Author's Note: This is it, the last chapter. It has been a great time writing this and exploring its rich characters. But now it's time to see what will happen to Steve and Skull. Who will prevail?

Bucky

Bucky was engulfed by water. He sunk down and he saw the surface becoming darker. He blinked and his mind flashed again. He felt a burning on his neck and his hand shot up to it. He moved through the water and he was trying to get something off. He felt the burning slowly reside. He saw an image of Steve sitting on a bench in central park. He was his original scrawny self.

Bucky remembered giving him a hug and then nothing. Bucky closed his eyes and his thoughts went to the compound deep underground. The red letters "Red Room" were on the wall. He felt his heart beat in his ears and he opened his eyes. He felt his lungs burning as they needed air. Bucky swam up and he was getting closer to the surface.

He used all his strength to get up. He broke through the liquid wall and he came out of the water and he inhaled deeply and he sunk back into the water. Bucky kept himself floating. He was thirty feet from the railing. Bucky began to swim forward.

Steve

Steve hit Skull and it sent him to the ground. Skull got back up and he was using one ar. He swung at Steve. Steve dodged and he hit him in the chest with the shield. Skull was on his knees and Steve waited for him to stand up. Skull grabbed his broken arm. He was breathing heavily and he clenched his teeth and he snapped the bone back into place. Skull groaned in pain and he exhaled.

Steve stared at him as he stood. Skull smiled and he ran at Steve. Steve kicked him. Skull stumbled and he ignited his thrusters and he tackled Steve. Skull grabbed Steve and flew him up into the air. Skull threw him and he punched him. Steve fell back down to the ground. Steve put his shield up and he landed on it.

Steve groaned, but he didn't break anything. Steve stood up and he looked at Skull. Skull landed and he charged up his chest and fired. Steve blocked it with his shield and he threw it. Skull side stepped and the shield missed him. Skull smiled and then he was hit in the back and he flew forward and landed face first into the grass.

Steve caught his shield as it bounced off a building. Skull got back up and he ran at Steve. Steve blocked a kick and punched him. Skull hit Steve in the gut and he kicked the shield out of his hands. Steve jabbed at Skull and connected with his ribs and face. Skull could taste blood in his mouth. Skull turned back toward Steve and he yelled as he ran forward. Steve blocked his attack and he kneed him in the gut.

Steve quickly hit him under the jaw. Steve kicked him back when he saw the opening. Skull flew back and he rolled backwards and he was back on his feet. He fired at Steve and caught him in the gut. Steve fell to the ground and he grunted and he stood back up. Skull smiled and charged up his chest. Steve saw his shield ten feet away from him to his right. Steve looked at Skull and he ran for his shield.

Skull fired as Steve rolled and grabbed his shield and blocked it just in time. Skull growled in anger and he ran at Steve. Steve dodged a kick and he countered with a jab to the ribs with the shield. Skull grunted and he swung at Steve, missing. Steve side stepped and he hit him again with the shield, this time in the lower back. Skull was becoming furious and he started throwing punched at lightning speed.

Steve blocked each one and he hit him in the gut making Skull lean forward. As his face went down Steve brought his knee up and hit him in the face. Skull shot back and he was open, with no defense. Steve pulled his right arm all the way back and punched him. Skull flew back twenty feet like he was a punching bag in the gym.

Skull landed and he rolled into a tree. He tried to stand up, but his vison was blurred and his senses were groggy. Steve walked up and kicked him in the face sending him unconscious. Steve exhaled and he turned back toward Natasha. He walked over and he knelt down. She had the knife out and the bleeding was stopped.

"She's a hell of a field doctor Cap" Clint said

"It's done" Steve said

"So Cap, what now?" Clint said slightly grunting

"We get everyone to the helicarrier and lock up Skull." Steve said

"Sounds like a plan" Clint said

Steve and Natasha looked at each other, they looked horrible. They were covered in dirt and had dried blood. Natasha turned her Widow side away and she stared at him. Steve looked right back at her. Her eyes were warm and loving. They stayed silent and they stared at each other. Clint was watching the whole time.

"Um, guys" Clint said

They were pulled out of each over's gazes from Clint's voice, it was like they had forgotten he was there.

"Are you guys" Clint said and he put his hands together and slightly rubbed them together

Natasha looked at him. Clint put his hands down and he looked away from Natasha's gaze.

"Anyway, can we please get the injured back to the helicarrier? I'm bleeding all over the place"

Steve and Natasha stood up and they slightly walked away from Clint.

Rumlow

Rumlow was lying prone in a building and he had a sniper rifle. He could see them down below. Skull was done and Hydra had lost. Rumlow looked down the scope and he aimed at Clint. He breathed slowly and he put his finger on the trigger and lightly squeezed. He stopped and he didn't fire.

He thought back to when Steve saved Natasha and how they looked at each other. He smirked and he turned his scope toward them. He hovered over Steve and he was deciding on who he should shoot. Rumlow breathed slowly and he shifted the cross hair over to Natasha's head. From the trajectory if he shot toward Natasha in Steve moved it would hit him in the chest. Rumlow shifted back over to Steve. He breathed slowly and he shifted again and he put his finger on the trigger and lightly squeezed.

"Let's see what happens when the partner dies" Rumlow said to himself

He fired.

Steve

Steve inhaled deeply and he was tired. He looked at all the buildings that were missing chunks. He felt his heart drop when he saw all the destruction. His eyes passed a window to the building sixty feet away from them. He saw a small white glint. He looked at it again and he saw it glint again. Steve heard a gun fire and he ran forward and tackled Natasha to the ground.

Natasha

Natasha was taken off her feet and she heard a gunshot and she was on the ground. Steve had tackled her to the ground. Natasha felt Steve on top of her. She was relieved that the bullet missed.

"Good tackle Steve" Natasha said

Steve didn't answer.

"Steve?" Natasha said waiting for him to speak.

"Steve?" She said and her mind started to race and her heart jumped forward and started to beat faster.

"Steve?" Natasha said pushing him off of her

Steve rolled off on her and he was face up. Natasha felt something wet on her left hand. She looked down and a bullet hole was in Steve's chest. Natasha started to freak out.

"Steve" She said and she looked at his face.

Steve was still awake and he stared at her. He was trying to breath and he couldn't. Natasha put her hands on his chest and put pressure on the wound.

"Clint" Natasha said

"Yeah. I'm here" Clint said and he was on his knees and he gasped slightly as he felt his wound tug.

"Steve you just stay with me" Natasha said

Steve looked at her with those blue eyes. Her eyes began to fill with tears. A loud laughing came from behind. Natasha looked up and Skull was standing.

"The Captain, is going to die. Trying to save a murderer" Skull said

Natasha felt the words and their sting. She looked down at Steve. Clint grabbed what was left over from his gauze that they didn't use. Clint put it on the wound and tried to stop the bleeding. Natasha let tears fall down and they landed on Steve's cheek. She heard foot steps behind her. She didn't care who it was. A metal hand grabbed Steve's shield and he held it.

Bucky looked down at his friend and as he was slowly dying from the bullet in his chest. Bucky stared at Skull. He walked forward. Skull was surprised by these events.

"What are you doing?" Skull asked

Bucky kept walking forward.

"Finish him" Skull said

"No" Bucky said

"I gave you an order" Skull said

"I don't follow orders from you"

"You were on our side"

"I broke the chains and my mind is back" Bucky said and he slid the shield onto his right arm.

"You can't save him"

"Maybe not, but I can kill you" Bucky said

Skull clenched his teeth in anger. Bucky ran forward and Skull did the same.

They met in the middle and Skull swung at Bucky. Bucky dodged it and hit him with the shield. Skull aimed his hands and fired. Bucky blocked it with the shield and he punched him in the gut with his metal arm and dented the armor. Skull inhaled sharply.

Skull kicked him and punched him in the face. Bucky quickly recovered and he grabbed Skull's arm and he hit it with the shield re breaking it. Skull howled in pain. Bucky took the shield and hit Skulls knee shattering it even though it was incased in the iron man suit. Bucky let Skull fall to his knees. Bucky grabbed the reactor core with his metal hand and twisted and ripped it out.

Skull's suit died and he fell over and he was stuck in a powerless metal cage. Bucky stood over Skull and he went to punch him. Skull grabbed Bucky's metal arm and he pulled him down and put him in a choke hold.

"I'm not dying tonight" Skull growled

Bucky tried to get out, but he was stuck. Bucky looked at his metal arm and he look at Steve's shield. He hit his arm at the elbow with the shield and it cut it in half. Bucky broke free and he hit Skull in the face with the shield knocking him out.

"No, but you will be on prison for the rest of your life" Bucky said and he stood up and ran over to Steve.

He stopped when Natasha looked at him and leaned over Steve defensively.

"We need to get him to the helicarrier" Bucky said

"Fury's landing now" Clint said standing and he held his hand to hit gut

Bucky looked at him "Sorry for the" Bucky said

"I understand you weren't yourself, I know someone who had been in a similar situation" He said glancing at Natasha.

Fury landed and a team of S.H.I.E.L.D Agents rushed and got all of them onto Quinjets.

As they rushed through the halls of the helicarrier. Steve was on a gurney and was being rushed to the medical bay. Clint and Bucky were close behind. They entered the medical bay, Bucky stayed behind and didn't enter he leaned against the wall and he dropped the shield and he slid down and sat.

Steve was hooked up to a heart monitor and he flat lined. The doctor rushed to get a devibulator. The doctor curse when it was damaged from the attack. Natasha was on top of Steve and she had her hands on his wound. She shook her head as tears fell out of her eyes.

"Rogers" she said and she charged up her widow bite and she shocked him. She looked at the heart monitor and it still was a straight line and was continuing a long constant beep.

"You are not leaving!" Natasha said and she charged them again and this time she punched him and shocked his chest. Nothing.

"Natasha" Clint said softly

"Shut the fuck up Barton, he can't die!" Natasha said

She charged her widow bite again and this time she hit him harder and shocked his chest. Natasha's heart was hammering and she was anger and sad all at once. He couldn't leave, she needed him. Natasha charged the rest of her power in her widow bite and she hit him as hard as she could and shocked his chest.

Natasha kept hitting him and she was sobbing. She listened to the deadening sound of the heart monitor as it was still in a straight line and was in a continuous beep. Natasha leaned forward and out her hands on Steve face and she leaned into his shoulder and she let tears fall down onto his uniform.

She had lost him, she closed her eye and she exhaled and then a beep came from the heart monitor.