Helmut was hardly going to pretend that he wasn't anxious. He knew that a lot was riding on him being able to get into the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre as Doctor Broussard. He had done well to track him down to the train station, pretending that he was his driver and meeting him there. He had taken his clothes and changed into them, looking at his reflection in the mirror and trying not to feel too uncomfortable. Placing the glasses onto his eyes, he wondered if he even looked like himself. He tugged at the fleece underneath the suit jacket and glanced into the bathroom, acutely aware that the doctor was in the bathtub.

Bowing his head, Helmut had to confess that he felt guilty over what he had done. He didn't want it to come to any of this. He had never wanted to do anything except for destroy the Avengers for what they had done to his family. He wanted them to crumble and he would use any means to achieve that, even if it meant people being hurt.

He picked up his phone and left the hotel suite, ensuring that the key card was in his pocket and that the 'do not disturb' sign was on the door too. Moving to the elevator, he tried to keep his breathing steady and left the hotel for his car. Unlocking it, he ensured his bag was in the trunk considering he had no intention of returning to the hotel.

Climbing into the driver's side, he took a deep breath before he heard his phone begin to ring in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw that it was Oeznik trying to reach him, not Amelia.

"Oeznik," he answered after the fourth ring.

"Sir, I believe you may have an issue…it's Ms Baker."

"What about her?" Helmut questioned. "Is she alright?"

"She's safe, sir. I picked her up from Ohio, but she believes you are in trouble and I believe she might have a point. You were not yourself on the journey to Vienna and I do not want to see you hurt."

Helmut groaned, his free hand going to grab hold of the steering wheel and hold it tightly. His knuckles turned white as he bowed his head and his eyes squeezed shut. He knew full well what was about to happen, but he needed Oeznik to tell him.

"Where is she?" Helmut demanded.

"We've landed just outside of Berlin," Oeznik said and Helmut cursed under his breath. "She was convinced that you would be there because that is where they are bringing the Winter Soldier."

"And you let her go?" Helmut questioned.

"I had no choice," Oeznik retorted. "She is worried about you, sir, and you are my friend. I want you to be safe and she-"

"-You should have taken her back to England like I had asked you to do," Helmut snapped, voice angry and eyes opening wide and glaring straight ahead and onto the road in front of him beyond the car park. "She shouldn't be here, Oeznik. The reason why I asked you to take her back was because she needs to be away from me. She needs to be safe."

"And you?"

"I can handle myself, Oeznik," Helmut snapped. "Can you go and get her? Drag her back to the jet if you have to and take her home."

"She has gone, sir," Oeznik responded. "But I just wanted you to know."

Helmut slammed his hand against the wheel and shook his head back and forth. He tried to calm his breathing, knowing that he had a job that needed to be done. The issue that he was faced with was that the job was going to get much harder now that Amelia Baker was coming after him. He had taught her everything he knew. He had no doubt that she would be able to find him, but he just had to be quicker than her. He had to be smarter just until he escaped Berlin.

…

Amelia had left Oeznik at the airbase. He had been torn up over what to do, but she had tried to persuade him that he was doing the right thing by letting her go after Helmut. She had sped through the streets of Berlin after taking the car that had been waiting at the airbase courtesy of Oeznik's planning. Amelia had tapped in the address for the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre and had done her best not to let worry get the better of her.

She had seen Oeznik on his phone in the rear-view mirror and she knew full well that he would be calling Helmut to tell him that she was coming for him. He might have brought her to Berlin, but his loyalty still lied with his friend.

Amelia tapped on the accelerator anxiously, inching forwards slowly in the traffic. She drummed her fingers against the wheel and wondered if it would be for the best if she just abandoned the car and ran the remainder of the way. She was only a mile out. She could do that in just about seven minutes. Would it be quicker than staying there?

Her answer was soon made for her when she began moving again, the traffic seeming to ease up. She pressed her foot down on the accelerator and moved into the second lane, overtaking the cars in front. She was just about to go through a green light when the traffic light suddenly went dead. She slammed her foot onto the brake out of reflex as the car behind her did the same, nudging her own vehicle forwards slightly. Horns began blaring as Amelia looked up and saw that all of the traffic lights had gone out. The power was down. She frowned and shook her head, looking at the light and almost expecting it to come on again.

"What the hell?" she whispered, looking up and down the crossroads.

There were cars stood still, some having being rammed into because of the sudden outage. Amelia could hear the car's horn behind her, but she ignored the man sat there. Instead, she tried to push down the feeling that something wasn't right as she moved once more, weaving through the traffic in front of her and getting closer to the building. She pulled up outside and curbed the sleek, black car, not caring about the fact it wasn't parked and was simply abandoned.

Grabbing her satchel from the passenger seat, she shrugged it over her shoulders and climbed out, locking the car behind her and running across the road. She managed to avoid being hit by the passing cars as she rolled up the sleeves to her grey sweatshirt and looked up to the building in front of her.

There were people stood outside of it, questioning what had happened as the power seemed to have gone out everywhere, not just the traffic lights. Amelia's brows knitted together as she advanced closer to the building and kept her head down, coming into the lobby of it as people behind reception frantically tried to get their phones working, other people yelling about needing to evacuate because there could be a security breach.

"He's on the Third Floor…I don't know…but if the power's down then he won't be restrained," someone spoke into a cell phone as they passed by Amelia and she tried to blend in, looking around confusedly. "We need the Winter Soldier restrained, immediately!"

Third floor. Amelia looked to the elevators, but there was no chance they would be working. Instead, she took off for the staircase, seeing a sign on the other side of the room. Grabbing hold of the door, she pushed it open, grateful that the security system was down. She moved up the steps, counting the floors and looking to the signs as she went. She could hear people screaming from behind her and she wondered just what had happened. Coming to the third floor, it was considerably darker than the lobby, but she guessed that was because of the lack of windows.

She let her eyes adjust as she finally stood still on the concrete staircase and looked at the door to the side. Pushing it open, she was quiet as she heard nothing there. The entire building must have started to evacuate. She was cautious with her movements, walking with bated breath down the corridor. There were red lights flashing on the ceiling, no doubt indicating an emergency that was ongoing.

Amelia turned the corner and almost shrieked in horror at what she saw. There was a man flung across the corridor, hitting the steel elevator doors. Amelia moved her hand over her mouth to stop her from making a noise as she then saw another man move forwards, stalking like a predator towards the elevator doors. There were bodies on the floor, people groaning lowly and some clearly unconscious. Amelia tried not to focus on them as the two men continued fighting until the elevator doors were crunched open, the blond-haired man falling into the elevator shaft.

Hiding behind the corner, Amelia recognised the one peering down after him. He was wearing a long-red top and jeans, his hair hung in his face and looked unkempt. But then she saw the metal arm and she knew it was him. It was the Winter Soldier. She remained hidden as his footsteps grew louder and she hoped that he couldn't see her.

He didn't seem to notice her, too focused with walking to the door and moving down the steps instead. Amelia left her hiding place and looked back down the corridor in time to see him stood by the elevator. She wondered who had been punched down the shaft as she stumbled forwards and closer to it. The man stood looking into it turned his head to the side and his gaze found Amelia. Looking to her, his eyes widened and he shook his head.

"You shouldn't be here," he hissed at her.

"What the hell has happened?" Amelia demanded from him. "What have you done?"

"Now isn't the time," Helmut retorted.

"Hey!"

A voice called out. Helmut and Amelia turned to look down the corridor and spotted a man on the floor trying to sit up, clearly in pain. Amelia's brows furrowed as she swore she recognised him. He looked exactly like the Falcon. She suspected he maybe was, but didn't have time to ask as Helmut had grabbed her by the arm. Dragging her towards the stairwell, he pushed her forwards, knowing that he was being rough with her.

She ran in front of him, not even bothering to question what was going on. Helmut ensured that he kept hold of her, his fingers not once relenting their grip on her. He froze for a moment as he heard the door open from above. Looking up through the gap in the stairwell, he could see Sam Wilson there, clearly chasing after him. He began running down the stairs again, his hand slipping down Amelia's arm and to her hand. Grabbing hold of it, his fingers engulfed hers and he pulled her out through the fire escape.

There were people running all around, clearly in panic over what was going on in the building. Shrugging out of his suit jacket, Helmut dropped it to the ground and ran down the street. They blended into the crowd nicely considering that everyone else was in a frenzy.

Finding the car park where he had left the rental vehicle, he picked out the key from his pocket and unlocked it. He pulled open the passenger side door and forced Amelia into the car, slamming the door closed. She shrugged her bag from her shoulders and tossed it down to the floor in front of her while Helmut climbed into the driver's side and started the car.

"Seatbelt," he snapped at Amelia and she tugged on the strap, pulling it over her chest.

He took off, pulling his own seatbelt on as he drove through the streets. He tried not to speed or drive recklessly, knowing that he shouldn't be attracting attention to them. He had to be calm and collected, but inside he was seething. Amelia was silent next to him, staring out of the window. Turning his gaze over to her, he drank in the back of her head. She had tied her hair into a ponytail and her curls were unruly in the way they fell down her back. She still wore the grey sweatshirt she wore whenever she travelled and her sneakers were scuffed from running up the stairs.

He was silent too, knowing that they would have to talk eventually. But he didn't want to say anything just yet. He had intended on catching a flight out of Berlin and to Moscow later that evening. Making his way to the airport, he knew that he could put Amelia on the first flight back to England. He could get rid of her.

The atmosphere between the two of them was tense. Amelia was grinding her teeth as Helmut simply focused on the road ahead. He pulled up towards the airport, finding a quiet road that ran around the back of the airport and the runway. Pulling off down a dirt track, he stopped the car and climbed out. Amelia did the same, slamming the door shut behind her.

He made his way around the front of the car, hands clenched into fists down his side. "Amelia, what the hell-"

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Before he knew it, Amelia had launched herself at him. She pulled her fist back and punched him square in the nose. His hands flew to his face and he grabbed hold of his nose as he stumbled back slightly. Amelia moved to hold onto her fist, feeling it stinging and she kept her glare focused on him in front of her.

"You asshole!" Amelia seethed.

Helmut tugged his hands from his nose and he tried to ignore the smarting pain. Looking at his palms, he was grateful, at least, to see no blood had stained his fingers. Amelia launched herself at him again, but he was prepared for her this time. Before she could push at him, he had her wrist in his grip and had twisted her arm behind her back, bringing her flush against his front.

"What have you done?" Amelia snarled at him, trying to buck him off of her, pushing him with her hips. "What the hell have you done, Helmut?"

"I did what was necessary," he hissed into her ear. "And I did it to protect you."

"Protect me?" Amelia snapped, but she wasn't getting him off of her as he finally managed to get her to stop fighting him. Pressing her front against a tree, he managed to keep her pinned in between it and his body. Her free hand reached around her body and she tried to prod at him.

He was quick again, grabbing her wrist and holding it above her head against the tree. His weight went slack, adrenaline finally starting to leave his body and exhaustion taking hold. He didn't want to fight with her. He didn't want to argue with her. He could feel her inhale sharp and heavy breaths as his head dropped forwards, cheek pressing by the back of her head.

"I was trying to protect you from me," he said, his whisper hot in her ear as she finally gave up trying to fight him.

The breeze was soft in the air, making her shudder even more than she was doing. The dirt track was lined with large trees, their leaves rustling and the only other distinct noise was that from the planes overhead that were taking off and coming in to land.

"Why did you do it?" Amelia asked from him, her face focused straight ahead. Her eyes remained fixed on the trunk in front of her. "Why do you do any of this?"

"Because it was the only way," Helmut informed her. "It was the only way to get to them once Karpov didn't give us the information…and it's worked, Amelia. I have what I need."

"But at what cost?" Amelia questioned, turning her head over her shoulder and looking back at him. He could see that her eyes were wide and wet. She searched his gaze, but he seemed almost impassive. He continued to stare at her as she longed to see something there. She wanted him to deny it. She wanted him to tell her that it was all wrong; that she had the wrong end of the stick and he was innocent. But, deep down, she knew he wasn't going to say any of that.

"At any cost," he replied in a whisper. "I told you, Amelia, I would do anything to ruin them."

"But this?" Amelia asked, finally turning around and he removed his hands from her to let her. He didn't step back, however. He stayed where he was, his front now brushing against hers. "Innocent people have died, Helmut…and we…we agreed not to let that happen."

"No, you told me that you didn't want that to happen. I never agreed to it," he told her.

"And you think that makes what you've done okay?" Amelia demanded from him. "You think that makes any of this okay, Helmut?"

"No, it doesn't," he told her. "But what happened in Sokovia wasn't okay either, Amelia. None of this is okay, but it is what needs to be done to stop them…to stop them from ruining more lives."

"And that makes it okay for you to ruin other people's lives? People who were just trying to go about their business…people like Lukas…my parents…Heike and Carl?"

"This is for them," Helmut snapped.

"Really?" Amelia retorted. "And you think that Heike would be proud of what you've done? You think that she would want to see her husband become this man?"

Helmut felt anger coarse through him at hearing her bring up his wife. How dare she try and use Heike against him? How dare she even mention his wife's name? He shook his head and moved his hand to grip her chin, holding it tightly in his fingers and knowing that he was letting emotion get the best of him.

"I am doing this because they took everything from me," Helmut snapped, voice low and dangerous as Amelia did her best not to back down from him. He wasn't going to scare her off. "Heike is gone. She is dead. She was taken from me and I doubt she would be proud of me for this…I doubt she would want to see me doing this…but then again, I doubt she would have wanted to see me sharing the bed of someone she considered to be her good friend."

Amelia pushed at him then, grabbing hold of his wrist and tugging it from her skin. She pushed at his chest and he moved back a step as she shook her head. "This isn't about us," she snapped at him.

"Isn't it?" Helmut questioned. "Because I've listened to your voicemails. I've heard them-"

"-No!" Amelia interrupted him, yelling loudly as she continued to push him in the chest. "This is about you, Helmut. This is about what you have done!"

"And you're so innocent?" Helmut retorted, once again grabbing her wrist and stopping her from hitting at him continuously. "I've seen you kill people without thinking about it, Amelia…do you remember Madripoor? London? Or even Edgington? You're not so pure."

Amelia felt a fresh surge of anger boil up inside of her then and Helmut knew that he had said the wrong thing. She managed to free her wrist from his grip and she pushed his shoulder. "Edgington was going to…you know what he was going to do to me," Amelia snarled at him and he let her push him this time, knowing that he deserved the torrent of abuse. He lowered his head as she shook hers. "You knew what he was going to do…what those men in Madripoor would have done…"

"I know," Helmut told her, his gaze meeting hers and he saw her hold her hand in mid-air, ready to push him again. But she froze and her gaze met his. "I'm sorry."

And she knew he was being sincere with her. She could see that much. Pursing her lips, she folded her arms over her chest and Helmut lowered his to his hips.

"I never claimed to be innocent, Helmut," she retorted. "I never claimed to be perfect because I know that I've done bad things…things that I'd go to jail for if people knew…but bombing the UN? Activating the Winter Soldier? That's a whole other level."

He lowered his gaze to the ground and shrugged his shoulders. "So what now?" he asked from her, pacing on the dirt, seeing the footprints in the dried mud as he moved up and down. "What do you do now, Amelia? Because I suspect you came to Berlin for a reason."

"I came because you ran from me," Amelia said, watching him as he paced and she saw him chuckle to himself. A brow rose on her forehead. "What is so funny?" she demanded to know.

"I ran from you and yet you still come chasing after me," Helmut said, stopping his movement and looking at her with an intense stare that she did not back down from. "What does that tell you?"

"That I'm an idiot?" she suggested.

"No," Helmut offered her, but that was all he said. It didn't make her an idiot. In fact, it made her something Helmut was even more concerned about. It made her naïve. She clearly came because she thought she could stop him. Why would she think that? Because she had feelings for him? But he said none of that, choosing to keep it to himself.

"I came because I knew that you'd get yourself into deeper trouble," Amelia said to him. "And I knew that if the Avengers came after you for bombing the UN…if they worked out it wasn't the Winter Soldier…then you'd be in trouble."

"And you thought that you'd be able to come and fight them off?" he asked her sarcastically and she ground her teeth together again as she flapped her arms by her side.

"I came because of you," Amelia snapped. "I came because you…you're infuriating…stubborn…and what you've done I will never forgive you for, but I came because I have spent the past year and a half by your side and we vowed to do this together. We vowed to work together and you ran off."

"You know why I went."

"Yeah, because I would never let you go through with this stupid plan," Amelia scoffed. "And you're not going to get away with it either. They'll catch you eventually, Helmut. You don't blow up the UN and get away with it."

Helmut shrugged, seemingly not concerned. "It will be too late by then," was all he said to her.

She frowned in confusion. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I will be gone by the time the news is out and the Avengers will be destroyed," Helmut simply told her, not giving her anymore details. "I have the Mission Report and I knew where it is located. It's in Siberia and I am heading there this evening to get it."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am," Amelia retorted. "Or I'll call the police and tell them everything."

Helmut's brows arched on his forehead and his nose wrinkled, lips pursed. "Everything?" he asked, knowing that she was bluffing. "Because if you tell them everything then you know that I'm going to jail, Amelia…and we'll never get that Mission Report. Besides, I think you wouldn't dare."

"Don't test me," Amelia demanded from him and he stalked slowly towards her, eyeing her with suspicion and questioning. She knew that look. It took her a moment to gather herself, trying to make it look as though she wasn't bluffing. But he could see straight through her.

"I'm not," Helmut said. "I just don't think that you could do it to me."

"Why?" Amelia asked from him, looking him in the eye and refusing to back down. If he was going to push her then she was going to push him back. "Because I love you?"

The three words took him off guard and she could see that from the way his eyes darted down to her mouth and avoided her own eyes. His mouth gaped slightly and Amelia wasn't going to let him use her feelings against her.

"I might love you, Helmut, but not enough to forgive you for what you've done," she said to him. "So go on, try and exploit the fact that I care for you to manipulate me. Is that what you've been doing all this time? Just manipulating me?"

"You're strong enough not to be manipulated by anyone," Helmut assured her on that point and she didn't disagree with him either.

"Damn right," she hissed. "So I'm coming with you to Siberia. I'm coming with you and then I'll decide what the hell to do, but we need to finish what we started and I need to make sure no one else gets hurt."

Amelia turned on her heel back towards the car, but Helmut grabbed hold of her wrist, stopping her from going anywhere. He turned her back around as his other hand went to her cheek, holding it gently in his palm as he watched her, noting the way her breath hitched at the contact.

"I told you what this was," Helmut whispered to her. "I told you that I couldn't give you more."

"And I told you to let me walk out that door, but you didn't," Amelia said and he knew she had a point there. He had stopped her from going. Watching him, he once again didn't have the nerve to look her in the eye. But she was grateful for that. She took his hand from her cheek and lowered it back down by his side. "You didn't let me go so you either used me for one final night because you're just that selfish…or you really do feel something for me too, but either way, it doesn't matter now. None of it matters so I don't want to talk about it."

She wormed his hand from her wrist and he watched her head back to the car, climbing into it and shutting the door once more. Helmut remained where he was, knowing that he had to go. He just wondered if what she said had been true. Did it not matter anymore? More importantly than that, he wondered just why he did want it to matter more than anything.

...

A/N: Thanks so much to anyone reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's going to get a lot more rocky coming up. Please do let me know what you think in the meantime!