Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, those of you here in the US! Please enjoy this chapter! Special thanks to KnowInsight and AvengersPrincess15! They were my only two reviewers on this chapter. Please please review; it would mean so much! I'll take it as an early birthday present ;P

Chapter Five

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!"

We didn't bother taking the man's SUV; Bucky said it was out front, where the lobby was currently being swarmed by police. They obviously hadn't thought I would put up that much of a struggle, leaving the car there.

Scoffing, I lifted my nose, offended at their lack of confidence in my fighting abilities.

Bucky and I hastened to the elevator, his metal forefinger jamming the ground floor button with enough force to break it. As the doors slid shut, the super soldier glanced at me, lips twitching downward, "They're going to notice us. You; it'll be hard not to."

I wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or an insult, peering down at my catsuit and folding my arms across my chest, as though that would draw less attention to myself. Tilting my head to one side, I eyed him; despite a few flecks of blood on the sleeves of his jacket, he was less than conspicuous.

"Take off your jacket," I ordered, somewhat surprised when he complied without question. Holding it uselessly in his hand, I grabbed it from him, tying it around his waist and making sure the long sleeve of his tight gray shirt was tugged as far down as it could be, partially covering his metal hand. The jacket covered the small fannypack-type bag Mason had had on him, which was currently tied around Bucky's waist. It now held the phones we had collected; they were far too useful to leave behind for the police to recover. "Keep it hidden behind your back, or in your pocket. They won't look at you twice."

"They might realize who I am," he protested, though he shoved his hand out of sight, a grimace crossing his stubbled face, "if they do-"

"No one has yet," I replied adamantly, giving him a quick onceover and nodding resolutely at my work, "okay, good. Just play it cool and you'll be fine. They're more concerned about what's going on upstairs to pay attention to us."

"What about you, though?" he queried, concern coloring his tone.

With a wink, I lifted my head and allowed the change to overtake me. It was over in a prolonged, painful instant, leaving me on all fours and staring up at him in muted tones of gray and blue.

He stared down at me in awe and revulsion, though I could only assume it was the sounds accompanying the transformation that disgusted him so. Wagging my tail slightly, I allowed my tongue to loll out of my mouth, a short, reassuring yip escaping me.

He shook his head, staring at the double doors as the elevator pinged, and muttered to himself, "Not gonna get used to that anytime soon."

So he'd be sticking around for a while, then.

A grin tugged at my doggie lips and I hopped out of the elevator the minute we reached the ground floor. The lobby was swarming with police, blue and red painting the pristine, white walls in dancing lights. Some leveled their guns at Bucky, lowering them when they realized he was just a guy taking his dog outside.

Though the soldier was tense, surrounded by people of authority who could potentially recognize him, he simply adopted a surprisingly convincing perplexed face and queried in fluent Romanian, "What's going on?"

"Someone heard screaming, fighting, breaking glass," an officer replied, his dark eyes narrowed in concern, "you see anything?"

Shaking his head, Bucky shrugged helplessly, "No, man, sorry. Is it okay if we-"

"Of course," the officer nodded, gesturing toward the door before signalling his men to take the elevator, "upstairs! Second floor, caller said! Go, go!"

Trotting innocently toward the door with the Winter Soldier at my side, I slipped out into the night and exhaled heavily. Without a word, Bucky led me down the street, heading, presumably, back to his apartment.

"They could send them after us," he noted quietly, tossing a suspicious glance over his shoulder, "if they tell them the Winter Soldier was there… the police would be stupid to overlook a lead like that…"

I didn't want to risk shifting forms just yet, not under the lamplight of seemingly abandoned streets, but I let out a low growl, nodding fervently when he glanced my way.

We couldn't stay here.

Though Bucharest had become his home in the last few months, he would do what he had to to keep from getting caught. He would have to gather his things, abandon his apartment, preferably in the dead of night, and move on.

At least for a while.

Turning down the now familiar alley, I followed him into the complex, yipping gratefully when he held the door of his own apartment open for me. He entered after me, peering around the pitiful place for a moment, his face falling.

"I'm sorry, Bucky."

If he was surprised, he didn't show it, rounding on me in my human form, lips pursed and eyes downcast.

"It's my fault you have to leave and I'm sorry," I continued, approaching him silently, touching his shoulder and forcing him to look at me, "I didn't mean for this to happen. But thank you. For saving me. Even if you did it because you thought I was gonna turn you in."

He didn't say anything for a moment, before the slightest of smirks crossed his face and he muttered, "I thought you saved yourself?"

"Well, be that as it may, I still appreciate it," I winked, quickly parting from him and making for his mattress, "get your bug-out bag. I'll get this," I tugged his sleeping bag into my arms and began wrestling with it, "rolled up. We gotta move quick, just in case."

He snorted, striding up to me and gently yanking the bag from my grasp, "You get my bug-out bag. I'll roll this up. Thing's bigger than you anyway. How are you even a SHIELD agent? You're tiny."

"Tiny and deadly," I assured him with a laugh, dropping to my knees and prying up the wooden floorboard under which he'd hid his escape supplies, "fierce. Dangerous. Spitfire."

"I get it," he noted, though there was no irritation in his tone, his fingers deftly tying the strings around the bag and dropping it once more. He made for the closet, retrieving what few articles of clothing he had there. "I suppose I can't judge. Steve was smaller than you are before the serum and look where he is now."

"Exactly," I replied cheerfully, moving to the kitchen and standing on the tips of my toes, feeling around on the top of the refrigerator for his notebook. If anyone found that, he'd be screwed. "I'm the next Captain America."

"Captain America doesn't need to stand on the tips of his toes to reach the top of the fridge."

I started at the sound of Bucky's voice so close to my ear, the feel of his hand on my waist and the cold metal seeping through my suit. He peered down at me, brows pinched in confusion, but I simply offered him a wry smile and a huffing laugh as I dropped back onto the soles of my feet and conceded, "Truth. Alright, do we have everything?"

"We do, but where are we going to go?" he queried, lips pursed, sighing loudly through his nose, "I don't have much money. We won't get far."

"I'll take care of that, don't worry."

/

"Hey, buddy; got a question for you."

"How much do you need, babe?"

His voice was tired and flat, but he still had to get that flirtation in there. He wouldn't be Tony Stark if he didn't. Bucky stood beside me outside of the musty old phone booth, sleeping bag tucked under one arm as he stared alertly about us, ready for any danger.

"Whatever you can spare, Tone," I replied sweetly, "I hate to ask you, but something came up and I have to lay low for a while."

"Barnes find you?"

His tone was sharp, concerned, and my eyes flew to the soldier beside me as though the Iron Man could see him through the phone. Honestly, with the tech Stark came up with, I wouldn't be surprised.

"No, it's not that," I replied, chewing on the tip of my tongue; it wasn't technically a lie. I had been the one to fine Bucky, after all. "If it gets too rough, I'll call you, 'kay?"

Bucky's gaze flew to mine, brows furrowed in alarm, but I shook my head and hummed as Tony replied obliviously, "Alright, well you better. Can't have my best girl gettin' into it with the Winter Soldier."

"I'm not your best girl, Tony," I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, snorting gracelessly as he feigned surprise, "Must have been that dream you interrupted. In fact, I gotta ask, are you as limber as my subconscious made you out to be? Cuz that was hot."

"I'm not answering that," I retorted with a laugh, "thank you for this, Tony. Really. I appreciate it."

"Oh, no problem," he replied easily, "I just put you up in a hotel in Constanţa. Just go in, the room is under my name. It's a suite; looks nice from the pics online."

"Thank you!" I grinned, relief flooding me as I made to lean against the grimy wall of the booth. Bucky's hand fell between my shoulder blades, propping me back up and shaking his head minutely. He was right; that would've been disgusting. "I owe you one. You're a lifesaver."

"You know it," he smirked through the phone, "it's about two hours away. Will you be able to find a way there?"

"Of course," I replied, feigning an offended huff, "I'm resourceful, you know that. Thanks again, Tony. Sorry I woke you."

"Well, if you would just tell me if you're-"

Hanging up on him, I slipped out of the booth and grinned up at the super soldier, "He hooked us up with a room in Del Mar; it's in Constanţa. Two hours, but I figure we can manage. You ready?"

He nodded silently, falling in step beside me as we made our way back onto the empty street. It was nearly two in the morning and I couldn't imagine walking all the way to Constanţa. It was a two hour drive there; on foot, it would be a helluva lot longer. Bucky probably wouldn't be too put out by the walk, but I wasn't a super soldier. If we had a car, it would be perfect, but no cash meant no ride, unless we wanted to steal something.

I wasn't really in favor of nabbing someone's car, but in a few hours, I was almost certain I'd be changing my tune.

"Are you with him?"

"With who?" I queried, belatedly realizing he was referring to Tony; I wasn't surprised he had overheard the billionaire's flirtatious behavior. He wasn't exactly loud and the only other super soldier I knew had excellent hearing as well. "Oh, God, no. He's too high-maintenance for my taste. He's a great guy, don't get me wrong, but he bought Pepper - his girlfriend - a giant rabbit for Christmas one year. I mean giant. Like, twenty feet tall. No thanks."

"He called you babe," he replied, "he dreamt about you. And his father is Howard Stark. I just thought-"

"He calls me babe because I don't punch him in the balls when he does it, unlike Natasha," I laughed, "and I'm pretty sure he was kidding about the dream. Can't say for certain, but- anyway. And yeah, he's Howard's son, but he settled down, right? Howard? Tony will eventually. But I don't blame you for thinking it; he most definitely is his father's son, from what I've heard."

The soldier said no more for a moment or so, before querying softly, "He didn't send a car for you, too?"

Sighing dramatically and dragging my feet far more than necessary, I pouted, "Nope. That'd be nice. You're stuck walking with me for the next, oh, four hours? You don't know me in my human form; I can be super chatty, and, God, the less sleep I have, the loopier I get. Soo, I apologize in advance."

Bucky's gaze was bemused, the corners of his mouth tugging upward only slightly, before he eyed the empty road with a more calculating stare. I knew what he was thinking; hadn't I just been considering it?

"I dunno, Bucky," I muttered, though my inquisitive gaze copied his despite myself, "you really wanna take someone's car? That'd suck, waking up, finding your car missing… I mean, I've done it before, but I did feel bad about it."

"You do talk a lot."

Drawing my lips to one side, I stared sheepishly up at him from beneath my lashes, "I warned you."

"No, it's not bad," he assured me quietly, before peering over my head and cutting across me, forcing me to halt quickly and trail silently after him.

The slightest of smiles crossed my face, before it fell as he pressed his elbow to the window of a smaller model Dacia, black in color and utterly nondescript on a street full of them. I hastened to his side, shoulders tensed as he took one more glance around the neighborhood and pressed his free hand to his fist. With a sharp jerk, he smashed the glass in one go, jaw clenching as he waited for the telltale shriek of an alarm.

Nothing happened and I sighed noisily, jogging around to the passenger's seat as he yanked the driver's door open and wiped the shards of glass from the seat. He unlocked the doors and I slid inside, eyes darting about for any sign of the vehicle's owner.

He climbed into the car, looking woefully cramped as he leaned down and popped a panel from beneath the steering wheel. With a few practiced moves, the car came to life, some terrible pop song blaring from the radio.

I punched the dial and the car fell silent, Bucky shooting me a grateful glance before pulling away from the curb and querying, "They have a map in here?"

Flipping on the overhead light, I rifled through the glove compartment and the console, a triumphant 'ha!' escaping me, "Sweet. GPS."

With a quick search, I found the hotel and propped the device against the windshield on the dash, kicking my feet up and grinning, "Two hours. Much better. We'll be there in no time. So those guys-"

"Get some sleep," he interrupted suddenly, quietly, "we'll talk about it later."

I watched him for a moment before snuggling deeper into the plush, leather seat and smirking, "You just want me to shut up."

The bewildered gape and beginnings of a protest had me laughing and raising my hands in surrender, "I was kidding, Bucky. You sure you'll be okay driving?"

He shot me an unamused glare at my teasing, but nodded all the same. Shifting slightly, he untied the jacket from his hips and tossed it to me, remaining silent when I thanked him and draped the warm cloth over my body. It was heavy and soft, and smelled like him. It didn't take long for me to drift off, my head against the remaining window and using one of his sleeves as a pillow.

"Good night, Frumuseţe."

/

Though I was typically a light sleeper, I didn't realize we reached the hotel until a gentle hand touched my upper arm and shook me awake. With a start, I flung upright, my forehead nearly slamming against Bucky's as he jerked away in surprise.

"Sorry," I grinned sheepishly, stretching and running a hand through my short locks, "we here already?"

He nodded and glanced up at the hotel, "Pretty swanky."

Laughing, I nodded and quirked a brow, eyeing the enormous white building, utterly unfazed, "So completely Tony Stark it's not even funny. What are we going to do about the car? Someone's going to notice the broken window; they could call the police, trace it back to Bucharest…"

"I'll take care of it," Bucky replied, climbing out of the car and rounding the hood of the car, pulling the door open for me and extending a hand, "just go inside, get the room, and I'll be back soon."

"I can take care of it," I stated, shaking my head and accepting his hand, hopping onto the pavement and shaking out my legs, "you drove us here."

"I've done this before," he argued calmly, shutting the door behind me and nodding toward the hotel, "a lot. I've got it."

"Bucky, c'mon; let me get rid of the car."

His blue eyes glinted in amusement, his thin lips stretching upward in a handsome grin, "Charlie. Go inside. Please. This is Winter Soldier work; I've got it covered."

Brows lifting at the first use of my name passing his lips, I shrugged helplessly; he was stubborn, that was for damn sure. "Fine. But it's not Winter Soldier work; it's just… a necessity. You're not the Winter Soldier anymore."

"Then what am I?" he queried softly, brows pinching, his gaze settling into that familiar, lost look.

"You're just Bucky."

Slowly, a relieved smile stretched across his stubbled face and he ducked his head, his long, dark locks falling into his face. Drawing my lips into my mouth, I fought a grin and nodded to myself, determined to keep the moment from becoming awkward, "Alright, peace out. I'm going inside."

Spinning on a heel, I jogged toward the hotel, tugging Bucky's jacket over my body and zipping it quickly. It fell to my knees and covered the cleavage provided by my catsuit; now I just looked like a girl wearing her boyfriend's coat and a pair of tight, leather leggings.

Approaching the front counter, I smiled at the young, tired girl and announced quietly, "Sorry it's so late, but I'm here to check in. The room is under Stark?"

She checked the computer, eyes widening considerably as she registered the accompanying first name, eyes flying to mine in awe, "Tony Stark?"

"He's a friend of mine," I replied nonchalantly, rolling my eyes inwardly as she offered me a saucy wink and hummed in disbelief, "is it just a single bed? The room?"

She nodded excitedly and queried, "Will Mr. Stark be joining you soon? Do you think he'd give me an autograph? Or take a picture with me? I-"

"He would if he were here," I cut her off with a mildly apologetic smile, "but he's not. He's back in New York or Malibu… I don't keep tabs on him. But I do have a guest and I'm not sure Tony's aware of it. Would it be a problem if-"

"Would Mr. Stark be upset by your… guest?" she questioned nervously.

More than you could ever imagine, kid. I couldn't exactly tell her that my guest was currently on SHIELD's most wanted list and I desperately hoped she didn't recognize him. Or worse, tweet about Tony Stark's mistress and her lover on a European retreat with Stark's money.

"Not at all," I replied instead, "his own reservation fell through where he was gonna stay. This won't be a problem, will it?"

"Of course not," she answered hastily, "any friend of Tony Stark is welcome here. And, could you please tell him I said that?"

"As long as I can count on your discretion," I told her with a tired laugh, "I'll make sure he sends you an autograph. Personalized. Who can I have him make it out to?"

"Adelina! Adelina Dalca, Miss…"

"Lang," I accepted her violently exuberant handshake, "so my room…?"

"Right, right!" she exclaimed, nearly flitting about, beaming at her gift and forcing me to keep a mental note to call Tony in the morning. "Fourth floor, honeymoon suite."

Honeymoon… what?

I didn't question her, unwilling to be pulled into any further conversation about the brash playboy back home, trudging up the steps in a fog.

What had those men wanted with me? Why did they want me alive? Who were they working for? What did he need me for?

Sure, I was probably on a shit list or two, but I was relatively low on the totem pole, at least to my knowledge. Yes, I went on my fair share of missions, brought the baddies in, but to draw the wrath of a rich bastard who sent a dozen or so men after me?

It didn't sound familiar; hell, no one came to mind and a guy like that would be memorable.

Shoving the door open with a shoulder, I stared about me in wonderment. The room was massive, with a bed that I was certain even surpassed a king-size, a television mounted on the wall, and a balcony across from the door. Peering into the bathroom, I gaped at the wide, marble hot tub and cursed the fact that I probably wouldn't be getting a chance to use it.

A short, quick rap on the door drew me back out into the room, shaking my head at the utter grandeur of the room. Honeymoon suite indeed.

Standing on the tips of my toes, I peered through the peephole and spied Bucky on the other side of the door, staring intently back though he couldn't see me.

Yanking the door open, I stepped back and swept an arm in a wide arc, "Welcome, Mr. Barnes! Your room awaits!"

"It's Jones here," he muttered, tossing a final glance over his shoulder before entering and latching the double locks behind him. "You don't think that girl's gonna talk?"

"She's too invested in some genuine Stark memorabilia to squeal," I replied, moving deeper into the room before shrugging and amending, "well, she'll squeal when she gets it, but for now I think we're fine. She'll make up some story in her mind; she's night shift and has another, what?, four hours to go?"

"About what?"

"Us, of course," I laughed, making my way to the balcony and scanning the skyline, "and Tony, too, probably."

I peered across the room and snickered at the look of horror plastered across his face, "Oh, don't give me that look, Buck; she's a fangirl and fangirls have very vivid imaginations."

His eyes flitted away from me, the flush rising up along his neck and coloring his cheeks obvious even in the dim lighting. I took pity on him and made my way to the bed, perching on the edge and drawing one leg up underneath me.

He took a step back, pressing himself against the wall, jaw clenching and eyes darting across the ceiling.

"We really should talk about those men," I stated, trying desperately not to giggle at his flustered behavior. Who knew a player like James Buchanan Barnes would become so shy? Steve wouldn't believe me if I told him. "We could play around with some passcodes, try and see what works. We have twelve phones, right? If we-"

"Tomorrow, Charlie," he stated, eyes flicking up and meeting mine for a fleeting moment, "we can deal with it then. We have time; they won't find us."

"And if they followed us?" I queried amiably, more than happy to prolong the subject for another few hours. Dropping myself back onto the bed, I curled up on my side, relishing in the feather pillow and plush blankets. "Others? They might not have been the only ones."

"They're not getting in here, Charlie," Bucky proclaimed firmly, jaw set and gaze determined as he finally met my gaze fully, "trust me."

"I do."

It was certain, not a single trace of hesitation in those two words. He seemed almost surprised, and I couldn't blame him; while he was suspicious of me after my deception, I was sure he thought I'd share his sentiments based solely on the fact that he was the Winter Soldier.

But I hadn't been lying when I told him that he wasn't the Winter Soldier. Not to me; not that I'd seen.

He was simply Bucky.

And I trusted Bucky.

"So, you coming to bed?"

The room rang with silence and Bucky went on the defensive once more, eyes comically wide and his jaw dropping. I had to backtrack and quick. "I mean, not like that… We don't- I didn't- ah, fuck," I paused, exhaling calmly, "I can change. Sleep at the end of the bed. But you need to sleep, too, and there's nowhere else to do that."

He began to protest, a metal hand sweeping toward an admittedly cushy armchair beside the balcony, but I shook my head, "That doesn't count. This bed is huge. You won't even be near me. We've slept that way before."

"That was before I knew you were a girl," he replied grumpily, though he slowly edged toward the bed. His tired eyes drooped and I knew I had won; he might have been a super soldier, but he was still human. He toed off his shoes but stood uncertainly on the other side of the bed, glancing perplexedly at me.

"Dude, I was always a girl," I laughed, patting the mattress invitingly.

His lips pursed and he eyed me skeptically, as if to say 'not like this!' True; Frumuseţe didn't wear skintight catsuits; that would be awkward.

"Get in the bed, Bucky," I all but ordered.

And he did.

/

I hope all my fellow Americans had a nice Thanksgiving! Please review; I'd really love to hear what you have to say!

AvengersPrincess15: haha thank you so much! I hope you liked more embarrassed Bucky in this one ;) haha that makes me so happy to hear! Hope you like this one too!

KnowInsight: :D :D