The return to 24 Pryde was not fun. In fact, it was some of the most not fun Bucky had had in a long time—not including his early days out of HYDRA's control, of course. They left Agent Dogar's SUV hidden in an alley and Kaplan sent word to her on where it was. Then Steve contacted Tony Stark and got Stark to send one of his old jets to send them back to D.C. The flight back to D.C. was a silent one.

Natasha was nowhere to be seen at 24 Pryde. She was probably out doing something with Barton. Bucky still hadn't met the legendary archer but he knew he and Natasha were close friends—possibly something more than that, though no one seemed brave enough to voice the possibility.

Fetch, ever the efficient little…whatever she was, instructed them to change out of their suits while she patched over the new director of SHIELD. Whoever he or she was. Bucky couldn't help but feel irritated as he threw on his regular clothes, which looked basically the same as his combat clothes: all black (albeit much more casual; track pants and a black pullover sweatshirt). He tied his hair back into a sloppy pony and followed the entire team into the conference room. Agent Bauer wasn't there and neither was Nick Fury. It looked like no one actually in charge of 24 Pryde was here. Bucky didn't blame them—the small office building was a depressing reality of how far SHIELD had truly fallen. From the Triskelion to tiny, crappy, secretive offices like this all over the world…far and few between…

As soon as the screen was set up and the new director wrote HELLO THERE, Kaplan immediately resigned himself from the team.

"What?" Steve demanded. "Why?"

"I'm not doing it," Kaplan said, looking pale and a bit ill—but standing firm and tall. As tall as his short height allowed, anyway.

I'M NOT SAYING NO—BUT PLEASE EXPLAIN, AGENT KAPLAN.

"I didn't sign up for this garbage," Kaplan said. "Sorry but it's true. I signed up to be an agent of SHIELD—not a damn Avenger. I don't need to be dealing with this…this weird magic stuff."

WEIRD MAGIC STUFF? I THINK SOMEONE HAD BETTER FILL ME IN RIGHT NOW.

"Right," Steve said, immediately taking charge. He quickly explained how the whole mission had gone down, what they had found at Wentworth's house (powder—which Bucky now knew was powder from his shriveled, dried corpse and was immensely glad he hadn't sniffed—and the mark), and then what they had found at the coroner's office. "So…it appears we…" Steve's voice trailed off and he frowned.

IT'S APPARENT YOU HAVEN'T ACTUALLY LEARNED ANYTHING NEW.

Both Bucky and Steve scowled, neither of them used to not having answers and being able to throw themselves into action. Ari looked contemplative, as if this were a question on a nursing exam she had to figure out. Sam just looked like he was highly done with the situation and wanted to get some sleep. And possibly a drink to block out the memory of Wentworth's body. Bucky wouldn't have minded a drink himself, actually, except the super soldier serum coursing through his veins made it impossible for him to get drunk.

"If you want to put it that way," Steve said in the politest, most strained way possible.

THIS ISN'T ME ATTACKING YOU, CAPTAIN ROGERS. I'M JUST STATING THE OBVIOUS. WE NOW KNOW THAT SOMETHING UNNATURAL KILLED QUENTIN WENTWORTH—AND PRESUMABLY EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S BEEN KILLED AT THE SITE OF THIS MARK—BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHO, HOW, OR WHY.

"That about sums it up," Sam said, yawning and then clapping a hand over his mouth to stifle the yawn.

"I'm out," Kaplan said loudly, unnecessarily, as if he were afraid everyone had forgotten he was leaving them.

AGENT KAPLAN, AS SHIELD IS NO LONGER AN OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT-SANCTIONED PEACEKEEPING PROGRAM, I CANNOT FORCE YOU—OR REPRIMAND YOU—IN ANY WAY TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE TEAM.

"You're damn right you can't," Kaplan muttered.

IN FACT, I DON'T EVEN WANT TO. The director paused typing for a moment. I'M NOT GOING TO FORCE ANYONE TO BE A PART OF SHIELD IF THEY DON'T WANT TO BE. ONE, BECAUSE THAT'S RUDE. AND TWO, BECAUSE I NEED EACH AND EVERY SINGLE AGENT TO BE THERE WITH THEIR FULL SUPPORT. SHIELD IS ONLY AS STRONG AS THE LOYALTY OF ITS AGENTS.

Kaplan's face had turned an ugly shade of red. "Wait a minute!" he said, looking more out of sorts than Bucky had ever seen the usually composed and silent man look. "I'm not—I'm not disloyal to SHIELD! It's just—this is just—I just don't need to deal with this, okay? I can't get sucked into whatever's coming with this—this—"

"Hey, it's fine, Kaplan," Steve said. "No one's calling you disloyal."

"But the director—!" Kaplan said in outrage, motioning toward the screen.

I'M SORRY IF THAT'S WHAT YOU FELT I WAS IMPLYING. I WASN'T SAYING THAT. YOU'RE FREE TO GO, AGENT KAPLAN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. The send-off was very abrupt and everyone stared at the screen. Kaplan looked angry and a little confused, as if he had expected more—perhaps pleading for him to stay—but then he squared his shoulders, nodded once, turned, and stiffly left, slamming the door shut.

"And then there were three," Ari said ominously. Everyone looked at her and she bit her lip. "Sorry! I had to."

NOT THAT I DON'T APPRECIATE THE JOKE, AGENT MARSDEN, BUT I HAVE IMPORTANT MATTERS TO ATTEND TO, SO IF I COULD HAVE THE FLOOR…

Ari blushed. "Sorry. Of course, yeah, go ahead."

THE ONLY LEAD WE HAD ON THESE STRANGE MURDERS WAS WENTWORTH'S RECENT MURDER. ASIDE FROM THAT, WE HAVE NOTHING AND YOU DIDN'T FIND MUCH ELSE. THIS CASE IS STILL A PRIORITY BUT UNTIL WE GET THE NEXT CLUE, THERE'S NOT MUCH ELSE WE CAN DO. I'M DISMISSING IT CURRENTLY.

"We're going to wait until someone else is murdered?" Steve asked stiffly. "That's not right. We should be stopping them before the next body drops."

IF YOU HAVE ANY CLUES ON HOW TO PROCEED NEXT, I'M ALL EARS, CAPTAIN. WE DON'T HAVE UNLIMITED FUNDS SO WHATEVER WE DO, IT NEEDS TO BE EFFICIENT.

Steve was silent, obviously at a loss. He was a natural leader but even he was stumped by this case. Who could they tail? Where could they go next? There was no obvious answer. Satisfied with this silence, the mysterious new director dismissed them and signed off. The screen went blank and Bucky muttered, "Wish we knew who he was. Who the hell communicates like this? What's he hiding?"

"Or she," Ari added.

"Or she," Bucky agreed.

"I don't like it either," Steve said, frowning and looking extremely patriotic, in Bucky's opinion. Very stoic and honorable.

Sam watched this exchange and then sighed. "Right. Well…you heard the dude—or, uh, lady. Case is currently closed and you know what? I'm tired as hell. I need to eat a burrito, sleep, call my mom, call my sisters…"

They all headed out of the office, heading downstairs. "It's like five a.m., you're going to eat a burrito now?" Ari asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Where do you even find a burrito at five a.m.?"

"I have my ways, North Carolina girl," Sam grinned. "You're not a city woman yet if you can't find a good Mexican place at five a.m."

"I wouldn't want to find a good Mexican place at five a.m." Ari stuck her tongue out at Sam and he winked.

"Excuse me!" They all turned to see a woman hurrying up to them through the bleak early morning light. It was only five a.m. but she wore an immaculate pantsuit and had dark skin and an Afro and bright red lipstick. She was pretty but had a determined look in her that immediately made Bucky wary of her. He had determined that people with her expression were rarely easy to deal with.

"Hi," she said, sounding a bit breathless as she reached the bemused group. She yanked out a small black recorder and clicked a button. "I'm Leila Taylor, I'm a news reporter for a the local news, WDCA5, and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions on some rumors we've been hearing about SHIELD operating out of this building and a new director who no one seems to have met—" She was saying her words very quickly, as if afraid they wouldn't let her finish, and she had ever right to be afraid. Everyone's expressions had turned blank when they'd realized she was a reporter—their worst nightmare—and it was now that Steve politely cut in, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but we decline to comment on anything right now."

"Come on," Bucky hissed, ushering the entire group on. They fast-walked away from her toward the parking lot. She took a few steps after them, calling for them to reconsider—"I can be a big help to you guys!" she said—but Bucky grabbed Ari around the waist and hurried ahead of Steve and Sam to the parking lot. Ari craned her neck to look around at Leila Taylor and Bucky grabbed her head and turned it back around, muttering, "Do not look at her."

"I feel bad for her," Ari said.

"You feel bad for way too many people," he told her. "Reporters are our enemy, remember? They didn't help anyone when SHIELD fell or when—when all the secrets were put online or—"

"I know, I know," she said. "But still. Poor lady, she waited outside probably all night. Although she had information she really shouldn't have had..."

"She was fine, though," Sam remarked and Steve immediately burst out laughing. "Do you ever not think about women?" he asked.

"Um, let's see," Sam said. "No. But seriously, she was cute. Too bad she's a nosy reporter, I wouldn't have minded asking her out. My sisters are all on my case to start dating someone, it's driving me crazy."

"So date someone," Steve said, grinning, as they reached Sam's car and Sam slid into the driver's seat.

Sam grinned up at all of them. "I dunno, Natasha and Ari are a hard act to follow," he joked before slamming the door shut, saluting them, and driving off.

"Oh, Sam," Ari sighed. "Silly man. I'm going to find him a girlfriend."

"You do that," Bucky said, pleased she wasn't considering herself as an option. Then he mentally smacked himself upside the head. Sam's a good guy who would treat her right. I shouldn't be wanting to stop stuff like this. He groaned out loud, rubbing his temples and hating his conflicting emotions.

"Are you okay?" Ari asked in concern. "Do you need Motrin? I have some."

"I know," he told her. Ari carried a plethora of medicine with her in her bag, almost a whole pharmacy's worth. She said it was in her blood, as a nurse, to always have something at the ready in case someone needed it. ("After I check to see if they have any contraindications," she had once added severely, as if to remind Steve and Bucky that she still followed nursing practice very well.) "I'm fine, just…" He bit the inside of his cheek once. "Steve, can I crash at your place?"

"No," Steve snapped.

They all stared at him.

"I'm kidding!" Steve said, looking wounded. "That was a joke!" Bucky bared his teeth in a fake imitation of a grin, looking alarmingly wolfish, and Steve rolled his eyes. "Okay. Stop. Obviously you can crash at my place."

"See you guys later," Ari said, waving at them and walking backwards toward her gleaming BMW. "I've got an afternoon shift at the free clinic." She mimed shooting herself in the head while crossing her eyes and then drove off, waving goodbye.

"And here I thought you'd ask her to join you for sure," Steve said cryptically, watching her taillights vanish at the corner.

"To come crash at your place?"

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Well, you like her…and it's been a whole year since you got to know her…so…yeah, to crash with you at my place."

Bucky groaned. "Not you too…"

Steve grinned. "Sorry, Bucky. But you have a pretty nurse friend who clearly cares a lot about you and you obviously care about her. You're going to get this from everyone. You know why? It's because it's crazy that you two haven't gotten together yet."

"Okay, slow down, Mr. Matchmaker," Bucky grumbled, getting onto his motorcycle. "There are… I just need time, okay? I'm not ready for…" He took a deep breath. "I mean, she's not re… Who said we had to get together just because we're friends?" he snapped. "Can't we…just be?"

"Alright, relax," Steve said, noticing Bucky's struggle for words. "Forget I said anything. Take all the time you need, she's not going anywhere right now. But seriously." He leaned forward while getting onto his own motorcycle. "Don't let her go for forever, okay? Ari's a one-in-a-million kind of girl."

I know that, Bucky thought in frustration. That's the problem! Why the hell would I tie her down to someone as insane as me when she's so special?

"Okay, that's the last I'll say about this," Steve said. Then he suddenly grinned, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Race you home," before roaring off.

"You cheating little bastard!" Bucky hissed, taking off after him.

The two raced through the early morning D.C. streets, weaving around each other and possibly breaking the speed limit a little bit. Cars were already on the road—business and politics never slept—but the roads were clear enough that they could be just a little reckless and not harm anyone. (Not that Steve would ever have put anyone in danger even if the roads were totally empty; Bucky knew Steve always had one eye out for innocents around him. Bucky was trying to learn to do the same thing.)

The light up ahead turned yellow and Steve slowed to a stop—but Bucky sped past him, crossing through the intersection. Steve shouted something and Bucky laughed to himself as he raced towards Steve's home. He heard Steve gaining on him as the light turned green but that minute head start had been more than enough. He beat Steve home by 30 seconds, already leaning against his motorcycle and smirking at Steve when he pulled up.

"You cheated," Steve said, shaking his head. "That light was definitely red when you crossed. You're going to get a ticket."

"No way," Bucky said. "It turned red right after I crossed the line. That's not against the law. And you're one to talk about cheating, with your head start. 'Race you home!'" he mimicked, making his voice extremely high-pitched for some reason.

Steve snorted with laughter as they walked up into Steve's pale blue town home. Bucky had a sudden flashback to the first time he had walked through these steps. It had been slightly over a year ago. He had met Steve for the first time—the first time away from HYDRA—at the mall in front of the Washington Monument and he and Ari had followed Steve back to his house. How he'd sat at Steve's table, drunk some water, felt extremely nervous. How he'd told his full story for the very first time in his existence. How he and Steve had privately talked about whether he should send Ari home, since she'd played her part. Bucky shuddered when he thought about how his life might have ended up if he'd send her home. That would have been the end of their story—she would have vanished forever and he would have been too shy to ever seek her out again. She'd never have helped save his memories. She would never have taken any steps to save herself from Alex or the isolation of her life.

He had been her patient then. The lines had been clear.

The lines were more unclear now.

Steve's apartment had more personality to it now. Bucky knew it had everything to do with the fact that he'd entered back into Steve's life and the fact that Steve had found two new great friends in Ari and Sam. He'd also become much closer with Natasha and Clint Barton, having gone on many more missions with them. As a result, not only did his new friends take it upon themselves to help decorate (except Bucky, who mostly stood back and watched, amused and bemused), Steve himself seemed to have more life and energy in him. He framed some of his sketches and hung them up. Colorful Mexican blankets were thrown over his sofas, souvenirs from a mission in Mexico that Steve and Natasha refused to talk about, save for Natasha chuckling and Steve glaring at her. Ari had tried and failed to teach Steve how to properly water his plants on time so that they didn't die so she'd eventually given up and bought him some succulents and cacti which didn't require much watering. Several vintage and new movie posters from movies that Steve had gotten into were neatly tacked onto the walls. This was something they all contributed in: Ari, Sam, and Natasha gave Bucky and Steve suggestions of what to watch and then Steve went out and found posters. Bucky even found a few for Steve. He'd given Steve his Jaws poster. The walls were full of bookshelves stuffed with books both old and new. Steve was forever reading something. He seemed to have a strange affinity for science-fiction and other "nerd things" as Sam termed them. Bucky wondered if it was because Steve sort of was like science-fiction himself.

But for Bucky right now, the best part about Steve's house was his medicine cabinet and the spare guest bedroom. He tossed back three Tylenol to deal with his headache and yanked his shoes off before collapsing onto the guest bed so hard that the frame shuddered. He was out like a light before he could even get under the covers.

He woke to the sound of laughter coming from down below. He rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up. His head wasn't hurting anymore. Looking around, the room was in total darkness. He yanked the blinds back to peer outside and saw that night had fallen. Once again, he'd destroyed any chance of a normal sleep schedule. Oh well—at least this way he wouldn't have to suffer through any nightmares…at least until tomorrow. He splashed water on his face in the bathroom and used a spare toothbrush to freshen up (for some reason, Steve kept his bathroom weirdly stocked with tons of extra toiletries). Then he yanked a brush through his untidy hair and tied his hair back into what Ari called a "man bun." The term had revolted him but she'd patted his head and told him it looked good and who was he to argue with a woman on what looked good on him?

He went downstairs to find Steve and Natasha lounging on Steve's couches in the family room while Ari leaned against a wall by them, her shoes on and a bag hanging off of her shoulder. She wore scrubs, meaning she hadn't gone home and changed after the free clinic. What had she been doing all this time, if she hadn't gone home?

"Hey," he said, clearing the rasp from his throat.

"Soldier!" Ari hugged him and Steve said, "Hey," while Natasha waved hello.

"What are you all doing here?" he asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Well, Natasha came over for a bit to talk about some things…and then Ari dropped by to see if you were okay," Steve said.

"Not staying?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow at Ari.

She laughed. "No, I'm still tired. I want to get home and sleep."

"Yeah, you'd better get your beauty sleep for tomorrow," Natasha said, wiggling her eyebrows at Ari. Ari blushed and Bucky felt extremely confused. "Your beauty sleep?"

A sudden silence fell and Ari cleared her throat and said, "Yeah…because…I, um, have a date tomorrow night."

Bucky stared at her, not understanding for a minute. "A date?"

"Yeah, a date, Barnes," Natasha said. "It's when two people go out to see if they're romantically compatible. Have you heard of it?"

"Of course I have," he snapped, rubbing the back of his neck. Steve seemed like he was avoiding Bucky's gaze on purpose, looking extremely awkward. "I just… When did you find time to find a date with all these missions?" He forced his voice to be as lighthearted as possible. "I can't even find time to brush my hair."

"That's because you're a slob," said Natasha.

Bucky wanted to hurl Natasha through a window at that moment.

"Nat," Steve whispered furiously, glaring at her. "Enough."

"Sorry," she whispered, grinning at Steve.

Ari flushed. "He… I met him through the clinic. Well, I mean, I didn't really meet him yet. I mean, my friends at the clinic are setting me up with some guy they say is interested in meeting me. It's a blind date," she added rather unnecessarily at the end. She smiled at Bucky but her smile was a bit hesitant. "So…you know. It's casual."

"Of course," Bucky said, smiling back just as hesitantly. "You…uh, have fun. Stay safe. Don't let any weirdos into your apartment."

"Never," Ari said fervently.

"And take the—" Bucky stopped, realizing he'd never actually given Ari the knife he'd meant to. It was still in his pocket. He slowly pulled it out and looked at it for a moment—flashbacks of handing it to Steve when Steve had been as small as Ari was slowly swirling in his mind—and then he held it out to her. "Take this," he said quietly. "I've had it since...way back when, in the old days. I wanted you to have it. You know, keep it on your person. Defend yourself with it if you need to."

Ari slowly took it and examined it, turning it over in her hands to look at the wood and pearl. He noticed that the small thing fit perfectly in her slender, small hands. Then she smiled and pocketed it. "Thanks. Will do."

"Where're you going for your date?" he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets to keep them from nervously fiddling with anything.

She blushed and rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. "Cheesecake Factor. I know, I know! Really cliché. But whatever, my friends set it up, so I don't know. I guess I'll tell you guys details after tomorrow night! Anyway, I was just stopping by. I guess I'll be going now." She waved goodbye to Natasha and Steve, gave Bucky a friendly squeeze on the arm, and then left.

Bucky wandered over to the family room and collapsed onto the sofa that Steve was on, moodily staring at his hands. This is what I wanted, he told himself. For her to be happy and get out there and meet new people. She deserves to have a chance at a normal life. Some normal guy, a decent one. This was what he wanted for Ari. This was what Ari deserved. So why didn't he feel happier?

"Bummer, Barnes," Natasha said sympathetically.

"What do you mean?" He looked up at her too quickly.

"Come on, Buck," Steve said quietly. "You like her."

Bucky sighed in irritation. "Steve, you said you weren't going to bother me about this anymore. I told you—Ari and I are…just…" His throat seemed to close up. "Besides, she's living her own life," he said, trying to sound airy and casual. "That's good. Her asshole brother barely let her enjoy her life the entire time he was alive. I want her to get out and meet people."

"I don't think you want her to meet other guys though," Natasha said.

"Yes, I do," Bucky said firmly.

Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Listen," Bucky said. "Even if Ari wanted to be with me—and I'm not saying she does, I'm just humoring you two idiots—I don't want it to be because I'm the only guy she even hangs around with. I'd want her to meet other guys and then if she decided she likes me…" He shrugged.

"I guess," Natasha murmured. "Seems weird, though. This is pretty much all because you won't man up and ask her out," she added. "Poor girl's gotta move on eventually but don't think she doesn't want you to ask her out."

Bucky looked at Natasha suspiciously. "And how the hell would you know? Ari doesn't confide in you."

Natasha looked a little like she was constipated, a pained expression crossing her pretty face. "I'm a woman, Barnes. I don't need her to confide in me to know."

He frowned. Could Natasha be right? What if Ari did feel the same way he was just now starting to admit he felt? He looked at Natasha and then scowled. No. Natasha was clever and she was a woman but she didn't know everything in the universe. How could she just look at Ari and know? It was impossible.

"This is all stupid," he snapped. "Ari and I are not a couple and we're never going to be one. I don't care, anyway. I'm glad she's my friend, that's enough for me." This part was half-true. He did care but…he would have taken friendship with Ari over nothing any day.

"You should totally go stalk her first date," Natasha suggested, grinning wickedly.

Bucky stiffened. Could I—

No. NO. Don't even consider it.

Could…?

Absolutely NOT. That would be a huge betrayal of her trust. She would never do that to me and I can't do that to her. He knew he wasn't going to do that. It was incredibly disrespectful. He had no right over Ari to stalk her like that. Still, he cursed Natasha to hell for even putting the idea in his head—because now that it was there, he couldn't get it out.

Steve seemed to sense that Bucky was about to crush his cybernetic fist into Natasha's face because he hastily said, "Okay, let's all not talk about Ari and Bucky anymore, okay? We've bothered him enough. It's their relationship and their issue. Whatever happens, I'm here for the both of you," he said firmly. "End of story. We'll stay out of it."

"Wow, look at that," Bucky said sarcastically. "Someone who understands boundaries." Natasha rolled her eyes. "What are you even doing here?" he asked her cuttingly.

"What, I can't hang out with my two favorite super soldiers?" she asked innocently.

This was Natasha's way. She and Bucky squabbled like siblings whenever they met up, throwing pointed barbs and jabs (usually why Steve rolled his eyes and suffered in silence, occasionally chuckling when one of them said something too good not to laugh at). But then she would smile and show affection and it would always throw Bucky off because it reminded him that Natasha really did care about him, underneath her snark—and he cared about her. He would never forget that the Widow had forgiven him for shooting her and had accompanied them on their mission to retrieve Bucky's memories and files.

"I was telling Nat about our mission," Steve said, looking a little glum.

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that classified, Steve?" he asked mockingly.

"From me? Please," Natasha scoffed.

They were all silent for a while and then Bucky asked, "Does it feel wrong to you?"

"What?" Steve asked.

"Just…letting the mission go?" he asked. "The mission is important."

"Whoa, slow down, you're sounding kind of like the Winter Soldier," Steve joked. "Heard of that guy?"

"Be serious," Bucky insisted. "Does it feel right to you, just walking away from it?"

"No, but…" Steve shrugged. "New director says it's dismissed, so…"

"And since when do you follow orders from SHIELD—or new SHIELD or whatever?" Bucky pressed. "You don't work for them. And you don't give up on missions. And you don't wait for people to die before you continue a mission."

"What are you saying?" Steve said, locking eyes with Bucky.

"I'm saying…that new SHIELD feels like a waste of time," he said, taking a deep breath. "We're doing things—going on random missions—but I feel like we're accomplishing nothing. And you have your Avengers missions but I don't even have that."

"We talked about this at Wentworth's house," Steve began but Bucky cut him off. "I know—but now SHIELD is making us walk away from a mission." He hesitated. "And even when we do go on SHIELD missions…we have to follow certain protocols and rules…we have to stay on the books and maps…"

"Bucky, what the hell are you saying?" Steve demanded.

Natasha's eyes were glittering dangerously as she stared at Bucky thoughtfully. "He wants to go rogue," she said.

"What?" Steve demanded, looking alarmed. "Go rogue?"

"Not in a crazy assassin way," Bucky assured him. "Just…remember what we accomplished last year? Me, you, Sam, Ari, and Natasha? All on our own? No extra team members we don't work well with. No rules to follow. No one to check in with. We did things on our own and we got shit done, Rogers."

Steve ran a hand through his blond hair. "Okay…so you want to figure this…thing out on our own? Who? Me…you…Ari will never stay behind…"

"Ask Sam," Bucky said. Then he looked at Natasha. "And you?"

"I guess I'm in," she said, smiling slightly. "I'm not deflecting from SHIELD—I still have things to do for the director—"

"The director you won't introduce to us," Steve muttered, giving Natasha an obvious side eye.

She continued as if she hadn't heard him. "—but otherwise I'm in." She paused for a moment. "I think I could even wrangle Clint to help us out too."

Amazingly, Bucky still hadn't met the legendary archer yet but he knew Natasha and the man had a very close friendship—one that he suspected teetered on the edge of something more, though heaven knew close-lipped Natasha would never admit anything—and he knew the man fought as an Avenger alongside Steve, so he decided he could trust him.

"So we're doing this?" Bucky asked, his heartbeat picking up speed in conjunction with the adrenaline spiking in his body. His body burned as it readied itself for the chase. "We're going to go solo?"

"Why the hell not?" Steve said, finally grinning. "We're the most capable to handle this situation, aren't we?"

"Defectors Assemble," Natasha said, winking at the both of them and Bucky bit back a savage grin. Finally, finally, things felt like he was taking control of things again and forcing change to come about. He'd felt like he was floundering, floating, for a while. Blacking out, going on random missions for a broken SHIELD, aimlessly passing the time spent at home. But now Ari had a date and their mission had been dismissed and he knew he had to throw himself back into the game to stay sane and stay alive.

Stay sane and stay alive.

Stay sane and stay alive.

This was going to be his new motto.

Say it again with me one more time.

Stay sane and stay alive.