"Get the sedative ready!" Rollins shouted once he finally managed to drag Stark to the side of the museum where the SUV was waiting. As soon as they had reached the empty street, the doctor had been struggling more wildly, twisting and turning, as if she knew her time was running out.

At Rollins' order, two equally large Hydra agents stepped out of the SUV, both armed with guns. Seeing the SUV had a new wave of adrenaline pumping through Anna's system. There was no way in Hell she was getting into another SUV. The last two times she'd been in one hadn't been the most pleasant experience. And getting out wasn't an easy feat. She had the bruises to prove it.

Twisting her arm back, Anna kept trying to reach the gun, finally getting a grip on it just five feet from the SUV. As discreetly as possible she slipped it out, popping off the safety and maneuvering it behind her. Not being able to actually see where it was aimed, Anna could only pray it would hit something important as she closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.

At Rollins' groan of pain and his hands slipping from their grip on her, Anna's eyes flew open. She'd actually done it. She had shot Rollins. She'd never shot anyone before. That was what had her frozen in shock for a moment. It wasn't long till she snapped out of it, but it had been long enough for the other agents to draw their weapons and point them at her. They were demanding she drop her gun, as if they thought her tiny handgun compared to their automatics. Which it didn't. But still, it had just bought her time and was the only thing keeping her from being taken at the moment. Like Hell she was dropping the gun.

…

The scene James finally happened upon when he entered the side street beside the museum was not at all what he had expected. There was blood, but the body crumpled in pain on the ground wasn't Anya's. It was Rollins. Gripping his bloody kneecap. For a second, James' felt his heart relaxing. It didn't take long for it to clench up once more when he took in the two other Hydra agents with their guns steadied on Anya.

"Anya!" James called out, more for distraction purposes. Hydra had no qualms of shooting someone, even one of their own if necessary. He needed to get the agents to point their guns at a new target, at anything but Anya. And James knew between him and Anya, he would be deemed the bigger threat. As expected, when the agents realized he had joined them, their guns instantly shifted to him. It was as he was flipping through all his options to disarm them that Anya surprised him, yet again. Instead of moving away from the men, as he hoped she would do, she stepped closer to the agent on the left and raised her handgun until it pointed at the agent's head.

Anya's decision seemed to have taken the agent by surprise as well, but he still didn't lower his gun. It had Anya's hand inching towards the trigger. Even though she had the advantage now, it didn't escape James notice how much her hand was shaking. Unlike him, she had never shot someone before Rollins, let alone killed someone. But she was prepared to, to save him. James wasn't about to let her do that. Taking aim he fired the first shot, hitting the agent Anya had at gunpoint square in the right hand; forcing him to drop his weapon.

It had the other agent firing his gun on James, an action James had anticipated. Blocking the bullets with his left arm, he sprinted full force towards the armed agent, firing shots as he went. Anya might be safe for the moment, but it wouldn't be long before the disarmed one got over his pain and attempted to kill her or take her. Dodging one last bullet, James launched his left arm at the agent shooting at him. The force knocked the agent out cold, flinging him back against the SUV before he crumpled to the ground.

Realizing there was no way he was going to get the doctor out of there on his own, the last standing Hydra agent pulled the metal device from his pocket. Before Anna could react, he knocked her arms so the gun no longer aimed at his head. The movement caused Anna to accidently fire the gun, the bullet hitting the side of the car and ricocheting off. The next thing she knew the agent's left arm was wrapped around her, pulling her closer before a sharp pain pierced the back of her neck.

With the firing of yet another gun, James pivoted towards Anya. He barely had time to register it had been Anya's gun that had fired, as the agent pulling Anya closer to him had James moving into action. Ripping the agent off of Anya just moments after her small cry of pain, James lifted the agent off his feet, squeezing his throat and cutting off his air supply. He fully planned on killing the agent, but relinquished the satisfaction that would cause when Anya called out to him. Instead he simply flung the man aside once he'd passed out from lack of air supply in favor of turning towards her.

As soon as the agent had released her, Anna reached up to her neck, pulling out whatever the man had stuck her with. It turned out to be an oddly shaped metal device with what she could only describe as a probe on one end; the end that was flecked with her blood. No wonder it stung like no other. Reaching back up, Anna wiped the light layer of blood where she had pulled the device out. It wouldn't bleed for long, the length of the probe would only allow it to penetrate below the dermis.

Tossing the device to the side, she turned her attention to James to find he had the agent who had stuck her, in a chokehold. The cold look in his eyes had a slight shiver running down Anna's spine. That look wasn't James; that look fully belonged to the Winter Soldier. It had her calling out to him, her voice pulling him back to her. Tossing the agent aside, as if he was nothing but a paper doll, Anna was relieved to find the cold had melted from his eyes when he turned back to her.

With the immediate threats removed for the time being, James went to scanning Anya's body for any signs of damage, recalling her cry of pain. It didn't take long for him to zero in on the blood on her hand, and it had him once again trying to find the wound that had caused the bleeding. Noticing his worried glance, Anya was quick to assure him she was okay. It wasn't anything serious. At the sound of distant sirens James decided that, for the moment, he would trust Anya that her injury wasn't life threatening.

"Get in the car," James ordered after bending to grab the keys from the ground, where one of the agents had dropped them, as well as one of the guns. Holding the door open, he waited until Anya had climbed up into the passenger side before handing her the gun, shutting the door, and heading around to the driver's side.

"Do you know how to drive?" Anna asked hesitantly as she clicked her seat-belt into place. Somehow she couldn't picture Hydra giving James driving lessons. Hopefully he had muscle memory of how to drive from before the war. Because it's not as if Anna would be able to take over and drive if he didn't.

Her answer came in the form of James revving the engine before slamming the car in reverse, completing a 3 point turn at record speed before peeling out of the alley. He was forced to slow down some when he reached the main street, not wanting to draw too much attention to them. It would inevitably lead to a chase and possible harm coming to the law enforcement that tried to stop him. James didn't think Anya would appreciate him hurting cops or civilians. Hydra was one thing, but people she saw as good and innocent would be completely different.

"Take the next left." Anna directed, recognizing where they were. At James' questioning glance Anna added, "The Arlington Bridge, the one with the huge golden statues, will lead us into Virginia."

Anna only knew that because she'd joined Steve on his trip to the Arlington Cemetery, where a couple of the Howling Commandoes had been buried along with Colonel Phillips. Coincidently they had gone to the cemetery after visiting the museum. The memories of his fellow soldiers had Steve wanting to pay his respects to them. That's the only reason Anna knew that, from where they were, Arlington Bridge was the fastest way out of the city. Trusting Anna, James put on the turn signal without hesitation, following her direction.

…

"I swear I'm gonna kill that little Bitch the next time I see her." Rollins muttered as he was loaded into the ambulance.

"Don't let Rumlow hear you say that." Griffin rasped out. He was just getting his voice back since the asset strangled him. Taking a seat beside Hayes, who was holding the side of his head, he allowed the EMT to wrap his right hand before the EMT moved onto Rollins.

"I will never understand what he sees in her." Rollins grumbled, wincing as the EMT tied the bandage tighter around his knee. Stark wasn't near attractive enough for Rollins to overlook her personality flaws. And the fact that she fucking shot him in the knee. He had better be able to walk after this.

"I doubt he'll understand how we failed," Hayes spoke up, wincing at the sound of his own voice. There was so much pain, it felt like his brains were beating against his skull.

"We didn't all fail," Griffin answered with a dark smile. It was that one fact that had him brave the trip to the trauma and burn unit, once the ambulance arrived at the hospital, and his hand got properly stitched up in the Emergency Department.

When Rumlow first arrived at the Hospital and had regained consciousness, it wasn't long before he got the news that Anna had escaped, with help from the asset. If he hadn't been in so much pain and unable to move, he probably would have punched the agent who had informed him. His movement hadn't improved at all, which Griffin was thankful for when he stepped in the room.

"We found her sir," Griffin reported, taking a seat by the bed. Rumlow could only track his movement with his eyes. "She was with the asset, at the museum."

"Where's she?" Rumlow managed to get out, his chapped lips cracking even more as he spoke. He wasn't supposed to speak, or have visitors.

"With the asset. She shot out Rollins' knee. He knocked Hayes and myself out. They took the car." Griffin continued, making sure to differentiate that the asset had taken him down, not the girl. Rumlow wasn't even concerned with who beat Griffin. All he was focused on was the fact that he didn't have Anna. She was still with the asset. She had chosen to leave with him. And that pissed Rumlow off.

"The device?" Rumlow implored, just as a nurse entered the room and insisted Griffin leave.

"In place. I'll find her, sir. I'll find them both." Griffin insisted as the nurse pulled him out of the room with threats that she would call security if he didn't leave.

…

Anya and James had ditched the Hydra vehicle once they reached Virginia. The probability that it had a locator on it, as well as the fact that it's the vehicle Hydra would be on the lookout for, had James looking for a substitute vehicle as soon as they crossed the bridge. When he found an old, beaten up, two door, he left the keys in the ignition and traded the SUV for the car.

They drove around random streets for a while, until they came across an old motel on the outskirts of Arlington. With the T burnt out on the sign, it left Anna the impression that maintenance nor cleanliness weren't too high up on the list for the place. However, the lack of security cameras and the location of the place made it a perfect hideaway. It's as far off the map they could get on half a day's travel away from the city.

Anna handled talking with the man at the desk to set up a room, James standing silently behind her. As expected, the 'concierge' was the stereotypical cheeseball who probably would have given Anna a hard time if it wasn't for the intimidating look James was leveling him with. The automatic gun he held at his side probably didn't hurt either. Instead of causing trouble, he simply took the cash and handed Anna a key without a word.

They were able to get a room on the first floor, which would make it easier for a quick getaway if necessary. It wasn't until Anna unlocked the door that she discovered that by requesting the cheapest room it meant there was only one double bed. They'd just have to make it work. It wasn't as if they hadn't shared a bed before, though they hadn't since that one time at the Hydra Base. And that had been without James really consenting to it. Anna had a feeling James would be less willing to repeat the situation. Especially now that his memories were starting to resurface. The manners and societal rules of 1940s had to be resurfacing as well. And in the 40's girls and boys didn't share beds unless they were married. She couldn't help thinking Tony would appreciate that mindset.

"I need to make a call," Anna announced after that last thought. She knew she owed her brother a call. She wasn't sure what she would tell him, or how she would answer all the questions he was bound to have after a week with no contact. But he deserved to hear from her, to know that she was safe.

When she glanced around, it was to find there was no phone in the room. Which meant she'd have to go talk to the creepy concierge man to find out how she was supposed to make calls. Bracing herself for the uncomfortable conversation Anna reached for the doorknob, only to have James follow right behind her. She couldn't blame him, not wanting to let her out of his sight. After almost being abducted by Hydra the last time she wandered off on her own, Anna wasn't about to fight the company.

It was halfway to the desk that Anna spotted the payphone. She hadn't thought they even existed anymore, not that she was complaining. The discovery prevented her from having to communicate with the motel worker. Changing her direction Anna stopped in front of the old booth, digging quarters out of her pocket before dialing the only number she had memorized.

"Pepper, is Tony there?" Anya spoke softly into the mouthpiece of the phone. James stood several feet behind her, gun at the ready and eyes shifting up and down the street. He tried his best to give Anya privacy during the call, but it was kind of hard. His ears were attuned to her voice, not to mention his hearing was better than most. The only way to give her full privacy would be to leave her alone, and he wasn't making that mistake again. It wasn't even an option.

"Anna! Are you okay? Where are you?" Pepper exclaimed, talking a mile a minute and asking her own questions before answering Anna's.

"Where I am isn't important, is Tony there?" Anna asked again. She only had so much change, and she didn't want to waste this call.

"He's in DC. Looking for you." Pepper answered, frustration creeping into her voice. If Anna just told her where she was, she could have Tony there in seconds. "Where are you?"

"Just tell Tony I'm safe. And I'll be in touch." Anna insisted, completely ignoring Pepper's question that time.

"Anna are you absolutely sure you're safe? They don't have a gun to your head and are making you say this? If so the safe word is happy." Pepper whispered in a rush into the phone, already typing silent commands to Jarvis to find the source of the call and to get a satellite picture.

"Pepper, I really am safe. Make sure Tony knows that. And tell him I love him." Anna hung up after that, not giving Pepper the chance to ask another question. Because Pepper would keep asking questions until she got Anna to answer, even if it was without Anna realizing it. It was a gift Pepper had that she normally reserved for Tony, but she'd been known to use it on Anna every once in a while.

Turning back to James it was to find him tense and at the ready to attack, his eyes moving around the perimeter. Hydra showing up earlier must have really freaked him out. Anna couldn't blame him. He had even more reason to dread going back than Anna. They had manipulated him, wiped his mind continuously: stealing his memories and burying his emotions. Anna would be forced to heal people, but if James went back he'd be molded back into the perfect soldier Hydra so desired. All the while fighting against it, resisting the process, which would just make Hydra try longer and harder.

"Hey, you ready to head back?" Anya asked. Without breaking his sweep of the area James nodded his head, allowing Anya to lead the way. He had admittedly felt a little better once Anya had finished her call and they could return to the shelter of the room. He didn't like being out in the open, exposed, so soon after being tracked by Hydra. It made him feel vulnerable. He had countered that feeling by staying on high alert, focusing on the entire area to be ready for Hydra. They had almost succeeded in taking Anya. He refused to allow Hydra to get so close again.

Locking the deadbolt and the chain into place as soon as they were back in the room, James turned to find Anya sitting on the edge of the bed, wincing as her fingers moved lightly over the back of her neck. So that had been where the blood had come from earlier. The injury she had said wasn't bad. Yet, it was still bothering her. It had his forehead creasing as he went to stand behind her, moving her hair to the side and pushing away her hand gently.

"What happened?" James asked, running his fingers lightly over the swollen skin of Anya's neck. There was a needle mark, with a bruise forming around it. Without warning, it triggered images of a needle mechanically being maneuvered over him before the scientists working the machine sent it jabbing into his neck. It had been before his metal arm. And it had hurt like no other.

"I'm not sure. The one agent stabbed me with something resembling a probe. I don't know what was in it." Anna answered, her voice shaking a little, more from James' touch than from pain.

"How can I help?" James asked, feeling out of his element. He wasn't accustomed to healing people; that was Anya's area of expertise. He was more experienced in hurting people.

"The only thing that could possibly help is ice. I'm not even sure if this place has an ice machine." Anna responded after taking a moment to try and steady her voice. Seeing as James' hand was still on her neck, it wasn't easy. "Without knowing what they injected me with, there's nothing we can do."

James didn't like that option. Not doing anything. Just waiting until whatever they injected Anya with started taking its effect. If they did, how would he be able to fix it? It could leave her unconscious, or paralyzed, or in so much pain it rendered her unable to tell him what to do. He'd be forced to take her to the hospital, increasing their chances of being found by Hydra. Had that been their plan? It was a stupid one. What if Anya couldn't make it to the hospital in time?

"There has to be something." James insisted a little forcefully. The possibility of losing Anya was not one he was about to accept. He couldn't lose her, the one person who actually gave a Damn what happened to him.

"It'll be okay James. The only symptom so far is pain. And it's not so bad." Turning to face him let Anna see just how much James was worrying over this. His eyebrows were scrunched together and his eyes were looking at her, but not seeing. Meaning there was a good probability a million terrible thoughts were flashing through his mind. Reaching her hand up Anna hesitantly rested it against his cheek, causing James eyes to come back into focus. "Rollins mentioned something about a sedative. It's probably just some sort of tranquilizer that will make me pass out and have me waking up with a headache afterwards."

"You'll tell me if anything changes?" James requested, his eyes locking with Anya's. He was trying to ignore the warmth of her hand against his cheek in favor of gauging if she really would tell him. Or if she'd try and hide any changes to ensure he didn't try to take her to the hospital.

"Of course. The exact second it does." Anna promised, removing her hand in order to brush his hair out of his face before letting it rest back in her lap. They stayed like that for a little bit, both lost in their thoughts. Anna's were straying towards the earlier events of the day, back to when everything had gone wrong. She shouldn't have left James. It had been stupid, and irrational. She'd allowed herself to be too comfortable, thinking Hydra wouldn't come for them in public. It made her want to be sure the next time Hydra caught up to them, she was ready for them.

"Think you could show me some moves?" Anna spoke up after a moment, thinking of when Rollins' had the vice grip on her. "To help escape capture. In case it happens again and I can't get to a gun."

Though James was going to do his damnedest to make sure Hydra didn't find them again, that they never got that close to Anya again, Anya being able to defend herself would help ease his mind. So after removing the button up shirt and moving to the side of the room, he motioned for Anya to join him. As soon as she did, he began pointing out the parts of her body that would do the most damage: elbows, knees, legs, and head if necessary.

"Aim for the knees, throat, or solar plexus to disable them. Elbows are sharp and hard, making the impact to any of the abdominal organs hurt more, but kicking will do the most damage to the knees." James tried to stick to the basics, things he was fairly certain Anya could accomplish without too much practice. He didn't want to overwhelm her.

Anna understood the logistics of what James was telling her. When it came down to practicing them, it became a little more difficult. Not because of the moves themselves, as they were pretty basic. No, it was because practicing meant James' arms were wrapping around her from behind. Though it was a restrictive hold, mimicking an attack, it was still a little disorienting. She had to work extra hard to keep her focus so she wouldn't look like a complete idiot.

After many attempts, out of which only several had been truly successful, they stopped. Anna would have kept trying, but her breathing was becoming more shallow and restricted. When she paused them to get her inhaler, James made them stop. He didn't want to push her too hard. Not after everything she had gone through that day. Anna was forced to accept his decision, as she couldn't really practice self-defense without an attacker. Debating whether to shower or not after their little self-defense exercise, Anna's decision was made after seeing the state of the shower. It was probably more sanitary as well as safer if she postponed until she could get some bleach and new towels.

Knowing the bed wasn't bound to be much cleaner, Anna decided sleeping on top of the covers was best. When James went to sit on the floor, like the previous night, Anna insisted he didn't need to stay on the floor. Even if he wasn't going to sleep at all, he might as well be comfortable. Eventually he stopped resisting and climbed up on the bed with her, sitting with his back against the headboard and the automatic he'd taken from the Hydra agent in his left hand.

It took him by surprise when Anya curled up against his side, resting her head against his abdomen. There was a part of his mind that had told him it wasn't right, the part that had resisted against Anya's insistence that he needn't spend the night on the floor. In the end, he ignored that part of his mind as he wrapped his right arm around Anya's small frame. Her presence comforted him, and he wasn't going to deny himself that comfort if Anya was offering it.

The night passed once more with nothing eventful happening. James stayed awake all the same, not willing to let his guard down for a moment. It wasn't until the early morning sun was just breaking through the blinds that a knock sounded at the door. The sound startled Anna awake, and had James sitting up straighter while his left hand tightened its grip on the gun. Before Anna could even think about the oddity of someone knocking on the motel door, when the other guests were limited and they hadn't been followed to the best of their knowledge, James was pushing her behind him on the bed just as the door to the room burst off its hinges.

A/N And yet another cliff hanger. I know I'm mean like that. I apologize. They're just so fun to write! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Thanks to everyone who favorite and followed and reviewed! It's your continued support that keeps me posting as fast as possible. I don't like disappointing. Plus I know what it feels like to wait months for an update to a story.

Onto guest review responses:

To Hanna: You can always say how much you love them, as I never get tired of people saying it! As you've found out by now (unless you read my response before the chapter) Anna was the one who shot Rollins, yay Anna. It's true, Rumlow isn't dead and he is borderline obsessed with Anna so it was smart for you to keep one eye out for him. This chapter brings him in a little, without showing what his full plan for her is. Hope this chapter was worth the wait!

To the guest who wrote a PS thanking me for responding to the comments: I love interacting with readers. And I like responding to show you all how much I appreciate your comments. I'm glad it makes you feel like part of the story! Hearing that Anna and James' relationship is realistic is a very nice thing to be reassured. I love romance and being able to add it in, and I know at times with some stories I can go overboard. It's good to know I'm keeping it realistic. James will definitely not let Rollins take Anna, if he is able to prevent it. Some things are just unstoppable depending on circumstances. I hope you enjoyed this update! Thanks for continually reviewing.

To the guest who is the same height as Anna: that's cool, sometimes I wish I was shorter, and that my feet were smaller so when sales come around there would actually be shoes left in my size lol. Anyways I'm glad you like the normal scene, they are hard to fit in when on the run but I enjoy putting them in. Sorry for the last cliff hanger, and this one. But at least I update within a few days right?

To ParisFan83: Haha yes cliff hanger. I love writing them. Which is why you got another one. You were right, James isn't too keen on letting Anna out of his sight. Glad you love them together. It means I'm writing them right. Anna finally called Tony in this chapter. She hadn't earlier because she didn't have her cell phone, we are in the age where home phones are not that common anymore so she doesn't have one (it's just an extra cost). He's still going to rip her one for not calling no matter the excuses. It's just in his nature as a big brother.