Longing

Steve was tired. It had been a long, exhausting few days. First Lagos, then the introduction of the accords, then Peggy's death, the bombing of the UN, becoming a fugitive, finding Bucky, being arrested, fighting the winter soldier, then going on the run, becoming a fugitive, once again. He was ready for it all to be over, yet here he stood, faced down by half his own team, poised to fight them so he could get Bucky to Siberia. To fight five more hydra super soldiers before they could infiltrate and take down any government they chose.
"Ross gave me 48 hours to bring you in, Cap. And that was 24 hours ago. Help a guy out?" At that moment, standing across a runway, looking into the eyes of a man he was just starting to consider a friend, he finally felt all 100 years of his life. He felt old, and tired, and like he wanted to just give in. Take the easy road in life for once. Let someone else fight the battles. But that was the point. They wouldn't. It had to be him, it had to be now. There was too much at stake for him to give up, lay down his shield, sign away his freedom to those damned accords. Instead he stood tall, back ramrod straight and poised for battle.
"You know I can't do that, Tony".

It was taking too long. They'd lost so much time already. Zemo has to be in Siberia already and every single minute wasted here was another minute of a head start for Zemo and the other soldiers. But there was a reason almost every person on this field was an avenger. The two teams were matched well, knew each other's fighting styles and that made the fight hard and long. Because they were friends. No, they were family. The thought chased all the weariness right from Steve's bones and replaced it with anger. Pure anger. He'd been alone and lost when he woke up and less than two weeks later he'd been thrust into an ill fitting team with people who didn't like each other and didn't want to even try working together, and despite all their differences, they'd turned out to be a good team. They'd bonded, learned to lean on each other. But now they were being torn apart, violently ripped to pieces with edges so jagged and worn that they wouldn't be able to fit them together again.
He watched, almost helplessly, as his friends and teammates attacked each other around him. Red energy flirted around, flinging objects all over. Webs were dodged as the spider kid swung around, knives and claws and Bucky's arm and Tony's armor were all glinting in the sun. It was chaos. He kept moving. He couldn't dwell on it if he kept his mind in the game.

A flash of light over the airport caught the attention of everyone present. They all stopped were they stood, each team slowly moving away from each other and back toward their respective groups, almost as if they were being compelled. A figure was emerging from the light as it faded, her body hanging limply in the air, over 200 feet from the ground, her body emitting a dull glow, making her seem completely ethereal. Steve instantly recognized her as the woman from Bucky's apartment. Her hair was unbound and she was covered in a long, flowing white dress, both hair and skirt whipping around in the wind. She floated slowly to the ground, until she was hovering just barely above it, toes dragging slightly as she moved forward. Her eyes snapped open and those, too, were glowing. Like she had a sun inside her and her skin couldn't quite contain it any longer. She raised one delicate hand toward Bucky and he took a single step forward, looking stunned. Like he'd been slapped in the face.
"I can't hold it" she murmured and even her voice was different. Like she had the entire weight of the universe on her soul. It made something deep inside Steve's chest ache and when he chanced a glance toward the group, he realized they all felt it too.
Bucky was at her side in a flash, wiping golden tears off her cheeks, tears that Steve hadn't even been aware she was crying. Her face was calm, serene even, but her tears betrayed her emotions. Her body jerked tightly, like she was trying to pull herself away from Bucky, but couldn't. More tears spilled down her cheeks as Bucky cradled her against his chest.
"You need to stop me, Bucky. Please. Ross want's you dead. I can only hold on so long. Please." Her voice was quiet, yet echoed around them endlessly, an edge of desperation broke through her voice and Steve wondered silently what was going on. Bucky just shook his head and leaned in to brush a small kiss over her forehead before gently walking her backward. She floated gently with him for every step he took. By the time he was in front of Tony, T'Challa, and Natasha her beautiful face was screwed up in pain. Small whimpers were falling from her mouth, the glowing of her skin brightening every few seconds, until he could hardly look directly at her. Bucky eyed Natasha, giving her a small nod that she then returned.
"I'll keep her safe" Natasha answered his unasked question and moved back behind the glowing woman.
It was quick and it was brutal. The way Bucky's hands flashed out and her neck snapped. The glow instantly died and the woman fell right into Natasha's waiting arms. And Bucky was back at Steve's side watching, before he had even realized the other man had moved. It became apparent quickly why he had moved as a blue glow then erupted from the woman's chest and enveloped her and Tony's whole team.
"We don't have much time before they can get through that barrier. Let's be gone by then." Bucky was already walking toward the jet, when the Tony seemed to realize what was going on. He could hear the other man's loud complaining, but he couldn't concentrate on the words. There was a loud ringing in his ears as he glanced from the woman in Natasha's arms and his best friend's retreating back. A sense of dread dropped into his stomach, weighing him down like the anchor of a ship.