Five
“Are you sure you’re actually prepared for this, Steve?”
It had been months. Months of hunting, months of searching. Months of trailing down lead after lead, following dead ends, and having to go back several steps, and try again. A game of Chutes and Ladders as Sam had called it.
To the outside world, they were hunting down Hydra, eliminating every trace and faction left that remained. However, the team knew the truth. They were searching for Ruby.
“I made a promise, Nat. I owe her this much.”
“That’s not what I mean. This isn’t like when you saved Barnes from a Hydra base the first time. She’s not going to be okay. You know how long they had her before suddenly, Hydra had the information on how to get to your apartment…”
Steve grimaced at the thought, his fists clenching tight until the fingerless gloves squeaked in protest. He didn’t want to have to think about what they had done to her to get her to talk. She was fiercely protective of those she cared about and he had seen first hand how much she was willing to endure to care for those who had been entrusted to her. To get her to talk at all… He shuddered.
“I know. I know this isn’t gonna be like picking up a friend from jail.” He had had to pick up Bucky from jail twice after he had gotten into a drunken bar fight. “I just need to do this. She’s alive. They wanted me to know that she’s alive. They’d want me to know if she was dead too. Until then, she’s being tortured because she dared to get close to us… Close to me… I brought her into this life, it’s my duty to fix this, one way or the other.”
The redhead looked at him with a smidgen of sympathy. She had watched from the sidelines as he tore himself apart over this, over her disappearance, over finding out that Bucky had been alive all this time, but transformed into Hydra’s super-weapon against the world. He still held his shoulders high, held onto hope, and held onto his endearing sense of nobility. He had lost too much too many times, and he couldn’t lose Dr. Harvey again.
“They need her Steve. They still need her, or they would have just killed her after all of our files were made public. There is something that she knows that they need.” Her brows furrowed in thought, pausing before she dared utter the next words. “Or they know that we’ll come for her, and they’re waiting for us.”
“No… Pierce… He was just a puppet. Someone else is pulling the strings, someone patient and willing to wait until things play out the way he wants them to. Whatever he needs her for, it’s not to lure us in. Otherwise he would have used her as bait a long time ago. He’s planning something big.
“Do you think you’ll find Barnes there?”
Her question was quiet, and less of an inquiry as to what his suppositions were, and more to remind him that it was a distinct possibility. Tony had been able to match a half fingerprint from the envelope to Bucky, meaning that somehow, the Winter Soldier had been involved with whatever Hydra was doing with Ruby.
“I don’t know. But he saved my life. He pulled me out of that river. If he’s there, he won’t kill me. He had his chance, and he didn’t take it. He may not remember me, but he knows me.”
But that reminder brought a sickening twist to Steve’s stomach as he processed the possibility that she suffered at the hands of the one who had once been his best friend.
Luckily, Natasha’s phone chirped, drawing his gaze to the screen which suddenly had his full attention.
“Tony’s got a lead. He thinks he found her. It’s time, Steve.”
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This was what happiness felt like.
He was sure of it.
The passing days, they had been left to their own devices. Warm food was now brought twice a day, and the rest of the time, they spent together. She told him stories about books she had read, tales she had been told, and explained fantastical lands to him that existed in this land of imagination. There were stories of captains who saved the galaxies from aliens, wizards who defeated a Dark Lord, and a whole land called Middle Earth who had more creatures than he could remember. But he listened, fascinated all the same.
Nights were spent following their new routine. What had once been him curled around her protectively with the sole intent of keeping her warm had shifted into him lying on his back on the bedroll as she curled around him with her head resting on his chest as she slept. His metal fingers would comb gently through her blonde locks as his flesh hand covered the one of hers that rested on his chest with their fingers entwined.
Cold was no longer an issue. Sasha’s rewards for her coerced cooperation had proven their worth. Now, they could be comfortable.
A gentle kiss was pressed to the top of her head as she stirred, scrunching up her face as she began to wake. She had finally slept through the night without waking in a sudden panic or terror since Sasha had left them, and he felt a sense of relief at that. He could protect her against any intruder with ease. He would kill to keep her safe if necessary… But there was only so much he could do about the demons in her mind. All he could do was assure her that she was safe now, and that it had only been a dream…
His own demons, he kept quiet, shoving them into a far corner of his mind where they could not disturb him. That Steve Rogers – her Captain, as Sasha called him – had brought too many questions, too many ghosts to his mind, leaving him with so much he was unsure of. But Sasha had never lied to him. He always did what Sasha told him to, even if he didn’t want to. He had to. There was no other option.
Or was there?
Sometimes, for a moment, he doubted. Ruby’s new clothes covered the majority of her scars, keeping them out of sight so that he could almost forget the extent of the damage on her skin that he had inflicted himself and that he had seen Sasha carve into her… And then the fabric would shift just enough, or his flesh fingers would wander far enough to bring the raised, scarred skin to the forefront of his mind.
She deserved better. She needed to be protected… From Sasha too. That concept was solidifying in his mind with every passing day. She would be killed eventually – her uses would run out, and she would be disposed of – and that was a thought that he could not abide. He could not allow that to happen.
But that was all he knew.
Too many questions. Too many doubts. Too many orders. Too many thoughts.
For the time being, he would wait silently and patiently. He had become selfish, craving more of her time and attention that she so freely gave that he shoved all other thoughts of the world outside the cell door as far away from the forefront of his mind as often as he could. To be here, with his hand in hers, stolen kisses exchanged in the quiet… It was perfect. He could have stayed forever like that and been completely content.
But like all perfect things, it wasn’t meant to last forever.
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He could feel his heart hammering inside his chest as he made his way swiftly down the only quiet corridor in the compound. He could hear the others chattering away in his ear piece as they tore through the layers of Hydra security. Normally, he would be in the thick of it with them, his reflexes moving faster than his conscious train of thought with the sweat that dripped invisibly down his back and his neck beneath his suit. Of course, he didn’t feel any of it until after he had a moment to pause and breathe. However this was different. If it weren’t for the firm grip on his shield that he held defensively in front of him, his hands would have shaken from the adrenaline that coursed through his veins. Beads of sweat trickled down the side of his face as his nerves and anticipation made every fiber of his being buzz from the intensity. After months of regret, worry, and endless dead ends, this heavy feeling settled on his shoulders. She was here. She was alive.
And he was going to find her.
Nat had stayed by his side as he sat in the back of the quinjet, warning him about what most of Hydra’s interrogation techniques included, and what he should be prepared to expect… Including Ruby not even recognizing him any more. He could be a complete stranger to her. And trying to visualize just what damage followed with what Natasha had described only made him shudder and the frown that seemed permanently carved into his face became impossibly more hopeless.
He had already once found her beaten with her own scissors embedded into her thigh once before when he had gone to her old office downtown for his weekly session. And that image was forever burned into the darkest parts of his mind with the image of Bucky screaming as he fell off the train into the snowy ravine back so many years ago. Trying to envision the gentle woman who always came with such a warm smile and twinkle in her eyes as a victim of torture… he simply couldn’t. This wasn’t her life, it was his, and he had dragged her into it and put her in the exact position that led to this.
Finally, he came to the last metal door at the end of the hall.
His steps halted as he stared at the lever, trying to steel himself for what would be behind. The gloved hand lifted, wrapping around the dark metal, and with a single push, the door squeaked slowly open.
He heard no movement as he made the first step into the dark cell, and the only his own heavy breathing that seemed to echo, and for a moment, his heart fell in disappointment.
He had been so certain this time, and they had struck out again.
“На шаг ближе, и я убью тебя.”
The sharp voice that came from the dark made sent a shiver down his back as his blood turned to ice.
He knew that voice.
And he knew it too well.
“Bucky?”
“...Steve?”
But the meek, incredulous voice that answered him stole his breath away, and though he felt frozen in place, his feet seemed to somehow carry him forward towards the sound. His voice choked on his own, unspoken words, unable to answer her, no matter how desperately he wanted to. All of the speeches he had prepared in his head for this exact moment, all of the visions of gallantly sweeping in to free her that he had created in his mind in the moments where he couldn’t find any other possible thing to distract him… They vanished in that instant now that that fated moment was here. He was blank.
She sounded so small, her voice incredulous in the same way she had when she had awoken in the hospital with stitches in her leg, and a very worried Steve sitting right beside the hospital bed.
But he froze.
As his eyes adjusted, he could make out the hulking figure near the back wall, who stood protectively in front of a frail looking blonde.
“... Ruby…”
Her name was barely more than a whisper, as if he was trying to decide whether or not she was even real. He saw a pale, slender hand raise to the shoulder of the glaring man who was guarding her - Bucky. Right. Nat had been right. He was here too. - and whisper something in his ear that made him seem to slowly relax after a long minute.
Later, looking back on this, Steve would chuckle at the realization that Ruby had gotten through to The Winter Soldier and had turned him from an enemy to a trusted companion. Of course she did - only Ruby would be capable of such a feat, turning the man who used to be his best friend against Hydra and to her side.
“Steve… How did you-”
But her question was interrupted as Bucky took a step towards Steve.
“You’re here to rescue her.” A statement not a question. “I’m coming with. I’m not letting anything happen to her. She can’t stay here.”
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In annoyance, Sasha slammed his laptop shut with an audible clack that would have made the other man beside him in the helicopter flinch, but Sasha’s potential rage was the least of his concerns. In another circumstance, Sasha would have preferred to knock the computer and whatever other contents sat helplessly on his desk to the floor with a frustrated expletive, but the slam that cut off his ability to see the live video feed of his compound, or what was about to be left of it once the Avengers were through tearing it apart.
Damn that Steve Rogers.
He always ruined everything.
He had had to watch as Tony Stark had finally somehow managed to locate them, and make his escape in minutes rather than try and salvage anything. Hydra would always rise again, plans can be altered, empires can be rebuilt. It was not the end. But it was damned annoying to lose everything.
It had been like a train wreck in slow motion that made a heat churn in his veins. His creation embracing the ridiculous blonde, her eyes beaming and light as she looked between her two men. God, she had turned them into mere dogs. Perhaps more than a hundred years before, she would have been burned at the stake for being so bewitching, and that thought amused him. But the way she smiled as the Fist of Hydra kissed the top of her head, or the way she seemed to glow in Captain America’s embrace… He seethed.
No one else deserved to have her, but himself.
He could only watch the sickening display long enough until he knew that it was truly hopeless, and her immediate recovery would be impossible. His men had failed, and the base had been lost. She would return to the Avenger’s, warn them of what had been asked of her, and from there, she would be well protected and the Avenger’s would be prepared.
Frustration, disappointment, and… jealousy? Was that what that unplaceable feeling was that had made this emotional cocktail of failure taste different?
He would try again. He would bide his time, after all, patience won wars.
They could have their little moment of victory.
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Fall had begun to turn the mountains from their rich green, to the golden colors of Autumn. The air was only now truly starting to become brisk, but the heater in the cabin was always on. While the two men that lived there were warm, more often than not, they could not bear to let the blonde woman there cold for even a mere moment. Her comfort was the priority.
Sunlight began to shine down through the windows as the morning birds began singing their usual songs from the trees. The curtains to the bedroom were drawn back, slightly illuminating the outline of the three figures beneath the covers.
Pieces of domesticity were scattered about the clean cabin. Potted plants, various candles, and blankets could be found in any room. The kitchen was simple, with the basics fully furnished accompanied by a fully stocked pantry. If you weren’t looking close enough, you would never notice the multiple security cameras, or the laser fence that encircled the property. The intense security measures could be almost forgotten.
Almost.
It had been months since the rescue mission that was labeled a success. Months since Ruby had felt the fresh, open air on her skin. Months since the quiet ride back to the Avengers compound. Months since she had finally been medically cleared and brought back up to good health. Months since Jay-The Winter Soldier-James… Well, he had been brought back to a sort of balance and found his name: Bucky.
Time was their friend.
The three were inseparable. Ruby had undergone several medical procedures to try and repair the damage that had not quite healed right and erase as many of the scars that were scattered across her skin. Steve had sat be her bedside faithfully, only finding the will to eat when she chastised him for avoiding him. Bucky had sat on the other side, still not believing how he was allowed to walk free, or even how anyone could look him in the eye after everything he had done had come to light. Natasha had said that everyone had a past, but as he discovered more of his, it became increasingly difficult to swallow.
Many nights early on had been spent with the compound awaking to screaming, and Steve jolting from his brief slip into sleep as Ruby thrashed in the throes of her night terrors. But no one ever held it against her. There was a sense of guilt that hung over them any time she seemed to take a backstep. Once upon a time, she had been the pillar of strength who knew exactly what to do when they fell apart. She had been the one to guard their secrets and build them back up… And now the roles had been reversed.
“Steve, we need to talk.”
It was one of the rare moments, when both Ruby and Bucky were fast asleep, with him curled around her - which after a series of trial and error, they discovered was the only way to get her to sleep peacefully through the night. Of course, Steve and Bucky willingly taking turns holding her close as she slept. Steve had quietly walked into the kitchen where Tony, Natasha, and Barton stood, looking as though they had been waiting for him.
“Do I want to know why this looks like an intervention?”
“It’s not,” Natasha interjected quickly, taking a step closer.
“Ruby can’t stay here.” He had expected Tony to be the one to say something that bold, but it had come from Clint instead. Sharply, Steve turned, glaring dangerously at him, but before he could get a word out, Natasha moved to place a soothing hand on his shoulder.
“What he means, is that she’s not safe here. Nor is she really going to get better here. If Sasha comes looking for her or Barnes, he would have a really good chance at being able to take them if they’re here. They need somewhere off the grid for the time being, otherwise you risk losing them both again.”
He wished she wasn’t making sense. He so desperately wished he didn’t agree with everything she just said… But she was right. Not only would she never truly have a chance at getting better here, she and Bucky weren’t safe here, just as she hadn’t been safe with SHIELD.
Thankfully, it had been Tony who spoke next.
“I’ve got this cabin in the mountains in Montana. I bought it a long time ago originally intending it to be a place where Pepper and I could go to get away off the grid, but... “ It hadn’t happened. “Anyway, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks upping the security and making sure it was retrofitted with everything. Barton took care of getting her things out of storage and moved in there, so everything is already set up for the three of you.”
The darkened expression that had taken over his face lifted at those last few words, and he needed to repeat them just to be certain that he heard them correctly.
“The three of us?”
And finally, Natasha offered a soft smile.
“You love her, Steve. We wouldn’t ask you to leave her. So you’re going with them. Okay?”
Slowly he exhaled, a wave of relief washing the heavy burden that had seemed to sit on his shoulders away.
“Okay.”