Emily stared down at her phone, not even registering that Loki had spoken. Barnes? James Buchanan Barnes was alive? She swallowed thickly, feeling her hands begin to tremble with a new kind of anxiousness.

Emily: Are you sure?

Tony: Yes, he sent the footage to me to verify. He's sending the team to retrieve Barnes. We don't know how Steve is going to take this news though. Barnes... he isn't himself.

Loki watched Emily curiously, but sensing it was important, he didn't interrupt.

Emily: Not himself? What do you mean? Tony please don't be so cryptic.

Tony: We aren't sure yet, but we believe his memory has been suppressed to turn him into an obedient soldier. He might not recognize Steve.

Emily: Steve is asleep right now. Did you want to host a meeting? I'll look at the file.

She quickly put her phone in her lap and grabbed for her laptop, opening it and turning it on. "Holy shit..."

Tony: No not yet. I think he needs to hear this news in a more... delicate fashion. Once he knows and has processed it, then we will hold a briefing. I'm handing that part off to you. You need to pick who will tell him and get that person the info. This needs to happen quickly.

Emily: How quickly Tony? Mary and Steve are exhausted.

Tony: Exhausted? This is a bit more important than their sex life. Barnes is a top-level threat, and we only have one shot to bring him in alive.

Emily: I'll wake Steve. But Mary needs rest.

"I have to go wake up Steve," Emily said softly. "James is alive."

"What? Who is James?" Loki asked, feeling confused.

Tony: Just make sure he gets the info he needs.

Emily looked over at Loki as she sat her phone down. "The other super soldier I told you about, well suspected to be one, he's been found alive."

"Is this good or bad?" Loki asked curiously. "Can I see what you saw?" He asked, referring to the email.

"You can see the file," Emily nodded as she clicked on it again. "It's good news but... Steve has been thinking that he's dead for a long time."

Loki took the laptop and began looking over the file. With the little information available, it didn't take him long. "If his mind is tampered with, are they equipped to handle that?"

Emily sighed and shrugged. "I'm not so sure. It looks like they call him The Winter Soldier. Hydra has had him all this time."

"Alright, give me a few minutes to learn about Hydra." Loki said, already getting into Tony's records. He quickly read through a few reports that he found. "I don't know if they used it on him, but it seems like extreme behavioral modification was their main method. Without a good mental barrier, no one will get near him without a fight to the death."

"James and Steve have known each other since they were children. A connection like that could begin to break the hold. Spark a memory," Emily said, thinking aloud. "Couldn't it?"

"It depends on what extreme Hydra went to in their modifications. I will need to study a bit more, but from what I'm seeing, I would say no, it won't be enough." Loki answered. "These practices are common enough in other realms, so I'm fairly familiar with them."

Emily sighed and plopped against the headboard with a groan. "I have to tell Steve," she murmured. "I don't know how he's going to react."

"Why do you have to be the one to tell him?" Loki asked, not overly happy about that.

"Because he needs to be told gently," she replied. "I don't want to hurt him."

"Will you be safe? I'd like to be there in the event he reacts badly." Loki said truthfully.

"I trust Steve. He won't hurt me." Emily climbed out of bed and walked into the living room. Steve was sitting on the couch, staring at the floor. "Steve?"

Steve slowly looked over at Emily, pulling himself from his thoughts. "Hey Emily."

She rubbed the back of her neck and sat down beside him. "Did you hear me talking to Loki?"

Steve shook his head. "I guess I was too lost in my own thoughts." He said softly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Emily answered. "You can ask me anything Steve."

"Has she always been against having children, or is it me specifically?" Steve asked, trying to hide how much it bothered him.

Emily furrowed her brow. "Where's this coming from? Mary told me she wants this to work for the both of you."

"We haven't talked about it much since she fell right to sleep." Steve admitted. "It's come up a few times over our general time together and the way she is so determined to avoid the subject made it clear."

"Steve... When Mary and I spoke after she told you, she was adamant to make it work because of how much she loves you. It's not you that has made her not want children initially. Her father is an asshole and she doesn't want to be like him."

"Oh I know it. I met him once and it took all of my restraint to not punch him in the face." Steve told Emily. "I would love for it to work, but I don't want her to feel pressured and end up resenting the child."

Emily nodded and reached over to hold Steve's hand. "I'll tell you what I told her. The first time she sees that ultrasound and gets to hear a heartbeat, she'll fall in love so deep she'd never dream of doing anything rash."

Steve gave Emily's hand a squeeze. "I know she won't do anything rash regardless. Mary strongly believes in fathers having equal rights to mothers." He explained. "I don't know if it makes any sense, but I never really gave any consideration to having children and never realized I wanted children, until now."

"It does make sense," Emily nodded. "None of us knew it was even possible, but you're making a family with the woman you fell in love with. That's a good thing."

Steve couldn't help but smile. "I didn't know it was possible either, but I wouldn't want it with anyone else." He said truthfully.

"Just don't go popping the question too early," she chuckled. "You'll scare her."

"I've actually been thinking about that lately. When would the right time be?" Steve asked curiously.

"If you do it now, she'll think it's only because of the baby. You need to plan it out a bit. You have nine months until the little one will be here." Emily squeezed his hand again and looked down at the floor. How do I tell him?

"I don't want her to think it's only because of the baby. I will wait a while. We need to at least settle in from this first." Steve agreed. "Should I wake her at any point, or let her sleep as long as she wants?"

"You can let her sleep. But make sure she eats. I'll order vitamins for her tonight too." Emily took a deep breath then looked back up at Steve. "I have news... for you."

"Thank you. I admit to having no clue what I'm doing." Steve chuckled before his expression grew serious. "News for me?"

Emily nodded. "It's good news... but it's shocking. I don't want to upset you."

"Please just tell me. I won't get upset with you." Steve promised.

"It's about James... your friend. He's alive."

Steve just stared at Emily in silence for a moment, trying to process the news. "What? Are you sure? How is that even possible? Where is he?" He asked, not pausing between questions.

"Easy Steve, breathe." Emily soothed, then turned and asked Jarvis to bring up the email in front of them. "This is all of the information that I know. Loki feels like he might be able to help him, but he's not sure."

Steve skimmed over the email, still processing the news. "I have to go find him. He will know who I am."

"I hope he will," Emily nodded. "I want to come with you."

"What?" Steve looked over at Emily. "Why would you want to come with us?"

"What if I could be of some help? Unless you want me to watch over Mary. But... Loki might want to go."

Steve thought about it for a moment. "She is supposed to go with us, but she can't now, not while she's pregnant."

"Both of us would be useful medically but he needs to be worked with first," Emily told him. "If we need to, we can stay behind, then help when you come back."

"I think that would be best. I don't know what I would do if Mary or the baby was harmed." Steve sighed. "I doubt she's going to be happy about staying behind."

"I don't think she will be happy either," Emily agreed. "She's not as fragile as it seems, but if she has more panic attacks, that could be an issue."

"I know she isn't, but the baby is." Steve pointed out. "Does she have a history of panic attacks? I can't see her having one in that situation."

"Her body is going through a lot. It was caused by multiple things." Emily rubbed the back of Steve's hand. "I'll watch over her. You know I will. Hell, I watched over you for a while at one point."

Steve gave Emily a soft smile. "I remember and I'll always be grateful. I also know that you'll take care of Mary. This will be our first time really being apart, and after just learning of her condition... I want her to be as stress free as possible."

"I'll do my best." Emily reached up and ruffled Steve's hair like she used to do years ago. "Just bring Buck home."

"You know I will." Steve sighed. "I better go wake Mary. I can't leave without telling her."

"They're not leaving tonight," she told him. "Tony is gathering the last bit of intel and seeing who wants to go. They don't want you to go alone."

"It might be better for me to go alone. I don't want him to feel like he's being cornered or attacked." Steve told Emily. "I need to go find him."

Emily nodded. "Just talk to Tony before you go. I don't want you to get hurt. You're my brother Steve... I don't want to lose you."

Steve wrapped his arm around Emily. "You know I'm not that easy to get rid of, and Bucky won't hurt me."

"With this mind control, he will." Loki said from the bedroom doorway. "I found out more about their methods." He told Emily.

"How did you find out more about Hydra?" Emily asked. She turned towards Loki but kept her hand in Steve's.

"You probably don't want to know." Loki chuckled. "I need to talk to this guy called Zola, I think it is. He will have the code words they need."

Emily's eyes widened. "Loki... Hydra is an enemy. They're not just going to let you speak to anyone. Steve has been fighting them for years."

"They aren't my enemy. I could easily infiltrate them. I am a shifter, after all." Loki shrugged. "It will make their work far easier if they have the code words to unprogram him." He said truthfully. He glanced over when Mary walked out, still half asleep, to walk over and sit by Steve, curling up to him.

Emily looked over at Steve with a hopeful look in her eye. "What do you think?"

"I don't think Zola is still alive. He would be considerably older than I am." Steve told Emily. "As for the rest, it's not a terrible plan, but we don't have that kind of time."

"You don't even know what you'll be walking into," Emily pointed out. "He probably won't be alone."

"Whoever wants to come with me can come, but I'm not waiting." Steve said firmly.

"Where are we going?" Mary asked, still trying to wake up.

"Mary, you and I are staying here," Emily said softly, watching as Steve turned and looked down at her.

"Do you remember me telling you about Bucky?" Steve asked.

"Not if it's a mission. I am supposed to go." Mary clarified for Emily, before looking up at Steve. "Of course I do."

"Fury contacted Tony," Steve explained. "Bucky is alive. I don't know what condition he is in and apparently he's very hostile."

Mary gasped in shock. "Alive? How is that even possible?" She asked in disbelief, now fully awake. "I will get ready and grab my med bag."

"Mary, honey I don't want you to get hurt. He's being controlled. Worse than Loki was," Steve told her.

"I won't get hurt, but he could need medical attention." Mary insisted.

Steve sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Mary... he'll most likely be trying to kill us unless we can subdue him."

"Which means that whoever goes might need medical help." Mary said stubbornly.

"You're going to fight to the death aren't you?" Steve questioned.

"It's my job to take care of everyone." Mary told Steve. "I know it hasn't really come up before, but you've never acted like you object before."

"This is going to get awkward." Loki muttered, now sitting on the floor with the laptop.

"I'm just worried for your safety," Steve said. "I can't focus fully when I'm worrying about you. I want you to be where you're safe."

"Would you still object if I wasn't pregnant?" Mary asked softly.

"When it comes to Bucky and how dangerous it could be, yes," he answered honestly. "This is a situation where I don't know what I'm walking into. I haven't seen Bucky since I saw him fall off a train in Siberia." He gently cupped her face in his hands and brought his forehead to hers. "Please try to see it from my view."

Mary sighed as she felt her resolve break. "It's so hard to say no to you." She said, placing one of her hands over his. "Alright, I'll stay, but in trade, you take Loki with you. If anyone is badly injured, he can teleport them directly to me."

Steve nodded as he caressed her cheek. "I can do that," he murmured, then kissed her softly. "I love you, my girl."

"I love you too." Mary said, fighting back tears. "You better be careful and come back to me."

"I hate to break up this precious negotiation, but did anyone plan on actually asking Loki?" Loki asked them.

Steve held in a laugh so he could kiss Mary then turned towards him. "Do you want to go?" He asked. "I just figured you would want to."

Loki furrowed his brow. "Why would you assume I want to go? I have no interest or intention of going." Loki clarified.

"You said that you could help. I figured that you would want to help us out," Steve replied, his brows furrowed at Loki's sudden lack of interest.

"I can help, but not until you return." Loki told Steve. "Look at who you're talking to. If anything, anything at all goes wrong, I'm the one who will be blamed and thrown into a cell."

Steve sighed. "Loki, I trust you. My word goes a long way in the team, and if I want you to go, they'll let you go. Or I'll have something to say about it."

"Not going to happen. I'm not going to lose everything if someone else makes a mistake. Plus, I'm not part of your group, they will gladly place the blame on me." Loki said, returning his attention to the laptop.

"Fine. Then you can watch over the girls and give me intel through comms. Can you do that much?" Steve asked.

"No, he needs to go with you." Mary insisted.

"I can't make him come, Mary. It's his choice,"Steve said, turning to look at her.

"Em? Can you talk to him?" Mary asked Emily.

Emily shrugged. "I can try, but I can't make him either," she answered. "I think it would be good for him too, but I won't force him."

"Thank you." Mary told Emily, before turning back to Steve. "Would they really blame him if something went wrong?"

"No," Steve answered. "There's no reason to be worried about that from me."

"What about Tony? He's the only one who seems to still have issues." Mary pointed out.

Steve shrugged. "I can handle him."

"Loki still doesn't care." Loki muttered, loud enough for them to hear.

"By your own words, you owe me." Mary reminded him.

Loki glared at her, then sighed. "Fine. But if they screw up and try to pin it on me, I'll personally make sure you take the fall." He warned, but Mary nodded in agreement, not worried about that.

"You'll be fine, Loki. Steve will take care of you," Emily assured. She stood and let go of Steve's hand. "I'll pack a bag for you," she murmured, then walked into the bedroom.

Loki set the laptop aside so he could quickly get to his feet and follow her. "Say the word and I'll stay." He said truthfully.

Emily looked up at Loki as tears pricked in her eyes. She hadn't even grabbed the duffle from under the bed yet. "This will be good for you, to go on a mission and work with the team. I just never thought it'd be so hard to let you go. We've never been apart."

Loki walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll tell him not to wait on me. I don't even want to go." Loki promised, hugging her tight.

"I thought you wanted to help?" she asked. "You were mentioning everything you could do to help Steve out once they find James."

"My intention was to help them once they were back." Loki clarified. "Darling, I'm not part of their team. They will look after each other and let me take the fall for anything else. I've been through that before."

Emily nodded, not wanting to force him. "I feel that you could be one day... a part of their team I mean. You're a better man than what you believe."

"That's not going to matter to them. I'll never be part of their team. I'll always just be the fall guy." Loki said sadly. "I'll be right back. I know this is important and I don't want to hold them up."

She sat on the edge of the bed with a hefty sigh. "You would if you just tried." Emily flopped onto her back, on the bed, and stared up at the ceiling. A lot had happened in a short amount of time, making her head want to spin. What else is the world going to throw at me?

Loki walked over to the door and stuck his head out. "Sorry, I'm not going." He called out, then closed the door. He winced as he could hear Mary's harsh words towards him. Walking back to the bed, he sat, then laid back as well. "I'm sorry I upset you. In this regard, I can't be what you want. I can't be one of them."

Steve sighed and stood from the couch. "Don't be mad at him, Mary. Something like this is entirely new to him. He's conflicted." He turned and pulled her up to stand so he could wrap his arms around her. "I'll be back as soon as I can, and I will text and call you whenever I can. I promise."

He needs to go to protect you. "Please be careful. I'll be ready if anyone needs medical attention." Mary promised, in tears.

"Easy," he murmured, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I'm durable, remember? I'll be alright." Steve bent forward and kissed her gently. "I love you."

"I love you too." Mary said softly. She pulled him into a kiss, then turned and walked to their room, knowing she wouldn't be able to let him go if she held onto him any longer.

Steve sighed quietly before he turned and left the condo. He stopped in his apartment then the mission room before he walked out to the hangar to get in one of the quinjets. Tony and Nat were waiting for him when he got there. "I'm coming Buck," he murmured to himself.