You wake in the early morning hours to find Tony's arms wrapped around. He stirs as you shift in bed.

"We're not doing the sneaking around thing again, are we?" He says without opening his eyes as he tightens his grip around you.

You chuckle softly. "Not exactly." You say quietly.

He opens his eyes as he sits up on his elbow and looks. "That wasn't very definitive. It's not like we've been trying to hide anything the last couple of days." You can see a hint of disappointment in Tony's eyes.

You reach up with one hand, braiding your fingers into his hair as you pull him into a deep kiss.  You pull away and see his eyes brighten.
"No, I don't want to hide, but nobody knows I'm here. Wanda is covering for me with Bucky and Steve. I needed to see you first." You explain to him.

"I don't know what to say to that." He runs his thumb across your soft lips.

"You've already said everything I needed to hear." He pulls you into a kiss that he tries to deepen. You hum a little against his mouth but pull away. "As much as I want to continue this, I really need to tell Bucky and Steve. They need to know what I've done."

You start to get out of bed when Tony grabs your hand. "Jo, I just...I." you cut him off.

"I know Tony. I know you do." You give him a warm smile that reaches deep into his heart. "I love you too. Come find me later, ok?"

You get dressed and start your search for Bucky and Steve. It's fairly early, so they should be in one of two places: the gym or the kitchen. As you step out of the elevator onto the kitchen floor, you know you've made the right choice. You can smell bacon and Bucky's cinnamon bun French toast cooking.

You quietly round the corner into the kitchen and watch the two of them move around the kitchen.

It takes you back to a day in a small kitchen in Brooklyn in the spring of 1940.

It's your birthday, and you wake to the most wonderful smells wafting in from the kitchen. You get up and quickly dress. You leave your room in the tiny apartment you and your brother share. It only takes a few steps to get to the kitchen, and you can already hear your two favorite voices coming from the room.

As you step through the doorway, Bucky spins around and sees you standing there. He immediately drops the spatula he had in his hand and runs over to you. He scoops you up and spins you around.

"Happy Birthday, Pip Squeak!!!" Bucky shouts in your ear as he puts you back down.

"Please tell me my nose is not wrong? Is that your French toast you're making?" You ask as you head for the coffee on the stove.

" Let me get it, Jo. The birthday girl shouldn't have to get her own coffee." Steve says sweetly as he jumps up to grab you a cup.

As you sit down, he gives you a big hug and a smile. The two of you have become almost inseparable since Steve's mother passed away. You know he's not the idea of a perfect guy. He's tiny and has a lot of health problems, but his heart overshadows all of that.

Steve sets the cup of coffee down in front of you and then sits across from you.
"So, Joey, what are your birthday plans for tonight?" Steve asks.

"Oh, I've got a date. We are going to the movies and then to the carnival that's in town." You say very excited.

Steve's face drops. " Oh, that's real nice, Joey. I hope you have a swell time."

You give him a huge smile. "We better, or you and Bucky will owe me another birthday night out."

Steve's head pops up with a look of relief. "You want Buck and me to take you out?"

"Well, you are my two best guys, even if my brother is a lughead sometimes." You give a small laugh as you turn to look at Bucky.

"Hey watch it Pip Squeak, I could burn these real easy if you keep talking like that." He flicks the spatula at you.

"Joey?" You're startled out of your revere by Steve's voice.

Bucky looks up to see you. "Pip Squeak?"

"Hi, guys." You say quietly as you step further into the kitchen.

Bucky walks over to you with a bit of apprehension. He takes your face in his hands. "How are you doing?"

A soft smile spreads across your face. "I'm good—I'm really good—but there is something I need to tell you."

Bucky tilts his head a little and narrows his eyes. "Why do I feel I'm not going to like this?"

"Probably, but it's a good thing." You take his hand, step over to the table, and sit down. Steve starts to head for the door. "Steve, I want you to hear this too. Please stay."

He nods his head and gives you a pursed-lip smile. He grabs a chair and sits down on the other side of Bucky.

"What's going on, Jo? Wanda said you needed to meditate, and you had a session of some sort yesterday, and now you're here?" A look of concern has now taken over his face.

"We did. I had Wanda help me go back into my mind so I could kill Alpha." You can instantly see the anger flash across both Bucky's and Steve's faces.

"What the hell were you thinking, Jo? Why didn't you tell us? Do you realize how much could have gone wrong?" Bucky chastises you.

"You should have told one of us, Jo, so we could have been there for you and Wanda if something had gone wrong," Steve says from across the table.

"I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up, including mine, if it failed." You say as tears well in your eyes.

"What happened? Did it work?" Bucky asks with a softer tone in his voice.

"Wanda put me back in, and I called Alpha out. Alpha didn't think I could do it, but we fought, and I killed her. She's gone for good. Hydra can't control me anymore." You feel the tear slide down your cheek as you say it.

"How do you know for sure?" Steve asks.

"I can feel this lightness in my mind like a huge pressure has been removed. Wanda can't feel her either." You look at Steve across the table. Even though this is good news, there is sadness in his eyes. You need to talk to him about Tony.

"Yeah, but have you actually tested it?" Bucky asks as he reaches for your hand.

"No, but I don't have a problem putting it to the test. I understand if you want to see for yourself." You squeeze his hand and give him a small smile.

"I'll go down and talk to Bruce and get the lab set up." Steve says as he stands. "I really hope this worked, Jo. I really do." He turns and heads for the elevators.

You and Bucky watch as he takes the elevator down to the labs. Bucky turns to you and takes a deep breath. "You know he knows about you and Stark?" He says.

"I know, it's not how I wanted him or you to find out. I'm sorry but I didn't know how I felt about it either." You touch Bucky's arm, knowing this isn't an easy conversation for him.

"How do you feel about it?" He asks with a genuine interest.

"I've somehow fallen in love with him. I don't know how it happened so quickly, but it did. It just feels right." you say with a smile as you think about last night.

"He makes you happy, doesn't he?" Bucky says, even though he knows the answer by the look on your face.

"The happiest I've been since 1945. I'm not angry at the world when I'm with him. He makes me feel comfortable in my own skin. He gives me peace, Bucky." You look down, waiting for the blowback from Bucky. You can't blame him; there's a lot of baggage between them.

"Then I'm happy for you. That's all I've ever wanted for you, especially now. I'm sorry it's not with Stevie. I thought you two would be until the end of the line. But I understand, of all people, that you can't go back sometimes." He touches your chin and gives you that smile that makes everything alright. "You know you'll have to talk to Steve eventually?"

"I know, Buck. I never meant to hurt him. I tried, I really tried, but it just wasn't the same.
We've both seen too much and changed too much. I'll always love him. I just can't be in love with him." A tear glides down your face as you think of how much he must be hurting right now.

"Lieutenant and Sergeant Barnes, Captain Rogers says he's ready for you in the lab." FRIDAY announces over the intercom system.

"Thank you, Friday. We'll be right there." Bucky says as he stands and holds out his hand for you.

When you arrive at the lab Steve has set up the table and the vibranium cuffs. Bruce is prepping electrodes at the counter.

Bruce turns to you with a smile. "Jo, are you sure you want to do this?" His voice is always so kind.

"I'm sure Bruce, thank you. It's the only positive way to tell if she's truly gone." You start to walk over to Steve and the table.

"All right. I will place these electrodes to simulate the electrical shock they used in the chair. I can monitor your vitals and brain activity through the nanobots." He gently places the electrodes on the side of your temples. "I'll only be using half of the strength they did, but it should still activate Alpha if she's in there."

You climb up onto the table and lie down. Steve looks down at you as he latches the cuffs. "If  I see it's too much or any sign of Alpha, I'm pulling the plug. I won't let you go through that." As you look into his eyes, you see that familiar, caring look again.

"I know, but I don't think you'll have to worry." You lift your fingers and touch his hand for reassurance.

"We're ready. Both of you need to step back unless you want to get shocked, too," Bruce says over his shoulder.

Bucky slides the mouth guard in so you don't bite your tongue off. "I'll say the trigger words as he sends the shock. I'll give you no more than 3 minutes. If I don't see Alpha, we stop. All right?"

You nod your head yes to acknowledge him. He steps back next to Steve and gives Bruce the signal. The shock hits immediately, it's not as bad as the true chair but it's enough and hurts like hell. " Longing, rusted, furnace, daybreak, seventeen, benign, nine, homecoming, one ....freight car." Bucky turns to Bruce. "Cut the current."

The entire time, you are focused on Bucky and fighting against the current coursing through your body. Bruce cuts the power and watches the monitor as you let go, letting your head fall to one side. "I see no signs of unusual brain activity, and all her vitals are normal."

Steve steps up to you and removes the mouthguard. He watches your face as your vision comes back into focus. "Jo? Who am I talking to?"

"It's me, Stevie. It's only me." You say wearily.

"How do I know it's really you?" He looks into your eyes and sees no sign of Alpha, but he has to be sure.

"On my 22nd birthday, you gave me a locket with my birthstone on it. You made me promise not to tell Bucky because you thought he would get mad at you." you say as you look at him with a weak smile.

It's all he needed to hear. He practically rips the cuffs off of you and grabs you as you start to slide off the table. He scoops you up in his arms and holds you tight. "You actually did it, Jo. You're free, Alpha's truly gone." You can hear his voice start to crack as you hug him back. He realizes that he is holding you too close and quickly hands you over to Bucky. He takes several steps back.
Bucky holds you up with one arm, wiping the sweat from your brow. "I can't believe you did it. You're finally free, Joey."