It didn't take you long to figure out who Bucky was. Though, you felt kind of dumb for not recognizing him as soon as he told you his name, considering that you had been with SHIELD for your whole life, up until five years ago.

The man was the Winter Soldier himself.

You knew you should have been scared at that point, but you weren't. You had looked into his eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who is scared, lost, and utterly confused. Not the eyes of a cold, calculating assassin.

You were finished your research project, and you had probably seen every square inch of the museum at this point. And every bit of common sense told you to forget about the little incident with the Winter Soldier and stay home. But you couldn't. All night you kept thinking about how scared he looked. 'What could an assassin possibly be scared of? Was he scared of himself? He did hurt me... unintentionally.'

You also thought about the tiny bit of a smile he gave when you said you would see him tomorrow. That was what pushed you over the edge. You had to go.

So, with a sigh of determination, you donned your coat the next morning and headed to the museum. The long walk over there was terribly cold, making you wish you had remembered your gloves as your fingers quickly turned numb.

When you arrived at the same time you had everyday that week, you went through security and said hi to Stan, the old guard you had made friends with.

He tipped his hat. "Hey, (Y/N)! I thought you said you were finished your project."

You shot the old man a nervous smile. "There were some new developments. I promise I'll be out of your hair tomorrow."

"Bah," he waved his hand, "Don't worry about my hair. I'm just gonna miss seein' ya."

You winked and slipped him a paper bag with 'Stan' written across it in sharpie.

"And I'm gonna miss these awesome peanut butter sandwiches. You're the best, (Y/N)."

"I know. And don't worry. I'll be sure to visit every once in awhile."

"You better!"

You continued to the WWII section of the museum and immediately scanned the crowd. Your heart dropped. Your years at SHIELD had honed your ability to search a crowded room for one individual, and, unless you'd gotten rusty (and you were positive that you hadn't), Mr. Barnes was not there.

'No!' you thought, suddenly worried that he had made the connection between you and SHIELD. But you weren't even with them anymore! And you wouldn't even dream of turning him in to those monsters.

You had to find him. When you had looked into his eyes and seen that confusion, that terror of not knowing, that feeling of being completely lost, you had been reminded of yourself five years earlier. You remembered wishing someone could have helped you through that time. Wishing that, when you were going under, someone could have taken your hand and pulled you up out of the sea of turmoil in your own mind.

You knew he was hurting, and you wanted to help him, like no one had for you.

The crowd was thick. There had to be at least four or five school groups, all high schoolers, stuffed into this small exhibit area. Bodies bumped against each other. The air was stuffy and smelled of gym socks and Axe body spray. People were getting annoyed with each other for blocking the text on the exhibits. Desperate for a better vantage point, you climbed up and stood on one of the benches. Finally, you could see almost the whole room at once. Still, you couldn't find your target. You got onto your tip-toes and craned your neck in attempt to see the other side of the partition.

"Johnny! We're over here! Come on!"

"Oh, I see you! I'm coming!

A kid abruptly turned around beside you and knocked into you with his giant backpack. Panic fired through your nerves as you lost your balance and fell backwards. An awkward half-scream, half-yell escaped your lips as you fell.

Before you could hit the ground, however, you felt a strong arm wrap around you. Surprised, you stared into the eyes of the Winter Soldier himself. He helped you find your footing on the carpeted floor, and let go of you quickly.

He said nothing. And his face portrayed no emotion.

"Uhh," you started, smoothing your clothes, "Thank you."

He nodded, then began to scan the area. You both stood in silence for a minute, you watching him and him watching everyone else.

You forgot your original mission for a moment, still kind of disoriented after what just happened. You had located Mr. Barnes, which was good. But you weren't exactly sure what to do now.

You moved to sit on the bench; but before you were seated, you felt a hand around your wrist, pulling you back to your feet. You looked at the gloved hand that gripped your arm. (The not-wounded wrist, you noted.) Then your eyes moved to Barnes.

He met your gaze for only a second before scanning the crowd again. "We can't stay here," he said.

You were immediately on alert. You looked out over the throng, wondering where he had seen the threat. He started to pull you again.

"Wait." You pulled back. He looked confused, but stopped anyway. "What's wrong?"

He looked around again, pensive.

"Look," you said, "You need to tell me. And then, we can't just run out of here. That's too suspicious."

He sighed and considered for a moment. "Six foot three, white hair, transitional lenses, business attire. Ten feet behind you and to the left. Across from the window."

You resisted the temptation to turn and look behind you.

"He's been here everyday for the past week. I thought he was tailing me, but now it's clear that he has been watching you." He pulled you closer and searched your eyes. "Who are you?"

You chose your next words carefully. "A friend."
He looked at you quizzically. You continued. "I want to help you."

"That doesn't answer my question."

You exhaled, frustrated. "Fine, but like you said. Not here."

He glanced behind you, checking to make sure the man was still there, then he nodded.

"We're gonna have to lose him," you said quietly.

He nodded again. "I'll get his attention. You make your way to the rear exit. Rendezvous under the pavilion."

You wanted to protest. You could shake a tail easily enough without his help. But he didn't need to know that yet, so you complied. "Where the guy sells water bottles everyday at one o'clock?"

"One o'six yesterday." He almost smiled.

You parted with a handshake and fake smiles. He slowly, nonchalantly made his way over to where the man was sitting. You meandered around the exhibit, pretending to read about Captain America while also watching for your cue to leave.

Soon, Barnes had the man's attention. You disappeared into the crowd, snatching a ball cap out of a boy's messenger bag and a jacket from beside a lady seated on the bench. You had needed to vanish many a time before during your time at SHIELD, and your instincts were creeping back in. It was like riding a bike.

'Tuck hair under the cap. Head down. Around that corner. Slow down.'

You weren't sure how long you had before the man realized he'd lost you, and you had to force yourself not to run. 'Play it cool, (Y/N). You've never been caught before.' You kept walking. The exit was now in sight. You slipped a pair of reading glasses from a man's jacket pocket, popped the lenses out and discarded them in the nearest trash bin. The frames were a little loose on your face, but they did the trick.

There was a time when you would have felt bad for stealing these items. Maybe when you were younger, and first learning the art of picking pockets. The sting of regret had long since faded to a dulled beat in your conscience.

Survive. That's all you could care about. You'd worry about the rest later.

'Slouch a little. Regulate breathing. No eye contact. And out the door.'

You made it.

You chose a seat at the far end of the pavilion, where you could see the door, and no one could sneak up behind you. If your pursuer found you now, with this makeshift disguise on, he'd know that he'd been made. He would probably act then. You didn't know if he worked for SHIELD, or maybe HYDRA. They were practically the same thing now. Or he could be one of the many enemies you had made while a part of SHIELD.
Whoever he was, you didn't want to meet him.

Something tapped your shoulder, causing you to nearly jump out of your skin. Barnes stood beside you, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere.

"How the h- ...Where did you come from?!"

Again, the ghost of a smile flashed across his face.

You looked around. "Now what?"

He thought for a moment. "You can't go home, they've probably followed you there."

You were mentally kicking yourself for having let your guard down. You had thought you were finally safe. Apparently not.

"You should stick close to me, I can-"

"Wait, what?"

"You know who I am?" He asked, probably already knowing the answer.

You nodded.

"I can't protect you if you leave."

Your mind raced, trying to keep up with his proposition. This was good, right? You could help each other this way. And, as confident as you were in your fighting abilities, it had been a long time. The thought of having people hunting you again scared you. You didn't doubt that this former assassin could keep you safe from them, even if he was dangerous as well.

He continued. "Meet me on the mall at a quarter past noon."

"Which side? The mall is enormous."

"By the reflecting pool."

"On the steps?"

He nodded.

"See you there." You forced a smile, despite the feeling of dread that sat in the pit of your stomach. You wished you could just be left alone, that your past would just stay behind you. You had thought you were done running and hiding. Now you began to wonder if you would ever really be able to stop running.

"See you there," he said, bringing you back to earth. Then he was gone.