One Shots

by julia12084

Collection of one-shots that go with my main story. Requests welcome!

15. Chapter 15

Mafia/gang au. Really long! EnjoyJ

…

A club was like a battleground.

Every move was carefully calculated. The sway of the hip to entice someone to dance with you, a flash of a grin to get someone to buy you a drink, or even buying someone a drink in hopes that they would sleep with you. Everyone walked into a club with a goal in mind, a hope to reach that goal by the end of the night.

Bucky, however, didn't have a set goal in mind that night. He had been coerced into going tonight by his coworkers, if he could call them that. They didn't have traditional jobs, like office work or service jobs. What they did was a bit more in the shadows, a bit more violent, and bit more illegal.

He was in a gang.

There was no better way of putting it.

He wasn't very proud of what he did, but a few mistakes in his youth dragged him into a world of money, weapons, and violence.

He had been traveling a lot in the last few years, he had been gone from his home city for almost seven years, going here and there for 'business'. It was his first night back, and this hadn't been his plan, but plans changed.

Besides, it was his people's club. They owned it, employed it, and went there to enjoy it.

HYDRA's club.

Bucky leaned on the railing on the edge of the second floor that looked over the dancefloor. He had a beer in one hand, dangling casually from his fingers as he observed the mass of people below moving to the rhythm of the pounding bass. Sometimes it was easy to just watch them move as a whole, other times, he allowed his eyes to wander, to let someone catch them.

There was always one person who moved differently, who danced with more freedom, like no one was watching, that was attractive and drew people towards them.

It was a girl wearing a shimmering, navy dress, with a bob of dark hair. He couldn't see much of her facial features, but he could see she knew how to dance. She currently had her arms draped around the shoulders of a man that Bucky worked with, a younger one, who judging by his sloppy dancing had a few too many drinks that night.

There was a presence by his side. Bucky looked to his left and saw Rumlow, mimicking his stance with a beer bottle at his lips.

"How this for your first night back?" he asked with a small chuckle.

"Not bad," Bucky said, looking back towards the dance floor and at the girl.

"You can go out there, you know," Rumlow said. "Have fun, dance with some girl, take her back to your place…"

Bucky shrugged and took a sip of his drink. "Maybe not tonight,"

"Come on, man," Rumlow said, nudging him with his elbow. "You've been staring at the dancefloor all night,"

"Just watching this girl," Bucky told him. "She's dancing with Grant,"

"Where?" Rumlow narrowed his eyes, scanning the crowd.

Bucky pointed in their general direction, noting that the girl took Grant by the hand and was leading him through the crowd, towards the door that led to the adjacent alleyway.

Rumlow narrowed his eyes at the pair, leaning forward slightly over the railing as if it would give him a better view. His eyes widened as the pair paused as the girl cast a quick glace over her shoulder before opening the door and slipping outside.

"Shit," Rumlow cursed, pushing himself off the railing.

"What?" asked Bucky with worry, placing his near empty bottle onto a small table.

"You got your gun?" Rumlow asked.

Bucky nodded. He always had it on his person, concealed.

"Follow me,"

Bucky listened, reaching his side in a few long strides, rushing down the stairs side by side.

"What is it?" Bucky asked again.

"There's another gang in the city," Rumlow explained as they shoved through the crowd. "Well, not really a gang, more like a group of vigilantes, call themselves SHIELD. They've been huge pain in our asses for the past few years. That girl you saw, she works with them. Her brother's the boss,"

"How the hell she get in here?"

"New bouncers, don't know them yet. She was wearing a wig too," Rumlow explained as they inched closer to the exit. "Grant is new, he hasn't met her yet,"

"You have?"

Rumlow let out a quick, breathy laugh. "Oh yeah. I infiltrated SHIELD about a year ago, and we did a little more than meet, if you know what I mean,"

Bucky got what he was insinuating.

"When we get out there, shoot the bitch before Grant tells her anything important,"

Bucky grabbed his concealed pistol when they reached the door, quickly pushing through into the night air. To the right of the door, the two stood, Grant against the brick wall, the girl standing in front of him, hands planted on either side of Grant's head. The girl's head immediately snapped towards them, and Rumlow didn't hesitate before firing, but she had been expecting that, dragging Grant in front of her, allowing his arm to take the shot.

"Fuck!" Grant cried in pain.

The girl shoved Grant towards them, using the momentary distraction to pull out her own concealed weapon. She aimed at Rumlow first, interesting to Bucky, knowing the smart move would be to incapacitate both hostiles. He sensed a hidden anger.

Bucky covered himself behind the dumpster to avoid any bullets. Grant had already been knocked out, after his head cracked into the cement. Rumlow charged the girl and grabbed her, but she was lithe, slipping out just enough to shove her elbow into the bridge of his nose with a loud crack. His hands instinctively went to his face, which gave her the chance to bash his head into the wall.

Bucky raised a brow at her fighting style. She was a small girl, but quick, and although she had to opportunity to shoot Rumlow and most likely kill him, she didn't.

The moment that Rumlow slumped down, the girl took off. Bucky was surprised how fast she could move in heels, but he was sure he could catch her. He followed after the girl, skidding around the corner and sprinting after her. The girl's shimmering blue dress was like a beacon as he gradually got closer. Finally, he was close enough to snatch her arm and hold on tight. She threw her elbow back, but Bucky was ready for it, catching it quickly.

They briefly struggled against each other, and although the girl was fast, she wasn't nearly as strong as him. He attempted to place her in a headlock, his fingers curling into her dark hair, attempting to lock her in place, but she leaned forward and her hair came off.

A wig. How could he be so stupid? Rumlow told him she was wearing a wig!

The momentary distraction allowed her to slip out of his hold, golden hair tumbling down her back as she raised her gun, but Bucky had the same idea, aiming his pistol at her chest. They both froze, allowing Bucky to get a good look at the girl for the first time.

Except, it wasn't the first time.

He knew her, from her bright blue eyes, which were presently narrowed fiercely at him, to the curve of her cheeks, and her golden hair.

He knew her.

Bucky blinked once, brows furrowing as his head cocked to the side. "Ella?"

She looked confused. "Who the hell are you? How do you know me?"

Bucky slowly lowered his gun, posture becoming more relaxed. "It's me… it's Bucky,"

Ella's lips parted as her eyes grew wide, lowering her own weapon. "Bucky?"

At first, she hadn't recognized him. He had grown in the years they had been apart, taller and stronger. His hair had grown shaggy, jaw coated in stubble, but as she looked at him, she knew it was him.

It had been about seven years no, hasn't it? Seven years since Ella had last seen the man standing before her. She had been seventeen, if she remembered correctly. All that time ago, it felt like a different lifetime, like a hazy dream. Things had been different back then.

They had been poor teenagers, growing up on the some of the beat-up streets of Brooklyn. Everyday had been a struggle to survive, to pay for food to eat, to get enough cash for rent. Ella had been working two waitressing jobs at the time, her brother, Steve, had been working himself to exhaustion as well, trying to provide enough for him and his baby sister.

And although times were tough, and time was scarce, the Rogers siblings always made time for James Barnes.

He was Steve's best friend, had been for as long as they could remember. He was in a similar situation as the siblings, and they supported each other when needed. The three of them spent every free second together, growing closer and closer as they days went by.

Ella and Bucky especially close.

It had been a gradual thing, neither of them really noticed the changing feelings until they reached their peak, and they simultaneously realized that they were completely infatuated with one another. It took a while for them to work up the nerve to act upon these feelings, but they finally did, started with a single kiss.

They were each other's firsts. First loves, first other things as well.

And they had been incredibly, inexplicably happy. So happy, it made all their struggles seem miniscule.

Bucky had been young, he had wanted to impress the girl he was in love with, to give her something nice. The only problem was, he was broke. He couldn't afford anything nice, not with the minimum wage job he was working.

So, he did something which didn't seem too bad at the time, but in the long run, was hell.

He did a job that he got from a shady group of men, which weren't hard to find on their poverty filled streets. Men like that preyed on those who lived there, who were poor, desperate to make a buck. Bucky played right into his hands.

It had been a simple job. He kissed Ella goodbye that night and went out and met his 'employers'. All Bucky had to do was make a distraction and a thousand dollars cash would be in his palm by the end of the night.

He did the job quickly, got paid, and thought that he would never have to worry about it again.

He had been wrong.

With his money, he went out and bought Ella an elegant, but simplistic golden locket. The girl of course questioned how he could have possibly afforded such a fine piece of jewelry. Bucky made a small fib and told her it had been his mothers.

"I still can't take this," she had said adamantly.

"I'm not going to be wearing it," Bucky had urged with an easy grin. He reached around her neck and clipped the chain around her neck. "You look beautiful,"

Ella had known it wasn't an argument she was going to win, so she accepted the gift, giving him a thankful kiss.

Bucky had been content, going back to his normal job the next day, thinking that he would never have to worry about what he did again. Ella had visited him at the diner where he worked behind the bar, serving burgers and shakes. She still wore her uniform from work with a jacket thrown over it. She looked tired, but she always did after a shift, hair thrown up in a messy bun. He was happy to see that she was wearing the locket he had given her.

He made her a chocolate shake, on the house, which she accepted happily.

Her shift always ended a bit before his, and she would go to the diner where he worked so they could walk home together. He clocked out, met Ella in the back, wrapped an arm over her shoulder, and they headed back home.

They usually saw familiar faces, they prowled those same streets so often that they knew every nook and cranny, every mailbox, old phone booth, graffiti, and what alleyways to avoid.

But there was something new today.

Ella hadn't noticed it, but it was all Bucky could see.

Two men were leaning on a brick wall on the other side of the road, eyes glued on Bucky. They were from the job he had worked, the job he never suspected would come back to haunt him. It was the men he helped sabotage. He saw one nudge the other and gesture towards the pair.

Ella noted his change in behavior.

"Everything alright?" she asked, looking up.

Bucky blinked as the men slithered off around the corner, away from them.

"Yeah," Bucky said, clearing his throat. "Just thought I saw someone I knew,"

That night, Bucky went in search of the men who hired him. He needed their assistance now. Those other men knew him, they knew where he lived and worked, and most importantly, they knew Ella.

"Are you sure it was them?" one of the men asked.

"Positive," Bucky had answered.

The eldest man thought, rubbing his chin. "Well, that's a difficult situation. There's not a lot we can do,"

"Well, what can you do?" asked Bucky desperately.

"We can move you somewhere," the younger man said. "Help you disappear for a bit,"

"And leave Ella?"

"It's the best thing for her," said the older man. "She won't know anything, we'll have some guys around for a while, making sure she'll be okay. The only reason she'd be in danger would be to get to you. The further away you are, the safer she'll be,"

Bucky contemplated this for a moment. He didn't want to leave, he never did. This was his home, he had his friends here, well, the Rogers were more like his family. Still, if it meant they would be safe, it would be selfish of him to stay.

And so, he left. That night.

He packed up what stuff he needed. He used the key he had to the Rogers apartment to unlock the doors, opening up the door to Ella's room where she slept peacefully, tucked under thick covers, looking angelic. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face before bending down and pressing a kiss to her forehead, a silent farewell.

He didn't know that under the covers, she clutched the locket that he had gifted him, blissfully unaware that she would wake up with the boy she loved, gone.

She never thought she would see him again, but he was standing right before her.

Ella shook her head softly, unbelievingly.

"I… I thought you were dead," Ella said. "I looked for you… for a year. I thought you were dead!"

Bucky's chest constricted painfully, hearing the hurt that was evident in her voice. He never knew what she thought after he had left, he figured she would be sad, that she would be hurting… but it never even crossed his mind that she thought he was dead.

"I can explain…" Bucky began slowly, noting that she still had a tight grip on her pistol.

Ella narrowed her eyes. "You're with HYDRA?" There was disgust evident in her voice.

"It's complicated," he said.

There were shouts in the distance, coming from the club. No doubt there would be backup on their way. Ella's eyes flickered from Bucky to past his shoulder. He could see the indecision in her eyes, her thoughts flying at a million miles an hour. The girl clenched her jaw before turning. She was only able to take a single step away before Bucky reached out and snatched her wrist.

"Wait," he pleaded.

He wasn't prepared when the girl whipped around and socked him in the nose with one, strong, quick punch. Instinctively, Bucky dropped her wrist and clutched his face with a small groan. He could hear her heels rapidly hitting the sidewalk and she dashed away, skidding around the corner and out of his sight. For a moment, he thought about chasing after her, but then he heard his name from behind him.

Rumlow jogged up to him, a small cut on his forehead. "Where the hell did she go?"

Bucky wiped under his nose, which had begun bleeding. "No idea. She got away,"

Rumlow pressed his fingers against his cut, hissing in slight pain. "That bitch is stronger than she looks,"

Bucky ground his teeth at the way Rumlow spoke about her, now knowing who she was, but he tried not to show it. "Yeah, she is,"

"Well, not much we can do now," Rumlow said. "We'll send out a team to look over the area. We'll find her eventually."

Bucky prayed Rumlow wouldn't get anywhere close to Ella, fearing what he would do to her. He knew Rumlow was merciless and borderline sadistic, and if Ella had really caused as much trouble as Rumlow implied, it would not be pretty.

…

Ella's head was a mess.

She had just seen a man who she had thought dead, who she had already grieved for and tried to let go, and there he was, out of the blue, in a gang that Ella had been fighting for years now. Nothing made sense to her at the moment, her whole mind had been scrambled.

They owned a large house just outside the city. All of their team, dubbed 'SHIELD' lived there. They found there was strength in numbers, and that no one would dare strike against them when they were a concentrated force. It made meetings easy, they had good security. It was the perfect spot.

Ella passed through security and went up to the doors. It was late, the common spaces were quiet and empty. Her footsteps echoed against the walls and bounced throughout the house.

Ella only wanted to retire to her room and try to sort through her messy emotions, but she knew she had to see her brother first.

She followed the familiar path to the office where she figured Steve would be right about now. He didn't sleep as much as he should. The light creeping from under the crack of the door told Ella that her brother was where she expected him to be.

She pushed open the door, seeing her brother seated with Sam Wilson and Tony Stark. Sam was Steve's right hand man, someone he trusted with his life. Tony was the money behind the operation. He had come from wealth and decided to use it for good. He paid for the house, weapons, etc… and never once complained. All three turned to her as the shut the door behind her.

"You okay?" Sam was the first to speak. He always made a fuss about her.

"Fine," she said. "It was going well until the end. They recognized me and came at me,"

"Who was it?" asked Stark.

"I'll give you one guess,"

"Rumlow," her brother murmured lowly. He still grew angry whenever his name was mentioned. Steve had put his trust into someone that had stabbed him in the back. He could never forgive that.

"Yup," Ella said, sitting on the edge of his desk and beginning to take off her heels. "I smashed his face into a wall though. Felt good,"

There were small chuckles as they pictured the scene.

"You find out anything?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Ella said, running a hand through her hair. "There's gonna be an arms deal at the harbor Saturday night at 2 am. That's all I managed to get before I was rudely interrupted."

As Steve jotted that down on a piece of paper, Ella gnawed on her bottom lip. Should she tell him about Bucky? Or would that create more problems than it would solve. Would he still fight HYDRA? Would he go after him? Steve had thought him dead as well. Bucky had just disappeared out of the blue, his apartment untouched, no notes or anything. They had gone to the police, filed a missing persons report, but nothing. They had to assume their friend had died, it was the only reason they could concoct to explain why he would leave without a single word to either of them.

Was Bucky being with HYDRA make him bad? He had the chance to shoot her, to keep on attacking her, but once he recognized Ella, he stopped the assault.

Ella didn't know what to do. Bucky had been Steve's best friend. Didn't he deserve to know that he was still alive? Where he was, what he was doing… but Ella didn't want to see the hurt on his face when she told him.

So, she decided she would find him again, let him to the explaining he pleaded for her to listen to. If he was really that changed, she would let Steve know. If he was redeemable, she would try and convince him to leave HYDRA and come with them. There was plenty of room in the house anyway.

"Ella, are you okay?"

The girl blinked as she was quickly snatched out of her thoughts. Her brother, Tony, and Sam were looking at her expectantly.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "I'm just tired. I think I'm going to bed,"

"Yeah, you deserve it," Steve said. "Good job,"

Ella stood and said goodnight, exiting the office so they could complete whatever plans they were working on, they would eventually be transferred into some kind of work Ella would have to do.

She crossed the dark, empty halls until she reached her room. She wasted no time before shimmying out of her tight dress, leaving her in her underclothes. She wanted to jump in the shower, but something tugged at her mind. Ella reached into the drawer at her bedside table, blindly groping around at the years of amassed trinkets until they brushed against cool metal.

Ella pulled out the locket that had been given to her years back by Bucky. She hadn't worn it much in the past years, but always kept it close. She brushed the thin layer of dust off the golden metal, and wondered if the man who had given it to her had really changed so much.

…

Back on the other side of town, Bucky's mind was racing. He had to find Ella again, to try and understand what had happened that caused such a change, to try and explain himself. She couldn't bar far, from what he understood, she frequented the city.

His nose was still sore, and he continued to poke and prod at it, even though it was tender to the touch.

"Do you know where they're based?" Bucky asked Rumlow as they applied ice to their wounds.

"Yeah," he said, face screwing up in discomfort. "North, just outside the city. Huge house, you can't miss it,"

"Then how come you don't try and attack it?"

"Top of the line security, the house is always buzzing with their guys. It's pretty much impossible to get in,"

Bucky thought this over, trying to think of how he could see her again, how he could give Rumlow and the others the slip. It seemed unlikely that he would be able to avoid them during the day, when it was likely she would be out of the base, but even then, he wouldn't know where she would be. The city was packed with people.

So, he had little options.

He considered himself more skilled than his peers, smarter, more discrete, more skilled. So, there was only one thing he could do.

He was going to have to break into their base. As soon as possible.

…

Ella was sound asleep, buried under a mountain of blankets, hair fanned out on her pillow. She was used to the silence that surrounded the house. It had taken some getting used to, when they first moved in from the city. She had been used to the sounds of cars, of voices, and animals in the night. Now, she was surrounded by silent woods.

So, she had become very sensitive to any noise in the night.

There was a noise outside her door to the balcony.

Ella's eyes instantly flashed open, wide and alert. She sat up quickly, listening attentively to ensure she hadn't dreamed it. But no, there was another shuffle outside the glass doors. She had a small balcony that overlooked to woods, and it sounded like someone was on it. Ella reached into her bedside table and grabbed her gun, flicking off the safety and throwing the blankets off her legs. She tip-toed across the room slowly, like a cat, eyes narrowed.

She took a deep breath before reaching out and throwing the door open.

"Don't shoot!" was whispered as a shadow threw its hands up.

Ella blinked once as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she could finally make out a face from the shadow.

"Bucky?"

At first she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but it was him, standing on her balcony at about three in the morning. It barely made any sense.

"What the hell-?" Ella mumbled, lowering her gun. She quickly reached out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, dragging him inside and out from the exposing open. The girl shut the door behind them, still holding her pistol, and flicking on a small light in the room, allowing her to scan the man quickly. He held no weapon, and looked the same as he did when she encountered him earlier that night.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I was looking for you," he explained.

Bucky took a quick glance around the room. It wasn't huge, sparsely decorated. Clothes lay on the ground, including the dress he had seen her in earlier that night. There were no picture frames. There was a bookshelf pressed against the wall, stuffed to the brim. The bed was unmade, she was probably just sleeping. Well, when he looked at her, it was obvious that she had been sleeping. Her hair was messy, the large t-shirt she wore was wrinkled… and it appeared she was only wearing a t-shirt. No pajama pants or shorts. Bucky felt a bit awkward. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen her like this before, but it had been a long time ago. Still, it seemed as though she didn't have any inhibitions about it, and instead looked annoyed and confused.

"Are you out of your mind?" she hissed. "Do you know what could have happened to you if you got caught?"

"I prefer not to think of it," he said, planting his hands on his hips.

"How the hell did you even get in here?" she asked. "Our security is top of the line,"

"I guess I'm just better,"

Well, he still had that confidence that border-lined cockiness. It had once been something that had attracted Ella greatly, and found that it still did, even though she knew that she shouldn't be. They hadn't been together in years, but those years had been kind to him. He had gotten a bit taller, gained more muscle mass, and she even liked the shaggy hair and stubble, which was something that she never expected of him from his youth. He had always kept his hair neat and his face clean shaven.

"How'd you even know what room was mine?" she asked.

"The balcony," he explained. "You had a chair and a table with a book on it, just like back in Brooklyn. It was always right outside your apartment,"

Ella was surprised by this reasoning. It showed that he still obviously remembered things from their past, and something so small and personal touched Ella.

"What are you doing here?" Ella asked, finally placing her gun down and tucking hair behind her ear.

"I told you, I can explain," Bucky said. "I want to explain… I want you to explain, too."

Ella thought about this for a moment. She knew she should be wary of him, he was with HYDRA… but it was also Bucky. It was almost hardwired into her being to trust him. So, she compromised.

"Fine," she said. "But let me do something first,"

"Do what-?" he started, but the girl reached forward and began searching his being for any weapons to communication devices.

She was close. The last time she was this close to him, she bashed his nose, which was still a bit sore.

She quickly found his pistol and phone, confiscating them from him and tossing them of her bed. She patted down his legs and arms, finding nothing. She stood up straight, face carefully masked.

"If you try anything, I'll kick your ass,"

Bucky pressed his lips together tightly. "I don't doubt that,"

The girl maintained eye contact for a few more tense seconds before she averted her gaze and sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked up at him expectantly as he hovered awkwardly.

"Sit," she said, patting the covers.

Bucky tentatively lowered himself down, keeping a respectable distance between them. He knew they had once been close, but he didn't know how she felt right now.

"Okay. Explain," the girl said. "Why'd you disappear? Where'd you go?"

Bucky shifted and intertwined his finger, keeping his gaze locked on them. He inhaled deeply before beginning. "I got involved in some things I shouldn't have, dangerous things, stupid things. It put a target on my back…" he glanced at the girl. "And it put a target on your back too."

His eyes went up to the ceiling. "I didn't want you getting hurt because of something I did, so I went away."

Ella digested this information before glancing down, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. It almost unsettled Bucky.

"You left, so that I wouldn't be hurt by a gang?" she clarified.

Bucky nodded.

She shook her head, lips pressed together tightly. "Ironic," she stated. "Didn't work,"

Bucky's brows rose in surprise.

"Me and Steve looked for you for a year," Ella explained. "Went to the police, asked around… but nothing. You were gone.

"Steve enlisted into the army a bit after that, so I was alone in the apartment while he was gone. I had been working the night shift at the diner. I was walking home one night, it was late… a van pulled up next to me, stopped, and then three guys came out of the back and grabbed me. I screamed but… nothing."

Bucky felt sick, knowing something happened to her.

"No one was there to realize I didn't come home," the girl continued. "They held me in the back of van, didn't know where we were going. We stopped, they put something over my head so I couldn't see, dragged me inside… I was terrified. Didn't know what they were gonna do to me. Now, I think they were human traffickers. I hadn't known then,"

Bucky's fingers curled into fists as she spoke, picturing her locked in a cell somewhere, alone, scared, hurting… and if he had been there, that wouldn't have happened.

"I think I was only there a day," Ella continued in a soft voice. "I knew that the longer I stayed there, the more chance there was of getting hurt. There was a rock in the corner of the cell, I grabbed it and waited. The door eventually opened, one guy came in. He went to grab me, and I hit him over the head with a rock. It knocked him out, I grabbed his gun and ran out the door. There were more girls in there, I got them all out. I shot at the guys who tried to stop us, don't know if I even hit anything, it was the first time I held a gun, but it scared them away. We got outside, one of those guys got lucky, shot me through the shoulder…"

She tugged down the collar of her t-shirt slightly, showing a puckered scar just below her collar bone.

"Left his mark," Ella sighed. "But, I was lucky. Before they could come back and finish the job, a woman came running out of her apartment. Heard the shot, called the police. I was lucky she was a nurse, or I probably would have bled out on the street."

"So that's how this whole vigilante thing started?" Bucky asked. Because of me? He finished silently to himself. If he had been there, Ella wouldn't have gotten hurt, then she wouldn't have been putting herself in danger every other night.

She nodded. "When Steve came back from overseas, it didn't take him long to realize what I had been doing. I expected him to try and stop me, but he didn't, not after I told him what happened. In fact, he joined in. Funny thing is, in this line of work, you meet others like you… and then SHIELD grew,"

"Ella…" Bucky breathed, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry,"

Instinctively, he reached out and placed a hand over hers, trying to comfort her. He could tell the memory was tough for her to relive, her eyes slightly pained. She kept her hand under his for a heartbeat longer before Ella slipped her hand away and tugged it to her chest, quickly wiping her face of any emotion that the story had brought to it.

"How can you work for HYDRA?" she asked. "They do terrible things,"

Bucky swallowed hard, Adam's apple bobbing. "I never wanted to." He said honestly. "A few months in, I wanted to leave. I was really close… but there was a guy who did it a week before me, a couple months older than me. They didn't like that. They hunted him down and killed him for it,"

Ella's eyes grew a fraction of an inch wider.

"It was hard doing what I had to do, but I did it to survive," he continued. "I just had to mentally distance myself from it all, forget who I was… and I did for a while. It made it easier, but when I saw you tonight, I remembered myself again, and the guilt has been eating me up because all I could think of is how disappointed and disgusted you must be, knowing what I've been doing,"

Ella didn't know how to respond to that. There was a pain in her heart seeing someone she had once cared about hurting like this. Still, she knew he had been doing illegal things for almost seven years, he could be completely different, but part of her still wanted to comfort him.

"I know you've had plenty of encounters with HYDRA," Bucky said. "You've… you've met Rumlow?"

He noticed that her demeanor changed almost instantly. She wrapped her arms around her body and clenched her jaw.

"I have," her tone was short and choppy.

"He said that he had infiltrated SHIELD," Bucky continued. "He insinuated-"

"That we slept together," Ella finished for him. It was a statement, not a question. Her lips were slightly pursed, out of anger or maybe disgust. She wasn't denying it. "He'll tell anyone who will listen that,"

"So, it's true?"

Ella gave a tiny nod. "Unfortunately," she ran a hand through her hair. "You know, he could be very charming when he wanted to… reminded me of you. We all trusted him, and one thing led to another…" she shook her head sadly. "I hate him. I hate that he betrayed us and my brother and I hate that he used me like that, because he knew the whole time that he was gonna stab us in the back. I was nothing to him, I had to learn to trust him… now I regret that I did,"

"You should have shot him," Bucky said.

"Yeah, I probably should have," Ella said. "But, I don't like to kill. Don't want that on my conscious,"

Bucky nodded. "That's smart, you don't need that in your life… it's hard,"

Ella knew that those who worked in HYDRA took lives, but it was difficult to imagine Bucky doing so. She wondered how soon after he disappeared that he had to take a life, because all she could picture was a younger, more innocent Bucky with a gun in his hand. There was a different light in his eye now, a bit of a darker glimmer than what it had been before.

"You can leave now," Ella whispered, leaning a bit closer. "We, me and Steve, can protect you here. You don't have to do anything you don't want to anymore,"

Her heart was hammering in her chest as she waited for a response. If he can leave, then it would prove that he still had good in him. If he went back, then he was gone. Speaking to him now, it was almost as if nothing had changed. She gnawed on her lip as he looked to her, watching as the corners of his lips curled upwards.

"God, that's all I want,"

Ella smiled widely at this. "Alright,"

"How is Steve?" Bucky asked, genuinely curious. It had been years since he had seen his best friend, and he hadn't heard much about them, other than he led SHIELD.

"He's doing well," Ella said. "He's way different than you probably remember. He bulked up after the army, had a growth spurt…"

"He still getting in fights?"

"Yes, but he gets beat up less," Ella laughed. "He'll be really happy to see you,"

"Did you tell him about me?"

The girl shook her head. "Not yet,"

"You wanted to make sure I wasn't a dick," he stated.

"Am I that easy to read?"

"No, I've just known you all my life," he said. "I know you don't want to see Steve hurt,"

Ella nodded. She forgot he probably knew her like the back of his hand, just like she knew him. She knew that his favorite soda was Coke, she knew that he had once gotten his head stuck in a railing (but he never told her why. It was probably embarrassing). She knew all the little things about him, but what she didn't know was what choices he would make. After all this time a part, she didn't know what he would do in what situation. It did make her nervous, but talking to him tonight let her see that deep down, he hadn't really changed.

"Are... are you going to bring me to Steve tonight?" Bucky asked.

"Do you want to?"

Bucky thought for a heartbeat. "I don't think right now is the best time," he said. "I mean, showing up a three in the morning, climbing through your window, breaking through the security…"

Ella scoffed out a laugh. "Yeah, that doesn't make a great first impression with the rest of the team," she tilted her head to the side as she thought. "How about tomorrow afternoon? I can meet you somewhere, bring you here. You'll can get your stuff, everyone can meet you…"

"That's a good idea," he said.

"Is there somewhere you want to meet?"

His brows furrowed as he thought. He hadn't been back in New York for long, hadn't had the time to rediscover the city, but there were places he would never forget.

"You remember where we kissed for the first time?"

Bucky wondered if he had been too bold saying that as the girl blinked in surprise. They had once had strong feelings for one another, but they had been separated for years. He didn't know how she felt about him now. He wasn't even sure how he felt about her now.

He remembered the heartbreak he felt when he had to leave her, how the pain was raw for almost a year, but he simply tried to forget her, until now. Seeing her and talking with her now showed that the light within her hadn't changed. She had new "hobbies" now, if he could call them that, but he could tell she was the girl he left. He just needed more time to catch up.

"Yeah," Ella said, mind flashing back to that night all those years ago. It was late, almost midnight if she remembered correctly. Steve had a bad cold and as keeping Ella up by coughing for hours, so she had moved to the fire escape outside her apartment. Bucky came outside with hot chocolate to keep her company. They had been sitting there for a few hours, and they had slowly moved closer together so their sides pressed against one another. It had happened naturally, they leaned together and their lips touched softly. Ella could still remember the taste of chocolate. "So you want to meet outside our old apartment building?"

"Yeah, why not?" Bucky shrugged. "At noon?"

The girl thought for a moment before nodding. "I'm sure I can get away for a bit. I'll see you then."

Bucky almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had just arranged a meeting that would free him of HYDRA, allow him to start a new life, a more peaceful one, a happier one. He could be with his friends again, right the wrongs of the past.

"I should probably go," Bucky said, standing. "Before they notice I'm gone and they start asking questions,"

Ella grabbed his gun and phone off the bed, handing it back as she stood.

As Bucky was sliding them back into their places, he noticed a glimmer on the bedside table. He couldn't help himself as he reached out and picked up the locket that he had gifted the girl all those years ago. He couldn't believe that she still kept it that close.

"You still have this?" he asked.

"Of course," Ella said, standing in front of him, feeling a bit self-conscious for reasons she couldn't pin-point. "It was the last thing you gave me. I kept it to remember you,"

Bucky was touched by this, but there was something in her voice that showed she was still hurt, but she was trying not to show it. He sighed and licked his lips.

"Ella, I know I broke your heart, I know I hurt you…" he said, meeting her eyes. "I never meant for that to happen, and I'm truly sorry,"

Ella was at a loss for words. She never expected to hear anything like that come from him, hell, a few hours ago, she never expected to hear anything from him every again. Hearing him talk about their past relationship was strange, and it almost felt as though they hadn't been separated, that they were picking up right where they left off.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me," said Ella, even though she wasn't sure if he meant to hurt her or not. From his story, it sounded as though at the beginning it wasn't intended, but the length he had been separated from her… she didn't know much anymore, but she wanted to trust her gut, and her gut told her he was earnest.

Bucky studied the locket for a few more moments, rubbing his thumb over the shining surface. He reached out towards Ella and draped the chain around her slender neck. It was surprisingly intimate for a gesture where their skin didn't even brush.

Without breaking eye contact, Ella grasped the locket in her fist.

"Thank you," she said softly, voice barely above a whisper.

He nodded. "You're welcome… I'll see you tomorrow,"

"Be careful," Ella warned as he opened up the door to her balcony. "Like I said, we have really good security,"

There was a confident, sly grin on his lips as he slung a leg over the railing. "Like I said before, I'm better,"

He slipped over the edge out of her sight, leaving Ella with a slightly dopey grin on her lips. She shook her head softly and bit her bottom lip, shutting the door behind her and pressing her back against the glass, feeling inexplicably happy.

Bucky was back.

…

Ella didn't sleep much for the rest of the night, mind racing. She continued to second-guess herself, wondering if she had made the right choice by offering him a place to stay, if he would keep his word, if Steve and the rest of the team would welcome him back.

She couldn't take sitting in her bed any longer by the time seven am rolled around. She went downstairs to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. She knew she would be alone for a while, their group wasn't a bunch of early risers considering most of what they did was at night.

Ella took her mug and sat on the couch, legs curled up beside her as she flicked on the news. She didn't pay much attention to what was being said.

The rest of the house slowly began to wake up, the room began to get louder. Her brother was the first up, then Sam. Natasha and Wanda, two of the few women on the team, were next. Clint, an ex-military sniper, went straight for the pot of coffee. Pietro dashed down the stairs. Ella swore the only moment that man slowed down was when he was passed out. Stark was always late to get up. All of this led to a crowded room, but Ella was used to that by now.

She sat around and was friendly for a few hours, waiting until the clock crept towards noon. She slipped away back into her room eventually, getting dressed in jeans and a jacket, hiding her pistol. She put a cap on her head, grabbed her phone and headed down the stairs.

"Where you heading?" Steve intercepted her before she could sneak out the door.

"Drug store," Ella said nonchalantly. "Need some lady things,"

Steve backed off after that. Ella had been using that excuse for years to get him to stop asking questions. Worked like a charm.

She went outside, borrowed one of their cars, and went on her way.

…

Bucky arrived a bit earlier than he needed to. He hadn't really meant to do this, he figured he was just so eager to leave, he left a bit too fast.

He only brought a small bag, he figured he wouldn't need anything more. He needed a fresh start anyway. Bucky had his back rested against the brick wall outside his old apartment, looking at the familiar streets. He had a tiny smile on his lips as memories as his youth played before his eyes. Playing around with Steve, running away from fights, running into fights…

The neighborhood was quieter now, practically barren. Most of the apartments had no tenants, everyone had moved on to better things.

So, he was acutely aware of a presence walking down the street. He saw her golden hair peeking out from under a baseball cap and recognized her instantly. She sent a smile as she grew closer.

"Hey," she greeted, shoving her hands in her pocket and stopping.

"Hey," Bucky said. "It's good to see you again,"

"You too," she paused for a heartbeat. "I parked just down the street, kinda wanted to take a moment to see the apartment again,"

Bucky followed her gaze towards the towering, brick building. He only had his back turned to her for a moment before there was a smack, a small grunt of pain, and the sound of a body collapsing onto the ground. Bucky whipped around and found Ella splayed out on the sidewalk, eyes shut and hat knocked off. She was out.

In horror, Bucky's eyes flickered upwards, seeing Rumlow standing over her with a sick smile on his face and his gun in his hand. He must have hit her over the head with the butt of his gun. An unmarked van came tearing down the road towards them.

"Nice work, Barnes," Rumlow praised. "I don't know how you got her out here,"

Bucky didn't know what to say. He had just lead the girl right into danger without even knowing it.

"You got balls for trying to get her on your own," Rumlow said, kneeling down and tying her wrists with zip-ties. "She's tougher than she looks, but I get wanting the bragging rights,"

Rumlow placed a piece of silver duct tape over her mouth, not that she could scream while she was unconscious. Perhaps it was just for further humiliation.

"Grab her legs, will you?" Rumlow asked, grabbing under her arms.

He hesitated for a moment. There were at least two other people in the van, maybe more. If he tried to get away, he had no cover and would have to carry Ella. It would put her in danger, he wouldn't risk that. So, he complied and helped lift her into the van, hating every second of it. He got in the back with them and shut the door.

Rumlow began searching her as the van began to move. Bucky wanted nothing more than the wrench his hands away from her, knowing how much the girl despised him, but he had to be careful. One wrong move now could spell big trouble for both of them.

"What are you going to do to her?" Bucky asked, terrified for the answer. "Kill her?"

"Not right away," Rumlow said, confiscating her gun. "There's no fun in that,"

Bucky felt ill.

Rumlow dug her phone out of her pocket and swiped at the screen. Bucky watched in slightly confusion as he pointed the camera at her face.

"What are you doing?" Bucky asked as the flash went off.

"Sending a message," he explained, tapping away at the screen. "Rogers, her brother that is, is headstrong. He sees we got her, he's gonna get her. He'll rush, get messy, play right into our hands. We were waiting for a break like this, and thanks to you, now we got it,"

Bucky felt as though he was going to be sick.

…

Back at the SHIELD base, the day was going on like it normally did. Slow morning, spent with teasing while trying to wake up. It was routine, but something came that changed that routine.

All at once, their phones buzzed. Instantly, the chatter lowered, but suspicion rose. They all glanced around at one another before slowly looking down at their phones.

"Oh my god,"

They all received the same picture of Ella, head lolled pack, eyes shut. There was a cut on her hairline, some blood leaking into the gold. There was duct-tape over her mouth. They could tell she was tied up. There was a message sent with the photo.

Come get me.

-R

All eyes traveled towards Steve, who stared longer and more intently at the photo than anyone else. His brows were furrowed, lips drawn into a taunt line. He didn't know how this could happen. Ella was always smart and careful, she would never let someone get the drop on her… it didn't make any sense. Still, he would worry about that later. He knew who R was, it would only be Rumlow, but it was sent through Ella's phone.

"Stark, can you track her phone?" Steve asked, glancing up.

"Of course I can," Stark said. "I've been tracking phones since I was like, fifteen."

"Alright. Tell me when you got it," Steve said. "I can go on my own, it'll be dangerous,"

"There's no way in hell you're going on your own," Sam chastised. "That's a suicide mission,"

"She's my sister, my responsibility," said Steve.

"Ella would smack you if she heard you talking like that," Natasha said. "She's an adult, she's no one's responsibility but her own,"

"But she's our friend," Wanda said. "And she's in trouble. We want to help. She would do the same for any of us, without hesitation,"

"We're going, Steve," Sam said.

Steve knew there was no fighting them now, and though he didn't want them hurt, he was thankful for the support.

"Alright," Steve said. "Then get prepared for one hell of a fight,"

…

Ella was still out as they came to a stop. Bucky offered to carry her inside, he simply didn't want Rumlow anywhere near her, not after what Ella told Bucky about him.

They tied her to a chair in the middle of the room, almost as if it were a show. Bucky stood off to the side, arms crossed over his chest, almost unable to look. Rumlow seemed to have taken charge of the situation, pacing before her, waiting for the girl to wake up.

Bucky had to think of a way to fix this situation. Right now, he was outnumbered. There was nothing he could do, and although he was skilled, he wasn't good enough to plow through twenty guys and get him and her out unharmed. For now, he had to ensure that she was safe and would remain unharmed.

There was a groan from the middle of the room. Bucky's eyes snapped upwards towards the middle of the room, where Ella was slowly waking up. Her head rose up, eyes heavily lidded and blinking rapidly.

"Morning, sweetheart," Rumlow crooned, squatting down to her eye-level. He reached out and patted her cheek. "How's your head feel?"

Ella slowly came to, remembering what happened. Rumlow's face was not a happy sight to see first thing upon waking up.

"Morning, dick-face," she greeted, words slightly slurred. Her head was pounding in pain.

"Love it when you talk dirty," he taunted.

Bucky was grinding his teeth at the exchange. He wanted to deck Rumlow.

"Love it while it lasts because this time, I'm gonna fucking kill you," she warned. Something in her voice told them that she was serious this time. Her eyes lingered on Rumlow for another moment, narrowed in hatred, before they scanned the room. Bucky could tell she was assessing the danger. Her eyes eventually landed on him, and he could see her expression change slightly. At first it was hurt, then despair, and then loathing, almost more than she held for Rumlow.

Bucky was confused by this expression at first, wondering why she looked angry rather than relieved. Then, he realized, she must think that he set her up, that he lured her there to be ambushed and kidnapped, and right now, he couldn't inform her otherwise.

Her gaze dragged back towards Rumlow.

"What are you waiting for?" she taunted. "Gonna kill me?"

"Not yet," he said, pulling two knives, one black, one silver, out from his pocket and holding them up for her to see. "Which one do you think would look better pressed against your throat?"

Ella could tell he was trying to intimidate her, but she wasn't going to let that happen. "Well, silvers my color,"

Rumlow put away the black blade, keeping the silver, and grabbing a phone from his pocket. Ella's phone. She was confused by this for a moment. She knew Rumlow was intelligent, and they that they had formidable technology at the base. They could easily track her phone. If he didn't want her phone tracked, he would have disposed of it. He wanted her brother to know where she was.

He held the phone up, obviously taking a photo, with the knife to her throat. She attempted to keep her face masked, to remain strong, but just as he snapped the photo, he pressed down a bit harder, breaking the skin and leaving a line of red. Ella winced at this, which made her seem more in pain in the photo than she actually was.

"That's a keeper," Rumlow stated, showing Ella the photo he had been taken. "I'll make that my background,"

Ella didn't say anything, but Bucky could see her rotating her wrists in the zip-ties. She was trying to loosen them, but they were tight, they would be rubbing the flesh raw, almost to point of drawing blood, he was sure.

"You gonna keep me tied up?" Ella asked, raising a brow. "What, scared you can't take me?"

"Can't say that I am," Rumlow said. "Just like seeing you like this. Not so feisty now?"

Ella spat on his face, simply to prove him wrong. Rumlow didn't take kindly to this, angrily wiping his face before lunging at her, wrapping a hand around her throat. Ella gasped at the contact.

Bucky could hear her rasping, beginning to fear that Rumlow would end up killing her right in front of them all. He pushed his weight off the wall and took a step forward, ready to intervene, no matter the consequences, but before it came to that, Rumlow let go. Ella sucked in a deep, rasping breath before coughing uncontrollably.

"You're a real bitch, you know that?" Rumlow said.

"I'm well aware," Ella whispered. "Surprised you didn't just end it there,"

"Although I'd love to be the one to do it," Rumlow said. "I think I'll give the honor to the person responsible for bringing you here… Barnes?"

Bucky was surprised to hear that. There were eyes on him from all over the room. He had to think fast. If he denied it, it would be suspicious and it would leave Ella to the hands of the others. He wasn't going to hurt her though, no matter what. He didn't think he could if he tried. He had to think on his feet.

Bucky walked to the middle of the room, stopping in front of Ella. Her light blue eyes were narrowed on him, filled with hatred and anger. She was grinding her teeth, perhaps to keep herself from screaming at him, she wouldn't want to give anyone the satisfaction.

"Let me take her to the cell in the back," Bucky requested.

"Want your privacy?" Rumlow chuckled. "I get that,"

"Let me get her phone," Bucky continued, holding out a hand. "The more photos sent to her brother, the more reckless he'll get,"

"I like the way you think," Rumlow said, handing the cell phone to him.

Bucky pocketed the phone, glancing back down at the girl. He reached down and untied her from the chair, but her wrists were still bound.

He grabbed her forearms so her back has to him, holding her firmly but not enough to cause her any pain. He guided her past the men standing in the rooms, down a secluded hall before stopping outside an unmarked door, opening it and entering.

As the heavy door shut behind them, Bucky released Ella. The girl instantly spun around towards him, a storm in her eyes.

"I can't believe I trusted you," she ground out. "I can't believe I let myself fall for your stupid trick,"

"Ella-" Bucky attempted.

"Don't," she said. "I wanted to help you, to believe you-"

He couldn't take that anymore, reaching out quicker than she could react and spinning her around. Ella squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for a blade or for something else equally as painful, but there was nothing, only a relief on her wrists as the zip-ties were cut.

Ella blinked in confusion, snatching her hands to her chest. They were cut by the ties, but nothing major. What was he up to? Did he want to fight? Did he want her to struggle?

She slowly turned back towards him, waiting, nervous for his next move. He didn't seem like he wanted to fight, lingering a safe distance away from her.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," he told her. "I was ready to leave, Rumlow must have followed me, I didn't mean for you to get hurt,"

She looked hesitant to believe him, not that Bucky could blame her, she had been through more than she deserved.

"Please believe me," he continued, taking another step closer. "If you wanna get out, you have to trust me."

"I don't know if I can do that," she shook her head, voice barely above a whisper.

He was afraid she was going to say that, but he felt that it was a lie. He reached out slowly towards the girl, and she didn't flinch away as he softly took her hand, lacing his fingers between hers.

"Remember your seventeenth birthday?" Bucky asked, drawing her closer.

She gave a tiny laugh. "When we snuck into the pool at midnight?"

"You were too scared to do it at first, you thought we'd get caught," he explained. "I told you to trust me…"

"And we didn't get caught," Ella finished for him. "Well, I caught a cold the next day,"

"It was freezing that night," he reminisced. "I made sure you were warm, though,"

She smiled at the memory before looking up and meeting his eye. He was holding her hands, his thumbs running over the back of her hands in soothing circles. She had missed him, she had missed being close to him… she had missed him, his touch, his affection. Everything.

"Ella…" Bucky asked. "Do you trust me?"

She tilted her face upwards and rolled onto her toes, eyes fluttering shut as she pressed her lips to his for the first time in years, softly at first, but more when he didn't pull away. Bucky brought a hand to the back of Ella's head, drawing her even closer. He shut his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the moment, the feeling of her soft lips as the moved against his in perfect synchrony, her hands on his chest and shoulders. It was just a kiss, and yet it was powerful. It felt as if he needed it, after all those years. It wasn't the first kiss since he left, there had been other girls, just as for Ella there had been other men, but they didn't care about that. There hadn't been anyone they cared about more than each other.

They slowly pulled apart, lips lingering as long as possible.

"I trust you," Ella said. "Let's get out of here,"

Bucky head was a bit fuzzy after the kiss, but he quickly shook it off and started thinking. He grabbed Ella's phone and handed it to her.

"Rumlow's expecting an attack from the front, he has almost all his men are stationed there. Everywhere else had about two guys, keeping an eye out and ready to contact the rest of the guys if they see someone," Bucky explained.

Ella tapped at the phone and pulled up her brother's contact, quickly dialing and hoping he picked up.

…

They were getting their supplies ready when Steve's phone rang for the third time.

He had already gotten the second picture from Rumlow of the knife pressed against the column of Ella's throat. There had a demand that came with it, telling Steve to come alone and enter through the front. Rumlow knew that Steve wasn't dumb enough to come alone, but he was playing his hand. Steve had no choice if he wanted his sister back, and he would have to act fast if he wanted her alive.

Steve narrowed his eyes at his phone as his sister's name flashed across. He was suspicious, knowing the last few messages had been from Rumlow on her phone. He tentatively picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Steve," it was his sister, she was whispering but she sounded relieved.

"Ella," he said. "Are you okay? Is he with you?"

"I'm alright," she told him. "Rumlow's not with me right now, but I really need you to listen. I'm in the west corner of the base, there's only one or two guys by the back door. I can take them out, but I'll need you here to pick me up. I can't outrun them all,"

"Alright, I can do that,"

"Love you"

Steve let out a breath of relief. They had created a simple code that told the other if they were being safe. The simple utterance of 'love you' told Steve that she wasn't being forced to say what she was, that it was safe to follow her instructions. If she hadn't said it, Steve wouldn't have been able to trust the information she was giving him.

"Be careful," he pleaded.

"Always am,"

The line went dead. Steve placed the phone back down on the table, slid a gun into its holster, and called the rest of the team.

He didn't know how his sister managed to get her own phone back and found a space to call him, but he knew she was resourceful. Still, that small freedom wouldn't last long, and the longer he waited here, the higher chance there was of her getting hurt.

…

"He'll be here soon," Ella told Bucky. "He'll be right outside that door. I give him ten minutes,"

Bucky reached into his pocket and handed the girl a knife. "I'm sorry, I don't have another gun,"

"I'll get over it," she said, gripping the knife and twirling it between her fingers to get a feel for it. Her eyes snapped up to him as she pointed the tip of the blade his way. "If you cross me, you'll regret it,"

"I won't," Bucky said, knowing that should would follow up on that threat. "We should get out of here, before-"

The door creaked open. Ella reacted fast, almost throwing herself to the ground, face down. She knew that attacking whoever was about to come through that door would be unwise, it could let the rest of the base know what they were up to before they could escape.

Bucky blinked once in confusion at her crumpled form, eyes shut, but he couldn't be confused for long. Rumlow entered and found Bucky standing over the girl.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"Not as much as I expected," Bucky fibbed, playing the part. "She's not as tough now, can barely take a hit,"

Unseen to them, Ella pursed her lips in annoyance at that comment.

"She still alive?" Rumlow questioned, stalking around the girl as she lay on the ground.

"Yeah," Bucky answered truthfully.

"Well, speed it up," Rumlow insisted. "Probably won't get another chance to do this. Just put a bullet in her head already,"

Bucky felt the blood drain from his face. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't kill her, couldn't even hurt her. If he didn't do anything, Rumlow would suspect something. Bucky was paralyzed with indecision, but in the end, he didn't have to make the choice.

"Jesus, Barnes, I don't got all day," Rumlow complained, reaching into the waistband of his pants and grabbing the pistol. He pointed the barrel at Ella. "I'll do it myself,"

"No!" Bucky cried, lunging at Rumlow. The gun fired, missing Ella, but grazing Bucky's left arm.

It hurt like a bitch. Bucky cursed as he landed on his back, hand going to his arm and feeling the slick blood dampening his clothes. His face was screwed up in pain.

"What the hell, man?" Rumlow groaned, rolling onto his knees.

Ella used this momentary distraction to spring up from the ground and tackled Rumlow, knocking him back down. They struggled for a few moments, Ella hovering over him as he lay on his back. She tried to reach his throat, but he caught her wrists.

Rumlow chuckled darkly. "Just like old times, huh?" he said, referring to their current position.

Ella's eyes narrowed into slits before she managed to flip them and put the man in a headlock. She pinned his arms down with her legs, leaving him unable to get her off his back. Ella squeezed as tight as she could, holding on fiercely as she slowly cut off his air supply. She was relentless as he began to wheeze and grow weak, until he finally went limp.

Ella slowly released him before glancing beside her, seeing Bucky laying on the ground, hand stained with blood.

"Bucky!" she gasped and scrambled over to him, kneeling at his side. All she could see was the blood, she hadn't seen him get hit. She was afraid it was worse than it was. "Oh, god…"

"Relax, it's only my arm. It only grazed it," Bucky said, trying to calm her down.

Ella shrugged off her jacket and tied it around his shoulder to help slow the flow of blood for now.

"Where'd you learn that move?" Bucky asked as he sat up, with Ella's help.

"A woman named Natasha," Ella explained. "She loves jui jitsu, used to be a teacher. Taught me a few things,"

"Well, it was impressive,"

"We can talk about this later," Ella said, grabbing his hand and helping him off the ground. "We gotta go now."

They quickly pushed through the metal doors into the hall, Bucky pointing in the right direction. He was hurt, so he allowed the girl to sneak up on the singular guard who stood vigil in front of their portal to freedom. He was much easier to sneak up on, allowing her to simply hit him over the head with Bucky's gun, and he fell to the ground like a bag of bricks.

She pushed out the door into the bright light, squinting slightly as she scanned the road. There weren't any cars. She began to worry. If her brother didn't get here soon, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the men inside figured out that they've escaped.

Bucky was thinking the same thing. He didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean that they weren't there.

Steve had a car waiting around the corner, filled with backup. He had wanted to go alone, because if Ella's words rang true, she should be alone. He sat watching the door until it opened. His sister came out first and he was deeply relieved, beginning to slowly make his way toward her, until another followed through the door and linger right behind her. Steve felt a slight panic as the man, tall and obviously strong, placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He's not here," Bucky said, worried.

"Step back!"

The voice came from their left, both Ella and Bucky whipping towards the source, only to find Steve with his gun raised, pointed straight at Bucky. Ella didn't hesitate before placing herself between the gun and Bucky.

"No!" Ella cried. "Steve, don't! It's Bucky!"

Her brother blinked once in confusion as he studied the man's face, slowly recognizing him. He had changed in the years, but it was definitely him. He had no idea what he was doing with his sister, sneaking out of a HYDRA base, arm bleeding, but he could tell he wasn't a threat.

"Where's the car?" Ella asked. "We don't have much time,"

Steve shook off his confusion, jerking his head down the street. "Come on!"

The three of them rushed down the street to where a dark van was waiting. As they grew closer, the door of the van slid open, giving them easy access. They all climbed in the back, the door wasn't even fully shut before the van was speeding down the road.

Ella let out a small breath of relief, glad that she was freed, but there was tension in the air. She glanced up and saw expectant eyes glued on her, occasionally flickering to Bucky. She truly didn't have the drive or energy to explain this.

"Ella," Steve said from beside his sister. "I'm glad you're okay, but you have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know," she breathed. "Later… he's shot and bleeding,"

"I got bandages," Natasha said, digging around for the first aid kit.

Ella glanced at Bucky and gave his hand a comforting pat before clutching it within her own. He appreciated the gesture, smiling at her before looking up and Steve. They said nothing for a few moments before he gave a slight nod.

"It's good to see you again, Steve,"

Steve returned the nod. "I'm glad you're safe, Buck,"

…

They eventually arrived back at the house. They checked Ella for injuries, but all she had was a few bumps, bruises, and cuts. She was more worried about Bucky, but just as he said, it only grazed him. Only needed a few stitches.

Steve had Ella and Bucky explain everything. They sat around a table, just the three of them, like old times, and it hardly felt as though anything had changed. It wasn't an easy conversation, it was rather somber, but they were glad to all finally understand everything. Steve was glad that his best friend was back and that his sister was safe.

They gave Bucky a room. He had no other things with him other than the clothes on his back and his pistol, but he didn't care. He was willing to start over.

He met the rest of the people in the house. They were all kind, and welcomed him. He observed how they interacted with each other. They all cared for one another, acted like a family. One man, his name was Sam, treated Ella like a sibling. He grabbed her cheeks and checked for injuries, she swatted him away irritably, but still had a smile on her face when she pulled away.

Bucky felt as though he would like it there.

His first night there, he was allowed it get settled into his room. It was bare, but it was nice and it was his, therefore, he would treasure it.

It was late. He way laying down in the bed, unable to fall asleep yet, not quite used to the silence.

There was a knock on the door sometime in the night. It must have been nearly two. His brows furrowed as he sat up.

"Come in,"

The door slowly cracked open and Ella crept inside. She greeted him with a tiny smile.

"Hey," she murmured softly, crossing the room and sitting on the edge of his bed. She tried to ignore that fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt at the moment. "Can't sleep?"

Bucky shook his head. "Too quiet,"

"I get that," Ella nodded. "It gets easier. Trust me,"

"I do,"

Ella looked at his left arm, seeing the stitches. "That's gonna scar,"

Bucky glanced down at the cut and shrugged. "Battle scars. I'll remember my heroics,"

"Heroics?" Ella repeated, raising a brow.

"I stopped Rumlow from shooting you,"

"I was fully conscious," Ella argued. "Like I would have let him shoot me,"

Bucky chuckled and shook his head. "He wasn't dead when you left him there, right?"

"Right," Ella agreed. "That ass-hole is still out there,"

"Well, he hates us both now,"

"I honestly couldn't care less," Ella said, shaking her head. She locked eyes with him, face becoming serious and compassionate. "I'm just really glad you're here,"

Bucky looked at Ella, her bright eyes that truly did seem happy. She was just as beautiful as when he first kissed her.

"I'm glad I'm here too,"

Bucky leaned forward and kissed the girl again, ignoring the fact that they had been separated for years and the kiss in the cell may have been a heat of the moment thing, but he didn't care anymore. His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her close. She responded just as eagerly, hands snaking over his shoulders.

Bucky eventually pulled her down beside him on the bed, and the two of them spent the night together for the first time in years, feeling like kids again.

a/n:

this turned out wayyy longer than I planned it out to be, but I hope it makes up for the absence. School has been kicking my ass, but we just had like a week off for Irma so I had time to finish this monster. Hope you all enjoy and feel free to suggest ideas.

Don't forget to review!