"So where are you now?" The soft voice of the wife asked her husband. Feeling as if she were talking to her school crush for the first time. Her giddiness was at an all time high. She hadn't talked to her husband since their short time together as a family at Winnie's gravestone in Brooklyn. The loneliness she was feeling wasn't new. And it could only be taken away by talking with her James. Her Sarge.

"Mumbai." Bucky responds quietly, his voice gruff but the sincerity behind it tells Mary that he is being honest in every way possible with just the one word answer. "When this is all over.. I'll bring you here." He says, "Call it a second honeymoon."

Mary chuckles, fiddling with her bed spread in the Avengers Facility. She had moved in with her brother. She still owned her two apartments in Brooklyn and DC. "I'd like that. India is one of the few places i haven't been to yet." She tells him.

The wife could tell that her husband was smiling, "Then i'm glad i'll be apart of one of your firsts with you." He states. She hesitates when she hears his breathing change slightly.

"James? What is it? What entered your mind?" She hears shuffling on the other line, Bucky clearly not wanting to talk about it but he and her both know that Mary wouldn't give up without him telling her what's bothering him.

"I haven't been there to witness many of your firsts." He grumbles, "I've missed so damn much of your life. Of our daughter's life. It keeps me up at night just thinking about how i never got to hold our daughter in my arms in your hospital room when you had her. How i wasn't there for her first steps, first words. I missed every milestone and it kills me."

"James.." Mary trails off, but Bucky isn't done.

"It tears me apart knowing i wasn't there to help you with either of your pregnancies. How i wasn't there to help you through the loss of our Piglet." He states, referencing Winnie. The daughter Mary had lost back in 2015, Winnie had been born as a stillborn, never taking her first breath into the world before she passed.

"You helped me more than you know." Mary pipes in, "Those two roses? The orange and red ones you left me.. I still have them. I dried and framed them." She tells him, "Of course i want you here with me. That's all i've ever wanted.. is to be held in your arms, you stroking my hair as i rest on your chest in our shared bed. Not having to be apart, you not having to be on the run all the damn time." She states. Tears well in her eyes as she can picture it in her mind, so much so that she could almost smell how she remembers Bucky to smell. Gunpowder and black coffee with a hint of leather. She's almost positive that he's different now.

"I want to see you." Bucky says suddenly, "So damn much." He tells his wife, his beloved Little Nurse. Who isn't a nurse anymore, she's a doctor. A surgeon even.

Mary wipes her eyes, "I do too. But we can't. Not unless i somehow manage to sneak a quinjet to Mumbai." She states, "It's just not possible."

"You know Stevie would fly you here in a heartbeat if he knew where i was."

"Which is why it's dangerous for anyone to know where you are. If people saw Captain America in Mumbai, people would be asking why, and what for." Mary reminds him. Which is true. Captain America couldn't go undercover if he tried, he was the figure of hope and freedom of America. Everywhere he went, heads turned to look at him. And now that Mary was in the spotlight as Starlight now, even more attention was on her brother.

She hears Bucky sigh over the line, "I love you." He tells her, "We'll find a way one day for us to be together and not have to run."

"Promise?" She asks, "Because i love you so much, James. Talking with you just makes being apart so much more unbearable."

"I know it does." Bucky mutters, "I promise that i'll find a way for us. For the three of us plus Stevie. Because you know that punk wont know what to do with himself if you vanish."

Mary laughs, nodding slowly, "He's been making his own path recently, since he came out of the ice really." She states, defending her brother in a good way to her husband.

"No kidding? Our scrawny punk?"

"It's like he never truly was alive until he came out of the ice. Yes, he lived back in our time, it was our time. But things are better now, for him and myself really. But watching him train the recruits at the Facility.. training with Sam as well. It's given him a purpose that he didn't have until now." Mary explains to her Sarge, trying to catch him up as best she can.

"Good for him." Bucky says, "He deserves it." He adds, "How about our baby girl since i last saw her?"

"What do you want to know?" Mary asks, smiling softly, "She's thriving at Midtown like she talked about. She's been loving her new life, and her new relationship with Peter."

"Peter, the kid who has the death wish?"

"James. He loves her, it's clear as day when i see them together or how she talks about him. You remember what it was like to be that young teenager in love, don't you?" Mary reminds her husband, memories of them as kids flash through her mind.

"I remember bits and pieces. But the feeling. My body can remember it. How i felt when i was with you." Bucky responds. She hears a sigh, "I just want her safe. She's not in your care, mine, or Steve's." He points out, "And with the uncle gone sadly, she's more vulnerable."

"Our daughter can handle herself just fine. And she has Peter. You remember how she talked about taking Sinclair down."

"That was impressive. I'm so proud of her, i hope she knows that." Bucky said as Mary smiled on the other line.

"She does. Trust me, she does."

Lagos, Africa
Two weeks later

Mary shifts the sunglasses on her face as she and Wanda sit at the table in a small outside coffee shop. The hat pulled down on her face to block out onlookers and the sun. The doctor smiles as she watches Wanda stir her coffee. Glancing over her shoulder every once in a while.

The small team consisted of Mary, her brother, Wanda, Nat and Sam. They were in Africa to find Rumlow. The Hydra agent had slipped through their fingers when Hydra and Shield fell. Sam had dropped a building on Rumblow but he still somehow managed to get away.

"All right, what do you see." Steve's voice comes into their ears as Wanda sips her coffee. Mary stirs her iced tea as she continues to look around, scouting for anything suspicious.

"Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street." Wanda lists off what she catches as she looks around.

Mary sighs, "It's a good target." She adds as she sips her drink casually. She had been going out on missions more and more since Sokovia just under a year ago. And on her down time, she was training with Natasha and her brother. Getting her ready for combat in the field. Tony had made her iron man boots to fly she could use. And she did. The repulser glove she used in Sokovia was her main tool of fighting. So her son upgraded her to two repulser gloves and a helmet like her brother's that had everything a normal iron man helmet would. Friday included.

"There's an ATM on the south corner, which means?"

"Cameras." Mary points out.

"Both cross streets are one way."

"So compromised escape routes." The witch murmurs under her breath.

"Means our guy doesn't care about being seen. He isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out. You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?" Steve asks.

"Yeah, the red one? It's cute." Wanda comments.

"It's also bullet proof." Nat's voice joins in the conversation. "Which means private security.."

"Which means more guns.. which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us." Mary quips to her sisters, smirking slightly.

"You guys know i can move things with my mind, right?" Wanda quips back, smirking at her sister figure across the table from her.

"And we love you for it." Mary teases lovingly.

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature." Nat comments.

"Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?" Sam quips into the conversation.

"Not to her face." Mary teases.

"Why? Did you hear something?" Natasha adds.

Mary can just picture in her mind the annoyed look on her brother's face during the whole conversation. He wants to get Rumlow off the streets to keep civilians safe. "Eyes on target, folks."

"Folks? Stevie." Mary criticizes her brother. "We're so much more than that."

Steve groans into the com, his sister laughs. "This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him."

"We wont," Mary reminds her older brother.

Sam scoffs, agreeing with Mary, "If he sees us coming, that won't be a problem. He kinda hates us."

"Only cause you dropped a building on him, Sammy." Mary retorts.

As Mary finishes her drink, she hears the crowd in the streets get louder. Cars are honking. She starts to look around more carefully.

"Sam. See that garbage truck? Tag it." Steve orders his friend.

"You make all the girls swoon, Stevie. With your commanding voice." Mary teases quietly.

"That trucks loaded for max weight." Sam states once he scans the truck. "And the driver's armed."

"It's a battering ram." Natasha mutters.

"Go now." Steve commands his family.

Mary nods, her finger slips into the case below her feet. Her helmet appearing from her ear piece.

"What?" Wanda asks confusedly.

"He's not hitting the police." Steve states

"Hello, Mrs Barnes." Friday's voice appears as the helmet secures into place.

"Hi Friday. Let's get to work." She states sternly. The doctor kicks up and flies into the air smoothly, taking off following the truck. "More trucks are coming!" She shouts into the comms as she flies overhead, keeping out of the bad guys' line of sight.

Steve drops down, his shield coming into contact with one of the trucks. Jerking the guys from it, he kicks the car hard. Sending one guy onto the ground, then throws his shield to knock out the other guy that ran. The shield ricochets off the guy and comes back into Steve's grasp with ease. He shields himself as he runs up onto the second truck. He launches himself to kick the guy off the roof of the truck, sending the guy into the side of the building.

"Body armor. AR-15s. I make seven hostiles." Steve relays to his family.

Sam and Mary fly along side each other. Sam uses his wings to shield himself as he flies towards one of the guys shooting at him while Mary makes for the other. She lifts her repulser. Flipping int the air to land on her feet on the ground, blasting the guy away from her in the chest and then the one behind Sam. Falcon stands as he looks over at Mary, smirking at their teamwork.

"We make five." Sam and Mary relay in unison.

Wanda floats in using her magic. She lands on the ground with ease. Her magic shields her as she grips the guy shooting at her, lifting him into the air. "Sam, Mary."

The two fly in, both grabbing a side of the goon, and throwing him onto the ground. Knocking him out. "Four." Sam counts down as they take out the goons.

Mary looks up, seeing Redwing scan the building. "Rumlow's on the third floor." Sam announces. Steve and Wanda walk up beside Mary.

"Wanda, just like we practiced." Steve instructs the young girl.

"What about the gas?" Mary asked her brother.

"Get it out." He instructs Wanda as he runs onto the truck. Wanda uses her magic to lift Steve through the windows of the third floor. Mary watches Wanda as she focuses on getting the gas out of the building. The glass in the building shatters as the gas comes out.

Sam deflects gunshots using his wings to protect Wanda. His wings make a shield for him as he instructs his new equipment, launching two grenades at the assailants. Blowing up anyone in their way as the land on their targets.

Mary blasts away another goon stalking towards them with her repulser as Wanda gets the gas out of the building in a flurry up into the air where it can't affect anyone.

"Rumlow has a biological weapon." Steve states. Mary's eyes widen in shock as she looks over at Sam.

"I'm on it." Natasha states.

Mary's eyes widen when she sees Steve get blasted out of the window. His body bounces off the building, his top half of his body colliding roughly with a metal crate. When he lands on the floor his sister is by his side.

"Steve, you okay?" She asks, assessing him as he rolls over onto his stomach, using his fists to push himself up. He groans loudly in pain, but Mary helps him stand.

He nods slowly, leaning into his sister as he picks up his shield. "Sam, he's in an AFV heading north." Steve states. He looks at his sister, "Let's go." He says. Mary  latches onto her brother's hand as she flies up into the air. Holding onto him tightly as they land where Sam found them. Steve rolls off a truck, passing people as he sees discarded armor. "They ditched their gear. It's a shell game now. One of them has the payload." He tells the rest of his team.

"Steve!" Mary shouts as she sees a bomb attach to his shield. The brother's eyes widen as she launches his shield up into the air as the bomb goes off. Mary turns too late as she sees Rumlow punch her brother into the produce cart. She blasts him with a repulser to try and slow him down.

Rumlow screams in fury as he tries to knock Mary out, but she weaves out of his way. She slides between his legs and blasts him in the back, stumbling him. Rumlow lands a blow as he swings around, his fist colliding with her stomach. Knocking the wind out of her as she watches Rumlow go after her brother.

Rumlow curses at her brother as he walks towards Steve. He charges his gauntlets, "I've been waiting for this!" He screamed as he punches Steve using his gauntlet, sending the brother flying into the tables behind him.

Mary coughs as she regains control of her air. She's not a super solider like her daughter, brother and husband. But she's not out of the fight just yet as she blasts Rumlow in the back once more as he stalks over toward her brother again.

"Payload's secure. Thanks Sam." Natasha says into the comms.

"Don't thank me."

"I'm.. not thanking that thing."

"His name is Redwing."

"I'm still not thanking it."

"He's cute. Go ahead, pet him."

Mary rolls her eyes at her best friends as she dodges Rumlow. He curses at her, making him more frustrated as she keeps him away from her brother. "I'm sick and tired of you getting in the way!" He screams as he punches her into the wall harshly. Mary lands roughly on the ground. She coughs up some blood as Friday runs over her vitals.

"You have a bruised rib, Mrs Barnes." Friday relays.

"I felt it. Thanks though." She groans, seeing stars in her visions as she sits on her knees. Rumlow distracted by Steve.

The two men go toe to toe as they keep throwing punches and the other dodging out of its way. Steve manages to land a solid punch on the side of Rumlow's face mask. "Come on!" Rumlow antagonizes Steve, egging him on. The two continue to fight fists until Rumlow pins Steve against the wall. "This is what you get for dropping a building on my face." He snaps as a knife ejects from where his gauntlets are. He lodges the knife into the side of the wall, Steve manages to break Rumlow's arm. Kicking him away, he grips the gauntlet, tearing it off of Rumlow's arm.

Steve's eyes widen briefly when Rumlow's second gauntlet ejects another knife. Steve dodges his advances and lands punches on Rumlow's under arm pressure points. Landing a kick on Rumlow, Steve sends him across the way into a table where Mary is.

Rumlow removes his face mask, showing Mary and Steve his scarred face when Steve grabs the man by his armor. The sister stands beside her brother, her hand holding her side where her bruised rib is.

"I think i look pretty good, all things considered." Brock comments, knowing he's lost the fight.

"Who's your buyer." Steve snaps, shaking Brock.

"You know, he knew you both." Brock mutters, "Your pal, your buddy. Your Bucky." He snaps, knowing he's struck a nerve with the siblings. Mary's stares as him in horror.

Steve pulls Brock closer, "What did you say?" He snaps, his voice low and dangerous.

"He remembered you both. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Til they put his brain back in the blender." Brock states. His eyes looking over at Mary, "He cried out your name as they fried him."

Mary's hazel eyes narrow but Brock continues to speak, "He wanted you both to know something. He told me, "You tell Rogers, when you gotta go, you gotta go." And you two are coming with me." He snaps, Mary's eyes widen as Friday detects a bomb suit just as Brock presses the button. Steve drops Brock and wraps his arms around his sister to deflect her from that bomb.

But the bomb never hits the siblings. Mary and Steve look over to see Wanda struggling to contain the bomb explosion. She lifts Bock into the air and the explosion breaks free. Exploding the building high up. Steve still shields his sister as he watches the explosion.

Mary's eyes watch in horror. Her doctor instincts kicking in as she breaks out of her brother's hold and races into the building.

"Mary, no!" She hears Steve yell after her but she's already inside the building.

"Friday, get the first responders here, now. Scan everything for life signs. I need to know who's alive. And take a death count for the government." Mary lists off rushed. She digs into her pockets and pulls out masks. Her helmet shifting she cover her nose and mouth to protect her from the smoke. She hands the masks she has to the few people who are standing.

"On it!" Friday replies quickly

"Sam.. we need fire and rescue.. on the south side of the building." Mary hears her brother. She looks over, dodging the fires that are slowly building. "We gotta get up there."

Her eyes spot several bodies, her hazel eyes widen in shock. "Friday.."

"They're gone. All of them." Friday replies solemnly.

"N- No. Tell me who's alive." Mary snaps as tears fill her eyes.

"The people on the lower levels. They're alive. But the explosion wiped out anyone here." Friday states.

Mary collapses onto her knees as tears stream down her face. Her body shaking as she feels arms wrap around her body, lifting her up. Her eyes see her brother staring at her.

"I- I couldn't save them."

Steve's heart breaks a little as he watches his sister, "You did everything you could, Lizzie." He reassures her as the medical and fire professionals reach them.

"But i wasn't good enough." She snaps as she clings to her brother. Her body wracked with guilt as she sobs into his chest.