Welcome back everyone! I hope you like this chapter! I'm getting excited for the direction this is headed! I'm interested to see if anyone's picking up on who might want her. There was a hint in the last chapter, and this one might not be so obvious, but I want to know if you guys have ideas on who it might be! It is an existing Marvel character, so please let me know who you think it is.

Also, I don't own anything except Charlie/Frumuseţe. Which is sad :(

And, real quick, I made a Faraday/OC story called Black Widow if you're interested in Magnificent Seven and a Chris Pratt romance ;)

Chapter Four

He struggled, but couldn't free himself; his face turned purple as he fought to breathe. Dropping my face to his, it was my turn to smirk as I tilted my head and noted mockingly, "It really would be easier if you didn't fight back. I don't know where Barnes went; he's probably halfway to France by now."

"They're not here for me."

Head snapping up, I stared at Bucky in surprise, eyes flitting from him to the man whose throat was currently being crushed by the soldier's metal hand. He didn't pay the whimpering man any attention, eyes trained on me.

"They're here for you."

A beat of silence between us followed his confession, the only sounds a disconcerting gurgling coming from both his captive and mine.

"For me?" I queried, aghast, glancing down at the man beneath my knee, whose face was turning an alarming shade of purple, "what-I… that doesn't make sense. They're here for you."

"Then why follow you?" Bucky queried pointedly, impatiently swatting away the hand of the man in his steel grasp as he struggled to fend off the super soldier.

"To get to you," I retorted, lifting a shoulder and peering down at my captive once more. He seemed to have lost consciousness and, when I removed my knee from his windpipe and he didn't move, I rose to my feet and folded my arms tightly over my chest. Cocking out a hip, I quirked a brow and continued, "Someone must've seen me change. Saw that I helped you. I'm apparently less of a threat than you, so they came for me."

Bucky's bright eyes drifted to the possibly-dead man at my feet before slowly slipping back up to meet my own gaze. A slight upturn of his lip was the only indication of his disbelief at my so-called less threatening persona, before it disappeared entirely. When the man in his hand fell limp, he looked over him disinterestedly and dropped him. He landed in a heap on the ground and the super soldier slowly lowered his metallic arm.

He seemed uncomfortable in my presence, his distrust of me still evident in the rigidity of his stance, in the set of his jaw.

But he had come, even after my betrayal.

To save me, apparently.

A strange shudder swept through me and I shook it off quickly, nudging the would-be desk manager with a bare toe, "So they were here for me. Why?"

"I don't know."

"Enlightening," I mused dryly, dropping to my knees beside the man and rifling through his pockets, "what made you realize they were here for me, then, and not you?"

Slowly, he mimicked me, one knee to the floor, as he searched the body before him for any identification or any evidence of what he was doing here, in my hotel room. He didn't answer for a moment, pondering over his words, before admitting, "I saw them following you on my way home."

"On your way home?" I repeated, pausing if only to eye him in disbelief, "so your way home included changing directions three times and doubling back five or six blocks to catch them following me?"

It was the only way he would have seen them, taking an extra thirty minutes and going so far out of his way to cross paths with me at the hotel.

Dipping his head, his face was shielded by a curtain of dark, mahogany hair for a moment. When he lifted it again, he continued on his search, admitting softly, "I followed you. I had to see if you were going to turn me in."

Sitting back on my haunches, the man's suit coat grasped limply in one hand, I watched him carefully, "You said you'd be gone before Fury could hop on a plane and get over here."

He rolled his shoulders, tipping his head to glance at me before quickly dropping his gaze when he caught me staring, "I… I wanted to see if you were lying to me. Again."

Ouch.

He wasn't out of line, though, really. He could have said he just didn't want to leave Romania, which could have been just as true as his admittance, but he wanted me to feel the sting of that one.

And fuck if I didn't.

"Nope," I answered, popping the 'p' and resuming my pat down of my assailant, "I just wanted to take a nap. Or a bath. Or both. Not get a pillow to the face. Now I definitely need both. But who the fuck are you?"

Bucky lifted his head at my query, though when he realized I wasn't addressing him, only violently rifling through this asshole's pockets, he continued on, silent for a moment before speaking once more, "I saw you get into the cab. I was going to leave then, but I saw this one in an SUV. Tinted windows. On the phone. I- something about it was off. So I followed him. Saw he was following you. After you went inside, your guy paid the cab. This one pulled up after him. They talked; I overheard them mention you. Not whatever name you gave them, but yours."

I didn't question as to how he knew I used a false identity; he had been a spy himself. Whether or not he had used aliases in the past, I couldn't say, but he would know all about stealth and secrecy, even after breaking from your former organization.

"They were talking about the best way to take you out. They went inside; I followed."

"Why?"

He could have left me to die. He didn't owe me anything, especially after my confession to him tonight. But he didn't. He saved my life when he didn't have to and I couldn't help the swell of relief, of happiness, that flooded through me.

He didn't answer for a moment, and I didn't press him, but both of us stilled in our movements and his brooding stare met mine once more. His lips drew to one side, his brows furrowing low over his eyes.

For a moment, I thought he was going to say he didn't know, but instead, he shrugged slightly and fidgeted uncomfortably, "You said you could help me. Tell me what you know, even if it's not a lot. I'm not- I can't remember as much as I want to. As much as I need to. But if there are things you can tell me, I want to hear them. They might jog my memory, help me with my past. Frum- you already found that Expo thing; helped me remember going with Steve. If there's anything else you can tell me about… me, I-"

"I can," I nodded, offering him a fleeting grin before beaming and crying, "Eureka!"

Withdrawing a smooth, black smartphone from the blond's pocket, I sat back on my ass and brought up the lock screen. It was a pre-loaded picture, some nondescript nature scene, with no notifications since he had entered my apartment. I stared at the four-digit code, nose wrinkled in thought. Staring down at the man, I tried to discern anything about him that would reveal his identity - or at least his password - to me. He didn't have any ID on him, nothing personal. I could attempt to enter in some common passcodes, but I knew he could have possibly set his phone to erase any and all information contained on the phone.

So I stood, giving his unconscious form a kick in the side for good measure, I turned toward Bucky, who was sitting back on his heels, forearms draped across his knees as he watched me silently.

"Anything on him?" I nodded toward his own assailant.

He lifted a phone of his own, shaking his head on anything otherwise. He tucked it in the front pocket of his jeans and stood, scratching at the back of his neck, "It was the same with the ones that attacked us in the alley. Just phones. No ID, no wallets, no money."

"So we have twelve phones and nothing else?" I queried, brows dropping low in confusion as I flopped gracelessly into one of the squared armchairs in the living area. I stared at the one in my hand, turning it over and examining it carefully. "They're expensive. And new. I doubt HYDRA would care about getting their guys the best of the best. These run six- seven hundred retail. Getting twelve of them, maybe more…"

"So whoever sent them has money," Bucky concluded, slowly crossing the room and hesitantly sitting himself on the edge of the armchair beside me, "not HYDRA. Then who? Who would want you dead?"

"It's probably not me in particular," I replied, tossing the phone to the glass table to my left, ruffling my short locks in contemplation, "Natasha kind of blew my cover - and everyone else's really - when she leaked SHIELD's and HYDRA's files a couple years ago. Someone with SHIELD on their shit-list could've just written down everyone's names and is coming after us all one by one. Maybe I'm just first."

Though he didn't reply, I could tell the blue-eyed super soldier wasn't convinced. He steepled his fingers together before him and stared at the two bodies, the wheels turning in his mind.

"You should go check the front desk," I stated suddenly, drawing his intense gaze back to me. His eyes narrowed in question and I elaborated, "Well, if these two - and those other guys - wanted me dead, anyone else they might've come with will expect me to be dead, too. If you go downstairs, poke around a little, they'll probably be a little less suspicious; might not think that you're with me."

He nodded once and stood, making for the door and pausing in the threshold, "I'd tell you to lock this but that didn't stop these two from getting in."

"Didn't stop me from kickin' ass either," I shrugged innocently.

A smirk crossed his mouth and he tilted his head to one side, "True."

With that, he was gone.

Staring after him for the briefest of moments, I exhaled heavily and got to my feet once more. Ensuring that both men were still entirely unconscious - a stomp to the groin was the only way to be one hundred percent certain they weren't faking it - I nabbed their guns and checked both phones again for messages.

When they came up empty, I checked every wide, sweeping window for any sign of tampering and then slipped into the bathroom. Yanking the shirt from my head, I stuck one leg and then the next back into my catsuit. Wiggling it up over my hips, I nearly leapt out of my skin when a floorboard creaked behind me.

Covering my breasts with one arm, I spun quickly, one handgun leveled at Bucky's chest. Groaning, I clicked the safety on and tossed it into the sink, "Damn it, dude, you could've said it was you!"

His face flushed, he stared at the ceiling, a slip of paper crumpled between his metallic fingers. My stomach dropped and I wondered exactly how much of my naked self he had seen before making his presence known.

Chewing on the tip of my tongue, I stuttered, "You- just, uh, give me a second; I'll be… be out in a sec."

He didn't need telling twice, disappearing from sight in an instant and allowing me to shove my arms through the catsuit and zipping it up quickly. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I fought the urge to bash my burning face against the sink before snatching up the gun and exiting the bathroom.

While I had finished changing - and blushing like a madwoman - he had taken the opportunity to toss the men into those uncomfortable, posh chairs and tied them up with every wire he could find.

Though the room was considerably darker without the lamplight anymore, I moved to his side and queried, "What did you find?"

I was grateful for the dim lighting when he looked down at me, eyes unreadable; he said nothing for a beat before handing me the piece of paper. I unfolded it hastily and moved toward the window for the moonlight outside.

In Bucky's now recognizable messy scrawl, I saw the name Joshua Mason, suite 207 written. Brow furrowed, I glanced quickly at my door; though I couldn't see the numbers through the painted oak, I certainly remembered 207 being my room number.

"Wait, it wasn't reserved under my name?" I inquired, perplexed, "what-"

"There was nothing about you in their books," he explained, "not a fake name, not your real name. Just his. Which I'm assuming is him."

He gestured to the bloodied man in the suit, before turning his attention to the other man. While Joshua was dressed to the nines, the unknown man was dressed like the ones in the alleyway. Black clothes, black masks.

Mason must have been the leader of this little gathering, then. He posted himself in the hotel, rented the room under his name - or his fake name - and waited for the men in the alley to take me down. When they didn't, the other man followed me, must have told him where I was going. How they knew I wanted that particular hotel, I couldn't be sure.

But they waited. They planned, and waited.

A wave of unease ran down my spine and my lip curled, "Who are these guys?"

Bucky lifted a shoulder, before peering down at me, "You help me remember, I'll help you find out what they want with you."

Turning to him, I nodded, "Deal."

Instead of offering me his right hand in accordance, he extended his left. His metal hand. A challenge, then; could I accept the danger he presented?

I would have thought after living with him for four days without complaint would have shown him I didn't fear him - all that much - but he wanted further proof. I wasn't one to back down from a challenge, though, so I extended my own left hand and grasped his. The metal was cold beneath my touch, smooth and slick. He was mindful ofsp, wrapping his fingers around mine, engulfing my hand completely, and shaking once.

"Deal," he mimicked.

/

Filling two ice buckets with water, Bucky and I upended them over our captives. They awoke instantly, sputtering and gasping for breath, struggling against their restraints after realizing they were trapped.

Through their swollen lids, their red-rimmed eyes stared up at us in surprise.

Mostly Bucky.

"Hey, fellas," I grinned sweetly, leaning over Mason and puckering my lips, "what brings a coupla guys like you to my humble abode?"

Neither said a word, glancing from the Winter Soldier to me. Though Bucky hadn't slipped into the super-soldier mode with me once he entered the apartment, the Soviet spy made a resurgence. His metal arm whirled, locking as he braced himself over the other man. His face was hard, dangerous, and he glowered silently down at him.

"Nothin'?" I queried innocently, "I mean, I guess there could be some confusion, seein' as they double-booked us. Mason, this is your room. Right? That's really strange, because you said you had my reservation. But I guess it doesn't really matter; you knew I wasn't Emily Carter anyway. You know who I am and you were sent to kill me. Why?"

Bucky straightened suddenly, pressing a hand to my waist and gently shoving me toward his man. Repositioning himself in front of mine, he smashed his metal fist into his jaw, ignoring Mason's moaning protest and growling, "The lady asked you a question."

Mason spit out his blood - fortunately for him, not in Bucky's direction. He probably would have lost all of his teeth on that one.

He gave us both a bloody grin, "Surprised you, huh? Thought we were coming for you, Soldier, didn't you?"

He chuckled, as did his unnamed buddy; they shared a grin, though theirs quickly dropped when I grabbed a fistful of the guy's hair and forced him to look at me, "That wasn't the fucking question. Why did you come for me? Who wants me dead?"

Nothing.

Another metal fist and five broken teeth for Mason and a broken nose for his friend.

Mine groaned, tossing his head back against the armchair, grunting, "Fuck, you stupid bitch!"

I grabbed his shattered nose between two fingers and gave him a good shake; he shrieked, flinging his legs and tearing his head from my grasp, "Shit!"

"Only a bitch when I'm a dog," I quipped, patting his cheek and querying seriously, "now, are you gonna tell me? Cuz this doesn't end well for either of you if you don't."

"It's not gonna end well if we do," Mason seethed, staring silently up at Bucky, "we know what he's done. What he can do. Believe me, if he thought we could take him in, it'd be an added six grand."

Bucky hit Mason with an open palm, the sound of steel against flesh echoing through the room. He lowered himself to Mason's level, inquiring sharply, dangerously, "Who are you working for?"

But the well-dressed man shook his head, glancing at the other and sharing a silent look of solidarity.

Bucky leaned away from him, glancing at me and my bloodied fingers. With a jerk of his head, he guided me into the bedroom. The door opened wide, we both stared at our captives in contemplation.

"He said 'he', so we know their employer is a man," I noted, drawing my lower lip into my mouth and chewing softly, "that barely narrows it down."

"He's tough, obviously someone they're not going to turn on easily," Bucky commented, brows tipping upward disconcertedly, "there are ways to make them talk, but-"

"No, it's not worth it," I shook my head adamantly, though I could tell dismissing torture as an option set him a bit more at ease. His shoulders slumped just so and he nodded, though his lips pursed at my comment. Perhaps I had hurt him as Frumuseţe, but at least he didn't think my life was so worthless as to let these men go unscathed. "We could always fake it, though."

/

Bucky strode into the room, eyes blazing and lip curled in disgust; he didn't stop until he reached the unnamed man. Grasping him by the shoulders, he ripped him from his restraints and out of the chair, shoving him unceremoniously toward the window.

"Barnes!" I exclaimed, chasing after him, eyes wild, "Barnes, stop!"

But he didn't listen, lifting his metal arm and smashing it through the window. The glass shattered, shards flying, and the super soldier flung the man out of it, holding onto him by his tactical vest.

He screamed and struggled, latching onto Bucky's arms and kicking his legs toward the window, "No, no, no, please let me go! I can't tell you; I can't!"

"Bucky, stop! Let him go!" I cried, grabbing the soldier by the shoulders and struggling fruitlessly to pull him and the man back into the room.

The soldier looked curiously at me and his hold began to loosen. The man clawed desperately at Bucky, screaming, "No! No! I'll tell you!"

"Don't, Martin!"

But Martin didn't want to plummet to his death.

Smart.

"Mr. W!" he screamed, "that's all I know! Mr. W! He's the one who ordered us to bring her in! We weren't gonna kill you! We weren't! Please, please don't kill me!"

Head cocked to one side, I contemplated his words and stared up at Bucky. The soldier's lips twitched in thought, eyes narrowing in a silent question.

Did I believe him?

Nodding once, I stepped away from Bucky, allowing him to haul Martin back into the room. Striding toward Mason as he groaned and thrashed against his restraints, I patted his bloodied cheek and commented loudly, "Told you Martin would talk. This one's keepin' his master's secrets to the grave."

"Wait, what?"

Poor Martin was so damn confused, I almost felt bad for grinning at him as Bucky marched him back to the chair and shoved him into it. His metal hand to the confused assassin's chest, he glanced curiously around the room.

"If they wanted to kidnap you and not kill you, there's gotta be rope or duct tape around here somewhere."

"Right you are, my good man," I agreed, swiping one of the cell phones from the table as I went. With one hand, I rooted through cabinets and drawers for their supplies; with the other, I pulled up the lock screen and typed in 6708. M-R-_-W. There was no period or space bar in the numeric code, but the zero was blank.

The phone buzzed, marking the password as incorrect.

6718.

M-R-_-W.

The one had no numbers either, but that still didn't unlock the phone.

Shit.

Eight more tries with this phone.

"You sure you don't know his full name?" I queried, tossing the phone back on the table as I passed by the doorway, meeting Bucky's gaze and noting, "doesn't unlock the phone."

Bucky sneered and stared coldly down at Martin, who whimpered and squirmed under the increased pressure on his chest.

"Man, that's all I know, I swear. It's just Mr. W! Please, that's it!"

A small metal nightstand revealed the silver tape that had planned on binding me with. Swaggering back into the room, I waved the tape triumphantly and exclaimed, "Found it!"

Bucky caught it when I tossed it his way, hastily lashing Martin back to his chair. As he did that, I fisted my hands on the arms of Mason's chair. Leaning down, I grinned as he scowled furiously up at him, "What about you? You know anymore about this Mr. W? What's your passcode?"

He didn't say a word, simply stared up at me with hatred; before I could question him further, sirens rang through the air and I ran to the window.

"Time's up, Buck," I announced, staring down at the dozens of police cars surrounding the hotel, "we gotta go!"

/

So, what did you think? Please please let me know! Oh, by the way, I did start a Faraday/OC for those of you who were interested! Please check it out. There are two chapters up so far :D

NESSAANCALIME6913: Yep, they came to an agreement and as for an apology… not yet lol. Yeah haha they have no idea! With her and the Winter Soldier on the same side, they don't stand a chance haha

AvengersPrincess15: Yay! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Haha I'm glad there's no shame! No shame in liking a story! :D Yeah he sure will haha. And I can't wait for it! Ah yes I love Faraday! He's absolutely adorable and there's hardly any fanfiction. I just had to! I did update Window to the Soul but haven't since then :( I'm working on it!

NoVacancyMind: Yes! I just updated that today too!

Sam0728: Thank you! I'm glad you think so!

Aandm20: Thanks! :D

KnowInsight: haha yes! Sorry, it was clear in my mind but I re-read it and it's not that clear. Another guy came in; Bucky followed him in and caught him while Charlie had the other one.

Lara Barnes: Thank you! :D I really appreciate that! It makes me feel so good! I hope you like this chapter too!

Iaurhil: I'm sorry haha! Glad you liked it!

Ele: Aw I'm sorry I didn't update earlier then! I hope you enjoyed this one too, but sorry they haven't said why they want her! Soon hehe