Christie had completely ridded memories of Bucky for the last few weeks, due to her focus being on Loki's funeral - so seeing his name again frightened her a little. It had been quite a few months since her Winter Soldier mission. "Wait, so this guy really did work for-"

"HYDRA, yup. No wonder he had access to the database and stuff, remember how many of them were wormed in with us? I didn't even know they got their hands back on Bucky again. I thought the guy's been off the grid since you finished the mission?" Natasha reminded Christie as she chewed the inside of her cheek. "And if that's the case-"

"That means they've got some new project going and they're gonna use Rogue's mutation as the damn catalyst," Christie rounded it up, chucking the papers back down onto the bed in exasperation. Of course, Ashley overheard this entire conversation via the phone line and skidded straight back into the living room to Steve, tugging at his sleeve to get his attention like a child would.

"Chris, I'm just gonna put Steve on the line for you - I feel like he needs to know what's going on if his friend is now involved," she quickly told her sister before passing the phone over to her boyfriend. Steve took it from her with a frown and stepped away from Tony to take the call.

"Christie? What's going on?"

"Steve, did you ever confirm Bucky's movements after you fought him in Washington? Or did S.H.I.E.L.D update you at any point? Like do we know where he is at all?" Christie blurted out in a panic, her heart rate racing faster and faster as the possibilities of where he was started to weigh heavy on her. She started to feel her concern for Bucky grow once again, and she didn't like that oddly familiar feeling of dread growing in the pits of her stomach.

"I'm…I'm pretty sure he got away, but I don't know for sure. We had no confirmation over it given that Pierce is dead, so I assume the Winter Soldier programme went bust once he did," Steve mumbled back with uncertainty. "Why? What've you found?"

"That HYDRA managed to extract Rogue's mutation and the dumbass doctor that fled the scene left his briefcase behind with all this coded stuff that Romanoff is decoding as we speak. But it's titled 'Project Alpha1' - does that sound familiar to you?"

"Wait, you think they're gonna try and inject this mutation stuff into Bucky?" Steve blinked. "How can you you be sure that they've even got him?"

"Well I'm not sure, and I think that's even worse. I think HYDRA are gonna try and make an army of Buckys, if they haven't already - and if they succeed, they'll be borderline unstoppable. Especially after injecting this mutation into the mix, it's serious stuff," Christie growled down the line as Natasha nodded in silent agreement, having thought the exact same thing. "We have to track that doctor down. If we don't, all hell could break loose and it'll be on our heads-"

"I agree. But where do we even begin?" Steve sighed as he leant up against the wall. "S.H.I.E.L.D's already been cut in half kinda drastically-"

"And the agents that are left behind are clearly borderline useless," Natasha added in with an irritated grumble, gathering the papers together and holding them close to her chest.

"Well they're gonna have to learn one day - and now's a better time than ever," Christie mused, standing up straight again.

Natasha smirked to herself, knowing exactly what was coming.

…

Both Natasha and Christie turned up into the hospital reception area again a few minutes later, Natasha still holding all the evidence and Christie zipping up her jacket, ready to go. Standing there was Coulson and his young team, with the Roefield workers still handcuffed and seated on the floor. Christie clapped her hands to get their attention as soon as she and Natasha were in sight, immediately halting their chatter. "Okay! Listen up little S.H.I.E.L.D-lings! This is important, so I need you to hear me well. The doctor that you lot didn't bother running a background check on happens to be from HYDRA. Please - hold the gasps. He's extracted an extremely dangerous mutation from the young girl he brought in…one of which if it gets into the wrong hands, which it has, could potentially be a disaster to our world. I don't know if any of you realise the importance of us catching him to get that stuff out of his hands again, but it's pretty eyes," she announced briskly, her stern eyes darting between each and every one of them like an angry parent. "You did an extremely careless thing but it's okay, you have time to get that sh*t back on track, got it? The recovery of this mess is all we're thinking of now." The agents and workers nodded simultaneously, which Christie didn't actually expect, but she masked her surprise and went on. "…Alright then! My coworker will take it from here," she hummed, taking a step back so that Natasha could take one forward.

"We're gonna need all eyes on cameras across the city expeditiously, dating from as soon as he left this building. Someone has to pick up on a damn numberplate or something, or another face in the car, there'll be evidence lying about somewhere-" As Natasha went on with her orders, Coulson took Christie to the side with amusement plastered all over his face.

"Oh god. Why are you looking so smug, Phil?" Christie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms with a sigh.

"No reason. I've just…never seen you take control like that before," Coulson raised an eyebrow as he leaned his head to the side in amazement.

"That's because I have a strong feeling that this mission is gonna turn into an assassination, which is my forte," Christie spelt it out as if it was obvious. "Particularly if I find out that they've gotten their hands on Bucky again. I didn't get to do anything to those doctors who tortured him last time, but I'm more than ready for them now." That's when Coulson properly understood.

"Ah, I see. So this is also a rescue mission in your mind," he nodded quietly, turning back to glance over at Natasha finishing up her orders.

"'In my mind'? Is that not what it is…in reality?" Christie blinked in genuine confusion. "Is that not what all our missions are?"

"That all depends on who the subject is, Christie," Coulson admitted back to her, without so much as turning his head. "It all depends. In terms of the Winter Soldier…technically, he means nothing to us and we still owe nothing to him. In fact, he's still somewhat of an enemy to S.H.I.E.L.D and…well, the world and every single government organisation within it."

"And Rogue?" Christie reminded him as her frown began to deepen.

"Again, technically not our problem," Coulson broke down the cold truth to her. "Particularly after the little stunt your father pulled. It's more complicated than it looks."

"God. When will you and Fury realise that this kind of dismissive attitude makes you just as much of an ass as my father is?" Christie grumbled irritably, finding it hard to stomach what he was saying. "If I end up leaving S.H.I.E.L.D in the next few years, you'll understand why. You're all just as bad as each other and I'm learning that more and more every day - it irritates the hell out of me."

"I get it, Christie, you're upset. Tell you what - we'll handle the 'potential threat' aspect of this one, and you can handle the 'saving slash assassination' part," Coulson grimaced before squeezing her shoulder and rejoining his S.H.I.E.L.D team. Christie watched him leave and clenched her jaw.

Clearly he didn't think she was being serious about her distaste for what S.H.I.E.L.D was turning into - but he'd get it one day.

…

Ashley woke up the next morning, with Steve beside her fast asleep. He slept so peacefully that it was such a joy to watch him - particularly as he didn't ever have to sleep for long, so it was actually rather rare to catch him mid-snooze. Ashley smiled down at him and lightly stroked his hair with her the backs of her fingers, which, of course, woke him up.

He cracked an eye open to see the glorious image of her goddess like features beaming down at him, and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The life he lived really wasn't half bad. "Isn't it still pretty early for you?" his husky voice spoke out.

"Yeah, but when I woke up I only just noticed how gorgeous you are and subsequently can't get back to sleep," Ashley smirked back. Steve raised an eyebrow and flipped onto his back to stare up at the ceiling, as Lady Bucky leapt onto the duvet and meowed her daily good mornings.

"You're one to talk about being gorgeous," Steve finally hummed back. "Hey, Lady Buck. I guess chewing on my finger means that you're hungry, huh?" Ashley let out a tired groan and swung her legs out of bed, picking Lady Bucky up with her and feeling her purr excitedly against her chest.

"I know sweetheart. I know you're just looking for your breakfast my pretty little spoilt baby," Ashley tutted, walking across the room and swinging open her door with one hand to take Lady Bucky into the kitchen.

But when she got there, she was incredibly surprised to find Rogue pottering about in there instead. She appeared to be serving up a delicious smelling breakfast, with a casual whistle emitting from her pouted lips.

Ashley froze in her movements, confused.

"Marie?" she blinked rapidly, causing Rogue's head to snap up. Her hair was piled up in a bun and she was still in pyjamas, but her cheeks were rosy. She looked…happy.

Or…flushed.

"Oh, morning sunshine!" she practically sang, the sparkle never leaving her eyes. "I made ya breakfast - do ya like pancakes? Cos last time I checked, you do! Even drenched em in syrup for ya and got maple butter and everything! Your friend Mr Stark has so much in his pantry, and I don't even know why." Ashley slowly stepped across to the where she stood, placing Lady Bucky on the floor so that she could eat before taking a brief look at the breakfast. The pancakes looked gorgeously fluffy, and Ashley knew it was only a matter of time before Tony arose from the smell and came down as well.

"I…I do like pancakes," Ashley blinked as she settled herself at the breakfast bar and rested her head on her hand. "Um…Marie, you don't have to do all of this you know. Like, as much as Tony will love you for it-"

"I have to say thank you to y'all somehow," Rogue beamed as if everything was absolutely fine. "Least I could do, right?"

"Marie, we're probably gonna have to send you back to the school at some point, you know that don't you?" Ashley reminded her awkwardly, lowering her gaze. Rogue said nothing and continued to slide the pancakes onto the plates. So Ashley tried again. "Marie, you heard Agent Hill-"

"Listen, Ashley, I get it. I can't live the life you do, I know. Just give me a few days to get back on my feet and I'll be out of your damn hair, alright? But I don't know if you've noticed - you literally can't send me back to a school for mutants if I'm not a damn mutant anymore!" Rogue suddenly snapped, making Ashley recoil backwards in shock.

"Woah Marie, that's not what I-" But she stopped talking, staring at Rogue's face in horror instead. All of a sudden her nose had started bleeding, and profusely at that. Her face was immediately drawn of all colour and faded into a ghostly white, so Ashley leapt into action, grabbing the closest kitchen towel and holding it to her friend's nose in a panic. "What the hell - where did that come from?!" she frowned as she applied pressure the best she could. "Are you okay? Oh god-"

"I f-f-feel a little weak but…I'm fine," Rogue assured her, holding the towel to her own nose instead. But Ashley could see it in her eyes - that same glimmer of weakness that she had in her from when they'd first met in the interrogation room. It was only getting worse.

"Go and sit down, Marie. Now," Ashley ordered her sharply, taking her shoulders and steering her towards the sofas. "Ignore the breakfast, you look awful and the bleeding isn't stopping by itself anytime soon." Rogue seemed reluctant to be pushed towards the sofas, but knew that she hadn't been feeling herself. Once Ashley sat her down and they'd stopped the bleeding, she turned on her heel and practically flew back into her bedroom, slamming herself down on the chair opposite her mirror and conjuring up the holographic database. As she scrolled through the names with shaky hands, she heard the ensuite bathroom door click open and out walked Steve with an abundance of steam surrounding him, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, still dripping in water. "Wow," Ashley raised a cheeky brow as he walked over to the wardrobe that held most of his clothes. "Don't you look magical?"

"Ash, are you calling someone?" Steve smirked back whilst shoving on a fresh pair of underpants.

"Yeah - my father," Ashley hummed as she turned back to find her father's contact details. Steve's smile dropped instantly and he suddenly rushed to shove on his jogging bottoms and a top.

"Woah! Could you maybe…wait…until I'm dressed?" he spluttered in a panic. Ashley giggled and did as she was told.

"You're so respectful," she tutted to herself. "No wonder my dad took to you so quickly. He would've killed to have someone like you around me whilst I was in that school." Steve chuckled to himself and briefly checked his reflection in the mirror behind Ashley. "Are you going out?" she frowned.

"Yeah, gotta go and get another mission report and then I've got this hand shaking thing with the president of…somewhere or another," Steve mused, placing his hands on Ashley's shoulders and looking down at her apologetically. "Obviously I'd take you along, but it looks like you've got your hands full down here…what, with sudden bleeding noses and all." Ashley scoffed as she peered back up at him with a frown.

"How did you…"

"Super soldier means super hearing, Ash," Steve chuckled back, before bending over to press a soft upside down kiss onto her lips. "I'll see you in a few days, alright?"

"Okay. Be safe, Cap," Ashley smiled against his lips. Steve kissed her again and then gathered his belongings to go, leaving Ashley sat there, missing him already - even though the door had only just closed.

She took a few moments to gather herself together again before finally scrolling to her father's number and dialling it, praying for a speedy response.

Much to her relief, his friendly face popped up on the screen with a tired smile.

"Ashley! Good morning," he greeted her.

"Hey Dad," Ashley began a little awkwardly. "I'd love for this to be a pleasant little catch up situation but it's not gonna be. I've noticed a change in Marie's behaviour and I'm a bit concerned about it so…I think you should know about it too." Charles blinked rapidly but nodded, awaiting further information. "She had a pretty heavy nosebleed today. Her eyes look really weary and she suddenly seems really weak…out of nowhere."

Charles' shoulders drooped immediately, knowing exactly what that meant.

"Ashley, this isn't good. It means body is rejecting the lack of mutation- but wait, I thought she took the serum that dulled her mutation? She shouldn't have these kinds of problems, and it certainly shouldn't be this severe," he frowned to himself, pressing his fingers together and resting his chin on top of them in thought.

"Yeah, that's the other thing. We found some the CCTV footage of the hospital she ended up in and…her mutation got removed, Dad. I mean like, there was some doctor from the people that tried to take me away, and he literally extracted the mutation in its liquid form and he's got it in a damn syringe somewhere - it's a long story and we still don't know all the bits and pieces," Ashley broke the news with an awkward wince.

She could only watch as her father's face grew from thoughtful into a stormy thunder.

"What?! Ashley! This-"

"Isn't good, Dad, I know," Ashley insisted calmly, pushing her hair out of her eyes to keep calm. "But the group has it under control, we'll find him, okay? I just want to know what this means for Marie. Is she…is she gonna be okay?" Charles shook his head and let out a drawn out sigh.

"No. She's going to get worse. You'll have to find her mutation and inject it back into her so that it circulates around her body in time to save her again," he told her with a stern look in his eyes. "Clearly her body was dependant on it as an energy source. I'm not surprised, it is energy based after all. This wouldn't happen to someone like Nightcrawler for example, because his mutation is not."

"So we need to inject it back to save her? And if we don't…?" Ashley trailed off uncomfortably as the knot in her stomach just continued to tighten.

"Her body will give up on itself. She'll die," Charles put it simply. "You must find the man that has her mutation, and fast. I don't know how long you have left without it - I'd say a day or two, if that. From the speed that she suddenly began to deteriorate, that might just be optimistic in itself." Ashley chewed the inside of her cheek before nodding and standing up, scraping her chair back.

"Cheers, Dad. We'll keep you informed," she muttered before hanging up and running straight into her bathroom to get ready.