Bucky watched on as John Walker stormed into the apartment, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the dramatics, the new Captain America kicking the door in. Hoskins followed him into the apartment, looking around. Walker pointed to Zemo, his voice loaded with anger.
"Times up," Walker snapped loudly. "He's coming with us."
"Just take it easy," Sam said as Zemo moved to stand towards the back of the room, his eyes darting around at the scene in front of him. Evelyn felt Bucky take hold of her by the small of her back, steering her towards the back of the room and near to Zemo. Bucky moved forwards then, standing by Sam.
"No, we're done taking it easy," Walker said with a firm shake of his head. "You two have led us on a wild goose chase and don't think I didn't notice you sneak out of the building earlier."
"Well, we weren't planning on sticking around," Bucky retorted. "Besides, he's not going anywhere."
"You have no authority here, Bucky," Walker retorted.
"Really?"
"Really," Walker confirmed and Bucky stepped forwards, his glare not once dropping from the man as he approached him.
"Don't think that you can come in here and make demands," Bucky warned him. "You might have that shield, but don't let that fool you into thinking that you're anything but a man with an over-inflated ego."
Walker's lips curled at that and Sam stepped towards Bucky, hand going to his shoulder while Evelyn watched on, chewing down on her bottom lip and wondering just where this was going.
"Easy, Buck," Sam urged from him, but Bucky was beyond taking things easy when it came to Walker.
"And it must be really easy for you, huh, Bucky? With that serum flowing through your veins?"
Bucky said nothing and Walker continued smirking, eyeing him with a glint in his gaze, Hoskins looking on nervously as John spoke.
"You want it out?" Walker asked, hands by his side as Bucky clenched his into fists. "You said that we had unfinished business so let's do it."
"Buck," Sam warned him.
"Bucky," Evelyn said, finally stepping forwards and in between the two men, hand moving to Bucky's chest and he slowly lowered his gaze from Walker's smug face to Evelyn, his stare still harsh and full of intensity. She shook her head at him, keeping her hand flat against his chest as she spoke. "He's not worth it."
"Ouch," Walker said, "why don't you tell us all what you really think, Evie?"
"Don't talk to her like that," Bucky hissed, glare moving straight back up to Walker, arm raised and his finger pointing at him in a warning. Walker's hand rose into the air in defence and he took a few steps backwards while Evelyn pushed slightly into Bucky's chest. It wasn't enough to move him, but it was enough to get his attention back down to her. Shaking her head again, Bucky's gaze met hers and Sam took over, telling John that there were things bigger than them taking Zemo.
"So how do you want this conversation to go, Sam?" Walker wondered after hearing him definitively say that they weren't giving Zemo up. "You want me to put down the shield, is that it?"
Evelyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that comment as Bucky gave her a final nod and manoeuvred her back behind him. It was only when Walker had put the shield down did a spear appear out of nowhere, hitting the tiled beam to the side of his head. Evelyn jumped at the sudden movement of it, taking a few more steps back before she noted three women enter the apartment and she imagined they had to be the Dora Milaje.
Bucky grew concerned as one of them spoke to him in Wakandan and Evelyn suspected that must be Ayo. He had told her all about Ayo from his time in Wakanda. He told her about all of the help that she and Shuri had given him, from clearing his mind to his vibranium arm, but most importantly, providing him with sanctuary. Evelyn sometimes thought that he missed it and she wondered if he would ever go back.
"Now listen to me," the woman spoke. "Your time is up."
She looked directly at Bucky, but Walker was the one who was taking the lead.
"Hi, John Walker," he said, "Captain America," he added on, offering his hand to her, but she didn't take it. Instead she stood on the spot, her penetrating gaze not once leaving him as he let out a single hoarse laugh at the seriousness and extended his arms. "So, how about we put down the pointy sticks and we can talk this through?"
"John," Sam warned him, "you might want to fight with Bucky, as much as he would enjoy that, before you take on the Dora Milaje."
"The Dora Milaje have no jurisdiction here."
Ayo tilted her head to the side and spoke, voice stern and strong. "The Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever the Dora Milaje find themselves to be," she declared to him.
Evelyn could feel the shift in the atmosphere and she began to glance around at everyone in the room. Hoskins was still next to Sam and she wondered what his thoughts on all of this were. Bucky was still slightly behind Sam as Zemo stood totally out of the way. The Dora Milaje continued to hold their weapons, clearly refusing to back down until they had what they came for: Zemo.
"Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot," John commented, moving to clasp Ayo's shoulder.
But Ayo was having none of it. She reacted in an instant, using her spear to knock John off balance, sending him flying into the spear that was stuck out of the wall. Evelyn recoiled as the other two female warriors joined her, Hoskins rushing to defend his best friend but being knocked off with ease. Sam and Bucky stayed back and Evelyn wondered what they were doing as Zemo continued to sip on his drink.
"Looks like Captain America is nothing without the serum," Zemo commented to Evelyn as she stood next to him and she turned to look up to him, hearing Walker grunting loudly as he struggled to hold his own against the Dora Milaje.
"We should do something," Sam suddenly said.
Bucky folded his arms over his chest, watching John get tossed to the floor and he gave an appreciative glance as he called out: "Looking strong, John!"
Evelyn felt herself scoff at that, but Sam was less than amused, giving him a warning look and saying his name in a disapproving tone. It was then when Bucky relented, stepping forwards and shrugging out of his jacket so that he could use his vibranium arm.
"Well," Zemo spoke, "as entertaining as this is…"
He placed his glass down on the bookshelf by the wall before slipping away. Evelyn furrowed her brow and wondered where he was going as the fight continued.
"Hey!" she snapped loudly at him.
She followed him towards the double doors, but he was already closing them. Evelyn opened one of the doors, thankful he hadn't locked it as she saw him moving his bathtub to one side. Evelyn furrowed her brow and shook her head. "You're not leaving," she said to him.
"On the contrary," Zemo responded, lowering himself down to sit on the edge of the hole beneath the tub, "I think I am."
"Not on my watch," Evelyn said and she followed him down into the hole, unable to believe that he had a hidden escape in his bathroom.
He didn't bother to complain about her following him. He knew that he could escape her easily and he had expected her not to let him go. He could hear the fight continuing above him as he crawled through the hidden hole and came up onto the street, pulling himself up. Evelyn looked up, reaching for the edge of the hole to haul herself up. She struggled for a few moments, not being as muscular as Zemo. But she managed it and found herself on the street, Zemo walking away.
She ran after him, Bucky's jacket blowing behind her as she went and she caught up with him. Zemo peered down to her, lips arching in amusement.
"You are relentless," he informed her.
"And you can't just walk out of this. How far do you think you will get?"
"Not far," Zemo said, knowing exactly where he was going. "You should stay here, Evelyn. James will be unhappy when he sees that you have followed me."
"Yeah, well, unless you end up back in a jail cell he could be in trouble so I'm not letting you out of my sight until he's here," she said to him, her voice a warning as she did so.
"James will know where to find me," Zemo informed her, taking a left turn. "I have no intention of running anymore. I am done running."
"What does that mean?" Evelyn asked from him. "What do you have planned?"
"My wife and son were taken from me because of enhanced individuals," Zemo said to her. "My vendetta against the super soldiers is one that James understands. He understands the danger that Karli poses. He understands that there is only one way that she cannot continue her mission and that is the way that James was trained to deal with problems. I think it is perhaps still the same way he is trained to deal with problems."
"You're wrong about him," Evelyn said with a shake of her head. "Why do you want to see the worst in him?"
"Why do you feel you can only see the best in him?"
"Because isn't that what we're supposed to do?" Evelyn retorted, finding it slightly odd that she was having a conversation with Zemo, a known and wanted criminal who was casually just walking the streets of Riga. She had no idea where he was going until he stopped in front of an alleyway. Turning down it, he lifted open what looked like a garage door after opening it with a key, speaking as he rolled the shutter up.
"You think that there is goodness in people who wish to enhance themselves? You think there is goodness in a man who has killed countless people?"
"Do you think that Bucky is like the others?" Evelyn wondered and she saw him switch a light on, moving towards a car and unlocking it. She wondered where he had gotten the keys from, but she had no chance to question him. "Do you think that Bucky is truly such a bad person?"
"I think that James is complicated."
"And Karli?"
"She is a lost cause," Zemo said and opened the door to the driver's side.
Evelyn headed to the passenger side and climbed in before he could drive off. He moved into the car and shut the door, turning to look to her. "You do not need to follow me," he said to her. "James will know where I am going."
"I'm not taking that chance. So I'm staying here until James finds you. Believe me, I would rather be anywhere but here," she said to him and he started the engine and began driving, not bothering to argue with her. On the other hand, he confessed himself intrigued by her relationship with James and what she thought of him.
"So…Karli," Evelyn said her name. "Why do you think she is too far gone?"
"She bombed a building," Zemo responded. "How can you think that she is not?"
Evelyn shrugged. "I don't know if she is or she isn't," Evelyn said to him. "But all I see is a kid when I look at her and I wonder what happened to make her like this. Do you not think that? Ever since the blip…people like Karli had found a home…and then things went back to how they were and they had nothing. I don't disagree with her belief, but I do disagree with her methods. I think there are better ways than this."
"The problem is that she will not see that now," Zemo said to her. "And that is why she has to be stopped…and I think James knows that and will do what he can."
"You really think that Bucky is still a killing machine, don't you?"
"I think that him and me are much more alike than we think," Zemo retorted. "And I think that he understands that Karli has to be stopped."
"I don't disagree with that, but I do disagree with you on one thing: he'll stop her by doing everything he can that doesn't involve her being killed."
"We will have to wait and see on that point."
"I think you'll be surprised," Evelyn replied. "You knew Bucky, for what? A few weeks? And that wasn't Bucky, not really…you knew the Winter Soldier."
"And you think that you know James?"
"I know him better than you," she retorted on that point. "I know that he is trying to make amends for what he did while he was the Winter Soldier, so do you think he would bother doing that if he was still that man?"
"As I said before, James is complicated to me. You have only emphasised that."
"Me?"
"As I said, I imagined what he would become while I rotted in that cell, but it turns out he adapted to normal civilian life as best as he could. I just wonder if that will last. Do you see that future for yourself? Do you see him living a normal, boring life…being with you?"
"Yes," Evelyn said with a shrug, "and I don't get why that is so hard for you to understand."
"Because a man with a past like his will never shake it off completely," he responded to her.
"Perhaps not," Evelyn said, "but that past does not dictate his future."
Zemo nodded his head once as Evelyn's phone began to vibrate in the pocket of Bucky's jacket that she still wore. She moved her fingers into it, pulling the device out to see that it was him calling. Zemo's lips quirked as he noted the caller ID and he spoke in a low voice. "This should be interesting."
"Don't be mad," Evelyn said as she picked up the phone.
"Where the hell are you? One minute you were behind me and the next you'd disappeared like Zemo," Bucky said to her.
"Well, there's a reason why that happened," she said to him and chewed the inside of her cheek. Before she could explain, Bucky was already shouting loudly down the phone, Evelyn pulling the phone away slightly from her ear.
"Jesus Christ, Evelyn, please tell me you're not with him? Please, for my own sanity, tell me you're not."
"I'm not with Zemo," Evelyn said cautiously, scrunching her face up and putting her bottom lip under her top one, waiting for him to continue ranting at her.
"Are you lying to me?" Bucky retorted.
"Well, you told me not to tell you," she defended herself.
"Shit, Evelyn," Bucky hissed. "Where the hell are you? I'm coming to get you. Get away from him right now. Do you understand me? You know how dangerous he is."
"James, I can assure you that I have no intention of harming your beloved," Zemo spoke, able to hear Bucky crystal clear thanks to his yelling down the phone. "And I confess, I quite enjoy talking to someone who converses back and doesn't just stare."
"Evelyn," Bucky said, ignoring Zemo. "Just tell me where you are."
"Looks like he's driving to some airbase," Evelyn said. "He's been following those signs for like the past five miles so I would assume he is trying to get out of the country…but strangely enough, he hasn't gotten rid of me yet…and you broke him out of jail. How much trouble are you going to be in if you lose him?"
"I'd rather be in trouble than you stay with him," Bucky retorted, his voice firm.
"I get that, but I'm fine," she said to him.
"Evelyn." He said her name in a warning tone.
"Bucky, I'm fine," she promised him. "Just come and find us, okay?"
She hung up before he even had a chance to say anything further. She let out a deep breath and Zemo chuckled as she leant her head back on the seat. Turning her head to the side as Bucky continued calling her again, she ignored her phone, putting it on mute and glancing to Zemo.
"Do you feel any regret?" Evelyn wondered from him.
"Over what?" Zemo asked her.
"Over what you did to Bucky," she clarified. "Over what happened in Serbia?"
"I did what I had to do," Zemo responded. "It was never personal against James. I never wanted to hurt him. He was just a means to an end."
"But how can you say that?" Evelyn asked him. "You bombed the UN. You set him up. You used him for your own gain...for your revenge…you did everything that you could for your own ends."
"I did what I had to do. The Avengers…what concern did they have for innocent lives in Sokovia?"
"I get that you lost your family," Evelyn said to him. "And believe me, I can't even begin to understand how that must have felt. I don't want to because my parents mean everything to me. But…how many innocent people died in that UN bombing?"
Zemo remained silent as Evelyn watched him, trying to see if there was any reaction from him at all.
"Tell me," he finally spoke, "if someone took your parents from you, would you not want revenge? People talk about revenge as though they understand it, but they can't, not really, not until they feel the need for it themselves. It's all consuming. It's all you can think about. It's all that you want."
"And did it make you feel better?" Evelyn enquired. "Did it make you feel any better after you turned the Avengers against each other? After you used Bucky?"
"Is this where you expect me to say no? Because I do not want to disappoint you. Did it bring my wife and son back? No, but it gave me purpose. It made me feel that I had done something to avenge their deaths. Perhaps one day…if you and James have children…you might understand that feeling of protection you have when you have your own family."
"Perhaps," she said to him. "But I can't imagine doing anything like what you did."
"And I hope you never have to suffer like I did," he responded.
There was silence between them for a few more minutes and Evelyn contemplated what to say. But Zemo was the one who took the lead this time, turning into the airbase where his private jet was.
"I do not doubt that James loves you," Zemo said to her. "Do you know that he has a page dedicated to you in that notebook he carries around?"
Evelyn didn't know that. Her eyes widened at that piece of news and Zemo chuckled at her shocked expression. "I take it you did not," he continued. "I saw it in there. He has notes on your favourite things…almost as though he is scared of forgetting them…"
"He…" Evelyn had no idea what she should say on that point.
"I know that you care for him," Zemo said to her. "I know that is the reason why you are here. You are scared of what could happen to him if you let me go, but believe me when I say I have no more desire in me to run. I have done what I had to do. There is only one place where I want to go."
"Which is?" Evelyn asked from him.
"Home," he said to her.
Evelyn watched him stop the car and turn the ignition off.
"What reason do I have to trust you?" she asked.
"None," he admitted that freely. "But James knows where I will be. I cannot let you come any further and I do not think that James would want you coming any further. However, I have found it fascinating to hear your thoughts on this matter and, despite my reservations, I do hope that James can have a semblance of normal life. I have no hard feelings against him."
"If you know he is coming for you, why are you leaving?" she wondered and he tossed the keys over to her.
"Because I need to see home just one more time," he responded and she caught the keys "Now take the car and go back to him. Don't try and stop me, Evelyn. We both know you're not strong enough."
Evelyn thought about what he had said and she saw the look on his face. It was almost like regret. She wondered what was going on in his mind as he climbed out the car and wandered towards his jet, a man waiting for him on the tarmac. Evelyn contemplated running after him, but she knew he had a point. She would never be able to overpower him. If he didn't want her on that jet then she wouldn't get on it. But there was another part of her that thought he was telling the truth, that believed him when he said that he was done running.
….
"God damnit!" Bucky snapped loudly as Evelyn refused to pick the phone up again. It went straight to voicemail and he ended the call, peering down at her face on his screen with the message saying she was unavailable. "What the hell is she playing at?"
"Looking out for you, that's what," Sam said, the two of them wandering the streets aimlessly. They had lost Zemo. Walker had gone off with Hoskins in his own direction. The Dora Milaje had also left.
"I don't need her near Zemo to look out for me. I can look out for myself," Bucky hissed in a low tone, shaking his head back and forth as he contemplated what he should do. They had to find Karli. But Evelyn was somewhere with a known criminal and he had to find her.
"I know, but this is Evelyn," Sam responded. "She would do anything to keep you safe and you know that."
"She's infuriating," Bucky snarled back, redialling her number and pressing the phone to his ear, but again she didn't answer him. "She's stubborn…she's so stubborn…"
Sam said nothing in response to that as Bucky decided to leave a voicemail, demanding for Evelyn to come back and telling her that he was only looking out for her and her safety. He hung up and looked to Sam. "So what do we do?" he asked from him. "What comes next?"
"We need to find Karli," Sam said to him. "And we also need to find Zemo. It's a question of where do we start first."
"I know where I'm starting," Bucky said in a deep voice.
But Sam had no chance to respond. Instead Bucky's phone began to ring and he answered it instantly, swiping to take the call from Evelyn.
"Evie, you better be calling me to tell me you're away from him."
"I am," she said to him. "He's on his private jet. He told me that he's going home and that you will know where to find him. I think that he wants you to find him, Bucky…I genuinely think that he doesn't want to run away from this anymore. I'm serious."
"Since when were you able to get into the head of psychopaths?" Bucky asked, his voice still terse with her.
"Don't be an asshole," Evelyn snapped back at him. "I'm just telling you what I think and you know why I went with him. Anyway, he left me his car, but I have no idea how to drive a stick and I have no idea how to get back to the city centre. So I ditched the car and managed to get a cab. He left some money in the glove compartment. I'm on the way back into the city now."
"Head back to the apartment and I'll meet you there," Bucky said to her. "And don't ever pull anything like that again."
"You don't get to boss me around," Evelyn snapped back at him, her voice terse as she spoke to him and Sam could hear the anger in her voice as she shouted at Bucky and he held the phone slightly away from his ear. "I was the only one keeping an eye on Zemo while you were all fighting about him. I was the one who followed him because I wanted to try and stop him escaping to save your ass, Bucky. Or did I imagine the Dora Milaje telling you that you only had eight hours to hand him over?"
Bucky sighed at hearing her, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Right," he said, "I just don't want you hurt, Evelyn. You know that."
"I know," Evelyn promised him. "But I'm fine and I can handle myself."
"I'd rather you didn't have to."
"Well, I did and we are where we are," Evelyn said. "I'll be there in fifteen, okay?"
"Okay."
Bucky hung up at the same time Sam's phone began to ring. He took the call and Bucky instantly heard his voice change, concern becoming evident and Bucky knew that he had to be talking to his sister.
"What is it?" Bucky asked from Sam.
"Karli threatened my sister," Sam said quickly to Bucky before going back to the phone and urging for her to take the boys to a hotel for the night and away from home. He wanted them safe and he swore that he would do everything possible to ensure that would happen. "She wants to meet," Sam said, hanging the phone up and holding it in his hand. "She's sending her message via Sarah."
It was then when Sam got the text, Karli telling him where to meet. "She wants me to come alone," Sam said.
"I'm coming with you," Bucky responded.
Sam didn't bother arguing, nodding only once. "We need to change," he said.
"Yeah," Bucky agreed with that.
Their gear was back at Zemo's apartment. They went back there and Bucky quickly changed in the bathroom as Sam took the bedroom. Once Bucky had zipped up his leather jacket, he headed into the kitchen at the same moment the front door opened and Evelyn walked in, hands in the pocket of Bucky's jacket. Looking over to her, Bucky stormed forwards.
"Before you begin lecturing me, can we just save it because I-"
He cut her off instantly, a hand going to the back of her head, tangling into her hair and tilting her head back, his mouth descending on hers as his other hand also moved to cup the back of her neck. He could feel her startle under the motion, clearly taken back by it before she relaxed for a few brief moments, giving into him and letting him take control. He continued hungrily moving his lips over hers as she took hold of his raised forearms, holding onto them tightly. He only pulled back because he could sense her needing to gather her breath. Forehead pressing to hers, he watched her intensely.
"Please…just don't go running off with criminals," he pleaded with her.
"I'll do my best not to," she responded, still breathless.
Sam suddenly made his presence known, entering the room as Bucky nodded once to her, his thumbs running the shell of her ear as he took another deep breath and kissed her forehead one final time.
"Wait…what's going?" Evelyn suddenly asked, noticing their attire. "Why have you gotten changed?"
"Karli threatened my family," Sam said. "She wants to meet and we're going there now."
"Where are we going?"
"There's no we," Bucky said to Evelyn. "Stay here-"
"-No," Evelyn said. "Karli was the one who told us about Verity, Bucky. If she threatened Sam's family then I don't think she meant it. I don't think she would mean it…I think it was a cry for attention or something."
"Then why not just ask to meet?"
"Because she's confused," Evelyn shrugged. "I don't know, but I do know that Sam said he was close to talking her down. What if we can do that again? What if we remind her of what she did for us?"
"She might have a point," Sam said to Bucky.
Bucky groaned. "You stay out of the way if anything changes, understand?"
"Understood," she promised him.
Bucky picked her hand up, fingers holding tightly onto hers as they followed the map Sam was following to the location that Karli had given them. Evelyn wondered exactly what was going on in Karli's mind. Did she really want this? Did she really want any of this? Evelyn didn't entirely know, but she couldn't stop thinking of Zemo's words that she was too far gone to be redeemed now. Heading into the building that Karli had had told them to meet her at, Sam was the one storming ahead.
"Karli!" he shouted her name loudly as Bucky kept hold of Evelyn's hand.
They saw her on the upper floor, leaning over a balcony. Heading to the staircase, they climbed it, Sam moving closer to Karli and Bucky moving the other way, Evelyn holding onto his hand still as she looked to Karli.
"So you're threatening my family now, is that how we're playing this?" Sam demanded to know from her.
"Sam, I would never hurt your family," Karli said with a shake of her head. "I just wanted to understand you better, but I see you didn't come alone."
"You have to end this now," Sam warned her.
"I don't want to hurt you," she said to him and he believed that much. Evelyn let go of Bucky's hand and he almost groaned as she moved around him, heading closer to Karli and eyeing her suspicion.
"Do you want to hurt anyone?" Evelyn wondered from her. "Because I feel like that's not your goal here."
"It never was the goal," Karli said to her with a shake of her head. "But sometimes violence…war…it's the only thing that people understand. It's the only thing that causes them to understand."
"That doesn't mean that it's right," Evelyn continued, Bucky lurking behind her shoulder, ready to make a move at any moment should anything threaten Evelyn. "And I think you know the difference between right and wrong. You were the one who warned us about Verity Mardox, weren't you?"
Karli shrugged. "Figured you'd pick up on that," she admitted.
"And you made a choice to do that. You made a choice to cut ties with her…to warn us…because you still have a conscience. You still want to do the right thing."
"And who is to say that what we're doing isn't right?" Karli wondered from her. "It's the regimes that I want to destroy that have caused this. Those regimes that we consider to be right…that we follow…are the same ones that have caused us so much pain."
"So what is the plan?" Bucky finally piped up, sensing that they weren't going to get anywhere with Karli.
"I was going to ask you to join me," Karli said. "Killing you would be meaningless. Neither of you hide behind a shield. So do the world a favour and just let me go."
Sam looked to his wrist then, the screen coming to life and Evelyn wondered what was going on before he spoke, turning his head over to the side to look to Bucky. "It's Walker," he said.
Bucky nodded, jumping down from the balcony as though he was taking just a step down. But Karli was quick, she had her mask on in an instant, leaping from the balcony and colliding with Bucky, sending the older super-soldier flying into a pillar and then hitting the ground. Sam was close on her heels, Evelyn peering over the balcony to see Bucky grunt as he hit the ground, falling onto his back. Sam fought Karli as Bucky moved to his feet. Sam managed to knock Karli over to the ground before he spoke to Bucky.
"I'll send you the location, go," he demanded and instantly flew into the sky.
Bucky nodded and leapt back onto the second floor, looking to Evelyn and she swore she had never seen him jump that high before. "Get out of here and somewhere safe," he demanded and she nodded her head.
"Go," she said to him and he ran off, Karli close behind him.
Evelyn took a deep breath and did her best to regain composure, no idea where she should go or what she should do. Instead she left the building, seeing Karli and Bucky racing ahead in the distance. She figured that she should try to follow them, knowing that Bucky wouldn't be best pleased, but she had promised him that she would stay back. They were soon out of her sight. She had no chance of keeping up with them. They were far too fast.
Instead she followed the look of confused faces, making her decisions based on people who were peering behind, questioning what they had just seen. The sight of two super-soldiers running was bound to attract those types of stares. Evelyn had no idea where she was or where she should go as the confused faces soon stopped.
Instead she looked around, almost as though there had to be some kind of sign. But there was nothing. Placing her hands to her hips, she shook her head before hearing a loud crashing noise. Looking up and over the building, she saw glass crumbling from a window and noted the familiar sight of John Walker. He had hurtled out of a window and Evelyn felt shock inside of her at the sight of him.
"What the hell?" she whispered. How had he just jumped out of a fifth storey window and survived? He was running down the street in the opposite direction and Evelyn followed him, seeing Bucky suddenly come out of that same building.
"I thought I told you to go somewhere safe?" he yelled at the sight of his girlfriend.
"I was staying back," she defended, "I just saw Waker jump out of that window. How did he not break his legs?"
"He's taken the serum," Sam said. "We need to find him."
"He went that way," Evelyn pointed left.
Running after him, Sam went ahead as Bucky took hold of Evelyn's hand and ran alongside her, seeing in the distance that a crowd of people had appeared in a square, their phones held in their fingertips and aimed at something that was going on in the square. Bucky slowed his pace as Evelyn did the same, gasping for breath with red cheeks. They looked on at the sight and Evelyn felt her throat clench and her mouth dry at what she had seen. Bucky watched on too, his eyes wide and the look of shock on his face. Stood there in the middle of the square was John Walker, the shield held firmly in his hands. But it was drenched in blood, red droplets spilling from it and Evelyn struggled to comprehend the sight. What had happened? What had he done?
A young boy laid on the steps in front of him and Evelyn let her gaze move over to him. She instantly wished that she hadn't, seeing that his chest was crushed, blood pooling from it.
"Oh my God," Evelyn whispered, unable to look back to the sight.
John looked around then, his gaze dark as people continued recording him, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. Everything seemed to stand still. No one lowered their phone. No one moved. It was like time was frozen for those brief few moments. But that was until John ran away then. He ran off and Evelyn knew what would come next. There was no way that Bucky and Sam were just going to let him leave.
"Evie…sweetheart…" Bucky whispered her name, drawing her gaze up to him with a hand on her cheek. "Just stay put."
"Why did he do this?" she asked.
"Lemar was killed."
Evelyn did feel shock at that then. Lemar had been killed?
"I know," was all that Bucky could say. "But you know what I have to do. You know what we have to do."
Evelyn nodded. She knew. And she understood. "Go," she said to him, hand moving to his cheek. "Both of you," she looked to Sam and he nodded. She could see the pain in his expression. He was hurting. They both were hurting.
"I'll find you," Bucky promised her.
He ran off then, Sam following him as Evelyn watched them go, knowing that they were going to get the shield and bring it back.
….
Verity Mardox knew that her time was coming. She had a good lawyer. She had allies and she had spent her time in her jail cell building up her connections. She knew who had turned her in and revealed her plan. She had spent weeks trying to figure it out. There were only a certain handful of people who knew about what she had planned. One of them had been Agent McDowell who she had paid off to bring her Evelyn. He had been found unconscious in a hotel room. The other person had been Karli. She had worked with Karli throughout everything. She had been the one who was the leader of the Flag Smashers. She was the one who had the contacts. And she had turned her back on Verity.
But now she would come crawling. She would come crawling back to Verity because Verity had spent her time working out how she could get out of this jail cell. The plan for immunity had not gone as her lawyer had hoped and so that left the second option. Plan number two meant breaking the law even more, but Verity was beyond caring. She was determined to get out of that cell one way or another.
And while she did want revenge on Karli for turning on her, she could rise above that. Besides, she had been keeping up with the news. The Flag Smasher movement had been growing bigger and bigger according to her lawyer. But Verity still had resources they could use. She still knew people who could help them start the war that they seemed so desperate to win.
"They have followers everywhere," Sally Andrews, Verity's tough talking lawyer said. She sat across from her, the room private and allowing them to talk in confidence, as they should be allowed to. "But the issue is that they lack money."
"And have you made them the offer?"
"I've made them the offer," Sally said.
"And?"
"We are waiting for Karli's response. She is currently in Riga. Got herself into some trouble."
"They need to stop that GRC vote from going ahead in a couple of months time," Verity said, hand going through her hair. "And if they want to stop it then they need to send a message. I have the money to help them do that. They would be idiots not to go through with it and accept my help."
"They know that," Sally promised her.
"So tell them to hurry it up, because I know they can spring me out of here," Verity said, "and I am growing restless."
"I am lobbying hard on your behalf," Sally promised her. "Their cause…what they want…I mean, I wouldn't even be here without the blip. I would never have had the chance to move here and work as a lawyer. I'm behind them one-hundred per cent, and I know that your contacts…resources that you've built up while languishing in here...they will help them with their work."
"I know that I can trust you," Verity said to her.
"Always," Sally nodded firmly.
Verity smiled at her, knowing that this was her route to freedom. Business with Flag Smashers would give her that. And this time she wouldn't miss out on her chance at revenge.
….
Evelyn waited patiently, sitting on a bench somewhere and unable to move. She had her eyes open wide, but she was staring at nothing in particular. In her mind, she kept on seeing the same thing over and over again. She kept on seeing that bloodied shield that the wild look on John's face. Evelyn never imagined him capable of doing something like that. But it did only reaffirm what she had thought all along: John Walker was not Captain America.
It had been over an hour before she finally focused her gaze and saw him moving towards her. He had blood on his forehead, a bruise forming on his cheek and more blood just by his mouth. Evelyn instantly stood up at the sight of him, seeing the cut on his nose more clearly and the way he was gingerly walking.
"Oh my God, Bucky," she said and he watched her approach him, her eyes wide and full of worry. She stood in front of him, her hands going to his cheeks and holding onto them as she examined him, her gaze roaming over his features. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You're bleeding…and limping…" Evelyn responded. "You're not fine."
"Yes, I am," he promised her. "We got it back, Evie."
Evelyn gulped at hearing him, nodding her head. "Sam?" she could only ask one word.
"Has it and is back at the apartment cleaning up," Bucky said to her. "I said I'd meet him there."
"Walker?"
"Fine," was all Bucky said.
"So…what now?" Evelyn asked from him and he peered down to her, thinking about telling her what he had been thinking on the walk there. He took a moment before he gulped and he spoke, needing to be honest with her there and then about what he had been feeling.
"That shield…you know how much it means to me, Evie," Bucky said to her. "That shield was the closest thing I had to a family for a very long time…when it was in that museum it made me question everything…Sam…Steve…me…I carry around Steve's book because I knew that if it weren't for him then there would be no me," Bucky continued talking. "And that shield…I saw it as family…for such a long time, but then I realised that it's not my family, Evie. It means so much to me because of what it represents, but the fact is that my family…my future…is right here," he said, hands moving to hold onto her cheeks. "And now that the shield is away from Walker and with Sam, it's back where it belongs. It's back where Steve wanted it. But then on the walk to find you I began wondering where I belong and all I could think about was right here. I belong right here. I belong with you for as long as you'll want me."
He could see that he had made her cry. Her eyes were filling up with tears that she was struggling to hold back, letting them fall down her cheeks, Bucky catching them with his fingertips. Evelyn could only nod her head.
"Thank you," she said to him, her breath a small pant of warm air against his cheek.
"What for?" Bucky wondered.
"For not pushing me away…for telling me all of that," she whispered and Bucky could only nod.
"Well, you're still my girl, right?"
"Always," she promised him, leaning up to kiss him chastely, careful not to aggravate the cuts on his face as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly against him.
…
They had returned to Zemo's apartment and Evelyn had told Bucky to go and shower and change. He had gone into the apartment and found Sam already dressed in clean clothes, the shield resting against the coffee table across from him. Evelyn looked on at him, seeing that he was lost in thought, his mind going elsewhere. Evelyn cautiously walked over to him, realising that she hadn't really spoken to him properly since Waker had taken the shield. With Bucky in the shower, she took her time to strike.
"You okay?" she asked from him.
Sam managed to lift his gaze up and away from the shield, letting it shift over to Evelyn. "I will be," Sam said to her with a nod of his head. "I've still got a lot to figure out."
"I bet," Evelyn agreed, knowing that it was too soon to ask what he intended to do with the shield. She wasn't going to push him on anything. He would need time to adjust, but the shield was back where it belonged. "Sam, I wanted to say sorry," Evelyn said. "I know that you decided to put the shield in the museum and I helped you do that…and I was the one who was helping Walker…in a way, I wish that I had seen what had been going on."
Sam shook his head at her. He didn't want her blaming herself. That would do no good. "You didn't know, Evelyn."
"But it is so obvious looking back on it," she said, pulling Bucky's jacket tighter around her body and figuring that he wasn't the only one who could do with a shower. She felt hot and sweaty, her body physically and emotionally drained, as all of them were.
"That's hindsight, Evie," Sam said to her. "It's a wonderful thing."
"I guess," she agreed on that point.
"Just don't blame yourself," Sam said. "What has happened has happened. Now we need to think about what will happen."
"Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me," Sam said, reaching a hand out to her. She took hold of it, squeezing his fingers for a brief moment. She let go after a moment before the door to the bathroom opened and Bucky came out, changed into a grey top with his jeans. His hair was wet on top of his head, but he had towel dried it as best as he could. His dog tags hung against his top and he was heading over to the sofa.
"We have things that we need to figure out," Sam said. "This isn't over yet."
"I know," Bucky said with a nod of his head.
"There's Karli to consider. She's still out there…we don't know where she went," Sam said. "And then there's Zemo."
"I'll take care of Zemo," Bucky decided to say.
"You know where he'll be?"
"Yeah," Bucky nodded as Evelyn stood up and headed into the bathroom. Bucky wondered what she was doing as he heard her rummage around in cupboards before she came out with what looked like a tube.
"What are you doing?" Bucky wondered as she folded a leg underneath her body on the sofa, turning her upper body to face him.
"Antiseptic cream," she said. "Those cuts are pretty deep. Just sit still."
"Evie, I'm a super soldier, I'll be fine," he promised her.
"Humour me?" she encouraged him and he sighed but stayed in the seat as Sam continued talking.
"I should call Torres and put a plan into action to try and find Karli," Sam commented. "And you should go and find Zemo sooner rather than later."
"I will," Bucky said as Evelyn rubbed the cream into he cuts on his forehead and nose. Bucky let his gaze drop down to watch her as she remained intently staring at his face.
"I'll call Torres now," Sam said and moved to his feet, heading off further into the room to make his call as Evelyn finished with the cream, tossing it down onto the coffee table and then sitting back.
"It's amazing, he's been locked in a cell for ages, but this place is still fully stocked. Benefits of being rich, I guess."
"What did he tell you, Evie?" Bucky wondered from her, wanting to know what the two of them had talked about while they had been together. Evelyn shrugged her shoulders as Bucky moved a hand to her hair, his fingers brushing it behind her ear as she spoke to him.
"We debated more than anything. I just…I just wondered what went through his brain, really…if he felt regret for what he did…if it made him feel better. I don't know what I was expecting from him, but what I saw was a man who truly thought that revenge for his family would bring him peace. He claims it made him feel better, but I don't know if that was the truth."
"He didn't get inside your head, did he?" Bucky asked her. "He's good at doing that."
"No," Evelyn answered honestly. "I mean, he maybe tried, but I'm not really thinking about what he said."
Bucky merely grunted as Evelyn reached out, moving to brush her own hand along his cheek and through his hair as he continued talking.
"He said a lot about me before...made me question how you can be so confident in me?" Bucky wondered in a whisper.
"Because I love you," she said in a whisper, "and because I like to think that I know the man who I love. Don't let him inside your head."
Bucky didn't even know what to say. He was too emotionally drained to find words. And so instead he did the next best thing, bending down to kiss her and cradle her cheek carefully in his fingertips. Evelyn smiled into the kiss before pulling back after a moment, a hand moving to rest softly against his chest.
"Okay?" she checked with him.
Bucky nodded. "Will be," he promised her. As soon as all the loose ends were tied up then he would be because then he would be able to move on.
…..
A/N: Thanks so much to everyone reading - still a fair few chapters to go before the end, but do let me know what you think. I love reading all your comments/suggestions!