Wanted

Anna tucked her hair behind her ears and blew out a breath as she squinted down at a very excited super soldier from the porch. She crossed her arms tightly, wishing Bucky hadn't seen her roll her eyes earlier when he mentioned the words 'self defense training'... Her reluctance to spar with him in knee deep snow had only spurred him on more, and even with his breath hanging in the air, his face was lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Get down here" came Bucky's enthusiastic voice again, a grin on his face as he gestured to her.
"Are you serious? I can't feel my feet, never mind anything else... Besides, fighting is... Well, it's kind of violent don't you think?"
"You say that like it's a bad thing" He chuckled, shaking his head.
"Why don't we wait till it's warmer? We could practice running away instead?" She asked, trying her hardest to stifle a grin, knowingly making fun of him, "Here, I'll get us started" She added, turning to go back into the house, a set of footprints running up the stairs predictably.
"Anna... Do you think an attacker's going to wait till it's sunny and clear to sneak up on you?" He sassed, stepping in front of her, blocking her way back into the house.

Anna blew out a breath, feeling pressured and not quite sure what to say about getting out of a self defense lesson - having someone twice her size throw punches in her direction in the freezing cold was not her idea of fun. Either was wrestling in the snow, no matter how cute her opponent was.
"Maybe?" She offered, Bucky rolling his eyes at her in response.
"...Did I?"

She shuddered, remembering the cold, wet night in the bar's parking lot, "I guess not..."
"Come on... A few minutes is better than nothing..." He suggested as he gestured towards the stairs, Anna relenting with a sigh as she followed him down.
Bucky suddenly came to a stop and turned around, taking Anna by surprise as she put her hands up against his chest in order to catch herself. She stepped back and yanked them away, embarrassed when her eyes met his, and even more so when she noticed him trying his hardest not to laugh.

"How'd you stay alive so long with Hydra after you??" He blurted out as though it'd been on his mind for some time.
"What?" She came back, defensively
"You have no idea how to defend yourself, and you're scared of pretty much everything - including weapons?"
"I ran and hid - what was I supposed to do, book myself in for a karate class? 'Yeah, hi, Annabelle Pierce here, I'd like to take a class... Yeah, that's me- the girl from the missing persons posters and TV spots... Sure, I'll hold" She joked with a sarcastic tone, her hand up like she was talking into an imaginary phone.
"Point taken" He said apologetically with a gentle smile, turning and continuing down the stairs with Anna in tow.
"I guess when someone's coming at you with a gun, it's fight or flight... You can only do what you know, Right?"
"Right"

Bucky cleared his throat, wanting to say something comforting, but nothing came to mind which he hated himself for. Instead he offered her a smile as they stopped at the base of the stairs, finding a flat, clear spot in the yard.
"You might want to lose the jacket" He hinted, smirking a little at his coat which she'd wrapped herself in.
"-Oh, is my killer going to ask for a costume change before he comes at me?"
"He might..."
"If I'm frozen solid I won't be able to fight back"
"Don't worry, I'll get you warmed up in no time" He assured her, suddenly realizing his comment had unintentionally come off 'not-so innocent', both of them chuckling awkwardly.
"WELL!" Anna joked, making them both laugh.
"What can I say..." Bucky purred, a flirtatious smile on his face as he cocked his head and gave a nonchalant shrug...

Anna rolled her eyes as she slipped the coat off, stepping over to drop it on the edge of the porch. She hugged herself as she made her way back over to Bucky, glancing back at the house momentarily as she went.
"Bucky?" She gasped as she turned back, finding he'd disappeared suddenly. Her heart took off at a million miles per hour, Anna wheeling around to try and spot him, only for him to appear behind her. She let out a shriek, her hands covering her mouth and nose as she composed herself.
"Lesson number one - don't turn your back on your assailant" He said with an expression that was both smug and a little serious.

Anna muttered something under her breath, shaking her head at him as she straightened up and paid attention. Bucky stepped aside, circling her like a hungry shark, Anna turning to maintain eye contact with him.
"Good" He praised her, his voice low, "Now pick your hands up and shield your face."

She picked her hands up, clenched into fists much like a boxer would and stood her ground, turning her body to stay face to face with him as he moved. He paused and changed direction, Anna glued to him as he raised his hands.
"Breath, Anna" He instructed, keeping his voice both authoritative and reassuring as he watched the color drain out of her face, her eyes flicking from his fists to his eyes, "And untuck your thumbs or you'll break them..."

She did as she was told, trying her best to wipe the image from her head of her thumbs breaking...

"Now hit me" he said as he came to a stop, nodding at his now open palm, Anna swallowing again. She jammed her eyes shut and threw a fist out, only just barely grazing the size of his hand, Bucky catching her as she lost her balance.
"See, I told you I can't do this" She said, pulling herself away from him and straightening herself up, "I'm sorry..."
"Anna, stop" He said, grabbing her around the arm as she turned to leave. She sucked a breath in, looking at his hand clamped around her bicep before her eyes met his.
"I know you're scared, but you've gotta try harder at this, okay?" He said, Anna looking up at him, doe eyed.
"I'm not scared-"
"You're shaking like a leaf-"
"That's because it's freezing out here... And maybe a little because I'm beyond embarrassed "

Bucky sighed, pushing the hair that'd escaped his ponytail back from his face, Anna watching him carefully and bracing herself somewhat...
"You don't need to feel embarrassed, I'm here to help you, not to judge you... There was a time where I didn't know any of this stuff"
"What, when you were two!?"
"Something like that" He joked, Anna relaxing a little.

"You missed because you closed your eyes" He explained, "Take a breath and try again - do it slowly and keep your eyes on your target, okay?" He said, nodding towards his palm as he held it up.

She swallowed and gathered herself up, swinging her fist out again, this time making contact with his palm. She immediately looked up at him, unsure if he was going to hit back or react to her, which he didn't  much to her relief.
"Good" He praised, "that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"I guess not..."

He chuckled, giving her a smile which she returned, despite herself.
"Okay, same thing again" He said with an encouraging nod, Anna letting out a breath as her eyes locked onto his palm again.
"Hands up" He reminded her, Anna obeying before she swung her fist out again, hitting her target accurately.
"Awesome" He encouraged, "Now do it again, but put a little weight behind it"
"Weight?"
"Hit harder. Like you mean it"

She frowned, uncertainty painted on her face as she shook her head.

"You won't hurt me" he reassured her, raising his hands up and giving her a nod.
Anna blew a breath out, trying to rid herself of the stress as she focused again. Her eyes momentarily darted to his again to make sure it was okay before locking back onto his palm before swinging at it, a loud 'whack' ringing out. Bucky grinned with satisfaction putting his fist out to her to bump, which she did, both of them laughing.
"How'd that feel?" He asked, adorably overexcited, Anna still chuckling at him as she nodded, trying to find the words.
"...Like I hit somebody?" She said with a shrug, Bucky laughing again.
"Okay, same thing with your other hand, only you're still hitting this one" He said, waving his flesh hand at her, Anna nodding, "Hands up, and when you're ready..."

Anna focused, raised her fists and threw her other hand out. The hit wasn't great, but it found the target and that's all they were concerned about for the moment.
"Good, and again"

*Whack*

"Better... Now you're gonna hit with your left, immediately followed by your right. Usually I'd have both hands up for you, but I don't have the luxury of two flesh and blood hands - nor do we have mits..." He chuckled, trailing off, "So we're gonna improvise" He added, finding his confidence again as he raised his right palm again for her, Anna suddenly feeling a pang of sympathy for him.
She raised her fists again, and on Bucky's signal she threw them out in time to his 'one, two' instruction.
"Again - 'one, two...' Good, again... 'One, two'" He grinned again when they stopped, Anna rubbing her red knuckles.

Bucky took her hands and inspected them, surprised when she didn't pull away.
"That's probably enough for today, you did great" He said, Anna's cheeks dusting pink a little.
"Thanks for showing me" She said, genuinely thankful, "I've never done anything like that before!"
"You're welcome" He said, flashing her what was obviously his 'trademark smile', "Usually we'd tape these up first and you'd have gloves on... Maybe when we're back at Shield I can give you a few lessons, get you disarming attackers, escaping holds, shooting... Well, that's if you'd like?" He asked, Anna seeing a little vulnerability in him which stirred up the very unexpected urge to protect him.

She swallowed hard, the urge to protect him closely followed by the urge to run, recent memories of getting close to Jake coming to mind. Jacob Nester had been much the same as Bucky - cute guy who'd showed her kindness and friendship, promised to keep her safe, and she'd ended up falling head over heels for him... Until he'd turned out to be a fraud, and even worse, he'd set the wheels in motion for her to be captured all over again - until Bucky had come along and taken her himself...

Anna suddenly felt sick, Bucky's expression going from cheerful to worried as he noticed the sudden change in her demeanour.

"How do you know Jake?" She suddenly blurted out, Bucky blinking at her in dazed confusion.
"What?"
"Nester... How do you know Jacob Nester?"
"Where's this coming from?" He asked, Anna standing her ground as she waited for an answer. Bucky sighed...

"I know OF Jacob Nester because one of his accomplices spilled the beans on their little operation... It's how I got the rest of the information I needed to find you... We've been over this, haven't we?" He asked, a little taken aback.
"Why would one of his guys give any of that to you?" She asked, trying to wrap her head around everything.
"Because I had him by the throat" He answered flatly, "Anything else?"
"How'd you come across the accomplice, did you already know him, or did you track him down?"
"Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously!"
"I went looking after putting together the information I'd collected"
"What information?"
"Christ, Anna... Where's all this coming from!?" He snapped, frustrated now.

She stood looking at him completely flustered for a few seconds before gathering herself back up again, opening her mouth to speak.
"I'm on YOUR side... We've been through this!" He cut her off, raising his voice at her now. Anna's heart took off at a million miles per hour again as she gathered the courage to speak, faltering a little as Bucky cut her off a second time, "Are you accusing me of being one of THEM? Because excuse me if I misread all this - but I thought we were okay?" He ranted, gesturing as he spoke, stepping towards her as she stepped away from him.
"Bucky, I've known you for six days..." She started, feeling defensive and breathless as she continued to back up.
"So suddenly you don't trust me anymore? What, because I was NICE to you?"

Her heels hit the first step at the bottom of the porch, Anna tripping over backwards and landing on the stairs on her butt, Bucky stopping as he looked down at her.

"I just wanted to get my facts straight" She mumbled, looking up at him doe eyed, Bucky shaking his head, having heard quite enough.

"Just..." He started, letting out an agitated sigh, gesturing to the door of the house, "get inside... It's gonna rain soon"

Anna nodded, looking up at him guardedly still, Bucky not bothering to make eye contact with her as she stood up. She backed up the stairs and went into the house, Bucky staying outside to cool off.

Oh Jesus, that was awkward...

Anna bit her lip nervously as she turned to look back down the hallway. He was still outside, and clearly annoyed at her, or maybe his feelings were hurt... Who knows...

If he's really innocent, then why the hell did he blow up at me like that? If he had nothing to hide, then what's the damn problem with being asked a few questions? Is trust THAT important to him!?

She swallowed hard as the urge to cry rose up in her, Anna's mind going into overdrive...

He tells me he understands the 'self preservation' urge, he knows what it's like not to trust people... Yet he goes nuts if I question him - I've known the guy for less than a week, what the hell does he expect from me? He's either incredibly insecure, or he's covering something up...

Anna looked back down the hallway, catching a glimpse of Bucky through the back door window with his cellphone to his ear and slowly walking to the back of the yard. He was obviously engrossed in whatever conversation he was having, Anna's stomach tightening again.

Why the hell is he suddenly on the phone after being questioned... Did I call him out? Is he calling for backup!? ...Uggghhhh...

She grit her teeth as she pushed her hair back, her palms remaining pressed hard into her temples as she fought against herself, the instinct to save herself kicking in, images of big red flags waving in her mind's eye...

What the fuck do I do... Am I safer here or out there? Bucky won't hurt me, but would he turn me in? Why is he keeping me 'hostage' in this house anyway? Was the DNA sample REALLY to prove I was a billionaires daughter, or was it the rock solid proof he needed to prove I was really me to Dad's henchmen? He WAS Dad's best weapon for all those years, why would he turn against him now? ...

Anna's heart thumped in her chest as she slipped her jacket on quickly and quietly, keeping an eye on Bucky through the window. Her hands trembled as she pulled up the zipper and backed herself towards the front door, feeling around with a hand behind her back to unlock it and open it as quietly as possible...

Tony Stark's daughter... Pfft you're an idiot, Anna...

She slipped out the front door, closing it silently and making her way down the driveway at a brisk walk, afraid he'd hear her if she ran. She kept to the gravel so he wouldn't see footprints if he went looking, which she knew he would once he realized she was missing. She turned to sneak into the scrub, heading towards the road, rather than deep into the forest where she assumed he'd guess she was hiding.
The going was rough, the floor of the woods rockier than she thought it'd be, but it was a whole lot better than snow, and he wouldn't be able to track her as easily. She spared a glance towards the house, and to her relief all was quiet and still...

Find a car and get a lift... Even if it's an enemy, you'll have a better chance fighting off a regular guy than a super powered one with a robot arm...

Anna kept moving parallel to the road, keeping herself hidden as she went. There was no turning back now, if Bucky went after her and found her, he'd be furious.
Hit with a pang of guilt, she put her thumb out at the next car that she heard approaching, relieved to see it was being driven by a middle aged woman, and even more so when it pulled up.

"You okay, honey?" the woman called out through a lowered electric window, Anna putting on her best 'damsel in distress' act.
"I need help..." She whimpered, the woman buying it completely as she reached across and pushed the door open, "If you can get me into town, I can call my Mom..."
"Oh my god, here, get in"

Well, that was easy...

"Thank you so, so much..." Anna sobbed, a tear rolling down her cheek that wasn't completely fake.



The long ride into town was uneventful, Anna keeping the conversation brief, instead using the time to work her next move out. She fidgeted in her seat, half expecting an unmarked van to pull them over or a Strike team to come running out, but to her relief it didn't seem like they'd been followed. The woman beside her tried to make friendly conversation, Anna giving her a fake name and back story when she was pressed for it, all the while watching the clock on the dashboard.
By now Bucky had to have realized she'd run off... Anna pictured his reaction in her head, he would have walked into the empty house, maybe looked around or called out, closely followed by frantic searching... He would have run out to the car, slammed the door and flown out of the driveway as fast as he could go.

Anna looked out through the back window for any sign of his car, it suddenly occurring to her that at the speed they were travelling at, that Bucky would catch up to them in no time at all. She had the woman pull up at the next service station, conveniently located on the main road as they pulled into town.
A twenty dollar note was offered to her which she begrudgingly took, the woman telling Anna that she had a daughter her age, and she hoped that the same kindness would be offered to her if she - god forbid - ever needed it.

"Thank you so much... You probably saved my life today... Thank you" Anna said with a genuine smile, the lady giving her hand a squeeze before pulling away.

Anna used the money to buy a coffee in the diner, the only way she'd get away with laying low in a booth for the next hour or so while she waited for the dust to settle. She chose a window seat in the corner and watched the road like a hawk, hoping to see a certain old station wagon pull into town and then out again.
She considered continuing on and seeking refuge from Shield - they were the only ones qualified to deal with super soldiers, after all. Now with a big fat target on her back, she didn't have many more options at her disposal...

She watched all sorts of patrons walk in and out the door, the brass bell above it ringing every time it opened. The clock on the wall showed it'd been over two hours since she'd initially made a run for it, almost three, and still no sign of his car. This made her nervous.
Anna swirled the thick, dark remainder in the bottom of her mug around, noticing the lady behind the counter was watching her.

Looks like it's time to go...

She sipped the last bitter, muddy mouthful from the mug and took it over to the counter where she thanked the lady with a big, warm smile, winning her over. She pulled another couple of dollars from her pocket and asked for a granola bar to take with her, making polite chitchat as she waited for her change back.
"Which way to the bathroom, please?"
"Door on the right, darlin'"
"Thank you"

Anna looked around again, shoving the bar into her jacket pocket and making her way to the bathroom. To her relief it was empty, Anna locking the main door before letting herself into the first cubicle.
She made her way to the sink when she was done, turning on the faucet and washing her hands, the water shockingly cold. She gave her face a quick splash, drying it with paper towel as she looked at her tired reflection in the mirror and let out a breath...

It was too good to be true... Be honest with yourself, deep down you knew...

Anna nodded, answering herself, deciding the best course of action now would be to find her way to Shield, and spill her guts. Tell them she was Alexander's daughter - well, adopted daughter - and that she'd seen things that had put her in danger. She'd tell them about Bucky, answer any questions they had truthfully, and hopefully they'd help her find refuge somewhere.

Okay... Time to get moving...

She blew her nose, shoving the tissue into her pocket and washing her hands a second time. She turned to leave, suddenly hearing a noise coming from the end cubicle which made her stomach turn over.

No... It's nothing. Don't go over there, don't investigate, it's fine... Just get out...

She swallowed hard and turned on her heel, making a beeline for the main door, hurrying when she heard the sound of feet landing on the ground behind her. Her hands flew to the doorknob to unlock it, a voice inside her head ordering her to duck, which she did.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

Anna turned to find her worst nightmare had come into fruition when she was presented with a very hostile looking man and woman. The man had swung at her and missed, the woman running at her now, Anna darting into the far corner, terrified. She picked her fists up like Bucky had shown her and threw one out, clearly taking the woman by surprise she connected with her jaw. Anna gasped in shock as she wheeled around to make another dash for the door, the man cutting her off and shoving her against the wall, restraining her. His hand tightened around her throat, Anna panicking as she watched a sinister smile form on his disheveled looking face.

"Little bitch" the woman snarled, patting Anna's sides down, pulling the granola bar from her pocket and tossing it on the floor with a laugh.
"What do you want!?" Anna gasped, desperately tugging at the man's hand around her neck.
"Is she clean?" He asked, ignoring Anna.
"Yeah, no weapons" The woman answered him.

The man pulled her away from the wall and slammed her back into it, hard, Anna's ears ringing now as her vision clouded. He gripped her jaw and tilted her head, leaning in close to her and giving her another smile.
"Here's how it's gonna be, sweetheart.. We're gonna walk out that door, and you're gonna follow us - or you'll get this" He purred, producing a hand gun.

Panic set in again as her eyes darted from the pistol, back to his face again, repulsed by his body against hers as her mind tried to figure out how she was getting out of this one...

They're obviously getting some kind of payoff for collecting me - if they wanted me dead, they'd have done it already...

"Got it?" He snarled, shoving her again.

He's full of shit - you're not getting shot... Go with him, let him think you believe him. You're in a public place, remember?

"Please don't do this" she whimpered convincingly, a smile forming on his face again.
"Now go - and act casual, or else" He reminded her, waving the gun at her before shoving her towards the door and pressing it into her back.

Anna flinched as the barrel pushed against her, opening the door and walking through the diner like everything was fine. Nobody looked up from their soup or coffee, the lady behind the counter didn't even so much as glance in her direction. It was eerie to think that this sort of thing happened right under people's noses - how many missing persons cases must start out like this...
A poke in the back reminded her to get moving, Anna pushing the door open and stepping out into the parking lot. It was too overcast and dark for shadows, and nobody was around out the front which dashed her hopes of flagging someone down. Even if she made a scene, nobody was going to come running.

Shit, shit, shit...

Try as she might, a 'plan B' just wouldn't manifest in her brain as panic set in, and the closer they got their getaway car, the less time she knew she had.

Fight. Fight them off, steal the car and GO...

The woman pushed a key into the passenger door lock and reached around to unlock the back door, yanking it open. While she was busy dealing with the car, Anna spun around and threw a punch at the man, figuring she'd take one opponent out while the other was busy... Unfortunately all her hit did was piss him off, the man hitting her back, dazing her and knocking her to the ground. There was the swift impact of a boot to her ribs, the force taking her breath away, Anna's world spinning.

This is not good...

She laid on her side on the concrete, not sure whether she was about to throw up or pass out, when she became vaguely aware of a scuffle going on above her. A couple of thumps and a robotic whir later, both of her assailants dropped heavily onto the ground beside her, Anna suddenly being hoisted to her feet.
She wobbled, unable to stand but still fighting to get away before her rescuer scooped her up and ran her out of there. She was shoved into the front seat of a car and buckled in, still too dazed to open her eyes, but also well aware that she was in no state to run or fight any more.

Anna let out a quiet groan as she tried to straighten up, her body protesting as she felt the car take off, accelerating hard. She fought to open her eyes, gritting her teeth against the pain shooting up the side of her body where she'd been kicked.

Oh my god...

"Bucky..." She breathed.

He looked over at her, a very serious expression on his face which frightened the hell out of her. He was furious, and if she didn't know any better, she'd have guessed he looked 'hurt', too. The urge to apologize rose up inside her, Anna having to swallow it back down, reminding herself that none of this was her fault. She didn't tell anyone to hunt her down, she didn't ask to be kidnapped, and she sure as hell didn't want to be on anyone's radar for any reason - good or bad...

She managed to prop herself upright, her hand over her rib as she peered around, an open country road stretching out before them. She glanced over at him again, waiting for some sort of a reaction - yelling, screaming, to pull the car over and beat her into oblivion... But nothing came...

"Are you alright?" He asked, blindsiding her again, Anna letting out a breath as she stifled the urge to cry.
"I guess that depends on where we're going..." She answered, hoping at least for some sort of honest clue - not that she expected for him to come clean.

Bucky sighed, nodding towards the glove compartment before reaching across and pressing the button to open it. He pulled a sealed A4 envelope out and dropped it in her lap before closing the hatch back up, Anna looking down at it suspiciously...

"Open it" He said, "All your answers are in there..."

Anna waited a few moments before hesitantly tearing the top of the envelope open, pulling out a small document which was neatly organized and held together with a fold back clip.
She lifted the cover page and began scanning through it, her mouth dropping open when she got about halfway down. She shot Bucky a glance before going back to the document, flicking few a few pages before sitting it back down on her lap.

"Holy shit..." She breathed, pausing for a few moments before flicking through it a second time, her hands shaking as her breath picked up pace.

"Well?" Bucky asked, looking over at her...



"I'm Tony Stark's daughter..."