He really couldn't get your face out of his mind if he tried. Steve Rogers didn't believe in ghosts, but the night he'd seen you it was as if every past memory had come rushing at him.

He and his old pal, Bucky, had befriended you the last year of high school when you transferred from a different state. You were a born joker, making light of tough situations and always having a smile on your face. The last time he'd ever seen you was before he'd been recruited so he couldn't, for the life of him, understand how you'd still be alive.

"Cap? You with us?"

Tony's voice jolted him out of his memories and he nodded, coming back to the present. The team had responded to one of Director Fury's calls and they'd been going over different strategies of the mission so far.

"It seems like HYDRA has a new pet." Natasha said, handing Steve a grainy black and white photo.

"Fury thinks it's the same person that terrorized Times Square." Bruce put in. "And HYDRA has no limit to their dramatic effects."

Steve stared at the photo, his heart thundering in his ears.

There was no doubt about it.

It really was you.

But, how? None of it made sense.

A loud beeping sound caught all of their attentions and Tony quickly got to his feet, tapping away at the holographic keyboard near the screens.

"FRIDAY?"

"Reports of a disturbance on the Brooklyn Bridge."

"What kind of disturbance?"

"It seems to be a shootout, sir."

—————

"You failed. You compromised a mission. And I have no need for you if you do not know how to obey orders."

You clenched your teeth angrily, huddling behind the black SUV you'd flipped onto its side. They'd trailed you all the way from the base and now the traffic on the bridge had halted, meaning the whole of New York would be tuning in once the news got wind of it. Bullets hit every single part of the vehicle as Pierce's lackeys gained on you, but you weren't going down without a fight.

Not if you still had air in your lungs.

Once the shooting ceased, you firmly gripped your gun, got to your feet and pulled the trigger over and over again, riddling holes in the HYDRA agents mercilessly.

"Y/N?"

All the hair on your neck stood at the sound of his voice.

It distracted you.

BANG!

"Shit!" You screamed in pain as Steve quickly dragged you onto your knees behind the car.

"I'm so—I'm so sorry!"

"No, no! It's fine! Just—"

"But, how? I—how did—"

"Look," the Iron Man came swooping down and hit the ground in a kneeling position, "we don't have time to be asking questions, Cap. There's more of them on the way."

"He's right." You panted, patting Steve on the chest as his eyes ran over your face in utter disbelief. "Hey, pizza boy."

"They're after you." Tony stated flatly.

"I'm one of them. Or was. They're the reason I lasted this long." You winced as the bullet in your shoulder shifted. "I took something from them. And I'm in pain, so please. Can we get this over with?"

Terrified screams broke through the air and you watched in amazement as two people clad in black flipped right over the SUV.

"Already done."

Natasha Romanoff, whom you knew from various files of the Red Room, was standing in front of you. A man with a sheath of arrows strapped to his back stood beside her with a bow in his hand and a cheeky grin.

"We should get her out of here before any more of her friends decide to show up." Natasha suggested, twisting her wrist cuffs.

"Good idea. Let's question her back at the Tower." Tony kicked off from the ground and hovered there to gesture at something you couldn't see. Suddenly, a sleek ship appeared out of thin air, its belly opening and a staircase unfolding onto the bridge.

"Y/N."

Steve gave you a small smile, his blue eyes bright with happiness to have one of his best friends with him. You returned it with genuine fondness.

"It's good to see you, too."

He slowly helped you to your feet so as not to cause you any more pain and wrapped an arm around your waist to keep from putting pressure on your shoulder.

"Steve, I—"

Whatever you were about to say did not come.

He felt it.

The small jerk of your body upon impact vibrated through his arm and he slowly glanced at your face, watching as you froze, your mouth a small "o".

And then, he heard it.

"Cap!"

Tony blasted the shooter, but Steve didn't care.

He didn't care.

Time defied all sense as you slowly slipped out of his arms and fell to the ground, looking at your stomach where a bright red spot bloomed and began to spread. Your shoulder was already covered in blood and your eyes were losing their focus as you moved your head around to look up at Steve.

"One was still alive!"

"No, no, no, no, no..."

He frantically knelt down beside you, his blood running cold and his hands trembling as he tried to staunch your wound.

It was coming out too fast.

It was happening too fast.

"Y/N. Y/N, stay with me!"

"Steve."

You struggled to focus on his face, one you'd known for most of your life and saw his eyes swimming with tears. You could feel yourself slipping, becoming untethered although Steve held your hand in a tight grip. With all the strength you had, you managed to pull out a hard drive from your pocket and press it into his palm.

"Bucky..." you gasped with your last breath as Steve shook his head "alive..."

Steve held your body as you finally fell limp and with a soft word from Nat, slowly picked you up and carried you onto the Quinjet.

He carefully laid you in a corner and pulled a tarp over your lower half, his chest squeezing unnaturally tight as he sat down by your side.

Handing the drive to Tony, he held your hand.

You were warm.

He remembered the way you used to tease him about being a child and holding his hand when you crossed the street.

Now his palms were covered in your blood.

"Bucky...alive..."

There was no doubt in his mind.

If you had survived, who could say Bucky hadn't?

But, they'd killed you.

HYDRA had murdered you in cold blood after seemingly throwing you away and at the thought, Steve clenched his jaw.
He pressed a kiss to your forehead, lingering there with fresh memories of the past and a sadness he felt could not be quelled. Steve would find Bucky.

For the both of you.

"Til' next time."

——————-

i actually wrote this a while ago...i have no idea
why it's backed up all the way over here—