"Sometimes I wonder if love is worth fighting for.
But then I remember your face,
And I'm ready for war."

BUCKY

"Let's go over the plan one more time."

Indira Eisley let out a slightly exasperated sigh as she clutched the steering wheel tightly. One of Jameson's former pupils, she'd been undercover in Nikolai's compound as a favor to Emilia. About a week ago, she contacted her about Nadine's whereabouts, and now there they were, in mountainous Alaska, hoping that in the four days since she last saw Nadine that she was still alive.

His heart ached at the thought, but he imagined he had a little box and locked it all up inside it. Now was not the time for worry.

"I'll drop you off just before the checkpoint. Once I get inside, I'll be working on disabling the electric gate. Once that's done and the guards outside are taken out, you can get inside."

"Bucky and I will meet up and make a b-line towards the room Nadine's being held in," Natasha said on comms. She'd been working nonstop in trying to find Nadine, determined to ensure she was safe again. It was one of those instances where the Widow's ruthlessness was inescapable.

"Then we blow that building up," Bucky finished, almost in a nonchalant manner. "We'll only have one chance."

"The plan will work," Indira muttered, looking at him through car mirror. Her dark brown eyes, black hair, and amber skin almost reminded him of Nadine.

Despite Emilia vouching for her, Bucky was suspicious. He didn't know Indira, except for what she had said. And yet, here he was, basically risking everything to trust that she was a woman of her word.

When he looked up, Indira was staring at him still. "You're uneasy."

"I wonder why," he retorted, studying the knife in his hand. It was an impressive blade, with a curved edge that would make anyone tense up at the sight. Surprisingly enough, he felt calm as he flipped it in his hands with ease.

"Emilia's my friend," Indira said. "I'm risking my life here to ensure I help Samira-"

"-Nadine."

"Nadine," she corrected. "Because I owe Emilia my life."

"Just drive," he stated forcefully, putting an end to their conversation. He may be obligated to trust her, but he didn't need to talk to her about anything other than saving Nadine. The woman obliged, finally starting their journey to the facility in silence. Every now and then Bucky would look up and stare at the endless white snow from the region. She had been somewhere in the frozen arctic all this time, and Bucky didn't even ask how she was holding up. He didn't want to know, but he needed to. He needed to prepare for the worst. "How was she?"

Indira seemed to consider answering, but with a small sigh, she relented. "Last time I saw her was when I was cleaning her fingers. Nikolai... he'd had her nails ripped out."

She seemed to hesitate, but Bucky motioned for her to continue, even though the information consumed him with unparalleled rage. "I don't know what else she was subjected to. By the time Kristina sent me to treat Nadine, she'd already been there. It didn't look good."

Silence enveloped them except for the roar of the engine. Bucky laid his head on his hands as he processed what she said, but he didn't let it consume him. He couldn't, not at this point. They were so close to finding her and bringing her home, he couldn't let his desire for revenge get the best of him. All he could do was concentrate on the plan and on getting Nadine out.

He hadn't noticed that the van stopped until Indira opened the back door. A shot of icy air hit him like a slap in the face. He covered his mouth and nose and put his hood on to conceal his knit hat and hair. This time, he was dressed in a fully white suit in order to blend in with the snow. His equipment was strapped onto his back, with weapons concealed in his pockets and underneath his coat.

They nodded once, before Indira went back into the van and drove off, leaving him at the edge of the icy woods.

"Okay Bucky," Selene said through her comms. "You're going to walk north, until I signal for you to go west. Steve will be waiting for you."

He started his trek. Steve had stayed about two days before to check the perimeter. He'd confirmed Indira's information and added details, like the changing of the guards, how many were stationed outside, and how many people seemed to get in and out of the facility. Tracking wasn't something he normally did, but Steve had been more than open to helping in any way he could.

Bucky trudged along the snowy terrain, the crunching sound on his feet his only companion. Normally, everyone would be making quips or smart comments, but this time it was different. The anticipation of what was waiting for them had everyone in an anxious, nervous state.

Not much time had passed and he could already feel his eyes drying up due to the cold temperature. He remembered Taj made jokes about the Winter Soldier controlling the weather, but frankly, Bucky didn't enjoy the snow much. Apart from the connection to his past, it's cold, wet, and, remembering New York winters, slippery and mind-numbing. Now that he was free, he tended to avoid it as much as possible, really.

"Stop," Selene said, interrupting his thoughts. His gloved hand circled around the knife in his pocket. "Something's coming your way, on your right."

"Shit," Bucky muttered, reaching into the pockets on his arms and pulling out the retractable ice climbing axes Kaia had given him. He swung once onto the tree trunk, embedding the axe as he placed his cleated boot, and pulled himself up onto the tree and onto a high enough branch. Sure enough, voices started getting louder as he spotted two figures walking along the snow in gray suits, guns strapped onto their backs. "There's two of them."

"Easy," Selene warned, signaling for Bucky to just blend in. "On my signal."

They trudged along the snow passing right by the tree Bucky was perched upon. Their conversation was of nothing in particular, just about how calmer the weather was today in comparison to the days before. He waited, his grip on his axes never faltering. Once there was a respectable distance between them, Selene signaled for Bucky to climb down and continue west this time.

"Indira, talk to me," Bucky called. He knew the hardest job at the moment was hers, but he needed reassurance that she hadn't been caught yet.

"Kristina won't let me see her," she said, a heavy irritated sigh escaping her. "She wants me to restitch the wound Emilia gave her when she escaped. I was able to tag the door of the room Nadine's being held in, though. You should have it by now, Selene."

"I do," she confirmed. "Okay, this could be easier than we thought it would be."

"Here's hoping," Steve said. It was the first time he'd spoken since they started the mission. "I see you, Buck."

Bucky stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes in the snow in order to find his friend. Sure enough, a figure peered from behind a tree trunk on his right and lowered the cloth to reveal his bearded face.

Steve walked towards him. Bucky couldn't help but notice that his nose and cheeks were a rosy pink. "Good to see you're alive."

"Shut up," Steve retorted, and Bucky smirked. Despite it, he was relieved to have Steve by his side again. The man gave him a sense of energy that made him feel invincible. It felt like old times, when they would cross enemy lines to free captured soldiers in the war.

"Alright, gang, buckle up," Selene said, her tone demanding. "Indira gave me access to the main fence. Natasha, where are you?"

"Just landed," Natasha replied. "I'll be headed your way. Fong is back-up in case everything goes to hell. The moment we have Nadine, Kaia will bring the hovercraft around."

Steve covered his face once again before motioning for Bucky to follow him. They squatted as they made their way up a small hill, and Steve signaled for them to lower their bodies onto the snow in order for them not to be recognized by the shadowy figures walking just a few meters away. Bucky unstrapped the weapon on his back -a blaster, Shuri liked to call it- and assembled the same way he would a sniper rifle. He peered through the scope to get a sense of the terrain. The facility had the shape of a sort of bunker, giving the illusion that it was encrusted into the hill and covered in a blanket of snow. At first glance, the fence seemed almost transparent, except for a bright current appearing every now and then when a snowflake fell on it.

"Bucky, Natasha, be ready in three."

Bucky adjusted the rifle, pointing it at the main keyboard on the metal post on the fence.

"Two."

His heart raced as his finger hovered over the trigger.

"One."

He pulled the trigger.

A bright light pierced through the air and hit the keyboard. For a second, he could only hear a faint buzz as the keyboard lit up, but immediately it was followed by a sharp crack and loud boom as the fence itself crumbled at the surge of electricity that flowed through it. As it collapsed in itself, Bucky turned his weapon towards the door, repeating the motion, the object exploding as the blast hit the metal hinges.

Chaos erupted as the men scrambled for either cover or to figure out where the attack had come from. Bucky flicked the switch on his rifle to the "stun" option and crawled back to make room for Steve to take over. Bucky knew the man had sworn off weaponry and to purposefully kill, so the rifle now would only incapacitate anyone he shot at.

"Good luck," Steve said as Bucky slid down the hill towards the hideout, being careful to hide behind the trees so they wouldn't take notice. Little by little the men in front started dropping like flies, Steve never failing his aim. Though he wasn't one to use guns, there was no doubt Steve was an expert marksman, rivaled only by a select few, if Bucky was honest.

A throaty growl echoed as a snow-bike appeared in his vision, slicing through the heavy snow as if it were nothing. Bucky recognized Natasha's white suit, similar to her signature uniform, except for the color. She swerved as gunshots rang through the air and threw little spheres, which shot electro-static energy blasts that quickly incapacitated her attackers. Natasha aimed the bike towards the entrance before jumping off of it, somersaulting in the snow before evading a man's knife.

Bucky ran and quickly pulled out his own knife from his pocket, throwing it at her opponent and piercing him on the shoulder. She pulled it out and sliced it over his chest, before throwing it back towards Bucky so he could stab it in the eye of his own attacker. Someone shot at him and he placed his metal arm before him to deflect the bullets, quickly grabbing the gun and throwing it aside before kicking the man on his chest. Another figure ran towards him and Natasha shot him before he could continue.

They continued to slice through the people there, shooting at everything that moved. Despite never actually fighting together, they worked rather well in ensuring the other was protected. Once inside, Natasha took off her helmet to reveal her short blond tresses. Her expression, unlike other times, was cold and unforgiving.

"We're inside," she said as she pressed on her comms. She swung her helmet as someone attempted to sneak attack them, successfully knocking them out. "Indira?"

No answer.

Natasha and Bucky exchanged looks. "Indira," Bucky called this time, in a more forceful tone.

"Unfortunately, Indira can't answer right now. The bullet in her head makes it difficult."

Bucky's heart dropped. Natasha closed her eyes and blew out a breath, looking exactly like he was feeling. The Russian accent was all too familiar. "Kristina."

"I must say, you definitely surprised us. I'm impressed," she said, her tone combatant. "But, no matter, on to the next place."

For a moment, there was silence, until a high pitch made him hiss in pain and he was forced to pull his comms out and throw it on the floor, Natasha mimicking him. The earbud was suddenly full of smoke. "What the hell?"

"She cut us off," Natasha said, an exasperated sigh escaping her. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."

Bucky huffed, irritated that something always seemed to have to go wrong. Nevertheless, he quickly took off the glove on his metal hand and pulled out his gun, trailing behind the Black Widow as they moved to find the room Nadine was trapped inside of.

As they walked, they shot any stray attackers down. At one point, Bucky grabbed a man by the neck and pushed him towards the Widow, who wrapped her legs around his neck and body slammed him towards the floor before slicing his throat.

She was relentless, he had to admit, maybe more so than him. Bucky didn't think he'd seen her this willing to kill. He supposed that was a testament to her relationship with Nadine and he definitely underestimated her love for the woman.

Natasha was about to continue when Bucky pulled her back in order to look at the figures across the hall from them. He quickly recognized a tall, dark-haired and olive-skinned man that was trailing behind a woman. Dante and Kristina.

They were right across the hall from them. He was right across the hall from them.

Though he had flashbacks to their last encounter, Bucky had to remind himself that Dante was brainwashed. Despite his better judgement, he knew that the man didn't know what he was doing. Nadine's heartbreak at losing her brother figure also ran through his mind. His own past experiences prevented him from moving when Natasha gave the all-clear for them to continue. "Barnes," She warned, clearly not in the mood to have to deal with Kristina again.

"I know," he agreed, but sighed once as he came to terms with what he needed to do. "I owe it to Kaia and Emilia to try to convince him."

Natasha shook her head. "Fine," she relented. "Go."

Bucky nodded once, before bolting after the group, leaving the Widow to find Nadine and hope that she could succeed. "Kristina!"

The group stopped, immediately pointing their weapons towards him as he also came to a halt and mimicked them. Dante stared right at him, and though his glare was potent, his hands shook. Bucky noticed the bags under his eyes and the slight pallor.

Dante was definitely not in his right mind.

"Oh, the handsome soldier has come to save his dying lover," Kristina mused. Despite her joke, there was something different. Her gaze was unsettling, not at all like the woman he encountered.

"Let him go."

"Who? Dante?" she chuckled at the thought. "Little Dante is right where he needs to be. Are you really wasting your time with us, with trying to kill me?"

"Believe me, I want nothing more than to make you bleed," Bucky said in a low voice, his ruthlessness in full display. "But my main concern out of the two of you, is him."

Dante tightened his grip on his gun, like he felt threatened by Bucky's words, but his eyes were unfocused.

She smirked, seemingly unbothered. "And I have no doubts that you could, Soldat. You could kill each and every one of us in this hall. But if Dante has your undivided attention, who's going to help her? Do you hear that?"

Bucky grit his teeth. There was nothing on his mind except Nadine and she knew this. The alarm that suddenly blared was secondary.

"You didn't think we would let this place stay intact, did you?" she asked lightly. "I suggest you find your darling girl before the roof collapses on you both."

"You're bluffing," he said, but he didn't seem to be convinced.

Kristina raised her eyebrows, her grin widening. "You know, our doctors injected Samira with a concoction so she'd hallucinate, and she only called out one name: James. It sounded like this James was hurting her."

She was baiting him. She wanted to see if she could get him to abandon Nadine. The alarm was ringing in his ears, telling him to choose. Dante or Nadine?

Dante or Nadine, Bucky? Were you really debating it?

Emilia chose Nadine. Natasha chose Nadine. And though he may feel guilty about it as he thought of Kaia's heartbreak, he also chose Nadine.

Bucky lowered his gun, but not completely in case they tried to attack him. "I look forward to killing you next time, Kristina."

"I also look forward to seeing your handsome face again, Soldat." The woman motioned for her men to follow, but Dante hesitated, still staring at Bucky. She glared at the back of the man's head and snapped her fingers, and two men hooked their arms under his shoulders and proceeded to take him with them.

And just like that, Dante was gone once again.

Bucky let himself feel defeated, but only for a second before opening his eyes again and focusing on his mission. He turned back, gun pointed straight as he stalked into the darkening hall. Whatever self-destruction mechanism they activated, it was already affecting the high-tech facility.

A man came crashing through a glass pane in front of him, Natasha peering through it to look at Bucky. "Took you long enough," she said as she opened the metal door. He said nothing and simply went inside the room, his heart almost stopping at the sight.

Nadine was lying on a lab chair, restrained and seemingly unconscious. She was wearing black shorts and a sports bra, the rest of her chained body exposed. Next to her was a woman, a doctor, he assumed, who had her hands raised and held what looked like a syringe.

And though his gun was pointed right at the woman, Bucky couldn't stop his gaze from flickering towards Nadine. She was right there, in front of him at long last.

________________________________

A/N: Nothing to add, just that they're finally in the same room again. <3