Story is almost done so I'm just knocking out the chapters now and ignoring the reading I have to do for my class tomorrow. The semester hasn't even started and I'm already procrastinating. Castiel help me.

Chapter Quote:
"People will fight for their freedom if people try to take it from them. But if you cause enough trouble, people will willingly give up their freedom for a more secure world."
~Arnim Zola, Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Chapter 14

Steve

Bucky stared at the car Annabeth was in until it disappeared. He continued to stare at the place he last saw it for another ten minutes. For the next two days, he kept pretty quiet. He kept me talking about our stories, asking a few questions here and there. It was at night that was the worst. I remembered Annabeth telling me about his nightmares but they hadn't seemed that bad when she was here. Now he was screaming bloody murder in the night. Sam and I always ran to his room to make sure he was all right. He was, just shaken up. It pained me to see him like this.

Annabeth meant a lot to him. She meant a lot to me too, especially since she helped Bucky when I couldn't. I know what I promised her, but truth was I know what Bucky wanted and who was I to stop him? And who was I to sit around and not help the girl who had done so much for me without asking for anything in return? I understood she really helped me because of Bucky but still, Annabeth helped me; it was my turn to help her.

"You want to go after her," I stated at dinner.

"She told me not to," Bucky mumbled.

"And you're going to listen to that?" Sam asked.

"Listen, she told you not to come to her trial. She never told me I couldn't," I said.

"But she made you promise not to let him convince you to take him to her trial," Sam pointed out.

"She just told me not to let him convince me. She never said I couldn't convince myself to let him go. And she did a lot for Bucky, I owe her that. I want to help her in any way I can."

"She's worried that Hydra people are there. She doesn't want me near them and vice versa," Bucky said.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to go to her trial."

"Then we will. After dinner we'll pack our bags and head out on the road. I'll call Natasha and have her join us after she's dropped off Annabeth."

"Tell her not to tell Anna. She'll have a fit if she knows we're coming," Sam remarked.

"Good idea."

"Steve? Sam? Thank you," Bucky said.

"For what?" I asked.

"For helping me."

"You're my brother, James Buchanan Barnes. I'll always help you."

"And you're my best friend's best friend. I do whatever he does, just slower," Sam laughed.

Bucky smiled.

Natasha

"You sure you'll be okay?" I asked Annabeth for the third time. She had changed back into her prison uniform, somehow making it look good on her. How this girl was able to survive prison, I'm not sure. She looked like she couldn't hurt a fly. And in this prison, she would be a target. I worried about her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm in solitary confinement for my safety. I mean look at me, do you think I could survive if I was with the other inmates? They'd eat me alive," she joked, eerily echoing my own thoughts. "Besides, I have my books, and I know you're all okay. Thank you for the ride."

"You're welcome. And you're sure you don't at least want me at the trial?"

"I'm sure. You've done enough already. Goodbye Natasha," Annabeth said. The guards escorted to her cell. I walked with them to make sure she actually got there before taking my leave. Just as I exited the building, my cell phone rang. I had a sense of humor and certain people I knew had certain ringtones. Stark was 'Iron Man', Hawkeye was 'I'm Like a Bird', Thor (when he was here) was 'I Whip my Hair Back and Forth', Banner was 'It's Not Easy Being Green', and Cap was 'What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger'. None of the other avengers knew of my ringtones except Hawkeye who was the one who suggested it in the first place.

"Hey Steve," I answered.

"Hey, is Annabeth with you?" he asked.

"No, I just dropped her off. She was fine. Pretty quiet on the trip over but fine nonetheless. Why?"

"Bucky, Sam, and I are coming to her trial. We were wondering if you wanted to join in?"

"Why not? I have nothing else to do. I'll book a hotel and text you the address. When will you be here?"

"The day before her trial. We'll be able to catch up on some sleep since we haven't stopped except for bathroom breaks. We'll see you soon. Thanks Natasha," Steve said sincerely. We hung up. I proceeded to wonder what Annabeth's reaction would be when she saw us there. I had a feeling she was not going to like it. I don't think she'd mind me, Sam, and Steve being there. It was Bucky she didn't want, and she explained her reasoning to me, and I understood why.

Trial day…

The hotel I found was clear on the other side of Florence, Colorado, as far away from the prison as possible. We figured if any of Hydra was at the trial, they'd be staying nearby and it'd be safer for Bucky not to be seen until trial day.

Speaking of Bucky, he hadn't slept well the entire night. He'd kept waking up according to Steve, nightmares every hour. He ended up staying up after waking for the seventh time at four in the morning. He was already dressed and ready to go when the rest of us woke up.

We piled into Sam's pickup truck. Sam and Steve took the front, Bucky and I took the back.

"You okay, Buck?" Steve asked, turning around.

"Yeah, just wondering what her verdict is going to be. I mean she's innocent. She was forced to stay on because of Pierce. Why don't they understand that?" he wondered.

I sighed. "Because she didn't stay because of him. She did it of her own volition."

"What?" Bucky snapped his head to look at me, as did Steve and Sam.

"She's telling the jury the truth that she stayed because she chose to, but she's using Hydra terminology to do so," I explained.

"Why would she do that?" Bucky paused, looking at the head rest in front of him in.

"To protect you, Barnes." He looked at me again, my statement hitting home with him.

"What do you mean she's telling the truth to the jury though by using Hydra terminology?" he queried.

"Annabeth is telling them that she fell in love with a weapon."

"What weapon?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes. Pierce hated her for treating you as something other than a weapon. He hated her for treating you like a person."

"So Annabeth is willingly going to prison because she… loves me?"

"Yes, but don't tell her I told you all this. She might actually kill me for it."

He snorted. "I think you're pretty hard to kill. I tried multiple times and the fact that you're still here says something. So when we get to the trial, what's the plan of action?"

"We'll sit in the back so when Annabeth walks in, she won't see us and flip. You make the call about when we should stand up. We'll follow you," Steve said. Bucky nodded as we pulled up to the court. We had gotten there early to get the seats we wanted. The court room was huge, and already people were there. I wondered why some were there. Were they just that interested in her?

"Where's her family?" Sam whispered.

Steve spoke. "They were so ashamed of who she worked for that they couldn't bear to come. They've practically disowned her."

"It's not her fault!" Bucky hissed angrily. After that, we fell silent, watching everyone come in. About an hour later, the session began. Guards escorted Annabeth in who'd been allowed to change into a business dress she owned. It was royal blue and she wore some killer heels that she somehow made look professional. She'd curled her hair and had done her makeup. For someone who knew she was going to be acquitted, she looked relatively peaceful and calm and well, pretty beautiful.

The judge sat down and said, "Miss Drew and her lawyers, is there any new evidence that you have come up with?" Since we were sitting on the other side of the room, I could see the small smile that worked itself onto Annabeth's lips. I automatically knew she was thinking of Bucky. The judge must've seen it too because she added, "Miss Drew, if you have anything to say or show, now would be the time."

"Come on Annabeth, say something about me. Just tell her," Bucky murmured under his breath.

Annabeth looked up. "No, Your Honor, I have nothing to say and there is no new evidence here to be presented."

"Actually there is," Bucky announced, standing up. He wore a leather jacket and gloves so when everyone in the court turned around to face him, including Annabeth, no one saw that he had a metal arm.

"And who might you be?" the judge demanded.

Bucky smiled charmingly, almost as if he was amused with his answer. "I'm the weapon."

He certainly knows how to make an entrance. Review :)