The sound of the explosion was earth shattering, the noise echoing off the walls of the small cell where you were being held. You snapped awake, sitting bolt upright. You listened carefully as the jail quickly descended into utter chaos, the sound of gunshots and the shouts of confused officers spiraling into one, ear-piercing racket. You stood up and walked to the front of your cell, just in time for the second explosion to rip through the building. You fell to the ground just seconds before the ceiling came crashing down on top of you. You blinked twice before your world faded to black.

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Bucky's POV

He slowly lifted his head, watching as the doors in front of him imploded, yellow and orange sparks spraying in every direction. Within seconds, both of the guards that had been watching him, laid motionless on the ground.

"Buck, do you know who I am?" The man who had burst through the door said, approaching Bucky's cell with caution.

"Yes, you're Steve." Bucky said, doing his best to keep his expression flat. "I read about you in a museum."

"We were friends buck." Steve explained, still cautiously approaching him.

"What are you doing here?" Bucky struggled to keep his voice even as Steve slowly opened his cell. He stepped out, standing just a few feet from the one person left who knew him, not the Winter Soldier, but him, James Buchanan Barnes.

"We're getting you out." Steve said, tossing Bucky a set of car keys. Suddenly alarms started blaring as reinforcements started closing in. "You better go!" Steve said, gesturing to the door. "Don't worry, I'll take care of the rest. Car's out front, black SUV."

Bucky began to leave, but at the last second, he turned around, "This is payback you know."

Steve turned to him, utterly bewildered. Bucky shrugged, "You know, for all the countless fights I drug you out of?"

Steve's face lit up in pure excitement, Bucky did know who he was. He felt like a kid on the playground again, picking fights with his best friend by his side, and for the first time in seventy something years, Steve stopped wishing he was somewhere else, anywhere else.

"Ya, I remember, you stupid punk." Bucky said, a huge grin spreading across his face as he jogged out of the room.

"Hey, Bucky wait!" Steve called, chasing after him.

Bucky stopped just long enough to see Steve at the end of the hallway, "and don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!"

Just before he exited, Bucky heard someone call down the hall, "Jerk." He smiled as he rounded the corner, dashing down the stairs three at a time. It wasn't true, what hydra had told him, everyone around him didn't have to die. Steve proved that, and gave Bucky hope, that maybe, someday, he could live a normal life again.

Meanwhile Steve stood in the hallway, smiling like an idiot. For nearly Eighty years he'd thought his best friend was dead, now here he was breaking him out of prison. "You know I always thought it would be the other way around." He mused, staring down the dark hallway.

"Uh Steve little help here?" Sam called, trying to single handedly hold off all of the officers.

"Huh? Oh yeah." Steve answered, quickly running over to help.

Bucky had reached the bottom of the stairs, and could hear the fighting up above. He ran past rows of cells, not stopping until he reached the end. Then he jerked to a stop. He tried to leave her. He really tried. Everything in him was screaming for him to keep running, to leave her there, away from Him, where she would be safer. He didn't have time to look for her anyways. He had to get out. Yet somehow, in the confusion, he managed to drown that part of himself out, the part that tugged him away from her. Perhaps it was the chaos, or perhaps, the part of him drawn to her, was simply stronger than the part that told him to run. It wasn't that though, not quite. He could have left her, would have, if he really thought she was safer on her own, but he knew better. If he escaped, she would be the only link left, and he shuddered to think what they would do to her to find him again. Either way, James Buchanan Barnes turned around.

He'd gotten her in this mess, he felt responsible for getting her back out and to safety. He felt terrible that she wasn't safe in society anymore, but it was too late now, he couldn't change what'd already happened.

He jogged up and down the rows, desperately searching for her. Finally, in a cell near the end, he saw a small figure laying beneath a pile of rubble. His heart nearly dropped as he rushed towards her. He twisted the metal bars out of the way with his bare hands, tossing off the heavy concrete blocks with ease. She was pale and cold, blood trickling from her head. Carefully, he lifted her in his strong arms, running the rest of the way, and not stopping until he reached the car. He gently laid her in the passenger seat, glancing at her every few seconds as he raced away from the city. Anxiously he watched, praying she was still alive. He slammed his hands against the steering wheel, angry and upset. Maybe Hydra was right. Then he looked down at his hands, only to realize his flesh hand was drenched in red.

Its a human thing, we get hurt, we bleed. It's a terrible weakness really.Her words popped into his head. He glanced over at her again, and breathed a sigh of relief when she stirred, twisting in pain. She was hurt, but she was alive. He wished he could take her to a hospital, but he knew they'd only lock her up, if not worse. He debated doing it anyways, prison was better than death. Unless hydra found her. No, he couldn't chance it. He hoped there would be a doctor wherever Steve was sending them.

Four hours later, after successfully reaching the directions Steve had left in the car, he had arrived at some kind of safe house. He had done as he was told, and waited impatiently until Steve got there. Now he sat in the car, with the rain slowly patting against the window, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. She had yet to wake up, which worried him, but her even breathing calmed him. She was beautiful, even as she slept, and he couldn't tear his eyes from her.

Suddenly there was a knock on his window. He spun, expecting a fight, only to find Steve standing out in the rain. He quickly opened and the door and climbed out, catching odd looks from Steve as he walked to the passenger side door.

Steve gasped when Bucky picked her up, "Buck, what did you do?" He said, making a false assumption.

Bucky ignored his question, "we've got to get her inside." Steve shook his head, but hurriedly led him inside, where Sam stood waiting. Steve held up his hand to keep Sam from asking questions, and led the way to a bedroom. Bucky gently set her down, brushing her hair gently out of her face before going into the hallway where Sam and Steve waited.

"Who is that?" Steve asked, pointing to the sleeping girl.

"(Y/N)." Bucky said softly, looking at the floor, "she saved me twice, she.. she... The ceiling... I couldn't just leave her." He said, looking up at them.

"She was at the jail?" Sam asked.

Bucky nodded, "she got arrested protecting me..." Bucky dropped to his knees, putting his head in his hands, "and now..." He couldn't finish. Steve and Sam exchanged glances before walking past Bucky into the bedroom.

A few minutes later, Steve came out, and set his hand on Bucky's shoulder, "She's gonna be fine."

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You woke to a searing headache and intense pain in your side. You blinked slowly awake, groaning as you tried to remember what had happened. Suddenly everything came back, and you moaned, closing your eyes before they had even fully opened. Suddenly, you realized that the ground felt oddly.. Soft? You opened one eye and looked peaked out, instantly realizing that you were not in a cell. You opened your eyes fully, and your head started to spin as you processed what you were seeing. You tried to sit up, and ended up screaming in pain as your -probably- broken rib protested. Suddenly a door swung open, and Bucky rushed in. Wait? What The....
Your head instantly started spinning. Seconds later two more people ran into the room, one of them appearing to be Captain America. The Captain America? You passed out again.

The second time you woke up, you took it a lot slower. Blinking several times before you even thought about looking around. Once you were sure you really were awake, you turned your head to the side, careful to keep the rest of you as still as possible. You were once again amazed by what you saw.

You were lying in a bed, and incredibly, sitting in a chair beside your bed, was none other than James Buchanan Barnes. He was reading a book, and didn't seem to have noticed you were awake.

"Bucky..?" You said incredulously, sure that this had to be a dream. His head snapped in your direction, and he was out of his chair and standing beside you before you could blink.

"Are you ok? How are you feeling?" He asked, his worried eyes flicking over your face.

Somehow, you managed a smile, "like I got hit by a truck." You groaned.

Bucky smiled, and it was only the second time you'd seen him do so. It took your breath away. "I know the feeling."

"When you got shot?" You asked.

He shook his head and looked sheepishly down at you. "When I first saw you."

You were totally stunned by his change in character, so different from the cold attitude he'd had before. Something has changed. The winter was thawing, and the human inside was warming up. Unable to contain it, you started crying. Bucky looked startled, and unsure of what to do. You laughed at his expression, and reached up to put your hand against his cheek. "Oh Bucky." You said shaking your head.

He smiled, finally assured that you were alright. "I'm sorry." He apologized, sitting down beside you.

"For what?" You asked, tilting your head to the side. You couldn't see what he could possibly be sorry for. In your eyes, he'd been the one who was treated far worse than he deserved.

"For not being able to stay away from you." He whispered, looking down at the floor.

You put the tips of your fingers under his chin and forced him to look you in the eyes. "Don't you dare say that again." You said, your voice deadly serious, "I'd been looking for you since the first time you left."

"Really?" He asked, looking honestly stunned.

"Why do you think I kept trying to answer your calls?" You said, giving him a 'duh' kind of look.

"You knew it was me?" He asked, looking once again, shocked.

You laughed, "how many random numbers do you think call me ten times a day?"

Bucky grinned and looked at the floor again. Then his face fell, "But (Y/N) you know what I've–"

"Stop. Don't do that." You said sternly, grabbing his hand. You laced your fingers through his and looked up at him. "that isn't you anymore, so let it go." Bucky nodded slowly and brought your hand to his mouth, gently kissing it. You giggled and blushed, suddenly finding extreme interest in the edge of the blanket you were under.

"(Y/N)?" Bucky said, grinning at you as you looked at him out of the corner of your eyes.

"Yeah Buck?" You said, still trying to control your giggles. Suddenly, You grabbed your side, the laughing causing extreme pain to your -probably- broken rib.

"What's wrong?" Bucky said, suddenly looking scared again.

"I'm fine." you assured him, laughing even more at his expression. You coughed, and he looked even more worried. "I'm fine really." You said again, settling down this time. Bucky finally seemed to relax.

"This isn't going to be easy you know." He said, brushing his lips repeatedly over the back of your hand as he seemed lost in thought.

"Nothing worth doing is ever easy." You said smiling. He looked at you and his blue eyes bored into yours, telling you all the things he couldn't say. You could only cover your mouth and cry.

"Thank you." He said softly, "for helping me feel alive again."