The addresses on the map haunted the recesses of Loki's mind for the next few days. He knew Steve would want to know about them but every failure took its toll and every multi-man mission took excruciatingly long to plan. The knowledge that he could check the leads far more efficiently than a team of them could was well aware to him. And should the locations turn out useless he could avoid any deeper emotional toil.

And yet, Barnes was dangerous. Perhaps less so to Loki now that he was in prime health again, but the soldier had left his impression rather memorably.

Loki's hand crept towards his left eye involuntarily.

But if Steve was right in thinking that Barnes had shook off at least some of his programming in that helicarrier, then perhaps he would lack the viciousness previously possessed as the Soldier. That was, at least, Loki's hope.

There were three cities on the map they had yet to visit. One in southern Poland, another in South Africa, and the last in Romania. The Polish and Romanian leads were his first stops. Their relative closeness would make searching the cities a far quicker venture. He could be gone for only a day or two and be able to cross them both off. And he knew of a very reliable weak point in the barrier between realms in Poland that could prove invaluable.

It would raise no real suspicion for him to disappear for a handful of days. The team had clearly resigned themselves to his excursions after the D.C. incident.

Odds stacked in his favor, Loki slipped out of the tower one morning when it was still dark. Using a passage between realms to slip into Vanaheim he then traveled quickly to the spot that would take him back to Midgard and closer to his goal.

The warmth of a sunny Vanaheim day melded into the cool late morning air of the Polish countryside. It took him about an hour of travel to reach the small town designated on the map. Before he entered the town he took a moment to morph his features to avoid recognition by Barnes if he was indeed hiding in the town. The size of the village was a boon as any suspicious individuals would make an imprint on the minds of the locals; though he knew that he was included on that list. Perusing shops and restaurants, he questioned residents about any strange visitors in the last few months. Much to his annoyance, nothing surfaced and he wasted almost the entire the day searching fruitlessly.

Weary and frustrated, Loki abandoned the town and began to travel to the Romanian city. It took him far longer than he would have liked to reach his second target and by the time he did it was late into the night. This time deciding to take a female guise; he rented a room in a dimly lit motel. Tiredly charming the owner with whispered promises he had no intention of keeping, he earned a free room.

Loki locked the flimsy door behind him and released his glamour, returning to his usual look. Groaning, he collapsed onto the small bed in the room, which creaked under his weight. His sleep was short and restless.

When he awoke in the morning he took the same glamour as the night before and left the keys in his room, avoiding the motel owner entirely. He followed the route he had planned long beforehand, stopping briefly at small shops, asking probing questions but getting no answers.

The streets began to fill as the morning moved on. Growing more irritable by the minute, Loki forced himself to take a break; stopping by a small market place to sit and contemplate just what he was doing.

An older, greying man in a clean cut suit strode up to him almost immediately; a slim, practically predatory grin on his face. He leaned in close to Loki, placing a large hand on Loki's currently slim wrist. He spoke in an American accent. "You speak english, yeah? You a tourist?"

Loki thought how easy it would be to break the man's fingers but contented himself with pulling his hand from the man's grip. "I have no interest in…" Loki trailed off as he focused in on a tall hooded figure behind the man, barely visible in the crowd.

The man blocked Loki's view as he moved to try and make eye contact. "You do! Where you from; what accent was that?" He appeared oblivious to Loki's growing frustration.

Standing abruptly, Loki saw Barnes again, sure of his identity this time. Before Loki could do anything about his target, however, he needed to get rid of the leech grinning at him.

Said leech grabbed Loki's wrist but recoiled briefly as Loki's loose sleeve fell back and exposed a nasty scar on Loki's right forearm.

Quickly assessing the businessman; Loki ignored the look and snatched a pen from the man's front pocket and jotted down a fake number onto a napkin. Leaning in close to the man, Loki slipped the fake number into the man's front pocket and with his other hand, slipped the wallet out from the man's pants pocket. "My number. Call me some other time, handsome."

Leaving the man dazed behind him with a scowl, Loki shook his sleeve down again and pocketed the man's wallet. Moving quickly through the crowd, he stopped briefly to buy a cup of coffee with the stolen money. Slowing his pace, Loki inspected his target and sent a concise text to Steve containing his coordinates and the word: "Barnes."

Up close there was no mistaking Barnes. He was wearing a hoodie and hat but his features were distinctive. Barnes was leaning over one of the stalls, gazing at some of the goods on display. There was a softness in his face that had certainly been absent the last time Loki had seen him.

As Barnes moved away, Loki intercepted him. The two of them collided hard. Currently shorter, Loki allowed himself to be knocked to the ground, coffee spilling onto his clothes and stinging his skin.

Barnes froze for a moment, panic in his eyes. The moment passed and he bent down, apologizing profusely in Romanian. "Oh, sorry! I am so sorry, ma'am!" He stammered and his hands hesitated over Loki uncertainly.

Taking initiative, Loki took Barnes's hand and pulled himself up. There was an unmistakable metal hardness underneath the his glove covered hand. As they touched, Loki placed a quick tracking spell on him. Loki shook his head, relying on Allspeak to translate to Romanian. "No, no. I am fine."

A beat of silence passed between them before Barnes pulled his hand back, dipping his hat over his face. He mumbled just loud enough for Loki to hear. "I should…" He paused as he fished in his jacket. He pulled out a small amount of money and held it out. "For the coffee and the mess." With a slight smile he nodded towards Loki's coffee stained blouse.

"...Thank you." Loki cocked his head quizzically but took the offered money with a bright smile. He pocketed the money and heard Barnes suck in a sharp breath. Glancing up, Loki followed Barnes's gaze to the healed gash on his own arm. Shaking down his sleeve, silently cursing himself, Loki laughed slightly.

The two of them met eyes for a fraction of a second and Loki saw caution that had not been there before. Quickly apologizing, Barnes ducked his head again. "Sorry. I-"

"Do not apologize. Thank you for the repayment." Stepping back, Loki gave Barnes a chance to disengage, which he immediately did.

Watching Barnes disappear into the crowd, Loki stewed. He had spooked Barnes. Steve needed to get here now before their target disappeared again. The tracking spell would only last so long and its distance wasn't great. He checked his phone again. There were at least five missed calls from Steve.

Slipping into a back alley and letting his glamour fall away, he called back.

Steve picked up almost immediately. "Loki! You found him-"

"Yes. And you need to get here now before he scurries off again. Get Thor."

Voice clearly wavering, Steve's reply was hesitant. "Did you- was he-"

"I spoke to him. You may have some luck; the most drastic thing he did was try and buy me coffee."

00000

Shuddering, Steve struggled to put one foot in front of the other as he ascended the staircase. Loki and Thor were only a few steps ahead of him; Steve thought he saw them speaking but couldn't hear their conversation.

Bucky was up there, closer than he's been in months. There was a nauseous feeling in Steve's gut that built with every step climbed.

It seemed like ages before Loki signaled for them to stop. The two gods moved back, standing on either side of the door like sentinels. Steve hesitated, his hand hovering over the doorknob. His mouth was dry.

With a push of will he spoke, calling out to the apartment's occupant. "Bucky, it's me. It's Steve." There was no answer from inside. He tried the doorknob and to his surprise, it opened. Stepping inside, his pulse quickened as he saw Bucky; who was staring at him cautiously from across the room.

For a moment they were silent, Steve couldn't force words. The world seemed to shift unsteadily beneath him as he took a few tentative steps.

Bucky was there; disheveled hair, dirty clothes, but he was unmistakable.

It was Bucky who spoke first, voice rough and resigned. "It was that girl, wasn't it?"

Attempting to shake off his mutism, Steve choked out words. "You… do you know who I am?"

Bucky hesitated, glancing around the room. Steve did so too, though he was loath to take his eyes off Buck. Newspapers littered the walls, he recognized himself in a slew of them. The rest of the apartment was dingy, sparse, and dirty. Steve's chest was tight as he looked at Bucky again.

"I read about you." His friend couldn't meet his eye.

Recoiling slightly, Steve shook his head and stepped further into the room, leaving the entryway. "No. No, more than that. You pulled me from that river. You know who I am." His voice cracked.

"I… why are you here?"

Steve stared, he had trouble speaking again. His chest ached. "To… to help you. To take you home, to New York… Buck…"

Again, Bucky couldn't meet his eye. "The things I did… People will want me dead."

From behind Steve, Loki spoke up; his voice jarred Steve out of his tunnel vision and he turned to look. "I loathe to ruin the blossoming moment but… people will get over it." The Trickster strode into the room, ignoring how Bucky jumped back slightly as he did. "You do something bad, then you do something good. And then they shut their mouths in front of you. That's my experience."

Steve glanced from Loki's grin back to Bucky, who continued to stare at the dark haired god, obviously bewildered. "This is-"

Loki cut him off. "We've already met." He rolled back his sleeve, exposing a thick scar. There was realization on Bucky's face but confusion immediately overtook it. Loki continued his casual talk. "Then there was that time you took my eye out too but… I won't hold it against you."

"I-you… what?" Bucky seemed to be reeling from the interaction. He jumped back again as Thor entered the room behind his dark haired brother.

Steve stepped in, trying to sound as calm as possible, he took a second to glare at the pair. "It's a lot, I know. The world has changed. But, Bucky, I need you to come with me. I can explain everything. I can help you."

The room fell silent. Even Loki, who still appeared all too casual, said nothing.

All eyes were on Bucky, who grit his teeth and looked down. His hands clenched as the silence drew on. With a deep breath, Bucky finally looked up and locked eyes with Steve. "I don't think I deserve that…" He glanced behind Steve to the pair of gods. "But you… seem to think so."

"I can't leave you again, Buck." Steve soaked in Bucky's doubtful frown; it terrified him. He felt helpless, never had he expected Bucky to even think about saying no. Losing Bucky again, he couldn't even begin to entertain the idea. Not now, not ever again.

Still frowning, Bucky ran a hand through his hair. "F-fine. I'll come with you."

Steve sighed in relief. Every part of him wanted to approach Bucky but the sick feeling in his stomach lingered as he looked at his weary, spooked friend. Something small in the back of his mind wondered if anything was left of their past. He smothered the idea as he smiled at Bucky.

AN: Here it is. Also, I forgot to mention, while writing this I wrote a small 2000 word oneshot which I posted on Ao3. I use the same username; read it if you want. If I do more oneshots I might just put them there. Comments of this chapter or that story are always welcome.