Bucky had called Sam at the apartment to tell him that Amelia was staying in hospital for the rest of the day and probably overnight. Her shoulder seemed to be fine, but the concern was her head. She had been knocked unconscious and had complained about dizziness and having a headache. They were keeping her in to observe her, worried that she might have concussion.

"Bucky says that her shoulder's alright, but the doctors are worried she might have concussion," Sam informed Helmut.

The Baron had been pacing back and forth since returning to the apartment. He knew what he had to do. He knew that he had to get out before his time ran out. He was acutely aware that the Dora Milaje would be on his tail soon enough and, even if Bucky bought them more time, it would be the super soldier's intention to return him to jail anyway. Or, perhaps, there might still be enough of the Winter Soldier in him to finish the job once and for all. Helmut was trying not to think of that, but he wondered if it would make sense.

He would make his peace with everything and then he would see what would happen. But he didn't intend on running far or for long. What would be the point? No. He knew that he had no future outside of a cell. That wasn't a life he wanted to go back to.

Reaching for the bottle of whiskey he had set on the worktop counter, he poured himself another glass and sipped on it. Sam was perched on a stool at the breakfast bar, his laptop open in front of him.

"That's your third glass in less than an hour," Sam mused.

"I wasn't aware you were keeping count," Helmut retorted.

Sam's lips quirked despite Helmut's snarky tone. He could deal with an entitled Baron. He'd dealt with worse before. He turned his attention away from the laptop and decided that he may as well ask him the question that had been bugging him since Zemo had started working with them.

"That day in Berlin when you managed to get into the UN, it was her who came for you, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"And she really didn't know anything about what you did?"

"She knew what the end goal was, but she did not know my methods," Helmut confirmed to Sam and he leant back against the worktop, facing the man sat across from him. He kept his glass in his hands, holding onto it gently and drumming his finger against the side of it. "Why do you ask?"

"I guess I always just wondered if you were covering for her," Sam confessed to Helmut. "I never knew whether or not to trust her, not really, and especially after everything I read about her."

"And do you believe everything you read in newspapers?" Helmut retorted. "Because I confess I have read some interesting things about the Avengers myself, but I doubt they are all true. Tell me, is Steve Rogers really on the moon?"

Sam's lips quirked at that. He couldn't even believe that rumour had gained traction. "He's not," was all he said back to Helmut. "But I know not to believe everything. I guess I just find it hard knowing what to believe when I'm working with someone who openly confesses to being in love with a criminal."

"You view me as a criminal?" Helmut wondered from Sam. "But what do you view Karli as? Tell me, how am I different to others? The Avengers, for example. The line between being a hero and villain is a thin one. You should know that…and James certainly should."

"What is it with you and Bucky?" Sam questioned. "Why can't you resist winding him up?"

Helmut shrugged. "If you think I am winding him up for my own enjoyment then I confess that I do get a small amount of pleasure seeing him annoyed, but I am not doing it for that sole reason. My reasons are…personal."

Sam sighed. "I think you can't stand the fact that he's a super soldier and Amelia cares for him."

"Super soldiers are dangerous and we both know that. We have seen what they can do, but that is not my issue with James. In fact, I have no issue with James…I believe that he might actually prove himself to be valuable in the future."

Sam's brows knitted together. "What does that mean?" he questioned. "What are you plotting?"

"Absolutely nothing," Helmut held his hands up defensively. "Believe me, I have absolutely nothing up my sleeve."

Sam scoffed. "Why do I not believe that?"

Helmut's lips arched for a moment. "You would be wise not to trust me," he said to Sam in a dark voice, but he made no move. He knew that he would go when the time was right. "But do not think that Amelia is anything like me. We have similarities, but ultimately she is much more considerate than me. She has a conscience."

"And you don't?"

"Not as much as she does."

"But you care about her, don't you?" Sam said, pushing him slightly further than he perhaps should. "You've not sat down since we got here and you're drinking whiskey like there's no tomorrow. You're worried about her because you care about her."

"I prefer not to discuss my feelings," Helmut responded, tone turning quite firm. And that was true. He did not wish to discuss Amelia with anyone. He had refrained from doing that and it had worked quite well for him. How he felt about her was for her ears only.

"But you do," Sam retorted. "And you threw it all away…for revenge. Was it worth it?"

Helmut didn't respond to that. He had no reason to. He remained completely mute, not wanting to admit that there were times he had wondered if his life could have been different. But what was the point of dwelling on what could have been? There was no point. He had made his decisions and they had led him here. He was just grateful that after eight years locked away he had been free for a short time and had gotten back to Amelia.

"Well, she's awake and as argumentative as ever."

Bucky's voice entered the apartment and stopped Helmut from having to answer Sam's question, not that he intended on answering it anyway. It took him a moment or two before he looked to Bucky and composed his thoughts.

"How is she?" Helmut questioned.

Bucky shot him a look that told him that he would prefer not to talk to him, but he answered his question anyway. "Insisting on discharging herself and coming back, but I managed to convince her to stay there for the night," Bucky said. "Plus, she can hardly stand without looking like she might pass out. They're hoping that she will be fine by tomorrow morning, but just want to keep an eye on her."

Nodding, Helmut took a sip of his whiskey once more.

"And your new Captain America was the one who put her there," Helmut said, voice filled with venom.

"We didn't pick him," Bucky defended, not wanting to be associated with a man like Walker. "Besides, there's something not right with him."

"You don't say," Sam said wryly.

Helmut tilted his head and gave a nod. He agreed with that.

"Well, I know crazy when I see it because I am crazy," Bucky retorted.

"Can't argue with that," Sam said as Bucky poured his own glass of whiskey, not waiting for Helmut to offer him a drink. He sipped on it and let it burn the back of his throat as Helmut moved to the bookshelf and looked at the first edition of Emma on the shelf. He moved a finger over the spine of it and pulled it out from where it sat.

Bucky noticed the movement and the title but he didn't comment. He knew it was Amelia's favourite. He had seen her reading it more than once before. He filled his glass up with more whiskey and shot it instantly, not caring for the taste of it. The worst part was that it wasn't going to take the edge off what he felt. Alcohol didn't actually have an impact on him, one of the downsides of being a super soldier.

As soon as Helmut had finished looking at the book, he set it down on the worktop and heard the front door bang open. He almost startled, but he had been expecting this. Looking to the entrance, he saw Walker and Hoskins striding into his apartment. He should have guessed that it wouldn't take them long to find out where he was hiding.

But he knew what this meant.

It meant that he had to disappear.

"Is he here?"

Amelia was sat up in bed, leant back against the pillows. She was wearing a hospital gown, her shoulder in a sling. The quilt was pulled up to her lap and she had managed to find a magazine to keep her entertained. She could only look at the pictures, however, understanding no Latvian whatsoever. She dropped it to her lap as Bucky and Sam stormed into the ward and she looked around as the eyes from people in the other beds turned onto her and her sudden guests.

"Who?"

"Amelia, don't," Bucky urged from her.

He was dressed in the same clothes he had worn when he had left, clearly not having had a chance to freshen up. But Amelia's eyes widened and she shrugged her one good shoulder, shaking her head with her hair falling out from behind her ears.

"Bucky, I have no idea what you're talking about," she said and her gaze met his.

He stared at her, clearly trying to work out if she was lying to him or telling the truth. He liked to think that she wouldn't lie to him, but he knew that when it came to Helmut then there were things she would do that she would usually never do. But looking at her confused face, he could see that she wasn't lying to him. Sighing, he exchanged a look with Sam and a brief shake of his head, silently communicating with him.

"Is it Helmut?" Amelia asked.

"Walker and the Dora Milaje showed up at the same time," Bucky explained, folding his arms over his chest. "Zemo escaped during a fight between them over him. There was a hidden tunnel under the bathtub."

Amelia bit down on her lips and Bucky's lips arched in disbelief at the sight of her looking down onto her lap, clearly unable to hold his gaze. Rocking back and forth slightly, he continued to keep his stare on her.

"But you knew about that, didn't you?" he asked and she finally met his eye once more, mouth hanging open and about to try and protest her innocence. But Bucky knew. He could see when she was lying to him and she knew he wouldn't believe her anyway.

"That I might have known about," she confessed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sam demanded to know from her. "If we'd known there was some hidden escape then we'd never have stayed there."

Amelia said nothing, a sense of guilt almost eating up at her. Did she feel bad for not mentioning it? She didn't know. She said nothing, not sure what she could say to make any of this better. Thankfully, Sam's phone began to ring. He pulled it from his jacket pocket and pressed it to his ear, answering the call and moving out to the corridor, leaving Bucky alone with Amelia.

"He's not going to go anywhere without you, is he?" Bucky asked from her.

"I don't know where he's going to go."

"Really?"

"Really," she echoed back. "I mean…I know where he might want to go, but I don't know for certain."

"You can't go with him," Bucky warned her, voice dangerously low as he stepped closer to the bed and looked down at her while she looked the other way and out of the window. "Amelia, I'm being serious. If you go with him then you'll be on the run…a wanted criminal as well…do you want that life? Do you really want to live looking over your shoulder and wondering if the Dora Milaje are coming? If Walker is coming?"

Still, she said nothing. Her jaw was firmly set and her teeth clenched. Bucky sighed and flapped his arms by his side, wondering why he was bothering. He knew that he wasn't going to get anything out of her. She was annoyingly stubborn when she wanted to be and clearly she wanted to be right now.

"I won't let him stay free either, Amelia," Bucky warned her. "After everything he's done, I can't…so please…if you hear from him…just don't go with him. Do the sensible thing and stay away from him."

But she didn't promise him that and Bucky was desperate to hear her say it. Moving his hand to her arm, he gripped it softly as his other hand went to her cheek, turning her to face him. Bending down so his face was inches from hers, he kept his gaze firmly on her.

"Amelia, please," he pleaded with her and she could see the look of desperation in his gaze. "I don't want to come after you too."

But she was still silent. Bucky sighed and shook his head.

"Why do you have to make everything so hard?" he asked from her, voice tense and tone annoyed. "You know that I will stop you from making this mistake…but I just wish you'd help yourself."

"Maybe I'm tired with helping myself?" Amelia asked from him and before he had chance to ask what she meant, Sam had come back into the room. He was clearly distressed and upset.

"Karli threatened my sister," he said, hands on his hips.

Bucky straightened himself up and moved his fingers from Amelia's cool skin. He looked back to Sam and his forehead creased. "What?"

"That was Sarah," Sam said. "She told me that Karli had called her and practically threatened her. I've told her to take the boys somewhere safe, but I need to go and find Karli. I need to get to her."

"Yeah," Bucky agreed with him.

"Go," Amelia said to Bucky and he looked to her once more.

"What? So you can sneak out and find Zemo?"

"I'm not going anywhere because I can hardly stand up without collapsing," Amelia said to him. "And the fact is that you can't watch me all the time. Right now, Sam needs you more than anyone."

"No, because I know exactly what you're going to do," Bucky responded. "I'm not an idiot."

"I don't have time for this," Sam said with a shake of his head.

"I know," Bucky promised him. "And I'm coming."

Amelia almost felt relief, but then Bucky turned to look back to her.

"But I'm having security watch you until I'm back."

Her jaw dropped. "You're serious?" she snapped at him.

"Deadly," Bucky said. "Now stay here."

Bucky had been true to his word. A security guard had been stationed outside of Amelia's ward and there was no chance she could sneak past him. It was turning dark outside and Bucky still hadn't returned. Amelia had tried to think of a way to get out, but everything was evading her. It was only when the clock struck eight and all the curtains in the ward had been closed to give everyone privacy did Amelia consider moving and trying to sneak out. But she had no need.

The curtain to her own cubicle opened and she saw a familiar face step through it. Her eyes widened at seeing him. "Oeznik?" she said, questioning if it could be him.

"Yes, Ms Baker," he responded. "Master Zemo called me and asked me to come and give you something."

"Where is he? How did you sneak in here?"

"I might have drugged the security guard's coffee," Oeznik said, a twinkle in his eye as Amelia wondered just what kind of butler he had been. Amelia could see why Helmut kept him around as he did. She took a moment to bite down on her tongue before shaking her head.

"You could get in trouble," she warned him.

"He looks like he is asleep," Oeznik said. "Either way, I was asked to give you this."

Amelia looked at his outstretched hand and she saw that he was holding a book. It was a first edition of Emma. It had been in Helmut's mother's library. Amelia looked over the cover, her finger running along the spine before she saw something sticking out from the pages. She opened the book and pulled out the note, unfolding it and seeing Helmut's scrawl on it.

My dear Amelia,

If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.

Yours,

Helmut

Amelia's eyes began to water at the words. They were so simple, a quote direct from her favourite book. And he had never told her that he loved her. He had never said those words to her and perhaps this was why. Amelia took a moment to sniff and wipe the tears from the corner of her eye. She folded the note back up and placed it into the page of the book, keeping them securely there.

"Where is he?"

"Ms Baker, he told me that you have to stay here. He didn't want you following him."

"Tough," Amelia said and she swung her legs from the bed, but her clothes had gone. Where the hell had they put them? She could only find her trainers, pulling them onto her feet and ignoring her spinning head. She took hold of the sides of the bed and pushed herself to her feet.

"Ms Baker, please, you need to stay here."

"Oeznik, if he is going somewhere then I need to see him. Please, you know that time…I don't think we've had enough of it and I just need to see him…even if it's for one final time. This," she held up the book in her hands, "cannot be the way he says goodbye to me. Please, this cannot be how he says goodbye."

Oeznik watched the woman in front of him almost break down and he relented. What other choice did he have? He shrugged out of his coat and helped hang it over her shoulders, an arm wrapping over them softly as he guided her forwards. He knew that Helmut was going to kill him, but he didn't care. He was doing what he knew he had to.

Standing on the steps of the plane at the airbase, the night had well and truly fallen. Helmut was waiting for Oeznik to come back after delivering the book to Amelia. He saw a car approaching, headlights shining in the dark. This must be him. Standing on the steps, Helmut could only watch as Oeznik pulled up and opened the driver's door. But he didn't come straight to the plane. He went to the passenger side and opened it and Helmut didn't know if his heart sunk or fluttered with joy.

He held his hand out and Amelia took it. She stepped from the car, looking an absolute mess with her hair a mess around her shoulders and dressed in a hospital gown with her trainers. She had her arm in a sling and was walking steadily with her good hand holding Oeznik's arm. Helmut moved down the steps to the tarmac, meeting them halfway.

"What are you doing here, Amelia?" he questioned from her and then looked to his old friend. "And why did you bring her?"

"Because this wasn't how you say goodbye to me," Amelia said and he saw that she was holding the book he had sent. Oeznik looked to her as she moved from him and pressed the book against Helmut's chest, keeping it firmly there. "You don't say goodbye by simply quoting a line from my favourite book." He took the book from her and slipped it into his pocket.

"The quote said all I wanted to say," Helmut told her.

"And that's what hurts the most," Amelia said to him as Oeznik moved to the private jet, climbing onto it and giving the two of them privacy. "The fact that you said it as a goodbye…you told me…not even to my face…and when you intended on leaving me."

"Because telling you to your face would be too hard, Amelia," he said, his hands moving to cradle her cheeks, fingers spanning over the expanse of her pale skin. "I didn't want to do this…to see you upset…because we can't be together. There is no way we can be together and that was the choice that I made when I left you in Cleveland. Do I regret it? Maybe…maybe I do…because all it has done has led me to wonder what life would have been like if I had just stayed…if I had just woken up next to you in Cleveland instead of leaving."

Now she was crying, tears falling down her cheeks and refusing to stop. Shaking her head back and forth, her good hand went to sit on top of his on her cheek.

"Don't leave me," Amelia pleaded with him. "Please, Helmut, I don't want to live on the run. I don't want to live hiding, but the thought of going back to that house…it being empty…you being out here…that hurts me more."

"I know," Helmut promised her. And he did know. He was acutely aware of how she was feeling. He could feel his own throat begin to clench, emotion taking hold of him. They were emotions that he couldn't stop. He was doing everything he could not to let himself cry, needing to be strong.

"What are you going to do?"

"Go to Sokovia," he said to her and she should have known. "I want to see the memorial before James finds me because we both know he will…and then…whatever happens…I will accept it. But I can't keep running, Amelia. I can't keep running because if I do then I know you will never move on and I want you to move on. I want you to have a normal life and be happy."

"And what if this is what I want? What if I want to go with you? I would be happy living on a deserted island if I had to."

Helmut's lips quirked, but he shook his head. "As idyllic as that sounds, we both know that can't happen. They won't let it happen," he told her. "This is what has to be done and deep down you know that. Deep down you know that you don't want to live looking over your shoulder, not when you have a future…you have so much to look forward to…and I cannot be a part of that. I cannot be a part of your future."

Amelia didn't want to admit it to him. She didn't want to admit that she knew he was talking sense. She had been living in denial. It had been easier than accepting the truth. But the truth was that he was a wanted man. He was going to be hounded for the rest of his life and eventually the people who were after him would catch him up. Amelia knew that you could only hide for so long.

"Just don't say goodbye just yet," Amelia said, trying to negotiate with him on that at least. She didn't know if it would work, but she was desperate. He continued dabbing at the tears falling from her eyes with his thumb, brushing them away for her. She placed her good hand on his shoulder, clinging to him. "Just let me come with you. Don't leave me here, alright? You can do that, can't you?"

"Amelia, you're just making this worse for yourself."

"Perhaps, but I don't want to say goodbye like this, stood on a runway dressed in a hospital gown with Oeznik's coat around me and my dirty trainers."

Helmut's lips arched and he nodded his head once. "One more night," he told her. "And then you go home."

And she nodded. She could do that.

Sitting on the plane, Amelia had to admit that she was cold. Helmut had seen her shiver, despite still having Oeznik's coat around her shoulders. He removed his own coat then and draped it over her front as she curled into a ball and he sat next to her. He felt her rest her head against his shoulder and he tentatively moved his arm around her shoulders. His fingers hardly touched her bad joint, sitting there lightly and almost hovering.

"Where are we going?" Amelia wondered from him.

"I have a hotel booked for the night under Oeznik's name in Sokovia. We can stay there and then I intend to visit the memorial the following day. I suspect James will find me there."

"He's going to be so pissed off with me."

"He will forgive you."

"You sound sure."

"Because he clearly loves you."

Amelia shook her head as Helmut moved a hand across his body to her cheek, brushing his fingers into her hair. "I don't think he loves me," Amelia said.

Helmut tilted his head. "Perhaps not entirely just yet, but he is most certainly on the way to falling in love with you. That's why I know he will forgive you and perhaps…you might be able to be-"

"-Do not finish that sentence," Amelia interrupted him, closing her eyes. "I don't want to think about Bucky or have you tell me that I should be able to move on with him. I just don't want to think about the future at all, not for the time being."

"As you wish," Helmut gave her that much and placed his chin on the top of her head. She kept her eyes firmly closed, feeling tired once more as she inhaled the familiar scent of Helmut's cologne on his coat and on his neck. It was surrounding her, but she found it almost comforting. "Get some sleep, Amelia. We still have a few hours before we land."

She nodded against him and nestled closer to him. He kissed the top of her head and then leant his own head back, his eyes closing and he tried to feel content for just a few more hours before he lost her for good.

A/N: So we really are drawing to a close now! Not sure how to end it - cliffhanger or no cliffhanger? Do let me know what you think!