This story is based on a pair of one shot stories from the collection From There to Here - Bucky Barnes One Shots. In one of those stories Steve Rogers makes the discovery that he may have tried and failed to prevent Bucky from becoming the Winter Soldier. In the second story it is revealed that he was successful, although it was too late to change what happened to the Bucky he left behind in the future. This is a story of an attempt to change Bucky's past, starting a whole new timeline for all of them.

Chapter 1. Arrival

That was it, the last stone had been returned, Mjolnir returned to its proper time and Steve Rogers was ready to make his final and permanent stop in 1945, just after VJ Day. By his calculations that would be before Peggy met her husband, the man she supposedly married, although she never took his name. Then he stopped before pressing the control and thought for a moment, wondering if he had always returned to that year. It was after Bucky fell, after HYDRA took him back into their clutches, and he would be well into his indoctrination and torture.

"Shit," he muttered, realizing something. "What was that saying? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

It hit him that he had likely been playing a rigged game. If he kept going back after Bucky's fall, he was, at best, always going to be playing catchup. Even with all the information he had about SHIELD, HYDRA, and Bucky, he was getting into the game too late to make a difference. Perhaps, he hadn't been thinking big enough. Maybe there was someone he had to save first, before he could think of saving Bucky. The more he thought about it the more he realized the truth of it. He would have to go back to before June 22, 1943, the date he received his serum. A feeling of certainty filled him, and he knew this was the right decision. Resetting the control for June 14, 1943, New York City, he pressed it and felt his body transport between the two locations.

In a blink he was suddenly in New York, fortunately in a spot where he wouldn't be seen mysteriously appearing, plus it was evening. Good thing he wore normal clothes under the suit, although they were normal for 2023, not 80 years earlier. Still, they were plain enough that he should be able to get from here to the Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village unhindered. Dr. Strange had told him that there would be a package for him there, with time appropriate clothing, new identification, and money. Everything after that was up to him as the sorcerers apparently wouldn't help much in any other way. Peeling his uniform off he rolled it up and carried it under his arm then began to run in the direction of Bleecker Street. When he arrived at the Sanctum he stood on the steps, looking up at the building, thinking that it hadn't changed much since the last time he spoke to Dr. Strange in 2023. Just as he raised his hand to ring the bell the door opened, and a sorcerer looked at him.

"Come with me," he said and waited for Steve to enter the building. "You're early but the Ancient One said that might happen. She wishes to speak with you before you leave."

"You know who I am?" asked Steve.

"Yes, you're the one who returns," said the man, as if it was obvious.

Steve followed him into a reception room and sat on a chair. He had never been in this part of the Sanctum before and had noticed that the parts he came through were different from the future. Just as it seemed he waited all night he was aware of a presence, and he turned around then stood up at the sight of the Ancient One.

"Hello Steven," she said in her slightly accented voice. "We weren't expecting you for two more years."

"I was ready to make the trip, but I thought of something that Dr. Strange said, about all the times I failed. It made me wonder if I've been playing a rigged game."

A slight smile appeared on her face. "That's an accurate conclusion. You realize by coming early you've changed the future of this timeline."

"Just like that?" he asked, confused.

She sat and motioned for him to sit. "Not quite, but your early arrival has sent ripples through the multiverse that weren't there before," she explained. "These ripples will have varying effects on the events of this timeline. A missed rendezvous, an event happening on a different date, things of that nature. What you remember from your timeline may or may not come to pass in this one in the same way."

"It felt so right to come now. Was I mistaken?"

"Can't say," she answered. "You're going to have to go with your gut on this one."

"My gut has been wrong before," he muttered.

"Yes, and it has also been right, especially in regard to your friend," she said kindly. "What you risked for him was the right thing to do."

"Then I left him behind to come back and try to stop it from ever happening." He rubbed his face, feeling frustrated.

"It's a noble goal," she stated. "But, as I said, you may have affected his timeline as well. You must be prepared to let some things go and focus on the bigger picture. It may still work out well for him, but it might be difficult at times."

"I'll do what I have to with regards to Bucky," said Steve firmly. "Everything else is secondary."

"Even Miss Carter?"

There was nothing he could say to that. Before he changed the time of his arrival re-connecting with her was his priority followed by rescuing Bucky. Then he reconsidered it and made his friend the priority. It was too late to change back now. He wondered if the Ancient One could read his mind because she nodded her head as if she understood.

"Is there anything else you need from us?" she asked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive, which surprised her. "This is new. What do you wish me to do with it?"

"Print off the contents so I can store them in my flat," he said. "You must have a way to do it. I couldn't exactly print them off in 2023 and carry them here with me."

"Very well," she answered. "It will take some time, but they will be in your flat soon. Shall I keep the drive safe for you?"

"Please," he asked then feeling like the visit was over he stood up. "Thank you for helping. I'm not letting HYDRA get away with it in this timeline."

"If it happened in the successful timeline then it happened," she smiled. "I was supposed to help you. Just be careful who you trust and be flexible."

With a nod she stood up and the door opened revealing the man who let him in. He was carrying a suitcase and had a small package in his hand.

"These are clothes to get you started," he said, without giving his name. "Identification, money, and the address of your flat as well as the keys."

He handed it all to Steve then the Ancient One handed that sorcerer the flash drive and requested he get the contents printed off and placed in Steven's flat. After that task was assigned, Steve was escorted to the door and he went out into the street, surprised to see it was still nighttime. Based on how long he sat waiting for the Ancient One he assumed hours had passed. He still had time to get settled and go out tonight to the Stark Expo. But first he had to change his appearance a little.

By the evening he had changed the colour of his hair, using a henna product to make it darker. He also bought a pair of plain glasses, a hat, and another change of clothes. When he saw himself in the mirror of the bathroom in his flat, he hoped it would be enough. Then he hopped on the subway and headed over to the Stark Expo, waiting near where his old self would show up with Bucky. If they did it meant it was Bucky's last night before shipping off to England. Soon enough the pair arrived and met up with Connie and Bonnie. They watched Howard Stark's demonstration of his flying car fail, then older Steve watched his younger self go over to the recruitment centre at the Expo. When he saw Bucky and Steve say goodbye to each other he knew the timeline on that was true and he left, heading towards the Brooklyn Antique Store.

Avoiding the SSR lookouts he climbed up a fire escape to watch from the top of a building across the street and a few doors down. Having already seen Dr. Erskine at the Expo with younger Steve he was hoping that Peggy was here with the General, knowing that tomorrow they would be in Camp LeHigh assessing the recruits for Erskine's serum. For what seemed like hours he watched the storefront until his patience was rewarded and the General came out with Peggy Carter. He could even hear them arguing, smiling as he remembered the number of times he heard them disagree about many things.

"Why weren't Stark and the good doctor here this evening?" he asked her sternly. "You would think the top two scientists involved in this project would be here 24 hours a day protecting their research."

"You know why," said Peggy crisply. "Everything is ready to go. Now they need the right man. Stark is at his Expo showing off his latest inventions and Dr. Erskine is still searching for suitable candidates."

"He has them," replied the General. "I've found all the candidates I want; all of them good strong soldiers, who can take orders. The latest one, Hodge. I've got my money on him."

"He's a bully," spat Peggy. "I've looked at his record. He's just like all the others, muscle bound showoffs who wouldn't know how it felt to be on the receiving end of a beating."

"I don't want someone who would be on the receiving end of a beating," argued Phillips. "I want someone who can give that beating."

"Just like HYDRA then," she said. "You want the same thing they want." She put her hands up when he started to speak. "I know, you're going to tell me the only thing a bully is afraid of is a bigger bully. Where does it end, General?"

"With us winning the war, Agent Carter," he growled, as their car pulled up and one of the lookouts opened the door for them.

As they sped off Steve smiled at how she handled the General. She was so fearless, but she was always kind to him, even sharing things with him before the procedure. She never showed that type of kindness to the others. She even slugged Hodges and knocked him down when he was rude to her. It wasn't until Steve climbed down from that roof unseen and started to walk to his flat that he thought of something. Funny how he never noticed it before but then he wasn't the most confident person around women when he was pre-serum. She was just easier to talk to and seemed to overlook his blunders and stammering. By the time he got back home he was openly wondering when Peggy Carter actually fell in love with him.

The next morning, after one of the worst sleeps of his life he quickly dressed and headed out to where the bus for the serum candidates was. Peggy and Dr. Erskine were both going to be there, although they would travel in a car together to New Jersey. Once again he made his way to the rooftop of a nearby building, listening to the two talking as a sergeant checked in the candidates. Both of them seemed to be visibly disappointed at the big burly men that the General had recruited. Then young Steve arrived, barely managing his suitcase that contained more books than clothes. Older Steve grinned, thinking of how naïve he was then.

"Ah, Mr. Rogers," smiled Dr. Erskine. "May I present Agent Carter? She is very involved with the project."

"Ma'am," he said, trying to project himself as confident while feeling anything but.

She looked at the smaller man, without speaking but she did smile at him, then he checked in with the sergeant and boarded the bus.

"Are you sure about including him?" she asked Erskine. "He seems nice but he's at a big disadvantage with his size."

"With his health as well," said Erskine. "But he is a good man. I felt that from speaking with him. He's not looking for glory but for a place where he can make a difference."

"Well, if the serum works its magic, it will also prove it's not the physical size of the man that's important but the heart he brings with him," she said, turning slightly so she could see where young Steve was sitting. "You're right, though, there is something about him, something noble."

"Ah, you feel it as well," cackled Erskine, briefly. "I could see he is of interest to you."

"I don't know what you mean," she said briskly. "Well, we should get going. I believe Sergeant MacRae has checked everyone in."

"Ja, you're right," replied the scientist, opening the car door for her.

Leaning back, older Steve contemplated this first meeting between his younger self and Peggy. As much as it bothered him to admit he had to agree with Dr. Erskine. She was interested in him pre-serum, maybe because he was different from the other candidates and treated her with respect, or perhaps she felt sorry for him. Either way, it was something that would nag at him.

That evening he made a decision on how to proceed. His original plan called for him to see Dr. Erskine first and hope to find a way to get him to throw that Clemson or Kruger (his real name) fellow who shot the doctor out of the facility before he could take the fatal shot. As he thought about it during the day he came up with a different plan.

Late that evening he stood in front of the building where Howard Stark lived and took a breath, then began climbing up the outside of the building, never stopping until he reached the top and hopped onto the terrace, looking through the large windows. Keeping to the shadows he watched as Howard poured himself a drink and sat in front of a fireplace. His servant, Jarvis, if memory served, came in asking if there was anything else then he bowed slightly and left Howard on his own. Steve waited a little longer then opened the door to the terrace and stepped inside. With a start Howard jumped up and looked at him with disbelief on his face.

"Who are you?" he asked. "How did you get in here?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Steve. "We haven't met yet, but you will meet me in about a week when I'm chosen to be the recipient of Dr. Erskine's serum and your Vita-Ray radiation."

"That's top secret, and no one has been chosen yet," retorted Howard, as he moved towards his counter. "So, once again, who are you?"

Steve sighed. "My name is Steve Rogers, and I will be the one who becomes your super soldier. If you're looking to get a weapon, I can stop you faster than you can react. I come from a future time, and I need your help. There's a lot of different things that are going to happen on the day of the procedure, and I need people I can trust to make sure it doesn't happen the way it did for me."

Stark smirked. "You trust me? I find that hard to believe. Not many people do."

Steve stepped closer and gestured to the drink. "You have more of that?" Howard nodded and went to his bar pouring some into a glass, then putting it on the counter and stepping back. Steve picked it up and drank some of it. "Nice stuff. I didn't like you, Howard, and I know the feeling was or will be mutual once the process changes me. But I did respect you and I need that brain of yours to help pull this off."

"Since you're from the future I'm guessing everything works," said Howard. "But something tells me it comes at a cost."

"It does," said Steve. "HYDRA infiltrates the procedure, and they will kill Dr. Erskine. I have a plan that should save his life. But it's important that HYDRA believes he's dead, so you need to confirm that he is then get him out of there. I know you have more labs so you need to set him up in another lab so that he can duplicate the serum in secret."

"Why?"

"Because we need to save someone from being injected with HYDRA's serum," said Steve. "The best way of doing that is to give him my serum."

"You know that just by coming here you may have changed how this timeline goes?" said Howard, coming closer to the counter again. "You don't belong here and that interferes with how things are supposed to work. I'm not just a mechanical engineer."

Howard stopped at the other side of the counter, reaching below then coming up with a gun. Before he could do anything with it, Steve grabbed it out of his hand and crushed it, dropping the pieces onto the counter in front of the surprised billionaire.

"Really? I tell you I'm a super soldier and you try to get the drop on me?" Steve shook his head in disgust. Then he stopped and bowed his head before looking at Howard with anguish on his face. "If you don't help me then in December of 1991 my friend will be ordered by HYDRA to follow you and your wife, intercept your vehicle, and steal five pouches of the super soldier serum that took you 45 years to replicate. It takes you that long to duplicate Dr. Erskine's formula. My friend will be told to leave no witnesses. He'll do it because of the way they programmed him after they forced him to become a super soldier. He will have no choice but to obey but when he gets his right mind back it will torture his soul. Believe it or not I'm trying to save your life, Howard."

Steve drank the rest of his drink and put the glass back on the counter, watching Howard take in this additional information. A voice behind him startled both of them.

"I think you should help the man, sir," said Jarvis, who stood there with a gun, but lowered it. "But that's just my opinion."

"Alright, I lie and say that Erskine is dead, then set him up in a lab to make more serum," confirmed Howard. "Then what?"

"What do you know about prosthetic limbs?" asked Steve. "Not the kind with a hook, but one that looks and acts like an arm with a working hand. If you start working on it now do you think you could invent something?"

Howard opened his mouth then closed it and looked at Jarvis before looking back at Steve. "It's not my field of expertise," he admitted. "Why would you ask me?"

Steve sighed audibly then decided he had to come completely clean to convince Howard Stark to cooperate. "If I have changed this timeline then things might happen at different times from when they happened in my timeline. My friend may or may not need a new arm. I can tell you with certainty that HYDRA will have a fully functioning prosthetic arm and hand before 1950. It will be a monstrosity with one purpose, to be an instrument of death. He'll need a better one to live a normal life and you're the only guy I know with the genius to make one or maybe I was too hopeful."

"You think I'm a genius," smirked Howard, grinning at Jarvis. "He thinks I'm a genius. Well, I am a genius and I accept your challenge. Besides, if this war has shown anything it's that a lot of men are going to come home needing a new arm or leg. It could be very profitable for me. But I'll do it for you, Rogers, because I can see you're trying to save a friend and save me and my future wife in the process. What about HYDRA? If they're still around in the 1990s we obviously don't defeat them in this war."

"That's just it," said Steve. "We thought we did but they got sneaky, and they infiltrated the SSR, the military, the government and industry. They came that close to taking over completely but my friend, who they were using to do it, changed sides and I promised him when I came back here from 2023 that I would make sure they didn't take him this time. Without him, I don't know if they'll succeed with another PoW, but if we help him before they take him then we may have a fighting chance."

This time Howard Stark looked intently between Steve and Jarvis, then offered the super soldier his hand so they could shake hands on their agreement. He also offered him a place to stay, thinking he may want to stay out of the public eye.

"I already have a place, but I would rather have your help in another way," said Steve. "I want to be close to the action, especially once you go overseas. I'm sure a guy with your pull can help me in that regard. There are other people I need to find and try to prevent their deaths. Another thing, I have identification … don't ask how I got it, but in this time my name is Steven Grant. You'll have to refer to me by that name."

Howard sized him up for a moment. "The serum that your friend kills me for … is it successful?"

"Not exactly," said Steve after a long pause. "Your serum still works like Dr. Erskine said his would. It makes the good man great, but it makes the bad man worse. They give it to an elite death squad, all of them hardened killers. They're uncontrollable because all they want to do is kill and hurt anyone they come across. Even HYDRA realizes they're a threat and they knock them out, then put them into cryosleep, never using them again because they have no way to control them."

"And the Vita Rays?" he asked. "That was my contribution."

"No, HYDRA just injects it," replied Steve. "You and Dr. Erskine gave me multiple injections at the same time then turned on the radiation and it hurt, it hurt bad. But I had spent my whole life being sick, hurt, or near death so many times that it wasn't that hard to endure. It was basically my last chance at doing something worthy, so I withstood the pain. HYDRA gave the injections over a longer period of time, but it was just as painful for the man receiving it. He also underwent intensive torture and brainwashing during the treatment. Their version of the serum is different than yours so maybe it didn't need the radiation. Maybe the one you came up with didn't need it either." He gave out a frustrated breath. "I've already told you too much. How do I know I can trust you, Howard?"

"You don't but then I don't know if I can trust you, either," replied the billionaire. "Just seeing you crush that gun means you must be telling the truth about being a super soldier. Your friend, you said he was a good man, yet they were still able to turn him into a killer?"

Steve nodded. "Years of torture and brainwashing were needed but the serum kept repairing the brain damage they inflicted on him. Memories of his past kept him aware that he wasn't who they said he was. The guilt he feels for all that he did for them …."

His voice trailed off as Howard studied him. If he was being honest, he still wasn't quite sure about the man's claims but Howard, as a ruthless entrepreneur had a lot of experience knowing bullshit when he heard it. This man wasn't bullshitting.

"You say that you know me, but you don't like me," said Howard. "Why is that?"

Steve sighed, not wanting to spell it out. His dislike of Howard Stark had originally been linked to the man's interest in Peggy but he had also helped Steve get behind the lines to rescue Bucky and the captured 107th soldiers. His work on weapons, bullet resistant uniforms and more had helped the Howling Commandos many times over.

"Truthfully, it was because of your interest in Peggy Carter," said Steve. "Your attitudes about women, around her, expecting her to fall for you. She tolerated you and if you think about it, you'll know I'm telling you the truth. But you also helped me rescue my friend and a lot of other soldiers behind the lines. You helped the unit we formed after that rescue, a unit that went after HYDRA in a big way. So, yes, I did dislike you initially, but I also respected your work and your drive. You did do the right thing often. Call it a poor Brooklyn kid's natural dislike for a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth."

Jarvis, still there, smirked, then made his face appear neutral when Howard looked at him with exasperation.

"Well, you're right about Carter, at least," said Howard. "I'm not used to women ignoring my overtures and she's ignored every one of them. Do you and her …?"

"We danced around it," admitted Steve. "But I fell before we had our first date, deliberately crashed an aircraft full of bombs. They didn't find me for over 65 years."

"The serum kept you alive that long?" Howard whistled. "Is that how your friend survived?

"Something like that," replied Steve, not wanting to go into detail on how HYDRA did it.

"Why didn't you parachute from the plane before you ditched it?" asked Howard.

"Didn't have a parachute and I wanted to make sure it didn't land in a populated area," answered Steve. "Look, I really have told you too much and I can't tell you anymore, not at this point. I should go. You'll be around?"

Howard nodded. He knew his innate curiosity could push this Steve Rogers or Grant, whichever name he wanted to go by, too far. There was so much information this man had; information Howard could use to profit from. If he played along with this guy, he could monetize his obvious knowledge to Stark's advantage for a long, long time.

After saying goodnight to the two men, Steve took the elevator down to the main floor then ran back to the flat in Brooklyn. When he got there and unlocked the door, he was surprised to see several filing cabinets already in the living room, all locked. There was no key, but the sorcerers wouldn't have left them there unless he could access them.

"I wish I knew how to open you," he said out loud to the first cabinet.

A book suddenly appeared on the top of one the cabinets and he picked it up, noting it was titled Arabian Nights. Peeking out from the top was a bookmark, placed in the chapter of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Reading the story, he smiled at how simple they had made it for him. Facing the first cabinet he said the words "open sesame" and the lock made a sound. Pulling the drawer open he saw the files, all in order. Closing the drawer, he said the words "close sesame" and heard a locking sound, confirmed when the drawer wouldn't open.

Placing the book on his nightstand Steve undressed and got under the covers of the bed, then turned off the light. He realized he was hungry and got up to check the icebox, finding some sandwiches already made. Sitting at the small table in his boxers he wolfed down three of them, washing them down with a bottle of milk. He was going to have to remember to eat. There was so much to do, so many things to keep on top of; it didn't seem so daunting when he first thought of returning. But now that he was here he realized that it was going to be a balancing act of sharing just enough information to get the help he needed. By his original timeline it would be four months before Bucky was taken by HYDRA the first time. He hoped beyond hope that his early arrival hadn't change that.