The rest of the afternoon was spent testing out Madison's reflexes and her skill at multiple type weapons. After trying out many different types of weapons Tony decided she seemed best fit for the katana sword. It was light weight so she wasn't carrying around a great deal of machinery like the automatic weapons that Bucky carried. Her aim was good, but the bow and arrow just seemed too slow for her movements.

Tony and Bucky stood over to the side talking, or rather arguing while Clint and Nat walked Madison through a few basic moves with the sword. With each movement she was getting faster and more accurate.

"You've got to stay focused on where you are swinging that thing. It's sharp enough to cut hair with a single swipe." Clint was surprised that Madison wasn't as focused as she had been with the hand-to-hand training. "Stop, stop," Clint motioned for Madison to point the sword down and rest.

Natasha and Clint both turned to see what Madison was looking at and quickly saw what the problem was. Tony and Bucky looked to be having a very heated discussion about something and obviously it was worrying Madison.

"You two bickering over there like a pair of old grannies isn't helping this lesson any ya know," Clint yelled at Tony and Bucky.

Both men turned, realizing they had been caught mid-discussion. "Is something wrong," Natasha asked stepping toward the two men. Bucky looked ready to spit nails, he was so angry.

"Wrong would be one way of looking at it," Tony said, his stance turning to one of almost giddy joy.

"And just what would be another way of looking at it," Nat asked, looking directly at Bucky. In a very short time Natasha had mastered the 'parent look'. The one that if it was ever cast your way you either crumbled and fessed up, or you knew you were in so much trouble even if you didn't realize what that trouble was you confessed anyway. Bucky was caving quickly.

Turning to Madison, Bucky began apologizing, "I'm sorry if it was supposed to be a secret. It just seemed too important not to tell Tony or Bruce so they could maybe figure out what was going on." Clint and Nat looked back and forth between Madison and Bucky trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"Well someone better tell me what the hell is going on here," Nat was becoming upset about being kept out of the loop.

Tony looked at Bucky before turning back to the group. Madison wasn't going to speak up so it fell to Bucky to possibly be the bad guy, "Madison tripped outside on the track earlier. She tore her knee and hand up pretty badly when she caught herself on the asphalt."

Bucky motioned for Madison to show everyone where he was talking about. Everyone looked down to Madison's knees, but both seemed perfectly fine.

"They healed on their own," Bucky said, when they didn't seem to be getting what he was implying.

"Well that's what is supposed to happen. I'd be more worried if it didn't heal," Clint turned, ready to go back to the lesson.

"In seconds," Bucky added. This stopped Clint in his tracks and drew his attention back to Tony and Bucky.

"We think," Tony motioned to Bucky and himself, "that somehow when Madison came over from her universe that much like the infinity stone did to Wanda, the journey actually triggered something in Madison to cause all of these things to start happening to her."

Taking the few short steps to Madison, Bucky held her hands as he spoke to her, "We also think being exposed to the infinity stones might be kicking things into overdrive as well." Madison had said earlier she wanted to know why this was happening to her, and now there was a possible working theory.

"So you think that the journey over triggered my ability to copy Wanda's powers, but it was exposure to the stones that set everything else into motion", Madison was trying to remember the events of the past week to see how this could possibly add up.

"So why is it that just today I'm suddenly picking up so many of my post-serum dad's abilities then? I've really not been around Vision that much." Bucky had to admit this part stumped him.

"I think I might be able to help with that part of the equation," came the deep baritone voice of Thor as he and Steve walked into the training area. Madison watched as Thor walked towards her, long smooth strides that conveyed he was on a mission. But instead of stopping at Madison he proceeded past the small group and continued walking over to where his brother sat calmly watching the little charade as it went on. "Tell me I am wrong brother. Tell me that you did not take the tesseract from Asgard before it was destroyed."

Loki looked slowly up from where he sat, his face attempting to hold a look of pure innocence, "Brother, you wound me with such accusations. For you to believe such things of me truly…"

"Cut the crap, Loki and hand it over," Thor demanded of his brother.

Slowly Loki rose to his feet. He stared at his brother before smiling and holding his hand up. Before everyone's eyes the tesseract slowly materialized from Loki's hiding place.

"You son-of-a-bitch," Bucky made to rush Loki but Steve who had moved to his side wrapped his arm around his friend to hold him back. "You've sat here this whole time exposing her to that stone and not knowing all the shit it could do to her, for what," he yelled. The anger displayed on Bucky's face was fierce. If he could get his hands on Loki he was going to make him pay. Steve's actions were holding Bucky back, but his words said he was on Bucky's side. Something was wrong. Looking around Bucky realized no one was acting as they normally would.

"You aren't seeing the benefit of what I've done," Loki said as he walked slowly toward Madison, the tesseract glowing brightly. The closer Loki came, the more Madison's attention seemed fixated on the glowing blue orb.

"Loki, you put the tesseract down," Tony stepped forward to intercept Loki but his feet suddenly weren't able to move forward. "We don't know fully what effect that thing can have on her." Tony anxiously watched as everyone in the room seemed unable to stop the events as they slowly unfolded.

"You stay the hell away from her with that thing," Bucky yelled as he fought to get loose from Steve's grip. Clint felt himself being pulled against his will to join Steve in trying to hold a raging Bucky from tearing Loki apart.

"Loki, I'm giving you one warning, either back the fuck up from my daughter or I'm going to let Bucky loose and I don't think you'll like the outcome." Steve stared at Loki, who had stopped his forward progression, but that didn't stop Madison from being pulled towards the stone. It was like she was in a trance. Everyone watched as Madison's feet seemed to barely skim the floor as she practically floated towards the tesseract.

Nat stepped towards Madison calling her name, but nothing seemed to do the trick, she just wasn't reacting.

Reaching out, Madison's hand was mere inches from touching the tesseract, "Maddie, don't!"

Bucky's desperate plea broke Madison from the trance she had fallen into. Not having been standing on her feet, Madison fell to her knees when the spell was broken. It felt like waking up from a fog, looking around Madison didn't know what had just happened.

Steve and Clint both dropped the vice grip they had on Bucky, pulling their hands away unable to understand why they couldn't let go earlier.

Yanking his arms free from Steve and Clint's hold Bucky rushed to Madison's side, lifting her into his arms. Holding her close he slowly began to back them both away towards the gym entrance. "I don't know what the hell just happened here, but you all," Bucky looked at each member present in the room, "better figure out what to do with that thing," pointing towards the tesseract, "or you won't be seeing either of us any time soon."

With that, Bucky turned and pulled Madison safely out of the room and down the hall. He didn't stop until he had them both safely behind the door of his bedroom. Reaching down he locked the door. Bucky's heart was pounding in his chest and he could feel the blood rushing in his ears. He couldn't remember a time when he was as mad as he was right now. Looking around his room he took the chair from his desk and propped it under the door handle to the room to give a little more added security. In all honesty if any of them really wanted to get in a lock and chair weren't going to be a match for any of them. Vision could literally float right into the room if he wanted too.

Bucky rested his forehead against the coolness of the door as he tried to settle his breathing.

"Well I think I now understand a lot better," came the soft voice of Madison from behind him.

Turning slowly around, Bucky saw Madison had gone and sat on the bed after he had practically drug her into his room. His chest still felt tight from the anxiety of the moment, but Bucky knew he needed to talk with Madison. They needed to figure out together what was going on and why so much was happening that just didn't make sense.

Kneeling down in front of Madison, Bucky took both of her hands into his noticing how cool they suddenly were. Leaning down his put his lips to her hands, gently blowing on them to heat up her skin. "Babe, talk to me. What's going on, what do you understand?"

Slowly Madison focused on the blue of Bucky's eyes. She bet no one noticed that the more worried he became the darker his eyes got. The happier he was the lighter they were. Whenever he smiled his eyes sparkled. Whenever he was angry they were like a sea after a storm, dark and intimidating.

Bucky let Madison's hand slip from his as she reached up to tuck a stray hair behind his ear. Leaning into her touch his eyes closed almost like a cat appreciating a scratch of its ears. He loved feeling her touch him, even in the most simple of ways. It took him over seventy years to realize how desperately he needed human touch and now that he was getting it on a regular basis Bucky couldn't stop himself from loving every second of it. Even when it came during a time when his attention was needed elsewhere.

Dragging himself from the lull of Madison's fingertips in his hair, Bucky opened his eyes and refocused his attention back on Madison and what she had been saying. "What do you understand, Madison?"

Taking a deep breath, Madison explained. From what she knew, the mind stone had been used on Wanda to awaken her powers. When Madison crossed over from her universe to here, somehow a dormant power of her own was awaken. Maybe it was the universe trying to give her an advantage, who knew. What she did know was that the abilities she was experiencing, the accelerated healing, the speed, the agility, all of that was a side effect of the super soldier serum that was hers by heredity because of being Steve Rogers' daughter.

The effects of the tesseract were another thing altogether and Madison knew she needed a bigger brain than her own to help her figure this whole thing out. Unfortunately, Bucky had no intention of letting anyone near Madison at the moment. So that meant she would have to find another way to speak to Dr. Banner.

Back in the Gym

Loki calmly sat as several of the Avengers circled him seemingly ready to pounce. "If you'll just let me explain..." he started.

"NO!" both Natasha and Steve simultaneously yelled at Loki. "You could have done irreparable damage to Madison with that damn cube and all because you wanted to 'see what would happen'." Steve was normally a pretty even keel person, but after the many years of defending Earth, things had begun to change for him. He was no longer the idealistic young man that believed there was good to be found in just about everyone.

"You all needed…" he began again. "Man just shut the hell up, alright," an exasperated Clint finally said from his perch on the top of the bleachers. "You are always up to some scheme or another and this is no different." Stepping quickly down he continued, "You don't care who you hurt, you never have and you never will."

"Believe me when I say making me the bad guy, bothers me not. But my intentions were noble if you would only hear me out." Loki waited as each Avenger present seemed to run out of steam to argue with him.

"I can't believe I'm even thinking of entertaining this…" everyone turned to look at Tony as though he had grown a second head or something, "but please explain why you did this to her." Tony raised a hand to Steve to motion for him to wait. "This had better be one hell of an explanation too." Anger was etched across Tony's face. He had just created a peace between himself and Barnes, then when he couldn't move to help Madison, the look he shot everyone as he rushed out the door pulling Madison behind him…well it left him wondering how the relationship would be salvaged.

"We've got to tell Barnes and Madison something tangible, some really good reason you risked her life or else I'm not sure James will be able to be stopped next time."

Thor stood up straighter as he listened to Tony's threat. He and his brother weren't always on the best of terms, plus he liked this new Midgardian Barnes, but Loki would always be his brother. That meant that even if he had to defend him against his friends he would.

One-by-one each member found a seat to hear Loki out, all except Steve. He stood, arms crossed, glaring daggers at Loki.

"Upon arrival you took it upon yourselves to explain the situation of the past week. How this mystery person came to be in your presence from another time, another space…." Loki paused as he allowed this to sink in before continuing, "This little detail peaked my interest because typically you are only able to travel from location to location like this due to the effects of the tesseract."

Tony sat back in his chair listening, suddenly realizing what Loki was implying, "You are trying to say that there is more than one tesseract? That the reason Madison jumped universes is actually because the tesseract was used by her father to send her here?" Steve's features softened minutely realizing it could explain finally how Madison was able to jump universes when no one else had been able to.

"Not the tesseract, for you see…." Loki motioned for Thor to assist him, "brother if you would be so kind as to destroy the tesseract."

Thor glared at his brother, "Oh you'll be fine, stop being such a baby. Gamma radiation will only sting you, it won't do any real harm to a demigod." Loki smiled a large smile at his brother almost daring him to believe him. Part of Thor actually did believe Loki.

"Thor, I wouldn't if I were you," Steve said, taking a step forward regarding his friend.

Allowing his eyes to linger on his brother, Thor motioned for Steve to stay where he was. "Loki is many things, a trickster yes, but he enjoys tormenting me too much to allow me to die. He would never advise me to do something that might bring about my demise." For a moment Loki's smile faded and he looked at his brother with a look of friendship and love. Quickly, Loki schooled his features, hiding his appreciation that Thor would trust him in that instance, even going against his precious Avengers.

Everyone watched as Thor reached for the tesseract. Nat, Clint and Steve all stood behind Tony who had used his gloved hand to erect a force field in front of them to hopefully shield them from any blast that might occur. Loki remained by Thor's side. This actually gave Thor even more courage to do what he was about to do, Loki would never allow himself to be harmed.

Slowly everyone in the room could hear as the tesseract began to crack under the force of Thor's hand. Mjolnir would have been a much faster method, unfortunately that was no longer an option, and so godlike strength it was going to have to be. Thor's face was set in concentration as the tesseract glowed brighter and brighter as more pressure was added. The muscles in Thor's forearm were straining with the force needed to even crack the tesseract. "Just a little more brother," Loki encouraged.

A small shockwave skidded across the floor as the tesseract finally gave way under the extreme pressure of Thor's grip. Falling away was the outer shell and left in Thor's hand was a gleaming blue stone.

"That is the space stone, lady and gentlemen," Loki announced, looking on in awe at the infinity stone Thor held in palm of his hand.

"That, my dear Avengers, is what brought your sweet Madison to this Earth." Looking around at one another, no one knew what to say to this new revelation, "or should I say, it's one of the space stones."

Back in Bucky's Room

"So you believe that the gamma radiation that the tesseract is emitting is causing the super soldier effects you were born with from your dad to jump start your symptoms into hyper drive?" Bruce made a few notes on the tablet he was looking at, taking a long moment to think before he spoke. Talking to Bruce over the compound's computer system wasn't as ideal as going to his lab, but Bucky would only relent but so far.

Bucky wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was scared. Something or someone was controlling everyone downstairs in the gym earlier. No one was helping him to try to stop Madison from coming in contact with that damn stone and until he knew why, he wasn't letting anyone near Madison.

"It is possible that the tesseract is emitting enough energy to trigger dormant cells in your body. That might explain why you felt so threatened by Loki's presence since he arrived. Granted, he's not exactly Uncle Fluffy, but most people don't get the heebie-jeebies around him like you did."

Madison shivered at the memory of how uncomfortable Loki always made her. Even when he looked at her it made her skin crawl. As Bruce and Madison talked, Bucky paced back and forth in the background listening to the conversation trying to take it all in. Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"Is she in danger," he demanded, leaning over and looking at Bruce through the computer screen. "Is this damn stone hurting her with her being in the same building?"

Standing back up, Bucky ran his hands through his hair, pulling at the ends in frustration.

"Bucky I know that you are anxious to have answers, and I promise I'll do everything I can to get them to you. But in all honesty, for right now…." Bruce paused because he was about to tell Bucky exactly what he didn't want to hear, "I just don't know."

Bucky sat quickly down on the end of his bed in frustration.

"It's been a while since Tony called, apparently Thor finally got Loki to give up the cube. Tony is bringing it here to the lab and we're going to put it into a containment field. That should give us a sterile enough environment where we can start running some tests to get you some answers." In the background Madison could hear the gentle whoosh sound of the lab doors sliding open as someone entered. "Here's Tony now," Bruce said, moving over to allow Tony to join the conversation.

"Hey kid," Tony said, looking extremely upset as he joined the call. "I know right now we are probably not your favorite people," Bucky snorted in exasperation.

"That's putting it mildly," he said, giving a side glance to Tony.

"Alright Tin Man, I'm trying to explain here so how about shut it." Tony's defenses were up and he wasn't messing around.

"He's just worried Tony," Madison said, coming to Bucky's defense, "and scared. We both are."

Taking a deep breath, Tony continued, "I know, sweetheart and I'm sorry…I'm sorry Bucky, I really am."

Bucky nodded in acceptance but didn't say anything else. "We've found out some new information that might explain a whole lot."

Behind Tony Madison could vaguely see Bruce as he opened a small box that Tony had sat on the lab table upon entering. "I have a plan on how to test some theories out, but…" Tony looked directly at Bucky before he continued, "Bucky you aren't going to like them."

You could practically hear Bucky's jaw clinching as he ground his teeth together, his anger building.

"We don't think it's the tesseract exactly that is doing all of this to Madison." Tony turned around slightly, regarding Bruce who just stood in awe of what was in the small box. "We found out that the tesseract was housing an infinity stone. The space stone to be exact."

Madison watched as Bruce slipped on a thick glove and reached in to lift the stone out of the case.

"I'm going to put the stone into quarantine and then I want Madison to see if she has the same feelings around Loki as she did before." You could see Bruce in the background on the monitor as he listened to what Tony was saying, amazed at his gall to suggest such a thing in the presence of an extremely protective James Barnes.

Bucky rushed the screen as though he were willing to try jumping through it to throttle Tony for making such an asinine suggestion, but Madison stopped his advance with her agreement to Tony's plan. Bucky stepped backward as if punched in the gut, not believing what he was hearing.

"Give us a couple hours and we'll join you in the lab," Madison said before abruptly ending the call and closing the laptop.

This time Bucky missed the bed and instead slid down to the floor, too stunned to care at the moment. "Why would you agree to that," he asked, his eyes beginning to sting with tears he could feel building.

Slipping from the chair to the floor in front of Bucky, Madison reached to take his hands in hers. "I have to have answers Bucky. It's time that I take some kind of charge of whatever is happening to me." Reaching up Madison caressed Bucky's cheek that was now damp with the tears that were falling. "I've been here a week and so far things beyond my wildest imagination has happened to me and I haven't had one say in any of it."

Bucky looked at Madison, licking his dry lips he wanted to tell her that he would protect her and he would keep her safe, but he stopped himself. He had failed her so many times already, he couldn't even protect her from tripping on the track much less stopping something cosmic from occurring. His heart was crumbling under the weight of his presumed failures.

"Stop that," Madison snapped. Leaning forward, Madison quickly climbed onto Bucky's lap, wrapping her arms and legs around his body as though trying to shield him from his own negativity.

"You've been everything to me these past few days. I don't know what I would have done had I not had you with me." Wrapping his arms around her, Bucky buried his face into the crook of Madison's neck as he took a deep breath of her flowery scent.

"I can't lose you," his words came out more as a plea. Fear and sadness filled Bucky's thoughts and overwhelmed Madison. She had gotten very good these past few days of blocking out everyone's thoughts, all except Bucky's. When he was at his lowest, or when he was very angry, his thoughts lit up in Madison's head like Christmas lights that you couldn't ignore. She heard them no matter how hard she tried to block them. It felt wrong to listen in, but during times like this when he was hurting the most it was like she physically had no choice but to share in his pain or worry.

"You won't lose me," Madison said, pulling back slightly to look Bucky in the eye, "and I won't lose you." Leaning in Madison gently kissed Bucky's lips, the taste of his earlier tears still lingering slightly.

2 Hours later!

Two hours passed before either Madison or Bucky were ready for it. Bucky had decided the floor was no place for either of them and had moved them to the bed. Madison loved when Bucky turned all snuggly. She had never had a person in her life that enjoyed snuggling as much as he did. They spent the two hours with him resting his head on Madison's chest, often times just listening to her heart beat. Madison didn't mind, she enjoyed her time running her fingers through Bucky's soft hair. She loved how long it was and how it always seemed to fall back into just the right place to still make him devilishly handsome.

Madison couldn't help but giggle. "What's so funny," Bucky asked, looking up from his comfortable spot. Madison smiled, "It really isn't fair how handsome you are," she said, allowing her fingers to touch the pink of Bucky's lips as he smiled at her.

The tips of Bucky's ears actually turned pink at Madison's words. He just couldn't take a compliment. Looking down, his mind took a sad path, "When we have more time, I need to tell you some things about my past," he hedged, hating to even breech the subject.

Raising up from his position against Madison, Bucky looked at her before explaining, "I wasn't always who you see me as right now." The pain coming from Bucky's words made Madison clutch at her own chest. She had to take a deep breath, exhaling slowly before she could speak.

"You deserve to know the whole story before this," Bucky motioned between the two of them, "goes any further."

Sitting up on the bed, Madison reached for Bucky's hand and held it in both of hers. She couldn't help but to admire how something as simple as holding his hand felt to her. Bucky had the longest fingers and his nails always seemed to be perfectly groomed even with all of the dangerous work he did. "I don't judge people on their worst days. Our past, no matter what it was like, gives us two options; we can both learn from our mistakes and move forward trying to be a better person, or we can wallow in it and miss the good things in life."

Bucky looked up from watching Madison stroke his fingers as she held his hand, her words piercing his heart. "You are my good thing, James Buchanan Barnes, and I refuse to miss you."

Bucky pulled Madison quickly to him, kissing her passionately. His tongue softly teasing her bottom lip as he allowed the fingers of his left hand to run through the long tresses of her hair while his right hand found the hem of her shirt-tail. Slipping his fingers under Madison's shirt and touching the smooth skin of her back set his heart to flying. He wanted so much more, to touch and kiss every inch of her, to worship the creamy texture of her skin as it slipped beneath his touch. But that nagging voice in the back of his head kept telling him to stop, that Madison deserved better than a quick roll in the sack. That she deserved to be cherished and lavished with all the words of romance and love. She also deserved to know who he was completely before giving herself to him. This thought stopped Bucky in his tracks. Both breathing heavily, Bucky trying to gather himself as he slid his hands back down to Madison's waist.

What Bucky saw when he opened his eyes almost made him say to hell with it all and make Madison his right then and there. Her lips were pouty and bruised from his kiss, a dusty pink that begged him to kiss her again. Her hair was tousled from where his hand had run through it, holding her tightly to him. Her chest rose and fell just as quickly as he was sure his own was as they both tried to calm down. The soft curve of the tops of her breasts peeking out slightly from where her shirt had slipped down. God how he wanted to feel the heat of her skin against his cheek.

Madison's wiggling was not helping Bucky at all either. His jeans were becoming painfully tight in all the wrong places. God how he wanted to free himself just to find some relief, but 'that definitely wouldn't be very gentlemanly', he thought as he rested his forehead against Madison's shoulder. Her fingers running down his neck felt amazing and he wanted badly to stay right where he was.

Bucky could tell when Madison took a deep breath, but instead of letting it out, instead she spoke in a quick gust, "Why do we always stop, do you not want me?"

Bucky jerked back his head quickly, surprised by the question and the assumption that Madison had made. Reaching up Bucky gently smoothed down the wild strands of hair that framed Madison's face from their make out session. "Not want you," Bucky's throat was suddenly dry, "you have no idea how much I want you."

"Then why do we always stop? I want you, Bucky." Bucky swore he could feel his heart skip a fucking beat at Madison's admission. Women had wanted him before for his body, but this felt different. Madison felt different.

Looking into her eyes he confessed to her what had been holding him back, "Because the first time we are together, I want to make love to you, not have sex." He waited, looking into her eyes for what he had said to truly sink in. Leaning in, Madison kissed Bucky, her eyes focused on his…. "I want that too," she confessed. Both smiled as they clung to one another, enjoying the last few moments before having to rejoin the rest of the group.