As much as she enjoyed her classes, Stella had gotten bored with her reading over the past few days. She had already read ahead and devoured her entire textbook and completed her homework for the next three weeks. She'd also worked out every day this week. Her body was bone tired and needed a break.

Back home she worked two jobs which kept her busy almost every day. She wasn't used to idle hands. So she had taken to doing research on her new roommates.

Natasha AKA Black Widow was a spy for the KGB before being recruited by SHIELD. Wanda also known as Scarlet Witch had worked with Ultron before changing sides to the Avenger's team after losing her twin brother Pietro. They had been gifted with magical abilities after experimentation from an organization known as Hydra, the same Hydra Steve had fought in World War II. The Avengers had been formed in 2012 when Loki, Thor's brother invaded Earth with an alien army with the intent of taking over the planet. Loki had done this with the help of the Tesseract, a highly volatile weapon of unknown origin that he used to open a portal from space.

Stella was reeling after she read all this. It was hard to imagine the people she had been living with for the past few weeks had such jaded, complex pasts. Or that they had fought an alien space army. She had heard about the invasion of course, but had been safely tucked away at school in Washington Heights at the time.

Stella studied the picture of the tesseract that Google had provided. It resembled a bright blue cube. Where did its power come from?

She mused about this as she walked downstairs to get lunch. Her date with Bucky was scheduled for that night and she was nervous but excited. When was the last time she had gone on a real date?

Nat had heard about Bucky's arrangements from the chef and asked her about her date over breakfast, which Stella coyly admitted to. Steve had listened silently while refusing to meet her gaze, but she had noticed the way his shoulders stiffened at the news.

Well, what had he expected? His fuck boy tendencies had come out the night she tried to reconnect with him, possibly before that when he bedded her when spying on her for Tony. The thought of it still infuriated her and made her want to strangle both Steve and Tony.

She was still thinking about this when she rounded the corner into the rec room. She slammed hard into another person, stumbling back a few steps.

"Oh. Bucky," She blurted after she recognized him. He stared at her impassively. "Looking forward to tonight." She continued, giving him a small smile. He eyed her before pushing past her and stalking down the hallway. "Um hello?" She called after him, affronted by his behavior.

He kept walking as if he couldn't hear her, his head turning occasionally to glance inside rooms as he passed them. "Are you okay?" Stella questioned, following him. Something had to be wrong. Bucky was always a perfect gentleman to her, aside from the first time they met that is.

She jogged after him, finding it hard to keep up with his breakneck pace. "Bucky-" She placed her hand on his arm.

It happened like lightning. He whirled around, his hand suddenly around her neck, pressing, pressing, pressing too hard.

"Bucky," Stella gasped. She scraped at his metal arm uselessly. He stared at her, his blue eyes emotionless. He said something in a language she didn't recognize. Was that…Russian?

"Bucky," She rasped again. "I can't breathe."

"Where is it?" He demanded, this time in English. His grip tightened.

"I c-can't-" She couldn't make out the rest. What was happening? Why was he doing this to her? She tried kicking at him, but he didn't even flinch. It was like he couldn't even feel it. Her vision started to blur around the edges.

"Bucky?" It was a voice she recognized, but couldn't put a name to. "What're you-" The voice cut off. There was a flash of red light and Stella crumbled to the ground, the crushing pressure around her neck finally gone. She gasped, inhaling huge lungfuls of air.

"Stella, get away from him." Stella finally recognized Wanda's accented voice. She glanced up to see Wanda at the other end of the hallway, opposite her and Bucky. Bucky stared at Wanda, that same dead look on his face.

"Where is it?" He asked, his voice flat.

"Where's what? What's wrong with you?" Wanda demanded. Bucky didn't answer, instead taking off in a sprint and launching himself at Wanda with no warning. Wanda was taken off guard and he tackled her to the ground.

Stella tried to get her bearings but was still trying to catch her breath. She clambered to her feet and ran at the grappling duo, latching herself onto Bucky's back. She wrapped her arms around his neck as tightly as she could. Bucky wrenched at her, but she kicked at his legs and Wanda was doing her best to restrain him with her powers. Bucky managed to slam Wanda's head against the floor, momentarily stunning her. The Sokovian's grip on his body released and he struggled to his feet, Stella still wrapped around his neck.

"Bucky?...Stella!" Stella didn't have time to react to the new voices. Bucky finally managed to get a grip on her hair and yanked. The pain forced Stella to loosen her hold. He used the advantage to wrench her over his head and threw her bodily towards the two people who had just walked into the hall. There was a whir of tech and she was caught by Sam, who lowered her quickly to the ground.

He and Natasha faced off against Bucky. They must have been fresh from training because Sam was still wearing his wings. Bucky was like a flash. He threw a punch at Natasha, a kick to Sam, and another kick towards Nat all in a matter of seconds. It would have been impressive if not so terrifying.

Why is he being like this? Stella thought desperately. What's wrong with him?...Stella had never felt so helpless in her life.

I need to do something.

"Friday…" Stella whispered hoarsely. "Get help."

"Help is on the way, Stella." Friday assured her.

Bucky grabbed Natasha and used her like a battering ram against Sam's chest. The momentum sent Sam careening into the wall behind him and Natasha fell to the ground, motionless.

"Buck!" Steve manifested at the end of the hall. He sprinted towards the man without hesitating. Wanda, now revived, used her powers to immobilize the brunette. Bucky struggled against his invisible bonds. Steve managed to get the man in a head lock. Bucky strained but Wanda held him fast. After a few interminable seconds, his eyes rolled back in his head and his legs buckled. Steve lowered the man to the ground slowly. Once he was sure the man was unconscious he turned to examine the group, taking in the injuries.

Stella rushed towards Natasha who was still prone on the floor, unmoving. She felt Steve at her shoulder. She brushed back the redhead's hair to see a large bump on her temple. Steve's fingers reached past her and felt her pulse.

"She's okay," He breathed. "Just knocked out." Stella sighed in relief. Sam was pulling himself up against the wall. Wanda rushed over, Vision and Clint now on her heels.

"What the hell happened?" Steve demanded.

"I was walking down the hall when I saw Bucky. He had his hands around Stella's throat," Wanda started. Steve's fingers brushed her hair back to examine her throat. Stella suddenly became aware of how sore her neck was and winced as his fingers gently brushed against her skin.

"Are you okay?" He asked her urgently, his blue eyes boring into her own. Stella nodded. In truth she was reeling, her heart still racing with adrenaline. She was confused and scared, though every moment she spent next to Steve chased her fear away more and more. She almost wanted to cry with relief and collapse into his arms, but refrained.

"Did something spur Bucky on?" He asked.

"I saw him in the hall and he was acting like he didn't know me..." Stella replied, her voice still raspy. "It was strange…He was looking for something. And he wouldn't respond when I called him by his name." Sam and Steve shared a look. "What is it?" Stella asked.

"We need to get him into restraints until we can interrogate and deprogram him."

"Deprogram?"

"Bucky's past is complicated Stella."

"…That wasn't Bucky was it?" She ventured. Steve shook his head sadly.

"No. It was the Winter Soldier."

Bucky POV

Bucky's eyes blinked open. The first thing he was aware of was the pounding in his head. He groaned. The man sat up, looking around as he did. He was in a small room with three stark white walls and one glowing holographic partition. Realization set in that he was in one of the cells in the Avenger's compound. Fragments of memories rushed back to him.

No.

"You're awake." Bucky whipped his head towards the voice. Steve was standing on the other side of the partition staring into the cell.

Bucky stood. He walked to the edge and stood before the barrier. He knew the wall looked harmless enough but it was impenetrable until deactivated from the outside. He had escorted criminals down here himself after a few missions. Now, he was trapped inside one.

"What happened?" Bucky demanded.

"Are you the real Bucky?"

"Yes, it's me. Now tell me what I did."

"Prove it. Tell me something only the real Bucky would know." Bucky wracked his brain.

"Uhh…In high school you couldn't find a date to prom so you went with your cousin." Steve cracked a small smile. "Steve…what did I do?"

"Why don't you tell me the last thing you remember?" Bucky once again thought hard.

"I was at the liquor store picking out a bottle of wine for my date with Stella. Then I was on my bike on my way back to the compound when a woman flagged me down from the side of the road. She drugged me." Bucky closed his eyes, trying to remember. His memory was hazy. "Loki! He was there. And there was a man reading from the red book, the book Hydra used to control me." At this revelation, Steve turned and shared a look with someone standing off to the side of the cells. Bucky squinted his eyes, but the person was standing in darkness.

"Loki was with Hydra?" Thor asked, stepping forward.

"I don't know for sure if the man who read from the book was Hydra, but he knew my trigger words so most likely."

"If that's true, it changes everything we thought we knew about Loki," Steve responded.

"He's adapting. Knows he's stronger with Hydra at his side." Natasha stepped forward from the shadows as she spoke.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Bucky's memory of what happened earlier was still foggy. He shut his eyes, trying desperately to remember.

Stella.

"Stella. Is she okay?" Bucky urged as the memory became clearer. Steve hesitated before nodding. Stella slowly stepped out from the shadows Natasha and Thor had emerged from. She watched him cautiously, her arms wrapped around herself. Bucky despaired at the look on her face as she stared at him.

"I'm fine." Her voice was hoarse. Bucky stepped forward until his nose was practically pressed against the glowing partition. Stella flinched, though Bucky could tell she tried to hide it.

"Stella, I'm so sorry." The area around her neck was already bruised a faded purple and blue.

"I'm okay now. Really. Bruce checked me out."

"Did I hurt anyone else?"

"Nat got a nasty bump on the head but other than a few bumps and bruises we're fine."

"You were looking for something." A new voice added. It was Wanda. "When I pulled you off Stella you asked me, 'where is it'?" Bucky began pacing in his cell, wracking his brain.

"…The tesseract." He rounded on them. "Loki wanted me to find the tesseract and bring it to him."

"Why would Loki think it's here? Didn't Thor take it back to Asgard after the attack on New York in 2012?" Sam asked. Thor and Steve glanced at one another.

"He brought it here after Loki escaped from one of their cells," Steve informed them, crossing his arms. "We didn't think it would be a good idea to have him and an infinity stone on the same planet."

"So wait, it's been here this whole time?" Sam questioned in disbelief. Steve nodded.

"Sorry we didn't share but it was on a need to know basis. The less people who knew, the less likely the information would leak," Natasha added.

"Who knew?" Sam was clearly angry but trying not to show it.

"Tony, Clint, Natasha, Bruce, Thor and myself." Steve answered. Sam shook his head.

"Naturally." Steve bypassed Sam's anger, continuing on.

"It's in lockup. Tony secured it. There's no way Loki can get to it."

"How does he even know it's here? Bucky didn't know so it's not like he could have told him," Wanda said.

"Loki's mind tricks know no bounds." Thor surmised.

"Well at least now we know what he's after." Natasha added.

"It could be just a piece of the puzzle. We don't know what his endgame is," Clint reminded them.

"We need to tell Tony what's happened."

"No time like the present."

"…How long will I be in here?" Bucky was almost afraid to ask.

"Once Bruce clears you with the help of Wanda you'll be a free man," Steve assured him. Bucky nodded. That seemed fair and it was better than he deserved. The team began filtering out of the room. Stella lingered for a moment, before following the group. Bucky sighed and sat down on the bed inside the cell. He buried his head in his hands.

Would he ever be free of his past?

Steve POV

"Steve," Stella caught up with the man. He slowed and looked down at her, surprised. His eyes traced the bruises on her neck. He reached out to gingerly touch one. Stella let him.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." She stepped back, out of his grasp. "I have a favor to ask you."

"Steve?" The pair looked up at Natasha who was waiting at the end of the hall. "You coming?"

"Just a sec." The woman nodded and strode away. "What is it?" He questioned, turning back to Stella.

"Please…don't tell Tony about what Bucky did to me." Steve's expression didn't change.

"Why?"

"I know he and Bucky already have a rocky relationship…I don't want it to get any worse. Especially because of me."

"How do you know that Tony and Bucky don't get along?" Steve asked. No one on the team would have told her about Bucky's past as the Winter Soldier…would they?

"Bucky told me." Steve's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"What exactly did he tell you?" He asked skeptically.

"Just that they don't get along…I don't know why. From what I can tell what Bucky did today wasn't his fault. I don't want this to be the reason Tony kicks him out." Stella's eyes were pleading. Steve was struck by how selfless she was. She had nearly been killed today; again, for the second time since she came to live here. And yet she didn't want Tony to know for fear he would kick Bucky out in retaliation?

"Stella…Tony is part of the Avengers. I can't just not tell him what happened. He needs to know," Steve said gently.

"I'm not asking you not to tell him…I'm just asking you to leave me out of the story." She stared up at him with those big brown eyes before taking his hand. "Please?"

"I can't promise you anything." Steve pulled his hand away before turning from her. When she looked at him like that, he wanted to give her anything she desired. Walk away Steve…He forced his feet to start moving down the hall.

"I thought he was your friend." Steve froze. His back was turned, but he felt Stella at his shoulder. "That day at my place…" Her voice was soft, like it had been that day.

Steve knew immediately which day she was referring to. The day they had spent in bed. The day Loki had attacked. The day her life had changed forever. "You said he was your best friend."

"He is."

"Then prove it." Steve stood there for a moment mulling over her words before striding off after his teammates.

XXX

Steve listened as the team explained what happened to Tony over video call. Stella was noticeably absent, most likely hoping to hide her bruises from Tony. Tony pinched his brows on the screen.

"Just what we needed to hear. Reindeer games teaming up with the Nazis." He sighed. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Natasha took a hit, but she's fine. And-"

"And that was it," Steve interrupted. He hadn't known he was going to give into Stella's request until that very moment.

She was right. Tony would kick Bucky out if he knew what he had done to Stella. Clint, who had been speaking shot Steve a look but didn't interrupt him.

"You okay Romanoff?"

"I'm fine Tony."

"Has Barnes been deprogrammed?"

"After this Wanda and I will head down to the cells to be sure," Bruce answered. "She's going to help me take a look inside his head." Steve winced. Bucky wouldn't like it. Steve would have to go down to the cells with them to make sure he was alright.

"Alright. Thanks for keeping me in the loop. Keep me updated on any developments. Fury said he might have a lead on Hydra so I'll follow up with him and get back to you." The screen went black.

After the call Steve followed Wanda and Bruce down to the new containment cells Tony had developed in the basement of the compound. Three walls of the cell were concrete but for the last wall in place of metal bars was an impenetrable barrier that was somehow generated by technology. Steve had no idea how they worked but he couldn't deny how effective they were. When they had first been installed Tony had asked him to test one out. Steve hadn't been able to escape, even with the help of his shield.

The super soldier had been forced to wait until Tony stopped laughing hysterically for him to finally let Steve out.

Bucky was compliant while Wanda looked inside his head. Steve wasn't surprised; he knew his friend felt guilty for what he had done. He could also tell how deeply uncomfortable the man was. He winced when Wanda used her powers to read his mind, clutching the arms of the chair he sat in so hard that the wood splintered under the grip of his metal hand.

"I think he's fine," Wanda confirmed after a few minutes of concentration.

"How do you feel?" Bruce questioned. "Can you still feel the influence of the Winter Soldier?" Bucky shook his head. Bruce noted this on his clipboard.

"Okay. I think you're good to go, Sergeant."

"Thanks." Bucky stood. Steve clapped him on the shoulder. Bruce and Wanda walked off. Bucky made to follow but Steve tightened his grip on the man's shoulder.

"You okay Buck?" Bucky nodded, not meeting his gaze.

"Considering I just tried to kill everyone on the premises? Peachy."

"Come on. You know what I mean."

"I'm fine Steve. Just another day." It was only because Steve knew him so well that that he was able to sense the defeat buried under a layer of false apathy. Steve sighed. He wished he knew a way to help Bucky escape his past permanently, but until then precautions needed to be taken.

"Listen…I don't think it's a good idea if you leave the compound anymore. At least until we find a way to deprogram you for good." The other man grimaced.

"Fine." Bucky paused. "…Is Stella really okay?" Steve hesitated, then nodded.

"She'll be fully recovered before you know it." Bucky sighed before running his hand through his hair. He looked as though he was considering saying something else, then thought better of it. Steve watched him walk away.

Steve didn't want to get involved with Stella…It was clear that his feelings had negatively impacted his judgement, evidenced by the incident at the lake. He had already convinced himself he would better be able to protect Stella if things stayed platonic between them…but that didn't mean Steve wanted Bucky to date her.

He groaned. Relationships in the 21st century sure were a lot more complicated than they had seemed in the 40s.

Stella POV

Stella was lounging on the South Patio beneath the orange glow of a heat lamp when he found her. Ironically, it was the very spot their date had been scheduled for that night. It felt like a million years since he had asked her out, though it had only been earlier that week.

She was staring up at the stars but sat up, startled when she heard someone. She relaxed slightly when she saw it was Bucky. She tried to not let her latent fear show, but knew she was doing a poor job.

"Can I sit?" He asked. She nodded after a moment. He joined her on the blanket, though he sat at the very edge.

"…I don't even know where to start."

"What happened?" She asked softly. "The team is saying it wasn't you, that you couldn't control what happened…" Bucky hesitated. He wasn't comfortable discussing his past, but he had almost killed her earlier. She deserved the truth.

"In the 40's I was captured during the war. The army thought I was dead, so no one bothered to look for me. Not even Steve." Despite the time that had passed, it still stung to admit. "I was captured by the Nazi science division, Hydra. They experimented on me. Trained me and wiped as many memories as they could."

"Why?" Stella's voice was barely a whisper.

"To turn me into their weapon. The Winter Soldier." Stella knew the name. She had seen the story on the news a few years ago. A masked man known as the Winter Soldier was causing trouble in DC…until the Avengers stopped him.

"For years they sent me on missions to fulfill their agenda, putting me in cryogenic sleep when they didn't need me. I was their puppet until I met Steve again in 2013…Seeing him again triggered my old memories and I ran from Hydra…until Steve found me again in Romania. Long story short, I've been here ever since." Bucky left out the part about the blow out in Germany at the airport. "But what Hydra put in my head is still there. It probably always will be." It was hard to admit this. Would Bucky have to live out his life, trapped at the compound forever?

"I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. For what I did to you." Stella's fingers drifted up to her neck. "Loki and Hydra… they were able to use my trigger words to turn me back into the Winter Soldier today. That's why I hurt you, why I was looking for the tesseract." Stella looked unsure how to respond to his apology.

"I know it wasn't you," She said, though her voice suggested otherwise.

"I don't know how I can make it up to you…" Bucky started. Stella smiled sadly. "Or where we go from here."

"How about to friends?" She questioned. Bucky looked up at her. Stella stared down at her lap. "I don't think I'm ready to date right now anyway. To be honest, some jerk just broke my heart and I'm still getting over it. It wouldn't be fair to you or me if we started seeing each other." Bucky considered this.

To be honest, he was probably too much of a mess himself right now. He was still in recovery. It sucked that he couldn't date Stella the way he wanted to, but hopefully things would change in the future.

Not that she would want to date some guy that tried to kill her... Besides, it wasn't like going out with Tony's daughter would help his relationship with the man.

"That's probably for the best," Bucky agreed.

"So friends?" Bucky nodded. Stella smiled. "…I do have a favor to ask you though." Bucky raised a brow.

"Go on."

"I was wondering if you would train me."

"Train you?"

"To fight."

"Why?"

"People are after me now because I'm related to Tony. It would be nice to be able to protect myself, at least a little." Bucky considered this.

It was the least he could do after what he had done to her earlier. And honestly, what else was he going to do while he was stuck here?

"I can do better than a little. Gonna need a new project anyway now that I'm on house arrest." Stella was the one to raise her brow this time.

"You too huh?"

"Yep."

"Guess we're lockdown buddies." She nudged him with her shoulder, before sticking her hand out at him. "So we have a deal Barnes?" Bucky took her hand and shook it.

"Deal." Stella glanced back up at the stars before commenting "Hopefully next time you try to kill me I'll at least be able to defend myself." Bucky shot her a sly smirk.

"You can't catch a break, can you kid?"

"Doesn't seem like it." But when she looked at him, her smile was playful.

A/N: Hi Everyone! If you're enjoying the story so far, please consider leaving a comment below :). And in case you were wondering, Bucky is of course still going to be a love interest in this story. Thanks for reading!