Sorry it's taking me so long! I know I started out fast, but I sort of wrote myself into some corners that I'm having a time correcting. I revamped the chapter before this one, so if you're interested I'd go back and reread Chapter 27. It's just a little more focused than before. Thanks for following along!

"Max," she whispered.

"Delilah," he said smirking. "Nice legs."

Bucky clenched his fists and took a step toward him. Max pressed the knife closer to Steve and the super soldier froze.

This still wasn't computing in her brain. Two seconds ago, she was the happiest she'd ever been, and now she was in a room with the greatest super hero in the world, the love of her life, a psychopath, and she was in her underwear and a super soldier's tee shirt. She glanced at Bucky. He was a steel fortress.

"What are you doing?" she asked Max. She couldn't think of anything else.

"You didn't answer my phone call," said Max. She felt Bucky's energy next to her change. Max smiled and Jenny's blood ran cold. "You didn't know she was working for me did you?" asked Max. "This is awesome, I have to say," he chuckled, suddenly jovial like they were all old friends. "It worked out better than I'd planned."

Steve looked back and forth between them, and up at Max, pain in his eyes.

Not like this, thought Jenny. Steve didn't deserve to go out like this. Her mind looked for any escape route, but it was coming up short.

"What the fuck does that mean?" asked Bucky, his body coiled to spring any moment.

"At first I just wanted you both to kill each other. It seemed like everything was going in my favor until you fell for one another. How was I supposed to know that would happen, hm? You should hate each other, but you went straight to fucking. You two are sick."

"Max…" said Jenny, her heart racing. She wasn't grasping any of this.

"What do you think any of this will accomplish you sick bastard?" asked Bucky, his voice more dangerous than she'd ever heard. "He's already as good as dead." Jenny could tell Bucky was lying through his teeth. Protecting Steve in whatever way he could.

Max put his finger on Steve's IV.

"No!" shouted Bucky.

Max smiled.

"What do you want?" asked Jenny. "Estonia? The GRC?"

Max threw his head back. "My goals aren't as lofty as my great grandfather's." He narrowed his eyes at Bucky. "The man you murdered in cold blood when Hydra was done with him." The Super Soldier didn't flinch. "And then my grandfather. You destroyed my family piece by piece. And then there's you," he said turning his attention to Jenny. "Your grandfather ordered the hit on my father. My mother. My sister." His voice began to shake with rage. "Alexander Pierce destroyed my life. I went into hiding because of your family. Someone deserves to pay."

Jenny sucked in a breath at the mention of her grandfather. "I have nothing to do with him," she said.

"You have everything to do with him!" he shouted, the knife pressing closer. "I've done everything I could to destroy you. I used my grandfather's methods to recruit Leviathan dupes, waiting for you to turn on each other. I wanted to watch the blood bath. You came so close. But I found a better way to destroy you."

"Max, you're insane," said Jenny.

Max turned to Bucky and addressed him directly. "I'm going to use Pierce's greatest asset to kill the person you love most," said Max.

"Those codes are gone," said Bucky. "You're wasting your time."

Max chuckled. "I wasn't talking about you."

Bucky's eyes filled with the horror of understanding. "No…" He put his hand on Jenny's shoulder moving her behind him. "Max…" he said.

Max smiled. "FOUND," he said in Russian. Jenny knew it was Russian, but she didn't know how she knew Russian.

A sharp pain pulsed in Jenny's brain and she winced.

"NEW," he said.

Her body was suddenly hot, her head splitting.

"TWILIGHT," he said.

She felt so sleepy. She could just slip back, it would be so easy.

"No, no, no!" yelled Bucky. He turned around, took her shoulders in her hands. "Jenny, wake up. Don't give in. Don't slip away."

"KILN, SEVENTEEN, ACTIVATE." Max kept going.

"I'll kill you!" shouted Bucky to Max. He was shaking her. Why was he shaking her? His face, so twisted in agony.

Oh god.

For a brief moment it all became clear. Everything her grandfather wanted her to be culminating in that night when he'd placed the machine against her head. Locking away the codes. Her codes. It was never Bucky locked in her head. It was her.

"DEPARTURE."

Why she never got sick. Why Bucky could hold her so tight and not crush her. Why her ear and her whole body always healed so fast. They were the same. She looked at him one more time. She tried to impart her love for him. Make him feel it one last time.

"ENGINE."

Then her mind slipped away behind her body. Behind her eyes. Her hands completely off the steering wheel. She watched behind the veil of her body as Bucky's eyes filled with tears. She couldn't get to him. She couldn't get to herself. Her body wasn't hers any longer.

…

"Oh Jennifer!" said Max in a sing song voice.

"I'm ready to comply," she said.

"Kill Steve Rogers."

Jenny's arm raised and pushed Bucky out of the way. He grabbed her wrist.

"Don't do this," he begged. "Please don't do this."

She twisted his arm back and kicked the back of his knee. She made for Steve. She had to kill him. All the while Max smiling at her. Smiling and smiling.

Bucky grabbed her around the waist, but she twisted, and pushed him back. She raised her arm to punch him in the jaw but he caught her hand.

"I won't let you," he said. "Please!"

She grimaced and spun down under his arm and pinned it behind him. Using her leverage, she flipped him over onto his back.

"Don't!" he cried from the floor. He grabbed her ankle and she knocked to the ground with a thud. "Jenny, stop."

She looked back at him and scowled. She kicked him, freeing her foot. She stood and went for Steve. Bucky was in front of her. Her arms were everywhere. Striking as he blocked her every movement. He grabbed her shoulders and ran her backward against the wall.

"Jenny," he whispered roughly in her ear. "Come back. Come back, you can fight this!"

She shrugged out of his grasp and rotated her arms up and around, grabbing his shoulders. She pushed them down. Kicking away, she locked his neck in her elbow.

He reached around behind her knee and pulled. She landed flat on her back. He straddled her hips with his thighs. Bucky put her face in his hands. She thrashed under him. "Jenny, remember this morning. Remember what we said. I love you, you love me. But I could never forgive you if…" He closed his eyes, as excruciating pain filled the lines of his face.

She flipped him over and pinned his shoulders to the floor. Then she punched him in the face, knocking his head against the ground. And again, and again, until Bucky's face was swollen and blood oozed out his cheek and lip.

Jenny stood and cracked her neck. She turned back to Steve. Max smiled at her and held up the knife he'd had at Steve's throat. He flicked the blade at her and she caught it by the hilt in her hand. She made for her target. She moved to strike.

Jenny's arm bared down.

Bucky flung himself between Jenny and Steve. The blade sank into Bucky's chest. He stumbled backward. Without words he grunted, then sank to the floor.

Jenny blinked.

…

Behind her eyes, Jenny screamed. She swam and swam toward the light, fighting for air. "Bucky, Bucky…" Finally she broke the surface.