Please check out the AMAZING BetahimeTsukiko's gorgeous polyvore set for Blank Space! It's amazingness is only surpassed by how brilliant it's creator is ;) Link is on my profile page!

Thank you Sleeping with Destiny, NuzzleBug13, Khyharah, War Charger, Ash, Cestrenes97, bennettenasagirl, dog1056, Ash, Pulpo, Leena2695, ANGEL FALLEN FROM HEAVEN, aigasido, RocketKat123, Zblue, Tsuki no Yasha, Popo, DevilishlyBipolar, Elaine Weasley, Apocalypse owner, Elia the Huntress, ro78172, BetahimeTsukiko, 4everfictional, PrewalShadeX, Minacarlyle, Artistic Thinking, MariMart, InazumaNina, Ninazu, Kate Chase, Ksave,TimeAndLife21, littleheartache, birdy, tlyxor1, Guests, and everyone who faved/followed this story. You guys are so wonderful, and you truly light up my world. Sorry if I forgot anyone!

Ash2: (Sorry, two people used the name Ash. Or did you comment twice? Coz it seemed like two different people!)Thank you! My fourth of July was pretty average. I'm Australian, so I don't celebrate it, but thank you so much for thinking of me! How was yours? I don't know if Seth is ooc so much as growing up. I thought it would be a natural progression of his personality. Still mostly happy, but disliking being seen as the kid. And even in his anger, he is only worried about his sister, angry that she's not taking his worries into account. But hey, if he's ooc... well, I hope it still works! Hope you enjoy the next chapter. And thank you so much for your super enthusiastic reviews! I get very excited when reading them.

Ash1: (two people used the name Ash!) I do post other kinds of fics on Ao3, and I've added a link to my profile. Unfortunately my updating can still be quite spotty.

Pulpo: I'd tell, but then I'd spoil the story! Though the plot is progressing, and I've had to assure multiple people that Sam gets his ass whipped! So don't worry. And thank you so much for your review!

aigasido: Thank you! I hope you enjoy the newest chapter! The slight cliffy... maybe not so much. Sorry.

Popo: Sorry for the long wait! I did update within two weeks, so yay? While Thor will not be kicking ass in this fic, the people who deserve it will get what's coming to them... I sounded like Jafar from Aladdin! Hee!

Minacarlyle: It's up! I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Or you find it interesting, at least! Maybe that'll stop you coming after me! Thank you for the review. I actually LOLed;)

birdy: Yup! Got it in one! ;)

Guest: Ta-da! I really hope you enjoy this chapter too. Thank you for your review.


The pack was once again gathered in Emily's family room, endeavoring to ignore the violet verbal fight ripping through the kitchen like wildfire.

"It was the right choice-"

"I don't give a damn if it was the right choice, Sam. It was not yours to make!" Emily snarled.

"Leah couldn't choose. The imprint is warping her mind," Sam tried to explain. The pack could hear the determined patience in his voice. It only seemed to incite Emily further.

"So? Can't you see you've taken so much from her already? It took her years to get better, with no help from you or the boys. She did that all by herself. You have no right to take Steve away from her," Emily had first sounded hot, angry when she spoke. Now her voice was cold, burning duly like ice.

"This isn't about taking away her imprint," Sam sounded perilously close to losing his temper, and the pack tensed.

"Like hell!" Emily yelled.

"When you nearly shifted in front of Steve, I wondered. But then, I thought no. You love me. Guess what I've realised now Sam?" Emily whispered. She sounded like she was about to sob. Sam didn't answer.

"You still love Leah. Not as a friend, or a sister, or packmate. But as your fiancé. You can't let her go," Emily cried, "you can't let anyone else in her life while you love her. What's that," she hiccuped, "that stupid line? 'If I can't have her, no one can?'" Emily burst into quiet giggles that shook every listening person to the bone.

"Em-" she held up a hand to stop him.

"I have tried so hard not to pick a side in this. But I'm putting my foot down," the last word was a snarl.

"Get out of my kitchen. Get out of my house. And you know what? Get out of Leah's life." There was a pause in the kitchen. The pack held their breath. Footsteps on wooden floors.

Sam walked out of the kitchen, face blank, and sharply gestured for the pack to follow him. Paul did. Slowly, Jared stood up to follow, discomfort obvious on his face. Emily appeared in the doorway, and glared at them with glassy eyes.

"Out," she whispered. And with heavy footsteps, the pack followed their alpha out the door.


When his friends had explained the happenings of last night- how his shield was almost stolen by a ginormous wolf- Steve had blinked. Clint was asking if using the shield meant he was entitled to the title that went with it, but Steve wasn't listening.

After the four friends talked well into the night, Steve found himself in his bed, Clint still sleeping on the floor. He wasn't sure if his inability to sleep was to do with Clint's elephantine snoring, or his worry.

When the clock clicked over to five, Steve quietly dressed himself and went for an hour long jog. A cold mist from overnight still lay heavy over the car park and surrounding landscape.

Steve's phone rang as he arrived back in his room, a number he didn't recognise. Steve cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear as he drank his orange juice from the carton, taking it with him outside so he wouldn't wake the still snoring Clint.

"Good morning Steve," Seth sounded overly polite.

"Morning Seth. How are you going?" Steve answered, frowning. Hadn't Leah mentioned her brother hadn't forgiven him for the accident? So why was Seth calling him?

"Good," Seth said, "you?" Steve had yet to encounter a teenager this polite in the twenty first century. He set the carton down on the outside table.

"Fine," Steve said, "How's your face going?" There was a pause before Seth answered. Steve winced.

"Fine," he said stiffly, "Leah asked me if you could meet her by the cabin in the forrest soon. The one by the rocks?"

"Not to be rude, but why isn't Leah the one talking to me?" Steve asked, deep frown becoming more and more evident on his face.

Seth paused before he answered, and Steve swore he heard someone muttering to him in the background.

"Went for a run," Seth eventually answered.

"I thought you hadn't forgiv- never mind," Steve interrupted himself, "How soon?" he asked.

"Twenty minutes?" Seth said.

"Sure. Tell her I'll see her there," Steve answered, automatically hanging up. He reached inside his room to grab his jacket from the hanger by the door, slipping it on as he left. For a second, he eyed Nat's door, wondering if he should tell her. Shrugging to himself, he set out to the forest at a jog.


When Steve arrived at the nearly invisible shack, he was on high alert, slowing down to a walk. Every fibre in him screamed that something was very very wrong. Steve wanted to find out what.

A figure strolled out of the cabin, fists deep in his pockets. At the sight of him, all of Steve's rage from last night built up again. Steve was dangerously close to bubbling over as he smiled brittlely.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Sam coldly. Sam eyed Steve up and down.

"Leah couldn't make it," he said, voice as blank as his face. Steve raised his brows, and let out a huff of unamused laughter.

"Don't kid me. Leah was never coming," Steve said. His hands bundled into fists at the other man's icy smile.

"Follow me," Sam ordered, turning to stroll back in to the broken little shack. Steve bristled at Sam's words, said in a tone that left no room for non-compliance. But Steve wanted answers. Gritting his teeth, he followed Sam inside.

"What is going on?" Steve grunted from taunt lips. He refused to let the ghostly appearance of the shack, and the odd smell reminiscent of decay, scare him. He watched, eyes not missing a single movement, as Sam leant against a huge tree that supported one side of the shack.

"Tell me. What do you want from Leah?" Sam asked. Steve crossed his arms, shifting his wait to one foot.

"Why do you care?" Steve asked sharply.

"She's my friend," Sam said, standing straight to mirror Steve's position.

"Sure you're not still in love with her?" Steve threw out casually, "I heard your first fiancé is hard to forget." Sam's control slipped for the first time.

"That's none of your business," he snarled.

"Guess not," Steve allowed, "but it's no longer any of yours. What Leah and I are to each other only matters to her and me. Stop trying to control her."

As the two men glared at each other, Steve began picking up on a very faint smell. It was sharp, but muted by the cold dirt. Metallic. A smell Steve was very familiar with.

He broke eye contact with Sam and slowly walked across the room, attempting to subtly sniff for the source of the smell. A window, the glass long gone, was still standing in the only remotely firm wall of the square shack.

Steve spotted the groove in the window sill at the same time he discerned the source of the blood.

A small, curved furrow had been blasted through the top of the wooden sill. The cut looked new. Carefully, Steve turned, following the line of trajectory with his eyes. In the dull morning light, Steve could just make out the glint of a bullet deep in the trunk of the old tree. His stomach dropped.

Steve marched past Sam, the smell of blood now seeping through every pore in his body. He felt the hole the bullet had dug through the wood, forcing it deep into the tree. Slowly, he stepped back, and something rustled. Looking down, he spotted a piece of paper wedged firmly between two roots. As if on autopilot, Steve reached down. He saw his fingers tighten around the paper as he grabbed it and pulled. It nearly ripped.

There was Bucky, smiling at the ripped paper were Steve had drawn himself. The two of them, laughing. Just happy to be alive. To be in each other's company.

The paper was as torn as their friendship.

But, Steve thought, Bucky had remembered enough to take Steve's picture. He was remembering. He had followed Bucky here, where they had both stopped running. And judging by the decaying smell in Bucky's hideout, HYDRA had caught up while they rested.

Immediately, Steve ran to the doorway, ready to brake into an all out sprint.

"Where are you going?" Sam snarled behind him, but Steve had bigger problems.


Steve found Maria and Nat in his room, sitting on his bed as Clint huddled on the floor.

"Bucky is here and so is HYRDA," he blurted out.

"Explain," Maria barked, snapping to attention. Steve opened his mouth. But no sound left. He had so much to say, yet he didn't know where to begin.

Hill had never had patience for rookies who got tongue tied, and she glared at Rogers till he spat it out.

"He took the sketch of him, of us, out of my book," he eventually began, "and I found it in this shack in the forest. It smelled metallic like... blood, and there were bullet holes everywhere."

Clint grimaced when neither woman broke their poker face, putting enough emotion into the odd expression for three people.

"And somethings up with Leah. Sam made me meet him there, told me Leah would be there," Steve finished confusedly, the world tumbling over each other as he rushed to explain everything.

"Leah has to wait, Steve," Natasha said, somewhat more gently than usual.

"I know," he snapped. He paused, then took a deep breath, "I know," he repeated quietly, closing his eyes.

"Ok. Maria, can you call Stark? And is Thor-" Natasha was interrupted.

"Currently shacking up with Doc Foster at the tower," Clint answered helpfully.

Steve spun around to Natasha, "We handled HYDRA before without them. If HYDRA sends in reinforcements, then a fight between them and the Avengers could rip this town to shreds," he said.

"Or, more people could get out alive, if it comes to that," Natasha said evenly.

Steve felt a hand on his shoulder, "Steve, just cause you can do something alone, doesn't mean you should," Clint told him, "Besides, if we need air support, we're screwed without them. Tallest building around here is three stories," he said gloomily.

Steve sighed, "I know, Clint. Maria, make the calls, but ask only Tony and Thor to be on standby."

"I don't think Stark does 'standby'," Natasha muttered dryly, crossing her arms.

"Tell him more people could just get hurt if we make it a big fight," Steve sighed, rubbing his head, "Is there an alarm we can issue to get everyone out of town?" Steve asked, "Flood, earthquake?"

Maria was already shaking her head, "We do that, and HYDRA will know we're on to them. And it might scare Barnes off."

"We've got no idea where the guy is anyway. He could have skipped town hours ago," Clint said, hefting his quiver over his shoulder, and picking up the case that held his compound bow.

"And what if he and HYDRA are still here?" Steve asked desperately.

Clint didn't answer, just met his glare calmly.

"Clint, Maria, have a look around the cabin. Maybe Steve missed something," Natasha ordered, "I'll go with him."

"Yes ma'am," Maria muttered to herself. The comment was said more as a light joke than actual snark, but it fell short of actual amusement. Maria sighed at Steve's crinkled forehead as she left, checking for her mobile and weapons as she marched towards the car.

"Everyone sticks together, no one goes anywhere alone!" Steve called after her.

Clint, following Maria to the car, waved haphazardly behind him, sliding into the driver's seat. Maria didn't even wince as she slid into his decaying lump of a car, already on the phone.

"That means you, Barton!" Steve yelled, Hawkeye giving him a cheerful thumbs up as he drove away.

"Steve, what's your plan? You know somewhere Barnes might go?" Natasha asked, sliding a knife into her boot.

"Maybe," Steve said, worrying at his lips with his teeth. He knew so little about this place, only what Leah had told him.

"Are you telling me, or asking?" Natasha asked sternly.

"Telling. I think," Steve muttered, thinking back to the spot Leah had told him about last night, the one that had caused her soft melancholy smile.

"Can you get the car started, I need to make a phone call," Steve instructed. Natasha raised her brow, but didn't question him, leaving him alone in the suddenly too big motel room.

The phone rang five times before it was picked up.

"Hello?" a voice said duly.

"Seth? Is Leah there?" Steve asked worriedly.

"No, I don't know where-"

"Just, stay in the house today," Steve instructed. His worry was mounting, and he felt like the world was spinning too fast to comprehend. For the moment, he'd forgotten all about Seth and Sam luring him out to the woods. He knew how much the kid meant to Leah. And Steve wasn't about to let anything happen to wither of them.

"There is someone very dangerous in the area, so stay hidden. And if Leah calls, tell her to do the same," he said.

"Steve, what's going on-" Seth sounded so uncertain and scared, and Steve was furious at himself for frightening the kid.

"I'm going to take care of everything. Just promise me you'll stay safe kid," Steve begged. Natasha honked the horn, and he found himself scrambling for his keys to lock the door.

"Promise?" he begged, jogging towards the car.

"... By, Steve," Seth said quietly, hanging up.

Steve swore, and the car door handle crunched under his hand. He was breathing fast when he finally sat next to Natasha.

"Sorry," he muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"Keep it together, Rogers. You can have a break down when everyone is safe," Natasha snapped, putting her foot down on the accelerator.


Leah eventually found herself in the Port Angeles city library. She'd slipped back home, after hours of sitting by the beach in the cold air, snuck the car keys off the hook and driven to the cold city, trying to calm herself during the long drive.

As she still hadn't changed out of her pajamas, she got a few odd looks from the elderly librarian, which she warded off with a scowl. The few other people in the library just after opening, dismissed her as just another sleep deprived college student.

She sat down at a clunky old computer, tapping impatiently on the desk as she waited for it to turn on. Immediately, she googled 'Steve Philips'. Just as Seth said, the name failed to yield any relevant results. Unless her Steve was somehow related to a singing goat in Florida.

She dug her nails into the wood of the desk, leaving half moon shapes on either side of the keyboard, and wondered when he had become 'her Steve'. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and tried not to think of Steve, or Sam, or anything that would cause her to loose her temper. When that didn't work, she tried not to think of anything at all.

The librarian sent her another strange look.

Remembering the packs' horror story of the man with the metal arm, Leah started typing away. It took her several minutes to find the right combination of words (metal arm assassin) to remove the ads for robotic arm testing, and find something actually relevant.

Which was, of course, on the second page of results, on a site that collected all manner of conspiracy theories.

"An assassin with a robotic metal arm, believed to have been a HYDRA operative, is said to have been behind many major assassinations of the latter twentieth century. While little is know of the deadly agent, several pictures of him surfaced after the events in Washington. Some believe he was sent to 'take out' Captain America."

Below the small article was one blurry picture of a man dressed all in black, except for his dully shining metal arm. He was facing off against a familiar looking (albeit blurry) man carrying a colourful round shield.

Frowning, Leah tried to scroll down, but found the page frozen. With an annoyed scowl, she tried refreshing it, only for the screen to flash up an 'error' page. She tried going back and forth, but the page was gone, like it had never existed. She swallowed, a sick feeling starting to grow in her stomach.

Instead, she searched Captain America, quickly clicking onto images. There were hundreds of blurry shots taken from phones, of him fighting aliens in New York, and a couple of him dashing about Washington as explosions illuminated the background.

But all the pictures had one thing in common. Each shot was blurred, and the helmet never removed.

Again, Leah had the queasy feeling of familiarity. She zoomed in on his face with a click of her mouse. While most of his features remained blurred (she was starting to think it was deliberate) the profile of his features remained relatively clean.

The sinking feeling shot through Leah's mouth, and she felt like she was about to throw up. She knew that profile anywhere. It was etched into her brain, along with Steve's blue eyes and his cheeky smirk. Her mouth felt dry.

For another hour, she scrolled through every article she could find on Captain America, his friends, theories on how he was still alive after crashing in WWII. Which was how she saw her first picture of James Buchanan Barnes.

And her heart stopped.

"Fuck," she hissed quietly. But in the silence of the early morning library, the librarians' head shot up. The skinny elderly woman rose from her seat and glided over to Leah.

"Sorry," Leah said automatically, wishing the woman would go away.

But the old lady only sniffed.

"Are you related to that Seth boy who sits here every Friday afternoon? You look similar, though I must say his manners are far better than yours," she croaked.

"What?" Leah's head shot around to look at her.

"I thought he was just searching porn, the way he looks at the screen, but he's checked out a ton of how-to white hat hacker books," the lady continued, pursing her thin lips together at Leah's unladylike exclamation.

"Can I use your phone?" Leah asked. At the woman's raised brow, she paused.

"Please?" she asked politely. The woman sniffed, and Leah rolled her eyes, stood up abruptly and marched over to the desk, pulling the phone towards her and dialing a number.

"Yo," Seth picked up the home phone, and Leah could hear the forced cheer in his voice.

"Seth, it's me. Listen, you cannot go after the metal arm guy, okay?" she ordered, ignoring as the librarian squawked in her other ear.

"Steve is," he said in a distant voice.

"What?" Leah practically yelled.

"He called a minute ago, told me to stay in the house, because there was someone dangerous around. Told me he'd fix everything," Seth explained.

"Shit!" Leah snarled, breath hissing out between clenched teeth, "Do not tell Sam, okay? It's important he does not interrupt. I found something huge, Seth, and if anyone goes up there they could get really hurt."

There was a pause on the other end, "I already called Sam," he admitted, "I was on my way to meet the pack at the motel to follow Steve's scent."

"Seth, do not go. At least stay near Jared. Try to stall, I'll get there as soon as I can. Stay safe," she ordered, not bothering to hang up as she raced past the apoplectic librarian to the car.


Please review. A second of your time makes my day.