Bucky had woken up when he heard shuffling next to him. His eyes remaining closed, he considered the possibilities before hearing a small yelp. He immediately opened his eyes and turned his head to the side, quickly assessing the situation.

Lana was having a bad dream, and it didn't come as a surprise, because who among them didn't get bad dreams? He ran a hand over his face, preparing to wake her when he heard another small cry.

"Lana," he whispered, placing a hand on her upper arm. She didn't reply, but kept squirming.

"Lana, you're okay," he whispered, biting his lip before moving closer to her, embracing her in a hug. "You're okay, you're okay. I've got you, Doll." Feeling her tense body begin to relax, he planted an instinctual kiss on her hair before letting her go.

"You're okay," he repeated, lying down again before closing his eyes. She seemed calmed and turned her back to him, but she didn't sleep for long before her breaths became quick and a pained groan escaped her lips. Immediately, Bucky pulled her closer again, spooning her and running his thumb over her forearm, whispering small affirmations and promises to her.

"Doll. You're lying on my arm. Scootch," Bucky muttered, trying to roll her away from the arm trapped under Lana.

"My arm," Lana just muttered, pulling the blanket up further around her and continuing her slumber.

"Lanaaa," Bucky complained, Lana's eyebrows furrowing before she even opened her eyes.

"Why is your arm under me?" she asked oddly.

"Because you won't let it go, you monster," he replied, tugging at it again.

"I meant," Lana said, moving so he could get his arm; "Were you cuddling me or something?"

"Uh, no, I woke, and you were practically lying on my chest," he complained, sitting up now that he was finally free.

"That's gross," Lana decided, sitting up, too. "Next time you have your arms around me, you're gonna lose them."

"I'm not gross," Bucky told as he stood up, walking over to the closet.

"Debatable," Lana scoffed, grabbing her phone to check the notifications before getting up. She looked up to see Bucky next to the bed, pulling off his nightshirt. Yelping, she dropped the phone to hold her hands over her eyes.

"C'mon, Doll. You've seen worse," Bucky teased, clearly not caring if she saw his muscular chest.

"There is nothing as bad as you," she told, grimacing.

"You didn't feel that way when you had your arms around me," Bucky replied, moving around and putting on his pants before buttoning them. "I'm leaving, but feel free to keep your eyes closed."

She opened her eyes and rolled them dramatically, grabbing her pyjamas pants before remembering they wouldn't fit over her cast. She glanced around, spotting Bucky's pyjamas pants tossed carelessly on the bed and grabbed them, easily sliding them over the cast and up. She tied the string so they wouldn't fall down before grabbing her crutches and making her way to the kitchen.

"Morning," she greeted the small group of Steve, Natasha and Bucky, making her way to the coffee pot and filling it with water and coffee beans.

"Aren't you supposed to drink tea?" Steve joked, smiling at her.

"Aren't you supposed to be frozen?" she asked, looking him dead in the eyes. Natasha suppressed a laugh while swiping on her phone.

"Yeah, you don't wanna talk to her first thing in the morning," Bucky advised, nudging her away so he could turn the coffee pot on; "She started today by threatening to chop off my arms."

"Yes, and I was so tired I didn't even realise that was a bad threat, as losing limbs clearly can't stop you from annoying me," Lana rationalized, gathering her crutches in one hand and reaching for a mug.

"God, this is pathetic. Just sit down, I'll get you your coffee," Bucky sighed, grabbing two mugs.

"How did you sleep, Lana?" Natasha asked, only glancing at Lana.

"Alright," Lana replied with a shrug; "You?"

"Alright, too. Then again, it's been a while since I've been kidnapped and tortured." The room silenced and Natasha looked up from her phone.

"Oh, are we not supposed to talk about that?" she realised.

"Natasha," Steve commented, shaking his head slightly.

"It's alright," Lana interjected, shrugging slightly; "I mean, it's not like it's not true." Bucky and Steve shared a look before Bucky turned his back, grabbing the coffee pot.

"And just so we're on the same page, you wearing Bucky's clothes, are we supposed to ignore that, too?" Natasha checked. Bucky stopped, his back tensing slightly.

"Couldn't fit my own with this stupid cast," Lana explained unaffected. Bucky turned around and placed the coffee in front of her before leaving with his own.

"I'll be right back," Steve excused, smiling politely as he got up and followed Bucky.

"Hey, Buck," he said, stopping Bucky, who sighed before turning around, his own mug still in his hands.

"How did she sleep, really?" he asked, glancing at the door to the kitchen.

"You heard her," Bucky just told, taking a sip of the coffee.

"Yeah, but I also heard her say being tortured wasn't that bad repeatedly while she was in the hospital, so," Steve pointed out. Bucky glanced at the kitchen door, too, ensuring no one was listening in.

"She had a bad dream," he admitted.

"I wish she'd tell us stuff like that," Steve sighed, crossing his arms above his chest.

"I'm not sure she remembers. She, I calmed her down without waking her," Bucky explained, quick to move the blame away from her. Steve agreed in a hum.

"What are you doing?"

Bucky's voice interrupted Lana's thoughts and she looked up. She was sitting on the bed; dressed in regular clothes, wearing a shoe on her one free foot and a jacket, her hair pulled back in a quick do.

"I'm meeting my friends," she finally explained, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"When?" Bucky asked, narrowing his eyes at her and leaning his shoulder against the doorway.

"Uh, two o'clock," she explained, her face pale. Bucky glanced at his wristwatch.

"You're in a hurry, then," he commented, lifting his eyebrows when she didn't reply.

"Okay, what's going on?" he asked, walking over and sitting next to her. His legs were spread and he had his elbows on his knees and his hands gathered.

"I'm scared," Lana admitted quietly.

"I had Natasha look into them, I'm pretty sure they're clean," Bucky assured.

"No, not, not that," Lana said, shaking her head.

"Okay. What then?". Lana looked down, laughing slightly.

"I don't know. I just... I don't know, I'm scared to leave the tower. Last time I went anywhere but here, I..."

"Okay. Stay in the tower for the rest of your life," Bucky suggested, shrugging carelessly; "You work here anyway, you generally won't have missions away from here, and you can have food delivered. You can go into hiding and never see anyone again."

Lana smiled slightly, picking at the ring she had gotten from Loki.

"I have to do this, don't I?" she realised.

"You don't have to do anything, but it might not be a bad idea," Bucky told, looking at her.

"I'm just... I'm scared, James," she admitted, looking up to stop the tears from falling.

"Do you want me to come with?" he then offered. Lana looked at him.

"You'd do that?" she asked softly. He shrugged in reply, and she took a deep breath.

"I'd like that, to be honest," she admitted.

Bucky held the door to the cafe open and allowed Lana to go through, his eyes having already searched the place for potential threats. He was wearing a cap over his hair and a solemn expression was on his face.

"There they are," Lana pointed out, nodding to a table where William and Sarah were sitting. Bucky walked slightly behind her as they went over to them, Sarah immediately getting up to hug her, shortly after followed by William.

"I cannot believe you have to leave already," Lana told Sarah, sitting down next to her. Lana gestured for Bucky to sit down next to her, and after checking around them one last time he did so.

"I know, it sucks, but I wasn't exactly planning on travelling right now," Sarah pointed out.

"I know, next time I'll make sure to plan my kidnapping accordingly," Lana promised, smiling lightly.

"Right, well, I just landed a job, so, coffee's on me," William decided, slapping his knees as he got up.

"I'll help you," Bucky muttered, getting up, too. Lana grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and looked panicked at him.

"It'll give me a chance to check our blind spots. Nothing's gonna happen, I'm keeping my eye on you, Doll," he promised quietly, squeezing her shoulder before leaving with William, his eyes constantly darting around.

"How come you brought the hunk? Not that I'm complaining," Sarah added quickly, laughing cheerily. Lana smiled slightly.

"I was feeling a bit unsafe. This is the first time I've gone out since... Everything," she admitted, grimacing slightly.

"Oh, so he's like your emotional support cyborg," Sarah joked, grabbing Lana's hand and giving it a supportive squeeze.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. I can't even imagine what it must have been like," Sarah admitted, looking down.

"You know, at first, I didn't think it would affect me that much, but ever since I got back I haven't had a full night of sleep. I keep waking because of bad dreams," Lana told quietly.

"You've always been good at pulling off that sleep-deprived look. Remember when you were studying for finals?" Sarah reminded, gritting her teeth at the memory. Lana laughed slightly.

"Actually, I only woke once last night, and when I did..."

"Yeah?" Sarah encouraged, eyeing her friend curiously. Lana glanced at William and Bucky in the line by the counter, Bucky's eyes fastened on her.

"I was lying up against Bucky," Lana admitted, Sarah suppressing a squeal.

"Seriously?! What did you do?" she whispered, leaning closer to her.

"You can never tell anyone!" Lana ordered.

"Cross my heart. You can tell me, Lana," Sarah promised. Lana bit her lip.

"I... I didn't do anything. I just went back to sleep."

"Cuddling him?" Sarah repeated, Lana nodding in confirmation.

"I think he just kind of cuddled me in his sleep, and it felt so good to get a night of proper sleep, so I just... Let it happen," Lana admitted, laughing awkwardly.

"Why shouldn't you? It's not like Lucas is a factor," Sarah pointed out. Lana furrowed her eyebrows.

"Lucas? Why are you bringing him up?" Lana asked, looking at Sarah who widened her eyes.

"No reason, I just... If the two of you were still a thing you probably wouldn't be cuddling another guy," Sarah excused herself quickly.

"Well, we're not," Lana replied; "Besides, Bucky and I are just friends."

"Do you think Lucas would see it that way?" Sarah asked, looking up at the friends who'd reached the front of the line.

"Well, Lucas was always jealous of everyone. He was jealous of William, he was jealous of you," Lana pointed out, Sarah just smiling in reply.

"How is he, anyway?" Lana asked, glancing around the cafe.

"Lana, don't do this to yourself," Sarah said, looking at Lana sadly.

"I'm not doing anything, I'm just asking. He and I might not be speaking, but he meant a lot to me, and he is still in our friend group," Lana argued, shrugging as if the topic didn't bother her.

"Cheaters aren't in my friend group. I've been trying to get him expelled ever since that stunt he pulled," Sarah assured; "Besides, it's not much of a group anymore. Colin and Annie might not officially be together, but you know what they're like, and now William is moving, so it's just me third-wheeling."

"I've actually been meaning to ask," Lana admitted, biting her lip before continuing; "Colin... Do you think he knew about it?"

"What? No, no way, honey," Sarah immediately promised. "Are you kidding? Colin was super angry with Lucas, he's entirely on your side in this. The only reason he and Annie aren't here right now is that they couldn't get out of work."

"We're back," William interrupted the conversation, placing a cup of coffee in front of Sarah and himself while Bucky placed one in front of Lana before sitting down with his own. While Sarah and William joked around, he leaned closer to Lana.

"Place is secure. Two entryways, one in kitchen," he informed briefly before moving away, Lana smiling thankfully at him.

"So, I've been thinking," William told the group.

"Oh no, this is never good," Sarah interrupted, making a cross across her chest.

"Put a sock in it, Sarah!" William replied quickly before continuing. "As I said, I've been thinking, and I was wondering if you'd come with me to look at some flats," William asked Lana, smiling at her.

"Oh, alright, just go ahead and not invite me," Sarah scoffed, crossing her arms.

"You just offended me and also you're literally leaving for England today," William pointed out, looking at his friend annoyed.

"Well, since she's leaving you might as well invite her," Lana pointed out, taking a sip of the coffee; "This is good, what is it?"

"Thought you might like it, it has chocolate syrup in it," William told.

"You were right, it's pretty good. So, apartments," Lana said, returning to the subject; "Have you found any you wanna check out?"

Bucky smiled slightly at Lana as he watched her listen to William's reply, nodding and asking follow-up questions to what he said. There was something cute about how she would call it an apartment and not a flat but would pronounce apartment with the classic British a's. She was, in practically every considerable way, a mix of things. She was smart, so ridiculously smart, but she never said anything to look so, she never used big words or overly complicated sentences. She was beautiful, the way her lips curved when she smiled, the way her hair fell in the morning and the way she'd run her hand through it to get it out of her face, but she was beautiful in a human way; flawed perfection.

A movement caught his eye, and discreetly he looked to the side, watching the newcomer sit down by a table that hadn't been cleared yet. He didn't order anything, instead, he placed his book next to the used coffee cup and flipped it open to a seemingly random page.

Bucky glanced at Lana, who was quietly listening to her friends continue the conversation about kitchens and looked back at the guy just in time to see him flip a page. He counted inwardly to twenty before the guy flipped another page. He kept counting. 25. 18. 19. 13. 28.

"James?"

Lana's soft voice pulled him out of his trance, and he faced her concerned eyes. He glanced at her friends, checking if they'd noticed anything, but they kept talking about tiles, so he looked at Lana.

"The guy behind me. By the window," he said, hiding his mouth with his coffee cup. Lana let her attention flow behind Bucky, noticing the guy, who was grasping the coffee cup on the table.

"Loki?" she asked, trying not to show her concern. Bucky shook his head slightly.

"He's just drinking coffee and reading," Lana tried reasoning; "And if he's not with Loki..."

"That coffee cup he's holding?" Bucky mentioned, watching Lana as she caught sight of it. "Not his. It was there when he sat down."

It dawned on Lana, and she ignored her emotions as she sipped her own coffee, trying to look normal. The cafe wasn't full, so it was already weird to sit down by a table that hadn't been wiped since the last customer, but he was holding the cup like it was his. He was pretending he hadn't just arrived.

"What do we do?" Lana asked, blinking a bit too quickly.

"You don't do anything. You get out, you run, you call Steve the second you're away. I'll make sure he isn't following," Bucky ordered quickly.

"What about them?" Lana asked, nodding her head to her friends. Bucky shook his head slightly.

"They have no use for them, they won't do anything to them," Bucky stated. Lana thought for a second.

"You said there was a second door," she remembered; "In the kitchen?"

"Can't use that without drawing suspicion," Bucky said.

"But where was it?" she asked quickly, looking at Bucky. "Which way was it facing?"

"East," he replied, not getting what she was saying. She looked annoyed at him. He rolled his eyes but nodded his head slightly backwards.

"The opposite side of the building than the entrance?" Lana checked, Bucky not replying.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath; "Then there's a window in the bathroom, that's the only thing that makes sense."

"We don't know if there's an escape route. Too risky," Bucky disagreed.

"You guys okay?" Sarah asked, noticing the hushed conversation the two were having.

"Keep talking," Bucky ordered, smiling as if she'd said something funny.

"What?" William asked, looking at Lana.

"Can't explain, you need to act normal," she agreed, smiling, too; "Don't worry, Bucky's got this."

Sarah's eyes widened as she looked at Lana, clearly worried.

"Okay, then pretend like you're listening to us and we're just saying normal stuff," Lana decided instead, clearly reading that pretending like nothing wasn't something they could do.

"It's too risky," Bucky repeated, not ready to waste the time on calming Lana's friends.

"They get deliveries through that door, that means there's a street where a truck can go, that means there's a way out," Lana explained, following her words with a calming smile to her friends.

"Okay. You go that way, I'll make sure no one follows," Bucky hesitantly agreed.

"Sarah's coming with," Lana immediately told. Bucky looked at her annoyed.

"You can't draw attention to yourself. Get out, I got this," he promised.

"There's nothing suspicious about taking your girlfriend with you to the bathroom!" Lana hissed, perfectly masking it with a joking smile; "I'll check outside, if it's safe, I'll come back and we'll get William out, too, before anything goes down."

"And if it's not?" Bucky challenged, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, then you don't have to worry about keeping me safe anymore," she decided, smiling sarcastically at him.

"That's all I worry about," Bucky disagreed; "Go to the bathroom, check for threats, call Steve and get out. That's an order."

"An order?" Lana scoffed, smiling genuinely; "I hardly take suggestions, James."

She smiled at Sarah, raising her voice slightly. "I have to go to the bathroom, I could really use some help," she told, gesturing at her leg, making Sarah nod slightly panicked. Lana winked to Bucky discreetly as she and Sarah stood up, making their way to the bathroom in the back of the cafe.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked, grabbing Lana's hand panicked.

"I'm not sure, but it'll be okay," she promised, shutting the door and locking it behind them before pulling her friend into a hug.

"There's nothing Bucky can't do, okay? I trust him," she assured, giving her friend one last squeeze before letting her go. She handed Sarah her crutches and balanced on one foot, quickly grabbed her phone from her pocket, dialling Steve's number and waiting impatiently for him to reply.

"This is Steve," he replied politely.

"Steve, we're at a cafe and there's someone here," Lana quickly summed.

"What?"

"We need back-up, so just get here, okay?" she asked, opening the window and checking outside to see if there was anything suspicious.

"Okay, okay, I'll be there. What's the address?" Steve asked, making Lana slam her hand into her forehead.

"God, I don't know. Have JARVIS track my phone, okay? I don't have time to talk," she explained.

"I'll be there soon. And Lana, let Bucky keep you safe," Steve ordered before hanging up. Lana put her phone back in her pocket before looking at Sarah.

"It should be safe out there. You go out, you go to the hotel, and you go fast. Don't run, don't be suspicious, just walk at a brisk pace, alright?" Lana instructed, taking her crutches back.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked panicked, looking like she was about to cry.

"I'm not sure, but it'll be alright. There's backup on the way, Bucky is out there, everything will be fine," she promised, helping Sarah crawl out of the window before taking a deep breath. She unlocked the door and went back to the table, sitting down casually.

"Lana, is Sarah okay?" William asked worriedly.

"She's fine," Lana said, smiling as if they were talking about something less concerning.

"He's suspicious," Bucky informed. Lana nodded.

"Steve is on his way. We need to get William out," she told.

"William will be fine, we need to get you out," Bucky corrected.

"We'll leave together. Nothing weird about that," Lana claimed, shrugging her shoulder.

"Draws more attention than one person," Bucky disagreed, straightening his back slightly.

"My leg is broken, you really want me out there alone?" Lana pointed out, Bucky's jaw tightening before he answered.

"Fine. You go together, you go to the Tower, and you go as fast as you can. Got it?"

"You got it," Lana agreed, gesturing for William to come with her. They got up, making casual small talk as they walked over to the door, William opening it. A crash sounded behind them and they turned around in an instant. The guy had abandoned his post and was holding Bucky in a choke.

"Run!" Lana ordered, pushing William towards the door as the fighting began.

"Lana, I'm not leaving you!" William argued, tugging on her arm.

"Yes, you are!" Lana ordered, sending him a strict look. He looked unsure but looked at the panic that was unfolding around them and nodded solemnly. Lana looked to the fighting. Bucky seemed to have the upper hand, but that could change in a matter of seconds.

Think, Lana, think. She repeated the words over and over. Steve was on his way, the most important thing was that they stayed put and that the guy didn't run away; they needed to interrogate him.

Bucky seemed to still be handling himself fine, and Lana looked at the door. Everyone had left, she could barricade it somehow, but Steve needed to be able to get in.

A yelp sounded and looked back at the fight, the guy having smashed Bucky down on a table, choking him. Shit. Bucky would want her to run away, but Bucky would also say that Lana didn't have an amazing taste in music, so clearly, he knew nothing. She tried to stay quiet as she hutched over there, raising her crutch and swinging it against the guy's head from behind. It didn't have the impact she'd hoped, but it did distract him enough for Bucky to be able to breathe for a second. She tried to swing it again, but the guy grabbed it, pulling on it so she fell. Without hesitation he brought it up to her neck, holding it against it so she couldn't breath. She gasped for air as the guy panted, her sight already darkening when a metal arm swung around his neck and pulled him back, Bucky rolling over him and the fight continuing between them. Lana coughed slightly as she made her way up, grabbing the by then crooked cruth and getting up. The door opened and a human version of the American flag along with an oversized can of tomato soup. Captain America was quick to join the fight, allowing Bucky to get his breath properly, and Iron Man helped detain the man, his muscles no match for the big machine suddenly holding him by his arms.