So, here's another because apparently I can't stop writing.

Tiphanie: Yeah, she made a man explode. But that's not all the tricks she's got up her sleeve. There's more coming soon. And no, that's not morbid at all. Do you know how many times I wish I had that power? Bucky will confront her eventually. And she officially meets everyone in this chapter. And you can kind of say Sam is an Avenger. He's really only there when they need him, which is more for Bucky than anything.

Brittney-xx: I hope that's a good wow!

Enjoy!

Monday morning came quickly. Anna was down in the labs bright and early, Tony was already down there, pouring over the blueprint of something. Anna concluded he hadn't slept. Something he did often, judging by the dark circles that were always under his eyes. There was another man in there as well, tapping away at a screen. He looked up when she entered, regarding her with a careful eye.

"Right on time." Tony said, looking up at her. He turned to the other man. "Bruce, Anna. Anna, Bruce Banner."

"Nice to meet you." Bruce said to her, keeping his distance, something Anna was thankful for.

She knew who he was, and what she could make him do. And she didn't need the Hulk rampaging around the tower on her first day at work. Not that she really wanted to be there, but it wouldn't have looked that great, and there would have been more questions that needed answers. Questions she didn't plan to have asked.

"So, how did you do it?" Tony asked, wheeling a stool over so she could sit by him.

"Do what?" She asked, tilting her head a little, reminding him of a puppy.

"Scale my building without my highly advanced AI noticing you."

She sighed, pulling the gloves from her back pocket, tossing them on the table in front of him. He picked them up, turning them over in his hands. He ran his thumb over the palm side of the glove, feeling the fibers against his skin.

"Built with technology mimicking the hairs on a spider's legs. Frictions causes the fibers to stick to any surface, thus making it possible to scale buildings, walls, hang on the ceiling."

"And you created this?"

"I mean, I had help, but yeah." She shrugged like it was no big deal. "Not a lot to do while you're sitting in a cell alone. Might as well get inventive."

Tony gave her an appreciative glance. "I think you'll fit in here better than you think you will."

She spent the entire day with Tony and Bruce in the lab. They played around with her gloves, Tony thinking of ways to make them better, because that's what he did. He made things better. Anna would almost go as far as to say she had fun. But that would have been a stretch for her to admit it. Maybe one day she'd get there. One day, far in the future, when she was sure she didn't have anything to worry about. At the current moment though, that wasn't an option.

She skipped dinner that night, not feeling hungry. Not after what happened the last time she tried to eat. She didn't sleep that night, either. After spending the day with Tony she was mentally exhausted, but she knew she couldn't sleep. Sleep meant hunger. Hunger was weakness, and she couldn't show weakness. Not now.

She stared down at the burner phone as she sat on the couch in the rec room. She sat overlooking the city, watching the sky grow dark, the buildings light up, the night coming to life. But she was only half paying attention to that. Her hand was gripping the phone so tightly she was scared she'd snap it in half. She had a pen in the other hand, writing to her soulmate.

What are you up to? She'd written to him, waiting a few seconds for the reply.

'Nothing much. Can't sleep?' He knew her so well.

No. Too much on my mind.

'Want to talk about it?' Yes! Her mind was screaming. She wanted to pour her heart and soul out to him. But she knew she couldn't. She couldn't make him bear that weight. Couldn't bring him down with that.

You know I can't.

'Why? It can't be that bad.'

You have no idea. But she didn't write that. She stared down at the words, wishing they were true. She wished it wasn't that bad. She wished it was just a petty problem that she could vent to him. Ask for help. Advice. But this wasn't that simple. Oh god, how she wished it was. But it would never be simple. Nothing with HYDRA was simple.

I wish I could tell you. I do. But you know I can't.

"How come I'm the only one who can sneak up on you?" Sam asked, Anna nearly falling to the floor.

She quickly shoved the phone back in her pocket, turning slightly towards Sam. "Maybe because ya always catch me when 'm off guard." She panted, placing a hand on her chest, trying to keep her powers from flaring up and hurting Sam.

"I take it you're not off guard often." He said, smiling a little, crossing his arms. She shook her head, turning back to the window. "Can't sleep?"

"Nah. Ne'er really need to."

"Need to, or want to?" He asked, moving to sit beside her on the couch, leaving a foot of space between them.

She didn't say anything, staring at the words on her arm. Sam tilted his head slightly, looking down at her. She looked so innocent, sitting there, twiddling a pen, writing to her soulmate. But he knew she was dangerous. Lethal. He could see it, in the all black clothes, sticking out on the white couch. He remembered Bucky stomping around in fatigues and combat boots. He couldn't wear normal clothes for a couple months after they'd found him. He'd finally stopped when he started getting his memories back, slowly transitioning back to himself. Or a version of himself. Sam wasn't sure Bucky would ever be himself again.

He wondered what had happened to Anna. What she had gone through. She wasn't as feral as Bucky had been when he'd arrived. Wasn't as out of control. She seemed to still hold a piece of herself, unlike Bucky who had been wiped and remade over and over and over again. But, then again, he could be totally wrong. To be honest, she scared him a little. She was lethal. He wouldn't ever admit it out loud, but she was slightly more intimidating than Natasha, partially because she was an unknown variable in this equation. He didn't really know why she was here. Why she had been so quick to stay. If she had been that lonely, that desperate, he had thought she'd start warming up to them. But then again, he couldn't go making assumptions about people he barely knew. He knew next to nothing about her, besides the fact her name was Anna and she used to be HYDRA.

"Talking to your soulmate?" He asked, watching as she studied the words on her arm.

"Yeah." She shifted slightly on the couch. "It's kinda relaxin', in a way. Doe'n't help me sleep much, but keeps my mind from wanderin' too much. He's very pushy, though. Always wants ta know what's goin' on."

Sam couldn't help but read the words on her pale skin. The slanting letters with the looped 'y'. He looked between his own arm, and hers, having to do a double take.

"Well, I think it would help if you weren't so hard headed." He said, and she froze. "' I wish I could tell you. I do. But you know I can't.'" He read off his own arm.

She turned, looking like a deer caught in headlights, staring at him wide eyed. He could hear his own heart racing in his chest, and he knew hers had to be doing the same. She looked down at his left forearm that was leaning face up against his thigh, the same exact words printed on his skin.

She shot off the couch like she'd been burned, her chest heaving in panic. She held up her hand, backing up slightly as he stood. He could see her shaking, and if he would have looked closer, he would have seen her hands start to glow.

"No. No, no. Please."

He held his hands up in a surrender, not moving from his spot. She looked terrified, like he'd just told her he was a serial killer and his favorite victims were cute little honey- colored brunettes with dimples and green eyes. He thought he saw a tear run down her cheek, but he could have just been imagining it.

"No, I can't. You...no."

She turned, bolting to the elevator. He wanted to follow. He really did. He wanted to catch her, hold her, tell her it was alright. Tell her she had nothing to be scared of. Tell her he'd protect her. But he knew he couldn't. He'd have to approach this carefully. He knew he shouldn't have told her anything. He was just so excited. After all this time, after having her dodge him for this long, he'd finally found her. And she was just like he'd imagined. Though, he had pictured their first meeting going a lot smoother than that. But he could work with it. He would figure things out. For both their sakes.

Anna sunk down in the elevator, curling up in the corner. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe. Her chest felt tight, her throat constricting her. She'd just met her soulmate. Her soulmate was here in the tower, and knew who she was. Oh, how much harder that made all of this. She knew she should have left that night. She shouldn't have stayed. She shouldn't have taken Stark's offer. She knew places she could hide. She knew places she could lay low until they forgot about her. Or at least found something else to worry about. Something bigger. She could still run, but now things were complicated. Far more complicated than she would have liked.

The elevator was moving slower than she would have liked, but she did manage to get her breathing under control. She inhaled deeply, clearing her mind before pulling her phone from her pocket, staring at the screen once more.

Have you made contact?

She stared at the screen for a few moments, chewing on her lip, debating what to do, before finally slipping the phone back into her pocket. What they didn't know, wouldn't hurt them.