Mary was waiting on the roof for the quinjet to arrive a week later. She had tried to drag Emily with her to no avail, so she stood on the snow-covered roof by herself to greet the team when they returned.

It had taken some time, but Steve, Tony, and Nat had talked Bucky down and at least got him to remember who Steve was on a vague level. They'd found him squatting in an old apartment, living off what food he could afford.

The quinjet landed as the dock door opened to reveal them standing around, battered and bruised. Steve turned to Bucky and put his hand on his shoulder before they all walked out onto the snow-covered roof. It was then that he saw Mary, standing by the doors in a winter coat. "Mar! I told you to wait for us inside!"

"I couldn't. I had to know that you are alright." Mary told Steve. She wanted to go to him, but waited as she wasn't sure of Bucky's mindset.

Steve waited until they reached her before opening his free arm to take her into a half embrace, keeping a grounding hand on Bucky's shoulder with the other. "I'm fine. Bruised, but fine," he assured her. "How's the peanut?"

"With my stress level, who knows." Mary sighed. "How are the others? My med bag is right inside the door if anyone needs any patching up." She said as she curled into his side.

He furrowed his brow at her as they all walked inside. "We're bruised mostly. Tony has a cut on his head. What do you mean who knows? You haven't checked in a week?"

"My first appointment was after you left. I don't go again until tomorrow." Mary answered. "I saw part of the fight on the news and ended up with another panic attack." She admitted, feeling tears sting her eyes.

Steve sighed softly and kissed the side of her head. "I'm sorry Mar. We had to fight Hydra to even get to him."

"Appointment?" James questioned; his brows furrowed as they walked. "Is this Mary?" He asked.

"Yes it is," Steve turned and smiled. "You'll like her Buck. She's great."

"It's alright, it was just hard to watch." Mary said softly. "The couch pulls out into a bed, if you want to stay with us for a bit." She told Bucky, feeling like it would be best to keep him closer to Steve.

"He needs to warm up to others slowly, but he should be okay," Steve told her. They all got into the elevator and Tony pressed the button for the med floor.

"I'm right here," Bucky grumbled.

Steve patted Bucky's shoulder. "I know pal. I'm just informing her."

"He needs to stay with you more than anything. Em won't bug him, and she will make sure Loki doesn't either." Mary promised.

"That's good to hear," Steve replied as the elevator dinged and they got off on the med floor. "Buck here has a few lacerations on him, but we need to get him out of this gear first. Do you still have the sweatpants and shirts in the back cabinet?"

Tony and Nat walked forward and checked in with Bruce, letting him take care of them.

"I'll get them. Do you think a large will fit?" Mary asked as she walked over to the cabinet. "I only have grey, but we will get him some new clothes." She said, finding a t-shirt and pants, then bringing them over.

"He's a little broader than me, but they should fit," Steve answered, watching Mary sit the clothes on one of the tables in front of Bucky.

James began to undress, not caring that there were others around, an empty look in his eyes. He peeled off his shirt after unbuckling his vest, showing a neat row of stitches along one side of his ribs. Then he unbuckled his belt, kicked off his boots, and dropped his pants.

"Woah Buck," Steve said, holding his hand up to block his view. "No underwear?"

James only shrugged and stepped out of them, revealing a cut along his thigh.

Mary set the clothes on the bed, not bothered by Bucky's lack of clothes. "I'll have you wear a gown first, so I can clean your thigh." She said, then walked back to the cabinet and grabbed a gown for him as well.

Steve watched as Bucky stood still, as if he were awaiting orders. It broke his heart to see his childhood friend like he was. Blinking away tears, he bent slightly to look at his stitches. "Did you do these?" Bucky just nodded.

"Help him with the gown. I'll look at those after his thigh." Mary said, feeling bad for Bucky's lack of care.

"Okay." Steve takes the gown from Mary and helps him put it on, then laces the back of it. "You can sit Bucky." He watched as he turned and sat on the table, almost mechanically.

"Can you move your right leg onto the bed for me?" Mary asked Bucky. "And how is your pain tolerance? I don't want to sedate you more than necessary." She said truthfully, knowing his mental state was fragile.

"I don't feel pain unless I think about it," James answered honestly as he did what Mary had asked him to do.

Mary put a pair of gloves on, then opened the supplies she would need. "I'm going to ask you some basic questions. Is that alright?" She asked as she began cleaning the wound on his thigh.

James nodded. "Sure."

Steve smiled, watching Mary work. She's in her element right now... so amazing to watch her take care of people. She's going to be an amazing mom.

"Can you tell me your full name?" Mary asked him. She tried to be as gentle as possible while cleaning the deeper part of the cut.

James squeezed his eyes shut. "All I know right now is Bucky."

"That's fine. Do you know what city we're in?" She asked as she began to suture the wound closed.

"New York," James answered. "Steve told me."

"Perfect. Do you know what year it is?" Mary asked as she covered the freshly stitched wound.

With a shake of his head James sighed. "No."

"Do you think you could make a guess for me? If not, that's fine." She assured him. Stepping back, she pulled the gown down to cover his upper thighs, then helped him sit up so she could untie the gown.

"I..." James looked over at Steve, but noticed quickly that he wouldn't be giving him an answer. "No," he answered again.

"Don't worry about it." Mary told Bucky as she looked over his back for injuries. Finding nothing significant, she helped him lay back again. Moving the gown down to his waist, she took a look at the injury he had stitched. "Babe, could you grab a few things for me?" She asked Steve.

"Sure," Steve answered. "What do you need?"

"Second cabinet, bottom shelf, I need the suture removal kit. In my bag, on the left hand side, I need one of the nausea candies." Mary answered as she began cleaning around the stitches Bucky had given himself.

Steve smiled softly and quickly got what Mary required before sitting them beside her. Then he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "So... you're a couple?" James asked.

"Yes," Steve answered, a bright smile on his face. "I told you about her on the jet. Do you remember?"

James nodded. "Yeah. I just remember you being a lot smaller."

"Can you open the candy for me? I don't want to get iodine on it." Mary told Steve, showing him her gloves. She opened the suture removal kit and began removing the stitches from Bucky's stomach.

Steve unwrapped the candy and waited for Mary to open her mouth so he could give it to her, then kissed her cheek. He watched her remove the sutures with practiced hands. Bucky never flinched. "You'll be free to get dressed soon, buddy."

"I'm just going to use skin glue and cover these." Mary told them, already getting to work. It only took a few minutes and she stepped away again. "You can get dressed now." She told Bucky. She pulled a chair over to the counter and sat with her back to him to do his chart while giving him privacy.

James sat up and looked down at his stomach before he shrugged and hopped down. He quietly put on the sweatpants, then pulled on the t shirt before he looked at Steve with a slight questioning look in his eyes.

"We'll go up to the condo soon," Steve assured him, watching as he nodded and looked down at his discarded clothing. "Do you want to keep those?"

"No," James answered instantly, not wanting to keep any part of the gear that Hydra made him wear.

Steve nodded. "Easy. That's alright. We'll toss it. Do you at least want your boots?" He watched him nod. "Okay."

"Are you both ready?" Mary asked them. "I can finish this up there. "He might be the same size as Loki and I'm sure he'll loan Bucky an outfit and we can order more."

"We can take him up," Steve nodded, pulling out his cell to send a quick text to Emily, letting her know they would be coming and to chill in the bedroom for a while. "Emily says they'll stay in their room for a little while."

"That won't last long. Loki will be curious about Bucky." Mary told Steve. She stood, but held onto the counter while waiting for her stomach to settle.

"Are you alright?" Steve asked. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I just had to wait for the nausea to pass. I'm alright now." Mary said softly, going right to Steve's side.

He smiled at her before he wrapped his arm around Steve, letting him lead them both to the elevator. "Has it been getting any better?"

"It gets better for a while, but overall, no. It won't get better for another month or so." Mary told Steve.

"I'm here for whatever you need," he murmured as they stepped into the elevator. Steve noticed that Bucky was looking at him with curiosity, but he didn't know if he should tell him quite yet.

Mary pressed the button for their floor then tucked into Steve's side. "I need to have something stronger prescribed tomorrow." She sighed. "Do Tony and Nat need any tending to? What about you?"

"They had Bruce look at them," Steve answered. "But I think I'm alright."

"You know I'm still going to check you over, right?" Mary said seriously, but with a hint of playfulness.

Steve chuckled as the elevator dinged then opened on their floor. "Yes, I do."

Mary let Steve lead them out, needing the comfort of simply staying curled into him. She kept an eye on Bucky, not sure what to say to him.

Once they were in the condo, Steve watched Bucky look around, showing a little curiosity. "I know it's different than what you're used to. But this is home."

James walked around the open area of the condo, subconsciously sweeping over the area. He could hear two people in one of the bedrooms, but he remembered Steve talking about others that lived in there. He sighed and sat on the couch. It felt odd to not have any orders.

Steve wrapped his arms around Mary and caressed her stomach with one hand. "It's going to take time," he said softly. "But I know Bucky is in there."

Mary nodded and snuggled into Steve more. "I know he is, and we will find him. We will just have to help him the best we can."

"For now, he just needs to rest. Maybe some of his memories will come back on their own," he replied.

"When should we introduce him to Emily and Loki? We can't have them stay in their room all the time." Mary pointed out.

"We can introduce them one at a time if you want. Buck's just... jumpy," Steve said as they walked in the kitchen. "We unarmed him of everything but a knife. He said he needs at least one thing on him, or he doesn't feel safe."

"I'm sure that will change in time as he heals. For now, I understand." Mary replied. "I think I'm going to make a salad. Do you want some?"

Steve smiled. "Sure. I'm going to go sit with him. Okay?" When she nodded, he turned and walked back into the living room and sat near him on the couch. "Hey Buck. Do you feel ready to start meeting the others? There's only two of them and we can introduce them one at a time." He told Bucky.

James looked towards the closed bedroom door then shrugged. "That's fine."

"Do you have any preference of who you meet first? Loki is very curious and wants to help, but he also might try to feed you with questions." Steve said, though knowing Loki would mean well.

"Will the woman be scared of me?" James asked. "I... I don't want anyone scared of me."

"No, she won't be scared of you. They have both heard a lot about you." Steve assured him.

James nodded. "She can come first. Sounds less threatening."

"I will go get her." Steve said as he stood up. He walked over and knocked on their bedroom door. "Em? Can you come out for a few? Bucky wants to meet you first." He said through the door.

Emily looked up from her book, quickly marking the page. "I'm coming." She turned and gave Loki a quick kiss before walking out of her bedroom to see Steve, then noticed the large dark-haired man sitting on the couch.

"How badly is Loki pouting about not being called first?" Steve joked.

"He would be more upset if he wasn't so into reading on his tablet," she chuckled.

"He loves that thing." Steve chuckled, then led Emily over to the couch. "Buck, this is Emily." He said introducing them.

"Hi." James simply said.

"Hi Bucky." Emily greeted in return, keeping her voice soft and friendly.

"I haven't heard much about you. You're the sister, right? Steve mostly talked about Mary the entire time." James told her.

Emily sat adjacently to Bucky and nodded. "Steve and Mary are my best friends. I've known them both for a long time."

"So, like Steve and I?" James asked curiously.

She nodded. "Yes. Although not quite as long. I'm not a super soldier like either of you."

"The other guy... is he like us?" Bucky questioned.

Emily bit her lip. "In a way, yes. He's a... uh... he's not from here. He's strong like you, has more endurance, and he ages slower. But it's just the way he was born, not a serum."

"I didn't know people could be born like that now." He shrugged. "Did you ever see Steve before the serum? He was tiny." He added. While he kept his gaze on the floor, his tone suggested it was a fond memory.

"Em, do you want some salad?" Mary asked, handing each of the guys a bowl.

"I'm alright for now," Emily said softly, focused on talking to James. "He's not from Earth," she explained further.

"Super soldiers and aliens. Sounds like a bad sci-fi film." James said, making a small attempt at humor.

Emily smiled as she moved to sit a bit closer to him with a chuckle. "Yeah, I'll agree with you there. Can I ask you something?"

"You can try. I'm not great at answering questions lately." James admitted.

"When I say the word Steve Rogers, what do you think of?" She asked, curious to see if Steve or Mary would notice progress already.

"I think of him, but the scrawny version." James said, glancing at Steve.

Emily smiled. "I've seen pictures. He was pretty small. Can you think of anything else?"

"He used to get beat up a lot. Like, all the time, daily basis." James added.

"You're remembering. That's a good thing," she said softly. I would touch his knee to comfort him, but I don't want to scare him. James looked over at Steve and gave him a hopeful smile. "Do you want me to get Loki?"

"What do you think, Buck? Are you ready for that?" Steve asked, not wanting to overwhelm him.

James lifted his face, making Emily be able to see his blue eyes for the first time. "I don't care."

Emily smiled. Beautiful eyes. She stood and cleared her throat. "I'll get him. I'll be right back," she said then turned and walked back into the bedroom.

Loki was still contently reading on his tablet when Emily came in. He was so engrossed in the story that he didn't even hear her.

"Baby?" Emily walked over to his side of the bed and ran her hand along his arm. "Loki?"

Loki jumped and grunted in shock when Emily startled him. "Gods, you scared me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You must love your book."

"Yes, I do. They are getting closer to the Mordor place." Loki replied, switching the tablet off.

"Ahh, getting pretty intense then." She smiled softly. "Do you want to meet James?"

"I guess I could." Loki said offhand, not wanting to seem too curious.

Emily squeezed his arm. "You can't bombard him with questions, okay? You'll overwhelm him. I don't want him scared."

"I know. I can hear through the walls, remember?" Loki chuckled. He got out of bed and stretched. "I also know that I wasn't even offered a salad." He shrugged, just wanting to prove his claim.

She laughed. "I'm sure you'll be offered one once you're in the living room. It's not common knowledge that you can hear like Steve and probably James can."

"I would rather just have some juice. Since we are having noodles tonight, I don't want to fill up on anything now." Loki shrugged. He took Emily's hand to walk with her, but once in the living room, he took his previous spot on the floor.

Emily looked down at Loki, happy that he wanted to work with James. Then she returned to her spot beside him, watching him pick at his food. "Do you want something different?" She asked him.

"No. I just don't have much of an appetite." James replied, then set his bowl on the coffee table.

"That's okay." She looked over at Steve a moment before she looked back at James. "Would you like to shower? You could use the bathroom in Steve's room or mine."

"I don't have any clothes to change into." James said simply.

"We can get you some," she assured. "That's not an issue. But I'd like to give you the option of showering."

"Alright, I will." James agreed. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Which one do you want to go to?" Emily asked. "I have one and Steve has one."

"I guess yours in case Mary gets sick." James answered.

"Okay." Emily stood and waited for James to stand then led him into her bedroom then to the bathroom. "Do you want me to start the water for you?" She asked.

"Sure." James shrugged and stood by the bathroom door to not crowd Emily.

Emily moved the shower curtain aside then bent down to start the water. Once it was warm she turned and faced him again. "I'll set clothes on the bed for you. Do you need to do anything special for your arm?"

"No, the arm is fine, but I do need to cover the bandages." James muttered as he began taking his shirt off.

"I think I have some plastic wrap. I'll be right back." She walked through the bedroom and into the living room. "Mary? Could you see if we have plastic wrap for James' bandages?"

"I have proper bandage wraps in the first aid kit." Mary mumbled, now on Steve's lap after having been sick again. "Is there any chance you can help him get them covered?"

"I can do it myself; you don't have to get up," Emily assured her. "Which kit are they in?"

"Thanks Em." Mary said gratefully. "They are in the kit in the closet by the door."

Emily nodded, noticing that Loki was now doing the best to ignore them all. She got the bandage wraps and returned to James in her bathroom to find him waiting for her naked. "Alright. I just need to wrap your side and your leg," she said, ignoring his nudity.

"Go ahead." James said, not bothered by much. "Do you need me to sit?"

"No, you can stand." Emily gently wrapped his stomach before kneeling down to wrap his leg. "I'll take them off when you're done. There's soap in the shower, on the shelf. I'll put a towel on the sink."

"Are you staying in here until I'm done?" James asked curiously.

"Do you want me to?" she asked in reply. "I can, or I can go into the living room or the bedroom in case you need help."

"Do I just come get you to unwrap my injuries?" James asked, not caring where she waited.

Emily nodded. "Yes. Just put on your underwear or pants first."

"Alright." He replied, then stepped into the shower.

Once James was settled, Emily turned and left the bathroom and walked back into the living room to sit on the couch.

"Thank you Em. I really appreciate it." Mary told Emily. "Mr. Grumpy won't talk to us now."

Emily looked over at Loki with a furrowed brow. "Loki. You know it's my job to help him. I did the same for you."

"I don't like him." Loki murmured. "It's not your job to see him nude."

"Loki, I saw you before we were ever together. It's my job to help him and to be a friend," Emily retorted.

"I still don't like him." Loki stubbornly insisted.

"I think he's a little jealous." Mary told Emily, ignoring the glare from Loki.

Emily sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I can see that. He'll also have to get over it." She looked over at Mary, a determined look on her face.

"I would say to send him to his room, but that might be a bad idea." Mary chuckled.

"No, he can sit here," Emily said. You know I'm frustrated at you.

Loki winced when he saw the look Emily gave him. He can give her more than I can.

Hearing the shower turn off, Emily turned her head. "Do you need any help Bucky?" she called.

"I will in a minute." James called back, wanting to dry himself first.

Emily looked back down at Loki then bent down to squeeze his knee. "I love you Loki, you know that right? James has been through as much trauma as you have, maybe even more. He needs our help and people he can trust."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't help him. I'm simply saying I don't like him." Loki reiterated.

"Give him a chance," Emily said. "Please." She stood back up and walked back in the bedroom to see James standing in the bathroom with a towel around his waist, trying to do something with his hair.

"I think I need a haircut." James mumbled to himself, before noticing Emily. He turned to her and stood there so she could do what she needed.

She smiled at him, doing her best to appear friendly. "I could just dry it for now and pull it back if you want. We can see what style you want it to be cut in first." Emily walked up to him before gently removing the bandage wrap around his stomach. "Do you mind if I move your towel to get to your leg? I won't expose you."

"Sure." He agreed, leaving his hair alone now. "I don't care if you need to move it. I don't have that modesty anymore." He shrugged.

"It will come back," she said softly, bending to remove the bandage wrap from his upper leg. "With time." Emily stood and threw away the wraps into the nearby trash bin then led James out into the bedroom. "There's a pair of Steve's boxers, as well as a pair of sweats and a shirt." She turned to face him again. "Do you need to do anything special for your arm since it's gotten wet?"

"No, it's fine and will dry on its own." James replied. He picked up the boxers and started to dress himself.

"Steve will pull the couch out for you when you're ready to go to bed. Although I'm sure we'll be up for a while longer." Emily averted her gaze until he at least had pants on. Silently she looked over his chest and back seeing the scars that Hydra caused. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I don't." James said simply as he grabbed the shirt. He quickly pulled it on, then walked over to the door. "Thank you for the help." He said, then walked out.

Emily cleaned up the bathroom before she re-emerged in the living room and sat beside Loki. Steve and James were talking about a few trivial things, so she just sat back and listened to them.

Loki glanced over at Emily, trying to figure out if she was still upset with him. He finally hesitantly reached over and took her hand.

She looked over at him and gently squeezed his hand before she looked towards the tv. Mary had put it on a random tv show to have some background noise in the room. I wonder if we're okay... will he stay this way about James?

"Is it alright if I finish my book? I'm eager to see what happens to the ring." Loki told Emily.

Emily smiled at him. "Of course. I'll come join you soon. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"No thank you. I get too caught up to need much when I'm reading." Loki admitted. He gave her a quick kiss, then got up and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

She turned and looked at everyone and grinned, but it didn't fully meet her eyes. "Do you need help setting up James for the night?" She asked, deciding to use his first name.

"We can manage." Mary promised Emily. "Try to go easy on him. This is the first time you've been around a guy that he sees as competition." She pointed out.

Emily nodded. "I know. I'm just trying to get him to see that I just want to help." She stood and stretched. "You guys have a good night," she added before going to the kitchen to get a couple bottles of water. Then she walked to her bedroom, opening the door to get inside and closing it back behind her.

Loki looked up from where he was just lying in bed, unable to focus on reading. "I'm sorry I made you mad." He said softly, sounding like he had already been scolded.

"I wasn't mad," she said softly. "Not entirely. More frustrated." Emily walked up to the bed, shimmying out of her sweats before climbing onto the bed to lay beside him.

"I'm still sorry and I will try to do better." Loki promised.

Emily frowned at him. "Baby, maybe you would feel better if you told me what's actually bothering you."

Loki shook his head. "Nothing is bothering me."

"I know you well enough to be able to see when something bothers you, Loki." Emily reached out and caressed his cheek.

"I think it needs to stay my problem instead of becoming your problem." Loki admitted, leaning into her touch.

A look of confusion crossed Emily's face. "Why? What's wrong with sharing what's on your mind?"

"I don't want to upset you or make you mad at me." Loki said truthfully.

"Babe, a part of being in a relationship is communicating and talking to each other. Please tell me what's eating you. If you don't, it's going to bother me," she said softly.

Loki looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "I'm insecure, I always have been. It's one of the reasons I've only had flings instead of pursuing actual relationships."

Emily gently caressed Loki's cheek. "I'm not going anywhere." She took one of his hands and put it over her ring on her ring finger. "You feel that? This ring tells you that I'm not going to pursue anyone else but you."

"For now, maybe. After you talk with my mother, I doubt you'll feel the same." Loki said, distressed by the very thought.

"Loki..." she gently pulled him so he would face her on his side. "I know you're not from here. If it's a race thing or something you've done in your past, I don't care. You could turn purple and have a tail and I would still love you just how you are."

Loki couldn't help but scoff. "Yeah, until you actually saw the tail." He muttered.

Emily sighed and moved to lay on her back. "I don't know what else to tell you Loki. But I love you."

"I know you do. Well, I know you love me as you see me. I would give anything to be different, truly." Loki said softly.

"I love every part of you," she countered. "Even things I can't see."

"We will see after you've spoken with my mother." Loki said softly.

"When do you think she will get my message?" Emily asked. "I think the sooner I see her, the sooner you'll feel better."

"She received it within minutes. I did say at her convenience though, so she's probably just too busy to deal with me right now." Loki said with a shrug.

"Deal with you?" Emily asked. "What would she be busy with?"

"Darling, she is the queen of Asgard. She could be busy with any number of things." Loki pointed out.

"I suppose that's true," Emily mused. "I forget that you're a prince sometimes."

"It's not something that matters much. It's just a title that comes with the adoption." Loki assured her.

Emily nodded and felt herself yawn. "We better get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Are you still going to the appointment tomorrow with Lady Mary?" Loki asked curiously.

"If she wants me there, I'll go. But since Steve is back, she might want him to go instead," Emily replied.

"Do you want me to make sure you're awake in time, in case she does want you to go?" Loki offered.

Emily nodded, then yawned. "Unless you want to ask her before waking me."

"I guess I can do that. Either way, I can go back to sleep after." Loki said, then moved closer to wrap his arm around her.

She turned and curled against him, melting into his embrace, putting one leg in between his. "I love you Loki," she whispered.

"I love you too." Loki said softly. He made sure they were tucked in then settled himself for sleep.