Chapter 37: Clint's Farmhouse- or rather, the ruins of

With the farmhouse and barn smouldering (not to mention the expanding crater), the Avengers fell one by one into Tony's remote suits (once the power supplies were cycled) and left the farm. Clint and Banner, who'd turned green again just as he caught up with Clint, were found two miles away. They were tired, but unharmed, and were taken back in the second wave to leave. Thor, Inessa, and Sam were the last ones left. They surveyed the damage- glad that Coulson had sent a SHIELD team to oversee the site and wipe all traces of Morris and his cabal off the face of the earth (John Ryker, cut in two when the roof collapsed, was the most whole of the team).

"I'm going to sleep for a fortnight," Thor swore. Three more suits were being repaired by a fourth, and they watched it absently, all of them more asleep than awake.

"How long is that?"

Thor smiled at Inessa, "Two weeks."

"I'll spend that long showering," Sam couldn't even see his skin for all the debris and dust. The more he wiped at it, the more it smeared.

"You should have returned with the others, you are too weary," Thor put a hand on Inessa's shoulder, partly to comfort, partly to steady the swaying teen.

Inessa shook her head as she watched the tiny speck that was Steve's suit fading in the distance, "I had to wait until he was gone. He can't see."

"See what?"

Inessa took a deep breath and stood up. The other two followed her to the chasm's edge. She slowly raised her hands in the shadowy dawn. There was a crack of thunder, a flash of shadow, and suddenly the crater was filled with half-rotted, half-smashed, stinking corpses. Nearly 100. "Hydra," she explained.

Thor just nodded, "It was a good decision to keep this from him."

"Let's not tell him for a month or two," Sam put a hand on Inessa's shoulder.

"A year or two," Thor suggested after a moment. They'd all seen Morris' body.

Inessa just nodded, "It's from before. I promise."

"We believe you, Nessie," Sam squeezed her hand, "it's alright."

Avenger's Tower - One Week Later

"Do I need to watch my back from now on?" Clint was only half-joking as he talked with his brother in the recovery room. It still didn't feel real.

Berny shook his head, "I'm not planning on being an upstanding citizen, but I've got no taste for blood. Not anymore." He smiled at a thought, "Hey, we can have horrible family meals again," he didn't look at Clint much, it made his temper flair, but he was willing to give civility a try. He'd actually found himself missing his brother, once in a blue moon, when he was locked up.

"I'll look forward to that. I missed having a little brother, you know, and I hated the guy who killed him as much as he does."

"Did." it was the only concession he'd allow Clint, but it spoke volumes.

"What about me?" Natasha managed to sound intelligible through her wired jaw. The healing stone was working, but she was impatient to get the thing off.

"You I got revenge on already," Berny flashed her a smile, emphasizing how he could move his mouth open and closed. She flipped him off.

"Stick around for another week, please?" Clint asked abruptly.

Berny glanced at him, then at Natasha and grimaced, "If I have to."

Natasha suppressed a smile. When she brought Berny in she had a feeling he'd been exaggerating his hatred for his brother. Nothing could have made her feel better than to have that theory validated- even if it was several years in the making. Clint glanced over at her and winked. They weren't fighting anymore. Inessa, galvanized by her fight with Cul, was throwing herself into her training and actually obeyed their request to cease her actions against Hydra (with the occasional scan for Helius devices).

No more secrets, no more lies. For once, Avengers Tower was at peace.

Bucky joined Steve on the balcony of Avengers Tower in time to see the scarlet sun dip behind the distant hills. Steve was watching it, looking more relaxed than he had in a long time, "I didn't think any of us would live to see one of these again. We were lucky." he took a swig from a bottle of beer. When combined with Thor's Super-Asgardian-Booze he'd discovered it was possible to get buzzed, if not drunk.

"I'm leaving," Bucky didn't know how to preface it, so he just blurted it out.

"I figured."

"I killed Inessa's uncle," he looked down at his shoes, "I used my Hydra contacts to flush him out. Grabbed him off the street when he went to restock on liquor. I tied him down and broke his bones, one at a time. Described what happened to Inessa." he wasn't proud of it, not anymore.

"I know that too." They were silent for a long time, until shadows filled the city streets, "Where are you headed?"

Bucky shrugged, "I haven't decided. I guess I'll just see where I end up."

"How long?"

"As long as it takes to get my head on straight and flush out the Winter Soldier once and for all. Maybe for good."

Steve nodded, then faced him finally, "Take care of yourself, Bucky. Find a quiet little corner of the world- somewhere saner than all of this."

"I will," Bucky promised.

"You're always welcome back here, if you decide to return."

"Honestly? I don't think I will."

Steve knew exactly how he was feeling. He was happy to see Bucky go before it turned into a bitter, dark ache. Like it had with him. But he still had work to do, people to take care of, a team to lead. All Steve could think to say was, "I'll keep the others from looking for you."

"Can I ask one more favor?"

Steve nodded, "Of course."

Bucky smiled to himself, "I've got this friend- runty little snot, always getting himself into fights- even ones he knows he'll lose. Keep an eye on him for me? He's been fighting so long, I think he forgot that every war ends and eventually you've got to put it down and go home. Remind him for me, when things get rough."

"I will," he shook Bucky's hand, then hugged his friend one last time. "Hey," he stopped Bucky as he turned to leave. He wanted his friend to be alright. To be happy. For Bucky, that meant getting away. Even from her. Steve pulled a syringe from his pocket and tossed it to Bucky, "Simmons finished her cure a bit before things got bad. It'll break Inessa's connection once and for all. She won't be able to find you by that," he gestured to the silver scar hidden under the sleeve of Bucky's shirt.

"Thanks."

"You gonna say goodbye to her?" he was stalling. They both knew it.

"No. I fell into her life. I'm backing out the same way."

He nodded once more to Steve, then turned and went back into the lobby. He cast one last look around. So many memories- playing cards with Tony, movies with Thor and Steve, games, pranks at the farmhouse, dinners that felt just like being home again, and fights... Too many fights... Bucky removed his metal arm and set it on the table, lost in memories both sweet and sour. He popped the cap off the syringe and injected the serum into his leg, then pulled on a one-armed jacket and grabbed his duffel bag, waiting by the front door. Laughter, lies, friendship, murder.

Bucky left the Tower silently. No one would notice for a couple hours still. He walked down the steps, surprised how unwilling he was to even talk to JARVIS. Tony knew he was going, Tony removed the comm for him. He hoped Stark was good on his word to keep it a secret.

He hesitated across the street and turned back to see the Tower's silhouette. He could barely make out someone far above, looking out from one of the windows in the penthouse. There was no question in his mind. Inessa. The figure waved to him. He made a small half-wave, then turned and walked out of sight.

It was time for Bucky Barnes to disappear again.

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