sam's attention.

"You had no right to give up the shield, Sam."

James and I were both equally upset with Sam, and it was one of the reasons we were so civil with each other. That one emotion connected us without either of us knowing. Sam looked between both James and I, suddenly aware of something he wasn't familiar with.

"Since when did you two start hanging out? I thought you hated his guts," Sam pointed at me, pinning me with a stare. "And now you two march in here together and try to tell me about my rights?"

James looked away. My eyes locked onto Sam's and refused to yield. "Whether I hate him or not, he's my guardian now. I asked Steve for protection from you know what and he gave me... him."

Sam's lips curved up in a satisfied smile. He scoffed out a laugh. "So they put you in charge of babysitting?"

James' hand splayed out before him. "It's not... babysitting."

"It most definitely is. You even got that depressed emo babysitter look."

James placed his hands on his hips and stared at the ground, running his tongue across his bottom lip.

"He's not my babysitter. And he won't be my guardian for much longer. I told him we're done after he took me to you."

"If I could cut in," Dianne's voice said as she stepped up to my side. I'd honestly forgotten she had tagged along. "I'd like to say it's an honor to see you in person." Her eyes beamed as she held out her hand for Sam to take.

He smacked their palms together and gave one abrupt shake. When their hands came apart, he wagged a finger between Dianne and I.

"So he's babysitting the both of you? Oh, that's good."

"Nobody is babysitting anyone, god dammit. We came to see you and talk to you about the shield."

Sam scrolled a hand down his lips. "It's over, you guys. Besides, I have bigger things to deal with now."

"What could be bigger than this?" James asked.

Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. On the screen there was a man displayed, and suddenly, I felt the storm begin to spiral.

"This guy. Twelve years ago, he supposedly died in a fire. Now he's back, and he's strong. Real strong. He's got connections with high ranking mafia groups all over the world. I'm going after a lead."

The world around me faded. I no longer heard their voices, or the slight bustle of movement surrounding us. My eyes were glued to the phone screen and I felt myself slipping into that pit opening up beneath me.

I recognized him.

I couldn't bring myself to acknowledge it. I peeled my eyes away from the screen and looked to Sam, who was debating with James about wizards. Sam's newest mission was to try and find this man, and I wanted in on it. For extremely deep personal ties.

"I'm coming with you." I found myself saying.

"No you're not." Sam said, looking to me. "You and the babysitter are going to stay here and let me do my job."

I looked into Sam's eyes with set determination and ferocity. "I wasn't asking."

I turned and began striding towards the open plane. I didn't feel bad about leaving Dianne so abruptly in that moment, but she knew how to get back home. Those kinds of things weren't meant for her. Consider me a bad friend, but I was looking out for her safety. Not only that, but I didn't want to subject her to any further form of hell.

"I'm coming with you too." I heard James say shortly after I began walking towards the plane.

I whipped around.

"You're no longer my guardian. You can go home."

James walked up to me, keeping us separated by a few inches. My heart rate increased slightly.

"I'm not doing it for you."

He brushed past me and boarded the plane. I turned around and glared at him, wanting nothing more than to punch him clean across the jaw.

"I'll just... I'll see you later, (y/n)." Dianne called, and in my heart I felt a pinch of guilt.

"I'll be back, Dianne. I promise."

I turned and stalked after James, only to have a very annoyed Sam hot on my heels.

I made sure to sit opposite James. I crossed my arms and glanced down at the ground. The storm that swirled within me diminished slightly, and I made sure to put a lid on my increasing rage. James was making it very difficult to keep myself under control. Aside from the slight fear I had from him, I was having difficulty keeping my emotions in order.

The plane took off, and I was aware that there was no turning back. This had to be done- I felt I needed to do this with every fiber of my being. The back of my head rested against the wall of the plane when my body ran wild with goosebumps.

I glanced in James' direction. His troubled blue eyes looked into mine and I felt my heart start to gallop. My stomach twisted, my throat suddenly dry. He was staring at me with that same look I'd seen in his file.

"What?" I asked, shifting my weight. I crossed my arms tighter against my chest and forced myself to look away.

"You'll get used to that." Sam said from beside me.

James looked away.

"One minute till drop off, Sam." Said a man I didn't recognize.

Sam stood from his spot and marched over to grab his earpieces.

"What's the plan?" James asked, taking a pair of his own.

I wrapped my fingers around the pair set for me, and a wicked sense of excitement coursed through my veins. Sam only stared at James in response.

"Great, so no plan."

"Enjoy your ride, Buck."

"No, you can't call me that."

"Why not? That's what Steve called you."

"Steve knew me longer, and Steve had a plan."

"I have a plan. (Y/n), come on."

I stood at the drop with Sam, wondering if this had been such a good idea after all. The wind whipped harshly, while the plane whirred past treetops. My stomach dropped and I became aware of the immense amount of regret that crashed into my body. Perhaps my personal ties weren't worth plummeting from a moving plane.

"Really? What is it?"

I could sense the overwhelming annoyance from James. Honestly, it satisfied me to no end that I was riding with Sam. Without saying anything, Sam slinked his arms around my upper body.

And we fell from the plane.

The gravity flew from my body faster than the drop. I felt my stomach rise into my throat and released a shriek. But Sam's wings opened and caught the air. Within the span of thirty seconds, we hit the ground.

My legs wobbled as I took my first few steps, completely frazzled by the experience. My hand clung to my stomach and I didn't even want to think about my hair.

"You good?" Sam asked, glancing at his wrist. Red Wing flew above our heads and thrust forward in James' direction.

I nodded.

"I have all of that on video, you know that, right?"

James' voice sliced through the earpiece.

"Get out of my face, Sam, or I'll break it."

"Okay, head north. Come on."

Sam and I stood in an abandoned warehouse. The walls crumbled to the ground while graffiti decorated what remained of them. I rubbed my upper arms as I kept a little distance away from Sam. My gaze traveled along the walls and the worn ground. I had no right to leave Sam and to split myself off, but something caught my attention.

In a window along a far wall something gleamed. My attention was snagged and I glanced at it. My shoes stepped over pebbles and broken pieces of the building until I grew near. My fingers ran along the surface of what stuck out of the window.

Nestled into the brick was an upright knife. It was jammed so deep into the brick I couldn't understand how it sliced through. My fingers curled around the handle and I tried yanking it out. It wouldn't budge, not even as I wrapped both hands around the handle.

I released it, rubbing my hands together. I was ready to give it another try when-

Metal fingers curled around the handle.

I gasped and spun around, noticing how close James was to me. His left arm yanked out the knife and pebbles crumbled to the ground. He flipped the knife, allowing the blade to fall into his grasp. He held the handle out for me to take.

"Try and keep up." He said, eyes squinting.

My eyes trailed to the knife he held out for me to take. It would have been so easy for him to drive it home; knives used to be everything he knew. They were what he used to torture his victims and now, one was in his grasp once again. An image of him pressing it to my throat and keeping me pinned to the wall flashed across my mind. I couldn't help but notice those empty eyes looking at me, void of any emotion and finishing a job.

I took the knife.

James turned and began walking away to catch up with Sam, until Sam's voice pierced our ears.

"I see movement, get your asses over here."

But his warning came too late.

A hand wrapped itself around my throat and squeezed. The air was momentarily cut off from my lungs and I gagged in a breath. My back slammed against someone's firm chest, keeping me trapped beneath their grip. The cool metal of a gun kissed my temple.

I'd never seen James' eyes look as terrifying as they did in that moment. They moved from the gun to the attacker, and I could see the darkness creep over his face.

"You don't belong here." Said the man. He pushed the gun harder against my temple. "You aren't welcome here, Winter Soldier." His german accent was rich.

Someone dropped down behind James. They'd been lurking on the broken rooftop, waiting for his moment. Their hand smacked onto James' shoulder, but he moved quicker than I'd imagined. He sidestepped, gripping the man by the chin with his metal fingers. He slowly began to squeeze, crunching bone. The attacker grabbed onto James' wrist and peeled his fingers from his jaw.

James couldn't register the sheer strength the other man had. His hand was pushed away completely, and the attacker tried to punch him clean across the face. He ducked, this time raising himself and wrapping his vibranium fingers around his throat. He pulled the man close to his face, before thrusting him backwards with all of his inhuman might.

The man was sent flying, and he crashed into the opposite wall. When James looked back at me, I almost didn't recognize any of the James who'd previously handed me the knife. Something else had surfaced. He flexed his fingers, but halted when my own attacker hovered his finger over the trigger.

"Buck? What the hell is going on? I'm on my way."

I could tell James didn't register Sam's voice. His head tilted just a bit, before he began bounding towards me and the man with a gun to my head.

The metal was removed from my skin. I saw it raise itself at James. Suddenly, I grew aware of the knife still clutched in my hand. I thrust it up and slashed at the exposed flesh on the arm. He released me, crying out as his arm fell slack. I scrambled to get away, and I ended up with my back pressed against the other wall. I held the knife to my chest and watched as the man tried to point the gun at James once again, but the former Winter Soldier caught his wrist.

He shoved the arm upward. The man fired a shot into the ceiling, causing fragments to crumble. James metal hand twisted the wrist and the gun fell from the man's grasp. With his human hand, he pushed him hard against the brick wall and brought their faces inches apart.

"Use that name again and I'll kill you."

Before he could respond, Sam came bounding around a corner. He looked around, before his eyes landed on the scene.

Bucky released his grip, trying to control himself. I stood, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. My legs shook violently and I still held onto the blade for dear life. I couldn't tell if I were ultimately terrified of James, or thankful that he saved me. Despite our hatred for each other, he did something that caught me off guard completely.

He outstretched his metal arm, keeping it poised before me. His eyes were trained to the group that slowly began to surround us, and I understood what that meant in the moment. James was protecting me. But the James who had walked into this building was gone; another one I was having difficulty biting back a rising fear with surfaced.

Sam and James readied themselves for a fight, realizing their cover was blown. I kept my hand tight around the knife, fastening my eyes to the group who cornered us.

Until the room next to us erupted in a minor explosion.