Sunlight shining through the window stirred Anna awake the next morning. Blinking away the sleep from her eyes, Anna sat up, still in a slight daze. The first thing she realized was her right arm was completely dead, having gone numb from whatever position she had slept in last night. The second thing she realized was James was still sitting against the side of the bed. That's when she remembered how they were supposed to take shifts sleeping last night.

"What happened to waking me up for my shift?" Anna muttered as she slid off the bed to sit beside him. His gaze remained steady on the door, as Anna suspected it had been all night.

"You needed sleep," James answered bluntly, his eyes glancing down at her for a moment before returning to the door. He knew she wouldn't be happy about it when she finally woke up. That fact had never dissuaded him from his decision. She would get over it.

"So did you," Anna insisted, knocking her shoulder against his lightly. She didn't want him to be the only one to carry the burden, she could handle carrying her share of it. She just needed to get him to agree to it. He'd been carrying the full burden of Hydra missions for so long, it was probably second nature to him now.

"I'm fine," James insisted, that time keeping his eyes on her. It had her rolling her eyes at him before resting her head against his shoulder.

"I take it nothing eventful happened last night," Anya murmured, her eyes fluttering closed as she relaxed against him. Her irritation had dissuaded faster than James had anticipated. Not that he minded. He quite preferred her contentedly leaning against him rather than arguing with him the reasons why he should have woken her up.

"No. But I don't know how much longer we can stay here." James answered after a moment. It was what he had contemplated while Anya slept: when a good time to move on to another location would be. Keeping on the move was key. The longer they stayed in one place, the more comfortable they would get. They couldn't allow their guard to slip. Not with Hydra out there, waiting for them to do just that, to slip up. "Staying in one place is dangerous. Makes us easier to find."

"Okay," Anna agreed, going with it without question. James knew how Hydra worked, and she trusted him to keep them hidden and safe from them. "I should probably have a bag packed and ready then huh?" She couldn't afford to leave behind her belongings each time she left a place. Her emergency cash would only get them so far, and they needed to make it last as long as possible. Constantly buying new clothes wouldn't be very practical.

James didn't answer Anya's question about packing a bag. He was too stunned by Anya's acceptance that they would leave. Her unwavering trust in him, in his plan, surprised him. He couldn't remember a time when someone blindly trusted him. Hydra had trusted him with missions, but that was different. They had consequences laid out should he fail, had control over the situation. They had all the information about missions and only shared the details they deemed necessary, keeping them in control. Anya didn't have any of that, and yet she trusted him. It had a wave of appreciation flowing through him for the girl beside him. Her strength of heart knew no bounds, and he would be forever thankful for that.

"Hey James," Anya murmured after a few moments of sitting in silence, her eyes still closed as she leaned against him. The reminder that Hydra was so desperate to get James and her back, had her wondering how James had even managed to break free from Hydra's memory wipe in the first place. "How did you remember me? After the wipe. I thought it erased all your memories."

Her question made James pause. Not because he didn't want to answer it, but because he didn't know quite how. He had never had to explain why he remembered certain things to anyone at Hydra. They didn't care. They simply wiped him over and over until he didn't remember anything. He didn't know why some memories stuck more than others, nor had he ever asked what made him hang onto them. Hydra didn't like him asking questions. He'd learned that lesson early on.

He supposed the more recent memories were the hardest to remove, the hardest to let go. The memories of Anya had been fresh in his mind. It probably didn't hurt that he'd been trying to hold on to her memory before the wipe. Then there was her picture on the plastic card. It had helped stir up more memories, helped to bring focus to them. But that was all speculation. Pierce had said the mind was a tricky thing. Stubborn against manipulation. But perhaps that was simply his speculation. Maybe no one really knew why he held on to certain fragments of memories. All he knew was he was eternally grateful he was able to hold onto Anya's.

"I held onto your memory as long as I could. Woke up with a vague picture of you in my mind. It just slowly came back to me. Like remembering a dream." That's what it felt like right then, a dream. He was free from Hydra, with Anya, and they were safe. It was another reason he didn't mind avoiding sleep. If it was a dream, he didn't want to wake up.

"I'm glad you remembered." Thinking he had forgotten her, forgotten himself again, had torn up her heart. Finding out he hadn't been lost to the wipe had hit her like a shot of whiskey, warming her all the way through. "I suppose I should get dressed, start getting the bag together," Anna sighed, allowing herself another minute with James before rising from her seat. James reluctantly followed, already missing the weight of her head on his shoulder.

Before changing, Anna tugged James along to the bathroom with her, handing him one of the new toothbrushes she kept under her sink for when she accidently dropped hers in the toilet. Which happened more often than Anna cared to admit. Taking her own from its stand, they stood there together, side by side in the mirror, silently brushing their teeth. The image had Anna yearning for more moments like that: sharing simple everyday tasks, having a morning routine. She could get used to waking up like that.

However, the false normalcy couldn't last forever, and once it had passed, Anna grabbed James suit from the shower rod where she had hung it the previous night. With the suit and toothbrushes in hand, Anna retreated back to her room to change and pack, leaving James the bathroom to change if he so desired. Pulling out two pairs of jeans, several tees, and a decent stock of underwear, she laid them on the bed before going to the closet to grab her old backpack. Her newest one had been left behind at Hydra's compound, so she had to make due.

It was when she went to fill the bag that her fingers hit the flyer. Pulling it out she found herself staring at the grand opening advertisement for the Captain America exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum, left in there from when her and Steve and gone together. It had an idea forming in her head, of how to help James remember more. Since the memories surrounding the war were more recent, and seemed to trigger more images in his mind, perhaps they should visit the exhibit. Anna could tell him stories, but seeing visuals was always better when it came to remembering past events.

With that plan in mind, Anna set the flyer on her bed for safe keeping as she continued to fill the bag with the few articles of clothing she had chosen, as well as James' suit. She wasn't sure if he'd ever wear it again, if he'd ever want to, but she was going to give him the option. Once everything was packed, Anna moved to changing out of her pajamas. Pairing a navy blue tee and a lightweight hoody with jeans and her sneakers, Anna slipped the straps of the backpack over her shoulder and grabbed the flyer before shutting the door behind her, perhaps for good. It was admittedly hard, to think they'd never return. Last night had been so…nice. She didn't want to give that up.

James sat waiting silently on the couch, staring at the titles of the books on the bookshelf across the way, with the plastic bag of clothes by his feet. When he noticed Anya enter, he immediately rose from his seat, the movement spurred by an instinct he couldn't put his finger on. He didn't have time to question it either, as Anya came to stand in front of him. Setting her bag on the ground beside his plastic one, she tugged lightly on one side of the open button up shirt he had thrown on over a tee. The unexpected closeness had James' heart rate speeding up at just the probability of her touch.

"I was right, blue does bring out your eyes." Anna murmured, glancing up into those blue eyes. The shirt made them an even more intense, vibrant blue that had her breath catching in her throat. She had to force herself to look away, removing her hand from the shirt before handing him the flyer. She let him study it for a minute as she transferred his clothes from the plastic bag to the backpack, leaving the jacket and the ball cap out for him to add to his current attire. They would help conceal his identity more.

"I thought it might help you remember." Anna commented as she took the flyer back from James. "There's lots of pictures, audio, and video of the Howling Commandoes. If you're interested that is."

The thought of going out in public, to a non-secure location that James hadn't staked out beforehand, didn't seem like the best idea. However, Anya seemed so excited at the possibility, he couldn't say no. Besides, he had to admit, he was curious to see if the exhibit would bring any more memories swimming to the surface. So he agreed, making Anya beam up at him before tossing him the jacket and hat while slipping her own hat over her head.

When James tried handing Anna her gun, she initially refused it. They couldn't take guns into the museum. They had metal detectors and bag checks. At that thought her eyes fell on James' metal hand, sticking out from his jacket. She hadn't thought about trying to get James past the metal detectors. That posed a whole new set of problems. Voicing her concerns to James only had him sending her a serious look, before he commented how he hadn't planned on using the front entrance.

It took her a minute to realize he meant he was planning on breaking them in a side door with no security. Which was slightly illegal, but she couldn't see any other way to get around the metal arm issue. So she agreed, taking her gun from James and tucking it in her waistband like the day before. Not that she thought it necessary. They were going to be in a very public, crowded museum. Even if Hydra did pick them out in there, it'd be kind of hard to take them down without causing a scene. Albeit, Hydra hadn't really cared about making a scene when they raised the helicarriers. Perhaps the guns weren't such a bad idea after all.

After saying one final goodbye to her apartment, not knowing if they'd be back and finding herself wishing they could have stayed there a little longer, Anna and James left via the fire escape, just as Anna had the day before. James insisted on going first, mostly so he was able to offer Anya a hand down from the last rung of the ladder; gripping her hand in his while his metal arm wrapped around her waist. Both were removed once they were on solid ground, as James moved his metal hand to his pocket so it wouldn't draw attention. The other hand hovered over his jeans pocket were his gun was, ready to draw and fire if necessary.

"Stay close and keep your head down." James insisted when they turned onto the main street. Doing as she was told, Anna linked her arm with his metal one, sidling up close to his side. It wasn't exactly what James had meant. Actually, if he was being truthful, it was much better than what he had meant by the comment. Although it did restrict his metal arm, which would slow down his response to an attack with it. Regardless, he let her keep her arm entwined with his.

The trip seemed much farther than Anna remembered. Though perhaps that was because last time she'd taken a cab. James refused that suggestion, claiming he didn't trust being in a confined area with a person they didn't know in control of where they went. Anna let it be after that, resigned to walking the thirty blocks to the museum. When they finally reached the building, James had them sneaking around the side, which just felt wrong to Anna. When James busted the lock on the side door with his metal arm and held the door for her, she just felt worse; breaking and entering wasn't Anna's style.

She felt a little better once they reached the main floor and fell in with the other tourists. Where she could pretend they hadn't just broken several laws by breaking in a side door so they could bypass the metal detectors with their guns and James' metal arm. Anna knew James didn't have the same qualms as her about breaking into places. He'd done it for so long for Hydra, he probably didn't think twice about it. That's why it was a little surprising when she looked up to find him seeming a little overwhelmed. Until she realized it was more likely the vastness of the room as well as the number of people causing his concern, not the breaking the law part. Wanting to remind him he wasn't alone, Anna took his right hand in hers, lacing their fingers together before leading them towards the exhibit. It seemed to make him relax a little, until they stood before the exhibit.

When James paused at the entrance, a hesitant look on his face, it had Anna second guessing her idea. Feeling as if it was all a big mistake, Anna began chewing on her lip in uncertainty. What if he wasn't ready to see pictures from the war? What if he wasn't ready to hear about his supposed death? Those possibilities had her offering to leave, making sure he knew he didn't have to do it. James only shook his head before taking the first step forward. They had come that far, they might as well see the exhibit.

A gigantic mural of the man from the helicarrier, of Steve in his suit, was the first thing that greeted James, as Anya and he entered the exhibit. When it didn't spark any memories, save for those of their fight on the helicarrier, James moved on to a hologram that switched from pre-serum Steve to the larger version. It was actually a little comforting, knowing the image of the scrawny Steve had actually existed; it was an actual memory. Coming to a standstill beside the picture he noticed something that had a smile pulling at his mouth.

"You're the same height that he was," James pointed out to Anya, only to have her roll her eyes.

"Yes, Steve found that fact just as amusing." Anna huffed, although she had to fight a smile at the realization that James and Steve had the same sense of humor, even when James couldn't remember Steve and their past. They probably would have both laughed about it together, had Steve been there and had James remembered him. It gave her hope that her idea of coming to the museum hadn't been completely crazy. "Come on, I don't want to dwell on my short stature, if it's all the same to you."

Hearing Anya didn't appreciate her height confused James. Personally, he liked how petite she was. For one, it would lead to others underestimating her, which was always an advantage in a fight. For another, it made it easier to shield her from danger. He also enjoyed the way her hand fit in his, small enough for it to be swallowed up by his own. Of course, he didn't mention any of those things. He just let her lead them to the next portion of the exhibit while he pondered the other advantages of her petite frame.

They continued on through the rest of the exhibit in silence. It took some effort on Anna's part at times, but she really wanted to let James process everything without her chattering in his ear. So she tried her hardest to bite her tongue, watching his face carefully for his reactions. Every once in a while she'd catch a slight glimmer of recognition in his eyes over something. It happened with some of the video footage, and when they stopped in front of the display of the replicas of the Howling Commandoes uniforms. He seemed to be dealing with it all fairly well, until they came across his memorial. His mouth went slack as he was reading the print on the glass wall.

Not sure how to help, Anna squeezed James' hand a little tighter, to once again let him know he wasn't alone. She really hadn't thought this through. Remembering that he almost died had to be traumatic. It had been stupid of her to bring him there. What if the negative memories made him lash out? Anna knew she could calm him down, but she wasn't sure if she could do it before it caused a scene. And they didn't need any attention brought to them. It left her feeling really stupid and vulnerable.

It was while Anya was busy berating herself that James finally snapped himself out of the images of him falling in a snowy mountain range, with the man he had to keep reminding himself was named Steve, reaching down to try and save him. The sign had it wrong. The fall hadn't killed him. Something much worse had happened. The crazy ass Hydra scientist, who ended up cutting off what remained of his left arm and fitting him with the metal one, had found him. It was Anya's hold tightening on his hand that freed himself from that particular memory. Though he couldn't see her face from behind the ball cap when he glanced down, he figured she had been caught up in unpleasant thoughts as well.

Figuring they could both use a change of scenery, James began leading them both towards the last corner of the exhibit. It turned out to be a mini theater, where they were playing a video about Captain America and the Howling Commandoes and their role in the war. The credits had just rolled, as people rose from their seats to make room for those who wanted to catch the next playing. Leading Anya down to the front bench, James took a seat on the edge of the bench while Anya remained standing.

"I'll be right back," Anna whispered to James when she realized where they were. Stupidly, she hadn't used the restroom before they left the apartment and it was becoming a bit of a problem. Knowing exactly how long the film was, Anna knew her bladder would never make it through the whole sitting. When James started to rise from his seat, determined to go with her, Anna was quick to push him back down. "I'm going to the ladies room, you can't follow me in there. And you'll miss the beginning of the movie if you walk me there. It's just around the corner. I'll be right back."

James didn't like it, being separated from Anya. But he had little choice as she disappeared into the crowd towards the nearest bathroom before he could insist on escorting her there. So he remained seated as the lights dimmed and the movie started playing. Not that he paid attention to any of it. He was too busy counting down the time it took Anya to return. He knew the bathroom wasn't more than a minute from the theater, having done a quick scan of the area before entering. With the trip to and from, it shouldn't take her more than six or seven minutes to return.

...

Anna wasn't looking where she was going when she left the bathroom, busy holding the door for the mother with the stroller behind her, resulting in her bumping into a bystander outside the door. She immediately went to apologize, but the apology died on her lips when she saw Rollins staring down at her. Her attempt to flee didn't exactly work out, as Rollins simply grabbed her with a grip that hurt.

"Pretty smart with the hat Stark. Not so smart separating from the asset." Rollins grumbled as he began slowly forcing her away from the Captain America exhibit.

"How did you find us?" Anna asked, trying to stall as best as she could. She had to think of something before he got her out of there and away from witnesses. Inhaling deeply, she prepared to scream only to have Rollins' other hand press a knife against her side, holding it between them so as not to draw attention.

"One sound and you'll have a hole through your intestines." Rollins warned, digging the point against her side. It had Anna jerking away as best she could in his tight grasp, tilting her head back as she did so her hat fell off. The action had been unnecessary, and she knew it would only make him press the knife against her abdomen harder, but Anna had to do something to get her hat off without it being too obvious. She needed to leave James something to let him know she hadn't left willingly.

"Stay still." Rollins growled, tightening his grip on her, something Anna hadn't thought possible. "You really aren't the brightest for a doctor. We've had this place under surveillance since the asset busted you from the car. We knew it'd only be a matter of time before you tried to get him to remember. You didn't disappoint."

That had Anna feeling even stupider than earlier. Was she really that predictable to Hydra? That they could predict something as left field as her taking James to a Captain America Museum Exhibit. After contemplating that thought for a moment, she realized it had been one of the first things she said, after she revealed she knew the Winter Soldier's real identity. She'd called them stupid, saying his picture was plastered all over the Air and Space Museum. Damn, why hadn't she figured all that out before coming there?

Anna was jerked out of her thoughts when she almost lost her footing on the stairs. They were closing in on the rear exit, and the witnesses were becoming sparser by the minute. It had Anna panicking slightly. She couldn't go back with Hydra. She'd rather be forever on the run than be a prisoner. Or dead. Because there was a pretty good chance that was what Rollins planned on doing to her once he got her away from people. It had her trying to reach her gun without being too obvious. Whenever they reached their witness free destination, she needed to get to her gun first; because she had a feeling it would be shoot first or die.

…

It had been seven minutes, give or take a few seconds, and there was no sign of Anya. Not caring if he would get scolded by Anya for not trusting she could go to the bathroom alone, James raised from his seat to go find her. As long as she was safe and within arm's reach, she could be as annoyed with him as she wanted.

There was no sign of her on the way to the bathroom, nor outside of it. He'd even gone as far as opening the door and calling her name inside, resulting in some odd looks and a few glares from the female occupants leaving the room. He didn't care. When there was no reply from Anya, that's when he cared. Scanning the nearby area, he spotted the hat about thirty feet to his right, lying upside down on the polished floor. Rushing towards it, James leaned down only to confirm it as the one Anya had worn. Gripping it tightly in his fist, James rose from the floor, desperately turning and trying to gauge which direction she had been taken. Because there was no question in his mind that's what had happened. Hydra had found them. Hydra had taken her.

It was the muffled sound of a gunshot that had his heart clenching in fear before it slammed into hyper drive. Not caring what attention he attracted, James sprinted in the general direction the shot had come from, his right hand already in his pocket, gripping his gun tightly. He was terrified of what he'd find when he got to the scene: his mind conjuring up an image of Anya's pale form lying in a pool of her own blood, unconscious. It had him pushing himself even faster, cursing himself for ever letting her out of his sight.

A/N Hey all! First off, for those who haven't discovered it, there is a one shot of Steve's first kiss since 1945 I posted called Christmas Party! Thank you all for your continued wonderful responses to this story. I always enjoy reading your responses to the chapters and when I started I never imagined getting to read so many of them. So thank you for your continued support! Hope you enjoy this new post. And let me know if you are interested in more one shots and what kinds you'd like to read. You can do this via PM or review. :)

Onto the guest review responses!

To the guest who commented they couldn't blame Anna for her reaction to James in a towel: I'm glad you approved of her reaction. I had fun picking what memories Anna would share with James so I'm glad you liked that scene as well. I'm feeling very happy I could get a squeal out of anyone with my writing! Hope you enjoyed this update!

To the guest who mentioned how supportive Anna and James' relationship is: I agree, I like how they are protective of each other while still trusting that the other can take care of things. I'm having such a fun time writing them together. Not as many Janya moments (just made that one up sorry if its lame lol) in this update but I hope it still left ya satisfied!

To the guest who mentioned they would totally do what Anna did when she saw Bucky in the towel: I admit I would react the same as well. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the chapter!

To the guest who was impressed Anna could take a hot shower: me too. She wasn't really thinking it through, hence why she couldn't get James out of her mind. She was only trying to forget it so she'd be able to act semi normal around him. I'm so glad you picked up on and mentioned James not realizing he was jealous. I wasn't sure if I made it obvious enough that's what he was feeling. I figured James had never had the opportunity to feel jealous as the Winter Soldier and he probably wouldn't remember that particular emotion. It will definitely be a confusing and amusing standoff whenever Tony and Steve catch up with Anna and James. Unfortunately it wasn't this chapter. Thanks for your review!

To the guest who wondered if Anna was going to ask James how he remembered her: she did, as you probably already know by now!

To Maddy: You're welcome, thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you're enjoying Janya (I'm just gonna stick with this newly made up couple name for them. I find it amusing)

To Hannah: Glad the half-naked scowling James amused you. I feel the same as you about the James taking watch part, it made me smile when I wrote it. I know I'm so lame. I'm probably the biggest fan of Janya lol. It's all good about the typos, I have them all the time. Even when I'm writing on a computer with a full keyboard. Interesting you brought up Rumlow, he will be making a small appearance in a lil bit so you won't have to wait too long to find out about that!

Rach

xoxo