Don't forget to vote and comment x enjoy

. ☾ .

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧

Bucharest, Romania

. ☾ .

Her short, fitful slumber was tormented with snippets of memories about Steve. Memories of the two of them training and fighting in the war. His iconic blue, white and red suit was burned into her brain. Leaving a rollercoaster of emotions whirring through her all at once.

She was beyond confused. At HYDRA, they had instilled in her that anything and anyone associated with Captain America was immoral. That his entire existence went against what HYDRA had stood for. She had treated him as the enemy. She had just come back from a mission where she had hurt him.

She was also sad. She could feel the happiness that she felt in that moment with Steve. The smile that she had worn, was a smile that the world hadn't seen again for 70 years. A happiness so boundless that it felt like pure euphoria. But it was snuffed out.

She was also angry. She was angry at HYDRA for lying to her. For hiding her relationship with Steve and making him become her enemy. For taking away her friend and making her think she was all alone in this world.

But she was even angrier at herself. She had hurt Steve. Not only physically, but mentally. She had fought him for the first time as his enemy. She had attacked him mercilessly, like a beast. But she had also left him even when he tried to help her. Despite all that he had done for her, she still left. She ran away.

She had hurt him, and she could see it.

The Steve that she remembered, mirroring her bright smile and matching her in happiness was gone. The man who thrived leading the Howling Commandos in his bright blue, red and white get-up was lost. The man who had a glimmer of hope in his eyes that shone brighter than the most glorious constellations of stars, now fading to become no more than a memory.

Instead, he was replaced with a replica donning a darker, more menacing uniform of Captain America. A person who had lost his two best friends and forced to live on, knowing he survived. And then to find out that not only had he thought he lost them, but they were taken and he did nothing to help. He had let them be tortured by the one organization that he had swore to defeat.

She spent the rest of the night mulling over the memories, trying to decipher if they were real or not. Searching for any indication of who she was and her past life. But alas, she was left with even more questions with very few answers.

All she knew for certain was that Steve was her friend and she was a good soldier in the war. She potentially was also close with Bucky if her talks with Steve weren't just her mind playing tricks on her. But with her past at HYDRA, she wasn't sure what else they could have done to ruin her mind.

Eventually, the rising of the sun and chirping of birds had awoken Allie to reality. She had been gazing out into the darkness for so long that she barely believed her eyes when the sharp shadows disappeared. Instead replaced by the bright rays of sunlight that filtered in through the curtains and illuminated the room.

Slowly she pushed herself up and sat on the corner of the bed. Staring out through the window and down onto the street below. Watching as the cars sped along the road, racing between the street lights as if their lives depended on it. Peering down at the hordes of pedestrians ambling around the city.

"Morning." A low, husky voice sounded, jerking Allie from her thoughts suddenly. She whipped her head around and sighed in relief when she saw Bucky's tired face, forgetting that they had shared a bed last night.

"Did you get much sleep?" He asked, pushing himself from out under the covers and stretching his body. Allie nearly caught herself staring at the muscles rippling under his white shirt, watching as they bulged while he stretched. But she quickly tore her eyes away, hoping that Bucky hadn't noticed.

"A few hours." She cleared her throat, fighting the blush that warmed her cheeks. "What about you?"

"Same here." He answered, yawning as he fought to keep his drooping eyelids opened. Unlike Allie, he had spent the first half of the night awake, lost in his own thoughts. Mulling over their shared conversation last night. But eventually, his mind had tired and he succumbed to sleep. Only waking up when he felt the minuscule ripple of the bed when Allie got up.

"I was thinking that we probably should go into the city and get some food today. Maybe even find some burner phones that we can use or an internet cafe." He added, pushing his dark tendrils of hair back from his face.

His usually tousled dark brown hair looked extra messy. And in the morning light, his eyes were a captivating cerulean blue, with flecks of silvery light performed ballets throughout. His face was strong and defined, as if he had been modeled from granite. And his dark brows were sloped downwards in the same serious expression that seemed to be plastered to his face.

In the end, she came to the conclusion that Bucky was handsome from the depths of his eyes to the gentle expressions of his voice. She would have to have been a fool not to recognize his attractiveness. For crying out loud, he resembled a modern adonis, exuding beauty and desire.

But it seemed that her penetrating gaze this time didn't go unnoticed by Bucky. Who frowned slightly at her unwavering stare and quirked a brow, wondering what she had been thinking about.

"Allie?" He called out, immediately breaking her from her trance.

Realizing her blunder, she hastily tore her gaze away from his face. She swore at herself internally, wondering what the hell was wrong with her this morning.

"Sorry." She murmured.

Bucky frowned at her odd behavior, wondering what was on her mind. He cautiously walked over to her side of the room and leaned against the wall, watching her with worry clouding his blue orbs.

"Hey, are you alright?" He questioned softly, feeling his frown grow as she turned her gaze up to him, drowning in internal conflict.

"Yeah, I just remembered something last night." She informed him, going for the safer of the two options. Because there was no way in hell that she was going to tell him that she was distracted by his beauty.

Bucky quickly sat down next to her, his interest growing at her comment. Selfishly wondering if it was him that she had remembered. Hoping that she remembered what they had.

"What did you remember?" He asked, trying to disguise the hope from his voice.

"Steve." She breathed out anxiously. "There were a few things. Mainly it was us fighting each other and fighting against HYDRA I think. I don't know much about where or when it was but I assumed it was in the war." She recalled, oblivious to the defeated look overcoming Bucky's face.

"There was this other memory though..." She trailed off, gazing out the window before she recounted the story. Telling Bucky about her memory of Steve that had plagued her sleep last night.

She told him about how Steve and her had trained, how it somehow felt familiar to her. As if they routinely practiced together. And then she got to their conversation, how Steve talked about Bucky and her as if they were very close.

But of course, she didn't know. And the only other person who did know, was thankfully sitting right next to her.

"How close were we?" She questioned, not failing to notice the nearly imperceptible gulp that Bucky made.

"Who?" He frowned, somewhat dreading the conversation that she was about to start.

"You and me," Allie answered. "And Steve too I guess."

"We were very close." He replied honestly. "We were all very good friends. Not only did you save me from HYDRA but you helped Steve and I fight the war. We fought side by side for 2 years. We spent every living moment together."

"You and Steve were the leaders of the Howling Commandos. Steve relied on your knowledge of HYDRA and your skills to help fight the battles. Without you, we might not have won the war." He continued, aware of the fact that he was avoiding answering her question. "You helped build him up to be the Captain America."

For a split second, Bucky thought Allie caught onto his intentions, realizing that he evaded her true question. But in reality, she was just contemplating his words, too caught up in her own head to notice.

"Who were the Howling Commandos?" She asked and Bucky nearly let out a sigh of relief.

"They were a team put together by you, me and Steve. There was Morita, Dum Dum, Dernier, Falsworth and Jones. We were specifically tasked with fighting HYDRA." He answered, feeling venom swell in his body at the mention of Gabe Jones. Allie even noticed his change of tone but she didn't question it.

"I don't remember them." She murmured, frustration lacing her voice. It was infuriating for her to listen to Bucky's stories, knowing that she was in them, and yet she couldn't bring herself to remember. Unable to recall a single thing about her own past when Bucky somehow seemed to know everything about her.

"Hey," Bucky whispered, threading his rough fingers between her own and squeezing gently. "It's okay not to remember. Don't rush yourself." He told her, watching as she released a defeated sigh.

For a brief moment, a poignant silence passed between the two as Allie contemplated his words. Because how was it okay that she couldn't remember? How could not knowing about her past and who she was be alright?

She needed to know. She wouldn't stop until she could remember everything, until she could recount her past word for word. Including the bad and good, which also meant her time at HYDRA which she still failed to remember.

And right now, the one part of her past that she did faintly remember was Steve.

"Have you ever wanted to talk to Steve?" Allie spoke up, breaking the silence.

"All the time." Bucky sighed sadly. "HYDRA stole everything from me. It stole my memories, my freedom, my family, my life. But most importantly, it stole you and Steve. I lost my best friends and there's not a day that goes by where I don't wish that it didn't end up this way." He answered, melancholy overcoming his features as he thought about his best friend.

"When Steve and I met back when HYDRA fell, I couldn't remember him. I was still under HYDRA's control and I nearly killed Steve, multiple times. It was just lucky that I didn't because I don't know if I could have ever lived with myself if I had killed him." He continued, guilt clawing at his insides as he thought back to those fateful days.

Allie, noticing his internal turmoil, tightened her grip on his hand. Which she now sensed was more for him rather than her.

"But you didn't." She replied solemnly.

"I wish that I could just go back to him and things would just go back to how they were, before all of this." He said, gesturing to his metal arm that was a painful reminder of his time at HYDRA.

"So why don't you?" She questioned.

"I will never be able to see Steve again. Not after everything that I have done, who I have become." He muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Steve is Captain America, the savior of the people. He stands for hope, liberation, and justice. He fights for what is right and punishes those who do wrong." Bucky started, unable to stop the proud smile that pulled lightly at his lips.

"And I'm the Winter Soldier. I stand for death, destruction, and cruelty. I am the harbinger of evil and torture. And if I go near him, then I will corrupt everything good that he stands for." He continued, that smile replaced by a hardened look to disguise his sadness.

"But you aren't the Winter Soldier anymore. You are Bucky Barnes." Allie countered. "Steve's Bucky."

"Not to the Government or the press." He explained. "If I go near Steve then the press will condemn him for being associated with me. They will stop believing in him and treat him like their enemy. And the Government would force him to chose between punishing or protecting me." He sighed.

"And I know which one he would pick which is why I won't even give him the choice."

Allie frowned at his words, knowing that they were true. From what she could remember, that sounded like something that Steve would do. He seemed to be the person who would risk it all for the people he loved. And Allie hoped that she was that person as well, which is why she wanted to see Steve. Why she needed to see him.

"What if I want to see Steve?" She questioned and Bucky immediately felt his head whip around to hers in shock.

"Allie you can't." He argued, letting go of her hand and running it through his locks in distress.

"But I want some answers. Steve so far is the only person that I can remember! And after everything that I have done to him, all the stuff he has been through because of us, don't you think he deserves some answers too." She countered and Bucky just shook his head.

"HYDRA is already on us, Allie. If you go to Steve, there's no doubt that they will take you again." He returned, looking at her exasperatedly. "Is that what you want?"

"Of course it's not." She growled. Enraged that even though Bucky knew how she felt about HYDRA, that he would say such a thing anyway. Especially when he went through the same experience himself.

"But Bucky, I am going to see Steve. And I'm not asking for your permission. I'm asking for your support." She told him.

"It's not safe." He pleaded.

"I know, and that's a risk I'm willing to take." She replied, staring at him intently while he let a defeated sigh fall from his lips.

"I can't give you my support Allie." He said softly, standing up from the bed and walking away from her. Knowing that this wouldn't be the last conversation they would have about this topic.

. ☾ .

She got his support.

It took some time, some arguing, some yelling, and some ass kissing, but she got it. It had taken her an entire week to knock some sense into him. That all she was going to do was talk to Steve, not spend the rest of her life with him and the Avengers or get re-captured by HYDRA.

But Bucky had been very persistent that she was not to even make any contact with Steve. That she should not risk going to see him when HYDRA as already on their tails. But eventually she had worn him down, reminding him that she was in fact Trickery, that merciless assassin who could deal with HYDRA herself if she had to.

So she had spent her second week in Sofia searching for Steve. She managed to find a small internet cafe where she was able to track Steve down and plan for her trip. Begrudgingly, Bucky aided in her search, persistently reminding Allie that she shouldn't go. But she managed to ignore him, too engrossed in her own research to care.

Through the help of Steve's many admirers who (very creepily) tracked his movements on the internet, she pinpointed Steve's location to the Avengers Tower in New York City. She did hazard a guess that he might have resided there, especially since she had remembered that HYDRA had no known location listed for Steve only a month prior.

His new location would prove to be a problem, as she knew there was no way she would be able to bypass Stark's security, which was all electronic. But she had found a few other places that Steve frequently visited where she would hopefully be able to find him. The keyword being hopefully.

So she started preparing to leave.

Allie didn't tell Bucky that she had already organized her flight tickets before she got him to agree, knowing that she would have gone anyway. But she did ask if he wanted to join, giving him the chance to finally reconnect with his best friend. However Bucky firmly declined, adamant that Steve was better off without him.

Knowing that his answer was not going to change, she packed her few belongings into her backpack and set off for New York. Bucky took her to the airport and bid her farewell, reminding her to call him on her burner phone if anything came up. And he meant anything. With a tight hug and warm smile, she left him behind as she boarded the plane. Already missing his comforting presence.

Despite her previous confidence about her plan, boarding the plane left Allie feeling an overwhelming sensation of nervousness. She began to fret over the things she would say, how Steve would react, and all other possible failures. She worried that everything she had to say would be inadequate and that Steve wouldn't accept her apology.

Especially after everything that she had put him through, it was understandable that he shouldn't.

Those nauseating thoughts dominated her mind for the entire 13 hour flight, not giving her a single moment of reprieve. She was unable to sleep or distract her mind from what was awaiting her in New York. So she sat on the plane, wondering if Bucky had been right all along.

When the plane finally landed in New York, Allie forced herself up from her seat and into the bustling terminal of JFK Airport. Allie had previously thought that Baltimore Aiport was busy, but nothing had prepared her for JFK. It was a colossal building and the sheer amount of times that she had found herself lost was a testament to that fact.

Eventually, after far too many times of having to ask strangers where to find the exit, Allie managed to get a taxi into Manhattan. Even from the taxi, she could hear the incessant honking of motorized vehicles that sped dangerously down the dark roads. The roads were completely packed, with cars backed bumper to bumper. Resulting in a drive that should have been only 20 minutes, taking nearly an hour.

The taxi dropped her off somewhere close to Central Park, leaving her to navigate the rest of the way by herself. As per usual, she tricked the driver into thinking that she had paid and hurried away before he had realized.

But as she weaved her way through the swarms of people and down the concrete alleys, a wave of familiarity overwhelmed her. The ubiquitous skyscrapers that were barely visible through the grey smog-filled sky did not seem foreign as she had predicted it would be. Instead, it felt as if she had seen them before.

Her mind thumped with pain the more she thought about it. Allie guessed that she had been here, perhaps on a mission with HYDRA. But of course, she couldn't remember so she quickly pushed the thoughts from her mind.

Allie hastily made her way towards the New York public library which is where Steve was known to spend some of his time. According to the records that Bucky managed to get, Steve spent a few days every week there which meant there was a good chance that Allie would see him.

It didn't take too long for her to find the library, which just as every other place in the city, was monumental in size and teeming with people. The architectural design of the building was breathtaking, making Allie feel insignificant in its extraordinary presence.

But as she walked up the steps to the library, Allie felt her legs become numb and her hands began to shake. Nervousness flooded through her body as the air from her lungs seemingly dissipated. She could hear her heart thumping inside her chest as the rest of the world faded into white noise.

But she pushed on, not letting her anxiety stop her from seeing Steve.

She entered the library, gawking at the opulent interior. Rows after rows of neatly lined books filled the room, with their brightly covered spines bringing a joyous light to the otherwise dark room. Large, rectangular tables were spread across the floor, with most being occupied by people of all ages, from young to old. The hushed atmosphere put Allie at edge, but she found herself smiling lightly as the silence was occasionally interrupted with an innocent child's laugh.

And then she saw him.

Steve was sitting at a table in the far corner of the room, hunched in front of an old computer. His mesmerizing ocean blue eyes were glued to whatever was on his screen, unwavering in intensity. She gazed at his concentrated face, strong and defined, exactly as it had been 70 years ago. His thick golden eyebrows sloped downwards in utter concentration, giving him a much more serious look. And his blonde windswept hair was brushed back from his face.

He looked exactly the same.

Allie immediately froze as she stared at her long lost friend. Her brain stuttered for a moment, as every part of her body paused while her thoughts caught up. Every wisp of air had been knocked from her lungs. So she stood there, struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do anything other than stare at Steve.

And when her mind finally began functioning again, she found herself spinning around and walking out of the library.

Everything that she had previously thought, that need to see Steve was gone. The confidence that she previously had disappeared, shattering into tiny fragments. She couldn't do it, she couldn't face him.

Shakily, she made her way out of the library. Barely moving due to how much her legs were quivering. Breathing heavily as if she had just run a marathon. Her mind was spinning with thoughts of Steve and she resisted the urge to throw up.

There was no way she could see Steve, not like this.

She had just made it to the doorway when she felt a hand enclose around her wrist, jerking her back to reality. With unprecedented speed, Allie whipped around and immediately felt her eyes return to their bright silver hue. She felt the person's mind come under her control, and she narrowed in on their sensation of pain.

"Allie?"

That was all it took for her eyes to turn back to normal and her anxiety to skyrocket again.

Steve Rogers stood in front of her, clutching onto her hand tightly to ensure that she was real. That it wasn't just a figment of his imagination. That it was truly Allie standing in front of him.

He hadn't believed his eyes when he saw Allie walking away from him when he was sitting at the library desk. He had just thought that it was a look-a-like, but he got up and followed her anyway. Knowing that the resemblance was too uncanny not to check.

"Steve." She replied softly, feeling tears well in her eyes as she gazed at his hopeful face.

Hearing her voice was all the confirmation Steve needed before he smiled and pulled Allie into his arms. His embrace was warm as he clutched tightly onto her slender body, making sure that she was, in fact, real. The world around her melted away as she squeezed him back, cherishing the comfort that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

Glad that after 70 years, she was finally hugging Steve Rogers again.

. ☾ .

Hey everyone!!!!

Omg, can you believe it? I actually updated on time again!! Go me!!

I just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone getting Tricks to over 40k and Trickery to 6k reads!! That absolutely blows my mind and it constantly reminds me of how grateful I am for every single one of you guys supporting me and my stories.

The next chapter is gonna be SUPER intense with some BIG bombs dropped so stick around everyone! I already have all the dialogue written so the update definitely won't be late! We are getting into the end of the story now so it's gonna be lit!

Now finally onto the questions!!

1. What did you think of this chapter?

2. What do you think will happen next?

3. What do you want to see in Allie's reunion with Steve?

4. Were you team Steve or team Tony in Civil War?

(I love my man Bucky but I am a strong team Tony!)

Until next time my loves!

- Grace xx