A/N

This is who you came for.

x Noelle

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0 7

с е м н а д ц а т ь

(seventeen)

IT WAS THE sound of a slamming door that jolted her awake the next morning, but it wasn't the door to her bedroom. Instead, it was distant, and she heard a muffled curse belonging to a voice that sounded distinctly like Captain America's.

She stifled a smile and turned on her side, only to find the space beside her empty. Last night, in between whispers and pauses, Bucky had told her everything he could remember. His time with Hydra, the missions, saving Steve from the Potomac river. She'd listened until he was done, then pulled him back to bed.

But now he was gone.

Or maybe he wasn't. A slip of paper on the dresser caught her eye and she reached for it.

Had to leave to pick up breakfast before I could wake you in a way that I really want to. It depends. You ever made love to a broken man over ninety with a metal arm?

You picked a real winner, красотка.

(Update Steve on my whereabouts. That punk's going to get a heart attack from worrying too much.)

She stifled a laugh and climbed out of bed. After a warm shower, she retrieved the paper and headed to the living room. Steve was pacing about as he ignored Sam's advice to calm down. Natasha saw Dakota and snapped her fingers to get Steve's attention.

"Hey," Steve quickly rushed to Dakota, raking a distracted hand through his hair. "Sam told me not to wake you, and I'm sorry if I did. But do you know where Bucky went?" She handed him the note with a smile and he read it, shoulders loosening with relief when he saw the postscript at the bottom. "Oh, that's good," He started, before blinking when he reread the first few lines. He flushed, looking entirely awkward all of a sudden. "I mean – I was talking about where he went, not – "

Dakota laughed. "It's fine. Bucky worries a lot about you too."

"What did Metal-Boy say to get Captain America all red and flustered?" Sam sidled up, snatching the note from Steve's hands as he read it. Then he shot Steve an incredulous look. "That's it? You called to ask me about latex, lubricated and ultra-thin condoms when you had that sleepover at Sharon's, and now you're blushing like a teenage girl who's never been kissed just because you're reading about your best friend's sex life with Dot over here?"

"Sam!" Impossibly, Steve flushed even harder and Dakota had to really bite down on her lower lip to keep from laughing aloud because he looked so embarrassed.

Natasha, on the other hand, had no qualms with snorting inelegantly, before leaning over Sam's shoulder to catch a glimpse of the note. "Ultra-thin isn't going to contain that super-soldier of yours, Captain." She smirked when Steve shot her a glare. But then she turned her glinting eyes to Dakota's direction and Dakota's smile immediately fell from her face. Damn Natasha. "But have you?" The redhead inquired nosily, her eyes bright with mischief.

Dakota stared at her innocently. "Have I...?"

"Made love to the broken man over ninety with a metal arm?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure his winter-soldier can't be contained with ultra-thin condoms either," Sam added, meeting Natasha's closed fist in an exaggerated fist-bump.

Dakota rolled her eyes at them good-naturedly, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "I'm going to get breakfast," She said, plucking Bucky's note neatly out of Natasha's hands and stuffing it into the pocket of her jeans. "Text me your orders!"

"And get more chocolate milk on your way back," Natasha chirped brightly, heading over to the counter and rummaging through her bag. She strode over with a nondescript silver bracelet. "We all need weapons. If you press the button at the side, it fires out an electroshock that should be more than sufficient to subdue a man twice your size," She murmured, clipping the bracelet firmly around Dakota's wrist before the latter could even blink. Then she stepped back after tugging several times on the bracelet to make sure that it was latched tightly enough. "The word means beautiful, by the way."

"What?"

"Красотка," Natasha returned, her lips quirking up in her signature smirk. "That's what Romeo wrote in the letter."

"Oh," Dakota blinked as realisation swiftly dawned on her. She smiled and nodded at the redhead, who was by now shoving herself up on the counter and leaning over to steal the bag of crackers that Steve was snacking on. "Thank you."

"If you want to thank me, don't forget my chocolate milk."

Dakota shook her head in mirth and bid the others goodbye. Bucky hadn't told her where he'd headed to, but she suspected it would be the café. True enough, she found him waiting in line. He'd pulled his jacket hood over his head; his shoulders hunched as he tried to look inconspicuous.

It wasn't entirely possible. With his distinct, sharp features and broad shoulders, he was already attracting the unwanted attention of several women around. The three young girls sharing a table near the front of the café shot him occasional glances, before ducking their heads down, whispering and giggling with flushed faces when he shot a sharp look their way. But it was the woman waiting in line behind him that seemed to throw him off completely, and Dakota watched in amusement as the lady attempted to start a conversation with him several times, only to purse her lips in blatant disappointment whenever he simply shook his head and turned back to the front again.

Dakota stepped forward and slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow. He froze, then relaxed as he turned to her. His lips quirked in a faint smile and he tugged her close.

"It's been hell without you, моя любовь," He whispered, his breath hot on her skin.

She laughed, even as his words sent a shiver down her spine. "It's only been an hour. Two, tops." He dipped his head to capture her lips, but she caught the glum expression on the woman behind them, and pressed her palm against his chest. "There're people staring."

"People these days still care about that?"

"Sometimes. The woman behind us seems interested in you," she added, with a low whisper. "Try not to break her heart, okay?"

He shot her an incredulous look, before he shook his head in amusement, gazing down at her with a smirk playing on his lips. "You're breaking mine, doll," He murmured fondly, "I might not be up to date with twenty-first century dating rules after being stuck in cryo for so long, but I can tell from the way you're holding on to me that you want to be kissed just as much as I want to kiss you. And anyone else, interested women waiting in line or not, can easily fu – "

"Language, Sergeant."

His eyes narrowed when he caught her teasing grin. There was a gleam in his eye when he lowered his head again. "I can assure you that there is a huge difference between me and Captain America," He said, his voice a husky timbre and his lips brushing the shell of her ear as he spoke, sending sharp, delicious thrills shooting down her spine. "Steve and I – we don't speak the same language, and I don't play nice the way he does. But I promise that whatever I say or do to you, you'll absolutely love and want more. And I'll spend every moment I can giving you exactly what you want," He added silkily, swiftly dipping his lips to the pulse point beneath her ear. She felt the hot brush of his lips before a trace of the smooth velvet that was his tongue, and then a hint of his teeth nipping quickly on her skin that disappeared just as quickly as it came. "See my point?"

A surge of desire pulsed through her. It was all she could do to rein it in. Bucky was a puzzle – mysterious one moment, then charming the next, almost like he couldn't decide which of his different selves to be. He'd been a fascination from the beginning, and she thought he'd always stay this way.

Noticing that the person in front of them was already paying at the cash register, she lifted herself on tiptoe to whisper into Bucky's ear again. "I look forward to everything you just said and more, моя любовь," She whispered, suppressing a smile as she heard him let out a tight groan at the promise in her words, his fingers flexing on her waist as he dragged in a deep, shuddering breath.

But before he could reply, she eased out of his grip and took a step forward, just in time for the other person in front to step away from the counter. She heard Bucky swear in muffled Russian behind her, and tried her best to keep a straight face as she nodded at the man working at the counter. "Hi," she greeted brightly, sliding a finger across the locked screen of her cell to read out the orders that Steve and the others had texted to her, before ordering another two breakfast sets for herself and Bucky, remembering to double his order since she knew how much he burned through calories.

It took awhile for her order to be ready and during that time, she managed to convince Bucky to wait for her at a corner booth. The guy working at the counter knew her well enough because she was a regular, but it was the waiter who'd tried flirting with her sometime back and tried flirting with her again that pissed Bucky off to no end. Reluctantly, Bucky went away, but not before throwing the waiter a deadly look that scared the hell out of him.

When the orders were ready, Dakota picked up the bags of takeaway food and found Bucky seated at the corner booth. His legs were spread out and he looked far too uncomfortable for such a small space, but he was spinning a pen between his long fingers, his other arm pressing down on a piece of folded napkin.

He seemed to be deep in thought, and she almost didn't want to bother him. "James?" she asked hesitantly. "You ready to go?"

He looked up, wariness dissipating from his gaze quickly as he stood up, reaching out to take the bags from her. "With you?" His lips turned up in a faint smile as he pressed his lips briefly to the side of her head, before sliding an arm around her waist. "Anywhere."

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When Steve entered the kitchen the next afternoon, his expression was grim. Dakota took one look at him and quickly gathered her research papers. "The Avengers are back in business – I got it. I'll take this elsewhere."

Bucky grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Wait, where're you going?"

"Don't leave." Steve scooped the laptop from her hands and set it back on the table. "Stay and listen. You can help us plan."

"Yes, Cap gets terribly 1940s sometimes," Natasha drawled. "It'd be nice to have some fresh perspective, perhaps one that belongs to the twenty-first century."

"If you're sure – "

"Sure as hell." Bucky drew his arm around her waist to pull her back until she was perched on his lap and, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, he pressed his lips to the pulse point on her neck, a spot that she was fast figuring out he loved. She shivered because, well, she loved it too. She hadn't even realised it was a sensitive spot that made her positively weak in the knees until he'd cleverly located it. He glided his long fingers up the length of her spine and gently tangled them in the ends of her hair. "You're all the perspective I need, doll."

"Excuse me," Sam deadpanned, from his seat opposite them, the fork in his hand frozen in mid-air as he stared at Bucky in barely-concealed disgust. "I'm eating here."

"And I'm telling my girl how much she means to me. Deal with it."

"Alright. But don't blame me if my upchuck reflexes somehow activates and you get a mouthful of food in your face."

"You'll get a metal fist in your face before you can even – "

"Okay, guys – " Steve hastily cut in before a full-fledged argument could ensue. He stepped forward and placed the tracking device down on the dining table before leaning with his palms braced on the back of a chair. "Zemo's in Bucharest. At least, that's what the signal's telling us. We need a plan to ambush and put him back at the Raft before he can find Bucky."

"Are you sure?" Natasha asked. "You trust the Raft to hold a criminal who managed to escape it?"

"Once he's the government's, they can put him in wherever they want." The others stared at him in surprise, and Steve shrugged. "Look, I know I was outside the law during the Sokovia Accords. But my belief still stands: the safest hands are our own. It's our job to catch Zemo. But once we bring him in, it's not our right to decide where he goes."

"I'd sleep better if I could put a bullet through his head."

Bucky's words made the tension suddenly skyrocket, and there was a long, dragged out moment of silence. Both Natasha and Sam were regarding him with guarded eyes, but Steve was the first to break the silence, running his fingers through his hair and sighing. "Buck – "

"It's the truth." But Dakota felt his arm tighten around her, as though he were afraid she'd leave him after hearing his words. "Bring me on this mission so I can kill him."

Sam shook his head. "That's not how we run things around here – "

"Good. Because I'm not an Avenger."

"T'Challa let him go because he believed that Zemo had to answer for his crimes," Natasha didn't miss the way Bucky's metal hand had clenched into a tight fist and she steadily reached for the gun on the table. "You see a bad guy, you bring him in. That's how it works. That's how it was supposed to work for you, Barnes – "

"Natasha." Steve frowned at the gun in her hands, and she quickly dropped it. He turned back to Bucky, who looked tenser by the second. "Buck, you know that I can't let you do this. If revenge is the reason you're in this, then – " He sighed and shook his head. "I don't think you should join this mission at all. I'm sorry."

Bucky froze. He gently moved Dakota off his lap and onto the empty chair. Then he got up, shoved his chair back and strode out of the house. Everyone winced as the front door slammed shut.

"You can't make him the person he was," Natasha said to Steve. "You have to remember that."

"I'll talk to him." Dakota got up and patted Steve on the shoulder, before she headed out of the house. She'd expected to run out in the cold to search for Bucky again, but she found him on the stairwell instead, hunched on the bottom step.

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she sat down next to him. It was chilly even out here on the stairwell and instinctively, she shifted closer to him, soaking in his warmth. He noticed, and quickly shrugged out of his jacket to drape it carefully over her. Then they were quiet for awhile, until she finally broke the silence.

"You know," She started quietly, "For a long time, I wanted to kill the man who caused the accident my parents were in." He threw her a sideway glance and she shrugged, a tiny smile playing on her lips. "I'm just saying. If I knew how to handle a gun without blowing my own head off, I'd probably have killed him myself," She added, letting out a quiet, self-deprecating laugh. "But the more I thought about it, the more bitter and angry I became. And eventually, I just realised that I didn't want to be bitter and angry anymore."

"Bitterness and anger are all I've ever known," he said at last. "When I was the Winter Soldier, I used to feel that way a lot. I didn't understand why – I just did."

"And now?"

"Now?" He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "It just...fades with you. It's hell with everyone else; and less chaotic around Steve. But with you, it's finally quiet. And all I think about is you."

A wave of emotion swept through her. But before she could speak, he pressed his forehead to hers. His eyes fell shut as he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For not being like them. It's a fine line I walk on and no matter how much I try, I just – I end up destroying instead of saving."

"It's okay." She pressed her palm to his cheek and felt him lean into her touch. "That's why you have me to guide you."

He opened his eyes. Up close, and under the faint light in the stairwell, she could see that the colour of his eyes slipped between distant hues of blue and grey, kind of like the sea or sky on a stormy day – which was, she thought, a perfect reflection of him. Reaching for her hand, he pressed it briefly to his chest over his heart, before leaning in close, until she could feel the racing of his heart beneath her fingertips and the warmth of his breath on her lips.

But the sudden click of the gun made the both of them freeze.

"Put your hands up where we can see them."

She gasped and spun around. A uniformed man had his gun pointed at Bucky. In a flash, Bucky dragged her up and stood in front of her. She noticed his eyes flicker to the closest escape route, even as more uniformed agents flooded in.

"We won't ask twice." The man in front said, "Put your hands up where we can see them."

"Let her go." Bucky's voice was deadly calm. "I'll come with you but she has nothing to do with this."

"On the contrary, Ms Summers," The agent looked directly at her, "You are under arrest for aiding and abetting wanted men who've been working outside the law."

Her eyes widened. The agent closest to them reached for her, but Bucky reacted instantly. His metal arm gripped the man's throat, and the gun clattered to the ground. Immediately, dozen more guns levelled straight at his head.

Just one tug on the trigger and he'd be dead in seconds.

"No, stop!" she cried and put her hands up. Bucky swore in Russian, but she shot him a meaningful glance towards the apartment, then turned back to the agents. "I'll go with you."

"Excellent choice, Ms Summers." The agent nodded and stepped forward. "It's a good thing we didn't have to ask twice."

He'd just brought out a pair of handcuffs when Dakota caught a gleam of silver, red and blue flying towards them in her peripheral vision, sending several agents stumbling from the impact. Then Bucky's metal arm was shooting out to grab the shield, holding it steadily in front of them as all the agents turned to the source of the disruption.

"And I won't say this twice," Steve said, looking calm as ever with Sam standing next to him, the latter all decked out in his Falcon gear. Only Dakota caught the sharp glint in Steve's eyes, and after a quick glance at Bucky, she noticed that he seemed to be figuring out Steve's game plan as well. "Zemo was the culprit behind the bombing in Vienna. You're after the wrong people. We're all just laying low, and she has nothing to do with this."

"We're under orders to bring you all in. That includes you, Captain," the agent said.

"Well, then, you know how this is going to go down."

A short silence followed. Then gunshots exploded. Bucky dragged her down and held the shield over them, as a hail of bullets rained down on the vibranium. But as quickly as it started, it was over. Redwing zipped past, its twin cannons taking down any agents in its path.

"You alright, doll?" Bucky asked as he hauled her up.

"Yeah, I'm okay," She assured him, blinking rapidly as she tried to readjust herself to the sheer noise and chaos surrounding them. "If we get to the roof and somehow find a way across to the next building, we can escape by the stairwell and head to the main junction."

He swung the shield against several agents, before he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. His eyes gleamed with something akin to pride. "You've been spending too much time with the Avengers. Come on."

Holding the shield in front of them, he led her up the stairs, tackling any agent that stood in their way. Red Wing shadowed her, blocking rogue bullets that strayed too close, and Dakota vaguely wondered if Sam had programmed it such that the drone would follow her.

"Steve!" Bucky yelled when they reached the top of the stairs. His friend had been fighting alongside Sam, dodging bullets and ducking behind the Falcon's wings to protect himself.

Steve caught the shield that Bucky threw to him. "Go, we'll catch up!"

"They'll be fine," Bucky assured Dakota. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs.

Redwing trailed after them, sending out a hail of bullets to prevent the agents running after them from catching up, and when they got to the roof, Bucky pushed her behind him. He opened the door a sliver of an inch before shutting it just as quickly when a thunderous barrage of bullets rained through the door.

"Fuck," he swore, shielding her with his body and wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her close to his side. "It's not the fucking government when they're aiming to kill."

"How many are there?"

"Ten to twelve. Give or take." He told her, reaching down to pull out a knife that was strapped to his boots. She didn't even know that he'd hidden one there in the first place, but when she saw him flip it quickly in his metal hand, she realised that he'd probably been preparing himself for a situation like this the whole time. "We need another way out of here."

She thought for a moment. "There's an alternate fire escape route. One floor down and through the side door. You'll have to scale the ladder outside the building, but you'll have no problem being the man on the wall, I suppose."

"You any good at scaling buildings, doll? Because I'm not leaving you."

"I'm not alone, I've got Redwing. Look –" She grabbed the drone and felt around the side for a small button. A compartment within slid open and two small objects dropped into her hand. "Smoke grenades. I'll throw these out to provide you some cover, and you'll get them from behind, okay?"

He looked so stunned that she wanted to laugh.

"I like to watch Sam fix Redwing," she explained with a smile. "He rambles a lot and I catch about twenty-five percent of what he says. I'll be okay."

Bucky shook his head and leaned forward, capturing her lips in a quick kiss that left her breathless for more. "I won't be gone long," He whispered, before pulling back, flipping the knife in his hand once more. "Cover in ninety seconds."

"Got it."

He threw a final glance at her before he left. The moment he disappeared, she started a countdown in her head. Just then, the intercom on Redwing crackled. 

"Dot?" It was Sam. "Everything alright on your end?"

"I'm good," she said quietly. "Just stuck here."

"We'll be there once we're cleared on our end. Natasha's circling the building. Find a way to get out of there – "

"We're headed to the next building. Tell Natasha to meet us there."

"Roger. And speaking of Rogers, he wants to know how you're doing. He thinks you sound a little freaked out."

"I am. There's a bout of screaming going on in my head. And if we get out of this alive, I'm building my own raft and setting sail away from all of you troublemakers."

"Touché," Sam chuckled, sounding completely at ease even though she heard distant sounds of gunshots on his end. "But I'm sure that even if you tried to set sail away from Metal-Boy, he'd still find a way to swim after you. Can you imagine his metal arm poking up from the water looking like that shark's fin from Jaws?"

Dakota bit her lip to stifle a smile. How could he still joke at a time like this? "Stay safe, Sam," she said and disconnected the call.

In the silence that followed, she crouched with her back pressed against the wall. Her heart pounded with terror. It was easy to talk about being brave – quite another to be brave. Through the holes in the door, she could see the agents a good distance away. She dragged in a shaky breath and flipped the catches on the grenades.

Three, two, one.

She yanked open the door and flung out the grenades. Smoke enveloped the men within seconds. At the sound of gunshots, she leaned back against the wall. Shouts and scuffling echoed in the distance. No doubt Bucky was taking them down amidst the smoke cover.

Finally, the light on Redwing flashed green and she hesitantly followed it out. The smoke was thick, but she saw Bucky's figure in the midst of it. Knife in flesh hand and his metal hand fisted, he fought several agents off at once. His poise was fluid and striking, and she couldn't take her eyes off him.

He put the last man down with a swift kick, before he turned to her. But his eyes widened, and she realised that she was not alone. Oh, no. She spun round at a sudden crash behind her. Redwing skittered across the floor, one of its wings smashed to pieces. A thick arm came around her throat and she gasped.

"You're coming with us."

Panic shot through her. It wasn't anything like those times Bucky had attempted to strangle her. This man was aware of what he was doing, and he aimed to kill. In the background, she vaguely recognised Steve and Bucky's yells. Her vision blurred and she gasped for air that wouldn't come. Then she remembered Natasha's words:

We all need weapons.

She reached for the silver bracelet on her wrist.

A faint jolt, then a shot of static. The arm around her neck loosened, and she shoved the man away. He collapsed with a scream, and she stumbled back. He convulsed on the floor, with Bucky's knife buried in his shoulder.

"Dakota!" Bucky was by her side in a flash. His hands shook as he held her cheeks; clear worry on his face as he scanned her features. "Are you alright?"

"I – " She swallowed, casting another wary glance at the man. "That was really violent."

Bucky laughed. She didn't think she'd ever heard a sound so lovely before. He'd always said that she was sunlight but this was like catching a glimpse of sunlight and she wanted to remember it. He shook his head, drawing his hands around her waist as he pulled her in close, freckling kisses down the slope of her nose. "You were brilliant, моя любовь."

"I've got to get one of those fancy jewellery," came Sam's voice. He sauntered up, holding the broken pieces of Redwing in his hands. The drone still hovered a little unsteadily near them. Sam studied her for a moment, then smiled. "Courtesy of Nat, I'm presuming?"

She nodded and held the bracelet to him. "Here, you can have it."

"Oh, no, keep it. Natasha doesn't randomly hand out her toys and she'd have my head if she knew I'd taken one of hers."

Steve was still checking on the fallen agent behind them, pulling Bucky's knife out and applying a steady pressure to the man's wound. Then he came up to them, handing Bucky his knife and patting Dakota on her back. "You alright, kid?"

"I'm good, old man."

He grinned and strapped his shield to his back. "Let's get moving."

Bucky seemed torn to let her go, but eventually let Sam fly her across to the next building. Just as he and Steve were about to jump, the door to the roof burst open. A flood of agents swarmed towards them.

"Go, I've got this!" Sam shouted, as he pulled out two pistols from his suit. He went back to fend off the agents, while Steve and Bucky jumped off to join her.

Dakota grabbed Redwing and followed Steve down the stairs. Bucky brought up the rear, fighting off any agent who crossed their path. A black car pulled up as they stepped out of the building.

The door swung open as Natasha swiftly kicked out an agent from the driver's seat, before taking the wheel and winding down the windows. "Hello, Dakota. Boys," She greeted, in her usual smooth drawl, surveying them with thinly-veiled amusement as they climbed in, Dakota and Bucky into the backseat while Steve sat up front. "What have you been up to?"

Steve snorted. "Just drive."

Natasha smirked and jammed her foot down on the accelerator. Dakota gasped and almost lunged forward, were it not for the arm that Bucky threw out to stop her. He shot Natasha a frosty glare and she simply grinned. "That's what seatbelts are for, children."

They drove for a few minutes, while Steve contacted Sam and gave him precise orders. After awhile, Bucky glanced over his shoulder. "We've got company."

Natasha gunned down on the accelerator to speed up, and pulled on her signature gauntlets. "Well, it's been a fun road-trip, but this is my stop."

"Stay on com," Steve said, as he took over to drive.

"Aye, aye, Captain," Natasha tossed back cheerfully, before leaning behind to dump a pair of gloves on Dakota's lap. "Here, more toys for you to play with."

Dakota stared worriedly at Natasha. "Be careful."

"Oh, I don't think so. I like playing with fire." With a smirk, she opened the door and climbed up to the roof. A volley of gunshots, followed by several thuds. Moments later, the Black Widow leapt onto the car behind.

A series of gunshots splintered the back window. Bucky swore and pushed Dakota down, covering her with his body. "You got anything useful other than that shield of yours?" he asked Steve.

Steve grinned. "You got anything useful other than that bionic arm of yours?"

"Fucking punk."

"Jerk."

"Language, soldiers." Dakota laughed and pulled open another compartment on Redwing to hand Bucky two discs. "I'm not sure what these do, but it's worth a shot."

He inspected them for a moment, then shrugged. "Here goes nothing."

He twisted around and launched the two discs towards the cars that flanked them. Natasha seemed to notice, because she immediately jumped off the car and rolled away. A split second later, the discs and the cars exploded in a burst of flames.

Dakota's eyes widened and she warily pushed Redwing aside. Steve chuckled and Bucky shot her a grin of lazy amusement. "War is hell. You get used to it."

A barrage of bullets sent them ducking again. Steve pressed the device attached around his ear. "Natasha, we're trying to lose them."

"Try harder! Because I'm a little busy here."

Steve let out a sigh and turned back to his friend. "Buck, take the wheel."

Bucky took over to drive, while Steve jumped out of the car. Through the rearview mirror, Dakota watched Steve fling his shield at the car closest to them. Moments later, he tossed Bucky a rifle through the open window.

"Go! Get off the highway when you can!" Steve yelled, before he made a leap for another car.

Dakota kept glancing back to make sure he was okay, but she soon lost sight of him. Desperation shot through her when she noticed new cars flanking them on both sides. "Let me drive," she said to Bucky.

"You sure, doll?"

"I can drive better than I can use a gun, that's for sure." She took over and he moved to the passenger seat. Cars whizzed by them on the other side of the highway; blares of horns and yells in the distance. "Which exit are we taking?"

"Seventh from here. There's a diagonal junction from there and it'll be easier to get away."

"Is it away from civili...what are you doing?"

She shrieked when he suddenly leaned out of the car. He dragged his metal hand across the gravel and he took aim with his other hand. She gasped when the car behind them exploded. With a chuckle, he righted himself back on his seat.

"Don't scare me like that!" she cried. "I thought you fell out of the car."

"You're not getting rid of me that easily," He teased, his lips quirking up in a smirk before he reloaded the rifle and leaned out of the car again. He sent out another hail of bullets on the car to the right, before he climbed out onto the roof. "Just keep driving," He assured her, when she tried to crane her neck to get a glimpse of him. "I'll be back in a second."

"Okay," She echoed faintly, trying not to wince when she heard another series of gunshots. "Okay, okay," She repeated softly to calm herself, casting another glance at the rearview mirror. Neither Steve nor Natasha were anywhere to be found, but the cars trailing behind them did seem to be getting fewer in number. "Let's get out of here," She murmured, catching the words on a signpost that zipped past them. "Next exit's our stop."

The car on the left drew close, and she quickly swerved. In her peripheral, she caught a flash of silver. Bucky stabbed the agent in the driver's seat, then sent a shower of bullets that forced the car away. He slipped back beside her, looking none the worse for wear.

"You alright?" He asked, reaching over to push her hair out of her eyes as he smiled warmly at her. "You're doing great, моя любовь."

She nodded, but then Bucky suddenly froze. She turned to look. Up ahead, a fleet of cars drove towards them. She shot him a panicked glance, and he quickly switched places with her.

"We'll be fine," he said, and strapped his arm across her to keep her in place.

He was just about to veer right when a gleam of red crossed their vision, followed by a heavy thud as metal landed on gravel. Dakota stilled when she saw a familiar figure, tall and all poised and armoured, a flicker of light pulsing out from the metal glove as the man held out a hand to stop them, his helmet flipping down to reveal the cocky, sardonic look on his face.

"Having a party and you didn't invite little old me?" Tony Stark quipped, raising his eyebrows pointedly at them. "That's rude."

Bucky swore and swerved to avoid hitting him. His arm tightened around Dakota as he rolled down the window. "What the hell do you want?"

"Oh, I'm still mad at you, Metallica," Tony shook his head, seemingly unbothered by the cars heading towards him in the distance. "But I'm here because Stevie Wonder used an S.O.S. to get you two out of this mess. Don't get me wrong – I'd still punch you in the face the moment you step out of that car."

Dakota shot a sideway glance at Bucky, who was still regarding Tony with suspicion. "Are we supposed to trust him?"

"Yes, you can trust me." He grinned when her eyes widened. "I can read your lips. Nothing escapes my..." he trailed off at Bucky's flat look. "Fine. Romanoff bugged the car so that I could track you down. Now will you both please get out of the car?"

She glanced at Bucky, but he remained unmoving. With a sigh, she reached for Redwing and the gloves, before she climbed out of the car. Bucky tried to stop her, but eventually followed her out too. He set the rifle on his shoulders, and kept her slightly shielded from Tony.

"You say Steve called you?" she asked Tony.

"Well, if you need proof of my allegiance to the cause – " He shrugged, flipping his helmet back down and striding towards the agents, who were by closing in. "Might want to duck down, honey, I don't want to decapitate your pretty head by accident. On the other hand, I might get lucky blowing the head off Popsicle over there."

Bucky narrowed his eyes, but urged her to duck. She did and he leaned over to shield her. Moments later, micro-lasers beamed out from Tony's suit. It swept across the street in a circle, decimating everyone and anything in its path. All that remained was dead silence.

"It never disappoints," Tony mused, with a chuckle. He flipped open his helmet again and sent several micro-drones from his shoulder towards the remaining agents. "Impressive enough for you?"

Bucky rolled his eyes and tugged her to her feet. "Where're you taking us?"

"An ice-castle with pretty fairies," Tony deadpanned, before looking up overhead as a helicopter flew towards them. "Oh, look, my unicorn's here to ride me away into the glorious sunset." He leaned back on his heels, waiting for the helicopter to land.

Dakota felt the wind whip her face as the blades spun furiously, and Bucky carefully placed his hand over her eyes, pulling her close so that her face was tucked against his chest. When the terrific noise finally cleared, he gently manoeuvred her towards the door. A man held out his hand to her and she gripped him firmly, stepping into the helicopter.

"Ms Summers," The man greeted, a friendly grin curving his face as he nodded at her, before the smile faded slightly when he saw Bucky step in behind her. "Barnes." Bucky glanced at him, a glimmer of confusion slipping across his features when he noticed the crutches by the man's side. The man noticed. "Got into a little accident after you and Steve left the airport."

Bucky cleared his throat and settled down. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." The man shrugged, before holding out his hand to Dakota. "I'm Rhodes. Nice to meet you, Ms Summers."

"Nice to meet you too, and just call me Dakota," She responded, shaking his hand steadily, before smiling when she suddenly remembered where she'd seen him before. "You're the War Machine. Iron Man's sidekick – "

"No," He held up a finger, even as his lips twitched. "There is no sidekick. There is just a very annoying man in a suit who does very annoying things and then there's me, the guy who has to clean up his messes."

Dakota laughed, just as the doors slid open again and Tony climbed in, shouting something to the pilot up front. The sound was deafening as the helicopter took off, but then Tony pressed a button along the door and suddenly, the sound faded out to a dull whirr. Then he turned to the others, settling down into the seat next to Rhodes. "What'd I miss? What'd I miss?"

"Dakota called you the War Machine's sidekick," Bucky said flatly, and Rhodes let out a snort.

Tony, on the other hand, glared heatedly at Dakota. "Sidekick? Sidekick? Back when he was still War Machine, I designed his suit! Which he stole – " He turned the direction of his glare to Rhodes, who was still laughing beside him. " – you stole – from me!"

Dakota turned to Rhodes. "You're not the War Machine anymore?"

She almost regretted speaking too soon when a sudden silence fell upon the group, but then Rhodes eased the tension when he shook his head. "The accident paralysed me from the waist down," He explained, a ghost of a shadow on his face. "I'm still getting back on my feet, but I don't think I'm good to put on the suit again."

"Anything's possible," Dakota said, smiling faintly as she looked at him. "I'm sure if you wanted, Mr Stark would fix you some prosthetics. He fixed himself a heart, and Bucky got a bionic arm. Artificial things don't make you any less capable, or human," She added, feeling Bucky instinctively wind his metal arm around her waist as he pulled her close.

"See?" Tony nudged Rhodes, whose expression was almost morphing into something akin to gratitude as he smiled at Dakota. "I keep telling you, let me fix you up and we'll go flying. I can show you the world," he crooned terribly, earning himself a smack from Rhodes who hit him on the head with the nearest magazine. "But speaking of prosthetics," Tony suddenly perked up, throwing an arbitrary glance at Bucky. "I believe I owe you this – "

Bucky tensed beside her, and swiftly angled his head. A split second later, Tony's fist collided into his jaw. She gasped, while Rhodes immediately went to pry Tony off. But the latter simply inspected his knuckles with a placid air.

" – that one's for my parents."

"What the hell, Tony," Rhodes chided.

Bucky remained silent, even as he tried to hold back a wince. Dakota leaned over to trace her fingers across his jaw. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," He said quietly, his lips tilting up in a faint smirk to ease her worry as he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I deserved that."

"Damn right you did," Tony grumbled, flexing and unflexing his fingers. It seemed to have hurt him more than it hurt Bucky, who was simply leaning back in his seat with his arm wrapped around Dakota. Tony caught her questioning look and shrugged, his lips tightening in a grim line. "He killed my parents."

Bucky's arm tightened around her. He looked so wracked with guilt that her heart clenched. Some things she'd tried to bury in the past. But now that she'd come face to face with the one man who'd caused her so much grief, it was impossible to keep it buried.

"Well," She started quietly, meeting Tony's gaze evenly. "You killed mine."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ end of chapter ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

r e f e r e n c e s

Black Widow's weapons

The Black Widow's gauntlets are her signature gear. The Widow's Bite is an electrostatic charge that can fire percussive energy blasts or shocks. Other equipment in her gauntlets include the Widow's Kiss (aerosol knock-out drug), Widow's Line (a grappling hook) and explosives. The bracelet and gloves she gives Dakota are variations of her gear and entirely for fanfiction purposes.

"That was really violent."

A direct reference to what Pepper says in Iron Man 3 after she kills Aldrich Killian.

The One-Off

That scene where Tony helps them take out the agents is a throwback to Iron Man 2, where Tony uses his upgraded Mark VI suit with a laser system that can cut through almost anything. Unfortunately, the palladium cartridges are burnt out upon usage - hence the one-off.