The yells of the security officers and staff of the hospital fell on deaf ears as Steve sprinted through the open doors towards the elevator. He hit the button so hard it shattered under his finger, but he didn't even register it, deciding to scale the six flights of stairs to reach his daughter faster. He muttered the hospital room number over and over as he ran past people trying to stop him, but he didn't stop until he'd broke down the door and saw Denver sleeping in a chair next to the hospital bed.

She jolted awake at the noise, looking around worriedly before registering it was her father at the door, "Daddy!"

"Sweetheart!" Steve grabbed her and cradled her against his chest, pressing his lips to the crown of her head as he slammed his eyes shut, "I was so worried about you. What happened?"

"Uncle Bucky tried to make us dead! He killed Aunt Dallas!"

"He did not kill Aunt Dallas, he just hurt Aunt Dallas." Dallas groaned, and Steve turned to her for the first time, realizing she had a neck brace on, "Hi."

"What happened?"

"Somebody took over the intercom. Nat said they were Russian trigger words. He lost his mind. Literally, Nat said he went on a killing spree. Came downstairs and bashed me against the wall. I know I promised to take her to the hotel, we arrived late, and I didn't think-"

"It's okay." Steve told the woman, seeing her relax a little, "Are you okay?"

Dallas quivered a little before the tears spilled from her hazel eyes, "He tried to kill me. I- I was so scared. He didn't know who I was, he didn't know who Denver was. He could have killed her."

"Where is he now?" Steve asked, still stroking his daughter's back to comfort her as she buried her face in the suit he still wore. Dallas groaned a little as she tried to shift, and Steve realized she was shaking her head, "I'll find him. I'll sort this out."

"He killed people, Steve. Not on accident. He killed a king."

"You said they triggered the Winter Soldier, how did they stop him?"

"Denver did." Dallas whispered, and Steve looked to her in surprise. He pulled Denver away from his chest to look in her eyes, but she tried to grab the fabric of his suit to pull him close again. "I don't know what she said, but she said something, and he collapsed. He passed out. I don't know."

Steve stroked Denver's head, turning when he heard someone approach. Natasha stood in the doorway, smiling sadly. Steve's stomach dropped at the sight of the handprint around her neck, realizing Bucky had almost killed Nat. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Are you?"

"You guys are okay. That's all that matters." Steve murmured against his daughter's head. "Where's Buck?"

"They took him to Berlin for a psychiatric analysis. I've gotten word from Ross that he's awake." Natasha said slowly, meeting Steve's eyes. "He's claiming the Winter Soldier was triggered, but that doesn't excuse the lives he took. They are trying to figure out who triggered him, but he's going to the Raft, Steve."

Steve carefully set down Denver and looked back at Dallas, seeing how shaken she still was, "You sure you're okay?"

"The man I love tried to kill me. How do you think I'm okay?" Dallas spat, raising her hand to press against her face as she cried a little, "If Denver hadn't stopped him-"

"Mommy said if scary man ever try hurt me to say special word." Denver explained. She tugged on Steve's suit jacket, looking up at him proudly, "I membered."

He knelt down, holding Denver's shoulders, "What did you remember, Honey?"

"Mommy said if scary man ever try hurt me to say special word." Denver repeated, mildly annoyed that her father hadn't listened the first time. "She said I gotta say sputick."

"Sputick?" Steve questioned, shaking his head, "Why?"

"I told you, Daddy. To stop scary man from hurting me." Denver crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Listen to me, Daddy!"

"I am listening to you, Denny, I'm just trying to understand. Uncle Bucky is in trouble. He did a bad thing."

"I don't like Uncle Bucky anymore." Denver sat on the floor, glaring down between her crisscrossed legs, "He is scary."

Steve released a heavy sigh, looking up at Natasha, "I gotta go to Berlin. I gotta figure something out."

"Let's talk outside." Natasha whispered, nodding towards the door, "Denny, can you guard Auntie Dallas?"

"I guard her good."

Nat grabbed Steve's wrist as he stood, dragging him outside of the hospital room before looking around, "Steve, they are gonna lock him up and throw away the key. He tried to warn me, he knew what was about to happen. This wasn't his fault, but the programming is still in his head."

Steve rubbed his face, wishing his best friend hadn't gone on a murder spree while he buried Peggy. He was getting real tired of burying the women he loved, "Dallas is pretty shaken."

"I don't think he's gonna be able to salvage this," Nat admitted, pulling out her phone, "Stark is in Berlin. He's not happy."

"Great." Steve looked back into the hospital room as a nurse climbed over the broken door, "What should I do?"

She pursed her lips and shrugged, "You're the man with a plan, Rogers. I'm governed by the Accords now."

"Then I'm not going to discuss my plans with you." Steve told her, placing his hands on his hips and looking down at the floor, "I wish it were different. I don't wanna get you in trouble, but I have to help him. He's my best friend, and he needs me."

"If you go down this road, there's no coming back. You'll never be Captain America again." Natasha warned under her breath, grabbing Steve's hands, "Are you willing to give up the shield for him?"

Steve looked back at his daughter, seeing her poking at Dallas and asking if she was okay, "I'm willing to give up the shield for them." He turned back to Natasha, studying her for a moment, "But I'd also give it up for you."

She tilted her head and smiled softly, shaking her head, "What are you saying, Rogers?"

"I'm saying you're my best friend, too."

"And you're mine."

"Then come with me." Steve squeezed her small hands a little tighter, "There's nobody I trust as much as you. We can figure out how to help him together."

Natasha looked back at Dallas, seeing her eyeing them curiously, "I don't know, Steve…"

"I'm getting him out, and we're figuring out who triggered him. I'm heading to the UN now, and I'll fly to Berlin tomorrow."

"And Denver?"

"I'll figure something out. I'm not letting Bucky get locked away for something he can't control. He's worked really hard to put his demons behind him, and I'm going to help him. I promised Brooklyn I would." Steve took a step towards the hospital room and Natasha grabbed his wrist to get his attention.

"I'll see you in the morning."

He watched her walk away without looking back, feeling a longing he hadn't felt in a long time. His gaze followed Natasha until Denver's voice called him from the room. He turned and grinned at her as she ran to him, asking to be picked up, "Auntie Dallas is hurt."

Steve nodded a little, holding Denver by the waist as she stared at him, "I know, Honey, but she's gonna be okay. Daddy has to go help Uncle Bucky. He's really confused and he needs my help. You'll be good for Auntie Dallas while I'm gone, right? And then I'll bring Uncle Bucky home."

Denver thought about it for a moment, then nodded, "He won't be scary anymore?"

"No. Daddy's gonna fix Uncle Bucky so he won't be scary anymore." Steve promised as he put her down, "Stay here with Auntie Dallas. Daddy will see you soon, okay? Promise you'll be good?"

"If I'm good, can I go to see my friends again?" Denver asked, and Steve's heart broke. His young daughter shouldn't have to deal with the Avengers' drama. She should be allowed to be a kid, but because she was his daughter, her life would always be filled with chaos. Maybe she should have stayed with Dallas. If she'd never met him, she'd have the life Brooklyn wanted for her.

"I promise. If you're good, Daddy will let you do whatever you want." Steve nodded towards Dallas, "Take care of Auntie Dallas, okay?"

"I will. I'm a doctor!" Denver exclaimed as she ran back into the room, climbing onto Dallas's bed and causing her to grunt in pain. Steve smiled at the sight, then snuck away before either of them could realize he was gone.

The next morning, Steve strode into the Berlin Task Force building with Natasha Romanoff at his side. They were greeted by Tony Stark and a short, grey haired man in a grey suit, "Captain Rogers. Or should I say Mr. Rogers since you've elected to go into retirement? I'm Everett Ross, Deputy Director of the Task Force."

"Steve Rogers," he greeted as he thrust his hand forward to shake, then looked to see Tony staring at Nat with a look of disgust, "I was hoping you'd allow me to speak with Sergeant Barnes. I believe he may have been compromised during the signing of the Accords."

"He's admitted to that, but that doesn't change the fact that he killed people, Rogers." Tony spat and Steve sighed, staring down at Ross to see what the man actually in charge would do.

"Mr. Stark is right, Barnes is being held to the laws set forth by the Accords that he signed. People are dead. He admitted to doing it."

Steve shook his head and looked over the man at the long hallway ahead of him, "Of course he did. But aren't you taking into consideration his history? He was brainwashed. Clearly there is still some sort of programming in his head, and whoever triggered him knew how to bring out the Winter Soldier. Aren't you worried about it happening again?"

"Not really, no. See, where he's going, nobody will bother him, let alone see him, again." Ross explained before looking down at his watch, "If you excuse me, I have some paperwork to sign for his extradition."

"Can Rogers at least speak to him?" Natasha pressed, shooting Tony a pleading look, "After everything that's happened, give Steve a chance to say goodbye."

"I'm not saying goodbye, I'm getting him out. There's a bigger problem than what he did, it's who wanted it to happen!" Steve snarled, but Ross didn't even look up from his phone as Stark raised his hand to stop his former teammate.

"Cap, I get it. I know what he means to you, but we can't take this lightly. We can't. It's bad enough we let a former Nazi weapon join the Avengers, but he went on a murder spree during a United Nations convention. He's been given many chances, and he's blown it one too many times. I'm sorry."

"Where's he going?" Natasha inquired, crossing her arms, "Or, let me guess, can't tell us? You afraid we'll break him out?"

"I'd like to see you try." Natasha and Steve turned to see King T'Challa approach with two tall, bald women in black dresses on either side of him. He studied Steve for a moment before nodding, "Captain Rogers."

"Steve," Natasha started, "this is T'Challa. His father was one of the victims of the incident yesterday."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Steve told the man, raising his chin a little higher before adding, "But please know it doesn't reflect his true intentions. He was being controlled."

"That may be, but he still killed our king. For that, he'll face Wakandan justice. I expect, as Captain America, you will understand and accept that." T'Challa warned, turning to Ross, "We are ready to take him."

Steve watched as Ross led the King and his guards away, knowing if he wanted to see his best friend again, he'd have to go to Africa. He looked to Stark and snapped, "Thanks a lot, Tony." Then, without another word, Steve turned around and stormed out of the building.

He slid into the driver's seat of his rental car and gripped the steering wheel so tightly he indented the leather before letting out a guttural yell. His chest rose and fell as he breathed heavily, glaring at the dashboard until Natasha slid in beside him, "Stark told me if we go after Barnes, we'll be arrested."

"I'm not gonna let him rot away in the jungle somewhere."

"Wakanda is mostly farmland." Natasha told him, but Steve didn't look up. She placed her hand on his upper back and rubbed slow circles until he relaxed a little, "Barnes admitted to killing those people. He's accepting responsibility for his actions."

Steve shook his head a little, finally meeting Nat's gaze, "You said you thought he was being controlled?"

"I'd bet my life on it."

"Then I'm getting him out. Somebody knew how to activate the Winter Soldier programming, and we need Bucky to find out who it was." Steve cranked the key, revving the small car to life, "Listen, I'm not going to ask you to come with me. Get out of the car and tell Stark I'm unreasonable. I'll fix this myself."

Natasha looked out the window, sighing deeply before pulling her seatbelt across her chest, "I'm not going to let you get arrested alone. If you're going after Barnes, I'm coming too."

"We'll need a plane."

"I've got one. We might need backup."

"I'll call Sam." Steve replied with a small smile, "You sure you wanna go to prison?"

Natasha scoffed, "You really think they'll catch us?"

"Not a chance in hell." Steve chuckled, looking over his shoulder to back up out of his parking spot. "What about Denny?"

"What about her?"

"I gotta protect my daughter, Nat, at any cost." Steve put the car into drive and looked over at the redhead beside him, "I think I gotta leave her with Dallas. She won't understand, but I gotta figure out who can control Bucky. If I don't, next time there won't be anyone to disarm him."

Natasha put her feet up on the dash and leaned back into her seat, getting comfortable for the ride to the airport. Steve shook his head and chuckled softly, knowing Natasha Romanoff couldn't keep her feet off the ground if her life depended on it. It was an odd little thing to notice, but Steve noticed it. He also noticed how she never let her guard down, even with her friends, and how she didn't smirk at anybody else the way she smirked at him.

He shifted, focusing on the road ahead. Steve groaned and pulled out his cellphone, hitting his first emergency contact and letting it ring. Maybe she wouldn't answer, and he could leave a message.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dee." Steve's voice strained and Natasha lulled her head to watch him with an amused expression, "How ya feeling?"

"I was moments away from having my scalp detached, how do you think I'm doing? Where are you?"

"I need you to watch Denny for a few days."

"What else is new? Where are you, Steve?" Dallas repeated and Steve swore she sounded nervous, not annoyed, "Steve, what's happening?"

"If I tell you, you'll know where I'm going, and I need to keep you in the dark. For Denny's sake. I'll be back in a few days." Steve said, meeting Nat's gaze, "Don't worry. It'll be a quick trip. I promise."

Dallas groaned and suddenly Denver was on the line, "Daddy, you coming back?"

"No Sweetie, I gotta make a quick trip. I'll be back soon. You make sure Auntie Dallas gets better, okay? I'm counting on you." Steve paused, knowing he should get back to Vienna and collect his daughter and Dallas. He should go home. He should sign the Accords like Nat, Bucky, and Dallas wanted him to. Bucky had made peace with his fate, maybe Steve should too… but he couldn't. "I love you, Denny. I'll see you soon."

"Bye Daddy!"

The line clicked and Steve rolled down his window and tossed the cell out of it, looking in the side mirror until he saw a moving truck run it over, "There's that."

"Could just encrypt it. Saves a lot of money." Natasha shrugged, looking out the window. She placed her fingers lightly against her lips as she gazed at the passing buildings thoughtfully, pretending not to be aware of Steve's gaze. He cleared his throat and looked ahead, muttering, "Last chance to back out."

She looked to him and her smiled curved all the way to her eyes, "It'll be fun."

Meanwhile, Bucky rode in silence in the back of Prince T'Challa's jet. He didn't know much about the nation of Wakanda, but this didn't seem to be a jet belonging to a bunch of goat herders. He leaned his head against the cool metal, wishing he could apologize to Dallas and Steve for all the trouble he caused. Dallas probably hated him. Denver was probably terrified of him. He'd found a family in the Avengers, but Hydra's programming took it all away from him. Again.

The king sat in a chair at a massive television screen, watching a news report about the death of his father. Bucky studied the man, noting how stoic he looked. He wore a black uniform of some kind with a helmet shaped like a panther head resting in his lap.

"Wakanda does not engage in international trade or accept aid. The succession of the throne is expected to fall to the oldest of the king's two children, Prince T'Challa."

"My Prince, we are coming up on them now." The woman sitting at the front of the jet warned, and T'Challa stood and turned to a table where sand figures showed a caravan of vehicles. Bucky stared in disbelief, not thinking the Wakandans would have technology that rivaled Tony Stark's. However, Bucky didn't know too much about modern technology beyond what Stark have given him. Maybe he hadn't given the rest of the world enough credit.

The pilot stared at Bucky with distrust, then tilted her head to look at her Prince, "Are you sure we should be allowing our prisoner to see all of this?"

"He will live out the rest of his days in our prison, Okoye. What point is there in allowing him to think he has any chance of escape?" T'Challa smiled down at Bucky, who lowered his head shamefully.

"I cannot apologize enough. I would have never caused so much carnage if I was in my right mind."

"Perhaps, but you did it. And now, I will be crowned King tomorrow, because of you." T'Challa sneered, then turned back to his General in time to see her grab a spear from the wall, "No need, Okoye, I can handle this alone."

She hummed, eyeing Bucky warily, "Just don't freeze when you see her."

Bucky watched as T'Challa fell from a hole in the plane, and he leaned forward against the chains holding him to try and get a better look but was forced back by the end of Okoye's spear, "Don't get any ideas. Be grateful for the Prince's mercy in allowing you to live this long. And don't expect it to last. You will stand trial before the elders, and the people of Wakanda."

As she silently moved to the front of the jet to land, Bucky threw his head back against the wall, swallowing his fear. He'd give anything to be back in Dallas's arms for one more night. He'd signed the Accords to be a better man, and to atone for his sins. If he'd known what being there would cost him, he would have gone to the hotel with Denver and Dallas to go swimming.

"Don't move." Okoye warned as the jet landed silently, and she walked out the side as Bucky stared at the ceiling with watery eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Natasha landed the jet on the Kenyan border of Wakanda and looked to Steve curiously as he strapped his shield onto his left forearm. He caught her interested glance and asked, "What?"

"You're going to break into a reclusive African nation that arrested your best friend holding a shield based on the American flag? Sure that's a great idea, Soldier?"

Steve grunted and unstrapped his shield, dropping it to the floor, "Fine. I'm hoping to avoid a fight if we can help it." When Natasha chuckled, Steve groaned, "What is it, Romanoff?"

Zipping up her black suit, Natasha shrugged, "I just think you're underestimating what we're dealing with here. Barnes murdered their king. We'll be lucky if we find him alive."

Steve yanked on his gloves, gnawing his teeth together as he smacked the button to open the back of the jet. As he looked out at the dense jungle they'd be facing, he sighed. He knew they were on borrowed time. When Stark realized they were gone, he'd know exactly where they'd go. They only had a few hours to rescue Bucky before Ross called ahead and said they were coming.

They had flown over arid grasslands before approaching the thick of the jungle. Deciding it was easier than scaling the mountains, Steve and Natasha landed at the edge, knowing their jet would never make it any farther without passing right over where they were keeping Bucky. Steve pushed aside some vines and motioned with his head for Natasha to follow.

Of all the places Steve had gone and fought in, he'd never encountered such a hot, sticky place as this. His blonde hair stuck to his forehead as sweat dripped from his sharp jaw. The constant buzzing of mosquitoes warned Steve he wasn't in war-torn Europe anymore. Where he was going was much more dangerous.

"This would have been easier with my shield." Steve grumbled back at Natasha, looking over his shoulder to see her duck below a low hanging vine and pass him to take the lead. She held her phone in her hand, following the directions towards the small capital of the country. She pushed aside a large palm leaf, then paused.

"Rogers, you're gonna wanna see this."

He held the leaf over their heads as Natasha reached forward, causing an electric blue current to burst outward from her hand, as if she were pushing through some sort of shield.

"Well, I'll be damned." Steve reached forward and pushed his hand through with hers before stepping around her to go through it, revealing a towering city on the other side. He laughed, "Natasha."

She appeared beside him, gazing up in wonder. "I wasn't expecting this." Steve looked down at her as she checked her phone, seeing she'd pulled her hair up into a long ponytail. She squinted at her screen, seeing they were in the right place, "This is Wakanda?"

"I guess so." Steve answered, taking a deep breath, "Meaning this rescue just got a lot more complicated."

She grabbed Steve's hand and gave it a firm squeeze, "I'm not going anywhere." He dropped her hand and started trekking towards the city. His cheeks were burning and he knew they must have been red, because Natasha asked, "You feeling okay? You look a little warm."

"Not used to the humidity." Steve lied easily, keeping his gaze on the path ahead, "Judging by the sun it's probably about noon here. They couldn't have gotten much of a head start on us, which means Buck is probably still alive."

A soft hum left Natasha's throat as she quickened her steps to keep pace with Steve, "How will we know where to find him?"

"We put a tracker in his arm. It was his idea." Steve grumbled, "I opposed it at the time, but I'm glad we did it now. It's Stark's tech, which means it's helpful for us now, not so much when we take him and run."

"We'll have to lose the arm."

"Not sure how to do that to be honest." Steve paused, looking to the right, "Somebody's coming this way."

"How do you know?"

"I can hear them." Steve dropped to his knees, tugging Natasha with him as they hid in the tall stalks of grass waving in the breeze. A kilometer away, a floating vehicle whizzed by, and two women in red stared down at the grass, clearly looking for something. Steve placed his hand to Nat's mouth and held her down on the dirt, staying low as he watched the women leave through the grass. When they were far enough that he couldn't see them, he sat back up and released his teammate, "Third-world country my ass."

"Language, Cap." Natasha coughed as she sat up, "You know I'm an assassin, right? I know how to be quiet. More so than you."

"Force of habit." Steve mumbled, looking towards the city, "You ever seen tech like this?"

"Only from Stark, and even his isn't this advanced." She admitted as she walked a couple steps forward. "We might have tripped an alarm."

"I'm sure Tony's already warned them we're missing. Meaning you're officially on an un-sanctioned mission." Steve pulled off his cowl and dropped it in the dirt, "We're fugitives."

Natasha shrugged, seemingly unphased by her new role in life, "At least I'm not running alone. Company could be worse." She bumped her hip against Steve's side, and he threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close as they walked. It was nice. Steve dropped his arm quickly and picked up his pace towards the city.

As the capitol of Wakanda rose above them, Steve knew they'd need a disguise if they wanted to get in- unless everyone were to be somewhere else.

Natasha grabbed two blankets off a clothesline, passing one to Steve before throwing it over her head, "Look, they are all moving towards the river. Where's Barnes?"

"North of here." Steve spared a quick glance at Nat's phone in his palm, seeing the red dot flicker, "Wherever he's being held is heavily fortified."

"You say it like you're nervous." Natasha laughed, throwing the blanket over Steve's head and wrapping it around his face, "We'll get Barnes and get out of here. Then we go back for Denver."

He turned away from his companion, lowering his head and leading her towards the palace where Bucky was being kept. Steve had thought of Denver more than Bucky over the past twelve hours, and what his actions would mean for her. He couldn't go back. He'd taken enough from his little girl, and if he left her with Dallas, he'd be the last thing she lost. She could have a normal life. They could move back to California and Denver could by anyone she wanted to be. Dallas and Brooklyn grew up without their parents, and they turned out just fine…

"The palace is quiet. We have to move now while everyone is gone." Natasha whispered in Steve's ear, and he nodded, discarding his cover and sprinting through an archway with Natasha hot on his heels. He pressed his back against the wall when he heard guards approaching, and Natasha followed suit as he watched them march by, "They came up a staircase."

"He's probably being held down there." Steve replied as he moved towards the staircase the women had come from. He tiptoed quickly down the steps, descending into the darkness until he was met by a firelit dungeon.

"Steve?"

He followed the sound of Bucky's voice, finding his friend chained to the far wall of a cell, "Bucky. We've come to get you out."

"You can't. The Wakandans are more powerful than you realize." Bucky leaned against his restrains, shaking his head, "If you don't get out of here now, you'll end up behind these bars. They are crowning T'Challa king. I stand trial tomorrow."

Steve grabbed the bars, pulling with all his might against the metal, but it didn't budge, "What is this made of?"

"Vibranium." Bucky looked past Steve at Natasha guarding the stairs, "It's all vibranium."

Steve looked at his best friend in shock, then to Nat, "Is there any way to pick the lock?"

"There is no lock!" Natasha looked around quickly, then turned to Steve and panted, shaking her head sadly, "There's no way to get him out."

"Get out of here, before they return."

"No, not without you!" Steve yelled, causing his voice to echo. He looked around in horror as the sound of footsteps carried from above. "Nat, hide. Go home."

She grabbed Steve's hand and shook her head, "I came with you this far, I'm not gonna leave you now."

Bucky's gaze lifted behind Steve and Natasha, and they slowly turned to see what he was looking at, coming face to face with a dozen women in red with their spears aimed at them. The general tilted her head and smiled, looking Steve eye to eye she was so tall, "Captain. You are trespassing on Wakandan soil. You have come to break out the murderer of our King, and now you'll face King T'Challa."