"What's your favorite song from your era?" asked Jenny, smiling as she ran her nail over the plates of vibranium with little clinks. He'd draped his arm over her hip spooning her from behind, caressing her stomach with his metal fingers. He dropped featherlight kisses on the nape of her neck sending shivers through her.

"Hm…" he murmured against her skin. "It's stupid."

"You're turning shy after everything we just did?" she asked.

She felt his smirk on the back of her head. "'Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree'. You know, 'With anyone else but me. 'Till I come Marching home.' Know it?"

She snuggled into his chest pulling his arm tighter around her. "Mhm." She hummed the tune. "'Watch the girls on the foreign shores, you'll have to report to me. When you come marching home.'"

"Yep," he said. "You?" he asked, taking a deep breath with his nose in her hair.

"Stardust," she said. "'Sometimes I wonder how I spend the lonely night, dreaming of a song. The melody haunts my reverie, and I'm once again with you, when our love was new.'"

He rolled her over toward him and put his forehead against hers. "That's a sad one."

"But so beautiful," she whispered.

He traced along the length of her body with his metal finger and back up. She sighed at the warmth of it. "Is it strange not to feel anything in that arm?" she asked.

"Who said I couldn't?" His smile was peaceful. Lazy. His hair rumpled from her stroking through his locks for hours.

"How?" she asked.

"Princess Shuri in Wakanda linked the mechanisms inside with my neural pathways. I feel everything."

She put her palm over his bicep. "So you can feel this?"

He nodded.

"This?" Moving slowly downward over the peaks and valleys of his synthetic muscles, she reached his hand and gave it a squeeze. He pursed his lips and nodded again. "And this?" She raised his hand and kissed the tip of each finger.

His breath turned shallow and he closed his eyes. "Yes," he said softly.

"And this?" She put his hand on her breast and held it. He moved his fingers over her, cupping it, caressing it.

"Mmm," he murmured. Sliding his arms around her, he pulled her close and gave her an all-encompassing kiss, one she felt down to her toes. He pulled away and stroked her cheek, licking his lips. A hesitancy lit in his eyes, and he kissed her hand. "I need to tell you something." he said.

She closed her eyes, her throat suddenly thick. "I- I do too," she said. She had been feeling that she should tell him about Max sending her to spy on him. She was sure he'd be angry, and she couldn't blame him.

"Let me go first," he said. "It's something that I've been keeping from you." Bucky held her hips firmly in his hands like he knew she would roll away and disappear and her nerves bundled. "Jennifer Pierce…"

Jenny recoiled on instinct shrinking away, pulling at his metal hand to release her. He held on though, and drew her closer, tucking her head under his chin. "Wait, wait," he said calmly, soothing her like a wild animal. "I've known since the moment I saw you in Stuart's office."

She stopped her thrashing, though she couldn't get her body to relax. Suddenly she was too vulnerable. Naked, and exposed literally and figuratively. All she wanted was to sink into the mattress and disappear.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have told you this way."

"How?" she asked, almost inaudible.

"Jenny," he said, brushing the hair off her forehead. "You really think I wouldn't know my captor's granddaughter? You have his eyes."

She pushed her face into the pillow. Humiliation washed over her and fear gripped her heart. "You must hate me."

He pressed his warm lips to her temple and tilted her head up with his finger. "No, I don't. When did you break from your family?"

Jenny's eyes welled with tears. How did he always lay her bare? Her mind wandered back to the day Natasha Romanoff had released all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets along with Hydra. That day she saw. And her sisters told her she was crazy. That their grandfather couldn't have. But she'd known without a doubt about project insight.

"I loved him," she sobbed. "How do I reconcile that? How do I live with what he did to you? With what he did to me and still love him?"

Bucky held her close for several beats before speaking. "What did he do to you?"

She wiped her eyes and buried her face in Bucky's shoulder so he wouldn't see. "I was Grandad's favorite. It's not fair, but I knew it, my sisters knew it. He wanted me to go to the best schools, he wanted me to be strong. I went to Krav Maga, and Ju Jitsu while my sisters went to Volley Ball and Summer camp. I knew he was training me for something. Something big. But we drifted away after college. He wanted me to intern with him. Show me the ropes of Political Science. But I was so tired of the politics and the ass kissing. So I got my teaching license. He told me it was a waste of time, and then he stopped calling me. I didn't see him for three years, even though I called him every day. Then he was killed. Hydra's secrets were leaked. Project Insight. And I…" her voice wavered. She swallowed hard, trying to find her voice. She'd never told another living soul besides her family. Slowly she turned her face upward to his and almost collapsed under the concern in his eyes. His metal hand rested on her cheek, stroking it. "I saw the list of targets," she continued. "And my name was on it…" She felt a break inside at the words, and her knees lifted against his stomach into the fetal position.

Bucky sat up and pulled her onto his lap, rocking her back and forth stroking her hair. "God damn it Jenny."

"How could he want me dead?" she cried. "I loved him more than anything and he wanted me dead."

"I hate the man, but he loved you." he said. "It was Zola's algorithm. Peirce didn't choose the targets. How are you sure he knew?"

"He knew," she said.

Bucky tightened his grip. She felt his jaw clench against her hair. She knew automatically he had his "kill" face on. "Jenny," he said. "I can't take away your pain, but..." He lifted her chin again. "You're a treasure. The fact that you were a threat to Hydra makes me love you even more."

"How are you so good to me after this?" she asked, searching his eyes.

"I want to be with you," he said, his cheeks flushing. "Is that what you wanted to tell me?" he asked.

Her heart hammered in her chest. It was now or never. Tell him that Max had wanted her to betray him. But the words didn't come out. She only nodded.

He smiled. "I don't know what the future holds for us, but if you wanted me to, I'd give this all up." he said with a head nod to his vibranium arm. "I don't want to presume, I just never thought I'd have a choice."

God she wanted him. She wanted him so badly. Maybe they could just run away. She felt the weight and heft of his arms around her. Like a solid wall. "I'd never ask you to give up who you are," she said.

He shook his head. "This isn't who I am," he said. "I've gone from one fight to the next my whole life. But I could have a different responsibility." He pressed into her lips and she sighed against him feeling so safe her body relaxed like it hadn't in years.

"I know," she said. "I know you're running away from The Winter Soldier, and I know I've had a hand in making you doubt yourself. But I want you to know…" she put her hands on either side of his face. "I want you to know that I accept him. All of you, both. I accept him. I forgive him."

Bucky's gaze shifted away from her. "I can't even do that, how can you..?"

"Because I love you. I love you so much I have all the room in my heart for James Buchanan Barnes and the Winter Soldier." She ran her fingers over his pink swollen lips.

He stiffened. He moved her off his lap and sat on the edge of the bed. "How can you forgive him? He's a monster…"

"Because I love you."

"You don't know what you're saying. You don't know everything I did."

"It doesn't matter to me…"

He flung himself off the bed and leaned his arm against the window. Jenny stared at him, his bare back muscles clenching.

She bit her lip at this new mood. This was probably the worst time to bring up the Winter Soldier. She scooted off the bed and snuggled herself against his back, hugging him under his arms. "I'm sorry Bucky… I just…"

He turned around with a tight smile. "It's ok. It's fine. Are you hungry?"

She smiled. "Starved."

They heard a noise from downstairs.

"I should go check…" He stopped and pursed his lips.

"Please, go check on him."

"Ok, I'll scour the kitchen and see if I can dig us up something." His eyes softened as she stared up at him and he gave her a kiss. "You're cute when you're hungry."

"You should see me when I'm angry."

"I have. Many times."

She smirked and pulled out of his arms. She grabbed his tee shirt from the floor and drew it over her head, his smell washing over her.

"I take it that's yours now?" he asked with a smile.

She looked at him over her shoulder with a wink. "Spoils of war Sarge," she said.

"Damn," he said eyeing her appreciatively while he pulled his jeans on. "It becomes you doll face." He gave her a kiss and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Doll face?" she asked with one eyebrow raised, but secretly adoring it.

"I've been holding back calling you that for weeks," he said with a smile that warmed her all over.

"Don't stop," she said, sliding her hands down the smooth heat of his chest and then up around his neck. "Don't ever stop."

He sighed and gave her one last kiss and removed himself from her caresses. "I'll be back in a little while Doll." He closed the door behind him and she fell backward on the disheveled covers. They were still warm and inviting. She spread her arms out stretching, the comforter soft under her skin. She put her hands over her face, running through all the things they'd done the night before. As long as she lived she'd never forget how she felt right now.

Falling in love with Daniel had been comfortable. Convenient. But love with Bucky was wild, untamed. Full and all encompassing. She was tethered to him in a way she'd never been to anyone. It was as though they were flickering twin flames that blazed bright and hot when they came together. But he was also gentle and innocent. Her heart bloomed like a flower when he was near. "I love you," she whispered.

She heard a yell from downstairs and she jolted upright. "Bucky?" She opened the door to silence. Then a low voice wafted up the stairs. One that sounded familiar. Without thinking, she flew down the steps, her heart pounding. When she reached the bottom, Bucky stood in front of her, just beyond the doorway to the parlor, immobile, his muscles taught.

She ran inside and froze. Nurse Grace was sprawled on the floor, a pool of blood seeping across the hard wood from under her.

And above, next to the bed where Steve wheezed and spluttered, was Max staring straight at her, pressing a knife to Steve's throat.