Remorseless

A smile crossed Zara's lips as she woke, the room materializing around her. Strong arms were wrapped around her, an almost inaudible robotic whirr of the metal arm draped over her catching her attention as it came to life for the day, along with its owner. Zara felt him move behind her, his metal hand brushing the hair off her face, the cold touch to her skin being warmed by lips, kissing her neck, jaw and cheek. She tried her best to stifle a giggle as she rolled over to face him, her hands running up his body as she kissed him, before her forehead came to rest against his chest, both of them simultaneously letting out a sleepy breath. They stayed like that for a while, just happy to be in each others' arms, Zara nearly falling back to sleep again.
"Come on sleepy head, get up and I'll cook you breakfast" He chuckled, giving her a squeeze.
"Five more minutes..." She moaned, trying to ignore him as she buried her face into his chest.
"What if we add coffee to the mix?"
"Ugh, fine..." She chuckled, pretending to be annoyed.

Zara propped herself up on her elbow, stretching till the bones in her back cracked, letting out a satisfied breath.
"You okay?" Bucky asked, his eyes going to her bare ribs to check for fresh bruises as the quilt slipped off her.
"Of course I am, just tired and feeling a bit stiff... SOMEONE kept me up half the night" She said with a giggle.
"Well, you seemed to be enjoying yourself..." He retorted, "I was just worried I'd gotten carried away and hurt you" He added, looking into her eyes for clues.
"Oh Buck..." She sighed, leaning over to kiss him, "You didn't hurt me, I promise. You worry too much"
He nodded, a smile crossing his face again as they both sat up.
"If anything I was impressed - for a guy who hasn't had any action in weeks you were very restrained"
"Well I couldn't swing you off the chandeliers first time back, could I?" He laughed, "Not when you're still bruised from the crash... Amongst other things..."
"We'll get there" She smiled, leaning over to kiss him again, "just remember as much as you worry about me - I worry about you the same. It's just another thing we've conquered together"
"True... Hopefully we can do some more conquering soon" He grinned, cocking a brow.
"Definitely" She chuckled, batting away his advances, "But first I need coffee, and I believe you mentioned something about breakfast?"




After showers, Zara predictably found herself in front of the kettle, waiting for it to heat through while Bucky surprised her with his culinary skills, whipping up pancakes from scratch.
"So since when could you cook?" She teased, her face betraying her mocking tone as she watched him flip them in awe.
"I lived on my own for two years after everything with DC... Had to feed myself didn't I?"
Zara giggled, nodding in response, her face still colored impressed as she poured a coffee for each of them. She put his cup beside the stove where he could reach it, giving him a pat on the butt, making him grin.
"Careful, I might get used to this" She said, nodding down to the perfectly golden stack on the plate.
"If we didn't live at Shield, I'd cook for you every day" He said with an endearing smile.
"Hey, I can cook, too you know?"
"Breakfast tomorrow? You're on" He grinned, Zara returning the smile as she gathered up a couple of plates and they made their way to the table.

As usual, conversation was kept to a minimum while they ate, both of them having plenty on their minds. Zara was the first to finish, Bucky teasing her about how little she could fit in compared it him, both of them having a good laugh about it.

"So I've been thinking..." Bucky started out of the blue as Zara rose from her seat to gather the plates, "Instead of staying here another night, I say we make a move... And sooner rather than later"
"Last known location?"
"Exactly"
"I was thinking the same thing..." Zara said in agreement, taking the dishes to the sink and filling it up, testing the water temperature on the back of her hand before adding the detergent. She got through the washing up quickly, Bucky finishing his pancakes and bringing his plate to the sink, Zara taking it from him to wash.
"So when were you thinking we make a move? Like, now? Or later on?" She asked, not making eye contact with him.
"I thought if we hit the road as soon as we could, get a good head start?"
Zara nodded, putting the last plate in the dish drainer. She turned to pull the tea towel from the hanger, Bucky stopping her.
"What's wrong?" She asked
"You washed, I'll dry."
"You cooked, so I'll clean..."
"Why don't you go get your stuff together, we'll load the car up, and go from there?" He suggested, "I'll dry these and put them away"
"My stuff is together - I never unpacked" She said, handing him the tea towel, "I'll pack the car"
"You're not going out there alone"
"Why, do you think we're in danger here?"
"There's no way of knowing that... I'm not taking risks with you, we've been over this." He said, his no nonsense face on and his tone firm.

Zara let a breath out and paused while she chose her words.
"You can literally see the car from here through the back door... Why don't you arm yourself with your usual six million guns and go check that the yard is safe then?" She suggested with a shrug, "...Oooor I could be a big girl and check for myself?" She added with a bored look on her face.
"Take a gun" Bucky relented after a breath, pulling one from a drawer and handing it to her. Zara bit her lip to hold in a chuckle, finding it funny that he literally had guns hidden everywhere.

Remind me never to break into Bucky Barnes' house...

Zara reached out to take the gun, Bucky using it to pull her over to him as she grasped the handle.
"If it doesn't feel right, Zee-"
"-Jesus, Buck... Why don't you go poke your head out the door and check for me, it'll take 2 seconds" She cut him off, growing tired of the dramatics, "Please?"
Bucky let out a breath, trying to look annoyed, but relieved to be secretly getting his own way. Zara let go of the gun, letting him take it and lead the way down the hallway. He opened the door, methodically checking the yard for intruders, not forgetting to check the car and either side of the house as well just to be sure. He handed her the gun and the car keys, Zara pulling him over to her where she planted a kiss on his lips.
"Thank you" She said, not letting him go until a smile finally crossed his face.
"No problem"
"I knew you wanted to check the yard yourself..." She teased, "You are a bit funny about these things..."
"Funny?" He repeated, brows raised in mock-offense, Zara nodding matter-of-factly. Bucky chuckled, letting out a breath as he considered her words.
"Fine... I guess I am a bit protective..." He admitted,
"A bit?"
"I can't help it, you mean too much to me"

Zara smiled, touched, taking his face in her hands and pressing a tender kiss to his lips.
"I'm glad I've got you" She said, "it definitely feels safer with you around"
"That's the idea" He smiled, looking over his shoulder to scan the yard again as Zara disappeared back into the house to get their bag.

Bucky made his way back to the kitchen and started drying the dishes, watching her like a hawk as she made her way down the hallway and loaded the first bag into the trunk of the car.
"Buck, are you done with all your bathroom stuff, can I take it out?" she called out as she wandered back into the house, heading for the bathroom.
"Yeah all done, thanks babe" He called back, trying his best to look like he hadn't had eyes glued to her.

She wandered into the bedroom to do a clean sweep, coming out with his phone and charger which she gave to him as she pulled hers from the wall in the kitchen.
"Can't forget these!" She beamed, tucking her handset into her back pocket. "I'll put the chargers in the bathroom bag, they won't fit in the big one... Should we take some of the extra food you got with us?"
"Good idea" He said, putting the last plate away and hanging up his tea towel to dry, "I'll bag it up and bring it out - you just want the chocolate don't you?"
"Hmmm, maybe?" She chuckled, "What about the towels and bed sheets? I hung the towels up and they're almost dry..."
"We'll pick up the washing when all this crap is over" he said, Zara nodding.
"So have you heard any news from New York or what was going on down there?" She asked, pausing, lost in thought suddenly.
"No, nothing yet... We know it had to have been a ploy to get attention, they're not usually that sloppy. Especially the fact that Cage's bar was the only building that was attacked"
"And Jessica's apartment..."
"That, too" Bucky agreed, "That's all I know about the attack, but we have reason to believe that Hydra are divided because of Ward. It's bad enough that they've gone to war with themselves, but they're still doing what they can to 'recruit' anyone enhanced so they can take Shield over while they're at it"
"Recruit or take against their will?"
"Obviously the latter" Bucky said with a shrug as he pulled a shopping bag from under the bench and started loading food into it.
"Well... Lets hurry up so we can get going then. I'll run these few things out to the car, and come back to help with the food. The sooner we can hit the road, the better" Zara said, swallowing hard as the thought of Bucky being captured entered her thoughts.

Of course that's why Ward's been harassing you, you idiot. He's using you to get to Bucky. What better asset could he get his hands on than a super soldier they can control... It worked pretty well for them last time they had him. But they can't use mind control, can they? No. They don't know about the implant...

Zara shook off the dark cloud that seemed to have formed over her head, loading the bathroom bag into the car and tucking the chargers into the side pocket. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she pulled her phone from her pocket, wondering to herself if there had been any more messages from ward. She unlocked it, stepping away from the car towards the back of the small yard, the bars on her phone lighting up as it found signal, only to drop out again. Frustrated, Zara smacked it against the palm of her hand a few times, having never been very patient with technology. She let out a breath, shrugging to herself as she shoved it back in her pocket, deciding that is wasn't worth the hassle.
A glance up into the house made her smile, Bucky was hurrying around the kitchen packing what looked like several very heavy bags. She chuckled a little, sure she hadn't said to pack it ALL...

The noise of a snapping twig behind her sucked her back into reality quickly, Zara wheeling around to see a man approaching her slowly, tactical gear on and a gun raised.

Oh how typical...

She pulled her own pistol from the back of her jeans, ignoring his warning that she'd be shot, successfully calling his bluff.
"Gutsy, aren't you, Jones?" He remarked, a sadistic smirk on his face.
"Me?" She laughed, "You're the one who's about to have more shit rain down on you than you can possibly comprehend..." she added, stifling a grin knowing a certain super soldier would be storming out the back door any second to see her being threatened by someone with a sizeable rifle. Just for good measure she flicked the safety off her pistol and put her finger on the trigger to show him she was unafraid and up to the challenge, shrieking with surprise when an unexpected bullet blew the gun right out of her hand.
Open mouthed she turned in the direction of the offending bullet, finding she'd been ambushed from both sides and was now unarmed.

Come on Buck, now's the one time I'll let you swoop in and do the hero thing...

"Put your fucking hands up and turn around" The first guy yelled out to her, the sound of the second guy reloading his gun making her swallow hard.
She begrudgingly did as she was told, listening out for them as she turned, raising her hands. She caught eye contact with Bucky who had looked up from his bag of groceries as he stepped onto the back porch. His face went from relaxed to furious as he produced a powerful handgun, making his way over to them with a threatening stomp. He pulled the trigger, releasing three bullets at lightning speed, shielding his face when they bounced back at him, seemingly hitting some sort of an invisible barrier.

Oh fuck...

Zara's stomach dropped, that horrible feeling that she was in deep shit engulfing her as Bucky made eye contact with her again, his face screwed up in a mixture of fear, anger and worry. His mouth was moving, Zara's breath picking up pace when she realized that whatever barrier that had formed between them was also soundproof.
Her eyes darted sideways when the gunman reached her, Zara whipping around to grab the offending rifle by the barrel and throwing her elbow into the guys' face. He let out a grunt, fighting back against her, not letting go of the gun. In the meantime the two who were flanking her came running up to join the fight, Zara using the barrel of the rifle in her hand as a baton to smash into the face of one of her attackers, knocking him to the ground. The guy at the other end of the rifle gave it another hard yank to try and free it from her grip, forcing her into him, but she was quick to raise a knee to his crotch and take possession of the gun, swinging it like a baseball bat at his face, hard. She wheeled around to point it at her last remaining attacker, finger on the trigger, when something hit her in the back of the head, making her drop to the ground.

Zara groaned as she composed herself, looking up through foggy eyes to see Bucky desperately laying into the force field as if trying to smash through it. He paused for a breath, glancing down at her on the ground, his expression utterly heartbroken. She tried to get up, a foot in the back pressing her back into the cold, wet ground, muffled voices above her muttering something she couldn't make out over the ringing of her ears.

Shit, shit, shit...

She was pulled to her feet, her back against the chest of someone tall and muscular, arms constricted around her. A familiar voice called something out and suddenly like flipping a switch she could hear outside the force field again.
"Bucky RUN! Get out of here-" She started before a hand was slapped over her mouth, shutting her up.
"LET HER GO!" Bucky roared, his fists hitting the invisible barrier between them again, her captor emitting an amused chuckle before speaking up.
"Let's get this thing straight, Barnes" The voice behind her snapped, no longer amused with Bucky's anguish, "I'm the one calling the shots here. Got it?"

Bucky glared...

"I've wanted to get my hands on this little spinner for quite some time - for a number of reasons..."
"Take me instead-"
"Shut up! What part of 'I call the shots' don't you understand?" Came the unamused voice again, "Let me cut to the chase, we'll be taking you BOTH"
"Yeah good luck with that" Bucky chuckled, the wheels in his head turning as he stalled for time, trying to think up a plan to get them both out of there. Zara made eye contact with him again, wishing that his presence was more reassuring...
"Well you can always stay behind, we'll just take Jones and be on our way-"
"STOP!"
"Thought so."

Zara glanced down, it quickly becoming evident that her captor was none other than Grant Ward... No wonder Bucky looked so angry, and no wonder the arm around her felt like a steel vice. Still, she'd beat him before and there was no reason she couldn't try and beat him again. He always kept guns on him, and today would be no exception. She listened as he explained that if Bucky didn't come quietly, she'd be shot, and watched as his face fell, no doubt thinking back to the last time she was shot in front of him. He also said something about Larson which she didn't catch all of, but was sure it was along the lines of 'if you don't co-operate, you'll be forced to'...

Bucky made eye contact with her again, this time reading her as she thought up a plan, subtly shaking his head at her as if to will her not to do anything rash.

Screw it...

Zara swallowed hard as she lifted her foot, bringing her heel into his shin, catching him by surprise long enough for her to swing her closed fist into his crotch. Wards' henchman all snapped into action in a heartbeat, Zara spinning to grab his gun, shooting three of them dead in seconds. She dropped out of his grip, taking advantage of the distraction, pointing the gun at him and pulling the trigger.

*Click, click, click*...

Oh shhhhhit...

She could hear Bucky yelling and pounding at the force field, Zara's adrenaline pumping like crazy as Ward straightened up. She hurled the gun at him, being too far away for physical combat, Ward catching it and tossing it aside, a sinister grin crossing his lips as his hand went to his hip.
Zara's eyes darted up to the woods which started at the edge of the yard, only a few steps away. There was no more options, so she decided to make a run for it. Her legs started before her brain had finished making the decision, part of her now full of regret as she wondered how the hell she was going to outrun a bullet.
Her chest burned as she darted in between the first few trees, the deafening crack of gunfire filling the air, followed by a sharp sting in her right shoulder. She heard Bucky scream out as she fell to the ground, it occurring to her that it wasn't an ordinary bullet she'd been hit with. She reached behind her, pulling a dart out, thanking her lucky stars it was just a tranquilizer. A look back saw Ward laughing as he re-loaded, and Bucky raging like she'd never seen, his fists pounding against the invisible barrier in slow motion as the world darkened...

"As I was saying, Barnes... You can either come quietly, or we leave you behind. Your choice dictates her fate. Obviously if you come, she's just an insurance policy if my boy Larson runs out of steam. If you don't, she'll be taken to a secret location and you can guarantee she'll be begging me to slit that pretty little throat by the time we're through." Ward snarled, narrowing his eyes as one of his men threw Zara over his shoulder and took her off to an awaiting jet.
"What's it gonna be, Barnes? Ready to come back to Hydra?"

Bucky let out a breath, his hands up against the 'glass', and his heart torn to shreds. It was an easy choice to make, he knew the mind shield would protect him as long as he could keep it secret. Most cells or restraints wouldn't hold him, and going with them, he'd be with her and could break them out when opportunity presented itself. Maybe he could even take Ward down once and for all while he was at it... Watching him shoot her had only stoked the fire in his gut, the frightened look on her face as she hit the ground etched into his memory already.
He already knew Ward had started his own division of Hydra, and that things weren't going so well for them. He also knew they didn't have the tech to do mind wipes or brainwashing, the best thing they had was this Larson character who was no threat to him...

Bucky glanced up, watching as the uniformed soldier disappeared into the woods with Zara over his shoulder. He turned back to Ward and raised his hands in surrender, Ward grinning as he signaled with his hand, more soldiers emerging from the scrub with guns pointed and fingers on triggers.
The force field was dropped in time to see the first jet take off, Bucky dropping to his knees on command soldiers restraining him with high-tech cuffs.

Back into the lair of the beast... Let's do this.