50's AU requested by a long time follower and loyal reviewer. Meant to be up for her birthday, but life got in the way. So, it's long to make up for it.

Bucky's a private I, Ella hasn't been around for a while.

…

Bucky Barnes sat in his office, feet propped up on his cluttered desk, face covered by his dusty gray fedora, trying his best to catch up on the hours of sleep he had missed finishing his job. He had to follow some lady's husband around. Found out he was a cheating bastard. The usual.

As far as he knew, he had no other appointments so he was frankly bored. Nothing exciting to keep him occupied from his lazy thoughts, just the sound of his fan spinning on the ceiling.

So, he was surprised when he heard three sharp taps at his door.

Bucky tilted his hat off his eyes, raising a brow. He slid the fedora back over his slicked back hair, cracking his neck.

"Come in."

The dull door opened slowly, eyes starting down at the pointed red pumps, a pair of killer legs, full, black and white checkered skirt. Bucky felt the corners of his lips curling into a smirk as his gaze started further upwards. The woman still wore cat-eye sunglasses, hair covered by a colorful scarf. She slowly undid the tie, letting perfectly curled golden hair bounce onto her shoulders, a single strand getting caught in the corner of her bright red lips.

However, when the dark sunglasses came off, Bucky was left staring at a face he never thought he would see again. His lips parted in surprise as he took his feet off the desk, face masked in disbelief.

"Ella?"

The girl took a deep breath, face stony. "Hello, James."

It had been years since he had last see her. Two, maybe three at the most. She didn't look much different, perhaps her face had lost some of its young roundness. Her eyes were still as bright as he remembered, clear and blue as the sky.

Ella, Bucky, and her brother Steve had all been close when they were younger. They had spent years together, grown up side by side, no one could have broken them apart.

Well, that is until someone did.

Ella was nineteen years old, nearly twenty, loving being on her own, being nearly grown and having freedom to do as she pleased. She was a fun loving girl, Bucky remembered that. From how her face lit up as she grinned, how her nose would crinkle as she tossed her head back in a laugh. For a while, those flashes of memories were all he had to remember her by.

She was a pretty girl by all means, Bucky knew that, but he wasn't the only one.

She had gotten a boyfriend around that time. It was strange for both Bucky and her brother to see her with someone like that, because her boyfriend wasn't a model citizen at the very least. He would pick her up in his car and speed off dangerously down the road, leaving Bucky and Steve to glare in their wake. He was disrespectful to almost everyone, especially Bucky for reasons why he didn't understand himself at first.

Eventually, Bucky had realized he was jealous.

He was jealous that some douche was going with Ella, someone who deserved so much better than that… and he liked her. At first, Bucky thought it was simply because he was protective of her, like he normally was. Bucky soon figured out he was trying to keep Ella away from her terrible boyfriend because he wanted her for himself. He could never tell that to her. She was his best friend's sister, he couldn't put her in that position.

However, Bucky had no problem telling Ella her boyfriend was awful.

Ella wouldn't hear it. She denied every accusation, even if they were all true. She was young, she didn't see the truth.

It was the first and only fight that she and Bucky had gotten into. It was practically a screaming match in her living room, wild hand gestures, flaming cheeks, bodies shaking in anger in frustration. She claimed Bucky didn't know him like she did, that he was being over protective and unfair when he tried to tell her to dump him.

In the end, Ella had ended storming past him and slamming the door to her room, leaving Bucky in a painful silence standing in her living room. He just didn't want to see her get hurt, and if she stayed with that man, she would. He hoped that by the next day it would all blow over.

By the next day, Ella was gone.

Steve and came to his door in hysteria, asking if Ella was there. She wasn't in her room, all her stuff was gone. No note, not notice, no Ella. It was as if she disappeared into thin air.

They searched for days, dread growing with each passing minute when they couldn't find her. Eventually, they admitted they needed help and went to the police.

The detectives found her quickly. She had packed a bag and run off with her boyfriend. The only problem was, the detectives couldn't legally bring her back. She was an adult, she wasn't under their guardianship anymore. She was gone.

Steve was never the same after. He had called Ella, trying to coax her to return home where she belonged but she had refused, just as stubborn as ever. She said she wanted to take her life into her own hands, leaving behind the family she had left.

Steve threw himself into work, striving to become a detective like the ones who helped him locate his sister. Bucky went a slightly different direction, becoming a Private I. Both career choices had something in common; they helped them forget about the girl who left.

Who was standing right before him now, hands hidden in her skirts, lips drawn tight, waiting for him to say something.

As Bucky got his bearings together, he couldn't figure out whether he was thrilled, angry, or just simply confused. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a tone that encompassed all three of those emotions.

"Are you this blunt with all your clients?" she asked in a clipped tone.

Bucky's brows furrowed as he looked up at the girl as she approached his desks, sitting down in a chair across from him. "Client? What, did your horrible boyfriend finally run off?"

He couldn't ignore the flash of pain on her face that she couldn't manage to hide.

"It's Steve, James." She said. "He's missing."

Bucky sat up in a flash, the legs of his chair squeaking noisily against the marble floor. "What?!"

He and Steve, although they used to be closer than brothers, had drifted apart since Ella had left, both diving into their work which took them separate ways. Of course, they would keep in contact when they could, a phone call here and there. They didn't live next to each other anymore, Steve moving into a smaller apartment when he found himself living on his own.

"I just got into town and went to his apartment." She began to explain. "The lock was broken as it was a mess. There was no Steve, no nothing."

"He must have learned from you." Bucky said with a hint of bitterness.

Ella huffed in annoyance. "This isn't about me. This is about my brother."

Bucky found himself gritting his teeth. "Have you gone to the detectives? This is their job, not mine."

"Trust me, I have." Ella snapped. "They said they were doing everything they could but…"

"But what?"

"They never even came to the apartment to look for evidence." She told him. "I stayed there all night… but nothing."

"Who'd you talk to?"

"Sitwell, I think his name was."

Bucky narrowed his eyes, leaning back in his seat and rubbing his chin. "That doesn't make any sense, Sitwell works with Steve."

"That's not all." She said, opening her handbag and digging through the contents. In her outstretched, gloved hand there was a small pin. "I found this lodged into the wood on the table. I think it was knocked over in the struggle."

Bucky clenched his jaw as he looked at the small, metal pin, knowing exactly what it meant. He leaned back in his seat and dragged a hand down his face in exasperation.

"What?" Ella asked in a panic upon seeing his reaction. "What is it?"

"Gang symbol. Notorious one too," he mused. "Been terrorizing the streets for some time now."

She bit her lip. "What are they called?"

"HYDRA." He said as he swiftly stood, pulling his coat over his shoulders as me made towards the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked, swiveling in her seat.

"To find your brother. Seems disappearing runs in the family." He grumbled as he slammed the door behind him, trying his best to get the girl out of his head.

…

Bucky got through a day of searching with no results. He started at Steve's apartment, finding that Ella's word had been true and it was in disarray. All there was were a broken table, and a knife with some dried blood on it. He hoped it wasn't Steve's. He didn't find anything else that could help him there, going off on his own and combing the streets for any clues about where they were keeping his friend. He went to bed with more frustration than evidence.

He had awoken to more help than he expected.

There were sharp, rapid knocks on his door first thing in the morning. Bucky let out a groan as he peeled his eyes open, wondering who the hell would be looking for him at the crack of dawn. He dragged himself out of bed, moving like a slug towards the door.

"What?" he asked irritably, before he noticed who stood there.

Ella wore a smart blazer and skirt, enough to keep her warm on this brisk day. Her blonde hair was tucked in a black hat on the back of her head. She sculpted brow at his tone.

"Good morning to you too."

Bucky sighed and dragged a hand down his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if you found anything?"

"No," Bucky said, crossing his arms over his chest. He felt almost embarrassed at his appearance at the moment, hair sticking up wearing nothing but his white, wife-beater and stripped boxers. How was it that Ella always looked so put together? He guessed some things really never changed.

"Oh," she said, looking down. "Well, I think I did."

"Really?"

She narrowed her eyes at his patronizing tone. "Yes. I followed the detective I spoke to, Sitwell, last night. He had a cut on his hand, clean. It must have been that knife in Steve's apartment."

"That's not enough evidence to go on."

"But he was talking to someone on the phone in his office." She said. "Sitwell said something about a prisoner."

"He could have been talking about someone in jail."

Ella sighed, her bottom lip jutting out slightly. "Shouldn't we be following any lead? My brother's gone, I need help finding him."

"Why don't you get your boyfriend to help?"

There it was again, that flash of pain across her face. She looked down at her shoes before mumbling, "We're not together anymore."

This was news to him. "Since when?"

Ella shook her head. "This isn't what we should be worrying about!" she said, nearly whining. "My brothers missing and I'm going to find him with or without your help!"

She swiftly turned heel, marching down the hall until Bucky couldn't see her anymore. He rubbed under his eyes and pressed his forehead against the doorframe. Ella was going off on her own to find a dangerous gang that's keeping her brother captive.

She was going to get herself killed.

Bucky hurried around his apartment, pulling on trousers, stepping into shoes, and popping his hat on his head at an angle before rushing out of the door, grabbing his coat on the way out.

He managed to catch up with her on the streets, jogging lightly to her side before calling out her name.

"Ella, wait!"

She stopped, turning around and seeing Bucky coming up behind her, still tugging his dusty grey coat over his shoulders. He slowed to a stop beside her.

"You can't go off on your own like that."

He didn't realize that he had said those words after she had left. He played off the rush of emotion as he looked at her face, thinking that he had missed two whole years of her life after he had been a part of every aspect of it before. There was so much he didn't know about her, even that she had left that wet rag she had been dating.

Ella looked a bit surprised. "I didn't think you would come."

Bucky shrugged. "You were right. We need to find Steve."

He couldn't read what emotions were displayed on her lovely face.

"Well then," she said, straightening her blazer. "Let's get to work then."

…

They went down to the police station where Steve had worked with the other detective. Bucky could fondly remember how hard he had worked to get that spot. There had been people who didn't believe Steve could do it, he had been a late grower. Still, he managed to work his way to the top.

Just as Ella had suggested, they went to find Sitwell, which wasn't as easy as they thought it would be. Ella ended up having to ask another one of Steve's co-workers where the detective was.

His name was Rumlow and he was busy pouring over files for a case with fellow detective Barton. Bucky stood to the side while Ella came up to the two men with a smile and asked where they might find Sitwell.

"I believe he's in his office." Rumlow told her. "He's been working hard to find your brother."

Bucky didn't miss the irritated twitch of Ella's lips.

"I'm sure he is." She breathed. "Thank you."

Bucky followed her down the hall, waiting as she knocked on the door before stepping inside. Sitwell was hunched over at his desk, looking up when the two of them entered. It didn't escape Bucky's notice as he tried to conceal what he was reading with another folder.

"Miss Rogers," the man said, pushing his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose. "What brings you in?"

"Oh, just wondering how the search is going."

Bucky was impressed how well she was able to appear as if she didn't suspect him in having a hand in the disappearance of her brother. She could have been a great actress.

"I've been searching very hard," he assured her. "This gang doesn't leave behind many clues."

Ella nodded thoughtfully. "I see. May I ask what happened to your hand?"

For the first time, Bucky noticed that Sitwell's hand was wrapped in white cloth, the barest stain from blood being apparent.

"Just a cut."

"Oh dear," Ella said, tapping her bottom lip with her fingers. "Did it need stitches?"

"It was clean."

Bucky now knew that Ella had been telling the truth about what she had seen.

"I see," she continued. "So it was from a blade I presume?"

"Well- yes." Sitwell shifted uncomfortably in his seat, loosening the tie around his neck.

"That's funny," Ella mused. "I found a knife with blood on it in my brother's apartment. It must of happened at the same time."

"Purely a coincidence," Sitwell sat, pushing his chair back and standing. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

He made to get past Bucky to the door, but was surprised when he was stopped by a hard hand on his chest, firmly pushing him back into the room until his back hit his desk. Ella had done her part to get him nervous, not it was up to Bucky to get him to sing.

"What do you know?" Bucky demanded, fists curling into Sitwell's shirt, hauling him up to his eye level.

"N-nothing!"

"Bull shit." Bucky spat, grabbing Sitwell's injured hand and digging his thumb into his cut.

The man cried out loudly in pain. "Alright, alright!" he gasped. "I was there! I'm part of HYDRA, I took Rogers!"

"Why?" Bucky asked, hoping he didn't look as surprised as he felt.

"He just kept on meddling in our business, putting more and more of us in jail." Sitwell said. "We had to put an end to it, he was just too good at his job."

"Where are they keeping him?"

Sitwell scoffed and laughed bitterly. "Like I'd tell you. Hurt me all you want but they would kill me if they found out I talked to you." He shook his head, a strange smile on his lips. "You know what the best part of all this is? You can't do anything about it. You could tell everyone I'm part of HYDRA, and believe me, there's more of us, but they wouldn't believe you. It's my word against yours."

Bucky grit his teeth, knowing that the man was right. He could try and tell everyone the truth, but it was just too outrageous. No one would believe him, Sitwell had worked with them all for so long.

"Actually, it's your word against yours." Ella spoke up after being silent for so long during the confession.

Both men looked her way, finding the girl holding the phone in their direction. With a smug smirk on her painted lips, she brought the phone to her ear. "Yes, Barton, I do believe you need another cell."

Against his own will, Bucky found himself grinning at the girl. One-step ahead of him, sharp as a tack. Now, they were able to put a criminal where he belonged; behind bars.

Bucky held on tight to Sitwell until Barton came and put him in handcuffs, not before sending a death glare at the girl standing behind his desk, shifting through the papers he had hoped to keep secret. God, they were going to kill him.

"Hey, Bucky." Ella said. "Come here."

Trying not to show how hearing her call him by his nick name made him feel, he came to her side, shoulder pressed against hers as she poured over the files. Her manicured fingers pointed at a map, highlighting the marked spot.

"Do you know this place?" she asked.

Bucky nodded. "It's been abandoned for years… or, so we thought at least."

"It's gotta be where they're keeping Steve."

"I think so."

Bucky looked to his right at Ella, who was gazing at him with a wide smile. He hadn't realized how close they had been while they looked over the maps, but they were now close enough to breathe each other's air. He liked seeing her look happy, something deep within him wanting to lean forward even closer and press his lips against hers like he had wanted to do all those years ago but he stopped himself. Now was not the time and he didn't even know where she would go after this was all over.

He cleared this throat. "Let's go."

"What, now?" she questioned. "It's just past noon!"

"Exactly. They won't be expecting it during the day." he nodded towards the door. "You coming?"

The pair rushed outside, hopping in Bucky's car and going on their way.

It was dead silent for a while, neither of them finding anything to say. All they had done was talk about Steve and now that they knew where he was, there was nothing else to say. Well, at first at least. Bucky took this time to ask the questions that had been plaguing his mind since he first laid eyes on her in his office.

"Did you come back just because of your relationship ending?"

Ella wrung her hands and nodded.

This wasn't the answer Bucky wanted, he wanted her to say that she had missed them and that's why she came back.

"When did it happen?"

"Two days ago." She answered, voice soft and raw at the same time. "But… it was a long time coming."

Bucky peeked at the girl as she stared forlornly out the window. "What do you mean?"

She hesitated, face cloudy as she debated with herself. With a trembling lip, she finally began to speak. "You were right about him. He was terrible and I didn't see it until it was too late." She sighed. "Even when I did, I still stayed with him. I was so stupid…"

"What did he do to you? Did he hurt you, Ella?" Bucky asked, feeling the burn of anger spread through his limbs.

"Not physically, no." she said. "He was just… mean. He was nasty and spoke to me so horribly, called me worthless and even worse… and then one day, I just couldn't take it anymore. I packed my bags and went to leave. He tried to stop me, tried saying that he loved me and when that didn't work, said I would be nothing without him. Still heard him screaming at me until I got in the taxi."

Bucky reached out with his right hand, covering hers to try and comfort her. He could hear the pain in her voice, that would explain the way she looked every time he mentioned her ex. Bucky couldn't feel like a bigger idiot.

"Why did you stay so long?"

"Like I said, I was stupid." She said, instinctively squeezing Bucky's hand. "I didn't want to be wrong, I didn't want you to look at me with a smug smile when I came back and have to hear the 'I told you so.'" She bit her bottom lip. "Eventually, I realized that whatever awaited me back home was better than how I was living. You treated me so well and all I could do was hope you would forgive me for how I acted."

Bucky took a moment to process all that she had just told him.

"I was also just dating him to try and make you jealous, at first." Ella said with a small smile. "I think that plan didn't work out so well."

"Jealous?"

Ella nodded, cheeks flaming. "I really liked you, but I didn't think you would even look my way the way I wanted you to."

Now that was some news. How ironic that they had both wanted the same thing, refused to admit it to each other, and end up having it blow up in their faces.

"Ella, I'm sorry that all happened to you."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Doesn't mean I still can't hate that you had to go through that." He flashed her a comforting smile. "One way or another, we'll make this better again. You, me and Steve like it used to be."

The corners of her lips tugged upwards as she laced her fingers through his own. "I'd like that. I really would."

Before they could speak anymore, they were at their destination. Bucky parked his car, leaning over and opening his glovebox before pulling a pistol out of it.

Ella stared at the weapon with wide eyes. "You're not going to have to use that, are you?"

"Let's hope not," he mumbled, undoing his seatbelt and moving to get out of the car. "Stay here, okay?"

"Wait!" she gasped, gripping onto his arm. They held each other's gazes evenly for a heartbeat before Ella leaned forward and kissed him. Bucky instinctively kissed her back, hand going to cup her cheek and draw her even closer. It only lasted a few wonderful, breathless moments before they parted.

"Be careful." She urged.

"I will."

He made sure to lock the door before inhaling deeply and looking at the towering building. He had to hope that his friend was in there, alive. He had to bring him back, he hadn't seen his sister in over two years. He deserved that, at least.

Bucky swallowed his fear and headed inside, clutching his gun so tightly his knuckles were white. He scanned every room of every floor, hoping to find Steve. As each room he found was empty, Bucky felt his hope lessen and dread grow. Perhaps they had moved him, maybe he wasn't even alive anymore.

That was, until he reached the very top floor.

They had made a makeshift cell for Steve. He was hunched in the corner on a small cot, eyes shut. Bucky saw how beaten up he looked, bruises making his right eye swell up and a busted lip. It was a familiar sight, almost. Steve used to get into fights all the time.

"Steve!" Bucky hissed, rushing over to the bars.

His friend look up, face melting into one of disbelief. "Buck? What are you doing here?"

"Save your sorry ass." He muttered. "Where are the keys?"

Steve pointed to the wall across from him, Bucky wasting no time before snatching them up and freeing his friend from the confining cell. He looked relieved to be out and to see his best friend again.

"Come on," Bucky said. "Let's get out of here."

"Not so fast." Another voice spoke.

Steve and Bucky spun around, seeing an unwelcomed sight. It was Steve's coworker, Rumlow. Sitwell had been right when he said there was more of them. They had been hidden in plain sight the entire time, but Steve already knew Rumlow was one of them, he had been one of the people to fight him into submission.

Rumlow wasn't the worst part, though. The worst part was that he had Ella by the hair, barrel of a gun pointed right at her slightly pink face. There were wet trails of tears on her cheeks glistening in the low light.

"Ella?" Steve breathed, his sister being the last person he expected to see here.

"Don't move." Rumlow ordered. "Or else this pretty thing here gets it." he jabbed her temple with the barrel of his gun, causing her to whimper and shiver.

Bucky felt his hands curl into fists, but he complied. He couldn't risk her. He dropped his gun and put his hands up, eyes narrowing at Rumlow's expression.

"Bad choice," he tsked. "We were tired of keeping Rogers alive for so long. You were all going to die anyways."

"No!" Bucky cried as he heard the click of his gun being loaded.

Ella, however, reacted fast. She latched onto the hand hold the weapon, pointing it upwards at the ceiling and away from her and her loved ones as it fired. Bucky used this momentary distraction to charge Rumlow, knocking into him to get him to let go of Ella. The two men tumbled onto the ground, Rumlow's head cracking against the cement and knocking him out.

Bucky stood, grabbing Rumlow's gun just for good measure before turning towards Ella. She seemed a little shaken, hair in disarray and clothes wrinkled. She looked at Bucky before stumbling towards him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and allowing him to support her weight.

"I'm sorry, he just came out of nowhere and I-"

"Shh," Bucky whispered, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

She leaned back, looking at him with her bright blue eyes before kissing him again. Her hands wrapped around the back of his neck, feeling the warmth of his skin. She just wanted to be close to him, glad that they were finally safe and together again.

When they parted, they found Steve standing off to the side, dumbfounded.

"I was only gone for a day." he said.

Ella chuckled, drawing both of her boys in for an embrace. "All that matters is that we're together again. Nothing's gonna change that."