Amelia tried to gather her breath as she remained locked in Helmut's embrace, feeling, for the first time in a long time, as though she had somewhere she belonged. It was comfort. It was familiarity. It was everything she had been missing. She didn't want to move, but slowly the chill of the night was claiming her body. She shuddered and Helmut felt her against him. He moved to help her pull her jumpsuit back up to her shoulders, moving the capped sleeves back into her place as she reached for the zip. Looking to him as he pulled back to give her space, she found her gaze focused on his dark eyes. He leaned in and kissed her once more, the back of his hand going to her cheek as he kept the motion soft and tender.
Content not to deepen the kiss, Amelia just allowed her lips to move over his. It was the first time in a long time that she felt intimacy was right and it was with him, a world-renowned criminal. He moved his lips from hers after a moment or two, his thumb stroking along her cheekbone.
"You are so beautiful," Helmut whispered to her and Amelia swore she felt herself blush at hearing him. He continued watching her intently and she shook her head, determined to brush the compliment away. But Helmut wasn't having any of it. "I mean it, Amelia, you truly are stunning and I don't think I've ever told you that."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Amelia said, not wanting the conversation to get heavy. Now was not the time for the two of them to continue this line of talk. And Helmut obliged her. His lips arched for a moment and he cocked his head to the side.
"I do believe that I did get somewhere before I flattered you," he responded and she nudged his chest playfully, hearing him chuckle darkly. She was about to shoot back some sassy response, but he was already closing the gap between them again, his lips coming back to hers. He doubted that he would tire of this after his years of solitude.
"Sharon has a lead if you two are interested."
Amelia pulled back from Helmut at the sound of the voice. She looked over the Baron's shoulder to see Bucky stood in front of them, hands in the pockets of the dark jeans he was wearing. Helmut turned his head over his shoulder, hands still holding Amelia's waist as she remained perched on the railing. But she wasn't there for long. She slipped down it and instantly left his grip, moving over to Bucky.
"We're coming," she said to him and Helmut watched the back of her as she moved inside and he folded his arms over his chest. Bucky remained rooted on the spot, looking to Helmut with, what he could only describe as, a glare. Shrugging, Helmut suspected that Amelia didn't want anyone to know what they had been doing, hence her swift exit.
"She's eager to get going," Helmut simply said to James as he moved over towards him, his pace slow and languid. It was almost as though he had all the time in the world which, he was acutely aware that, he didn't.
"You're going to hurt her," Bucky said to Helmut and the Baron resisted the urge to roll his eyes at hearing that. Bucky could see the look of distaste on Helmut's face and he continued his tirade. "You think that there is any chance that she doesn't get hurt? What? That you two are going to go off into the sunset together? You're many things, but you're not a naïve fool. You know you're off back to that jail cell as soon as this is done because I'll make sure of it. You're just toying with her."
Helmut was silent, staring at Bucky. He had to admit that the former Winter Soldier had quite the glare on him, but Helmut was not used to being told what to do or what he should do. And he was particularly not interested in what James had to say to him about Amelia.
"I believe what happens between Amelia and myself is private business."
"Until you break her heart and I pick the pieces up," Bucky said.
"And who is asking you to pick the pieces up?"
"I'm her friend."
"And is that all you are?" Helmut questioned him. "I would not blame you if you had deeper feelings for her, James. She is quite the woman…but perhaps you should talk to her if you are so concerned about a broken heart because I get the worrying feeling that it might not be hers that ends broken."
Bucky continued glowering, not needing to say anything to him. He ground his teeth together. He had to admit that he was looking forward to the time when he had Helmut locked back in his cell. He wouldn't be getting out then. He wouldn't be able to spread his poison and perhaps Amelia might be able to move on without him.
Helmut simply nodded and moved past Bucky, but the other man wasn't finished. He watched the back of Helmut and called out to him, his question making him stand still instantly.
"Do you even love her?" Bucky wondered and he noted the way Helmut's shoulders tensed at the question. He hadn't been expecting that. He was unprepared. "Have you ever told her that you love her? Or are you even capable of loving her?"
Helmut didn't answer. He knew that he had never said those three words to her before. He knew that he had thought them before. He had thought about love quite often, questioning if what he felt for Amelia was love. In the end he had decided that it could be. If he let himself then he could truly love her. He would never move on from Heike, not truly. But he could have another chance at love if he wasn't so consumed with vengeance. But he had blown it. He was certain of that.
And perhaps James did have a point. Perhaps the stolen moments with Amelia were selfish because he had no intention of going on the run with her. In fact, a part of him had no intention of continuing to run. He continuously told her how much he cared, but perhaps he was being unfair in what he was doing. The only issue was that he didn't know how to stop.
Helmut continued walking without another word in Bucky's direction. He moved into the club once more and found Amelia stood with Sam. She had shrugged back into her blazer and was tightening her ponytail, wisps of hair were stray from where Helmut had moved to cup the back of her head, but she didn't bother putting them back into the updo. She still looked rather flushed, a red blotch running up her neck from her chest.
Going to the bathroom to clean himself up, Helmut slicked his hair back into place. He could still feel Amelia's fingers running through it, scratching at his scalp as she panted into his ear, begging him to move against her. He tried not to let the image overwhelm him as he splashed water on his face and finally decided he looked alright. He grabbed his coat on the way out and found the group once more.
Sharon was the one who took the lead, telling them that she had a car to take them to Nagel who was, apparently, working in a container on the dock. She had given Sam and Bucky weapons, but hadn't even considered giving Helmut or Amelia anything. Instead, she had allowed them to come along, not entirely pleased with the situation.
"You know, I read a lot of stories about you back in the day," Sharon said to Amelia as they arrived at the dock.
The sun had just begun to rise and Amelia was trying not to yawn from being up all night and the jetlag too. She just wanted to get back to the hotel and sleep. But they had to deal with Nagel first.
"Yeah?" Amelia asked from her.
"So many conspiracy theories too," Sharon said. "About you and him."
She nodded with her chin to Helmut's back as he walked in front with Bucky and Sam flanking him, clearly making sure that he didn't do anything to betray them. But that wasn't his style, not yet anyway.
"I read them too," Amelia said to her. "And I read some about you as well…being so in love with Cap that you broke the law for him."
Sharon chuckled. "Yeah," she said weakly. "In hindsight I maybe shouldn't have bothered."
Amelia shrugged. "You don't strike me as the type to do something because you're in love with some guy," she said and Sharon watched her as Amelia moved with her hands in her pockets, her eyes still on the front three. "Nah, you did it because you thought that it was the right thing to do."
"Just like you did what you did, I guess?"
"Oh, I'm not going to deny that I fell for him," Amelia said to Sharon, looking to her to see her reaction. But there was nothing there. She was almost impassive. "I should have known that sex would lead to feelings, but I didn't do what I did because I was so in love with him. I did what I did because I wanted to…because it was my choice…and some people can't seem to understand that. Helmut might be a master manipulator, but there was no manipulation of me. I chose to do what I did."
"And you don't regret it?"
"Not really. Those HYDRA scientists were dangerous and I knew that," Amelia said nonchalantly. "But I was portrayed as some unwilling accomplice by the media…like I had Stockholm Syndrome or something…and that was annoying. It's like women still can't make their own choices…like we're too weak to do something and have to be manipulated to do it."
Sharon nodded her head. She understood that. She had been questioned her entire life. Men had asked her if she was strong enough to be an agent. They had looked down on her. But that didn't happen anymore.
"You know, you could make quite the killing in Madripoor with an attitude like that," she said to Amelia. "No bullshit."
"I've broken enough laws in my lifetime, but thanks," Amelia said.
"Offers there," Sharon shrugged and then pointed to a container. "It's this one and they've walked straight past it."
"Hey!" Amelia shouted them and they instantly stopped. Motioning to the container she was stood next to, the three men walked back as Amelia moved to open it. The door squeaked loudly and she stepped inside, a flashlight lighting the way as Sharon told them she would try and buy them some time but she couldn't make any promises about how long.
"Is she sure this is the one?" Amelia questioned and she looked around.
It was empty. Helmut moved a gloved hand along the wall of the container, looking at it intently as Bucky watched him. He took a moment or two to compose himself as Amelia shot him a look with a shrug, questioning silently if they were in the right place. He didn't think he would ever get over the way she sometimes looked at him.
"It's the right one," Sharon's voice said in their ears.
They each had an ear piece she had given them so they knew what was going on. And then Helmut moved his finger along a line on the wall. Amelia stood over his shoulder, her breath by his neck.
"What is it?" she asked from him.
"I believe some kind of hidden door," he said.
"Creepy," Amelia mumbled and Helmut's lips arched at hearing her.
He pulled out his flashlight and ran it over the metal panel before pressing against it. It moved instantly, creaking once more. Helmut turned around to look at Sam and Bucky. They pulled their guns out and Helmut moved the secret door to the side. They took the lead, heading up the stairs first with Helmut and Amelia following them up.
Moving up the staircase, Amelia could hear the sound of music as they came to the top of the container into what she could only describe to be a hidden lab. Helmut loitered behind, his face stoic as Amelia stayed behind him. They moved along the workbenches in the lab and Amelia spotted it instantly under a desk.
Moving a hand to Helmut's elbow, she pinched it gently. He turned to look down to her and she subtly nodded to the desk. He followed her gaze and also spotted it. It was a hidden gun. Amelia moved by him as Sam turned the music off, silence engulfing the room for a brief moment before Nagel gasped in surprise.
"Doctor Nagel?" Sam checked.
"What are you doing here? Get out of my lab," Nagel demanded, pointing back to the door.
Amelia would have laughed at him if the situation weren't so serious. It was almost comical that he thought he had any say over what was going to happen. Sam shook his head as Amelia moved her hand over the metallic worktop.
"We know you recreated the super soldier serum," Sam said and Nagel's face instantly paled as Sam held his gun in the man's direction. He clearly had no intention of firing at him, but he needed leverage. "You know who he is, right?" Sam said, looking to Bucky and Nagel followed his gaze. He gulped but made no noise. "And you know who they are, Baron Zemo and Amelia Baker," Sam said and Nagel's eyes flickered over them as Amelia sat on the worktop surface, legs dangling and feet off the ground. She watched as Sam moved Nagel to the wall. "So you better become conversational."
"How about a counter-offer?" Nagel asked.
Amelia scoffed. Did he think this was some kind of negotiation? At the same time he said that, Sharon was back in their ear telling them that bounty hunters had arrived. They only had so much time before they had to get out of there. Bucky knew that and he took over, grabbing Nagel by the shoulder and moving him to sit on the stool in the middle of the lab that smelled too much like bleach for Amelia's liking.
She watched the man with his thin receding hairline and beady eyes, wondering if he knew what he was doing; the dangers of what he was doing by recreating the serum. And who was the Power Broker who needed it?
Bucky aimed his gun at Nagel's head, waiting for the man to talk. But he remained silent. Bucky fired a shot behind him, the noise echoing through the room as Helmut stood next to Amelia, backs of his thighs brushing the worktop. And Nagel cracked.
"Okay," he said, wondering if Bucky might actually shoot him. "I was brought into HYDRA's Winter Soldier programme to pick up their work after the five failed test subjects in Siberia. When HYDRA fell, I was recruited by the CIA who had samples from a test subject with semi-stable traces of the serum in his system. After much labour I was able to isolate the necessary compounds in his blood. I was a God," Nagel said and Amelia rolled her eyes. "I did what no other scientist since Erskine was able to do, but mine was going to be different…no clunky machine…no jacked up bodies…mine was going to be subtle…optimised…perfect."
"How have we never heard about this?" Sam asked.
"Because before I was able to complete my work, I turned to dust," Nagel said. "And when I returned it was five years later and the programme had been abandoned. I came here and the Power Broker was more than happy to fund the recreation of my work."
"How many vials did you make?"
"Twenty," he said. "Karli Morgenthau stole those so I can only imagine what the Power Broker has planned for that girl."
Amelia stopped listening as Sam asked where the girl was and he told her that she was at a displacement camp. Instead, Amelia reached under the worktop, her fingers skimming for the gun. If this man could recreate the serum then God knows what the Power Broker would use it for. He was too smug, almost as though he thought he was some kind of prophecy. Amelia knew that if he lived then the danger he posed was going to be far too much. She pulled at the gun as Helmut looked to her.
"Let me," he whispered hotly into her ear.
They clearly had the same thoughts. Amelia moved the gun out from under the table and Helmut took it from her fingers. She watched on as Bucky demanded to know if there was any more vials in the lab, but he didn't answer. He didn't get a chance to as Sharon stormed in, panting hard and looking as though she had been in a fight.
"Guys, we are seriously out of time," she said to them.
It was then when Helmut raised the gun and shot Nagel cleanly in the head. Sam and Sharon launched at Helmut, pinning him to the wall as Bucky looked to Nagel and then to Amelia, noticing the hanging tape underneath the desk by where she had stood. She had passed him the gun. She knew what he was going to do. Bucky's brow furrowed as her gaze met his and he shook his head once.
"What did you do?" Sharon demanded from Helmut.
But he had no chance to answer. Before he knew it, the lab was engulfed in an explosion, some kind of rocket having fired through the sides of it. The force sent them all hurtling to the ground, Amelia being knocked over the worktop and landing on her side awkwardly. She grunted in pain as she tried to ignore the ache of her limbs.
"Can you stand?"
It was his voice. He was hovering besides her, his hands already trying to get her to move. She nodded as Helmut quickly picked her up under her arms like some kind of doll. She was uneasy on her feet, her vision blurred and ears seeming clogged. She looked around as Helmut moved his arm around her waist and guided her from the lab.
"What about the others?"
"This place is about to blow, we need to get out," Helmut said and they left the way they came, back through the hidden staircase. Amelia turned her head over her shoulder to see Bucky helping Sam up, followed by Sharon.
Coming to the empty container, Amelia saw that they weren't behind them. Where had they gone? And then she heard the explosion, her ears popping with the noise of it. She grunted loudly as she tried to turn back around, but Helmut's grip on her was firm and completely unrelenting. He wasn't letting her go anywhere.
"They were up there!"
"They will be fine."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I do," was all he said back to her. "Come on, we need to get away from this fire."
Amelia felt him move his arm from her waist, content that she was able to stand by herself as she heard gunshots in the distance, along with the yells of Bucky's voice. They were somewhere behind them. But Helmut was moving through the shipping containers, hand firmly holding Amelia's.
"What's the plan?" Amelia questioned from him.
"We need to get out of here," Helmut said to her. "But, I concede that we might need to help the others. They still have their uses until we find this Karli."
"She's leader of the Flag Smashers, right?" Amelia checked with him.
"Very same one," Helmut said. "See if you can find some kind of vehicle to get us out of here."
"Where are you going?"
"I believe the others might be needing my expertise," Helmut commented.
She didn't get a chance to ask what he meant by that. He was already rushing off, the port now filled with smoke from the explosion. Amelia rolled her eyes and opened up containers, hoping to find something of use. She moved along the rows of them, but they were all non-descript. It was only as she pulled one door open did she smirk at what she saw. It was some kind of convertible car.
"Very nice," she said.
She spoke at the same time the ground shook beneath her and another loud explosion filled her ears. She could her gunshots in the distance, but she tried not to focus on them as she entered the container and jumped over the door into the car, wondering if she could hotwire it. But how would she know how to do that?
"Hello."
Amelia looked to the door and saw Helmut stood there, a purple mask covering his face. Her brows knitted together at seeing him, wondering why he was wearing a mask. She didn't get a chance to ask that question as he was already pulling it from his head.
"Pretty sweet, right?" she said to him. "But I have no idea how to get it started."
"Allow me," Helmut said.
He climbed over the door into the driver's side as Amelia slid into the passenger's seat and Helmut bent into the footwell, pulling at cables. Amelia's face grew in amusement. "How do you know how to hotwire a car?" she questioned him.
He smirked. "I believe I told you all about my rebellious youth, didn't I?" he said to her. "Plus, it was something we had to do when we were in EKO in case we took the enemies vehicles. Most cars have the same wiring and so all it should take is this…" he trailed off and the vehicle roared to life.
"Impressive," Amelia said. "So where are the others?"
"Well, I did just take out several men to save them," Helmut said. "So I should hope they are around somewhere."
"Let's go get them then…but can I drive?"
"You want to drive this?"
"It's a manual car, I know how to drive manual," she assured him. "Come on, at least let me do something."
"Be my guest," Helmut said to her and he climbed from the driver's side as she slipped across to it and he walked around the car. He took her vacant seat as he pushed his coat beneath him, the fur collar standing up straight.
He let Amelia put the car into first gear and she drove it out of the container gently, turning the corners and searching for the rest of them. She soon found them as they left a container, clearly having hidden in it. Bucky was the one who punched the door open and Amelia stopped the vehicle besides them.
"Need a ride?" she questioned and Bucky rolled his eyes at hearing her, Sam pointing between the two of them.
"If you two pull a stunt like that again…" his threat trailed off and Helmut held his hands up defensively.
"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, but he wasn't entirely being honest.
"Get in then," Amelia said and she climbed from her seat, Bucky looking to her as she moved so he could climb into the backseat. But he didn't move.
"You're not seriously going to drive this thing, are you?" he asked from her.
"What? You think a man should be driving this? I'll have you know that I'm an excellent driver."
"I've witnessed your road rage," Bucky retorted.
"Just get in or you can walk back to the hotel," Amelia said and Bucky had no choice but to do as she had asked. He took the backseat as Sam followed behind, but Sharon remained where she was, arms by her sides and hands on her hips.
"Well, that was one hell of a reunion," she said.
"Come back with us," Sam responded.
"I can't," Sharon said. "Just get me that pardon you promised me."
Sam nodded once to her as she began to move off. But she turned back around, calling out as she walked. "And Baker, if you ever want to take me up on my offer, you know where to find me."
Amelia chuckled as she put the car back into gear and reached for the handbrake.
"What offer was that?" Helmut asked her.
"Nothing," she said with a shake of her head, her lips still upturned as she wondered what it might be like to run some criminal haven, the thought entertaining her for the entire journey back to the hotel.
…
They weren't intending on spending the night in the hotel. Amelia was gutted about that, collapsing on her bed as soon as she got back just to pick her bags up. Laying on the mattress, her head collapsed back against the pillow. She was doing her best not to fall asleep, but she was exhausted. She suspected they all were. Helmut had already grabbed his bag and had found Amelia laid on the bed, hands resting on her stomach as her eyes closed.
"Don't you dare fall asleep," he warned her.
"But it's so comfy and you have no bed on that private jet of yours."
"Yes, but there is no one who wants to kill us on that private jet," he retorted and Amelia propped herself up on her elbows, hair falling behind her in the ponytail that was now containing just half of her hair, the rest of splayed around her face.
"You raise an excellent point there," she admitted to him on that one and his lips arched once more at hearing her. She grunted and moved to stand up. "Are you alright?"
"Perfectly fine. You?"
"Yeah," Amelia said. "Just thinking about Nagel and what he said…like he was getting off on playing God…can you imagine what could happen with twenty vials out there? There were only a small number of Winter Soldiers in the programme and look what HYDRA wanted to use them for."
"I don't regret the decision to shoot him," Helmut said to her with a shake of his head. "He was dangerous and clearly enjoyed his work."
"I just…I don't get why someone would want to recreate it when they know what it can do."
"I find it best not to try and understand the minds of people like that."
"Good point," Amelia responded to him with a nod and finally crawled off the bed. She picked up her duffel bag and held it by her side. "And so where are we going now? We have no idea where those vials are?"
"I know, but we need to get away from Madripoor," Helmut responded. "I'm sure Sam will be trying to work out where Karli is. He has the necessary contacts. In the meantime, flying out of here is the best option."
"Right," Amelia said with a nod of her head. "Let's go then."
They all checked out of the hotel and took the car back to the airbase. The atmosphere was silent and tense, each of them clearly thinking and looking back on the events of the day. Bucky and Sam had changed into different clothes, Sam now wearing a brown jacket with a green top and Bucky back in a grey top with his black jacket. Amelia changed on the plane in the bathroom, managing to pull on a long-sleeved green jumpsuit. She left the bathroom and tied the sash aound her waist before taking a seat on the couch next to Bucky as Sam spoke on the phone and Helmut remained at the front of the plane, talking to Oeznik.
"You're pissed off with me," Amelia commented. It wasn't even a question.
"You handed him the gun to shoot Nagel," Bucky said to her.
"I know," she responded.
She knew exactly what she had done.
"Why?"
"You know my opinion on that serum, Bucky," Amelia said to him. "You know what I did before with Helmut and Nagel was just another one of those HYDRA scientists who would have recreated the serum and caused nothing but pain…imagine the Power Broker with super soldiers…what could he get them to do?"
"And that makes it right to kill him?"
"It makes it what it has to be," Amelia said. "One man with that much power is dangerous. You heard him. He called himself a God. As soon as someone starts thinking like that, well, they're too far gone."
"I just…you gave him the gun, Amelia. You knew full well what he was going to do."
Amelia's brow furrowed. "You know who I am, Bucky. You know what I have done."
"But that was in the past when he was there."
"I told you, he never controlled me."
"Perhaps not intentionally."
Amelia rolled her eyes. "Bucky, I don't know what is going on in that head of yours, but you need to understand that Helmut never manipulated me to do anything. I have the same beliefs as him…granted, he has different methods sometimes, but the fact is that I'm not this innocent, weak woman who you seem to think I am. This is who I am. I never claimed to be a good person."
"But you are," Bucky replied. "I know you are because the Amelia I spent time with in Norfolk wasn't some cold-blooded killer."
"Because I didn't need to be," Amelia replied. "You knew my beliefs and how I felt even before you stayed with me in Norfolk so don't pretend that any of this has come as a shock to you. This is all part of the plan."
"And screwing him against some wall?" Bucky asked her and Amelia's eyes widened as he stared at her so intently that she almost did lower her gaze. "Was that part of the plan?"
"That's none of your business," Amelia said, nose in the air.
"You were hardly secretive," Bucky scoffed. "Anyone could have seen you."
"The point still stands," Amelia snapped. "It was none of your business."
"The hell it isn't," Bucky replied dryly. "You're my friend, Amelia. You know that he's going back to that cell if it's the last thing I do. All you're doing is hurting yourself and letting him hurt you all over again…and then I'll be the one picking the pieces up…listening to your nightmares and hearing his name come from your lips."
"You don't need to be there, Bucky," Amelia said. "I can take care of myself."
"Yeah, sure you can."
Amelia watched him move to sit back next to Sam and she turned away from him and folded her arms over her chest. She huffed to herself and stared out of the window across from her. Helmut finished preparing the food at the front of the plane and handed two bowls of dumplings to Bucky and Sam, the former not even looking in Helmut's direction. Sam informed them that he had a lead on Karli, thinking that she might be in Riga.
"I have a place there," Helmut said. "I'll have Oeznik change the course of the flight. We should be there first thing in the morning if my timing is accurate."
Nodding his head, Sam agreed and Helmut moved to go and find Oeznik by the cockpit. Looking to Bucky who had placed the bowl on the arm of the chair, Sam arched his brow. "You know, it's hard to have an argument on a plane without other people hearing," he said to him, trying to keep his voice low so that Helmut and Amelia couldn't hear them.
"It wasn't an argument," he grunted in response and Sam simply cocked his head to the side.
"Sure sounded like one to me," he mumbled.
"Just leave it," Bucky urged, voice gruff before he remembered his manners. "Please," he added on. "Please, just leave it alone."
"Alright," Sam relented.
He could do that. He watched as Helmut returned to the cabin, carrying two more bowls. He went straight to the back of the plane and found Amelia sat on the couch next to her, handing her a portion of the dumplings. She took it from him with a small whisper of thanks and Helmut folded one leg over the other.
"Are you okay?" he whispered to her.
"I don't know," Amelia confessed, poking at the food with her fork and finding that her appetite was lacking. "You heard all of that, didn't you?"
"Snippets," he confessed to her. "But I got the gist of the conversation."
Amelia nodded. She could imagine.
"And I don't like saying I told you so, but-"
"-Don't," she interrupted him, looking to him with annoyance and pleading in her gaze. Shaking her head slowly, she watched him chew down on his food, fork mid-air. "Just don't say it, Helmut."
"As you wish," he said to her, agreeing with her request. "But, if you want my opinion, I think that his heart is in the right place when it comes to you, but he…James, that is, has an idolised version of you. In his mind he sees you as someone who you're not. He doesn't see you for who you really are. He wants you to be someone different."
"Is that what you think?"
"Yes," he said without a moment of hesitation on that point. "You said yourself to him that this is who you have always been. We're not like them, Amelia. We never have been and we never will be."
"Yeah," Amelia agreed on that point. She was acutely aware of what he was saying to her and it did make perfect sense. She had always been consistent in her beliefs. Bucky simply wanted her to change her mind. He thought that she might be different, but she wasn't. She was still her.
Reaching a hand out, Helmut gently stroked a strand of her hair behind her ear. She moved her fingers to his wrist as his thumb brushed along her cheekbone. Lowering his hand from her, she shook her head. "Not here," she said to him in a whisper and Helmut pursed his lips but nodded tightly. He saw the way her gaze flickered over to Bucky for a brief moment and she knew that he was trying to spare his feelings.
Helmut continued to watch her as she ate her food in silence and he wondered just what they would find in Riga, not only with Karli, but with everything else. Helmut knew full well that the tension had been building between all of them. He had sensed it. And he knew full well that tension always built up to a crescendo.
...
A/N: Thanks so much to anyone reading. I know there's some out there who might like to see Bucky have more of a role, but I am not too sure yet. This was always intended as a Helmut/OC, but...anyway, would love to know what you think! We're coming up to Riga now where things are going to get a bit more tense!
