[A/N: very short chapter ahead, I warn you.]

"SO WHAT do you think he wants with the rest of your homicidal brood?"

Bucky arched an eyebrow at her. "It's a valid question, don't give me that look, Barnes," she retorted, laying herself down on the makeshift bed. The man shrugged in response, looking at Steve, who had set the jet on autopilot and was asleep.

"Like he said, I guess, Peanut. He wanted to see an empire fall."

"But what empire, Bucky? That's the thing. I'm beginning to think there's more to this than a small man trying to become too big for his britches," Victoria explained, turning her head so that she could look at the man. Bucky cast his blue eyes down, as he thought about what she'd been saying.

"I dunno, doll, this is all confusing."

"You're damn right, it is," she responded, nestling herself deeper into the mediocre bed.

"Victoria?"

"Yeah, Jelly?"

He let out a soft snort, before responding.

"How did we end up here? Everything used to be a sunlit sky, we were great, even if we were orphans and all that. We had each other. Steve and I used to beat up your douchebag boyfriends, you would beat up douchebag girls who rejected Steve just because he was, well, Steve. And now look at us, Vic, we lost the light and the sun is about to set. The world sucked the sun out of us, and all we can do is try to get it back."

Victoria exhaled deeply, staring straight up at the roof of the jet.

"We still have each other, Jelly. We got us back, we got the gang all back together. We're different, yeah. There's enough blood on our hands to make our skin red, but it wasn't our fault. We were just caught in the crossfire, love, and the best we could do was dodge the bullets. Steve is still Steve, you're still you in more ways than one and I'm... I'm still the girl..."

Her words trailed off, forever trapped in her mind.

"The girl I fell in love with."

She looked over at James, who was laying down as well. His dark hair fell back, blue eyes stuck to the roof. "I doubt the old Victoria could transport," she said shortly. A small smile slowly appeared on Bucky's face. "That's like... A +1, Vic," he responded breathily, laughing.

"+1 my ass, Barnes, you just want me to take you to see the Grand Canyon without wasting money," she retorted, her light tone negating the edge-sharp words. Bucky's smile was full lipped, eyes crinkled at the ends. "Yeah, doll, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right."

"Victoria Elizabeth Scott, I swear to god-"

"What, you gonna punch me with that arm of yours, James?"

"If you keep the James business up, doll, I might!" he warned, tone dark with mock anger.

"Oh please, you wouldn't lay a metallic finger on my head," she teased, the small beginnings of a smirk on her face. "And you wouldn't lay a perfectly manicured fingernail on mine, Scott," Bucky replied smoothly. Victoria raised an eyebrow.

"Have you seen the condition of my hands? They're drier than Ms. Smith's pies-" "Oh, Vic, that's cold-" "You used to go in an alleyway and give it to stray cats!" "They were hungry, Victoria!" "They got so sick I had to take them in to my mother!"

She was laughing now, a rare sound that caused Bucky to finally look at her. He hadn't heard that laugh since their last mission. The Alps. He had... He had asked Steve if this was revenge for Coney Island. Victoria had laughed, a wide smile on her face. "Definitely." "Now why would I do that?" Steve had responded, gazing at the beautiful mountains surrounding them.

The man exhaled sharply, turning back to face the roof of the jet. He could feel it slowing down, a little. Apparently, Victoria did, too, because she sat up on one elbow.

"Steven?" she called uncertainly.

"We're good, guys!" came the reply. "We're almost there!"

Victoria laid back down, absentmindedly rubbing her wrist. "Glad to know this isn't a repeat of the 1900s," Bucky said after a moment. Victoria snorted loudly.

"Do you really have to bring that up?" Steve called.

"Of course I do, punk."

A/N:
I have not decided whether or not the next chapter will be the closing to this book.

However, I believe that it won't be. The next chapter will be 2nd to last, I believe, I just have to see how this all goes.

Thank you all for sticking with me during the production of Hellfire. Please, do stick around for the two prequels that will arrive shortly as to bide time until the sequel, Redemption/coming 2018.