WASHINGTON, DC - January 12th, 2014

Too many things were in his head. Things he didn't understand, blurs of faces he didn't know but made him feel a sense of calm, which only caused him to panic. The man on the bridge. The woman with him. He looked in their eyes and ever since he felt like he was spiraling. Bucky. That's what they had called him. Who the hell was Bucky? Why did the woman look at him the way she had when moment earlier she had been trying to kill him – when he had tried to kill her.

The picture.

Old, worn up a bit, the woman and two other men. On one of his missions recently (or maybe not recently?), he had planted a device in a bouquet of flowers – the scent was familiar, but not the flowers. The scent coming from inside the place. It made the hair on his flesh arm stand up and he couldn't help but find a way into the place. He had. It wasn't part of his mission but he recognized the scent and he didn't recognize much for quite some time.

Once he was inside, he looked around to try and find the scent. It led him to a bedroom, clothes were thrown on the floor – whoever lived in this apartment was not tidy. And he had smiled for some reason. He smiled. And it had shocked him. Because it had been so long since he last smiled. Or, remembered smiling. He picked up a shirt that was thrown on the floor, bringing it up to his nose and inhaled.

Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek. Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek. Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek. Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek. Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek. Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek.

He could hear his own voice in his head saying it over and over again as he inhaled. Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek.

Some part of him felt like he was being electrocuted and he dropped the shirt to the ground, as if the piece of fabric had been the thing to feel like his insides were being fried.

He was leaving when he spotted the picture.

Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek.

The woman in the picture. It was not in color, but he could that she had dark hair and a mole on her right cheek.

His breathing increased and his felt a lump in his throat as he looked down at the picture, felt his brain buzzing in his head, it was screaming at him but everything was echoed, everything was a blur. He could hear the sound of static, something playing on the radio – a song, a man singing and the smell of the ocean.

And then someone came in through his ear telling him to leave, to comply. And he did. But he took the picture with him. And when they searched him later and found the picture in his back pocket, he was punished. He was put back in the chair and they scrambled his brain like they did after each mission.

But the woman. And the man. He knew them. The way they both looked at him – with pain, and devastation, but also love. He didn't understand. He didn't understand anything. And he was becoming agitated, his heart accelerating dangerously high and his mind still running wild with things he didn't understand.

"Sergeant Barnes."

He was falling, the man on the bridge – he was there, he was screaming his name. "Bucky, no!"

"The procedure has already started."

He felt pain where it was impossible to feel, flashes of a man amputating his arm, and then his metal arm appeared. "You are to be the new first of Hydra." He fought back, I need to get back to her. I promised. He gripped onto a man's neck, trying to fight his way out but could not win. He needed to get back. He had promised. "Put him on ice."

He was back, no longer inside of his head and his arm lunged out, knocking the agent who was trying to fix his arm. Guns were being pointed at him, letting him know he needed to comply. He felt like a caged beast, wild, in zero control. He never felt in control, but now he was spiraling.

"Sir, he's...he's unstable. Erratic." He could hear someone speaking. And then the man who had been in charge of him for the last decade or so moved in front of him. Pierce, that was his name.

"Mission report?" Pierce asked. He didn't answer, he simply looked blankly ahead, not meeting Pierces eyes, not reporting to the man in charge who continued to demand a response. "-Mission report. Now." Pierce moved closer, but he still didn't respond to his question. That's when Pierce struck him hard across the face.

He blinked, and in his mind, he could see the man and the woman looking at him while they said his name. Bucky. The woman with striking green eyes, and a mole on her right cheek, but no dark curls, and her lips were a pale shade of pink, a little bit of blood seeping out of the left corner of her mouth.

"The man on the bridge," He said, finally speaking. "And the woman...who were they?" He looked to Pierce now.

"You met the man earlier this week on another assignment. And the woman..." He paused, his jaw twitching. "-You met her on a mission a few years ago in Bucharest."

No. no, that wasn't it. "I knew them." He said to Pierce.

Pierce took a seat in front of him, "Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century, and I need you to do it one more time. Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we're gonna give it a push. But, if you don't do your part, I can't do mine, and Hydra can't give the world the freedom it deserves."

He saw the woman in his head again, but it wasn't the way she looked on the bridge – her hair was dark again, lips red, eyes still the same shade of striking green. He could hear himself speaking.

"I still never got that name, darlin'," he had said easily.

"First of all, don't call me 'darling'," The woman had said, her tone all business, not even the slightest bit of amusement creeping into it. "And you can call me Nurse Frost."

"Nurse Frost," He had said, drawing out every syllable carefully. "Does Nurse Frost have a first name?"

"I do have a first name," She had said.

"Well, are you gonna tell me it?" He said, tone eager, his entire body igniting with excitement.

The woman had glanced over her shoulder, "No, I'm not," She had replied with a smirk of her own when he let out a whine.

"But I knew them." He said slowly, "Frost." He said the woman's name.

Pierce turned in his seat to face some of the scientists. "Prep him." He ordered.

He felt himself panic.

"He's been out of cryo-freeze too long."

"Then wipe him again – he needs it. And then start over." Piece walked away and the scientist began to strap him down, the woman's face still in his head, the man on the bridge saying his name. The look in both of their eyes when they saw his face. Bucky.

A mouth piece was placed in his mouth, and he tried to prepare himself for the pain he was about to endure. Frost. Frost. Frost...y.

The pain started and he began to scream in agony.

Her face. The name 'Frosty' and then nothing.

Just darkness. And the quiet echo of a voice.

_

November 14th, 2011 - BUCHAREST, Romania

Amanda Cogswell, a fellow agent with SHIELD had been taken. It was AJ and Theodore's job to extract the woman from Bucharest, Romania, where she was being held. It was easy. In and out. The KBG agents who had been guarding her barely even put up a fight. AJ had been suspicious. It was almost too easy. Theo just thought that they had been lucky. He called it a win for them, and that even if they had put up a challenge – they would have still been able to extract Cogswell. He was always cocky like that and normally it would make AJ either smile or roll her eyes in annoyance.

But she felt something in her gut. They had missed something – or there was something that they weren't seeing. AJ questioned Amanda on the drive back to their safety check point – why was she in Bucharest? Why didn't she have back up or a team escorting her? How was she able to get taken? Amanda was one of the best agents AJ knew within SHIELD – how she managed to get taken? Whoever took her must be highly trained. And the KBG agents who were guarding the building she was being kept it? There was no way that those men could have got the upper hand on her.

"Give it a rest, Frost." Theo had said from the driver's seat, looking over at her with a smirk. "This was a win – and that just means that we have a few extra days to waste before we report back to SHIELD." He smirked. AJ knew what he was implying – and normally she'd tell him to shut it. But she still felt off. Theo must have seen the worry in her eyes, "You still thinking about Brian?" He asked. "Because that wasn't your fault."

AJ took in a deep breath, "My having a bad feeling about this extraction does not have to do with Brian." She snapped at him, agitated that whenever she expressed her worries on a mission Theo would take it as her not dealing with the loss of her nephew. He just kept bringing it up. For months he had tried to get her to talk about how she was feeling but the thing she shared with Theo had nothing to do with feelings. It was purely physical. "Just stop asking!" AJ hissed, and then quietly said, "You are my partner – you are not my boyfriend. So, stop acting like it."

Theo didn't say anything, he didn't get a chance. Their car was run off the road, the car rolling down the road causing the three passengers to jerk around in the car. AJ had knocked her head against the window, Cogswell, thankfully, wasn't as injured as AJ had been. She came out with just a broken wrist – Theo on the other hand was stuck.

AJ yanked at his seat-belt hard, trying desperately to get it off of him. She had managed to slice through it with a knife – but his leg was trapped between the seat and the steering wheel. "Go!" Theo had told AJ as she struggled to lift up the steering wheel, not making any progress. AJ groaned and grunted as she tried to lift it, "AJ, go!" Theo ordered her. But she ignored him.

"I almost got it." It had been a lie, AJ just wanted to give Theo the slightest bit of comfort. But the sound of a door being slammed shut behind them caused them both to look behind them. "Get down!" AJ ordered Amanda, watching as a man walked towards the car slowly. It was too easy, she should have listened to her damn gut.

"Go!" Theo said, reaching for his gun in the holster strapped to his thigh. "Get Cogswell out of here!" AJ shook her head, ignoring his orders. "-Get to the safety point and if I'm not there in ten minutes – get your asses to the jets and leave. I mean it!"

AJ looked back again, the man was getting closer, only a few meters away. There was something on his arm, something shiny and metallic looking. She looked back to Theo and started to work on the steering wheel again only to have him grab at her arms and roughly shove her to her door. "Theo – I am not leaving you!" AJ argued, he was her partner – she wouldn't leave him behind to die! She looked back and watched and caught a better glimpse at the man. Dark brown hair, wearing all black except for his arm, which she could see now was made entirely out of metal. He wore a mask over his face and AJ tried to see if anyone else was with him, surely, he didn't come alone. "We can take them out together."

The man started shooting at their car and AJ knew she only have one choice now. AJ looked to Theo, shaking her head and handed him her gun. "No, you need this."

"You need it more." She told him before she got out of the car, dragging out Cogswell and running in the line of fire, looking briefly at the man who stopped in the middle of the road, watching her as she ran with Cogswell.

She heard gun fire but AJ did not stop running, she kept a good grip on Cogswell's hand and tried to block out all the sound of gunfire in the background. They got to their safety check point and AJ waited for Theo to show up (though she knew he wouldn't), but after ten minutes and Theo a no-show, AJ hot-wired a car to get them to where the jets were set to meet them.

AJ had left Theo to die. And she knew that if the positions were reversed, she'd have Theo do the same. Except he wouldn't have left her, his feelings wouldn't have allowed him to do that. Because AJ knew that Theo had feelings for her, she felt it in his gentle touches and from the way he kissed her. But she couldn't find the will to return those feelings – and maybe if she had returned those feelings she would have stayed to save him, or at least gone back for him.

But she hadn't. She did her job and got Cogswell back to the states.

After giving her mission report along with Cogswell, Fury had pulled AJ aside and that was when she requested some time off. Fury accepted her request, knowing how hard it was to lose a partner, and that not too long-ago AJ had lost a family member too.

AJ should have done more to save Theo – it was their jobs to watch the others back and she had just...left.

He died, and she did nothing.

Before he left the car, AJ could have sworn that Theo had wanted to say something to her – to tell her something. AJ didn't give him the chance. It was another Frank situation, where he would say something to her that she couldn't say back.

That man; the Winter Soldier, had killed Theo, left his body on the side of the road after snapping his neck. And AJ swore she would hold onto her hatred and anger towards that man for the sake of Theo. That one day she'd find the Winter Soldier and put an end to his cruelty. There was nothing she could do to bring back Theo – but she could avenger him.

_

WASHINGTON, DC - January 12th, 2014

"How long did it take before?" Steve asked Andrew, standing outside the room they had put AJ in. The entire room had frozen over, and Andrew all put pushed everyone out once she was placed in the water. Steve was terrified. Normally he could hide his fear pretty well, but AJ wasn't waking up and it had been nearly two hours. And if she didn't wake up soon – they'd have to leave her. And he really didn't want to leave her. After his conversation with Fury, they were all in agreement that they needed to stop the launch. Fury had three chips that would destroy the carriers. Fury had wanted to salvage what was left of SHIELD after taking out Hydra. But Steve refused.

SHIELD had to end. Because if SHIELD continued on, Hydra would find their way back in. How the hell were they all supposed to know who was loyal to who? No, it all had to go. Hydra, SHIELD- it would end today.

But he needed AJ to wake up. Steve needed to know if what he was doing was right – she was always his shoulder to lean on and he couldn't do this without her. Not after finding out Bucky was alive, not after finding out Hydra had taken him. Steve needed her, but they couldn't wait much longer for her to wake up. Or, 'de-frost' as Natasha had so lovingly referred it as, only to get a stern look from Jordan Connor.

Dr. Connors was there – Clint had sent her to Fury, not knowing that where he was sending her, Fury was already camped out with Hill. Jordan had been the one to send in Maria to help them all, it was Jordan that saved their asses.

"Ten minutes."

"-Why isn't she waking up?" Steve said in anger, looking over to Jordan.

Jordan sighed, "Steve, she's just gone through something traumatic – AJ just found out that the man she loves is still alive." Jordan explained, "And not to mention that she had just tried to kill him – and he the same to her."

Steve looked away from Jordan and back to the room frozen in ice. Bucky didn't know who they were – otherwise he would never have done what he did – they must have done something to his memory. Because Bucky would never lay a hand on a woman, and he would never lay a hand on AJ, that Steve knew was just not possible. He was Bucky...but he wasn't. Hydra did something to his brain – the same way they had messed with AJ's powers. Steve needed AJ to wake up so he could assure her that whoever they had turned Bucky into – it wasn't him. But that they would find a way to save him and bring him back. That they'd both have Bucky again. He just needed her to wake up. "I'm going in."

"Steve," Natasha said, moving to stand by him. "It's not safe."

"I know AJ better than anyone," Steve looked down at the red head. How could he explain to them what AJ was feeling without her expressing it? Sometimes AJ was such a closed book that no one knew what she was thinking – but Steve knew that she had to feel at least an ounce of the pain and guilt he felt when it came to Bucky. Because his guilt was overwhelming, "She feels guilty. That's why she's not coming out of this." He shook his head and headed towards the door, "And I'm not going to sit around and wait for her to stop feeling guilty – I'm going to wake her up."

Jordan stepped in front of him, placing her hand on his chest to stop him from walking into the room, "She's not just cocooning herself in the ice because she feels guilty, Steve," Jordan told him, "-the ice heals her - and if you interrupt that process, she won't heal."

Steve sighed, knowing that Jordan was right. "Can I just...talk to her? Will she be able to hear me at all?"

Jordan shrugged, unsure. "I don't know." She answered honestly, "But it couldn't hurt."

Jordan, Andrew, and Natasha left Steve alone in the hall, standing outside of the room AJ was being kept in. Steve waited a few moments before he moved his head against the door, closing his eyes and feeling the sting of the ice against his head. "Jay." He said her name softly. "I don't know if you can hear me...but I need you to wake up."

Steve knew how much AJ still loved Bucky, he knew that this whole thing must be killing her – because it was killing him. That's why she needed to wake up – they needed each other.

The door still stayed frozen. "Please wake up, Jay...it's not just me that needs you, its Natasha, and Andrew – it's Sam, and it's..." He took in a deep breath, "Bucky needs you too." Steve said, feeling his chest tighten just saying Bucky's name. He was alive – he didn't die. AJ had been right. "He's going to need you to help him remember who he is – because I know he doesn't know who he is now. He needs the both of us to help him." Steve tapped his finger against the ice. "Please wake up," He whispered. "I can't do this without you."

Steve stepped back when he felt the ice around the door crack.

But only a little crack. "Come on, Jay." He whispered. "Wake up...for Bucky."

The cracks of ice burst and Steve ducked to dodge getting sliced by them.

It took a full minute before AJ emerged from the room, completely healed. Steve stood up and opened his arms as he walked to her, pulling her to his chest and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry." He whispered. "This is my fault – I shouldn't have given up, you were right." Steve shivered at the cold radiating off of AJ, her skin so could it hurt Steve to even touch. But she didn't even shiver at the cold, just held him back.

"It's not your fault." AJ said, her face buried against his chest.

"Jay," He began.

"No," She said in a stronger tone. "This is not your fault."

He took in a shaky breath. "We'll get him back." Steve told her. But AJ didn't say anything, just held onto him tighter.

When they finally pulled apart, AJ looked around at their surroundings. "Where are we?" She asked.

Steve simply smiled, knowing that AJ would be glad to see that Fury was not dead. But mostly, that Bucky hadn't killed him. "Someone wants to see you." He grabbed her hand in his and they started to walk away from the room AJ had been in that was fully melted now.

Her hands were freezing...when was she going to warm up?

_

AJ sat across from Fury, the man was alive, sitting in a wheelchair across from AJ as Jordan ran her vitals. She was healed, but her temperature was drastically low, and that left Jordan concerned. But AJ didn't listen to what Jordan was saying, she just looked at Fury who watched her with concern in his eyes. Bucky hadn't killed Fury. No, the Winter Soldier hadn't killed Fury.

The Winter Soldier...he wasn't her Bucky, right? If he was, AJ would have seen it in his eyes. Bucky had never looked at her the way the Winter Soldier did when he was trying to kill her. Bucky was soft, and gentle, and kind. The Winter Soldier was impulsive, and a murderer, and lacked empathy.

That's not true.

You saw it in his eyes.

When she and Steve had seen that it was Bucky – when they had said his name, the hard look in his eyes had softened to confusion, he had looked down at her and then back at Steve, and his expression went back to anger as he pointed his gun at Steve. But after Sam had knocked him down, and Bucky looked back at her and Steve – she had seen it in his eyes. The way he looked at her eyes with those sad blue orbs that she loved so much – the pain and fear it revealed– it broke her. She wanted to remember the last time he looked at her, the way he had looked at her the night before he had died when they were together, the way he had gazed down as he stroked her hair as he hovered above her. She wanted to remember those eyes, those were the eyes of the man she loved.

But she knew that it was impossible for her to ever stop loving Bucky. The Winter Soldier had tried to kill Fury, he had nearly killed Natasha, and he had killed Theo – she had hated him and that left her feeling sick because he was part Bucky. Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe Bucky was completely erased.

No, he's still there.

He took the picture. She had no doubt that it was Bucky who had taken the picture. He had been the one to plant the bomb in her apartment, but saw the picture and took it. There was no other explanation. Why would anyone else want the picture?

Bucky had taken the picture of her from back in the 40's – he was remembering or trying to. AJ couldn't give up on him because of the things Hydra forced him to do. She refused to. And as much anger as she had held for the Winter Soldier, her anger and hatred for Hydra was stronger. It outweighed everything else. Hydra had done this to him – they had taken him and turned him into a machine that they could control. That was the only explanation.

Because the Bucky that she loved – the Bucky she would always love – he was not the Winter Soldier. And AJ believed that their love was strong enough that if Bucky were to see her, to look in her eyes, he would know who she was.

We'll get him back, Steve had told her. But what if Bucky was gone?

No. He's not.

He's still in there.

AJ took in a deep breath and looked away from Fury before she started talking, "Did you know who he was? That the Winter Soldier was Bucky?"

Was. Because she was going to get him back. He'd be her Bucky again.

And now she felt sick to her stomach – she had thought of all the ways she could kill the Winter Soldier, how she had tried to kill him earlier on the bridge and that was...it was Bucky the entire time. AJ took in another deep breath to try and calm her rapidly beating heart. If she didn't calm herself down, the entire room would be covered in ice.

"I didn't. I had no idea it was Barnes." Fury said, his voice calming AJ. Because she could always tell when he was lying – and she knew without a doubt that Fury did not know that the Winter Soldier was Bucky Barnes.

She didn't understand why it was all hitting her now – perhaps it was someone else saying that Bucky was in fact alive, that he was the Winter Soldier, other than Steve. But now it was all crashing down on her – the realization that a few hours ago she had tried to kill him, that she had tried to kill the man she loved. And she had known that she had tried to kill him, and that she had wanted to kill him, she was aware of that – but it never truly registered to her, because she had tried to kill the Winter Soldier, not Bucky.

But...he was Bucky. And AJ couldn't hold in her emotions any long. She had tried to stay strong for Steve's sake, she tried so hard. But AJ felt like her world was crumbling apart. Everything she knew, everything she thought she knew was wrong.

Hydra had never died, SHIELD was a lie, and Bucky...

Oh God.

"I tried to kill him." AJ said, tears filling her eyes.

"Adelyn," Fury said but she stopped him, shaking her head over and over again, her fingers gripping onto his dog tags.

"I didn't know," the tears fell. "I didn't know that it was...him." Her voice broke. "Him being alive...it's all I've wanted for so long now," She inhaled sharply, pressing his dog tags against her chest to rest above her heart. "I didn't know it was him."

AJ was feeling it all, the hatred, the anger, the absolute fury she felt towards the Winter Soldier and the absolute despair she felt from missing Bucky for so long – the aching in her heart, in her whole body! She felt how much she still loved him, how much she'd always love him. And she felt the terrible feeling of thinking that she was betraying Theo by how she was so easily willing to let go of that anger, and hatred, and fury towards the Winter Soldier because he was...Bucky.

My Bucky.

Theo had been her partner, he helped her through Brian dying, he gave her the comfort he knew she needed and never asked for more. He was a friend. A good man. And being able to let go of his death, to pretend it didn't happen for the sake of Bucky and the love she had for him that was still so strong – it shouldn't be that easy. AJ should stay mad, right? She should feel anger towards Bucky for killing her partner, for trying to kill Fury, and nearly killing Natasha.

But she couldn't.

Because she loved him so goddamn much. And all the things he had done in the past as the Winter Soldier – none of that mattered to her anymore, all that mattered to her was getting him back, to look him in the eyes and tell him that she should have kept searching, to apologize to him for giving up.

And that made her feel guilty. Because she had sworn to herself that she would avenge Theo's death. That she would make things right – that he didn't die in vain.

But she couldn't keep that promise anymore.

And it seemed that Fury understood, "Adams would understand." He told her, of course he knew what she was thinking – of course he knew exactly what to say. "If he were here, he would understand." Fury tried to assure her, "Everyone who knows who you truly are," The woman in time, "They'd understand. They know what Barnes is to you – what he means to you." AJ closed her eyes now, only allowing one more tear to roll down her cheek, "It's okay to stop hating him now, it's okay to stop hating the Winter Soldier." She shook her head, sniffling as she made her eyes wide and blinked, trying to make her tears go away. "You'll get through to him, Adelyn."

"What if I can't?" She whispered.

Fury chuckled, shaking his head. "We both know that you are too damn stubborn to ever give up on him. You'll get Barnes to remember you – I believe that."

Fury's confidence in her, Steve's determination that they would get Bucky back – it was enough for her to get up and do her job. She'd help Steve, Sam, and Natasha stop Hydra by destroying the Helicarriers – and she would find Bucky and help him remember who he was, and who she was to him.

She'd do it.

_

He had hugged her when Steve brought her back to everyone – and it had surprised him. Andrew spent so long blaming AJ for Brian's death, it was exhausting. But the thought of losing the one family member he had left? That fear was enough to help him let go of all that anger. AJ had been just as surprised when he had hugged her, and it took a moment for her to hug him back, but when she did hug him, Andrew nearly broke down. Because her hugs felt like his Dads. Almost. She wasn't as tall, in length or width, but she did this thing where she rubbed soothing circles against the back of his neck.

It's something his father had done to both him and Brian when they were kids. And now Andrew knew where he got it from – he got it from his big sister, who surely did the same to him when he was a child and upset.

They had broken into the Smithsonian to get Steve's old Captain America suit, seeing as SHIELD/Hydra had his old one. AJ had wandered off on her own but Andrew had an idea of where she was headed. And he had been right.

Best friend since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers on both schoolyard, and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country.

AJ was sitting on the bench watching the video playing of Bucky Barnes, he was standing next to Steve on the screen, something had made him laugh and it seemed that AJ was in on the joke, because she had let out a breathy chuckle when she watched him laugh while standing next to Steve.

Andrew took a seat next to AJ and looked to the screen, watching it loop now. "I wonder what he was laughing about." He said, wanting to know more about his aunt's past.

AJ chuckled again, clearing her throat, "Bucky asked if he looked camera ready." She pushed a loose hair that had fallen from her pony tail behind her ear. "And I told him that no, he wasn't. And that Steve was putting him to shame with how handsome he was looking." She sniffled, "And he laughed, looking at Steve and saying that I was so horrible to him, and when Steve told him I was right we all started laughing so hard."

Andrew frowned, hearing the sadness in her voice.

"I haven't gone to see this exhibit." AJ confessed. "I knew there was footage of Bucky and I just...I thought it'd be too hard to see him again." Andrew moved his hand to rest on top of AJ's. "I wish your Dad could have met him...and your uncles. God knows Henry loved Steve," AJ chuckled, "Bucky might have been jealous of that."

Andrew chuckled too, because he was well aware of his father's admiration towards Captain America.

AJ moved her hand on top of Andrews and turned her body to face him. "I'm sorry about Brian." She finally said. Andrew swallowed hard, nodding his head. "I should have been there for you after he was killed – I should have,"

"Jay, it's okay." Andrew told her.

But AJ shook her head, disagreeing with him. "It's not. And your father would be so disappointed in me."

Andrew shook his head now, "You were my Dads hero, AJ. He admired, Steve- but you...you were his hero. Dad never said a bad word about you and if he were alive today – he would be so angry at you for blaming yourself. And he'd smack me upside the head for blaming you too. But I don't anymore. Brian always made his own choices – he knew what he was doing by throwing himself in front of the bullet, but he did it anyway because he wanted you to live. Because...you weren't just our Dads hero...you were ours, too, growing up. Dad told us bedtime stories about you and how you would stand up to your guys' brothers whenever they picked on him. Or how you taught him how to ride his bike, the times you'd take him to Coney Island or how you let him drive your car down the road once."

AJ had to laugh at that, "That was supposed to be our secret." She smiled, looking at Andrew.

"Yeah, well, after being in the car with you – I understand why my Dad was shit at driving."

AJ laughed loudly now, shaking her head. Andrew stood up and extended his hand for AJ to grab a hold of, helping her stand up. When she was standing in front of him, AJ frowned, "You don't have to do this, Andrew. You got out of SHIELD for a reason."

He shrugged, "Someone's got to watch your back." Andrew said, as if it were nothing to him. But he smiled down at his aunt. "It's what Brian would do." AJ closed her eyes and moved to wrap her arms around his middle, hugging him tightly. He moved to wrap his arms around her too, resting his chin against the top of her head as they hugged. "Besides, I've always dreamed about kicking some Nazi ass."

AJ laughed again, pulling away from him. It looked like she wanted to correct him, remind him that Hydra only joined the Nazi regime because they were who was in power at that time – not because they actually believed the cause. But she closed her mouth and looked back at the screen where Bucky was laughing. She smiled softly and slowly looked away, "Let's go." She told Andrew, and the two of them left the room to meet up with Steve and Sam. Natasha and Fury had already left, having their own mission to accomplish in taking down SHIELD and Hydra. Maria was outside guarding the area, waiting for them to be ready to leave and would then help them inside of SHIELD headquarters. Which seemed impossible, but Maria acted as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

Andrew had always liked Maria and her confidence. Not to mention that she was breathtakingly beautiful. Brian would give him a hard time whenever they were in Marias presence, watching his twin stammer over his own words while talking to the woman.

"Lookin' good, Steven." AJ said once they were back with Steve and Sam.

Steve smiled, playfully rolling his eyes and Sam scoffed, "And what am I? Chopped liver?"

"Oh, I apologize, Sam. I had to look at Steve because you are absolutely radiating that seeing your handsome face was like looking into the sun." AJ teased, smirking at the man.

"That's better." He smirked back.

Andrew chuckled. Sam and AJ were basically strangers but got along so well it seemed like they had known each other for years. It was the same with Steve and Sam.

"Are you both ready?" Sam asked, looking to AJ and then Andrew.

"Taking down a regime? Come on, that's old school stuff for me, Wilson." AJ smirked.

"Oh, I'm sorry – I forgot I was dealing with a woman in her nineties." Sam snarked. "You could probably do it in your sleep."

AJ bowed playfully.

It was nice to see her like this. When Andrew had first met AJ, she had been so serious, focused on the mission at hand. It had been the same when they were on their way to meet Steve – the playfulness he witnessed now was just not something he thought AJ was capable of. She had almost been cold. But even now, when there was a chance that they could die and she was going against the man she loved, and who she had thought was dead, to try and take down Hydra for good? She seemed...light. And Andrew believed that Steve was the cause.

Andrew was glad that AJ had Steve. He was glad that they had each other. Together, it seemed, they could face anything.

_

They stood in the woods far away from Triskelion that they would not be detected by any security or cameras. AJ, Steve, Sam, Andrew, and Maria stood together, looking out at their target. Since waking in the future, all AJ had ever known was SHIELD. It was something she trusted and believed in and that whole time, Hydra was working within it. It was hard to accept, even harder to let go of the identity she had created as a SHIELD agent. AJ was not Adelyn Juliet Frost, born 1918, biochemist. She was AJ Frost, an agent with unique abilities that she kept hidden. And then Steve was found and the Avengers were formed and the world began to ask questions about the heroes who fought to save New York. And Fury did a good job protecting her so no information of who she truly was would ever get leaked. But now the world would soon know who she truly was. Natasha would go in disguise and upload all of SHIELD (and Hydra's) secrets to the internet. She wasn't exactly thrilled that people would know who she truly was now – that she was a woman in time, but it was what had to be done. If Natasha was okay with her messy past being on display for the whole world to see? AJ could suck it up. And if somehow, they weren't able to get through to Bucky – when the information was released...she hoped somehow, he would see it and remember who she was to him. Who he still was to her.

"What's this?" Steve asked as AJ placed something on his wrist.

AJ fiddled with the device she had just placed on his wrist and then pulled one out of her pocket, slipping one on her own wrist, pressing down on something that made a hologram appear. "It's going to tell me where you are at all times." AJ explained, the hologram was a map and there was a large red dot that showed where Steve was now. "I think it's safe to say that when we're separated – nothing good ever happens. And this time, since it's by choice," AJ grabbed Steve's wrist and began to program his so she could share her location. "We will both know where the other is at all times."

When she looked up at Steve, he was smiling softly down at her. "It'll be fine, Jay."

She shrugged in response and dropped his wrist. "Well, the last time you went off on a solo mission to fight Hydra you ended up in ice for about seventy years."

Steve smirked and AJ rolled her eyes, already knowing what he was thinking. "-I could say the same about you."

"Yeah, yeah." AJ said, taking a step back. "My point is – we'll be able to find each other this time. Because if I can't get ahold of you through the comm system Maria gave us – I will assume the worst. So, humor me, please?"

Steve nodded, taking in a deep breath, "Don't do anything stupid." He told her, pulling her into a hug.

"I could say the same about you." AJ replied, smirking while echoing his previous response to her. She pulled away from him and placed her hand on his chest, patting it lightly. "But...honestly – don't do anything stupid. And if you run into Bucky..." She paused, looking to the side for a moment before her eyes went back up to Steve.

"He'll remember us, Jay." Steve said, knowing AJ was having a hard time with this.

"And if he doesn't?" AJ said, her voice quiet.

"James Buchanan Barnes could never truly forget Adelyn Juliet Frost, no matter how hard Hydra tries to make him – You heard Sitwell. You were targeted because you were a weakness. Tell me you don't think that doesn't have to do with Buck." AJ swallowed hard, wanting to believe Steve. He sighed, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I know he's inside there trying to fight it. So, we need to fight for him now."

AJ nodded her head in agreement and opened her mouth to speak only to have Maria call her name, "We need to head out."

She smiled at Maria, letting her know that she was ready and then looked back at Steve, pointing at her wrist. "Do not take it off."

They hugged one last time, "We'll get him back." Steve swore to her and together, with Sam, Andrew, and Maria, they headed towards the tower.

It wasn't easy, but they managed to get into the buildings main security station where Maria emitted a noise that would cut through all of the security personnel's comm system, leaving them cut off to the main tower. When one of the tech guys walked out to check to see if it was satellite interference, he was met with four guns pointed at him, and Steve in all his star-spangled glory.

"Excuse us," Steve said and the man quickly raised his hands in surrender letting them all walk into the room.

Sam, Andrew, Maria, and AJ all aimed their weapons at each person in the room as Steve made his way towards the intercom speaker where the tech crew was able to hack so his message would be heard from every single floor or the Triskelion, and surrounding buildings.

"Attention, all SHIELD agents," Steve's voice echoed throughout the areas. "This is Steve Rogers." He addressed them. "You've heard a lot about me over the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. SHIELD is not what we thought it was, it's been taken over by Hydra. Alexander Pierce is their leader.

The STRIKE and Insight crew are Hydra as well." Steve informed the people. "I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want; absolute control. They shot Nick Fury, attempted to kill your fellow agents; AJ Frost and Natasha Romanoff, as well as myself. And it won't end there. If you launch those Helicarriers today, Hydra will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way, unless we stop them." Steve said, "I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high, it always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."

He ended his speech and AJ smiled over at him.

"Did you write that down first?" Sam asked, "Or was it off the top of your head?"

AJ chuckled and looked at Steve one more time and smiled. He returned the smile, and he and Sam ran out of the room while the rest of the tech crew cleared the area as well.

"Dammit," Maria cursed, the screen of the computer she was sitting at showing her that the Helicarriers were being launched. "-the system was override." Maria said, "They're initiating launch."

"Yeah, well that's where Steve and Sam come in." AJ reminded her. "I'm going to check the hangar bay – see if there's a jet I can get to."

"That's not part of the plan, Frost!" Maria yelled as AJ ran towards the door.

"It's part of my plan!" She yelled, leaving the room.

Andrew stayed with Maria – it was something he and AJ had agreed on earlier. She'd get to a jet and be another eye in the sky. He hadn't liked the plan, but AJ had told him that she had once jumped into a war zone out of a plane in the 1940's and that she could handle herself in this situation too. It also helped that being in the ice for two hours made her feel stronger than she had in months.

AJ was on her own – but she was more than sure that she could handle herself. She reached the hangar bay just as pilots were running to their jets.

"All SHIELD pilots, scramble!" AJ looked over and saw one of SHIELD pilots barking out orders to his team. "We're the only air support Captain Rogers has got." He looked over to AJ and waved her over, "-I heard a rumor you died." He said, looking relieved. "With Barton gone – you're one of the best pilots we have left."

"Get me to a jet." AJ told him, and they ran towards the nearest one only to be blown back by a blast of explosion, the jet lighting up in fire. AJ, now on the ground, looked over and saw a silhouette appearing from the smoke. She looked over to the pilot only to see him bleeding out, eyes closed, presumed dead. AJ got up only to stagger backwards and inhale sharply when she saw Bucky appear from inside the smoke.

"If it comes down to it," Andrew had said to her when they were alone, speaking of her plan, "Are you going to be able to do it? Can you go against Bucky?"

AJ had lied, told him it wouldn't be a problem. Because if she told him the truth, that she would never hurt Bucky again – he wouldn't agree to letting her go on her own. AJ was supposed to call in if she spotted Bucky to let Steve know his location – but she needed to try to get to him on her own.

Bucky fired his gun at more of the jets and AJ knew that it was now or never.

He ran forward, firing more shot and throwing a bomb into another jet – he was on his own, from all she could tell, he was on his own. For now. And then she felt her heart sink when people began firing at him, his raised his metal arm to protect himself, but AJ couldn't stop herself.

"Stop!" She yelled to the agents, and before Bucky could get a chance to take them out, AJ blast a gust of cold air at them, sending them flying away from Bucky. He turned and looked at her. She held her hands up, walking over to him. "Bucky," She said his name, watching as his face contorted in confusion. "I'm not going to hurt you."

His hand moved to his holster, hovering over his gun but not pulling it out. AJ was stalling, there was a jet a few meters away and if she kept Bucky distracted long enough, it'd be able to get in the air.

She was only a few feet away from him and he still hadn't pulled out his gun. AJ felt confident that Bucky wouldn't try anything.

"Buck, I know you're in there." She said slowly, hands still raised in the air. "I know you know who I am." His jaw clenched and AJ watched the little tick it always did whenever he was frustrated. She moved her hand to her chest, pulling out his dog tags. He watched her carefully, eyes trained on her face. "I met you on December 24th, 1941 – you had gone to the recruitment center with Steve and he had left his cross necklace behind – I saw it and brought it back to him. Do you remember?" She took the dog tags off from around her neck. "You tried to pick me up that day; asked me if I came here often. It was the worst pick up line I had ever heard." She smiled softly. "You asked my name and I told you it was none of your business."

She watched as he breathed hard, his chest moving up and down.

"Adelyn Juliet Frost." She said her name slowly. "And you," She held out the dog tags. "-are James Buchanan Barnes." He moved his metal hand out to reach for the dog tags only to have bullets shot at it, AJ flinched back as Bucky pulled out his gun and fired at the men targeting him. It could have been him trying to get better access, but Bucky moved in front of AJ, preventing her from getting hit. But then he turned around once the gunfire ceased and grabbed AJ by the neck with his metal arm, lifting her off the ground.

Both hands went to his wrist instinctively, her powers ready to be used. But she stopped her survival instinct and looked him in the eyes.

"You won't kill me," She choked out. His grip tightened but AJ didn't fight him. "It's okay, Bucky." She gasped. "I forgive you."

His face twisted in anger and confusion, not understanding.

"I love you." She said, feeling lightheaded now, her lung ached. "Always."

AJ fell to the floor, everything going dark on her way down. Always, she heard inside her head. Always.

_

They had lost contact with AJ. He didn't know if it was because she had wanted them to lose contact – or because she was in danger. "I'm tapping into the security footage to see what's happening at the hangar bay." Andrew said, fearing the worst.

"Charlie Carrier's forty five degrees off the port bow." Maria said, ignoring him. She then leaned back in her seat and pulled out her gun, firing as soon as the door opened stopping them from breaking into the headquarters. They hit the ground hard and lay motionless. They were kill shots, "Six minutes." Maria told them.

Andrew got the security footage of the hangar bay up, seeing nearly every jet destroyed. He counted how many were still there and saw that only one was missing. It had to be AJ – she must have gotten to a jet before Hydra attacked. But then he saw something a little off screen, a body, motionless, protected and out of the way if anyone else were to show up. He zoomed in and saw a pair of dog tags being held in a limp hand and the same bracelet AJ had placed on Steve earlier.

"Jesus!" He got up quickly. "AJ is down – I'm going to get her."

"Stay on comm!" Maria ordered him. "Give me your location every thirty seconds, Frost, that's an order."

He left and ran as fast as he could to the hangar bay, checking in with Maria whenever she said his name over comm. He wasn't paying attention to the time and when thirty seconds was up, but whenever Maria would say his name, he gave his location. It was overkill to have to check in so much – but he knew that with AJ down, it was only him and Maria on the ground.

If it were Maria going after AJ, he'd want her to check in that much too. But, mostly for different reasons.

"I'm here." Andrew said, running through the smoke and dodging the flames from the destroyed jets. There were bodies all around and out in the open. AJ must have taken cover before she – no, she wasn't dead. AJ was alive, she had to be. She was the only family Andrew had left. He refused to even think that she wasn't alive.

He spotted her, his legs pushing faster than they ever had before. "Jay!" He yelled, skidding on his knees once he was near her, pulling her body up a bit to check her pulse. He sighed in relief, hearing the steady rhythm of her heart still beating. AJ stirred in his arms, eyes blinking open as she looked up at him.

"Andy?" She whispered.

He laughed, God, he hated when people called him Andy after Brian had died – but hearing AJ say it now was like music to his ears. Andrew nodded his head and helped her stand, the dog tags dropping out of her hand in the process.

"Where's Bucky?" AJ asked, looking around at all the damage.

He felt anger rise in him, "Was he here?" He asked her, temper flaring. "You swore you'd let us know if you saw him."

"Yeah, well I lied." AJ said, pushing herself off of Andrew. "And it doesn't matter – he didn't know who I was." She said, sounding defeated. AJ looked down at the ground and saw the dog tags on the cement. She bent down and picked them up, staying low as she looked at the engraving. "My only hope is that Steve someway finds a way to break him out of his Winter Soldier state, because I sure as hell didn't." She stood up.

Andrew placed his finger to his ear and listened in on Maria, Steve, and Sam.

"Cap, come in. Are you okay?" Sam asked over comm.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm still on the Helicarrier. Where are you?"

"I'm grounded, the suits down. Sorry, Cap."

"Don't worry, I got it." Steve replied.

He looked back to AJ. "Steve is going to put in the last chip and then this is over." Andrew said, but AJ shook her head, disagreeing with him.

"It'll never be over." She replied, walking away from him.

"Where are you going?" Andrew called out.

"Tracking Steve's location." She yelled back. "Go back to Maria – she needs you more than I do."

Her words stung, but he knew that when he lost Brian, he had said far worse to her. And he also knew that she was only referring to Maria needing someone to watch her back during all of this. But his mind went to the thought that AJ just didn't need him in her life. He watched her walk away and once she was no longer in sight, he listened as Steve came over the comm system.

"Charlie locked." Steve said over comm.

"Okay, Cap. Get out of there." Maria said next.

"Fire now." Steve ordered.

"But, Steve..."

"Do it! Do it now!" Steve ordered.

Andrew looked up at the sky just as the last Helicarriers fired on each other, creating an explosion in the sky.

Steve had done it.

He had saved them all.

Andrew closed his eyes, knowing the price that Steve just paid.

He needed to find AJ. He needed to be there with her when she found out that Steve had sacrificed his life once again.

_

AJ had watched as Steve's little red dot had fallen from the sky, plummeting into Potomac River. She ran, pushing herself hard to the point she nearly collapsed once she reached the lake. AJ stopped, looking around to see where Steve might be. He must have jumped – because she had told him not to do anything stupid and if he had stayed on that damn Helicarrier – that would have been severely stupid.

She had seen the Helicarriers fire on each other, watched as they exploding in the sky, destroying the Triskelion in the process. And then she spotted a suit of red white and blue washed up onto the shore. "Steve!" She screamed, seeing that he was completely still. AJ ran over, falling to her knees as she got to Steve. "Steve, hey, hey, hey." She said, hovering over his body. "Wake up, okay?" AJ slapped his face a few times but he didn't wake up. So, she moved herself over him and began CPR, pressing the heel of her hands at the center of his chest and began compressions. After about thirty chest compressions, AJ tilted her finger under his chin and pinched Steve's nose, moving her mouth over his to blow in air. But then she jerked up, reaching for her gun when she heard a twig break and pointed her gun in the sounds directions.

Bucky stood there, watching from a bit away.

AJ looked down at Steve and then back at Bucky, hands still shaking as she pointed her gun at him. His eyes weren't hard, they weren't cold. They just held so much sadness. And then he turned and walked away.

"Wait!" AJ got off Steve, knowing that the man had literally survived while frozen in ice for decades and that when she got back she could start compressions again. Because she wasn't going to leave him.

Bucky stopped but didn't turn around.

"If you truly don't know who I am," Her voice shook, tears falling down her cheeks. "Why did you take my picture?" She asked. "I know it was you – you were the one to take the picture of me that I had in my apartment." Bucky didn't move, and he still wouldn't look back at her. "WHY?" She shouted now, anger getting the best of her and her voice thick with tears.

His head slowly turned to the side and AJ waited for him to speak, waited like she was clinging onto life itself. But before he could say anything, Steve began to choke and AJ ran back to him.

"Hey, you're okay, you're okay." AJ said, moving to his side and picking him up a bit to rest against her chest so he wouldn't choke on any more water. She looked to where Bucky had just been standing and saw that he was gone. AJ let out a small sob and hugged onto Steve, pressing her cheek against his head while he spit up water. "It's okay," She whispered. "I got you."

AJ sent her location to Maria and soon enough, Andrew, Hill, Romanoff, and Fury were there with her, loading Steve into the helicopter to take him to the nearest hospital.

_

James Buchanan Barnes.

Adelyn Juliet Frost.

Steve Rogers.

Captain America.

Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek. Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek. Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek.

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

Always.

So many words were running through his mind, images, memories forcing their way to the surface but still in a haze.

Always.

Cherry red lips. Dark brown curls. Striking green eyes. Mole on the right cheek.

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

He walked into the bank vault, dripping with water, and watched as some of the scientist stood in shock when they saw him enter.

"Sergeant," They said, looking frightened.

"Captain America is dead." He told them.

They looked skeptical, so he attacked, killing them all but when he got to the last one, the man pleaded for mercy. "I have a daughter!" the man cried.

And that's when he realized that he didn't have to kill any longer. He could leave, he'd be free of Hydra and their control and mission reports and the memory wipes – he'd be free from the trigger words that turned him into a monster.

He could spare this man.

He grabbed him by the neck, "Where's the picture?" He asked and the man cried.

"-W-what picture?"

"The picture." He seethed.

The scientist opened his mouth, "Of Agent Frost?"

He nodded. The scientist pointed over to the closed bank vault and let go of him, ripping the door off of its hinges and tore through the room. He found the picture, looking down at it, and even though it was in black and white, he saw green eyes staring back at him.

Bucky.

His name was Bucky.

He tucked the picture into his pocket and left, leaving the one scientist alive, and fled.

A word echoed in his head.

Frosty.