You still coming?

Yes

Good, I may need the help.

Kayla knew better than to text and drive, but she also knew when she was walking into a place she shouldn't be. She looked quickly from the screen to the road, swinging the truck into the parking lot of the fishing lodge and throwing it into park. Kayla was practically jumping out of the truck before it stopped, seeing Tessa's empty car beside her.

"Shit." Kayla hissed, seeing that she was too late to stop her friend. The only option now was getting her out alive.

Kayla ran toward the lake, seeing a campfire in the distance and two people standing behind it in an embrace. She took a deep breath before approaching, suddenly very aware that she was completely alone. She pulled out her phone, no new texts. She was going to have to save Tessa by herself.

As she got closer, Tessa looked up from the place she was huddled against Ryan to see Kayla approaching. "Katie?"

"Tessa." Kayla answered evenly, not quickening her pace as Tessa sprinted towards her, enveloping her in a hug. Kayla grabbed Tessa's head and held it close as they embraced, but her eyes never left Ryan. The tall, lanky man watched her curiously, but there was no remorse in his face.

"Katie, I'm so so sorry. I- why are you here?" She stumbled out as she pulled away, looking Kayla up and down, "It's the middle of the night."

Kayla didn't look at Tessa as the little brunette stepped away, watching her friend with confused brown eyes. Kayla's focus lied with Ryan alone, "What happened to them, Ryan? Where's my husband?"

"The attacker came into camp. Hit Jack with cyanide. Got in a scuffle with Phillip and ended up shooting him. That woke me up so I shot at him, but missed. I found Steve down by the river. I'm so sorry, Katie." Ryan apologized, but his eyes were cold and unapologetic. It confirmed Kayla's suspicions.

Kayla smiled wickedly, and Tessa took another step away, suddenly very afraid of her friend. Kayla took one long step toward Ryan, her flat boots sinking into the dirt, "Where are Jack and Phillip now?"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Kayla countered, veering off away from the firelight where Steve's tent was still pitched, the front flapping in the slight breeze. She looked toward the lake, then turned back to Ryan, seeing Tessa wrap her arms around his torso.

"Over there." Ryan pointed into the darkness, and Kayla could see two heaps hiding in the darkness. Tessa shuddered and hid her face in Ryan's chest as he swallowed thickly, watching Kayla as she got a little closer. "Steve's by the lake. I- I couldn't move him."

"Isn't it weird that the police have been here already but haven't moved the bodies? Isn't it weird that you're still here?" Kayla pressed, turning back toward Ryan and Tessa. She tilted her head and grinned, laughing almost, "You're a cop. You should know that Ryan. Unless you're trying to hide something."

"What are you insinuating, Katie?" Tessa asked slowly, holding tight to Ryan as Kayla swung back around, her hips swinging as she approached. "Why are you acting so weird?"

"Because there was no attacker, Tess. Phillip and Jack tried to kill Steve. Phillip got shot on accident, then Jack shot Steve as he fled. Which only leaves one body without a story." Kayla sneered back, only ten feet away from the couple now, "Who killed Jack? He's clearly dead." Kayla motioned toward the darkness. "Ryan?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Ryan asked, his jaw quivering as he stared at Kayla with terrified eyes. She was a madwoman. "I know you're hurting Katie, I know how hard it must be for you to accept that Steve is gone."

"That's the thing, Steve isn't dead." Kayla interrupted, holding up her finger to Ryan. "Steve's with our kids right now, alive and well. When he left the camp, Phillip was dead, because he tried to shoot Steve and my husband defended himself. Steve is positive that your younger brother was still alive when he left, so why is Jack dead, Ryan?"

Ryan's arms quivered around Tessa, and the brunette looked from Kayla to Ryan, taking a step away from her fiance to face him. "What is she talking about, Ryan?"

"Steve's dead."

"No, he's not. I've talked to him. I've held him in my arms. Steve is alive. Unless you can prove he's not." Kayla spat back.

Ryan quivered, grabbing onto Tessa's arm tightly, "There's no way he could survive a shot of cyanide."

At Ryan's words, Tessa tried to bolt, but Ryan held her tightly as she pulled away. Kayla shook her head and smiled, "There's a lot about Steve and I that you don't understand."

"He would have been perfect. He could have had a great life. He chose the wrong side. So many do." Ryan explained calmly, digging his fingers into Tessa's arm. "I'd hoped maybe he'd take the bait, do what he had to- to protect you and the kids. Hydra is coming whether we like it or not, but this time, they won't lose."

"Oh, so you admit you're Hydra then? I'm sure your coworkers will love that. Put in charge of the police department so you can make sure nobody ever finds out where all the missing people go." Kayla sneered, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she laughed, "Fortunately I have friends in higher places. Steve didn't choose the wrong side, you did."

Ryan pulled a gun from his belt and aimed it at Kayla's head across the glow of the firelight, "You stupid bitch. You've dug your own grave."

"Oh, you're gonna shoot me? And then what? You're gonna shoot your fiance? Ryan, you have dug your own grave, but you can get out of it. I can get you out of this." Kayla softened, shifting her weight and letting her shoulders drop. Tessa was still in his grasp, "Let me help you out of this Ryan. We all make mistakes."

Ryan rolled his eyes and groaned, changing his tactic and moving the gun to Tessa's skull. "I don't want her to have to see you die. It'll break her heart."

Tessa whimpered as she tried to pull away, but Ryan was stronger than her and wouldn't give up on his grip. Kayla's calm demeanor changed to tense and she put her hands up in defense, "No, no Ryan, don't do this. I can help you."

"I didn't choose the wrong side. I chose the side that makes the call who lives and dies, and soon there will be two options: join willingly or have your brain turned to mush. I didn't want the latter. I didn't want that for my family or for Tessa. My father believed in Hydra, it's why he was on the Hellicarriers when the Triskellion fell. He believed that Hydra would make the world better. Maybe he was right. This world is too chaotic, and Hydra seeks to control. I want to be on the winning side." Ryan explained frantically, still holding the gun close to his fiance's head. A tear rolled down his cheek, "I didn't want it to end this way for Tessa. It wouldn't have- if you hadn't come along. Now I have to kill you both."

"No, you don't. Walk away, Ryan. Put the gun down." Kayla's eyes flickered past Ryan, seeing movement in the trees, but the man's loud laughter broke through the silence of the night, stealing away her attention.

"It's too late Katie. You know too much. You both do. You'll disappear into the night, they all do. I'll kill you, and then your dope of a husband, and then the brats. I'll make sure there's nobody alive to mourn you." Ryan hissed, pushing the cold metal barrel harshly against Tessa's head.

"Please... please don't do this." She wailed, but her cries fell on deaf ears. For Ryan, it was kill or be killed.

But he chose the wrong side.

Kayla's pleading turned to fire at his words. Her eyes turned cold and flickered past Ryan, then back to the cop, "You've made a terrible mistake."

"No, no I didn't." Ryan laughed back, but Kayla shook her head, rebuking his claim.

"I would have saved you." She whispered, taking a step closer, "But you threatened my children."

"What are you going to do? You think you can stop me?" Ryan laughed again, taking in the woman before him. "You're pathetic."

"Tessa." Kayla warned, motioning with two fingers from Tessa to herself, "Look at me okay. Focus on me."

"Oh how sweet, trying to make it easier in the end. It's your fault, Katie. It's your fucking fault I have to do this. Because of your husband I had to kill my own brother, my own flesh and blood, just to make sure he kept his mouth shut."

"Tessa, focus on me, no matter what happens, don't look away," Kayla ordered, taking another step closer as Tessa stared at her, unsure of what was about to happen.

Ryan rolled his eyes and tightened his grip on Tessa, "I'm so sorry, love." He whispered in her ear, then he pulled the trigger, and the familiar ting of a bullet on vibranium echoed through the forest.

Tessa began to turn her head, but vaguely heard Kayla calling to run to her, so she sprinted to Kayla like her life depended on it and embraced her tightly as Kayla held her head against her chest, forcing her eyes away. She heard Ryan began to whimper and cry, and, after a moment, there was a loud snap, and the crying stopped. The silence was followed by a thud, and Kayla's grip on her tightened as the world fell away and Tessa began to feel the weight of what just happened.

"Tessa? Tessa, look at me." Kayla ordered, tilting her friend's face up to look at her, "Tessa, you're alright. Everything's alright."

"Ryan's Hydra." Tessa wheezed, leaning into Kayla but still not looking around her, "Ryan tried to kill me."

"He'll never hurt you again. He'll never hurt anyone again." Kayla murmured, looking over the brunette's head to see the body in the dirt. "I'm sorry this had to happen."

Tessa shook violently in Kayla's strong arms, then turned to look over her shoulder, but before Kayla could stop her, she caught a glimpse of Ryan's body and began to sob. She was ripped in half, a part of her wanting to mourn the man she'd loved for so many years, but knowing he would have murdered her moments ago.

"There was no other way. I offered him a way out. He didn't want it." Kayla muttered quietly, and Tessa grabbed her chest as her body began to fall to the ground. She was barely aware of two strong arms that reached out to catch her and keep her upright.

Tessa turned to the person holding her and balked, staring up with wild eyes, "Bucky?" She pulled away from Kayla and took a better look at the man before her, specifically the glint of metal on his left side. Her jaw quivered as she stared at the metal arm, understanding what the bullet hit and how she survived. He saved her life.

"I would have stopped him." Kayla informed coldly, looking Tessa straight in the eyes, "But Ryan threatened my children."

Tessa seemed to have gotten past the idea of her Hydra fiance dying and now moved on to the mystery at hand. She looked around between Kayla and Bucky with wild eyes, "Why the hell do you have a metal arm? And- and how the hell did Steve survive getting shot with cyanide? And why the fuck did you charge in here by yourself if you knew Ryan was working with the people behind all the murders?"

Kayla looked at Bucky with her mouth agape, trying to come up with an explanation, but the only explanation was the truth. It was time.

"Tess... I- I'm not who you think I am." Kayla started, taking a step towards her friend, "And neither is Steve. We- uh, we haven't been completely honest."

Tessa felt the lump in her throat growing despite how hard she tried to swallow it down and be okay with her best friend's confession, "Okay. Who are you?"

"My name is Kayla Ellis." Kayla said slowly, smiling meekly before adding, "I'm married to Steve Rogers. He's, uh, he's Captain America. And this," She gestured to Bucky, who hooked his thumbs in his black vest and stared at the ground, "This is Bucky Barnes. The Winter Soldier."

Tessa didn't move. She didn't breath. Her heart practically stopped in her chest as she chewed over the information she was given. She pushed back a chunk of brunette hair before looking back to Kayla, "What? You... you lied to me? All this time?"

"I'm supposed to be dead, Tess!" Kayla cried out, trying to grab a hold of Tessa, but she back away, jutting her arms out to stop Kayla from approaching. Kayla took a deep breath and then sighed, "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you so bad! But I couldn't. I had to protect my family. Steve and I had to protect the kids. Hydra wants us dead."

"They seem to want a lot of us dead." Tessa hissed, "And now my fiance's dead because of you. And you-" Tessa turned to Bucky, who kept his head lowered, but rose his eyes to see her, "You murdered someone with your own hands, how... how could you?"

"It's not the first time." Kayla lulled her head to the side and Tessa backtracked from the two even farther. Kayla lifted her eyes to the sky, praying for the words to help her best friend understand, "He used to be an assassin. Steve used to be a soldier. And I- well, I used to, and still will, do anything for my family. Including kill." Kayla shrugged, and Tessa wanted to throw up, unsure how to react to her friend's flippant admission to murder, but Kayla continued anyway, "We are the good guys Tess. We're the Avengers. Sometimes we have to make hard calls- like we made tonight. I called Bucky here. I asked him to come. Because it was you or Ryan, Tess. You need to understand, even if I hadn't come around, you would have died."

"No. No, no, no you don't know that. Fuck you. I don't even know who you are. You've been lying to me for years. Everything you've ever said was a lie, since the moment we met. I trusted you. I trusted you with everything, and you knew it was all fake. I can't believe you. I can't believe any of you. You call yourself heroes, but you only look after yourselves." Tessa screamed back at Kayla, tears streaming down her face, "You've ruined my life. You've taken everything from me. Why couldn't you just mind your own business?"

Kayla felt her legs go weak, and she clenched onto Bucky's right arm to steady herself as Tessa stormed away. "What have I done?"

Bucky wrapped his real arm around Kayla tightly, giving her a firm hug before pulling away, "Give her time, she'll come around...I'm going to check the bodies, see if there's anything useful.

Kayla nodded, praying Bucky was right. She couldn't lose another friend. She lost Tiffany to Hydra. She couldn't lose Tessa, too. Kayla watched the woman walk away slowly, wanting so badly to run after her and make things right. Bucky was rifling through Ryan's body and it made Kayla sick to her stomach. She'd known him. She'd trusted him. It wasn't meant to end like this.

Suddenly, Bucky shifted the body, and a slight beeping emitted from somewhere in Ryan's jeans. Both Kayla and Bucky turned to it, instantly alarmed by the noise. Bucky slowly reached into his pocket and found his phone, with a remote programmed into it, ready to go. Whatever the remote was for had been activated.

Kayla and Bucky looked up at the same time as Tessa collapsed onto the ground, causing them both to break into a sprint. Kayla somehow outran the Winter Soldier, sliding onto her knees and ripping holes in her jeans as she grabbed onto her friend, "Tess? Tess! Can you hear me?"

Tessa was choking and holding onto her chest, gasping for air. Kayla looked around the woman, trying to figure out what was wrong. Bucky knelt beside Kayla, scanning Tessa for anything out of the ordinary. He caught a glimpse of blood coming from her left hand, and gently grabbed it, lifting his hand to get a closer look. "Kayla."

Kayla's eyes darted to what Bucky was holding as Tessa slumped against her legs, no longer able to stay awake. Kayla choked out a gasp as she saw the small trickle of blood pooling under Tessa's engagement ring, clouding the diamond ruby red.

The ring...

"Bucky, get it off of her!" Kayla shrieked as she thrust her hand into her sweater pocket, fishing around for her syringe. She looked up in time to see Barnes pull pliers from his vest and snap off the thin band, before gently pulling the small needle from her delicate finger. Kayla was shaking as she pulled the cap of the syringe off with her teeth, spitting it away before jabbing the needle into Tessa's left arm. She exhaled loudly as she focused on draining the antidote into Tessa's bloodstream, using her free hand to check for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. "I hate that Tony Stark was right," Kayla mumbled, finally pulling the needle from Tessa's arm as Bucky pulled the smaller woman toward him, allowing Kayla to find the cap she'd discarded. "He was sure I had to figure it out." She continued, looking up at Bucky under her lashes as she shoved the syringe back into her sweater pocket, "If I hadn't..."

"But you did. You figured it out, and she's gonna be okay." Bucky assured Kayla quietly, pushing himself to his feet with Tessa limp in his arms. "Where do we go now?"

Kayla swallowed hard, looking around at the carnage they'd left behind. She couldn't just leave Tessa at home alone. She knew too much about her and her family now. "Let's get somewhere safe, then-" Kayla stammered, watching at Tessa's breath steadied, "Then we'll go from there."