Bucky woke up in a dark cell, cold and bound with heavy metal cuffs around his wrists and ankles.

The last thing he remembered, he'd been sitting in a lounge with Steve, waiting to see if they could move the baby from Marley to Emily. Now he was here. And while he didn't know where exactly here was, he was for damned sure going to find out.

Looking around he saw other cells, across from him. Shuri was unconscious on a narrow cot in the cell directly across from his, Helen on the cot in the one to her left. Whatever sedative they'd used would keep them out for hours. It was strong. It had to be to work on him and he'd just burned it off.

In the cell to the right of Shuri's, sat Emily on a cot. How the hell was she awake? And honestly, she looked bored.

If she'd been playing them the entire time… Or been with HYDRA…

"Emily," Bucky's voice was rough.

Emily's green eyes alone moved as she gazed at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, watching her carefully.

Emily blew out a dramatic exhale. "I'm wishing I'd thought all of this out a bit better, but I'll live otherwise. And you?"

Bucky was confused. "Thought all of this out better?"

Emily rolled her eyes. Then she lowered her feet to the floor, leaning forward to face him.

"Watch," she said carefully.

So quickly he almost missed it, Bucky watched as she waved her hand before her face. For a split second, her face was replaced by another before returning to normal.

Loki?

"Whatever does Marley see in you?" Loki disguised as Emily said dryly. "Have to be careful with the cameras."

"Where is Marley?" Bucky wanted to know.

"Upstairs," Loki told him. "They know it is in the baby's best interest to keep her sedated under the circumstances. They are still trying to determine how they will handle the situation."

Fucking HYDRA. Bucky cocked a brow at him. "What do you mean?"

"Marley is a you and your child to keep her in line, to make her… compliant," Loki explained in Emily's voice. "They wish to see if they can safely keep her sedated through the pregnancy as they believe there's less risk involved. However, if they see that will be a struggle, they will go on with the procedure just as you planned it."

Bucky was done. They could do whatever they wanted to him. And they had. But not his girl. It made no difference that HYDRA engineered her to be the weapon they wanted now. He loved her. She was his. The child was not part of the deal. The child was not meant to be theirs. It was also his.

Bucky was done with fucking HYDRA. Steve would come for them. The Avengers would come for them.

"Just hope they can figure out where we are sooner rather than later," Bucky muttered, trying to see if there was any give to his cuffs.

"I left a present for Thor back at the compound, they know precisely where we are," Loki told him with certainty. "We just need to be ready when they arrive."

He just hoped Loki was being straight with him.

Bucky nodded. "We will be."

No way he was going to let them hurt his family, jeopardize them more than they had already. If all of this caused his girl to lose the baby anyway, there wouldn't a pit in hell deep enough to offer them shelter when he got a hold of them.

"Who else do they have?"

Loki shrugged. "What you see here and Marley."

Tipping his head at Loki, Bucky asked, "She okay? Emily."

"She should be just fine," Loki explained.

It was one small concession. Loki had kept them from taking Emily. Just maybe she'd still be willing to be their surrogate when they got back.

"Fuck the cameras. I need to get out of here," Bucky told him able to force his metal arm out of the cuff and then rip the metal off to free his flesh wrist and legs. Tossing away the cuffs, he scanned the cell, looking for any weaknesses. Bucky didn't recall a holding area that looked like the one they were in. Chances were, he was never here before. That increased the chances that there were no cells designed to contain him.

The arm Shuri designed was stronger than his original one and he was able to rip open the door with some effort and force his way out.

"If they are paying attention to the cameras at all, we don't have long," Loki grumbled.

"You going to keep that dress on?" Bucky wanted to know. "Or will that fuck something up?"

With a glimmer, Loki stood and took his true form, dressed in his normal dark green garb.

"I've ensured Thor will be able to find me no matter the form," Loki told him.

Bracing a foot on the door to Loki's cell, Bucky ripped his door open, freeing him. "You're with me," he told the god. "And I wouldn't advise one of your tricks about now."

Loki looked him the eye. "Not today."

Deciding Helen and Shuri would be safe where they were for the moment, Bucky had one mission. "I'm going to find my girl."

Loki followed silently as Bucky led them through the dingy small unit, sweeping room after room. He found weapons first, arming himself with a high-powered rifle and slinging three more across his back. He tucked as much ammo was he could within his suit before looking up at his companion.

"No guns for me," Loki told him, his eyes scanning the wall. There was a good selection of knives. Bucky snatched a larger one down before muttering at Loki. "Have at it."

Armed, they continued to sweep the rooms looking for Marley.

"It's too quiet," Loki whispered.

"They're getting ready for the rescue team," Bucky assured him. "Likely outside."

But he couldn't wait for them. He wanted Marley safe, by his side, when Steve arrived.

His heart pounded in his chest as he searched room after room with no sign of her. Fear gnawed at him until they climbed up to the next level. The rooms up there looked more like lookout posts or control rooms. He was nearly in tears when he reached the last one, thinking they'd taken his girl away from him, moved her somewhere else, and opened the door.

The room didn't look like a cell but a cheap bedroom. Marley looked so small curled on her side on the bed, her thin arms wound protectively around her middle even though there was no outer evidence of the pregnancy. Even in this state, she was protecting their child.

Pressing a kiss into her hair, Bucky looked her over for any signs of injury but found none. But she was heavily sedated. He couldn't rouse her enough to open her eyes.

An explosion rocked the base, had he and Loki staggering where they stood. Thunder ripped open the quiet following that and Loki smiled. "Thor came with them," Loki announced with a smirk.

Bucky knew a moment's relief, but they weren't out of the woods yet. He'd breathe easy when he got all of them safely back to the compound.

Looking out, they saw the fire fight had already started. The men were mostly outside stationed with guns, launchers and more. The team would have to fight their way through them to get to the base, but he knew they could do it.

Neither was surprised when T'Challa pushed his way into the room. "Where is Shuri?"

"Downstairs," Bucky told him, looking at Loki. "Take him."

And Loki did. They'd go rescue Helen and Shuri.

Another look outside showed him Steven and Thor, smashing their way through the armed HYDRA soldiers out there, Okoye right behind them. Tony and Vision soared overhead, reeking havoc.

"Soldat!"

An enormous soldier, flanked by two other soldiers pushed into the room, growling at him in Russian.

"The Winter Soldier," the leader spat. "Well, at least we know you have a working dick. You knocked up her up, yes? It's your baby?"

Bucky wasn't even going to dignify that with a response. '

When all three of them came at him, he shifted them away from Marley's bed, trying to angle himself to draw them out of the room. He didn't want any of them anywhere near her.

The leader sent the other two after him, the first of which Bucky grabbed by the throat with his metal hand. Crushing his windpipe dispatched him easily. The second one pointed his rifle at Bucky and pulled the trigger. He deflected the bullets with his left hand, kicking the man's feet out from under him and shooting him in the head as soon as he hit.

Bucky looked up to see the leader pointing a handgun directly at Marley. That stopped him. Bucky didn't think the man would be stupid enough to shoot the weapon HYDRA had waited 30 years for, but he couldn't risk losing her, losing them.

The click of another handgun behind the man's head had him staring at Bucky in surprise.

"Drop the gun," Steve was in full Captain-don't-fuck-with-me-America mode. "Now."

Bucky knew the moment the man decided to pull the trigger anyway. He lunged at the man, hitting the gun so it tipped up and blew a hole in the wall above Marley's head. Steve's shield came down on the man's head so hard the gong sound was almost hilarious.

"Bucky?"

Marley's eyes slanted open in fear, she struggled to sit up as she stared at him in horror, realizing that things had gone very wrong.

Bucky headed straight for her but the large HYDRA soldier, how the hell was he still conscious, climbed to his feet as the battle seemed to move indoors and erupt all around them. The man placed himself squarely between Bucky and the bed. Then he made the first move, swinging at Bucky with his rifle and hitting the wall by the bed.

Bucky's heart lurched in his throat at how close that had been to his girl's head. She couldn't use her powers to defend herself.

Steve kicked the man hard in the back and as he was going down, he went to aim in the general direction of Marley. Bucky got lucky and blocked the shot, but his luck would run out soon.

"Steve!" Bucky called. "Help me get her out!"

As he wrestled the huge soldier with the gun, Tony dashed into the room, looking from Marley to Bucky.

"Anthony's a good name, right?" Tony quipped.

Bucky nodded.

"Get her out of here," Steve commanded.

Tony nodded, gently lifting Marley into his arms, ready to get her out to safety while the soldier he fought screamed and kicked to get free. With a rush of air, Okoye dashed into the room, sizing up the situation in an instant. Vision was on her heels.

"Come," she said to Tony, high-powered rifle in hand, "We'll cover you."

Bucky felt hope bloom in his chest as he watched them get his girl out of the compound. Steve helped him beat down the soldier, finally finishing him with his own handgun, before they set out to see where everyone else was in the mission.

"Do we have Shuri?" Steve baked into his comm. "Helen?"

"They are secured," boomed the voice of Thor. "Lady Marley?"

"She is safely resting on the Quinjet," Vision announced.

"Antonia, if it's a girl," Tony went on.

They ignored him.

"Loki?" Steve asked.

"He's with me," Thor yelled. "Some coverage up the hallway would be nice."

"You got it!" Steve called, motioning to Peter who had just swung into the hallway. "You know what to do, kid."

"Yep," Peter said, and he started webbing up HYDRA soldiers as they headed for the same stairwell Bucky knew their friends were heading up. The couple Peter missed, he and Steve took out and they held their ground until T'Challa carrying his sister emerged, followed by Thor carrying Helen and Loki.

Bucky didn't know where all the soldiers came from as small as the base was, honestly, but somehow, they made it out of the building. Vision and Okoye made it back out to help get them in to the Quinjet while Tony flew over them.

Bucky was panicked. "Who's with Marley?"

"I am," Wanda announced. "No one will touch her. Just get your asses back here."

After what felt like hours, they made it to the craft, with everyone on board and minor injuries all around.

Marley's tear-filled eyes were the first thing he saw when he climbed in. Her gaze raked over him as she came and pulled her against. "I'm fine, doll. I'm just fine. Shhhhh."

Wanda still had an arm around her, smiling at him in relief that they'd all made it.

"You see, we got them all back," Wanda told her.

"I hope everything is okay," Marley was fighting back her fear. "I hope that…"

"Shhhhhh." Wanda whispered. Warm red light emerged from her hands and she gently moved them over Marley's tummy, not touching but close. "Ah, there it is. A heartbeat. The little one is fine. Don't worry."

"Really?" Marley asked, tears sliding down her face.

Wanda smiled, nodded.

"Where's Emily?" Marley looked around frantically. "Is she…?"

"Back at the compound, safe," Steve's tone was kind. "Loki took her place. They thought he was her."

Marley's gaze fell on Loki who looked a little embarrassed in that moment.

"Thank you," Marley told him. "Thank you so much."

Loki nodded as his brother pounded on his back with pride. "That's being part of a team brother."

Bucky held Marley as she dozed through the entire trip back. Helen and Shuri hadn't yet woken.

He carried his girl off the jet when they got back. A very sleepy looking Bruce greeted them, along with Natasha who Clint had pushed in a wheelchair, both looking rough still. Emily stood just behind them, her worried look fading when she saw them walking off the jet.

Emily made a beeline for him as he carried a sleeping Marley close to his chest. "Is she okay?"

Bucky smiled, nodded. "She's just fine."

"So we're still going to…"

"If we haven't scared you off," Bucky was serious.

Emily shook her head. "I'll be ready whenever."

Bucky tipped his head back towards the jet just as Steve walked down, winking at her. Emily blushed.

Watching out of the corner of his eye, he saw her walk up to Steve, placing a hand on his arm and surely asking if he was okay. Steve stopped looking awkward as fuck.

Bucky chuckled as he headed for medical. The room where Marley was to have recovered was still ready so he gently laid her down, letting her sleep. With all of the adrenaline running through him, along with the realization that he could have lost his family so easily, he just stretched out next to her. He watched over her like he expected her to disappear.

It was a couple of hours before he decided he'd like a drink. He eased up, heading for the vending machines. He walked past the lounge on his way, stopping when something caught his eye.

Steve was stretched out on the sofa, as much as he could because he was really too big for it, out cold, snoring. His head was on Emily's lap, her little body curled around his upper body like a cat. She was sleeping too, her fingers in his hair.

Hell, there's hope for Rogers yet.

They all needed to rest from the excitement of the day. And then back to the worry of their child and his or her future.

He passed Stark as he reached the vending machines. Of course, Tony didn't just keep walking.

"So, any thoughts about Anthony as a name?" he asked Bucky, smirking.