"Steve, get up."

"Steve."

"Steve, come on, I could use the backup."

Natasha shook the Captain's arm firmly, enough to move his entire body to try to rouse him from the stupor he was in after your solid kick to his head that left him limp on the ground. His head was swimming and his vision doubled when he opened his eyes to see you standing in front of him, not so far away and ready for another shot at taking him down for good. He had fought you before, in both sparring and true battles when your personality had changed, but seeing you now felt different, and much more dangerous than he had experienced before. One thought that was still present despite his current state was that he had to be a complete idiot for thinking that this was a good idea.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm okay..." he stammered, pushing himself up against a tree at his back. He dismissed her hand when she tried to help, insisting to himself more than to her that he could do it. "It just looks like I'm fighting two of her now."

"We need to call it," she urged, holding him in place with a weary but steady arm to his chest. "I think I can break her, just stay back. I just need a second to catch my breath."

"Nat, I've never seen her like this. She's almost...rabid. What did we do wrong?"

"She felt cornered and we took her on together? I don't know. One of us must have said something to set her off, but we were so careful-"

"I can hear you," you interrupted, "so if you're going to talk about me, please have the courtesy to at least look at me when you do it."

Steve and Natasha exchanged a hesitant glance, with silent conversation passed between them, though it gave them no more answers than they had a moment ago. They weren't out here to fight you; that wasn't their original plan, and they hadn't expected it or you would have been better contained to avoid this exact scenario.

"(Y/N)," Nat began, "I need you to focus on the sound of my voice, okay? I'm your friend. I'm not here to fight you, and I'm not here to hurt you. Neither is Steve. We're your teammates and we just want to help you. You're an Avenger."

"Apparently not anymore if you two get your way," you scoffed, holding your stance.

Your words struck Steve from his daze like a slap to the face, suddenly understanding that this scenario wasn't at all what they had been led to believe it was. "Wait, (Y/N)...this is you, isn't it?" he now pressed, stepping out from Nat's hold. "You didn't flip at all. This is you fighting us."

"Of course it's me fighting you, Steve. I heard you talking about sending me back to Nick and taking me off the team. You thought I was asleep but I heard every damn word that you had to say. How could you go behind my back and do this to me without talking to me first?"

"(Y/N)," Nat began, but you quickly cut her off.

"No, shut up, Nat. I was asking Steve."

"It's for your own good," he answered hesitantly. "Being on the team isn't the right fit anymore-"

"Because your best pal showed up and you're worried that I'm going to turn on you, right?"

"That's not-"

"That's exactly it!" you hissed, stomping your way forward, pushing him back with your fists slammed into his chest; ironically, Nat didn't even try to stop you. "Dammit, Steve, it's always about you! How dare you take away the one good thing in my life like your needs are so much more important than mine! Why didn't you just tell me? Why would you hide this from me? Don't you think it's important for me to know that I black out and turn into some damn killing machine that you and Nat have to shut down? Don't you think that I would want to know?"

"(Y/N), I swear, I was trying to protect you-"

"Oh, please, not that excuse again," you groaned, stumbling back, aghast, "that's the best you've got? How do you think it makes me feel to know that you've been hiding this from me, when the new guy, who's been here only a few days, mind you, is the only one trying to trust me to handle the truth?"

"He's the one who can set you off easier than anything else, (Y/N)," Nat interjected, "and we're worried that with him here, it could make you turn so that you never snap out of it again."

"Right. So instead of looking for a way to help me, your teammate who has fought at your side for years, you decide to get me out of the way so that Steve's friend can move in and they can live happily ever after. Like I said, it's always about Steve." You stopped and took a slow breath, resting your hands on your hips, much to their relief; it was a posture that wasn't likely to change quickly into a fighting one, and the two of them welcomed the moment to catch their bearings. "Does Bucky agree with this?"

"He doesn't know."

"Oh, Cap, how you're wrong again," you smirked, glancing just over his shoulder, "I think he knows very well and isn't likely to go along without a fight."

"Why?"

"Because she's right," Bucky snapped, approaching quickly from behind Steve and Nat, "I'm not going along with this. If anyone should be tossed out on their ass, it's me." He passed by Steve with an angry shove of his shoulder, tipping his shocked friend slightly off balance, only to instead bring himself to stand in front of you with an extended hand and a hopeful glimmer in his eyes. "Come on, (Y/N), we're leaving."

"Where are we going?"

Alarms were sounding in Steve's head, seeing Bucky completely disregard him to take the role of your champion, when he barely even knew you. Steve was not only a remarkable soldier, but he was highly skilled at his own skepticism and doubts, taking something outwardly innocent and turning it into a diabolical plan. As he let his mind race and spiral without attention to slowing it, he started to wonder just what it was that Bucky thought he was doing, and if it was Bucky actually making this decision. "Buck, I can't let you do that."

"Stop me."

"Really? Is that what we're doing? Why are you even here?"

Sam had only now caught up to Bucky after he had disembarked from the jet and all but sprinted to get to the group once he saw what was happening with the three of you. The air around your group felt almost like a barrier that would hold him away if he tried to approach, the anger flowing between each of you palpable and clearly visible. Sam focused first on Steve, then looked to Nat, wondering which of them he would rather try to stop first if this began to escalate. Natasha wouldn't hesitate to crush him with her thighs alone, but maybe he could play to Steve's sense of loyalty to keep from getting hurt if he tried him first.

"Hey guys," he tried gently, "what's going on here?"

"Bucky thinks that he and (Y/N) are leaving, but that's not a good idea," Steve answered, though his eyes never shifted from their glare at Bucky. "Come on, man, let's talk about this. All we're trying to do is what's best for both of you."

"Without asking either of us," you joined in again. Something about having Bucky at your side was giving you a renewed sense of strength and determination that you hadn't had on your own. "You made this decision just like you always do, Steve. You so rarely hear the word no that you don't think it exists for you. So, let me reintroduce you to the concept. No, I'm not staying here with either of you. Buck, lead the way."

Bucky nodded and finally grabbed your hand in his and took the first few steps into his own personal mutiny. At first, Steve looked like he had been beaten, and that he wasn't going to try to stop you; not until your path brought you right next to him and his hand jutted out, grabbing your arm with enough pinching force to make you wince in pain.

"I can't let the two of you leave together when we don't know how you'll react. I'm sorry, (Y/N), but this is a matter of security...and if you try to go, I'll have to arrest you and detain you as an insubordinate for going against my direct orders."

"Steve, don't do this," Bucky warned for you. "Let me have the chance to fix this before you take it too far. I started this whole thing, so let me try to finish it."

"That's exactly why I can't let you go, Buck. I can't have two former Hydra assassins on the loose together. Not when you're walking time bombs waiting to be set off. You know I can't."

"Wow, I didn't realize that's how you felt. I suppose it's good to know going forward, how you actually see me. So, in that case," Bucky sighed, "I'm sorry, Steve. Sam?"

"Son of a bitch," Sam groaned at his new fate, the wings of his pack extending as he took flight. You hadn't even seen that he was wearing it, but you had never been more thankful that he was. He was so fast that he was able to retrieve the shield from Steve's back before the Captain could answer the move, giving it an easy toss into Bucky's waiting metal hand. "Alright, so run already, stupid. I've got this."

Bucky turned and threw the shield back to its owner, with just enough inertia to hit Steve square in the chest and knock the air from his lungs to give him pause before returning the attack. Sam had engaged Natasha to keep her occupied, all of it just the right amount of time for you and your new savior to break into a sprint for the jet to make your getaway. Bounding and slightly tripping steps carried you up the jet's door as it began to close, the two of you stopping just short of the pilot's chair with expectant looks at each other.

"Can you fly this thing?" he asked. "I don't have clearance yet."

"You bet your ass I can," you smiled widely, dropping into the seat with a flurry of your hands over the controls. You couldn't help but smile to yourself at the sigh of relief from your accomplice with the feeling of the jet leaving the ground; he was clearly struggling with what he had just done to Steve, and the distance from him was very welcome. "Let me just lock their jet down...and disconnect FRIDAY...and...there, we're on our own. Where are we going?"

"Right here," he leaned in next to you, reaching over your shoulder from behind to lay in the coordinates for you to follow. "How long do you think we have?"

"Before they can track us? Don't worry, as soon as we're high enough, I'm putting us into stealth mode. Untraceable."

"Perfect."

"So, where is this place that you're taking us? I don't recognize what you've entered." He didn't answer right away, and when you turned to try to get his attention, he was sitting in the chair next to you, almost statuesque and staring out the window, clearly doing his best to avoid you altogether. "What's wrong? Where is it? What are we going to do?"

Even as he answered, his lips barely moved to form the words that he really didn't want to say; this was a huge risk that he was taking not only for you, but for himself, the team that was barely his, and even the world around him. As the minutes ticked by and his thoughts rolled within his uncertain mind, he had to make the final decision; he had to commit to the plan that he had begun, because if he faltered at all, it was sure to fail. He had spent the entire journey towards you working out the details and preparing himself, and he had yet to work out how he would prepare you.

"(Y/N)," he spoke in a shaking whisper, "I'm going to do what I failed to do before. I'm going to get this out of you once and for all."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're making it sound a lot easier than it's going to be?"

"Because you're right," he snickered, "it might just break you, I honestly don't know. It might take me along with you." He expected a fight, for you to deny his help once your realization began, but he only received your tacit compliance, and when he finally turned to meet your eyes, he was shocked at the acceptance you were giving him.

"Okay."

"Okay? Just like that? You trust me without any argument?"

"Yep."

"Shit," he laughed openly now, "you've obviously been hanging around Rogers too long."

"Bucky, that's exactly why I'm trusting you. I've just seen a side of Steve that I didn't know before, and you're the one risking this to actually help me. He was ready to dump me on the side of the road and not look back. You're damn right I trust you."

"Okay," he agreed softly, but his voice still carried his disbelief. "I hope that holds out, because if you still trust me after what I'll have to do, I promise you, (Y/N), I'm going to find a way to put you back together. I'm going to do whatever I have to do to fix what I've done to you."