Thank you Astro Ash2, Ren Woods, shugokage cookiepandaluv, Sleeping with Destiny, Cestrenes97, scarlettravencrove, Quyiken, War Charger, Narutoske, weesh, InazumaNina, 4everfictional, bennettnasagirl, MariMart, I Just Won A Free Toaster Oven, Elia the, Huntress, RocketKat123, I love it/still love it, BakesItVegan, PrewalShadeX, birdy, ro781727, DevilishlyBipolar, Minacarlye, BetahimeTsukiko, Ummay Winchester, Khyharah, dog1056, Littleheartache, Elaine Weasley, birdy, NuzzleBug13, ANGEL FALLEN FROM HEAVEN, Mr popo, tlyxor1, and everyone who faved/followed this story. You guys are absolutely amazeballs, and you truly light up my world. Sorry if I forgot anyone!
Astro Ash2: It was the first time they reviewed! And your fourth of July sounds like so much fun! Last time I saw fireworks, the person next to me had a hot coal fall on their jacket... Fun story ;) I'm glad you like Seth, and Sam is definitely... well, a word a lot stronger than butt! Thank you for reviewing.
I love it/I still love it: Haha, thank you! I don't want to spoil the story for you, but there will definitely be some saving. Who will be doing it, I don't want to say but you can find out by reading ahead!
BakesItVegan: Urg, that sucks. My deepest sympathies for you. Thank you so much for writing this sweet review, it made me feel so happy! Your review is as good as gold to me too. You are amazing.
birdy: Thank you for continuously reviewing! It really means more to me than I can say. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Minacarlyle: Yup, nothing happened. ;)
Popo: He daintily does! I love Emily. And Sam is most definitely a Jerk. With a capital J!
I Just Won A Free Toaster Oven: Sam is definitely a turd (I'm actually surprised how many people have said something along similar lines!) The Pack, well, the answer to your question is right below! And i think Emily always had a backbone, she is just the peacemaker, trying not to pick a side. Thank you for your review!
It took Steve and Natasha twenty minutes to drive halfway up the cliff. They had to hike the rest of the way, and even with Steve brushing through the tough shrubbery like they were gnats, it took them ten minutes to reach the set of rocks that jutted out from the ground like a canine tooth.
Guilt and nerves wracked Steve's mind. Had he spent thirty minutes chasing an impossible hope? Or had he spent thirty minutes searching for a HYDRA asset that was already back in the arms of his programers?
The boulders were taller that Steve, and they had to circle several times around the conical structure before finding out how to slip between them.
"I..." Steve started looking at Natasha. She nodded.
"Call if you need backup," she said sternly. He nodded back, turning to peer into the dark hole in the ground. Then he stopped, and looked back up at her.
"This is a wild guess, he's probably already gone-"
"I will kick your ass, Rogers," Natasha snapped. He turned back down to the cave.
Taking a deep breath, "Bucky?" he called softly, "It's Steve."
Getting no answer, he heaved himself down into the hole, eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light.
Curled up in the far corner, eyeing him sharply from under greasy long hair, sat Bucky. Steve found himself speechless.
"You okay?" he asked softly, crouching down to Bucky's height, but making no move to get any closer. When Bucky didn't answer, he tried another question.
"Do you remember me?" he asked. Quietly, telegraphing his movements, he slid the shield off his back and onto the dirt between them.
Slowly, Bucky moved his gaze from Steve to the shield. After a minute, he reached forward, scooting through the dirt. He slowly ran one finger around the blue circle.
"Layin' your weapon down to a dangerous man," he murmured.
"I'm not worried," Steve smile was watery. Wether it was from sadness or joy, he didn't know. Maybe both.
"You are an idiot," Bucky retorted. No, that wasn't quite right. Not Bucky. But not entirely the Winter Soldier either.
"Jerk," Steve said, "Stop sassing me."
James rolled his eyes. There was something very Bucky in the action- but at the same time, there was a dullness in his usually lively eyes.
Steve shifted into a sitting position, crossing his legs beneath him. The two old friends sat together silently for minutes, simply looking at each other.
"Are you ready to come back?" Steve asked eventually, dreading the answer. But he hoped deep in his heart that stealing the sketch, staying in the same town, were signs that James was ready.
Slowly, James took something carefully out of his pack, delicately unfolding the creased paper. He held it out to Steve, who took it curiously.
It was the sketch James' had stolen from his room. Or half of it, at any rate, ripped precisely down the middle, just like the one in the shack. Steve's face on the paper was smiling at a Bucky who wasn't there. Steve looked up.
"I- it was difficult. To look at who I was. But, I knew you," James blinked, then looked back at the dirt.
"I don't remember everything," James admitted quietly, "and I have shitty dreams."
Steve swallowed, "It's a beginning. And I have pretty awful dreams too. Till the last couple o' days," he admitted.
"Did an angel wash all your fears away?" James asked, "Sometimes I dream one comes down and tells me I'm forgiven," he whispered gruffly, eyes turning away from Steve's.
"Those are always the worst," he admitted.
Tears prickling in his eyes, Steve found himself gaping at Bucky. When he finally closed his mouth, Steve knew what he was waiting for. Bucky to tell him that if he swallowed too many flies, the insects would start colonizing in his stomach.
Unsure what to say, Steve turned to the one topic that always brought a smirk to his best friends face.
"I met a dame. And without you holding my hand the whole way through, I think I've screwed up a million times over," he said, surprised at how honest he was being with himself.
"You want me to teach you how to court a doll when I'm like this?" James raised his brow, and Steve smiled at the familiar expression.
"Who else is gonna convince her to put up with me?" Steve joked. James snorted. Then his smile dropped.
"Steve, I'm still not Bucky Barnes," he whispered.
"Yeah, you are. That person's just changed a bit. We all do," Steve promised, "Come back, Buck. I can help you. You don't need to be alone anymore. You've got friends," Steve begged gently, trying not to let the prickling in his eyes overwhelm him.
"Monsters don't have friends," James shook his head, "they are alone." His voice sounded odd, like he was repeating something that had been hardwired into his brain. Steve's heart dropped.
"Well, when you start growing horns, you can live under a bridge," Steve told him sternly, trying to blink the tears away.
James glared at him, "If this is how you convince me to come with you, I hate to see how you woo a dame," he said, moving to his feet.
"You really would," Steve agreed, holding out a hand. James eyed it carefully, and Steve held his breath. James swooped down to pick up the shield, slipping his pack over one shoulder.
Then he grasped Steve's hand, pulling him closer till they were hugging awkwardly, James' nose tucked firmly into Steve's neck.
"Shrink," James murmured irritatedly, not moving from his position. Steve grinned. Once again, he tried not to cry for a completely different reason as he held his friend tight.
Nat's voice echoed down into the cave.
"We've got company!" she yelled, and both men heard the distinctive noise of a gun being cocked.
Bucky lunged for his guns, and Steve for his shield, hauling themselves out of what was little more than a hole in the ground.
They found themselves topside just as the gunfire began. Nat had wedged herself between two boulders, taking the occasional carefully aimed shot at the HYDRA snipers hidden in the scrub, while she fumbled with Steve's mobile, trying to call Maria.
Steve jumped out of shelter and sent his shield slamming into a sniper hidden in a tree. The shooter fell down with a lifeless thump, then Steve was aiming his shield again.
Just as he was about to let go, machine fire erupted from behind him, and he ducked.
Within seconds, every hidden HYRDA agent was dead on the ground.
The silence was so loud it hurt.
Slowly, Steve turned around. James was standing, gun still cocked, eyes as blank as they had been on the bridge.
"Buck, it's me," Steve said, slowly sliding the shield onto his back so he could hold his hands up. The Winter Soldier's eyes met his, and slowly began to blink. Just as Steve's hopes were raising again, a growl grumbled lowly.
Steve turned to see a wolf- no, wolf pack. At least ten impossibly large wolves were stalking towards them, hair on end, making them even larger. They gave large berth to the dead bodies as their paws padded closer.
And the Winter Soldier took aim again.
The wolves ducked and weaved through the bullets supernaturally fast. As Steve checked his gun, he wondered what the hell they were again. They had avoided confrontation till now, preferring to slink through the shadows. He wondered what had changed.
A small grey wolf left out a squeal, bullets shooting through it's leg.
This only appeared to spur on the rest of the pack. Natasha took aim, this time with a hidden knife, sending it flying into the closest creatures' paw. It howled.
Steve took out his gun, backing up to stand next to Natasha.
"Lions and tigers and wolves, oh my," she murmured huskily under the howls and gunfire.
"Being in Oz might explain what the hell is going on," Steve agreed, aiming for a large grey wolf.
Steve heard the slightest of movements behind him and turned. The largest of the wolves, a huge black monster, had circled around behind them, and was creeping up on Bucky.
Steve launched himself at the wolf the same time it leapt. They crashed into the hard ground, squirming and snarling at each other. It's hind claws dug into Steve's legs, ripping his jeans and scratching down to bone. Steve hissed in a breath, but found his nose and mouth blocked by thick fur.
Shoving the snarling head away, he rolled over, on top of the thrashing mass. Finding himself staring down at the dark wolf, still fighting, Steve set to work landing punch after punch into it's nose and head. The wolf glared up at him furiously, and something in it's eyes made Steve punch even harder, angrier, till blood was dripping out cuts in the creatures' skin. But still it wrestled with him, as angry as he was.
"Rogers," Natasha roared, and he glanced back to see that Bucky was out of bullets and surrounded. He wielded only a deadly looking knife, and while Steve had first hand knowledge of Bucky's newly acquired skills, he doubted even the Winter Soldier could easily defeat nine pissed off, gigantic wolf monsters.
Just as Steve was about to yell, another wolf, this one silvery-grey, jumped in front of Bucky, snarling at the group. It had come running out of the trees, leaping to Bucky-or perhaps the Winter Solider's-aid. Steve spared a quick glance at the other man, only to find him as confused as Steve himself.
At first, the other wolves seemed too stunned to growl back, but one by one their confidence returned, and they snarled at the grey wolf. Their growls were loud, reverberating across the landscape, but the small wolf didn't wince. Steve wondered if this happened to it often.
Instead, the significantly smaller wolf growled back, determined, setting off another round of grunts and snarls, almost as though they were having a discussion. Or maybe an argument.
Eventually, the other wolves began slowly backing away, and Steve stood up from where he still lay on the panting wolf, walking forward slowly, though he did take the time to carefully draw his shield.
Bucky was standing stock still, knife clenched in his fist. He was eyeing the wolves suspiciously, like he didn't believe for one second they'd stopped their attack. Steve was inclined to agree with him, especially when one of the injured wolves, dragging itself to cover behind rocks, whimpered, sending the pack's hackles raising again.
He tightened his grasp on the shield, moving it in front of him to screen from any attacks. Just as he did so, the small grey wolf that had leapt to Bucky's defence turned. It's eyes caught on the glint of sunlight coming off the metal, and tracked the movement of the shield. As Steve held it in front of him, the wolf blinked, then slowly found his face, staring at him fiercely.
As their eyes met, the air rushed out of Steve's lungs.
Those warm, intelligent brown eyes were unforgettable, shining like uncut smoky quartz.
Though they were usually set into a more human face.
"Leah-?" Steve began curiously, only to hear a soft growl behind him as he said her name. Without looking, he whacked the already bloodied wolf with his shield, sending it flying off into the trees.
"Steve," Natasha said, sounding far less stunned then she had a right to be, as Steve stared into the warm brown eyes he knew so well, flecked with gold and green.
"So, whose gonna tell Clint he was right about the werewolves?" Nat asked breathlessly.
"Bags not," Steve mumbled clumsily.
Natasha stared over the now frozen wolves, while Steve stared stupidly at Leah.
All the wolves had stopped. None were making a sound. It was eerie, the previously furious animals staring at them- almost like they had recognised who they were.
But they're not animals, Steve realised when he eventually looked up from Leah's eyes. They're human.
"So are we just gonna stand here, or do you have a plan?" Natasha asked sharply under her breath.
Steve took a step forward, straightening his back.
"Wait," Natasha grabbed his arm, "Do you have a plan?"
"It's called wingin' it," Steve muttered back, throwing a nervous grin over his shoulder.
"We don't want to fight you. This has been a big misunderstanding- those agents were HYDRA," Steve tried to explain, his tongue feeling numb as intelligent eyes embedded in canine skulls stared at him in what appeared to be shock.
Steve felt a hesitant hand on his shoulder. He hadn't heard anyone behind him, so he jumped, and James removed his hand quickly. Shame flooded Steve. He slung an arm around James' shoulder (the knife had disappeared somewhere into his gear) and hugged him tight.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do," Natasha told the brown wolf sharply. The spy still hadn't put her gun away.
"Damn straight," Steve muttered, "But maybe you should at least point your gun down? You don't wave your gun around during negotiations," Steve hissed.
"Is it negotiations when only one side can talk?" Natasha snapped back, reluctantly lowering her weapon.
The wolf that looked startlingly like Leah turned to the rest of the wolves. They, in turn, stared at the huge black wolf emerging from the trees. It, no, he, was still bleeding, globules of mixed blood and drool dropping from his maw.
He padded gently towards them, standing between his pack mates.
Ignoring him, Leah walked forward, claws marking the cold dirt. Steve dropped to his knees, shield falling down beside him. He was vaguely aware of James taking a step towards him, as if to shield him from danger.
Leah paused. One paw lifted off the ground, and it looked like she was trying to take another step toward, but it was like there was something physically holding her back.
"Leah?" Steve asked, and she snarled. Her body shook like something was hurting her, and Steve felt his heart stop beating.
She reached her paw forward and dragged herself toward him by her claws.
Her whole body wracked in pain, and reflexively she took a step back.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked worriedly, taking a step forward.
"Don't!" Natasha ordered sharply, but Leah had already winced away from him.
Wordlessly, Steve stared as Leah turned her tail and walked slowly away, back into the trees. Her eyes met his several times over her shoulder as she looked back, but she didn't stop.
Confusion etched deep in every frown line on his face, he turned to look at Natasha.
"Why?" he asked, and he was shocked at how helpless he sounded. But the odd emptiness in his heart- it hurt so badly, he wondered if it had been torn away.
Natasha shook her head, "I don't know. But you saw her bodying language- it wasn't voluntary.
James snarled at this, deep in the back of his throat. The knife was back between iron fingers, swinging threateningly.
"I don't like it either," Natasha told him, carefully taking a step back.
"Let's go home, Buck," Steve muttered softly, reaching a hand to James' shoulder to lead him away, past the still staring werewolves.
James followed without complaint.
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