Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, added to favourites and alerts.

I hope you continue to enjoy the story as it unfolds.

All mistakes are mine and mine alone.


XXX


Chapter 2:-

Curling tendrils of darkness and coldness slashed at her mind.

Danger.

They pressed along her skin...warning her.

Biting and clawing.

Someone had stepped across her wards.

Holly woke to the pulsing beat of hummingbird wings flapping throughout her entire body, darting upright the moment her eyes snapped open, wand in her hand.

She was off the bed like a crack of a spell shooting out of a wand, shadows wrapping around her protectively, shrouding her from sight, blending almost entirely into the darkness.

Her body tensed, her stomach tightened and hardened, and she fell into that part of herself that was always pushing to the surface, primal instincts that pushed back everything else and drove her forward one foot in front of the other as she searched for the threat.

Holly slipped through the crack of her bedroom door without making a sound, her bare arms prickling as cold air washed over her.

She drew a breath.

Calmed her racing heart, until the beats were a little less frantic and less likely to give her away should anyone be able to hear them.

Holly took a step forward, as her senses stretched and rolled through her apartment as if she was a gentle breeze.

She could feel them.

The intruder. The pulsing beat of life that called to her with every beat of their heart.

A soft glow that she could see, feel and taste.

The shadows stalking them as they moved from kitchen to living room.

Threat? They purred.

All Holly had to do was reach just a little for the rippling current of power that prowled inside itching to reach the surface.

To be used.

Wait, she ordered.

Holly hated it, hated it as much as she found comfort in it. Hated that it felt so familiar, so much like...home.

Her wards prevented muggles from breaking in, which meant whoever was intruding was a witch or a wizard, and good enough to slip in through her wards, without shattering them into a thousand pieces.

Potential spells raced to the surface, but Holly wanted answers and going non-lethal was her only option if she intended to get them.

Eliminate?

No.

Movement caught her eyes, a glimpse in the moonlight of pale white skin.

She drew another breath.

And moved.

"Expelliarmus!"

Scarlet light flared to life and shot out of her wand.

Holly's eyes widened.

"Goddamn it Luna!" she hissed through clenched teeth, as her spell hit the glass Luna was holding and promptly shot out of her friend's hand and across the room hitting the wall with a smash.

Holly stared at Luna.

Luna stared at her, a dazed look on her face as her mouth fell open.

Not that Luna stayed surprised for long, her mouth closed and her lips turned into a smile.

"Hello, Holly."

"Hello, Holly. Really, hello, Holly? I could have killed you!"

"But you didn't."

As if that made all the difference.

"That is completely beside the point," Holly snapped.

"Your wards are keyed to me, and Hermione and Ron. Nobody else could have gotten past them," Luna countered, waving her wand at the mess which vanished in seconds.

A light hummed to life, and Holly was able to get a good look at her friend. Someone she hadn't seen in twelve months.

Not that Luna had changed.

Still, moonlight pale, silvery long hair that made her appear more other than human, still silent strength with all to knowing and seeing blue eyes.

Luna was right.

She had designed her wards specifically to only allow four people to get past them.

Four people besides herself.

If she had taken the seconds she needed for that thought to have caught up with her, then she wouldn't have gone straight on the attack.

Except even behind layers and layers of magic Holly still didn't feel safe. Didn't switch off easily. Her instincts too ingrained into her.

She was always ready for an attack.

Voldemort.

Assassination attempts in the years that followed.

Various Dark Witches and Wizards trying to make a name for themselves by killing her.

Hydra.

Her list of enemies was always growing.

Another always rose to take the place of those she had defeated.

"You were dreaming."

Holly snorted in response...and because she was dreaming, the lingering taint still gripping her even now.

She very rarely slept for long these days.

"I don't dream, at least not pleasantly, not anymore."

"Nightmares have just as an important message as dreams do Holly; you know this better than most."

"I know what my nightmares are telling me, Luna," Holly replied coldly, crossing her arms and glaring at the wall to the side of her friend.

Luna, it seemed sensed her reluctance and didn't push any further.

"Four hundred."

Holly snapped her gaze back up to her friend who was glancing down at the various files and parchment that Holly had spread out across the table she had commandeered as her workspace.

Luna's face was grim, her blue eyes dim in comparison to the glistening blue she was so used to seeing.

"I have the information you asked for, it took some time between me asking and having it gathered discreetly of course, and I was in a different country. But four-hundred."

"Over how long of a period?" Holly asked, needing to know the answer even if she didn't want to acknowledge the answer.

"Five years. Four hundred muggle-borns over five years," Luna replied, "There could be more, that number only includes those that have reached eleven in the last five years. Those that never answered their letters when they came. It doesn't include those that aren't quite powerful to have wands."

"Muggle statistics say 800,000 children a year go missing in the United States, though I think that is only a rough figure, subject to change, four hundred muggle-borns over a five year period is - alarming," Holly replied, walking towards the table and the files in order for her to write down a new note, a new theory.

"How confident are we the intel is accurate?" She asked, looking up at Luna.

"Confident. My sister-in-law works for the department in MACUSA that deals with integrating the muggle-borns, or rather No-Maj-born as they are called here."

"Was it investigated?"

"Not really. Muggles move too much for them to really take notice. Children connected to military families. We have never been very good at communicating amongst ourselves, so it was never checked if they went to another school."

"And because no further magic was found in the area that they were first located at, the case closed."

"Exactly."

"Fuck, it's worse than I thought." Holly moved to the table, spreading out a few files.

She continued, "Four hundred in the States in five years. Two hundred and eighty on our side of the pond and that's just looking at the last five years, and nobody has noticed," Holly muttered, "and I have Krum checking figures within Europe, and they are steadily rising."

"What does it mean Holly?"

"It means somebody is hunting muggle-borns and they are going after them when they are at their weakest before they even learn about magic. About our world and the world, they belong to."

"But who -" Luna stopped and looked up at her, "Hydra."

"Hydra. But they have to be getting help from one of our lot, not unless they have found a way to track accidental magic, but even that would be too fucking random," Holly rambled.

Gods it had been too long since she had been able to bounce ideas off someone else. Even when Hermione and Ron were sharing what they had found the conversations had been kept brief and left them with more questions than answers.

"How has nobody noticed? How have we not noticed?"

"Because we were cleaning up after Voldemort. Voldemort destroyed the records of muggle-borns when he was in power, and it took time to sift through all that mess." Holly sighed, "Because they are all under eleven - so it's before they even get their letters, it only becomes noticeable when someone goes to invite them to a school, and they aren't there."

"How did you notice?"

"Andromeda," she answered, shifting through the files to the five she was referring to, "Five of the muggle-borns the foundation was helping disappeared. She contacted me, and I investigated, the trail went cold, but witnesses confirmed that men in tactical gear with guns took them. I went back over the records of the muggle-borns and started to notice a few here, and there hadn't gone to Hogwarts. No records of them and the cases were cold on the muggle-side. Disappearances, parents murdered. Not enough to draw too much attention or pattern, but with the magical world involved you could see a connection, a bigger pattern."

Holly trailed off.

"You kept looking."

"I kept looking and found a whole lot more," Holly admitted, "some of the parents were still alive, their children had been missing for five years or longer. Just vanished. Others, I found evidence of memory charms. They couldn't even remember having a child, it was the schools that reported them missing."

"You've been working on this for the last four years?"

"The first year was while I was still working as an Auror, so other cases always came in, but the last three I have been working on nothing else. I've been working undercover trying to find out as much information I could about Hydra, but they were like ghosts, at least until Captain America and everything that happened nine months ago. Hydra became very public then, but now they are in the fucking wind, and kids are still going missing."

"What are they doing with them?" Luna asked.

"That's the question, isn't it?" Holly answered, a lump formed in the back of her throat. Her mouth had suddenly gone to dry. "I found some of the bodies, or what was left of them. But those that survived, those that they keep. I don't know."

Luna looked up at her, "What's your next move?"

Holly licked her lips ever so slightly; Luna was probably going to think she was crazy.

"The Avengers."

Luna blinked, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

"The Avengers? Muggle's mightiest heroes," Luna repeated, "I can see you fitting in with them wonderfully."

Holly rolled her eyes, "Yeah, sure, I'm not a hero. I'm a dead witch walking, as far as the Wizarding World is concerned."

"Not dead, just missing," Luna corrected, with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You are doing what you need to do, always putting others before yourself."

Holly wasn't so sure about that. Yes, she wanted to protect the children; yes, she wanted to defeat Hydra. But a large part of her, a part of her she was desperately trying to grapple with wanted to hurt them. To obliterate them.

And Holly was sure that part of her was hungry for revenge.

"So the Avengers," Luna said softly.

"I had a job interview yesterday, and I got it on a trial basis. Acting as support to the Avengers, can't say exactly what it involves really but if anything Hydra related is found I should be able to get the information."

"You're spying on them."

Holly groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "When you say it out loud like that, it makes me question what I have just signed up for. I don't spy; I'm direct and straight to the point. I am totally going to screw this up."

Luna grinned at her, "I think it will be good for you."

"Really?" Holly asked in surprise, her eyes narrowing as she looked at her friend, she was expecting something other than I think it will be good for you.

"I think you will find exactly what you are looking for with them...and I think it will surprise you."

"Well, that's not cryptic at all," Holly pointed out, "Nor is it helpful."

"I didn't realise I was supposed to be helpful," Luna teased, "I think we both could do with a drink."

"It's three in the morning."

"And, when has that ever stopped us before, I insist."

"Will it involve ice-cream?"

"Of course, and Dragons-breath and Fire whiskey," Luna grinned.

The tension slipped from her shoulders as Luna ushered her into the kitchen. It had been too long since she had seen any of her friends, to long since she had allowed herself any type of comfort or contact with her old life.

Hermione and Ron were the only ones who truly knew why she had withdrawn, though Holly was sure Luna knew more than she was letting on. Her friend didn't say anything, didn't push, she was just there like a breath of fresh air that reminded Holly of the fleeting moments that they had been allowed to be normal, allowed to be human.

"So tell me how is married life?"

Luna's grin widened, and Holly couldn't help but relish in the normalness of the moment. For a single minute or hour, everything else could wait. Her being the worst spy in the history of spies was another day's problems.

Right here, right now, she was just Holly.

She wasn't the saviour, the hero, the woman-who-conquered and any other ridiculous name the Wizarding World had dreamt up for her.

She wasn't a woman on a mission to take down an evil organisation.

She was Holly who sipped Fire-Whisky and downed Dragons-breath and ate ice-cream knowing full well tomorrow she was going to be drinking a hangover potion, but that would be fine.

She was Holly, who couldn't stop the smile spreading across her lips as Luna gushed about Rolf and their grand adventures.


XXX


For one second, he forgot.

Forgot himself, forgot who he was, his left hand rising on reflex to his mouth so he could nibble on his skin.

A tick that his subconscious remembered when he was too far gone in his thoughts, that even now still happened. It wasn't until he felt the metal touching his lips that he recoiled away, pulling his arm down faster than a blink.

His face tightened, his brow drawing close.

He was tired, so fucking tired.

Another sleepless night, memories turning and twisting and unearthing things that made no sense.

Blood covered hands, knives dripping, guns discarded on the ground. Tear streaked faces, eyes pleading as they sobbed and begged.

Bucky smacked his head against the wall.

Pain jolting through him, pushing away the flashes that plagued him.

His stomach churned, and he could taste bile on his tongue.

He wanted it to stop.

He needed to stop.

But his silent pleas went unheard.

And it was no less than he deserved.

Monsters like him didn't deserve absolution.

The only comfort granted to him was the first rays of sun dancing across his chest as it cut through the blinds, chasing away the lingering darkness that clung to him.

Pushing back the shadows.

Dawn was Bucky's favourite time of day.

The pivotal peak between darkness and light where it was neither night nor day.

He enjoyed the peaceful quiet when the others in the tower were asleep, and the only noise he could hear was the hum of the air-con, he had on at night. Complete silence let him wonder to deep in his thoughts, where one wrong turn could have him lost for hours or days until Steve dragged him back out.

But quiet wasn't silence.

It was just right.

It was peaceful.

And it had been such a long time since he had any kind of peace.

He enjoyed the quiet, just like he enjoyed his solitude.

Until he didn't.

He absently scratched at his chest, his fingers feeling the difference in texture as he trailed over words etched permanently onto his skin.

Bucky sighed, moved his hand away from his chest and words and ran his right hand across his chin, five-day stubble scratching at his flesh, reminding him that he needed to shave...if he wanted to.

Choice, everything was a choice now.

He had to keep reminding himself of that because a part of him was still awaiting orders.

Still awaiting a mission.

Bucky closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the wall and breathed.

He could feel it, moving under the surface, all the time, a surge of power, a current of electricity always looking for an outlet, always looking to push forward the moment he let his control slip for even a second.

Control.

He was in control.

Nobody else.

Him.

He wasn't the Asset.

He wasn't the Fist of Hydra.

He was a human being. Flesh and blood and bone.

He was James Buchanan Barnes.

Bucky.

He was Bucky.

I'm with you till the end of the line.

His eyes snapped open. Memories glistening like broken shards of a mirror just out of reach. Occasionally he would catch the reflection and images out of sequence would unfurl.

Sometimes they would be pleasant.

Other times he was left hurling, his heart pounding in his chest.

He had come agonisingly close to ending Steve's life.

Too fucking close.

He couldn't be trusted, and yet he couldn't ignore the hopeful, wishful looks that Steve threw his way whenever he thought Bucky didn't notice.

Bucky noticed.

Training that had been instilled into him noticed every detail, no matter how small or insignificant it appeared to be.

He saw Steve's hopeful, longing looks...and he wasn't ready to face that.

He wasn't ready to face that part of his past.

And yet the memories flickered, and the feelings stirred to life in him, swirling around and around until he couldn't breathe.

He felt a warm caress along his skin, in his soul, the hairs on the back of his neck standing to attention and the feel of something good pulsed soothingly at him.

Offering comfort, all he had to do was reach out and...

No! He pushed back on the warmth, letting ice fill his veins until he was impenetrable.

Bucky flinched as something stabbed at his chest, at his heart.

Steve.

He wanted to feel guilty. But he couldn't, it was safer to keep him at arm's length, safer to keep him away.

His phone vibrated the moment he shut down the connection, the moment he pushed back.

He rolled his eyes at the message from Steve.

No mention of what had just happened between them, just a reminder that he needed to eat.

He snorted; it was so typically Steve, mothering instincts even when he shouldn't.

Ignore the elephant between them, focus on the smaller details and stew on what it meant that he had pushed him away again.

Bucky drew a deep breath. His lungs felt like rocks.

He pushed himself to his feet. Breakfast, meeting.

But first, he needed a shower.

A shower then clothes then breakfast.

A routine.

Something he needed more than he liked to admit.


Bucky stepped into the War Room grateful that he was the first to arrive. It allowed him to pick his favourite spot that gave him a clear view of the whole room.

Usually, he ended up in a silent battle of wills with Natasha for it, one that she often won, but today, the seat was his.

His gaze swept across the room, looking for signs of interference before doing a second and third scope for the less visible signs. A force of habit he was unable to break, despite knowing that Jarvis rendered his searches a waste of time.

He pulled his chair out, further than necessary from the table that gave him the room to move should he ever be required to defend or attack, and sat down. His back protected by the wall, he crossed his arms in front of him and waited.

Fingers grazed over the familiar handles of his knives blending in perfectly with the tactical vest he wore. A black glove covered his metal hand, making him appear normal, more human and less monster.

The door opened, his eyes snapped to attention as Banner and Sam Wilson walked in. Sam holding two mugs of coffee and carefully balancing a plate of what looked to be muffins.

He raised an eyebrow questioningly at the two of them.

"Sam's decided to take after Samwise and have a second breakfast," Banner supplied.

"What the fuck, there is nothing wrong with a second breakfast, and I'm too tall to be a hobbit."

Bucky snorted, "I don't know, you're what smaller than me."

"One inch. You are one inch taller than me."

"One inch makes all the difference," Bucky smirked.

"I bet that's what you say to all the girls," Sam sniped back.

"It's how you use the extra inch."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise, and he wrinkled his nose, "That is a mental image I do not need Barnes, now or ever."

Using the mental disturbance as a distraction, he reached over for one of the coffee cups and snagged it.

"Barnes you son of a bitch, that was mine. I need my caffeine. Have a muffin instead."

Bucky licked the rim of the cup and smirked, "Nah, you keep your muffins. I prefer coffee."

Sam's eyes widened, and his brow creased, "Damn it, now I have to go make another one."

"Better hurry, birdbrain," he chuckled as he sipped the coffee. Just the way he liked it.

Sam flipped him off as he exited the War Room.

Sam may bitch and moan, but he couldn't help but wonder whether he had intentionally brought a second mug of coffee just the way he liked it.

"The muffins I get, but I'm not entirely sure why he needed two cups of coffee," Banner commented.

"Steve says he needs caffeine in the morning before he's functional. But I have my doubts, he's huff and puff, but the coffee is exactly how I drink it," Bucky replied with a shrug, taking another sip of his coffee.

Banner smiled slightly at him, "Does he know you know he does it deliberately."

"And miss a chance to rile him up, I will never tell him."

"Are you antagonising Sam again?" Steve asked as he entered the room, his own mug in his hands.

"Who me? Nah."

"Uh-huh," Steve threw him a look that said pure and simple he didn't believe him for a second, "Did you sleep last night?"

Bucky stilled.

No.

The terrible nights, drew Steve to his room.

The man standing vigilantly over him, pulling him out of the dark when Bucky needed him to.

Those nights he slept.

Comforted by the warmth that was Steve.

But the risks were too high for it to become a regular thing, no matter how much Steve was willing to risk it. So Bucky often lied, said he slept when he didn't.

"Did you?" He countered, "I'm not the only one that needs sleep punk."

Steve looked down at his mug and chuckled, "Yeah, yeah. We are both as bad as each other."

"Have either of you tried meditation?" Banner asked suddenly, his eyes darting between the two of them, "I find it helps."

"I can't say that I have, my body needs to move too much for me be able to sit still for too long," Steve admitted.

"The Serum, a blessing and a curse. The pinnacle of human physical potential - though it does mean you have more energy to burn than most. Meditation isn't always sitting still - there are a few different types of meditation that involve movement; perhaps one of them may be more beneficial for you."

"Sex is also a perfect way to get rid of excess energy, perhaps you should try it, Cap, it would be beneficial for you," Stark quipped as he entered the room, the man not glancing up from his phone as he sat down in the seat next to Banner, "Plus men and women would line up at the opportunity."

Bucky stilled as his eyes slid over to Steve, who stood equally frozen as he all but glared at Stark.

"How has the conversation turned to sex again, seriously Barnes, I told you I didn't need the mental images," Sam chimed as he re-entered the room with another steaming cup of coffee.

Bucky held up his palms, "Don't look at me. Stark is offering."

"I am disturbingly interested in that trail of thought about how you were talking about it earlier," Stark smirked, "And where was I for that conversation."

"Not here," Sam stated.

Stark rolled his eyes, "Obviously."

"I worry about the level of intelligence in this room, and the fact that people expect us to save them," Banner said softly as he shook his head.

"Boys, you can't be in a room together for five minutes without turning the conversation to sex," Natasha added as she walked into the room, followed closely by Hill and Clint.

"I was just saying the Cap needs to get laid, Wilson was the one that came in talking about sex and mental images," Stark argued

"Only because Barnes was talking about how to use an extra inch."

Bucky was aware of all eyes looking at him, "I was talking about height birdbrain; it's not my fault your brain went there."

Sam opened his mouth to argue back.

"Enough!" Steve growled at them, silence filled the room.

"Doesn't it just make you want to purr when the Cap goes all-dominating on you?" Stark chuckled, just as Natasha flicked his ear.

Steve glared at him.

"Apologies for my tardiness," Thor greeted as he stepped through the door, shutting it firmly behind him.

Steve gave a curt nod in acknowledgement, his entire demeanour changing the moment the door shut.

He remained standing as the rest of them sat, his feet planted in a wide stance his fists clenched and his jaw set. Bucky could see the little muscle at its corner.

Bucky knew that look. Had seen that look too many times on the man's face before, had seen it right before he attempted to sign up for the last time, the time he got picked as the super solider.

His eyes closed.

Bucky's chest clenched, the memory hitting him harder than any of them previously had, the images flashing through his mind.

Stark's flying car.

Dot and another girl.

Stevie fighting in a back alley.

His last night before he was sent to the front lines.

Stevie telling him he had finally been accepted...fear gripping him with an iron fist and squeezing so fucking hard because it was war and Bucky couldn't protect him.

Bucky clenched his fist and went still.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

His eyes opened slowly and froze when he realised every set of eyes were on him, the coffee mugs handle had snapped in his hand, and coffee spilt across the table and dripped to the floor.

His body trembled as he angled himself away from the scrutiny of the others; he dropped his chin to his chest.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he took the paper towels that Sam passed to him. He hadn't even noticed the other man leaving the room, a rookie mistake.

A weak mistake.

He felt Steve's presence at his side and shied away almost instinctively. Steve hovered but didn't make any sudden move towards him, no move to touch him, just grabbed a paper towel and crouched down to tackle the mess on the floor.

"A memory?"

Bucky nodded, painfully aware that the others were listening while trying not to hear at the same time.

"I'm fine," he muttered.

"You're stronger than you think you are," Steve countered, his hand hovering dangerously close to his knee, the temptation to reach out and touch him was strong, like magnets pulling them together. But Bucky dared not.

It wasn't safe.

"You okay to continue?" Steve asked quietly.

Steve was giving him a choice. A choice to stay and listen to the meeting or to leave.

"Yeah, punk," he mumbled.

Steve collected the towels, rose to his feet and dropped them in the trash can, before moving back to the position he was in before...Bucky swallowed.

This time Steve sat down, almost as if he was aware that he triggered the memory just by standing in that same defiant manner he had all his life.

"We've got a lot to go over today, but now we are all here, we might as well get started," Steve announced, before turning to look at Thor.

"Anything to report on your side of the nine-realms?"

Thor cleared his throat, "As you are aware I have renounced my claim to the throne, to allow me to fulfill my role as guardian over the nine-realms. I can report that there are no further signs indicating unrest within the nine-realms."

"Any reports on Chitauri movement?" Stark asked, his face looking pained and grim.

"Tony," Steve said softly.

"Save it, Cap, New York's invasion was a drop in the ocean in their forces. If they come again, then we are screwed."

"My quest in finding answers has proved futile. They are not from a known world, you must remember that the universe is vast compared to what your scientists believe it is."

"Right, so we aren't any closer to finding answers then. What about Loki?"

"He is shielded from Heimdall's sight. He is on Earth, and he has yet made no move to attack further."

"But he potentially will, do we have information on his Scepter yet, cos I got say, man, the last thing we need is him getting his hands back on that," Clint pointed out.

"My contact with General Talbot is shaky at best currently, but I haven't received any confirmation yet that it has been catalogued with items that have been sized from SHIELD," Hill replied, "I am however liaising with the United Nations for any possible movements on Loki - if he makes a move on Earth we will know about it. And on less well-known contacts that I will deny in court, Shield is attempting to track down the Scepter for us. They believe Hydra took it."

"I would say that is likely considering we practically handed it over to them," Steve admitted.

Bucky shifted in his seat, he was aware of the powers that the Scepter had, mind control, it left him with an uneasy weight pressing down on him at the thought that Hydra had it within their grasp.

That they could use it against others.

Against him.

"This brings me to our main point,"

"Oh good, I did wonder why Jarvis set six reminders for this meeting. We all know I don't do meetings. Pepper does my meetings," Stark quipped.

"Tony," Steve warned, throwing the man a look that said now wasn't the time nor the place, Stark smirked at Steve but stayed silent.

Steve continued, "As important as capturing Loki is, we don't have the resources to track him across the world until he makes a move. Especially when Hydra has ten cells currently in New York."

The news rippled through the room almost immediately. Clint and Hill both tensed, glancing between Natasha and Steve. Stark sat up that little straighter and even Banner looked more concerned though reading the man was practically impossible.

"Jarvis clear my schedule," Stark said.

"Of course sir."

"Are we certain?" Hill asked her eyebrow rose questioningly.

"The intel was good, and he didn't lie to me," Natasha replied.

"How many are we talking about?" Clint asked.

"Ten, ten-man teams," Natasha answered.

"That's a sizeable group if they work together," Hill pointed out, her brow creasing into a frown.

"Provided they all have the same mission," Clint agreed.

"Is an attack inevitable?"

"We have raised the security to threat level four as a precaution. We can speculate all we like and run around in circles," Steve said, bringing the focus back to him, his voice calm and reassuring, "We need more information before we make a move. We can't risk screwing this up if they have planned an attack. We can't make a move until we have all the facts."

"So what is our next move?" Stark asked.

The screen flared to life, and a map became visible. One red dot visibly marked in the location he had confirmed as a hideout. Bucky prayed he wasn't fucking wrong now.

The rest of the map had fifteen white dots - each representing a possible hideout. Jarvis working his magic in using Hydra's own algorithm against them. It wasn't perfect, not by a long shot but it was a start. The orange dots represented potential targets that would have a significant impact on their government or the rest of the world. Embassies, government buildings, the Avengers Tower, anything that would hurt the stability of the world. Yellow dots represented areas that would have the most significant loss of life.

"We have one confirmed hideout from Bucky's memories. We have fifteen potential others, we need to find out which ones are being used, which ones are abandoned. Our faces stick out too much, which is going to make this difficult," Steve answered.

"Well it's a good job I hired some extra people yesterday, but even they aren't going to be able to cover all of them," Hill replied, "It would only take one of them to be spotted twice in the same place."

"We can work with it. Tony, I need you to work your social connections; we need to know what is happening with the social elites anything that could make them a potential target...any politicians standing out too much. Any scientists on the verge of a breakthrough that will change the world. Not just here but worldwide," Steve answered, "Anyone giving funding to projects that are not on the books."

"Good thing we are in the social season then. Lots of parties," Stark snorted.

"We need to work out if any of the orange dots are likely targets for a potential attack - all of them would have an impact on not just our government but also the world, tension is running thick in areas of the world right now. One wrong move and it could explode," Natasha stated, taking point from Steve.

"Dare I ask what the yellow dots are for?" Banner asked his face solemn.

"Highest loss of life if they are going for fear or to make a statement," Steve answered, a grim look twisting his face.

"You gotta be shitting me!" Stark's head snapped up.

"Fucking hell, that's a lot of ground to cover. Just when I thought the bastards couldn't get any worse," Clint growled.

"They can get worse," Bucky said, "They can get a lot worse."

"They were willing to kill over twenty million people that were considered a potential threat to their world view. At the moment this is just New York City, we have no idea if they are setting up similar operations in other cities," Steve said.

"I will give Shield the heads up as a courtesy. We might end up having to work with them on this a little more than you would like," Hill stated.

Steve's jaw clenched tightly, his muscle ticking; he gave a short nod, "I can work with that if it comes to it."

"Jarvis, start sifting through the chatter on the internet, see if anything catches the eye of 'end of days' or 'green with envy' to a dominant world-dominating organisation," Stark ordered.

"Of course sir is this still under Protocol thirteen."

"Yes!" Both Steve and Stark replied, glancing at each other.

"Nobody outside this room knows what's going on, not until we get a feel for the new people. We cannot risk this information getting out."

"Agreed," Hill nodded, "Shield will get the bare bones."

Hill looked at him, and at Steve, "I have to ask, is there a possibility that Hydra is here for Barnes?"

"Won't happen," Sam snarled, Clint, nodding beside him. Both sets of eyes were hard and determined.

A flicker of something he couldn't name sparked to life ever so slightly, warming him.

"Hydra won't win that fight. I will personally tear them apart limb by fucking limb if they even think about it," Steve stated coldly.

"And he will have help," Clint agreed.

"We protect our own. But as I said, we have increased the security to level four not just as a precaution for an attack on the building, but as a precaution for a move against Bucky," Natasha answered.

"It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy," Bucky snorted.

A few of the others chuckled, the tension easing slightly, so it wasn't so thick or heavy in the room.

"I will also be staying at the Tower, in a week, that will add a level of protection here should they dare be foolish to attack," Thor announced, "Once I have returned from visiting Jane."

"I have to say Point-break has well a...point," Stark noted, "They might take us on without questioning it, but surely they aren't going to be suicidal enough to take on the God of Thunder?"

"If only it were that easy to beat them into submission or prison," Natasha snorted, "The higher-ups may be smart, but it doesn't mean the foot soldiers are. And it doesn't mean they haven't come up with something new to try and counter any one of us. They've had longer to prepare than we have."

"We all need to be extra vigilant, regardless. We have our aces, and we need to be prepared for any surprises they throw our way," Steve countered.

He turned to look at Hill.

"When do the new people start?"

"Monday, but I don't think you are going to want to be throwing them into this straight away."

"We might have to hit the ground running on this with them, I want to say no. Get a feel for them, but we need everything we've got."

"I will figure something out and go from there," Hill replied.

"Who have we got?" Clint asked, tilting his head curiously to the side.

"Jarvis," Hill prompted, waiting as the large screen shut down images of the map and instead brought five photos up. Three men and two women.

"Charles Wood though he goes by Tank. Former Strike member and ex-military. One of the few Strike members that weren't Hydra and barely survived his team turning on him," Hill answered, "He still believes in the Avengers and what you stand for."

"I remember working with him, he was a good soldier," Steve answered.

"Followed by Adam Jackson, aka Jax. Former Strike member. They are trained enough they can offer you support when needed, as well as helping with training the other three new people," Hill continued.

Jarvis brought up the next photo, young women with mousy brown hair and brown eyes that were familiar and yet not.

"Diane Phillips. Great-granddaughter of Colonel Chester Phillips. Engineer. She was one of the best we had."

Bucky studied the photo carefully, he could see it. The resemblance that sparked a sense of familiarity. She had the Colonel's eyes.

"Phillips, she was good, designed some of my arrows," Clint stated.

"I could use extra hands that understand the beauty of building and designing things, provided she can keep up," Stark snorted.

"Ethan Sawyer," Hill said, as Jarvis brought up a new photo, "A data analyst. All of them stood with Shield during DC, but have lost their faith in Shield."

"And the fifth?"

A new photo was enlarged across the screen.

The first thing Bucky noticed was her eyes.

They were captivating.

Bright emerald green.

They shone in the photo and Bucky doubted the photo did them justice but they certainly made them entirely otherworldly.

The second thing he noticed was the lightning bolt scar on her forehead faded enough to show it was an old scar and not a new thing.

It was an odd thing. Especially how perfectly shaped it was.

He didn't know what would have caused it, knives or any other sharp instruments would have resulted in jagged edges.

"Who is she?" Stark frowned.

"The only civilian that applied and made it past the background checks or wasn't a drooling fan," Natasha answered.

Hill hesitated, her eyes darting between Steve and him.

"Her name is Holly Jamie Potter."

Bucky froze.

Steve stiffened next to him.

"Oh shit!" Sam whistled through his teeth. Even Clint and Natasha seemed to register what the name meant but the others, the others stared blank-faced and confused.

"I'm sorry; does somebody want to share with the rest of the class?" Stark asked.

Bucky closed his eyes.

There had to be a mistake. There had to be.

He could barely deal with Steve, Steve who he has known since he was seven years old and now...now the name that had plagued him since he became free from Hydra's control, more aware of who he was, and what it meant.

Steve had said his had been there since he woke up from the ice.

His chest tightened, his heart pounding in his ribcage.

Everything was loud, too fucking loud.

He couldn't think or breathe.

"We both have a second mark. Her name. Holly Jamie Potter is our third," Steve answered, and Bucky could hear the confusion, the doubt, as the words rang loudly in his ears.

"You mean..." Stark began, opening his mouth and snapping it shut quickly.

"Yes."

"Where exactly have you been keeping that name hidden?" Stark continued, "And since when?"

"Across our hearts. And at least since I woke up from the ice."

"Not everyone has soul marks Cap; more people don't have them than anything else, as in it's rare to have them. You not only have one but a second."

"Yes."

"That happens to have been born this side of the war?"

"It would appear so."

"Fucking hell."

"You are twice-blessed?" Thor asked.

Bucky fixed his gaze on the Asgardian. The Asgardian who very rarely spoke in the meetings, and yet when he did, Bucky was reminded just how young they all were in comparison to him.

"Twice-blessed, I don't believe I have heard that phrase before," Banner stated, "What exactly does it mean?"

"There are stories whispered across the universe about marks manifesting in such ways. Not with just one mark, but a second. Forming a triad," Thor answered, "But I had not heard of such markings on mortals."

"It complicates things," Sam said softly, with far too much understanding in his gaze as he looked between the two of them.

"To be marked is to be considered blessed among my people, as it is in other realms," Thor stated.

"They are usually world changers on Earth Thor, for good or for bad. A domino effect," Hill answered.

"Not to mention the utter lack of choice in whom you are matched up to. Or in this case, twice matched to," Stark deadpanned.

Thor frowned, "You have forgotten what it means to be marked. They travel together through many lifetimes. How you chose to perceive them is unique to you. There are no set rules," Thor said softly, "A friend, lover, co-worker, mentor, teacher or partner. But they are far more than merely signalling one's connection. Those marked usually appear when the need for them is strongest."

"I came out of the ice and Loki invaded months later, even without my other marks," Steve said weakly, "Bucky and I almost tore apart D.C when our paths crossed again."

Thor looked at them both. Bucky could feel the power thrumming in the air around him with every word the Asgardian spoke. Bucky was old, but Thor was ancient and not of their world.

"If this Lady Potter is indeed you're marked, then it means that something is coming. Something that will require all three of you, too face."

"Well that's hardly a comforting thought," Stark said.

"We will have to prepare for all possibilities, war or not," Natasha said.

"Humans have forgotten their history."

"It doesn't help that history has been twisted by lots of different people. Concepts change, opinions are formed, history is forgotten or rewritten, and suddenly it is the only way to see things," Banner said, "It could be a coincidence that she shows up now."

"I don't believe in coincidences, and we can't afford to either. She could be a plant. Hydra had Barnes for seventy years. We don't know when the name appeared, but there is a strong chance they would have seen her name. Wouldn't take much to fashion a new identity," Natasha pointed out, "What do we know about her?"

"She worked for the Evans-Black Foundation as a Risk Assessor. She left twelve months ago." Hill answered.

Bucky frowned.

"Evans-Black Foundation?" Steve asked.

"It's a non-profit organisation, projects around the world, helping those that need help. It provides Education, Health Care, Accommodation the works to those that need it. They have helped people ranging from drug problems, abuse victims, human trafficking rings, gangs, war zones. Relatively new Foundation if I recall," Stark waved his hand, "CEO is a woman named Andromeda Tonks. And let me tell you that woman is scary, even Pepper is wry of her. But she manages to get millions off the rich without them even flinching. Hell most of them think it's their idea rather than hers. I tell you what that organisation would be a target for Hydra."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"From what her résumé says and what the official reports say, Potter was assessing a potential new area for a project house, investigating into cases of missing children that were linked to a human trafficking ring. It went south, and her entire team was killed. Potter survived," Hill replied as she looked at both of them, "How do you want to handle this?"

Bucky couldn't find his voice to say the words. Instead, he just stared at Steve, whose blue eyes looked at him with such rawness that it made him flinch back.

"I don't know."

They barely knew how to handle each other, as shattered as they were, how could having their second mark show up now be helpful to them.

He was tainted goods. Bad enough he couldn't get Steve to see that he didn't need someone new to tarnish as well.

"This could be Hydra's play. Use her as a distraction while they make their move," Stark said, "She could be a danger to our team."

"So better to have her here, and watch her," Natasha agreed.

"And if she isn't Hydra?" Banner asked.

"Then better for us to know about her, considering who she can potentially be. We can protect her better if she is genuine," Natasha countered with a shrug.

"A contract," Stark declared.

Bucky's eyes narrowed as he turned his attention to Stark, "A contract?"

The words didn't sound right coming out of his mouth.

"Yes, Manchurian Candidate," Stark snorted as he answered, "A contract. It's the only solution. If she's not Hydra, and just a perfectly innocent woman who has your names engraved onto her skin, then it protects us and her from that information falling into the wrong hands."

He continued, "It would mean she wouldn't be able to go to the media, discuss with anyone about the marks."

"It would work," Hill agreed, "If the contract covers all angles, then we can contain this for as long as possible."

"I'm sorry, but that doesn't exactly send a positive message to her," Sam cut across, "I mean I'm all for protecting her, provided she isn't Hydra, but if she isn't then a contract seems a little impersonal. Cold even."

"It could be the only way that keeps her safe," Steve muttered, "Will it be ready in time for Monday?"

Bucky snapped his attention to Steve, unable to fully keep the surprise from showing on his face. Steve didn't quite meet his gaze.

He understands.

He really does.

He couldn't say he was ready to face this particular prospect. This new development that was crashing into his life. He wasn't prepared. He was barely equipped for Steve.

How the hell was he supposed to be ready for a new unknown soulmate?

When his hands were covered with the blood of the innocents.

But whatever happened to just meeting your soulmate and figuring things out from there?

"My lawyers will have it ready by Monday," Stark confirmed.