Jenny laid back staring at the ceiling tiles in her hospital bed. All the dots and puckers squared. She made shapes with them in her mind. The tan stain above her looked like a mountain. Tall. Silent. Cold. Her brain was oddly tingly. She'd been focusing on her physical sensations. She had to, or she'd crumble. Trying to home in on Bucky's blood coursing through her veins. Because that's where her serum came from. It had to. According to all Hydra's leaked files, he'd been the only batch of serum left.

The latent power that had always been there. Buzzing and waiting for her to use it. She'd become exactly what her grandfather wanted.

A killer.

Yesterday she would have cried. But not today.

"Ms. Wallace," said a voice from the door. She looked up to see two FBI agents with pens and note pads. And then two members from the GRC walked in behind. She flinched and sat up straighter. It was starting again. The questions, the interviews…

Then two police officers.

She was suddenly so tired. This is why she disappeared the first time.

Maybe now that they were all together, they could get it over in one fell swoop.

"We were here first," said one of the FBI agents."

"She works for the GRC. You'll have to wait…"

"We'll be quick," said one of the detectives.

Jenny sighed. Let them fight it out. She'd just be here in this hospital bed. Waiting to be arrested.

"Get out," said a voice from the door. All six people turned and their faces went pale. They filed out of the room.

Standing in the doorway was a woman. A dark purple streak in her hair, dressed in all black. The woman exuded total control. She waited until every extra person had all gone and closed the door.

"Well," she said. "You've been on quite the adventure."

Jenny stared at her, not sure whether to be grateful the woman had chased away the unwanted interviews out or weary that she'd been coalesced by someone even more unwanted. She guessed it was the latter.

"So, Jennifer Pierce. Nice to finally meet you as an adult. Your grandfather spoke highly of you."

Jenny's adrenalin kicked in, and her body locked. "Get the hell out," she said. The serum pumped harder through her veins.

"I'm not Hydra if that's what you're worried about," said the woman, inspecting the privacy curtain. "Geez what a dump," she said. "You'd think the GRC would spring for something ritzier with what they put you through."

"Who are you?" asked Jenny.

"You don't remember me?"

"Should I?"

"Ouch. Guess not, but I tend to think I leave an impression. 1998, your grandfather's Christmas party. He had everyone fooled I can tell you. Taught me a lot about trust. And foreign policy. But mostly betrayal and trust… I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I'm still waiting."

The woman nodded in approval. "Sassy, I like it. Madame Director of the CIA. But you can call me Val."

"What do you want?"

"I came with an opportunity. Now that your big secret is out, it's going to be hard to bury your name again. I have a, shall we say… specialized group that I'd like you to be a part of."

Jenny's alarm bells went off. She was tired of being a tool in everyone else's wheelhouse.

"Listen," said Val pulling up the chair beside the hospital bed. "You don't want to waste all that serum. You can't go back to a regular life now. You could work for me."

"I don't think so," said Jenny. "But thanks anyway."

A flash of amusement crossed Val's face. "Interesting. Would it tempt you to know your boyfriend is joining?"

Jenny's heart sank. Her head went back and she stared at the mountain shaped stain on the ceiling. Even though she knew what she had to do, to hear that he was leaving still left her empty. "Oh," she said, feeling a deep pang cross her chest. "Is he… gone?"

"No," said a voice from the door.

Her heart rate surged. She looked up and saw Bucky in the doorway. His presence hit her like a ton of bricks. Tall, broad, beautiful. His right arm was in a sling and she saw the trace of bandage at his neck under his tee shirt. The guilt was too much, and her eyes flooded with tears.

"Jenny," he said, his voice rife with concern, but his cheeks were clenching. Steel like the color of his eyes.

Val stood, with her eyebrows raised and teeth set in a cringe. "I'll leave you two. Think about it Jennifer." She leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Even if the team's not your thing, I could think of some other options." She patted Jenny's shoulder and walked past Bucky. He nodded at her solemnly.

He closed the door, and his demeanor shifted to worry. He was at her side, occupying the chair Val had vacated. She could smell him so much more deeply now. Like his musk had been ramped up a thousand percent and it filled her and set the sadness coursing through her body.

"Are you ok?" they said together.

"Yeah," they both said.

"So you're leaving," she said before she could stop it. Sitting here was surreal. This morning she'd basked in the glow of their love making, feeling like they'd be together forever. Merge until they were one entity. Twelve hours could change everything.

"I don't have a choice," he said. "The GRC is claiming I kidnapped you using dangerous foreign technology. This is the only way I can…"

Jenny stared at him as a surge of disbelief made her mouth dry. "What bullshit! I'll talk to them, tell them it was my choice, this is insane…"

"It's protocol. There's nothing either of us can do." He handed her a dossier from under his shirt. "I stole this… So uh, you should probably read it quick."

Jenny's eyes ran over the document. There it was. Fancy legal jargon to force him into joining a team of off the reservation enhanced individuals. "This isn't fair. You can't take the fall for this Bucky. Let me do it…"

"I already fixed it. I have legal… history. I'm indebted. But I had Sam make sure you were clear. You can make your own choice. You're clear of the Max… um situation." He bit his lip.

Jenny tried to swallow, but she had no saliva. She should be punished. She should be thrown in jail for what she'd done. She shut her eyes tight. "This isn't fair, I can't let you take the fall for me. I'm a criminal…"

Bucky took her hand. His skin was warm against hers. "No," he said. "It was self-defense. You were defending me… Steve…"

"It doesn't matter. I did it." Understanding lit in his eyes. In that moment, she'd never felt closer to him, and simultaneously, so far away. They squeezed their hands together so hard that if she'd been a normal human her bones would have fractured.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, his voice hitching.

"I don't know," she said. "But I don't know who I am anymore."

He nodded, his face to the floor. "I want you to know," he said, straining to get the words out. "That I… I'll never forget what you did for me. In more ways than one. I lo…"

"Don't. Don't say it." Tears streamed down her face. She wanted to pull him into the bed with her. "It just makes it harder."

He put his hand on her cheek, wiping away her sadness with his thumb, the tenderness in his eyes too much for her. She hovered her hand over his wound. The one right next to his heart that she had caused.

"I'm so sorry about Steve," she said.

He nodded, giving her hand another squeeze.

There was a flash of good bye in his eyes that felt like it lasted for hours. He kissed the top of her head twice. One long and one short and he was gone.

Two more chapters left! Thank you everyone for your patience if you're still here :)