Hi everyone, I'm back again after another hiatus. I am determined to get this story finished as I do adore this series and the experience/challenge it's given me. I've been going through a lot lately and tying to balance everything has been hell, however I have really made writing a focus this year which has helped me realise where and what I need to be doing

Please review and I hope you enjoy- there's not many more chapters to go now!

...

April 4th, 2014. Insight Carrier Charlie, Washington D.C.

Beth could only watch helplessly as the men below her fought, Steve finally pulling Bucky into a headlock, efficiently cutting off his breathing.

"Drop it!" Steve commanded, indicating the chip in the Winter Soldier's hand but Bucky continued to fight, forcing Steve to increase the pressure around his neck. He felt sick, but he knew he had no choice. Sam was right; Bucky had to be stopped.

Beth was the most terrified she'd ever been. Bucky was family, he was the only man she'd ever loved, and now here they were, Steve holding him in a way that could take his life. It wasn't right and she struggled with her emotions to watch on as Bucky clawed at Steve's arm in an attempt to break free.

"Stop it Steve, you'll kill him!" she screamed as Bucky's face began turning purple.

Within seconds, Bucky lost consciousness and Steve let him go, grasping the chip on his way back to the control panel. Beth paid him no attention, her eyes firmly on the limp form of Bucky laying on the glass. As Steve began climbing up to the platform, forgetting he was supposed to throw the chip to her, she made her decision. Giving him a look asking for forgiveness, her hands grasped the rail and her knees bent, ready to jump.

"Beth, don't! He will kill you if he wakes up!" Steve shouted.

The venomous look she gave him had him snapping his mouth shut as a shudder ran up his spine.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you wouldn't do the exact same thing if that was Peggy down there." Beth said before launching herself off the ledge, giving him no time to respond.

Steve,stunned by the harshness of her words, eventually shook his head, knowing he couldn't stop her and continued on his way, having no choice but to trust her judgement. He was glad to see she had at least pulled out her handgun as a precaution. Steve turned his focus back to climbing up to the control panel, keeping his ears focused on below, concern for his sister's safety trying to override his emotions. Once, he would have been happy to see her run towards Bucky, but right now, he was terrified the other man would kill her in order to stop him. It didn't matter that she was now also a super soldier, one wrong move and like any mortal, she would be dead..

Beth dropped to her knees next to Bucky and rolled him onto his back. Brushing away the hair on his face, she gazed down at him, the lips she'd kissed so many times slightly parted. She wanted nothing more to press against those lips again. Unable to resist, she reached out to touch them with her finger, letting out a pained gasp when his metal hand shot out and clamped onto her wrist. The fingers began crushing the skin and bones, enough to make her grip loosen on the gun she held.

"Drop it."

It was the first time he'd spoken since they arrived. His voice was all wrong. The warmth was gone, his cocky Brooklyn accent replaced with a hint of cold, emotionless Russian. The fingers on her arm tightened, forcing her to drop the gun. It was in that moment, she realised she was seeing the side of Bucky she'd never witnessed in the war- the one that only his enemies faced. The fact he saw her currently as an enemy made her want to shy away, but she forced herself to meet his icy gaze. Aware Steve would come back down and fail the mission if she made a noise as the grip tightened further, she held back a whimper. Her Bucky would never have looked at her or hurt her like that.

"Please don't do this Bucky." She begged, placing her free hand against his cheek.

His eyes widened and the grip on her wrist intensified. This time, she couldn't hold back the tiny cry as the bones ground together, still not enough to break them, but she knew that any more pressure and they would snap. Thankfully, Steve didn't hear and she turned her face back up to Bucky who was watching her a conflicted expression in his gaze, as if he was battling with himself about hurting her. She kept her mouth shut, seeing slight recognition flickering deep in his eyes. Slowly, the grip loosened and she managed to pull herself free.

"Beth…" she heard him murmur, his tone puzzled, as if he couldn't figure out why he'd just said it.

Hope shining in her eyes, she stepped towards him, but a loud clang from above broke him from his trance, his expression turning stony again. She saw him look up at Steve, his face deepening into a resolution she'd only ever seen back in the war when he was on a mission. She knew that look meant only one thing, and she was determined to stop him from causing any more harm. Remembering the gun she had dropped, Beth reached down to grasp it again to point it at him, her other hand reaching to hold the ring and dog tags on her chain for reassurance.

"I don't want to do this, but unless you snap out of whatever brainwashing HYDRA has done to you and realise we're your family, I'll have to." She said, her voice calm, despite the shaking of her hand.

Her efforts were in vain and in a move she hadn't expected, he reached out and grasped her top, pulling her close to him. One hand brushed her arm and she suddenly found herself airborne as he flung her over his head, the gun she was holding now in his grasp. Her back crashed onto the floor with a bang and she let out a groan, gasping out a breathless plea for him to stop as he raised his own gun and shot Steve in the leg. Watching her brother fall to the ground made her grit her teeth in determination and she started pulling herself off the floor as Bucky fired two more times. Knowing Steve would call her an idiot for not getting out of the firing line, she finally wobbled to her feet and rushed Bucky as he raised the gun again, ready to shoot Steve's heart. Her blood pounded in her ears and she collided with him as he took the shot, sending them both to the floor, Bucky letting out a growl as he landed on his dislocated shoulder. Ignoring the pain, Beth raised her head to see that though the shot had missed his heart, Steve was slumped on the floor, clutching his stomach. Heart in her mouth, Beth pushed up off the floor and darted away from Bucky, who was staring at her with predatory eyes, watching her heading towards the ledge Steve was lying on.

"Steve! Get up!" she screamed up at him as she watched Bucky stand up.

His movements were deliberately slow and as she met his gaze, she saw her death, in them. It was enough to spur her legs to move even faster. In tackling him, she'd done something nobody had done in years; she'd surprised him. She forced herself to hasten as he continued moving at a tauntingly lazy pace towards her, his eyes telling her only one thing; he was going to kill her. Watching him was like watching a predator; sleek, deadly, and locked onto its prey. It had been decades since she'd felt so vulnerable and afraid, only this time, she didn't let it consume her. The second she did, it would be game over

She flung herself at the nearest ladder and heaved herself up it as fast as she dared in an effort to escape him, making it to the first ledge in a time she wouldn't have believed herself capable of if she wasn't running so high on adrenaline. She could hear Maria counting down in her earpiece and her stomach sank at the thought of so many people dying because they had failed.

Three…Two…One.

She braced herself, knowing she would be near the top of the hit list, but the shot never came. Instead, Steve's voice spoke over the radio, and she felt her whole body sag with relief.

"Charlie locked."

Her momentary reprieve was short lived as Maria's voice immediately came back telling them to get off the ship. Beth glanced down to see the guns below moving until they pointed towards the helicarrier opposite them. She gulped, and started ascending the next ladder, her momentary lapse in concentration ending with her crying out as a blinding pain pierced her side. Cursing, she fell off the rung, landing heavily with a gasp. She rolled, a second shot grazing the fabric of her pant leg and above, she heard Steve's voice calling out to her. Assured she was out of firing range for now and trying not to think of how much it destroyed her that the man she loved just shot her, she turned her gaze up and saw Steve peering down at her from where he was still slumped on the floor above. She gave him a weak smile, hoping to hide the pain she was in, but the expression of understanding he returned threatened to turn her into a blubbering mess.

She pressed a hand against her side, more concerned about getting Bucky's jacket covered in blood than the fact she had been shot. It was stupid, she knew, for that to be her predominant concern, but she figured she was going to probably die anyway, so why not worry about something trivial in her final moments?

The sound of another gunshot hurled her out of her thoughts, her breath catching as she realised Bucky was drawing closer. The siblings shared a look as they heard the guns powering up, each knowing they weren't making it out this time. Steve wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms, but he was still too hurt to move properly and knew she was in a similar condition now she had a bullet in her. Plus, there was the slight issue that Bucky was still around and would kill them the moment they entered his sight. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes briefly, decision made.

"Fire now" he commanded into his earpiece.

Beth caught gazes with him once more and nodded, letting him know she was okay with the decision. She hauled herself up, keeping her eyes peeled for Bucky as she once more started heading towards Steve.

"But Steve…" Maria replied.

"Do it!" Both Steve and Beth shouted and Steve pulled himself off the floor, determined to reach his little sister before they were blown to pieces.

"Do it now." He reinforced, once he swallowed back the searing pain in his stomach from the movement.

Tears pirckling her eyes, Beth gave her brother one last look, letting her eyes say the words her mouth couldn't.

I guess this is the end. I'm sorry. I love you. I'm so proud of you.

I can't believe I failed Bucky.

Again.