song of the chapter:
Gilded Lily by Cults

"𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐂𝐀."

The world was warm and heavy, and she was so deep into the the comfort that it took several seconds for the word to register.

"Becks." There was a hand making gentle contact to her head, stroking back and forth. "Becca. Can you hear me?"

Becca nodded sleepily, not registering much of what was going on.

There was a low sound, like a snort. Then the warmth was slowly pulled away and she curled up into herself, her face scrunching up unhappily.

The voice snorted again, amusement lacing its words as it spoke. "Yeah, doll, I know. But I need you to wake up for a second, cause you'll be mad at me if you don't."

Becca blinked once, twice, and then a third time to help her vision become less blurry.

Her eyes focused on her brother's face above hers.

"Mornin'," Bucky said, and he was smiling. A real, genuine smile, at seemingly nothing. "You slept for a long time, Becks. You're feeling' good, huh?"

Becca felt her nose scrunch as an infectious smile spread across her own face. She nodded, rubbing her eye with the palm of her hand. "Yes."

Bucky jutted his chin toward the tactical watch on his wrist. "Eight in the morning."

What?

Becca sat up quickly, glancing at his watch to make sure it was right.

It was.

She looked up at him, suddenly wide awake, her entire face morphed into one of panic.

"Hey," Bucky said quickly, realizing where he'd gone wrong. "No, no, no, this is good-"

Becca scrambled to her feet, her entire body ready to fight, before Bucky quickly reached up and grabbed her wrists.

It took a moment- a long, excruciating moment, for her to realize she wasn't breathing. When she did, the rush of air into her lungs was pure bliss, and it re-fueled her movements, clearing her head and letting her register that she wasn't in danger.

And really, what a beautiful feeling that was- even if she was still learning it.

It took another long moment to realize that Bucky was exaggerating his slow breathing, giving her subconscious something to latch onto as it reorganized herself.

"You're okay," Bucky said, tugging on her wrists. His eyes were a bit wide and unsure of what to do. "See? It's just us. No one's comin'."

Long-learned instincts screamed at her to fight, run, hold your ground, get away-

But Bucky's voice was so much kinder; so much safer... she wanted to hold onto that instead.

Bucky was tugging her back down onto the mattress she slept on, tugging her back out of her memories and back to him.

The movement should have terrified her- but it didn't.

Instead, she was able to ground herself.

"You okay?" Bucky asked, staring at her. Becca was torn between launching herself away from him or clinging to him.

She picked the latter, letting him hold her trembling hands.

She nodded her head in response, feeling too scared to speak just yet.

Bucky let out a heavy breath, ducking his head for half a moment. When he looked up, he looked incredibly insecure. "I'm sorry. I shouldn've woke you up like that. I coulda just waited."

Becca shook her head. That wasn't what had made her scared. "I slept. For a long time."

Bucky nodded, eyes widening with the sudden understanding. "I know- I get it now. You did sleep for a long time- but I meant that it was a good thing. You were able to sleep that long. And look- you're safe. It's just us here."

"Just...us," Becca repeated. Her voice was shaking as much as her hands.

"No one is coming, Becca. We're safe."

His steel blue eyes were earnest, and as Becca searched them frantically for a lie, she couldn't find one.

The heartbeat started to slow down again. The haunting memories of pain, and cold, and men with guns started to be replaced by Bucky's hands on hers- the one touch that would never hurt her.

"I thought I would be punished." Becca whispered.

Bucky moved his hand away from her for a moment, then returned holding a doll with red yarn hair. He held it up to her, waiting for her to take it.

"Jamie," she said softly.

"Yeah," Bucky said. His eyes were uncertain as they flickered between her and the doll. "See? Look. This is yours, right?"

Becca's fingers ran softly over the yarn.

"Mine," Becca said. She met her brother's eyes. "It's mine."

It wasn't a question anymore. It was a reassurance- and repeating it out loud made it more real.

"Yours," Bucky repeated.

Becca stared at him, holding the doll close to her chest. "I slept... late, today. And I wasn't punished. I still have Jamie. He is mine."

"Yeah," Bucky breathed out, and that was a smile he was giving her. "I mean, I don't wanna jinx it, but things are pretty good right now, huh?"

"Jinx?" Becca's eyebrows dipped, fumbling on the word.

Bucky frowned, eyes squinting as he tried to find the words. "Like, give it bad luck. If I say it, it might go wrong, you know?"

"Don't jinx us," Becca nodded firmly.

"Yeah." Bucky huffed out a laugh. "We're good, alright?"

Becca nodded. Her white-knuckled grip on Bucky's metal arm loosened into something more comfortable than desperate.

"I woke you up 'cause I'm going out to get some food," Bucky said, finally. "Didn't want you to... wake up alone. I'm gonna be back soon, okay?"

"Okay." Becca said. She reached up and moved a piece of Bucky's long hair away from his face, making him go cross-eyed. "I want plums."

And Bucky just laughed.

Because this born-again Becca- who was learning to sleep in late, and realize she was allowed to want things- this Becca, with big brown eyes full of child-like wonder...

He'd do anything to protect her.

Someone was here.

Becca could feel it.

It was about an hour after Bucky left. The apartment was quiet, and so was the street outside. The sun was out, making the room warm but not uncomfortably so- and Becca had been feeling content.

But someone was here, in her and Bucky's safe place, and it wasn't safe anymore.

She sat up immediately, alarm bells going off in her head. Choppy red hair whipped her in the face as she ran to her window. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary-

But she knew better than anyone that that didn't mean anything.

She trusted her gut more than she trusted her sight.

Vision could be faulty- dependent on a large set of factors that were, a lot of times, out of her control.

Her instincts were much more reliable- they could sense what her eyes couldn't.

Quickly, she tossed her blanket into the corner of the room, covering the small stack of books Bucky had gotten for them to practice reading. She gripped Jamie tight into her chest and slinked into the small space between the wall and the door-

Just before a set of slow, stealthy footsteps approached the door.

Becca's fingers curled around her small knife, eyes narrowed.

The door was pushed open and Becca sucked in her stomach, making herself as small as possible, out of sight of the intruder.

She was terrified.

Because Bucky wasn't here, but someone else was- someone that Becca was going to have to fight.

It wasn't a kid who'd snuck up to the top floor of this mostly abandoned apartment. Judging by the sound of the person's footsteps, they were much bigger than her- heavy footfalls, longer steps- but they were much quieter than she would think they'd be.

This person was trying to be silent- and they knew how.

They also knew where they were going, and what they were looking for.

There was a very faint, high frequency that had entered the room with them; a communication device. More reason to be on guard.

But what really set her off was the unnaturally high heart rate Becca could hear coming from the man.

Far too quick and steady for someone his size. A dead giveaway to something much more daunting than just a normal intruder.

This man was a super soldier.

And with the combination of his stealthy mannerisms and the communication device, it was clear that being here, in Bucky and Becca's refuge of an apartment, was fully intentional.

Becca couldn't breathe as she gripped her knife, twisting it around in her hand so she would have a better angle when she attacked. Her learned instincts hadn't at all faded in the last year, but she knew for certain that she couldn't talk on another super soldier on her own.

She wanted Bucky- she needed Bucky.

"It's empty." The man's voice was hoarse- and there was something almost familiar about it. He was talking into his earpiece.

She still couldn't see the man, hidden in her spot behind the door.

Hydra was gone now- how would they have sent super soldiers after them? How would they even now where she and Bucky had gone?

"We're sure they're here." Quiet, clipped words.

The voice was definitely familiar.

Becca steeled her nerves- shoved them down, extinguished them- and slipped, just for a moment, back into the Asset.

She set Jamie down in the corner, so he was still safe behind the door.

Then she slunk out into the open. Her knife was clutched in her hands, twisted around into just the right position to strike in seconds.

But the second she lifted her eyes to actually look at the figure, she froze.

No.

A navy blue suit, and a cowl over close-cropped blonde hair.

Steve Rogers was in her apartment.

Becca made a small noise- something between a whimper and a gasp- and Steve whirled around.

For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"Becca," Steve breathed. He made an aborted movement- like he wanted to reach out and touch her, but decided against it.

Becca didn't speak.

She didn't move.

She couldn't.

"Becca," Steve repeated. More breathless, this time, like he couldn't believe what he was saying. "You..."

Why was he here?

"Where... where's Bucky?"

Becca wanted to know too.

Steve was staring at her. She felt heavy under his gaze- rooted on the spot.

Then, sound of another pair of feet making their way towards the door made both of them turn.

These footsteps, Becca knew. She watched as Bucky approached the doorway, eyes wide beneath his ball cap.

His eyes flickered towards Becca, silently asking the question Becca didn't have an answer to.

"Do you know me?"

Steve's words were firm. Like he already knew the answer, and was just waiting for Bucky to say it.

Becca looked at Becca again.

"You're Steve," he said, barely audible. Becca's eyes widened. But Bucky had already made up his mind. "I read about you in a museum."

Something painful stirred in Becca's chest.

"Скажи ему," she whispered, feeling Steve's gaze beeping into both her and her brother. Tell him.

Bucky shook his head.

I can't.

I can't tell him I know him, because he'll make us leave.

I can't do that to you.

Bucky's eyes had a deep resolve in them- one that he knew Becca could see.

The smile she'd been learning to wear.

How she'd started to gain confidence in herself- learning to talk freely again, cutting her hair, taking care of her doll.

The way she looked at the girl outside the window, with a kind of innocent love he would give anything to protect.

He wasn't going to make her go back to a world that would try to take that away. 

At least, not if he could help it.

"They've set the perimeter." A crackly voice came from the comm in Steve's ear.

Steve quickly looked out the window, and then took a step closer to Bucky. "I know you're nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be."

Bucky had moved closer to Becca now. He stood in front of her, blocking her from view.

Had Steve really bought it?

"But you're lying."

And there it was.

Bucky shook his head defiantly. "We weren't in Vienna. We don't do that anymore."

Becca's brows furrowed. What had happened in Vienna?

She looked at Bucky, who shook his head.

Not for you to worry about.

The voice from the comms again. "They're entering the building."

"What have you done?" Becca whispered, looking at Steve with a cold panic rising in her chest. She could hear other people downstairs now.

"The people who think you did are coming here now." Steve was saying.

"No," Becca could feel her eyes getting hot. She was angry. "I do not want to leave. Why-"

Her words were laced with a thick accent and a heavy lisp, and Bucky could feel his heart shattering into a million pieces.

She didn't deserve this.

Goddammit, Stevie, why couldn't you just leave us be?

"They're not planning on taking you alive." Steve said. His eyes were solely on Bucky. A warning.

Bucky felt anger, somewhere in the reside. His mouth was dry as he said, "That's smart. Good strategy."

"They're on the roof. I'm compromised."

Pounding feet, coming up the stairs below.

"Why did you do this?" Becca's voice cracked. Her eyes were filled with fury as she stared at Steve. She had been happy here.

"This doesn't have end in a fight, guys," Steve said desperately. As if he hadn't broken into their home, brought the fight to their doorstep.

Bucky pulled the glove off his metal hand. "It always ends in a fight," he said tiredly.

Becca clutched her knife in her hand, panicked and angry.

"I cannot do this again," Becca pleaded, looking at Bucky with tear-filled eyes. "I do not- I don't want to run..."

"5 seconds."

Steve swore and quickly looked out the window, getting louder. "You pulled me from the river. Why?"

"I don't know," Bucky snapped, insisting.

"3 seconds!"

"Yes, you do," Steve said, his eyes stony.

"Breach! Breach! Breach!"

There was a loud crash, and Becca's beloved window shattered as a small object was thrown in.

Becca ducked her head, crying out as Bucky kicked the blinking grenade towards Steve, who smothered it with his shield.

No, no, no-

"Schieß die Tür auf!" Someone bellowed from just outside. Shoot the door!

"Becca, no!" Bucky shouted- but Jamie was still sitting behind the door, unprotected, right in front of an inevitable onslaught of bullets...

And Becca needed Jamie. She needed the only thing in the world that belonged to her.

She dove towards the door, rolling forward into a somersault and narrowly avoiding more shattering glass above her head. She reached out wildly and finally gripped onto soft yarn just as the door exploded around her-

Then Bucky was there, metal arm grabbing her by the waist.

He yanked her backwards just as an explosion of bullets came pelting through the door, tearing through the mattress he was propping up in front of them as a makeshift shield.

The thwip of bullets whistled past Becca's ears as she ducked behind Bucky, Jamie tucked tightly in her arm and her knife twisted  into an offensive position-

It was almost scary, how easy it was to fall back into this routine.

Steve was slamming his shield into a cable being tossed into the room, to give more access to the government officers destroying the apartment.

"Come on!" Bucky bellowed into Becca's ear. He had dropped the mattress and taken to yanking her to her feet instead.

He had started to drag them across the room when Becca cried out.

A sudden, intense pain made her leg buckle; her knee hit the floor for a moment as she gasped, her vision going white for a moment.

She'd been shot.

She couldn't stop, though. Bucky's fist had collided with a man's masked face- he hadn't seen yet. Becca groaned, took a deep breath, and shoved down the pain.

"Buck, stop!" Steve charged in front of his friend, and Becca wanted to scream at him. "You're gonna kill someone!"

Bucky growled and shoved Steve to the ground. Still straddling him, and punched a hole into the wood floor, yanking out the combat backpack Becca and him had hidden there when they'd first come here.

The backpack full of things they were supposed to remember.

The backpack with memories of who they were.

The people Steve wanted them still to be.

"I'm not gonna kill anyone," Bucky said, voice strained but certain.

It was also a message to Becca.

No one was going to die today. It's not who they were anymore. Becca was still trying to differentiate everything she had learned versus everything that was right, but she knew that much.

She had learned not to be the Asset here.

Bucky turned and hurled the backpack through the shattered window, watching as it landed on the rooftop of the building next door.

He gestured just once to Becca, who let him pull him behind her with one arm.

Steve stood in front of them, shield raised, letting gunfire pelt the vibration with each loud pang.

Bucky was clutching into Becca's hand. She gladly let him, shoving Jamie in between her chest and her tank top to make sure he wouldn't fall out in the inevitable fight.

Steve led them into the hallway, where they were immediately met with more gunfire.

"Go!" Steve shouted at Becca.

Becca was on a one-track mind. She fed off of Bucky's body language, falling into that rhythm of observing and then reading his next move.

Her brother had taken to one side, which meant Becca needed to take the other.

She moved forward towards the nearest soldier and dropped down, ignoring the pain in her leg as she maneuvered around him and knocked him off balance, sending him flying down the stairs.

Her hair was whipped into her face, blocking her vision momentarily- but her heightened senses were doing their job.

Left. A soldier had aimed at her shot leg. She used her good one to kick off the railing, jumping inhumanly high to land on his shoulders.

Twist, but not too hard. Throw your body forward. Make sure he lands on his back, not yours.

The man was completely still beneath her now- but still breathing.

"Der Verdächtige ist ausgebrochen!" A man further down, closer to Steve, was shouting into his radio. "Er ist am östlichen Treppenschacht!" Suspect has broken containment! He's headed down the east stairwell!

Steve darted forward, grabbing the radio and crushing it with one hand.

Suspects- suspects in what?

The Winter Soldier and the Asset had been off anyone's radar for about a year now. What could they possibly think they'd done?

"Becca!" Steve shouted, as she took out another soldier, stabbing him with her knife in the side and kicking his kneecap, making him buckle.

She glared at him, chest heaving with anger, silently staring at him through her disheveled hair.

Steve gestured at her, motioning for him to help her over the landing.

This man.

Did he not realize that she could take care of herself? That she and Bucky had been doing it for seventy years already?

She ran and launched herself over the banister with one hand, careful not to land on her injured leg; the last thing she needed was for Bucky to worry about her.

She didn't even glance back up at Steve.

Bucky was tossing a soldier over the railing onto the floor several feet below.

Steve, landing heavily on his feet, yelped and darted forward, catching the falling soldier with a strong arm.

He looked at Bucky wearily. "Come on, man," he grunted.

Bucky just gave him a hint of a smirk.

Steve heaved the man back over the railing, tossing him onto the ground.

Bucky was in combat with another soldier now, leaving Becca standing between the her brother and the man he used to love, trying to find her place.

Becca's leg was throbbing terribly; the bullet in her calf hadn't gone through and her enhanced body was trying heal over it.

But Bucky glanced over and she quickly straightened, blowing her hair out of her face.

But she'd been through worse.

She was trained to let nothing stop her.

"Duck!" Steve shouted. Becca whirled around, quickly darting to the side, and watched as Steve threw his shield.

It went straight for a gun pointed at Bucky's turned head, knocking it out of the assailant's hands and imbedding both it and the weapon into the concrete wall.

"Becca." Bucky grunted, eyes wide from almost being shot in the head.

Becca looked up and nodded, already knowing what he wanted them to do.

He leaped over the edge of the banister and used his metal hand to rip it out of the ground, making a makeshift cable to the floor below. Becca jumped after him, using the torn banister as a launching of and letting Bucky grab her to help her land.

"Steve," Becca called as she and Bucky ran down the hallway.

Bucky just shook his head. "He'll be right behind us, trust me. We need to run."

There was a light at the end of the hall. Bucky charged towards it and Becca followed, completely ignoring the awful pain in her calf and the blood trailing into her sock.

Bucky destroyed the door in front of them without even stopping.

"Don't stop," He huffed, before leaping into a full sporting and jumping off the landing and into the air.

She didn't.

Realizing there was no way to do this without hurting her already shot leg, she ducked in a deep breath, let her instincts and training and adrenaline take over.

She used both feet and jumped off of the empty landing and into the sun, aiming for the rooftop of the building below.

It was several feet away, and for a moment, Becca feared she was too out of practice and was going to miss it completely-

But her foot hit the ledge of concrete with plenty of room, further even than her brother.

Becca couldn't help the small noise when her other hurt leg slammed against the ground, rolling with the rest of her body to a partial stop and jumping to her feet again.

Don't stop, don't stop-

She sprinted after Bucky, who was carrying the backpack he'd thrown off the roof.

Hair blowing in the wind, sweat coating her skin beneath the too-big red henley of Bucky's she wore, dirty shoes pounding against the pavement and leaving a thin trickle of blood behind her-

There was a shadow moving above her all of the sudden, and Bucky let out a loud grunt.

A large, man-sized black figure came flying out of nowhere, kicking him to the ground.

"Bucky!" Becca gasped, heels scraping as she forced her momentum to a stop. "Bucky!"

"Becca, go!" Bucky shouted, looking just as shocked as she was. The figure of a thin, tall, muscular man in a skin-tight black suit had what looked like claws sending spark against the metal wall.

He threw a punch at the man, but got sent flying backwards by an unnaturally strong roundhouse kick.

Becca let out a war cry and pulled her knife from her pocket, Jamie still stuffed in her shirt, and charged the man with the blade of the knife outstretched.

The cat-man easily dodged her attack, slashing again at Bucky, who narrowly missed the metal claws.

"What is this?!" Becca demanded.

The cat-man lunged at Bucky, claws catching the sunlight dangerously, but Bucky grabbed his wrists, yelling wildly, "Becks, you needa go!"

A shadow fell overhead; Becca looked up just in time to see a helicopter open fire on their rooftop.

She ducked beneath her arms, her leg throbbing, she just wanted to pull the bullet out and let her body heal-

Another figure appeared behind the helicopter, this time one she recognized.

Sam Wilson, in his Falcon suit, from last year in Washington.

He shoved the copter off course, gunfire making a pinging noise as it clattered against the cat-man's black suit.

Bucky made one final punch and then he was free; he grabbed Becca's hand a few feet away and yanked her behind him as they started running again.

He leapt over the edge of the building once again- and suddenly they were on the street, running for their lives-

On the run, again.

There was that other set footsteps, directly behind her; Steve had caught up with them again.

Ping, ping, ping-

The firing helicopter was back again. Bucky jumped down through and opening in the street, and suddenly they were running through an underpass; weaving between traffic.

Becca was almost panting with the inconsistent exertion and the bullet in her leg. Jamie was sitting uncomfortably against her skin, but at least he was still there.

Don't stop.

Arms pumping, feet hitting the pavement in even strokes, lungs breathing evenly, just how she was trained-

"Stand down! STAND DOWN!" An all-black vehicle had closed in behind them.

Both cat-man and Steve were directly behind them, trying to catch up, and very nearly getting there-

Then there was a shattering of glass that almost made Becca pause. Only one set of footsteps, then, and suddenly neither man chasing them were on the ground.

Becca risked a half-glance behind her and realized Steve was driving one of the military vehicles chasing them, swerving wildly to try and dislodge the cat-man's grip to the side door.

So... cat-man and Steve weren't working together?

Becca had no idea what was going on, and it was disorienting.

But as more sirens filled the tunnel she and Bucky were sprinting through, she just knew one thing; don't stop.

An onslaught of blue and red red lights suddenly appeared in front of them, making Bucky gasp and dart to the side, Becca following as they leapt over the divider and onto the opposite oncoming traffic.

Steve was close behind them, weaving in between the pile-up of cars Bucky had caused.

Sunlight hit all of the sudden; they'd exited the tunnels. A motorcycle was heading right for them and Becca knew what her brother was going to do, even before he did it.

In one smooth motion, Becca grabbed the man's protective vest and yanked him off his bike, giving Bucky access to both swing his legs over and turn the bike into the direction the needed to go.

She had just enough time to throw her leg over as well, Bucky letting her use his knee as a makeshift- stepladder-

And then they were moving again, at a much faster pace.

But so was Steve.

Becca squeezed her eyes shut, clinging to her brother's waist, her face buried in his backpack.

He suddenly jerked, causing Becca almost lose her grip, and he gasped as a sudden black figure leapt onto his shoulder.

"No!" Becca shouted, enraged. Cat-man swiped at Bucky and Becca shoved his arm away, trying to keep her balance. "I do not like you!"

Bucky literally let out a snort as he jerked the bike towards the ground, making the cat-man go flying backwards. He made one final kick, and cat-man was gone.

"Close your eyes!" Bucky bellowed.

Becca did, her body instinctively trusting him as she always did.

An explosion behind them whipped her hair into her face. She could hear mountains of rubble falling into the street.

Of course Bucky had a grenade up his sleeve.

All this time, Becca had thought she was the only one. The knives hidden in the lining of her mattress, the gas disk in the button of her jacket, the sharp shard of glass she kept under the sole of her shoes-

She thought she'd been the only one who was paranoid.

The only one stuck in those days of being the Asset and the Winter Soldier, unable to ever let her guard down-

But maybe, Becca thought, it wasn't so paranoid.

Because only a second later, she was flown into the air, the motorcycle beneath her colliding with the ground as the cat-man threw both her and Bucky off the motorcycle.

She hit the ground and sprawled several feet. Jamie was dislodged from her tank-top, slipping out somewhere along the road.

Her face scraped along the asphalt and the wind was pulled from her lungs, and it only took her half a second to realize what had just happened.

She lifted her head from the ground, looking wildly for Bucky-

But she found Steve instead, running to stand in front of her brother, in between him and the cat-man in the black suit.

Becca's heart was pounding.

An unwelcome but familiar feeling was setting in.

Sirens and lights suddenly swarmed her, and when she finally met Bucky's eyes, several feet away, she could see the fear in them.

Caged animal, locked away, made to do only one thing.

A heavy set of silver armor suddenly landed in front of the fugitives, guns blazing. Iron-Man's counterpart, War Machine.

Mask nailed into her jaw, keeping her from speaking- because that's not what she was for.

"Stand down, now!"

Steve was hanging his shield over his back. Surrendering.

Caught.

A small figure with red yarn hair caught Becca's eyes as she stumbled to her feet, blood trickling from her leg not the smear of red she'd left on the asphalt.

Jamie. The first and only thing she had that proved to her she was human.

Bucky noticed; he shook his head jerkily, but Becca still sprinted forward, diving towards the ground, hand outstretched.

Her entire body suddenly clenched up in unbearable pain; her mouth opened in a scream.

The feeling of being shocked by high volts of electricity was one she remembered all too well.

Her memories were going to disappear.

They were going to take Jamie, and her home in Bucharest, and Steve, and Charlie Stark-Rogers with her pretty brown eyes and the first semblance of kindness Becca had ever known-

The electricity stopped and Becca gasped for air.

She couldn't move. Feet were approaching her, her vision swimming with red and blue flashes.

Her eyes were blurring in and out of focus as they fell onto her doll.

A black, gloved hand reached down and grabbed it, and Becca couldnt even react.

Because who was she, to even try?

She wasn't human.

No matter where she went- how far she ran- how safe she'd felt, even for a moment...

It wasn't real.

It never had been.

"Congratulations, Cap." A distorted voice, echoing somewhere near Steve and her brother. "You're a criminal."

Hands were on Becca, yanking her to her knees, wrenching her arms behind her back, putting weight painfully on her shot leg-

Becca didn't fight them.

Her body no longer felt like her own.

A single hot tear slipped down her cheek, over chapped lips and scraped cheek.

Slipping back into a mindset she thought she'd finally been able to grow out of, over the last year.

How глупый she'd been, to believe she would ever be able to escape.

A/N:
Well damn.

Sorry I've been gone for like over a month. Summer got crazy and plans were out of my control, but I'm back!

This chapter was hard to write. I just want Becca to be happy and she keeps getting knocked down. She loved Bucharest, and her and Bucky's little apartment, and the new freedom she had there.

And now it all goes to shit, obviously, which is gonna be fun to write.

Let me know what you think, and drink some water!