Steve had watched Seren be jittery all morning. It was so unlike her to be so silent and yet at the same time it was so like her to be that anxious about what people would think about her. She was nerve-wrecked about meeting Kenna Vidal, her only childhood friend. Seren's parents secretly told Steve that morning it was a miracle he had convinced her to go through with such a thing in the first place.

They had a light breakfast — or rather she had a light breakfast as she wasn't that hungry. Steve drove them into town, following Seren's directions to the old ice cream parlor. Kenna was supposed to meet her there soon. As soon as Seren stepped into the parlor, she got flashes of her high school self having strawberry ice cream with Kenna. She remembered the times where she actually felt like a normal high school girl having girl talks and giggling with each other about the dumbest things.

"Seren?" Steve gave her a gentle nudge, breaking her out of her moment. "Are you alright? She looked up at him, her cheeks flushed. "Kind of got distracted there…"

Seren nodded at him. "Yeah, I…I was just remembering…"

"Good memories?"

Seren nodded again. "Yeah." She looked at the parlor and saw a few young teenagers at the counter and tables. "This used to be the place for hang outs. Guess it still is."

"Kind of like a 50s place, or so I've read," Steve said, earning a chuckle from her. "So, are you ready?"

Seren let out a shaky breath as her answer. Steve reassured her that everything would be fine. Kenna had agreed to meet with her, after all. Things couldn't be that bad if Kenna was coming.

"Okay, should I — should we order something ahead?" Seren glanced at the menu then at the entrance doors. "Or…or should we wait? I don't…I actually don't know what to do here."

"Why don't we find a table?" Steve suggested. She agreed quickly and grabbed his hand, very tightly. He led them to the first open table they found.

It was only a few minutes later that Seren spotted Kenna coming in through the entrance doors. "Oh my goodness, there she is…" Seren shook her hands nervously, "Oh God…"

"Breathe," Steve reminded her when he thought he saw some blue on her face.

"What if this was a mistake?" She turned to him suddenly. "Oh my God, this was a mistake. We have to go—"

Steve leaned over and gave her a kiss on the lips, shutting down her nerves for a moment. "Like I said before...breathe," he said afterwards. "You'll be fine. Everything will be fine. You need this, okay? You have an opportunity that not everyone has — repairing the past."

"You're right…" And yet Seren still didn't sound very convinced. She looked out at the same time that Kenna spotted their table. "God, she still looks the same from school…"

Steve chuckled; she had sounded a bit jealous of the fact for some reason. "You look very pretty too," he assured her. That was the first time Seren chuckled since they left the house.

"But unlike Kenna with her gracious dark hair, I cut all of mine off," she pointed out. "And dyed it."

"You could always let it grow out," Steve offered, though he suspected that she hadn't exactly listened to him.

"Hi…" Kenna wore a kind smile on her face when she approached the couple. Her dark eyes flickered between the two, as if making sure she had come to the right table.

"Kenna, hey…" Seren cleared her throat, "It's — thank you for coming."

Kenna nodded. "I was surprised with the call. We haven't exactly spoken to each other since graduation…"

"Yeah…um…been busy…" Seren felt like an absolute idiot. She needed a break, a small little break before she self-combusted on the spot. "You know what? I'm gonna order some ice cream. Would you like one?"

"Uh, yeah, raspberry and vanilla would be nice…?" Kenna barely finished her words when Seren was off towards the counter. "Uuh…did I do something?" She was left to ask Steve, confused.

"No," Steve sighed, blaming himself for not seeing this coming. On some level, it was kind of funny because Seren had never been this nervous about something, not even when they were on missions. "She's just nervous."

"About what?" Kenna seemed truly puzzled over the answer, leaving Steve to wonder just how much Kenna knew of the truth already.

"I…you know…I think Seren is the only one who should really say anything," he said, clearing his throat. "I'm Steve, by the way." He reached his hand out to shake with her.

"Right, yeah!" Kenna chuckled and greeted him. "Duh! Who doesn't know you, right?"

All Steve could do was awkwardly nod. He was never good with these kinds of things. "Does this mean…I mean…do you know about Seren?"

"Know about her?" Kenna raised a brow, still smiling brightly. "You mean that—"

But she was interrupted by the voice of a man calling her name out. Steve looked over Kenna at a tall man who'd just come into the place and seemed to be missing the whole 'prudent' thing as he continuously called out to Kenna.

"Oh God…" Kenna ducked her head and covered her forehead with her hand.

"You know that guy?" Steve asked. Said man was scouring the place for Kenna.

"Unfortunately," she sighed. "That's Blake. Very insistent Blake."

"Won't take 'no' for an answer?"

"Very. God, this is so embarrassing…"

Steve crossed gazes with Seren who'd finished up her order. Her eyebrows knitted together. Steve had an easy time making a nod at her and Blake for Seren to understand. Kenna didn't want to see that man. Even before that, Seren had noticed Kenna's slumped shoulders and lowered head. Just like Kenna knew her, Seren knew her.

"Hi there," she walked up to Blake. "Do you need something?"

"Nothing," the man responded gruffly, "Don't want to order anything."

"Oh, I don't work here," Seren said, "But I am Kenna's friend...you're looking for her, aren't you?" Blake didn't necessarily answer her but it was clear as day what he wanted. "I thought so. I can tell that you're making her uncomfortable even from over here.""

"Oh, really?" Blake finally looked at her, smirking when he noticed her small stature. "And who are you?"

"Kenna's friend. Who the hell are you?"

"Blake Wyatt. Kenna's being a little hardheaded. Doesn't know when to take a compliment."

"Mm, and I bet you've given her lots of them?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah, the least she can do is smile. But I'll accept a date too."

"Except I get the feeling she doesn't want to go on a date with you." Seren raised her head, leveling Blake's glare.

From their spot, Kenna was freaking out at the exchange. "Seren doesn't know Blake! He can get violent when he's mad."

"He's definitely getting mad now…" Steve said, picking up on the heavy annoyance on Blake's face.

Because Seren had just repeated to him that Kenna didn't want any date with him. "You need to leave now."

Blake snorted. "Right. Get the hell out of my way." When he grabbed Seren's arm, Kenna gasped.

"You should help her!" she urged Steve. However, Steve remained still. It was shocking and confusing for Kenna. "Hello! He's going to hurt her!"

"I've seen this before," Steve said, his mind flashing back to the first time he and Seren had lunch together. Some smart alec man did the same thing and grabbed Seren's wrist. "And honestly, I think I'll be a little bit more concerned with Blake's wellbeing."

Kenna didn't understand at all. "What do you mean?"

Before Steve could answer her, Seren grabbed Blake's wrist and twisted his entire arm to an awkward angle, eliciting a sharp scream from him.

"You crazy bitch!" He looked up at her with the angriest of glares, yet she remained unfazed.

"Not the first time I hear that," she said. For the first time that day, she no longer cared about the unwanted attention she had. "The thing is, Blake, I'm a lot stronger than I look. I'm happy to let go but first, you'll need to agree that you're going to leave Kenna alone."

"You're crazy!"

"Established. Now let me hear the words!"

"No!"

Seren shrugged and pushed his wrist even more, causing another scream from him. "Say. It." Her command was hard and loud.

"Fine! Whatever! She's not worth it!" Blake groaned when Seren finally let him go. He brought his arm close to his chest, rubbing the aches on his bones.

"Thank you," Seren said, then cracked a smile at him. "Is this smile okay for you?"

Blake cursed under his breath as he left the shop altogether. Seren's smile dropped the moment he was gone. She apologized to the customers around her and hurriedly returned to the table. "They'll bring us the order in a bit," she informed Kenna and Steve.

"Oh my goodness, thank you and I'm so sorry!" Kenna exclaimed, giving Seren a hug before Steve could even touch her. "You didn't have to do that, I mean you shouldn't have had to…"

"It's okay, it's fine," Seren promised her. She urged Kenna to sit back down.

Steve then took Seren by the waist and looked her over. "He didn't hurt you, right? I would've come but it seemed like you had it under control…"

Seren was smiling smugly. "I totally did, thanks for the faith. I'm good, I promise."

Steve believed her and pressed a kiss on her temple. "Well, since you are so good, I think I'll leave you two to talk, alright?"

Seren looked down at Kenna, suddenly nervous again. "I-I mean…"

"You'll be fine," Steve promised her. "And if anything, I'll be close by. Promise."

Seren ultimately nodded at him. She accepted the deal and stole a kiss from him for extra confidence. Steve said goodbye to Kenna and left the two at the table. Seren slowly took the empty chair and sat down across Kenna.

"Sorry about that guy," she said first, prompting Kenna to apologize for the whole thing again. "How do you even know him, anyways?"

Kenna sighed. "I'm working as a therapist in Hudson now and he was my patient."

"Well, safe to say that he won't be bothering you anymore."

"Well, thanks for that, really." Kenna offered Seren a kind smile. "I'm really glad you called. It's been such a long time. Truthfully, I thought I annoyed you to your last straw."

"God no, you…you did not!" Seren exclaimed. "It was all my fault. It's always been my fault, Kenna. I, um, I reached out to you because…well…because Steve encouraged me to do it. I don't know if you've watched the news lately, or um, been on the internet…"

Kenna's smile was knowing by this point. "Uh, yeah, I've totally seen everything. The Avengers — SHIELD going down? — and all the dirty secrets out in the public. That was bold of you guys."

"It was something alright," Seren mumbled. "So then…I guess you have to know by now what…what I actually am…the truth about me?"

Kenna raised an eyebrow at Seren. "There were many, Seren."

"Yeah," she sighed.

"But…" Kenna leaned forward on the table, "if you're talking about the fact that you are an alien, then yes…I did see that."

Seren started playing with her fingers on the table, almost pulling at the skin out of sheer nerves. "And…and what do you think about that…?"

"What do I think?" Kenna snorted. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon Kenna, it's a big deal to some people. And trust me, a lot of people have made it very clear that they don't want aliens on Earth."

"But you were born here," Kenna said matter-of-factly, "You are from here. And even if you weren't, who cares? Thor's not from here either and we all love him."

"It's different, I guess," Seren said. "Thor didn't grow up here having to pretend that half of him wasn't real. I had to do that. I had to hide who I was out of fear and that included you…and sometimes, I was mean about it…to you." She lowered her head, ashamed of the fact. "And I'm sorry about that, Kenna. You definitely did not deserve that. You were always so nice to me and, honestly, you were my only friend growing up. Where I should have been more grateful that you wanted to be my friend, I ended up being rude. I'm sorry."

"Seren, hold up," Kenna raised her hands to stop the conversation, "What are you talking about? You weren't mean to me."

"I never invited you to places and I always shot down your ideas to do things. You didn't even go to prom because of me!"

"I didn't want to go to prom because I just didn't want to!" Kenna chuckled. "Plus, you were my only friend too. I wasn't very popular back then, remember?"

"And you got stuck with me which definitely didn't help you at all."

"Okay, maybe you could have been more open about this secret of yours but I completely understand why you weren't. We were teenagers — our brains were even stupider then. You were scared. I can't be angry about that."

"You should be," Seren said, "You should hate me."

"And you should stop expecting that from people," Kenna said flatly. "You think you deserve to be punished for the way you acted but the fact is that you were just a kid back then. If my hormones were all over the place back then, I can imagine how yours were!"

Seren laughed softly. "I'm not sure about that but I was a mess, yes. I didn't know what I was doing half the time and the other half I spent being afraid of losing control of my powers."

"I'm glad you called," Kenna reiterated. "I was so sad when we lost touch after high school. You really were my only friend around here. College was kind of lonely."

"I didn't really go to college — I went straight into SHIELD," Seren admitted.

"To become an agent…because you were an agent for SHIELD," chuckled Kenna. "That is so cool! Even cooler that you were an Avenger too! Can't believe you thought that you would scare me off with all this stuff!"

"Trust me, it's not as glamorous as you think it was," Seren said. "I had these powers that could literally kill someone and as a 16 year old, that's a lot of weight to carry."

"Still would've been cool to know. I could've helped you train or something!"

Seren laughed at the idea. "With my luck, I would've hurt you!"

"And I would've been fine!"

Seren smiled at Kenna. The tightness in her chest had lessened without her noticing. She felt like she was back in the ice cream parlor gossiping like teenagers.

~ 0 ~

Most of the tests Tony conducted ran like blurs. Chloe did not protest to any of them, making the tests run smoother and quicker. Now that Tony knew the Hivemind was definitely willing to establish a peaceful link with Chloe, it was a little easier to know which exams to run and which to leave behind. The measuring for danger exam was the first one to go. Most of the tests now involved the second chip and a lot of their information was also coming directly from the Animinds themselves. They had established an open line of communication with Chloe and true to her promise, she was telling Tony everything that she learned.

The Animinds were a clairvoyant species, as far as they both knew, and they were more than willing to allow Chloe the same gift. She, however, made it clear that she did not want it. It was where the source of the problems were at the moment. Tony had stuck Chloe in a specially designed room to elicit those clairvoyant gifts or, at the very least, to push them away. It was the one room where Chloe found true refuge. She hadn't gone home for several days just to feel the peacefulness.

You need to go home. Something wait—

Chloe scrunched her face, turning her head away. From the other side of the room, Tony watched the woman shift on the ground. The yoga position she'd taken didn't seem to be doing much for her. He stepped back to the computers currently taking readings of Chloe's brain.

Things were spiking…

The Animinds must have been trying to contact her. He only wished he could hear what they were telling her.

Gohomegohomgohomegohome-

Chloe growled and ripped off the pads from her temples.

"Hey now!" Tony called, frowning as he watched his very expensive wires be thrown to the ground. "If you don't like 'em, just say something."

Chloe shot him a glare through the window. She pulled herself up from the ground and rubbed her temples.

"What are they saying?"

"They want me to go home," she muttered. "And they're being very loud about it." She thought that the overwhelming loudness would end now that she was on actual speaking terms with the Animinds. It was actually the first time they were yelling at her since then.

"Maybe they're onto something," Tony said, his speakerphone voice cutting off when she came out of the room. He turned to meet her. "You've been here for days and you haven't rested."

"Because I wanted you to run those exams. With that new piece, you can figure out how to turn off the clairvoyance stuff and help me, I don't know, do something about the whole thing."

Tony leveled the young woman a hard look. "Chloe, you know that I can't pull the first piece out of you. It's...it's been absorbed."

Chloe swallowed hard. She nodded at him. "I know. But this second piece hasn't been fully introduced—"

"And you're already suffering without it." Tony's eyes fell over her hand that'd once briefly housed the second piece.

While the gauze had come off and the injury itself had healed, there were still a few scars on her palm from Seren's burn marks and the imprint of the tech piece itself. Chloe wasn't proud of it and she really didn't like looking at it much. She clamped that hand against her side, preferring to keep it away from people's eyes. "What do you think we should do?"

"Truthfully?" Tony asked before going any further. He had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what he had to say. Still, she gave him a nod. He exhaled. "You need that piece in your system, its powers are the missing link for the first piece that's been absorbed."

Horror flashed across Chloe's face. "You want to stick that thing back inside of me?"

Tony motioned her to follow him to the screens meant to monitor inside her room. "Helen and I have run extensive tests on you. Plus, we've been able to attain the exams S.H.I.E.L.D. had on you before." He pulled up said reports for her to see. "The first tech piece that you took in was completely absorbed. This happened in a matter of days. It explains why your powers were spontaneous back then. The metal — the actual metal piece — was drained out of your system within a week. I see no reason why this second piece wouldn't follow the same pattern."

"But to have another piece inside of me…" Chloe brought her arms over her chest in a tight hug. Flashes of the first attempt to stick that piece on her still produced the same raw fear she had in those moments. She shuddered.

Tony could guess where her thoughts had gone. He stretched a hand to her arm, gripping it lightly. "It wouldn't be like that anymore," he promised. "Helen and I would come up with the safest procedure. There would be no pain."

"I don't know," Chloe chewed on her bottom lip. "What would happen after that procedure? The powers…"

"I imagine they will finally connect and start a stabilization process…"

Chloe met his look with incredulity. "You imagine?"

Tony sighed, pulling his hand from her arm. "I've never done this before, Winters. This is aliens we are talking about! There's no one else like you—"

"Believe me, I know," she snapped. "Which is why I'm not too eager to give this thing the little of my humanity I have left."

"You're human, Chloe, nothing could ever change that."

"Am I?" she challenged. "Because I heard rumors of what HYDRA was doing to humans. They were changing them, trying to anyway. Whatever they were supposed to do with these 2 pieces, whoever they were supposed to be for...they could've been just like me."

"Even then, what does it matter? The only thing that should matter is your health and right now, the way I see it, doing this procedure is the only way to keep your health."

"What if I don't do it?" Chloe still had to ask, ignoring the way he sighed so heavily. "What if I leave things the way they are?"

"You know what would happen," Tony said flatly. They already had this conversation. "The spontaneous moments would get more spontaneous. Your connection with the Animinds would never be stable and that could cause problems in the long run. Chloe, I really think this is the only step we can take."

Chloe threw her head back with eyes shut. She scrunched her face, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I...I need some time to think about it."

"Yeah, do it. Helen's not due until the end of the week. But by then, you'll need to tell us what you want to do."

"Okay," Chloe decided to end things right where they were. She straightened up, for once in those two days showing how tired she actually was. "I'm going to go home and...sleep on it."

"Yeah, that'll be a good idea,' Tony nodded. "In the meantime, I will keep on studying that piece." He had many kinks to work out before he could think about placing it back inside her. He wanted to be absolutely sure that he could do the procedure without harming her. But it was as he said, he had never dealt with a situation like this. Aliens were something he never had to consider up until two years ago. It changed a lot of his perspective of the world.

~ 0 ~

The closer Chloe got to her apartment, the louder the Animinds were. She had to swallow down yells of anger in the street. Why the hell were they being so loud again?

You need to be prepared! Say what you've been wanting to say.

Chloe came up to her apartment door and wondered if banging her head against it would be enough to shut them up.

'You would have a bruise in no less than a few hours,' the Animinds were helpful, at least they thought they were.

Chloe grumbled. "I really hate you all right now." She pulled her keys out of her bag and unlocked the door. "And now I'm talking to myself like a crazy person…"

Do not feel threatened; you are not in danger.

"What?" Chloe slammed her door shut. "What 'danger' are you talking about?" She switched the light on and screamed for dear life when she saw Bucky Barnes standing across from her. "What the fu—!?" Her hand flung to her chest. How he stayed completely still with her dramatics, she had no idea.

"You're not harmed," he said, eyes still searching her body for any sign of injury. He did notice that her previously injured hand was now free of the gauze.

Chloe slowly moved that hand behind her back when she saw where his gaze was. "I'm...not," she said slowly, head turning slightly at him. "Why would you think—hold on, why are you back? You left!"

"I had to—"

"No," she pointed at him, her tone surprisingly sharp enough to make him blink out of surprise, "You didn't have to! That was really stupid—"

You're overwhelming. She froze with her mouth half open. The Animinds hadn't spoken to her this time. This was all her. The thoughts that had kept her awake when she realized Bucky had left. She told herself, reprimanded herself, for being too much. He came back, for whatever reason he came back so she had to be different this time.

"Why'd you leave?" she asked, surprising Bucky again, though this time for how quickly she had changed her tone. "You didn't tell me and you just…you left."

"I realized I still had the tracker in me," Bucky said, lowering his head. "I had to get it out."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you."

"I came back because you might have the tracker as well."

Chloe froze. "Excuse me?"

"It's standard procedure for all HYDRA assets. You were only under for a few hours but, still…"

Chloe patted her cheek like said tracker would be right there for some reason. "I don't think I've been put with any kind of tracker. My friend, Tony, he's been running all kinds of tests on me and if there had been in a tracker in me, he would've found one by now. You really could have told me about that…I would have helped, you know."

Bucky wasn't particularly looking at her; he hadn't been at all. "I considered the best strategy with the least amount of risk and I took it."

"Alright, well, I don't have a tracker on me…thanks for thinking of me." Chloe dropped her things on the couch. "But why'd you come back just to tell me that? We would've figured it out eventually."

He shifted on his feet. "Gratitude," he said.

"Gratitude?" Chloe raised a brow at him. "Why? I didn't exactly save your life."

"No," he agreed. Truth be told, whenever he thought about her, he thought of the first time she spoke directly to him at the vault.

"I, um...I have an ability that, um, well...it's known to ease the mind. I won't look through any of your memories. I only want to help calm you down. I just need to touch your temples." She gestured to her own temples with her glowing blue hands. "May I?"

She had asked him for permission. It was stupid, meaningless, but he couldn't shake the moment out of his head. Seventy years of being a prisoner had him taking in all types of violations and tortures. They were all usually done by older men with only one goal in mind: to win. Everything done to him was done to win a stupid war that was not his. But when Chloe showed up, things were distinctively different. She was far younger, she had a light that hadn't been distorted by HYDRA. She still had her humanity, something he lost ages ago. She was the first person he thought coherently about after decades of fuzziness and blankness. The very first thought he had in years and it was about his sympathy for HYDRA's next victim.

Hydra had already started its mission to change her but she fought back. He couldn't remember his early days with them but he was sure that he had done the same. He had tried to fight, thinking that he would somehow win. Once upon a time, he might have been like her. He could do for her what no one had been able to do for him.

Chloe took another step towards him. The Animinds had gone quiet ever since she stepped inside. All this time, they'd been talking about him. Would it have killed them to be more specific?

"I want to help you," she said. "Please, let me help you."

"Hydra will come for you," Bucky said. "The best thing you can do is run."

"I can't," Chloe half-smiled at him. "I can't just…run…I've been doing that for years now and trust me, it gets so tiring."

"You won't be safe for long here. HYDRA will be hunting you down, just like I'm sure they already are with me."

"For what?" Chloe couldn't understand why on Earth this organization would want her so much. "What could I possibly do for them?"

Bucky raised a finger at her, noticing the subtle way her body flinched. He wouldn't react to it. People usually tended to do it and just because she was different didn't mean that she had yet to trust him. He himself didn't trust her all the way either. "It's your head," he finally said, finger gesturing to her head. "Your mind. They worked hard to keep you in their eyes and if you think they'll leave you alone now, you're mistaken."

Chloe cocked her head to one side, eyes staring at him until he was the one to shift. "I have questions," she suddenly said. "And I think you're the one who can answer them for me."

"I don't have time to answer questions here," he said dismissively. "Time is a luxury neither of us have. You want to stay? Fine. I did what I had to." He started moving around her for the door. His entire body froze when her hand clapped over his flesh arm. By no means did she have the strength to stop him but her touch was more than enough to buy her a few minutes. He looked back at her, stunned, yet she was more determined than ever.

"You broke into my apartment twice. You owe me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"I may be going into surgery for this stupid Hivemind and I have questions that I need answered. You want to leave? Fine, but not before you do me the favor of answering a couple things."

"I don't know everything," he said. Chloe smiled at his unsaid agreement. She pulled her hand off him and with her went a nice warmth too. Bucky pulled his arm back to his side, turning back for her completely. "I'm a weapon. I don't have any information."

"You're not a weapon," Chloe said simply. She made a nod for him to follow her. He had no idea why he did it but he followed. "Hydra had to be working on thousands of different projects before S.H.I.E.L.D. went down and I doubt that they've stopped. If anything, they'll have sped up the ones that they could. I'm curious to know which project belonged to me."

"What?" Bucky followed her into the kitchen. She went for the fridge and rummaged for something. Bucky heard the clanking of glass and watched as she pulled out a bottle of orange juice.

"I'm sure that Hydra had to have, how do you say, scrambled to adjust their plans for the Hivemind once I absorbed the first piece. And since they couldn't get me for years, they must have started other projects similar to what was supposed to be with Hivemind." Chloe set the bottle of orange juice on the table with another clank, a purposely loud one too. She smirked at his dumbfounded stare. "I've thought about this for many years. I know what I'm talking about."

"Even if that were true, what would you gain from knowing about them?"

"I can prepare for what's coming! I would rather know who my enemies are before they come to kill me! I think the Hive Mind is already trying to show me that too. I've been seeing these flashes of, like, powers, I think?"

"You wouldn't have to figure that stuff out if you just got up and left!"

Red flourished over Chloe's face as she snapped back loudly, "I am not going anywhere! I have ran for years and I refuse to do it again. I am asking for your help please."

Bucky would silently commend the young woman for her courage, or perhaps a different type of stubbornness. Either way, it was remarkable given her situation. "What do you want to know?" He finally asked her.

A ghost of a smile marked Chloe's lips. "Projects that had to do with me for starters. Were you ever assigned to any of them?"

Bucky didn't have to think very much on that one. "Just a couple times to observe."

"Just to observe?"

He nodded. "I don't understand why but yeah. I would watch and then report back."

"Kind of creepy," Chloe said, turning away from him to go through the cabinets and get glasses. "But I'll forgive you because you were brainwashed. When was this, though?"

That was a little more fuzzy. Bucky couldn't remember exact dates but he did know that she'd been younger. "You were...in France. Another in, um, Sweden."

"I couldn't have been more than 19, then," Chloe said. "I've only been to Sweden once. I don't get why they just ordered you to watch?"

'You were unprepared,' the Animinds startled her.

Bucky noticed the way her body flinched midway back to the table. She was frozen in her spot for some reason.

'Young and explosive. You could never hold onto the Hivemind in that state.'

"Huh," Chloe soon came back to the present. She met Bucky's odd stare and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, the Animinds sort of talk to me without being asked."

"Animinds?" He repeated, face scrunching for a second. She chuckled. It was so casual—the first casual laugh he heard in decades, and from a woman.

"Sorry," she apologized. Bucky had no choice but to blink. "The species of the Hivemind are called the Animinds. They've recently disclosed that. It's why I wasn't in the apartment. I've been with Stark for the past few days."

"So you weren't in danger," Bucky realized. He'd come back to the apartment so easily that he never considered the idea of Chloe not being in there. The last time he was around, she didn't really look like the outgoing type. Her not being in the apartment for days irked him. Had Hydra made good on their assets? Had a remaining agent come for her already? Or had she already run off? He wasn't able to come up with any answer.

She smiled softly. "No, I wasn't in any danger. Thanks for caring but I can take care of myself."

"You won't say that when there's at least a dozen of Hydra agents coming for you."

"Let them try," she said with an air of smugness that, for some reason, stirred something in Bucky. She slid him a glass of orange juice. "Thanks for not raiding my fridge, by the way, but you're more than welcome to get anything you want during your stay."

"I'm not staying," he reiterated.

"Hmm, I don't know, could be your best strategy."

"Why do you want me to stay so badly?" he asked curiously.

Chloe shrugged. "I told you, it's the best strategy you have. Distance does you no good if you're outnumbered. Stick around for a few days and you'll see why I'm right. Plus, you can use the days to remember more things for my answers."

"And what were those again?"

"Well, you told me about your missions regarding me and I just know that Hydra would be doing something else while they waited for me to 'be ready'."

"Why?"

Chloe pulled a chair out and plonked down, soon motioning Bucky to do the same. Reluctantly, he did. She picked up her glass of juice and took a sip. "The way I see it, they have fail-safes for their weapons. Their fail safe for you was the memory wipes. The cryogenic stasis, the...machines." She wanted to be extra cautious when delving into this topic for his sake. "They knew how to control you. Did they ever get around to me?"

Bucky considered the idea and realized that it wasn't that far-fetched. Hydra never conducted a project if they weren't capable of containing it. While Chloe wasn't in their clutches, they were positive that one day she would be and so they would have to work to have the environment ready for her. With that idea, they would have to consider potential fail-safes in case she turned erratic.

"Do you remember anything of the sort?" Chloe's question was soft and patient. It was a lot to ask for and she knew it. Anything he said to her would be deeply appreciated.

Flashes of things came to his mind. What they were, he wasn't sure but it was something. "I wasn't...I wasn't everywhere…" He brought a hand to his forehead in a rather harsh way. Chloe flinched when she heard the light smack of it. "My primary base was in Siberia. But there were others in charge of...different projects."

"What kind?" asked Chloe.

"A lot," was all Bucky could say with certainty. "Various different goals needed to be met so a lot of new projects had to cover them."

"Anything related to what I am?" She tapped the side of her head. "Mind control? Hiveminds? Technology needed to go inside the bodies?"

Bucly's face scrunched much too hard for her liking. He was truly making an effort to remember. "I don't...I can't…"

Chloe was sorrowful for him. "Hey, don't think anymore," she said softly.

He stopped to look at her. Isn't this what she wanted?

"It is but not if it's going to hurt you," she said like she'd read his mind. She half-smiled at him afterwards. "I don't always depend on the Hivemind to use my common sense."

"But you want to know, you need to know," Bucky said, watching her slowly stand up from her chair.

"Yeah, but there's no rush. You want dinner?"

"What?" He stared blankly at her, prompting her to ask him if even knew what 'dinner' was anymore.

"Stay with me for the night and maybe tomorrow you can think some more," she said kindly. "You like pasta?" She went for the cabinets to find what she would need for the dish.

"I don't…" He was getting a headache and he wasn't sure if it was because of her or of his thinking.

Chloe laughed softly at him. He stiffened at it again. "How's about we let your taste buds tell you whether or not you like it instead of trying to remember? Might be better sometimes."

The offer was much too kind and he, forgetting what kindness felt like, found himself nodding at her like a child.

~ 0 ~

"So what exactly are you going to do now that SHIELD is all gone?" Kenna made the question without knowing just how big of a subject it had been for Seren.

Evening had fallen and now they were walking the street with no real direction except to keep the conversation going.

"I still don't know," Seren said much too easily and when Kenna gave her a sharp look, she wasn't sure what to do. "What?"

Kenna snorted. "Seren, please! I know you — you still make the same faces! Remember when you told me you so did not have a crush on Will? You're making the same face right now."

"What? Am not!"

"Are too!"

Seren crossed her arms and huffed like a child. "What do you want me to say?"

Kenna laughed. "Whatever you've been thinking about clearly!"

"I haven't!"

Kenna shook her head. "You're still literally the same, it's hilarious. Clearly, you've been putting some thought into the ideas so let me hear 'em!"

"Alright, maybe I have been thinking…" Seren sighed, annoyed. "It's the whole reason I'm even in Hudson in the first place. SHIELD has been my entire life and now that it's gone — now that I know the truth about it — I've been feeling pretty lost. I can't picture myself working in an office or, I don't know, just…I can't do it."

"Mhm, so what can you do?" Kenna nudged her on the side, encouraging her to be honest.

Seren playfully rolled her eyes. It truly felt like they were teenagers again. The idea was stupid and yet it brought so much joy to her heart. "Honestly?"

"Please!"

"I want to keep fighting. I know that SHIELD's destruction didn't end everything bad out there. I know for sure that HYDRA has to have more bases out there. I know there's gotta be people who still need help and I want to be the person to help them."

"Decent answer," Kenna said with a nod. "So how do you go about that? Do you like become a freelancing Avenger or something?"

It was then Seren's turn to laugh. "I have no idea. But I guess admitting that I'm no longer that confused is a huge step from where I started."

"See?" Kenna smiled dramatically sweetly. "You do need me!"

Seren chuckled again and soon shared the same laugh with Kenna. "Great, so you can be the one to tell my parents that I am once again leaving Hudson."

"Oh, no way!" Kenna shook her head. "That's all on you, girl." She patted Seren's shoulder. "But I'll be happy to visit you in the city…if you'd like, of course."

Seren's expression softened and she nodded. "Absolutely," she said honestly. "I'm sorry for—"

"No more apologizing," Kenna pointed at her. "You need to move on, Seren. If I can, so can you. It's all good, trust me. I'm just happy that you found your way back here. Back home. Even if it's just for a moment."

"Me too," Seren admitted. It was the first time she said it out loud. Coming home had always been more of a chore for her, even seeing her parents because it always led to arguments about SHIELD and her grandmother. Now she actually felt like she would miss Hudson when she eventually left.

"So do you have a place in the city?" Kenna asked. "Because you said you were out in London for 2 years, right?"

"Yeah, so technically that and with SHIELD's bye-bye thing…I'm sort of out of a home," Seren shrugged. "Me and Steve are going to look for something, hopefully in Manhattan. We, uh, want to be close to one of our other friends there."

"Okay, fancy," Kenna snickered. "So you and Steve — it's pretty serious, then? Moving in and stuff?"

"Guess so, yeah," Seren said, her face flushed with warmth. "I mean…we've only technically been together for a few weeks now…"

"What?" Kenna laughed. "And you already brought him to meet your parents? And he showed up?"

"What can I say? It's all felt pretty natural so far…" Seren said, "And, honestly, things started way before a few weeks ago."

"Well, if you say it feels natural then don't even question it," Kenna said. "He seems very nice and, I'm gonna be real, he's hot. Don't blow it, girl!"

Seren laughed again, and louder. "I missed you, Kenna."

Kenna shrugged smugly. "We were always a good pair. You were the shy one, I was the bold one."

"You did use to push me into several new situations," Seren agreed.

"And I am happy to continue that whenever I deem it necessary," Kenna forewarned her.

The two giggled together and that was how Steve found them at the corner of the street. He liked the sight.

"Hey!" Seren beamed when she saw him. She rushed up to him and gave him a quick hug and kiss. "Where've you been, stranger?"

"Oh, you know, exploring," Steve said, "Hudson's got some good places here. How are you two? Are we…okay?"

Kenna snorted. "Definitely. She hasn't changed much, honestly. Thanks for pushing her while I've been gone but I am here to retake my position."

Steve seemed confused but so long as Seren seemed happy — she was giggling again — so be it, "Uh, sure, I guess."

"I'll call you tomorrow," Kenna said to Seren. "Maybe we can meet in the city or something once you've got your place set, yeah?"

Seren didn't think twice. "Yeah! We could go out and make a day and — let's do it!"

"Oh, do you know what? Do you know who else lives in Manhattan? Will does! Remember him?"

"Really? He does?" Seren blinked with a pleasant surprise.

"Yeah, I ran into him a couple days ago at the library. He's visiting his folks too."

"Wow, and I haven't seen him…"

"Please, don't look so sad over the fact," Steve mumbled, bringing Seren's attention up to him. She giggled. He remembered the name perfectly.

Kenna also seemed to have caught her slip and very quickly bid them goodnight and left them.

"So, are we going to call up Will next?" Steve said bitterly.

Seren leaned up on her toes and kissed him. When she seemed to be pulling back, she changed her mind and pressed another kiss on his lips, then another one. "Thank you for pushing me to do this today…"

Jealousy forgotten for the moment, Steve gazed at her fondly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "I'm glad it all worked out."

"It did, and…and something else worked out too…" she said, then proceeded to tell him what she had confessed to Kenna about her ideas of the future. "Going back into the fight…what do you think?" She tested her hands on his chest. "Is it crazy?"

"Maybe to others but to me…it seems we're sort of in sync about it," Steve said, "I think it's time I told you what Tony's proposition was all about."

Seren nodded at him. He lowered his head and gently kissed her.

A/N:

We're inching closer to the end of this book ;))

For the reviews:

ElementalNinja: Thanks for the read! Chloe's and Bucky's road will be a slow one but hopefully a good one!

Wonderwomanbatmanfan: A much needed conversation honestly. Liana is basically an older, wiser, version of Seren. Lmao that would be so funny xD but hey maybe they do pretend like nothing happens. Sam is the bestie we all need!

P.S. As always, I have an AO3/Wattpad account under "noblecrescent" and a tumblr account under "saiilorstars" if you'd like to follow :)