February 15th, 2015 - Spain

(6:00 AM)

Who are you?

"My name is Bucky."

Who are you?

"My name is Bucky."

Who are you?

"My name is Bucky."

He said it over and over like it was a damn mantra.

Eyes closed tightly, he repeated his name out loud and continued on with his morning routine. He lowered his body down and then pushed up just before he could touch the floor, trying to clear his head of the nightmares and the bad memories that plagued him. There were times Bucky tried to keep track of how many push-ups sets he had done – but his memories overwhelmed him. Sometimes he wouldn't even notice that two hours had passed. His heart would hammer against his chest and his head would spin.

Bucky would go over to where he kept his journals hidden and write down each thing he remembered, down to the last detail. Everything he had seen in his mind, the smells, the colors, the sensations.

His memories from D.C were particularly strong today. Bucky felt the sweat rolling down his neck as he continued to push himself.

"Bucky, I know you're in there." She had spoken slowly as she approached him, hands held in the air to let him know she wasn't there to hurt him. "I know you know who I am."Everything about her had seemed familiar and it had left an ache in his chest that he hadn't understood yet, which had only left him frustrated. And then she had moved one hand to her chest and pulled a pair of dog tags out from under her shirt. His dog tags. Her green eyes. The mole on her cheek. "I met you on December 24 h, 1941 – you had gone to the recruitment center with Steve and he had left his cross necklace behind – I saw it and I brought it back to him. Do you remember?" He remembered a white uniform, but the faces were still a blur. She had pulled the dog tags off and looked him straight in the eyes. "You tried to pick me up that day; asked me if I came here often." Her lips had twitched up and he swallowed hard, feeling the ache in his chest again. "It was the worst pick up line I had ever heard." She continued to smile softly. "You asked me my name and I told you it was none of your business." He had felt like he was struggling to breathe. "Adelyn Juliet Frost." She said her name slowly again. "And you." She had extended her hand slowly and dangled the dog tags for him to see. "-are James Buchanan Barnes."

He remembered reaching his hand out, the sun reflection off of his metal arm, his fingers inching closer to touching hers, to grabbing the dog tags, but then he was under fire and his training and survival instincts kicked in. He'd dropped his hand to his side and pulled out a gun, firing at the men who were targeting him. And yet again, he hadn't understood what he was doing but had moved to stand in front of the woman to keep her from getting hit. It had angered him.

They were all dead, the air was silent, but then he'd heard her breathe from behind and something had snapped in him. He'd spun around and used his metal hand to grab her by the neck, lifting her easily off the ground. He had seen the panic and fear in her eyes as both of her hands grappled with his metal arm – but then she'd stopped. And she didn't look scared of him. Her green eyes had stayed glue to his and he'd felt his chest ache again.

"You won't kill me." She had choked out.

He had felt angry. Because he knew she was right. But his grip on her neck had tightened to try and prove her wrong. The damn woman wouldn't fight him – she had just looked at him with tear filled eyes, causing the ache in his chest to intensify. "It's okay, Bucky." She'd gasped out. "I forgive you."

He hadn't understood. He hadn't known who this woman was – why he felt a connection to her – why he didn't want her to die. He hadn't understood anything anymore. But he'd had a mission.

But tears had burned in his eyes and he couldn't go through it. He'd felt like his insides were twisting and every muscle in his body was fighting against him. "I love you." Her voice had rasped and it ignited something in him. "Always."

Always.

Always.

Always.

He'd dropped her on the ground and her body limply had thudded against the concrete. He had turned to walk away but something had caught his eyes. The dog tags. He'd looked back at the woman and then to the dog tags. He'd bent down, grabbed the tags, and read them.

JAMES B. BARNES

32557038 T42 A

Instinct had kicked in again but he had found himself lifting the woman off of the ground and walking over to an area where she would be safe from any oncoming attack. Her head had rolled against his chest. His eyes had closed tightly as he inhaled and her scent. The aching had intensified. But he'd pushed through it and moved to hide her away.

Don't leave.

Don't leave her.

He'd set her down on the ground carefully and stared at her for a long moment. Her neck had been bright red from where his hand had been wrapped around it. He'd suddenly felt sick to his stomach. She'd let out a little whimper and he'd found himself falling down on his knees to get closer to her.

Always.

He knew her.

But the memory wouldn't come to the surface – everything was still a blur. His metal hand had reached out to touch her face, pushing back her hair. It wasn't always this color, he'd thought. Adelyn Juliet Frost, that's what she had said her name was.

And then new orders were coming through and he had known he had a mission to finish. He had grabbed the dog tags and placed them in her hand.

Always.

The floor beneath him cracked from all of the weight he was using to pushing himself up and down – the wood splitting, the sound filling the room. Bucky rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling of the room he was in. An abandoned apartment in an abandoned building, with just a mattress on the ground with two blankets. One used for warmth, the other as a pillow. Bucky closed his eyes and tried to push away the memories of the way AJ had looked at him. He remembered how when they were together his hand used to caress her neck as they kissed – but he had never hurt her. Had. Bucky had tried to kill her. He felt anger fill him. His metal hand balled into a fist and slammed down against the ground, creating a hole.

Yesterday was her birthday.

AJ...his Frosty. It had been a year since he was near her. And the last time he had seen her she had been crying. "Why?!" She had asked him, voice thick with tears. Bucky had had to keep looking forward, afraid to look back at her. Because if he did, if he met her eyes, he'd never leave her again. He'd fought so hard to keep looking forward but he couldn't stop himself. He had just glanced back at her – but thankfully, the sound of Steve choking had distracted AJ. When he heard her feet hitting the ground and her speaking softly to Steve, Bucky had left.

Protect her. From Hydra...from me.

God, he loved her still, so damn much. But he needed to keep her safe – he needed her alive. Because he couldn't go on if she died. Especially at his hand. Bucky knew AJ probably didn't understand why he was staying away – and he knew that there was a chance that if he ever did reappear in her life, that she might not want anything to do with him. But her safety was more important to him than anger. He rather her hate him and live than have her hurt by being with him. Hurt by Hydra...hurt by him again.

Bucky pushed himself off the ground and walked over to his mattress. He picked up the blanket he used as a pillow where he had her picture tucked away. His fingers traced over her face, her big smile and bright eyes.

He should have told her he loved her sooner.

He should have said it the day she and Steve rescued him. But he hadn't wanted to scare her away. His biggest regret in life was that he didn't get to tell Adelyn Juliet Frost that he loved her every single day that they were together. She must have known, right? She must still know, right? He let his free hand touch his dog tags, something AJ had given him back.

Bucky,

When you remember – bring these back to me.

-Always,

Your AJ

He remembered.

But he couldn't be with her.

Bucky could send the dog tags to the Avengers Tower so that she knew he did remember...but he couldn't. Because he held onto hope that someday he could give them back to her in person. That'd he'd be able to pull her flush against him and wrap his arms around her while burying his face in her neck.

It had been over a year.

But it still wasn't safe.

And no matter how badly he wanted to hold her in his arms, he had to stay away.

_

February 15th, 2015- New York

(12:00 AM)

"Who are you?"

No. no, no, no, no.

AJ didn't know what to say. She just stood frozen and absolutely speechless. There were so many emotions running through her head that she felt like she couldn't even breathe. Andrew was alive but he had no idea who she was – did he know who he was? Did he know anything? God, first with Bucky and now...I can't do this.

The sound of laughter coming from Andrew caused AJ to jerk a little, taken back by the sound. He was grinning, eyes crinkled as he looked at his aunt. She narrowed her eyes at him in confusion. What the hell is happening? She still couldn't speak though. "-I'm sorry." Andrew said as he continued to laugh. "I'm totally shitting with you."

AJ felt her temper flare. Are you freaking kidding?! Steve grabbed AJ's hand and tried to calm her down, but tears were filling in her eyes either out of either happiness or frustration, she didn't know which, and she could hear her pulse beating loudly in her ears. She was mad, she was happy, she was so many things.

Andrew looked around the room again and then frowned, taking in everyone's faces. He looked to AJ after looking around the lab. "What the hell happened?" He asked.

Bruce Banner stepped forward, his movements slow and cautious. "You know who you are?"

Andrew nodded his head. "Yeah."

Bruce looked back at the group before his eyes went back to Andrew. "Who are you?"

They all wanted to hear him say it out loud.

Andrew laughed again. "Andrew Frost." He said. He rolled his eyes, seeming to have anticipated Bruce's next question, because he said, "And she, " He pointed to AJ. "Is my aunt; AJ Frost." He then made a face as his eyes scanned over her. "Did you change your hair?"

She felt like she couldn't breathe.

AJ fought the urge to slap Andrew across the face and instead engulfed him in a hug. He stiffened at the action but then slowly relaxed and hugged her back. Finally, with his arms wrapped around her, AJ felt like she could breathe again. Her tears fell and she couldn't help but let out a little sob. "Hey, it's okay..." Andrew said softly, knowing that AJ did not normally react this way. "What's going on?"

"Do you remember anything about what happened to you, Andrew?" Thor asked.

Andrew made a move to take a step forward but AJ continued to hold onto her nephew, not wanting to let go. "Uh," Andrew didn't fight against AJ, he simply let her continue to hold him. "We were on a mission – Indonesia...I went off on my own and found some sort of artifact." He tensed and then pulled away from AJ, staring down at her. "You were there but..." He stopped and AJ watched as Andrew looked around the room again. His face grew serious when he realized that he was not in Indonesia, that there were people in this lab that hadn't been with him in Indonesia. "What the hell happened?" He asked, panic rising in his voice.

They all went up to the floor where their sleeping quarters were and then Thor did his best to explain everything to Andrew about the Kree and Inhumans while he gripped tightly onto the mug full of water that Natasha had given him.

Bruce had taken it upon himself to check Andrews vitals while Thor spoke. AJ could tell that he was too focused listening to Andrews heartbeat to listen to the conversations going on around him, watching as he scribbled Andrews vitals down in a small notebook.

AJ shifted her focus back to Thor as he told Andrew how he was now like his aunt and that he had been going through a type of metamorphosis while transitioning. But he did not tell Andrew how long he had been in the stone.

She sat at Andrew's side and watched as her nephew clenched and unclenched his fist the more Thor told him. It was a lot to take in . She knew that very well.

"Andrew," AJ said his name softly, causing him to look over at her.

She could see how confused he was in that moment. All of this information was overwhelming, AJ knew that. But she also had had years to master her abilities before Thor told her the legends of the Kree. Andrew had just woken up – he didn't even know what kind of abilities he had yet and was being fed all of this information about an alien race that he knew nothing about, and on top of that, AJ now had to drop a bomb on him that he had been encased in the stone for nine months.

"The last thing you remember...it was in Indonesia?" AJ asked and Andrew nodded his head. "Do you remember when that was?"

Andrew blinked a couple of times and then looked up for a moment. "Yeah." He glanced down at his hands. "July 17th." He looked to AJ after a moment of silence and swallowed hard. "I have a feeling you're not about to tell me today is July 18th." He said in a whisper.

AJ didn't answer, trying to work up the courage to tell her nephew that he had been out for nearly a year.

Thankfully, she didn't have to be the one to say it. "-Today is February 15th, 2015." Tony told Andrew.

Andrew inhaled deeply and AJ quickly moved to grab his hand, wanting to give him any sense of calm she might be able to. But Andrew only continued to shake his head with his face pinched together.

Tony seemed to sense the fear in Andrew (if it wasn't already evident from the look in his eyes.) "You just missed Adelyn's birthday, by the way." He told him. "But somehow you still managed to get her the best gift." Tony said. And when AJ and Andrew looked up at him, the man was smirking.

It was true. This was the best gift she could have gotten for her birthday. It was what she had wished for. That and... well, she didn't see that birthday wish coming true.

Andrew drew in a shaky breath that seemed to calm him down. He opened his mouth but closed it just as quickly. AJ frowned, "Are you okay?" She asked him.

"Nine months." He whispered to himself. And then his lips twitched up in amusement. "I...was literally reborn."

AJ covered her mouth with her hand when she let out a loud laugh, not being able to stop herself. God, she felt so much right now and her stupid nephew was still able to crack jokes. He was so Henry Frost's son. "Yeah." She agreed while sobering up a bit. "You were."

He smiled at his aunt and AJ felt like everything was finally right. That things were going to be ok. She had her nephew back and that's all that mattered. Andrew looked away from AJ and began to speak. "I guess," He paused. Scanning the room again, his eyes landed on Thor. "You seem to know a lot about this stuff – is," He licked at his lips. "-am I going to have the same powers as AJ? I mean, Frost. AJ Frost. Andrew Frost. Is that like...our family power?"

Thor shook his head. "It's only a coincidence that Adelyn was born to the name Frost – her powers were already a part of her. Though...it is quite amusing." Thor now smiled. He then looked to AJ and started to laugh. "I never noticed."

"Seriously?" Tony snarked and AJ felt herself smiling. "You've never noticed?" Thor innocently shook his head. "Honestly? We say her last name all the time! How did you not put two and two together?"

Steve walked forward and pressed his hand to Andrews shoulder, stopping Tony and Thor's banter. "All that matters is that you're back, Andrew." He told him and then looked down at AJ, smiling softly. "And we're all happy to have you with us again." It was the first time Steve had spoken since they left the lab. AJ had felt her best friends' eyes on her the entire time they had been upstairs, making sure that she was okay – ready to be there for her if she broke down. But AJ had surprisingly kept it together.

AJ looped her arm around Andrew's and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Tony was right." She smiled up at Steve. "This was the best gift."

Tony made a face. "I mean, I wasn't being serious. " He looked to AJ. "I think my gift would qualify as the best – if we're being realistic here."

AJ grinned at Tony and shook her head.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Her nephew is finally awake Tony."

"I got her an Audi R8!" Tony argued.

"That was a mistake," Natasha said in a flat tone. "-she's a terrible driver."

"I am not!" AJ laughed.

The group began to talk amongst themselves while Tony went to get a bottle of champagne to celebrate Andrew's return. AJ turned her attention back to her nephew, realizing that he had not spoken in a while. Steve had taken a seat next to Andrew on his left and looked at AJ briefly before speaking to her nephew. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

Andrew shrugged. "I don't feel any different. Should I?" He looked to AJ.

She frowned. AJ remembered feeling different – but that may have had something to with the fact that Dr. Reinhardt had been experimenting on her to see how much pain he could inflict on her before her powers showed themselves. "I think that our situations are a bit different, Andy."

"Well," Andrew looked down at his hands. "How are we supposed to find out what I can do?"

"Tests." Bruce had been lurking around where Steve, Andrew and AJ were sitting. She frowned at the idea of testing on Andrew. It was what Dr. Reinhardt had done to her – and yes, she knew that the circumstances were incredibly different and that Bruce would never do anything to put Andrew in any sort of harm, but it still worried her.

Hydra had tested her in '45, and under the guise of SHIELD decades later, they had managed to test her again after the attack on New York.

"Jay?" Bruce said causing AJ to look at him again. "I wouldn't run any tests without his permission."

She blew air out of her nose and smiled a little. Bruce was really the only one of her friends whom she had told what had happened to her – she had told him everything. He was a scientist, she thought he'd be able to rationalize what had happened (an awful science experiment) and help her process things from a more objective, detached perspective.

If AJ had told Tony what they had done – he wouldn't have been rational. Steve knew very little, but he was aware that AJ had been through hell while a prisoner of Hydra. Natasha knew torture, she understood what AJ had gone through but they never spoke about it. Clint didn't know much either. It was something AJ had kept to herself for a long time. She had thought about speaking to Thor about it, but spending hours in the lab with Bruce Banner had made her feel a little more comfortable talking about her past with him.

And, to be honest, he was the only one who had asked her what had. Everyone else seemed too scared to ask the question, let alone hear the answers.

"It's up to Andrew." AJ looked over at her nephew. "If you're comfortable with it," She sighed, trying to push back the memories of her time being tested. "-It's up to you."

When she looked over at Steve, she saw that he was frowning slightly at her. His eyes showed worry, almost as if he was scared that she might start to spiral again. He then turned his focus to Andrew. "We'll be there with you during the tests." Steve told him. "You won't be alone." His eyes drifted back to AJ.

His words were more for her sake than Andrew's and she picked up on that. She gave him a thankful smile and then grabbed her nephews hand.

"Let's get you down to the lab." AJ said softly as she stood up. Andrew gave her a reluctant smile and stood up as well.

Thor walked over to AJ, wrapping his arm around her shoulder to pull her to his side. "You were right." He told her. "I'm sorry I did not believe you." He apologized.

Wow, it wasn't every day that a god apologized to you.

"Oh, come on now." AJ smirked up at the God of Thunder to try and lighten the mood. "When will you all learn? I am always right." She teased.

Thor laughed and agreed with AJ. "I'll stop underestimating you." He promised her sincerely.

Steve and Andrew walked past Thor and AJ. She watched them talking quietly amongst themselves. AJ couldn't help but frown. She really didn't want Andrew knowing about the pain she had suffered while he was in the stone. He'd blame himself for her spiraling – and he had absolutely no reason to. She hoped that Steve knew her well enough to not tell Andrew what had happened.

Of course, he does – he knows you better than anyone, AJ thought when she saw Andrew laugh at something Steve said. If Steve had been telling Andrew about the bar fights – she really doubted her nephew would be laughing. Well, he might laugh a little.

Natasha walked up to where AJ and Thor were standing. "Banner is having me go get Palani and Jordan." She informed AJ. "Figured I'd grab Sam, too."

"You better." AJ smiled. "He gets pissy when he's not in the loop." She then looked back up at Thor and patted his chest. "-You should go spend the rest of the night with Jane. I'm sorry your Valentine's Day plans got screwed up because of me."

Thor smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the top of AJ's head. "Happy birthday, Adelyn."

Thor walked away and AJ and Natasha watched him leave. "Jordan told me she'd turn for him." Natasha said and AJ could hear the smirk in her tone. She laughed and nudged her friend gently. Natasha looked at AJ and grinned. "I'm glad to see your smile again." She said honestly.

AJ playfully rolled her eyes, feeling overwhelmed with emotions in that moment. Andrew was awake – he was right across the room from her talking with Steve. This wasn't a dream. It was real. The only thing that would make this day better was...she swallowed hard and nodded her head. "Me too." She smiled warmly.

Before Natasha left to go get Kai, Jordan, and Sam, she hugged AJ and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, wishing her a happy birthday as well. It technically wasn't even her birthday anymore – but AJ was in the mood to celebrate, after watching Bruce perform a few tests on Andrew to see what powers he might hold.

AJ headed over to the elevators where Andrew and Steve were waiting for her. Bruce had pulled Tony away from the champagne and told him they would be running a few tests on Andrew. Tony had looked over to AJ and furrowed his brows, wanting to make sure that she was okay with it. When she had given him a reassuring nod, the two men had left and were now downstairs prepping the lab.

Steve and Andrew had their backs facing AJ. When she got closer to them, she heard them speaking in a low tone.

"You still haven't found him?" Andrew asked Steve.

"Not yet."

Bucky.

They were talking about Bucky.

"I've been a little preoccupied with Jay , but Sam has been looking." Steve told him. " Still...there's no trace of him."

"Do you think he's..."

AJ wasn't going to let Andrew finish that question. He's not dead.

"What's with the whispering?" She said, making her presence know. Steve and Andrew turned and looked at her.

"Steve was just catching me up on the of the office gossip I've missed." Andrew lied.

AJ raised her brow at that, letting Andrew know that she was aware he was talking out of his ass.

"He was asking about Bucky." Steve said.

Steve was never able to lie to AJ. It made her smile. "Well, at least one of you is able to be honest with me." She teased, turning her attention on Andrew again. "I might be reaching here, but I think it's safe to say that your Inhuman power is definitely not the ability to tell a believable lie." She joked. But Andrew frowned.

He sighed. "I didn't want to upset you."

That was the truth.

AJ shrugged her shoulders. "It's all good, Andrew."

"Are you sure?"

Did she wish that Bucky was here with her right now? Yes. She'd love nothing more than that. But he wasn't. And AJ understood why. She had spent too much time being angry and hurt over Bucky staying away, spent too long thinking that he no longer loved her – she was done with that. AJ knew that Bucky still loved her and she knew that wherever he was in the world, she was on his mind. It was like some sort of weird six sense.

There were times when that warmth would spread through her and an image of Bucky would flash in her head. Maybe – somehow, that was the world's way of letting her know that he was thinking of her. The world had kept them apart for so long already. Maybe this little feeling she got was the world's way of making it up to her a little. Some higher power or the cosmos – or even Thor's Dad, she didn't know! But she knew the feeling she got stemmed from Bucky.

"Yes." AJ told Andrew. "Now, let's go."

Andrew and Steve exchanged looks but followed AJ's lead after she walked past them.

Bucky was out there. He was alive. And that's all that mattered.

_

October 19th, 1943 - Italy

It had been a week and he wasn't back yet. Most of the men still had not returned to base camp, but – he wasn't back. And that's the only thing AJ could concentrate on. Each day she'd treat a new soldier and try and save as many as she could, but lost more than she saved. And each day she'd look through the dead, praying that she wouldn't see Bucky's face. AJ slowly felt herself going mad with worry each day that he was gone. He wasn't on any of the lists of the dead which meant he was other killed in Azzano or captured.

AJ tried to rationalize her worry over Bucky through their connection to Steve – if anything happened to Bucky, Steve would be devastated. That's what she told herself. That she was simply worried because of Steve.

But that was horseshit.

She was worried because she cared for Bucky, much more than she'd liked to admit (mostly out of pride). AJ couldn't imagine never seeing him again. Never getting frustrated when he was acting cocky with her or feeling her insides warm whenever he'd call her Frosty. It had irritated her the first couple of times Bucky referred to her by that nickname, but God, AJ would give anything to hear him say it right now.

"Any word?"

Howard found her in the lab, sitting on one of the benches with her face in her hands as she leaned forward to try and forget her day of tending to the wounded. Two hundred men, including Bucky, had been sent out to Azzano to go against Schmidt's forces, and only fifty had returned.

AJ dropped her hands from her face and straightened her back. "No." She said after slowly, looking over her shoulder at Howard. Her voice was ten times raspier than it normally was from screaming orders to some of the other nurses and remaining soldiers. If it were under any other circumstances, AJ would feel pride. But she had felt nowhere near prideful in the last week.

Three days ago, word had gotten to base camp about the carnage in Azzano. AJ had been ready to march right out of the base to go find Bucky herself when Colonel Phillips refused to let their remaining soldiers try and find their missing brothers at arms. The man had taken advantage of the fact that AJ was a nurse and had ordered her to stay put and tend to the soldiers who might return.

"They're gonna need someone who knows what the hell they're doing once they get back."

It gave AJ a little hope – if Colonel Phillips thought that the soldiers would return, she should have hope, right? But she only wanted one soldier to return. And he hadn't.

Yet.

Don't give up on him.

Howard moved across the lab and took a seat next to AJ on the bench. He didn't say anything, he just moved his hand to sit on her leg, giving it a few pats to let her know that she wasn't alone.

"I wish Steve were here." AJ found herself saying.

Howard made a noise in agreement and then stood up abruptly. "Who says he can't be here?"

AJ furrowed her brows as she looked up at Howard. "Um, Senator Brandt – the US Army, to name a few."

"What if it was an official invite?"

"What?" AJ asked in an irritated tone. She was tired, she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since they got word about the 107th.

"Captain America has been touring all over America with the USO. What if they came to Europe, or more importantly, here?" Howard suggested.

She didn't argue with him this time. Because she knew that if Steve was here that he would take action, he would make things happen. Hell, he'd somehow manage to rally the remaining soldiers into going against the Colonels orders and help him free the Hydra prisoners – he'd get Bucky back.

The idea was brilliant.

But how?

"What would have to be done to make that happen?" AJ asked Howard as she got up from the bench.

Howard smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Forge a couple of documents, I suppose." He walked over to his personal office and AJ followed after him. "Is that something you're willing to do? Because if anyone were to find out it was you – it's not gonna be pretty, Frost. Especially since you're forging the signature of Colonel Phillip's and a few other powerful men." Howard warned. "You could get thrown in the brig."

"I don't care!" AJ said, "If it gets Steve here to help us save Bu-" She stopped herself and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for only a moment. "If it helps us save the rest of the 107th...it's worth it."

Howard smiled at AJ. "Good." He replied. "Because I was gonna do it with or without you. I was just wanting to see how far you'd go to save Barnes."

She narrowed her eyes and punched him hard in the arm, causing him to wince. "Just get the papers ready and I'll sign anything I have to!" AJ hissed at him before leaving his office.

"Try and get some sleep, Jay!" Howard hollered after her as she stalked towards the lab. "You want to look pretty for when you finally see your soldier again!"

AJ scoffed as she rolled her eyes. But a smile formed on her lips as she walked out.

Because she had no doubt in her mind that if Steve were to come here and find out that Bucky was one of the missing – he'd tear apart Europe to find him. And AJ intended to be by his side when that happened. They'd find Bucky. Together.

_

March 28th, 2015 - Avengers Tower, New York

It took a few weeks to see the change in Andrew. The one thing AJ had always loved about her nephew was that he never held back when they were sparring – he was competitive, always pushing himself harder, pushing AJ too. He had been the one she sparred with the most after D.C. Andrew would come home after each search for Bucky and force her to get out of the lab to spar with him to get out her frustrations. And it did help.

But now? Sparring with Andrew left her breathless and gasping by the end of it. He had always had good reflexes – but being able to block AJ's every move and counter attack with such precision that it left AJ flat on her ass each time – that's when AJ started to wonder if maybe it was something more.

It had only been a little over a month since Andrew came out of Terrigenesis, and one week since he was allowed to start sparring with AJ again. They had spent weeks running tests on him but hadn't been able to find out what his powers were. And yes, Andrew had always been good at hand to hand combat but after being out of the game formonths... something had to give.

So, AJ invited both Steve and Sam to join her and Andrew in the gym after she had shared her theory with Steve. He had instantly agreed to spar Andrew himself to see just how enhanced his reflexes were.

Steve had gone easy on him first, but near the end, he wasn't holding back. Each attack he made on Andrew was met with a block and counter attack that left Steve scrambling. It was like she was witnessing Steve go against Bucky again.

Andrew was not a super soldier – but he had the reflexes of one. Both Steve and Sam agreed with AJ on that.

"Superhuman reflexes?" Andrew said with a scowl when AJ had suggested that his 'power' was just that. Perhaps he had expected something more – Andrew had expressed the hope that his powers were fire-related. Fire and Ice, how cool would that be? He had said to her. Apparently superhuman reflexes didn't live up to the hype of being able to summon fire from your hand.

Sam let out a laugh and shook his head. "No offence, man – but you didn't fight like this when I first met you." He chuckled as they all stood in the gym together. "I mean, you were good, don't get me wrong but...not this good."

Andrew rolled his eyes and let out a little scoff. AJ sighed and shook her head at her nephew's behavior. "Look, we don't know if that's what it is – it could just be luck." Luck that he was able to fight just as well as Steve, if not better? AJ knew it was more than luck. But she'd humor Andrew. And herself a little. "But, to be sure, I'm calling in backup."

"Back up?" Andrew echoed.

Sam chuckled, already in on what AJ had planned. Andrew glared at him.

AJ kept her focus on Andrew as she felt the whoosh of a blade go right by her ear. She watched as Andrew moved his hand up, though his eyes were still on Sam, and caught the knife that Natasha had thrown at him.

Another gust brushed AJ when two arrows flew at Andrew. Her nephew dropped the knife and caught both arrows in his hands, and threw them back at Clint with just as much force and speed, hitting the archer in the chest.

"Ow." Clint winced as Steve, AJ, and Sam looked over their shoulder to where Natasha and he were standing.

AJ chuckled as Clint rubbed his chest.

"Relax," Natasha drawled. "It's rubber."

"What the hell, Jay?!" Andrew said in anger. "What if I had just gotten better at fighting and the whole superhuman reflex thing didn't play out?!"

AJ shrugged her shoulders innocently. "That's why I had them use rubber tips on their weapons." She told him. "It was that or have Natasha come in here and beat the shit out of you."

She could see Andrew trying hard to stay mad at her, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward as he shook his head. And then he finally laughed, the group joining.

Natasha walked up to him and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm still up to beating the shit out of you if you want to test just how enhanced these 'superhuman reflexes' of yours are, Andy." She smirked.

Andrew raised his brows in amusement. But then a cocky little grin appeared. "You really want to lose your dignity?" He challenged.

"Do you want to lose yours?" Natasha challenged him back.

It ended with Clint, Natasha, Sam and Steve all sparring against Andrew collectively, and they all ended up agreeing without a doubt that Andrew's Inhuman powers were indeed superhuman reflexes.

AJ, Bruce, Kai, and Jordan watched from the sidelines (though, Kai really wanted to be part of the sparring match as well) and with the help of some of the tech Tony had created, as well as J.A.R.V.I.S, they monitored his vitals and the velocity of his strikes.

Once Andrew realized just what he was capable of, he started to warm up to the idea of his 'gift' and began to embrace it. They set up a schedule for the next two weeks for each member of the Avengers (minus Tony and Bruce) to spar against Andrew to test his strengths. But after those two weeks, Andrew told AJ that he wanted to get back on the search for Bucky.

He also told her that he wanted her to come. It made AJ's eyes fill with tears as she smiled, thankful that Andrew knew her so well. He knew that his aunt wouldn't leave his side for a while, but after months of staying in the lab waiting for Andrew to wake, her search for Bucky had come to a halt and that it had been hard on her. He knew that if he didn't go out to search for Bucky, AJ wouldn't either.

At the end of the day, when the sky grown dark and Andrew had gone off to his room to get some sleep, AJ sat on her bed with her knees pressed to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Steve sat on the other end of her bed and watched her carefully.

She had asked him to come to her room so that they could talk. Steve could tell that there was something AJ was keeping from him. It was something that had been weighing on her ever since Andrew had woken up and they had performed tests on him. The only people in the world who knew what AJ had truly gone through during her own "testing" were Bruce Banner and Peggy Carter, but with her Alzheimer's advancing, AJ didn't know how much longer Peggy would remember. But now AJ was ready to open up to Steve.

"I want to tell you about my time at the Hydra fortress in Austria."

Steve swallowed hard, opening and closing his fist to the point where AJ could hear his knuckles cracking. "Okay." He said slowly.

So she told him. By the end, his eyes were filled with tears, his face was pinched together, and his hands were balled into fists. "I'm sorry." He whispered brokenly.

She tilted her head at him and gave him a soft smile. "It's not your fault."

"-If I had been there,"

"Everything happens for a reason, Steve." AJ stopped him. "I went there on my own, and if I hadn't, I wouldn't have come into contact with the Diviner that triggered my Inhuman genes."

"He tortured you, Jay."

AJ nodded her head. "I know. To the point where it nearly killed me – but it led me here." She reminded him. "It gave me a second chance at having you in my life again." Her eyes filled with tears and she inhaled sharply. "And I hope someday it will give me a second chance at a life with Bucky again."

Steve bit his lip as he lowered his head, not looking her in the eyes. AJ moved to sit in front of Steve. She placed her fingers under his chin and lifted it so that he was looking at her. His baby blue eyes were red and blurry with tears.

"There was nothing you could have done, Steve." She tried to assure him.

"I would have found you sooner – I wouldn't have stopped." His face pinched together more.

AJ pressed her lips together and shook her head. "We can't change the past, Steve. And...even if I could – I wouldn't. Because Bucky is alive. He's alive, Steve. And we have a second chance with him. I would go through all that pain and torture and loneliness all over again without hesitation because it led me here." AJ moved her fingers from Steve's chin to his hand. She smiled as she intertwined them with Steve's fingers. "When Bucky fell from the train, I knew that the life I had dreamed of was dead. And hey, it still might be – but I'm living in a time where I know that Bucky is alive. And all that torture and pain I went through from Hydra was worth it because... that dream isn't dead anymore, Steve! Because Bucky isn't dead!"

Steve moved forward and wrapped his arms around AJ, pulling her tightly to his body, his face hiding in the crook of her neck. She sniffled as she hugged him back, fingers gently scratching at his back in hopes of showing him some sort of comfort. AJ knew that if Steve ever found out about what had happened to her it would kill him – that he would blame himself. That's why she swore to herself that she'd never tell him. But she was hiding it from him.

She was tired of the nightmares that woke her up in the middle of the night and of knowing that she couldn't go next door to Steve to talk to him about it. AJ was tired of feeling alone. (Yes, Bruce knew about what had happened to her – but...he wasn't Steve. )

He wasn't her best friend. And AJ needed her best friend. She always would.

"I'm gonna find him, Jay." Steve promised her as she was snuggled up against his side. AJ didn't tell him to go to his own room because he had hardly let go of her since she had told him everything. AJ would let him hold her for comfort, let him know that she was alive and next to him and wasn't going anywhere. "I'm going to find Bucky."

"I know." She whispered.

The only sounds in the room came from the streets hundreds of feet below them. The sound of cars honking and people shouting at one another. The calming noise lulled AJ to sleep. When she woke up, she was alone in her room.

Steve had left either early this morning or in the middle of the night, but AJ had a feeling she knew where he was. She had told Steve that she had shared with Bruce what had happened to her, and Steve being Steve, likely went to the doctor for advice.

He blamed himself for what happened to her. She hoped Bruce would help him realize that he shouldn't.

Because like she said; there was no changing the past.

If there had been a way to change the past – AJ would stop Bucky from ever getting on that train. She'd help the Howling Commandos find another way to capture Zola. But... you can't change the past.

_

London, England - November 10th, 1943

Bucky stood awkwardly in her private quarters. AJ had invited him to stay for a while before he had to go back to the soldier's barracks and now she was in her bathroom washing her face. He swallowed hard, hands shoved into his pockets as he waited for her to come out.

This was the first time AJ had invited him to her room. He had jokingly brought it up in hopes that her cheeks would flush and she'd duck her head to try and hide the it. Her dark curls would fall in her face, hiding her beautiful green eyes from him, but for only a moment. Then she'd look right back up at him and sass him, pretending that the previous moment had never happened. But, instead, AJ had smiled and asked him. "Now what kind of woman do you think I am, Sargent Barnes?" It had left his cheeks burning and his eyes widened at her tone. She had then grabbed his hand and pulled him inside her bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

She had laughed when the sound of the door locking caused him to choke on air. She had then sauntered back over to him and asked him again, "Seriously, Buck – what kind of woman do you think I am?!"

Of course, she had been cruel enough to leave him standing there in shock as she walked into the bathroom. "Where are you going?" He'd squeaked.

AJ stopped when she was standing in the doorway of her bathroom. "Relax, Barnes. I don't plan on taking advantage of you." She teased. "I'm just washing my face."

That damn woman really had no idea the effect she had on him.

Bucky felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest and he could feel beads of sweat rolling down the back of his neck while he waited for AJ to return. And when she finally did , he felt his breath catch in his throat.

He didn't know what he was expecting. He was used to the night routines of his mother or sisters having large curlers in their hair and gunk on their face that he still didn't know the purpose of. But AJ...not AJ.

"What?" She asked him and he finally saw her cheeks flush. AJ tugged at her nightgown and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you looking at me like I have five heads?"

Bucky chuckled after letting out a huff of air. "You don't have five heads, sweetheart. Trust me." He smiled as he walked over to her. "You look beautiful."

AJ playfully squinted her eyes at him . "Do you really think calling me beautiful is going to get you in my bed tonight?" She smirked and then asked again, "What kind of woman do you think I am, Bucky Barnes?"

"Smart." Bucky answered. "Funny." He added. "Kind. Loving. Amazing. Thoughtful. Generous."

He smiled when AJ blinked at him in surprise, not expecting that. And then she smiled. "You surprise me."

Bucky raised his brows and grinned. "How so?"

AJ ducked her head and Bucky grinned harder, knowing that she was trying to hide her blush. She looked back up at him through her long lashes. She bit down on her lower lip and shrugged , then tilted her head up and smiled. "The first day I met you , I despised you."

Bucky laughed. "Ouch, Frosty." He placed his hand over his heart.

"You were everything I didn't want in a man." AJ confessed and Bucky felt his lips twitch up. "That!" She laughed, pointing up at his smile. "That lazy grin!" She said while smiling. "When I saw it, I knew that you were the type of guy who has never had a woman say no to him in his whole life!"

That made Bucky grin. "Is that why you were so cold to me?"

"Exactly!" AJ grinned. "You needed a serious wake up call. It didn't matter how handsome you were." Bucky cocked his brow at her words and AJ rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush." She shoved him playfully.

But Bucky grabbed a hold of her wrist before it could drop to her side. His thumb rubbed circles against her skin as he stared down at her. He swallowed hard as her green eyes locked with his. The feeling of his heart thumping against his chest was so loud in his ears that he was sure that AJ could hear it. He took in a deep breath before smiling down at her.

"I like this smile a lot more." AJ whispered .

He took a step closer to her. "And what do you think this smile means?"

She chuckled. "That you're nervous. That I make you nervous."

He nodded his head. "You do."

AJ looked down at her wrist that he was still holding onto. "You make me nervous too." She admitted. "You're the first guy that has ever proved me wrong when it came to my first impression of them." She said softly , now looking back up at him. "I mean, you're still cocky as hell." She chuckled. "But you...are not what I expected. You're not just a handsome face; you're kind, smart, funny, loyal." Bucky couldn't help but hold his breath. "You're brave, you're...you're Bucky." She smiled and Bucky had never seen anything so beautiful before in his entire life.

He bit on his lower lip and looked down at the ground. "Would you kick my ass out if I kissed you right now?" He asked after lifting his head a bit so he was looking her in the eyes again.

AJ grinned and closed the space between them. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tilted her head. "I'd kick your ass out if you didn't kiss me right now."

Bucky smiled wide before he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

He ended up spending the night with her. Nothing happened other than kissing and slight heavy petting. Because Bucky wanted to take his time with AJ, he wanted to make sure she was comfortable with him. Nothing more would happen until she was ready – no matter how long it took. He'd wait forever if that's what it took.

She was worth it.

PRESENT DAY

Bucky inhaled deeply as he woke up and the images from his dream slowly faded away.

You're kind, smart, funny, loyal. You're brave, you're...you're Bucky.

He swallowed hard before he uttered his morning ritual. "My name is Bucky." He said as he got off the mattress.

He walked over to the beat-up refrigerator in the little whole in the wall he was staying at and opened it up to get water. But his metal hand gripped onto the handle when his eye caught what he had taped to the fridge. It was a newspaper clipping – a picture.

He dropped his hand from the handle and reached up to grab the picture.

It was of Steve and AJ, taken on February 14th of this year. A celebration Tony Stark had thrown for Adelyn Frost's birthday. They were dancing together and laughing. It made him smile. Bucky imagined how Steve probably stepped on AJ's toes while they danced and Frosty teased him about it for the rest of the night.

The newspaper clipping was from a local tabloid that was written in a language that Bucky didn't recognize, but the man at the newsstand spoke a little bit of English and was able to translate the heading for Bucky.

Is Captain America Dating the Woman Out of Time?

It made Bucky snort. Not because he thought that Steve had no chance with AJ – but because never in his life would he have imagined reading about his best friend in the paper – let alone articles about Steve and Frosty. He remembered his sisters reading tabloids back in the 40's about Howard Stark and who he had been dating that week but Bucky never thought he'd be reading them about Steve decades into the future.

Bucky hadn't imagined a lot of things.

He swallowed hard at the thought of Howard and looked at the picture of AJ. Her hair was shorter, still a lighter shade of brown and blonde and the dress was almost the same shade of green as her eyes were. If she ever found out about Howard... Bucky placed the picture back on the fridge and forced himself to look away.

All these months he had told himself he was hiding to protect AJ and Steve from Hydra, or from him. But he was realizing he was protecting himself. If they found out all the things he had done as the Winter Soldier...God, he really did not want to look into their eyes and see the anger or hatred.

He loved AJ with every part of him but when she found out about Howard Stark...

Bucky didn't think she'd ever forgive him.

And why should she?

He still hadn't forgiven himself.

AJ deserved a good life full of happiness and laughter. She deserved to smile the way she had been smiling at Steve in the newspaper clipping. Hell, he wouldn't hold it against her if she broke her promise to him and ended falling in love with Steve. It would hurt like hell but Bucky knew that AJ deserved to be with someone who brought her happiness, not sorrow.

And Bucky believed that he would only ever bring his Frosty sorrow.

He loved her, but Bucky also knew she deserved so much better.

If Steve could give that to her...he'd never hold it against either of them.