Fool's Love

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/40161408.

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, James
"Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s)
Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov
(Marvel), Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), Bruce
Banner, Sam Wilson (Marvel)
Additional Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-07-08 Updated: 2024-01-19 Words: 12,925 Chapters:
7/?
 Fool's Love
by Izzy_Nava

Summary

They never knew, and he never told them too scared about what they would do if they did
know.

The Winter Soldier was once married to Anastasia Vostokoff, or better known as The
Crimson Widow, one of the most powerful arsenals that Hydra had, until they didn't.
Unfortunately for them she grew too powerful and has been under the radar since her escape.

No one knows where she is or if she even still exists. No one besides Bucky, unfortunately he
can't say anything or he'll expose himself.

Now, she's caught the attention of the Avengers, how will they all react when the truth comes
to light. More so, how will they react when they realize that Bucky knows her?

Notes
See the end of the work for notes
 Preface

Third Person POV:

A whirring sound in the back of the room was the only telltale sign that something was amiss.

Three men walked in the car port, mumbling amongst themselves.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" The dark haired man asked his friend as he fixed his
gun on the back of his pants.

Stretching out his metal arm before flexing the fingers in two motions.

His friend sighed, "Buck, everything will be alright. We have all the exits covered. Got her
vehicle information. All you have to do is distract her. Keep her from leaving that building.
Stall for as long as possible." He said.

The dark-haired man sighed, before rolling his eyes at his other friend. "Alright." He
grumbled as he slid his leather jacket over his black long sleeved shirt. "If I get my ass
handed to me, your ass is going to be handed to you." He threw over his shoulder as he made
his way over to his Harley Street 750, straddling it before he slipped on the helmet.

He revved its engine once as he took off into the night without another word.

"You won't. Calm down." His friend called as he drove away.

"How much you wanna bet she escapes before any of you can move a finger?" Their other
friend said amused, as he stood by the door watching in amusement.

"Now is not the time to be funny, Sam. She's already evaded us six times. Fury has begun to
get frustrated, we need to capture her, as quickly as possible." The blonde man replied,
unamused.

"Woah, man. Take it easy, I was only teasing." Sam replied, holding his hands up defensively.

"Her escaping us again isn't a topic to joke about. Now, let's go. Nat, Wanda, and Clint have
already left to keep an eye out and scope the place. We have to make sure that we capture her
before she evades us again." The blonde haired man threw over his shoulder as he made his
way out of the garage.

Sam sighed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes before following his friend inside.
"Something tells me she's going to leave before we even apprehend her, but that's just me and
my gut…" he mumbled as he followed the blonde out.

Something told him it was going to be a night.

 Flee

Anya's POV:

~Bristol, England~

"Hey, Anne?"

I bit my lip, trying not to wince at the name.

I had grown to hate it, with a passion.

I missed hearing my name. My real name. See, my name isn't really Anne, or Anna. My
name is Anastasia Vostokoff. Or at least, it used to be, way back when. But now? Now, it's
Anya Belarus.

It would still be too, if those who were close to me hadn't betrayed me like they had.

See, years ago I had a family. We were a part of a private organization called the Red Room.
But that was until I was captured by Hydra while on a mission with my younger sister,
Natalia. An evil organization that liked to think they were above everyone else. Capturing
innocent people and experimenting on them.

I still don't know how I escaped, but I did. Even then it took years to free myself of the
damage they had caused me. I have been on the run since then. Never being able to stay in
one place without people showing up to try to either hurt me or question me about something
or other.

I constantly had to change my appearance, and name.

For now my head bore a black A-line cut, wig, and my blue eyes were hidden behind hazel
contact lenses.

No amount of hair dye, or contact lenses helped. They always found me. They always
recognized me. No matter where I was. I was beginning to wonder if I have some sort of
tracking device hidden in my person but I knew I took those out years ago.

I didn't know if it was S.H.I.E.L.D., the red room or Hydra anymore. I just knew I needed to
get away.

It's been years since this entire debacle began.

Of course, I hadn't been expecting to be left alone, but after the majority of Hydra was taken
down, I had hoped to get some sort of semblance of peace.

I guess it was wishful thinking, and a bit infantile on my part to believe I would ever be left
alone. Especially when I knew so much about all those agencies.
"Anne?!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and quickly set down the notebook. I didn't realize I was
wringing in my hands.
Before rushing towards the front of the bar.

"What do you need? I'm not done taking inventory." I snapped, as I wiped my hands on my
dark-washed, high-waisted jeans and pulled down the forest green satin, crop top I was
wearing.

The large form of Keith, my boss and good friend, materialized next to me as I made my way
behind the bar.

"Not to be nosy, but were you expecting company this evening?" He asked me, with a raised
brow.

I looked at him with a frown, before shaking my head and turning to scan the room. Sighing
and shaking my head again.

It seemed a few people of my past had managed to find me.

From where I stood I could see the familiar form of my once younger sister, Natalia
Romonov, better known as Natasha Romanoff these days, along with her close friend Clint
Barton, and even the smaller form of Wanda Maximoff.

They were trying to be inconspicuous, but my trained eyes spotted them easily.

Nat's fiery red hair was a dead give away, even if she dyed it to be a darker shade, the red
stuck out like a sore thumb. Especially the one she had on.

Clint was seated next to her, looking as tall as he had when they fought in Budapest, maybe a
bit rugged and a little older but it was him. He sat with a drink in his hand, as he looked
around, scanning the room as well. A moment later his lips moved as he stared ahead.
Causing me to stiffen.

His head tilted in our direction, and both women turned to look curiously.

I knew then that my cover's been blown. I had to move. As fast and quietly as possible.

"How do you want to proceed, Anne?" Keith asked me.

"I have to leave. There's no other way. I need to leave." I replied.

"How if they're staring right at us?" He asked.

"Go with plan B." I replied, smirking at his surprised expression.

He knew I meant business if I was going for the quicker tactic instead of the substule one.

"Plan B?" He repeated, raising a brow at me.

"Yes. It'll give me enough time to get away before they notice I'm gone. Most of the team is
in here but I feel like there's a few more outside, I'll have to use the other way…. I can't
afford someone catching me." I explained pretending to be busy by mixing a few drinks,
handing them to the correct person.

"Will you be alright, Anne?" He asked concerned as he followed my gaze.

"Yes. Just do what we agreed to. You don't know who I am, much less where I am or where I
went. Stick to the story and short answers." I whispered as a man asked for another drink.

He sighed before nodding and tilting his head to the side, a silent signal for me to proceed.

He'd hold them off if need be. I stared at him for a moment before reaching out to touch the
inside of his wrist.

He then turned his attention back to the customers, before he quickly took their orders and
moved around behind the bar to make the drinks. To not attract attention.

He moved his head once, as he began handing out all the drinks. "Two more have arrived,
one is by the entrance. The other is by western exit. Kept to the shadows, so be careful." He
quietly told me.

I nodded, as I slowly made my way towards the back of the building again, tensing as if
heading into battle.

Once I walked through the doorway of the backroom, I hastily grabbed my bag and jacket off
the hook, before moving towards the hidden doorway near the back corner. I slipped both on
me, and went to input the code onto the hidden keypad.

"So much for having a semblance of peace." I mumbled, as I walked through the passageway.

I was automatically enveloped by the darkness. I walked a few feet before finally reaching
the keypad which would allow me to go into the next building, and make a clean exit through
the underground garage located there.

I quickly made my way over to where the Hyundai Tucson was hidden. Bending down and
reaching behind the wheel on the driver's side to pull out the keys I'd stashed there before
hopping into the driver's seat.

Turning the car on before swiftly backing out, and peeling out of there.

A black motorcycle quickly began following me as I made my way out.

"Aw hell." I mumbled, realizing I had a tail.

Without taking my eye off the road, I pressed my thumb down on a button on the steering
wheel. Before accelerating, as I began weaving in and out of traffic.

The rider of the motorcycle skillfully followed me, weaving in and out of traffic after me.
"Damn it, stop following me, you damn motherfucker." I grumbled, turning sharply into a
different street smirking in satisfaction as the rider of the motorcycle missed the turn.

After that I quickly drove out of town.

Anxiously checking the rear view mirrors for any type of tails, following me, before I drove
to the rental car place.

I pulled the wig off, undid the braid on my head to release my hair, and pulled out the
contacts. Before I exited the car.

Parker Kingsley, yet another acquaintance of mine, that I managed to acquire while traveling.

"Have you been waiting long?" I asked as I pulled all my bags out of the car.

"No, Keith called me and told me you need to switch cars with me." He replied.

I looked over at his cat, sighing before nodding and handing him the keys to the other car.

"You can pick up the car in an hour at the airport that's located a few towns over …" I threw
over my shoulder.
 The Capitulation & The Provocation

An hour or so later, I drove into the parking lot, I sat in the truck. Needing to make a quick
stop before catching my flight.

It had been years since I had seen any of Nick Fury's precious Avengers elite. Though what
an ex assassin, ex Hydra asset was doing with them, along with a well known ex Russian spy,
is beyond me.

Seeing as Nick Fury always did have a way of getting his way. Even if it meant screwing
someone else in the process. This didn't surprise me.

I shook my head, scoffing before slipping dark green contacts into my eyes, and slipping on a
blonde wig with beach waves. Changing into a pair of slacks and a white button down before
sliding out of the car.

Pulling out my large cross-body bag, before slamming the door closed and shoving the keys
into the secret compartment I knew was located behind the wheel.

Before proceeding to make my way into the building that was

I managed to get in before I realized I had a tail.

"How the fuck did they find me so soon?" I mumbled as I moved through the throng of
people.

I could feel as they followed closely behind. But I wasn't scared, I knew how to change on
the move.

I quickly snatched the wig off my head and threw it into a trash bin as I rushed down the
stairs. I snatched a black cardigan off a chair I passed, before unbuttoning the three top
buttons of my blouse. Grabbing a green and blue patterned flannel skirt off a rack, and
quickly pulling it on and slid off my pants behind a kiosk I passed by, throwing them into a
trash can I passed by.

As one of the team members followed me, I moved to get into a picture of a group of girls
dressed exactly like I was before I rushed towards the lockers.

I quickly grabbed the USB port and dropped it into my bag, before rushing back out of the
building to retrieve my duffle bag, and getting into the nearest taxi I could find.

I paid the driver to get me to the nearest airport, where I was sadly apprehended by, you
guessed it, the Avengers.

A tall, muscular man, I knew to be Steve Rogers, walked in front of the group, a tentative
smile. "You didn't think it would be that easy to escape, did you?" He asked, very amused.
"You didn't think it would be this easy to take me, did you?" I asked, smirking at him as
something flew past his head and landed on the wall.

"What is that?" He asked.

I shrugged nonchalantly, "My backup." I replied offhandedly.

As soon as I spoke a few grunts were heard throughout the carport. I swiftly got out of their
hold and rushed in the direction of the entrance, rushing towards my flight without looking
back.

A tall, leggy, blonde stewardess was greeting the awaiting passengers by the door. As I
approached the gate I swiftly pulled out my phone, showed her the boarding pass, and rushed
into the plane to find my seat.

I let out a tired sigh as I finally found the correct seat, stuffing my bag in the overhead bin,
before plopping down and letting out a relieved breath.

Of course, the relief was short-lived when someone sat down in the seat next to mine. I knew
the presence immediately, causing me to stiffen in my seat.

"Did you really think you could run from me and I wouldn't find you?" He asked.

I stared blankly ahead of me, refusing to acknowledge his presence.

"Are you not going to say anything? After all this time of us not seeing each other?" He
asked.

I closed my eyes tightly, willing the pain and tears to go away, but they refused. After all
these years of running away, of pushing the memories, and pain away, I realized I couldn't do
it anymore.

"What do you want me to say? That it's good to see you? That I missed you? Well, I can't.
Because it isn't. I don't know you, and you don't know me. I never did. It was all a lie. A farce
to keep us in line, and exploit us. Even you know that, Winter." I replied, roughly wiping at
my face.

He sighed, "It's James now. James 'Bucky' Barnes. And I've been looking for you for years, I
never stopped. I had to believe you were out there. Somewhere." He softly replied as he
pulled my hand into his.

The coolness of the metal of his hand caused me to stiffen as more memories pushed through
my mind.

"I didn't want to be found. There was no reason to be. You made that clear the last time we
saw each other." I quietly told him as I slipped my hand out of his.

"What I said that day— I didn't — that wasn't me. It was the Winter Soldier talking. The
Ghost. I would have never hurt you like that." He mumbled, rubbing his hands together.
I scoffed, "You don't know me, James. You never did. My life was never like yours. I didn't
have a happy life like you did. I was raised in the red room, trained there until Hydra
captured me. You say you would never hurt me, but I won't hesitate to hurt you. It's all I
know. Maybe you and your friends can take me down now. I won't fight you." I told him.

He looked around the plane before standing up, sighing, and taking my bag out of the
overhead compartment. "I'm not going to allow anyone to hurt you. But I can't allow you to
leave. Come on." He said as he offered me his hand.

I stared down at my lap for a moment. What was left? The next place I was supposed to live
in was Aruba. From there I didn't know anything else.

I looked up to meet his eyes, noticing his appearance for the first time.

He had trimmed his long, shoulder-length hair, switched his tactical gear for a pair of dark
jeans, a black T-shirt, a black tactical leather jacket, and combat boots.

"I'm asking you nicely. I don't want to have to neutralize you." He said in warning when I
stayed in my seat.

I almost smiled at his warning, before shaking my head and sighing. "I'm going to go, but
only because I don't want anyone to get hurt." I told him as we both stood.

At that moment a stewardess walked over with a hesitant expression. "We're about to take off.
Is there a problem?" She asked us.

Bucky turned, giving her a careful smile, "We just received news that one of my wife's uncles
has passed away. And we need to get off this flight." He replied smoothly.

The stewardess stared at me, her face becoming alarmed before she nodded, and went to
speak to the captain. She came back a moment later with a forlorn expression on her face.
"I'm sorry to tell you this but the best thing we can do now is land in Heathrow. It's a few
hours out." She whispered.

James looked at me carefully before sighing and nodding in response. "That's fine. Thank
you for your help." He replied before he shoved my bag back into the overhead compartment,
and sat down with a sigh.

A smile pulled on my lips at the sight of his annoyance. I knew I could use this to my
advantage. "So, what's going to happen now?" I asked him.

"Nothing. I'll send Steve a message and tell him where to meet us. You're still coming with
me." He replied as he pulled out an old flip phone out and began texting at a snail pace.

"Jeez, grampa. Ever heard of touchscreens? They're way easier to use." I snorted.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes at me before grumbling something under his breath.

"What was that?" I asked, smirking at his obvious annoyance.

"I said, 'I hate technology and technology hates me.' Now shut your mouth." He grumbled.

I snorted, "What's got your boxers in a knot? Can't handle a little teasing, Barnes?" I teased.

He gave me an exasperated look, but remained quiet.

Realizing he wasn't going to respond to my teasing, I turned to look out the window,
watching as the clouded sky began to turn darker.

I only hope this wasn't an omen.

~Bucky's POV ~

There was so much I wanted to say to her, to apologize for, but I knew the look she had on
her face. If I said anything, be it wrong or not, she'd squish me like a bug.

Fuck, I was going to be in deep shit once we managed to arrive back to the meeting spot.

Not to mention me keeping shit like this from Sam and Steve. Even Dr. Raynor, my court
assigned therapist, told me to try to be open and honest with everyone.

Yet when I did that all I got was judgemental looks and headshakes thrown my way. Sam is
probably the only one that didn't judge me, and didn't take my crap.

Fucking hell! What a situation to be in.

"Something on your mind, Barnes?" A familiar soft, feminine voice asked, amused.

I looked at her without turning my head before shaking my head in response, while keeping
my face expressionless.

"You do realize I can easily go into your mind to see what's bothering you, right? Not that I
will, our privacy has been violated for too long…" She told me, looking away. " Though it is
an option, so talk willingly." She added, the underlying threat clear in her comment.

"Why do you call me Barnes? Why not James or Bucky?" I asked her curiously.

"Because if I call you James, or Bucky as you requested earlier, it would mean we are on a
personal level. A friend or acquaintance, as far as I know, we are neither. Nor will we ever be.
So, there truly is no point to trying to be so informal." She replied, turning back towards the
window.

I watched as she quickly reached up to wipe a stray tear from the side of her face before
becoming busy with the view outside.

I wanted to remember what had happened between us, and why she was so distant. But my
head was beginning to hurt from the strain.

"The fact that you're trying to remember gives me more incentive to put more distance
between us. You don't need to remember to realize that there is tension between us." She
murmured without turning around.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at her,

"What exactly happened between us to make you so hesitant to be near me?" I asked.

She shook her head, and continued to stare out the window.

I hardly noticed that we had arrived until people began standing and moving away towards
the door.

She stubbornly continued to stare out the window, as we waited for everyone to clear the
plane's cabin.

"Did you two need anything else?" The annoying, overly-perky stewardess asked, appearing
out of nowhere.

Ana stood from her seat, turning to shake her head at her before moving to leave.

Without another word, I stood up and reached into the overhead compartment to pull out her
bag as she stood next to me.

We wordlessly made our way through the gate and to the waiting lounge.

The moment we reached the lounge a received a call. I sighed before reaching up to tap the
comm in my ear.

"Barnes." I barked.

"Are you still in the airport with the Crimson Widow?" Stark asked.

"Yes, she's agreed to comeback if you all promise to not attack her." I replied as I watched her
sit down in one of the taupe lounge chairs.

"Are you sure she's not waiting to ambush us again?" He asked, irritated.

Ana looked up and rolled her eyes as if she heard the comment.

"Yes. Now quit asking stupid questions. How far are you and the team?" I asked staring
around before focusing on Ana again.

"Not far, give us twenty minutes and we'll be there. See ya soon." He told me, before closing
the com.

I reached up to my ear to click off the device before walking over to her and dropping down
in the seat next hers.

"At what point did you decide that the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D were better than Hydra?"
She asked me, quietly.
I sighed, realizing that this was coming. "Well, technically speaking S.H.I.E.L.D is Hydra, it
was taken down three years ago. So, I didn't really decide anything. The Avengers are a team
who defends the world from hostiles. I didn't want to be apart of it until— I realized this was
the only way I would truly be forgiven for all the slaughter we've caused." I told her.

"We didn't do it willingly. It wasn't us. Therefore, you've got to forgive yourself if you ever
truly want to have any type of chance at normality. I realized that a few years after I escaped.
We can't undo the damage we caused, but we can help those who were affected greatly." She
said, giving me a look of understanding.

"How did you—?" I began as we were interrupted.

"Barnes." Stark said, standing by the entrance of the lounge with the team.

They were all raising a brow at me.

"So, that's your team of friends, eh?" She asked quietly as she stood.

I nodded in response, "They are." I confirmed as I got up and took her bag again.

"Интересно." She mumbled, as she walked off in their direction. (Interesting.)

"How so?" I asked as I followed her.

"они очень шаблонные. Я никогда не называл тебя таким." She replied as she stared
ahead. (They're very cookie-cutter. I never dubbed you for being such.)

"That's because I'm not. Haven't you noticed the tension as we approach? They don't trust me.
Only Steve does." I replied.

She turned to give me a surprised look before giving me a small nod and continuing to walk.

A few moments later we made our way into the quinjet that was located, climbing aboard as
it began to sprinkle.

Ana sat down in one of the seats ignoring everyone who tried to make small talk with her.

I sat in the seat across from hers, staring blankly down at my feet.

"How do you know her?" Steve asked me quietly, as he sat down next to me.

I gave him a blank stare, before sighing, "I don't. At least not anymore." I replied quietly.

"Then why does she trust you?" He asked, raising a brow.

Nat chose that moment to sit down next to her. Ana turned to give her an inquisitive stare.
Both were having a silent conversation that seemed tense.

"We were both in Hydra. She escaped a few years before you guys brought it down." I replied
quietly.
Steve raised a brow at me before turning to look at her.

"There's something you're not telling me." He finally said, while staring at her.

Ana turned in exasperation to look him in the eye. "I'm his wife." She said, while looking me
in the eye.

A look of clear amusement on her face as everyone turned sharply to look at us.

"You're his what now?" Stark asked, moving towards us.

Everyone was in various states of shock, including Barton, who had placed the quinjet on
autopilot, was staring.

"His wife." She repeated.

"Wait. How is that possible?" Steve asked, turning towards me.

I looked over at Ana, lost. By the look of utter glee in her eyes, I could see she was enjoying
the uncomfortable situation she had put me in.

"We're waiting for an explanation." Tony said, as he stood in between all of us, with his arms
crossed over his chest.

When she realized I wasn't going to say anything, she sighed and turned towards him to say
something.

"Hydra used a combination of hypnosis, and mind control on us. Along with shock therapy
and all that neat stuff you see in movies. When they realized they couldn't fully control us,
they decided on a different tactic." She informed them.

"Which is?" Stark asked, engrossed.

She looked down, refusing to look at anyone as she spoke again. "They locked us in a cell…"
she whispered.

"What did they hope to gain from that?" Stark asked.

She looked up at him, fire in her eyes, as she spoke again. "Nothing. They branded us like
cattle, and forced us to work together. I found out later that they forged marriage papers later
after Hydra was taken down, but it seems they managed to make the marriage law binding.
They used it to make Hydra seem family friendly, which it was clearly not."

"But it's been decades, maybe there's a time limit for these things?" Steve asked.

"Steven, it's Steven, right?" She asked, watching as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Steve. Why did you willingly come with us, Anya?" He asked.
She smirked at him in response, "Because I'm tired of running. If you wish to kill me. Go
ahead. I— I'm done running." She whispered.

"Maybe we can get you two a quick divorce?" Stark asked, eyeing her with interest.

My fist balled on my leg, as I struggled to gain control of my irrational anger.

Just as I was getting ready to say something to Stark, Ana looked over at me and shook her
head. Something about her the way she looked at me immediately calmed me down.

"The problem with getting a divorce isn't getting the divorce itself." She said, as she looked
down at her dainty hands.

"Then what is the problem ?" Steve asked.

"The problem is we need to prove that our marriage has irreparable damage. According to
Russian laws, the only way to be granted a divorce is to prove it. Now I don't know if there is
a law in the States that allows a quick divorce, if so, then there is, then hopefully we can both
move on from this." She said unwilling to meet my questioning gaze.

Something about the way she was refusing to meet my gaze made me think that she was
hiding something from me. We needed to talk as soon as possible. Privately.

"No." I said, looking directly at her.

"No?" Everyone echoed.

"No, we're not doing anything until Ana and I speak alone, and in private." I finally said.

"We have nothing left to say. This is the best and only way." She replied firmly.

"I don't think it is. And we're not going to do anything until we talk." I told her.

"We shall see about that." She said challengingly.

"We shall." I challenged back.

 The Talk, & The Flashblacks

The rest of the flight back to New York was tense and quiet.

She kept staring me down, while giving Natasha looks of annoyance. Somewhere in my mind
I briefly wondered if something happened between the two, and how they knew each other.
But I didn't bother to ask.

When we finally reached the headquarters back in New York, everyone quickly left, leaving
me alone with Ana.

She stayed in her seat, unmoving, watching as everyone moved into the building, before she
turned to look at me.

Her eyes glowed as she did. I stared at her surprised.

"You don't seem to listen when I verbally tell you something. Shall we try another way?" She
asked, with a cold smile on her face.

I narrowed my eyes towards her as she lifted her hand towards me. Without hesitation, I
grabbed the device I had taken from Nat's belt as she passed me earlier and threw it at her
without hesitation.

It landed on her lap, causing her to gasp as she began to convulse violently when the device
began to electrocute her.

I slowly stood and made my way towards her as she struggled to shut the device off.

~Ana's POV~

I gasped as he reached down to grab the device, crushing it in his left hand.

Sweat poured down the sides of my face, as I struggled to regulate my heart beat and pulse.

I hadn't seen him in over fifty years, yet there he stood, looking at me like he used to, and I
hated it.

Hydra had done a lot of shit to us, yet here we were sitting in this empty quinjet, attacking
each other like any of this matters.

"You fucking bastard." I growled in a strained voice, as I clenched my fist, as I leaned

forward to catch my breath.

He raised his hands up in surrender, giving me a smile as he did. "Hey, you were about to
attack me. I just defended myself." He replied defensively.

"It's called teasing, you big oaf. Now move, I need to get this shit straightened out so we can
all move on with our lives." I told him.
He scoffed, "I told you we need to talk, did you think I was joking? Because I wasn't. You
and I still need to talk. So, no, I think I'm fine where I stand." He told me as he crossed his
arms over his broad chest.

I snorted, before looking away, shaking my head in disbelief. "You're not intimidating as you
think you are, благообразный. You haven't been for a long time." I replied as I pushed past
him and walked off. (handsome)

He froze as he heard his old nickname.

I was halfway into the building when he snapped out of it and by then it was too late to catch
up to me.

As soon as I walked in, Natasha cornered me and coaxed me into staying at her apartment in
her spare bedroom. Which I would've declined but I didn't have much of a choice since it was
staying with her or here with James.

I had been staying here since, to avoid a certain someone.

It's been four days. I thought I was scott-free.

This of course was before Tony Stark, and Steve Rogers showed up to her apartment asking
to speak to me. Then I knew I had been stupid to assume that I was.

"Annie?" Nat called from doorway.

"Yes?" I called without turning to look at her.

I had been searching for a way to get the divorce, and make it valid, but somehow the
marriage license was changed to say we'd been married for five years instead of fifty odd
years.

Who had done this? And the bigger question was why had they done it?

"Steve and Tony are here to speak to you." She said.

I turned to give her a raised brow.

She shrugged, "Yelena is coming later too." She added.

"Lenny? Really?" I asked excitedly.

She smiled, "Yes, she said she's going to be in the neighborhood and wanted to drop by, I
haven't told her you're here yet because I want to surprise her. What do you think?" She
asked.

I sighed, unable to hide my smile as I turned the swivel chair and got up. "I think it's great.
Now let's see what Stark and Rogers want." I said as we made our way down the hall and
towards the living room.
As we walked in they both stood up.

"Boys, what do I owe the pleasure of you two gracing me with your presence?" I asked as we
all sat down.

"Ms. Belarus…" Stark began.

"That's not my name. You'd know that if you'd read my file, which I am sure you have since
Nick Fury got ahold of it. It's Anastasia Vostokoff. Oldest daughter of Alexei Shostakov and
Melina Vostokoff. Now why are you here, Anthony Stark?" I asked.

He sighed, "The marriage you and Barnes have is solid. But we may have found the reason
for said union." He said.

"It's because I was a widow." I replied, unblinkingly.

Rogers and him exchanged an uncomfortable look before nodding. "You and Barnes were
specifically selected for a program they began to create but failed to complete it." Rogers
said.

"What program?" I asked slowly, as I rose to my feet.

"операция кузница." Natasha said, emotionlessly. (Operation Forge)

Or at least, it seemed that she was trying to not get emotional. I could see her eyes as they
began to cloud.

She reached out and squeezed my hand as I blinked in surprise.

So, my suspicions were true, they had done this on purpose.

"You— You mean that— that— No. No, that's impossible." I stuttered.

Steve got up and moved as if to restrain me. Without thinking I moved my hand and threw
him across the room.

We all gasped as I turned to him, "Do NOT try to touch me." I said warningly.

"Okay, that was our mistake. We won't do that again. Now, calm down, please, Ms.
Vostokoff." Stark urged me, as Nat rushed to Rogers to check if he was alright.

Panic suddenly set in my chest, as I got tunnel vision.

"Wah— What's— What's happening?" I tried to ask but my lips felt like they were molded
shut.

Suddenly the walls of the room began to close in on me. My knees began to shake, and
finally buckled under the invisible weight I felt on my chest.

My vision began to swim, and then everything went black.

As my consciousness began to go, I heard multiple footsteps rushing in my direction.

***
When I woke up sometime later, I was in an unfamiliar sterilized room that smelled of
cleaning products.

As I looked around, I realized I was in a hospital room, possibly.

Panic set in as I began to look around the room in alarm.

What if Hydra managed to find my location? What if it was someone else like the Red
Room? I couldn't go back to either of those places.

My right hand was handcuffed to the hospital bed, and there was a keypad to access said
room. Meaning I would need a digital fingerprint, or corneal scan to gain access to the door
and be able to leave without causing any damage.

I, stupidly, tried to pull myself free only to yank on the catheter that was in my arm. Causing
me to wince as I felt the catheter move inside my arm.

"You might want to stop doing that before you puncture one of your veins." A tall, thin man
with salt and pepper hair, with a long white lab coat and round spectacles said.

I groaned, wincing when I pulled again. "Right. And I'm supposed to stay put, when I haven't
an idea where I am? Why am I even cuffed to the bed like some lowsome, petty criminal?" I
asked, as I moved my wrist, wincing as the cuff dug into my skin.

"Well, I was told you pose a threat to others and yourself. But I can uncuff you if you promise
to stay put, I see no reason why not to allow you roam freely around the room." he said.

I nodded in relief, as I allowed myself to relax a small margin. "I will." I promised, in defeat.
"I'm Anastasia Vostokoff. But I allow people to call me Ana." I added a moment later.

There was no way I was going to escape this place, at least not while there was a guard
outside the room, and I needed a print and corneal scan.

"Bruce Banner. I'm the doctor in charge of you. Call me Bruce." He said as he extended his
hand towards me.

Banner? Interesting.I wonder if he has certain triggers to bring out the green monster.

I extended my hand slowly before wincing, "Would you mind setting me free now?" I asked
him quietly.

He smiled before shaking his head, "I need to run a few tests before I do, if you don't mind."
He said.

I sighed before gesturing for him to proceed.

For the following half of an hour, I calm laid on the bed as Banner poked and prodded me,
before having me perform certain tests for my reflexes, the dilation of my pupils, and my
balance.

After confirming that I was alright, he uncuffed me, promising to be back at another point of
the day, and exited promptly.

Once he had left, I allowed myself to relax further. Even drifting off into a semi comfortable
sleep.

***

A week later I found myself in the gym of the Avengers compound, pounding angrily at the
stuffed dummy.

"You're killing that thing." A familiar voice said.

"What's it to you?" I grunted, as I flipped back and landed a kick on the other dummie.

"Woah, hey calm down, I was simply making an observation." He said as he walked to where
I stood.

I scoffed and continued to pound harshly into the dummy before a metal hand caught my
hand in mid air.

I tried to pull away, only for his hold to tighten.

"Let. Me. Go." I enunciated with narrowed eyes.

"No, we need to talk." He replied as I pulled again.

He wasn't going to allow me to escape again, his body language told me that much.

"Your call. Just know that I won't make this easy on you. We're going to talk." He told me.

I sighed, "I'll tell you what, if you win a sparring match with me, I'll answer your questions."
I offered.

I could see the indecisiveness in his stormy blue eyes, he wanted so badly to hear what
happened, but didn't want to hurt me.

"I don't want to hurt you." He mumbled.

I narrowed my eyes at him, before snorting in disgust, "I can defend myself, James. I was
trained by the best. I'm not some damsel in distress that is waiting to be rescued in some
tower, you of all people should know that." I told him.

"Right. So, you're saying if I win we'll talk right? Let's spar then." He challenged motioning
towards the boxing ring.
I sighed in frustration, "Let's."

A moment later we stepped into the ring.

Without hesitation he dove at me, using his right arm.

"The Winter Soldier would've used his left arm without hesitation. " I taunted as I dodged
another hit, backflipping away from his hold.

"The Crimson Widow would never run away from a fight. You seem to be evading me." He
taunted back.

My eyes narrowed at him, before I backhand-springed onto his shoulders, wrapping my legs
around his neck, and whacking him hard on the head, before flipping off of him and moving
back to my corner.

He fell on his back, before lifting his head and groaning. "You're not supposed to hit hard."
He grumbled

"Bullshit, you think Steve and Sam holdback? They don't. So quit being a baby, and get on
your feet, Barnes." I called from my corner of the ring.

After a few minutes of going back and forth he finally pinned my body down with his body,
and both of my hands with one of his.

"Get. Off." I growled, bucking my hips in a poor attempt to get him off but he was too
fucking heavy.

And my body was beginning to enjoy the much needed friction.

"Are we going to talk now? I won the match." He pointed out.

"If I say yes, will you get off?" I grunted.

He pretended to think about it for a moment before he sighed and nodded.

He climbed off a moment later, and smirked, before I swept his legs from under him.

"Asshole." I mumbled as I made my way down to my water bottle.

Before I could reach my bottle he tackled me onto the mat and pinned my wrists again.

"I guess you want to talk like this. Don't you?" He asked, teasingly.

"What makes you say that, Barnes?" I asked as I stared up at him.

"Well, you keep walking away from me whenever I try to talk to you." He pointed out.

I grumbled in response, refusing to answer any other way.

I heard him sigh a moment later, before feeling his weight get off of me a moment later.
He sat down next to me, while I laid on the ground, staring up at the ceiling.

With a wave of my hand all of the surveillance cameras in the room shut off, before I sat
down to look him in the eye.

"You want to talk." I said.

He nodded, "I do." He replied as he wrapped his arms around his knees.

"There really is no reason for us to talk but if we must so you can have peace of mind then
let's proceed. What do you want to know?" I quietly asked without looking at him.

"What happened to make you so hesitant to be around me?" He asked.

"The Winter Soldier and I have a past. One you probably don't remember because of the
continuous mind wiping they had you under, but we were once close." I whispered.

"What happened to make us so distant?" He asked me in the same quiet tone.

His tone made me look over at him, and wordlessly shook my head at him. "I — I can't tell
you." I mumbled, moving to get up.

Before I could move further away, he grabbed my hand, and pulled me to a stop by my wrist.

"Please. I can see the hurt in your eyes everytime I ask." He said. "Did I physically hurt
you?" He asked me quietly.

I gaped at him, in surprise, before shaking my head, "No, a-at least not intentionally." I
replied trying to block away the memories, as I tried to pull my arm out of his.

His confused expression turned to a pained one, as he dropped my wrist. "I hurt you." He
repeated.

"N-not the way you may think." I whispered.

He looked up at me, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "If I didn't hurt you then what did I
do?" He demanded, getting to his feet, to stand in front of me.

"This…" I whispered before reaching up to touch his forehead.

He gasped in horror, as his eyes glazed over, and his knees buckled.

I winced at the sight of his horrified expression, before turning away, trying to not relive the
memory with him as I did.

A moment later he blinked, looking up at me in horror. "Ana… I'm so sorry…" he whispered.

I shook my head in response, "Don't. Please do not look at me with pity, I got over it a long
time ago, and I will not live like a victim for the rest of my life." I said in a strained voice.

The lie burner my throat and lips.

"Not anymore." I said before leaving the gym and heading to the nearest empty room.

It was a closet.

The darkness allowed me to focus, as I collapsed on my bum.

I waved my hands, allowing the room to become soundproof before I let out an agonized
scream at the top of my lungs.

The memories I'd worked so hard to repress were coming out now.

The fear of losing Natalia, and never seeing her again.

The pain of realizing I was never going to get out of there.

James' betrayal, and the pain of the loss.

How was I ever going to get past it if I was being forced to stay here?

I needed to leave I had to go back, I had to find— I had to go— I couldn't finish the thought.

Sometime later the door opened, and in rushed James and Nat.

"What the hell happened?" Nat asked.

"I don't know. I hadn't seen her since this afternoon at the gym." He said as he began to lift
me off the ground.

I whimpered as I felt myself begin lifted off the safety of the ground, my head lolling to the
side as he did.

I could hear them rushing in a different direction with me, but found it difficult to open my
eyes, even as I heard them talking.

A few moments later I felt as I was laid on firm surface of a mattress. As soon as I did I felt
myself slipping into unconsciousness.
 Revealing the Truth
Chapter Summary

The aftermath of Ana and Bucky talking.

Bucky's POV:

I could only watch helplessly as she left the gym.

My entire body felt as if I had been singed alive.

The memories she showed me everything we had been through, everything I said to her,
everything I had done that hurt her.

Fuck. What type of monster am I?

Ana's POV:

When I woke up again, I was in a different room. This one seemed less hospital-like and
more homely.

The bed was massive. I frowned in confusion as I took in how massive the room truly was.

It had a massive walk in closet, and an ensuite. The walls were a soft gray color, which
complemented the dark wood furniture.

The right wall was replaced by a floor to ceiling window, yet a small section of the wall had a
bay window to the left side.

The sitting furniture was either the same light soft gray or a soft white, and dark wood.

As I stared around I soon realized I wasn't alone, Nat was sitting next to the bed in the
overstuffed armchair.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asked me.

I sat up slowly with a groan, before turning to look at her, "A little better, actually." I
mumbled wincing when I raised my hand.

"Careful, you sprained your wrist." She said as she looked at it.

"How?" I asked frowning.

"We don't know how, but when we found you, you were barely conscious and weren't
responding to us speaking to you." She said. "We tried to take you back to the hospital wing
but Banner had oyu moved here, he said you'd be more comfortable." She added.

I nodded, "Nat, I need to go. I — I can't stay here. I've got someone waiting for me. I have to
go." I pleaded.

She frowned, "Tony and Fury have been monitoring you. If you want to leave you'll have to
speak to them." She told me, carefully.

I nodded, "Then I need to speak to them." I said as I climbed out of the bed.

I wasn't wearing my training gear anymore, I was now in a cotton shirt with no bra and a pair
of lounge pants.

I didn't care, I had to leave.

They were waiting for me, I couldn't fail them. Not again.

As I walked through the door, I slowly opened my senses, and concentrated on finding Tony.

I found him a few minutes later, in a lab.

He turned at the sound of my arrival, raising a brow and turning fully to face me.

"Ah, Miss. Vostokoff. I heard what happened. How are you feeling?" He asked as he gestured
for me to sit down, before promptly handing me a sweater. "I can see all your business. My
wife, I and the other members would appreciate it if we didn't." He added.

I nodded before sliding my arms into the hoodie, and closing it around myself.

"Now, you need something." He said as he turned to a screen and began moving a few things.

"Is the room secure?" I asked him.

He turned to give me a questioning look, "You're not going to try to kill me, are you?" He
asked, suspiciously.

I shook my head at him, "I have no need to do so. I would prefer to have a word in private
with you though." I replied.

He stared at me for a second before nodding, "E.D.I.T.H. turn off all cameras, and audio
surveillance. For a few minutes." He requested.

"Are you sure, sir?" She asked.

"Yes, ten minutes." He said.

"Yes sir." She responded.

A click was heard before he turned to me, gesturing to me to proceed.

"I need to leave." I finally said.

He raised a brow at me, "Why is that? We barely managed to locate and capture you. You are
very dangerous. So, why would I let you go?" He asked.

"I'm not dangerous, Mr. Stark, I was turned into this by HYDRA, do you honestly believe I
would willingly kill someone on my own free will? I've hated myself for all that has
happened to Barnes and I. We were lied to, we were brainwashed, do you honestly think that
we willingly wanted to kill those people? We remember all of them. We have nightmares
every night. We will never be able to forget. Do you think we wanted this?" I asked.

Tony stared at me before shaking his head, "No, I know you didn't. But my parents were two
of those victims… and frankly that isn't something I'll ever be over." He replied.

"I know. I was there." I whispered, lowering my eyes.

He turned towards me with a pained expression, nodding without meeting my eyes. "I know
you're not here to talk about the past. So, why are you here? Why do you need to leave so
badly?" He asked me.

I looked him in the eye, "What I am about to tell you needs to stay between us. Promise me
you want breathe a word to anyone about this." I begged.

He frowned, giving me a skeptical look before sighing and nodding in response. "You have
my word." He said.

"While trapped in Hydra the experimented on both j— Barnes and I. They were trying to
breed us." I said.

"Yes, I know. It was in the file Fury found." He told me.

"What the file didn't say, was that they succeeded. I managed to warped their minds and
memories, before escaping. It's why I've been constantly moving around. So they don't catch
us." I told him.

He gaped at me in surprise, "So, you and Barnes have— who knows?" He asked.

"Just you, and another trusted person. My kids are my everything, they always have been.
Please help me get to them." I begged.

He looked at me before groaning and rubbing his face roughly with his hand.
"Where are they?" He asked.

"In a small town in New Mexico." I replied.

He nodded in response, "Alright. I'll help you go to them. Give me an hour to figure out how,
and I will." He promised.

I sighed in relief, "Thank you." I whispered.

"Hang on. If I am going to do this. You have to do me a favor." He said.

I raised a brow, "And what, pray tell, is this favor you need me to do?" I asked.

He pointed to the screen, "See this map, I need you to point out the region in which Hydra
has the secret facility." He said.

I stared at the map in recognition, "You're in the wrong location. Their facilities are in the
middle of the region there. If you go a few miles west the facility will be at these
coordinates." I said as I moved to write them down.

"Interesting, so it's in Asia, not in Russia." He said.

"They chose that location because it's difficult to find. You'll know you're in the correct place
if you begin seeing these red flowers. They only bloom in that region." I informed him as I
pulled up a picture of the bloom.

"You've been a lot of help, Miss. Vostokoff. Now, to fulfill my part of our bargain." He said.
"Go to the rooftop at exactly twelve o'clock. Barton will be flying out to see his family later, I
will be there to take you the rest of the way." He instructed.

I nodded standing up and slowly heading towards the door.

"One more thing. Does Barnes know?" He asked.

I turned to look him in the eye, "No." I whispered.

"Why not?" He asked, surprised.

"Because he tried to kill me. I can't allow him to find out about them. They could be
dangerous to him and his mind." I said.

"He needs to know. He should at least get to know that he has kids out there. I know I would
want to know if I had a kid out there…" He countered.

"When the time is right. For now, just let it be. Please" I begged.

He looked at me, skeptically, before sighing and shaking his head in defeat. "I'm going to
regret this but fine. If that's how you feel then I won't say anything." He said.

"Thank you." I said as I made my way out of there.

I managed to make it back to the second room where I woke up. Nat told me she had bought
me a full wardrobe, so I took the liberty to stuff a few sets of clothes into a duffle bag and
before changing out of the clothes I was in and into a fresh set of clothes.

The moment I was about to leave she arrived back.

"Hey, I brought you some food." She whispered.

I nodded as I sat down on the bed and began eating the club sandwich with what they
considered to be deep fried potatoes cut into small pieces.

"So, how'd it go with Tony?" She asked.

I nodded, chewing through a mouthful of food.

"I take it you'll be leaving soon?" She inquired with a raised brow.

I nodded, tapping my nose with my forefinger and continued to eat.

Trying not to feel like I was crazy for wanting to do this.

"When?" She asked, looking at me sadly.

"Within the hour. If all goes well." I told her.

"Does Barnes know you're leaving?" She asked, concerned.

I shook my head and looked away. "No, and I frankly don't think it's any of his business
whether or not I chose to be here." I told her.

She leaned over to give me a skeptical look, "Are you sure this is the best thing to do?" She
asked after a moment.

I swallowed thickly before clearly my throat and nodded, "Yes, there is no other way." I
whispered, before pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to her.

"What's this?" She asked.

"It's in case of an emergency. It's where you can find me. Now I need to go. Tell Lena the
information too. I'll see you when I see you." I said as I slid off the bed and picked up the
duffle bag I had packed.

I met up with Tony on the roof, and quickly climbed into the quinjet, wordlessly.

He quickly prepped it for takeoff and then sat down in the copilot seat before turning to me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked.

"Yes." I whispered. "It's for the best. Besides, you'll know where I am, it's not like I will be
disappearing again. You can find me easily." I told him.

"True, but Barnes can't. And I doubt he'll appreciate finding out his estranged wife has gone
missing again." He replied.

"I doubt he'll care." I mumbled.

"You've got Barnes all wrong. He's not the same as the Winter Soldier. They're polar
opposites. Think about that." He said.
A moment later Clint walked onto the quinjet, and got into the pilot seat without another
word.

A few hours later, Tony looked at me with a curious expression.

"What is it, Stark?" I asked softly, trying to ignore his stare as I did.

"We're almost at Barton's residence, would you like to stop and stretch?" He asked me.

"If we must. Personally I would prefer if we kept going. I want to be there today." I replied.

"Where exactly is 'there'?" Barton asked as we began to slowly tilt down towards the ground.

Tony mumbled something incoherent before we slowly landed in the middle of a field.

When we landed a few minutes later, Barton thanked Tony before grabbing his things and
making his way off the quinjet.

"Are you sure you don't want to stretch?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I replied.

He didn't say much until we arrived at a private airport in New Mexico.

"I have a vehicle waiting for you here. Take it and drive to your destination. I will be in
contact with you in a few weeks. After speaking to Fury." He told me.

I nodded as I made a move to leave.

"Take this with you. It'll help you while you get settled in." He said as he handed me the
duffle bag.

I stared at him suspiciously, before looking at the bag. "What is in it?" I asked.

"Cash. A phone which I acquired for you, and a package from Fury. He said he'll be in
contact too. Don't get rid of the phone unless I tell you to do so otherwise, I'll be here faster
than you can blink." He promised.

I rolled my eyes at him before nodding in response. "Is that all?" I asked him.

"No, keep in contact with your sister. She was really upset when she found out you were
leaving. Nothing affects her. You have. That means she cares about you, so keep in contact
with her." He said.

I sighed, nodding a moment later. "Natalia and I spoke while I was staying with her. She
knows why I left. She promised she wouldn't say anything. I will try to keep contact but this
isn't something I'm used to doing." I told him.

He nodded in understanding, "While that is true, you might want to start— thinking of us like
distant relatives because that's basically what we will become to you and your kids. Call if
you need anything." He said as he dropped the bag in my hand.

I sighed before moving to get out of the quinjet.

True to his word, a white Jeep was waiting for me as I made my way off the quinjet.

The keys were placed on the front wheel. I wordlessly took them, and unlocked the car before
turning to give him a salute, and climbing in.

I drove two hours down until I reached the small town I was told, and began driving in the
direction of the house.

As I reached it, I silently parked in front of the house.

I took a moment to calm the sudden nerves before climbing out with the duffle bag, and
walking slowly up the driveway and onto the porch.

Before I could knock on the door, it opened.

The tall, thin, shapely woman opened the door, with a smile.

"Мама." I sighed in relief. (Mom)

She smiled back and opened her arms further to me. I rushed into her arms quickly, and
allowed her to hug me.

"Аня, I heard you were caught by Наталья and her team. And that your бывший муж, is
now with them. Are you alright?" She asked after she let go.
(Anya/ Natalia/ Ex-husband)

"Yes. We— we spoke and after that I left to come here." I told her as she led me to the
kitchen.

"Did you tell him about them?" She asked, concerned.

"No." I replied immediately.

She gave me a concerned look, "You still have feelings for him, don't you, Annie?" She
asked.

I looked out the window, staring blankly out of it for a moment before turning to look back at
her.

"I don't know." I replied, before tilting my head to the side, listening.

Before either of us could say anything else both the kids walked into the kitchen.

They wordlessly rushed towards me and pulled me into a hug.

I smiled hugging them back, practically sagging in relief, as I felt both of them in my arms
after weeks of not seeing them.
I looked over to my son, Ivan, realizing he had grown in these past few weeks.
He looked more and more like his father with each passing day. He's even got the same
dimples in his smile.

As I looked at his sister, Alina, I realized she's grown too. She was a head shorter than her
brother, and had many of my facial features, except one. She had his eyes, and the same
colored hair that he has.

Where Hydra failed in creating super soldiers, they managed to succeed in breeding said
experiments.

I knew something was amiss when I began to get morning sickness, lightheadedness, and
vertigo every time I stood up.

Then something changed, and I knew immediately I had to leave before anyone knew.

"We were worried when our бабушка said you had been captured, we were planning to go
save you if you weren't here by tonight." Ivan said. (Grandmother)

Alina rolled her eyes at him but nodded in agreement.

"You two know I am more than capable of defending myself if need be. Now why don't you
two go and get ready to eat?" I asked as my mom smiled and began serving a small portion
on four plates.

She shook her head and smiled as she began taking the plates to the table.

"How did they get on while I was gone?" I asked her.

She set down the plates on the correct place before sighing, "Better than last time. I'd
forgotten how difficult a pair of teenagers can be, honestly. But they did great for the most
part." She replied.

I nodded, before sighing tiredly.

"It'll be alright." She promised before she called the twins back into the room.

Then we silently sat down to eat, occasionally trying to keep a light conversation. But
eventually, the conversation died and we went to bed.

That night as I laid in bed, I suddenly felt panic, pain, and shock.

It was then I realized — James knew I was gone.

 Veracious Deceit
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Bucky's POV:

Something was wrong. I could feel it.

Everyone was being careful around me. Walking on eggshells as if they're waiting for
something explosive to happen.

What's worse is that I hadn't seen Ana at all the past few hours.

I briefly wondered if she was avoiding me. But I knew that something else was going on if
the weird stared I was receiving from everyone was anything to go by.

Even as I trained here in the gym with Sam and Steve, I could feel Steve's apprehension.

"What?" I finally asked after I accidentally hit the punching bag too hard, watching as it flew
off its hinges and went flying into the wall.

He and Sam exchanged a look before Sam turned to look at me, "Well, he won't tell you so I
will. Anya or Ana, whatever her name is, has left indefinitely. Tony allowed her to leave and
now she's off the radar. " He informed me.

I stared blankly at him before turning to Steve. To which he winced in response, before
nodding in response to my silent question.

I took a deep breath before slowly exhaling and turning to leave with another word.

I could hear both of them calling after me but I shook my head in response and headed to
speak to the one person who could explain to me what was going on.

Tony wouldn't really allow her to leave without telling me he was first, right? I knew the
answer instantly. Yes. Yes,he would.

As I got into the elevator I could hear Steve and Sam following closely behind, but I pushed
the button to close the doors before they could climb on.

Fuck them, I don't need a fucking babysitter now. I need fucking answers.
I knew I only had a few minutes, at the most, before I figured out what I was doing, so I
hurried down the hall and to the lab where I knew Tony would be.

Checking the time, I knew he was almost through here and would be heading home soon.

The thought had me walking faster, fearing he would be gone before I got there, growing
exponentially as I neared the lab.
If he left, I wasn't scared to follow him. I would if I needed to. I wasn't scared to follow him
to get what I needed. We were going to talk today, one way or another.

Fuck. I need those answers NOW.

The lab door whirred as it slid open, as I pressed the button outside the lab, before I walked
in.

"Stark." I called when I finally walked into the lab.

He sighed, and turned to look before raising a brow at me and turning back to the screen in
front of us.

"Barnes." He mumbled, in acknowledgement, as he slid his fingers across the screen in front
of him.

"I was just informed that Ana is gone. Where did she go?" I asked.

He sighed, and pulled out a file, throwing it on the table before sliding it towards me. "She
left to attend a prior engagement. To where I am not at liberty to discuss. I know where she is
and so does Fury. That's all that matters." He told me, gesturing for me to open it.

I wordlessly looked at the file, before flicking my eyes over to him.

Shock, dread, pain, panic, and horror filled me as I read through the documents inside the
file.

"They—" I managed in a tight voice. I had to clear my throat twice, "They— experimented
on both of us, and tried to— tried to breed us like we were fucking animals?" I asked, trying
to contain my anger.

He nodded, looking at me sympathetically.

I tried to reign in my anger, unsuccessfully as I continued to read through the small stack of
papers.

"Not only did they mentally fuck us up. They all experimented, tortured us, and now I come
to find out that those fucking monsters not only did that, but TRIED to breed us like fucking
animals?! Fuck. This just keeps getting better and better doesn't it? What's next? Are we
going to find out that we're also BRANDED? Do we have a fucking self-destruct module that
we don't know of as well? What else is there?!" I growled.

Stark sighed before turning to give me a sympathetic look. "That's not all we found.
Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss what else was found. But in a roundabout way, if
either of you try to get a divorce, the other will die. Literally. We're not entirely sure how but
somehow Hydra managed to wire this fact into both of your brains, and now it's somehow
wired into your DNA. It can't be undone. If either of you tries, the results could be fatal to
either one of you." He informed me.

Fuck.
 I had to find her. It seems like there was way more that we needed to talk about.
Starting with the fact that she was still hiding shit from me.

"Barnes?" I heard Stark as he snapped his fingers in front of my face.

I blinked, before shaking my head to clear it. "I'm fine, Stark." I mumbled before shaking my
head again.

"No. I don't think you are. That face you made a second ago, tells me otherwise. What were
you thinking just now?" He replied, staring at me suspiciously.

I bit back a groan and shoved down the annoyance I had as I looked him in the eye. "I'm
going to find her. I have reason to believe that she's hiding something from me, and I'm not
going to stop looking for her until I do." I told him.

"I don't think that that is a good idea." He said.

"I don't give a flying fuck what you think. I'm going to do this whether or not I have your
permission. That is my last living family member out there and I intend to find her." I replied.

He shook his head, "You're not going to like what you find, Barnes. Drop it and let it go." He
said. "That's an order." He added with an edge in his tone.

I gave him one last look of defiance before turning and leaving the lab.

I made it to the training room before I allowed my anger and annoyance to come out.

I don't know how long had passed when I felt a sharp tug in my mind. The pain that followed
made my knees buckle, and my vision cloud.

What the hell—?

I tried to blink and see past the pain but it was too intense, as the pain continued, spots
appeared and danced across my vision, until eventually I began seeing black, and allowed the
pain to pull me under.

Chapter End Notes

How we feeling? What do you think will happen when Ana finds out something has
happened to Bucky?
 Chapter 7

Ana's POV:

I was standing in the kitchen, finishing the dishes when I felt a crippling wave of vertigo hit
me, followed by seering white, hot pain.

The dish I was drying suddenly slipped from my hand and went crashing to the ground as my
knees began to buckle.

I heard as Ivan, Alina, and my mother rushed into the kitchen before I fully hit the ground.

Ivan caught me, lifting me into his arms as I began to see black spots.

"Что-то не так с Джеймсом." I gasped, blinking hard and dazed. (Something is wrong with
James.)

I heard a sharp gasp as Ivan laid me down on the couch.

"Какая? Что такое, милая? Откуда вы знаете?" My mother asked me, (What? What is it,
sweetheart? How do you know?)

I groaned, as I fought the feeling, and tried to sit up, only to gasp in pain and fall back
heavily. "Я не знаю." I finally rasped. (I don't know)

"Don't get up, Мама." I heard Ivan say when I tried to sit up again. (Mom)

I shook my head restlessly, "The phone. Bring me the phone in my bag." I instructed.
"Ты уверен?" My mother asked, concerned. (Are you sure?)

I nodded weakly as Alina appeared next to the back of the couch and extended her head
towards me, offering the phone to me.

I took it, and began scrolling through the contacts. When I found the one I was looking for I
quickly pressed my thumb to the screen and slid across.

It rang for a second before I heard an answering sigh. "Stark here."

"Anthony," I breathed.

"Ana. What a surprise. Did you get there and realize you missed me?" He asked, teasingly.

I let out a small pained gasp, causing Ivan, Alina and my mother to look at me in concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked, the playful demeanor leaving his voice, and replaced with
concern.

My breath was becoming labored. Something was definitely wrong. I could feel it.

"James. Something is— wrong with him." I told him, in a labored, breathless voice.

"What? No. He's in the training room. He has been since I told him you left. Probably beating
the crap out of all the practice dummies…." He informed me.

I sighed, trying not to panic as I fought another wave of lightheadedness hit me again.
"Anthony, I need you to check on him for me, please. Something is very wrong. I can feel it."
I told him.
He sighed before I heard movement in the background.

I could hear footsteps as I heard him go check, only to hear a sharp inhale and him curse a
second later.

"You were right. He's down. I've already called Bruce, and Steve to come down here. We'll
find out what's happening. As soon as we do, I'll go ahead and call you and tell you what
happened." He told me before hanging up.

Fuck. I had to go.

I bit back a pained cry, as I sat up, and forced my upper body off the sofa. Ivan and Alina
tried to get me to lay back down, but I refused.

I had to get back to New York. I had to help James. Something was telling me that only I
could help him.

"Мама, you need to get some rest. You cannot just leave again." Ivan said as I sat up again.

"I can't rest. I have to go back to New York. Something is very wrong here." I told them.

"Ана, послушай их, ты явно нездорова." Mother said, as she watched me in concern. (Ana,
listen to them, you're clearly unwell.)

"No, I need to go." I groaned, as I stood up.

"Fine. Then we're coming with you." Ivan said.

I frowned, before shaking my head, "No, you'll be in danger the moment you set foot in the
city." I told him.

He shook his head at me, "We go as a family. Or none of us go. We can't risk you leaving
alone and something happening along the way." He argued.

I turned to look at my mother, only for her to nod in response, taking me by surprise.

They all had the same determined expression, and I knew I had lost.

"You've got ten minutes to get everything you need." I told them in defeat.

Ivan and Alina rushed up the stairs to their rooms

“Are you sure this is a good decision?” I hear my mother ask me quietly.

I swallowed hard and shook my head, “No, but I don't have any other choice.” I told her as I
stood up.

***

I managed to get in contact with one of my connections, and got a ride to New York for us.

“Anastasia Vostokoff, my my, you're a site for sore eyes.” Tony said as he saw us arrive.

“Now is not the time, Stark. Where is he?” I asked, weakly. My forehead was dewy with
sweat, and I felt weaker and weaker by the moment.
Ivan and Alina looked around, drinking in their surroundings as they stood slightly behind
me.

Tony raised a brow, tilting his head, before sighing and nodding, “Hospital wing. You might
want to get checked out too. Looks like you're about to keel over too.” He stated.

I groaned, before moving g towards the elevator. “Иван, Алина. Приходить.” I breathed.
(Ivan, Alina. Come.)

They wordlessly followed me.

“Should we be worried about how that man was staring?” Ivan asked, concerned.

I scoffed and shook my head in response. “Nope.” I sighed.

Alina gave him a look before smiling, “We're going to meet Папа. don't ruin it with your
commentary.” She snips. (Dad)

He mumbled incoherently before shaking his head as the doors opened.

Dr. Banner is in the room with Barnes as I stand in front of the door.

“Wait until I give you the signal. Then you come in.” I say.

They nodded before moving to stand across the door.

“I'll cross my arms. That's your cue. Don't wait or hesitate. If you don't see me cross my
arms, wait ten minutes and you go in.” I say as the door slides open.
End Notes

Hi Again. So, I've had major writer's block and have been trying to get past it. Though I
haven't succeeded in writing anything else in my other stories, I did manage to write this...
Hopefully you like it.

Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!